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Skin Care Help for Teenagers
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, teenagers from ages 12 to 17 are affected, at least occasionally, by acne. It is by far the most common skin complaint in this age group.
Acne at any level should be taken very seriously, especially by teenagers. Moderate to severe scarring can become a problem in teenagers with untreated acne. In turn, the scars left behind can cause emotional pain and discomfort in social situations.
Your skin is the largest organ of your body. It protects and covers the body, is waterproof, bacteria proof, and it self-repairs when it is injured. Your skin, hair and nails are a reflection of your state of health. Skin is repairable, but is not replaceable, so take care of the skin you're in.
Expert opinions differ drastically depending upon what you read or hear. While one expert may believe diet plays a large role in people with skin problems, another may say that diet does not contribute at all. I am a registered esthetician in the State of California and I believe that diet does play a major role in how skin behaves. You must eat a balanced diet in order for your body to function properly. The old adage "you are what you eat" is true in my opinion.
Even doctors who believe that diet does not affect skin believe it is a good idea to avoid chocolate, French fries, or other food if it appears to keep your acne in check.
Our bodies must process everything we eat. All waste is not eliminated in the same manner and many things are eliminated through our skin. Take garlic for example. If you eat a meal that is chock full of garlic, the next day the scent of garlic can often be smelled on your skin. Brewers Yeast is another example. Brewers Yeast is a rich source of the B-complex vitamins, which tend to have a very strong scent. Many doctors and pharmacists recommend taking this product in high quantities during summer to avoid mosquito bites. B-vitamins are water soluble, so anything your body does not use will be eliminated through your skin or in your urine. Even though you will not be able to detect the scent on your skin, mosquitoes have a keen sense of smell and they will stay off you because it. These two items are perfect examples of our body eliminating through our skin. In the same manner, many other foods can affect our bodies in the same way.
Drinking plenty of fluids is extremely important for healthy skin. Water is most important because it aids in the digestion and absorption of food. Water is also responsible for carrying nutrients to the skin and waste away from the cells, as well as regulating body temperature.
Eating a low-fat diet is recommended for healthy skin. A diet high in fruits and vegetables is best since they are loaded with antioxidants which help to keep the skin supple and nourished. Include regular exercise along with diet to increase blood flow to the skin. Increased blood flow to the surface of the skin not only gives you the appearance of a healthy glow, it also helps clean and repair the skin tissues.
Another major culprit responsible for acne flare-ups is airborne grease. Working in a fast food restaurant can be harder on your skin than eating at one. If you work at a fast food establishment there are steps you can take to help keep your skin clean and clear:
If possible, wash your face a couple of times a day with a mild cleanser and warm water (not hot) to remove surface oils and dead skin cells. Never scrub your skin hard, especially with an abrasive cleanser. One cause of acne is oily buildup, not dirt, so scrubbing hard won't help and can actually irritate the skin and further inflame your acne. If you do not have access to a sink, but still want to clean the oil from your face, there are several different face-cleansing cloths available on the market that you can use.
Shampoo your hair regularly. Keep in mind to avoid oily shampoos, hair gels, and conditioners, as these products can transfer from your hair to your face during the day or at night while you sleep and cause problems with your skin.
Stop touching your face! Many people touch their face continually during the day for many reasons. If you are studying, do not rest your hands on your face while you look down at your books. Every time you touch your face you transfer all sorts of germs and bacteria from all the doorknobs, money, etc. that you have touched during the day.
Here is something a lot of people do not think of very often. If you use a telephone a lot, keep the receiver off your face. The dirt and germs that build up on the phone, along with the constant friction against your face, can cause breakouts in key areas such as the chin. If being on the phone all day is your job, see if your boss will spring for an inexpensive headset to help the problem.
For the girls: Never use oil-based makeup or other products. Check the labels of everything you use and if oil is an ingredient, throw it away! Look for products with non-comedogenic on the label. If you have oily skin and you use a pressed powder, be sure to look for one with oil control... and be sure to wash your powder pad often.
For the boys: If you have started to shave your face, always use a sharp razor. Old razors with dull blades will drag across your skin and cause rashes and irritation.
Do not think that just because you have oily skin you do not need to use a moisturizer. Your skin can be oil rich, but moisture dry, so find a light moisturizer that works for you. You need to balance out the moisture levels in your skin. If it has enough moisture, the oil glands will not produce as much.
If you spend a lot of time in the sun, be sure to wear an oil-free sunscreen, such as a gel or light lotion. Gel and light lotion sunscreens will not aggravate your acne and will help you avoid skin cancer in your adult years. If you are currently seeing a dermatologist, some skin treatments can increase your skin's sun sensitivity, so be sure to wear your sunscreen if you are outside. Talk to your doctor if you have questions about the treatment you are receiving and how it relates to sun exposure. Something else to keep in mind regarding the sun and how it affects your skin: sunburn is your skins way of saying it has been injured, but so is a tan. When your skin browns or reddens, is using its defense mechanism by producing melanin. Melanin acts as a protective biological shield against ultraviolet radiation. By doing this, your skin is trying to prevent sunburn damage that could lead to melanoma later in life. So be careful if you are a sun worshiper, you will regret it later in life when the wrinkles caused by sun damage start to appear.
If you do have a pimple, do not squeeze it or pick at it. Picking or squeezing pimples only irritates the tissue more and increases your chance of getting scars. Only qualified skin professionals (dermatologists or estheticians) can safely remove pimples without causing more harm.
Avoid products that contain fragrance. Using products with fragrance increases the possibility of skin sensitivities or allergies. Use only unscented lotions and products. Side note: Fragrances in the products you use will often negatively affect any perfume or cologne you may wear, changing the scent.
Hormones can be a factor in how skin behaves, especially in the teenage years when bodies are going through puberty and changing. If taking precautions like the ones above does not help, my recommendation is to see a reputable dermatologist or skin care professional. Sometimes the least expensive alternative is seeing an esthetician first and trying products specifically formulated for your skin type. Estheticians, also known as facialists, are trained to detect skin type (oily, dry, combination) and are able to recommend the proper products for their clients to use for their particular skin type. You should also keep in mind that as you age, your skin type might change. So if you are told you have oily skin now, and 5 years from now you are told your skin type is combination or dry, do not panic. Things change as you get older and that is just the way it is.
Making changes will not always show right away, so stick with a new plan for at least three to four weeks before getting discouraged. If you have severe acne that does not seem to respond to anything that has been addressed here so far, please see your dermatologist as early as possible to discuss your options. There are prescription medications that can help in some cases, but be sure to only use a prescription that was written specifically for you. If you use something a friend got from his or her doctor, it will not necessarily work for you and could harm your skin in the long run. In fact, using a prescription that was not written specifically for you can cause big problems, so just do not do it!
Many skin rashes or spots can be difficult to tell apart and can sometimes signify anything from a harmless disease to one that may be potentially serious, so be on the safe side and seek treatment advice from a health professional if your skin's appearance changes unexpectedly.
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|Published 1,561 days ago|
Researchers discover bones of armored dinosaur
College of Eastern Utah researchers have located the largest nodosaur ever, according to a December 2008 article in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. The Nodosaur is an armored dinosaur that is part of the a group known as ankylosaurs.
The article written by Kenneth Carpenter of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science with the assistance of Jeff Bartlett, John Bird and Reese Barrick of the CEU Museum, reports that bones of a partial skull and post-cranial skeleton of a new large nodosaurid anklylosaur were found in the Cedar Mountain Formation southeast of Price.
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Research Project Search
Engineering Students Win With Online Game
May 17, 2008 - A team of Ohio University engineering and technology students won an honorable mention from the Environmental Protection Agency for their online environmental game designed to improve public awareness of chemical exposure, the university announced.
The Russ College of Engineering and Technology students competed in the 4th Annual National Sustainable Design Expo from April 20-22 at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Nearly 60 teams represented colleges and universities across America.
The Chemical Exposure Awareness Game, funded by a $10,000 EPA grant, is played in the online virtual world Second Life. Modeled on Monopoly, the game exposes players to various daily chemicals to teach positive and negative effects. Players also are encouraged to strive for more sustainable lifestyles.
The expo was the second phase of the EPA's People, Prosperity and the Planet, P3, competition.The first phase, for which the team won the grant, asked teams to demonstrate how they planned to research and develop innovative designs to address challenges to sustainability.
Associate Professor of Computer Science Chang Liu and Professor of Civil Engineering Tiao Chang led students Ying Zhong, Yanhui Fang, En Ye and Jourdan Siemer in developing the game.
"Our team was the only computer game to compete in the expo," Zhong said in an OU news release. "Our game was very popular at the expo, especially with children."
"Students waited in lines to play our P3 game," Liu said. "I think this was evidence that our team had made progress toward the goal of improving chemical awareness though engaging programming."
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The Egg Matrix
Creating a Ubiquitous Information Architecture and Designing Across Devices
The Egg Matrix is a tool for planning content, features, and scenarios when creating an information architecture that will exist across multiple devices and touch points.
Where Did the Idea Come From?
In college, I had an environmental design professor who described the field as such:
Architecture is the profession that designs the shell or the structure of the built environment. Interior design is the profession that designs the interactions and spaces inside that built environment. Landscape architecture is the profession that designs the space outside this structure.
Environmental design encompasses all three, studying our interactions with the built environment, how we move through it, how we move around it, how we integrate with the natural environment, and so on.
I always had the idea of an egg in my head, in part because he described architecture as being like a shell of sorts, and partially because we talked a lot about animal habitats and homes.
Environmental design is a human-centered design discipline that covers our physical surroundings. It considers the shared ecology between places and spaces, interiors and exteriors, the mechanic and the organic. Many of the same principles and ideals carry over into the digital space.
When the Digital World Spills Over into the Physical World
When we design for digital spaces today, it’s no longer safe to assume that the majority of our users will access our information from a similar static setup in an office or home. Digital information travels freely now between devices, locations, and online and offline habitats. In fact, it’s nearly impossible to know the context or situation that surrounds each of our users.
It also seems likely that even before we have mastered the art of designing across desktop and mobile platforms, we will find ourselves creating spaces in cars, kiosks, mirrors, table tops, refrigerators, and many other devices. There is no set of rules that tells us how to create the right mix of content and features so that our users will have a seamless experience whenever and wherever they access our information.
The Egg Matrix
The Egg Matrix is my attempt to create a tool for cataloging the different forces that should be considered when determining the architecture, features, and overall design of a multi-device experience. My hope is that it is flexible enough to be applicable to topical challenges, like designing for mobile vs desktop spaces, but that it also will encompass future needs, such as television or in-car apps.
The concept is simple. There is a subset of the experience (the egg) that you can directly control. You are responsible for the structure, the content, the messaging, and the interaction that goes into your design. There are also two equally important forces at play that contribute to the experience and overall success of what you’ve designed. There is the internal composition of the user (the yolk) and the extrinsic environment that the experience takes place in (the nest). You might be able to influence certain aspects of both areas, and you might be able to design around certain scenarios, but you’ll never be responsible for the creation of these realms.
By breaking each area down into individual factors, you’ll be able to create a better model for your structure. I’ve broken each field out into the initial factors that I thought were most crucial, but there is certainly room for expansion, refinement, and feedback.
Start with a single node of content, and build out from there. What features are needed to interact with that content? How often is the content accessed by the user? What possible contexts might the user be in when accessing the content? What belief systems might he or she be bringing to the experience?
The breakdown currently is as follows:
The Nest covers environment, location, context, and locomotion.
The Egg covers message, content, task, frequency, urgency, privacy, intimacy, tracking, and measurement.
The Yolk covers motivations, needs, desires, and knowledge.
You may find yourself creating multiple columns for a single content node to cover the array of possible touch points or devices your users might encounter.
I included a section called “messaging.” This may relate to a marketing campaign, a company brand message, or a common slogan. It’s important the spaces you design don’t contradict the messaging being broadcast to users.
I’ve also included fields for noting tracking and measurements. These are for listing how you plan to measure the experience and what measurement points you’re going to look for.
How Do You Know If The Model Is Working?
Like any other model, it has to be put into action and tested. Fortunately, this “model” can be tested in several ways. You can gather feed and ask questions of users. You can create a prototype to test. When you’re satisfied with the performance of a prototype, you can design the real deal, and then continue to make refinements with ongoing feedback.
I’ve listed the Egg Matrix worksheet here so that others can download it, play around with it, refine it, and provide feedback.
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It's December and Geminid meteor time, skywatchers!
Space Weather News for Dec 13, 2012
GEMINID METEOR SHOWER: Earth is passing through a stream of debris from "rock comet" 3200 Phaethon, source of the annual Geminid meteor shower. Around the world, observers are counting as many as 60 shooting stars per hour, a number which could increase sharply as the shower peaks on the night of Dec 13-14. Wherever you live, the best time to look is during the dark hours between local midnight and sunrise.
Visit SpaceWeather News for sky maps, photos, and updates.
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Last month, I had the opportunity to attend a sea level rise forum in Raleigh, NC organized by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources; Division of Coastal Management. The purpose of this forum was to discuss the latest sea level rise science, what it means for North Carolina’s coastal communities and how the state can begin to prepare for the changes to come.
The two day event boasted an impressive line-up of expert speakers from around the country. Over 200 local and state decision makers, scientists, planners, engineers and environmental advocates participated in this event that seemed to foster true collaboration between all involved. This forum was just one step in a series that the Division of Coastal Management (DCM) plans to take to understand and plan for future sea level rise.
Public Perceptions of Rising Seas
Last year the DCM issued a 10-question scoping survey to gauge public perception about rising seas. During the forum Tancred Miller, Coastal Policy Analyst with the DCM, shared with the audience their results. Interestingly, 75% of participants believe sea level rise is happening and 66% believe that the state should take action now to plan and prepare for future sea level rise.
The results of this survey will be used as a communications tool to help the DCM design public outreach opportunities and to address the gaps in the public’s understanding of this issue. This sea level rise forum was the second step in the DCM’s “sea level rise roadmap” (see diagram); their clear path forward to address this issue in the state. To read the full report and analysis click here.
“Potential Death Sentence” for North Carolina Beaches
According to Dr. Stanley Riggs, Distinguished Professor of Geology at East Carolina University, most North Carolina beaches are eroding at a long term average of 15 feet/year. This rapid rate of erosion coupled with rising seas and a limited offshore sand supply to replenish the beaches creates a “potential death sentence” for the future of the state’s barrier island communities.
“Humans are just as impactful as storms”, Dr. Riggs explained. Because we have heavily urbanized our coastlines we have essentially stopped the natural migration of barrier island ecosystems; the environments that naturally protect human development from storm surges.
Shocking Statistics from Dr. Riggs:
* Somewhere between 350 and 500 houses on NC beaches are sandbagged and/or in danger of washing away.
* Twenty-four miles of coastal highway are collapsing and 100+ miles are threatened.
Dr. Riggs made a big push for responsible coastal planning and development by ending his presentation posing the following question:
“We have a choice”, said Dr. Riggs. “Should we engineer our dynamic coastal system to keep up with the ongoing rise in sea level or should we begin adapting to these changes now to maintain a sustainable coastal system and associated economy?”
Future Sea Level Rise Estimates for North Carolina
There were more than a few scientists at this forum that addressed past, present and future sea level rise changes in North Carolina. Estimates were taken from numerous resources including Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessments and various peer-reviewed studies. All of the most recent studies conclude that sea level is rising much faster than predicted.
Scientists like Dr. Gordon Hamilton, Research Professor at the University of Maine, explained that the range in estimates that are out there on sea level rise depend on how the model accounts for changes in ice sheet dynamics. Ice sheets are extremely sensitive; they can decay rapidly in non-linear ways which leads to uncertainty in sea level rise estimates.
“The general consensus since the IPCC’s latest assessment in 2007 is that we can expect at the very least, 1 meter of global sea level rise by the end of the century.”
- Dr. Gordon Hamilton
The Dialogue Continues
What will ultimately determine the fate of North Carolina’s coastal communities, ecosystems and associated economies will depend on how the state and her residents choose to mitigate and adapt to rapidly rising seas and a changing climate. The Division of Coastal Management along with all of their partners should be applauded by the dialogue that they have started and have committed to continuing in the state.
There is a lot of activity going on in North Carolina on the topic of sea level rise, adaptation and mitigation and the state is positioning itself to be a leader in our region in forward-thinking planning that accounts for global warming impacts to our treasured coastal places.
* Workshop on March 2nd and 3rd, 2010: Planning for North Carolina’s Future; Ask the Climate Question
* SACE Archive Webinar: “Planning to Protect: Helping SE Communities think about Adaptation”
* Video: “Treasured Places in Peril: The Outer Banks”
* New Resource: NOAA Climate Services
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There is a chance for some severe weather this weekend, specifically Saturday. Oklahoma is prone to severe thunderstorms and American Red Cross urges residents to take steps now to stay safer when severe weather threatens. Based on forecasts, it looks like there could be hail, damaging winds and strong rain.
“By preparing together for severe thunderstorms, we can make our families safer and our communities stronger,” said Ken Garcia, Regional Communication Director. “We can help you and your family create a disaster preparedness plan now, before our community is threatened by high winds, hail, lightning and excessive rainfall.”
As with any disaster, preparation can be the difference between life and death. The Red Cross recommends that individuals and families prepare for severe thunderstorms by:
Make a Home Disaster Plan: Pick a safe place in your home for household members to gather during a thunderstorm. This should be away from windows, skylights and glass doors that could be broken by strong winds or hail. Protect your animals by ensuring that any outside buildings that house them are protected in the same way as your home. Remove animals from vulnerable dog houses and similar small structures.
Create an Emergency Preparedness Kit: Pack a first aid kit and essential medications, canned food and can opener, bottled water, flashlights and a battery-powered radio with extra batteries.
Heed Storm Warnings: A severe storm WATCH means severe thunderstorms are possible in and near the watch area. People in a watch area should keep informed and be ready to act if a severe thunderstorm warning is issued. A severe storm WARNING means severe weather has been reported by spotters or indicated by radar. Warnings indicate imminent danger to life and property. If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be in danger from lightning. Seek shelter immediately. The National Weather Service recommends staying inside for at least 30 minutes after the last thunder clap.
Prepare for High Winds: If you have time, secure lawn furniture, outdoor decorations, trash cans, hanging plants and anything else that can be picked up by wind.
Before Lightning Strikes
Keep an eye on the sky. Look for darkening skies, flashes of light or increasing winds. Listen for the sound of thunder.
If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to the storm to be struck by lightning. Go to safe shelter immediately. The National Weather Service recommends staying inside for at least 30 minutes after the last thunder clap.
When Storm Approaches
Find shelter in a building or car. Keep car windows closed and avoid convertibles.
Telephone lines and metal pipes can conduct electricity. Unplug appliances. Avoid using the telephone or any electrical appliances. (Leaving electric lights on, however, does not increase the chances of your home being struck by lightening.)
Avoid taking a bath or shower HYPERLINK "http://" , or running water for any other purpose.
If Caught Outside
Go to low-lying, open place away from trees, poles or metal objects. Make sure the place you pick is not flooding.
Make yourself the smallest target possible. Squat low to the ground. Place you hands on you knees with your head between them.
If you are in the woods, take shelter under the shorter trees.
If you are boating or swimming, get to land and find shelter immediately.
If Someone Is Struck By Lightning
People struck by lightning carry no electrical charge and can be handled safely.
Call for help. Get someone to dial 9-1-1 or your local Emergency Medical Services (EMS) number.
Give first aid. If the heart has stopped beating, a trained person should give CPR.
For more information on severe thunderstorm preparedness, visit HYPERLINK http://www.redcross.org www.redcross.org. We urge you to share these Red Cross severe thunderstorm preparedness tips with every member of your household, because the best protection is to be prepared ahead of time.
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Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 23.djvu/236
By GORDON A. STEWART.
THE worst of our social evils, personal wrongs, and political sins arise from the ununiform operation of our marriage and divorce laws. The loose manner in which a contract of marriage may he entered into and the reckless facility with which a marriage contract may be dissolved are a disgrace to our high civilization and professed Christianity. However learned commentators and jurists may differ as to the correct definition of marriage, it is not only a partially executed agreement to marry, but is a contract continuous in its obligations governing the status of the parties, until it is dissolved by the death of one of the parties, or by one of them obtaining a divorce for some wrongful or invalidating act committed by the other.
In nearly all of the States marriage is recognized as a civil contract only, and has no ecclesiastical obligation so far as society and the State are concerned. The contracting parties are subjects of the law. The person performing the ceremony by which the contract is publicly acknowledged by the parties, whether he be magistrate, parson, or layman, becomes a civil officer by authority of the law for that occasion. Generally, however, the marriage contract is solemnized by a clergyman, agreeably to the rules and regulations of the religious denomination to which he belongs, and for which one or the other of the parties has a religious attachment or preference; or, because a religious solemnization in church gives a better opportunity to gratify the desire for social rivalry and display. But perhaps most persons, especially when young and looking forward to a long future of connubial happiness, consider the act of marriage more as a religious rite than a civil contract, and hence the forms and ceremonies of the Church accord more agreeably with the sentiment of love and affection than the business-like and informal words of the magistrate, who, in response to their acknowledgment of intention to marry, simply pronounces them man and wife. This sentiment, no doubt, is largely the result of a lingering belief in marriage as a divine institution and a sacrament of the Church, as taught when the ecclesiastical court had exclusive jurisdiction of marriage and divorce. It is perhaps not until later, not until they have become dissatisfied with the conditions of the solemn obligation they had agreed to faithfully perform through life, that they discover it is simply a civil contract that binds them, and from which the law has generously provided unlimited means of escape.
Lawful marriage is the basis of the family relation, and the family relation is the fundamental principle of association upon which the superstructure of society and the State is built. And yet there is no
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|Subject: Naked eye galaxies.|
Posted May 17, 2001 by Civilian
In the article you claim that the milky way is the only galaxy that can be seen with the naked eye. This is not entirely true. Our milky way is surrounded by a group of small galaxies known as the local group. Although most of these simply resemble bright stars to the naked eye, two stand out.
In the Southren hemisphere we have the pleasure of being able to see both of them. On a clear, dark night you will notice two large bright blobs slightly to the south of the milky way. These are Galaxies, known as the "Clouds of Magellan". They are visible with the naked eye and they are almost impossible to miss unless you find yourself in a bright city. If you happen to be in the southren hemisphere, look south. If the southren cross is to the left of the Celestial pole then the clouds will be on the right of it. If that doesnt help try this:
On a southren Autumn night, quite early (say 8pm) look south (if you see Leo youre looking the wromg way). Find the milky way. Got it? Good. Now find the southren cross. once you have it. scan your eyes right until you find Carina (the keel). once that is done scan your eyes down slowly. Viola..
Yes, and you can catch M30 if it's dark enough and clear enough. It doesn't look like much, as you can't resolve it at all without a telescope, but it can been seen naked-eye.
Sorry, that should be M31.
You are right - this article needs some small tweaking! The galaxy I was referring to was M31, and it is commonly known that it is possible to see it with the naked eye, so long as your eyesight is good of course. I will try to make some much needed corrections to this article in December.
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The Sampling check generates a set of features from one or more layers that you can step through to visually inspect. The sample is generated from the feature classes you choose to include based on what is loaded in the map. You can also assign weights to the feature classes, which increases or decreases the number of features for the feature classes that are included in the sample. A value of 1 is the highest weight; 5 is the lowest.
The sample is calculated based on one of the following methods:
- A fixed number of features
- A percentage of all the features in the specified extent
- A number derived from a calculation based on the confidence level, margin of error, and acceptance level
- A polygon grid that is loaded in the map or from a geodatabase
You can choose to run this check on any of the extents that are usually available with checks, such as the selection set, current extent, or the full database.
Once you have defined the criteria for the check, you can configure the notes and a severity rating. The notes allow you to provide a more specific description for the feature that has been written to the Reviewer table and are copied to the Notes field in the Reviewer table. The severity rating allows you to indicate how important the results from a check are in terms of your quality assurance/quality control processes. The lower the number, the greater the priority the check's results have.
- Start ArcMap.
- Open a map document or load data in the map.
- On the main menu, click Customize > Toolbars > Data Reviewer.
- Start a Reviewer session in one of the following:
- Click the Select Data Check drop-down arrow on the Data Reviewer toolbar, click the plus sign next to Advanced Checks, then click Sampling Check.
The Sampling Check Properties dialog box appears. All the visible layers that are currently loaded in the map appear in the Choose Layers list.
- If necessary, type a unique name for the check in the Check Title text box.Note:
The check title can be used to describe the conditions you are looking for with the check. This is useful when you have multiple instances of the same check to validate the same feature classes or tables but with different validation parameters.
- Uncheck the check boxes next to the names of the layers you do not want to include in the sample.
By default, all the visible layers are included in the sample.Tip:
You can click Select All or Clear All to check or uncheck all the check boxes next to the layer names, respectively.
- To adjust the weight, or the significance of the layer in the sample, right-click the layer name in the Choose Layers list and choose a weight option.
- Weight 1 (highest)—The layer is going to have more features included in the sample than other layers with weight values of 2, 3, 4, or 5.
- Weight 2—The layer is going to have more features included in the sample than other layers with weight values of 3, 4, or 5.
- Weight 3—The layer is going to have more features included in the sample than other layers with weight values of 4 or 5.
- Weight 4—The layer is going to have more features included in the sample than other layers with a weight value of 5.
- Weight 5—The layer is going to have the fewest features included in the sample.
- Chose a method for generating the sample.
- Number—A specified number of features from the feature classes chosen in the Choose Layers list is included in the sample.
- Percentage—A specified percentage of the features from the feature classes chosen in the Choose Layers list are included in the sample.
- Auto Calculate—The number of features included in the sample is determined by the following:
- Confidence Level—The level of confidence that the sample size is statistically significant. The default value is 95%, but you can also choose 90%, 98%, or 99%
- Margin Of Error—The acceptable margin of error in the confidence level. The default value is 4%, but you can also choose other values that range from 1% to 10%.
- Acceptable Error—Indicates the acceptable error ratio. The default value is 2%, but you can also choose 1%, 5%, or 10%.
- Do one of the following to configure the calculation method:
To create the sample based on a specific number of features
Click the Number option, then type the number of features you want to include in the sample in the text box.
To create the sample based on a percentage
Click the Percentage option, then type the value that represents the percentage of all the features you want to include in the sample in the text box.Note:
The value specified for the percentage is divided by 100. For example, if you want to sample 50 percent of the features, type 50 not .5.
To create the sample based on automatic calculation
Click the Auto Calculate option, then click the Confidence Level drop-down arrow to choose the confidence level for the data, click the Margin Of Error drop-down arrow to choose the acceptable margin of error for the data, or click the Acceptable Error drop-down arrow and choose the acceptable level of error for the sample.
To create the sample using a polygon grid
Click the Use Grid option. Click the drop-down arrow in the Grid Parameters area to choose the polygon grid or click Browse to load one. Click the Unique ID Field drop-down arrow and choose the field that contains the field you want to use to identify the grid cell. Type the number of cells you want to use in the sample in the Number of grids to sample text box.Tip:
The value you choose from the Unique ID Field drop-down list populates the QC_GRID cell in the Reviewer table.
- If necessary, type descriptive text for the check results in the Notes text box in the Reviewer Remarks area.
If necessary, click the Severity drop-down arrow and choose a value that indicates the priority of the check's results in the Reviewer Remarks area.
The severity indicates the importance of the check result. The values range from 1 to 5, with 1 being the highest priority and 5 being the lowest.
Click the Run Data Check button on the Data Reviewer toolbar.
The Features to Validate dialog box appears.
Choose an option in the Features to Validate area.
- Selection Set—The check is run on the features that are currently selected in the map.
- Current Extent—The check is run on the current map extent, which is controlled by the map scale.
- Definition Query—The check is run on the features that are displayed based on definition queries that have been created for the feature class.
- Full Database—The check is run on all the features in the feature class.
To run the check only on features that have been edited in a versioned workspace, check the Changed Features Only check box.
The Changed Features Only option is available only for a versioned database.
- Click OK.
A progress window appears while the sample is being generated. The results dialog box appears once the check is finished running.
- Choose the Write to Reviewer Table option.
- Click OK.
The sampling check records are written to the Reviewer table.
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Catalan common name : Celebérrima quència. Quèntia.
Spanish common name : Kentia.
General distribution : Australiana
Life-forms : Macrophanerophyte.
Habitat : Gardens.
Observations : It prefers to live in semi shade, but also prospers in the sun.
Origen : Illa de Lord Howe (Oceania)
Location on-campus UIB : Poc freqüent, es pot observar al Claustre de l'edifici Ramón Llull.
Description : A monoecious palm tree; it has one single trunk which can reach up to 10m in height and up to 14-15cm in width. The trunk is cylindrical, and does not widen at the base; it is green at first and has rings. The leaves are pinnate, erect, dark green and have horizontal leaflets which hang down only at the end. The inflorescence is branched and hangs down under the leaves. The fruits are brown and ovoid. It can be distinguished at first sight from Howea belmoreana by its leaflets, which are not erect, but v-shaped. The fruits are slightly larger than in Howea belmoreana.
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One of the most nagging problems in
manufacturing is the deburring of cross-drilled holes. Burrs are always created
where the crossholes exist. Getting at the burrs, let alone removing them, can be
a real challenge.
A handful of methods are commonly employed for dealing with these burrs:
sandblasting, extrude hone, and of course, manual deburring with knives,
abrasive stones, brushes, burs, etc. While effective to varying degrees,
these methods have their drawbacks. They're all off-line processes, i.e. they are a
separate operation. Parts need to be handled and/or moved from machining to deburring.
Often deburring is an out-sourced operation. The extra handling, movement, queue, transport,
etc. represent non-value added operations. Sandblasting, extrude hone, and similar devices
involve capital investment, often substantial, or again, outsourcing. Manual deburring, as
everyone knows, is very labor intensive, as well as craft sensitive.
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by Gina Trapani
Everyone's got files they'd like to keep out the the hands of intruders or casual passerby. Ever concerned you'll lose the thumb drive where you backed up four years of post-graduate research? Every worried your 5-year-old will accidentally open the um, grownup files just meant for Mommy and Daddy? Worry no more. Today we'll go over a simple way to encrypt sensitive files or entire external disk drives to protect them from prying eyes.
Recently-featured TrueCrypt is a free, open source encryption application that works on Windows and Linux. Given the right credentials, TrueCrypt will create a virtual hard drive that will read and write encrypted files on the fly. Huh-wha? Fear not; this'll make sense once we get it set up. Let's get started.
Set up the encrypted volume location
- Download TrueCrypt, install and launch.
- Hit the "Create Volume" button to launch the wizard that prepares the encrypted drive location. Choose "Create a Standard TrueCrypt Volume" and hit Next. Hit the "Select File" button and navigate to a location to store your encrypted files and type a name for it. I'm going with "C:\Documents and Settings\gina\My Documents\gtrapani.4meonly" as shown. (Click to enlarge.)
(That .4meonly extension is my own creation; your file can have any - or no - extension.) Keep in mind that this isn't the file you want to encrypt; it's a big file container that will store the files you want encrypted all scrambled up like eggs inside it. Hit Next.
- Choose your encryption algorithm. The curious can flip through the dropdown and view info on each option, but you pretty much can't go wrong here; the default AES selection will work for most purposes. (Hey, if it works for Top Secret government files, it probably will work for you.) Hit Next. Choose the size of the virtual drive - for example, 100MB, as shown. (Click to enlarge.)
Yes, it's a pain to have to commit to a size beforehand, but the advantage here is that the file will always look like it's exactly 100MB, giving no hint to the actual size of its contents. Hit Next.
- Choose your volume password. TrueCrypt wants something totally badass, like 20 characters with letters and numbers mixed together, something hard to crack. The whole point here is to keep snoopers at bay, so make your password reasonably difficult to crack or guess.
- Format the "volume." This part is cool: TrueCrypt gathers random information from your system - including the location of your mouse pointer - to format the file drive location with random data to make it impossible to read. Hit the Format button to go ahead with this operation, which may slow down your computer for a few seconds. (And don't be scared by the word "Format"; you're not erasing your hard drives or anything, you're just formatting the drive location file - in this example, the gtrapani.4meonly file - you just created.)
Congrats! Your encrypted volume location is ready for use.
Store and retrieve files from the encrypted volume
Now you've got a TrueCrypt file that can hold all your highly-sensitive data files locked up tight as a drum. Here's how to get to it.
- From TrueCrypt, choose "Select File" and navigate to the volume file you created above, as shown. (Click to enlarge.)
- Select an available drive letter from the list in TrueCrypt, like Z:. Hit the "Mount" button, and enter the volume password you created above.
- If you enter the correct password, the virtual drive Z: will be mounted. Go to My Computer and listed alongside all the other drives on your computer, there will be a new one listed "Local Disk Z:." Drag and drop all your sensitive data to this drive and work from it as if you would any other disk.
- Once you're finished working with the data, in TrueCrypt, select the mounted drive (like Z:) and hit the "Dismount" button. The Z: drive will no longer be available, and all you'll have left is the gtrapani.4meonly file you created, which can be dropped onto a thumb drive, emailed to yourself, burned to CD or placed on your iPod, totally encrypted.
Note: Using TrueCrypt you can secure an entire drive - like a USB thumb drive. To do so, instead of hitting "Select File," use "Select Device" and choose your thumb drive.
Alternate Method: OpenSSL
The downside to TrueCrypt is that
it has to be installed everywhere you want to access the passworded files, and it's not compatible with Mac OS X. (Note: Reader pmhesse says you can carry around the TrueCrypt files on a thumb drive and use it from there instead of installing the whole app on every computer you need it.)
For those of you comfortable on the command line, there's an alternative way to password a file using the free utility OpenSSL. Say you want to password protect a tar archive of documents called unencrypted-data.tar.
From the command line, type:
$ openssl des3 -salt -in unencrypted-data.tar -out encrypted-data.tar.des3 enter des-ede3-cbc encryption password: Verifying - enter des-ede3-cbc encryption password: $
That command will encrypt the unencrypted-data.tar file with the password you choose and output the result to encrypted-data.tar.des3. To unlock the encrypted file, use the following command:
$ openssl des3 -d -salt -in encrypted-data.tar.des3 -out unencrypted-data.tar enter des-ede3-cbc encryption password: $
This method works with Cygwin on Windows, OS X and Linux.
How do you keep your sensitive files from getting into the wrong hands? Let us know in the comments or to tips at lifehacker.com.
Gina Trapani, the editor of Lifehacker, is currently encrypting all the terrible poetry and humiliating love stories she's ever written. Her semi-weekly feature, Geek to Live, appears every Wednesday and Friday on Lifehacker. Subscribe to the Geek to Live feed to get new installments in your newsreader.
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Indian and Himalayan Art
Attendant GoddessMade in Nepal, Asia
Malla Dynasty (1200-1769), c. Late 15th to 16th century
Artist/maker unknown, Nepalese
Mercury-gilded copper alloy with turquoise and garnet? spinel? red glass?
Currently not on view
1962-178-1Gift of Natacha Rambova, 1962
LabelThis statue wears floral disk earrings, a V-shaped necklace, ornate armlets, plain bracelets, a knotted and beaded waistband, and a foliate-trimmed skirt-all elements of Malla period high fashion. Because this statue lacks additional identifying markers, and because Nepalese workshops produced similarly styled works for both Hindu and Buddhist patrons, it cannot be determined if this is a Hindu or Buddhist goddess. Judging from her angled seated posture, she was most likely created as an attendant to a male figure. The pierced flaps at her shoulders indicate another metal piece, possibly a halo, was originally attached.
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Stakeholder relationships and connections (from figure 1)
Future research priorities of Geography emphasize the discipline's leadership role in the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in multidisciplinary and integrated research on human and environmental systems and how these systems are interrelated and respond to change
Geography's research priorities also emphasize providing science that is usable to society and creating decision support products applicable to given customer problems. To achieve these goals, we must understand the relationship between our research and our customer, and how to integrate the customer into the research process.
This report details the elements of the research process that help achieve the degree of stakeholder involvement necessary to ensure a successful end-product. It offers suggestions that can help researchers better understand stakeholders and customers and involve them in the research process more effectively, while preserving the integrity of the science. Its aim is to help researchers understand the problems and challenges faced by our customers and communicate the ways in which Geography can help address their problems.
Adopting these guidelines can improve the efficiency of the research process and lead to higher quality output. We will be able to conduct better research because we will have an improved understanding of the research problem and the stakeholders involved.
This report covers a broad range of topics, from identifying and communicating with stakeholders and users, to the use of language, to how to effectively present scientific information to the user. It does not offer a "one size fits all" method. Instead, perhaps only specific sections are suitable for a given project and customers, depending on project scope and needs. This report is based on the objectives of Geography's strategic plan, U. S. Geological Survey's strategic plan, and Department of Interior's strategic plan.
Section 2 of these guidelines describes the purpose of the research process in Geography and the need for better user involvement in the process. Section 3 explains how to conduct a stakeholder analysis. Section 4 explains how to conduct a user-needs assessment.
Download this report as a 35-page PDF file (of2006-1344.pdf; 416 KB)
For questions about the content of this report, contact Caroline Hermans
Download a copy of the latest version of Adobe Reader for free.
PDF help |
Publications main page |
| Western Open-File Reports for 2006 |
| Geography | Science Impact |
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Australian Bureau of Statistics
3301.0 - Births, Australia, 2007 Quality Declaration
Previous ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 28/10/2008
|Page tools: Print Page Print All RSS Search this Product|
The previous record was in 1971, when there were 276,400 births registered.
This gives Australia a total fertility rate of 1.93 babies per woman, up from 1.81 in 2006 and the highest since 1981 when it was 1.94.
The Northern Territory and Tasmania had the highest total fertility rates, recording 2.27 and 2.19 babies per woman respectively.
Women in the Northern Territory and Tasmania also had their children at a younger age; fertility for these two states was at its highest in 25-29 year-olds - compared to the rest of Australia where the highest fertility was in the 30-34 age group.
Nearly half (43%) of the 2007 births were to first time mothers, and a third (33%) were having their second child.
There were 14,200 births registered where at least one parent was an Indigenous Australian.
More details are available in Births, Australia, 2007 (cat. no. 3301.0) available for free download from the ABS website <www.abs.gov.au>. Regional, State and Territory information is also available on the website.
Media Note: The total fertility rate represents the average number of babies that a woman could expect to bear during her reproductive lifetime if current fertility rates continued.
These documents will be presented in a new window.
This page last updated 10 November 2009
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The Department of Biological Sciences Greenhouse Facility is located in the Virginia Tech University Greenhouse Complex on Washington Street, beside the Virginia Tech Horticulture Gardens.
The Department of Biological Sciences Greenhouse Facility supports the educational and research needs of the department. The Teaching Plant Collection is extensively used for teaching our undergraduate courses. The facility supports faculty and student research projects. In addition to meeting essential teaching and research needs, the facility provides tours for visitors and local schools. Also, other departments in the university use our plant collection for classes. For example, the Art Department uses the greenhouses for basic art and painting classes.
Undergraduate Courses Taught Using the Virginia Tech Greenhouses
BIOL 1015, 1016: General Biology Lab
BIOL 1115, 1116: Principles of Biology Lab
BIOL 1125, 1126: Biological Principles Lab
BIOL 2204: Plants and Civilization: The uses of plants as sources of food, medicine, drugs, spices, beverages, poisons, fiber, oils, and plant exudates.
BIOL 2304: Plant Biology: Introductory botany. Form, growth, function, reproduction, and ecological adaptations of major groups of plants.
BIOL 3204: Plant Taxonomy: Systematic survey of vascular plants, emphasizing identification, terminology, classification, evolutionary relationships.
Wage Position at the Greenhouses and VBI Plant Growth Facility
Maintain greenhouse facilities on weekends, Saturday and Sunday, holidays, staff vacation and sick leave days.
Properly water teaching collection and research projects.
Check the greenhouse's environmental equipment to maintain proper temperatures and functions.
Must be very independent, responsible, reliable, and have some knowledge in caring for plants.
Hours/week: 3-4 hours per day on weekends, plus 3-4 hours on staff vacation and sick leave days.
Contact: Debbie Wiley (231-5112) or [email protected].
This species has the largest unbranched inflorescence of any herbaceous plant in the world. Commonly known as the "Corpse Plant", A. titanum has an intensely powerful stench that is released when it blooms. The bloom will last only 2-3 days. After the bloom dies, a leaf stalk will begin to emerge that resembles a tree sapling.
For more information on the corpse flower, including photos, visit this link.
The Virginia Tech Biological Sciences Greenhouse Teaching Plant Collection provides educational opportunities and experiences through the availability of high quality plant specimens. The Teaching Plant Collection features over 300 species, hosting a variety of interesting and important genera, including aquatic, desert, tropical, local, rare and endangered species. Our teaching plant collection has been specifically acquired and maintained to meet the needs of the undergraduate courses.
Whereas the Department of Biological Sciences and the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute have limited access to plant growth facilities, a new facility was designed, funded, and constructed. The mission of the facility is to provide "state of the art" plant growth space to support and promote scholarship in plant systems by scientists at Virginia Tech. We strive to fully integrate this facility in the learning, discovery, and engagement activities of the department of Biological Sciences, the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute and other plant related departments and institutes at Virginia Tech.
Hours of Operation
8:00 am to 4:00 pm
Monday - Friday
From Rt. 460: Enter VT Campus at Southgate Road. Take first left onto Duckpond Drive. Take first right onto Washington Street. Turn right at the Horticulture Gardens. The greenhouse facilities are right next door, in Greenhouse #F5. Be sure to get a visitor's parking pass from the Southgate Information Center.
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Free Strategy Games
The two games below are related to strategic thinking, which means that you don't play for immediate results, instead you should think ahead of time to plan for a chain of movements before doing anything. How to play the first game:
- Wait for the game to load.
- Press Start from the main menu, and again inside the game.
- You will be in control of a ball, by moving your keyboard arrows up/down, left/right.
- The ball can only push boxes, and cannot pull them.
- The objective is to move it to the end target (which looks like a hole filled with water), once you go inside that hole, you will be transported to the next level, with the help of your creativity you can find a way to pass the level you're playing, remember that the silver ball can only push boxes and not pull them, there are 25 levels in the SilverSphere game can you pass them all? Good luck in improving your brain strategy skills.
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Multivitamins Cut Cancer Risk in Men, Study Finds
(NEW YORK) -- It's a decision that millions of Americans face every morning: to take, or not to take, that multivitamin. Now, a new study of almost 15,000 men over 50 suggests popping that daily supplement could cut cancer rates by 8 percent.
The study is good news for some Americans, who spend billions of dollars each year on the assumption that taking a daily multivitamin will help prevent disease.
"Despite the lack of definitive trial data regarding the benefits of multivitamins in the prevention of chronic disease, including cancer, many men and women take them for precisely this reason," said Dr. Michael Gaziano, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and lead author of the study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. "Our study shows a modest but significant benefit in cancer prevention."
It's unclear whether the results apply to women or men under 50.
Previous large studies, including a 180,000-patient study started in 1992 and the Women's Health Initiative study of 160,000 women published in 2009, found that multivitamins had little to no effect on the risk of cancer. In fact, a 2010 Swedish study of 35,000 women who reported using multivitamins had an increased risk of breast cancer. So what changed?
First, the new study randomly assigned men to two groups, one of which took a daily Centrum Silver® while the other took a placebo pill. Previous multivitamin studies have been observational, meaning that the participants weren't compared with someone taking a placebo.
Second, it followed the men, who were 65 years old on average, over 11 years -- a longer follow-up than previous studies and sufficient time for cancer to develop.
And finally, the trial used a multivitamin, which is designed to fill nutritional gaps in a person's diet. Other trials have tested a single vitamin such as calcium or vitamin A, E or D in large doses, which is very different from how people normally get the vitamins and minerals they need from food.
"The reduction in total cancer risk in [the study] argues that the broader combination of low-dose vitamins and minerals contained in the [Centrum Silver®] multivitamin, rather than an emphasis on previously tested high-dose vitamins and mineral trials, may be paramount for cancer prevention," said Gaziano.
"Clearly the notion of megadoses of isolated nutrients has been proven wrong again and again," said Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale Prevention Research Center, who was not involved in the study. "Maybe the active ingredient in broccoli is broccoli."
So if a multivitamin prevents cancer because it provides a mix of nutrients similar to food, why not just eat more fruits and vegetables? Diets high in fruits and vegetables have been shown in observational studies to reduce the incidence of cancer and other chronic diseases. But only 1.5 percent of the public gets the recommended daily allowance of fruits and vegetables, according to Katz.
Katz compared the results of this study to a prior study from Europe that showed people who never smoke, have a body mass index or BMI lower than 30, get regular exercise and adhere to a healthy diet, can reduce their risk of chronic disease by almost 80 percent.
"Clearly however, taking a multivitamin is easy; changing dietary patterns is hard," he said.
The Centrum Silver® used in the study was provided by the manufacturer Pfizer, but Pfizer did not fund the study.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
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In reply to your question as to whether or not E coli 0157:H7 and the
other verotoxin toxin strains acquired the toxin gene by laboratory
genetic engineering. There has been serious discussion in the literature
debating that point. There is evidence that the verotoxin genes can be
transmitted born on a transducing bacteriaphage (meaning that the toxin
genes may be transmitted between bacteria on a virus). It seems most
likely that the transfer of the toxin genes is a natural phenomenon and
one amplified by growing problem of the proximity of farm animals and
people, feedlot fattening of range cattle in the corn county has created
a lot of poop near fruit and vegetable farms and near main municipal wells.
The people made ill have bloody diarrhea but most of those killed or
crippled suffer kidney and later other organ damage from the verotoxin.
It has been claimed that the pasture or feedlot run off of the bacteria
can be greatly reduced by adding the plastic , polyacrylamide, to the
Hope this discussion helps, Cheers, Joe
Roberto Verzola wrote:
My thanks to Joe Cummins and Frank Teuton for the E.coli
So far, this is what I've learned:
- most of hundreds of E.coli strains are harmless (in fact, we need
the E.coli inside our gut because they produce some vitamins for
- a few strains are harmful, and the one which has received the
most coverage recently is the O157:H7 strain, which causes a form
of diarrhea which can be fatal.
- the presence of E.coli in water is used as *indicator*. While the
E.coli itself may not be harmful, its presence implies possible fecal
contamination of the water. Such fecal contamination means other
contaminants -- this time pathogenic -- may also be present.
- E.coli is both aerobic and anaerobic (ie, it can survive in either
environment); this seems to contradict recent exchanges on Sanet
re compost teas which implied that aeration kills E.coli. Apparently
not. Can Elaine Ingram clarify this?
- E.coli has been the most common target of bacterial genetic
engineering. ie, all kinds of genes and plasmids have been inserted
into E.coli. Another question for Joe Cummins: is it possible that
these genetic manipulations created the pathogenic strains of
Regards to all,
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Margaret Atwood novelist/poet
The United States has promoted individualism so much that the responsibilities of giving to a community, and vice versa, have been trampled by rampant individualism. Canada hasn't gone in that direction of extreme individualism: my mortgage; my bank account; no pies when I hurt my leg, and I won't bring pies to you. Americans tried to weld some sort of fellow feeling in all of this--to shed their ethnic roots and be part of an American identity but, paradoxically, an individual. Community as once proposed meant all Americans. That was the myth. All were not included in it.
Richard Rodriguez writer/commentator
America is not based on a communal notion. It's a low church Protestant culture whose major discovery was the individual face-to-face with God. Our greatest myth is about a boy who leaves home with a runaway slave, has no mother and a drunken father. We don't know how to share our individualistic culture. There's nothing more American than for me to say I'm better off because I'm Mexican, and I want to exclaim my distinction. If Mexicans, people of mixed blood, really want to be subversive, they should say "I'm going to marry you, or your daughter. You'll eat my food, and we'll be friends."
Susan Faludi journalist/feminist
The ideal community for Americans is often an escape from political engagement. Europeans are so much more engaged. Community here is running away to the suburbs. The media has become our pseudocommunity. People don't belong, but if they're part of a sound bite, they feel part of a larger world. It's the false idea of the media as a public forum, an idea encouraged by politicians. People take their intimate stories on TV talk shows, replacing political engagement and community, which would actually bind people, with psychology and therapy.
E. L. Doctorow novelist
Communities appear temporally rather than spatially. They form as circumstances demand, and when the emergency is over people go back to their semi-estranged mood. Communal expressions that really matter on a day-to-day basis are probably made by people who have no thought of community. A surgeon who only wants to make money and live well and has a lousy bedside manner still contributes. The Korean grocer on the corner who works hard trying to survive may feel a foreigner, but the store is a contribution to the neighborhood. I don't know if you can ask for more.
Noam Chomsky political analyst/linguist
Community is PR bullshit designed in the 1930s by the corporations, when they became terrified by the collapse of their society brought on by the Wagner Act and the labor movement. They developed new techniques to control the population and inculcate the concept of living together in harmony--all Americans, all working together: the sober workman, the hardworking executive, the housewife. And Them--the outsiders trying to disrupt. Community is a bit of a joke. Only labor has succeeded. That's why business hates unions. They can create real community and democracy.
Ram Dass author/spiritual activist
Our inordinate concern with individuality has marked our group identity. I'm part of the problem. The '60s were about individual freedom, and we threw out the baby with the bath. We're dealing with the effect of imbalance; we're so focused on separateness that we've lost interconnectedness, the inherent gregarious nature of humanity where we need others to give us meaning. The web of violence in this culture is clearly connected to the breakup of these types of systems. But look at the Crips and the Bloods, now meeting together as a new kind of community structure.
Amy Tan novelist
My community was more like an extended family. My father was the minister of a Chinese church, so it was as if my whole world was Chinese. The sons of the women I called Auntie were like brothers to me. I know I can go up to a person on the street who is also Chinese and ask questions and get information, because there is a sense of community. We are both Chinese people in America: That's community based on being different. In China that wasn't true. It's too diverse, regional. I identified more with Shanghai people than with Hong Kong people, for example.
Frances Moore Lappe activist/writer/political theorist
People are looking for community in all the wrong places. It's not goodwill and like-mindedness, it's daily experience in workplaces and neighborhoods and churches and civic groups. The Sonoma County Faith-Based Community Organizing Project is a prime example of concerned people coming together--farmworkers, African-Americans, whites of all classes, professionals, nuns, accountants, lawyers. They got together candidates for the school board, for example, and judged them on how well they listened to constituents' concerns. It's a two-way process of public officials accepting accountability and citizens taking an active role.
