Earth Day is just around the corner! Did you get your…? We mean, have you already…? Huh. Not really any Earth Day traditions. Yet!
Every holiday needs its hallmarks. Trees, fireworks, taking candy from strangers (Halloween sounds so dangerous on paper!). This year, here’s a few traditions-in-training to help celebrate Mama Earth.
- Make your yard an oasis
Every garden contributes to a stable and healthy future for the planet. If you’re a beginner, a great place to start is your local Cooperative Extension Service. You can find yours by searching here.
- Give your time and talents to organizations
There are so many organizations working to create a sustainable future for the planet. Due to social distancing, organizations like EarthDay.Org are going completely digital.
- Learn how to compost
Composting has measurable benefits for the earth, like reduced waste in landfills. According to CompostNow, 60% of our waste is compostable. Check out this free at-home composting guide.
- Shop sustainable brands
IMPACT COLLECTIVE members participate in programs to reduce their carbon, plastic, water and/or energy footprints. Look for the IMPACT COLLECTIVE seals when you shop. With every purchase, you are supporting brands that are actively making a positive environmental impact.
- Get out of the house
Yep, a simple but truly effective way to celebrate. Try one (or all five) of these this Earth Day season! And then figure out which ones you want to carry through the entire year so you can treat every day like Earth Day.


Ecological and Water Resources is one of seven divisions within the Department of Natural Resources. Programs in the division are organized into four sections:
- Ecosystem Management and Protection: Invasive Species, Conservation Management and Rare Resources, Nongame Wildlife, Minnesota Biological Survey
- Conservation Assistance and Regulation: Environmental Review, Land Use, Dam Safety and Permits, Water Regulation
- Inventory, Monitoring and Analysis: Hydrogeology/Groundwater, Lake Ecology, River Ecology, Water Monitoring and Surveys
- Strategic Information Systems: Business Operations, Communications and Planning, and Information Technology
Ecological and Water Resources has more than 400 staff and 38 distinct programs, creating a diverse and skilled professional workforce.
Healthy lands and waters throughout Minnesota.
Minnesota Conservation Explorer
A dynamic new tool for submitting and delivering data on Minnesota's rare features!
Explore the Minnesota Conservation Explorer »
Strategic Plan 2018-2028
To ensure the images in the report print correctly, select "Advanced > Print as Image" from the print dialog box.
Download the plan »
Information about nongame wildlife, rare resources, Scientific and Natural Areas, and ecosystem health.
Information about water management, data and mapping, and permitting.


Is 3ft Vs 6ft A Safe Distance In Schools? Study Says Yes, But…
Space has been a challenge for schools trying to achieve healthy social distancing. But a new study suggests safety can be achieved with less than 6 feet of space.
According to a report by WTEN/10 News Albany, the study, published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, suggests that 3 feet may be just as effective as 6 feet when it comes to safe physical distancing and controlling the spread of COVID-19 among both primary and secondary students and staff.
The authors of the study compared infection rates in Massachusetts schools, which required a minimum of 3 feet of social distancing as compared to other school districts which require at least 6 feet.
The conclusion? No significant differences in cases.
This was, of course, when everyone was also adhering to other safety protocols such as mask-wearing.
The study has grabbed the attention of not only the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention but also Capital Region superintendents like Dr. David Perry, of the South Colonie Central School District, where grades 7-12 are on a hybrid schedule and 20 percent of the secondary grades are virtual learners.
“Three feet is very much achievable and would allow us to return to normal capacity for in-person instruction. It would be a game-changer for our students,” said Perry.
But Andrew Pallotta of the New York State United Teachers says if you want change, start with more COVID testing in schools.
“So, we don’t know if anyone is asymptomatic. So, I would rather have 6 feet or a barrier and a mask.
“And New York schools have been open. You are in mid-March; we have a couple more months of school. Why mess with something that we know has been keeping students and staff safe.”
Please check out the full story on WTEN/10 News' website here.
LOOK: Answers to 30 common COVID-19 vaccine questions
While much is still unknown about the coronavirus and the future, what is known is that the currently available vaccines have gone through all three trial phases and are safe and effective. It will be necessary for as many Americans as possible to be vaccinated in order to finally return to some level of pre-pandemic normalcy, and hopefully these 30 answers provided here will help readers get vaccinated as soon they are able.


Our local environments are home to many native animals. However, due to pollution, deforestation, littering and more, these environments are reducing rapidly. When habitats reduce, it can affect the wildlife populations that call these places home.
There are many wonderful animals that call Australia home. They are usually split into two types: Marine and Terrestrial. Marine animals live in water-based habitats such as the ocean, rivers, lakes, creeks, wetlands and reefs. Terrestrial animals live in land-based habitats such as forests, mountains, beaches and marshlands!
All of the animals that live in these environments have special ‘adaptations’ that help them to eat, mate, hide, and/or survive.
Click on the animals below to learn more about their habitat and special adaptations!
Bottlenose dolphins have often formed bonds with Traditional Custodians of the land particularly on Qaundamooka country. Dolphins would help herd mullet to the shallows so Indigenous hunters could fish. They would then throw back a few fish for the dolphins to feed on.
If you see a Koala, they usually will be chewing on eucalyptus leaves. These leaves are highly toxic. Koalas have a large caecum (part of the large intestine) to help dissolve toxins during digestion. This takes a lot of energy, and on top of that, the leaves have a low nutrition content- the reason why Koalas are so sleepy!
The Mary River Turtle live in river systems, specifically in Southeast Queensland!
These turtles can breathe through their bums! A special organ called the cloaca absorbs oxygen from the water environment. Sadly, the turtles are endangered due to loss of habitat and feral animals eating their eggs.
Echidna's spines are used for defense, when threatened they curl up in a ball with their spines facing out. Echidna's are also blind and use their smell and long nose to navigate. And, funnily enough, echidnas in Tasmania and south Australia are harrier than in Queensland as it is colder in those areas.
Wildlife is everywhere! For this Hero Mission, we want you to find some wonderful wildlife. Go outside in your garden or your local park and take a photo of an animal that you come across. Extra points if you tell us the name or species of the animal! Submit the photo below and the answers to the quiz! You can then move onto the litter level!


Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.
Although Republican lawmakers redrew legislative districting maps in 2011 that in effect highly favored their electoral outcomes in the Wisconsin State Legislature, experts have argued that Wisconsin’s natural political geography also is somewhat biased in favor of Republicans.
A University of Michigan study simulating several different redistricting scenarios found, “Wisconsin’s natural political geography, combined with a nonpartisan process following traditional districting principles, could plausibly produce a plan with a modest amount of Republican-favoring electoral bias.”
Analysis from Marquette University Law School agreed, concluding that Republicans enjoy “a basic structural advantage” and that any map drawn in the 2020s probably would still favor the GOP — even if Democrats got 51% of the vote.
However, both studies confirmed that the 2011 redistricting by Republicans intentionally produced “extreme electoral bias.”
Dan Shafer: Wisconsin Republicans have a real chance at a supermajority in the state legislature
University of Michigan: The impact of political geography on Wisconsin redistricting: An analysis of Wisconsin’s Act 43 assembly districting plan
Marquette: Why do Republicans overperform in the Wisconsin State Assembly? Partisan gerrymandering vs. political geography – Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog


Perhaps the theologian most often quoted by atheists today is Bart Ehrman. Ehrman graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary is a “Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies” at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He and has written many books harshly criticizing the Bible. Perhaps his most cited book is Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why. Atheists reference Ehrman using his credentials and position to declare his credibility. We suggest that Bart Ehrman’s bias relates to his motivation to sell books, not an open-minded search for truth. Here is one example:
“There are more differences among our manuscripts than there are words in the New Testament…We have only error-ridden copies, and the vast majority of these are centuries removed from the originals and different from them…in thousands of ways” (pages 10-11).
So what are the facts? If one manuscript says “Christ Jesus” and another says “Jesus Christ,” is that an error? Of the 400,000 errors that skeptics claim, most are differences in spelling or the order of words. Scholars studying manuscripts report a 99% agreement between all known manuscripts. None of the existing variations change any crucial element of the Christian faith.
Scholars have over 5700 manuscripts and fragments of the New Testament available to them. Those manuscripts are not from one recent time. Some are from very early, and others are 200 or 300 years later. When you compare the earlier manuscripts with the more recent ones, you don’t find significant changes. This is true even though they are not in the same language. There are more than two million pages of text and yet no significant variations.
Bart Ehrman’s bias is explained in a book by Timothy Paul Jones. The book is Misquoting Truth published by Intervarsity Press.
— John N. Clayton © 2020


Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is a widely adopted protocol for remote administration, but it could dramatically enlarge the attack surface if it isn’t properly managed.
The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and the DHS issued a joint alert to highlight the rise of RDP as an attack vector.
Attackers are exploiting this feature to access systems to deploy malware such as the SamSam ransomware.
“Malicious cyber actors have developed methods of identifying and exploiting vulnerable RDP sessions over the Internet to compromise identities, steal login credentials, and ransom other sensitive information.” reads the alert issued by IC3.
“The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recommend businesses and private citizens review and understand what remote accesses their networks allow and take steps to reduce the likelihood of compromise, which may include disabling RDP if it is not needed.”
Attackers can “infiltrate the connection” between the local and the remote machines and inject malware into the remote system. Experts warn that attacks using the Remote Desktop Protocol do not require user input, this makes intrusions difficult to detect.
The IC3 warns of the following vulnerabilities:
The alert includes the audit of network for systems using RDP for remote communication, limiting the use of the Remote Desktop Protocol, keeping systems up to date, and implements multi-factor authentication wherever possible.
|[adrotate banner=”9″]||[adrotate banner=”12″]|
(Security Affairs – IC3, hacking)


