Karl-höfðiOld Norse Dictionary - karl-höfði
Meaning of Old Norse word "karl-höfði" (or karl-hǫfði) in English.
As defined by the Cleasby & Vigfusson Old Norse to English dictionary:
- karl-höfði (karl-hǫfði)
- a, m. a carved man’s head, figure head; bað hann Þorgeir reisa þar upp ás, ok skera á karlhöfða á endanum, an effigy ‘in contumeliam,’ Rd. 305; cp. Fs. 56,—Jökull skar karlshöfuð á súlu-endanum ok reist á rúnar; as also Landn. 4, ch. 4: name of a ship with a man’s head carved on her prow, Ó. H.
Orthography: The Cleasby & Vigfusson book used letter ö to represent the original Old Norse vowel ǫ. Therefore, karl-höfði may be more accurately written as karl-hǫfði.
Possible runic inscription in Younger Futhark:ᚴᛅᚱᛚ-ᚼᚢᚠᚦᛁ
Younger Futhark runes were used from 8th to 12th centuries in Scandinavia and their overseas settlements
➞ See all works cited in the dictionary
Works & Authors cited:
- Forn-sögur. (D. II.)
- Landnáma. (D. I.)
- Ó. H.
- Ólafs Saga Helga. (E. I.)
- Reykdæla Saga. (D. II.)


Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) development is the over-arching umbrella that encompasses personal development across the whole curriculum is essential to the academic progress of pupils. It doesn’t happen in isolation- it saturates through our school and is linked to everything we do, our ethos and attitude. It is articulated by all members of the school community and is visible in day-to-day decisions and relationships.
All areas of the curriculum contribute to SMSC development. Some occurs as a result of informal, opportunistic or accidental occurrences, but we do not leave it to chance. It is the foundation of our broad and balanced curriculum , enabling children and the adults who work with them to flourish.
- Spiritual– Explore beliefs and experience; respect faiths, feelings and values; enjoy learning about oneself, others and the surrounding world; use imagination and creativity; reflect.
- Moral– Recognise right and wrong; respect the law; understand consequences; investigate moral and ethical issues; offer reasoned views.
- Social– Use a range of social skills; participate in the local community; appreciate diverse viewpoints; participate, volunteer and cooperate; resolve conflict; engage with the ‘British values’ of democracy, the rule of law, liberty, respect and tolerance.
- Cultural– Appreciate cultural influences; appreciate the role of Britain’s parliamentary system; participate in culture opportunities; understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity.
- SMSC Policy 2022-2025 (137.88KB)
We teach British Values through SMSC ( spiritual, moral, social and cultural) development and through the curriculum which we do through following the Jigsaw scheme.
- the rule of law
- individual liberty
- mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs and for those without faith
Further and deeper thinking and exploring of British Values also takes place through learning in English and History


ETHNO is an international music camp, where traditional music from different countries is learned by ear in workshops led by the participants themselves. Every day, 3-4 participants share a tune or a song with others, the tunes are arranged together and later performed at concerts. The idea is to give the young musicians a taste of different music cultures and create a network of musicians from around the world. The whole process of workshops and learning is supported by the organizers, artistic leaders and volunteers of the camp.
The very first ETHNO camp ever took place in 1990, in Sweden, Dalarna. Today, ETHNO camps are held in very different places all around the world. The camps are coordinated by the organization Jeunesses Musicales International (JMI), of which Estonian ETHNO is also a member.
You can read more about that https://www.ethno-world.org/ and http://jmi.net/programs/ethno.
ETHNO camps have been regularly held in Estonia since 1997. Back then, two traditional music students, Krista Sildoja and Tuulikki Bartosik, had the chance to participate at the ETHNO camp in Falun, Sweden. This experience gave them a desire to do something similar in Estonia as well. The first traditional music camp inspired by their ETHNO experience, took place in the same year in Viljandi, right before the Viljandi Folk Music Festival, where the youngsters ended the camp with a big concert. Since 2000, the camp is called ETHNO Estonia. Find out more about the history of the camp HERE. Estonian Traditional Music Center organizes ETHNO camps both for children and youngsters. KidsETHNO is for children 10-16, and ETHNO Estonia for youngsters aged 16-30. In KidsEthno, the focus is mainly on traditional music, in ETHNO Estonia traditional tunes from many different countries are learned and played.


LGBTQ Lives in Conflict and Crisis
February 8, 2023
Violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people has been a staple of many armed conflicts and crises. But for governments and global institutions, persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity in conflict and crisis settings has been a blind spot. Queer people are largely invisible at the United Nations Security Council and in atrocity prevention efforts, peacebuilding processes, and international justice.
The briefing paper focuses primarily on crises that are under the purview of the UN Security Council, including armed conflict within and across member states’ borders and protracted humanitarian crises involving state and non-state actors. It presents an overview of how LGBTQ individuals are uniquely affected by armed conflict and crises and interrogates the current lack of LGBTQ inclusion in peace and security discussions and policymaking. Finally, it offers recommendations for a gender-transformative approach to the peace and security agenda, one that recognizes the root causes of violence against both women and LGBTQ people of all genders and fully integrates their voices and experiences.
Explore News and Commentaries
We share news, cultural media and advocacy of partners, activists and experts through the lens of LGBTIQ people working on international human rights.Read Our Insights


Find out about Python and the reason why it’s the programming resource of choice for many.
Python is a widely used general-purpose, object-oriented programming language that is employed to create various web applications. It is liked by a great number of developers since it's intuitive and it offers crystal clear syntax, not mentioning that by employing modules, you'll be able to use considerably less code to perform a given task as compared to many other computer programming languages. This way, you will spend considerably less efforts and time to write the code that you need. The modules are compact sets of variables and subroutines that perform a particular action plus they can be called in a custom script, so you could use only one line of code instead of writing the entire code for that action. Python is used for numerous programs such as CGI scripts, RSS readers, database management interfaces, data processing tools, etcetera.
Python in Website Hosting
All the Linux website hosting that we offer are compatible with Python, so if you want to add a script created in this language to a site hosted on our modern cloud platform, you will not encounter any difficulties to run it. The Apache mod_python module that renders the interpretation of Python code possible is provided on all our servers. You will be able to work with your personal code, third-party scripts and modules, or, alternatively, you may combine the two and set up a custom-made web application in accordance with your requirements, depending on what the application has to do. This way, you are able to extend the useful functionality of your sites and enhance the user experience of your website visitors. Python is a multi-functional programming language, so you can combine its capabilities with many things the other web-oriented languages can offer and enjoy the best of both.


Synagogue in Orla, Poland
Jews have lived in Orla since the 17th century, and was a majority of the town’s population on the eve of World War II. Orla synagogue was founded in the second half of the 17th century and was one of only a few stone buildings in the town until the mid-20th century.
The synagogue’s interior reflected baroque and Renaissance influences, and the most distinctive feature was the great Ark. The walls were painted with colourful frescoes mainly of animal and plant motifs. The building was frequently remodelled and a striking classical façade was added.
In the spring of 1942, the community was forcibly moved into a ghetto and, later that same year, transported to Treblinka extermination camp. The synagogue served as a storehouse for property stolen by the German soldiers from the Jewish population and the Ark was destroyed.
After World War II, the building was not properly maintained. It was occasionally used as a storage facility, but frequently stood empty and neglected, its condition deteriorating.
Since 2010, the Synagogue has been owned by the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland (FODZ). Several local civil society organisations also have an interest in preserving the Synagogue with the full support of the local Mayor and Municipality.
The Foundation raised the concept of the Synagogue being used for an innovative arts project inspired by the context of the building. FODZ and the Foundation invited the University of the Arts Poznan, Poland’s leading arts college, to explore the possibilities of this concept, which led to a week-long Arts Festival based within and around the Synagogue in 2021.
The three partners are now exploring the idea of the Synagogue becoming a centre promoting cross-cultural dialogue through the arts, joined by a fourth arts college - the Institute of Arts, Bialystok University of Technology.
A short film on the Arts Festival is available here.


Antivirus software is a valuable software for safeguarding your computer coming from viruses, ad ware and other forms of malware. That checks documents and applications against a database of known viruses to identify potential threats. The program also tests your system just for threats which have been unknown to it. The majority of antivirus applications use 3 www.greatsoftware.pro/avast-anti-virus types of detection to identify spyware: heuristic recognition, generic diagnosis and particular detection. Once this detects malwares on your computer, this either grades or quarantines it intended for deletion.
An integral number to consider when comparing antivirus items is the recognition rate, which can be the percentage of malware recognized in controlled studies. While this number is definitely not ideal, it can clue you in as to of how successful a software are at stopping spy ware. It won’t be able to protect against every possible piece of spyware, but it may help you decide if the software is worth your time.
Adware and spyware programs can steal, encrypt, or even wipe out your data. Anti virus software shields your computer simply by blocking and removing the threat ahead of it can perform much destruction. A good antivirus product can distinguish malicious code, quarantine this, and damage it. Modern antivirus products can also instantly revise themselves in order to avoid malicious activity.
Machine learning is another technique that helps antivirus programs identify threats. This method requires analyzing the applying code of any file to detect destructive and benign courses. This technology has proved to be very effective by identifying threats, which have been elevating in frequency.