Barbara Kingsolver novelist
There's no shame in depending on each other. There's heroism in ordinariness and connectedness and using relationship skills to get through difficult times, as opposed to the isolated heroism of the cowboy. Look at the things in your living room or refrigerator and realize they were made by thousands of people on different continents. The lemons we buy at the grocery connect us with a food chain, with people coming up from Mexico, being sprayed by pesticides. It's easier to see just a lemon, but only when we see the whole line can we feel connectedness and responsibility.
Harry Edwards sociologist
We need a new definition of community. We're a nation of nations; we're not homogenous like Japan. We need to look at pluralistic reality in terms of all interests, including white male, while recognizing the concerns of those in the minority opinion. It's good business to have everybody involved in the national life. A black community should produce students who can go to the universities equally--without affirmative action or Head Start--and it's in our mutual interest to see that the competence and quality are there to provide that equal opportunity.
Ellen Goodman journalist
There has always been a tension in the United States between individualism and community. The economy deals with us as individuals: You achieve success or you don't. We typically divided America into men as individualists and women as caretakers of the family and keepers of community--until women had to go to work and saw themselves as individuals rather than as members. The baby boom generation broke from family; there were so many of them it seemed like the whole country. Now that they have families they have more longing for community.
Theodore Roszak historian/author
Our culture builds bigger and bigger--bigger forces, corporations, and trading alliances. The thrust toward the global in government, communications, and business goes against the human need for smaller, face-to-face communities. There is a disintegrative quality to reaching out beyond neighborhood and nationality lines. When computer networks are organized and we have 500 TV channels, common culture will disintegrate; we will have smaller enclaves for smaller groups. I can't predict what kind of community it will be, but the new community will be in reaction to the crushing bigness of systems.
Research assistance by Ariel Sabar
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That’s because the same ingredients in decongestants that help relieve the nasal swelling associated with congestion also affect other blood vessels in the body, causing blood pressure and heart rate to rise – a potentially dangerous situation for those with high blood pressure. Unfortunately, just 10 percent of those with high blood pressure are aware they should avoid decongestants, and nearly half don’t know they should take a special OTC medicine when they have a cold or the flu, according to a survey by St. Joseph, makers of over-the-counter medications.
“The number of hypertensive people who don’t know to avoid decongestants is shocking,” says Bernie Kropfelder of St. Joseph Health Products, LLC. “Each year, 5 to 20 percent of Americans will catch the flu, so it’s important for people with high blood pressure to talk to their doctors or pharmacists about which OTC medicines to avoid.”
If you have high blood pressure, start your medicine cabinet makeover by replacing OTC medicines that contain decongestants with remedies that don’t, such as St. Joseph’s new line of cold and flu products. The brand’s products for fever and pain contain acetaminophen, which will not interfere with aspirin’s benefits if you’re on an aspirin regimen.
Next, remove from your medicine cabinet, pantry or refrigerator dietary supplements that are high in sodium, as high levels of salt are commonly known to increase blood pressure. For example, many protein supplements contain hundreds of milligrams of sodium per serving.
Likewise, avoid supplements that contain extracts of grapefruit, and talk to your doctor about whether you should also remove grapefruit and grapefruit juice from your diet. Research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal points out that the number of medications that interact adversely with grapefruit is on the rise. There are now more than 85 drugs known to be affected by grapefruit, including calcium channel blockers that are used to treat high blood pressure, according to a CBC News report.
Once you’ve removed adverse products from your medicine cabinet, you’ll have plenty of room for additions that are good for your heart, your high blood pressure and your overall health, including:
* Fish oil – Supplements like fish oil that contain omega 3 fatty acids offer a host of health benefits, and are known to be good for your heart. People with high blood pressure are at increased risk of heart disease, so adding heart-healthy supplements to their diets may be beneficial.
* Beet juice – OK, while this one should probably go in your refrigerator, adding beet juice to your diet may help your blood pressure control. Researchers at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia have found that within hours of drinking beet juice, study subjects had lowered systolic blood pressure by an average of four to five points, WebMD reports.
* Sesame and rice bran oil – WebMD also reports that a recent study showed taking 35 grams of a sesame/rice bran oil blend daily can help lower blood pressure.
Finally, add some relaxation time to your “mental medicine cabinet.” Stress can elevate blood pressure, so engaging in activities that help reduce stress can aid in your efforts to control your blood pressure. While it’s not always possible to avoid stressful situations, you can counter the effects of daily stress with activities like meditation, yoga, listening to relaxing music or even just spending time with a beloved pet.
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Science of Breath, by Yogi Ramacharaka, pseud. William Atkinson, , at sacred-texts.com
The Science of Breath, like many other teachings, has its esoteric or inner phase, as well as its exoteric or external. The physiological phase may be termed the outer or exoteric side of the subject, and the phase which we will now consider may be termed its esoteric or inner side. Occultists, in all ages and lands, have always taught, usually secretly to a few followers, that there was to be found in the air a substance or principle from which all activity, vitality and life was derived. They differed in their terms and names for this force, as well as in the details of the theory, but the main principle is to be found in all occult teachings and philosophies, and has for centuries formed a portion of the teachings of the Oriental Yogis.
In order to avoid misconceptions arising from the various theories regarding this great principle, which theories are usually attached to some name given the principle, we, in this work, will speak of the principle as "Prana," this word being the Sancrit term meaning "Absolute Energy." Many occult authorities teach that the principle which the Hindus term "Prana" is the universal principle of energy or force, and that all energy or force is derived from that principle, or, rather, is a particular form of manifestation of that principle. These theories do not concern us in the consideration of the subject matter of this work, and we will therefore confine ourselves to an understanding of prana as the principle of energy exhibited in all living things, which distinguishes them from a
lifeless thing. We may consider it as the active principle of lifeVital Force, if you please. It is found in all forms of life, from the amoeba to manfrom the most elementary form of plant life to the highest form of animal life. Prana is all pervading. It is found in all things having life, and as the occult philosophy teaches that life is in all thingsin every atomthe apparent lifelessness of some things being only a lesser degree of manifestation, we may understand their teachings that prana is everywhere, in everything. Prana must not be confounded with the Egothat bit of Divine Spirit in every soul, around which clusters matter and energy. Prana is merely a form of energy used by the Ego in its material manifestation. When the Ego leaves the body, the prana, being no longer under its control, responds only to the orders of the individual atoms, or groups of atoms, forming the body, and as the body disintegrates and is resolved to its original elements, each atom takes with it sufficient prana to enable it to form new combinations, the unused prana returning to the great universal storehouse from which it came. With the Ego in control, cohesion exists and the atoms are held together by the Will of the Ego.
Prana is the name by which we designate a universal principle, which principle is the essence of all motion, force or energy, whether manifested in gravitation, electricity, the revolution of the planets, and all forms of life, from the highest to the lowest. It may be called the soul of Force and Energy in all their forms, and that principle which, operating in a certain way, causes that form of activity which accompanies Life.
This great principle is in all forms of matter, and
yet it is not matter. It is in the air, but it is not the air nor one of its chemical constituents. Animal and plant life breathe it in with the air, and yet if the air contained it not they would die even though they might be filled with air. It is taken up by the system along with the oxygen, and yet is not the oxygen. The Hebrew writer of the book of Genesis knew the difference between the atmospheric air and the mysterious and potent principle contained within it. He speaks of neshemet ruach chayim, which, translated, means "the breath of the spirit of life." In the Hebrew neshemet means the ordinary breath of air, and chayim means life or lives, while the word ruach means the "spirit of life," which occultists claim is the same principle which we speak of as Prana.
Prana is in the atmospheric air, but it is also elsewhere, and it penetrates where the air cannot reach. The oxygen in the air plays an important part in sustaining animal life, and the carbon plays a similar part with plant life, but Prana has its own distinct part to play in the manifestation of life, aside from the physiological functions.
We are constantly inhaling the air charged with prana, and are as constantly extracting the latter from the air and appropriating it to our uses. Prana is found in its freest state in the atmospheric air, which when fresh is fairly charged with it, and we draw it to us more easily from the air than from any other source. In ordinary breathing we absorb and extract a normal supply of prana, but by controlled and regulated breathing (generally known as Yogi breathing) we are enabled to extract a greater supply, which is stored away in the brain and nerve
centers, to be used when necessary. We may store away prana, just as the storage battery stores away electricity. The many powers attributed to advanced occultists is due largely to their knowledge of this fact and their intelligent use of this stored-up energy. The Yogis know that by certain forms of breathing they establish certain relations with the supply of prana and may draw on the same for what they require. Not only do they strengthen all parts of their body in this way, but the brain itself may receive increased energy from the same source, and latent faculties be developed and psychic powers attained. One who has mastered the science of storing away prana, either consciously or unconsciously, often radiates vitality and strength which is felt by those coming in contact with him, and such a person may impart this strength to others, and give them increased vitality and health. What is called "magnetic healing" is performed in this way, although many practitioners are not aware of the source of their power.
Western scientists have been dimly aware of this great principle with which the air is charged, but finding that they could find no chemical trace of it, or make it register on any of their instruments, they have generally treated the Oriental theory with disdain. They could not explain this principle, and so denied it. They seem, however, to recognize that the air in certain places possesses a greater amount of "something" and sick people are directed by their physicians to seek such places in hopes of regaining lost health.
The oxygen in the air is appropriated by the blood and is made use of by the circulatory system. The prana in the air is appropriated by the nervous system
and is used in its work. And as the oxygenated blood is carried to all parts of the system, building up and replenishing, so is the prana carried to all parts of the nervous system, adding strength and vitality. If we think of prana as being the active principle of what we call "vitality," we will be able to form a much clearer idea of what an important part it plays in our lives. Just as in the oxygen in the blood used up by the wants of the system, so the supply of prana taken up by the nervous system is exhausted by our thinking, willing, acting, etc., and in consequence constant replenishing is necessary. Every thought, every act, every effort of the will, every motion of a muscle, uses up a certain amount of what we call nerve force, which is really a form of prana. To move a muscle the brain sends out an impulse over the nerves, and the muscle contracts, and so much prana is expended. When it is remembered that the greater portion of prana acquired by man comes to him from the air inhaled, the importance of proper breathing is readily understood.
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Niskayuna Supervisor Joe Landry surveys the area surround the berm constructed at the town’s water plant on Friday, Sept. 2.
Photo by John Purcell.
Niskayuna’s water plant was in danger as the Mohawk River rose during Tropical Storm Irene, but town employees devised a plan to prevent damage.
Town officials started mobilizing town employees around 6 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 28, after initial reports came in on possible flood levels following heavy rain. There were six dump trucks, front-end loaders, excavator and bulldozers at the town’s water plant working into the night. There was another crew stationed north of plant at the town landfill with an excavator and a front-end loader to gather dirt for the circular barrier.
“Initial reports we were getting was it was going to be 7 to 8 feet above the 100-year flood, which was over those windows (four inches above),” said Supervisor Joe Landry. “There is no way we could have built a berm as high as that building … we were able to accommodate the modified numbers.”
The 100-year flood is a way to rate the probability of a flood reaching a certain level, which is once every 100 years. Although, this doesn’t mean the flood level can’t be reached more than once in 100 years.
Town employees worked long hours, maxing out at 18 hours, said Matt Yetto, a civil engineer for the town. Highway Department employees teamed up with Water and Sewer Department employees to prevent flood damage.
“At one point we had everyone in the Water and Sewer Department working either at (the water plant) or preventing flooding in the sewer system,” said Yetto.
The berm around the plant took around 15 hours to build after Superintendent of the Water and Sewer Department Richard Pollock designed the plans.
“At one point when we were doing the sandbags you looked and you just saw a sea of green, everyone was wearing a green shirt,” said Yetto. “Everything seemed to go very smoothly and well organized.”
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Salaam and Greetings of Peace:
“I was a hidden treasure and wanted to be known.” This is the beginning of probably the most famous hadith qudsi, or extra-Qur’anic Word of God, ḥadiṯs-e kanz-e maḵf. Its more correct translation might be as follows:
“I was a Treasure unknown then I desired to be known so I created a creation to which I made Myself known; then they knew Me.”
Tradition says that it is the divine response to the Prophet David’s query, when he asked about the purpose of creation. These are not the words of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), and no chain of transmission is known for this hadith, whether sound or weak, as Ibn Taymiyya and others state. But the meaning is true and is inferred from Q51:56:
“I created the Jinn and humankind only that they may worship Me!” meaning “that they may know Me” as the Prophet’s (SAW) cousin Ibn Abbas explained it.
Since human beings were created in His image (as self-aware consciousnesses evolved in a physical body), all human beings are also hidden treasures to each other. And all have this deep desire to be known. So, all of us create our own little worlds, each according to his or her capabilities of love, talents, and gifts. Of course it is a limited and ephemeral world, not comparable with Almighty Allah’s creation, but part of our nature nonetheless :)
- Edited and adapted from a post on Br. Fahad’s Freelance blog.
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A new study from the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center suggests that North Carolina agricultural workers who are exposed to pesticides also may be affected by wage violations. Thomas A. Arcury, Ph.D., one of the study’s authors and professor and vice chair for research in the center’s Department of Family and Community Medicine, spoke to EHS Today to discuss the study and its implications.
According to the study, “Wages, Wage Violations and Pesticide Safety Experienced by Migrant Farmworkers in North Carolina,” migrant farm workers face “a myriad of problems” including poverty, food insecurity, pesticide exposure, occupational hazards, lack of health care and more. Limited safety regulations are available to protect these workers.
“This is a work force that needs to be protected,” said Arcury, who also is the director of the Center for Worker Health at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. “It is vulnerable for many reasons, one of which because it’s poor, another because it’s a dangerous industry. We need to do something so it’s safe for them.”
The study focused on 300 migrant farm workers who worked in 52 camps, or employer-provided housing, in eastern North Carolina. Most of the workers hailed from Mexico. Approximately two-thirds of the workers had H-2A visas for temporary or seasonal work; the remainder of participants were undocumented, had other types of documentation or were permanent U.S. residents. The study found:
- Approximately 15 percent of workers were provided with safety equipment to protect against pesticide exposure.
- One-third of workers said they were offered safety instruction about pesticides.
- About half of study participants were informed when pesticides were applied or when the no re-entry period was over.
- One-quarter of workers reported that they were asked to enter fields before the no re-entry interval had ended.
- Sixteen percent of workers said they worked in the fields while pesticides were being applied.
- Workers who experienced wage violations also often experienced “improper pesticide safety and training conditions.”
The study suggests that workers with H-2A visas often experience fewer pay or safety violations. Workers with H-2A visas were more likely to be provided with safety equipment, be informed when the no re-entry period had ended and less likely to work in fields when pesticides were being applied. And while one-fifth of all studied workers experienced minimum wage violations, these violations were experienced by 45 percent of those workers without H-2A visas.
“The greater compliance available to migrant farmworkers with H-2A visas for wages and pesticide safety, as well as housing regulations, indicates that we could expect higher compliance for all farmworkers with more regulations and with greater monitoring and review of these regulations,” the study stated.
The Pay-Safety Correlation
Arcury pointed out that the correlation between employers not following pesticide regulations and those not following wage and salary regulations may reveal a new way to seek out those in noncompliance.
“We need to pay attention to people who aren’t following one set of regulations to see if they’re following the other set of regulations,” he told EHS Today. “Maybe there’s just a need for greater education about safety issues and regulations for agricultural workers. On the other hand, there may be individuals who don’t think they have to follow the rules, and they need to be dealt with just like anyone else who doesn’t follow regulations.”
Arcury stressed that regulations must be enforced to protect these workers and identified the following areas of concern:
- Worker pesticide exposure must be monitored.
- Farmers and others who apply pesticides should be required to regularly and centrally record what pesticides they are applying, the amount they apply and where they apply.
- Heat stress requirements, training and prevention techniques should be developed.
- Child labor concerns must be addressed within the industry.
- Wage and salary concerns also must be addressed, and farm workers must be paid at least minimum wage.
“In North Carolina, our agricultural economy is based on immigrant workers. Without immigrant workers, we would not be able to pick the cucumbers and sweet potatoes, apples and peaches, tobacco and Christmas trees that are essential to our economy,” Arcury explained. “What we’re trying to do is improve the health of workers because I think that’s best for everyone.”
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Cloud computing is either a revolutionary IT management tool or a nebulous puff of marketing hype, depending on whom you ask. For now, we’re thinking it’s puffery—but intriguing developments are under way.
A Cloudy Concept
Rather than house your own IT servers or rent the maximum processing and storage capacity you’ll ever need, why not pay only for what you use, when you use it? That’s the basic idea behind cloud computing—and it’s an alluring possibility for many reasons, not least the desire to contain costs and reduce energy consumption. But it turns out that much of the appeal is based on a murky understanding of the concept.
According to research by Gartner group vice president Mark McDonald, the percentage of CIOs interested in cloud computing has grown considerably, from 5% in 2009 to 37% earlier this year. And the bigger the company, the more likely management is to say that cloud computing is a top-five IT priority.
Interest in Cloud Computing
But three out of four respondents who profess interest in cloud computing report little to none in three of the key technologies it entails: server virtualization, service-oriented architecture, and software as a service. Further, nearly half the respondents equate cloud computing with virtualization alone, which shows that many executives have an incomplete view of it.
Cloud computing has rapidly risen to what McDonald calls “the peak of inflated expectations.” And where is it headed next? The “trough of disillusionment,” he says. That’s because few people can even seem to agree on what cloud computing is, never mind how on earth it should work.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) IT laboratory’s definition, version 15, is more than 760 words long and includes five characteristics, three service models, four deployment models, and a disclaimer saying, in essence, that the definition will change again soon.
Is the Cloud Greener?
Despite all the confusion about cloud computing, the IT laboratory at NIST lays out some figures that make a compelling environmental case for it.
According to one NIST presentation, the number of servers in traditional data centers in the U.S. doubled from 2001 to 2006. Power consumption per server quadrupled in the same time period, even though servers typically operate at only 15% of capacity.
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Although Perl remains a vibrant language with a fiercely loyal following, it has undergone many changes to keep up with new technologies and applications that were not anticipated when Perl was first introduced in 1987. Through its community-based development model, Perl has kept up with changing times and remained fresh when other languages might have stagnated.
Internally, however, there have remained kinks and stumbling blocks that developers have needed to sidestep, long-abandoned features that have been maintained only for backwards compatibility, misdirected phrasings that have hindered more intuitive syntax structures, and a cacophony of modules that sometimes work well together, but occasionally don't. Perl continues to have a strong following devoted to its development, but in the meantime, a group of core Perl developers have begun working on Perl 6, a complete rewrite of the Perl language. While Perl's creative philosophy and common-sense syntax are sure to remain in Perl 6, everything else in the language is being re-examined and recreated.
Perl 6 Essentials provides an overview of the current state of Perl 6 for those who await its release. Written by members of the Perl 6 core development team, the book offers an explanation of the various stages of the project, with reference material for programmers who are interested in what changes are planned or who may want to contribute to the project. The book will satisfy their curiosity and show how changes in the language will make it more powerful and easier to use.
Perl 6 Essentials is the first book that offers a peek into the next major version of the Perl language. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the future of Perl.
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Warm Springs: A Classic Boondoggle?
By Harold Gilliam
If President Carter wants to bolster his anti- inflation program by saving the government at least $200 million, I have a suggestion for him.
The planned Warm Springs dam, on a tributary of the Russian river in Sonoma County, is a classic boondoggle, a pork barrel item that was somehow overlooked when the President compiled his nationwide ''hit list" of water projects that he boldly said he would veto—and did.
Even in the Corps of Engineers' optimistic estimate of the dam's benefits, Warm Springs is a marginal project, with a benefit-cost ratio of 1.1. That means for every dollar of cost, there will be benefits of $1.10. If the benefits were a shade less, the dam could not be financially justified as a federal project.
Let's look at the principal benefits- recreation and water supply.
The federal flood-control program was born 40 years ago in an effort to do a job that no state could handle alone — prevent the kind of disastrous floods that were occurring along the Mississippi, with tragic loss of life and property.
What happens on the Russian river is quite different. Floods there come not with a rushing wall of water that wipes out whole communities but with a gradual rising of the river until it laps at the doors of buildings in resort communities like Guerneville and sometimes inundates basements and ground floors.
Traditionally, after this kind of flood, the owners shovel out the mud and go back to work. It's a nuisance, but it's been happening on the Russian river for generations, and no one buying property there has any excuse for being ignorant of the river's habit of rising in heavy rains. So we may wonder by what right property owners now demand the federal government bail them out. There are ways of flood- proofing buildings that would accomplish much the same results the dam would provide — lowering the high-water level by two or three feet.
Along the river and its tributaries there are places where the water is cutting its banks into agricultural land. Riprap or other channel work could curtail the bank erosion without the dam.
Some of the agricultural fields along the river — mostly in grapes now — are flooded by high water, which deposits layers of silt in the vineyards. This process is precisely what caused the land to be productive in the first place, under the natural cycles of soil replenishment. Stopping the process may be a convenience to growers, but in the long run it would amount to a death sentence on the land that is produced and sustained by river overflow. Why should the federal government be subsidizing destruction of the soil's fertility?
But even the protection that the dam would provide to existing buildings and farmlands would not add up to enough dollar benefits to pay for the dam's flood-control cost. That cost can only be met by an ingenious accounting gimmick: "benefits" to buildings and other developments that do not exist- but that might exist if the dam were built.
If the dam lowers the flood crest, certain lands that otherwise would be in the flood zone could be used for building. So flood protection to those ghostly structures is counted as a benefit in order to justify the cost of the dam.
Why should the federal government be subsidizing development in the flood plain? Why should federal taxpayers be giving handouts to those lucky landowners?
Even all this remarkable accounting still would not pay for the dam. To help justify the cost, the Corps counts recreational benefits. Boaters and other users of "Lake Sonoma," the reservoir behind the dam, would eventually spend more than $1 million a year there. By some puzzling financial legerdemain these millions are counted as part of the benefits supplied by the dam. But who gets the benefits?
If a typical family spends, say $100 a year at Lake Sonoma — on boats and gasoline and hot dogs — that's $100 that it won't spend someplace else, such as the Bay Area. Why should the federal taxpayer be subsidizing a diversion of recreation expenditures from the Bay Area to Lake Sonoma? What possible federal benefit is involved?
The dam would also supply water for use in Sonorma county and adjoining areas. The water would be paid for by the water user. Theoretically. Actually the payment would extend over a 50 to 60 year peroid. But the dam has to be paid for when it is built, not some time in the next century. So Uncle Sam in effect lends the water users their share of the paid dam's cost, to be paid back over that 50-60 year period.
But because the dam was originally authorized in 1967, at a time when interest rates were only 31/8 per cent, the water users would pay at that bargain basement rate. The federal taxpayers would have to make up the difference between that and the current market interest rate, which will be three or four times that much. And that difference over a half-century period, could amount to the biggest subsidy of all.
If Sonoma county wants to double or triple or quadruple its population so that the water supply available from Warm Springs will be used and paid for, if the people of Santa Rosa want that city to become another congested San Jose, sprawling out into the farmlands, I suppose you could say that's their business. But why should the rest of us — the federal taxpayers — pay the bill?
Somona taxpayers will be paying for the dam on top of their other taxes for generations to come. The result will predictably be irresistible pressure on all local agencies to promote the fastest possible urbanization and industrialization of the county in order to get a broader tax base to pay the bills for the dam. Growth under pressure.
The dam will create jobs, yes. But if we are to rely
on dams for employment, when Warm Springs is
finished it will be necessary to build another big dam
and yet another when that is finished ad infinitum.
There is room for argument about how much water will be needed and where it will come from. Without Warm Springs, water could be available from wells (the Russian river drainage, particularly the Santa Rosa plain, is rich in ground water), from increasing the capacity of Coyote dam on the upper Russian, from conservation and waste water recycling.
How much would be needed from these or other sources—including Warm Springs—depends on what assumptions you make about population growth and about more efficient use of existing water supplies.
The Warm Springs Task Force, a Sonoma county group opposed to the dam, has a court suit maintaining that the Corps' environmental impact statement does not adequately consider alternatives to the dam, earthquake risks and other matters. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals heard the case last spring but for some inscrutable reason has not yet spoken. Meantime, the preliminary work goes on, millions have already been spent and construction on the main dam is about ready to begin.
The corps has estimated that the water supply portion of the dam, to be paid for by Sonoma county taxpayers, would amount to $60 million dollars. But the Task Force comes up with another figure. Adding the interest to be paid over the life of the project, plus an inflation factor, plus a cost-overrun figure, the Task Force calculates that the dam will cost the Sonoma county taxpayers $230 million -- almost $1000 added to the property tax for every man, woman and child now living in the county.
No matter whose figures are accepted, Warm Springs seems inordinately expensive way for federal taxpayers as well as for the county to subsidize urban sprawl, riverbank landowners, subdivisions on farmland, reservior recreation, and future construction in flood- prone areas.
Photograph caption: SITE OF THE WARM SPRINGS DAM PROJECT. Even the Engineers consider it a marginal project with a benefit-cost ratio of 1.1
S.F. Sunday Examiner & Chronicle
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Mandelberg, John and Janson, Annick (2010) Technology to enhance learning with students with disabilities. In: shar-E-fest 2010, 27-28 September, 2010, Hamilton, New Zealand. (Unpublished)
Full text not available from this repository.
Presentation about Technology to enhance learning with students with disabilities eg. using video as a tool, dessemination and distribution.
|Item Type:||Conference or Workshop Item (Speech)|
|Keywords:||Technology, disabilities, YANIV, video, art, learning|
|Subjects:||B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology|
B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BH Aesthetics
L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB1028 Education Research
N Fine Arts > N Visual arts (General) For photography, see TR
P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN1993 Motion Pictures
|Divisions:||Schools > School of Media Arts|
|Deposited On:||22 Jan 2012 21:53|
|Last Modified:||22 Jan 2012 21:53|
Repository Staff Only: item control page
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Vegan For Life
by Jack Norris, RD &
Ginny Messina, MPH, RD
Can a Natural Diet Require Supplements?
by Jack Norris, RD | Last updated: March 2012
If we admit that vegans need to get vitamin B12 through fortified foods or supplements, are we saying that a vegan diet is unnatural?
One point to consider is that feces contain large amounts of vitamin B12, produced by bacteria in the colon, and that if we found ourselves in a state of nature, and still wanted to be vegan, we could get enough B12 from feces, though it would be important to make efforts to make sure the bacteria were killed and viruses were neutralized. Admittedly, that's not terribly appetizing.
People have told me that they and other vegans they know do not take vitamin B12 supplements nor eat fortified foods and are healthy. While many vegans do not supplement with B12 and remain apparently healthy for many years, they normally do not know what their homocysteine levels are, which could eventually contribute to stroke or dementia. They might eventually run into overt B12 deficiency (see Individual Cases of Deficiency). You are taking a real chance by assuming you have transcended the need for a recommended B12 intake.
As people live longer, homocysteine has more years to cause damage to the body. Because of this, the importance of B12 has increased. The longer a vegan does not supplement with B12, the lower their active B12 levels will drop, increasing their homocysteine levels.
In Western society today, it is easy for vegans to ensure an adequate B12 intake. Vegans who supplement with B12 can have superior B12 status to non-vegetarians who do not supplement. In fact, due to a decrease in the ability to absorb B12 from animal foods as people age, the Food and Nutrition Board says that all people (not just vegans) over age 50 should "meet their RDA mainly by consuming foods fortified with B12 or a B12-containing supplement."
Is the vegan diet natural? To answer that question, I recommend an article that examines the subject in great detail, Comparative Anatomy and Physiology Brought Up to Date: Are Humans Natural Frugivores/Vegetarians, or Omnivores/Faunivores? by Tom Billings. After an extensive review of the research, Billings concludes that humans are not naturally vegetarians or vegans. Despite this, he says:
I am both pro-vegetarian and pro-[eating raw foods as a large portion of the diet]. Readers should be aware that I am a long-time vegetarian (since 1970), a former long-time (8+ years) fruitarian (also a former vegan),... However, I am definitely not a promoter of, or a "missionary" for, any specific diet. In reality, I am tired of seeing raw and [vegan/vegetarian] diets promoted in negative ways by extremists whose hostile and dishonest behavior is a betrayal of the positive moral principles that are supposedly at the heart of veg*ism.
You really don't need the naturalness claim to be a veg*n! That is, moral/spiritual reasons alone are adequate to justify following a veg*n diet (assuming the diet works for you, of course). Further, if the motivation for your diet is moral and/or spiritual, then you will want the basis of your diet to be honest as well as compassionate. In that case, ditching the false myths of naturalness presents no problems; indeed, ditching false myths means that you are ditching a burden.
Readers may also be interested in the article Humans are Omnivores, adapted from a talk by John McArdle, PhD (originally published in the May/June 1991 edition of the Vegetarian Journal). The PaleoVeganology blog also has interesting information about the diets of our ancestors.
I strive to be like my prehistoric ancestors in no way whatsoever. I am glad they were able to survive lives that were nasty, brutish, and short, in order to one day allow me to type away for hours a day on a MacBook. But I have already outlived them while eating a large proportion of food they wouldn't recognize and taking supplements both as a child and as an adult.
The idea that a prehistoric diet can be approximated today or that it would be the most optimal diet is rather questionable. Today's commercial plant foods and meats are different from the foods available in prehistoric times. We eat hybrids of plants and we feed foods to farmed animals that they would not normally eat. Farmed animals are typically given a host of supplements in their feed. The U.S. food supply is routinely fortified with a host of vitamins and minerals (such as vitamin D in milk), and most people who turn to what they consider to be a more natural diet as adults have often benefited from this supplementation. In the last two hundred years, nutritional science has solved all sorts of serious health problems that plagued humanity for eons.
Although there are exceptions, eating meat is one of the few things which most people try to do that is "natural." Paleolithic dieters are probably the most vocal anti-vegetarian, natural eaters. Yet they rarely eat insects, grubs, and worms which, according to Paleoveganology in his post What, No Bugs?!, "have long provided humans and other primates with nutrients, and continue doing so today in most parts of the world." So one has to wonder how close to nature they are actually trying to eat.
Many vegans are understandably skeptical of the medical and scientific community. But by refusing to accept the scientific evidence in favor of the need to supplement with B12, we provide a steady flow of vegans with health issues for the medical community to study. If you are wary of the medical community, the best thing you can do is ensure that you do not develop B12 deficiency and become one of their subjects.
While I'm grateful that research has been done on vegans who do not supplement with B12, enough is enough. It is the vegan community's responsibility to stop this flow of research subjects. When researchers decide to do studies examining the health problems of vegans who do not supplement their diets with B12, it would be best if they simply could not find any.
All vegan advocates should be aware of the symptoms of B12 deficiency (with the realization that elevated homocysteine levels occur long before these symptoms are noticeable), and the need for new vegans to start supplementing with B12 shortly after becoming vegan (or even near-vegan).
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8. Scurrula buddleioides (Desrousseaux) G. Don, Gen. Hist. 3: 421. 1834.
滇藏梨果寄生 dian zang li guo ji sheng
Shrubs 0.5-2 m tall, young branchlets, leaves, and inflorescences with dense short grayish yellow, rarely brown, verticillate and stellate hairs. Branches brownish, glabrous, scattered lenticellate. Leaves opposite; petiole 4-12 mm, pilose; leaf blade ovate, ovate-oblong to oblong, 6-10 × 3.5-8 cm, papery or thinly leathery, abaxial surface minutely tomentose, adaxial surface glabrous, lateral veins 4 or 5 pairs, base obtuse to rounded, apex acute. Racemes 2-5-fascicled, axillary, sometimes at leafless nodes, 3-5(-7)-flowered; peduncle and rachis 1.5-5 mm, brownish or grayish yellow tomentose. Flowers densely alternate; bracts ovate, ca. 1 mm. Pedicel 1-1.5 mm. Calyx pyriform, 2-3 mm, limb annular, ciliate. Mature bud tubular, 1.5-2 cm, tip ellipsoid. Corolla red, slightly curved and inflated, tomentose, lobes lanceolate, ca. 5 mm, reflexed. Style red; stigma subcapitate. Berry pyriform, 8-10 × 3.5-4 mm, pilose, base tapering into stalk. Fl. and fr. Jan-Dec.
Forests, thickets, mountain slopes, valleys; 1100-2200 m. Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan [India].
Recorded hosts include species of Caprifoliaceae, Coriariaceae, Fagaceae, Moraceae, Rosaceae, Rutaceae, and Tiliaceae.
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When will we hear again the glorious music of Giacomo Meyerbeer?
From 1830 until the end of the 19th century no composer of opera was more famous, more successful or more sought after throughout Europe than Giacomo Meyerbeer. It wasn't until the 1850s when Verdi wrote his masterpieces that anyone challenged his supremacy, but Meyerbeer remained a firm favorite until the beginning of the First World War. This bold statement must come as a surprise to many who have neither heard of him nor listened to his music. After 1930 Meyerbeer's popularity gradually diminished and even here in Israel his works have been sadly neglected and seldom played.
Meyerbeer was born Yaakov Lieberman Beer in 1791, the eldest of three sons of Judah and Malka Beer in Germany, an extremely financially successful, well established Jewish business family. Yaakov's musical talents developed at an early age, his first public appearance being as a pianist at nine years of age. At seventeen he was appointed court composer in Damstaat and by the age of twenty four he had composed several modest oratorios and operas in German. He was then advised by Antonio Salieri to go to Italy to study art composing for the voice. There he met and became friendly with Rossini who, by that time, was a well known, successful composer of operas. Yaakov's grandfather, Liebermann Meyer Wulff, died during his stay in Italy and Yaakov inherited a vast fortune from him on condition that he changed his name to Meyerbeer. He then changed the Yaakov to Giacomo and adopted the name of Giacomo Meyerbeer. Rossini recommended to Meyerbeer that he move to Paris where the opera house was relatively new, having been built in 1812, and could offer numerous resources for the presentation of his works.
So it came to be that just after the French revolution of 1830 when the autocratic Charles 10th was replaced by the more liberal minded Citizen King Louis Phillipe, that the Paris opera was turned over to a directeur-entrepreneur to manage the opera for six years at his own risk and fortune. The first of such men to accept that position was Louis Véron, a physician turned business man. A veritable fop who understood the mentality of the French public and promptly fired all the staff and brought in new blood, composers, conductor, librettist, stage managers, dancing teachers and last, but not least, the chef de claque. The claque was a body of men who were responsible for leading the applause, the screams, sobs, tears, laughter, hissing, howls, the booing, the insults and so on for a fee. It would have been folly for any performer to appear on the stage without first engaging the chef de claque and agreeing on terms of service for leading the right response at the right moment from the audience. By the turn of the century, the Paris Opera had become the richest and most successful in Europe.
Meyerbeer had a great talent for the theater and wrote successfully for the voice, particularly dazzling coloratura and unusual harmonies. He knew what the public wanted and wrote his operas to satisfy them. His priority was to please the new bourgeoisie public and this he did by writing operas which were spectacular and historically correct in every detail. He knew that they had to have brilliant vocal parts so that no one would be bored by long mediocre arias. He knew that the orchestration had to be glittering and powerful with massed super-fortissimos and that there had to be massed choruses, huge crowd scenes and five acts with a ballet. Absolutely everything had to be grand and spectacular to cater for the demands of the rising middle classes. What the Paris opera house resources couldn't supply, Meyerbeer readily paid for out of his own private income. He had a gift for management and publicity, effectively creating the lavish press conference with dinner and fine wines to announce the forthcoming presentations.
Meyerbeer's first great success was Robert le Diable in 1831, with words by the librettist, Eugene Scribe. It was performed using gas lighting for the first time on the Paris stage. It was a romantic opera about medieval knights and the devil. Its success outshone all previous performances, everything about it was spectacular and grand. In the first eight years it was performed in 1,845 theaters. Rossini's final opera in Paris was William Tell in 1829. After that he stopped writing operas and for the next forty years lived the life of a retired gentleman. Meyerbeer on the other hand went on to compose several other highly successful grand operas, the main ones being The Huguenots 1836, Le Prophete 1849, L'Etoile du Nord 1855, Dinorah 1859, and L'Africain' 1865. It was the role of Marguerite in The Huguenots that Dame Joan Sutherland chose for her farewell performance on the operatic stage.
Berlioz said to Schlesinger, the publisher of the score of Les Huguenots 1836: “Tell me about a score like that, it is superb! I would love to see Meyerbeer and shake the hand that wrote such beautiful things.” March 12th 1836.
Meyerbeer was a practicing Jew and unlike several of his Jewish contemporaries did not attempt to convert to Catholicism. He saw it as his duty to carry out the principles of humanitarian Judaism as stated by Moses Mendelssohn. However, Felix Mendelssohn, Heinrich Heine the poet, and later Jacques Offenbach and Gustav Mahler all became practicing Christians. From 1933 onwards the Nazis banned performances of all works by Jewish artists and removed the statue of Felix Mendelssohn in Leipzig. In 1839 Meyerbeer wrote to Heine, 'I believe that Jew-hatred is like love in theaters and novels, no matter how often one encounters it in all shapes and sizes, it never misses its target if effectively wielded. What can be done? No pomade or bear grease, not even baptism, can grow back the foreskin of which we were robbed on the eighth day of life; those who did not bleed to death from this operation shall continue to bleed an entire lifetime, even after death.' It is not surprising that several of his masterpieces deal with the problem of religious intolerance.
Meyerbeer died suddenly in Paris on May 2, 1864 whilst rehearsals for his final opera L'Africaine were taking place. After a great funeral procession in Paris, a special train for the coffin was sent from Berlin by the Prussian government. He was buried alongside his mother in the Jewish cemetery in Schönhauser Allee among other members of the Beer family. In Paris today you will find Rue Meyerbeer adjacent to Rue Halevy and a bust of Meyerbeer is in front of the opera house alongside other famous composers. The Belgian town of Spa which Meyerbeer visited frequently has a statue of him standing in a public park.
Hans von Bülow (1830-1894), a conductor and pianist of worldwide reputation and founder of many stylistic interpretations of classic and romantic symphonies, made the following observations on Meyerbeer: "After all, Meyerbeer was a man of genius. If we fail to recognize Meyerbeer's genius, we are not only unjust but also ungrateful. In every sense, in his conception of opera, in his treatment of orchestration, in his handling of choruses, even in stage setting, he gave us new principles by which our modern works have profited to a large extent."
It is to be hoped that Meyerbeer's music will soon be heard again ringing throughout our concert halls.
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THE FRUIT of the Church is holiness. It was therefore natural for the long process of the establishment of the Orthodox Church in America to be climaxed by witness of holiness--the canonization of the holy elder Herman of Alaska. For those who participated in the ceremonies of the canonization in Alaska, as well as for those who prayed to the newly glorified saint in churches throughout the United States and Canada, this holiness was manifested in the depth of the holy elder's humility and in the strength of his faith. The act of canonization eclipsed everything else--human plans for the future, fears, accomplishments, successes and failures. All this was illumined by new light, the light of sanctity now shining above America--a light surpassing human reason and bringing the fullness of Divine Grace into the life of the Church.
In the course of its 175-year existence the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in America and Canada went through many phases of a sociological and psychological nature. It began with the missionary efforts of the Valaam monks and was at first totally involved in the Christian enlightenment of the Aleut natives and in the planting of Christian morality and Christian socio-economic foundations among them. It spread throughout the American continent and began to create new pan-Orthodox units in America, continuing to be concerned about mission among the Americans on the one hand, and organizing the first parishes for Orthodox immigrants o all national origins on the other. When the Orthodox immigrants were divided into more definite ethnic groups in which Orthodoxy began to coincide with and sometimes was even replaced by ethnic aspirations, the Church naturally began to expend much energy on the organization of our socio-ethnic "ghettos." In these ghettos all that was brought from the Old World was not developed but "preserved", beginning with recipes and ending with language, culture and provincial politics. This period, which continued for a considerable time, had an undisputed significance in the process of Church growth and development. Thanks to this period a number of important principles in the areas of liturgical life, piety, traditions, character and order were preserved. It also created a prolonged crisis which caused members of our younger generations who were leaving their ethnic and parochial ghetto and associated it with something totally contradictory to the "American way of life" to reject not only their sociological roots but Orthodoxy as well--Orthodoxy being so closely associated with sociological factors. In the last two or three decades a new current has appeared in our Church life. The desire to "conserve" traditional values, so predominant in the sociological ghetto, began to be replaced gradually by the attempt to integrate Orthodoxy into American life. These efforts were not always successful; quite often they carried with them the danger simply of replacing what is Russian, Carpatho-Russian, Ukrainian by what is American. This, in terms of its quality, threatened to be as provincial as everything that preceded it. At the same time there was a growth of the healthy tendency to accomplish the "churching of Americanism," if one may put it that way, rather than the "Americanization of Orthodoxy." There began an era of the discovery of Orthodoxy in all it untarnished value of Orthodoxy as a self-sufficient principle, to which all other principles must be subordinate. There began a rediscovery of the Church's sacramental life, in which were to be found the sources of spiritual and intellectual sustenance. At first, Orthodoxy was an "embarrassment" because it was a "foreign faith," because it was something contradictory to "American culture." Later, Orthodoxy became a source of "pride," as one can be "proud" of exotic costumes, traditions and background. Now, glory be to God, we have begun to LIVE Orthodoxy, that is, to understand fully that Orthodoxy is not a museum, not a repository, not exoticism, but LIFE.
FOR MANY long years our ecclesiastical and social interests were concentrated almost exclusively upon ourselves, upon our own problems. Even when we thought we were speaking about America our point of departure was our ethnic identity. America for us was "they" and not "we". If, as a Church, we participated in the life of the nation, this participation expressed itself first of all in the fact that we sent our children to the front, where they fought heroically for the country's freedom. As for the rest, our reactions always concentrated on negative things: we warned the country (and were justified in doing so) about political, moral and social dangers.
Although a portion of our participation was directed to creative ends, basically our participation was concentrated upon ourselves and the solution of our "internal problems." We are accustomed to this approach; it will not be easy for us to survive the crisis which has been placed before us by the course of historical and ecclesiastical events. The resolution of this crisis is the major theme of the extremely important test to which our autocephaly has called us.
It is useful to remember that in Greek the world "crisis" means "judgment". Now the meaning of this word is relevant for us in the most direct way. God's judgment is being done to us, the judgment of history and the judgment of our conscience. In the light of this judgment we will have to justify the gift which has been handed to us by the Church, the gift of maturity and independence. We wanted this and our desire has been fulfilled. Looking with gratitude to all our past, to the entire and great tradition of Russian and ecumenical Orthodoxy which we have inherited, we should see in this a good and favorable wind and not a crutch for our support nor eyeglasses through which we can look at the reality of life. In accepting autocephaly we witnessed to our maximal loyalty to the historical road of America and Canada.
In accepting autocephaly our Church accepted American and Canadian citizenship; the acceptance of citizenship always implies liberation from and rejection of any other historical and political loyalties. In turning from the 14th All-American Sobor of the Metropolia to the First Council of the Orthodox Church in America we close the last volume of our 175-year history and place it together with the other volumes on the shelf of experience and respect, simultaneously opening a fresh page of a new book of our ecclesiastical life. The title page of this book bears the inscription "Orthodox Church in America." What will appear on the pages after the title depends on us.
AND SO OUR autocephaly has placed our Church face to face with America. All those things which earlier could stand between us psychologically--"Russian heritage," our "emigre identity," "tradition" and all similar factors--have now disappeared. There is nothing that can shelter us from the reality before which God has placed us. To what extent does American life need us as a Christian spiritual force, and to what degree do we need American reality? The second part of this question is so clear that no one is asking it: American life is our life. Even those of us who have become American not by birth but by choice have lived here a very considerable portion of our life. Every day, through newspapers, through the television screen, through encounters, through our work we continually meet American life. If we are still inclined to think that this American life does not depend on us and has no relationship to us, that it is "they" and not "we" who die at the front in Vietnam, poison themselves with drugs, kill, and fall victim to killers, make the politics of the nation, get lost in search of higher values, are joyful and suffer--woe to us! For a long, long time, and especially from the moment we proclaimed ourselves the Church of America, it is WE, these are OUR children, this is OUR present and OUR future.
Incidentally, this does not even contradict all our attachment to other cultures, to other peoples and their history: everything in the world is so closely interwoven, so full of mutual responsibility, that everything occurring in America has its reflex in India, in Africa, in Russia, in the world. "I am not involved", "I do not care", "It is none of my business", was never a respectable criterion: now this formula can only be defective. It is better to resurrect the wonderful thought of Dostoyevsky according to which "everyone is guilty before all men for everything." And we add the words of Christ: "He who puts his hand to the plow and turns back is unworthy of the Kingdom of God."
There can be no doubt that America is passing through a deep crisis touching on the spiritual, social and political life of the nation. We can point out that the crisis is not exclusively an American one. It has the same manifestations--and even more radical ones--in all countries and all peoples of the world. There can be no doubt that the solution of the crisis and a constructive way out of it do not lie merely in the area of new legislation, limitation of "excessive" freedom, police control of the population.
The profound causes of the crisis are on the spiritual level; therefore its solution requires a colossal effort of the spiritual strength of the nation. Doubtless at the root of the crisis there is a wrong understanding of freedom. The error extends in two directions. Those who wish to limit freedom forget that the limitation of freedom has no end--how can we know when to stop, how can we make certain that the limitation of freedoms will not lead to a police state and concentration camps for dissenters.
Those who lean in the other direction forget (or do not want to remember) that freedom without responsibility is not freedom but arbitrariness, anarchy, nihilism. Those who struggle against the establishment do not think about the fact that "anti-system" can become a much more frightful system than the "establishment." Therefore the country is torn by the radicalism of two beliefs, both of which are intent on tearing the country apart.
In addition to all this, and notwithstanding all the horrors that are so zealously described in our press, we must remember, first of all, the great majority represented by those whom the President has called the "silent majority." These words are often repeated ironically, but they are a very good description of the mass of American people to which most of us belong and which, like a working horse, pulls the country out of moral, economic and political crises.
Secondly, among the young (and sometimes not so young) representatives of the "new culture" who give us such a fright and whom we are ready to bury in the mass grave of historical forgetfulness it is good to look for those who depart from "normal" American life for a number of reasons deserving our full attention. Due to a lack of spiritual guidance as well as because of inbred American conformity, they often take the wrong road and perish ignominiously and uselessly. It is good to scrutinize the fundamental themes, the motivations, which drive these young people out of well-to-do homes, a successful life, practical materialism. Close analysis inevitably leads us to the fact that youth is repulsed by complacent satisfaction with American well-being, by the false sense of security, by the exaggerated individualism that pushes people into loneliness and isolation, by the rationalization of even religious experience, by social injustice. These are negative themes.
The positive ones are a desire for spiritual experience, for liberation from captivity to material values, a search for spiritual reality and mystical experience, for a sacramental justification of life in all its details--love, sex, friendship, race, and so on. There is a search for the realities of life and death, which were so long concealed by our "funeral home culture" and were so cruelly revealed by the conflict in Vietnam. Youth is only partially responsible for the uncontrolled spiritualistic experimentation which has brought and is bringing so many of them to a tragic end; a great--much greater--responsibility lies on those who did not support, reveal, teach, be an example in time. We also bear responsibility, particularly because we--our Church--have long possessed first-class answers to all these questions.
WHAT CAN WE, as a Church, as the heirs of a spiritual experience of many centuries, say to contemporary young America? Even on the basis of our historical experience, on a purely negative plane, we can witness to the ease with which freedom can be lost. The trouble is that freedom, like good health, the comforts of life, or even hot water every day, is understood best when it is no longer available. We know very well what not-freedom is. What it is to be endangered when you think, to be in even greater danger when you speak, and to invite catastrophe when you set thoughts on paper. We know what it is to be unfree to believe, to pray, to go to Church when you choose. What it is to be unfree to leave your country when you wish. What it is to be unfree to organize your life as you see fit.
It is our holy duty to share our negative experience with all politically naive people, with all those who are easily caught in the net of the demonic propaganda of the other side, where man means nothing. Where "the death of one man is a tragedy--the death of ten thousand is a statistic," in the words of one ideologist on the "other side." This is not a political statement, for it concerns not only "political freedoms" but, first of all, the freedom of the spirit. This is witnessing to the real presence of the demonic in politics, in history, in sociology, of demonism which quenches the spirit and which rises against God and humanity. Therefore the power of this witness must be evangelical power, the power of Christ, always denying darkness and the devil, whatever the coloring which they adopt--even if they appear "in the image of an angel of light."
THE VOICE OF Orthodox spiritual experience will have even greater power in answering the spiritual quest of our time. For this we ourselves must realize the spiritual strength of our Church, which is not an exotic museum, but the living power of the Holy Spirit, Who breathes "wherever he wills " in this world. All contemporary problems can be answered, first of all, in the sacramental theology of the Orthodox Church. Human interrelationships (the social order), love and the family (sex), the value of the human personality (racial problems), freedom and responsibility (legislation and jurisprudence), morality (discipline), social reforms ("love thy neighbor"), suffering (purification), death (resurrection)--all these problems can be properly solved in the light of the sacramental understanding of life as organic co-operation in the Divine act of the creation of the world. The experience of spiritual life (the Jesus prayer, solitary life, monasticism, fasting, effort) is the answer to the search for spiritual life. The practice of Orthodox contemplation (hesychasm) is the answer to the thirst for mystical experience. The Divine services, particularly the Eucharist, are the answers to the thirst for sacrifice, cult, communion in love, union with God.
Our time is looking for symbols and for cult. Symbols are justified only when a genuine spiritual content stands behind them. Otherwise they turn into ritual. Ritual and idols sooner or later lead to demonology. Here is a boundless field for our preaching, for our mission in America, in Canada. This is why it is good to bring down the walls, to tear the bonds which tie us to ourselves and keep us away from serving "these little ones." These, then, in very brief form, are the tasks--responsible, important, holy tasks--which confront our Orthodox Church in America.
