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Published on Mar 9, 2015 The technology has been around for some years now, but the use of RFID (radio-frequency identification) chips and other beneath-the-skin implants has only recently become more widespread. A high-tech office complex in Sweden is now offering tenants’ staff the option of having a small RFID chip implanted in one’s wrist that allows certain functions in the building to be performed with a wave of the hand, such as opening doors and operating photocopiers. Epicenter office block developers are in support of the implanting program, which is being made available through a Swedish bio-hacking group. The group promotes the use of bio-enhancement technology and predicts a future in which sophisticated implant systems will closely monitor a range of inputs from body sensors while interacting with the “internet of things.” In other words, we will soon have the option of being physically connected to the Internet as well as to an increasingly widespread network of smart devices. For many, the idea of having an implant containing personal information inserted under the skin is not a welcome option. Not only is there maybe something creepy about the whole idea to begin with, but the fact is that a lot of us feel our privacy and autonomy has been compromised enough already, without voluntarily becoming walking transmitters of our personal data. Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/048918_mic…

When you select and buy one of Orchard Toys games or puzzles, you know exactly what areas of development you are buying into: Maths; History; English; Science; Geography; PSHE (personal, social, health education); Personal Languages – so it’s not just a toy, but it ‘is’ still a lot of fun! Another thing that I like about Orchard Toys, is the age ranges that it covers. It doesn’t state the typical ‘suitable for 36 months and over due to small parts’. But instead, covers a wide range of age groups (although children do develop at different rates – and they do remind you of this). You can expect to see ages 3+, 3-6, 3-7, 3-10, 4-7, 5+, 5-9, 5-adult, etc. So you actually get a better idea of what your child should be learning or be aware of at this time of their life. I did avoid saying ‘your child should know’ because again, children learn at different rates and more appropriately, they tend to learn more about what they are interested in. So it should always, always, always be fun and interesting. Another reason for me liking the variation in age ranges with Orchard Toys is that I have 3 children of different ages (and abilities): H’boo is almost 12, bright, articulate and creative; O’Pops is almost 11, bright but unable to display his creativity in the usual way. I shall elaborate – O’Pops has CP and so he is less able to use his hands, but perfectly able to use his mind and voice; K’Boo is 4, bright, articulate, creative and wants so much to copy off her big Sister and yet be her own self (all rolled into one). All 3 of the children love to play and so I felt it appropriate to choose a game that all 3 could have a go at, enjoy and learn something (even with their age/ability differences). There were a few games that fit this criteria for me, but as the girls are performers at heart, then “What a Performance” was the obvious choice for us. So I was thrilled when Lynda of Orchard Toys asked me to review a toy and naturally pleased when she agreed to let me choose this one. I make a point of only reviewing products that are relevant to my family and myself or something that I’m passionate about – I’m wasting mine and everyone’s time otherwise! I think you can gather by now that I was happy to review one of Orchard’s Toys :) The box arrived within 2 days and K’Boo was very excited to see a package that, needed un-packaging, on the lounge floor. When I told her it was a suprise, she was very eager to get into the box and would have done if she could. She looked so cute draped over the box that I had to snap a shot. We went about unpacking the box and K’Boo carefully examined the pieces to see what they would do. We did unfortunately find just one piece missing, but a quick call to Orchard at 5.00 pm and I was told by a very helpful lady that they have a ‘piece replacement service’ and that although the person who dealt with this had already left (can’t say I blame her at 5.00 pm on Friday evening) that they would be happy to replace – I was assured that the packer would not be put in the stocks or forced to wok in isolation for a week with not socks (it was me who asked, not a suggestion of theirs). I also emailed Lynda, who responded in as witty a way as I have reported the missing piece – and she assured me that the Scandinavian Fairies that had recently been seen in the area taking a liking to ‘spyglasses’, would hopefully not be seen again. My replacement spyglass was sent 1st Class and arrived as soon as Royal Mail could deliver. Pieces complete, I took to snapping more shots as though the missing piece had never been away from it’s rightful place and given that we didn’t have to wait very long, it hardly mattered anyway. K’boo re-inspected the pieces and started to put them together and was happy for me to snap away as she did. We are a happy snapping family – she’s used to it! When the other two children came home from school the inspection turned into fun and they had a go at the game, occasionally even looking at the rules :o) I was not allowed to take photies at this point as they didn’t want me to show them looking silly while acting out their roles, but it was funny and they did enjoy it. The game involved shaking a dice, moving around the board and if the player lands on an activity square then they had to select a card from the top of the pile. If the square says “Who am I” they has to mime an action (no words or noise) for the others to guess the action, person or animal that is on the card. If the square says “Make a Noise” then the player hums or whistles the song or makes a noise of what is on the card for the others to guess what it is (this time no actions). The first player to guess correctly moves their counter forward one square. If no-one guesses or the player refuses to do the activity on the card then they have to do the forfeit on the back on the card. This is where the spyglass comes into play – it is needed to read the forfeit on the back. If the square says ‘Action’ then the player must read the action aloud fro the selected card, using the sand timer, if it is shown. If the player cannot or refuses to do the activity, they must do the forfeit on the back of the card, as before. The game continues till one player reaches the ‘finish star’. It sounds a little confusing – it really isn’t! It is a hilarious game and I can only imagine how it would play out with adults only playing after a glass of wine (or two). The children loved it, it was a great way to chill out and laugh till your sides hurt. Watching them take it on the chin when the others couldn’t guess was really sweet, but they tried even harder next time and that just made it even funnier! An example of a card’s actions is: Who am I? – Pretend to be a chicken (no noises remember); Make a noise – Hum or whistle oranges and lemons (no actions); Action – Hold your breath for 5 seconds; Forfeit – all players with blue eyes move forward tow spaces. Another card: Who am I? pretend to be a shopper in a supermarket (no noises); Make a noise – make a noise like a foghorn (no actions); Action -find something smelly; Forfeit -go back to the same space as the player or team in last place. The educational guide for this game states: Link with National Curriculum Maths and English; Encourage personal and social skills; Develop language and communication skills. So what was the verdict in the HonieHouse? The board pieces were of thick, colourful board and very good quality. The additional game pieces, timer, dice shaker & dice and player pieces of a durable plastic. There were some discs made of board to make spinners with in the package and also a colourful poster and catalogue detailing the toys, jigsaws and activities and which would most likely suit who. It was a lovely package to receive giving the impression of good quality and thought out care. The children enjoyed the game and making fun of themselves and laughing with each other whether they got it right or wrong made it a good fun, family game. I agree with the educational guide and think it’s a great way to develop these skills. I think the game is good value and given the quality of the game pieces, it is likely to last for years to come. I was very impressed with the communication from Lynda and also when I called Head Office for the lost piece. I got the impression they were a nice company to work for. The products are well packaged and well presented and the aftercare is second to none.