If you walked through the newly opened Rankin Family Pavilion on March 10th and 11th, you likely noticed Virtual Reality stations that were set up in the atrium. What you may not have realized is that these stations were part of an ongoing research project led by Brock professors Dr. Jessica Blythe, Dr. Gary Pickering and Dr. Julia Baird. Their research is enabled by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Insight Development Grant they received in 2019 worth $74,970.
With colleagues from around the world, Drs. Blythe, Pickering and Baird are exploring whether virtual reality can shape knowledge of and attitudes towards the high seas (which refers to the open ocean beyond national boundaries). The idea, Dr. Blythe mentioned, is to see whether being immersed in a future scenario, that shows what the ocean might look like in the year 2050, changes how people feel about the issues that are currently affecting the high seas, including overfishing, pollution and inequitable access to marine resources (including genetic material and oil). Ultimately, they aim to understand if virtual reality can boost public support for oceans that are normally “out of sight and out of mind”, which might encourage better protection of what has been called Earth’s final frontier.
As virtual reality becomes increasingly popular for a wide variety of purposes, the ESRC is honoured to have home unit faculty members Drs. Blythe, Baird, along with ESRC Faculty Affiliate, Dr. Gary Pickering, leading this cutting edge research!


NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft in orbit around Mars maneuvered out of the path of Phobos earlier this week after navigators predicted the spacecraft could run into the Martian moon in the near future, highlighting the challenge of tracking an international fleet of Mars probes set to double in size by 2021.
The MAVEN orbiter, in its third year studying the Martian atmosphere, performed a minor rocket burn Feb. 28 to change its speed by less than 1 mph (0.4 meters per second), NASA said, tweaking its trajectory enough to dodge a projected collision with Phobos a week later.
On its new path, MAVEN will miss the irregularly-shaped moon by around two-and-a-half minutes. The rocket burn was MAVEN’s first collision avoidance maneuver to move out of the way of Phobos, NASA said.
Phobos is located around 3,700 miles (6,000 kilometers) above Mars, higher than the altitude of NASA’s other operational orbiters — Mars Odyssey and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. But MAVEN is positioned in an elliptical orbit, carrying it as high as 3,800 miles (about 6,100 kilometers) on each lap around the planet before skimming the Martian atmosphere at the orbit’s lowest point.
See the complete article here.


5 Unnecessary deaths
A sense of urgency has been lent to the efforts of addressing the healthcare needs of people with learning disabilities by some high-profile cases where young people have needlessly died.
In the next activity you will explore the case of Richard Handley, who had Down’s syndrome and suffered lifelong constipation.
Activity _unit7.5.1 Activity 4 The case of Richard Handley
Read the article from The Guardian at the link below. Then answer the questions that follow.
Link: ‘Gross failure’ in man’s care led to death from constipation [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]
- How might ‘reasonable adjustments’ have made a difference to Richard?
- What else would need to happen to prevent these ‘gross failings’?
The enormity of what happened to Richard makes it hard to easily unpick how it could have been prevented. However, one of the main issues picked up by the series of reports on healthcare was that no single person has an overview of the complex systems and sets of relationships involved in the care of a person with complex impairments and health needs. Families may try to do this, but they lack the knowledge of the interlocking systems, and, crucially, the authority to command action from healthcare professionals.
Families can be immensely helpful. They can sit with the patient, interpret their communication, explain resistance to blood tests or other interventions, and just be a reassurance in an unfamiliar environment. Sometimes their help is welcomed, but sometimes it can be branded as ‘interfering’, as Sheila put it in the scenario in Section 2 of this session.
Health passports can be useful – as long as they are up to date and everyone knows about them and remembers to consult them.


Cyclists often have more to worry about when they hit the road than almost anyone else. Their vehicles have the least amount of protection and leave the most room for potential injuries.
Dooring is one source of these injuries. But just what is it and how does it affect cyclists?
Sources of injuries
Momentum Mag looks into the cyclist-specific crash called dooring. Dooring occurs when someone in a parked vehicle opens their car door directly into the path of a cyclist, not giving the cyclist enough time to properly come to a stop. It usually leads to the cyclist hitting the door, or swerving – potentially into traffic – to avoid hitting it.
Injuries come from those two sources, too. If a cyclist hits the door, they may sometimes sail over the top. This can result in impact injuries, friction burns, and even damage to the head or spine. Of course, the severity of the damage depends on factors like how fast the cyclist was riding, how hard they hit the car door and how far they flew because of the impact.
The risk of oncoming traffic
However, injuries can also come from a cyclist swerving or getting knocked into the road. Unfortunately, this can happen so fast that cars in the area simply do not have the time to react and safely avoid hitting the fallen cyclist. This can result in severe injuries like broken bones, lacerations, crush injuries and even fatal injuries.
This is why it is so important for everyone to understand the risk of dooring. Cyclists should avoid hugging cars and drivers should always check before opening their doors.


This project examines the outbreak of the Judean revolt against Rome in 66 CE, culminating in the destruction of the second temple of Jerusalem in 70 CE.
Applying particular sociological insights, its aim is to overcome a deadlock in current research, which relies on the prevalence of one-sided models and perspectives. As an alternative, more attention is paid to the correlation between cultural-ideological developments, socio-political dynamics and aspects of Roman imperial politics in Judea society, which all had a crucial role to play in the development towards a violent civil war, ethnic conflict and armed rebellion against Rome.
After a study of the texts of Flavius Josephus (37-ca. 100 CE) as the literary main source of the present research from a literary-rhetorical perspective, the project applies a contextual approach to Judean politics in general and the conflicts attested by Josephus in particular. More precisely, the study of Josephus’s history of The Judean War sets out to understand this text in terms of form, content, meaning and authorial intent by drawing from ancient texts and theories of Greco-Roman rhetoric and classical tragedy, as well as Judean apocalyptic texts. Subsequently, Josephus’s account will be confronted with other Second Temple Period texts that address aspects of Judean political thought and practices, as well as epigraphic, numismatic and archaeological material, to focus on the spatial, temporal and social dimensions of three central institutions in Judean politics; the ethnic metropolis of Jerusalem, Judean temple cult and Torah assemblies, in order to study the relation between the different actors involved and their various political strategies.
|Last modified:||20 November 2019 7.28 p.m.|


Identify the correct use of conjunctions (i.e., coordinating, correlative, subordinating) and interjections within context. SPI 0801.1.4
Links verified on 7/14/2014
- And-But-Or - quiz - Click the answer button to see the answer - good for whole class review
- Basic Subordinating Conjunctions - quiz Quiz Two ; Quiz Three
- Conjunctions - Choose the correct answer for each question. self checking
- Conjunctions - twenty multiple-choice questions Click on the buttons to find the correct answer
- Conjunctions - Conjunctions are words used as joiners. Different kinds of conjunctions join different kinds of grammatical structures.
- Conjunctions Quiz I - select the answer buttons to see the answers.
- Conjunctions Quiz II - Combine the sentences using the conjunction given in parentheses.
- Conjunction-itis Popup - Find the correct conjunction form to combine two short sentences together into one! (a Quia quiz)
- Definition of interjections - explanation
- Interjections - list and meanings
- Interjection Lesson - examples followed by a short quiz
- Interjection Worksheet - Worksheet and lesson plan
- Interjection Quiz - fifteen multiple choice questions - checks your answers
- Interjection Quiz - identify the interjection
- So or Because - quiz - Click the answer button to see the answer; good for whole class review
site for teachers | PowerPoint show | Acrobat document | Word document | whiteboard resource | sound | video format | interactive lesson | a quiz | lesson plan | to print


The Development of Synthetic Fuels in South Africa
Journal of Energy and Development
Written in 1989, this article gives an overview of the development of synthetic fuels in South Africa from the early 1900s through the 1980s. Historically, South Africa is highly dependent on foreign oil and dealt with this problem by establishing the largest oil-from-coal industry in the world. The use of synthetic fuels contributed substantially to South Africa’s industrial development and has been highly intertwined with political and international issues. This article looks at the history of the development of the synthetic fuels industry with the early arrangements between South Africa and Nazi Germany in World War II. In addition, the article traces the development of coal-based synfuels in the early 20th century, synfuels in Nazi Germany, synfuels in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s, technology transfer, the Liquid Fuel and Oil Act of 1947, and Anglovaal.
Hilsenrath, P. E.
The Development of Synthetic Fuels in South Africa.
Journal of Energy and Development, 14(2), 269–284.


What Is an Essay Header?
An essay header is a continuous line of text that appears at the top of a page. It includes the author's last name or part of the title and the page number. Essay headers are usually required for academic texts.
A header makes your essay look polished and organized. Moreover, a professor working with dozens of student essays would find it easier to sort if the essay pages spilled or otherwise got mixed up.
MLA, APA and other styles have their own guidelines for creating headers for academic works. For MLA, use your last name and the page number, with no punctuation. For APA, use the first several words of the title and the page number, with five spaces in between. Find out which style guide is required for your essay, and follow that format.
Creating a Header
You don't have to type a header for each page of your essay. Software programs such as Microsoft Word make it easy to create a consistent header that appears in the correct position and format at the top of each page.
The first page of an essay does not require an essay header.
Occasionally an essay header may be forbidden, such as in a contest with a blind review process. Eliminating details about the author allows judges to evaluate each work impartially.
Melanie J. Martin specializes in environmental issues and sustainable living. Her work has appeared in venues such as the Environmental News Network, "Ocean" magazine and "GREEN Retailer." Martin holds a Master of Arts in English.