AND SO WE STAND--weak and uncertain as yet--before these tasks, the extent of which is very simple. It was once clearly expressed by His Grace, Bishop Dmitri, when he was asked what he considers the ultimate goal of Orthodoxy in America. Without any hesitation, His Grace said: "America must become Orthodox. If I believe that Orthodoxy is the revelation of Truth, then this, and only this, can be the purpose of its presence in America." The road leading to this goal is long. The way to holiness, to God, to the Kingdom of God, is equally long.
We have set out on a new road. Many issues, problems, projects, opportunities, difficulties, achievements are ahead of us on the road. On the agendas of our Councils old and familiar "unfinished business" will appear once again--the statute, pensions, ecumenism, charity, education and so on. It would be good, at this Council and at subsequent ones, to put in first place the questions of our spiritual growth, the deepening of our commitment to the Church, our sacramental and eucharistic rebirth, our organic entrance into the very essence of the Church, our total life in the Church.
No matter how important all other questions may be, they are among those things which will be "added" to those who first of all seek the Kingdom of God and its righteousness. In thirst for God's Truth, in hunger for the Bread of the Holy Eucharist, in the creation of God's Christian family welded together by the bonds of the love of Christ--there is found the only token of the success of our service to the Church, to America, and to humanity, the token of the justification of our autocephaly, of our membership in the Orthodox Church in America.
The Orthodox Church, February, March, April 1971.
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Homocysteine, Total, Plasma
As an aid for screening patients suspected of having an inherited disorder of methionine metabolism including:
-Cystathionine beta-synthase deficiency (homocystinuria)
-Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase deficiency (MTHFR) and its thermolabile variants:
-Methionine synthase deficiency
-Cobalamin (Cbl) metabolism:
-Combined methyl-Cbl and adenosyl-Cbl deficiencies: Cbl C2, Cbl D2, and Cbl F3 deficiencies
-Methyl-Cbl specific deficiencies: Cbl D-Var1, Cbl E, and Cbl G deficiencies
-Transcobalamin II deficiency:
-Adenosylhomocysteinase (AHCY) deficiency
-Glycine N-methyltransferase (GNMT) deficiency
-Methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT) I/III deficiency
Clinical Information Discusses physiology, pathophysiology, and general clinical aspects, as they relate to a laboratory test
To be used in conjunction with plasma amino acids and urine organic acids to aid in the biochemical screening for primary and secondary disorders of methionine metabolism.
Homocysteine is an intermediary in the sulfur-amino acid metabolism pathways, linking the methionine cycle to the folate cycle. Inborn errors of metabolism that lead to homocysteinemia/-uria include cystathionine beta-synthase deficiency (homocystinuria) and various defects of methionine re-methylation. Genetic defects in vitamin cofactors (vitamin B6, B12, and folate) and nutritional deficiency of B12 and folate also lead to abnormal homocysteine accumulation.
Homocysteine concentration is an indicator of acquired folate or cobalamin deficiency, and is a contributing factor in the pathogenesis of neural tube defects. Homocysteine also was thought to be an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease (atherosclerosis, heart disease, thromboembolism), as early observational studies prior to 2000 linked homocysteine to cardiovascular risk and morbidity and mortality. However, following FDA-mandated folic acid supplementation in 1998, homocysteine concentrations decreased by approximately 10% without a similar change in cardiovascular or ischemic events. Currently, the use of homocysteine for assessment of cardiovascular risk is uncertain and controversial. Based on several meta-analyses, at present, homocysteine may be regarded as a weak risk factor for coronary heart disease, and there is a lack of direct causal relationship between hyperhomocysteinemia and cardiovascular disease. It is most likely an indicator of poor lifestyle and diet.
Reference Values Describes reference intervals and additional information for interpretation of test results. May include intervals based on age and sex when appropriate. Intervals are Mayo-derived, unless otherwise designated. If an interpretive report is provided, the reference value field will state this.
Adults: < or =13 mcmol/L
Reference values apply to fasting specimens only.
Homocysteine concentrations >13 mcmol/L are considered abnormal in patients evaluated for suspected nutritional deficiencies (B12, folate) and inborn errors of metabolism. Measurement of methylmalonic acid (MMA) distinguishes between B12 (cobalamin) and folate deficiencies, as MMA is only elevated in B12 deficiency. Response to dietary treatment can be evaluated by monitoring plasma homocysteine concentrations over time.
Homocysteine concentrations < or =10 mcmol/L are desirable when utilized for cardiovascular risk.
Cautions Discusses conditions that may cause diagnostic confusion, including improper specimen collection and handling, inappropriate test selection, and interfering substances
A fasting specimen is recommended; however, nonfasting homocysteine concentrations produce slightly higher, but likely clinically insignificant changes.
Other factors that may influence and increase plasma homocysteine include:
-Poor diet/cofactor deficiencies
-Chronic kidney disease/renal disease
Medications that may increase homocysteine concentrations include:
Vitamin B6 antagonist
Inactivation of methionine synthase
Interference with folate metabolism
Interference with folate metabolism
Estrogen-induced vitamin B6 deficiency
Clinical Reference Provides recommendations for further in-depth reading of a clinical nature
1. Mudd SH, Levy HL, Kraus JP: Disorders of transsulfuration. In The Metabolic and Molecular Basis of Inherited Disease. Edited by CR Scriver, AL Beaudet, WS Sly, et al. New York, McGraw Hill Book Company, 2001, pp 2007-2056
2. Myers GL, Christenson RH, Cushman M, et al: National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry Laboratory Medicine Practice guidelines: emerging biomarkers for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Clin Chem, 2009;55(2):51-57
3. Refsum H, Smith AD, Ueland PM, et al: Facts and recommendations about total homocysteine determinations: an expert opinion. Clin Chem 2004 January;50:3-32
4. Turgeon CT, Magera MJ, Cuthbert CD, et al: Determination of total homocysteine, methylmalonic acid, and 2-methylcitric acid in dried blood spots by tandem mass spectrometry. Clin Chem 2010 November;56:1686-1695
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Well, maybe– and maybe not. While it’s an important scientific advance, this is also very early-stage research, the kind that may or may not ever make it to market.
In short, the researchers found a drug called JQ1 that shuts off sperm production in mice– and though it’s just mice, that’s already more advanced than many studies that are reported as big news. Many studies claiming to a big deal basically say “we found a gene/ ion channel/ whatever that is key for sperm production/function. Now if we can just find a drug to affect it! We’re looking hard! And then we’ll need to see what else the drug happens to do to men and whether it’s safe. Check back in 5 or 10 years!”
These researchers, by contrast, are a step ahead: they have already found a drug that works in mice, called JQ1, that they discovered while working on cancer. But not all drugs that work in mice work in humans, as was discovered to great disappointment with another promising male contraceptive lead, Zavesca. And even if it works, it will take many years of testing to determine whether the drug affects anything else in the body besides sperm production. Is it really a magic bullet against sperm production only, or does it just happen to turn your hair green or raise your cholesterol while it’s at it? Only time will tell.
In the meantime, it is important to keep funding contraceptive methods further along the pipeline. Too often, researchers get promising early results like these in mice and then find they can’t get the scale of funding needed to take the work to the finish line. Some methods in this category: Gamendazole and the Clean Sheets Pill, which have already been shown to work in animals; RISUG and Vasalgel, highly-effective methods that can provide hassle-free contraception for more than 10 years; and Gandarusa, a plant-based pill slated to go on the market in Indonesia next year but that has not been pursued at all in the West. New research is important, but we must also finish the jobs we start.
This week researchers from UCLA and the Population Council reported that their combination hormone contraceptive gel lowers sperm count in many of the men who take it. Is this the advance we’ve been waiting for?
MCIP applauds the Population Council’s work on Nestorone, a “designer progestin” that is more pure in its action than current synthetic progestins and could have significant advantages in women’s contraceptives. But we continue to support NON-hormonal male contraceptive research, for two reasons.
First, hormones are not one size fits all. As seen in previous trials, the standard dose of testosterone may be too much for one man (making him aggressive or giving him acne) and too little for another man (making him depressed). The risk of depression is what brought the big recent WHO hormonal trial to a halt.
Second, we have concerns about the long-term effects of progestins in men. Testosterone is pretty well understood, but the progestin, which is added here to make the method more effective, is another matter. As seen with hormone replacement therapy for women, it could be 60 or more years before we begin to understand the health effects of adding a synthetic progestin. And in this case it’s in men, who aren’t normally exposed to the high levels women have during part of their menstrual cycle. It could turn out to be a great thing for health, but progesterone is complicated in men, and we just wouldn’t know for many years. We ran that experiment in the 1960′s and 1970′s with women and the Pill, but by now we should be able to do better.
A final thought: The continuation and effectiveness rates were not great, meaning that this method would be a challenge from a practical standpoint. Fifty-six of the 99 men used it properly and continued for the whole study period, a little more than half. What was the experience of the other 43 men, and why did they quit? Did they forget to use it for too many days? Or did they have side effects? And of the men who kept going, sperm counts reached the desired levels in 88-89% of the men, meaning 1 in 10 didn’t work well enough to be under the sperm cutoff line. By themselves each of these might seem like a small issue, but put together they add up.
We applaud the researchers for carrying this through and getting answers. But we continue to press for development of nonhormonal, more targeted methods- and preferably ones that are long-acting. It’s easy to forget things that have to be done every day– that’s human nature, for men or women. We know from studies of contraceptives in women: the less you have to think about a contraceptive, the more effective it will be.
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EMBARGOED UNTIL Tuesday, February 6, 2001
Press contact: Elliott Negin or Liz Heyd, 202-289-6868
If you are not a member of the press, please write to us at [email protected] or see our contact page.
NRDC Proposes 'Responsible' Energy Policy for the 21st Century
Report shows that America can meet its energy needs without drilling in Alaska Wildlife Refuge or suspending clean-air standards in California
WASHINGTON (February 6, 2001) - NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) today released a balanced plan for U.S. energy policy that would meet the nation’s needs and save consumers billions of dollars annually -- without destroying pristine wilderness areas or rolling back environmental safeguards. The report also offers a solution for California’s electricity crisis that would not suspend state or federal air quality standards.
Among other things, NRDC’s analysis shows that President Bush’s proposal to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain to oil development would not lessen U.S. oil dependence, lower gasoline prices, or have an impact on the California electricity crisis. The president’s proposal will be the centerpiece of an omnibus Senate Republican energy bill that is expected to be introduced sometime this month.
"Drilling for oil in the Arctic Refuge coastal plain makes no sense from an environmental, economic or energy perspective," said Gregory Wetstone, NRDC’s director of programs. "One can quibble over just how much economically recoverable oil there is under the coastal plain’s tundra, but there’s not enough to make a difference. The real solution to our energy problems is increased fuel efficiency. It would be faster, cheaper and cleaner than drilling in the refuge."
According to NRDC, drilling proponents grossly overstate how much oil could be recovered in the Arctic Refuge and understate the potential environmental consequences. The U.S. Geological Survey concluded that the area likely holds only about 3.2 billion barrels of economically recoverable oil -- less than what the nation uses in six months. Production would be spread over the 50 years of the field’s lifetime and would likely peak at 150 million barrels per year in 2027 -- amounting to only 1.5 percent of projected U.S. consumption that year. Given that current U.S. demand for oil -- which is more than 7.1 billion barrels per year -- is increasing about 2 percent annually, the coastal plain would contribute less than 1 percent of the oil we are projected to consume over the next 50 years. Moreover, even if oil companies started exploration in the Arctic Refuge today, it would take at least 10 years for the first oil to arrive at West Coast refineries.
The cornerstone of NRDC’s plan is increased energy efficiency relying on readily available and cost-effective processes and technologies. In the short term, the plan calls for increased reliance on natural gas as a bridge to renewable and environmentally sound energy sources in the future. Correspondingly, the plan calls for reducing reliance on dirtier fossil fuels -- oil and coal.
Key NRDC recommendations include:
- raising fuel economy standards for new cars, sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and other light trucks to an average of 39 miles per gallon over the next decade;
- requiring replacement tires to be as fuel-efficient as the original tires on new vehicles;
- expanding programs to weatherize housing for low-income Americans;
- keeping development out of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and sensitive offshore areas, including moratorium areas, Alaska and the eastern Gulf of Mexico;
- maintaining protections for sensitive onshore public lands and extend protection to other special places;
- establishing comprehensive limits on power plant air pollution covering emissions of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur and mercury;
- ending subsidies for so-called "clean coal" technology and nuclear power;
- providing incentives for the construction of energy-efficient buildings and manufacturing of energy efficient heating, cooling and water-heating equipment; and
- planning a gas pipeline if needed to deliver Prudhoe Bay gas to the lower 48 states that follows the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and the Alaska-Canadian Highway, complies with all environmental laws, and incorporates the best pipeline safety and environmental measures.
"The United States cannot produce its way out of oil dependence," said Dr. Daniel Lashof, an NRDC senior scientist. "What we can do is dampen U.S. consumption, which amounts to about 25 percent of world petroleum demand. For example, increasing average fuel efficiency for new cars, SUVs and light trucks to 39 miles per gallon over the next decade would save 51 billion barrels of oil over the next 50 years -- more than 15 times the likely yield from the Arctic Refuge."
NRDC does welcome provisions it expects to see in the Senate Republican energy bill providing tax incentives for energy-efficiency improvements, but the group rejects any legislation allowing oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge in exchange for energy-efficiency measures. "As long as the Bush administration and Senator Frank Murkowski insist on opening the Arctic Refuge to oil development, the positive elements in their package are nothing more than a Trojan horse," said Chuck Clusen, an NRDC senior policy analyst. "If Republican leaders are serious about enacting energy-efficiency provisions, they’ll have to come up with a clean bill."
Finally, the public does not support oil development in the Arctic Refuge coastal plain. According to a Associated Press poll announced last week, Americans, by a 53 to 33 percent margin, oppose the plan to explore for oil in the refuge. (An additional 13 percent said they did not know.)
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a national, nonprofit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has more than 400,000 members nationwide, served from offices in New York, Washington, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Related NRDC Pages
A Responsible Energy Policy for the 21st Century
Additional Downloadable Materials for the Press
Introductory Statement of Greg Wetstone in Microsoft Word format, 87k
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and windows in food preparation, processing or treatment rooms must, where necessary,
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Penalties include: - As described under the Food Safety Act above.
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act (Including Control of Substances Hazardous to
Employers must take the necessary measures to secure the health, safety and welfare
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of food by pests.
· Improvement Notices.
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· Maximum Penalty two years imprisonment plus unlimited fines.
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( Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations)
These Regulations, made under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act are designed
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Know Your Seafood
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Our actions are rapidly destroying the oceans, lakes, and rivers that cover most of our planet. Rising contaminant levels make many seafood alternatives unsafe for you or your family to eat.Thankfully, numerous environmental groups and governments agencies do thorough research and publish results on contaminant levels and the environmental impact of different seafood alternatives. However, remembering this information when you need it at the grocery store or restaurant is no easy task.
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This article has been corrected since it was published in the print magazine.
My father was a child of the Great Depression. Born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1921 to Italian immigrant parents, he experienced the economic crisis head-on. He took a job working in an eyeglass factory in the city’s Ironbound section in 1934, at age 13, combining his wages with those of his father, mother, and six siblings to make a single-family income. When I was growing up, he spoke often of his memories of breadlines, tent cities, and government-issued clothing. At Christmas, he would tell my brother and me how his parents, unable to afford new toys, had wrapped the same toy steam shovel, year after year, and placed it for him under the tree. In my extended family, my uncles occupied a pecking order based on who had grown up in the roughest economic circumstances. My Uncle Walter, who went on to earn a master’s degree in chemical engineering and eventually became a senior executive at Colgate-Palmolive, came out on top—not because of his academic or career achievements, but because he grew up with the hardest lot.
Multimedia: "Reshaping America"
An interactive map of America's new geography.
Interview: "The Great Reset"
Urban theorist Richard Florida explains why recession is the mother of invention.
My father’s experiences were broadly shared throughout the country. Although times were perhaps worst in the declining rural areas of the Dust Bowl, every region suffered, and the residents of small towns and big cities alike breathed in the same uncertainty and distress. The Great Depression was a national crisis—and in many ways a nationalizing event. The entire country, it seemed, tuned in to President Roosevelt’s fireside chats.
The current economic crisis is unlikely to result in the same kind of shared experience. To be sure, the economic contraction is causing pain just about everywhere. In October, less than a month after the financial markets began to melt down, Moody’s Economy.com* published an assessment of recent economic activity within 381 U.S. metropolitan areas. Three hundred and two were already in deep recession, and 64 more were at risk. Only 15 areas were still expanding. Notable among them were the oil- and natural-resource-rich regions of Texas and Oklahoma, buoyed by energy prices that have since fallen; and the Greater Washington, D.C., region, where government bailouts, the nationalization of financial companies, and fiscal expansion are creating work for lawyers, lobbyists, political scientists, and government contractors.
No place in the United States is likely to escape a long and deep recession. Nonetheless, as the crisis continues to spread outward from New York, through industrial centers like Detroit, and into the Sun Belt, it will undoubtedly settle much more heavily on some places than on others. Some cities and regions will eventually spring back stronger than before. Others may never come back at all. As the crisis deepens, it will permanently and profoundly alter the country’s economic landscape. I believe it marks the end of a chapter in American economic history, and indeed, the end of a whole way of life.
“One thing seems probable to me,” said Peer Steinbrück, the German finance minister, in September 2008. As a result of the crisis, “the United States will lose its status as the superpower of the global financial system.” You don’t have to strain too hard to see the financial crisis as the death knell for a debt-ridden, overconsuming, and underproducing American empire—the fall long prophesied by Paul Kennedy and others.
Big international economic crises—the crash of 1873, the Great Depression—have a way of upending the geopolitical order, and hastening the fall of old powers and the rise of new ones. In The Post-American World (published some months before the Wall Street meltdown), Fareed Zakaria argued that modern history’s third great power shift was already upon us—the rise of the West in the 15th century and the rise of America in the 19th century being the two previous sea changes.
But Zakaria added that this transition is defined less by American decline than by “the rise of the rest.” We’re to look forward to a world economy, he wrote, “defined and directed from many places and by many peoples.” That’s surely true. Yet the course of events since Steinbrück’s remarks should give pause to those who believe the mantle of global leadership will soon be passed. The crisis has exposed deep structural problems, not just in the U.S. but worldwide. Europe’s model of banking has proved no more resilient than America’s, and China has shown that it remains every bit the codependent partner of the United States. The Dow, down more than a third last year, was actually among the world’s better-performing stock-market indices. Foreign capital has flooded into the U.S., which apparently remains a safe haven, at least for now, in uncertain times.
It is possible that the United States will enter a period of accelerating relative decline in the coming years, though that’s hardly a foregone conclusion—a subject I’ll return to later. What’s more certain is that the recession, particularly if it turns out to be as long and deep as many now fear, will accelerate the rise and fall of specific places within the U.S.—and reverse the fortunes of other cities and regions.
By what they destroy, what they leave standing, what responses they catalyze, and what space they clear for new growth, most big economic shocks ultimately leave the economic landscape transformed. Some of these transformations occur faster and more violently than others. The period after the Great Depression saw the slow but inexorable rise of the suburbs. The economic malaise of the 1970s, on the other hand, found its embodiment in the vertiginous fall of older industrial cities of the Rust Belt, followed by an explosion of growth in the Sun Belt.
The historian Scott Reynolds Nelson has noted that in some respects, today’s crisis most closely resembles the “Long Depression,” which stretched, by one definition, from 1873 to 1896. It began as a banking crisis brought on by insolvent mortgages and complex financial instruments, and quickly spread to the real economy, leading to mass unemployment that reached 25 percent in New York.
During that crisis, rising industries like railroads, petroleum, and steel were consolidated, old ones failed, and the way was paved for a period of remarkable innovation and industrial growth. In 1870, New England mill towns like Lowell, Lawrence, Manchester, and Springfield were among the country’s most productive industrial cities, and America’s population overwhelmingly lived in the countryside. By 1900, the economic geography had been transformed from a patchwork of farm plots and small mercantile towns to a landscape increasingly dominated by giant factory cities like Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Detroit, and Buffalo.
How might various cities and regions fare as the crash of 2008 reverberates into 2009, 2010, and beyond? Which places will be spared the worst pain, and which left permanently scarred? Let’s consider how the crash and its aftermath might affect the economic landscape in the long run, from coast to coast—beginning with the epicenter of the crisis and the nation’s largest city, New York.
At first glance, few American cities would seem to be more obviously threatened by the crash than New York. The city shed almost 17,000 jobs in the financial industry alone from October 2007 to October 2008, and Wall Street as we’ve known it has ceased to exist. “Farewell Wall Street, hello Pudong?” begins a recent article by Marcus Gee in the Toronto Globe and Mail, outlining the possibility that New York’s central role in global finance may soon be usurped by Shanghai, Hong Kong, and other Asian and Middle Eastern financial capitals.
This concern seems overheated. In his sweeping history, Capitals of Capital, the economic historian Youssef Cassis chronicles the rise and decline of global financial centers through recent centuries. Though the history is long, it contains little drama: major shifts in capitalist power centers occur at an almost geological pace.
Amsterdam stood at the center of the world’s financial system in the 17th century; its place was taken by London in the early 19th century, then New York in the 20th. Across more than three centuries, no other city has topped the list of global financial centers. Financial capitals have “remarkable longevity,” Cassis writes, “in spite of the phases of boom and bust in the course of their existence.”
The transition from one financial center to another typically lags behind broader shifts in the economic balance of power, Cassis suggests. Although the U.S. displaced England as the world’s largest economy well before 1900, it was not until after World War II that New York eclipsed London as the world’s preeminent financial center (and even then, the eclipse was not complete; in recent years, London has, by some measures, edged out New York). As Asia has risen, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Singapore have become major financial centers—yet in size and scope, they still trail New York and London by large margins.
In finance, “there is a huge network and agglomeration effect,” former assistant U.S. Treasury secretary Edwin Truman told The Christian Science Monitor in October—an advantage that comes from having a large critical mass of financial professionals, covering many different specialties, along with lawyers, accountants, and others to support them, all in close physical proximity. It is extremely difficult to build these dense networks anew, and very hard for up-and-coming cities to take a position at the height of global finance without them. “Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, and Tokyo are more important than they were 20 years ago,” Truman said. “But will they reach London and New York’s dominance in another 20 years? I suspect not.” Hong Kong, for instance, has a highly developed IPO market, but lacks many of the other capabilities—such as bond, foreign-exchange, and commodities trading—that make New York and London global financial powerhouses.
“A crucial contributory factor in the financial centres’ development over the last two centuries, and even longer,” writes Cassis, “is the arrival of new talent to replenish their energy and their capacity to innovate.” All in all, most places in Asia and the Middle East are still not as inviting to foreign professionals as New York or London. Tokyo is a wonderful city, but Japan remains among the least open of the advanced economies, and admits fewer immigrants than any other member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a group of 30 market-oriented democracies. Singapore remains for the time being a top-down, socially engineered society. Dubai placed 44th in a recent ranking of global financial centers, near Edinburgh, Bangkok, Lisbon, and Prague. New York’s openness to talent and its critical mass of it—in and outside of finance and banking—will ensure that it remains a global financial center.
In the short run, the most troubling question for New York is not how much of its finance industry will move to other places, but how much will simply vanish altogether. At the height of the recent bubble, Greater New York depended on the financial sector for roughly 22 percent of local wages. But most economists agree that by then the financial economy had become bloated and overdeveloped. Thomas Philippon, a finance professor at New York University, reckons that nationally, the share of GDP coming from finance will probably be reduced from its recent peak of 8.3 percent to perhaps 7 percent—I suspect it may fall farther, to perhaps as little as 5 percent, roughly its contribution a generation ago. In either case, it will be a big reduction, and a sizable portion of it will come out of Manhattan.
Lean times undoubtedly lie ahead for New York. But perhaps not as lean as you’d think—and certainly not as lean as those that many lesser financial outposts are likely to experience. Financial positions account for only about 8 percent of the New York area’s jobs, not too far off the national average of 5.5 percent. By contrast, they make up 28 percent of all jobs in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois; 18 percent in Des Moines; 13 percent in Hartford; 10 percent in both Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Charlotte, North Carolina. Omaha, Nebraska; Macon, Georgia; and Columbus, Ohio, all have a greater percentage of population working in the financial sector than New York does.
New York is much, much more than a financial center. It has been the nation’s largest city for roughly two centuries, and today sits in America’s largest metropolitan area, as the hub of the country’s largest mega-region. It is home to a diverse and innovative economy built around a broad range of creative industries, from media to design to arts and entertainment. It is home to high-tech companies like Bloomberg, and boasts a thriving Google outpost in its Chelsea neighborhood. Elizabeth Currid’s book, The Warhol Economy, provides detailed evidence of New York’s diversity. Currid measured the concentration of different types of jobs in New York relative to their incidence in the U.S. economy as a whole. By this measure, New York is more of a mecca for fashion designers, musicians, film directors, artists, and—yes—psychiatrists than for financial professionals.
The great urbanist Jane Jacobs was among the first to identify cities’ diverse economic and social structures as the true engines of growth. Although the specialization identified by Adam Smith creates powerful efficiency gains, Jacobs argued that the jostling of many different professions and different types of people, all in a dense environment, is an essential spur to innovation—to the creation of things that are truly new. And innovation, in the long run, is what keeps cities vital and relevant.
In this sense, the financial crisis may ultimately help New York by reenergizing its creative economy. The extraordinary income gains of investment bankers, traders, and hedge-fund managers over the past two decades skewed the city’s economy in some unhealthy ways. In 2005, I asked a top-ranking official at a major investment bank whether the city’s rising real-estate prices were affecting his company’s ability to attract global talent. He responded simply: “We are the cause, not the effect, of the real-estate bubble.” (As it turns out, he was only half right.) Stratospheric real-estate prices have made New York less diverse over time, and arguably less stimulating. When I asked Jacobs some years ago about the effects of escalating real-estate prices on creativity, she told me, “When a place gets boring, even the rich people leave.” With the hegemony of the investment bankers over, New York now stands a better chance of avoiding that sterile fate.
In his 2005 book, The World Is Flat, Thomas Friedman argues, essentially, that the global economic playing field has been leveled, and that anyone, anywhere, can now innovate, produce, and compete on a par with, say, workers in Seattle or entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. But this argument isn’t quite right, and doesn’t accurately describe the evolution of the global economy in recent years.
In fact, as I described in an earlier article for this magazine (“The World Is Spiky,” October 2005 [link opens PDF]), place still matters in the modern economy—and the competitive advantage of the world’s most successful city-regions seems to be growing, not shrinking. To understand how the current crisis is likely to affect different places in the United States, it’s important to understand the forces that have been slowly remaking our economic landscape for a generation or more.
Worldwide, people are crowding into a discrete number of mega-regions, systems of multiple cities and their surrounding suburban rings like the Boston–New York–Washington Corridor. In North America, these mega-regions include SunBelt centers like the Char-Lanta Corridor, Northern and Southern California, the Texas Triangle of Houston–San Antonio–Dallas, and Southern Florida’s Tampa-Orlando-Miami area; the Pacific Northwest’s Cascadia, stretching from Portland through Seattle to Vancouver; and both Greater Chicago and Tor-Buff-Chester in the old Rust Belt. Internationally, these mega-regions include Greater London, Greater Tokyo, Europe’s Am-Brus-Twerp, China’s Shanghai-Beijing Corridor, and India’s Bangalore-Mumbai area. Economic output is ever-more concentrated in these places as well. The world’s 40 largest mega-regions, which are home to some 18 percent of the world’s population, produce two-thirds of global economic output and nearly 9 in 10 new patented innovations.
Some (though not all) of these mega-regions have a clear hub, and these hubs are likely to be better buffered from the crash than most cities, because of their size, diversity, and regional role. Chicago has emerged as a center for industrial management and has rolled up many of the functions, such as finance and law, once performed in smaller midwestern centers. Los Angeles has a broad, diverse economy with global strength in media and entertainment. Miami, which is being hit hard by the collapse of the real-estate bubble, nonetheless remains the commercial center for the large South Florida mega-region, and a major financial center for Latin America. Each of these places is the financial and commercial core of a large mega-region with tens of millions of people and hundreds of billions of dollars in output. That’s not going to change as a result of the crisis.
Along with the rise of mega-regions, a second phenomenon is also reshaping the economic geography of the United States and the world. The ability of different cities and regions to attract highly educated people—or human capital—has diverged, according to research by Edward Glaeser of Harvard and Christopher Berry of the University of Chicago* , among others. Thirty years ago, educational attainment was spread relatively uniformly throughout the country, but that’s no longer the case. Cities like Seattle, San Francisco, Austin, Raleigh, and Boston now have two or three times the concentration of college graduates of Akron or Buffalo. Among people with postgraduate degrees, the disparities are wider still. The geographic sorting of people by ability and educational attainment, on this scale, is unprecedented.
The University of Chicago economist and Nobel laureate Robert Lucas declared that the spillovers in knowledge that result from talent-clustering are the main cause of economic growth. Well-educated professionals and creative workers who live together in dense ecosystems, interacting directly, generate ideas and turn them into products and services faster than talented people in other places can. There is no evidence that globalization or the Internet has changed that. Indeed, as globalization has increased the financial return on innovation by widening the consumer market, the pull of innovative places, already dense with highly talented workers, has only grown stronger, creating a snowball effect. Talent-rich ecosystems are not easy to replicate, and to realize their full economic value, talented and ambitious people increasingly need to live within them.
Big, talent-attracting places benefit from accelerated rates of “urban metabolism,” according to a pioneering theory of urban evolution developed by a multidisciplinary team of researchers affiliated with the SantaFe Institute. The rate at which living things convert food into energy—their metabolic rate—tends to slow as organisms increase in size. But when the Santa Fe team examined trends in innovation, patent activity, wages, and GDP, they found that successful cities, unlike biological organisms, actually get faster as they grow. In order to grow bigger and overcome diseconomies of scale like congestion and rising housing and business costs, cities must become more efficient, innovative, and productive. The researchers dubbed the extraordinarily rapid metabolic rate that successful cities are able to achieve “super-linear” scaling. “By almost any measure,” they wrote, “the larger a city’s population, the greater the innovation and wealth creation per person.” Places like New York with finance and media, Los Angeles with film and music, and Silicon Valley with hightech are all examples of high-metabolism places.
Metabolism and talent-clustering are important to the fortunes of U.S. city-regions in good times, but they’re even more so when times get tough. It’s not that “fast” cities are immune to the failure of businesses, large or small. (One of the great lessons of the 1873 crisis—and of this one so far—is that when credit freezes up and a long slump follows, companies can fail unpredictably, no matter where they are.) It’s that unlike many other places, they can overcome business failures with relative ease, reabsorbing their talented workers, growing nascent businesses, founding new ones.
Economic crises tend to reinforce and accelerate the underlying, long-term trends within an economy. Our economy is in the midst of a fundamental long-term transformation—similar to that of the late 19th century, when people streamed off farms and into new and rising industrial cities. In this case, the economy is shifting away from manufacturing and toward idea-driven creative industries—and that, too, favors America’s talent-rich, fast-metabolizing places.
Sadly and unjustly, the places likely to suffer most from the crash—especially in the long run—are the ones least associated with high finance. While the crisis may have begun in New York, it will likely find its fullest bloom in the interior of the country—in older, manufacturing regions whose heydays are long past and in newer, shallow-rooted Sun Belt communities whose recent booms have been fueled in part by real-estate speculation, overdevelopment, and fictitious housing wealth. These typically less affluent places are likely to become less wealthy still in the coming years, and will continue to struggle long after the mega-regional hubs and creative cities have put the crisis behind them.
The Rust Belt in particular looks likely to shed vast numbers of jobs, and some of its cities and towns, from Cleveland to St. Louis to Buffalo to Detroit, will have a hard time recovering. Since 1950, the manufacturing sector has shrunk from 32 percent of nonfarm employment to just 10 percent. This decline is the result of long-term trends—increasing foreign competition and, especially, the relentless replacement of people with machines—that look unlikely to abate. But the job losses themselves have proceeded not steadily, but rather in sharp bursts, as recessions have killed off older plants and resulted in mass layoffs that are never fully reversed during subsequent upswings.
In November, nationwide unemployment in manufacturing and production occupations was already 9.4 percent. Compare that with the professional occupations, where it was just a little over 3 percent. According to an analysis done by Michael Mandel, the chief economist at BusinessWeek, jobs in the “tangible” sector—that is, production, construction, extraction, and transport—declined by nearly 1.8 million between December 2007 and November 2008, while those in the intangible sector—what I call the “creative class” of scientists, engineers, managers, and professionals—increased by more than 500,000. Both sorts of jobs are regionally concentrated. Paul Krugman has noted that the worst of the crisis, so far at least, can be seen in a “Slump Belt,” heavy with manufacturing centers, running from the industrial Midwest down into the Carolinas. Large swaths of the Northeast, with its professional and creative centers, have been better insulated.
Perhaps no major city in the U.S. today looks more beleaguered than Detroit, where in October the average home price was $18,513, and some 45,000 properties were in some form of foreclosure. A recent listing of tax foreclosures in Wayne County, which encompasses Detroit, ran to 137 pages in the Detroit Free Press. The city’s public school system, facing a budget deficit of $408 million, was taken over by the state in December; dozens of schools have been closed since 2005 because of declining enrollment. Just 10 percent of Detroit’s adult residents are college graduates, and in December the city’s jobless rate was 21 percent.
To say the least, Detroit is not well positioned to absorb fresh blows. The city has of course been declining for a long time. But if the area’s auto headquarters, parts manufacturers, and remaining auto-manufacturing jobs should vanish, it’s hard to imagine anything replacing them.
When work disappears, city populations don’t always decline as fast as you might expect. Detroit, astonishingly, is still the 11th-largest city in the U.S. “If you no longer can sell your property, how can you move elsewhere?” said Robin Boyle, an urban-planning professor at Wayne State University, in a December Associated Press article. But then he answered his own question: “Some people just switch out the lights and leave—property values have gone so low, walking away is no longer such a difficult option.”
Perhaps Detroit has reached a tipping point, and will become a ghost town. I’d certainly expect it to shrink faster in the next few years than it has in the past few. But more than likely, many people will stay—those with no means and few obvious prospects elsewhere, those with close family ties nearby, some number of young professionals and creative types looking to take advantage of the city’s low housing prices. Still, as its population density dips further, the city’s struggle to provide services and prevent blight across an ever-emptier landscape will only intensify.
That’s the challenge that many Rust Belt cities share: managing population decline without becoming blighted. The task is doubly difficult because as the manufacturing industry has shrunk, the local high-end services—finance, law, consulting—that it once supported have diminished as well, absorbed by bigger regional hubs and globally connected cities. In Chicago, for instance, the country’s 50 biggest law firms grew by 2,130 lawyers from 1984 to 2006, according to William Henderson and Arthur Alderson of Indiana University. Throughout the rest of the Midwest, these firms added a total of just 169 attorneys. Jones Day, founded in 1893 and today one of the country’s largest law firms, no longer considers its Cleveland office “headquarters”—that’s in Washington, D.C.—but rather its “founding office.”
Many second-tier midwestern cities have tried to reinvent themselves in different ways, with varying degrees of success. Pittsburgh, for instance, has sought to reimagine itself as a high-tech center, and has met with more success than just about anywhere else. Still, its population has declined from a high of almost 700,000 in the mid-20th century to roughly 300,000 today. There will be fewer manufacturing jobs on the other side of the crisis, and the U.S. economic landscape will be more uneven—“spikier”—as a result. Many of the old industrial centers will be further diminished, perhaps permanently so.
That’s not to say that every factory town is locked into decline. You need only look at the geographic pattern of December’s Senate vote on the auto bailout to realize that some places, mostly in the South, would benefit directly from the bankruptcy of GM or Chrysler and the closure of auto plants in the Rust Belt. Georgetown, Kentucky; Smyrna, Tennessee; Canton, Mississippi: these are a few of the many small cities, stretching from South Carolina and Georgia all the way to Texas, that have benefited from the establishment, over the years, of plants that manufacture foreign cars. Those benefits could grow if the Big Three were to become, say, the Big Two.
This phenomenon, a sort of lottery whereby some places win merely by outlasting others, will not be limited to towns built around automobiles, or even around manufacturing. As the recession continues and large companies in a variety of industries fail, their remaining competitors may grow stronger, along with the places where those competitors are situated. Charlotte, North Carolina, offers an interesting case study. The financial crisis left one of the city’s two big banks, Wachovia, ailing; this fall, Wachovia was acquired by San Francisco–based Wells Fargo, in a deal that will cost the city many thousands of jobs. But things could have been much worse; the deal also preserved many jobs. What’s more, at roughly the same time, Bank of America, Charlotte’s other large bank (and the biggest bank in the U.S.) bought Merrill Lynch for pennies on the dollar.
A business truism holds that when your competitors are retrenching, it’s a great time to grow your market share. Deborah Strumsky, an economist at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, told me she believes that in the end, both Charlotte’s banking industry and Charlotte itself will emerge from the crisis all the stronger: “The Wells Fargo deal has saved thousands of jobs by keeping Wachovia afloat. More importantly, Bank of America has taken to the banking crisis like a shopaholic with a new credit card; it has been bargain-hunting and cutting some astonishing deals. Bank of America will come out the other side far better than in any fantasy it might have entertained previously.”
In recent years, Charlotte’s leaders have made some smart decisions about how to attract businesses and professionals, enabling the city to grow into the nation’s second-largest traditional banking center; in the lottery of business failure and consolidation, it was well positioned to win. But it was also lucky, and last fall, it escaped losing, big-time, by no more than a hair’s breadth. Overall, the roster of places that benefit from the failure of their champions’ rivals will probably be pretty short, and the names on the roster somewhat unpredictable. Especially among cities built around declining industries, more places will be weakened than strengthened; as with all lotteries, most players will lose.
For a generation or more, no swath of the United States has grown more madly than the Sun Belt. Of course, the area we call the “Sun Belt” is vast, and the term is something of a catch-all: the cities and metropolitan areas within it have grown for disparate reasons. Los Angeles is a mecca for media and entertainment; San Jose and Austin developed significant, innovative high-tech industries; Houston became a hub for energy production; Nashville developed a unique niche in low-cost music recording and production; Charlotte emerged as a center for cost-effective banking and low-end finance.
But in the heady days of the housing bubble, some Sun Belt cities—Phoenix and Las Vegas are the best examples—developed economies centered largely on real estate and construction. With sunny weather and plenty of flat, empty land, they got caught in a classic boom cycle. Although these places drew tourists, retirees, and some industry—firms seeking bigger footprints at lower costs—much of the cities’ development came from, well, development itself. At a minimum, these places will take a long, long time to regain the ground they’ve recently lost in local wealth and housing values. It’s not unthinkable that some of them could be in for an extended period of further decline.
To an uncommon degree, the economic boom in these cities was propelled by housing appreciation: as prices rose, more people moved in, seeking inexpensive lifestyles and the opportunity to get in on the real-estate market where it was rising, but still affordable. Local homeowners pumped more and more capital out of their houses as well, taking out home-equity loans and injecting money into the local economy in the form of home improvements and demand for retail goods and low-level services. Cities grew, tax coffers filled, spending continued, more people arrived. Yet the boom itself neither followed nor resulted in the development of sustainable, scalable, highly productive industries or services. It was fueled and funded by housing, and housing was its primary product. Whole cities and metro regions became giant Ponzi schemes.
Phoenix, for instance, grew from 983,403 people in 1990 to 1,552,259 in 2007. One of its suburbs, Mesa, now has nearly half a million residents, more than Pittsburgh, Cleveland, or Miami. As housing starts and housing prices rose, so did tax revenues, and a major capital-spending boom occurred throughout the Greater Phoenix area. Arizona State University built a new downtown Phoenix campus, and the city expanded its convention center and constructed a 20-mile light-rail system connecting Phoenix, Mesa, and Tempe.
And then the bubble burst. From October 2007 through October 2008, the Phoenix area registered the largest decline in housing values in the country: 32.7 percent. (Las Vegas was just a whisker behind, at 31.7 percent. Housing in the New York region, by contrast, fell by just 7.5 percent over the same period.) Overstretched and overbuilt, the region is now experiencing a fiscal double whammy, as its many retirees—some 21 percent of its residents are older than 55—have seen their retirement savings decimated. Mortgages Limited, the state’s largest private commercial lender, filed for bankruptcy last summer. The city is running a $200 million budget deficit, which is only expected to grow. Last fall, the city government petitioned for federal funds to help it deal with the financial crisis. “We had a big bubble here, and it burst,” Anthony Sanders, a professor of economics and finance at ASU, told USA Today in December. “We’ve taken Kevin Costner’s Field of Dreams and now it’s Field of Screams. If you build it, nobody comes.”
Will people wash out of these places as fast as they washed in, leaving empty sprawl and all the ills that accompany it? Will these cities gradually attract more businesses and industries, allowing them to build more-diverse and more-resilient economies? Or will they subsist on tourism—which may be meager for quite some time—and on the Social Security checks of their retirees? No matter what, their character and atmosphere are likely to change radically.
Every phase or epoch of capitalism has its own distinct geography, or what economic geographers call the “spatial fix” for the era. The physical character of the economy—the way land is used, the location of homes and businesses, the physical infrastructure that ties everything together—shapes consumption, production, and innovation. As the economy grows and evolves, so too must the landscape.
To a surprising degree, the causes of this crash are geographic in nature, and they point out a whole system of economic organization and growth that has reached its limit. Positioning the economy to grow strongly in the coming decades will require not just fiscal stimulus or industrial reform; it will require a new kind of geography as well, a new spatial fix for the next chapter of American economic history.
Suburbanization was the spatial fix for the industrial age—the geographic expression of mass production and the early credit economy. Henry Ford’s automobiles had been rolling off assembly lines since 1913, but “Fordism,” the combination of mass production and mass consumption to create national prosperity, didn’t emerge as a full-blown economic and social model until the 1930s and the advent of Roosevelt’s New Deal programs.
Before the Great Depression, only a minority of Americans owned a home. But in the 1930s and ’40s, government policies brought about longer-term mortgages, which lowered payments and enabled more people to buy a house. Fannie Mae was created to purchase those mortgages and lubricate the system. And of course the tax deduction on mortgage-interest payments (which had existed since 1913, when the federal income-tax system was created) privileged house purchases over other types of spending. Between 1940 and 1960, the homeownership rate rose from 44 percent to 62 percent.
Demand for houses was symbiotic with demand for cars, and both were helped along by federal highway construction, among other infrastructure projects that subsidized a new suburban lifestyle and in turn fueled demand for all manner of household goods. More recently, innovations in finance like adjustable-rate mortgages and securitized subprime loans expanded homeownership further and kept demand high. By 2004, a record 69.2 percent of American families owned their home.
For the generation that grew up during the Depression and was inclined to pinch pennies, policies that encouraged freer spending were sensible enough—they allowed the economy to grow faster. But as younger generations, weaned on credit, followed, and credit availability increased, the system got out of hand. Housing, meanwhile, became an ever-more-central part of the American Dream: for many people, as the recent housing bubble grew, owning a home came to represent not just an end in itself, but a means to financial independence.
On one level, the crisis has demonstrated what everyone has known for a long time: Americans have been living beyond their means, using illusory housing wealth and huge slugs of foreign capital to consume far more than we’ve produced. The crash surely signals the end to that; the adjustment, while painful, is necessary.
But another crucial aspect of the crisis has been largely overlooked, and it might ultimately prove more important. Because America’s tendency to overconsume and under-save has been intimately intertwined with our postwar spatial fix—that is, with housing and suburbanization—the shape of the economy has been badly distorted, from where people live, to where investment flows, to what’s produced. Unless we make fundamental policy changes to eliminate these distortions, the economy is likely to face worsening handicaps in the years ahead.
Suburbanization—and the sprawling growth it propelled—made sense for a time. The cities of the early and mid-20th century were dirty, sooty, smelly, and crowded, and commuting from the first, close-in suburbs was fast and easy. And as manufacturing became more technologically stable and product lines matured during the postwar boom, suburban growth dovetailed nicely with the pattern of industrial growth. Businesses began opening new plants in green-field locations that featured cheaper land and labor; management saw no reason to continue making now-standardized products in the expensive urban locations where they’d first been developed and sold. Work was outsourced to then-new suburbs and the emerging areas of the Sun Belt, whose connections to bigger cities by the highway system afforded rapid, low-cost distribution. This process brought the Sun Belt economies (which had lagged since the Civil War) into modern times, and sustained a long boom for the United States as a whole.
But that was then; the economy is different now. It no longer revolves around simply making and moving things. Instead, it depends on generating and transporting ideas. The places that thrive today are those with the highest velocity of ideas, the highest density of talented and creative people, the highest rate of metabolism. Velocity and density are not words that many people use when describing the suburbs. The economy is driven by key urban areas; a different geography is required.
The housing bubble was the ultimate expression, and perhaps the last gasp, of an economic system some 80 years in the making, and now well past its “sell-by” date. The bubble encouraged massive, unsustainable growth in places where land was cheap and the real-estate economy dominant. It encouraged low-density sprawl, which is ill-fitted to a creative, postindustrial economy. And not least, it created a workforce too often stuck in place, anchored by houses that cannot be profitably sold, at a time when flexibility and mobility are of great importance.
So how do we move past the bubble, the crash, and an aging, obsolescent model of economic life? What’s the right spatial fix for the economy today, and how do we achieve it?
The solution begins with the removal of homeownership from its long-privileged place at the center of the U.S. economy. Substantial incentives for homeownership (from tax breaks to artificially low mortgage-interest rates) distort demand, encouraging people to buy bigger houses than they otherwise would. That means less spending on medical technology, or software, or alternative energy—the sectors and products that could drive U.S. growth and exports in the coming years. Artificial demand for bigger houses also skews residential patterns, leading to excessive low-density suburban growth. The measures that prop up this demand should be eliminated.
If anything, our government policies should encourage renting, not buying. Homeownership occupies a central place in the American Dream primarily because decades of policy have put it there. A recent study by Grace Wong, an economist at the Wharton School of Business, shows that, controlling for income and demographics, homeowners are no happier than renters, nor do they report lower levels of stress or higher levels of self-esteem.
And while homeownership has some social benefits—a higher level of civic engagement is one—it is costly to the economy. The economist Andrew Oswald has demonstrated that in both the United States and Europe, those places with higher homeownership rates also suffer from higher unemployment. Homeownership, Oswald found, is a more important predictor of unemployment than rates of unionization or the generosity of welfare benefits. Too often, it ties people to declining or blighted locations, and forces them into work—if they can find it—that is a poor match for their interests and abilities.
As homeownership rates have risen, our society has become less nimble: in the 1950s and 1960s, Americans were nearly twice as likely to move in a given year as they are today. Last year fewer Americans moved, as a percentage of the population, than in any year since the Census Bureau started tracking address changes, in the late 1940s. This sort of creeping rigidity in the labor market is a bad sign for the economy, particularly in a time when businesses, industries, and regions are rising and falling quickly.
The foreclosure crisis creates a real opportunity here. Instead of resisting foreclosures, the government should seek to facilitate them in ways that can minimize pain and disruption. Banks that take back homes, for instance, could be required to offer to rent each home to the previous homeowner, at market rates—which are typically lower than mortgage payments—for some number of years. (At the end of that period, the former homeowner could be given the option to repurchase the home at the prevailing market price.) A bigger, healthier rental market, with more choices, would make renting a more attractive option for many people; it would also make the economy as a whole more flexible and responsive.
Next, we need to encourage growth in the regions and cities that are best positioned to compete in the coming decades: the great mega-regions that already power the economy, and the smaller, talent-attracting innovation centers inside them—places like Silicon Valley, Boulder, Austin, and the North Carolina Research Triangle.
Whatever our government policies, the coming decades will likely see a further clustering of output, jobs, and innovation in a smaller number of bigger cities and city-regions. But properly shaping that growth will be one of the government’s biggest challenges. In part, we need to ensure that key cities and regions continue to circulate people, goods, and ideas quickly and efficiently. This in itself will be no small task; increasing congestion threatens to slowly sap some of these city-regions of their vitality.
Just as important, though, we need to make elite cities and key mega-regions more attractive and affordable for all of America’s classes, not just the upper crust. High housing costs in these cities and in the more convenient suburbs around them, along with congested sprawl farther afield, have conspired to drive lower-income Americans away from these places over the past 30 years. This is profoundly unhealthy for our society.
In his forthcoming book, The Wealth of Cities, my University of Toronto colleague Chris Kennedy shows that only wholesale structural changes, from major upgrades in infrastructure to new housing patterns to big shifts in consumption, allow places to recover from severe economic crises and to resume rapid expansion. London laid the groundwork for its later commercial dominance by changing its building code and widening its streets after the catastrophic fire of 1666. The United States rose to economic preeminence by periodically developing entirely new systems of infrastructure—from canals and railroads to modern water-and-sewer systems to federal highways. Each played a major role in shaping and enabling whole eras of growth.
The Obama administration has declared its intention to open the federal government’s pocketbook wide to help us get through this recession, and infrastructure spending seems poised to play a key role. Done right, such spending could position the United States for the next round of growth. But that will entail more than patching up roads and bridges.
If there is one constant in the history of capitalist development, it is the ever-more-intensive use of space. Today, we need to begin making smarter use of both our urban spaces and the suburban rings that surround them—packing in more people, more affordably, while at the same time improving their quality of life. That means liberal zoning and building codes within cities to allow more residential development, more mixed-use development in suburbs and cities alike, the in-filling of suburban cores near rail links, new investment in rail, and congestion pricing for travel on our roads. Not everyone wants to live in city centers, and the suburbs are not about to disappear. But we can do a much better job of connecting suburbs to cities and to each other, and allowing regions to grow bigger and denser without losing their velocity.
Finally, we need to be clear that ultimately, we can’t stop the decline of some places, and that we would be foolish to try. Places like Pittsburgh have shown that a city can stay vibrant as it shrinks, by redeveloping its core to attract young professionals and creative types, and by cultivating high-growth services and industries. And in limited ways, we can help faltering cities to manage their decline better, and to sustain better lives for the people who stay in them.
But different eras favor different places, along with the industries and lifestyles those places embody. Band-Aids and bailouts cannot change that. Neither auto-company rescue packages nor policies designed to artificially prop up housing prices will position the country for renewed growth, at least not of the sustainable variety. We need to let demand for the key products and lifestyles of the old order fall, and begin building a new economy, based on a new geography.