Want to help improve the agriculture industry? A career as an Agriculture Engineer could be the perfect career for you! At West Hills College Coalinga, our degrees will give you the knowledge necessary to continue your education and start your career as an agricultural engineer.
What do Agricultural Engineers do?
Your skills as an agricultural engineer will help you to develop technology and systems using computer aided design technology, or CAD, that will encourage more farm production and help with environmental problems that may occur such as getting rid of pollution within the water source or controlling the flow of a nearby river. Agricultural engineers also plan and supervise construction on the property that will help with irrigation and flood control for water and soil conservation. Agricultural engineers create buildings that will store crops and shelter animals.
West Hills College Coalinga’s degree program will give you the knowledge necessary to create these important structures for any farm that you’ll be working on. At West Hills College Coalinga, the degree program that you undertake will help you to continue your education at a four-year university and begin your career as an agricultural engineer!
West Hills Programs Offered Leading to this Career:
Agriculture Science Technology - West Hills College Coalinga
What would I make as an Agricultural Engineer?
In 2021, the average wage for an agricultural engineer in California was $90,400.
Information on Agricultural Engineer Salaries
Learn more about our Agriculture Programs


The Reformation was introduced in the Danish-Norwegian kingdom in 1536, by a governmental decision. What were the Political, social and religious conditions in northern Norway – and in adjacent parts of northern Fennoscandia – at that time? How did these conditions contribute to the way the Reformation was implemented in the North? What more sustained processes were triggered by the Reformation?
These are some of the basic questions discussed in this collection of articles, dealing with:
– Political and organizational changes relating to the church
– The changing functions of church art, liturgy and religious literature
– The post-Reformation priesthood's material conditions, social position and role in the interpretation of the Reformation to the ordinary people
– The religious situation among the Sámi people and the mission work of the 17th and 18th centuries
This second volume in a sequence of three books about the protracted reformation in the North offers some comparative approaches, such as developments in other regions of Fennoscandia, and drawing parallels to the Russian Church Reform of the 17th Century.
Editors are Sigrun Høgetveit Berg, Rognald Heiseldal Bergesen and Roald Kristiansen at the University of Tromsø – Arctic University of Norway.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS


How Flour Milling Plant Produces Wheat Flour
The wheat flour production process consists of different steps. The following are its primary steps.
Purchase the Wheat Grains
The first step is to purchase the wheat grains from the supplier who sells them at a reasonable price. The supplier should also be near your milling plant so that you do not have to spend lots of money on its transportation. The supplier should also provide high-quality wheat grains.
Clean the Wheat Grains
To make sure that the wheat flour that your wheat flour mill production line produces has a good quality, it is important to clean the wheat and remove all impurities by wheat cleaning machine. Through a vibrating separator, rocks and soil are removed. Then wheat brusher is also used to make the wheat grains cleaner. A disk separator is used to separate wheat grains from other grains based on their weight. In the end, the grains are washed with the help of warm water to make sure no other impurity stays behind.
Grind Wheat into Flour
A wheat grain consists of three main parts called wheat bran, germ, and endosperm. All these parts are separated and grounded to produce flour of different grades (white flour, whole wheat flour, bread flour, etc.). They usually differ from each other on the basis of their protein content. Wheat milling machine is used to crush these parts of the wheat grain and convert them into particles of different sizes.
Pack the Flour
Once wheat flour milling process has been completed, the flour is sent to packaging machine for flour where it is automatically weighed and then packed in bags of different sizes. These bags can be stored in the milling plant or transported to the marketplace where they are sold at the market price.
Lean more, please click www.aohuamachine.com


Not quite as quiet as January, and a special mammal neighbor too! (Bold text indicates the species we did not see last month.)
- Blue Jay
- Hairy Woodpecker
- Black-capped Chickadee
- Downy Woodpecker
- Tufted Titmouse
- White-breasted Nuthatch
- Northern Cardinal
- Mourning Dove
- Cooper’s Hawk (2/3, flushed from the row of cedars)
- American Crow
- Pileated Woodpecker (on a tree)
- Common Redpoll (2 on 2/11)
- Red-bellied Woodpecker (2/11, 2/14)
- Red-breasted Nuthatch (2/17)
- Dark-eyed Junco
Not only Gray and Red squirrels this month, but an Ermine too!
We’re open by appointment from now until April 30. You are always welcome; just call or email to schedule a visit. Whether you’re working on bird ID skills, want to explore example of the woodcarvers’ art, learning about winter bird feeding, or seeking citizen science opportunities for yourself or a child, we can help! Call or email to set up your time to visit: (802) 434-2167 or email@example.com.
The “Through the Window” series is an informal record of observations made by staff, volunteers, and visitors. Anyone at the Museum may add to this list. Observations are usually through our viewing window: a large window with a film covering that helps hide watchers from the birds. We have chairs and binoculars to try, a white board, and many identification guides. Outdoors, several feeders are attached on a single, bear-resistant pole. A small pond, flowers and water plants, shrubs and trees add cover and (seasonally) other food choices . You can sometimes see what we see via our webcam.
2 Replies to “Through the Window: February 2015”
Comments are closed.


You are biased.
So am I.
We all categorize things — it’s how we sort our world and make sense of it. Good things over here — bad things over there. Similar things in this box — other things in another box. Even Sesame Street encourages us to sort our world.
We also categorize people. Yes, we do. All of us. Sometimes we assign them a description without knowing enough. And, if you think you don’t do that — you’re wrong.
- We read a news article about a person and consciously assign intent or bias
- We see someone speeding down the road and label them as dangerous and thoughtless
- We dislike someone’s decision so, therefore, that person ‘just doesn’t get it’
We all do it. But, why?
- It’s easier to assign intent to others which then justifies our own bias — the other person is either in-line with our own thinking and an ally, or their intent is misguided and they are an adversary.
- By assigning intent without inquiring about it, we limit the amount of time we need to put into understanding someone.
Pick a topic, especially one that has a pretty clear line of delineation — global warming, poverty, systemic racism are three that come to mind. All three have some pretty polarizing viewpoints. It’s easier to align oneself with those who are similar to yourself and also assign blame or ignorance to those who are not.
Don’t believe me?
Let’s take a look at social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I wrote a Nov 2020 blog post about how social media platforms have algorithms that use Artificial Intelligence to find persons who are aligned with your way of thinking. Your clicks, swipes and pauses all help shape the opinions you see on these platforms. Social media builds your belief that many others think just like you — it’s a main reason why the platforms are so popular.
“But, that’s not me. I’m an objective person.”
(More on Page 2)


Cost Estimation is the practice of projecting the cost and other resources required to accomplish a project within a stated scope. Cost estimation takes into account each project need and produces a total amount that is used to set a project’s budget.
For project management success, precise cost estimation is critical. Throughout the project management life cycle, many expenditures might arise, and an effective cost calculation can be the difference between a winning plan and a failed one. Estimating costs, on the other hand, is easier said than done. Projects entail risks, which in turn entail unanticipated expenses and cost management concerns.
Cost estimation is the process of calculating a budget that matches the financial commitment required for a successful project by taking into consideration direct expenses, indirect costs, and other factors. Any project, from building a bridge to developing that new killer software, can benefit from project cost estimation tools. Everything costs money, thus the more precise you are about the quantity needed, the more likely you are to meet your goal.
Cost estimating requires good organizational and analytical skills. You will need them to pull together data for each cost element. Excellent communication skills are also important for clarifying the technical aspects of a project with technical specialists and calculating the costs accordingly.
Also, See: Budgeted Cost of Work Performed (BCWP)
Solving Real Business Challenges with a Robust & Impeccable System
Easy to access
No credit card
200+ Companies Onboard with us
We are here to help you find a solution that suits your business need.
Get a visual representation of how we work!Schedule Demo
Our sales expert is just one call away to meet your needs.Get In Touch
Have a question?
Chat with Us


During our meals, the children are encouraged to put the foods that we don’t use into a compost bin. We then take the compost daily to our “compost monster” as we love to refer to it. The children are able to help pour in the food and we discuss how all the food gets broken down and can be put on the ground to help our plants grow.
This morning the children seemed particularly receptive to the discussion and following our composting, we went to spend some time looking at the plants and talking about which ones we liked and how we can nurture them (we use our gentle hands with our plants, we love to water our plants so they grow big).
The children’s natural appreciation for their environment was evident in their calm and focused approach to their surroundings. They crawled and walked up the steps and, on their own initiative, they sat and spent some time looking at the leaves blowing in the breeze and the clouds rolling by. They walked from plant to plant, touching the leaves and responding to the different textures with “ooh’s” and “ahhs”. We feel it’s imperative that our nursery children are able to learn about, have access to and connect with nature. Moments like the ones we shared today simply highlight for us just how meaningful this is for them.


Mauve is a synthetic dye named in 1859. Chemist William Henry Perkin, then eighteen, was attempting in 1856 to synthesize quinine, which was used to treat malaria. Though his experiment failed, Perkins found that the solution in the bottle was a purple colour, stained fabrics and would not wash out. He had discovered the first aniline dye. Perkin originally named the dye ‘Tyrian purple’ after the historical dye – but he filed for a patent in August 1856 (patent No. 1984). The product was renamed mauve after it was marketed in 1859 to Perkin’s mauve, mauveine, or aniline purple.
He established a factory in Greenford Green called Perkin and Son and in 1860, Queen Victoria wore a silk dress dyed in the colour. The public went wild from this royal patronage and the introduction of this new colour caused a craze that took over the public’s imagination. Everything that could be dyed mauve, was. The previous fashions in colour were brown or beige and dyes were made from insects or botanical substances, that needed large quantities and made them expensive.
The passion for this colour also fuelled a race in chemistry to find the next wonder dye to be a colour of the moment.