BOSTON, Massachusetts – Hydrox, the cookie company that’s flagship product is the black, chocolate cookie with the white creme center, was invented in 1908, and was originally made by the Sunshine Cookie Company. Almost 5 years later, in 1912, Oreo was invented, and despite ripping off Hydrox completely, the company went on to be the bigger seller, convincing the world that Hydrox was the “generic” or rip-off company. Papers filed today in the Massachusetts courts prove that Hydrox is finally stepping up to the cookie plate, as it were, as they plan to sure the Oreo Cookie company for copyright infringement and design theft. “Hydrox has been making our cookies since the dawn of the 20th century,” said Hydrox spokesman Roy Charles. “Oreo has as well, but we were still first. It’s taken us a long time to get to this point, but we just needed time to build our case. Now is the time.” Charles says that Hydrox is prepared to sue Oreo for $4.5 million, which is equivalent to only one year’s grosses of Oreo’s cookie empire. “They have had over 100 years worth of sales, and every one of those hundred years, we took a beating,” said Charles. “We feel it’s time that Oreo put on their big-boy pants, pour a tall glass of milk, and admit they stole our cookie. The world needs to know that we were first and, frankly, we’re the better cookie.” Representatives for Oreo could not be reached for comment.

Why do enterprises need to register trademarks? Trademark right can protect the demands of business and the rights of trading, and making products by original equipment manufacture. In the case of infringement by others, trademark owners can gain compensation. Essential condition for business It is the essential to register import and export customs and to manage quality testing and bar code. condition for enterprises to enter e-commerce and markets online, to register import and export customs and to manage quality testing and bar code. Available for transaction Chinese present actualtrademark volume is over 500 million. Trademark transaction, such as transfer and authorization can bring profits. Prevent others from registration There are more than 5,000 Chinese characters and the good name is on the decrease. If Trademarks is registered by others or used unwittingly , it will cost a lot. Enjoy state subsidies Trademark registration in provincial level or China famous brand can not only enjoy tax reduction and exemption but also trademark protection. All trademark cases would be declared on the same day; three working day for reference number; three months for notice of acceptance and 11 to 13 months for trademark certificate. Passing rate of application is up to 98% contributes to rich experience in tough trademark cases. We are Formal registration organization, national high-tech enterprise and previous team members from Trademark Office. 10 years experience. Processes of trademark registration Professionals in intellectual property analyze and check similar trademarks, optimizing the success rate of trademark registration and providing suggestions. Verify the documents provided by clients and prepare letter of authorization of trademark registrationArrange. Make formal trademark application required by trademark office and submit documents. Consultant of intellectual property will manage the notification and mail express it to youinform you the status and progress of trademark application with in message. Substantive examination is a process of trademark registration organizations examining to check if the application is in line with the stipulations in Trademark Law or not. After information searching, trademark certificate is issued if there is no abnormalopposition condition. Decisions of examine and approval or rejection will be made after analyzing, comparing and investigating. After formal examination and substantive examination and three months’ announcement period, trademark certificate is issued if there is no abnormal condition. opposition.Consultant in intellectual property will follow the status of application and will inform you at once if there is any opposition. After trademark examination, the registration is finished if there is no opposition. Consultant will inform you of the certificate and mail it to you as soon as possible. Archive CRM system management More service of intellectual property GET TO KNOW Trademark knowledge base What are the requirements for logo of trademark registration? How to classify trademarks? What are the documents for trademark registration? How long does it take for trademark registration? What is trademark registration? What are the advantages of trademark registration? How to arrange the procedures of trademark registration better? What are the documents for renew of trademark rejection? What is the first announcement of first trial in trademark registration? What is usage permit of trademark registration? What kinds of usage permits are included? What if the characters are different but the pronunciations are the same， can trademark be registrated? How to check trademarks in the online system, Trademark Office of National Intellectual Property Administration, PRC? How to get the trademark registration certificate after the approval of registration? Is it necessary to arrange notarization in trademark transfer? Does it mean the registration is bound to be successful after trademark announcement?