What will this geography look like? It will likely be sparser in the Midwest and also, ultimately, in those parts of the Southeast that are dependent on manufacturing. Its suburbs will be thinner and its houses, perhaps, smaller. Some of its southwestern cities will grow less quickly. Its great mega-regions will rise farther upward and extend farther outward. It will feature a lower rate of homeownership, and a more mobile population of renters. In short, it will be a more concentrated geography, one that allows more people to mix more freely and interact more efficiently in a discrete number of dense, innovative mega-regions and creative cities. Serendipitously, it will be a landscape suited to a world in which petroleum is no longer cheap by any measure. But most of all, it will be a landscape that can accommodate and accelerate invention, innovation, and creation—the activities in which the U.S. still holds a big competitive advantage.
The Stanford economist Paul Romer famously said, “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste.” The United States, whatever its flaws, has seldom wasted its crises in the past. On the contrary, it has used them, time and again, to reinvent itself, clearing away the old and making way for the new. Throughout U.S. history, adaptability has been perhaps the best and most quintessential of American attributes. Over the course of the 19th century’s Long Depression, the country remade itself from an agricultural power into an industrial one. After the Great Depression, it discovered a new way of living, working, and producing, which contributed to an unprecedented period of mass prosperity. At critical moments, Americans have always looked forward, not back, and surprised the world with our resilience. Can we do it again?
The print version of this piece also incorrectly identified Christopher Berry as a Harvard economist. He is an assistant professor at the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy Studies.
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South Sudan, 1 November 2012: A role model for girls against child marriage in Lakes State
By Kujang Sam Laki & Sid Shrestha
RUMBEK, South Sudan, 1 November 2012 - “I can’t imagine what my life would be if I had been married, but I refused thanks to the support of my family” said 15 old Mary (name changed to protect identity) from Matanggai Primary School of Rumbek Central County, Lakes State. Just a few months ago, a man nearly three times her age had approached her father to ask for her hand in marriage and in exchange would give her father 60 cows.
In South Sudan, child marriage continues to affect thousands of girls hence undermining their survival, development prospects and participation in other developmental activities. The 2010 SHHS indicates that about 40 percent of girls are married when they are still children.
Early marriage is also one of the main reasons, why there are very few girls who complete primary school – 6.2 percent.
Mary sighs heavily as she begins to tell her story “Some of my uncles were trying to force me to marry,” says Mary with a look of dissent. “They even would come and search for me in the house and try to talk and convince me.” Mary says her uncles were persistent in trying to convince her father that they should at least go and see the cows.
Fortunately for Mary, her father gave her a choice and she said no to early marriage. “I told them no, I would like to stay in school,” says Mary with a firm voice. “My uncles were very pushy, but I told them why did you send me to school if you want to remove me before I complete my schooling?” Mary says that her father had to remove her from the house and send her to live with another family member to seek refuge from her forceful uncles. “It took about a month for my uncles to leave me alone, but the man says he is still waiting for me.”
Mary says she refused because she wanted to finish school. “How can I abandon my education and settle with a cattle keeper?” questioned Mary. “I want to study hard and become a nurse one day.”
A friend of Mary’s, Yar Nyikok, 17 from the same school says her decision not to get married was simple, “Child marriage is not good. When you marry earlier, you cannot complete your school. I’ve seen some friends and family members who married young and some of them have resulted in early and unwanted pregnancies, posing life-threatening risks for them”.
Matanggai is a school that is championing the fight against early marriage in Lakes State through their child clubs which also promote other health behaviours such as hygiene and sanitation.
“I’m proud of the work our child club is doing but would like to coordinate with the local government to inform the public about certain laws like the South Sudan Child Act of 2008, where Child marriage is mentioned,” said Arop Majok, head teacher at Matanggai Primary School.
With support from UNICEF and partners, the Ministry of Social Development is developing and strengthening various structures to reduce the practice of child marriage and accelerate girls’ enrolment and retention. Lakes State will be the first to implement the Communication Strategy for the Prevention of Child Marriage in South Sudan.
“Preventing Child Marriage will protect girls’ rights and help reduce their risks of violence, early pregnancy, HIV infection, and maternal death and disability,” said Joyce Mutiso, Programme Specialist, UNICEF Greater Bahr al Gazal region. “When girls are able to stay in school and avoid being married early, they can build a foundation for a better life for themselves and their families and participate in the progress of their nations”.
More stories from South Sudan
More on child protection
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Six years ago, Hope Koch's life began to change dramatically.
A pianist since the age of 5, she knew something was wrong when listening to music became difficult. That's when the 70-year-old wife and mother of three clearly remembers her hearing loss began.
"That's the first thing that got all jumbled. I couldn't understand it anymore and then I couldn't understand my children, my adult children and then the grandchildren came along and I missed out what they were saying."
At first she didn't tell anyone, not even her husband Frank. She pretended nothing was wrong. But soon she could no longer understand movies, and needed closed captioning. She lost her confidence and began to shy away from people because she couldn't understand them. Eventually she stopped answering the phone.
"I felt like I was putting them to a lot of trouble to have to repeat and repeat," Koch said. "All of the things that you enjoyed doing, you shied away from."
Koch saw an audiologist and was fitted for hearing aids. They helped, for a while. But the hearing loss continued. At the end of last year, her audiologist presented her with one final option.
Since the hearing aids couldn't help her any more, he suggested she consider a cochlear implant.
Cochlear implants are electronic hearing devices for people with profound deafness or severe hearing loss who get no benefit from a hearing aid. There is an external part that is worn behind the ear with a microphone that picks up sounds from the environment, a speech processor and a transmitter that gets signals from the processor and turns them into electric impulses. It is attached to a receiver and electrode system which is surgically implanted into the inner ear. It's typically done as an outpatient procedure.
An implant does not restore normal hearing and is very different from a hearing aid. Hearing aids amplify sound so that damaged ears can hear them. Implants bypass the damage and directly stimulate the auditory nerve which then sends the signals to the brain.
Koch had the surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore in September. "It was easy, comfortable, the recovery was good. I mean I'm very pleased with it. I had no negative effects from the surgery, no pain."
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What’s the difference between long and short grain rice? And what is medium rice?
Can you use the different types interchangeably? Does size even matter?
Rice can be confusing. Not only are there grain sizes to contend with, but there are colors, varieties, and types to sort through. According to the USA Rice Federation, there are more than 120,000 varieties of rice worldwide!
Here’s a basic rice primer, so you can learn when to use a long grain, or when to stick to short.
Long grain rice tends to separate when cooked. That means your rice will fall apart, rather than stick together. Use long grain rice when you are making dishes that call for separate, loose grains, such as pilafs. It also has a firmer, dryer texture and feel in the mouth.
Chinese restaurants usually serve a side order of long grain rice with the food. So if you hate trying to pick up those grains individually with chopsticks, you might decide to use a shorter, stickier rice instead, to serve with your stir fry.
Medium grain rice is more likely to stick together. The grains are softer and moister than long grain rice when cooked. This type of rice is the preferred type in Hawaii, where the mix of cultures enjoys rice with every meal: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks!
Yes, we really do eat rice for snacks. One of the most popular local foods is musubi, a ball of cooked rice, wrapped in nori, or seaweed “paper.” Often these will have a slice of fried Spam luncheon meat on top.
Calrose rice, a variety grown in California, is a medium grain rice. This is the type to get if you want a bland, clean taste.
Short grain rice is the most sticky and soft. The grains have a bit of chewiness to them. The extra starch in them gives them these properties.
Specialty rice types
One famous type of medium grain rice is Arborio, used to make Italian risotto. The starch thickens the liquid as it cooks, creating a creamy texture that gives the dish its signature style. You can substitute other short or medium grain rice, but never long grain rice, and get a similar finished product.
Sushi is made with short or medium grain rice. This is another of the exceptions to the substitution rule. You cannot substitute long grain rice when making sushi, or everything will just fall apart and not feel right in the mouth.
For the most part, if you are just making a pot of rice, or you run out of one kind of rice or another, you can relax. The different types can be substituted equally in most dishes, without ruining them. There are a few exceptions to the rule, however.
Use a short or medium grain for sushi, risotto, rice pudding, and molded rice dishes. Use medium grain for paella. Use long grain for pilafs.
Use glutinous or sticky rice to make rice cakes, or mochi. Use black glutinous rice to make Malaysian sticky black rice pudding. Use Thai sticky rice for sticky rice with coconut milk and mango, or to eat with Thai food, like those in the northern parts of Thailand, and Laos, do.
What rice to use for fried rice?
Any type can be used, but most commonly, white rice is used. It is usually kept in the refrigerator, or left out for a day, which dries the rice a bit. Otherwise, if you use fresh rice, you get a steamy, soggy mess.
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If you have bursitis hip problems, you feel pain
when the tendon moves over the bone, which means you
feel pain often since the tendon sees a lot of action in
You may be wondering what the causes of
bursitis hip pain. Bursitis of hip problems may be
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pH, which balances pH levels in the body, is the key to
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Other common causes of
symptoms include a traumatic incident such
as a fall, leg-length inequalities, multiple minor
traumatic injuries, lumbar spine disease or repetitive
Athletes who participate in sports that
involve running are prone to hip bursitis, a common
runner’s injury. Hip bursitis occurs when a bursa sac
becomes inflamed. The bursa is a fluid-filled sac that
allows smooth motion between the bony prominence over
the outside of the hip and the firm tendon that passes
over the bone.
You can take three critical moves to
prevent hip bursitis: ease into new exercise programs, avoid repetitive movements that
involve the hip muscles and strengthen and stretch the
muscles in your hips.
Hip bursitis, which can strike anyone
at any age, symptoms and signs include pain at night
leading to insomnia. The pain will tend to increase as
the patient, typically a middle-aged woman or senior
citizen, lies down or rolls over on the affected side.
She may also feel pain that radiates down
the outside of the thigh as far as the knee when she
climbs stairs, stands or sits too long. Pain is often
centralized on the outside of the upper thigh, just over
the point of the hip.
The best treatment for bursitis of hip, or
any form of bursitis, is to rest the affected area. This
usually means a period of time not participating in
sports or activities that aggravate your symptoms. As a
general rule of thumb, any activity that causes bursitis
hip pain should be avoided. These activities only
contribute to inflammation of the bursa.
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A. R. Radcliffe-Brown
|Born||Alfred Reginald Brown
17 January 1881
|Died||24 October 1955
|Social and cultural subfields|
Radcliffe-Brown was born in Sparkbrook, Birmingham, England. After studying at Trinity College, Cambridge, he travelled to the Andaman Islands (1906–1908) and Western Australia (1910–1912, with biologist and writer E. L. Grant Watson and Daisy Bates) to conduct fieldwork into the workings of the societies there, serving as the inspiration for his later books The Andaman Islanders (1922) and The Social Organization of Australian Tribes (1930). However at the 1914 meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, in Melbourne he was accused by Bates of plagiarizing her work.
In 1916 he became a director of education in Tonga, and in 1920 moved to Cape Town to become professor of social anthropology, founding the School of African Life. Further university appointments were University of Cape Town (1920–25), University of Sydney (1925–31) and University of Chicago (1931–37). Among his most prominent students during his years at the University of Chicago was Sol Tax and Fred Eggan. After these various far-flung appointments, he finally returned to England in 1937 to take up an appointment to the first chair in social anthropology at Oxford in 1937, a post he held until his retirement in 1946.
While he founded the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology at Oxford, according to Rodney Needham his absence from the Institute during the war years prevented his theories and approach from having a major influence on Oxford anthropology.
He has been described as "the classic to Bronisław Malinowski's romantic". Radcliffe-Brown brought French sociology (namely Émile Durkheim) to British anthropology, constructing a rigorous battery of concepts to frame ethnography.
Greatly influenced by the work of Émile Durkheim, he saw institutions as the key to maintaining the global social order of a society, analogous to the organs of a body, and his studies of social function examine how customs aid in maintaining the overall stability of a society.
Concept of function
Radcliffe-Brown has often been associated with functionalism, and is considered by some to be the founder of structural functionalism. Nonetheless, Radcliffe-Brown vehemently denied being a functionalist, and carefully distinguished his concept of function from that of Malinowski, who openly advocated functionalism. While Malinowski's functionalism claimed that social practices could be directly explained by their ability to satisfy basic biological needs, Radcliffe-Brown rejected this as baseless. Instead, influenced by the process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead, he claimed that the fundamental units of anthropology were processes of human life and interaction. Because these are by definition characterised by constant flux, what calls for explanation is the occurrence of stability. Why, Radcliffe-Brown asked, would some patterns of social practices repeat themselves and even seem to become fixed? He reasoned that this would at least require that other practices must not conflict with them too much; and that in some cases, it may be that practices grow to support each other, a notion he called 'coadaptation', deriving from the biological term. Functional analysis, then, was just the attempt to explain stability by discovering how practices fit together to sustain that stability; the 'function' of a practice was just its role in sustaining the overall social structure, insofar as there was a stable social structure (Radcliffe-Brown 1957). This is far from the 'functional explanation' later impugned by Carl Hempel and others. It is also clearly distinct from Malinowski's notion of function, a point which is often ignored by Radcliffe-Brown's detractors.
While Lévi-Strauss (1958) claimed that social structure and the social relations that are its constituents are theoretical constructions used to model social life, Radcliffe-Brown only half-agreed. He argued (1957) that social relations are real, and even directly observable; but that social structure is a theoretical construction posited by the scientist on the basis of his or her observation of social relations.
He shared with Lévi-Strauss the notion that a major goal of social anthropology was to identify social structures and formal relationships between them, and that qualitative or discrete mathematics would be a necessary tool to do this. In that sense Radcliffe-Brown may be considered one of the fathers of social network analysis.
In addition to identifying abstract relationships between social structures, Radcliffe-Brown argued for the importance of the notion of a 'total social structure', which is the sum total of social relations in a given social unit of analysis during a given period. The identification of 'functions' of social practices was supposed to be relative to this total social structure.
Lévi-Strauss saw social structure as a model.
A popular view in the study of tribal societies had been that all societies follow a unilineal path ('evolutionism'), and that therefore 'primitive' societies could be understood as earlier stages along that path; conversely, 'modern' societies contained vestiges of older forms. Another view was that social practices tend to develop only once, and that therefore commonalities and differences between societies could be explained by a historical reconstruction of the interaction between societies ('diffusionism'). According to both of these views, the proper way to explain differences between tribal societies and modern ones was historical reconstruction.
Radcliffe-Brown rejected both of these views because of the untestable nature of historical reconstructions. Instead, he argued for the use of the comparative method to find regularities in human societies and thereby build up a genuinely scientific knowledge of social life.
To that end, Radcliffe-Brown argued for a 'natural science of society'. He claimed that there was an independent role for social anthropology here, separate from psychology, though not in conflict with it. This was because psychology was to be the study of individual mental processes, while social anthropology was to study processes of interaction between people (social relations). Thus he argued for a principled ontological distinction between psychology and social anthropology, in the same way as one might try to make a principled distinction between physics and biology. Moreover, he claimed that existing social scientific disciplines, with the possible exception of linguistics, were arbitrary and did not have any principled reason to exist; once our knowledge of society is sufficient, he argued, we will be able to form subdisciplines of anthropology centred around relatively isolated parts of the social structure. But without extensive scientific knowledge, it is impossible to know where these boundaries will be drawn.
Radcliffe-Brown carried out extensive fieldwork in the Andaman Islands, Australia, and elsewhere. On the basis of this research, he contributed extensively to the anthropological ideas on kinship, and criticized Lévi-Strauss's Alliance theory. He also produced structural analyses of myths, including on the basis of the concept of binary distinctions, an idea later echoed by Lévi-Strauss.
Radcliffe-Brown was often criticized for failing to consider the effect of historical changes in the societies he studied, in particular changes brought about by colonialism, but he is now considered, together with Bronisław Malinowski, as the father of modern social anthropology.
Among Radcliffe-Brown's many works are:
- 1922, The Andaman Islanders; a study in social anthropology.
- 1931, Social Organization of Australian Tribes.
- 1940, On Joking Relationships: Africa: Journal of the International African Institute, Vol. 13, No. 3 (Jul., 1940), pp. 195–210 doi:10.2307/1156093
- 1952, Structure and Function in Primitive Society: posthumously
- 1957, A Natural Science of Society: based on a series of lectures at the University of Chicago in 1937 and posthumously published by his students
- Adam Kuper, Anthropology and Anthropologists: The Modern British School (Penguin, 1973, pp. 45-46)
- Rodney Needham
- Kuper, Anthropology and Anthropologists, p. 34
- Kuper, Anthropology and Anthropologists, p. 36
- Lévi-Strauss, C. Anthropologie structurale (1958, Structural Anthropology, trans. Claire Jacobson and Brooke Grundfest Schoepf, 1963)
||This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. (February 2008)|
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These LEDs are connected to a thermistor that’s running just a little bit hotter than the ambient room temperature. So, by blowing on the thermistor, the birthday boy or girl is cooling it down, thus increasing the resistence. The microcontroller senses this and turns off a few of the LEDs as a result. Make one of these guys and you’ll never again have to worry about melted wax on your cake. For detailed instructions, head on over to Instructables.
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Book review: Ice, Mice and Men: The Issues Facing Our Far South by Geoff Simmons & Gareth Morgan
Antarctica brings to mind nature documentaries and penguins. Beautiful snowscapes and adventure. Maybe even of science and scientists working in harsh conditions.
But what about its ecological and political importance? Well, some climate change deniers/contrarians/sceptics/cranks have lately turned their attention to Antarctica in an attempt to “balance” the record breaking summer ice loss in the Arctic. I guess that’s a start – but what role do the Antarctic and the Southern Ocean really play in climate change. What about its natural resources and unique species? What are the governance issues – so many countries are interested in the area and many have a presence? And what does this all mean for New Zealand?
The first figure in this book (see below) shows our political and economic territorial interests in this area and suggest why we should perhaps pay more attention. Especially as the rest of the world is.
But there is also climate change – which interests all of us. Geoff Simmons & Gareth Morgandescribe the Southern ocean as:
“the engine room of the global ocean, and of the world’s climate. That is what many of us don’t realise and in our ignorance we’re complacent about the changes it is undergoing.”
So it’s about time the world, and New Zealand in particular, learned more about this region because the political, economic and ecological changes will eventually effect all of us. That makes this book very timely.
The book proves to be successful in its aim. It provides a very readable overview of the important issues: the history of the region; its resources and the battle to exploit them; international governance – the nature of the treaties covering the region and their problems; the ecology of the region – the threats to rare species, management of fisheries and problems with introduced species; climate change – the key role of the Southern Ocean and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) in circulating nutrients around the world’s oceans and as an important sink for heat and carbon dioxide (CO2).
The book describes the formation of the ACC this way:
“Some 34 million years ago, Australia and Zealandia separated from Antarctica, and along with a mobile South America created a passage of deep water all the way around the Southern Hemisphere. The opening of this last gap, between the tip of South America and the Antarctic Peninsula (known as the Drake Passage) allowed the westerly winds and currents an unimpeded romp around the globe. This accident of geography created the world’s greatest current system – the ACC. And it was the inauguration of the ACC that directly contributed to a massive shift in the Earth’s climate from hot to cold, . . “
This current, together with churning of the sea by wind, resulted in removal of carbon dioxide and heat from the atmosphere as well as transport of nutrients from the sea bed. The result, a cooling of the global climate, appearance of ice sheets in Antarctica, and a key role for the ACC in nutrient supply to the world oceans. As the authors say: without the ACC “we would have a much warmer planet, which means higher sea levels, and less land – and frankly, it’s quite likely we wouldn’t exist.”
The key role of the ACC in global climate, the world’s weather systems and insulation of the Antarctica continues today. The churning of sea by the wind and the low temperature of the water enables the current to carry heat and CO2 to middle depths and transport them around the world. The result: “40% of the carbon stored in the ocean is taken in between 30 degrees south and 50 degrees south.”
The ACC needs to be monitored closely – it’s important and climate change seems to be changing the workings of the ACC itself. There have been changes of wind and current speed and of location of the ACC which could have global consequences
Simmons and Morgan summarise it this way:
Our Far South “is a place of incalculable importance to New Zealand and to the entire world. The ecosystem, climate and the actions of humankind are irrevocably intertwined – maybe here more than anywhere else on the planet. . . having a continent on our southern pole, surrounded by ocean and carrying an immense quantity of ice is part of what makes our planet’s current climate so hospitable”
Even from the perspective of climate change alone we need to be more aware of what is happening in our Southern Oceans.
Although the sea floor of the Ross Sea and similar places are exceptions, most of Our Far south is not very diverse biologically. This makes it sensitive to losses of even a few species. Differences between the Southern Ocean and Northern Hemisphere add to this sensitivity. For example the lack of land mean there are no terrestrial sources of iron, no dust blowing of deserts. Algae require iron and even trace amounts make a huge difference to biological production. Circulation of nutrients to the global ocean by the ACC means conservation and study of the Southern Ocean and Antarctica is important. Unfortunately scientific research is under pressure to support commercial exploitation of the resources, rather than conservation.
One area New Zealand scientists has had success is in eradication of introduced pests from islands to our south. And this work is continuing. One of the authors, Gareth Morgan, supports this work through a charitable trust. So it’s fitting that he gives an invitation to readers at the end of the book:
The rush to exploit resources
Antarctica and the Southern Oceans have probably fared better than the Arctic region in the race for territory and resources. Nevertheless, there has been a rush here and New Zealand has contributed to this, as well as benefited from it:
“Thanks to our rapacious sealing, whaling and farming in the subantarctic islands (a legacy from which they are still recovering), New Zealand was able to secure sovereignty over those rocky isles. This in turn gained us one of the largest areas of EEZ (Extended Economic Zone) in the world.
I am old enough to remember the scientific activity and the cooperative spirit behind it during the International Geophysical Year in 1957. This enthusiasm provided political support for an international agreement on management of Antarctica and a Treaty was signed in 1959.
The Antarctic Treaty temporarily resolved territorial disputes on that continent by agreeing to disagree over sovereignty. This Treaty has proved incredibly successful at ensuring the continent is dedicated to peace and science. This is in our interest: we are just too small to get into a turf war. It left New Zealand with the Ross dependency. That, together with our EEZ, one of the largest in the world, and our extended continental shelf (see first figure) makes us an important player in the region, politically and economically. But the Treaty simply froze the status quo from the 1950s and the balance of world power is changing.
Of course this means New Zealand also has huge responsibilities in the political future of the region and exploitation of its natural resources. We really should be paying more attention here.
Whaling, and the threat of extinction to some species, has reached the attention of the New Zealand public which has an awareness of its relevance to our region and the Southern Ocean. While international negotiation and political protest action concentrate on whaling itself, and those nations which still kill whales, there is also a threat to whales in the region from climate change. The subtle change in nutrient flows influence the populations of species which whales feed on.
Many of us are also vaguely conscious of an ongoing struggle between conversation and exploitation of fish in Our Far South.* This is hugely controversial because science is used to manage fisheries, but also to exploit the same fisheries. It’s often hard to know who is winning – but most of us suspect commercial and not conservation interests prevail. On the other hand it is true that sensible conservation must often allow for controlled exploitation.
Toothfish in the Southern oceans has been very much in the news lately. Some scientists are very critical of it’s commercial exploitation because so little is known about the species. However, others believe it to be one of New Zealand’s success stories. The authors discuss the controversy and their sympathies lie with the fisheries. They say
“Our fishing industry is by no means perfect, but the toothfish fishery really is an example of them at their best”
Despite the success of the Antarctic Treaty it does present problems because of the presence of so many countries and interests in the region and unresolved differences over sovereignty. The book discusses these current problems as well as the future problems we must grapple with as treaties and agreements are renegotiated.
This book provides an excellent resource for information on the Southern Oceans, our subarctic islands and Antarctica. It will provide students and layperson New Zealanders with an access to wide-ranging material on the history, politics, economics, ecology and natural and mineral resources of the region. References provide avenues for deeper study.
But it’s also very readable. There is an absolute minimum of technical language – and what there is often gets treated with humour. Mind you, it’s Kiwi humour so some overseas readers may miss the occasional digs against the Aussies.
Some advice for the reader, though. I read this book on an eReader and learned again that such devices are currently not always suitable for technical books, even those written in a popular style like this one. In this case only because many of the figures are colour coded. I can see a real need for colour eInk screens in eReaders – which can’t be far off anyway. And tablets such as the iPad are ideal for this book.
In summary, this book is important because it’s about an important region of the world which influences the globe. It’s especially important for New Zealanders because it’s our backyard – we have territorial rights to large parts of it. And finally it’s important because most of us, including most New Zealanders, are ignorant of the important role it plays. It’s the most important place you didn’t know about.
Fortunately this readable and informative book will help overcome that problem.
Prime TV: The Last Ocean Next Tuesday 8:30 pm
“The Ross Sea, Antarctica, is the most pristine stretch of ocean on Earth. But the fishing industry is targeting the lucrative Antarctic toothfish, and unless stopped, will destroy its ecosystem.”
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If you’ve ever wondered whether your favorite coffee, tea or soda contains caffeine — despite its decaf label or the absence of caffeine on the ingredient list — then you may soon be able to test the beverage yourself. Chemists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are developing a quick, convenient "dipstick" test that they say could represent the first home testing kit to detect the common stimulant, which can cause insomnia and make you jittery. Their study will appear in the June 1 print issue of the American Chemical Society’s Analytical Chemistry.
"We envisioned that a simple method to measure caffeine, even in hot beverages, such as coffee, would be of value to individuals and institutions wanting to verify the absence of caffeine," says study leader Jack H. Ladenson, Ph.D., a chemist at the university. "This will greatly assist individuals who wish to avoid caffeine."
Ladenson hopes to develop a simple caffeine test in which test strips that are treated with a specific antibody will react by changing color in the presence of caffeine.
The new test will be designed to be qualitative only: It allows a person to quickly determine whether caffeine is present, but does not indicate the exact amount or concentration of caffeine. In preliminary tests using coffee and cola, an experimental version of the test effectively distinguished caffeinated versions of these products from their decaf counterparts, Ladenson says.
The researcher adds that he does not know when the test will be available to consumers or at what price. Further refinements are ongoing, he says.
Many consumers are increasingly trying to avoid caffeine due to unwanted health effects, including insomnia and irritability. Several studies have linked an increase in caffeine consumption with a higher risk of miscarriage among pregnant women. For years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has specifically advised pregnant women to avoid or limit their intake of caffeine.
But the caffeine content of foods and beverages can be difficult for consumers to determine. Products do not always indicate whether they contain caffeine, and the caffeine content of similar food products can vary widely depending on the manufacturer. Even drinks that are labeled "decaf" can contain detectable amounts of caffeine, experts say.
Current tests to detect caffeine use sophisticated laboratory methods, including spectroscopy and chromatography, none of which are applicable to home use, Ladenson and his associates say. While caffeine-specific antibodies are commercially available, these antibodies are destroyed at high temperatures, like those of hot beverages, and consequently are not practical for use in home tests, the scientists say.
To develop the new immunoassay test, Ladenson and his associates obtained an unusual antibody — derived from the blood of llamas — that is resistant to high temperatures due to its unusually stable structure. They obtained the antibodies by repeatedly injecting the animals with caffeine to illicit an immune response to the drug. The researchers then cloned the caffeine-specific antibody and combined it with other chemicals to facilitate caffeine detection.
In early laboratory studies, the antibody mixture was used to measure the presence of caffeine in both caffeinated and decaf versions of coffee and cola. In general, the researchers found that test results were comparable to those of conventional chromatography tests and that the caffeine content of these beverages was accurately labeled.
The antibodies worked equally well in both hot and cold beverages and did not appear to show any false readings caused by structures that are similar to caffeine, Ladenson says. He has filed patents related to the research.
Funding for the current study was provided by Washington University School of Medicine. Other researchers at the university involved in the study were Ruth C. Ladenson, Dan L. Crimmins, and Yvonne Landt.
The American Chemical Society — the world’s largest scientific society — is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.
The online version of the research paper cited above was initially published April 26 on the journal’s Web site. Journalists can arrange access to this site by sending an e-mail to [email protected] or calling the contact person for this release.
Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 21 Feb 2009
Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.
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Portugal has been affected by large wildfires causing huge losses, not only environmental, but also economic and social losses. To face this risk, the portuguese government, through the National Forest Authority (AFN), decided, a few years ago, to create technical offices allocated to local governments which, among other skills, must prepare Municipal Plans for Forest Fire Protection and Operational Response.
In order to support the elaboration of these documents, the AFN provided technical guides with a methodology for calculating and mapping the Forest Fire Hazard and Risk. Moreover, tutorials have been offered to follow this methodology, using Proprietary Software. However, the acquisition and licensing costs of that software are unaffordable for most of the smaller local administrations and so, it was decided to create and make available a guide with a methodology for developing Hazard and Risk cartography using only Free and Open Source Software .
It was proposed to use the following set of software: QGIS, GRASS GIS, gvSIG and GDAL/OGR libraries. That guide describes all the geoprocessing tasks necessary for the elaboration of the plans for Forest Fire Protection and Operational Response, according to the AFN methodology. A large part of the tasks were developed with QGIS, and spatial analysis in raster model was developed with GRASS. gvSIG was used for network analysis, with its Network Analysis extension, and GDAL/OGR libraries were used for transformations between coordinate reference systems.
After an extensive suite of tests to the methodology, and three years of real application in the preparation of the Operational Plan for the municipality of Pinhel, it can be said that the proposed alternatives allow to replace, with many advantages, Proprietary Software that is usually used to carry out this task. The validation of the results shows that, despite the relative simplicity of the conceptual model, its predictive ability is quite good, and that the model implementation in Open Source Software does not interfere negatively with the results, quite the opposite.
Figure 1 - Forest Fire Hazard and Risk Maps of Pinhel, implemented with Open Source Software.
In a second phase, it was tried to speed up this process, using models to establish a workflow that perform a wide set of tasks, almost without human intervention. This second stage consisted essentially in the automation of the entire procedure described in practical guide which resulted from the first phase. Such automation could mean a reduction of several hours of intense work on the part of the technician who intends to produce annually Forest Defense Plans, for just a few minutes, in which the human intervention boils down to the selection of input data and the indication of the place where we intend to keep the output data.
Figure 2 - Interface of the Sextante Model to calculate the Probability of the Forest Fire Hazard.
In furtherance of this second phase, we used the Python version of Sextante software, that works integrated into QGIS and adds a broad set of independent applications (GRASS GIS, SAGA GIS, OTB, R, GDAL/OGR, Pymorph, LASTools, Python scrips, etc..) in a single interface, providing a huge geoprocessing toolbox to QGIS users. Besides the integration of these applications in QGIS, Sextante has a tool for creating models, taking advantage of the modules offered by any of those softwares which aggregates. So, we've created a model to automate the process of producing Forest Fire Hazard and Risk maps, using GRASS, SAGA, fTools and MMQGIS tools.
Figure 3 - Part of the model developed for automation of the production of cartography for Forest Fire Hazard and Risk.
The results obtained so far are very promising, as already can be automatically achieved the creation of the Hazard and Risk Maps . Taking into account that the Python version of Sextante is still very recent and is in heavy construction, there are some problems that must be corrected so that the models may be completed, which certainly will happen very soon, given the momentum that Sextante project presents. As future work, we intend to apply, also automatically, the symbology to the results as well as provide the final layouts in QGIS Composer, ready for export and/or print. Upon completion of the second phase and the realization of a sufficient set of tests that can validate the results obtained, it is our intention to provide the model free and openly.
The alternatives studied proved to be of enormous quality, allowing all operations recommended in the National Forest Authority technical guides, in many ways, more efficiently than with Proprietary Software. In terms of ease of use, it was observed that this type of software is not, in any way, more complex than the proprietary software, requiring only more technical knowledge of the models and algorithms implemented which, however, allow a higher degree of freedom, making possible to explore and fine tune the models to each particular situation. The process of producing Forest Fire Hazard and Risk cartography using, exclusively, Open Source Software is fully consolidated, after several years of testing and application in the municipality of Pinhel.
The fact that Open Source Software is based on standards and support most of the open data formats, allows the complete interoperability between software, allowing the user to opt for the most suitable in each moment. Despite our proposal point to a specific set of software, nothing prevents to be replaced by any of the existing alternatives in the wide range of proposals for Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial. However, QGIS increasingly presents itself as the most complete, stable and easy to use FOSS4G solution, and whose project is more dynamic, with rapid correction of bugs and with almost daily implementation of new plugins that adds specific functionalities to the most diverse areas of activities.
Pedro Venâncio B.Sc. in Geology, Postgraduate in Free Software and M.Sc. in Geographic Information Systems. He was a researcher at the Centre for Geophysics of the University of Coimbra, at the National Laboratory for Civil Engineering and is currently responsible for the service of Cartography and Geographic Information Systems at the Municipality of Pinhel.
Venâncio, Pedro - Cartografia de Risco de Incêndio Florestal com Software Open Source - Elaboração e Disponibilização Online (URL: http://goo.gl/TSv2E).
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Neurons that can multitask greatly enhance the brain’s computational power, study finds.
The movie "21," a fictional work loosely based on the story of the MIT blackjack team that won millions of dollars from casinos across the country, opens in theaters Friday.
Throughout the 1990s, several MIT students were part of a team that used advanced card-counting techniques to improve their chances of winning at blackjack. Their story became Ben Mezrich's book "Bringing Down the House," which served as the basis for the fictional "21."
Most notably, the character played by Kevin Spacey, portrayed as an MIT professor, is entirely fictional. While his irresponsible acts may enliven the Hollywood script, they are entirely unrepresentative of the Institute.
Those familiar with MIT should not be surprised that its students are capable of the calculations and observations necessary to outsmart casinos. In addition to its global leadership in science and engineering, MIT remains a mathematics powerhouse. As just one example, the MIT math team recently finished third at the prestigious William Lowell Putnam intercollegiate mathematics competition, garnering 21 out of the top 74 scores.
And while shots of Killian Court and other MIT exteriors dot "21," the movie was actually filmed at Boston University, at the Christian Science Center in Boston and in Las Vegas.
The careful MIT observer will notice several alumni also have small credited roles in the film, including iRobot co-founder Colin Angle '89, SM '91, who provided the movie robot; Jeffrey Ma '94; and Henry Houh '89, '90, SM '91, PhD '98.
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Development of a Stem Cell-based Transplantation Strategy for Treating Age-related Macular Degeneration
Early Translational I
Stem Cell Use:
Adult Stem Cell
Age related macular degeneration (AMD) is a blinding disease of the elderly affecting nearly one in three individuals over the age of 75. Central vision is lost in AMD, severely impairing the ability to read, watch television, or drive. The epicenter of AMD is the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), a single layer of cells in the retina adjacent to the photoreceptor cells. A recent breakthrough in AMD research showed that this disease is caused in about 50% of cases by the innate immune system (complement system) inappropriately attacking RPE cells. Specifically, AMD results when regulators of the complement system, which normally protect the RPE, are weakened by mutations. This sickens and later kills the RPE, causing secondary degeneration of photoreceptors in the central retina (macula). The goal of this proposal is to develop a strategy for transplanting stem-cell derived RPE cells into the eyes of patients with AMD. In the past, transplantation of RPE cells from postmortem donors yielded encouraging initial therapeutic effects that subsequently failed due to immune rejection. Current stem-cell technology offers the opportunity to avoid this complication. We plan to generate functional RPE cells from stem cells of the ciliary margin zone (CMZ) in the eye, or pluripotent stem cells induced from skin fibroblasts (iPS cells) taken from the same AMD patient who will later receive the induced RPE cells as a transplant. The study of inherited blindness has benefited greatly from mouse genetic models, where new potential therapies can be tested and developed. One aim of this proposal is to produce RPE cells from mouse and human CMZ- and iPS-cell precursors. To establish that these cells are functional, we will test for two hallmarks of a fully differentiated RPE: (i) the ability to convert vitamin A into visual chromophore for photoreceptor-opsin pigments, and (ii) the ability to phagocytose photoreceptor outer-segments. In a later aim we will transplant these induced RPE cells into the eyes of two genetic “knockout” mice that lack the ability to synthesize visual chromophore. We will test for rescue of the biochemical defects, and correction of the blindness in these mutant mice. In another experiment, we will add to the induced RPE cells a gene that protects from inappropriate complement activation. These cells will be transplanted into the eyes of two other knockout mouse-models of AMD that exhibit abnormal activation of the complement system. We will study these mice to establish correction of the immune defect. Finally, we will test the safety of CMZ- and iPS-derived RPE cells by transplanting them into immune-deficient mice to confirm no tumor formation. At the end of the grant period, we expect to have a new and well-tested stem-cell based transplantation strategy that will be ready for phase-one clinical trials in AMD patients.
Statement of Benefit to California:
This proposal is to develop a stem-cell based transplantation approach for treating age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is a severe and common disease of the elderly that causes central blindness. The prevalence of AMD increases with advancing age. By 75 years, approximately one in three individuals have some degree of visual loss due to AMD. Thus AMD is significantly more prevalent than Alzheimer disease. Patients with AMD lose the ability to drive, read, watch TV, and recognize faces. With advancing visual impairment, AMD patients lose the ability to care for themselves and others. Thus, AMD imposes a large social and economic burden on our society. As the population in California ages, this burden is expected to increase. The stem-cell based transplantation strategy in this proposal offers the real potential of slowing or arresting the progression of blindness in AMD patients. This alone would represent an important benefit to the people of California. Further, the project would advance innovative technology in stem cell therapy. This technology has application to other neurodegenerative diseases. The project will train new stem-cell researchers in California. As the project enters the clinical phase, it will engage new scientists and physicians and attract funding by the federal government. Further, the opportunity to treat a hugely prevalent disease like AMD will undoubtedly attract biotechnology investment in California. This stem-cell based transplantation approach to treat a major disease like AMD is well-aligned with the broad mission of CIRM and the objectives of the Early Translational Research Award program.
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Pieces of sugar cane are chewed for their sugary syrup, and are a popular street food in South Asia. This was the original use of sugar cane - sugar extraction came later. Traditional methods are still used to produce characteristic Indian sugars such as gur.
Plant a cane
Look for fresh sugar cane in food shops - you can grow a piece on your window sill.
Jams and jellies
Sugar is an excellent preservative - hence its use in jam.
A controversial plant
Sugar cane has been at the centre of bitter disputes over its role in health, European Union sugar subsidies and the transatlantic slave trade. It provided the original incentive for European expansion and colonisation which has shaped the world forever.
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Kiwi project - Pest monitoring protocol
Purpose 1: To determine the animal pests which are present.
Purpose 2: To present data about our pest management activities.
Purpose 3: To support the proposed translocation of NI robin to Russell in March 2007.
Method: Combination of tracking tunnels, traps and wax tag monitoring.
Pest monitoring lines: 500 metres long, unbiased compass line, N/S where possible.
Note that other species present can include ant, weta, dog, gecko, and others.
Table 1: Structure and targeting of pest monitoring lines
|Rat||Ink card in tracking tunnel||24 hours||Peanut butter||10||50m|
|Stoat/weasel||Ink card in tracking tunnel||3 days||Fresh rabbit||5||100m|
|Cat||SA cat trap||7 days||Fresh meat/fish||3||150m|
|Possum/rat/mice||Wax tab||7 days||Glow bug||20||10m|
Timing - Activation of pest monitoring lines
Pest monitoring occupies an eight day cycle, typically beginning and ending on a Monday as shown in Table 2 below.
Timing - Frequency of activation of pest monitoring lines
- Pest monitoring lines are activated on the above schedules (Tables 1 & 2) once per month for three months.
- The first two cycles are to develop a good picture of the pests present, the scale of the pest levels, and to determine pest management action to lower their presence.
- The third cycle is to determine if the adjustment in pest management techniques has worked or otherwise.
- Further monitoring may be required at this point to fine-tune the pest management system.
- Once a stable situation is demonstrated to exist, test monitoring lines are then activated on a seasonal basis, i.e. three monthly throughout the year.
Table 2: Eight day cycle for pest monitoring
|Monday||Activate the line||10 ink cards for rats||20 numbered wax tags for possums||Set 3 SA traps for cats|
|Tuesday|| ||Collect 10 rat cards, install 5 stoat cards||Check/re-set SAs|
|Wednesday || || || ||Check/re-set SAs|
|Thursday || || || ||Check/re-set SAs|
|Friday || ||Collect stoat cards|| ||Check/re-set SAs|
|Saturday|| || || ||Check/re-set SAs|
|Sunday|| || || ||Check/re-set SAs|
|Monday||De-activate the line||Leave tunnels in position||Collect 20 wax tabs||Check, then remove or de-activate SAs|
Analysis of the pest monitoring
Please inspect the monitoring cards that we use (purchased from Connovation Ltd).
Other indicators of pest levels negatives:
- Dead wildlife (birds, skinks, etc)
- Scratchings on trees (totara are favoured by possum for example)
- Lack of flowering and fruiting by native and exotic plants
- Foliage eaten, and plants/trees dead for no obvious reason
- Wandering dogs and cats
Indicators of good pest control:
- Presence of birds
- Absence of predator sightings
- Ability of orchards to produce fruit
- Able to grow roses
- New plants survive
- Dope growing is possible without netting or poisons
A short guide
It's quite easy to learn to identify animal prints. Read our notes then study your prints.
Rats have 4 toes on the front feet and five on the back. They have lumps on the underside of their feet that leave clear marks.
Mice show as very small dots. Their prints are very similar in layout to those of rats.
Lizards tracks are quite distinctive. Attrcat them through the Trakka using 50:50 banana and honey.
Mustelids if you draw a line between toes 1 and 4 the foot pad will be outside this line.
Hedgehogs both feet are similiar to the human hand with 5 digits only with a centre pad on both feet. The central pad is closer to the toes than that of a rat.
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November 03, 2010
Mansoor Amiji, Distinguished Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Northeastern University, believes tumor cells-like people-become more aggressive in pursuit of nourishment when they're "hungry." He theorizes that clusters of cancer cells deep within a tumor, where they receive limited oxygen and other nutrients, have higher stress levels and are more aggressive in fighting off chemotherapy.
Working from this theory, Amiji, who chairs the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the School of Pharmacy within the Bouvé College of Health Sciences, will collaborate with researchers at Northeastern and Massachusetts General Hospital to explore innovative drug delivery and gene-silencing strategies to target these cancers. Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering Rebecca Carrier and Matthews Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology Robert Hanson are Amiji's Northeastern collaborators.
The researchers are working on using nanoparticles, engineered for drug delivery, to reverse the tumor cell clusters' resistance to anti-cancer therapies. The nanoparticles would permeate the parts of tumors where the aggressive cells live, carrying RNA molecules that would block messages from disease-causing genes. Cutting off that communication would prevent the tumor cells from developing certain proteins that make them aggressive.
Amiji predicts suppressing their aggression-or "hunger"-could be a major breakthrough in treating highly aggressive ovarian and lung cancers.
"When living in this (hostile) environment, the threshold for killing tumor cells is much higher," Amiji said. "We want the threshold to be minimal so low doses of chemotherapy will kill those cells and make the treatment safer."
Relapse is common for ovarian and lung cancers, and drugs used in the first round of treatment often become ineffective in future treatments, Amiji explained. As a result, a doctor's primary recourse is to create cocktails of multiple drugs and increase the dosages. But Amiji hopes his new approach can replace this current treatment method.
Amiji's project, which advances Northeastern's leadership in use-inspired, interdisciplinary health research, is funded by a five-year, $2.32 million Cancer Nanotechnology Platform Partnership grant from the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer program. Through this grant, Amiji and his team will also develop a library of target-specific nanoparticles they can screen and select from on a case-by-case basis when treating various forms of cancer.
Amiji pointed to Northeastern's tremendous momentum in nanotechnology research. The NCI recently designated Northeastern a Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence with a $13.5 million award. Northeastern's Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) nanomedicine program recently received a $3.1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to continue its success in educating the next generation of scientists and technologists in nanomedicine.
The University also signed an agreement in September with federal health researchers to advance research and guidance for occupational safety and health in nanotechnology.
"We have created a coherent nucleus of research and education in translational nanomedicine at Northeastern," Amiji said.
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Plant Health and the Single European Market
James W. Goodford
In 1985 the European Community Governments agreed to establish a single market, which meant abolishing restrictions on trade between the member states. This went far beyond the removal of certain customs duties and non-tariff barriers to trade which resulted when the common market was first created. The idea was that in future there would be no greater restraint on trade between the UK and France than between Kent and Sussex (for example). The term normally used to describe this idea is free circulation.
The consequences of this decision, now on the way to implementation, are that by 31 December 1992 (the date set in the Single Market Act) there will be a slackening of frontier controls at any border between two member states. The Customs Entry form, a document which has always represented the focus of control and monitoring of goods entering the UK will disappear completely for imports—and this of course includes plants and plant propagating material—from other member states. However
ISHS members & pay-per-view
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IPPS membership administration
ISHS membership administration
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What is AIS?
Ships fitted with an AIS transponder automatically broadcast information, such as their position, speed, and navigational status, at regular intervals via a VHF transmitter built into the transponder. The information originates from the ship's navigational sensors, typically its position provided by the GPS. Other information, such as the vessel name and VHF call sign, is programmed when installing the equipment and is also transmitted regularly. The signals are received by AIS transponders fitted on other ships or on land based systems, such as VTS systems. The received information can be displayed to show vessels' positions in much the same manner as a radar display.
Data are provided for information only and and must not be used for navigation.
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The Republican Party, which gave us Abraham Lincoln, Thaddeus Stevens, Charles Sumner, William Seward in the years of the 1850s and 1860s; which gave us Theodore Roosevelt, Robert La Follette, Sr, George Norris, William Borah, Hiram Johnson in the 1900s-1940s; which gave us Dwight D. Eisenhower, Nelson Rockefeller, William Scranton, Henry Cabot Lodge Jr,, George Romney in the 1950s-1960s; and which gave us Mark Hatfield, Charles Mathias, Charles Percy, Howard Baker, Bob Dole, Gerald Ford in the 1970s–1990s, reached its 159th birthday today.
The Republican Party began as an anti slavery expansion party, with elements of abolitionism also present when the party began on this day in Ripon, Wisconsin in 1854.
It became the party of civil rights legislation, three civil rights constitutional amendments, progressive legislation, and supportive of much bipartisan legislation with Democrats in the New Deal and Great Society eras.
Of course, they had their evil elements, including McCarthyism, nativism, and tying themselves to organized religious influences that wished to take America backward, but until the past few years, they always had redeeming values in many ways, and would often denounce the extremists in their midst.
But now the Republican Party has become a party dominated by Tea Party radicals, who promote racism, misogyny, nativism, concern only to promote the welfare of the wealthy, and willingness to engage in foreign wars that have cost us dearly in treasure and loss of life and limb!
The Republican Party is no longer, in any way, reflective of its past, and in fact, insults its honorable, respectable history, sullying the names of its heroes and champions over a century and a half!
This is a tragedy of massive proportions, and the name “Republican” should be co-opted by the true moderates who are sitting by, watching the destruction going on, and holding their heads in their hands, ashamed that the name has been so damaged by reckless, anarchistic haters of the federal government! The party which fought the Civil War to uphold the Union is now more like the secessionist Democrats of that era!
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|A history of pre-war locomotive developments, the 1948 Locomotive Exchanges and their influence on future motive power policy. The passenger and mixed traffic BR Standards, early Big Four dieselisation - including GW railcars, the arrival of the DMU - a novelty at the time, livery changes, improving steam efficiency - double chimneys on the Western and Eastern and rebuilds for Bulleid's Pacifics, early branch cut-backs, DC electrification schemes, pilot scheme diesels and Western Region Hydraulic perversity, AC electrics and the downgrading of the Great Western route to Birmingham, the Blue Pullman, more closures including the Somerset & Dorset and the Great Central and a whole host of branch lines - Dr Beeching tries to justify his decision's, finally the last steam specials end an era. The demise of non-standard diesel classes takes us into corporate days (with a steam interlude on the Vale of Rheidol) and ultimately to Sectorisation and the new beginning? Locations range from the Welsh Border Branches to the Southern Region's commuterland.|
- An Inherited Rallway - Four into one doesn`t go! But the new British Railway`s Board had to make it happen, and Standard designs were developed from the findings of the locomotive trials in 1948. Soon BR was developing new traction, both steam and diesel, early diesel develvpments started with 10000 and 10201.
- Modernlsatlon Plans - From 1955 a clearer policy developed, diesels and electrics were the way forward, but GT3 combined modem and traditional theory, the Southern`s electrification was reborn, the Eastern was also electrifying whilst D6XX and D8XX Warship Diesel Hydraulics were entering service on the Western Region, the Eastern were receiving new English Electric type 4`s (class 40`s) and the branch line train was losing steam everywhere as DMU`s continued to be introduced.
- Transition from Steam - Between 1960 and 1968 the railways of Britain changed radically, steam was eliminated from every region, electrification continued with speed on the West Coast Mainline, to Bournemouth and suburban Glasgow went AC as the `Blue Train` arrived, but curiously the DC suburban lines on Tyneside were dieselised. Dr. Beeching was wielding his axe the Somerset and Dorset and Great Central were among the casualties. BR found a new business in railtour trade from railway enthusiasts then promptly banned steam so it was destination Barry - even for some diesels!
- The Corporate Era - Rail blue epitomises the stagnant years of BR. Investment in the HST and gas turbine APT dominated the news but it also saw the end for the Blue Pullman (now rail grey) the Westems, Hymeks, Warships and Deltics, even the Vale of Rheidol became corporate and bland. The inauguration of the Carlisle to Glasgow electrification showed the way forward.
- A Revitalised Railway - During the early 1980`s new liveries signalled a new era, where locomotives were soon to become a thing of the past, `Sprinterisation and Sectorisation` would change the railway beyond belief, Inter-City Network South-East, Provincial and Parcels operations were launched, closer co-operation with local authorities, then the first signs of privatisation . . . Stagecoach.
- 1994 - The End or a New Beginning - Then came the tunnel . . . and Class 373 Eurostars, but controversy still raged over the route for the new Continental Mainline, France could do it, BR couldn`t . . . postponed for privatisation.