With so much information about climate change in the news, it can be hard to know where to go for the most trustworthy, research-based information.
Southern Regional Extension Forestry (SREF), in collaboration with eXtension, an online learning resource for Cooperative Extension System professionals, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, have launched the Climate Learning Network (CLN) website, climatelearning.net, as a clearinghouse for the most up-to-date information for farmers, homeowners, natural resources professionals and Extension personnel.
The website features e-learning modules, webinars and climate news provided by the eXtension Climate Learning Network. The network compiles the best and latest work by scientists and Extension experts from land-grant universities and the USDA.
Organized as part of the CLN’s mission to promote climate literacy, the website offers a series of online learning modules for Extension professionals and the public, covering a wide range of topics at the intersection of climate science, agriculture and natural resources. Presentations from experts at key organizations and top universities serve as the core of the modules, and each module can be taken for continuing education credits from the Society of American Foresters and Certified Crop Advisers. More e-learning modules will be added as the CLN expands.
In addition to hosting the modules, the website provides extensive links to climate science, forestry and agricultural resources, especially those connected to the 10 USDA Climate Hubs, including a series of informative webinars, which can be viewed on demand at climatewebinars.net.
The CLN was formed at the beginning of 2015 to promote climate literacy among Extension professionals who work in the areas of agriculture and natural resources, and to connect Extension programs at land-grant universities with the 10 USDA Climate Hubs.
About Southern Regional Extension Forestry (SREF)
SREF serves Southern land-grant universities and forestry professionals through collaborative development of forestry technologies and programs that improve the efficiency, effectiveness and relevance of supporting institutions. For more information about Southern Regional Extension Forestry, visit at sref.info.


How to self care
Self-care is the act of taking care of your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Here are some ways to practice self-care:
Get enough sleep: Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night to ensure that your body and mind have time to rest and recover.
Eat well: Nourish your body with healthy and nutritious foods that give you the energy you need to tackle your day.
Exercise regularly: Regular physical activity can help reduce stress, improve mood, and promote overall health and well-being.
Practice mindfulness: Set aside time each day to practice mindfulness techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, or yoga. This help reduce stress and improve mental clarity.
Connect with others: Spend time with friends and family, or join a community group or club to connect with like-minded individuals.
Pursue hobbies: Engage in hobbies or activities that bring you joy and fulfillment, whether it's reading, cooking, painting, or hiking.
Set boundaries: Learn to say no to things that don't serve your well-being or overcommitting to tasks that cause you stress or anxiety.
Take breaks: Take breaks throughout the day to rest and recharge, whether it's taking a short walk or simply stepping away from work for a few minutes.
Remember that self-care is a personal journey and what works for one person may not work for another. Take time to experiment with different self-care practices and find what works best for you. By prioritizing self-care, you can improve your overall well-being and lead a more fulfilling life.
Post a Comment


Shrimp is not toxic to cats, and it can be a healthy addition to a cat’s diet in small amounts. It is a great source of protein and essential amino acids, and it also contains minerals like iodine, zinc, and selenium.
While shrimp can be a healthy addition to a cat’s diet, it should not be the main source of protein in their diet, as cats are obligate carnivores and have specific dietary needs. It is best to consult with a veterinarian or a professional before adding any new food to your cat’s diet, especially if your cat has any dietary restrictions or allergies.
Shrimp should be cooked and unseasoned before feeding them to cats, as raw shrimp can contain harmful bacteria and parasites that can cause food poisoning. Also, some cats may have an allergic reaction to seafood.
A seafood allergy is relatively rare in cats, but it can be serious. A cat with a seafood allergy may show symptoms similar to those of other food allergies, such as:
- Itchy skin: Cats may scratch, lick, or bite at their skin, resulting in hair loss, redness, and scabbing.
- Gastrointestinal issues: Cats may experience vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation.
- Respiratory issues: Cats may experience sneezing, coughing, or wheezing.
If your cat is experiencing any of these symptoms and you suspect a seafood allergy, it’s best to consult with a veterinarian. The veterinarian will likely do an examination and take a detailed history of your cat’s symptoms and dietary habits.
Just remember, shrimp should be an occasional treat, not a regular meal. You can give them shrimp no more than once or twice a week and in small amounts.


What is Aroma Therapy?
Since time began, aromatic plants have been used in various ways to perfume and to heal. Today the practice of aromatherapy incorporates the use of essential oils, hydrosols, and carrier oils for holistic healing. Aromatic oils and water are used for their therapeutic properties to heal the mind, body and spirit, returning the body to a state of equilibrium.
Aromatherapy is described as both an art and a science because it takes the knowledge of the scientific aspects of the plants and oils and combines it with the art of producing a beneficial blend. Basically, a successful aromatherapy blend is a synergy of science, art, and the practitioner’s knowledge of both, and how to apply it. Aromatherapy can be used topically and via inhalation.
What does an Aroma Therapist do?
Aromatherapists provide holistic medicinal treatments to patients through the topical application or inhalation of natural oils. Aromatherapists use essential oils or hydrosols to perform detoxification, massage, and relaxation techniques on clients.
In order to carry out the duties of an aromatherapist, practitioners should be able to distinguish between different types of essential oils and know how they affect the body. This requires knowledge of the history and safety of natural oils. Other essential knowledge includes knowing the healing properties of certain oils and common therapeutic applications.


Carpal tunnel syndrome is numbness, tingling, weakness, and other problems in your hand, usually pressure on the median nerve in your wrist is the cause. The median nerve and other tendons run from your forearm to your hand through a small space in your wrist called the carpal tunnel. Adjustments and realigning the upper spine and forearm can lead to relief from carpal tunnel pain.
Tennis elbow is a painful condition that occurs when tendons in your elbow are overloaded. This is usually caused by repetitive motions of the wrist and arm. The pain of tennis elbow occurs primarily where the tendons of your forearm muscles attach to the outside of your elbow. Pain can also spread into the muscles your forearm and wrist.
Golfer's elbow is a condition that causes pain where the tendons of your forearm muscles attach to the bone on the inside of your elbow. The pain usually spreads into your forearm and wrist. Golfer's elbow is very similar to tennis elbow except it occurs on the inside of the elbow. It's not just limited to golfers; tennis players, bowlers, and other physical sports athletes that repeatedly use their wrists or forearms, can develop golfer's elbow.
Gentle sustained pressure into the Myofascial connective tissue restrictions are eliminated to relieve pain and restore motion.
A trigger point is a "knot", or tight area, within muscle tissue that causes pain in other parts of the body. Trigger point massage therapy is specifically designed to alleviate the source of the pain through multiple cycles of isolated pressure and release. The results and benefits of trigger point massage are releasing constricted and adheased areas in the muscles thus alleviating pain and improving range of motion.
Diagnosis, treatment and prevention of structural disorders of the musculoskeletal system, and the effects of these disorders on the function of the nervous system and general health. There is an emphasis on manual treatments involving spinal adjustments and other joint and soft-tissue manipulation.


Inertial Navigation System: What is a Frame of Reference?
For those interested in navigation, the concept of frames of reference can be somewhat confusing. But what exactly is a frame of reference and why is it important for inertial navigation systems? Knowing the answer to this question can help you understand how inertial navigation systems work and why they are so effective.
A frame of reference, also known as an inertial reference frame, is defined as a coordinate system used to describe the position and orientation of objects. This means that any object can be described by its relative position or location in relation to other objects in space. For example, if two objects are moving at different speeds relative to each other, then one object will have a different position than the other with respect to their frames of reference.
Inertial navigation systems use frames of reference to track movement over time by measuring acceleration, velocity, and distance traveled with respect to a fixed point in space. This fixed point is known as an inertial origin and serves as the starting point from which all measurements are taken. A navigational system’s sensors measure the changes in acceleration and velocity along three axes—x-axis (forward/backward), y-axis (left/right), z-axis (up/down)—in order to calculate changes in position over time.
The advantage of this type of measurement is that it does not rely on external factors such as GPS signals or maps; instead, it relies solely on information gathered from within the system itself. This makes an inertial navigation system particularly useful for applications where GPS signals are unavailable or unreliable such as inside buildings or under dense tree cover or when operating underwater or underground.
Inertial navigation systems use frames of reference in order to track movement over time and calculate changes in position relative to an inertial origin. By relying solely on information gathered internally via accelerometers and gyroscopes, these navigational systems provide highly accurate results without needing external data sources like GPS signals or maps. As such, they are ideal for applications where external data sources may be unreliable or unavailable—such as indoors, underwater, underground, etc.—and offer an invaluable solution for navigating through otherwise challenging environments.


The Elegant Trogon, also known as the “God of the Birds” by the ancient Aztecs, is a stunning bird native to Mexico and parts of Arizona. This medium-sized bird has a vibrant green back and wings that contrast with its brick-red breast and belly. The male birds have a distinctive white patch on their throats, while females have duller colors.
Where To Find This Bird
The Elegant Trogon can be found in specific areas of Arizona’s mountain ranges during breeding season from May through August. Some popular spots for sighting include Madera Canyon near Tucson and Ramsey Canyon near Sierra Vista. In Mexico, they are mostly found in tropical forests across southeastern states such as Oaxaca, Chiapas or Veracruz.
These birds prefer to reside in thick primary oak woodlands with open understory spaces; however, they can sometimes be spotted at lower elevations through migration season. Due to their sensitivity to disturbance, protection of their habitat becomes critical for conservation efforts.
Elegant Trogons primarily feed on insects like beetles and grasshoppers but are known to eat some fruits occasionally as well. They catch prey by hovering mid-air before lunging forward suddenly.
– The Elegant Trogon’s tail feathers played an essential role in Aztec mythology.
– These birds are monogamous breeders who form long-term pair bonds that last throughout the year.
– During courtship shows males produce loud calls which sound like “wok-wok-wok” often accompanied by flared tails
– According to scientific research, these species show high levels of cooperation between parents when raising youngs.
In conclusion, seeing an elegant trogon is a rare treat due to its exclusive habitat requirements making it all the more special. If you happen to find yourself in their range, keep an eye out for this “God of the Birds.”