Saly- Senegal (PANA) -- The West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (WECARD) will by March 2007 launch a program aimed at improving agricultural productivity in West and Central Africa spanning 2006-2016. WECARD executive secretary Paco Seremé made the disclosure Tuesday during the opening session of an international workshop on agricultural research in Africa convening at the seaside resort of Saly, 80-km south east of Dakar. Seremé said theses two programs are particularly aimed at boosting the development of produce of high potential like cocoa, cotton, coffee, rice, tubers, fruits and vegetables and oleaginous for West and Central Africa. "It is an integrated policy of the west and central Africa sub-region which defines future strategies to make up for productivity loss in order to reach a 6% agricultural growth rate enough to contribute to the development and poverty reduction by the next 10 years," Seremé said. The agricultural development programs to be implemented are also aimed at diversifying agricultural crops and adopting new technologies, creating a conducive commercial climate to make African exports profitable and boosting investments in agricultural sector through partnership with economic partners of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC). They were worked out within the framework of the strategic plan revision adopted in 2000 by WECARD and would be carried out simultaneously through national systems, ECOWAS, CEMAC and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). The west and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (WECARD) is one of the four sub-regional bodies of scientific cooperation in the agricultural sector in Africa that subscribes to the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA). It brings together the national systems of agricultural research of 22 countries in West and Central Africa.

More in Floors Roll out a layer of underlayment material and cut it to the correct width. Spread the underlayment over the floor, trimming as needed to fit around corners and fixtures. Since the underlayment tends to roll up and/or move around, lay down one row of underlayment material and cover it with floorboards before laying down the next row. Decide which direction the floorboards should go. You may want to align the boards to match the direction of the floorboards in the rest of the house. Position the first board with the tongue edge toward the wall. Snap the second piece into the first, tapping it using a pull bar and rubber mallet to ensure the pieces fit snugly together. Place shims at the edge of the flooring to keep it from moving closer to the wall. Cut the pieces to length as needed using a miter saw (image 1). For notched or curved cuts, use a jigsaw. For circular cuts, such as around a toilet flange, try to find a household item about the same size and the needed cut. Trace it onto the board (image 2) and make the cut with a jigsaw (image 3). Lay down the second row of boards, making sure to stagger the seams for a sturdier floor structure.

2010 Nov - The Leading Edge The global temperatures in November show the Northern (Arctic/Polar) Amplification Effect well, and the La Nina is clearly visible in the Pacific. The land based high temperature anomalies are clear over Alaska, Russia and Asia as well as Northern Africa, where we can see some cold temperature anomalies over Europe and Central and Eastern Australia influenced by natural variation in the intra-annual and inter-annual climate oscillations cycles. Relevant News and Event Highlights UN report warns of threat to human progress from climate change Human development report says inaction on climate change puts at risk decades of progress on education and health Climate change may be the single factor that makes the future very different, impeding the continuing progress in human development that history would lead us to expect. While international agreements have been difficult to achieve and policy responses have been generally slow, the broad consensus is clear: climate change is happening, and it can derail human development. Source: Guardian.co.uk, United Kingdom Transient Middle Eocene Atmospheric CO2 and Temperature Variations The long-term warmth of the Eocene (~56 to 34 million years ago) is commonly associated with elevated partial pressure of atmospheric carbon dioxide (pCO2). However, a direct relationship between the two has not been established for short-term climate perturbations. We reconstructed changes in both pCO2 and temperature over an episode of transient global warming called the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO; ~40 million years ago). Organic molecular paleothermometry indicates a warming of southwest Pacific sea surface temperatures (SSTs) by 3° to 6°C. Reconstructions of pCO2 indicate a concomitant increase by a factor of 2 to 3. The marked consistency between SST and pCO2 trends during the MECO suggests that elevated pCO2 played a major role in global warming during the MECO. Source: Science Magazine, United States Bloomberg to promote electric taxis in cities HONG KONG (AP) -- City authorities are often better placed than national governments to combat climate change, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Saturday, vowing to promote the use of electric taxis as he takes over the leadership of a global coalition of major cities. The billionaire mayor urged delegates at the C40 conference in Hong Kong to wield the power of its large collective population, which accounts for about 1 in 12 people in the world. C40 is a coalition of 40 cities. It was founded in 2005 with the aim of reducing carbon emissions. Nineteen other cities are affiliate members. Those cities' huge car and taxi populations mean they have a huge role to play to cutting emissions, Bloomberg said. The 19 of the C40 cities where statistics were available are home to more than 20 million cars and 25 member city governments represented in the coalition have oversight of taxi fleets controlling more than 1 million cabs. "Think of that - a million-plus autos, the most iconic vehicles in our downtowns, that we can start to work together to make more efficient and less polluting," he said. Climate scientists plan campaign against global warming skeptics An analysis by a liberal think tank found that half of the more than 100 new Republican Congress members are skeptics on global warming. (Chicago Tribune / February 8, 2007) John Abraham of St. Thomas University in Minnesota, who last May wrote a widely disseminated response to climate change skeptics, is also pulling together a "climate rapid response team," which includes scientists prepared to go before what they consider potentially hostile audiences on conservative talk radio and television