What Causes Power Outages?
There are many different reasons why an outage may occur, but the majority of non-company power interferences come from fallen trees and branches during storms. Having a well-maintained right-of-way decreases these types of outages. Therefore your EMC has an ongoing plan that keeps your power lines free of limbs and tall growing brush. Please help your EMC by allowing this necessary tree trimming on your property. If you are in the planting mood, try to plant new trees well away from power lines (at least 30 feet) to avoid problems in the future.
Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done to decrease the number of outages caused by nature, vehicle/equipment accidents or fires. Customers can help with what we call "customer problem" outages. These are outages on the consumer side of the meter, meaning that a check of the circuit breaker most likely will fix the problem. An outage summary is featured below.
Lightning: Caused by thunderstorms
Wind: Caused by storms
Snow and Ice: Caused by winter storms
Trees Inside Right-of-Way: Trees planted too close to power lines
Squirrels or Other Animals on Lines: Caused by animals on the line
Vehicles: Running into poles; accidents
Fires: Home/Business or brush burning
Consumer Problems: Tripped breakers
Unknown: Some outages are caused by unknown reasons


ASPIRING MINDS FOUNDATION
The National Flower, the Single Chaconia, also called Wild Poinsettia or Pride of Trinidad and Tobago is a flaming red forest flower. Belonging to the family Rubiaceae, this flower owes its botanical name, Warszewiczia Coccinea, to the Polish-Lithuanian plant collector, Joseph Warszewicz. This flower has witnessed our entire history and can be said to represent the imperishability of life and the continuity of our nation.
The Chaconia, easily identifiable by its long sprays of magnificent vermilion, usually blooms around the anniversary of our Independence, August 31. With its colour matching the flaming red of our National Flag and the shield on the Coat of Arms and bearing the same symbolism, the Chaconia harmonizes beautifully with the other National Emblems. History and circumstance led to the Single Chaconia being chosen as our National Flower, however, the Double Chaconia (Warszewiczia cv “David Auyong”) which was discovered on the edge of the forest off the Arima-Blanchisseuse Road, is indigenous to Trinidad and Tobago.
The Single Chaconia flower is used as the official National Flower, and the Double Chaconia is displayed on the 25 cent coin. The Double Chaconia cannot be found anywhere else on earth, making it exclusive to Trinidad and Tobago. However, it is officially the Single Chaconia that is the National Flower of Trinidad and Tobago. The Single Chaconia was picked as the National Flower during Trinidad and Tobago’s Independence in 1962.


"Imagine a robot with ten light sabers on the front."
If Cali-based startup EarthGrid has its way, downed power lines and faulty electric transformers may soon be a problem of the past.
Science and tech pub New Atlas explained the company's patent-pending process on Thursday and said the plasma boring robot it's developing can dig underground tunnels as much as 100 times faster than the competition, all while costing about 98 percent less.
"Imagine a robot with ten light sabers on the front, vaporizing through rock and soil," founder Troy Helming said in a short video that shows off the bot's plasma-boring capabilities.
The back end of the bot spits out "cornflake-size" bits of rock. New Atlas said the bot can do its job without touching tunnel walls as it bores through the ground, meaning it can complete jobs without stopping if necessary.
EarthGrid is hoping to use its tech to create an underground network of tunnels that service the United States with renewable energy.
The move could help stabilize electric grids and protect infrastructure from the elements — an important lesson the people of New York City learned after the Great Blizzard of 1888. That storm dumped inches of snow onto the city and downed a bunch of power lines, which at the time weren't yet buried underground and ran solely on above-ground poles, criss-crossing the streets multiple times. Afterwards, underground wires provided more electric stability and consistency.
EarthGrid has a long way to go if it wants to move from its 20-second demo clip to a full-blown power solution for the US — but we hope they figure it out soon. The country's aging electric infrastructure needs some help from somebody, somewhere.
More on renewable energy: New System Creates Jet Fuel From Water, CO2 and Sunlight


Habitat selection in an Arctic Seabird: Implications for Climate Change
September 2015 - December 2019
- USGS, Alaska Science Center
Climate change is projected to have its greatest impact in arctic regions where temperature increases are forecasted to cause rapid changes to ecosystems and the wildlife dependent on them. These changes range from phenological mismatches (i.e/, between the timing of emergence of invertebrate prey and the arrival and breeding of shorebird predators; Liebezeit et al. 2014) to altered habitats where warmer climates favor successional changes in plant communities. The Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla; hereafter "sandpiper") is an abundant, arctic shorebird whose breeding range extends across nearly all of the Nearctic. The sandpiper breeds in wet coastal tundra that is likely to be strongly affected by climate change. Recent evidence suggests a decline in population size of the Semipalmated Sandpiper (Andres et al. 2012), but the cause of this decline is unknown. Despite its abundance, little is known regarding nest site selection by breeding Semipalmated Sandpipers (Jehl 2006). In the face of global climate change, it is likely that the population of sandpipers will be affected by changing habitats. The goal of this research is to investigate current aspects of habitat selection by Semipalmated Sandpipers in order to predict how future changes will affect their habitats and population.


Horseshoe Crab, Small, Cod Sea Creature Figurine in Pewter
The mold for this pewter casting was taken from a young horseshoe crab that washed up on a Cape Cod beach.
Horseshoe Crabs are among the world's oldest and most fascinating creatures. They are estimated to be at least 500 million years old. The earliest Horseshoe Crab species were crawling around the Earth's shallow coastal seas for at least 100 million years before the dinosaurs even arrived, which was about 200 million years ago. Since that time, the Earth's landmasses have shifted dramatically, and thousands of other species have come and gone, but Horseshoe Crabs survived and today remain much as they were those millions of years ago.
People have used Horseshoe Crabs for centuries. More recently they have been instrumental to scientific research that has contributed significantly to human health. Still today, when people see for the first time this strange creature with an armored shell and spiked tail, it is often with trepidation, along with the question, "What is that thing". Meet the Horseshoe Crab!
Jeff Mitchell, the artist, is a retired Electrical Engineer who also washed up on the beach in Wellfleet, Cape Cod, Mass. While still working in the Boston suburbs, Jeff took up metal casting as a hobby, and now recreates creatures from the waters around Cape Cod in a high grade, lead-free pewter.
The Horseshoe Crab is also available in a larger size. The top of the crab is beautifully detailed; the underneath is simplified to allow casting.
This small horseshoe crab measures 2-7/8" wide x 5-1/2" long, and weighs 4.8 oz.


Because our students struggle with aspects of language, the Tutorial forms the core of our academic program and is an essential element that sets TSS apart from other schools that teach students with dyslexia, executive function disabilities, and other language-based learning differences. Students in our Lower School have back-to-back tutorials each day, for a total of 150 minutes of intense, systematic, and diagnostic-prescriptive instruction. Upper School students receive one or two periods of tutorial each day, depending on their specific learning needs.
Each day, every student spends time in a tutorial, a group of two to five students with similar learning needs and objectives. In the tutorial, teachers focus on:
- Orton-Gillingham approach for reading instruction.
- The Southport School's Orton-Gillingham Instructional and Training Programs is accredited by the Orton-Gillingham Academy which all teachers are professionally trained and certified.
- Vocabulary and comprehension skills at the word, sentence, and passage level, using Lindamood-Bell’s Visualizing and Verbalizing Method®
- Direct instruction and practice in executive function skills and strategies, which helps students to become independent learners
- Significantly increasing students’ language arts performance level so they can transition to grade-appropriate situations with little or no support services


Author: Bob Raczka
Illustrator: Nancy Doniger
Publisher: Roaring Book Press
Publication Date: March, 2011
Goodreads Summary: Play with your words! A brand new poetic form that turns word puzzles into poetry.
Part anagram, part rebus, part riddle--these poems capture a scene from a child's daily life and present a puzzle to solve. Sometimes sweet and sometimes funny, but always clever, these poems are fun to read and even more fun for kids to write. Bob Raczka is a fresh, new voice in children's poetry who knows that fun and games can turn a poetry lesson into lemonade!
What I Think: What a great mentor text for poetry! It will be a great book to use with students (mostly students who "hate" poetry) to introduce them to poetry that is not scary. I love how each word has each word's poem in two sytles- one is more concrete where the letter is put under the where the letter is in the word while the other puts it in the traditional style. A great addition to any poetry collection.
Read Together: Grades 1 to 8
Read Alone: Grades 2 to 8
Read With: Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw, I am the Book by Lee Bennet Hopkins, Any poetry collection
Snatch of Text:
Mentor Text for: Poetry, Style
Writing Prompts: Think of a word and create a poem based on the word, just liked the book Lemonade. You should only use the letters in the word to complete the poem and it should describe, define or tell a story about the word you chose.
Topics Covered: Word Play, Poetry
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Why was Prince Henry of Portugal nicknamed “The Navigator”? Henry founded a center for the improvement of shipbuilding, navigation, and map making; organized and financed voyages down the African continent. Henry did a very good job of educating others about exploration.
What technological improvements made exploration by sea possible in the late 1400s? New navigation instruments (crossstaff, compass, and astrolabe), better maps, and the caravel made sea exploration possible. All of this new technology allowed for improved travel. The compass and astrolabe allowed for explorers to determine latitude. The crossstaff helped measure the angle of the sun. The caravel allowed for further travel at a faster rate with more goods. Mathematical tables were also introduced to provide for better maps when traveling.
Why did the Portuguese want to explore the west coast of Africa? The Portuguese wanted to explore the west coast of Africa to increase trade and to find a new sea route to the East. The west coast of Africa provided the Portuguese with new ports of access. The network of trade created allowed for more goods to be moved and therefore more money for the Portuguese economy. ◼
How did Portugal profit from the colonies it established off the coast of Africa? It increased its direct trade with the Africans and set up plantations to grow sugar for export to
More trade for the Portuguese meant that they could establish permanent colonies in a place that no other European power had yet been to. Remember how Italy dominated the Mediterranean? Now the
Portuguese could make a profit without having to deal with the Italians.
1. How did Prince Henry’s center for navigation help establish Portugal’s trading empire in the
Advances in the science of navigation made at Prince Henry’s center enabled the