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For more information, please contact:
Karl Scheidegger, fisheries biologist at [email protected]
Each spring, hundreds of volunteers have an opportunity to guard sturgeon at their spawning sites on the Wolf River and protect the fish from poaching. When the sturgeon are spawning along the rocky shorline of the Wolf River, they are fairly oblivious to nearby human activity and are very susceptible to illegal harvest.
The volunteers of the “Sturgeon Patrol” guard the spawning fish 24 hours a day throughout the spawning season, which is typically in late April and early May.
While it is impossible to predict the exact dates that spawning will occur year, guards are routinely scheduled from April 15th through May 5th. Spawning generally occurs over a seven to 10 day period within that time window. While we do our best to get all scheduled guards out on the riverbank to see fish, invariably we must cancel some scheduled shifts if the fish are simply not active. We try in those cases to re-schedule guards into an active period.
More on sturgeon season: More headlines and video | Tweets collected during the season | Browse photos from the 2013 season | Browse photos from the 2012 season | Share your sturgeon photos | Watch cameras on the Wolf River | Watch cameras positioned in Stockbridge
How to be a sturgeon guard volunteer
Come join the fun! Make volunteering a family outing by bringing a son or daughter your spouse or a friend. For many being a Sturgeon Guard Volunteer has become an annual tradition.
Sign up to become a sturgeon guard volunteer.
More news from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
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|Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary|
1:12-18 Solomon tried all things, and found them vanity. He found his searches after knowledge weariness, not only to the flesh, but to the mind. The more he saw of the works done under the sun, the more he saw their vanity; and the sight often vexed his spirit. He could neither gain that satisfaction to himself, nor do that good to others, which he expected. Even the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom discovered man's wickedness and misery; so that the more he knew, the more he saw cause to lament and mourn. Let us learn to hate and fear sin, the cause of all this vanity and misery; to value Christ; to seek rest in the knowledge, love, and service of the Saviour.
Verse 15. - That which is crooked cannot be made straight. This is intended as a confirmation of ver. 14. By the utmost exercise of his powers and faculties man cannot change the course of events; he is constantly met by anomalies which he can neither explain nor rectify (comp. Ecclesiastes 7:13). The above is probably a proverbial saying. Knobel quotes Suidas: Χύλον ἀγκύλον οὐδέποτ ὀρθόν. The Vulgate takes the whole maxim as applying only to morals: "Perverse men are hardly corrected, and the number of tools is infinite." So too the Syriac and Targum. The Septuagint rightly as the Authorized Version. The writer is not referring merely to man's sins and delinquencies, but to the perplexities in which he finds himself involved, and extrication from which is impracticable. That which is wanting cannot be numbered. The word חֶסְדון, "loss, defect," is ἅπαξ λεγόμενον in the Old Testament. We cannot reckon where there is nothing to count; no skill in arithmetic will avail to make up for a substantial deficit. So nothing man can do is able to remedy the anomalies by which he is surrounded, or to supply the defects which are pressed upon his notice.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
That which is crooked cannot be made straight,.... By all the art and cunning, wisdom and knowledge of man, that he can attain unto; whatever he, in the vanity of his mind, may find fault with in the works of God, either of nature of providence, and which he may call crooked, it is not in his power to make them straight, or to mend them; see Ecclesiastes 7:13. There is something which, through sin, is crooked, in the hearts, in the nature, in the principles, ways and works, of men; which can never be made straight, corrected or amended, by all the natural wisdom and knowledge of men, which shows the insufficiency of it: the wisest philosophers among men, with all their parade of wit and learning, could never effect anything of this kind; this only is done by the Spirit and grace of God; see Isaiah 42:16;
and that which is wanting cannot be numbered; the deficiencies in human science are so many, that they cannot be reckoned up; and the defects in human nature can never be supplied or made up by natural knowledge and wisdom; and which are so numerous, as that they cannot be understood and counted. The Targum is,
"a man whose ways are perverse in this world, and dies in them, and does not return by repentance, he has no power of correcting himself after his death; and a man that fails from the law and the precepts in his life, after his death hath no power to be numbered with the righteous in paradise:''
to the same sense Jarchi's note and the Midrash.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
15. Investigation (Ec 1:13) into human ways is vain labor, for they are hopelessly "crooked" and "cannot be made straight" by it (Ec 7:13). God, the chief good, alone can do this (Isa 40:4; 45:2).
numbered—so as to make a complete number; so equivalent to "supplied" [Maurer]. Or, rather, man's state is utterly wanting; and that which is wholly defective cannot be numbered or calculated. The investigator thinks he can draw up, in accurate numbers, statistics of man's wants; but these, including the defects in the investigator's labor, are not partial, but total.
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Egghead Eggshell Planter
By: Amanda Formaro
Age: 5 and up
Parental supervision is recommended
No fancy materials are needed. With just an eggshell, a little soil and some seeds, you can grow your own planter. It's the ultimate in eco-friendly craft ideas!
What you'll need:
- Clean eggshell with just the top broken off
- Half a cup of potting soil
- Teaspoon of grass, wheat or rye seed
- Five to six inch strip of card stock
- Glue or tape
- Black marker (optional)
How to make it:
- If you wish, decorate your strip of cardstock. We flecked some yellow and blue paint onto ours with an old toothbrush.
- Tape or glue the cardstock into a ring to hold the egg.
- Use a small spoon to fill the egg almost to the top with potting soil.
- Sprinkle the soil with seed.
- Add a thin layer of potting soil on the top.
- Carefully water so as not to overflow or soak it.
- Keep in a sunny location.
- Your seeds will begin to sprout in a day or two and your egghead will grow "hair" in about a week! (See photo.)
- If you like, you can decorate the outside of the egg with a black marker by drawing a face on your egghead.
- Use a small measuring spoon to scoop the soil and add it to the egg. Use a small spoon to add the seeds as well.
- If you have cats, wheat seed grows thick wheat grass and is a tasty and nutritional addition to their diet. It also aids in food digestion!
- You can also use an egg carton to sprout any kind of seeds that you like. Some seeds that sprout quickly and grow easily are green beans and radishes.
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- Education, Training & Outreach
- Patients & Caregivers
- For Investigators
- Dementia in the News
- Media Room
USA Today (December 30, 2009): Ginkgo Biloba has No Effect on Alzheimer's, dementia
The popular botanical ginkgo biloba does not improve memory nor does it prevent cognitive decline in older people, according to the largest and longest scientific study ever undertaken to look at the supplement.
An extract derived from the gingko tree, gingkgo biloba has been touted since the 1970s by the supplement industry and others as an aid to improving memory, cognitive decline, dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Ginkgo extract has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for more than 500 years, according to the American Botanical Council.
The study finding is "disappointing news," says Steven DeKosky, dean of the University of Virginia School of Medicine and the study's senior author. The only positive thing the researchers found is that ginkgo appears to be safe, he says.
The results are from the Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory study, funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a center of the National Institutes of Health. The randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study was conducted at six medical centers and involved more than 3,000 people between ages 72 and 96 for seven years. The report is in today's Journal of the American Medical Association.
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At Harbin Siberian Tiger Park, feeding time is a spectator sport.
Now home to more than 1,000 tigers, the park, located in northern China, is one of the world’s largest and most successful conservation parks for the endangered animals. The park, which was intended to be a sanctuary and breeding center, now is a stop for many excited tourists.
(PHOTOS: Animals That Can Think)
At the park, patrons can now (for a fee) watch Siberian tigers be fed live animals. On a visit, patrons are able to choose from a menu — the animals they wish to see fed to the tigers. Current rates according to the Today show, run $8 USD for a chicken, $90 for a sheep and $300 for a cow.
The graphic scenes of tigers feeding on live prey have become popular on YouTube, amplifying awareness of this particular practice.
Park patrons view the scene from what the park calls the “Number One Adventure Bus.” One incident this past January resulted in the death of one of the bus drivers. The driver was killed after being dragged off by one of the park’s tigers in an attempt to check the bus’s engine.
Reactions have varied from praise for the park’s efforts to protect the endangered tigers (there remain approximately 20 in the wild in China) to outrage on the part of those who question whether or not the Harbin Siberian Tiger Park is making a spectacle out of conservation.
(VIDEOS: 12 Bizarre Animal Friendships)
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Prostate Cancer Treatment And Prevention
Hormone therapyHormone therapy, also called androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), reduces levels of androgen, a hormone that stimulates the prostate cells to grow making the prostate shrink or grow slower during prostate cancer treatment.
ChemotherapyChemotherapy uses anticancer drugs that are injected into the bloodstream or taken orally. These drugs spread throughout the body and are thus useful for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer or cancer that has spread (metastasized) to other parts of the body. Depending on the features of the prostate cancer, any combination of these treatment options can be used. Painkillers are usually also prescribed.
how do I prevent prostate cancer?Prostate cancer prevention generally focuses on three domains: diet, lifestyle and medication.
- Avoid high-fat foods, particularly foods high in saturated fats.
- Limit red meat and processed meats.
- Drink less alcohol, generally no more than two drinks per day for most men.
- Eat a variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
- Foods rich in lycopenes may prevent DNA damage (tomatoes, pink grapefruit and watermelon).
- Broccoli, cauliflower or other cruciferous vegetables may reduce the risk of disease.
- Soy products, legumes, pomegranate juice, and green tea may reduce the risk, though the evidence is not entirely clear.
- Vitamin supplements such as Vitamin E or selenium may lower prostate cancer risk, but it seems unclear, and heavy dosages of multivitamins may actually increase the risk (if you are considering vitamin supplementation, talk to a doctor).
- Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
- Increase aerobic activity.
- Try to maintain a healthy weight.
- Several studies have suggested that a high ejaculation frequency (through sex or masturbation) has a protective effect (around 20 times or more per month seems most beneficial) -- like you really needed another reason.
MedicationsFinasteride (Proscar) may be useful in preventing prostate cancer risk if taken daily for a long period of time. This prostate cancer medication works by preventing the body from making androgen. Though it might lower the risk, it may also make cancer more aggressive and also affects sexual function.
prostate possibilitiesProstate cancer is a common cancer in men, but it is highly treatable and manageable. Continuing research will lead to improvements in diagnosis, treatment and prevention, ensuring that future decades of men worry less about this disease. For men of the present, however, simply knowing some of the risk factors and features of prostate cancer will hopefully lead many toward a healthy disease-free lifestyle for years to come.
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best Swiss Cheese recipes
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The large holes in Swiss cheese are called "eyes," and any Swiss cheese without eyes is referred to as "blind."
American Swiss cheeses are mass-produced imitations of the original Emmental and Gruyere varieties, very famous cheeses made in Switzerland.
The large holes in Swiss cheese are called “eyes,” and any Swiss cheese without eyes is referred to as “blind.” The eyes are formed during the later stages of cheese production when the bacteria P. shermani absorbs lactic acid released by other bacteria and then gradually releases carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide forms expanding bubbles that make up the eyes.
HistoryCheese has long been an important specialty of the Swiss. Switzerland’s oldest and most well-known cheese, Emmental, has been produced since 1293 in the Emmental Valley.
VarietiesAmerican Swiss cheese is a manufactured quickly on a large scale so that it is widely available at a low price. Allowed to age for only four months, its flavor lacks the richness of genuine Swiss cheeses, but it nevertheless makes a tasty and popular sandwich addition.
Emmental (Emmentaler, Emmenthaler) Swiss cheese is the most famous of Switzerland’s original cheeses. Its flavor is mild with fruity, nutty and buttery tones, and its eyes range from very small to olive-sized.
Gruyere Swiss cheese is sweeter than Emmental because it is made with a fattier cow’s milk. Its holes generally shrink during its 10 to 12 month aging period, making them much smaller and more evenly-spaced than those of Emmental.
Baby Swiss cheese is another cheese marketed in the U.S., which shows fewer eyes and offers a milder flavor than other Swiss cheeses. These unique characteristics result from the use of water rather than milk’s whey during production, which slows bacterial growth.
Buying TipsThe presence of larger eyes in a Swiss cheese is generally a reliable indicator of a more distinctive flavor. A longer aging period or warmer conditions cause the eyes to grow larger, and the enzymes and bacteria enrich the cheese’s flavor.
Don’t purchase Swiss cheese that sports a gray rind; it most likely means that the cheese has aged too long or has not been packaged properly.
When looking for a genuine, aged Gruyere cheese, make sure to check the label. There are many processed, imitation versions of Gruyere available commercially that don’t offer the same rich taste.
Storage TipsSwiss cheese should be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or foil. In blocks, it can remain refrigerated this way for up to two months, and when sliced it can last up to a month. Remember that the cheese will continue aging in the refrigerator, so its flavor will grow more and more intense.
If you have very large blocks of Swiss cheese—no smaller than half a pound—they can be frozen for up to six months. To freeze a block of cheese, wrap it tightly in plastic or foil and then zip it inside a plastic storage bag, pressing out as much air as possible.
Defrost cheese in the refrigerator and use it soon after defrosting. Defrosted cheese is best when cooked into dishes as it will likely become too crumbly for sandwiches or plain snacking.
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(CNN) -- The World Health Organization cautioned that the swine flu outbreak could gain momentum in the months ahead, despite claims by the health secretary of Mexico -- the epicenter of the outbreak -- that the virus "is in its declining phase."
The number of confimed cases of the H1N1 virus continue to multiply.
The outbreak is only about 10 days old, and even if the illness is declining, it could return, said Gregory Hartl, the WHO spokesman for epidemic and pandemic diseases, at a briefing Sunday.
"I ... would like to remind people that in 1918 the Spanish flu showed a surge in the spring, and then disappeared in the summer months, only to return in the autumn of 1918 with a vengeance," Hartl said. "And we know that that eventually killed 40 million to 50 million people."
Mexican authorities believe the virus's most active period in Mexico was between April 23 and April 28, and Mexican Health Secretary Jose Cordova described the outbreak as being in decline in his country.
As of late Sunday, Mexican health officials reported 568 cases and 22 fatalities linked to the flu. WHO says it has confirmed 506 cases and 19 deaths in Mexico.
The world has 898 confirmed cases of the virus, known to scientists H1N1 virus, in a total of 18 countries, WHO said Sunday.
The United States has reported 226 confirmed cases in 30 states. The U.S. cases include one death -- a Mexican toddler visiting relatives in the United States.
According to WHO, Canada has 70 confirmed cases; the United Kingdom has 15; Spain has 13; Germany has 6; New Zealand has 4; Israel has 3; France has 2; and Austria, China, South Korea, Denmark, Netherlands, Switzerland, Costa Rica and Ireland each have one.
In China, officials have quarantined 68 people, including 13 crew members, who were passengers of a Mexico City to Shanghai flight, which carried a passenger who tested positive for the virus, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported Sunday. None of the other passengers has exhibited any flu-like symptoms, one health official said.
About another 110 people who were on the Aeromexico plane went on to other destinations, and may face quarantines elsewhere, the news agency said. Fifteen have been quarantined at a Beijing hotel.
Shanghai's airport is now barring other Aeromexico planes from landing there, a representative of the airline told CNN. Aeromexico is suspending flights to Shanghai until May 15, the representative said. The airline does not fly to Hong Kong or Beijing.
In the United States, New York has the most confirmed cases, with 63, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Texas has 40; California has 26; Arizona 18; South Carolina 15; Delaware 10; Massachusetts and New Jersey each have seven; Colorado has four; Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Virginia, Wisconsin each have three; Connecticut, Kansas and Michigan each have two; Alabama, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Utah each have one.
California officials suspended visitation and other "nonessential activities" at Centinela State Prison in Imperial County after an inmate was suspected of having swine flu. The case has yet to be confirmed with lab testing.
On Sunday, health officials in North Carolina and Pennsylvania announced the first confirmed cases in those states, and Louisiana's governor said his state had seven confirmed cases. The cases from those three states were not immediately included in the CDC tally.
In Washington, U.S. Secretary of Health Kathleen Sebelius, appearing on CNN's "State of the Union," warned that even if the flu outbreak wanes, "it could come back with greater force in the winter and fall, when we get into flu season."
"So, this is no time for complacency," she said. "We want to stay out ahead of this."
Dr. Anne Schuchat, the CDC's interim deputy director for public health, told reporters Sunday that she was "heartened" by Mexican authorities' reports but still is "very cautious."
"I know that influenza can be surprising, and the time course here in the United States is later. We believe we're just on the upswing here, and in several parts of Mexico, cases began quite a while ago," Schuchat said.
"From what I know about influenza, I do expect more cases, more severe cases and I do expect more deaths," she added. "And I'm particularly concerned about what will happen in the fall."
Acting CDC Director Richard Besser, also speaking on "State of the Union," said U.S. health officials are examining whether people who received flu shots for the swine flu in 1976 may have some level of protection from the current swine flu.
"That's going to play in very, very big as we move forward with our plans around vaccines, because that may help guide some of the issues around who is most at risk at getting this in the future," Besser said.
Offering a general picture of the state of U.S. efforts to combat the virus, Besser said "there are encouraging signs."
"We're not out of the woods yet," he said. "But what we've learned about the virus itself -- it doesn't contain the factors that we know are seen in much more severe flu strains."
While the new virus strain in the recent outbreak has affected humans, Canadian officials said it has shown up at a pig farm in Alberta, Canada.
Officials said the pigs may have been infected by a Canadian farmer who recently returned from a trip to Mexico, the epicenter of the outbreak. The pigs have since been quarantined.
"We have determined that the virus H1N1, found in these pigs, is the virus which is being tracked in the human population," said Dr. Brian Evans of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. iReport.com: How should H1N1 be handled?
Evans and other officials said it is not uncommon for flu viruses to jump from humans to animals, and that it does not pose a risk for consuming pork. The number of pigs infected was not disclosed.
The infected farmer had flu-like symptoms, but he is recovering, Evans said. Learn about the virus »
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Coming Out Day Hailed
National Coming Out Day was hailed as an essential day of recognition and support in the wake of a rash of GLTB youth suicides.
An Oct. 11 article at Syracuse.com traced the day’s beginnings to 23 years ago, in 1987. The day was initially meant to bolster GLBT visibility and mutual support in the face of the ongoing AIDS crisis. In 1987, an article about National Coming Out Day that is posted at the Human Rights Campaign’s website says, the NAMES Project Quilt was shown for the first time. The quilt is a giant textile made from individual panels that bear the names of AIDS victims. The date for National Coming Out Day commemorates the date of the 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.
But this year’s observance in the LGBT community of National Coming Out Day, which is commemorated each Oct. 11, unfolds against an equally grim background: a plethora of suicides by gay teenagers who were reportedly the victims of anti-gay bullying and harassment.
"Coincidentally, today’s annual celebration falls one day after Republican gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino stated his opposition to same-sex marriage during a speech before Orthodox Jewish leaders in Brooklyn," the article notes.
Paladino, a Catholic, cited the teachings of his faith on Oct. 11 in defending comments he had made the previous day to an audience in a Brooklyn synagogue. Paladino said that children should not be "brainwashed" at school into thinking that to be gay is okay.
On Oct. 11, Paladino backpedaled, saying on television that he has no problem with gays, outside of his conviction that marriage should be reserved as a special right for heterosexuals. Paladino also echoed the Catholic tenet that homosexuality is an inborn, innate characteristic and not a "choice," although acts of same-sex physical intimacy are condemned by the church as "inherently evil."
GLBT equality groups have condemned such rhetoric as possibly being a catalyst for tragedies in which GLBT youths kill themselves.
Suyracuse.com reported that Syracuse University’s LGBT Resource Center had scheduled films and discussions to address the topic of GLBT youth and their plight in the homophobic culture of many high schools, and American culture at large.
Similarly, film screenings and other events were scheduled to take place at Colorado College in Colorado Springs., Colo., noted local newspaper the Colorado Springs Independent in an Oct. 11 article. The newspaper noted that Coming Out Day is "a day not just for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning individuals to speak out about who they are, but also a day for allies to step up and be active voices." The article also addressed the role of affirming churches and people of faith: "With the large percentage of religious organizations in Colorado Springs, the topic is certainly worth discussing," the article said.
Colorado Springs is home to anti-gay organizations such as Focus on the Family and the Family Research Institute, but students at the college planned assorted activities in honor of National Coming Out Day, including a "Spiritual Journeys Luncheon" at the office of the school’s chaplain, and an "Ally Workshop."
Moreover, college GLBT equality group EQUAL volunteered to make videos of anyone wishing to record a supportive video message aimed at reassuring gay teens that might be contemplating suicide. The videos were meant to be shown to local support groups and possibly added to the "It Gets Better" project, a series of messages posted at YouTube in which celebrities and everyday people, gay and straight alike, appeal to gay youths not to despair.
The Village Voice offered a selection of personal stories in observance of National Coming Out Day. Among those contributing brief essays about their own coming out stories are Village Voice columnist Michael Musto, Queer Rising founding member Jake Goodman, and New York Times web producer Mekado Murphy.
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From Our 2010 Archives
High BPA Levels May Hurt Sperm Quality
Men With High Levels of Chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) More Likely to Have Low Sperm Count, Motility, Study Finds
By Denise Mann
Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD
Oct. 27, 2010 -- Men with high urinary levels of the controversial chemical bisphenol A (BPA) may have lower sperm quality, which could affect their ability to conceive a child.
The new study, which appears in Fertility and Sterility, is the first to link BPA levels to sperm quality in humans. Other studies with similar results were conducted in animals. Exactly how BPA can affect sperm is not known, but animal studies have shown that BPA may have a negative impact on sperm production.
"The higher the BPA exposure, the worse the semen quality," says study author De-Kun Li, MD, PhD, a reproductive and perinatal epidemiologist at Kaiser Permanente's Division of Research in Oakland. "The findings add more weight to the evidence about the effects of BPA on sperm quality," he says.
Of 218 men who worked in a factory in China, those with higher levels of BPA exposure had two to four times the risk of poor semen quality, including low sperm count and motility (the ability of the sperm to move toward the egg), compared to their counterparts who had lower levels of urinary BPA or no detectable BPA in their urine. Some of the factory workers were exposed to BPA on the job while others were not.
BPA levels varied among the men, but occupational exposure to BPA was the most significant contribution to higher levels of BPA.
Evidence Against BPA Mounting
Many manufacturers have already taken steps to eliminate the BPA in baby bottles and cups, but the chemical is also found in the linings of canned foods, plastic containers, dental sealants, and cigarette filters. The FDA has called for more study on BPA because of its "potential health concerns," and the Canadian government recently placed BPA on its list of toxic chemicals.
The time is now to take steps to reduce BPA exposure, Li says.
"You don't have to wait for regulatory agencies to ban BPA," he says. "In most cases, avoiding BPA doesn't cost much." Simple ways to steer clear of BPA involve not eating canned foods.
"This study clearly shows that BPA exposures adversely affect men in a serious way: by influencing their semen quality, which could have obvious impacts on their ability to have children," Laura N. Vandenberg, PhD, of the department of biology at Tufts University in Boston, says in an email.
"This study also shows that adult men are sensitive to BPA, and even small amounts of the chemical can have pretty drastic effects," she says. "What remains to be seen is whether the effects of BPA on semen quality are permanent after the kinds of low, chronic exposures that most adults experience."
Findings May Not Apply to U.S.
Steven G. Hentges, PhD, of the Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group of the American Chemistry Council, a trade group in Washington, D.C., says the new findings are likely not generalizable to people in the U.S.
"This study wasn't designed to look at consumers, who in contrast to the Chinese workers in this study are exposed to low levels of BPA," he says.
"In the U.S., worker safety programs limit exposure to BPA with proper personal protective equipment," he says. As a result, exposures are likely not as high among U.S. workers.
And "even with extreme high exposures in this study, most of the workers with poor sperm quality still did not meet criteria for infertility as designated by the World Health Organization," he says.
SOURCES: Li, D. Fertility & Sterility, manuscript received ahead of print.De-Kun Li, MD, PhD, reproductive and perinatal epidemiologist, Kaiser Permanente's Division of Research, Oakland, Calif.Laura N. Vandenberg, PhD, department of biology, Tufts University, Boston.Steven G. Hentges, PhD, Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group, American Chemistry Council, Washington, D.C.Toyama, Y. Archives of Histology and Cytology, 2004: vol 67: pp 373-381.
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Earth & Space Week 2005: Celebrating our planet while reaching for the stars
ESA PR 07-2005. From 12 to 20 February, world leaders, policy makers and space experts will gather in Brussels for a week packed with events organised with a view to the 3rd Earth Observation Summit - taking place for the first time in Europe - and a major conference on international cooperation in space.
Earth and Space Week 2005 is being organised by the European Commission in collaboration with the European Space Agency.
The International Earth Observation Summit on 16 February will help shape future Earth observation capabilities and applications and increase cooperation in space, especially vis-à-vis the developing world.
Better coordinated observation systems could save lives and preserve resources. The recent Asian tsunami, which spread devastation across twelve countries and led to the loss of over 180 000 lives, tragically underlines the increasing importance of anticipation, planning and response.
Being able to survive such ordeals calls for systems that can forewarn decision-makers and the public, thus reducing the chances of natural hazards turning into major disasters. In all, 55 nations, 30 international organisations, the European Commission and the European Space Agency are involved in a drive to establish a network of comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable systems for observing the Earth and sharing scientific data.
The foundations for a Global Earth Observation System of Systems will be laid on 16 February with the approval of a Ten-Year Implementation Plan to create a GEOSS. Proponents believe the System could reduce famine, eliminate epidemics and save lives in future.
On 16 February, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will sign the International Charter "Space and Major Disasters". JAXA will thus become a backer of this initiative, which aims at providing a unified system of space data acquisition and delivery to those affected by natural or man-made disasters. Each member has committed resources to support the provisions of the Charter, helping to mitigate the impact of such disasters on human life and property.
On 17-18 February, addressing the theme “Winning through Cooperation: Sharing the Benefits of Space”, an International Conference on Cooperation in Space will bring together space experts from all space-faring agencies. This event will highlight the shared gains from international cooperation on space programmes, assess the scope for new avenues for cooperation and consider the role the European space programme – currently being planned in the framework of the European Space Council (see ESA Press Release N° 62-2004) - could play in strengthening international cooperation.
A live link-up with the astronauts currently on board the International Space Station will open the conference proceedings. This will be followed by keynote speeches by ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain and EC Vice President Günter Verheugen.
Earth and Space Week 2005 will on 17 February also play host to a European International Space Station Business Club (IBC) workshop on “ISS & Beyond”. Speakers from ESA, national space agencies and industry will focus on the European space exploration programme and the opportunities it could open up for companies in this area.
An Earth and Space Exhibition will run from 12 to 20 February at Autoworld. With entrance free of charge, the over 3000m2 of attractive exhibits and visual information will allow visitors of all ages to enjoy and share the most exciting successes of European space activities.
A special media programme has been set up for journalists attending the various events. There will be extensive interview opportunities with policy makers, experts and European astronauts. A theme-based media briefing day on Earth observation is also planned.
- 11 February 2005 - Inauguration, Earth & Space Expo (Autoworld, Parc du Cinquantenaire, Brussels). Join ESA, the European Commission and senior officials and dignitaries for a sneak preview.
- 12 February, 10–11 a.m. - "Planet Earth Seen from Above" A breakfast-time discussion (Earth & Space Expo, Autoworld, Parc du Cinquantenaire). European Astronauts will share their experiences and bring to life the beauty and fragility of the planet as seen from the unique perspective of space.
- 15 February 2005 - Theme-based media briefings (Earth & Space Expo, Autoworld, Parc du Cinquantenaire). Get insights into why Earth observation is vital for the environment, world security and our daily lives. Experts from European and international organisations working in the field will discuss their activities. At the end of each briefing, the floor will be open for a Q&A session.
- 16 February 2005 - Earth Observation Summit (Palais d’Egmont, Brussels). Ministers and senior officials from around the world will meet for the historic approval and presentation of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) Ten-Year Implementation Plan.
- 16 February 2005 - (6 p.m., Autoworld, Parc du Cinquantenaire). JAXA to sign the International Charter "Space and Major Disasters".
- 17-18 February 2005 - International Conference on Cooperation in Space (Charlemagne Building, Brussels). Senior space agency officials, space industry representatives and delegates from government agencies around the globe will discuss new avenues for international cooperation on space and major disasters, space and development, space science and how the future European space programme can play a role.
- 17 February 2005, 2–6 p.m. - IBC "ISS & Beyond" (Earth & Space Expo, Autoworld, Room Mahy). First European International Space Station Business Club.
- 12 to 20 February - Earth & Space Expo (admission 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekends at Autoworld, Parc du Cinquantenaire). Free, suitable for all ages. Aimed at raising interest and awareness in terrestrial and space issues. The over 3000m2 exhibition area will offer a fascinating voyage of discovery across our planet and beyond.
To register to attend the Earth & Space Week 2005 media events, please visit the online press centre.
For information on the media programme and activities:
Boris Kandziora, Press and Information Officer
Simonetta Cheli, Head of Institutional Relations
Tel + 39 06 9418 0350
Franco Bonacina, Head of Media Relations
Tel + 33 1 5369 7713
To register to attend Earth & Space Week media events, contact:
Mónica Vicente Cristina (print press only)
Hill & Knowlton International
Gérald Alary (audiovisual media only)
DDB Focus Europe - working under European Commission contract for this event
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You know what they say about success having a thousand fathers. Those who sired the original Ford Mustang would certainly liven up any cocktail hour with their brains and ego. The folk legend creator of Ford's sporty compact is Lee Iacocca, who more accurately deserves credit for believing that people would buy it; Hal Sperlich was Dearborn's interpreter of youthful trends. Meanwhile, Ford's global director of racing, Jacque Passino, was also redirecting the company's image. All were irreplaceable in the Mustang's gestation. But the guy who did the most to make the Mustang a functional, profitable reality was Donald Frey.
Starting around 1960, when the Ford Motor Company was embarking on its Total Performance reinvention, Frey was best known around the management suite as a scientifically trained engineer with a stout academic bent. In a different life, he might have been a concert pianist or even a theology professor, since he was bestowed with generational knowledge within his family. Instead, Frey was a second-generation prodigy in metallurgy. His father had been so tasked in the top management of a John Deere factory in St. Louis, where Frey was born in 1923, and later went on to Allis-Chalmers.
Frey was a Michigan State undergrad when World War II broke out, and had also been working at Packard, in the department that was assembling Rolls-Royce Merlin aero engines under license. Following Army service, he obtained baccalaureate, master's and doctoral degrees in metallurgy from the University of Michigan, where he then became a teaching fellow. He had to make ends meet by working summers in a steel mill. Then, in 1951, Ford hired him as an analyst in its research laboratories. By 1957, he was named chief engineer for passenger-car design.
That was when the roof fell in. The new Edsel was quickly condemned as a flop. Before long, Ford president Robert McNamara left the company to become John F. Kennedy's secretary of defense. A new power center in the company began to coalesce around Iacocca, who by then was head of the Ford Division. He established a somewhat covert, ad hoc group to brainstorm the brand's future direction, named the Fairlane Committee--not after the car, but instead for the Dearborn motel where the crew met clandestinely. One member of that group was Frey.
Shortly thereafter, Ford rolled out a lithe two-seat concept called the Mustang I, a mid-engine two-seater with V-4 power borrowed from the Cardinal, a front-drive world car championed by Iacocca's predecessor, McNamara. Iacocca wrung the Cardinal's neck, dismissing it as contradictory to Total Performance. The Mustang I never saw showroom daylight, though it did become a template of sorts for the all-conquering GT endurance racer. On the ground, however, Ford had just shrugged off the lingering debt load associated with the Edsel debacle, and had committed to spending a quarter-billion dollars on revamping its already-approved 1965 models.
No money was left for Ford to take a flyer on any kind of radical halo car. Chevrolet had already shown the Corvair, and Henry Ford II had gunned down four straight sporty car proposals. Iacocca tried again in 1962; this time, Ford II gave the project his blessing, and a paltry budget of $40 million.
Working within those restrictions was where Frey, who by then was in charge of Ford Division product planning, truly shone. It was Frey who determined that the production Mustang would be built on donor Falcon technology, ensuring that both the cost and impossibly short development-cycle targets could actually be met. Those goals assured, the styling team, led by Gene Bordinat and including John Najjar (who gave the car its name, after the World War II fighter, not the horse) had a freer hand to be creative.
And lo, the Mustang became reality, blowing Ford's original break-even and sales projections into shrapnel. Frey was promoted again and placed in charge of North America vehicle development, earning a piece in Time magazine that called him "The Thinker." He left Ford in 1968, advanced early home-video technology while later serving as chairman of Bell & Howell, and taught engineering at Northwestern University in Chicago for more than 20 years.
Thanks in great part to Frey's intelligent grasp of product realities, the Mustang became a franchise, a "forever" thing and genuine American touchstone. While a top Ford executive, Frey also gave the production go-ahead to other memorable advances, among them the original two-way Doorgate for Ford station wagons. The people who remember him most are Mustang collectors, however, who treated him as a god. Donald Frey still owned an original, first-generation Mustang when he died March 5, 2010, at age 86 in his adopted hometown of Evanston, Illinois.
This article originally appeared in the August, 2010 issue of Hemmings Classic Car.
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Vol. 13 No. 133
SUMMARY OF THE FIFTH SESSION OF THE UNITED
NATIONS FORUM ON FORESTS:
The fifth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF-5) was held from 16-27 May 2005, at UN headquarters in New York. The main task before UNFF-5 was to review the effectiveness of the international arrangement on forests (IAF) and redesign the arrangement, if necessary.
During the two-week session, delegates: reviewed progress and considered future actions; reviewed the effectiveness of the IAF; considered the parameters of a mandate for developing a legal framework on all types of forests; and considered enhanced cooperation and policy and programme coordination.
During the course of the meeting, there was a panel discussion on forest issues in the Asia and Pacific region. UNFF-5 also convened a high-level segment and policy dialogue with heads of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) organizations, during which delegates considered three main issues: forest law enforcement and governance and sustainability; restoring the world’s forests; and actions for the future. A multi-stakeholder dialogue was also held immediately following the high-level segment.
In the end, UNFF-5 was unable to reach agreement on strengthening the IAF and could not produce either a ministerial statement or a negotiated outcome. By Thursday, 26 May, delegates had agreed ad referendum to four global goals on: significantly increasing the area of protected forests and sustainably managed forests worldwide; reversing the decline in official development assistance (ODA) for sustainable forest management (SFM); reversing the loss of forest cover; and enhancing forest-based economic, social and environmental benefits. They also agreed in principle to negotiate, at some future date, the terms of reference for a voluntary code or international understanding as well as means of implementation. On Friday afternoon, delegates decided to forward the draft negotiating text to UNFF-6, to be held from 13-24 February 2006, at UN headquarters in New York.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE UNFF
The UNFF followed a five-year period (1995-2000) of forest policy dialogue facilitated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests (IPF) and the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF). In October 2000, the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), in resolution E/2000/35, established UNFF as a subsidiary body with the main objective to promote the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests. To achieve its main objective, principal functions were identified for UNFF, namely to:
The IPF/IFF processes produced more than 270 proposals for action towards SFM, known collectively as the IPF/IFF Proposals for Action. These proposals served as the basis for the UNFF Multi-Year Programme of Work (MYPOW) and Plan of Action and have been discussed at annual UNFF sessions. Country- and organization-led initiatives also contributed to the work of the UNFF.
ORGANIZATIONAL SESSION: The UNFF organizational session and informal consultations on the MYPOW took place from 12-16 February 2001, at UN headquarters in New York. Delegates agreed that the UNFF Secretariat would be located in New York and addressed progress towards the establishment of the CPF, a partnership of 14 major forest-related international organizations, institutions and convention secretariats.
UNFF-1: The first session of UNFF took place from 11-23 June 2001, at UN headquarters in New York. Delegates discussed and adopted decisions on UNFF’s MYPOW, a Plan of Action for the implementation of the IPF/IFF Proposals for Action, and UNFF’s work with the CPF. They also recommended establishing three ad hoc expert groups to provide technical advice to UNFF on: approaches and mechanisms for monitoring, assessment and reporting; finance and transfer of environmentally sound technologies; and consideration with a view to recommending the parameters of a mandate for developing a legal framework on all types of forests.
UNFF-2: The second session of UNFF took place from 4-15 March 2002, at UN headquarters in New York. Delegates adopted a Ministerial Declaration and Message to the World Summit on Sustainable Development and eight decisions on:
UNFF-3: UNFF-3 met in Geneva, Switzerland, from 26 May – 6 June 2003. UNFF-3 adopted six resolutions on:
UNFF-3 also finalized the terms of reference for the three ad hoc expert groups, a task that had been carried forward from UNFF-2. Also adopted was a decision on the voluntary reporting format.
UNFF-4: UNFF-4 convened in Geneva, Switzerland, from 3-14 May 2004. UNFF-4 adopted five resolutions on:
UNFF-4 attempted but could not agree on resolutions on traditional forest-related knowledge and enhanced cooperation and policy and programme coordination.
Chair Manuel Rodriguez Becerra opened the session on Monday, 16 May 2005, by reporting progress in institution building and policymaking at the global level, but identified significant gaps between goals and achievements. He highlighted continued deforestation, urged delegates to decide on future actions, and expressed hope that the UNFF-5 high-level ministerial segment would produce strong recommendations to ECOSOC and the UN General Assembly. Noting a positive climate for decision making, he called on UNFF-5 to produce a strong body of regulations on sustainable forest management.
Pekka Patosaari, Coordinator and Head of the UNFF Secretariat, highlighted the important role of UNFF processes such as the Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue. He called for outcomes that would reinvigorate commitment and provide guidance for the future IAF, and stressed the need for additional funding. He indicated the importance of continued CPF support for the UNFF, and suggested that the work of the new IAF could contribute to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
On Tuesday, 17 May, Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai addressed UNFF-5. She recounted the replacement of a natural forest ecosystem in Kenya by monoculture plantations, which has caused land degradation and water shortages, and underscored that the foundations of a secure state are a sustainably managed environment, democracy and a culture of peace. She appealed for support for a Congo River Basin forest ecosystem convergence plan for forest protection that has been formulated by central African heads of state, noting that, while many consultations have taken place concerning the Congo Basin, little action has occurred on the ground. Maathai called for the creation of an efficient, accountable and transparent trust fund managed by international bodies, and suggested that the Food and Agriculture Organization play a central role in the convergence plan.
ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS: On Monday, delegates elected to the Bureau Manuel Rodriguez Becerra (Colombia) as Chair, Vasile Lupu (Romania), Francis K. Butagira (Uganda), Denys Gauer (France) as Vice-Chairs and Rezlan Ishar Jenie (Indonesia) as Vice-Chair-cum-Rapporteur. Delegates adopted the agenda (E/CN.18/2005/1). Patosaari reported that an itemization of trust fund contributions would be made available but that there is no written report on the status of the Secretariat. On Tuesday, 17 May, delegates elected Simeon A. Adekanye (Nigeria) as Vice-Chair to replace Butagira who had to return home.
The following report is organized by agenda item.The section entitled “Future of the International Arrangement on Forests” contains a detailed account of the negotiations on the future international arrangement.
ENHANCED COOPERATION AND POLICY AND PROGRAMME COORDINATION
On Monday, 16 May, Hosny El-Lakany, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), presented the CPF Framework 2005 (E/CN.18/2005/INF/1). He noted that the document recounts the CPF’s progress since its inception, including work on streamlining national reporting, harmonization of requests for information and definitions, creation of a database on SFM funding sources, information-sharing, technical and financial assistance, capacity building and awareness raising. He noted the need for strengthening external funding for implementation of the IPF/IFF Proposals for Action, work at the regional and national levels, and interaction with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
A large number of countries responded to this with a renewed call for greater political will and implementation of internationally-agreed SFM commitments taking a cross-sectoral approach, and to back this with predictable funding, transfer of environmentally-sound technologies, capacity building, and utilization of traditional forest knowledge. Many suggested the development of a smaller number of high-priority goals, particularly those linked to reducing deforestation, forest degradation, and linking these to poverty reduction and the MDGs.
Countries also expressed the need for a CPF seed fund that would facilitate enhanced coordination, and focus on avoiding duplication and excessive bureaucracy. Some stressed the need for regional approach supported by the private sector and civil society, and discussed the possible role of the UNFF secretariat beyond UNFF-5. Several expressed their preference for or against the development of an LBI.
ASIA AND PACIFIC DAY
On Wednesday, 18 May, delegates convened in a morning panel discussion that focused on forests in the Asia and Pacific Regions. The panel and ensuing discussion focused on issues relating to China’s high demand for forest products, timber certification, empowerment of women in rural Nepal, Japan’s contribution to SFM in the region, SFM in India, and the Millennium Development Goals. A Chair’s summary of the Asia and Pacific Day panel discussion was appended to the draft decision that was forwarded to ECOSOC for adoption.
A summary of the presentations and the discussion can be found at: http://www.iisd.ca/vol13/enb13126e.html
On Wednesday morning, 25 May, delegates met in a high-level segment (HLS). The HLS focused on the linkages between forests and the international development goals, including those in the Millennium Declaration. It was also an opportunity for ministers and other high-level delegates to express their views on the future of the IAF. A summary of this portion of the HLS can be found at http://www.iisd.ca/vol13/enb13131e.html
On Wednesday afternoon, the HLS broke into two roundtables. Roundtable I discussed themes relating to restoring the world’s forests. Roundtable II discussed forest law enforcement and governance. Summaries of both discussions can be found at: http://www.iisd.ca/vol13/enb13131e.html
On Thursday, 26 May, delegates resumed the HLS to discuss actions for the future. This discussion represented a final opportunity for ministers and other high-level delegates to restate their positions on the future arrangement on forests. A summary of this portion of the HLS can be found at http://www.iisd.ca/vol13/enb13132e.html
Immediately following the HLS on Wednesday, 25 May, the Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue (MSD) was held. Representatives of the Major Groups read a series of prepared statements. There was no discussion of these statements. Brief summaries of the statements can be found at http://www.iisd.ca/vol13/enb13131e.html
FUTURE INTERNATIONAL ARRANGEMENT ON FORESTS
On Monday, 16 May, Patosaari proposed and delegates agreed to consider jointly the following agenda items: review of the effectiveness of the IAF (E/CN.18/2005/6); review of progress and consideration of future actions (E/CN.18/2005/8); and consideration with a view to recommending the parameters of a mandate for developing a legal framework on all types of forests (E/CN.18/2005/9). These agenda items were discussed in plenary sessions, working groups, and thereafter in a contact group and an informal group. On Wednesday, 18 May, delegates were presented for the first time with the Chair’s draft decision and a draft ministerial statement. The Bureau prepared the Chair’s draft decision, which was based on country statements made during the plenary discussions on Monday, 16 May and Tuesday, 17 May.
On Thursday, 19 May, Working Group I (WGI) discussed the Chair’s draft decision on the IAF, while Working Group II (WGII) considered the ministerial declaration and the global goals and financial matters in the Chair’s draft decision. On Wednesday, 25 May a contact group was formed to discuss all aspects of the Chair’s draft decision together.
Delegates delivered their opening statements in plenary on Monday and Tuesday, 16-17 May.
Jamaica, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China (G-77/China), supported by Indonesia, Nigeria, Cuba, Ghana, Gabon, Kenya, India, South Africa, Senegal, Namibia, Guyana, and Argentina, reiterated the need to implement internationally-agreed commitments to SFM, and stressed the importance of identifying appropriate financial mechanisms and predictable funds for SFM. She urged developed countries to assist in the transfer of environmentally-sound technologies and capacity building in support of best practices and utilization of traditional forest knowledge. Finally, she called for a comprehensive approach to address the links between SFM and socioeconomic development.
Luxembourg, on behalf of the EU, supported by Canada, the US, and Switzerland, stated that the present IAF has not achieved its full potential, and, supported by Australia, said that civil society and the private sector have not been adequately engaged. Supported by Canada, Switzerland, and Iran, he stated that clear, quantitative targets and goals were essential for securing political commitment and accountability. He suggested the following targets, each to be achieved by 2015: doubling the area of forests under sustainable management; reducing by half the number of people in extreme poverty of those whose livelihoods are dependent on forests; and reducing by half the global deforestation rate. Supported by the Republic of Korea, he advocated the creation of an LBI.
Australia, supported by Iran, recommended creating regional forest fora that would focus on region-specific action plans and targets, but would share a limited number of overarching global goals. Iran emphasized the importance of capacity building to enhance reporting and monitoring.
Indigenous Peoples called for the consideration of indigenous and tribal rights to land and resource tenure in any future IAF.
REPORT OF THE AD HOC EXPERT GROUP ON PARAMETERS: Andrea Albán Durán (Colombia) and Tim Rollinson (UK) presented the report of the Ad Hoc Expert Group on consideration with a view to recommending the parameters of a mandate to develop a legal framework on all types of forests (AHEG-PARAM) (E/CN.18/2005/2), including an analysis of existing institutions and the identification of options for the future IAF. They noted that both non-LBI and LBI options would require common “building blocks,” but that an LBI would add the legal obligation to report on forests and send a stronger signal that forests are a global priority.
Rosalía Arteaga Serrano, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, supported by Guyana called for strengthening UNFF to promote implementation. She opposed an LBI and quantifiable targets, and said a future IAF should seek to increase SFM areas, integrate forest management and development, and promote long-term political commitment and implementation of regional agendas.
Canada stressed that forests’ potential to serve development goals remains unfulfilled. He favored an LBI and stated that a future IAF should, inter alia: be performance-based; incorporate a strengthened UNFF and CPF; integrate forest policy and development; include a voluntary review mechanism based on national commitments; utilize regional processes; and include a voluntary code of conduct.
Norway said the IAF has not met expectations, noting unabated rates of deforestation. He said an LBI would strengthen political commitment and attract financial resources, and called for an IAF based on a limited number of objectives, regional processes to facilitate country implementation, linkage between SFM and development goals, and a strengthened CPF.
The US noted that the IAF had failed to place forests high on the political agenda, and called for a more focused and structured, but non-legally binding, arrangement. She proposed strengthening the CPF, involving major groups in an advisory capacity, and holding regional subsidiary body meetings on implementation.
Cuba stated its willingness to consider all options, including an LBI. He stressed defining goals as well as the means for obtaining SFM in terms of financial resources and technology transfer.
Switzerland queried why country reporting and use of the questionnaire format developed at UNFF-4 were so limited. He identified obstacles to the current IAF, including a lack of focus, a coherent framework, and political will. He advocated a voluntary code and, supported by New Zealand, global goals and targets, regional processes, and provision of financial resources for implementation.
New Zealand expressed frustration with the limited progress of the current IAF, and expressed concern over the CPF’s effectiveness. He noted the unwieldiness of implementing the IPF/IFF Proposals for Action, and called for helping countries determine their priorities. He noted insufficient support for an LBI, and called for high-level political engagement in order to mobilize international support and resources, with emphasis placed on regional- and national-level implementation.
Youth and Children, on behalf of six other major groups, noted gains made in increasing major group participation in the forest policy dialogue but called for, inter alia, formalized roles for major group focal points, financial support for major group participation, and an assignment of staff to work with major groups.
China expressed support for an LBI that would balance the principle of national sovereignty with the fulfillment of international obligations and enhance cooperation and participation.
The Russian Federation noted the achievements of UNFF, and called for strengthening the IAF. He suggested that UNFF provide clear guidance to the CPF and regional processes, integrate SFM goals with the MDGs and formulate specific targets and timetables.
Nigeria noted that UNFF has yet to fulfill its commitments with regard to capacity building, transfer of technology, and provision of financial assistance. He opposed an LBI and supported strengthening UNFF.
Guatemala noted that some experts at the Zapopan-Guadalajara country-led initiative in January 2005 had expressed interest in an LBI containing clear goals capable of contributing to broader social agendas and regional initiatives. Mexico recommended a high-level political framework with a new mandate, specific tasks, and capacity to provide funding and define a future legal framework. Ghana, on behalf of the Africa Group, supported by Namibia, Gabon, Senegal, Kenya and South Africa, stressed the importance of linking forests with the MDGs and balancing social, economic and environmental interests, and noted that lack of funding has hindered national reporting.
South Africa emphasized that implementation must replace dialogue and, supported by Indonesia and Argentina, take into account developing countries needs. She recommended accessing existing structures such as the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States, and existing strategies such as the New Partnership for Africa’’s Development. She advocated engagement with civil society, strengthening the CPF and Global Environment Facility (GEF) funding, and a global forest fund (GFF).
Mozambique urged delegates to design a future arrangement that will improve implementation and address institutional weaknesses, the inadequate international legal framework, and lack of human and financial resources. Noting his country's implementation efforts, he urged UNFF to assist countries in improving domestic legal frameworks and in implementing programmes with immediate impact.
Indonesia noted its work on decentralization, protected areas and national parks and called for institutional capacity, financial resources, and human capital to meet the challenges of SFM. He called for a high-level IAF to play a central role in catalyzing regional cooperation on implementing the IPF/IFF Proposals for Action, such as through partnership and governance initiatives. He supported financially strengthening the CPF, increasing ODA in the context of forest development and the MDGs, and innovative financing such as a Global Environment Facility (GEF) operational programme on forests. He said regional processes should utilize existing UN regional economic commissions and development institutions.
Argentina favored an international legal instrument, preferably binding, for forest protection, noting that such a system should respect national sovereignty, reflect common but differentiated responsibilities, and ensure developing countries’ capacity for forest protection and sustainable management. He recommended leaving open the option of establishing an LBI in the future.
Brazil rejected proposals for an LBI, quantifiable targets, and a voluntary code of conduct, and stressed the importance of the non-binding 1992 Forest Principles and Chapter 11 of Agenda 21. He said a future IAF should center on a strengthened UNFF and pursue, inter alia: financial resources channeled through a global forest fund; national policies to promote SFM; international cooperation, including south-south cooperation; capacity building; transfer of environmentally sound technology; stakeholder participation; criteria and indicators (C&I); and market transparency. He said an ideal outcome of UNFF-5 would strengthen existing instruments and ensure long-term political commitment.
The Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE) said that global efforts should be translated to regional, national and local levels. He stressed the value of regional cooperation, the role of national forest programmes (NFPs), the importance of linking SFM and the CBD ecosystem approach, and the compatibility of ecological and economic priorities.