shows. "This group feels strongly that science and politics can't be divorced and that we need to take bold measures to not only communicate science but also to aggressively engage the denialists and politicians who attack climate science and its scientists," said Scott Mandia, professor of physical sciences at Suffolk County Community College in New York. "We are taking the fight to them because we are … tired of taking the hits. The notion that truth will prevail is not working. The truth has been out there for the past two decades, and nothing has changed." Inaccurate news reports misrepresent a climate-science initiative of the American Geophysical Union WASHINGTON—An article appearing in the Los Angeles Times, and then picked up by media outlets far and wide, misrepresents the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and a climate science project the AGU is about to relaunch. The project, called Climate Q&A Service, aims simply to provide accurate scientific answers to questions from journalists about climate science. “In contrast to what has been reported in the LA Times and elsewhere, there is no campaign by AGU against climate skeptics or congressional conservatives,” says Christine McEntee, Executive Director and CEO of the American Geophysical Union. “AGU will continue to provide accurate scientific information on Earth and space topics to inform the general public and to support sound public policy development.” “AGU is a scientific society, not an advocacy organization,” says climate scientist and AGU President Michael J. McPhaden. “The organization is committed to promoting scientific discovery and to disseminating to the scientific community, policy makers, the media, and the public, peer-reviewed scientific findings across a broad range of Earth and space sciences.” Lorne Gunter: The latest climate crisis is no climate crisis Editors Note: This could easily get worse before it gets better. There is a strategic plan to end the debate. If anyone knows of who might fund the plan, please contact the OSS (Contact Link) Yes-there is still ice in the Arctic. Shocking, isn't it? Whereas reporters like Margot O’Neill are placated by such obvious attempts to paper over the flaws in climate science – so they can keep alive the alarmist storyline about how we are in danger of destroying our planet if we don’t increase the size and power of governments to regulate every aspect of our daily lives – members of the public are not. Nor are scientists who have not built their reputations on their ability to paint horrifying pictures of the coming climate Armageddon. The public is ahead of the politicians and environmental activists on this one. They are not clamouring to be lead to safety because they have seen through the thin veneer of the alarmists’ logic. Source: National Post, Vancouver, Canada The New York Times Does a Decent Job on This Report: As Glaciers Melt, Science Seeks Data on Rising Seas Climate scientists note that while the science of studying ice may be progressing slowly, the world’s emissions of heat-trapping gases are not. They worry that the way things are going, extensive melting of land ice may become inevitable before political leaders find a way to limit the gases, and before scientists even realize such a point of no return has been passed. “The past clearly shows that sea-level rise is getting faster and faster the warmer it gets,” Dr. Rahmstorf said. “Why should that process stop? If it gets warmer, ice will melt faster.” ClimateGate - One Year Later: 'Nature Did Not Read the Hacked Emails' Climategate. Exactly one year ago, on November 17, 2009, email messages and other computer files were illegally stolen from computers located at the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit (CRU). These emails and files were then leaked to the Internet in a blatant attempt to derail international climate talks at the COP-15 Copenhagen Climate Conference. Two crimes were committed that day: 1) Emails were stolen and 2) Scientists were wrongly put on trial in the press and the blogosphere. These emails were spun by skeptics of man-made global warming as somehow proving that global warming is a hoax and that scientists were controlling what science gets published. Climategate was billed as the final nail in the coffin of anthropogenic [manmade] global warming (AGW). What has happened in the year following Climategate? - CO2 is still increasing - Climate is still warming - Ice is still melting - Severe weather increased - No journal articles have been published overturning AGW but there have been many supporting AGW - The accused scientists have been exonerated by many different investigations - Claims that the exonerations were a whitewash are simply hogwash - Climategate coverage was unfair A Rational Discussion of Climate Change: the Science, the Evidence, the Response GOP Rep. Bob Inglis Slams His Party On Climate Change Rep. Bob Inglis (R-S.C.), an outgoing lawmaker with nothing left to lose after having his fate sealed through a primary challenge from the right earlier this year, expressed his frustrations with the GOP's trajectory toward climate change denial Wednesday in a harsh rebuke that blasted his party's hard-headed refusal to listen to scientific experts. "And I would also suggest to my Free Enterprise colleagues -- especially conservatives here -- whether you think it's all a bunch of hooey, what we've talked about in this committee, the Chinese don't. And they plan on eating our lunch in this next century. They plan on innovating around these problems, and selling to us, and the rest of the world, the technology that'll lead the 21st century," Inglis told his colleagues. "So we may just press the pause button here for several years, but China is pressing the fast-forward button. And as a result, if we wake up in several years and we say, 'geez, this didn't work very well for us.'" Panel I – C-SPAN Video: www.c-spanvideo.org Video of Panel I Session (1 hour 24 minutes) PDF's of Witness Statement (Downloads): Panel II – C-SPAN Video: www.c-spanvideo.org Video of Panel II Session (1 hour 17 minutes) PDF's of Witness Statement (Downloads): Panel III – C-SPAN Video: www.c-spanvideo.org Video of Panel III Session (1 hour 3 minutes) Philippines: Aquino calls for lifestyle change To reduce carbon emission, waste, and global warming MANILA, Philippines – President Aquino has called on 97 million Filipinos to close ranks and help mitigate the impact of global warming. Aquino wants to rally the people in reducing carbon emissions and pursuing a lifestyle that is energy-efficient and produces less waste. As the country’s climate czar, Aquino wants the entire country to lessen the already minimal contribution of the country to global heating, which stands at less than one