Valentia Lighthouse at Cromwell Point2 min read
Built on the site of a 17th century fort known as ‘Fleetwood’ Fort, one of two built on Valentia Island around this time, Valentia Island Lighthouse at Cromwell Point, Ireland, has stood against sea and invader for hundreds of years.
A standing stone, dating back to the Bronze Age (3000-1200 BC) still marks the site at Cromwell Point where it was built and, still today, this gleaming white lighthouse on beautiful island looks out across some of the most spectacular sights along the Wild Atlantic Way.
The outline of the Cromwell Point fort with its bastions and barrack inside its wall can still be easily traced from the air, lying just inside the lighthouse enclosure wall.
Built in 1653 to guard the entrance to Valentia Harbour against invaders, 40 soldiers and eight cannons were stationed here.
And supposedly there’s a dungeon below the lighthouse!
The first light for Cromwell Point was originally applied for on 30 March 1828 by the Right Honorary Maurice Fitzgerald, Knight of Kerry, but works commenced on the lighthouse ten years later in 1838, and the light was first exhibited on 1 February 1841.
The lighthouse was designed by famed civil engineer, George Halpin Senior.
The light boasted 2000-candle power and could be seen for 12 miles in clear weather.
A lighthouse keeper lived with his family on site until 1947, when the lighthouse was automated.
Curious fact, the fossilised footprints of a tetrapod, the first four-legged animal with a backbone, are located near the lighthouse. One of them stepped from water onto land here over 300 million years ago.
Beginish Island, just across from Valentia Lighthouse, was inhabited by Vikings between the 9th and 12th centuries and, in fact, two Viking settlements were excavated on Beginish in 1965.
From the lighthouse, you’ll see one of the landing points for the transatlantic cable that connected Europe with North America for the first time in 1866 – marking the birth of modern communication.
This lighthouse is one of 65 lighthouses operated by the Commissioners of Irish Lights around the coast of Ireland and continues to provide a vital role in maritime safety today.
Images from web – Google Research


Carefully Access Your Diet to Know What Bespoke Vitamins You Should Take
There are several organisations that set a Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) for the essential nutrients and bespoke vitamins to help people manage their nutrition. The RDI is simply how much of each nutrient is required each day for a healthy adult. It is usually measured and listed using one of three different units – IU (International Units), mcg (Micrograms), and mg (Milligrams). The nutritional labels on foods will list the nutrients they contain, as well as percentage of your RDI for each particular nutrient.
This information is helpful to make sure that you aren’t consuming in excess or too little of any nutrient in a given day.
One method to make out what supplements and vitamins to take is to look cautiously at the nutritional value of all the foods in your diet and make out how close you come to the RDI for each essential mineral and vitamin.
If you have got a diet that is mostly high or low in certain foods, you could be getting too little or too much of certain nutrients. For this, you can consider getting a bespoke nutrition from Alyve. For instance, vitamin B12 is usually found in non-vegetarian food sources, so if you are a vegetarian, you may be getting less than the RDI of that vitamin.
If the RDI symbolises the low end of the amount you require for a specific nutrient, then the UL symbolises the high end. It is only advisable to start taking a supplement if you’re confident that you aren’t currently meeting the RDI and not likely to surpass the UL.
In several vases, having an essential mineral or vitamin in excess can be as risky as having too little. For instance, too much potassium can result in diarrhea, vomiting and a lopsided heartbeat. This condition can happen from the overuse of potassium supplements, so be careful when mulling over any dietary supplements and always be mindful of the upper limits for minerals and vitamins.
If you are not sure of how much bespoke vitamins you should take, make sure you check out Alyve can help you out!


This year marks 100 years since the guns fell silent at the end of the First World War. A series of special events and stories will mark this centenary and share the impact war had on the lives of staff and students in Nottingham.
Joining with events taking place around the country this page is a mark of thanks for peace and to remember the bravery of those who fought, lived and died both at home and overseas.
At 1.30am on the morning of 25 September 1917, 22 military officers detained at a prisoner of war (POW) camp at Sutton Bonington escaped through a secret tunnel and dispersed into the countryside.
The camp was very different back then to the site as we know it today – it is now home to the Schools of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine and Science at the University of Nottingham.
As part of our series commemorating a centenary since Armistice Day we look back at how this historic escape unfolded.
East Midlands Universities OTC pay tribute
The impact of the First World War on University College, Nottingham, was profound, more than 100 years on members of the OTC reflect on the sacrifices made.
Sharing news of events taking place around the City and County.
at University Park
A minute's silence was held across University Park at 11am on Friday November 9.
at Sutton Bonington
Two avenues of lime trees and a memorial plaque formed part of a commemoration event on Sunday November 11.
The impact of the First World War on University College, Nottingham, was profound.


Our Goals, Vision and Commitment
Our goal is to promote an inclusive culture that celebrates the histories and experiences within our communities, support anti-racist initiatives, and advocate for curricula that represent the community of belonging we wish to build.
What do we believe?
Our human differences enrich our community and our lives;
Racism and bias (institutional, systemic, or otherwise) have no place in our schools and our communities;
All members of our community -- children, young people, parents, caregivers, school district employees, school committee members, and community members -- have a role to play in rooting out bias and creating more inclusive and equitable school communities. This is not work that can be done solely by school district employees, and requires a community-centered approach.
Parents/caregivers are uniquely positioned to listen to, support, and take action with each other to:
proactively work to ensure our children’s schools are inclusive and reflect our values of DEIB;
respond in times when our children are victims of bias-based incidents in our schools;
In a spirit of collective work and responsibility for our children, our community and our schools.
What are our current initiatives?
As we begin this parent/caregiver network, we have committed to the following initiatives:
Building community: priority one is building this inclusive community of parents and caregivers by spreading the word, welcoming parents/caregivers into this group, and getting to know one another.
Deepening our understanding and awareness: Attend school committee meetings and school council meetings, DIRE committee meetings, reach out to school and district administration to introduce ourselves, gather information from parents and caregivers about their experiences and hopes for the schools.
Advocating: Leverage this information toward the greater good. We stand ready to harness our collective energy toward creating systemic change through advocacy and action; we advocate for proactive initiatives aimed at creating more inclusive school cultures.
Accountability: We work with all stakeholders to hold the district accountable for implementing and assessing the effectiveness of DEIB initiatives.


A lottery is a form of gambling in which people bet money or goods on the chance of winning a prize based on random selection. It is popular in many countries and is a common way to raise money for a variety of different causes. Some people choose to play lottery games as a hobby, while others use it as a way to make some extra money. While it is not possible to guarantee that you will win a lottery, there are a few things that you can do to improve your chances of winning.
The first European lotteries in the modern sense of the word appeared in 15th-century Burgundy and Flanders, with towns attempting to raise funds for town fortifications and to aid the poor. Francis I of France permitted the establishment of lotteries for private and public profit in several cities between 1520 and 1539.
People who play the lottery often develop their own systems for selecting numbers. Some of these systems involve choosing the numbers that are significant to them, such as birthdays or anniversaries. Other players will stick to a number that they feel has been lucky for them in the past. While these methods may not increase your odds of winning, they can reduce the risk of splitting a large prize.
Lotteries have been used to raise money for a variety of public projects, including providing units in a subsidized housing block and kindergarten placements at a reputable public school. Lotteries also serve as a painless alternative to raising taxes. However, the purchase of lottery tickets cannot be explained by decision models based on expected value maximization. Instead, it is more likely that lottery purchases are motivated by risk-seeking behavior or a desire to become wealthy.


Investigation of Teacher Perceptions of Gifted Education: How Teacher Perceptions Influence the Use of Specific Research-Based Teaching Strategies Tailored to Challenge Learning in AG Students
Date of Award
Doctor of Education (EdD)
The research study examined teacher perceptions of gifted instruction. It focused on teacher perceptions of the needs of gifted students; teacher confidence in adapting instruction to meet the needs; and teacher perceptions of which research-based instructional strategies are best implemented. The purpose of this study was to determine if AG teacher perceptions of instructional strategies influence the implementation of them. This study combined literature research, survey data, and interview data all shedding light on the need to improve academic instruction for all AG students (Bangel, Moon, & Capobianco, 2010; Manning, 2006; McKinsey & Co., 2009). The research and data demonstrated a lack of preparation for teachers who instruct AG students (Bain, Bliss, Choate, & Sager Brown 2007). The priority is to increase teacher preparation at the college level and continue to fund certification partnerships with universities and ongoing support from the district in the form of professional development and district in-services. Literature research supports the implementation and frequent use of the six research-based instructional strategies presented in this study. The study found two of the six instructional strategies had low perception translating into poor implementation. Contrary to many beliefs, AG students will not succeed on their own; they require specific instructional and psychological needs to continue to compete internationally with other nations (Subotnik, Olszewski-Kubilius, & Worrell, 2011; Xiang, Dahlin, Cronin, Theaker, & Durant, 2011). Renzulli (2005) described this as a quiet crises that if unchecked will leave a drought of specialized and creative work force that made America great.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Olsen, Ian Robert, "Investigation of Teacher Perceptions of Gifted Education: How Teacher Perceptions Influence the Use of Specific Research-Based Teaching Strategies Tailored to Challenge Learning in AG Students" (2017). Education Dissertations and Projects. 254.
Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Gifted Education Commons


Effects of Direct Instruction and Environmentally Designed Instruction on the Process and Product Characteristics of a Fundamental Skill
This study investigated the effects of direct instruction and an environmentally designed instructional strategy on the product and process characteristics of kindergarten and second grade children in the standing long jump. One hundred and sixteen kindergarten and second grade students participated in the study and were assigned to a 3-day, 60-trial, direct instruction group or a 3-day, 60-trial, environmentally designed instruction group. A pretest, posttest, and retention test were administered in a flat mat testing condition and one designed to elicit performance through the testing environment (the swamp). Both instructional intervention groups were different from the control group at the posttest and the retention test. Younger students, less skilled students, and students tested at the pretest benefited most from the environmental testing condition. With age, skill, and experience the environmental testing condition lost its advantage. The instructional interventions had different effects on the process characteristics of the jump.
Published in Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, Volume 18, Issue 2, 1999, pages 216-233.
© 1999 by Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc.