Colombia rejected quantifiable goals, and said a strengthened IAF should eliminate the gap between dialogue and action. She stressed the need to, inter alia: pursue goals previously agreed to at other fora; implement actions that benefit indigenous peoples and local communities; hold regional meetings to facilitate national-level implementation; and ensure adequate means of implementation.
Costa Rica said that the Central American Forest Strategy has been influential in improving NFPs, and emphasized that payments for ecological services should be viewed as an investment. Kenya called for a strengthened IAF and predictable funding to address obstacles to SFM.
India recommended further work to facilitate forest-related institutions, and stated that food security and health will take precedence over NFP funding. He stated that developing an LBI is premature and that the focus should be on capacity building. Malaysia said the IAF should play a more significant role, assess the means of implementation for the Proposals for Action, and increase major group involvement.
Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), advocated strengthening the relationship between UNPFII and UNFF and ensuring full participation of indigenous peoples in decision making.
Japan stated that promotion of regional initiatives, such as the Asia Forest Partnership (AFP), is essential for achieving SFM. He said the AFP agreed to: harmonize existing initiatives to combat illegal logging; review measures for the rehabilitation of degraded lands; develop minimum standards of legality, timber tracking and chain of custody systems; and create a cooperative customs framework. He encouraged countries to establish a code as a means of strengthening political commitment to SFM.
The UK encouraged the development of clear objectives, building upon elements such as the CPF and country-led initiatives, such as the Global Workshop on Forest Landscape Restoration Implementation.
Namibia reported its progress in adopting C&I for SFM and developing its NFP, and noted that adoption of obligatory responsibilities needs to be matched by a financial mechanism. Guyana noted major implementation shortcomings, and stated that any future IAF must address social issues and acknowledge regional initiatives. Gabon highlighted the importance of debt relief for poor countries, and called for strengthening the IAF through precise objectives, clear deadlines, and permanent funding.
Workers And Trade Unions stated that combating illegal logging must take precedence over free trade. She also pointed out that as long as social justice issues are ignored forests will remain at risk, and that any future arrangement must incorporate International Labor Organization core labor standards.
Scientific and Technological Communities noted that constraints in stopping forest degradation include: lack of awareness of the IPF/IFF processes; insufficient research capacity in poor countries, including lack of access to data and research funding; and erosion of human resources due to HIV/AIDS. He recommended an international research management fund, funded by developing countries through external debt repayments and by developed countries according to their contributions to global warming, and low-interest loans from Bretton Woods institutions for research on implementation of the IPF/IFF Proposals for Action.
Farmers And Small Forest Landowners called for, inter alia, establishing clear ownership structures favoring family and community forest owners.
Youth and Children called for transfer of knowledge to the younger generation. He advocated forests as a theme for UNESCO’s Decade of Education for Sustainable Development and strengthening the participation of youth partners for implementation of the IPF/IFF Proposals for Action through fund-sharing. Non-Governmental Organizations favored addressing forests under the CBD. She criticized UNFF's promotion of monoculture forest plantations, including genetically modified species.
Women said that, despite commitments made in 1992 and 2002, mainstreaming gender equity in the environmental sector has been fragmented, superficial and inconsistent. She called on a future IAF to ensure women are viewed as central to achieving SFM.
WORKING GROUP I: The first meeting of WGI convened on Thursday, 19 May, during which a number of delegations said the Chair’s draft text was a good basis for discussion. The G-77/China requested additional time to examine the text, and the EU, Australia and the US said it was important to give them the time requested. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Cuba requested translations of the Chair’s text. Vice-Chair Ishar Jenie suspended the meeting.
WGI reconvened on Friday, 20 May, and continued its discussion of the Chair’s draft text on Monday, 23 May. The EU asked for stronger language on objectives, goals, institutional arrangements, the CPF and regional processes. Switzerland said language on a voluntary code should appear earlier in the text. The Russian Federation urged the promotion of forests within the UN system.
On the preamble, the G-77/China requested language on, inter alia: sovereign use of natural resources; common but differentiated responsibilities; and means of implementation. The EU proposed text on long-term political commitment and a strengthened CPF. Switzerland, supported by Indonesia, Iran, and Peru, suggested that the Chair’s draft decision refer to ECOSOC Resolution 2000/35, which established the UNFF. The Russian Federation requested language stressing the CPF’s role in coordinating SFM implementation at all levels. The EU, supported by Switzerland and Japan, proposed eliminating a section on complementing IAF priorities but retaining a paragraph on multi-stakeholder partnerships, with Japan adding “regional” partnerships. Australia opposed deleting text on clustering the IPF/IFF Proposals for Action. Switzerland added a paragraph on strengthening the regional approach.
The US proposed a paragraph reaffirming the relevance of the Johannesburg Declaration from the World Summit on Sustainable Development and the Forest Principles, as well as references to the importance of forests to “social and economic well-being” rather than “livelihoods,” the role of the CPF “at the center of the IAF,” and the importance of a high-level body on forests, subsidiary to ECOSOC. The US also proposed language on strengthening the IAF through existing resources and voluntary contributions, and establishing a regional approach to improve the linkage between high-level dialogue and implementation.
Japan preferred a reference to “illegal logging and associated trade” instead of “trade from illegal logging.” Cambodia added a reference to forest land encroachment as a cause of deforestation. Morocco, supported by Syria, Iran, Indonesia and Cuba, added text emphasizing the importance of economic growth and achievement of the MDGs for the conservation, management and sustainable development of all types of forests. Syria, supported by Saudi Arabia, Iran and Indonesia, suggested text referring to the special requirements of low-forest-cover-countries.
On enhanced cooperation, the G-77/China stressed that SFM policies should remain within national discretion. The EU and the US suggested different language on enhancing the contribution of forests to the achievement of internationally agreed development goals. The EU, with Switzerland, suggested including policy and programme coordination. The Russian Federation, with the EU, proposed text on coordination within the UN system. The US proposed that the CPF be the central focus of coordination on forest-related matters, while the EU, supported by Mexico and Switzerland, suggested deleting reference to a central focus. The G-77/China, supported by Indonesia and Iran, suggested referring to multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) rather than specific conventions. The EU, the G-77/China, the US and New Zealand expressed concern with complementarity, while New Zealand suggested alternative language on collaboration. Brazil advanced text on promoting research through a network of established institutes of excellence, establishing a clearinghouse mechanism for information sharing on national experiences, and facilitating developing country access to SFM technology. China preferred to “help” instead of “urge” countries to promote collaboration in implementing NFPs.
On working modalities, the EU, opposed by Switzerland, suggested separate sections on a high-level forum and regional processes. The Russian Federation suggested that UNFF meet annually and maintain a flexible work cycle. Switzerland supported a two-year work cycle, but suggested meeting regionally in year one and globally in year two. He suggested that regional meetings be hosted by the UN Regional Economic Commissions and the FAO Regional Forestry Commissions, and should, inter alia: address issues identified in the multi-year programme of work (MYPOW); be open to CPF members and other groups; report to global UNFF meetings; and be financed through the regular UN budget. The US proposed week-long biennial meetings at the global level and biennial regional meetings, sponsored by either the FAO’s Regional Forestry Commissions, or the UN Economic Commissions, or both. On regional meetings, Indonesia, with China, said the Forum should ensure the full and effective participation of developing countries.
On the MYPOW, Switzerland said UNFF should first meet globally in 2007 to adopt, inter alia, a 2008-2015 MYPOW. The US suggested the MYPOW should be organized by the seven thematic elements for SFM. He preferred a “revised” instead of “focused” mandate for the Secretariat, while Indonesia preferred a “function” instead of a mandate.
On monitoring, assessment and reporting (MAR), the US, supported by the G-77/China, the Russian Federation, Brazil and India proposed deleting text on third party assessments, peer reviews and independent evaluations. The EU, with Switzerland, proposed developing MAR processes, while Australia stressed harmonizing existing processes. China proposed inviting the CPF to coordinate existing processes.
On reviewing effectiveness, the US proposed a 2015 review. The EU and Switzerland said the review date would depend on the UNFF mandate and, opposed by the Russian Federation, objected to strengthening the Secretariat and enhancing its mandate.
On voluntary contributions to trust funds, the US and the Russian Federation specified “the UNFF” trust fund.
On the CPF, the EU and Switzerland suggested emphasizing the importance of the CPF by strengthening its role in facilitating and reporting on implementation of the Forum’s recommendations. Switzerland recommended adding language on ensuring funding for the work of the CPF, for example through the World Bank’s Programme on Forests (PROFOR) or NFP Facility trust fund arrangements. The US, supported by the EU, requested the addition of text calling for the proactive involvement of major groups to advise on implementation, with the latter opposing reference to an advisory group. Norway, supported by Australia, requested the addition of text calling for the CPF to support regional processes.
The US added a paragraph urging countries to give the CPF a mandate to develop joint action plans, and inviting the World Bank and FAO to establish, and countries to contribute to, a seed fund to support collaborative projects among CPF member organizations. He listed a number of criteria for awarding seed funding, including that: CPF organizations provide matching funds; projects focus on capacity building and implementation, “with a smaller proportion on policy issues;” and projects benefit three or more countries. Iran, supported by Saudi Arabia, stressed rehabilitation and conservation in LFCCs, and proposed inviting the CPF to strengthen the Tehran Process.
The US requested deleting a paragraph on an LBI. The EU, supported by the Republic of Korea, proposed text identifying an LBI as the best option, recommending that UNGA establish an intergovernmental negotiating committee to develop a legal framework on all types of forests, and calling upon donor governments and institutions to make voluntary contributions to a trust fund. The G-77/China, supported by the US, Argentina, Costa Rica, Cuba and Guatemala, proposed that UNFF reconsider the parameters issue in 2015, noting not all G-77/China members support the proposal.
On a voluntary code, the EU suggested deleting text establishing a code. The US proposed text on a voluntary code on SFM as a statement of commitment to the IAF and to country actions to achieve the IAF’s strategic objectives. Switzerland proposed a 2007 deadline for developing a code. Argentina, supported by Cuba and Guatemala, suggested additional text recognizing that the LBI option could be considered among other possibilities in a future review of the IAF, with Costa Rica adding that both the LBI and non-LBI options are still valid.
The US said the code should consist of the decision taken at UNFF-5, and offered text recognizing that certain paragraphs of the draft UNFF-5 decision comprise the substantive elements of a voluntary SFM code. Brazil, supported by Indonesia and Peru, added text expressing concerns about lack of financial resources and technological capacities necessary for implementation, and recognizing the need to highlight the contributions of forests and their economic value to national, regional and international economies. Switzerland, supported by Guatemala, suggested text promoting the active participation of indigenous people, women and other forest-dependent groups in policy making and implementation.
Regarding civil society, the EU suggested using standard language from the Millennium Declaration.
On means of implementation, Brazil and Guatemala proposed language on enhancing country capacity to increase products from sustainably managed forests. Brazil preferred “provide” instead of “mobilize” financial and technical resources.
On the declaration and message, Canada proposed drawing upon the UNFF-5 ministerial declaration in preparing ECOSOC’s input to UNGA.
On deforestation and forest degradation, the US, Chile and China offered a reference to illegal logging while Brazil favored “illegal trade.”
On lack of resources, Canada, with Iran, Australia, and Malaysia, proposed reference to lack of “adequate” resources. The EU and the US, opposed by the Africa Group, Nigeria, Argentina, Indonesia and Costa Rica, suggested removing the paragraph. Switzerland added a paragraph on strengthening national forest governance.
Formal discussions in WGI ended on Tuesday, 24 May. On Wednesday, 25 May, the WGI discussion was combined with the work of WGII in a contact group.
WORKING GROUP II: On Thursday, 19 May, and Friday, 20 May, WGII had a general exchange of views on the draft ministerial declaration, global goals and financial aspects. Thereafter, they convened in a contact group to negotiate two thematic elements, means of implementation and goals, in the Chair’s draft decision.
General Statements: On the ministerial declaration, the EU suggested: conveying the importance of forests in pursuit of the MDGs; delivering a clear message to the UN General Assembly Millennium Summit review; and including key messages emerging from the ministerial roundtables. The US supported the EU but noted the need to focus on strengthening the future IAF and provide compelling language on why the ministers are taking this action. She also cautioned that the real objective of the declaration is not to tie the contributions of forests only to the MDGs but to social, economic, and environmental goals in general, for greater longevity within the broader international dialogue. Switzerland also noted that linking the declaration directly to the MDGs could be misleading, suggested that more weight be given to innovative approaches to providing means of implementation, and advocated explicit mention of strengthening governance at all levels.
On global goals, the US called for a clear statement of purpose that would be understood by others. She favored identifying flexible policies and actions at the national level that would contribute to achieving agreed-upon objectives, rather than setting quantified international targets. The EU called for establishing quantifiable global goals in order to send a clear message on forests, as well as national targets, which should be related to the global goals. He reminded participants that other processes have succeeded in establishing quantified objectives. Switzerland preferred that the text include a small number of quantifiable global goals. Mexico favored quantifiable global goals associated with clear time frames, with self-defined national targets. New Zealand suggested the inclusion of realistic and measurable global goals capable of demonstrating the potential of forests to contribute to the social agenda. Canada supported the inclusion of global goals, but called for addressing deforestation separately from the issue of forest degradation.
Vice-Chair Gauer adjourned the meeting in order to allow the G-77/China more time to consider the Chair’s draft declaration.
Canada called for text on measuring degradation and doubling restored forests. Switzerland proposed that any goal relating to improving the livelihoods of forest-dependent people should include forest tenure, use and access rights. Norway called for goals on means and monitoring, favoring a goal on “forests under sustainable management” over “forest degradation” and on doubling SFM area by 2015. The US, supported by Brazil and the G-77/China, favored “strategic objectives” over quantitative targets, and the US also called for identifying national policies and targets to achieve global goals. New Zealand stated that, while he was not opposed to targets, measuring progress is the primary challenge. The EU proposed text on voluntary national targets.
Mexico stated that political commitment must be galvanized through measurable commitments linked to MDG attainment, and that discussion should continue on quantitative goals. Switzerland, supported by Canada, clarified that national commitments would be self-defined and non-binding, while global goals would measure the success of the IAF. The US suggested agreeing on the content of global goals before discussing quantifiability. The EU recommended that the global goals use language from the MDGs. Guatemala noted that targets have assisted the development of a Central American regional forest strategy.
Switzerland said funding must be linked to concrete implementation activities, including adoption of a voluntary code.
On finance, the US, the EU and Switzerland opposed a GFF. Noting declining international forest assistance, the US called for innovative leveraging of funds, including through a seed fund for CPF collaborative activities, and subsidiary regional meetings on financing specific projects. She noted successes in leveraging funds for environmental services. Switzerland noted that ODA that indirectly affects forests is increasing.
The G-77/China stressed strengthening the means of implementation and identifying relevant modalities, with more emphasis on non-south-south ODA. The EU, with Switzerland, emphasized more effective use of existing resources and funds already allocated for development. Switzerland stated that an LBI would facilitate accessing GEF funds, and stressed including forests in national development priorities to access more ODA and creating effective enabling environments for “responsible” private investment. Supported by the US, he proposed a UNFF trust fund within PROFOR or the FAO’s NFP Facility for collaborative activities among CPF members. Canada announced an annual 8% increase in its ODA, but noted that increased forest-related ODA is limited without an LBI.
Means of Implementation: The EU stated that although the EU contributes 53% of total ODA, little of this is directed towards forests. The G-77/China called for increasing means of implementation and ODA. Mexico proposed a rapprochement, including both a GFF for capacity building and implementation and a CPF seed fund. The US noted the catalytic potential of a seed fund for financing regional projects through the CPF.
Switzerland, supported by Canada, supported a seed fund for collaborative activities among CPF members rather than projects, and, supported by the EU and the Russian Federation but opposed by Mexico and the US, opposed using seed funds for projects, noting that project funding would require complex governance and transaction costs. The EU supported using existing structures for financing CPF members’ activities, and recommended that CPF members join the discussion.
Switzerland suggested that the seed fund respond to the CPF’s needs, while the US countered that member governments also have the ability to direct CPF actions. Mexico, supported by Norway and the Russian Federation, expressed concern over using the seed fund for CPF administration. Canada stressed the need to identify the unique functions the proposed fund would fulfill, and suggested this may include cross-sectoral work.
The US called for further work on how to fund broader regional projects without high transaction costs, and supported Mexico’s call for ex post evaluation.
Finland stated that NFP Facility entry points are established by host countries and that PROFOR reinforces forest-specific work through lending that targets specific thematic areas.
The US requested GEF funding “for SFM.” The Russian Federation warned that establishing a new GEF operational programme on forests is premature, and asked for figures on present GEF forest funding. Mexico, with Norway, reiterated that GEF funding is only for binding treaties and, with the EU, warned against diverting resources from other issues to forests. The EU called for “inviting the GEF Council within its mandate to consider how to further increase resources on forests.”
The US stated that the capacity for new and additional funding is limited, but that directing more of FAO’s budget toward forests would be desirable. Canada concurred, but suggested that recent agreements, such as the Monterrey Consensus and the MDGs, may signal greater availability of funds. The US suggested that regional meetings could be effective in advancing south-south cooperation, and called for forests to be part of cross-sectoral strategies and poverty reduction strategy papers (PRSPs). The EU proposed text on, inter alia, integrating financing of NFPs into PRSPs. Mexico, supported by Norway and the US, stressed the importance of maintaining private sector investment.
On means of implementation, the US proposed securing high-level political support and proposed deleting reference to including a holistic approach to local and traditional technologies. She also supported the EU’s proposal on insisting that capacity building be directed at SFM and not forests in general.
The US reiterated her desire to delete text that would limit the call for political commitment to developed countries, suggesting that this excludes many activities and undermines solidarity. The Africa Group and Indonesia favored changing the text to “in particular developed countries.” The EU suggested that the emphasis on developed countries could appear as a sub-point.
Argentina proposed urging countries to improve means of implementation “in particular to support developing countries,” while the Africa Group and Indonesia preferred urging “all countries, in particular developed countries.”
On integrating NFPs into national sustainable development strategies, the US proposed incorporating them into “economic development strategies,” while Canada preferred “national planning strategies,” including poverty reduction strategies, “where appropriate.”
On voluntary contributions to achieve IAF objectives, the US proposed “urging,” and the EU suggested “inviting” countries to contribute.
Switzerland proposed deleting a paragraph on creating a GFF, while the G-77/China suggested basing it on new and additional financial “resources on a voluntary basis” rather than “commitments.”
The EU proposed language on, inter alia, fostering partnerships between rural communities and the private sector and removing tenure restrictions that limit community access to assets and markets. Mexico, Norway and Canada questioned the need for a reference to tenure reform. On partnerships, the US requested the addition of “NGOs.”
On a proposed new GEF operational programme on forests, the G-77/China stated that such a fund should not prejudice other GEF operational programmes. The US proposed alternative wording to “respect the GEF’s mandate.”
The EU proposed paragraphs emphasizing the importance of NFP activities.
On promoting international cooperation, the G-77/China proposed moving language on “reversing the decline in ODA” for forest-related activities to the top of a list of actions for integrating NFPs into national strategies, and adding “triangular cooperation” to language on south-south cooperation.
On creating an enabling environment for the private sector, the US added “for SFM.” The EU specified “for responsible national and international private sector investment” and, opposed by the US, Mexico and Australia, proposed “fully respecting the rights to land and resources by indigenous people and other forest-dependent people.”
Norway proposed text on creating an enabling environment for involving communities and forest users in SFM. The G-77/China proposed inviting international and regional financial and development institutions to channel additional resources to developing countries to finance SFM, and enhancing the capacity of countries to significantly increase the production of forest products from sustainably managed resources.
On generating revenue through payments for forest environmental services, Canada added that this should apply to forests that are “sustainably managed.”
The US proposed deleting language on protection and use of traditional knowledge and inserting text on promoting improved forest practices through strengthening SFM standards and utilizing the UNFF regional processes as a venue for: presenting country experiences in NFP implementation; inviting the CPF and bilateral donors to examine opportunities for funding projects and programmes; and examining patterns in implementation experiences, including gaps, opportunities, and needs.
Switzerland proposed funding CPF work, for example, through creation of PROFOR or NFP Facility windows.
Indonesia suggested a reference to increasing the IAF’s effectiveness. Venezuela suggested text on taking into account national and regional differences.
The US proposed emphasizing a strengthened IAF, and the EU suggested adding reference to NFPs. After the Africa Group questioned the need to include developed countries’ involvement in PRSPs, the US suggested that donors are an important component of PRSPs. Argentina stressed the need to address social as well as economic development. Canada proposed the inclusion of PRSPs “where appropriate.” Indonesia, opposed by the EU, expressed concern about linking ODA to NFPs. Argentina proposed the addition of “providing new and additional financial resources for SFM needs in developing countries.”
On reversing forest-related ODA decline, Cambodia specified this could be done “through local government and other means.” The US noted some ODA is not declining and advocated increasing ODA specifically for forests. With the EU and Canada, she favored preambular over operational language on ODA.
On increasing voluntary contributions, the US, opposed by Mexico and the EU, specified “to the UNFF-bis trust fund.” Indonesia, supported by the Africa Group and the US, suggested inviting “donor” countries and “other countries in a position to do so.”
On making effective use of existing resources, Cuba called for urging “developed countries to fulfill their commitments already agreed on ODA,” and for a separate paragraph on a GFF. Australia supported reference to more effective use of existing resources. Mexico preferred “existing and new” resources and, with the Africa Group, favored reference to “public” resources only.
Regarding land tenure, the EU proposed “reviewing” instead of “removing” tenure restrictions, and Canada proposed “securing long-term tenure rights and removing regulatory restrictions.” The US suggested moving the language on long-term tenure rights to a later paragraph on enabling environments. Switzerland proposed moving this language to later paragraphs on securing sustainable financing.
On creating a trust fund for forests, Switzerland, the US and Norway favored combining ideas for finance using new structures at the global level, specifically through the FAO’s NFP Facility, to support national actions to implement SFM, and PROFOR, to fund collaborative work among CPF members at the global and regional levels.
On the GEF, the Africa Group opposed a proposal by the US, Switzerland and Australia to “invite the GEF Council to explore ways to give greater consideration to SFM within the relevant GEF operational programmes, including by utilizing the full range of forest-related international organizations.”
Canada proposed inserting text on “involvement of and investment by local” communities and forest users in SFM to create an enabling environment.
India and Venezuela opposed a sub-paragraph on developing innovative mechanisms for generating revenue through payments for forest environmental services. The EU suggested taking into account national conditions. Mexico and Switzerland opposed a suggestion by Canada to include reference to poor communities. The Africa Group opposed Switzerland’s suggestion for “further” developing rather than developing “innovative” mechanisms. The US noted that revenue should be generated from users of forest environmental services, with payment to those who maintain them. Mexico and the US opposed a suggestion by the Africa Group and Canada on developing mechanisms “on the national, regional, inter-regional and international levels.” The discussion was halted pending consultation within the Africa Group.
The US, opposed by Cuba, suggested increasing the “request for” ODA for forest-related activities. The EU pointed out that ODA is allocated based on national priorities, not the forest sector, and, opposed by the Africa Group and Indonesia, proposed “maximizing the share of increasing ODA flows going to forest-related activities.” Delegates agreed on text referring to the global decline in ODA for forest-related activities, but continued to deliberate on developed countries fulfilling their ODA commitments to developing countries. Canada, supported by the US and opposed by the Africa Group, stated that the two ideas should be considered separately. Cuba stressed the importance of fulfilling current commitments, while Brazil, the Africa Group and Cuba suggested considering the reversal of ODA decline as a strategic objective.
The EU, opposed by the Africa Group, proposed deleting reference to new and additional resources for SFM. The US proposed “providing,” and Brazil added “significant,” resources. Both were added, and the US specified “from all sources.”
On making SFM a higher priority, delegates agreed to an earlier proposal by the US and Canada, as modified by the Africa Group, Switzerland, and Australia, respectively, to do this through “inter alia,” integrating forests into national planning strategies “or other forest strategies,” including poverty reduction strategies where “they exist.”
On proposed alternative paragraphs regarding sources of funds, Mexico noted that funding is needed for global goals besides SFM. The EU and US proposed deleting Mexico’s proposal to create a GFF within the UNFF Trust Fund, and favored establishing: a seed fund within the UNFF Trust Fund; an SFM implementation fund through FAO’s NFP facility; and a PROFOR-based fund to facilitate collaboration among CPF members.
Goals: On the chapeau to the goals, Brazil, supported by Colombia, India, Argentina and Nigeria, proposed that “demonstrable progress” be made by 2015. Switzerland, opposed by Brazil, preferred “no later than 2020.” The US offered a compromise to specify “preferably by 2015, but no later than 2020.” The EU asked whether demonstrable progress on “efforts” or “achieving” the goals should be shown by the deadline. Switzerland proposed that “all possible efforts should be made to achieve the shared global goals by 2015, with demonstrable progress to be made by 2011.” Switzerland, with Mexico, Norway, and Costa Rica, argued that linking the forest goals review with the 2012 Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) review would help decrease reporting burdens. The US, supported by Colombia and Argentina, opposed linking a forest review to that of the CSD, preferring a separate review on forests in the same year. Cuba concurred with a separate review, but suggested it take place in 2015.” Cuba supported a review in 2015 that is separate from the CSD review. Nigeria stressed that the goals’ timeline is contingent on means of implementation.
Canada suggested achieving the goals “no later than 2020” and making demonstrable progress by 2015. The US opposed “achieving” the goals, and supported demonstrable progress.
The EU opposed specifying that UNFF should achieve the goals, stressing country responsibilities. Brazil agreed, and noted the important role international financial institutions play in pursuing the goals. He clarified that demonstrating progress will depend on means of implementation.
The EU called for measurable and time-bound targets that take into consideration language developed in other fora. The US opposed numerical “component targets.” Australia, supported by New Zealand, suggested that global goals be general, while specific national targets be developed at the discretion of countries.
The US proposed the removal of any mention of targets, and stressed the importance of differentiating goals. Syria and Morocco noted that these are the same word in Arabic. Brazil favored “objectives,” either “strategic” or “over-arching,” with the US noting that over-arching differentiates them from other objectives.
Indonesia, supported by India, proposed the removal of target dates. Switzerland, supported by Mexico, reiterated the need to go beyond general goals, while the US reiterated that progress should be measured voluntarily at the national level. The US proposed language calling for an assessment of progress made by countries and the international community in 2015.
Switzerland requested goals on forest cover and quality, and on establishing the relevance of forests to sustainable development. Canada requested specific mention of decreasing deforestation and increasing afforestation. The US proposed replacing a goal to “reverse deforestation” with “decrease significantly forest degradation, and enhance forest health.” Switzerland, supported by Argentina, insisted on quantification and stressed that the current rate of deforestation needs to be halved. Syria and Morocco proposed additional goals on LFCCs and increased funding.
On a goal to enhance forests’ contribution to achieving international development goals, the US and India preferred “goals contained in the Millennium Declaration on poverty eradication and environmental sustainability” over “MDGs.” The US suggested deleting a target to reduce by half the number of forest-dependent people in extreme poverty by 2015. Switzerland preferred “improving the livelihood of forest-dependent people, measured as a reduction of the number living in extreme poverty, including through clarification of forest tenure, use, and access rights.”
On a goal to increase forests under sustainable management, the US, with Argentina, preferred increasing “significantly,” with the exact increase defined by individual countries. The EU preferred increasing “the area of” forests. The US and Australia, opposed by Mexico and Indonesia, proposed adding “the production of forest products, including for export, from sustainably managed forests.” The US also added “legally-harvested forests.” The EU, Argentina and Mexico favored adding “by 2015.”
Switzerland, supported by Mexico, Costa Rica, New Zealand, the EU and Morocco, but opposed by Brazil, India and Indonesia, preferred quantifiable, measurable targets. New Zealand stressed realistic targets, and the US favored national targets. Mexico favored language on doubling the area of forests under sustainable management.
The group debated a paragraph listing four goals, including significantly increasing new and additional financial resources, and “significantly” versus “by 50 percent” decreasing the rate of forest degradation; eradicating poverty and increasing the area of protected and sustainably managed forests.
Mexico supported quantifiable targets on deforestation, protected forests, and SFM but, with Switzerland, not on poverty eradication. The Africa Group questioned how to achieve quantified international targets. Canada requested a link to the MDGs calling for reversing deforestation by 2015.
Co-Chair Gauer proposed removing all quantifiers from shared goals to be reviewed by 2015, but the EU and Canada favored a call to “achieve” them by 2015 as per the MDGs. Mexico noted a scheduled CSD review in 2012 and, with Switzerland, asked for clarification on national targets. Indonesia noted that development needs do not end in 2015. Brazil, the EU and Canada urged a time-bound target of 2015 for reversal of ODA decline.
On a goal on protected areas and sustainably managed forests, the Africa Group, Brazil, Indonesia, Argentina and Peru opposed time-bound quantitative goals, proposed “strategic global objectives,” and supported “significantly” increasing protected areas. The EU, Mexico, Canada and Switzerland insisted on quantitative and time-bound goals. The US supported quantitative targets at the national level and qualitative “strategic objectives” at the global level. New Zealand preferred quantitative “50 percent” goals at the global level but not at the national level, and suggested “aspiring to” achieve goals. The EU and the Africa Group advocated achieving, instead of reviewing, goals by 2015, supported increasing protected but not sustainably managed forests, and increasing new and additional financial resources for “forest related activities” rather than “SFM implementation.” New Zealand noted that the goal on protected and sustainably managed forests takes account of national sovereignty and diverse conditions.
On a goal on poverty, Cuba favored significantly “reducing” over “eradicating” it. The EU noted that global goals mandate shared action at the global and regional levels and, with Switzerland, suggested referring to the MDGs rather than specifying timetables.
Iran opposed time-bound measurable targets, expressing pessimism on obtaining new and additional financial resources and proposed decreasing poverty “in the context of the MDGs” and waiting a few years before considering measurable targets. The US noted that it does not subscribe to the MDGs because they were not produced through an inter-governmental process.
In the evening of the penultimate day, delegates agreed ad referendum to language on goals to significantly increase the area of protected forests and sustainably managed forests worldwide, and reverse the decline in ODA for SFM. Mexico, supported by Switzerland, the EU, Guatemala and Canada, cautioned against including agreed-upon goals in a draft ministerial declaration before reaching agreement on important elements of the Chair’s draft text.
On the goal on loss of forest cover, Nigeria, with the US, obtained consensus on “reversing” rather than “significantly decreasing” it. Mexico called for language on rehabilitating degraded forest land. The US called for “protection” of forests. Nigeria and Indonesia called for text on “plantation development,” which was later modified to “reforestation and afforestation” by the US. The EU and Canada stressed the need to refer to degraded forest lands. Nigeria, with Mexico, suggested listing activities related to SFM comprehensively, or not at all. Delegates agreed ad referendum on the goal to “reverse the loss of forest cover worldwide through SFM, including protection, restoration, afforestation, and reforestation, and increased efforts to prevent forest degradation.”
The group then discussed the goal on enhancing forests’ contribution to development goals. Mexico stressed environmental sustainability as one of the MDGs. Nigeria proposed significantly reducing poverty, with Argentina adding “in forest areas.” The EU, opposed by Brazil, advanced achieving “significant reduction in the number living in extreme poverty by 2015.” The US and Brazil supported a broader goal to “enhance forest-related economic, social and environmental benefits.”
The EU retracted its proposal for poverty reduction by 2015 but asked for reference to improving the livelihoods of forest-dependent people. The group agreed ad referendum on the goal to enhance forest contributions to the achievement of internationally agreed development goals, “particularly with respect to poverty eradication and environmental sustainability, including improving the livelihoods of forest dependent people.”
On a paragraph on voluntary national measures, Brazil stressed the importance of developing “integrated” policies and measures that take into account the seven thematic elements of SFM. Nigeria noted that these are addressed in a separate paragraph. Mexico, supported by the US, called for voluntary national measures, policies, actions “and”/or targets by 2007.
Brazil disagreed strongly with “targets” and supported language on “development or indication of measures, policies and actions.” South Africa strongly objected.
Mexico stressed the need to report on national forestry activities and achievements since 1992, while Brazil stressed reporting on future actions.
Brazil, supported by Indonesia, Canada, Switzerland, Mexico and the US, offered to replace “targets” with “specific goals” and delete reference to any year. Delegates agreed with Brazil that the goals and targets should be “voluntary” and “national.” Canada and Mexico favored keeping the 2007 reference.
On reporting, the EU suggested a compromise consisting of deleting the 2007 reference and moving it to a new paragraph on reporting. Brazil accepted this compromise but preferred 2010, noting that not all countries have the capacity to report by 2007. Mexico saw no reason for the date change, noting that countries are already reporting to the FAO. The EU also objected to changing the date, pointing out that all reporting would be voluntary. Indonesia and Nigeria opposed time-bound reporting. Switzerland called for flexibility and noted that concessions in forsaking quantitative global goals were not being reciprocated. He insisted on time-bound reporting, stressed the importance of establishing a mechanism for formulating and reporting on national goals, and said that without such a mechanism national financial resources would be allocated to other policy areas rather than to forests.
Ministerial Declaration: On several occasions over the course of the second week delegates discussed the issue of the ministerial declaration in the contact group. Each time the issue was raised, delegates argued that negotiating a ministerial declaration would consume valuable time that might otherwise be used to negotiate the Chair’s draft decision. However, at 3:00 pm on Thursday, 26 May, at the request of the Bureau and the UNFF Secretariat, a small group was convened specifically for the purpose of negotiating a ministerial declaration. The result was a four-paragraph statement recognizing that at least one billion people are wholly or partially dependent on forests for their livelihoods. It also expressed high-level commitment to ensuring that forest management contributes to the MDGs.
This four-paragraph ministerial declaration was then presented to delegates in the high-level segment for their consideration and adoption. They decided, however, that the hastily negotiated draft ministerial declaration was too weak to be adopted. In lieu of a ministerial declaration, delegates agreed to append a Chair’s summary of the high-level segment to the decision to be forwarded to ECOSOC for adoption.
At the outset of the closing plenary on Friday 27 May, delegates were presented with two decisions, one to be adopted by the Forum and one to be forwarded to ECOSOC for adoption. After some discussion both decisions were approved.
DRAFT DECISION FOR ADOPTION BY ECOSOC: The EU, supported by Latvia, Canada and Mexico, proposed language to keep open the decision on whether or not to hold a seventh session, pending outcomes of the UNFF-6. After Brazil, supported by Cuba and Nigeria, opposed temporally limiting the mandate of the UNFF, the EU, supported by Brazil and Japan, proposed language that would accommodate this.
The US noted the absence of a multi-stakeholder dialogue on the agenda for UNFF-6 and, supported by the EU, Brazil, and South Africa, proposed its inclusion. Cuba, supported by Venezuela, objected, stating this may not allow sufficient time for negotiations. Argentina argued that major groups have had a chance to present their views and that not including them in UNFF-6 would not set a precedent. Colombia, Canada and the EU proposed the inclusion of major groups in a way that would not interfere with negotiations. The EU proposed additional language to this effect, and Cuba agreed. The US agreed, pending inclusion of text supporting the ability of major groups to hold side events.
The Chair’s summaries of the HLS and the Asia and Pacific Day were appended as annexes to this draft decision.
Final Decision: The draft decision forwarded by UNFF for adoption by ECOSOC includes:
a call to acknowledge the need to consider forest issues in preparation of ECOSOC’s report to the General Assembly’s high-level plenary on the Millennium Summit review.
It also includes decisions to:
A provisional agenda for UNFF-6 is also included in the decision, which includes implementing the decision taken at UNFF-5 to forward the Chair’s draft text to UNFF-6 for further consideration.
ADOPTION OF THE REPORT: Chair Rodriguez presented, and delegates approved, the report of UNFF-5 (E/CN.18/2005/L.1). Chair Rodriguez then closed UNFF-5 at 5:35 pm.
OPENING OF UNFF-6
Chair Rodriguez then immediately opened the first session of UNFF-6 at 5:36 pm. Delegates nominated and approved Tono Krui (Croatia) and Franz Perrez (Switzerland) to the Bureau. Chair Rodriguez encouraged delegates to submit promptly their remaining nominations to the Bureau.
UNFF-5 CLOSING STATEMENTS: Pekka Patosaari, Coordinator and Head of the UNFF Secretariat, said that even though much work remains to be done, UNFF-5 had been a productive meeting. He also thanked the Bureau and the UNFF Secretariat for their hard work.
Chair Rodriguez said that while many had been hoping for a positive statement to come out of UNFF-5, this did not happen. He noted that important decisions have been made, but that much work remains to be done. Noting that the international community is up against a forest crisis, Rodriguez said that countries must lament that they have not responded to the challenge.
Luxembourg, on behalf of the EU, expressed disappointment about the lack of a final result, and said that forests have now been relegated to the fringes of international dialogue. Australia expressed disappointment but noted its commitment to work regionally. Ecuador, on behalf of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela, noted its commitment to cooperation and said that this group of Amazonian countries would bring a clear regional perspective to UNFF-6.
Indonesia said that the last two weeks have moved the international community away from SFM and that this prevents poverty eradication. He said the indecision shown at UNFF-5 reflects a lack of international commitment and hoped that this would not set a precedent. The US said that the challenge to strengthen the IAF is very complicated and not easily resolved. She likened UNFF to a family working through some difficult issues that maintains a high level of mutual respect, and said that this positive atmosphere is a recipe for future success. New Zealand expressed disappointment at the outcome of UNFF-5, and said that it would work regionally in the interim. Mexico emphasized its interest in building consensus and working to strengthen multilateralism. The Russian Federation noted that it attaches great importance to consensus on the forest agenda and said that UNFF is a unique body. He also said that all must bear some responsibility for the lack of a result at UNFF-5.
Nigeria, for the Africa Group, noted the Chair was not to blame for the failure of the meeting but that the failure was concocted five years ago when the UNFF was formed and delegates decided on a review of its effectiveness in 2005. He opined that the delegates who took the most self-righteous positions were the ones with the most extreme and immovable positions and said that everyone must come halfway in order to reach agreement. He noted that the agenda would be difficult at UNFF-6 but that miracles can happen.
Chair Rodriguez suspended UNFF-6 at 6:45 pm.
NEGOTIATED OUTCOME OF UNFF-5
In the end, delegates decided to continue discussing the bracketed “Draft Chair’s Text dated Thursday, 26 May 2005, 8:00 pm” at UNFF-6. This bracketed draft Chair’s text is appended as an annex to the decision. The following is a summary of the annex.
PRINCIPLE FUNCTIONS: On the principle functions of the IAF, the draft text states that the IAF should:
GLOBAL GOALS: Delegates agreed, ad referendum, to four global goals. The chapeau was not finalized, and currently reads:
“[With a view to the achievement of [the overall Millennium Development Goals,]/[internationally agreed development goals, including those included in the Millennium Declaration]] [Further agrees [that all possible efforts should be made][[no later than 2020]/[by 2015]] to achieve [no later than 2020]/[by 2015] the following shared global goals on forests/[.] [Demonstrable progress for the achievement of these goals should be made by 2015.]/[no later than 2020]/[by 2015] [upon]/[on] [which] [and make] demonstrable progress [to that end] [should be made] by /].”
The goals are:
Delegates also agreed, ad referendum, to contribute towards achieving these goals through voluntary national measures, taking into account national sovereignty, and to voluntarily submit periodic national reports to UNFF, beginning in 2007.
MEANS OF IMPLEMENTATION: The bracketed text urges countries to make concerted efforts to secure high level political commitment and support to improve the means of implementation, especially in relation to finance, in particular to support developing countries, by, inter alia:
The text further calls for concerted efforts in capacity building and transfer of environmentally-sound technologies, by, inter alia:
ENHANCED COOPERATION AND COORDINATION: The bracketed text calls for, inter alia:
The text also calls for improving collaboration with relevant MEAs through the IAF.
WORKING MODALITIES: This section still contains a lot of bracketed text. On regional meetings, the text states that meetings are to be organized every alternate year, either in conjunction or cooperation with the five UN Regional Economic Commissions, or with both the UN Commissions and the FAO Regional Forestry Commissions.
With respect to the UN Economic Regional Commissions, the text currently states that, inter alia: sessions should be organized in cooperation with the “UN Regional Commissions as well as existing regional processes, including those within the CPF and others.”
With respect to both options, the text currently requests: “UNFF to organize, with the support of the five UN Regional Commissions,” “regional meetings of the UNFF every two years and invites FAO, through its Regional Forestry Commissions, and relevant regional and subregional organizations and processes to actively participate in, support, and where feasible, co-host these meetings.” The text says these meetings should, inter alia, report to global-level UNFF meetings and to ECOSOC and be financed through the UN regular budget by the reallocation of funds saved by reducing the frequency and duration of global meetings.
The frequency of meetings is still undecided, with the text currently stating: “decides that [UNFF], [as a subsidiary body to ECOSOC], shall operate on the basis of a MYPOW to be adopted at its first meeting at the global level in 2007,” “with two year cycles for the period 2008-, with the Forum meeting [annually/every two years at the global level].”
Delegates also debated the year of the next review of the effectiveness of the IAF. The text currently states the next review will take place in 2015.
The current draft text:
LEGAL FRAMEWORK: With regard to the legal framework, the draft decision recognizes that the LBI option could be considered during the 2015 IAF review.
VOLUNTARY CODE/GUIDELINES/UNDERSTANDING: The current text also calls for developing either a voluntary code, guidelines, or an international understanding on the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests according to the terms of reference set out in an additional annex, summarized below. The suggested terms of reference for the voluntary code includes the purpose of the code, the process for developing the code and its possible thematic content.
The current draft annex on the terms of reference says that the purpose of the code is to articulate international forest-related agreements on the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests and to help achieve the goals decided upon at UNFF-5. It also says that the development of the code will be folded into the MYPOW of the Forum. Themes to be included in the code include: purpose of the code; reaffirmation of existing international agreements; relationship with other international instruments; cooperation; implementation; monitoring and reporting; and review.
DECLARATION AND MESSAGE: With regard to the ministerial declaration, the draft text states that ECOSOC decides to submit a ministerial declaration to the UN General Assembly emphasizing the crucial contributions that forests can make to the realization of development goals, including those contained within the Millennium Declaration. Finally, it decides that the present resolution is to supplement but not prejudice ECOSOC Resolution 2000/35.
A BRIEF ANALYSIS OF UNFF-5
The fifth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests was perhaps the most anticipated regular UNFF session since the institution’s inception in 2000. In the end, however, it was also among the most disappointing. UNFF-5 was expected to be a milestone event, one that was meant to open a new chapter in international forest policy. Instead, UNFF-5 ended up bogged down by intractable country positions and an ambitious negotiating agenda.
A promising starting point of the session was a near-consensus that the status quo is unacceptable and that serious changes are needed. Even the countries that had historically portrayed UNFF in a positive light now publicly conceded that UNFF is seriously lacking. This zone of agreement generated a shared commitment to strengthen the future IAF and improved the prospects of a substantive outcome that will provide a much needed overhaul. The following brief analysis of UNFF-5 examines the dynamics of discussions on key proposals, assesses achievements and shortcomings, and evaluates the outcome of the session.
European delegates arrived in New York ready for a showdown and negotiated forcefully, making it clear that they were ready to abandon the entire UNFF process if significant changes were not made to the IAF. They were determined to obtain a set of policy commitments and insisted on quantifiable and time-bound global goals and national targets. When Brazil and the US mounted a “goals non-proliferation” campaign, talks quickly turned into a linguistic duel over the choice between “strategic objectives” and “global goals.” In the ensuing debate, Europeans and Canada dropped their demands for quantifiable targets, hoping to obtain firm time-bound policy commitments in return. When this major concession was not reciprocated on other key issues, open accusations of inflexibility grew loud and the meeting ground to a halt.
There was a strong sense that the “will of the few blocks the will of the many.” When Brazil was singled out as the main culprit and was accused of rigidity even by the US, it made symbolic gestures to show flexibility by accepting the phrase “global goals,” including to “reverse” forest loss – but remained adamant that such goals do not actually have to be “achieved,” only aspired to.
The idea of a code was a key compromise proposal designed to bridge irreconcilable differences, help set aside the intractable LBI issue, and open space for a mutually satisfying compromise. It did little, however, to affect some country positions. Early in the meeting, Brazil rejected not only binding instruments but also a voluntary code. The US accepted the code only in the shape of a general political “statement of commitment.” On the other side of the fence, Canada and the European Union pushed for establishing a process to elaborate a meaningful detailed code of practice. Ultimately, the two sides remained far apart and this became one of the breaking points in the session.
Financial resources remained center stage. Many delegations insisted on new financial resources and made all key proposals for strengthening the IAF contingent on guarantees for means of implementation. None of the donor countries, however, accepted a proposal to create a global forest fund; instead they sought to distribute some of the responsibility to international organizations and institutions and the private sector. Many tried to reverse the terms of the debate, stressed that firm policy commitments are a precondition for financial assistance, and hid behind the frequently repeated motto “No goals, no money”. However, few developing countries seemed to take this as a credible promise for new money in exchange for policy commitments.
PROCESS: THE WAY WE WERE
Some participants ascribed UNFF-5’s limited results to organizational and procedural limitations, raising a number of questions: Why did results from ad hoc expert groups on key issues (finance, review of the IAF, and parameters of a mandate for an LBI) or from intersessional country-led initiatives, such as in Guadalajara and Costa Rica, receive no mention in the draft texts produced for negotiation? This disjuncture between intersessionals and negotiating sessions has been a problem in other UN fora, making some wonder whether they are worth the time and money needed if they cannot effectively feed into outcomes.
Why were negotiations suddenly halted after delegates had reached ad referendum agreements on goals, which many had thought would be key sticking points? Many delegates lamented that this meant that valuable negotiating time at the end went completely to waste. Conversely, one delegate noted that the fact that the draft text was still a jungle of brackets in some key areas called for a sober assessment of the chances of completion and a timely halt to the process to allow for a fall-back conclusion to be negotiated. Some delegates speculated that the timing of the ministerial high-level segment, intended as a “deadline” for negotiators, made it a distraction for delegates who would rather have been concentrating on the negotiations.
These questions address a common complaint of inefficiency in the international policy-making process. Inefficiency is exacerbated if some delegates cannot participate due to lack of interpretation, translation of documents and chairs at the table, not to mention noisy spaces and lack of microphones. Yet such was the situation during the most intense negotiations. It would be interesting to see how long some countries would put up with some of these conditions if all the negotiations and draft texts were solely accessible in another UN language, such as French or Chinese. Where does responsibility for inefficiency ultimately lie? Some say stronger leadership might have pushed delegates into completing negotiations. Others wonder whether the move to bring the negotiations to an early halt was really the result of time limitations or whether it simply reflects the recognition that the continuing wide gulf between the positions (and interests) of states participating in the formulation of global forest policy was impossible to overcome.
The question of civil society engagement within UNFF has been contentious from the outset and may have also contributed to the inability of the UNFF to agree on an outcome. The mandate ascribed to UNFF was substantial enough to engage civil society beyond the IPF and IFF processes, which they had been ready to abandon, and generated hopes that this would be an action-oriented body that would address priority issues such as monitoring and reporting, underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation, and indigenous peoples’ rights. Civil society voices were channeled into nine major groups, as defined in Agenda 21. While some groups won greater attention under this arrangement than they would receive outside the process, NGOs and indigenous peoples lost out, as their voice was diluted among other major groups such as “Business and Industry”. This was reflected in the varying degree of willingness among the major groups to take part in the Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue. At UNFF-5 their resentment appeared to turn into outright hostility, reflected in incendiary newsletters that were circulated and in statements expressing their readiness to walk away from the IAF.
Part of this dissatisfaction with the UNFF process has been linked to the greater access NGOs and indigenous groups have been able to achieve through other intergovernmental fora, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Working Group on Article 8(j), where they are regarded as participants not observers.
As UNFF is under the aegis of ECOSOC, many countries have been reluctant to allow full participation of civil society groups, which may be seen as precedent-setting, and this played out through objections made to their participation during UNFF-5 and beyond. However, many governments recognize the importance of these groups in keeping forests on the international agenda, and will continue to support their involvement.
SEARCHING FOR A SILVER LINING
Before the gloom settles, several positive developments might be discerned on the horizon. The fact that countries were able to reach a tentative compromise on goals, including “reversing” loss of forest cover, was a step forward on what many predicted would be a major sticking point. Hopefully this compromise will hold when negotiations reconvene. There was other movement as well. New proposals on structure and means of implementation resulted from a thoughtful process by numerous delegates who are invested in the future of global forest policy. Discussions on financial assistance were far less acrimonious than they have been in the past, as various donor countries alluded to different forms of increased funding, perhaps as a “carrot” intended to pull supporters toward their various positions. This appeared to be one reason why the G-77 position did not remain solid. Finally, a decision to keep talking rather than “call the whole thing off” is a signal that delegates are not yet ready to admit full defeat. UNFF, therefore, cannot be cast as a total failure.
OUTCOME AND PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE
UNFF-5 did not produce a new international arrangement on forests, nor did it strengthen the current one. One source of frustration with UNFF has been that previous sessions only produced a steady flow of political statements reiterating earlier statements. This session did not even produce a statement. This underscores the intractability of the global debate on forests, and raises the question of what makes agreements on forests more difficult than those on other environmental issues? Many delegates had hoped to strengthen the international arrangement on forests through substantive policy mechanisms. At the very least, these countries wanted to send a message to the international community that forests are important. In the end, UNFF-5 did produce a message, but not the one intended: it signaled to the world that international discussions on forests remain discussions, not particularly productive ones, and that the collective desire to turn dialogue into action remains just that – a desire.
The sole achievement of UNFF-5 was a tentative ad referendum agreement on national targets and global goals, including the goal of “reversing” the loss of forest cover. It is important to note, however, that this accomplishment was diminished by several serious limitations: conditionally agreed national commitments are voluntary and global goals are not quantified or mandatory, and none of them actually have to be “achieved.” Even reporting requirements were weak, with a starting date instead of a deadline. These tentative agreements do not provide a basis for a strong international instrument. If they are eventually adopted, the resulting IAF may not be particularly consequential.