percent. He issued the call as the nation observes this year’s “Global Warming and Climate Change Consciousness Week” from November 19-25, 2010 with the theme: “Nagbabagong Klima Labanan, Pagkakaisa’y Kabayanihan.” Abandoning reform, Harper uses Senate to sink climate bill Prime Minister Stephen Harper fell back on an "end-justifies-the-means" defence this week for the sneak attack by Conservative senators who torpedoed a climate-change bill already passed by the House of Commons. There was no sign in his response of the old reformer of high principle who used to rail against any notion that the then-Liberal dominated Senate might sink or even hold up any legislation. As recently as three years ago, Harper argued it would be intolerable for unelected senators to defy elected members of Parliament. It was a message that resonated with many Canadians, especially here in the West where disdain is particularly acute for the institution that many see as the ultimate symbol of patronage and pork-barrel politics. That was before Harper abandoned his promise never to appoint a senator and stuffed the Senate full of his own yes-men and yes-women, before what used to be abhorrent became first tempting, then convenient. Elizabeth May: Demise of climate bill was undemocratic Unelected members of the Senate killed legislation approved by MPs The Stephen Harper-controlled Senate delivered a brutal blow to climate action -- and democracy itself -- this week when it killed the Climate Change Accountability Act. The NDP private members bill, which passed the House of Commons last May, required five-year plans to tackle reductions in greenhouse gases based on targets derived from scientific advice. Prime Minister Harper labelled the bill "irresponsible," and claimed it threatened "millions" of Canadian jobs. The bill, however, did not dictate specific polices. It was up to the government to choose how the targets were met. The facts do not support the claim that it is impossible to meet targets without losing millions of jobs. Sweden has reduced emissions to eight per cent below 1990 levels while growing its economy by 44 per cent over the same time period. State of the Climate Global Analysis October 2010 - The combined global land and ocean surface temperature for October 2010 was 0.54°C (0.97°F) above the 20th century average of 14.0°C (57.1°F) and was the eighth warmest on record. October 2003 is the warmest October on record. - The October worldwide land surface temperature was 0.91°C (1.64°F) above the 20th century average of 9.3°C (48.7°F)—the sixth warmest October on record. - The October worldwide ocean surface temperature was 0.40°C (0.72°F) above the 20th century average of 15.9°C (60.6°F) and was the tenth warmest October on record. - For January–October 2010, the global combined land and ocean surface temperature was 0.63°C (1.13°F) above the 20th century average of 14.1°C (57.4°F) and tied with 1998 as the warmest January–October period on record. - The global average land surface temperature for the period January–October was the second warmest on record, behind 2007. - The global average ocean surface temperature for the period January–October tied with 2003 as the second warmest on record, behind 1998. Study: Weak World Economy Cuts Carbon Pollution Here's one plus from the global economic recession: Carbon dioxide pollution last year dropped for the first time in a decade. But it didn't last, and it wasn't as big a drop as expected. Burning fossil fuels to power factories, cars and airplanes spews out greenhouse gases that warm the world. But during the economic downturn, some factories shut down and people didn't drive or fly as much. The helped drop emissions about 1.3 percent from 2008 to 2009, according to a study published Sunday in the journal Nature Geoscience. There's been a close link between gross domestic product and pollution in recent decades, said study lead author Pierre Friedlingstein of the University of Exeter in England. "The good part of the crisis is that it reduces emissions." In the United States, the Energy Department said that emissions dropped 7 percent in 2009 because of three equal factors: the slowing economy, slightly better energy efficiency and cleaner energy. Worldwide, it was mostly a matter of the economy, Friedlingstein said. In 2009, the world spewed nearly 34 billion tons (about 31 billion metric tons) of carbon dioxide. That's a drop of 453 million tons from the previous year what the U.S. emits in about 26 days. Source: The Associated Press Climate Science Rapid Response Team (CSRRT) The Climate Science Rapid Response Team (CSRRT) has assembled a group of leading scientists with expertise in virtually all areas of climate science to improve communication on the issue of climate change by providing rapid, high-quality information to media and government. The coordinating team includes: Dr. John Abraham, Dr. Ray Weymann, and Prof. Scott Mandia. The CSRRT was established to reduce the gap between what the science shows and what the public understands about climate science. The Climate Science Rapid Response Team World Bank Lauds China Green Energy Moves, Points to Inefficiencies BEIJING—China is making good progress in meeting targets to get 15% of its energy from non-fossil fuels by 2020, but it needs to improve and expand hydropower generation and deal with high levels of inefficiency in its wind-power sector, the World Bank said Tuesday. The bank said in a report that China should improve interprovincial trade in renewable energy and better promote green electricity schemes. "China has achieved remarkable progress in developing renewable energy during the last three decades," Ede Ijjasz, World Bank China Sector Manager for Sustainable Development, said in a statement accompanying the report. Source: The Wall Street Journal Time to Take Action on Climate Communication By Thomas E. Bowman, Edward Maibach, Michael E. Mann, Richard C. J. Somerville, Barry J. Seltser, Baruch Fischhoff, Stephen M. Gardiner, Robert J. Gould, Anthony Leiserowitz, Gary Yohe - Nov. 23, 2010 A new paper published in Science outlines a proposal to increase support for Climate Communications. The paper outlines the need for action and the delays that have occurred. The initiative is a broad and sweeping effort to increase participation in climate communications from the climate science community, funding organizations, and related disciplines including economic and social. it further points out that informed policy decisions based on science and all relevant concerns should be the basis for guiding related policy. The inertia of climate change requires meaningful action now and delays are nearly certain to lock in future change to to the lag time of warming caused by increased greenhouse gas concentrations.