The dyslexic cognitive profile can as well as True Dyslexia or word blindness, also have a number of other factors associated with it. Not all these will be evident in each dyslexic, and some people who have these conditions will not necessarily be dyslexic but they do coexist.
Mears Irlen Syndrome – Scotopic Sensitiviy – Visual Stress
Around 35-40% of people with dyslexic difficulties are estimated to experience visual disturbance or discomfort when reading print this can often be reduced or removed by using coloured overlays or glasses
Auditory Phonic Processing
Dyslexia can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding. The difficulty in converting spoken word into written word or understanding.
Short Term Memory
Dyslexics can have reduced short term memory, causing problems with processing sequential information, or conversion into long term memory. Dyslexics will typically process concurrently around three to four items whilst non dyslexics will process around seven.
Dysgraphia is a deficiency in the ability to write, regardless of the ability to read, not due to intellectual impairment.
Dyscalculia includes difficulty in understanding numbers, learning how to manipulate numbers, learning maths facts, and a number of other related symptoms.
Dyspraxia is an impairment or immaturity of the organisation of movement. Balance and stability are often affected. The control of fine motor skills such as writing and art work are usually more difficult.


How to deter slugs and snails ethically.
Now we are spending more time in our gardens and nurturing our plants that we have lovingly grown slugs and snails can be seen as a pest.
There are a few simple tricks we can use to keep our plants safe but allow these slimy fellows to go about their business and do their important part for the wildlife of our gardens. They are great at clearing rotting vegetation and are a great source of food for birds, hedgehogs, mammals, amphibians as well as slow worms. So we want them in our gardens, just not munching on our plants! Simply keep your egg shells and crush them up. Put them on the soil around your plants, it makes it very uncomfortable work trying to cross the sharp egg shells and deters them from getting near your plants. Another simple way to keep them at bay is to save the ground coffee from your coffee maker. Slugs and snails hate the smell of coffee, so mixed with egg shell for good measure you can protect your plants, the coffee and shell will decompose, so no damage done! NEVER use slug pellets or other chemicals or poisons. As I mentioned they are a favourite food for many of our garden visitors and by eating poisoned slugs they can be affected too.


Sspatial forestry data are inexorably needed to support the reforestation activities. By using multi-temporal data, reforestation activities can be identified and detected. To accomplish the purpose, this research used Landsat TM data acquired in 1990 and 1995. Remotely sensed data and Geographic Information System (GIS) are methods that can be applied together, to monitor as well as analyze data swiftly and accurately. This research used remotely sensed data to collect land cover features in given area. Geographic Information System is used to capture and to analyse reforestation data. The expected outcome is GIS based forest management strategy making.
NahibI., & WijayaJ. (1). Aplikasi Inderaja dan SIG untuk Monitoring Keberhasilan Reboisasi di Kabupaten Kupang Propinsi Nusa Tenggara Timur. Jurnal Manajemen Hutan Tropika, 5(2). Retrieved from https://journal.ipb.ac.id/index.php/jmht/article/view/2694
Download CitationEndnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS) BibTeX
Jurnal Manajemen Hutan Tropika is an open access journal which means that all contents is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This is in accordance with the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) definition of open access.


Seabed life promises new wave of antibiotics
The search is on for new antibiotics, with antimicrobial resistance now one of the world’s most pressing public health issues.
Researchers from the Bristol BioDesign Institute (BBI) and the University of Newcastle have found microorganisms in the natural world that can produce molecules with antibiotic properties, raising the prospect of a new generation of drugs that can combat ‘superbugs’ – strains of bacteria resistant to current antibiotics.
Using cutting-edge synthetic biology methods, the team has conclusively shown that Verrucosispora maris (V. maris), a bacterium that lives on the Pacific seabed, contains an enzyme, called AbyU, that is instrumental in forming a molecule known as abyssomicin C, a potent antibiotic. This is the first-ever proof that the AbyU-catalysed reaction, known as the Diels-Alder reaction and used extensively in synthetic chemistry, occurs in nature.
But how does AbyU perform this enigmatic reaction? To answer that important question, the team determined the atomic structure of AbyU then simulated the Diels-Alder reaction in the enzyme using techniques including quantum mechanics.
‘Once we had figured out how this reaction works, we could take things one step further and show that AbyU could also perform the Diels-Alder reaction on other molecules – including some that are difficult to transform using synthetic chemistry,’ said Dr Paul Race, Senior Lecturer in the School of Biochemistry and the academic lead for the Bristol team. ‘One of the things that we are now attempting to do is exploit this transformation to develop ‘non-natural’ analogues of abyssomicin C that are even more potent antibiotics than the parent compound.’
Since the initial discovery of AbyU, the team has broadened its search to cover other regions such as the Atlantic Ocean, and has identified more enzymes in nature that are capable of playing a role in creating new molecules with antibiotic and other useful properties. The work is also producing new links, such as a collaborations with colleagues in Thailand.
‘This approach is yielding all kinds of possibilities for new antibiotics,’ said Dr Race, ‘and the results will have an impact on medical practice across the world. This is the kind of work that Bristol excels at, thanks to the concentration of expertise and resources in flagship institutes like the BBI.’


Confined masonry construction is practiced in the rural areas of Iran (Hashemi, Alemi, and Ashtiany, 2003), usually in the form of single-storey dwellings with tie-columns and tie-beams covered by a timber roof.
This construction was subjected to two significant earthquakes in Iran: the 1990 Manjil earthquake (magnitude 7.6) and the 2003 Barn earthquake (magnitude 6.6). Damage to confined masonry buildings in the 1990 Manjil earthquake was caused by the absence of concrete tie-columns at some location. The performance of confined masonry buildings in the 2003 Bain earthquake was generally good, especially in the buildings designed according to the current code. Approximately 45,000 people died in the Barn earthquake, mainly due to the collapse of adobe dwellings with domed roofs (Nesheli, 2004).
Guidelines, Codes, and Standards
World Housing Encyclopedia Reports:
Report # 27 : Confined brick masonry building with concrete tie columns and beams
From Brzev, Svetlana. Earthquake-Resistant Confined Masonry Construction. 2nd ed. Kanpur: NICEE, 2007. Print.
Hashemi, B.H., Alemi, F., and Ashtiany, G. (2003). Confined Brick Masonry Building with Concrete Tie-Columns and Beams. Iran, Report 27, World Housing Encyclopedia,
Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (www.world-housing.net)
Nesheli, K.N. (2004). Structural Damage to Buildings Due to
Bam Earthquake of December 26, 2003, Iran. ICUS/IN CEDE Newsletter, International Center for Urban Safety Engineering, Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo, V013, No.4.


How to Draw a Cherry
In today’s drawing lesson, the team of Drawingforall.net will show you how to draw a cherry. This lesson is pretty simple, but in the end of the lesson we will get very realistic cherry. So, let’s start the lesson!
To draw a cherry, at first we should draw a circle. Use loose and light lines for sketching in this step. We make the lines so light so that in subsequent steps it is easier to make changes. To be honest, the cherry is almost ready.
Using two slightly curved lines, depict the stem of the cherry. Using some short lines depict the texture on the tip of the stem.
Using curved lines depict the leaf. In this step, too, try not to push too hard on the pencil. By the way, you can visit our drawing lesson about how to draw a tree.
Erase the guidelines. Trace the lines and make them smooth and clean. Using “Z” line, draw the edges of the leaf. Using short lines draw the veins on the leaf.
It’s very short step, in which we just need to sketch out the contours of shadows and glares on the cherry.
Using light and gentle hatching, start add shadows to the cherry. In our drawing of cherry the shadows lie on the bottom and side surfaces of the sweet berry.
Continue adding shadows, leaving glares as in our example. Darken the bottom of the cherry, and add cast shadow. You can even darken the shadows by adding a few more layers of hatching.
It was the drawing lesson in which we tell you how to draw a cherry. We hope this drawing lesson was interesting and informative for you. Using this instruction, draw cherries from different angles and using different shading, to have more practice, because the practice – is the father of the mastery.
Great work, great detail, it’s almost like you’re holding my hand as i draw (i’m a beginner). You guys have been incredibly helpful, Keep up the amazing work.


Download this file
View directly in browser
|571 KB||View in browser|
Abundance estimation of franciscana dolphins by means of aerial surveys in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
Enrique A. Crespo, Magdalena Arias, Nicol?s Sueyro, M. Florencia Grandi and Mariano A. Coscarella
Between October 11 and 16, 2019, and March 12 and 14, 2022, 9 flights were made on the coast of the province of Buenos Aires in meteorological conditions that allowed the sighting of several species of cetaceans. The two series of surveys (2019-2022) were carried out separately due to the covid-19 pandemic. In particular for 2019, 41 sightings of Franciscana dolphins (Pontoporia blainvillei) were made, totaling 68 individuals. For the 2022 survey, 55 sighting were made comprising 80 franciscanas. In addition, several herds of common and dusky dolphins were observed, some very numerous. The abundance of Franciscana would preliminary give a figure of 19252 dolphins if we consider the estimation obtained in 2022 plus 5896 dolphins estimated in 2004 for the southern areas, roughly 20000 individuals considering those in deeper waters beyond the 30 meters isobath.