Lesson 30: Rewarding Myself
In addition to the lesson outline we also discussed how it would be helpful to use the sentence, “ If ________, then ________” For example, “If I eat this piece of cake at lunch, then I will have a salad for dinner or exercise an extra 20 minutes today” or “If I work hard and do this 20 minute aerobic video, then I will reward myself with some relaxing time watching T.V. or reading” The idea is to think about it in the sense of “If I make this healthy choice, then how can I reward myself?” Or the opposite way where you can say, “If I indulge (give into temptation) on this unhealthy item, then how will it affect my long term goal of being healthy? Is it worth it? Or can I make up for it with something healthy?”
My participants can identify the healthy option, but the hardest obstacle they have identified has been the motivation to actually make that healthy choice and engage in the healthy behavior. By using this line of thinking and saying this “if-then” sentence, it will hopefully help them be able to negotiate their wants and needs towards accomplishing their wellness goals.


Pedestrians have a fair expectation that they will be able to walk safely from point A to point B. Unfortunately, pedestrian accidents are rising and they can often be fatal.
A report from the Governors Highway Safety Administration (GHSA) revealed there were 6,227 pedestrian deaths from traffic accidents in 2018. This is the highest rate of pedestrian fatalities in nearly 30 years.
Concern for Georgia pedestrians
While most deaths occur in big cities, larger trends contribute to the increase. Smaller communities such as Macon, Ga. can have several pedestrian accidents. In Macon, one in every 8,000 residents died in a pedestrian accident in 2018.
Significantly for all Georgia residents, the state is one of five in the nation that made up nearly half of all 2018 pedestrian fatalities. The other states were:
Why are accidents increasing now?
Population growth can increase fatalities, but it is often not the central problem. Some people believe that transportation infrastructure heavily favors cars, not people, and that is a significant factor.
However, Richard Retting, who authored the GHSA report, said that sidewalks didn’t decrease as pedestrian accidents increased. He said the two most significant metrics are the increase in sport utility vehicles (SUVs) on the road and the increase in cell phone distractions.
SUVs have increased their market share for a long time, and since 2013 the number of consumers buying these vehicles is higher than those buying cars. Larger vehicles can cause more serious accidents.
In addition, cell data us among drivers and pedestrians increased 4,000 percent from 2008 to 2018. When fewer people are watching the roads, more accidents can occur.
What can injured pedestrians do?
Pedestrians can help keep roads safe by putting their phones away until they reach their destination. However, drivers who are distracted can still cause a serious accident.
There are several steps injured people or their families can take after an accident, and they have the right to seek compensation for their pain and suffering.


According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2010 there were 20,420 persons in Maryland who reported American Indian or Alaska Native as their only race, which comprised 0.4 percent of the State’s population (an increase of 32 percent from 2000). There were 58,657 Marylanders who reported American Indian or Alaska Native as some part of their racial heritage (1.0 percent of the State’s population in 2010, an increase of 49 percent from 2000).
Data highlights from the report reveal troubling disparities in health and health care for American Indians and Alaska Natives in Maryland:
- American Indian or Alaska Natives in Maryland were less likely to have private health insurance, more likely to have public health insurance, and more likely to be without any health insurance, compared to all Marylanders.
- The HIV incidence rate for Non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Natives was twice that of the Non-Hispanic Whites in Maryland.
- American Indians 75 years old or older had the highest incidence of End Stage Renal Disease across all racial groups in Maryland.
- American Indians’ infant mortality rate was about twice that of the Whites in Maryland for the years 2006-2010 combined.
- The percentage of low birth weight infants was 1.4 times higher for American Indian or Alaska Native than for Whites in Maryland for the years 2010-2011 combined.
The Department recently released reports on Maryland’s Hispanic population and the Asian and Pacific Islander population.
“We are pleased to release these reports to provide greater information on the racial and ethnic groups in the state," said Dr. Carlessia Hussein, Director of the Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities. "Work is underway to develop and release a report on African American health data and resources."
For information about the work of the DHMH Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities, visit http://dhmh.maryland.gov/mhhd. To read and download these new data reports, visit http://dhmh.maryland.gov/mhhd/SitePages/Health%20Equity%20Data.aspx.


“When we practice injustices we reap the whirlwind. …If we do justly, we can find enduring peace.”
In this sermon, delivered on October 13, 1968, Rabbi Olan wrestles with the question, where will we look for justice if we no longer believe that a personal God sits in judgment over us. He replaces the image of God as judge with a “law of justice” that is as inexorable as the law of gravity.
Rabbi Olan takes the strong position that a peaceful society can only result if we all behave according to this law of justice. He says that we have misunderstood the concept of “law and order”: it is not the forcible suppression of disorder (which he calls “anarchy”) by police power at home and military power overseas. Rather, peace and order come at a price: “we who sit in comfort” will have to give up much of our privilege in order to eliminate poverty and racial injustice. But if we do not do so, the price will be much higher: the “death and evil” that Moses warned Israel of if the people turned away from righteousness.
Formal religious observance is not enough: we cannot just “pay our dues in God’s Temple and praise His Holy Name.” In the moral universe in which we live, the healthy must help the sick, “the rich are obligated to help the poor, the strong the weak, the talented those who are deprived of it.” If we do so, we will be following the law of justice. We will be making the choice that Moses offered to the people as the alternative to death and evil: “choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed.”
As you read this sermon, reflect on your own beliefs about justice and how it is to be achieved.
*Written by Frances M. Olan and Lionel S. Joseph*


The Australian Grains Genebank (AGG) is the national bio-digital resource centre that provides facilitated and informed access to grain crop genetic resources to the Australian grains industry. The Australian Grains Genebank is custodian to one of the largest collections of grain crop species globally including cultivated, landrace, and wild relative species of temperate and tropical crops.
The AGG is a Strategic Partnership between the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and the State of Victoria through its Agriculture Victoria (AV) Branch of Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA). This $30M joint investment will unlock the genetic potential of the plant genetic resources warehoused in the AGG through an applied digital and genomic innovation program of work. This will transform the AGG from a traditional seedbank facility into a future-oriented bio-digital resource centre that will accelerate cereal, oilseed, and pulse crop improvement and the development of climate-change resilient, high-yielding, and high-value grain crop varieties the benefit of Australian grain growers.
The AGG manages its germplasm in accordance with Australia’s obligation under the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGR) and is committed to facilitate widespread access to genetic resources for crop improvement aimed at the development of more resilient and productive grain crop varieties.
Seed is available for research, plant breeding, conservation, training and education purposes. Search for seed lines and request samples from the Australian Grains Genebank database.Search our online seed catalogue


The Creation of the Universe
by Estéban Trujillo de Gutiérrez
“Even more extravagant than the Muslims were the Jews. The first chapter of the Jewish Bible contains the famous sentence: And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light;” the Kabbalists argued that the virtue of that command from the Lord came from the letters of the words.
The Sepher Yetzirah (Book of the Formation), written in Syria or Palestine around the sixth century, reveals that Yehovah of the Armies, God of Israel and God Omnipotent, created the universe by means of the cardinal numbers from one to ten and the twenty-two letters of the alphabet. That numbers may be instruments or elements of the Creation is the dogma of Pythagoras and Iamblichus; that letters also are is a clear indication of the new cult of writing.
The second paragraph of the second chapter reads: “Twenty-two fundamental letters: God drew them, engraved them, combined them, weighed them, permutated them, and with them produced everything that is and everything that will be.” Then the book reveals which letter has power over air, and which over water, and which over fire, and which over wisdom, and which over peace, and which over grace, and which over sleep, and which over anger, and how (for example) the letter kaf, which has power over life, served to form the sun in the world, the day Wednesday in the week, and the left ear on the body.”
–Jorge Luis Borges, “On the Cult of Books.”


Antivirus applications are a must-have instrument for protecting your computer. There are many types, and the best a single will work best for your needs. The main difference between each type can be how it detects or spyware. Signature-based detection works by searching for a virus’s digital code, and if this finds 1, it will both quarantine this or erase it. Using this method is great for out-dated protection, yet it’s not very good for brand spanking new threats. To ensure your computer can be protected, its also wise to pay attention to just how many different types of malware are discovered in regulated tests.
Various antivirus software packages come with a free sample period, hence try these people out before you purchase. Some of them offer a money back refund, so it’s worth checking them out. You can also find special discounts on ant-virus software from individual firms. Make sure you look into the privateness statements from the antivirus software company most likely considering to ensure it’s befitting your needs. Likewise, you can find a deduction on anti virus apps through Amazon’s page.
Automatic trojan scanning is an important feature of any anti virus software. You are able to set the program in scanning your system automatically legal due diligence or perhaps manually. Many antivirus courses allow you to set up a routine for a standard scan. You can even schedule a manual search for a specific file or directory. Antivirus applications are designed to run in the background therefore they ought not to take up a lot of CPU electric power or trigger your computer to slow down. This feature can be quite helpful when you’re worried about scaling down your computer.


June 6, 2019
For full passage click: Acts 2:1-13 …“And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.” vs. 6
We love our own native languages. In fact, many of us would prefer that everyone in our country would be forced to learn English as the official language. There are even some who become angry and suspicious when they hear other languages spoken in their presence. Such feelings have been around for a long time, and it’s not only Americans who have such attitudes. All people love the languages they’ve grown up with—the sounds and idioms are familiar and they’ll do most anything to keep them from dying or falling into disuse. But, the truth is that communication is difficult if we don’t speak the same language. It certainly must have been an obstacle in the early church. It’s interesting that the very first Spirit-filled miracle reported in Acts had to do with the overcoming of that language barrier. We don’t know what happened in that upper room, but in the surge of Holy Spirit power on that Pentecost, there came an ability for the disciples to speak in other languages. It was a divine reminder that what had happened in Jesus was meant for all people no matter what their nationality or background. Early believers didn’t have to forget their native languages, they only had to learn a new language of unconditional love. In the Spirit they learned quickly that they were one with God and with one another!
Thought for the Day: Why are most Christian congregations so homogeneous?