General Convention of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America The General Convention is the primary governing and legislative body of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. With the exception of the Bible, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Constitution and Canons, it is the ultimate authority in the Episcopal Church. General Convention comprises two houses: the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops. It meets regularly once every three years; however, the House of Bishops meets regularly in between sessions of General Convention. The Bishops have the right to call special meetings of General Convention. All diocesan, coadjutor, suffragan, and assistant bishops of the Episcopal Church, whether active or retired, have seat and vote in the House of Bishops. Each diocese of the Episcopal Church, as well as the Navajoland Area Mission and the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, are entitled to representation in the House of Deputies by four clergy deputies, either presbyters or deacons, canonically resident in the diocese and four lay deputies who are confirmed communicants in good standing. Resolutions must pass both houses in order to take effect. The convention is divided into committees which consider resolutions. Resolutions arise from four different sources: 1) "A" resolutions from interim bodies whose work is collected in what is referred to as the "Blue Book" 2) "B" resolutions which come from Bishops 3) "C" resolutions which come from diocesan conventions and 4) "D" resolutions which originate from Deputies. Each properly submitted resolution is referred to a convention committee which makes its recommendation to the House. When one house has acted on the resolution it is sent to the other house for consideration. The presiding officer of the House of Bishops is the Presiding Bishop. Both houses take part in the selection of a new Presiding Bishop. The members of the Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop are elected from both houses. The House of Deputies elects one clerical and one lay delegate from each province, and the House of Bishops elects one bishop from every province to sit on the joint committee. When a new Presiding Bishop is to be elected, the houses meet together in a joint session, and the nominating committee nominates at least three bishops. During the joint session, any deputy or bishop can nominate additional candidates. The House of Bishops elects the Presiding Bishop from among all nominees. The results of the election are reported to the House of Deputies, which then votes to confirm or not to confirm the election. The presiding officers of the House of Deputies are the president and vice president. A treasurer is elected by the two houses at every regular meeting of General Convention. The treasurer formulates the budget of the Episcopal Church, receives and disburses all money collected under the authority of the convention, and with the approval of the Presiding Bishop invests surplus funds. If the office of treasurer becomes vacant, the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies appoints a treasurer until a new election is held. The treasurer of the General Convention and the Executive Council is Kurt Barnes. At each regular meeting of General Convention, the secretary of the House of Deputies is by concurrent action of both houses made the secretary of the General Convention. The secretary oversees the publishing of the Journal of the General Convention. In addition, the secretary also notifies the bishops and secretaries of every diocese to actions of General Convention, especially alterations to the Book of Common Prayer and the constitution of the Episcopal Church. If the offices of president and vice president become vacant during the triennium, the secretary performs the duties of president until the next meeting of General Convention. The Secretary is also the corporate secretary of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, the corporate body of the Episcopal Church, and one of the four senior officers of the church. The Rev. Canon Dr. Michael Barlowe is the Secretary of the House of Deputies, having been appointed upon the retirement of his predecessor, the Rev. Dr. Gregory Straub in 2013. Dr. Barlowe is also the Executive Officer of the General Convention, a position filled by joint appointment of the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies. The Executive Officer "oversees all aspects of the work of Church governance, from site selection through supervision and funding of the work mandated by the convention". He supervises the secretary, treasurer, and manager of the General Convention and heads the executive office of the General Convention which coordinates the work of the committees, commissions, boards, and agencies (CCAB's). Interim bodies, meeting in between sessions of General Convention, include the Executive Council and various standing commissions which study and draft policy proposals for consideration and report back to General Convention. Each standing commission consists of three bishops, three priests or deacons, and six laypersons. Priests, deacons, and lay persons are not required to be deputies. Bishops are appointed by the Presiding Bishop while the other clergy and laypersons are appointed by the president of the House of Deputies. Members are appointed to rotating terms so that the term for half of the members expires at the conclusion of each regular meeting of the General Convention. The standing commissions are: - Anglican and International Peace with Justice Concerns - Small Congregations - Constitution and Canons - Domestic Mission and Evangelism - Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations - Liturgy and Music - Ministry Development - National Concerns - Stewardship and Development - Structure of the Church - World Mission - Lifelong Christian Education and Formation The Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies are ex officio members of all commissions and can appoint personal representatives to attend commission meetings without the right to vote. They jointly appoint Executive Council members as liaison persons to provide communication between the council and each commission. These liaison persons are not commission members and cannot vote; though, they do have voice. The Presiding Bishop also appoints a staff member to assist each commission in its work. Either house may refer matters to a commission, but one house cannot instruct a commission to take any action without the consent of the other house. The American Revolution was very disruptive to the Episcopal churches in the United States. There had been no Anglican dioceses or bishops in the 13 colonies before the Revolution, thus when the American congregations were separated from the Church of England, "the chain which held them together [was] broken". In 1782, William White, the father of the Episcopal Church, wrote in his pamphlet The Case of the Episcopal Churches in the United States