Hand function is crucial for maintaining independence in daily life activities. Hands perform countless small and large tasks each day – such as brushing teeth, raking leaves, pouring coffee, sewing, or knitting. Hand stiffness can make simple tasks overwhelming.
According to an article published in The Journal of Gerontology, hand function decreases with age in both men and women, especially after the age of 65.  The age-related challenges often relate to grip strength and hand dexterity in the elderly population. Common conditions such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoporosis are factors in impaired hand function.
One easy and noninvasive way to help keep joints flexible, improve range of motion, and relieve arthritis pain is by doing hand exercises. The British Medical Journal published a study about how various stretches can help promote full hand function and range of motion. The study found that the participants with rheumatoid arthritis had improved hand function after practicing hand exercises.  Exercise and stretching can also help maintain joint movement and flexibility, and relieve stiffness.
Researchers used exercises such as:
- Increase flexibility with flat-hand finger lifts, placing hands flat and slowly raising each finger off the table
- Increase range of motion by making a fist, keeping the thumb across fingers and not beneath them
- Improve grip by “walking” the fingers toward an object
- Increase dexterity with finger pinches, touching the thumb to the tip of each finger
- Maintain flexibility by spreading the fingers as far as possible and holding for several seconds
 E. Carmeli, H. Patish, R. Coleman. The Aging Hand. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, Vol 58. (2). February 2003. Pages N146-M152. Doi:10.1093/geronb/gbz146.
 Williamson E, McConkey C, Heine P, et al. Hand exercises for patients with rheumatoid arthritis: an extended follow-up of the SARAH randomized controlled trial. BMJ Open 2017; 7: e013121. Doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-013121.


The Story of “A Cucumber Seed”
Where does the name “A Cucumber Seed” come from?
It’s a story passed around in the Education for Life world, an oral tradition, you might say. And like most oral traditions, no one really knows where exactly it started. Usha claims Nitai first said this, but Nitai has no recollection of ever saying it, so we are left to focus instead on the message, rather than the bibliography.
What is Education for Life about?
It’s about teaching children how to be their truest, most powerful and best selves.
Many schools and philosophies of education have a goal in mind. In these schools, the process of education is to train children to fulfill that goal. The goal might be to create an academic achiever, or a good worker for business, or someone who sees everything in a mystical light.
EFL tries to do something different. It is about seeing children just as they are, treasuring and loving each child for his or her individuality, and nurturing their own unique potential.
As the story goes, to have a goal in mind for a child’s education that does not change depending on the child’s own gifts is like putting a cucumber seed in the ground and attempting to make it grow into a watermelon, or a tomato, or whatever fantasy the gardener holds for it.
If you put a cucumber seed in the ground, you must nurture it the way you would a cucumber!
Each child is different. Each offers a unique and beautiful voice to their family, their classroom, their community. The goal of Education for Life is to nurture that voice, to teach each child to value and love their voice, and to give them tools to share their voice in a calm, compassionate and powerful way.


Cambridge Online Courses (GCSE)
O Level Physics Quizzes
O Level Physics Quiz - Complete
Learn Temperature Scales quiz questions, temperature scales MCQ with answers PDF, test 55 to learn O Level Physics online course. Temperature in Physics trivia questions, temperature scales Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ Quiz) for online college degrees. Temperature Scales Book PDF: mass and weight, energy and units, forces and motion, what is temperature, temperature scales test prep for best online ACT prep class.
"Thermocouple thermometer can be used to measure the temperature of lava but with" Quiz PDF: temperature scales App APK with the removal of cold junction which produces single junction, the removal of hot junction, the removal of cold junction which produces double junction, and the removal of both junctions choices for online colleges that offer financial aid. Study temperature in physics questions and answers to improve problem solving skills for SAT subject tests.
MCQ: Thermocouple thermometer can be used to measure the temperature of lava but with
MCQ: Instrument used to measure temperature is termed as
MCQ: A box full of bricks weighs 128 N on the moon and has a mass of 80 kg. The gravitational pull of moon is
MCQ: Wind and waves are used by the turbines to convert
MCQ: Beam balance or calibrated electronic balance is used to measure


Global health challenges
Value of immunization
Delivering vaccination to all
IFPMA encourages the discovery of, and access to, life-saving and life-enhancing vaccines, which not only improve the health of people everywhere, but also create stronger, and more productive communities.
Our members are committed to the goals of the Decade of Vaccines Global Vaccine Action Plan, to deliver vaccination to all by 2020 by:
- Ensuring a reliable supply of quality and effective vaccines, and
- Developing new vaccine technologies to extend the benefits of immunization to everyone and provide better protection from life-threatening infectious diseases.
Vaccines have proven to be one of the most effective preventative technologies in the fight against infectious diseases, ridding the world of smallpox, driving polio to the brink of eradication, and virtually eliminating measles, diphtheria, and rubella in many parts of the world. New generation vaccines against pneumococcal disease and rotavirus disease are already making the same kind of public health impact as their pioneering predecessors, and could save about one million children’s lives every year.
However, one in five children still lacks access to basic immunizations.
The pathway towards universal immunization is driven by the global vaccines community, united by a common challenge to save lives, improve health, and ensure long-term prosperity through the miracle of life-saving vaccines.
As a group of private sector companies, our members can make a unique and vital contribution to that collective effort, by scaling up supply for today and developing new and improved vaccines for tomorrow.
Our partnerships enable us to provide the latest state-of-the-art vaccines to the richest and poorest communities in the world alike, reducing the time lag that exists for virtually all other high-tech innovations.
deaths prevented by vaccines every year
infectious diseases are currently vaccine-preventable
1 in 5
infants lack access to basic vaccines


Benefits of Music Education
If given the right approach, music can be an asset for lifelong enjoyment!
Music for Development
Music also makes you think and act in many ways that you don't normally in daily life.
This TED-Ed video explains how musicians have an advantage in brain and neural development!
Music: Not Just Classical Music and Recitals
Music is also all around us and more important than you think! Music lessons aren't just about "having another extra-curricular on the list to college" or "another recital" -- imagine, for example, watching a movie without music! Watch this video on how much thought and collaboration goes into creating the score for Lord of the Rings!
How to Practice Effectively
As much fun as music is, it does take hard work, like anything else. Not only practice time, but practicing efficiently is the key -- and the better you get, the more rewarding it becomes!
Grit and the Life Skills of Music
One of the most determining factors in success is grit. See the discussion by Angela Lee Duckworth here.
Music is Just a Small Part about Music Lessons
As a piano teacher, teaching students how to make music is so small compared to other values...


There are many different kinds of retinal detachment disorders. The most serious retinal problems requiring surgery are caused by difficulties with the vitreous (a gel-like substance) that is attached to the retina. It is attached the strongest to the retina at the optic nerve, macular area, and the vitreous base. As a person ages, the gel becomes more like fluid and small pockets of fluid form within the gel of the vitreous.
A posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) can be caused from the fluid causing the vitreous to pull on the retina, causing the vitreous to pull free and separate from the retina and optic nerve in the back of the eye. If a person has developed a PVD, flashes of light or large spots in vision may occur, as well as floaters.
When the vitreous pulls away from the retina in an area where it’s weak, it may cause a retinal tear. Lattice degeneration (rare inherited trait) is a condition that weakens the retina. When present, it indicates the retina is thin and is more susceptible to a tear of the retina than an area without lattice degeneration. A vitreous hemorrhage occurs when there is bleeding into the vitreous from a retina tear that occurs across a blood vessel. If there is little bleeding, it’s like walking through a swarm of flies. More bleeding looks like a spider web or a swirling mass of black or red lines, and with a lot of bleeding, vision may reduce significantly or become very dark. A vitreous hemorrhage is more serious than a retina tear.
The retina can tear immediately following a posterior vitreous detachment, or weeks later. If a tear hasn’t developed within eight weeks after a detachment, it’s less likely the retina will do so. Anyone who develops a sudden onset of new floaters or flashing lights of any kind should have a complete retinal evaluation. A retinal tear can result in a detached retina.
With early diagnosis and treatment, detached retinas may be prepared by several options: a gas bubble, scleral buckle or vitrectomy surgery and excellent vision may be restored.


Here is an Cherry Nose cicada (Macrotristria angularis) photo taken by David Emery. The Cherry Nose is also know as the Whiskey Drinker.
The Cherry Nose cicada can be found in Eastern Queensland, NSW, and a small part of South Australia, and is most common during November & December (Moulds, M.S.. Australian Cicadas Kennsignton: New South Wales Press, 1990, p. 95.).
Walking the dogs this morning in bushland (Griffith University Reserve, Salisbury) I was delighted to find the fresh immaculate ”carcass” of a large mature Cherry Nose Cicada (female). The name I found on Cicadamania. It’s now almost mid-January which is towards the end of a life-cycle for these cicadas – do they simple just stop i.e. die? I don’t know the ”mechanics” of natural insect death. Can someone explain, please!
These large species are all found along the east coast of Australia to various degrees. They vary in numbers from year to year, but this season from early October around Sydney has been excellent for all but Cherrynose so far. Greengrocers are almost everywhere with different morphs at higher altitudes, while Cherrynose, Double Drummers and Red-eyes are forest inhabitants. The white drummers are found right on the coastal verge in banksias especially: females of Arunta spp often oviposit eggs on small trees or shrubs on sandhills (which is often a surprise when you’re getting ready for a quick surf!). There around 3-4 other smaller species which accompany you on the beach as well.
Where are these Cicadas found?