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Lee Botha Basic Refrigerant Circuit Course June 26, 2021, 7:06 pm
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A lunar eclipse only happens a few times a year -- if we are lucky! A lunar eclipse occurs when the earth passes between the sun and the moon. That causes the Earth's shadow to be cast upon the moon. When this happens, the moons surface looks dark gray or even red from time to time.
Coming up very early on Friday morning, November19th, will be the longest partial lunar eclipse in the last 580 years.
Why is this the longest partial lunar eclipse in 580 years?
I'm going to get a little technical for you, but here it goes. It's because the moon is in a MicroMoon state. That means it is at its furthest distance from the Earth. In this situation, the Moon moves slower in orbit, allowing it to be in the Earth's shadow longer. During this partial lunar eclipse, the Earth's shadow will cover about 97% of the moon!
When does it happen?
The eclipse begins at 1:02 am. This is called the “penumbral eclipse”. The partial eclipse -- when the Earth's shadow starts to be cast over the moon --starts at 2:18 am. The moon will then get darker for an hour and 46 minutes until the eclipse is at its maximum at 4:02 am. You will be able to see the partial lunar eclipse until 5:47 am if the weather cooperates. From the start to the end, the partial eclipse will last 3 hours and 29 minutes, but the total eclipse will last 6 hours and 1 minute. (Most lunar eclipses only last about half of that time.)
Will the weather cooperate?
According to our meteorologist friends at Fox 17... "Mostly clear to partly cloudy skies are anticipated, along with the small chance for some lake effect snow. While a few clouds will be around, most of West Michigan should still get a good view."
What if I miss this one?
The next total lunar eclipse that will be visible in West Michigan will happen May 15th into the 16th of 2022. That eclipse will be a total lunar eclipse. It will occur a little earlier in the night -- just after midnight.


The Constitution of Mauritius provides for the Parliament of Mauritius to consist of the President and the National Assembly. The Parliament of Mauritius is modelled after the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy, where Members of Parliament are voted in at regular general elections, on the basis of a first past the post system.
The Assembly is made up of 70 Members of whom 62 are directly elected in 21 constituencies. The island of Mauritius is divided into 20 constituencies returning 3 members each and that of Rodrigues is a single constituency returning 2 members. After a general election, the Electoral Supervisory Commission may nominate up to a maximum of 8 additional members in accordance with section 5 of the First Schedule of the Constitution with a view to correct any imbalance in community representation in Parliament. This system of nominating members is commonly called the best loser system.
The political party or party alliance which wins the majority of seats in Parliament forms the government and its leader usually becomes the Prime Minister. It is the Prime Minister who selects the members of the composition of the Cabinet from elected members of the Assembly, except for the Attorney General who may not be an elected member of the Assembly The political party or alliance which has the second largest majority forms the Official Opposition and it's leader is normally nominated by the President of the Republic as the Leader of the Opposition. The Assembly elects a Speaker, a Deputy Speaker and a Deputy Chairman of Committees as one of its first business.


This collection includes rhymes, songs, circle games, ball games, skipping rhymes in Scots carefully collected and written by Lilian Ross.
The book contains lyrics, sheet music, CD and is divided into three sections called Wee Tooties (age 3-7)', The Bairns (age 7-9), and 'Loons an' Quines (age 9-13).
Each section is accompanied by children's drawings, photographs, musical notation and includes a CD of the songs.
Lilian, a native Doric speaker, ballad singer, storyteller, and poet from Buchan decided to pass on all the many songs she has been singing for many years.
Traditional children's songs and rhymes for all to enjoy whether at primary school, nursery, or physical play at home.
A perfect resource for teachers.
CD: Lilian Ross (vocals), Gabe McVarish (fiddle), Fraya Thomsen (harp), David Adam(pipes, whistle, flute), Gary Innes (accordion).
A4, 46 Pages.
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Abstract and Introduction
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first reported in December 2019. As of February 2, 2021, more than 104,333,878 individuals worldwide were documented with the infection, including 2,265,559 deaths. In the United States, there have been >26,545,905 cases and 450,273 deaths. The psychological and socioeconomic toll has been substantial for patients, family members, and frontline healthcare workers.[3,4]
Patients have endured uncertainty regarding prognosis, hospital-mandated separation from family members, loss of accustomed coping mechanisms, and resurgence of substance abuse or psychiatric disorders. The stress of frontline physicians has been considerable, fueled by shortages of personal protective equipment, concerns about personal infection and transmission to family members, longer work hours, and shortages of intensive care–trained staff. Reported manifestations of physician stress have included sleep deprivation, higher rates of depression, somatization, anxiety, obsessive compulsive behavior, and posttraumatic stress.[4,5] There also has been a greater propensity for physician burnout. Burnout comprised three dimensions: emotional exhaustion; cynicism or depersonalization, wherein health professionals distance themselves from patients under their care; and a sense of diminished personal achievement, with dissatisfaction and feelings of diminished competency.
Experts recommend that physicians engage in open discussion of fear and anger related to the COVID-19 pandemic. They also suggest heightened awareness of their personal vulnerability to the mental health sequelae associated with providing care for patients with COVID-19 infections.
South Med J. 2021;114(11):727-731. © 2021 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins


Chocolate was the main ingredient listed in nearly 40% of protein bars surveyed
New research conducted by Safefood reveals protein bars are not as healthy as the one third of those surveyed think.
In reality, most of the bars on the Irish market are “highly processed” and have a similar amount of calories as a traditional bar of chocolate.
The study found that chocolate was the main ingredient listed in nearly 40% of the 39 protein bars examined.
A further 77% were high in saturated fat with 79% being a source of salt.
The research conducted looked at the nutritional content of 83 high-protein snack foods and drinks available for sale in supermarkets across Ireland.
These foods included protein bars, yoghurts, yoghurt-style products and milk drinks. According to industry sources, there was a 498% increase between 2010 and 2016 in products claiming to contain “high-protein”.
Dr Catherine Conlon, Director of Human Health & Nutrition at Safefood says that even though these type of products have become mainstream, they aren’t what people associate them as in their heads.
“Processed snack foods high in protein need to be combined with fat, sugar or salt in order to make them tasty,” she said.
“People would be better sticking to natural sources of protein in their diet, which tend to be much healthier.
“And if you need a source of protein as a snack, alternatives like some nuts, a small glass of milk or a yoghurt is the way to go instead of these foods with added chocolate.”


Does washing your hands get rid of bacteria?
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Washing your hands can land you in hot water when it comes to bathroom hygiene etiquette.
Asked by: John Blanning, by email
Ordinary soap and water washes your hands by removing surface dirt, oil and loose skin. Studies have shown that washing your hands and drying them on a paper towel reduces the bacterial count by between 24 and 77 per cent. But if you dry your hands with a warm-air dryer instead, you can actually increase the bacteria. This is a combination of bacteria not being rubbed off your hands properly and new ones getting blown on.
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Out of the 417 Massachusetts traffic deaths in 2007, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that 61 of those fatalities were pedestrians. Nationally in the US, there were 4,654 pedestrian deaths last year, with one pedestrian dying every 13 minutes.
2007’s national total is a 13% decrease from 10 years prior when 5,321 pedestrians died in 1997. 70,000 pedestrians survived traffic accidents with injuries last year.
Other 2007 NHTSA US Pedestrian Facts:
• 73% of pedestrian deaths happened in urban areas.
• 77% of pedestrian fatalities took place at non-intersections.
• Over 70% of the pedestrians that died last year were male.
• 721 elderly pedestrians, ages 70 and over, died in the US last year.
• 8% of pedestrian fatalities were children ages 15 and younger.
• 23% of pedestrian injury victims were also children in this age group.
• 85% of nonoccupant fatalities were pedestrians.
• 13% of nonoccupant fatalities were pedalcyclists.
• The remaining 3% were roller skaters, skateboarders, etc.
• In 49% of traffic accidents resulting in pedestrian deaths, at least one of the parties involved-whether the motorist or the pedestrian-had been drinking.
Under the General Laws of Massachusetts, motorists are supposed to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians crossing the streets in crosswalks, whether or not they are marked or unmarked. Both drivers and pedestrians are expected to exercise caution on the roads to prevent traffic accidents.
Pedestrians are at high risk of getting seriously hurt or dying anytime they are involved in an accident with a car, truck, bus, or motorcycle.
2007 Pedestrian Traffic Safety, NHTSA
Chapter 89: Section 11. Marked crosswalks; yielding right of way to pedestrians; penalty, The General Laws of Massachusetts
Related Web Resources:
Pedestrian Safety, Federal Highway Administration
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center, WalkingInfo.org
Please contact our Boston personal injury lawyers at Altman & Altman, LLP to discuss your Massachusetts pedestrian accident case.