Considered, "it would seem, that their future continuance can be provided for only by voluntary associations for union and good government". In America, the central unit of the church would be the congregation, rather than the diocese. White, a disciple of John Locke, believed that the church, like the state, should be a democracy. He proposed that congregations in each state should unite to form an annual convention (as opposed to a "convocation" or "synod", terms which denote a body called together by a bishop) of clergy and lay representatives of the congregations. In White's plan, the state conventions would send representatives to three provincial conventions which would elect representatives to the General Convention every three years. The constitution written in 1789 was very similar to White's plan, except that state conventions would elect representatives directly to the General Convention. Bishops would be democratically elected and responsible to the General Convention and their respective state (later diocesan) conventions. Bishops would be "servants of the Church and not its lords". It is often said that the Constitutions of the United States and the Episcopal Church were written by the same people. While this is not true, both were written around the same time in Philadelphia by people who knew each other and who sought to "replace hierarchical rule with egalitarian, democratic government". The House of Deputies is the older of the two houses having been formed in 1785. William White was the first President of the House of Deputies. The House of Bishops was formed in 1789 to win the support of those who wanted a greater role for bishops. The House of Deputies had the advantage because with an 80 percent majority it could override a veto of the House of Bishops until 1808 when both houses were given absolute vetos. White became the first Bishop of Pennsylvania and the first Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. - 1785 Philadelphia—Initial General Convention of the Episcopal Church - 1817 New York City—Passed legislation founding General Theological Seminary - 1865 Philadelphia—After the close of the Civil War, bishops from two Confederate dioceses are warmly welcomed to General Convention, paving the way for the remaining Southern dioceses to rejoin the church soon afterward. - 1976 Minneapolis, Minnesota—Approval of women for Ordination - 2003 Minneapolis—The Reverend Gene Robinson was confirmed to be the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church. - 2006 Columbus, Ohio June 13–21—Election of Katharine Jefferts Schori as 26th Presiding Bishop. Response to Windsor Report: Dioceses are asked to exercise restraint in ordaining bishops who may cause further strain to the Anglican Communion - The Episcopal Church (2009), Constitution and Canons, Constitution Article I Section 1, p. 1. - Title I Canon 1 Section 3 (a), p. 20. - Constitution Article I Section 2, p. 1. - Constitution Article I Section 4, p. 2. - Title I Canon 2 Section 1 pp. 25-27. - Title I Canon 1 Section 7 (a-b), pp. 23. - Title I Canon 1 Section 7 (a-b), 11, pp. 23. - The Episcopal Church, Treasurer, accessed January 7, 2011. - Title I Canon 1 Section 1 (j), pp. 13. - The Episcopal Church, Executive Officer and Secretary, accessed January 6, 2011. - Title I Canon 1 Section 13, pp. 24. - Title I Canon 1 Section 2 (a-c), p. 13. - Title I Canon 1 Section 2 (n), p. 16. - Title I Canon 1 Section 2 (d-e), p. 14. - Title I Canon 1 Section 2 (h), p. 14. - William White (1782), The Case of the Episcopal Churches in the United States Considered: Chapter I, Project Canterbury, accessed January 8, 2011. - Podmore, Colin (May 2008). "A Tale of Two Churches: The Ecclesiologies of The Episcopal Church and the Church of England Compared". International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church 8 (2): 127. doi:10.1080/14742250801930822. - Podmore 2008, pp. 128-129. - James R. Gundrum, "The General Convention: Understood Authority or Ecclesiastical Chaos", Arrington Lectures 1982, University of the South, p. 2. - Podmore 2008, pp. 138. - Office of the General Convention - Official website of the Episcopal Church - Archives of the Episcopal Church

Managing and Delivering Podcast Audio and Video From WordPress can be easily be done in an advanced setup plus you can use CDN or deliver YouTube Video as well. This is the third and last article on installation and series on Podcast. In the first article we have explained about what is Podcast, in the second article, we have shown how to install Podcast Generator, a web software for generating Podcast. We will basically show you the Managing and Delivering Podcast part using that Podcast Generator, using WordPress default function, Rackspace Cloud Files for streaming, configuring Google Feedburner, Editing and creating Podcast and converting YouTube Video to Podcast. Managing and Delivering Podcast Audio and Video : Official Resources and URLs As basically Podcast is too closely related to Apple, all reference and ways to create are described here in this guide for Managing and Delivering Podcast Audio and Video From WordPress are based on Apple’s iTunes standard and all editing resources are for Mac. You will get practically everything about Podcast here : Please check the sidebar navigations, the links in the text thoroughly. GarageBand has excellent Podcast creation function. There is link. Plus you will basically understand that iTunes has a money making Affiliate system as well. And as we are basically using a separate software in the way we have shown how to install Podcast Generator guide, we basically do not need any kind of WordPress Plugin. That is the second part of the tutorial. Managing and Delivering Podcast Audio and Video From WordPress There is no need to use any kind of WordPress plugin for Podcast. That software is more rich in features, will increase your click through rate too. Adding one WP plugin actually increases the burden on database. WordPress by default has a function to Add One MP3 as Podcast. What you need to do is to add a HTML code to link to your that sub folder. Now, there is need to configure Feedburner : Feedburner will automatically find your Podcast materials. Our main target is iTunes, not our own website, because we need to make the visitors sticky to read the text (and click Ads), iTunes or rather Podcast is another method for marketing. So you have YouTube like ours YouTube Channel. There are free online tools which can convert your videos to Podcast : Basically this is not very good way to follow. The reason is – our target is to convert the iTunes listeners to YouTube watchers and then convert them to website visitor. This model is important both for increasing revenue plus SERP. So, you can re create trailers for your few videos or give a full video and nicely push your YouTube Channel. Rest is the Cloud Files part. If you use the Cloud File’s Streaming URL (please search our website for more guides on these topics) in WordPress, it will automatically show the download link in Feedburner from CDN.