There are four main drivers of global food insecurity: economic shocks, illness and disease, conflict, and extreme weather events.
Now researchers from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) have predicted an “increased frequency of extreme weather events” that will worsen the ongoing global food crisis.
These include a worsening of the severe droughts and heatwaves that are “contributing to rising prices of some foodstuffs.”
“The world could face a prolonged period of crop shortages and skyrocketing prices,” states the EIU report, “raising the risk of food insecurity (or even famine).”
Researchers also believe that extreme weather events and natural disasters can lead to an increase in disease, another of the four main factors that contribute to food insecurity and famine.
“Increases in temperature and rainfall,” according to one recent study, “have expanded the range of mosquitoes and contributed to outbreaks of dengue fever, chikungunya and malaria. At the same time, heatwaves draw more people to water-related activities, leading to a rise in cases of waterborne illnesses, such as gastroenteritis.”
Illness can prevent people working in agriculture; widespread disease can lead to lockdowns or quarantine measures that disrupt food cultivation and shipping; and some conditions prevent the body from absorbing the full nutritional value of what little food is eaten.
The Bible calls us to do what we can to help alleviate the suffering of all, especially of our Christian family. This is the calling we must honor, and all the more if the global food crisis continues to worsen.
Visit food.gives to find out more about how you or your church can help hungry Christians in lands of poverty and persecution.


image courtesy of the National Archives
It seems like a long time ago, but just a few years ago, blockchain took the world by storm. It initially drew interest as the technology underlying cryptocurrencies. However, more and more functional applications have come to the fore in the intervening years.
A Blockchain Bill of Rights?
Now, the World Economic Forum has entered the picture with its Blockchain Bill of Rights. The idea is to make sure that the users know how blockchain-based services work and understand the potential risks.
The WEF laid out 16 principles, in four categories. The categories are Accountability & Governance, Transparency & Accessibility, Agency & Interoperability and Privacy & Security.
According to the WEF, the 16 principles aim to preserve and protect users’ rights in a decentralized future. Apps built using blockchain would have a goal of preserving a set of rights for all participants. Some of these rights include protecting data according to internationally recognized technical security standards and ensuring that users know app operations. Others include limiting data collection to essentials. Another element is giving users freedom to build, manage and store cryptographic keys independently.
Are the principles of the Blockchain Bill of Rights manageable?
While these principles may seem reasonable, some blockchain platforms will find it difficult to incorporate some of them into their business operations. For example, blockchain records data immutably. It will be difficult for many to meet the WEF’s requirement of being able to alter data. Indeed, it might undermine their raison d’etre son some cases.


From 23rd to 30th January 2019, our expert in STEM fild held a 3D printing training course for the teachers of “Monsignor Gagliano” school in Altavilla Milicia, within the “3D4KIDS – Second Education for and through the 3D Printing” project.
3D4KIDS is funded by the European Commission within the Erasmus+ programme, Key Action 2 (Strategic Partnership for innovation and the Exchange of good practices) and it aims to promote the use of 3D printing in secondary schools.
The course involved 8 teachers from different subjects, specifically: art, technology, geography, history, science, literature and mathematics.
The aim of this course is to get teachers to approach this innovative technology, explaining its functioning and the strengths that it has within the school didactics.
3D printers are digital tools that can innovate the teaching of technical, artistic and scientific subjects. These allow the creation of three-dimensional models of objects studied or designed by both pupils and teachers.
3D printing transform the imagination into reality and without doubt its use is an alternative and innovative method to develop new skills and abilities of pupils.
The teachers who participated in the course absorbed different notions, for example: how many types of 3D printer exist, what is additive manufacturing, what is an STL file, how to generate a G-code, what are the software needed for printing, differences between materials such as ABS, Nylon or PLA, etc.
Now they are ready to experiment the knowledge gained through practice and therefore the real use of the 3D printer.
The course is not finished yet, soon we will begin, with students and teachers, the test phase that involves the printing of didactic exercises that have been developed previously.
For further information about the project, you can visit the 3D4KIDS web page or the facebook and twitter page
Or, contact: CEIPES E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.org Telephone: 091 7848 236 Facebook: facebook.com/CEIPES Website: http://www.ceipes.org


Not everyone has room for a massive garden but there are ways that you can have a productive garden in a small area.
Vertical gardens are like tiny stacked gardens. They rely on having either small bits of soil or a constant supply of nutrients through water (this is called hydroponics which literally means ‘grown in water’).
The upside to vertical gardens is big production in teeny space but the downside is that because it doesn’t have any connection to the earth it’s not very resilient and can dry out quickly. So they need lots of love and attention and are best placed close to your home and preferably with some sort of watering system attached.
This vertical garden is built from PVC plumbing pipe and has three different designs to give you some ideas. There are lots of other ways to do this but the concepts are much the same.
The top pipe is a horizontal wicking bed. This basically means that the whole pipe is sealed so that it stores water like a tiny water tank. The pots contain the soil and have a small cotton ‘wick’ attached to the bottom that allows water to travel up into the plant (it’s called capillary action and works the same as when you put the edge of a serviette in a glass of water). There’s a hole in one end of the pipe to drain excess water so that plants don’t sit in water as they don’t like that!
The other horizontal pipes are a bit angled. These ones are filled with soil, with the plants planted directly into it. The idea is that the water is added from the top and will gradually make its way down to the bottom, watering plants as it goes. This means that we save water and the whole thing doesn’t die if we forget to water it.
The vertical pipes work sort of the same way. Holes drilled in pipes, filled with soil and plants, planted directly into them. Because the water will drain faster we have to think about what we plant and also have mixed some gravel through the soil to stop the soil becoming too compacted.
For more info check out www.transitiondarebin.org.


Renew You Challenge
Let’s start this week off right!
Weekly challenge (I mean opportunity!) to help set you off on the right foot and in the right direction for bringing health to your week. You could even add it to your calendar. Join us!
Our children are being super-sized. After all, you are what you eat, right? Childhood obesity is a major problem in this country. One reason for this, researchers say, is increased food portions. In a recent study, data from four surveys ranging from 1977 to 2006 was analyzed for portion size of the following foods: sugar-sweetened beverages, salty snacks, French fries, burgers, desserts, pizzas, and Mexican fast food. Total calories consumed of these foods were also analyzed.
In 2003 to 2006, the foods listed above accounted for 38 percent of calorie intake in 13–18-year-olds, 35 percent in 7–12-year-olds, and 28 percent in 2–6-year-olds. The researchers stated that over time, “larger portion sizes of selected energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods have increased in parallel with energy intakes at meals, especially in adolescents and middle-aged children.”
Their study found that the availability of larger portion sizes played a role in higher intake of empty calories in older children and teens, suggesting teens are more susceptible to larger portions, and less able to self-regulate their eating habits compared to younger children.
Bad food is easy to come across. It’s available everywhere, it’s cheap, and it’s usually found in the form of refined carbohydrates and sugars, making it also somewhat addictive. These are the foods our children are growing up with. This week, super-size the vegetables instead. Super-size some healthy, whole foods that your children like. Super-size some blueberries! Super-size broccoli! Do what you can to plant the seeds of good nutrition in this young generation, so that those seeds may grow a healthy human.


Synthetic organic chemistry plays an important role in drug and agrochemical discovery and the drug development program at the NCNPR. Insufficient quantities of biologically active natural products remain the major impediment for further development of potential drugs as well as their accurate identification including their absolute stereochemistry. Scientists at the NCNPR have vast experience in partial or total synthesis of various natural products, radio-labeled parent compounds and various metabolites of natural products for confirmatory purposes. In addition to these efforts, scientists in the NCNPR have effectively utilized medicinal chemistry approaches to prepare promising natural product leads and analogues for drug development.
Synthetic and Medicinal Chemistry Team
The chemistry team does a significant amount of synthetic chemistry work in collaboration with interdisciplinary colleagues including biomedical researchers. Many of these projects provide us with a unique opportunity to test the biological activity of synthesized compounds and make modifications to improve activity or test important biological principles. To facilitate the various NCNPR research programs, the Synthetic and Medicinal Chemistry Team is involved in:
- Synthesis of natural compounds in sufficient quantities
- Synthesis of analogs to optimize biological activity of lead compounds, structure activity relationships and lead optimization.
- Stereoselective total syntheses to establish the absolute stereo structure of natural compounds
- Isotope-labeled candidates for metabolic studies
- Synthesis of putative drug metabolites for confirmatory and quantitation purposes
Synthesis of supposed biosynthetic intermediates in order to understand the biogenesis of phytochemicals in plants.


Sometimes when folding origami you might not have a square piece of paper handy or you may want a larger one.
The easiest way to turn a regular piece of paper into a square is to fold the top edge to meet either the left or right side edge and then cut off excess at the bottom. The one problem with this is that it will leave a diagonal crease in the paper. If you want to avoid the crease you can mark where you would fold with a ruler and then cut that lower part off.
Here is a more detailed guide for turning a rectangular piece of paper into a square one either with or without a crease.
Easiest Way to Make a Paper Square
This is the fast way to make a paper square but will leave a crease due to the fold.
1. Fold the top edge to meet either the right or left edge
Match the top edge to either the right or left edge and crease it.
2. Fold the bottom edge up to make a crease for cutting
Fold the bottom edge over the triangle to make a crease to cut along.
3. Unfold the paper and cut along the bottom crease line
Cut along the bottom crease to remove the unwanted section.
How to Make a Paper Square Without Creasing
This method takes slightly longer but will avoid leaving a fold crease.
1. Fold the top edge to meet the left edge and make a mark
Carefully align the top edge to the left edge without creasing it.
Make a mark with a pencil when it looks even.
2. Fold the top edge to meet the right edge and make a mark
Carefully align the top edge to the right edge without creasing it.
Make another mark with a pencil after getting it as even as possible.
3. Connect the lines with a ruler and then cut on the line
Use a straight edge to connect the lines and cut it as even as possible.
Now that you know easy ways to make a paper square, check out our growing collection of easy origami tutorials to put your folding skills to work and have some fun!
To save yourself some time on future folds, consider picking up some fancy square origami paper!