- All the Questions
genetically engineering new animals- kosher?
If it was found that mutating camels so that almost all have fully split hooves because it perhaps offered a commercial advantage, and then most would then have both kosher signs, would a ?camel? (or new species) then be considered kosher or would a mesorah over the originating camel species preclude this? I ask these seemingly inane questions, because here in the U.S., some salmon, will soon become commercial available having been genetically modified with a growth switching gene from an eel-like fish, an ocean pout, due to its highly advantageous growth rate increase. Scientists in China, reportedly have already produced genetically modified goats, a kosher animal, to produce more muscle and longer hair (don?t know if these are commercial yet). Other experiments, not commercial yet, using the new, very rapid gene modifying technique, Crispr-Cas9, include goats, pigs, pets, and people (to prevent certain diseases and conditions) and success of these gene modification experiments only takes days to determine success now (see table at the end). Please feel free to cut the rest of this question, if you like.
R. Bakshi-Doron writes that the genetic material transferred from a non-kosher species has no taste and isn’t considered food and is therefore kosher, and not considered kilayim (a forbidden breeding of two species). Accordingly, the newly engineered salmon which you described is basically a kosher animal, and its consumption would apparently be allowed. On the other hand, a cud-chewing pig born to a regular pig or a split-hoofed camel born to a regular camel would not be kosher for anything (edible) which comes from a non-kosher animal is non-kosher, and according to R. Sh. Z. Auerbach, is even defined as non-kosher itself (a higher level of prohibition), not just because of lack of mesorah (tradition).


(I commemorated this program in a t-shirt)
In 1983, in the wood shop of JHS 125 in Woodside, Queens, perhaps sensing my frustration in making a spice rack, my teacher asked if I’d rather be in “computer shop”. Mr. Abbey had good instincts.
My new shop teacher, Mr. Penner, gave us each a sheet of graph paper and told us to count 80 columns and 25 rows and draw a picture by filling in squares. I drew a skull (I think it might have been getting close to Halloween). Next, he taught us enough BASIC so that we could write a program to draw our pictures on the screen.
I looked up an old Commodore PET manual, PETASCII table, a PET memory map, and downloaded VICE, a PET emulator, to recreate it here (lines 1010+ would have the coordinates from the drawing):
10 REM DRAW AN AWESOME SKULL!!
20 REM BY LOUIS FRANCO
30 READ X, Y
40 IF X = -1 THEN END
50 POKE 32768 + y * 80 + x, 160
60 GOTO 30
1000 REM (THE X, Y COORDINATES FOR THE SKULL)
2000 DATA -1, -1
What I love about this introduction to code:
- It is pretty much the minimum code you can write to get a drawing on the screen.
- It has conditionals and loops, so it’s more interesting than Hello World.
- It takes advantage of something a 13 year-old might know — X, Y coordinates.
- He gave us lines 30-60 because you have to know minutia of PET architecture to understand it. He did explain it, but didn’t expect us to be able to write it.
The next lesson was to animate the drawing (cycling two frames), which we were mostly on our own to do.


Views: 27 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2021-07-12 Origin: Site Inquire
What is the relationship between ink and thermal transfer? The principle of thermal transfer is to stamp the pattern by heating and pressing, which is a new type of printing method. The thermal transfer ink can print the pattern on special paper. It needs to transfer the pattern to the substrate at high temperature. The two are indispensable to each other, so do you know why the ink needs to be effective at high temperatures?
Advantages of thermal transfer: The transfer pattern is colorful and rich in layers, and its effect is comparable to that of printing. It is durable, and the pattern will not fall off, crack or fade. No plate making, very personalized.
Advantages of thermal transfer ink printing: excellent printability, non-toxic ink, low odor, good adhesion, non-sticky; good toughness, good fastness, abrasion resistance and washing resistance. It can reach three levels of light fastness, the ink does not crack, has good elasticity, good hand feeling, good ink leveling and viscous, environmentally friendly, low odor, and can meet export requirements. The light fastness is high, and the color is more ordinary and bright.
Dye-sublimation ink dyes need to have good sublimation transfer and permeability, and reach a certain fastness index after being transferred to the fabric. Generally, disperse dyes with small molecular weight and moderate dispersion temperature are used. Anthraquinone dyes are commonly used in transfer printing dyes. , Azo dyes and cationic dyes. Commonly used binders include low-viscosity ethyl cellulose, ethyl hydroxyethyl cellulose, etc. The binders require low affinity with dyes and can easily release dye gas under high temperature. Commonly used solvents include turpentine, terpineol, high boiling point alkanols, cellosolves, and so on. A small amount of auxiliary additives to improve the performance of the ink itself, such as dryness, viscosity, etc. Hot-melt adhesive inks generally require dyes to be uniformly dispersed in the adhesive layer in the molten state under the action of high temperature and to be well colored on the fabric.


Last one on dashes — for now. Dashes are used for attribution. Typically, this isn’t the same kind of attribution you’d see in the middle of a sentence when someone is quoted. Those attributions are set off by commas.
Dashes are used with what ChanteSez are independent quotes. Often they are part of an introduction, like at the start of a chapter. Some examples:
- “We like the cars, the cars that go boom!” — Tigra and Bunny of L’Trimm
- If any man seeks for greatness, let him forget greatness and ask for truth, and he will find both. — H. Mann
- I wasted time, and now doth time waste me. — Shakespeare
I waited for parts 2 and 3 to be posted before asking this 🙂
What about the case where it’s used to demark a break in thought? For example, I might take this sentence — which is admittedly torturous to read — and break it in the middle just to illustrate the usage. That’s the case I turn to most often. A space news site that I keep up with has a lead writer who abuses this use of the dash terribly. Every time I read his articles, I think “not a real journalist” 🙂
I wonder if I should put spaces around the dash or not. I frequently see it used without any spaces (the quick brown fox–with great energy, natch–jumped over the rest of the keyboard) and it just looks weird to me.
Actually, Chris, that first usage is correct. Even if it looks funny. You’re right, though, that it should be used sparingly, especially in one paragraph.
And there should be spaces on both sides of the dash!


Having proper knowledge relating to electronic systems is very essential as a lot of work is carried out with the use of electronic circuits that is made with diverse electronic mechanisms. Getting training in this field is very imperative as facing problems related to electric circuits are very common on a daily basis. Electrical students gaining knowledge in this particular electronic field must be aware of the proper functioning of these circuits to make use of them when required. They can even achieve assistance from online tutors who provide Electric Circuit Assignment Help to understand the working of these systems in an effective manner.
Â Important Use of Assignment Help
Electric Assignment Help is provided for differentiating the functioning of the electric circuits, handling the electronic components, and even assistance for managing imperative circuit theory assignments. The circuit theory coursework is part of an assessment in the syllabus, and completing them without any fault is a great challenge for the students.
Any queries related to circuit theory can be answered well by these proficient experts who are qualified in this field of study. They provide simple solutions, making it easy for students to understand the theory of electric circuits. Important instructions provided to students help them understand the topic and make use of their own thoughts in an assignment.
Electrostatics assignment help is also another physics assignment help which requires the assistance of these proficient and skilled instructors. They provide a simplified explanation of electrostatics which is the learning of Electromagnetics.
Electric Assignment Help is very beneficial for electrical students, as they can learn the functioning of various medical instruments like electrocardiograms, x-ray machines and special devices like keyboard and crystal displays. Online instructors are forever ready to provide non-plagiarized clarification to students at cost-effective rates.


Making previously impossible missions possible
K2 Space uses the full capacity of launch vehicles like F9 and Starship to break the correlation between spacecraft mass and cost.
The mass paradox
In spacecraft design, mass and cost have always been closely tied. As a result, missions have been forced to choose between large, capable and expensive OR small, less capable and cheap.
K2 Satellite BUs
From mass constraint to mass abundance
Our next-generation satellite bus provides the ability to deploy highly capable satellites at a fraction of the cost.
traditional large satellites
> 48 month design cycle
> $100M+ cost per satellite
Constrained, legacy supply chain of space-optimized parts
Significant customization required per mission
< 12-months from procurement to spacecraft readiness
<$15M cost per satellite
Broad supply chain of commercial parts
True multi-orbit and multi-mission performance with bounding specs
More mass = more capabilities
The power of high throughput satellites
The payload volume of high resolution imaging satellites
The unit economics of small satellite constellations
With implications across space:
Rapidly deliver high performance, resilient satellite constellations
Dramatically reduce the cost of operating in space at scale
Increase data from the solar system and beyond


The Collaboratory’s mapping efforts have produced some of the first complete maps for cemeteries whose original records are incomplete or do not survive.
Our process is community-engaged, and led by the Spatial Analysis Laboratory at the University of Richmond. The Spatial Analysis Lab, housed in the Department of Geography and the Environment, supports GIS, spatial analysis, and remote sensing courses, where students learn the underlying principles of spatial analysis and technology.
The Collaboratory’s online map of the Barton Heights Cemeteries offers the first comprehensive account of surviving markers at the grounds, which include the earliest African American memorials in the state. Work on the project began in 2018 and continued through 2023.
Years in the making, the Collaboratory’s online map of East End Cemetery pinpoints the locations of more than 3,000 grave markers using GIS technology and drone imagery. The map is updated as new markers are uncovered.
Additionally, we note the useful digital map of Woodland Cemetery, produced by students at Henrico County’s Deep Run High School in 2022
VCU’s Virtual Curation Laboratory and UR Archaeology have produced 3D scans of hundreds of grave markers across Richmond’s cemeteries. These include:


RNA epigenetics as a key regulator of cancer metastasis
Although metastasis are responsible for more than 90% of all cancer deaths, limited progress has been made in treating cancers that have spread.
Analyzing data from thousands of cancer patients, the ULB researchers discovered that FTO is produced at lower levels in cancers than in healthy tissues. When they experimentally lowered the levels of FTO in cancer cells grown in plastic dishes or in animal models, they observed that these cells grew and spread faster than control cells. In cancer patients, they discovered a similar pattern in which low FTO levels correlated with more aggressive tumors, metastasis and earlier death. Using a new sequencing technology, which allows to measure m6A within all mRNAs, Prof. Fuks and Dr. Jeschke found that in FTO-low cancer cells m6A is enriched specifically in mRNAs that belong to a program, termed WNT signaling, that promotes metastasis.
As WNT signaling has been found upregulated in many cancers, therapies that aim to block this program have been developed and are currently tested in clinical trials. When the ULB researchers experimented with this new type of therapy, they observed that cancer cells or tumors with lowered FTO levels and enhanced WNT activity were more sensitive to WNT inhibitors. Thus, although FTO-low tumors are more aggressive and deadly, they are better treatable with Wnt inhibitor therapy. The findings were initially made in breast cancer but can be generalized to many other tumors, such as prostate, cervix or lung cancers.
Overall, the team identified a new key regulator of cancer metastasis and a new therapeutic strategy to block the deadly spread of cancer.
This pubication has been co-authored by Drs. Alain Chariot (WELBIO – ULiège) and Pierre Close (WELBIO – ULiège).
Reference : Jeschke et al (2021) Nat Cancer 2 : 611-628 doi : 10.1038/s43018-021-00223-7
Source : Press Release ULB


- Target: 100% renewable electricity by 2050, reduce residential and commercial energy use 50% by 2030
- Status: In progress
- RES: Offshore wind power industry on Lake Erie, solar power plants on former industrial sites, green buildings
- Implementation: Cleveland was once America’s industrial heartland as well as one of the country's most polluted cities. To transform its image and respond to climate change, Cleveland has pledged to transition to 100% renewable power by 2050. According to Mayor Frank Jackson, the city’s plan is to reduce its carbon emissions to 80% below those in 2020. Actions will create a more sustainable Cleveland and strengthen the city's economy. This will be based on renewable energy projects coupled with battery storage alongside energy efficiency and green buildings. These will lower utility and maintenance costs, incur less risk from energy price volatility, increase property values, improve health and productivity of occupants, and create local jobs. The National Renewable Energy Lab estimates there are enough rooftops in the Cuyahoga County to generate more than 10 times as much solar power. These would meet 44% of the city’s electricity needs, while solar power plants and offshore wind turbines could provide the rest.
Cleveland's two utility companies — Cleveland Public Power and First Energy are important actors in the transition. CPP is adding renewables to its portfolio. Meanwhile renewable energy credits have been purchased by the city to provide for 50,000 homes and 5,000 small businesses in First Energy’s service area. The city has created an Clean Energy Equity plan to help low-income households and small organizations purchase renewables and assist in weatherizing homes.
The city's Climate Action Plan was informed by a 90-person Climate Action Advisory Committee consisting of leaders from community groups.
- Population: 383,793 (2018)
- Area: 82.47 sq mi (213.60 km2) city, 3,979 sq mi (10,307 km2) metro
- Link: Advanced And Renewable Energy | City of Cleveland


Wetzlar Displaced Persons Camp
For the Jews who survived the Holocaust, the end of World War II brought new challenges. Many could not or would not return to their former homelands, and options for legal immigration were limited. In spite of these difficulties, these Jewish survivors sought to rebuild their shattered lives by creating flourishing communities in displaced persons camps in Germany, Austria, and Italy. In an unparalleled six-year period between 1945 and 1951, European Jewish life was reborn in camps such as Wetzlar.
Wetzlar was a displaced persons (DP) camp in the Frankfurt district of the American-occupied zone. It opened in September 1946 in a former military camp. The first DPs to inhabit Wetzlar were from Cham and Berlin.
Wetzlar had a large elementary school of 450 students in April 1946, two Talmud Torahs (religious elementary schools), two yeshivot (religious academies), and a kindergarten with 95 children in April 1947.
The Jewish population of the camp decreased from 4,200 in October 1946, to 3,700 two years later. Wetzlar closed on March 31, 1949.
Series: Displaced Persons Camps
Critical Thinking Questions
- What challenges did survivors face in the DP camps?
- What challenges did the Allies face in establishing and supervising DP camps?
- What responsibilities do (or should) other nations have regarding refugees from war and genocide?


Lead shot has long been considered one of the most serious threats to the California Condor. Condors feed on carrion. Lead shot left in the remains of animals killed by hunters has been proven to be a significant source of lead poisoning and death of condors. Fortunately much work has been done recently to reduce or eliminate the use of lead in bullets used for hunting.
The British are also documenting and reacting to the use use of lead shot. The use of lead shot has been restricted throughout the United Kingdom since 1999. The rules differ in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland so the details vary. The rules were designed largely to prevent lead shot being used over wetland habitats, and seem to be ineffective.
In England and Wales game birds like pheasant and grouse can be shot with lead. Hunters must use non-toxic ammunition to shoot ducks and geese. The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust recently carried out tests on just over 100 ducks purchased as “locally shot” from suppliers in England and found that more than three quarters were killed using lead. So, lead shot is still being used.
A report published by the University of Oxford indicated that about 100,000 wetland birds die in the UK from lead poising each year. Also that the use of lead shot has a greater imp ace on human health than previously thought. Lord Krebs, emeritus professor of zoology at the University of Oxford, and former chair of the UK Food Standards Agency, has stated that there was “an overwhelming body of evidence” that lead used in hunting was “a risk both to humans and to wildlife”. “His advice – lead shot should be phased out.”
(This article includes excerpts from reports on the BBC)


The fertility rate of Costa Rican women was 1.76 children in 2013, the lowest rate in the country’s history and the fifth consecutive year below the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman, according to an official source.
“The data show that fertility continues to decline: In 2013, the Global Fertility Rate was 1.76 boys and girls per woman,” less than 2012’s rate of 1.86, Costa Rica’s National Statistics and Census Institute (INEC) reported.
In order to maintain the country’s current population, estimated at 4.7 million, women would have to give birth to an average of 2.1 children.
This situation, in addition to the stability in levels of mortality, “will translate into a gradual ageing of the Costa Rican population,” said the government organization.
INEC also said that the rate of infant mortality in 2013 was very similar to the previous year (8.67 deaths for every 1,000 born and those under a year old), while the maternal mortality dropped from 2.31 per 10,000 births in 2012 to 1.70 in 2013.
The reduction in the maternal mortality rate, which records deaths during pregnancy and in the stage immediately after birth, is the second most significant change of the last 10 years, according to INEC.
A recent report in The Wall Street Journal noted that declining fertility rates “aren’t just a problem for wealthy countries anymore.”
Said the Journal:
This is both an opportunity and a threat. On one hand, it could help preserve natural resources in nations that have been taxed by rapid population growth. But some economists blame a slowdown in population growth for contributing to such disparate events as the Great Depression and Japan’s sluggish growth rates in recent decades.
The newspaper reported that Brazil and Mexico also have seen sharp declines in fertility rates in recent years.


There was a time when kindergarten was designed to help children ease into the school system. That meant plenty of time for play. But increasingly it has become a place to teach reading, writing and math. The upshot has been a debate over whether kindergarten should be made mandatory (“It’s true: Kindergarten is optional in California,” Los Angeles Times, Aug. 21).
At present, 17 states and the District of Columbia require kindergarten. But each state sets its own rules about the age necessary to enroll. The usual age is 5, but parents can wait until their children are 6. Because of pressure to raise standards, states are increasingly moving up cutoff dates for kindergarten enrollment in what is essentially scholastic redshirting. For example, in 1975 only a few states required children to be 5 before Sept. 15. Today, however, about three dozen states mandate it (“Should Children Be Held Back for Kindergarten?” The Wall Street Journal, Sept. 12, 2014).
When my mother tried to enroll me in kindergarten several months before I turned 5, school officials refused to do so, claiming I was too young. But when my mother threatened to enroll me in a nearby private school, they relented. I felt right at home with the slightly older children, and was glad my mother wouldn’t back down.
But not all children even at age 5 can profit equally from enrollment. They need more time. Only their parents can make that determination. The fact is that young children mature at different rates. For example, In the distant past, it was not uncommon for children to skip a grade because their teachers and their parents believed they would profit more by doing so.
To help settle the debate about mandatory kindergarten at age 5, it would be interesting to compare the subsequent success of children who were allowed to begin school in first grade with their peers who were required to begin school in kindergarten. I realize that any such pilot programs would have low external validity in that they wouldn’t generalize well to other children, settings and times, but at least they would provide further evidence to help lawmakers make an informed decision.
The opinions expressed in Walt Gardner’s Reality Check are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.


The impact of conflict is devastating — and this devastation is further exacerbated where sexual violence is involved. Rape and other forms of sexual violence are used as a weapon of war in numerous conflicts worldwide to terrorise and destabilise entire populations.
Perpetrators systematically target civilians with coercive violence that includes gang rape, sexual slavery, exploitation, forced sterilisation/pregnancy/abortion/marriage and other atrocities directly or indirectly linked to conflict. Conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) is a grave crime and a violation of international human rights that is punishable by international criminal law.
Survivors face a range of consequences from permanent physical injuries, to long-term, debilitating post-traumatic stress disorder, and from crippling social stigma to exclusion from legal redress or compensation. Moreover, rape during conflict reinforces gender inequalities and normalises sexual violence; even after a conflict has ended, the consequences go beyond individual traumatisation, and harm societies as a whole over generations.
Not only do survivors of such violence often have to deal with the consequences alone due to a lack of access to services, but they are too frequently actively silenced, by both their own communities and the world at large. Across the world today, the experiences of women and girl survivors–and also men and boys–are systematically denied. While the physical pain and consequences to the body may be hidden, the cascade of psychological, social, and economic effects on victims, their families, and communities is impossible to ignore.
Background information, key challenges & other resources
GSDRC 2011: pilot study of conflict-related sexual violence in 20 African countries
UN 2005: Sierra Leone truth commission on sexual violence, an ‘invisible war crime’
Summary: Conflict Related Sexual Violence Report of the United Nations Secretary-General, 2019