Since the current round of UN discussions on forestry began in 1990, every round of talks has invariably resulted in an agreement to keep talking. UNFF-5 upheld this tradition by merely pushing discussions into the future. It is questionable, however, whether outstanding issues can be resolved by simply postponing their discussion. Furthermore, one might argue that now even the agreement to keep talking may be in question. Disappointed with a process that delegates variously described as a “quagmire” and “shambles,” some publicly threatened to abandon UNFF. On their way out, some hinted that future efforts may be made outside of the UNFF institutional framework. If this happens, it might make UNFF’s troubles even more difficult to overcome.
GLOBAL FOREST AND PAPER SUMMIT 2005: This meeting will take place from 1-3 June 2005, in Vancouver, Canada. This Summit is intended to bring together senior executives from forest and paper companies with government policy makers to discuss key issues and challenges facing the sector globally over the next decade. As part of this event, the 18th annual PricewaterhouseCoopers Global Forest and Paper Industry Conference will take place on 1 June. It will be followed by “Vision 2015: The Global Forest and Paper Industry’s Coming Decade” on 2-3 June. For more information, contact: Forest Products Association of Canada; tel: +1-604-775-7300; fax: +1-604-666-8123; e-mail: [email protected]; internet: http://www.globalforestpapersummit.com
PREPARATORY CONFERENCE FOR THE EUROPE AND NORTH ASIA FOREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AND GOVERNANCE MINISTERIAL MEETING: This meeting is scheduled for 6-8 June 2005, in Moscow, Russian Federation, and will prepare for the initiation of a Forest Law Enforcement and Governance process for Europe and North Asia. For more information, contact: Nalin Kishor; tel: +1-202-473-8672; fax: +1-202-522-1142; e-mail: [email protected]; internet: http://lnweb18.worldbank.org/ESSD/ardext.nsf/14ByDocName/ForestGovernanceProgram
ITTC-38: The 38th session of the ITTC and
Associated sessions of the Committees will convene from 18-22 June 2005,
in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. For more information, contact: Manoel
Sobral Filho, ITTO Executive Director; tel: +81-45-223-1110; fax:
UN CONFERENCE FOR THE NEGOTIATION OF A SUCCESSOR AGREEMENT TO ITTA, 1994, THIRD PART: Delegates will continue negotiations on a successor agreement to the ITTA, 1994 from 27 June to 1 July 2005, in Geneva. For more information, contact: UNCTAD Secretariat; tel: +41-22-917-5809; fax: +41-22-917-0056; e-mail: [email protected]; internet: http://www.unctad.org/Templates/Meeting.asp?intItemID=3323&lang=1
THIRD MEETING OF THE CBD AHTEG ON REVIEW OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAMME OF WORK ON FOREST BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY: The Convention on Biological Diversity’s Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on the review of implementation of the Programme of Work on Forest Biodiversity will take place from 25-29 July 2005, in Bonn, Germany. For more information, contact: CBD Secretariat; tel: +1-514-288-2220; fax: +1-514-288-6588; e-mail: [email protected]; internet: http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meeting.aspx?mtg=TEGFOR-03
XXII IUFRO WORLD CONGRESS: This Congress of
the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) will be
take place from 8-13 August 2005, in Brisbane, Australia, and will focus
on “Forests in the Balance: Linking Tradition and Technology.” For more
information, contact: International Union of Forest Research
Organization; tel: + 61 07 3854 1611; fax: + 61 07 3854 1507; e-mail:
INTERACTIVE FOREST & NATURE POLICY IN PRACTICE – MANAGING MULTI-STAKEHOLDER LEARNING IN SECTOR-WIDE APPROACHES AND NATIONAL FOREST PROGRAMMES: This course will be held from 12 September - 1 October 2005, in Wageningen, the Netherlands. This course aims to provide participants with insights, knowledge and skills for designing and managing interactive policy development and implementation processes in forest and nature management. For more information, contact: International Agricultural Centre (IAC); tel: +31-317-495-495; fax: +31-317-495-395; e-mail: [email protected]; internet: http://www.iac.wur.nl/iac/courses/module.cfm?code=34/00/2005
EIGHTH WORLD WILDERNESS CONGRESS: This meeting will take place from 30 September to 6 October 2005, in Anchorage, Alaska, US. The theme of the 8th WWC is Wilderness, Wildlands and People – A Partnership for the Planet. For more information, contact: The WILD Foundation Secretariat; tel: +1-805-640-0390; fax: +1-805-640-0230; e-mail: [email protected]; internet: http://www.8wwc.org/
ITTO INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON TROPICAL PLYWOOD: This conference will take place from 26-28 September 2005, in Beijing, China. As part of its ongoing work to “study and promote policies and other measures to increase the competitiveness of the tropical timber industry,” ITTO will convene an international conference on tropical plywood, pursuant to the recommendations from the 36th and 37th ITTC sessions. For more information, contact: Paul Vantomme, ITTO Secretariat; tel: +81-45-223-1110; fax: +81-45-223-1111; e-mail: [email protected]; internet: http://www.itto.or.jp/live/PageDisplayHandler?pageId=223&id=957
SEVENTH CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE CCD: The seventh Conference of the Parties to the Convention to Combat Desertification will take place from 17-28 October 2005, in Nairobi, Kenya. For more information, contact: UNCCD Secretariat; tel: +49-228-815-2802; fax: +49-228-815-2898; e-mail: [email protected]; internet: http://www.unccd.int
EUROPE AND NORTH ASIA FOREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AND GOVERNANCE MINISTERIAL MEETING: This meeting will take place in November or December 2005 in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation. The exact dates and location of the meeting have yet to be determined. For more information, contact: Nalin Kishor; tel: +1-202-473-8672; fax: +1-202-522-1142; e-mail: [email protected]; internet: http://lnweb18.worldbank.org/ESSD/ardext.nsf/14ByDocName/ForestGovernanceProgram
39TH SESSION OF THE INTERNATIONAL TROPICAL TIMBER COUNCIL: ITTC-39 and Associated Sessions of the Committees will convene in Yokohama, Japan, from 7-12 November 2005. For more information, contact: Manoel Sobral Filho, Executive Director, ITTO; tel: +81-45-223-1110; fax: +81-45-223-1111; e-mail: [email protected]; internet: http://www.itto.or.jp
UNFF-6: The sixth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests will be held from 13-24 February 2006, at UN headquarters in New York. For more information, contact: Elisabeth Barsk-Rundquist, UNFF Secretariat; tel: +1-212-963-3262; fax: +1-917-367-3186; e-mail: [email protected]; internet: http://www.un.org/esa/forests
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High energy: Electro-optical power conversion close to 100%, while energy-saving effects than traditional light sources over 80%.
Long life: Service life up to 50000 hours, 10 times longer than conventional light sources.
Multi-changes: LED light source can make use of red, green, and blue color theory, under the control of computer technology to make three kinds of colors with 256 gray scale, and any mix, you can generate 256*256*256=16777216 colors to form a different light with a combination of changing color to achieve a variety of dynamic effects and variety of images.
Environmentally Friendly: There are no ultraviolet and infrared spectra, no heat and radiation, no pollution and mercury elements, can be safely touched.
|This LED Grow Lights 300w Can Work For These Countries Below|
|Country||Compatible Voltage||Country||Compatible Voltage|
|United States||110 V||Canada||110 V|
|United Kindom||220 V||France||220 V|
|Italy||220 V||Spain||220 V|
|Geman||220 V||Portugal||220 V|
|Finland||220 V||Denmark||220 V|
|Belgium||220 V||Netherlands||220 V|
|Argentina||220 V||Australia||220 V|
|Switzerland||220 V||Sweden||220 V|
|New Zealand||220 V||Russia||220 V|
| 2.515625 |
banks are like cathedrals, Since casinos took their place."
really know what the above lyric means, but it sounds so good. Did
the casinos replace the banks, or did the casinos replace the cathedrals?
It's not really clear. Maybe casinos replaced cathedrals in that
people are now worshiping money, gambling on fate rather than trusting
God. If so, then why are the banks now like cathedrals? The banks
house money, so there is some connection between casinos and banks.
That's about as far as I can take that interpretation. Or maybe
the lyric is saying that casinos replaced banking, so gambling is
now considered as conservative as investing, and investing is so
conservative that it is considered medieval worship, and cathedrals
are so conservative they don't even exist anymore. What we have
here is a great pop lyric that makes a lousy meaningful sentence.
hypertext literature is a wonderful subject for discourse, theory,
and intellectual hobnobbing; but in the final analysis, there's
really not that much to it. Insofar as hypertext binds the Web together,
it's wonderful. Insofar as hypertext allows multimedia Web art to
function, it's great glue. Insofar as hypertext comprises a new
literary genre, it's about as riveting as those "write your own
story" books that came out when I was a kid ("If you choose to fight
the dragon, turn to page 72. If you choose to elope with the maiden,
turn to page 287").
Dadaism, some things are better in theory than in execution. The
iconoclastic idea of Duchamp's urinal as art is much more impressive
than the urinal itself. And of course, that was Duchamp's point.
Likewise, the elaborate theories expounded on interactive novels
and stream-of-consciousness-enabled poetry make much better reading
than the hypertext poems and novels themselves. Jorge Louis Borges
foretold interactive literature in his 1941 short story, "Examen
de la Obra de Herbert Quain" from the collection Ficciones
. The story itself is not interactive literature; instead, it
is faux criticism of a piece of non-existent interactive literature.
Even back then Borges must have known what I've recently come to
suspect: Critical theory of non-linear text is much more fun to
write and read than non-linear text itself!
many a progressive online literary magazine might not agree with
me, but I have two good objections: 1) Text yes, but why hyper?
and 2) Hyper yes, but why text? Catchy, concise, and very, very
linear. I'll present these two objections later down the line, but
exactly is hypertext?
Web has inundated our culture with reams of new technologies and
communication paradigms over the last five years. Consequently we're
so overwhelmed with buzzwords, we can't tell a neo-media environment
from an interactive literary community. (Or was it net banking,
or did online casinos take their place?) So what exactly is hypertext?
is just text that links. OK? That's it.
has been written about the wondrous paradigm-shifting nature of
"the linking event." For example, isn't it interesting how the human
mind interprets the Web as a place? We feel we are hopping from
site to site, when in reality, we are merely requesting different
documents from different machines, and those documents are being
sent to our machine while we don't move at all.
See how tempting it is to expound on the depths of the interactive
Web experience? Here I am writing an article trying to debunk our
overblown fascination with hypertext, and even now I am succumbing
to the temptation. Theorize on, dear friends. I won't cast stones.
without the Web and its resources is really nothing much. Tim Berners-Lee
originally invented HTML to allow physics researchers to communicate
with each other via the Internet in a way beyond mere e-mail and
file transfer protocol. Tim's purpose for adding the hypertext element
to his markup language was twofold:
I have a table of contents at the beginning of my long physics paper,
I no longer have to say "Chapter 5: Non-linear experiments in fluid
dynamics (p. 45)." I can merely link all that text straight to page
45, and leave out the reference to page 45. So hypertext was originally
meant to save its readers the trouble of having to "flip through"
the digital pages of their digital documents.
in my physics paper I want to refer to another physics paper, and
I know the location on the Internet of that other paper, I can send
my readers straight to that other paper via hypertext. Let's liken
this function to using the yellow pages, except instead of reading
a number from the Yellow Pages and dialing it into a phone manually
(the old ftp method), you simply press the number right there in
the directory itself, and the phone number is dialed for you (the
new HTML method). Sure, a great time saving device, but an advancement
know what Berners-Lee's Hypertext Markup Language spawned, namely
Ye Olde Web. But note, Berners-Lee wrote his markup language for
research papers and physics databases. Is there a difference between
reading an instructional manual and reading a novel? You bet. The
former is non-linear, and the latter is linear. And necessarily
#1: Text yes, but why hyper?
subscribed to a theory of organic poetry which I find instructive.
It's been a while since college, and I'm grossly oversimplifying,
but basically Wordsworth says that every piece of a poem should
be essential, adding to the whole. A poem should be constructed
so that if any bit were added or removed, it wouldn't work. Furthermore,
a poem should be organic like a flower is organic. A poem should
begin as a seed and proceed into full blossom so that each part
rightly relates to the parts which precede and follow it in sequence.
A good poem should grow from beginning to end. In other words, linear
cohesion is part and parcel of good poetry.
back to middle school plot diagrams, you've got your initial incident
which builds to a climax and then falls to a resolution. It's left
to right, in a sequence, in a line. It actually is a line, come
to think of it. And why is it that good poems and good stories by
their very nature tend to be linear?
answer has to do with the nature of existence, space, and time.
We exist in a sea of millions of possible future events that may
or may not happen. Every day we wake up and begin bringing into
existence a series of those possible events, turning them from the
possible into history, and stringing them together in a chronological
line. We call this activity "life." We enjoy stories and poems about
life that proceed from beginning to end, because we live life in
time from beginning to end. Tension and release are the essential
elements of pleasure. "Will such and such happen? I'm waiting...
I'm waiting, Yes! It did happen!" So great writing is writing that
presents a meaningful mediated "life experience." And since our
life experience is linear, non-linear writing is less likely to
be great writing.
have the burning desire to describe several possible linear life
experiences? Write several novels. Otherwise, your single hypertext
novel will just wind up having the dramatic impact of the end of
Wayne's World. If there's more than one ending, then there's
really no ending at all.
like Groundhog Day are amusing because they ask, "what if
life weren't linear?" But note, Groundhog Day is still a
linear movie commenting on non-linear/cyclic possibilities. If every
time you watched Groundhog Day the movie itself changed order,
how would that increase the impact of the narrative? (I dare say
the same holds true for Joyce's Portrait of the Artist, stream-of-consciousness
as it may be.) Once again, a linear analysis of a non-linear event
proves more compelling than the non-linear event itself. Was Bill
Murray's character enjoying his non-linear life in Groundhog
Day? Or was his life very disorienting and frustrating? Most
non-linear writing is just that: disorienting and frustrating to
read. Are you into near-Broadway impromptu theater where actors
throw fruit at you and verbally berate your grandmother? Do you
enjoy that kind of paradigm-shifting avant-garde experience? Then
curl up to a cozy hypertext novel and suck marrow, baby.
#2: Hyper yes, but why text?
to teach a class on Web site design at a two-year technical college.
When we got to the "make a site with whatever you want on it" phase,
everybody wanted to write about their cat. Second only to the pet-glorification
sites were the hypertext poem/essay sites. "Look, I wrote a poem
where one word in the poem links to a second page with an entirely
new poem based on that first word. And look, in the second poem
there is another word where if you click on it..."
reason my students were drawn to these hypertext poems was that
we hadn't yet gotten to graphics. Once they knew how to create and
incorporate images in their pages, the hypertext poems suddenly
seemed old-school. That's the way I feel about hypertext literature.
With so much media converging on the Web, why not use the Web's
interactivity to do something other than merely write words?
piece of interactive art (apart from the universe) is the CD-ROM
"game" "Riven." If you're going to ask me to forge the outcome of
your art, then at least make me the main character and give me some
moving objects and people to look at and listen to so I can have
some virtual fun. In other words, make a fully mediated world and
drop me in it (vis-ą-vis Nell's primer in Neil Stephenson's The
Diamond Age). Otherwise, I'll just continue to enjoy the media-rich
interactive experience that is my life, while occasionally reading
Robyn Miller, the primary creator of "Riven," has now gone into
linear filmmaking. His reason? Greater control over one's narrative
leads to the construction of a greater narrative. There's no chance
your viewer is going to wander into a corner, or go out of order,
or never arrive at the main point. You can choose the one plot that
most communicates your message, hone that plot for maximum impact,
and then present it with the assurance that if your viewer doesn't
get it, it wasn't for your lack of trying.
"Riven" rocks my world. I do get it. I also get and enjoy many interactive
multimedia Web installations. Yes, interactivity does immerse and
involve me in art by empowering me, but what exactly is it that
I'm empowered to do? Am I empowered to blend various audio loops
and in so doing create a correspondent video collage? (See Peppermint
Lounge). Am I empowered to modify a surrealistic landscape by
tweaking various controls that are themselves part of the ever-changing
landscape? (remember the old snarg.net?) Or am I merely empowered
to wander around a few discrete word chunks that I can only read
but can't rewrite or influence in any major way? The first two interactive
multimedia scenarios empower me to co-create my own unique immersible
experience, the last raw hypertext scenario empowers me to be disoriented
final analysis, hypertext literature may prove to be the deconstructivist
critic's secret fantasy realized: a literary genre better known
for its literary criticism than for its actual literature. Personally,
I'd rather pore over obscure U2 lyrics. How are banks like cathedrals?
Let me count the ways...
© 2000 Curt Cloninger. All Rights Reserved.
Cloninger lives at lab404.com
. He likes his art with a bit of beauty to it. Anything else is
just an idea.
discuss this article on our
| 2.515625 |
Public toilet with biogas plant and water kiosk Naivasha, Kenya
Case study of sustainable sanitation projects
This case study is about the first pilot and demonstration project of the Water Services Trust Fund (WSTF) on public sanitation. The EU-Sida-GTZ Ecosan Promotion Project (EPP) spearheaded the implementation in conjunction with a local construction company. The Naivasha Bus Park is a regional bus station that is located in the small town Naivasha in Rift Valley Province (2 hours from Nairobi). It had a neglected and unhygienic public toilet block managed by the town council.
The new public toilet block consists of 2 toilet cubicles, 1 shower and urinal for men and 3 toilet cubicles and 1 shower from women. A biogas plant was constructed to pre-treat the wastewater for reduction of pollution loads released into the sewer system and generation of biogas for cooking purposes. A water kiosk was integrated into the facility to serve in parallel as the operator room for the public toilet. The facility serves about 300 visitors per day (status 2009) and provides biogas for cooking for a nearby kiosk. The facility is managed by the local Water Service Provider, called NAIVAWASS, who contracted a local CBO to operate the toilet on a pay-per-use concept.
More information on the whole management setup can be found in the public sanitation tool kit from WSTF which is also in this library (put WSTF into the search field).
Onyango, P., Rieck, C.
Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA)
GTZ, GIZ, EPP
Onyango, P., Rieck, C. (2010). Public toilet with biogas plant and water kiosk Naivasha, Kenya - Case study of sustainable sanitation projects. Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA).
| 2.515625 |
A North Coast winter that began with storm after drenching storm has petered out into one of the driest months of January on record, with no major precipitation in sight.
Alex Dodd, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Eureka office, said the area did see three-quarters of an inch of rain one day this month, but only a total of 2.94 inches. The normal January rainfall total is 6.5 inches.
Just 16 Januarys have been drier than this one since the weather service started taking records locally in 1887, said National Weather Service hydrologist Reginald Kennedy. Five of the driest months have occurred since 1990, he said.
Despite the recent dry weather, Dodd said the region has seen about average rainfall overall since the beginning of the season because of the surplus water from the early, wet storms in November and December.
”The normal has been catching up to us,” Dodd said. It's not worrisome, he said -- unless the trend continues. “If we go through most of February with dry weather, that may be a concern.”
California snow surveyors have confirmed the water content of snow that has accumulated in the Sierra is slightly below average for this time of year.
Measurements last week showed the water content at 93 percent of normal statewide. That's not bad -- but a month ago it was at 140 percent.
The North Coast region snow pack is at 87 percent, Dodd said. Again, that's not a bad number -- but if it doesn't
California water agencies depend on a melting snowpack to replenish the state's reservoirs throughout the summer. About one-third of the state's water comes from snowmelt.
The level of Upper Klamath Lake in Oregon, which feeds the Klamath River and accompanying local resources like salmon, is about a foot below average, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. The reservoir started the winter season at a 20-year low that had local fish advocates concerned after such a prosperous salmon year.
The dry weather pattern recently is the result of a jetstream heading north into British Columbia, and a ridge of high pressure that set up off the coast that has kept any wet storms at bay, Dodd said.
The North Coast could see a small amount of rain midway through next week, but it won't bring much, and will move through quickly, he said.
”The hose will get turned back on,” Dodd said. “Enjoy it while it lasts. Hopefully it doesn't turn into a prolonged, wet spring.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Luke Ramseth can be reached at 441-0509 or [email protected].
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The Canterbury Tales
: The Parson's Prologue
The Manciple's Tale
Heere folweth the Prologe
By that the Maunciple hadde his tale al ended,
The sonne fro the south lyne was descended
So lowe that he nas nat, to my sighte,
Degrees nyne and twenty as in highte.
Foure of the clokke it was tho, as I gesse,
For ellevene foot, or litel moore or lesse,
My shadwe was at thilke tyme, as there,
Of swiche feet as my lengthe parted were
In sixe feet equal of proporcioun.
Therwith the moones exaltacioun,
I meene libra, alwey gan ascende,
As we were entryng at a thropes ende;
For which oure Hoost, as he was wont to gye,
As in this caas, oure joly compaignye,
Seyde in this wise: "lordynges everichoon,
Now lakketh us no tales mo than oon.
Fulfilled is my sentence and my decree;
I trowe that we han herd of ech degree;
Almoost fulfild is al myn ordinaunce.
I pray to God, so yeve hym right good chaunce,
That telleth this tale to us lustily.
"Sire preest," quod he, artow a vicary?
Or arte a person? Sey sooth, by the fey!
Be what thou be, ne breke thou nat oure pley;
For every man, save thou, hath toold his tale.
Unbokele, and shewe us what is in thy male;
For, trewely, me thynketh by thy cheere
Thou sholdest knytte up wel a greet mateere.
Telle us a fable anon, for cokkes bones!"
This Persoun answerde, al atones,
"Thou getest fable noon ytoold for me;
For Paul, that writeth unto Thymothee,
Repreveth hem that weyven soothfastnesse,
And tellen fables and swich wrecchednesse.
Why sholde I sowen draf out of my fest,
Whan I may sowen whete, if that me lest?
For which I seye, if that yow list to heere
Moralitee and vertuous mateere,
And thanne that ye wol yeve me audience,
I wol ful fayn, at Cristes reverence,
Do yow plesaunce leefful, as I kan.
But trusteth wel, I am a southren man,
I kan nat geeste 'rum, ram, ruf,' by lettre,
Ne, God woot, ryn holde I but litel bettre;
And therfore, if yow list - I wol nat glose -
I wol yow telle a myrie tale in prose
To knytte up al this feeste, and make an ende.
And Jhesu, for his grace, wit me sende
To shewe yow the wey, in this viage,
Of thilke parfit glorious pilgrymage
That highte Jerusalem celestial.
And if ye vouche sauf, anon I shal
Bigynne upon my tale, for which I preye
Telle youre avys, I kan no bettre seye.
But nathelees, this meditacioun
I putte it ay under correccioun
Of clerkes, for I am nat textueel;
I take but the sentence, trusteth weel.
Therfore I make protestacioun
That I wol stonde to correccioun."
Upon this word we han assented soone,
For, as it seemed, it was for to doone,
To enden in som vertuous sentence,
And for to yeve hym space and audience;
And bade oure Hoost he sholde to hym seye
That alle we to telle his tale hym preye.
Oure Hoost hadde the wordes for us alle:
"Sire preest," quod he, "now faire yow bifalle!
Telleth," quod he, "youre meditacioun.
But hasteth yow, the sonne wole adoun;
Beth fructuous, and that in litel space,
And to do wel God sende yow his grace!
Sey what yow list, and we wol gladly heere."
And with that word he seyde in this manere.
of the Persouns Tale
| The Parson's Tale
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|Little Hangleton graveyard|
The Little Hangleton graveyard was the final resting place of the Riddle Family of Little Hangleton. The three Riddles, Thomas, Mary, and their son Tom, were all laid to rest in this graveyard shortly after being murdered by their teenage son, Tom Marvolo Riddle (who would grow up to become the infamous Dark Wizard Lord Voldemort).
The graveyard was located in the valley county side outside the village of Little Hangleton. Like the village, both the graveyard and its church, were clearly visible from the hillside above the valley. The graveyard was bordered by a stone wall and sat next to the grounds of the vast Riddle estate and the Riddle House was clearly visible from the graveyard. Frank Bryce, the Riddle’s groundskeeper, lived in a cottage on the grounds which was located right next to the graveyard and was separated from it by the stone wall. One set of the cottage’s kitchen windows faced the graveyard. The grave yard was placed in an uneven area which resulted in it having high and low burial ranges nged from wide open to narrow and cramped. There was also a small wooden area filled with yew and other bare trees.
In previous years, the Little Hangleton graveyard was a fine resting place for the citizens of the Little Hangleton. However by 1994 the graveyard had become overgrown. Many of the graves had become covered by ivy and moss. Many of the names written on them had become faded. Several grave stones had become tilted and sunken into the ground. A number of stone steps had also recessed into the ground and partly hidden. The Riddle House can be seen in the distance.
GravesAs well as having normal graves, the graveyard also had above ground mausoleums and a series of below ground vaults and catacombs. While most of those buried had simple head stones to mark their graves, there were several other monuments that were grander. Several were marked by stone obelisks and angels. Near the mausoleum and vaults were a number of stone sarcophaguses. Several of these were placed on top of each other. The most opulent of the graves belonged to the Riddle family. The Riddle grave was marked by a large marble headstone that bore the names of Thomas Riddle, Mary Riddle and Tom Riddle Sr.. The most striking feature of the grave was the large stone statue of the Angel of Death. The angel bore a raised scythe in its right hand and featured a skull face and skeletal hands.
The Riddle murders
In 1943, Tom Marvolo Riddle (the future Lord Voldemort) came to Little Hangleton to seek out his family and travelled to the Gaunt shack, the former home of his mother Merope Gaunt. There, he found his half-crazed uncle, Morfin Gaunt, living in deplorable conditions. Gaunt (who had no idea that this boy was his nephew) immediately mistook Riddle for "that Muggle that married my (Morfin's) sister,". Morfin went on to tell his sister Merope's tragic tale, and how she was abandoned by her husband many years ago. Riddle was enraged by what he considered the tale of his father causing his mother's death and condemning him to a miserable life in a Muggle orphanage.
After Morfin finished his story, Riddle temporarily incapacitated his uncle, and took his wand. He then proceeded to the "big house over the way" Morfin had told him about, the Riddle House. Once there, Riddle used the Killing Curse upon his father and his Muggle grandparents, Thomas Riddle and Mary Riddle. Riddle returned to the Gaunt shack and replaced Morfin's wand on his person and altered his memory so that he would confess to killing the Riddles and there would be no further investigation into the matter.
The Riddle's gardener, Frank Bryce, was accused of the murders on the Muggle end of the investigation. Though, the baffled Great Hangleton Police were forced to release Bryce for lack of evidence, as the cause of death could not be determined, Bryce's life was mired in rumour and speculation. Morfin, meanwhile, proudly confessed to killing the Riddles to the Ministry of Magic (which recognised it as a wizard's murder instantly), and was taken away to Azkaban Prison to serve a life sentence for the murder of the Riddle family. Thus, two men paid for the crimes of the future Lord Voldemort while Riddle escaped with Marvolo Gaunt's Ring, stolen from his uncle Morfin. The three Riddles were laid to rest in a prepared family grave in the Little Hangleton Graveyard, where their remains would remain undisturbed for over fifty years.
Plot against Harry Potter
Many years later, the adult Lord Voldemort hatched a plot to regain his body and murder his greatest enemy, Harry Potter. The potion he devised required three ingredients: bone of the father unwillingly given, flesh of the servant willingly sacrificed, and blood of the enemy forcibly taken. Lord Voldemort returned to the site of his first murder, the Riddle House, with his servant Peter Pettigrew in August of 1994. Frank Bryce, now an old man, saw a light in the windows of the Riddle House and went to investigate. Inside, he overheard part of Lord Voldemort's plan to capture and kill Harry Potter but was discovered by Nagini, who reported his presence to Voldemort. After a brief confrontation between Bryce and the Dark Lord, Voldemort performed the same curse upon Bryce that he performed on the Riddle Family more than half a century ago in that very same house, killing Bryce instantly.
Return of the Dark Lord and the graveyard duel
On the night of the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament (which had been grossly manipulated by Lord Voldemort through his servant, Barty Crouch Jr.), 24 June 1995, Harry Potter entered the Triwizard Maze in search of the Triwizard Cup. Unbeknownst to Harry or anyone else involved in the Tournament, Crouch had turned the Triwizard Cup into a Portkey to the Little Hangleton Graveyard. Harry and Cedric Diggory arrived at the cup at the same time, and having helped each other several times throughout the course of the Tournament, agreed to take the cup together and tie for first place. Upon touching the cup, the pair was transported to the resting place of the Riddle Family, the Little Hangleton Graveyard, where the Dark Lord was awaiting Harry with Peter Pettigrew. Pettigrew murdered Cedric using Voldemort's wand, then proceeded to concocted a potion using Harry's blood, Tom Riddle Sr.'s bones, and Pettigrew's own hand.
The Dark Lord, restored to physical form, briefly duelled Harry, who was forced to hide and dodge behind tombstones to avoid Voldemort's curses. Finally, Harry fired a Disarming Charm at Voldemort at the same moment Voldemort attempted a Killing Curse on Harry. The spells collided and formed a golden thread that connected the two wands. This rare effect, the Priori Incantatem, occurred due to the wands' "twin cores:" feathers from the same phoenix. Harry's courage overpowered Voldemort's destructive will, and his wand forced the Dark Lord's wand to regurgitate "echoes" of the spells it had previously cast, in reverse order. First came an "echo" of Cedric Diggory, followed by Frank Bryce, Bertha Jorkins, Harry's mother, Lily, and finally Harry's father, James Potter. They instructed Harry to break the connection when he was ready and to grab the Triwizard Cup to return to Hogwarts, as they would be able to momentarily hold Voldemort at bay. Cedric Diggory requested that Harry take his body back to Hogwarts, to his family, which Harry agreed to do in honour of his fallen classmate and fellow Champion. Harry broke the connection, and while the apparitions held Voldemort off, he was able to grab Cedric's body, summon the Triwizard Cup to him and escape from the Little Hangleton Graveyard.
Known buried people
- Tom Riddle Sr. (killed by Lord Voldemort)
- Thomas Riddle (killed by Lord Voldemort)
- Mary Riddle (killed by Lord Voldemort)
- Becca Ramsea (unknown death)
- Eddi Stoddy (unknown death)
- Charles Epanel (unknown death)
- Charles Pikal (unknown death)
- Gulray (unknown death)
- Rebecca R. (unknown death)
Behind the scenes
- According to production designer Stuart Craig, the inspriation for the graveyard was Highgate Cemetry in North London which had been reclaimed by nature.
- In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film), Wormtail trapped Harry in the arms of the Angel of Death statue while in the novel, Wormtail ties Harry to the Riddle Headstone with conjured cords.
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Mentioned as "graveyard")
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film) (Appears in flashback(s))
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Appears in flashback(s))
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film) (Flashback on Disc 2)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (Appears in flashback(s))
- Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Book
- LEGO Harry Potter: Building the Magical World
- LEGO Harry Potter: Characters of the Magical World
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
- Harry Potter LEGO Sets
| 2.515625 |
To start, let us recall the basics of the power of two choices, or multiple-choice hashing. In the standard setting, we are hashing n elements into a hash table with n buckets. Normally, we would hash each item once to determine its bucket; this gives a maximum load, or largest number of elements in any bucket, of about log n / log log n. (All the results I state hold with high probability, so I'll avoid repeating the phrase.) Suppose instead we use two hash functions, giving two choices of locations for each element. Elements are sequentially placed in the least loaded of their two buckets. When we do a lookup, we'll now have to look in two places for the item. In return, the maximum load now falls to about log log n / log 2 -- we've got an extra log in there! (With d > 2 choices, the maximum load would be log log n / log d, just a constant factor better than d = 2.) Results of this type are due to Azar, Broder, Karlin, and Upfal, in their paper Balanced Allocations. (There was some earlier work with a similar result by Karp, Luby, and Meyer auf der Heide.)
In the course of these results, the question arose as to whether one could do better if placing the elements offline. That is, if you had all n elements and their hashes in advance, could you place each element in one of their bucket choices and achieve a better load than the O(log log n) obtained by the sequential placement? The answer turns out to be yes. The best placement only has a constant maximum load. Another way to think of this is to say that if we place the elements sequentially, but retain the power to move them later, as long as each element ends up at one of its bucket choices, we could get down to constant maximum load.
The idea of cuckoo hashing is that such movements can actually be done online quite efficiently. Cuckoo hashing is, essentially, multiple-choice hashing plus moves, and it appears very effective. Let us consider an extreme case, analyzed in the original Cuckoo Hashing paper by Pagh and Rodler. (If my description is unsatisfactory, there is a good explanation already on Wikipedia!) Each bucket can contain just 1 item, and we will have n buckets, split into two subtables of size n/2. Each element has one choice of bucket in each subtable, where the choices are given by independent hash functions. Each hashed element resides at one of its two choices. A lookup therefore always requires at most two accesses into the hash table.
What to do, however, on an insertion -- what if both spaces for an item are already full? When we insert a new item, we put it in the first subtable. If another item is already there, we kick it out, and make it move to the second subtable. If another item is already there, we kick it out, and make it move back to the first table, and so on. This is where the name cuckoo hashing comes from; as the Wikipedia article says,
The name derives from the behavior of some species of cuckoo, where the mother bird pushes eggs out of another bird's nest to lay her own.Pagh and Rodler prove that if the number of elements inserted is at most (1/2 - epsilon)n for some constant epsilon, then this process finishes in constant expected time! In other words, one can achieve memory utilization of up to 50 percent of capacity, with guaranteed constant lookup time and average constant insertion time.
Further variants significantly improve the memory utilization that can be achieved. Specifically, allowing more than two choices of location helps (more choices of where to go), as does having more than one item per bucket (more choices of what to move). Memory utilization of over 90 percent is easily possible in practice. This paper and this one have more information.
That summarizes the theoretical background, and hopefully convinces you that the idea of cuckoo hashing is a good one. In the next post, we'll look at why you might want to implement cuckoo hashing in hardware, and what obstacles lie therein.
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There’s been some interest in these before and after graphs highlighted by the blog “sunshinehours” here.
To me it looked like a data processing change at DMI (Danish Meteorological Institute) of some sorts, especially since none of the other metrics I monitor on the WUWT Sea Ice Reference page had any changes of similar magnitude. So, I asked Dr. Walt Meier of NSIDC what he thought about it and he kindly responded within a few hours:
Probably the person to contact is Rasmus Tonboe, http://ocean.dmi.dk/staff/rtt/rtt.php
It sounds like a land mask issue. Because the resolution of the sensors are quite low (on~25-50 km), you get mixed land-ocean cells and these can be “read” by the algorithms as ice.
There are filters that can be applied (we apply one) that eliminates most of this, though some often gets through. An easier, albeit cruder way, is to just mask out ocean areas near the coast. It sounds like that’s what they were doing, and now they’re calculating ice to the coast – presumably because they implemented one of the filters.
Masking out the land results in mostly an offset – lowering the extent of ice because the ocean area is reduced. This highlights the fact that it is better to look at anomalies, trends, and relative change as opposed to absolute values to the ice, which are subject to potential biases and limitations like the coast issue.
I’ve put in a query to Dr. Tonboe at DMI, and hopefully he’ll be able to tell us what is happening and why there is such a significant difference.
I’ll report what he says if I get a response.
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Shirley is a city in Central Massachusetts. The town was named for former Governor William Shirley. The town was settled in 1720 and incorporated in 1775.
Route 2 West to Exit 38B (Route 110 / 111), 37B (Fort Devens) or 36 (Shirley Road)
Commuter Rail (Fitchburg Line) West to Shirley Station (Zone 8)
Not much public transit, need a car to get around.
First Parish Meeting House on the Common, Shirley, MA
Shirley Common – Corner of Parker and Horsepond Roads. The public space where many summer festivals and town events occur. There is a Civil War monument in the center that was dedicated May 30, 1891. Its inscription reads: "Erected by the Citizens of Shirley in memory of those brave men who in response to the nation's call hazarded their lives to suppress the Great Rebellion 1861-1865."
First Parish Meeting House – On the Shirley Common. (Phone: 978-425-9262) The building was built in 1773 moved by oxen to its current location in 1851. Today it can be rented for weddings.
Old Town Hall – Also on the Shirley Common next to First Parish Meeting House. The Greek Revival building was built in 1847 and was rebuilt in 1950 by Lucien Gionet after being struck by lightning.
Center Cemetery – This is an 18th century cemetery is across from Shirley Common. Records of burials are available at the Historical Society museum.
Lake Shirley - Flat Hill Road to Sunset Lane. Recreation area where you can swim, boat, and otherwise kickback.
Bull Run Tavern - 215 Great Road (Route 2A) (Phone: 978-425-4311) - Lots of legends and lore go along with the tavern. It is said that Paul Revere rode threw every town in Middlesex county and Shirley is the furthest western town in the county. (FYI there is actually no evidence that Revere knocked on the door of the Bull Run Tavern.) The site also features a covered wooden bridge behind the tavern.
Shirley Shaker Village - Harvard Road (Phone: 978-425-9328) – The Shaker village was community from 1793 to 1908. 11 of the original buildings as well as the cemetery remain to this day. The Shaker Village is now on the grounds of a Massachusetts Correctional Facility but the Shaker sites are open to guided tours by the Shirley Historical Society. Permission to enter the complex must be obtained from the MCI Superintendent's office.
Old Firehouse - Main Street. - This Queen Anne Style building was built in 1894. The same architect who designed the original Hazen Library designed it.
Oliver Holden Birthplace - Squanacock Road. Birthplace of Oliver Holden, Composer of hymn "Coronation", one of the hymns known by memory by Civil War soldiers. He also wrote "Worcester Collection of Sacred Harmony" that was the first book to be printed on movable type in the US.
MacKaye Cottage - Parker Road. The cottage was built 1836 and bought by actor Will MacKaye in 1886. Will's relatives include Benton, founder of the Appalachian Trail, Hazel, a suffragette and Steele, an actor, producer, author, inventor.
Fredonian Park - Fredonian Road off of Main Street. Wide open grounds with a gazebo next to a brook. The bridges and boardwalk were torn out after being judged structurally unsound but some of the remains were used to install walkways over the old trail system.
Whiteley Park - Main Street across from the train station. The last Shaker Elder gave the land to the town in 1896. The park now contains several War Memorials and the grounds come to life during Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and the 4th of July.
Shirley Historical Society Museum at the Lucy Longley Memorial Building. 182 Center Road. Museum Hours: Most Saturday's 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Special appointments are also possible.
Hazen Memorial Library, 3 Keady Way, Phone: 978-425-2620, .
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Every black person apprehended for robbing stores in a flash mob should have their court hearing not in front of a judge but facing the 30-foot statute of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at his Washington memorial site . Each thief should be asked, “What do you think Dr. King would say to you right now?”
I was not angry when I initially saw the news footage of young blacks robbing convenience stores across America; I was brought to tears. In fact, as we approach the dedication of Dr. King’s memorial we may all need to take a closer look at his chiseled stone face for the presence of tears. Tears like the one shed by Native American actor Chief Iron Eyes Cody in the 1970s public service announcement about pollution. The historic PSA shows the Native American shedding a tear after surveying the pollution in an America that previously had none. It ended with the tagline, "People start pollution. People can stop it." If Dr. King were alive today he might proclaim, perhaps with tears, that “people start flash mobs. People can stop them.”
The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial
Dr. King’s dream has been realized by many African Americans who have been able to take full advantage of the opportunities made available through his martyr’s quest for justice. Would Dr. King ever have imagined that 40 years after his “I Have A Dream” speech that a black family would be in the White House, not as maintenance or kitchen staff, but as the First Family? Yet, years after the civil-rights struggle affirmed black dignity, we have young black people ransacking stores in groups.
Every time a flash mob loots, it is robbing Dr. King of his dream. All over America, from Philadelphia to Chicago, from Washington to Detroit, young people who could be contributing to common good are trading in their dignity for the adrenaline rush of stealing from others. "We will not tolerate such reprehensible behavior here," said District of Columbia Mayor Vincent C. Gray in a statement responding to recent mob thefts there. "Some news coverage of this incident has reported residents questioning whether the robbery could have been morally justified," he added. "Actually, both morality and the law are quite clear: It is wrong to steal from others. And if people do not obey the law, they will be apprehended, arrested and prosecuted." What Gray highlights is a troubling regression of public virtue and civil rights.
Dr. King’s dream was one that harmonized morality and law. However, King’s dream will never be realized in America as long as this country continues with the mythology that freedom does not require personal integrity and character. Proponents of dubious sociological and psychological theories allege that these flash mobs loot stores because minority young people feel disenfranchised and marginalized from mainstream society. What King taught us is that political and social frustration does not justify breaking the law. Perhaps if these disenfranchised youth where familiar at all with life under Jim Crow, or cared about the legacy of civil-rights heroes like Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, Rep. John Lewis, Andrew Young, and others, they could tap into the imagination of an heroic generation, formed by the virtues of religion, who pursued public justice by pursuing public virtue.
An ailing American culture is responsible for this spectacle. In a society that does not value forming young people in the way of prudence, justice, courage, self-control, and the like, why should we be surprised that convenience stores are being robbed by youthful mobs? In a society that does not value private property and fosters a spirit of envy and class warfare through wealth redistribution, why should we be surprised that young people don’t value someone else’s property? Radical individualism and moral relativism define the ethics of our era and criminal flash mobs expose our progressive failure.
As we celebrate King’s memorial, we must lament the fact that America’s abandonment of virtue is destroying the lives of young black people and undermining the legal and economic catalysts that could end our recession for good. In solidarity with Mayor Gray, I stand in front of the King statue, called “The Stone Of Hope,” with a new dream: that a resurgence of virtue would give rise to a generation of moral and law-abiding citizens. In this way will young blacks truly experience the dreams of King and others who died for justice.
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An entrance and a barrier; welcoming but protective. These are some of the dualities that exist in considering a very specific type of project—land port of entries (LPOE), commonly known as border-crossing stations. The security issues in this post-9/11 world pose new challenges. How does the United States construct an infrastructure of arrival points, where “huddled masses yearning to breathe free” are still invited to enter, but that also serve as a line of protection? LPOE facilities are organized into a complex set of spatial geometries that are coordinated with a highly choreographed set of procedures. These procedures are in place, first and foremost, to protect customs and border agents who often have to make split-second decisions in determining if there is a potential threat.
Light plays a particularly key role here, not just in the experience of these places, but in facilitating an agent's ability to do his or her job. The demands placed on the lighting are somewhat contradictory: Deliver a great amount of light and minimize brightness and glare—all while meeting significant security criteria, energy-code requirements, and sustainable building practices as mandated by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). But it is not an impossible task. The GSA's Design Excellence Program, which oversees the construction of LPOEs, recognizes the need for design to be integral to a project's development and enables even high-security environments to receive thoughtful architecture and lighting. In the process, particularly with some of the most recent LPOEs, lighting criteria have been revisited and new guidelines have been created that meet the priority of security, but do so in a way that creates a better overall environment, one that is securely illuminated.
The land port of entry at Massena, N.Y., is situated along the U.S.-Canada border amid complex site conditions that include the St. Lawrence River, Cornwall Island (home to the Akwesasne Reservation), and a series of wetlands. Site, movement, and light, along with security requirements, contributed to Smith-Miller + Hawkinson Architects' (SMH) winning design scheme, the result of an invitation-only GSA design competition in 2000. After 9/11, the project was put on hold and did not start up again until 2005. In the interim, with new security concerns on the table, the project requirements were reevaluated.
The main building, which houses offices and anchors the passenger-inspection areas, is the first structure visible on the approach from Canada. Because this façade is north-facing and always in shadow, SMH wanted to integrate architectural details and light so that the building would emerge as a welcoming beacon on the horizon. Originally, supergraphic letters in a reflective-yellow highway paint spelled out the words “United States.” The signage, seen in the photo at the right, has since been removed, due in part to some security concerns, and SMH is now working on another solution. But SMH's original yellow wayfinding system is carried on throughout the site in other signage elements.
To meet energy-code requirements yet still provide the 100-plus footcandle light level required for security purposes, SMH relied on architectural forms and natural light for an indirect lighting solution at the passenger vehicle-inspection areas' canopies.
Extremely thin and devoid of any equipment so as not to interrupt the white planar surfaces, the underside of the canopy serves as a light reflector. During non-daylight hours, 250W metal halide uplights, recessed on top of the inspection booths, are aimed at the canopy underside and supplement the even wash of light across the inspection bays, preventing harsh shadowing. In the secondary inspection area, pole-mounted metal halide uplights allow the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers to perform their inspection duties. “It's a significant design challenge,” says architect Sean Gallagher. “Architecture can participate with the operations that are happening at the borders in a way that will make the port run more smoothly and the experience a little bit more sane.”Details
Project: U.S. land port of entry, Massena, N.Y.
Completion Date: Fall 2009 (completed ahead of schedule)
Client: U.S. General Services Administration
Architect: Smith-Miller + Hawkinson Architects, New York
Structural, MEP, Civil, and Security Engineers: Arup, New York
Landscape Architect: Quennell Rothschild & Partners, New York
Environmental Consultants: Barton & Loguidice, Syracuse, N.Y.
Curtainwall Design Consultants: R.A. Heintges Associates, New York
Lighting Designer: Claude R. Engle, Washington, D.C.
Environmental Graphic Design Consultants: Pentagram, New York
Project Cost: $54 million (bid $4 million under budget)
Project Size: 57 acres (campus); 24,500 square feet (inspection plazas—booths and canopies); 37,200 square feet (M-Bldg, administration facility); 6,700 square feet (S-Bldg, secondary inspection facility); 7,900 square feet (G-Bldg, broker offices); 7,700 square feet (N-Bldg, non-intrusive inspection facility)
Photography: Michael Moran
Situated along a thin slice of land overlooking Semiahmoo Bay and the international Peace Arch Park, the Peace Arch U.S. Land Port of Entry (LPOE) is one of the busiest northern border crossing stations serving private vehicle traffic between Washington state and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
The design is all about blending the new facility into the landscape. “The architectural challenge was to figure out how to incorporate this much-larger new facility in this very constrained spot,” explains Sergei Bischak, project architect at Bohlin Cywinski Jackson.
Because of the busy nature of this location and its 24/7 operation, the station could not be shut down for construction, so a phased approach was applied to demolishing the existing 1970s structure and erecting a new one in its place. Although there are now 10 lanes of traffic—two more than the previous facility had, according to Bischak—the project wasn't about “places for more cars.” It was about “facilities to support the processing.”
One of the most substantial developments resulting from this project was the creation of a new set of exterior lighting guidelines. As the team, which included Seattle lighting design firm Candela, began to work, it was clear that the existing GSA lighting guidelines were outdated and called for calculation methods that were not useful. Lighting designer Mary Claire Frazier, then a principal at Candela (she has since retired), spearheaded a request to the GSA to revisit the document. She proposed a tour of several LPOEs along the northern and southern U.S. borders so that Candela could analyze lighting conditions, interview U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, and then make recommendations for new lighting guidelines.
After extensive review, the GSA accepted the new findings, which better address vertical illuminance, uniformity, transition and adaptation zones, and glare control. Also of note in the new standard is the stipulation to include an independent lighting designer on all design teams. “The guidelines are written from a lighting designer's perspective,” says Randy Fisher, who assumed project responsibilities from Frazier. “Security issues are met, but with an appropriate gradiance of light.”Details
Project: Peace Arch U.S. Land Port of Entry, Blaine, Wash.
Completion Date: January 2011
Owner: U.S. General Services Administration
Architect: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, Seattle office
Structural and Civil Engineers: Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Seattle
Mechanical Engineers: CDi Engineers, Seattle
Electrical Engineers: Sparling, Seattle
Landscape Architect: Swift Company, Seattle
Lighting Designer: Candela, Seattle
Project Size: 15 acres (campus); 35,750 square feet (building); 55,000 square feet (site work)
Energy Code Compliance: ASHRAE 90.1-2004 Based on Candela's U.S. LPOE Design Guide Exterior Lighting Study, 289 fewer luminaires were used than the existing 2006 guidelines would have prescribed. The project also uses 16,773 fewer watts, a 22 percent reduction in total lighting load.
Rendering: Courtesy Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
Lighting was a major element from the very start for the redesign of the San Ysidro U.S. Land Port of Entry (LPOE), just outside San Diego. When the Miller Hull Partnership (MHP) was called in for its interview with the GSA after making the short list of architecture firms, it was suggested to them that one of the five team members to include be the lighting designer. “We knew immediately how important lighting design was to the project,” says Craig Curtis, design partner at MHP. “Fortunately, we had already decided to team with Candela who we've worked with for years. And coincidentally they had just done a study of LPOEs' lighting design.”
As one of the busiest LPOEs in the U.S., there are a tremendous number of demands placed on this facility, and even more since it is a border station along the nation's southern border. An extraordinary number of people—102,000—go through this location every day, 25,000 merely on foot. “The design first of all had to respond to the demand for increasing throughput,” Curtis explains. “In addition to that, every architectural move we were making, we were trying to see what we could do in terms of sustainability as part of that same solution.”
Striving to be a net-zero energy building and targeting LEED Platinum certification, multiple conservation systems are being put into place. For example, photovoltaic panels will be incorporated into the roofs of the administrative buildings as well as the edge of the primary canopy, one of the project's main design features.
The 725-foot-long canopy is supported by four 100-foot-tall structural masts. The masts also allow luminaires to be incorporated so that light washes across the inspection areas, which follows the new GSA lighting guidelines. The canopy itself serves as a light reflector thanks to the translucent qualities of its ethylene tetrafluoroethylene material. As Curtis says, “We approached it [the project] from the very beginning knowing that we wanted this to be a beautiful structure, one that the U.S. is proud of as an entrance to our country.”Details
Project: U.S. land port of entry, San Ysidro, Calif.
Start Date: Broke ground March 2011
Client: U.S. General Services Administration
Architect: The Miller Hull Partnership, Seattle
Structural and Civil Engineer: Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Seattle
Mechanical and Electrical Engineer: Interface Engineering, Portland, Ore.
Lighting Designer: Candela, Seattle
Landscape Architect: AECOM, Los Angeles
Project Cost: $160 million for Phase 1; $577 million for all 3 Phases
Project Size: approx. 90,000 square feet (buildings); approx. 85,000 square feet (canopies)
Watts per Square Foot: Interiors are approximately 23 percent below code. 8.28W per square meter (current design); 10.76W per square meter, LPA (police/fire category); Exteriors are approximately 3.5 percent below code, including tradable and non-tradable spaces and including exempt lighting under the “Zone 3” category.