Drivers in West Virginia and across the U.S. are seemingly becoming more and more prone to distraction. Whatever the reasons for this, it is clear that younger drivers in particular need to be on their guard against distractions. In a survey from The Zebra, 38% of respondents between the ages of 18 and 24 admitted that they text while driving.
Phone use is far from the only problem. In fact, there are three different types of distractions: cognitive, visual and manual. Phones fall under all three categories, but those that fall under one can be just as dangerous. Below are some easy ways to avoid distraction.
It begins with making the proper adjustments — adjusting the volume of the music, putting the destination into the GPS system and so on. Drivers should keep their phone out of sight, even if they are traveling a short distance. If they must make a call, answer a call or deal with a malfunctioning GPS system, it’s best to pull over to do so.
For teens, it’s especially important to limit the number of passengers. Conversations with more than one passenger can pose a serious cognitive distraction. Free of such distractions, drivers must then train themselves to be proactive behind the wheel, foreseeing dangers and knowing what their next move will be.
A driver will be guilty of negligence if they cause a crash out of inattention. Someone who has been injured may file an insurance claim, and they could recover damages as long as they are deemed less than 50% at fault. Any degree of fault will lower the amount they are eligible for, so in their effort to ensure a fair amount, a victim may want legal representation. If the other side is willing to negotiate a settlement, the lawyer may speak on the victim’s behalf.


REDD+ impacts: evidence from Nepal.
Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD and REDD+) is an international mechanism for mitigating climate change impacts. The ambitiously designed architecture that makes REDD+ win-win for high emitting developed countries and forest rich developing countries has led to high hopes and expectations as well as a fear of failure. However, we do not as yet know if and whether REDD+ would succeed. This paper discusses the findings from one of the first rigorous quasi-experimental studies using a 'before-after-control-intervention' design that encompass all major aspects of REDD+: forest carbon and bio-physical, ecological, livelihood and welfare. The analysis of the outcome indicators from two years of REDD+ incentive payments indicate that there are positive signs of improved forest condition for carbon additionality and livelihood improvements, while no harm has been done to local livelihoods, which is generally feared in REDD+ literature. Although there is no change in forest carbon components in REDD+ communities compared to controls, important changes are observed in ecological indicators such as reduction in forest fires, timber extraction and encroachments that could contribute to carbon enhancement in the future. We find a decline in the share of firewood in household cooking that is consistent with the observed increase in biogas, a cleaner and convenient renewable energy source. These findings support the broader sense that REDD+ initiatives must and can work in tandem with other global initiatives (e.g., ENERGY + and the Sustainable Development Goals), in this case, indicating that a shift to biogas fuel could improve livelihoods and ensure REDD+ success in Nepal.


Take a look at this monster’s round jaw. It looks horrifying. But this creature is fantastic, as it can survive in extreme environments that would kill people and most animals and even survive the vacuum of space. It can stand temperatures of as low as -273 degrees C (-460 degrees F) and as high as 151 degrees C (303 degrees F). It can stay alive after boiling in hot water, and getting 1,000 times more radiation than humans. It can spend almost a decade without water and food. Probably, these monsters would have seized our Planet by now if not two circumstances. On the one hand, they are extremely small (the biggest adults are able to reach a body length of 1.5 mm). On the other hand, they are slow walkers. They are even called Tardigrada because of this.
Don't look for aliens on mars, when peoples even dont know deep oceans yet.
In September 2007, tardigrades were taken into low Earth orbit on the FOTON-M3 mission and for 10 days were exposed to the vacuum of space. After they were returned to Earth, it was discovered that many of them survived and laid eggs that hatched normally, making these the only animals known to be able to survive the vacuum of space.
me encanta la sombra en esos objetos.


Allium canadense var. mobilense
pink, purple, white
March - May
0.1 - 0.8
Identification tip: Allium canadensis var. mobilensis has only flowers, ranging from white to pink, in its umbels while A. canadensis var. canadensis has bulbils on its umbel.
Allium canadense is easily started from seed in the greenhouse during late winter or early spring. Bulbs can be divided in fall.
An acceptable forage for cattle but can taint the taste of milk in dairy cows.
Allium is an ancient name for garlic. It is thought to be derived from the Celtic word "all", which means pungent. This variety is most commonly found in prairie and is less weedy than var. canadense. It occurs mostly on sandy or gravely soils but can be found in clay. It is grows throughout the southeastern United States from Missouri to Georgia and west to Texas. The bulbs and young leaves of this plant can be eaten raw or cooked anytime of year, but are best in the fall or early spring (Chase 1965).


Frank Norris (1870–1902)
From American Fantastic Tales: Terror and the Uncanny from Poe to the Pulps
In which we scare up an unexpected treat for Halloween:
At the dawn of the twentieth century a group of American writers were particularly influenced by French authors Honoré de Balzac and Émile Zola; literary scholars refer to them as the American naturalists, and they are remembered for their emphasis on realism and for the role of journalism in their work. The naturalists include such familiar names as Jack London, Ellen Glasgow, and Stephen Crane, but perhaps the two writers most associated with this school are Theodore Dreiser and Frank Norris.
Norris, who died from a ruptured appendix at the age of thirty-two, is remembered for such novels as McTeague and The Octopus: A Story of California. What he is most definitely not remembered for are ghost stories and retellings of medieval legends, and his modern-day readers are often surprised to find out he wrote a number of them during the course of his short career. In “Grettir at Thorhall-stead" he spins a tale of supernatural horror featuring Grettir the Strong, the famed outlaw of Icelandic lore. Oh, and did we mention there’s a vampire?


Makemake: A Distant Dwarf
Makemake is a dwarf planet in the outer solar system that is about two-thirds the size of Pluto. It is farther out than Pluto, but closer than Eris. See images (including this artist's rendering) in our gallery of Makemake here. (This slideshow was originally posted in November 2011 and is updated periodically with as new Makemake discoveries warrant).
Makemake Has a Moon!
On April 26, 2016, scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope announced that they'd found a small moon orbiting Makemake. The 100-mile-wide (160 kilometers) satellite is barely visible just above Makemake, almost lost in the glare of the bright dwarf planet. Read the Full Story.
Makemake and Moon: Artist View
Artist's concept of the dwarf planet Makemake and its newfound moon, which has been nicknamed MK 2. Read the Full Story.
Makemake Observed by SPIRE
The dwarf planet Makemake was observed by SPIRE during the science demonstration phase. This very faint and cold object was detected by making a difference image: by taking images 44 hours apart and subtracting the "before" image from the "after" image, the background sky is removed. Makemake, having moved in the intervening time, appears twice in the resulting image: once as a "negative image" and again as a "positive image".
Dwarf Planet Makemake Shadow Path Map
This diagram shows the path of the shadow of the dwarf planet Makemake during an occultation of a faint star in April 2011, which revealed that it lacked an atmosphere. Several sites in South America, including ESO’s La Silla and Paranal Observatories, saw the star disappear briefly as its light was blocked by Makemake.
Dwarf Planets in Our Solar System (Infographic)
Meet the dwarf planets of our solar system, Pluto Eris, Haumea, Makemake and Ceres.
Makemake: Artist's View
An artist's illustration of Makemake, a dwarf planet out beyond the orbit of Neptune that also qualifies as a plutoid.
Artist's Concept of Makemake
An early artist's interpretation of the dwarf planet Makemake beyond Pluto.


Back to Projects List
Learning Frontiers: Pre-K to Grade 3
Principal Investigator: Susan Sheridan
Co-Principal Investigators: Lisa Knoche, James Bovaird, Iheoma Iruka
Funding Agency: Institute of Education Sciences (IES)
Award Date: Jun 1, 2016
End Date: May 31, 2023
The long-term goal of this research is to close the achievement gap for disadvantaged children from Pre-K to Grade 3 by establishing a comprehensive understanding of early learning and achievement as influenced simultaneously by the settings within which children learn.
The immediate objectives of the proposed Network project are to determine the influence of ecological systems — educational policy, community type, classroom/teacher, and family-school practices — and their interactions within one representative Midwestern state (Nebraska), and identify malleable factors that promote children’s academic and social-emotional learning and achievement through Grade 3.
To pursue these goals, researchers will:
- Describe the context of education for children living in socio-demographic disadvantage, including variations across rural and urban communities, through an exploration of state and local policies and practices associated with academic and social-emotional learning and school achievement from preschool to Grade 3.
- Identify malleable classroom processes and practices that are associated with disadvantaged children’s academic and social-emotional learning in preschool and the early elementary grades across rural and urban settings.
- Identify short- and long-term effects of malleable factors on children’s academic and social-emotional learning and achievement as they progress from preschool through Grade 3.
- Determine whether malleable classroom and family-school factors narrow the achievement gap for children living in socio-demographic disadvantage. Investigating policies, practices, and associated outcomes in varying community settings within one federal and statewide policy context will advance the field’s understanding of how interactions among policies, settings, and practices affect children’s early learning and ongoing academic success at significant points along the developmental trajectory.
Rural Education & Communities, Early Education & Development


Photo: CDC on Unsplash
This illustration, created at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically. A novel coronavirus, named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China in 2019. The illness caused by this virus has been named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Corona viruses are a family of viruses that primarily infect animals, but have caused three epidemics in humans since 2002. The latest of these coronaviruses is SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19.
Contagion et mortality rate of SARS-COV-2
According to Business Insider, “R0 refers to the average number of people that one sick person goes on to infect in a group that has no immunity. Experts use it to predict how far and how fast a disease will spread, and the number can also inform policy decisions about how to contain an outbreak.”
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), “for COVID-19, data to date suggest that 80% of infections are mild or asymptomatic, 15% are severe infection, requiring oxygen and 5% are critical infections, requiring ventilation.”
According to an article on The Conversation, “The fatality rate for the disease is estimated to be 0.66%, according to data from China. In other words, 0.66% of people who are formally diagnosed with COVID-19, die. But the rate varies dramatically for different age groups, ranging from 0.0016% for children under ten to 7.8% in people over 79. Similar rates are seen in New York city.”


Project will link lakes to restore marsh, reduce flooding
CHICAGO (AP) — Work is getting underway to connect two lakes along the Illinois and Indiana border — a project that will one day restore wetlands, reduce flooding and allow fish to travel between Lake Michigan and marshland on Chicago’s Southeast Side.
Powderhorn Lake was built in the 1950s, primarily for fishing, and is part of the Cook County forest preserves. Through human engineering, it will be connected to Wolf Lake, which spans across the two states and eventually connects to Lake Michigan, the Chicago Tribune reported.
More than 100 acres of wetlands stand to benefit from the project. It’s a collaboration between the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Audubon Great Lakes, Great Lakes Commission and the national Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and part of an effort to protect or restore more than 250,000 acres in the next decade.
Olga Bautista is executive director of the Southeast Environmental Task Force, which works to prevent pollution and protect public health in the industrialized Calumet region, where Powderhorn Lake is located.
She hopes work to reduce water levels will alleviate flooding for residents living between Powderhorn and Wolf lakes.
“When something like that happens in their neighborhood, it’s catastrophic for folks,” Bautista said.


Today, the Hunter Institute of Mental Health, along with individuals and communities across NSW, will bring celebrations for Mental Health Month to a close for 2016.
However, it’s important for us to remember that every day, every week and every month we should prioritise our mental health and wellbeing.
For Mental Health Month this year we were encouraged to ‘Learn and Grow’ – learn about mental health, learn about our own thoughts and feelings and take action to grow towards maintaining our wellbeing.
Something we recognise as being an important part of this theme is how we learn and grow from life situations, in particular the challenges that come with transitions and change.
Life transitions are difficult and are often risky periods for poorer mental health.
We often think about transitions in terms of age-specific social changes – a child starting school for the first time, a young person transitioning from primary school to high school, a young adult leaving the education environment to get their first job, or perhaps an older person preparing for retirement.
Transitions can also occur because of life circumstances – changing a job, moving to a different location, experiencing a long-term relationship break-up or entering parenthood for the first time.
While all of these scenarios may be different, each can come with a sense of fearfulness about the future and lead to someone reflecting on who they are and who they want to be.
But it is how we get through situations of change and learn from our experiences that will help support our wellbeing and become more resilient for when the next transition comes along.
For the final day of Mental Health Month we’d like to share some tips developed by our team for anyone who is transitioning to a new life stage, or experiencing a sudden or planned change, to help you ‘Learn and Grow’:
Read more about Mental Health Month and the theme ‘Learn and Grow’.
Published: 31 October 2016


Waiting for answer This question has not been answered yet. You can hire a professional tutor to get the answer.
FOR Ultimate GEEK only
1. Cost shifting occurs when a provider responds to low reimbursement rates by public payers (e.g., Medicare or Medicaid) or uncompensated care provided to the uninsured by charging private payers—insurers, managed care companies, or private individuals—more. Essentially, hospitals and physicians try to compensate for providing care below costs to some patients by raising their charges to others. To be able to do so, they would have had to not be fully exploiting their market power in the first place. What is a classic example of this in the healthcare marketplace and how would you go about developing a remedy to reduce the unfair burden cost shifting places on certain payers?
2. In the face of the market power of insurance and managed care, hospital concentration (mergers & acquisitions) may be a survival mechanism that maintains prices at a financially viable level and increases efficiency. Because the overall impact of hospital concentration is not clear, the best policy may be to monitor the market, collect more data, and regulate the industry in a way that discourages predatory practices and high prices. This regulation would include antitrust discipline where needed.
3. In economics, it is generally agreed that monopolies are bad. However, the book argues that the healthcare system could be improved by purchasers of care having their own monopoly power—called a monopsony when in the hands of the buyer. What are the advantages and disadvantages of such monopsony power in healthcare?
4. Read the Heritage Foundation article entitled The Impact of the Affordable Care Act on the Health Care Workforce Healthcare Workforce. Develop a response addressing these questions:
a. Is the current healthcare workforce adequate?
b. What about in the future?
c. If there are imbalances, why hasn't the market equilibrated supply and demand?
5. Discuss why economic evaluation is important in healthcare.
6. The United States spends far more than other countries on healthcare. Interestingly, when queried in opinion polls, the American public believes that we should actually spend more, not less, on healthcare. How would one evaluate whether this spending is worthwhile? What reasons might there be for being concerned about the validity of such assessments?


Rubrics for SRA High-Performance WRITING: A Structured Approach
(© 2005 SRA/McGraw-Hill)
unit in High Performance Writing provides teachers with an element
rubric that can be used to score student writing samples for one
form of writing taught in that unit. In response to numerous requests
from teachers, the authors Fay Goodfellow and Terry Dodds have
worked with Jen Fisher, a teacher with a number of years of successfully
using this program, to develop rubrics for the other forms of
writing taught within each unit in this program.
are finding the rubrics essential for increasing the writing achievement
of students. It is important for students to know the exact qualities
that will be scored on their pieces of writing. These rubrics
provide the teacher with specific elements that students can use
to produce a quality piece of writing. The rubrics can also be
used to help teachers determine specific skills that require remediation.
Once the targeted remediation has been done with the class or
with individual students, they can edit and improve their piece
of writing to receive a higher score. It is not necessary for
the teacher to re-score the entire piece of writing; only those
elements that were improved. After remediation, students do not
need to re-write the entire piece of writing. The improvements
can be added to the final draft using carets or an “add-in” sheet.
rubrics may be downloaded and copied for classroom use. If you
have any questions about these rubrics, please feel free to contact
Terry Dodds at (250) 652-9704 or by email at: firstname.lastname@example.org.
Also included on this page is a summary sheet that
can be used to monitor student and class progress, created and
shared by Cyndi Caniglia.


Category: Build and Access the Collection
Location: Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology
Contemplatio philosophica : a posthumous work of the late Brook Taylor, L.L.D., F.R.S. ... ; to which is prefixed a life of the author
First edition of this posthumous work, printed for private circulation by Brook Taylor's grandson, Sir William Young (d. 1815), in 100 limited copies. It is prefaced by the life of the author. This original work is the major source of Taylor's biographical data as well as the only edition of his philosophical book. Taylor, English mathematician, is best known for the mathematical concept of the "Taylor series" and contributions to the theory of finite differences. Taylor was elected a fellow of the Royal Society early in 1712, and in the same year sat on the committee for adjudicating the claims of Sir Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz, and acted as secretary to the society from 13 January 1714 to 21 October 1718. From 1715 his studies took a philosophical and religious bent. He corresponded in that year with the Comte de Montmort on the subject of Nicolas Malebranche's tenets. Unfinished treatises, On the Jewish Sacrifices and On the Lawfulness of Eating Blood, written on his return from Aix-la-Chapelle in 1719, were afterwards found among his papers.
Discover more about this book in our Catalog.


Driven by rapid growth in renewable energy in the UK and Germany, the European Union generated more electricity last year from renewable sources of energy than coal, according to a new report.
The report, issued by the think tanks Agora Energiewende and Sandbag, said that last year wind, solar, and biomass produced 20.9 percent of electricity in the EU, as compared to 20.6 percent for coal and 19.7 percent for natural gas. Nuclear energy remained the single-largest source of electricity production, generating 25.6 percent of the EU’s power.
The report said that the UK and Germany continued to be the main drivers of growth in renewable energy, with the two nations accounting for 56 percent of the EU’s overall growth in renewable energy over the past three years. Given the bloc’s steady growth in renewable energy, the report said that the EU can realistically expect to produce 50 percent of its electricity from wind, solar, and biomass by 2030.
Noting the steady decline of coal, the report said, “This is incredible progress, considering just five years ago coal generation was more than twice that of wind, solar, and biomass.”
Still, despite the growth of renewables, the report said that because of growth in the industrial and transport sectors, overall greenhouse gas emissions in the EU rose last year by 1 percent — an indication of just how elusive CO2 reductions remain in today’s industrialized nations.
The report noted that officials in Europe also realize they will have to reduce use of biomass as a source of energy, especially given growing concerns that burning wood pellets, which produce substantial amounts of CO2, is still considered a renewable energy source in Europe.


As it turns out, the empty roads during COVID-19 still possessed risk for American drivers. Even though Americans have been driving less and covering fewer miles overall, in some places the amount of motor vehicle accidents have actually increased.
Data indicated that rates have jumped over 14 percent in fatality rates in March 2020. This is in spite of a drop of 8 percent of overall roadway deaths compared to March 2019. The number of miles dropped 8.6 compared to last year, but yet the mileage death rate per 100 million vehicle miles driven was 1.22 in March 2020 compared to 1.07 in March 2019.
The following states have seen an increase in roadway deaths within the first three months of 2020:
1. Arkansas (6 percent)
2. Connecticut (42 percent)
3. Louisiana (23 percent)
4. Nevada (10 percent)
5. New York (17 percent)
Still, the high number of roadway accidents during the pandemic is cause for concern. Drivers that are used to congested roads are suddenly seeing these empty highways in front of them and they are taking advantage of it.
Lorraine M. Martin, NSC president and CEO said, “Disturbingly, we have open lanes of traffic and an apparent open season on reckless driving. Reports indicate that speeding, for example has increased significantly since traffic has lessened. Some states are approving “ill-advised” roadway tactics intended to respond to the pandemic, but many have had bad consequences.
· Many states are repealing requirements for teen drivers to pass road tests before acquiring licenses
· The relaxing of hours of service rules for commercial vehicle drivers
To help ensure safety on the road during the pandemic the National Safety Council has urged people to do the following:
1. Follow state and local directives and stay off the roads if officials have directed
2. Obey speed limits
3. Be aware of increased pedestrian and bicycle traffic as more people have turned to this as a safety precaution during the pandemic
4. Defensive driving: buckle up, designate a sober driver, or arrange alternative transportation, get plenty of rest to avoid fatigue and avoid distractions
While the novel coronavirus pandemic has lead people staying home and driving less, new data finds that emptier roads may be more dangerous for drivers.