Energy Code Compliance: ASHRAE 90.1-2007
Renderings: Courtesy Miller Hall
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alleviated (part of speech: verb)
vindicated (part of speech: verb)
qualified (part of speech: verb)
- Yet fury had mitigated his terror. - "The Mysterious Rider", Zane Grey.
- Besides the remainder of the company who gradually assembled in the hall, congratulated each other on the excellent hunting weather which had mitigated the heat of the preceding day. - "The Children of the World", Paul Heyse.
- A closer resemblance - as I have more than once taken occasion to notice - may be found between the Peruvian institutions and some of the despotic governments of Eastern Asia; those governments where despotism appears in its more mitigated form, and the whole people, under the patriarchal sway of its sovereign, seem to be gathered together like the members of one vast family. - "History-of-the-Conquest-of-Peru-with-a-preliminary-view-of-the-civilization-of-the-Incas", Prescott, William Hickling.
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The vulva is the area surrounding the opening of the vagina. The vulva includes the small, sensitive structure (clitoris) that becomes stimulated during sexual activity and the folds of skin or lips (labia) that cover the vagina and the opening of the tube leading from the bladder (urethra).
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Anarchism and Education: A Philosophical PerspectiveJanuary 1st, 2009
Judith Suissa's provocative book, Anarchism and Education: A Philosophical Perspective invites us to use our imaginations to think very critically about what kind of society we would like to have, what education would look like in this society and what kind of educational activities might help to facilitate the realisation of this ideal society (p. 5). She argues that the anarchist perspective does not take any existing social or political framework for granted and focuses instead on envisioning what an ideal social order could be like. While such an approach has often been dismissed as utopian, Suissa takes the view that before we begin to philosophise about education we ought to 'question the very political framework within which we are operating' (p. 3).
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Emotions in Sport is the first comprehensive treatment of how individual and team emotions affect athletic performance. Edited by renowned Olympic advisor, researcher, and teacher Yuri Hanin, the book provides you with
a comprehensive understanding of emotional patterns such as anxiety, anger, and joy, as well as their impact on individual and team performance;
solid methods for determining the optimal emotional state of individual athletes;
innovative strategies for avoiding overtraining, burnout, and fatigue, while helping enhance performance;
an overview of injury management and the positive emotional states that can actually accelerate the healing process; and
a long-overdue look at exercise, emotions, and mental health.
Created and developed by Dr. Hanin during 30 years as a sport psychologist, the Individual Zones of Optimal Functioning (IZOF) model is the key conceptual framework in Emotions in Sport. The model can help you describe, predict, and explain the dynamics of emotion/performance for individual athletes and provides you with strategies for creating optimal emotional states and enhancing athletic performance.
Appendixes to the volume include a reproducible IZOF model form and step-by-step data collection instructions for your use.
Emotions in Sport incorporates the insights, wisdom, and experience of authorities worldwide to give you a new perspective on this important subject and its impact on athletes.
Introduction. An Individualized Approach to Emotion in Sport
Part I. Foundations of the Individualized Approach to the Study of Performance-Related Emotions Chapter 1. The Study of Emotion in Sport and Exercise: Historical, Definitional, and Conceptual Perspectives
Robert Vallerand and Céline J.M. Blanchard (Canada)
Chapter 2. Cognitive-Motivational-Relational Theory of Emotion
Richard S. Lazarus (United States)
Chapter 3. Individual Zones of Optimal Functioning (IZOF)
Model: Emotion-Performance Relationships in Sport
Yuri L. Hanin (Finland)
Part II. Basic Emotions and Athletic Performance Chapter 4. Competitive Anxiety
John S. Raglin and Yuri L. Hanin (United States/Finland)
Chapter 6. Joy, Fun and Flow State in Sport
Susan A. Jackson (Australia)
Chapter 7. Successful and Poor Performance and Emotions
Yuri L. Hanin (Finland)
Part III. Three Approaches to Training and Emotional
Exhaustion Chapter 8. Overtraining in Athletes
John S. Raglin and Gregory S. Wilson (United States)
Chapter 9. Burnout in Athletes and Coaches
K. Wolfgang Kallus and Michael Kellman (Austria/Germany)
Chapter 10. Maladaptive Fatigue Syndrome and Emotions in Sport
Keith Henschen (United States)
Part IV. Additional Issues in Emotion and Sport Chapter 11. The Injured Athlete
John Heil (United States)
Chapter 12. Exercise, Emotions, and Mental Health
Stuart Biddle (United Kingdom)
Concluding Remarks. Where to From Here?
Appendix A. Introduction to the IZOF-Based Individualized Emotion-Profiling Forms Appendix B. IZOF-Based Emotion Profiling: Step-Wise Procedures and Forms Appendix C. Practical Example of IZOF Profiles
Reference for sport psychologists and coaches. Textbook for graduate courses and seminars in sport psychology.
Internationally renowned sport psychologist Yuri L. Hanin, PhD, is Professor and Senior Researcher at the Research Institute for Olympic Sports in Jyväskylä, Finland. He has been a university-level teacher and researcher in the field of sport psychology for more than 30 years.
The author of three books as well as numerous book chapters and journal articles related to optimizing sports performance, Dr. Hanin has done extensive research, teaching, training, and activities with national, international, and Olympic teams, athletes, and coaches. In addition, he has been a speaker at conferences throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia.
Dr. Hanin has served as an associate editor of the European Yearbook of Sport Psychology. He is also a newsletter editor for the International Association of Applied Psychology (Division 12--Sport Psychology) and a member of the editorial board for the International Journal of Sport Psychology, The Sport Psychologist, Revista de Psicologia del Deporte, and Coaching and Sport Science.
Dr. Hanin holds PhD (1970) and Doctor of Psychological Sciences (1986) degrees in Social Psychology from Leningrad University. He received the 1998 Visiting Scholar Award from the Australian College of Sport Psychologists and the 1999 Distinguished International Scholar Award from the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology (AAASP).
Dr. Hanin lives with his wife Muza in Jyväskylä, Finland. In his leisure time he enjoys downhill skiing and swimming.
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Haridwar Travel Guide
One of the holiest cities along the banks of the Ganges, Haridwar associates a lot of significance to Indian mythology. Legend has it that in the Vanaparva section of the Mahabharata, sage Dhaumya mentions Haridwar and Kankhal while speaking to Yudhisthira about the tirthas of India, Gangadwar. One of the Char Dhams (the four main centers of pilgrimage in Uttarakhand namely, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri), the city of Haridwar came under the reign of the Maurya Empire (322-185 BC), and later under the Kushan Empire
One of the favorite tourist destinations in India for pilgrims and travelers alike, Haridwar offers several options. Located to the north of the center, Hari-ki-Pairi (or Har-ki-Pairi) is considered to be the city's focal point, where devotees assemble for a holy dip in the Ganges. Legend says that this is where a drop of nectar fell as a result of the manthan - churning of the oceans - Mythologically it signifies the start of the world.
Tourist Attraction in Haridwar
CHANDI DEVI - The Chandi Devi Temple, situated atop the Neel Parvat, gives a panoramic view of the entire Haridwar town. The temple was built in the year 1929 by the then king of Kashmir Suchat Singh.
BHARAT MATA TEMPLE - The Bharat Mata Temple is a massive eight-storey structure consecrated in 1983. Each floor of the temple houses statues of different mythological and historical legends, religious deities, leaders and heroes who played important role in the formation of the modern India. The temple was founded by Swami Satyamitranand Giri.
SHANTI KUNJ - Shanti Kunj is another place to visit in Haridwar. It is the most important centre for the Gayatri followers all over India. The temple here houses 24 images of Gayatri. Shanti Kunj is also famous for yoga practices. HAR-KI-PAURI - Har-Ki-Pauri is regarded as one of the major attractions of Haridwar. It is a sacred ghat built by the then King Vikramaditya in the memory of his brother Bhartrihari. This sacred bathing ghat is also known as Brahmakund. Thousands of devotees come here to take a holy dip in the river Ganga during the Kumbh Mela.
MAYA DEVI TEMPLE - The Maya Devi Temple holds great religious importance for the follower of Hindu religion. The temple is also regarded as one of the Siddhapethas dedicated to the Adhisthatri Devi of Haridwar.
BAZAARS - Haridwar is also famous for its local bazaars or markets. The main Haridwar bazaar is a long, winding street, probably the oldest part of the town, free of all vehicular traffic.
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Dutch recall meat in Europe that may contain horse
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) - Dutch authorities are recalling some 50,000 tons of meat that was sold as beef across Europe and possibly containing horse meat, because the exact source of the meat cannot be established.
The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority said Wednesday around 370 different companies around Europe and 130 more in the Netherlands are affected by the recall because they bought meat from two Dutch trading companies.
The authority says that because the exact source of the meat cannot be traced, "its safety cannot be guaranteed."
The statement added that Dutch authorities currently have "no concrete indications that there is a risk to public health."
Dutch authorities began a large-scale investigation into the country's meat industry in February following revelations across Europe that horse meat was being sold as beef.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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Conversations with Jefferson Davis
Whatever may be any ones opinion in regard to the justice of the cause he advocated, the man who headed for four years the greatest revolt of modern times, can not but be deemed one of the formost figures of American history. Whatever crime against his country some think he has commited (and it may be state here that the writer is not one who holds any such belief) he has drained his full cup of suffering. As he stated not long ago, he did not seek the position in which he was placed, but obeyed a command which he, with Lee and thousands of other good & true men regarded as imperative, the voice of his native state calling him in her defense.
He did no more than other men to bring on the war and the question may well be asked as he asked it a few days ago "Why should I suffer more than others." Why when others went free should I have been loaded with chains that would have burdened an ox; the quetion is easier to ask than answer for the flimsy pretence that he has willfully caused the terrible state of affairs at Andersonville vanished at the first investigation by men who had been his bitter opponents—It is needless to record here Mr. Davis' history as a soldier—he was the Blucher of Genl Taylor's Waterloo at Bronea Viola, Mexico—or his long and distinguished service in Congress but one incident of his life as a Cabinet officer may well be mentioned, render his direction of the acqueduct supplying Washington with water was built, and without an instanse of his; his name was commenced some stone he won in office took the pitiful measure of erasing it—but thereby seemed a lasting commemoration of his service for all visitors at once notice the rough marks of the chisel, and their inevitable by the statement that from the stone the name of Jefferson Davis has been ended, his influence also did much to ornament the capitol and the Capitol City.
The object of this article however is not to re-affirm either the northern or the Southern view of Mr. Davis' courage or to tell again a twice told tale, but to give a resume of various conservative [sic] which he held with a friend in whom he confided, and who had no intention of publishing his words, nothing will be made public here, however, that Mr. Davis would object for the world to know and all that follows is in substance what he has said.
Shortly after reaching Montgomery Alba to take his seat, he found he was watched by a number of men, not only to report his words and deeds but to take his life. Two exconvicts who had been sent from Philadelphia and promised a large reward if they killed him. The plot was discovered in time.
When he arrived in Richmond he was exposed to the same danger after having been the unanimous choice of the whole Southern Confederacy and received in that city with enthusiastic welcome he was soon startled by the knowledge that there were cowardly villains who would seek to assassinate him. One evening he was riding below Richmond with Col. Wm Preston Johnston (son of Genl. Albert Sidney Johnston) his horse walked faster that that rider by his companion just after crossing Gillies Creek, at the lower end of the City a short space separated them. Just as they passed this point the report of a gun was heard and a ball whistled between them, Mr. Davis knowing well whom the shot was intended for, checked his horses and a thorough examination of the neighborhood was made, but no one was found upon whom the assault could be charged. Next day a man was arrested in a house near where the firing took place and a rifle and a Federal uniform overcoat were found in the house but as no conclusive evidence was provided against he was put in the army and a few weeks he deserted and nothing more was heard of him.
This was not the occasion which Mr. Davis ran such a risk. Once when he was returning from an inspection of the fortification near the city he was fired at—about dusk—from behind a wall, but had the good fortune to escape untouched. His conversations from day to day as various topics were suggested to him can be reduced to historical sequence, but must be given as he uttered them. He never took any action in regard to military affairs without consultation with his officers of the highest rank in the army. This action in attempting to end the War by means of peace commensing his in the South has been the subject of more criticism than any other of his life.
"I have been severely condemned in regard to the Peace Commission and many people say that the war could have ended if J. had not prevented it—But I tell you J was in favor of peace. I believe that an agreement would have securred if a man high in office under the Confederate Government had not betrayed the condition of the South to Mr. Lincoln. Only in our instance that J suggested to Genl Lee the movement from before Petersburg as his army was guided and depleted and only time would inundate it by the crime or make a coup d'etat. Fort Stedman was as you know the result ending at Appomattox.
Give his home at Beauvoir a happy Father and husband and nothing is mor that happening but some unjust criticism from his enemies. A beautiful home looking out on the Mexican Gulf surrounded by luxuriant trees the shadows fliting over his erect figure in his evening walks.
These pre-Katrina photos of Beauvoir appear courtesy of Galen R. Frysinger (www.galenfrysinger.com).
The depiction of Jefferson Davis comes from Beauvoir, the Jefferson Davis Home and Presidential Library. Beauvoir suffered catastrophic damage during the hurricane, images of which may be viewed here.
The original essay and its transcription are in the possession of the Fredericksburg Area Museum and Cultural Center, www.famcc.org, who has kindly made it available. The paragraph breaks and leading title were inserted during editing for HistoryPoint.org.
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By Jim Chu, Chief Constable, Vancouver Police Department, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
n February 2010, the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games were successfully staged in the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; the resort community of Whistler; and adjoining municipalities. Vancouver became the largest metropolitan area to host the Winter Games, and an unprecedented number of athletes, officials, spectators, and celebrants participated in the event, which also was watched by record television audiences. When the Olympics concluded, many compliments were extended to the games’ organizers, the volunteers, and, notably, the law enforcement agencies that kept the games safe. This article will highlight the key policing challenges and offer lessons learned on public order–policing practices that apply to any large-scale public event.
Security is always a paramount consideration during the Olympics, and the lead responsibility for the security of the Vancouver 2010 games was given to Canada’s national police service, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Early in the process, the RCMP realized that an operation of this scale and magnitude required strong partnerships with local police agencies of jurisdiction and, hence, created the Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit (ISU), which primarily comprised police and military security planners. The overall security budget for the ISU was approximately $555 million.
|Officers work at the Vancouver Police Department's |
emergency operations center.
The policing story of the 2010 Winter Olympics can be broken down into three components:
- The protection of Olympic Games participants (athletes, officials, and spectators)
- The right to freely assemble and protest
- The management of large celebratory crowds
The ISU took responsibility for the security of the official competition venues and several noncompetition venues, including the athletes’ villages, the main media center, and the Vancouver International Airport. In addition, the ISU was responsible for athlete transportation security and the protection of internationally protected persons. It is well known that past Olympic Games have attracted terrorists (for example, the 1972 hostage taking and killing of Israeli athletes in Munich, West Germany) and lone-wolf criminals (for example, the 1996 Atlanta park bombing). Numerous heads of state and other internationally protected persons attend. More than 6,000 police officers; 4,500 private security personnel; and 4,000 Canadian military resources were utilized to ensure these official Olympic sites were secure. To fortify venues such as the hockey stadium and ski hills, the ISU created airport-style screening checkpoints for staff and spectators and constructed fence lines with perimeter detection systems and closed-circuit television cameras. Outside the fence lines, security fell to the local police of jurisdiction with ISU resources for support and for national security incidents. The hosting jurisdictions received funding through the ISU to help cover the associated costs of policing the games.
This high level of readiness and security delivered by the ISU resulted in a great outcome of no terrorist or serious criminal acts occurring in any official Olympic site. Overall, venues were safe and secure, and the policing story of the 2010 Winter Olympics shifted from security of the official sites to policing protests and the large celebratory crowds. Within the city of Vancouver, both of these challenges were the responsibility of the Vancouver Police Department (VPD).
The city of Vancouver is considered one of the world’s most liberal cities. It has a large concentration of illicit drug users (including users of crack cocaine and heroin) and is home to the first supervised drug-injection site in North America. During the lead-up to the games, activist groups in Vancouver made public accusations that Vancouver police would cleanse the city and suppress dissent by
- sweeping the streets clean of the mentally ill and poor people,
- kidnapping homeless people and shipping them out of town,
- kicking in doors of homes and businesses to take away signs that criticized the Olympics, and
- beating and arresting protesters.
The local branch of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association initiated a legal observer program for volunteers to receive special training in law; first aid (to help people beaten by the police); and use of video recorders to capture what the association claimed would be inevitable instances of excessive force by police. To counter these allegations, senior police officers from the VPD and the ISU went on public record and met with these groups to reiterate that the right to protest, which is guaranteed under Canadian law, would be upheld by the police and that no special measures to sweep the streets would occur. The activist groups remained relentless with their condemnations of the police, and the news media reported on these criticisms.
The Canadian Constitution guarantees rights such as freedom of assembly, thought, religion, and expression. Approximately three times a week and throughout the year, protests are held in Vancouver with causes ranging from local issues (for example, the environment and homelessness) to international issues (for example, oppression in Iran and antiglobalization). One of the larger Critical Mass rides for freedom to ride bicycles occurs in the city’s downtown core. All of these events take place without serious incident, and, overall, the VPD has a strong track record of facilitating lawful protests.
|Police face protesters at the 2010 Winter Olympics |
The first test of the VPD approach to protests occurred two days before the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony. Prime Minister Stephen Harper was in Vancouver and wanted to attend a Chinese New Year celebration in a Chinatown community center. Protesters who were in disagreement over his administration’s opposition to the supervised injection site quickly marshalled 200 agitated protesters and blocked the entrance to the community center. They used chains and tape to lock the doors. The VPD police commander at the scene decided to allow the protest to continue, and after the protesters made their point with the news cameras, they withdrew and VPD officers removed the tape and chains from around the doors.
The next day had protest groups looking for key places along the Olympic Torch Relay to disrupt the procession. They laid down barbed wire and blockaded intersections. The torch was rerouted around these blockades and instead of the image of armed and helmeted police arresting protesters, the media reported on school children and war veterans who missed the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the torch because of the “selfish” protesters.1
The next day, just prior to the opening ceremony, 1,500 chanting protesters wound their way through Vancouver streets and were shadowed by VPD bicycle patrol officers. While traffic disruptions were tolerated, a preplanned decision was made that the opening ceremony would not be interrupted. The proverbial “line in the sand” was drawn on the street outside a stadium that was filled with 60,000 spectators and athletes.
The protesters were stopped by 350 officers from the VPD and the ISU/RCMP. The VPD officers were specially trained officers from the Crowd Control Unit (CCU), who locked arms and would not let the crowd move closer to the stadium. They were backed by officers on horseback and arrest teams. The CCU commander deployed his officers in soft hats without face shields.
As the night went on, the composition of the protest groups became clearer. Some were idealistic people who wanted to peacefully express their personal beliefs. This included Native Indian elders, seniors against poverty, and environmentalists. The same crowd also contained approximately 100 anarchists and criminals who practiced a technique called Black Bloc. This tactic is used by anarchists who cover their faces and heads with black, ninja-style masks to make it difficult to identify them when they commit criminal acts.
As dusk descended, this large crowd surged several times, but the police line held steady. The criminal protesters became frustrated. They wanted police officers to wade into their ranks and start fights with them. They wanted the image of a police officer hitting a protester with a baton. They wanted to get tear gassed. They wanted the news media to record images of the police battling protesters, like what happened at the 1999 Seattle World Trade Organization (WTO) riots, the 1997 Vancouver Asia Pacific Economic Conference (APEC) confrontations, and the 2001 Quebec City Summit of the Americas riots. The anarchists spat into the faces of the frontline officers. They threw barricades and tried to incite the legitimate protesters to violence by shouting “The police are beating the elders!” and other lies.
One woman on the front line was 53-year-old Shena Meadowcroft, who was personally against the government spending on the Olympics. Her account in an e-mail to the Vancouver police chief provides the best description of the restraint shown by the integrated public-order officers.
I myself spent the better part of an hour or more face to face with several police officers. I will never forget how extraordinarily well I was treated by them. I wish that I could personally thank each and every one of the police officers who showed the utmost concern to my well-being that night. I was continually offered an opportunity to leave, and when I expressed my need to remain where I was, my needs were respected. Even while there was intense pushing and shoving on both sides, several of the officers kept asking me if I was OK.
Your officers were continuously insulted and spat upon, screamed at. At no time did I see any of them respond with anything but civility and politeness. What I can say is that no one deserves the continual berating and harassment, obscenities and personal attacks that these officers were subject to that night.
The opening ceremony protest was volatile and could have erupted into violence and mass arrests that would have overshadowed the event. Fortunately, the night ended peacefully. There was only one arrest; no protesters were injured, although two police officers had minor injuries. The news media reported on the exceptional restraint shown by the police, and the civil liberties “legal observers” had nothing to record.
|Officers approach protesters in the Heart Attack march |
in Vancouver's downtown.
The disciplined police response during the preceding week reduced the number of protesters that turned out the following morning for the so-called Heart Attack protest march designed to “clog” downtown streets. The attendance from legitimate protesters was low because during the last few days, the VPD had upheld the rights to free assembly and the expression of personal beliefs. Instead of the anger towards the police growing like it did in the Seattle WTO, Vancouver APEC, and Quebec City conflicts, the enmity towards the police and state institutions waned significantly. On the contrary, the public resentment towards the protesters was increasing.
The Heart Attack march began with several anarchists openly encouraging criminal acts to provoke the police. Instead of being backed by 1,400 legitimate protesters like the night before, the approximately100 criminal anarchists had only about 100 legitimate protesters to hide behind. The criminals again used the Black Bloc technique and as they marched along Vancouver streets, they started to damage cars and buildings.
They arrived in the downtown core and began to smash the windows of a retailer that sold Olympic clothing. It was at this point that the VPD CCU officers, backed up by ISU/RCMP tactical troop officers, were deployed onto the streets to make arrests. CCU members heard citizens on the street applaud them as they exited their vans. The people on the streets shouted “Go, VPD, go get them” as the officers made arrests and dispersed the protesters. After about 90 minutes of physical confrontations, the criminal protesters were under police control and seven arrests were made at the scene.
The news media covered these arrests extensively and the public sentiment was overwhelmingly supportive of the police actions. Afterward, the police media statements were careful to distinguish that the police arrested the “criminal protesters” and still respected the rights of the “peaceful protesters” to express their views.
The death of a Georgian luge athlete in a training run, the warm weather and lack of snow, and the disruptions by the criminal protesters had prompted a British reporter to label that particular Olympics as the “worst games ever.”2 However, by the end of the second day, the wind in the sails of the anti-Olympic protest movement had dissipated. In subsequent days, the protest movement broke further apart with the anarchists being shunned by those who respected Canadian laws. At one meeting, the head of the local branch of the Civil Liberties Association received an actual pie in the face because he had criticized the law breakers.
|People protest homelessness during the 2010 Winter |
Olympics closing ceremony.
There were still two or three protests each day of the Olympics, but each was poorly attended with only a dozen or so participants and drew minimal media attention. By the last few days, the police had to protect protesters from exuberant Canadian hockey fans who were shouting “Get a job.” The tide definitely turned against protesters on the second day of the Olympics, thanks to police restraint, shifting the media’s and the public’s attention to the athletes and the actual sporting events.
The Celebratory Crowds
There were several free pavilions and live sites where the public could soak up the Olympic atmosphere. Tickets were not necessary and as the week went on, the number of people converging in the downtown core approached several hundred thousand. It was impossible to walk around without seeing wall-to-wall people with red mittens and Olympic and Canadian clothing. Local residents showed unprecedented patriotism and support for the games, and visitors also enjoyed the streets of Vancouver. The weather was the warmest winter on record for Vancouver, and people basked in the sunshine.
Vancouver bore the legacy of the 1994 Stanley Cup riots. After the local hockey team lost the final playoff game, thousands of rampaging youths broke windows, looted stores, overturned police cars, and damaged property. Furthermore, concerns over potential riotous behavior caused Vancouver police spokesperson Constable Anne Drennan to tell the public not to come downtown for New Year’s celebrations for the year 2000.3 This gave rise to the label “no fun city” and for many years; the VPD was criticized for starting the “no fun” reputation.
During the games, the large day and evening crowds were concentrated in the blocks comprising the downtown Granville Street Entertainment District (GED), which is populated by numerous restaurants and bars. The crowds in the GED got larger each night as people flocked to celebrate medal and hockey team wins. Up to three hockey games per day would bring 18,000 spectators into the GED. The VPD media spokespersons encouraged people to come downtown and celebrate and talked about the fun and family-oriented atmosphere.
The GED came into existence around 10 years ago when 1,700 liquor seats were added to the area, along with extended hours. At first, the GED became known as the Street of Shame because of the large number of fights, drunken hooliganism, and rowdy behavior. The beat officers working the GED called the weekends “fight nights.” Police commanders ordered officers to practice zero tolerance and to enforce all laws to crack down on the aggressive behavior.
Four years ago, the VPD adopted new strategies in the GED. Instead of zero tolerance, the VPD adopted a meet-and-greet strategy with officers in visible vests making eye contact with people and encouraging people to have fun in a responsible manner. Street closures created more walking room and people started to come to the GED to experience the nightlife and street ambience. The meet-and-greet strategy was ideal for the massive Olympic crowds, and the experienced CCU members formed the bulk of the GED policing contingent.
Even though hundreds of thousands of people were staying downtown in the evening hours, there was only one problematic night. Midway during the games, a disk jockey named Deadmau5 (pronounced “Deadmouse”) played at a city-run outdoor concert site. Thousands of people arrived in the early afternoon to line up to get into the venue. Thousands more were turned away and decided to party in the street. Deadmau5 turned up the volume so that people outside the venue would hear his performance. The VPD then had to police large and potentially unruly crowds both inside and outside the venue.
A significant amount of illicit drug and liquor consumption took place that night. People refuelled their exuberance by swarming nearby liquor stores. When the concert ended, 15,000 youth headed to the GED, which was already full of intoxicated people. The Canadian men’s hockey team had lost to the United States in a game earlier that evening, and flag carrying Americans were harassed. There was a tenor of violence in the air. Many fights occurred. Fortunately, as the night went on, the situation stabilized and no major problems were experienced, thanks to proactive police intervention.
The next day, the VPD approached the provincial liquor board and obtained an emergency order for liquor stores to close early, at 7 p.m., for the remainder of the Olympics. This was a strategy identified in the 1994 Stanley Cup riot review report. VPD CCU officers on the GED were backed up with additional ISU/RCMP resources. In addition, a perimeter policing strategy was put into place using 100 additional police officers to monitor the laneways, the transit stations, and the pedestrian corridors. People who appeared to be consuming alcohol were stopped. Liquor was poured out and those who were uncooperative received $230 fines for consuming liquor in public. This strategy, coupled with the inability of celebrants to refuel on alcohol, created greater calm on the remaining nights.
An important component of the VPD policing strategy was the media messaging. VPD media spokespeople encouraged people of all ages to come downtown and enjoy the street party. Attempts by the news media to paint the GED as unsafe were rebuffed. The VPD reasoned that if the general public was told to worry about drunken hooligans, they would be deterred from coming downtown, which would mean that crowds would be dominated by drunken hooligans, and Vancouver would be the “no fun city” again. Instead, the VPD encouraged people of all ages and backgrounds to come downtown, have fun, and enjoy the street ambience. VPD CCU officers facilitated crowd movements, shook hands, and posed for many pictures.
|Fans of Team Canada celebrate a gold medal win in hockey.|
The last day of the Olympics saw Canada win the men’s hockey gold medal in overtime. Two hundred thousand people poured into the downtown core, and revellers engaged in impromptu renditions of the Canadian anthem and other cheers. The relationship between the police and the celebrants was extremely positive. The police were viewed as cocelebrants and were constantly high-fived and thanked for keeping everyone safe. The smiles of the officers, their discretionary approach to public liquor consumption ticketing, and the message to come downtown because the police would ensure the public’s safety created many fans of policing. Celebrants would chant “Can-a-da,” and when they saw Vancouver police officers, they would chant “V-P-D.”
|A VPD officer poses with a |
member of the public in the
downtown Granville Street
The major lessons that were learned or reinforced during the games include the following:
- Ensure there is a clear division of responsibility. An event as large as the Olympics has many overlapping issues and resources. The ISU, of which the VPD was an integral part, established a clear chain of responsibility and accountability. The ISU engaged in detailed planning, kept the athletes and venues safe, and offered significant support to the local police.
- Don’t give a reason to protesters to hate the police. Many changes in unjust laws and policies have come about because of legitimate protests. The police should facilitate freedom of expression and make arrests only when the actions are clearly criminal.
- Create balanced crowd dynamics. The more you can encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to participate in an event, the more likely hooliganism will look out of place and be considered inappropriate. The crowd can help police itself with the condemnation of bad behavior. Drunken people behave better when there are children and seniors in proximity, and the police can help create this healthy balance of celebrants with positive media messages.
- Training is critical. The VPD created a highly trained crowd control unit, and senior personnel were trained with overseas agencies. The VPD has a public order commander certification program. New commanders are mentored and are certified for command only after adequate performance in real situations. The patience and discipline shown by frontline CCU members on the opening night was a significant turning point in the policing of the games.
- Discourage festival seating. For performers who attract a crowd that is more prone to irresponsible behavior, do not permit organizers to offer festival seating. This will give rise to lengthy lineups and large numbers of frustrated concertgoers who cannot gain admission into the venue. This doubles the problem as the police have to secure both inside and outside a venue. If tickets for general admission are used instead, lineups and problems can be minimized.
- Meet and greet people. VPD officers were well versed in making eye contact with visitors to the GED. They wore visible reflective vests and worked in pods to disperse unruly gatherings. They used a relaxed approach, and their goal was to calm situations. As the games went on, the officers felt like part of the celebration and smiled and posed for many pictures.
- Prepare for the unexpected. The VPD and the ISU were able to address shifting needs for resources. In spite of the best forecasting and planning, the games had more people congregating downtown than was expected. Because of the ability of the police agencies to work together and adjust to changing dynamics, the public was kept safe and no major incidents occurred.
- Set reasonable boundaries on behavior. Many celebrants wanted to consume liquor in public places, which is permitted in some jurisdictions. Striking the right balance between enforcement (it is against local laws in the provincial Liquor Control and Licensing Act to consume liquor in public) and warnings can keep the crowd in check, while also creating goodwill.
- Lead your staff. Over the 17 days of the Olympics, the VPD chief and his command staff walked the front lines meeting officers, members of the public, and the news media. While reports up the chain of command are helpful, it is also important to see and experience the situations firsthand and talk directly to officers on the front lines to better understand and interpret what is going on. For extended deployments, encouraging tired officers and bolstering their spirits are critical. Fatigue and associated impatience was a significant concern, and the frequent sightings of command officers helped staff morale.
|A VPD officer is pictured with members of the public |
during the 2010 Winter Olympics.
The Victory Lap
The story of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics was not about security, crime, or stifling of legitimate dissent. It was rightly about the athletes and public celebration. During and after the Olympics, kudos and compliments flowed into the VPD in the form of letters, e-mails, and phone calls. VPD officers had strangers offer to pay their dinner tabs. People openly praised the police and the local newspaper printed “Police Deserve a Medal for their Performance.”4 Even the Civil Liberties Association complimented the police and noted that not one instance of wrongdoing was observed by their legal observers.
The combined efforts of the VPD- and the RCMP-led ISU created a high benchmark for policing. New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson, in a letter to a Vancouver newspaper, wrote, “As a native and lifelong citizen of the great city of New Orleans, which knows how to put on a world-class event, I would like to so express how impressed I was with your city when I visited for the 2010 Winter Olympics.”5 NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams expressed his thanks for “securing this massive event without choking security and without publicly displaying a single automatic weapon.”6 People from everywhere had the time of their lives because of the gold medal performance of the Vancouver police and the policing partners in the ISU. ■
Law enforcement agencies can obtain a detailed report on policing the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver by contacting the author at [email protected].
|Vancouver Police Department members (from left) |
Deputy Chief Doug LePard; Chief Constable Jim Chu;
and Deputy Chief Bob Rolls walk through the
downtown Granville Street Entertainment District.
1Quoting British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell; CanWest Olympic Team, “Anti-Olympic Protesters Clash with Police in Vancouver,” Vancouver Sun, February 22, 2010, http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Anti+Olympic+protesters+clash+with+police+Vancouver/2561450/story.html (accessed August 17, 2010).
2Lawrence Donegan, “Vancouver Games Continue Downhill Slide from Disaster to Calamity,” The Guardian, February 15, 2010, http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/feb/15/vancouver-winter-olympics-2010 (accessed August 17, 2010).
3Craig Jones, “The Mayor, the Police, and the ‘Culture of Arrogance,’ ” British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (from the Vancouver Sun, January 14, 2000), http://www.bccla.org/othercontent/00craignewyears.html (accessed August 17, 2010).
4“Police Deserve a Medal for Their Performance,” Vancouver Sun, March 4, 2010, http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Police+deserve+medal+their+performance/2639788/story.html (accessed August 13, 2010).
5Tom Benson, “Saints Owner Impressed,” Vancouver Sun, March 23, 2010, http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Saints+owner+impressed/2715023/story.html(accessed August 13, 2010).
6Brian Williams, “Leaving behind a Thank you Note,” the Daily Nightly on msnbc.com, February 26, 2010, http://dailynightly.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/02/26/4372324-leaving-behind-a-thank-you-note (accessed August 13, 2010).
Please cite as:
Jim Chu, "An Olympic Medal for Policing: Lessons and Experiences from the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics," The Police Chief 77 (September 2010): 20–28,
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/CPIM0910/index.php#/20 (insert access date).
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Mosaic Rudenko - Little Red Riding Hood
Object: Rearrange the pieces to solve the puzzle Difficulty: Level 8 - Demanding Brand: Roscreative Type: Other Misc Puzzles Dimensions: 4.3 in x 4.7 in x 0.4 in / 11 cm x 12 cm x 1.1 cm
Warning! The puzzle of this package is all in Russian. The instructions are in Russian as well. I have translated the instructions here as best as I can.
The game offers a pleasant way to spend time
develops logical thinking
promotes the development of motor skills and coordination
develops the imagination
trains the memory.
Mosaic consists of sixteen tiles. Each tile - a fragment of the total picture. The goal: assemble a picture by moving the tiles on the slots. At the bottom of the game are clues. Rules of the game: two-way game. Assemble a picture on one side, flip the game on the other side and collect the new picture. One side: Little Red Riding Hood is the path to the house to her grandmother. Rearrange the tiles so that Little Red Riding Hood travels in the opposite direction.
Second side: Alternately, place one of the babies in blue or red circle.
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Market Street Railway Co., 1893-1902
Built 2009 by Muni Shops
This striking yellow cable car displays the livery that Powell-Mason cable cars wore from 1893 to around 1905. It was recreated with help from our non-profit group.
Mayor Gavin Newsom and SFMTA CEO Nathaniel Ford cut the ribbon on no. 15.
This Market Street Railway was formed in 1893 by interests from the Southern Pacific Railroad, a politically dominant company in the California of that day, later vilified in Frank Norris’s famous novel The Octopus.
Among its other acquisitions was the Ferries & Cliff House Railway, which included the Powell Street cable car operations. In that day, the lines that ran from the company’s Washington-Mason powerhouse and carbarn included, among others, the Powell-Mason and the Powell-Jackson (later called Washington-Jackson), which started at Powell and Market and then ran east-west on Washington and Jackson Streets to reach Pacific Heights. (The Powell-Hyde line was not created until 1957 as part of a consolidation and reduction in cable car service.)
The Market Street Railway Company of 1893 dedicated a specific fleet of color-coded cars to each line. For example, among its Market Street cable car lines, the cars that continued out Haight Street were painted red, Hayes Street green, Valencia Street blue, and Castro Street white. The Powell-Mason cable cars were painted yellow with red trim.
When United Railroads took over the Powell Street cable lines in 1902, they initially left the cable cars in their line-by-line different colored liveries, simply painting “United Railroads” on the side owner’s panels. This yellow livery disappeared from the Powell-Mason cable cars by 1905, but has now returned on cable car No. 15, which was constructed virtually from scratch by Muni crafts workers to enter service in 2009.
This piece of 21st century craftsmanship is a fitting tribute to the 19th century Powell-Mason line, which today is the oldest surviving transit line in America still operating its original route with its original type of equipment.
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The Barrow Resource for Acquired Injury to the Nervous System (B.R.A.I.N.S.) Program at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center is the first of its kind in the nation and offers comprehensive, compassionate, cutting-edge treatment and rehabilitation to victims of traumatic brain and spinal cord injury.
The B.R.A.I.N.S. Program combines numerous medical disciplines to help patients age 15 years old and up to meet their short-term and long-term recovery goals.
Patients receive a care and rehabilitation program that is designed specifically for each individual and may include:
- Trauma Care
- Intensive Care
- Child Neurology
- Translational Research
- Physical Therapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Speech Therapy
- Injury Prevention Education
- Community Resources
- School Education Specialist
Inpatients and outpatients in the program have access to top neurological scientists and the translational research Barrow is conducting on brain injuries. B.R.A.I.N.S. also is the first program in the United States to include educators in a multidisciplinary model and assist their reintegration into the classroom.
“Our mission is to improve the outcomes of those who suffer from neurological injury through comprehensive and individualized care, collaboration with other medical institutions, and aggressive medical research.”
This interdisciplinary program is just part of the ground-breaking work under way at Barrow, an internationally recognized leader in neurological research and patient care. Barrow treats patients with a wide range of neurological conditions, including brain and spinal tumors, cerebrovascular conditions, and neuromuscular disorders.
Working Together for the Patient
The B.R.A.I.N.S. Program not only utilizes the medical and scientific staff at Barrow, it also includes a collaboration with Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Arizona State University and the Brain Injury Association of Arizona. The new B.R.A.I.N.S. Program is endorsed by the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation and the Governor’s Council on Spinal and Head Injuries. View the B.R.A.I.N.S. Team at Barrow
What is Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)?
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) occurs when a sudden trauma causes damage to the brain. TBI can result when the head suddenly and violently hits an object, or when an object pierces the skull and enters brain tissue. TBI has been called the “signature injury” of the Iraq war, with some 320,000 reported cases from the conflict.
Symptoms of a TBI can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the extent of the damage to the brain. A person with a mild TBI may remain conscious or may experience a loss of consciousness for a few minutes. Other TBI symptoms include headache, confusion, lightheadedness, dizziness, blurred vision or tired eyes, ringing in the ears, bad taste in the mouth, fatigue or lethargy, a change in sleep patterns, behavioral or mood changes, and trouble with memory, concentration, attention, or thinking.
A person with a moderate or severe TBI may show these same symptoms, but may also have a headache that gets worse or does not go away, repeated vomiting or nausea, convulsions, an inability to awaken, dilation of pupils, slurred speech, weakness, loss of coordination, and confusion and agitation.
Approximately 1.5 million Americanssustain a traumatic brain injury each year and the very young and very old are the most at risk.
TBI is the number one cause of death in children and young adults.
B.R.A.I.N.S. Prevention Program
As part of the B.R.A.I.N.S. Program, Barrow offers the Helmet Your Head safety program.
The program focuses on the prevention of head and traumatic brain injuries and the effect they have on the individual, family and community. Aimed at children in grades K-12 and adults with mild TBI, the program advocates the use of helmets during recreational activities to prevent brain injury.
The Helmet Your Head curriculum is designed to be used in a variety of classroom settings. Students learn about the consequences of sustaining severe brain injury in common activities such as bicycling, roller-blading, skateboarding, horseback riding, rock climbing and other sports.
For more information, visit Helmet Your Head.
For more information, please call 602-406-HEAD (4323).
Barrow Neurological Institute
of St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center
350 West Thomas Road
Phoenix, Arizona 85013
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What is More Than a Score?
It’s not about the test. It’s about kids. It’s about connecting with our students so they get the education they deserve. A world-class education … For every single student … In every single school… That means we have to do more than we ever have before. It’s not enough to have the best schools in Kentucky or the nation. We are preparing students to excel in a global society.
A profound gap exists between what most U.S. students learn in school and the knowledge and skills they need for success in their communities and workplaces. Kentucky was the first state to adopt new, more rigorous, national content standards designed to ensure college and career success for all graduates.
To track our progress, students took more challenging state tests last spring. The new proficiency targets are harder for kids to meet. School benchmarks are more stringent. At first, scores may be lower than we’ve seen before. This site provides information about the new standards, new tests, and new scores.
Most importantly, this site provides information about what we’re doing to prepare kids to enter careers that do not yet exist, using technology that has not yet been invented to solve problems that haven’t even become problems yet. Because our children are more than a score. They’re the future.
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Like many of you, I am now at my race weight. I was thinking the other day about how easy it is for me to eat healthy foods and control portions right now. I'm not depriving myself of baked goods, but I control portion size and/or decrease another treat somewhere else. I know how to eat healthy; I'm doing it. And the best part is my current eating pattern doesn't take iron will or starvation.
Then I start to think, 'eating this way is easy for me—I could keep it up forever.'
The problem is, I've said the last sentence to myself in previous fall and winter seasons. It seems that the multitude of changes that occur in winter create havoc for my nutritional resolve.
Talking about the issue with athletes on my Sunday group ride, others expressed the same problem with winter weight gain. We began theorizing about what changes in fall and winter would make us feel like we cannot control the foods we eat or the portion sizes. Why is it that so many of us gain weight in the winter? Here are some of our thoughts:
For many, exercise volume decreases not only in sport but in life as well. There are fewer long rides, no lawns to mow and less walking about outside.
- As daylight hours decrease and it gets colder, most of us get less sunlight exposure and Vitamin D. Certainly less daylight can have a serious effect on people with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), but does this change affect everyone's appetite? Or, are there people who don't suffer from SAD but who are more affected by short days? Do hormones play a role?
- Some sources note that low levels of Vitamin D cause weight gain. Should we supplement with Vitamin D through winter? It is possible to overdose on D, however, so caution is a must.
- Do we eat more processed, lower nutrient foods in winter, which causes our bodies to crave more food to make up the deficit?
- Experts say that cold weather increases the appetite for foods that warm the body quickly, like sugars and carbohydrates. Cold salads are less appealing. Creamy clam chowder and buttered cornbread is a much more pleasing choice when it's chilly out.
This short list is a start. The big question is: What can you do about it? What changes can we make, or plan to make, that will keep our winter weight gain in the three-pound range rather than six?
Coming from a rich German heritage, it will be a challenge for me to figure out how to keep the weight gain to a minimum. For some reason, which I can't explain, I think I can do it this year. I feel more confident than ever before.
I hope I'm right.
Bonus Health Tip
Instead of blue cheese and ranch, bhoose balsamic vinaigrette or olive oil and Lucini Dark Cherry Balsamico Vinegar (my best summer discovery). It's delicious and it doesn't take much to give a salad great flavor. You'll end up consuming fewer fat calories on your salads and the calories you do consume will contain the good fats.
Stay on track with a nutrition plan.
What are your offseason secrets?
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Ptosis is a condition in which the upper eyelid(s) droops. The eyelid may droop only slightly or it may droop enough to partially or completely cover the pupil, restricting or obscuring the field of vision. Ptosis should not be confused with extra skin, fat or muscle in the eyelid area. Those issues are typically addressed with cosmetic blepharoplasty surgery. When ptosis can be shown to reduce peripheral vision, its surgical correction may be covered by insurance. If the degree of ptosis is not severe, it may be considered elective surgery and can be corrected as a cosmetic procedure.
The most common type of ptosis is adult onset, caused by a weakening or dehiscence of the attachment between the levator muscle (the muscle that raises the upper lid) and the tarsus near the eyelid margin. This typically occurs as a result of the aging process, after cataract surgery, following contact lens wear, or from an injury. In certain cases of sudden onset of ptosis, there may be other causes that should be evaluated by an oculoplastic specialist.
Ptosis surgery is an outpatient procedure that involves tightening the levator muscle that lifts the lid. The surgical approach taken depends on specific findings and testing performed during the consultation with one of our oculoplastic surgeons. Your surgeon will discuss your treatment options fully and will perform all the proper testing to determine whether your ptosis may be deemed medically necessary by your insurance carrier.
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What is a foundation? It is the beginning of something.
1 Corinthians 3:11
For no other "foundation" can anyone lay than that which is already layed, which is Jesus Christ (The Anointed One) (Messiah).
This is God's "original foundation".
"Father, I will that they also, whom You have given Me , be with Me where I AM; that they may behold My glory, which You have
given Me: for You loved Me before the "foundation of the world".
You are built upon the "foundation of the apostles and prophets with Jesus Christ Himself the chief Cornerstone".
The reverent and worshipful fear (respect) of the Lord is the "beginning" of knowledge.(foundation)
He "lays" up sound wisdom for the righteous:(foundation)
Happy is the man that finds wisdom and the man that gets understanding.(foundation)
For it is better than silver and gold, an rubies, and anything you can desire.
With wisdom you get long life, riches, and honour. (foundation)
Wisdom produces pleasantness and peace.(foundation)
Wisdom produces life.(foundation)
Happy is everyone that retains wisdom.(foundation)
The Lord by wisdom has founded the earth; by understanding has He established the heavens.
By His knowledge the depths are broken up and the clouds drop down the dew.(foundation)
Sound wisdom produces life and grace (Gods unmerited favor) (foundation)
Wisdom produces safety and sweet sleep.(foundation)
Wisdom protects you from sudden fear, and fearing what has come on the people of the world.(foundation)
Wisdom is your confidence.(foundation)
Wisdom is the principal thing
Exalt wisdom, wisdom brings honour, and grace(Gods unmerited favour), and a crown of glory(anointing)
Wisdom brings long life.(health)(soundness)
Wisdom leads you straight and there is no falling.(foundation), you will make right decisions.
Take hold of instruction, keep it, it is your life.(foundation)
I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.(creative power, you can have)
By Me kings reign, and princes decree justice.
By Me princes rule and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.
I lead by righteousness.
That I may cause those that love me to inherit "substance": and I will fill their treasures.(foundation)
Wisdom is Eternal (foundation)
It is everlasting. Produces God's favour (Prov8:35)
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.(foundation)
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men, that ask of Him.(His foundation to help us
overcome any problem we may have) Mat6:33 All things given to us, if 1st we seek Him and His kingdom!!!
Thanks for reading this.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be! TRUST JESUS NOW
Read more articles by Curt Bond or search for articles on the same topic or others.
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Poetry and folk music have a long and rich tradition in Ireland. And since
the turn of the century, many poems and songs have been inspired by the
conflicts in Northern Ireland, and between Britain and Ireland. The selections
below are a brief sample of how Irish poets and musicians have translated the
violence and conflict of their homeland into art.
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Okay, suppose you have a 5.5 gallon aquarium (16"x9"x8"), and suppose all six faces (including top and bottom) of the aquarium could be allowed to contact air and radiate freely (maybe give it legs, like a table). That's 688 sq inches = 0.444 sq meters of surface area.
Based on conductive and radiative heat loss models I've dug up on the web (see previous posts), here's the the heat loss rate in a room that's maintained at 22 C (71.6 F):
Tank(C) Rad(W) Cond(W) Total (watts)
50 48.4 50.3 98.8
55 58.5 59.3 117.8
60 69.0 68.3 137.4
65 80.1 77.3 157.4
70 91.7 86.3 178.0
75 103.7 95.3 199.0
80 116.3 104.3 220.6
85 129.5 113.2 242.7
So, this tells me that if I have some big honking system that sinks 250 watts into this tank, it is going to settle at a temperature of over 85C, which seems pretty hot. A smaller system that generates only 150 W of heat will settle just below 65C.
As I alluded to last post, I don't know what temperatures are safe for the various devices (GPU, CPU, vid rams, DIMMs, NB, etc).
One thing I have not addressed is the rate at which the system approaches the final temperature. That would be dependent on the thermal mass of the oil-filled aquarium, which relates how much temperature rise results from absorbing a given amount of energy.
Mineral oil has a heat capacity of 1.67 J/gK, and specific gravity of .87 g/cc. 5 gallons of it would be 18927 cc, which is 16.466 kg, which is a thermal mass of 27.5 kJ/K.
So, a 250 watt system running for 1 hour (3600 seconds) produces 250*3600 = 900000 joules of energy, which would change the temperature of that thermal mass by only 32 C. And that assumes the tank loses zero heat during that hour! In reality, as soon as the tank gets above ambient temperature, it starts losing some of its heat. To model the temperature rise as a function of time might require a differential equations solver, or something.
The puget systems people mentioned that it took a long time for their system to reach a stable temperature.
If you've read this far, I salute you, and I apologize. :-)
Again, does anyone know the typical safe operating temperatures for the various devices (GPU, CPU, vid rams, DIMMs, NB, etc)?
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Chemical Soup spreads through North West communities and encourages parents to Take 7 Steps Out
Arsenic, toilet cleaner and nail varnish remover aren’t the usual ingredients you would give your children this autumn – but parents who smoke in the North West are being reminded that this could be the case unless they take ‘7 steps’ out of the house when smoking.
The advice follows a series of sessions which took place in the North West over the last year as part of the ‘Chemical Soup’ initiative which educated parents, volunteers and health workers about the dangers of second hand cigarette smoke.
Developed by Tobacco Free Futures and children’s charity Barnardo’s working in partnership with Manchester Stop Smoking Service, the ‘chemical soup kit’ complete with cooking pot and fake hazardous liquids, was presented to attendees in a fun and visual way and highlighted some of the harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke. Of more than 4,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke, 60 are known to cause cancer as well as avoidable childhood illnesses.
A new survey of more than 1000 participants who completed the training revealed that almost three quarters (71%) who indicated their homes were not smoke free before the session pledged to make their homes smoke free following it.
Elaine Samson a Carer from Blackburn with Darwen said: “I used to be a smoker for thirty years and I never realised that there are more than 4,000 chemicals in a cigarette.
“My husband and daughter are smokers and I’m going to share what I’ve learnt with them both so that they know how to protect others from the harms of secondhand smoke.”
This community activity was the next stage of the successful Take 7 Steps Out campaign – which encourages smokers to smoke outside of their home, especially when children are in the house – and delivered jointly by Tobacco Free Futures and Barnardo’s.
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