At the end of the calendar year we make (and quickly break) new year’s resolutions. But as teachers, I thought it might be fun to make — at the end of the summer and the end of the academic calendar — some resolutions. Okay, geez guys, maybe “fun” isn’t the right word. But inspirational maybe? Okay, okay, maybe just a lark. In order for them to be effective, I’m throwing down three simple rules. - You should come up with at least 1 but at most 3 resolutions. This is so you don’t get overwhelmed. - They have to be easily doable and sustainable throughout the year. This is so you don’t get overwhelmed. - You need to publicly announce them – whether it be on your blog, on twitter, on the comments here. This is so you have some external accountability. I will make mine here: 1. I read on someone’s blog (forgive me for not searching to find and link to it) an idea to keep students engaged. If students point out mistakes that I make, I will visibly tally them somewhere in the room. The student who caught the mistake will hopefully feel good about themselves and students will hopefully always be second guessing me. And after 30 mistakes are pointed out, the students get to have a “candy day” or something where I bring a little treat for them. I will do this in my Algebra 2 and Calculus classes. 2. I will do this random acts of kindness thank you card activity again in my Algebra 2 and Calculus classes. 3. I will decorate the classroom that I will be teaching 3 of my 4 classes in so it will be colorful and kitchy, but not elementary school-esque. I will have this done by… no, not the first day of school… by the end of the first quarter. UPDATE: I am going to have to nix goal 3. Even though one day I would like to do this, apparently this year my rooms have been switched beyond recognition, so instead of teaching in 2 rooms, I’m teaching all 4 classes in 4 different rooms. I will be running around the school like a chicken with my head cut off. And although I’d like to decorate all 4 rooms, I honestly don’t have the energy to create and maintain something in 4 different rooms, and I won’t have “priority” in these rooms because other teachers will probably be teaching in them more and want to do something.

This topic covers the labeling requirements of OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard (HCS or HazCom), including the new Globally Harmonized System, or GHS, amendments, which applies to any employer whose workers may be exposed to hazardous chemicals. Manufacturers must label every hazardous chemical container with key information on the substance it contains, and worker training must include an explanation of the labeling system. For a compliance timetable, links to GHS traning materials, and other GHS information, see this HazCom Training article and BLR’s GHS and Hazard Communication Resource Center. For related resources and training materials, refer to the following topics: - Hazard Communication for information about OSHA’s Hazard Communication standard, including GHS revisions - SDS for information about HazCom SDS requirements - Hazmat Labels for information about DOT hazardous material (HazMat) labeling requirements

I was talking with some data professionals recently about training and the value of college, work, or some other method of entering the technology business. I have a few thoughts about the different ways of teaching people about this business, and I’m curious what you think. What do you think of traditional computer science? Colleges have students study computer science theories, languages, and more. Build small software projects, write pieces of operating systems and more as part of their curriculum. Students also still have the requirements of other core classes like science, language arts, etc., but does this train them well? I almost think that students ought to be charged with working on real projects, perhaps open source projects, and tackling some small part of the system. Perhaps an older student needs to do project management work, or architectural specifications for less experienced students that are actually programming. Is that good preparation for the real world? What about a vocational school that teaches students with real projects? If the students are required to work in the same ways that companies do, given requirements, asking for milestones and deadlines, providing some training, but not all, would you consider that better preparation than anything else? Ultimately the best preparation I’ve seen for IT is to immerse people in actual work situations, having them solve real world problems. The best way to do that is actually set up environments where students are forced to build domains, set up clusters, write code that actually would be used to manage a server or produce an application. In essence, run students through an apprenticeship. Or maybe the best solution is to actually offer more students apprenticeships where they can learn in the real world. I know there’s no one way that works for everyone, but I think that we certainly can find ways to better equip the majority of potential employees than we do now. The Voice of the DBA Podcast The Voice of the DBA podcast features music by Everyday Jones. No relation, but I stumbled on to them and really like the music. Support this great duo at www.everydayjones.com.

|The bumba-meu-boi, (bumba-boi, boi-bumbá, etc.) is a very popular and widespread comic-dramatic dance, which tells the story of the death and resurrection of an ox. It started at the end of the 18th century in the coastal sugar plantations and cattle ranches of northeastern Brazil and from there it spread to the north and south. Its name comes from the verb bumbar, meaning to beat up or against, and the expression is chanted by the crowd as an invitation for the ox (the men under the ox costume) to charge against them. It's represented here by tiny clay figurines from Pernambuco.| It is a parade of human and animal characters, and fantastic creatures from Brazilian Indian mythology, such as the Caipora, to the sounds of music and singing. It takes place during the Christmas season in certain states and in June in the states of Maranhão and Amazonas - during the "festas juninas" dedicated to St. John and St. Peter. There are usually a group of singers and the "chamador" or caller, who introduces the characters with different songs. The instruments used are the acoustic guitar, Brazilian tambourine, tamborim and accordion. The bumba-meu-boi appears in northern Brazil as boi-bumbá or bumba-boi and in the island of Santa Catarina, in southern Brazil, as boi-de-mamão. Mamão is the Brazilian word for papaya. It is believed that originally a green papaya was used as the ox head, and that's where the name apparently comes from. In the city of Parintins in the Brazilian Amazon, tens of thousands take to the "bumbódromo" (Parintins' answer to the "sambódromo" of Rio de Janeiro) where they sing and dance to the music of the boi by two rival groups that parade with huge floats and fabulous costumes: the red called Garantido and the blue, Caprichoso. It's become a great destination for tourists in the Amazon. In the city of São Luis do Maranhão and its environs there are many different groups, with elaborate costumes and different styles of music, which are called "sotaques:" "sotaque de orquestra," as the names says, uses an orchestra of saxes, clarinets, flutes, banjo, drums, etc; "sotaque de zabumba" employs primarily very large drums; and "sotaque de matraca," a percussion instrument made of two pieces of wood that you carry in your hands and hit against each other. Some matracas are very large and are carried around the neck. With these, hundreds, sometimes thousands of people, create a clacking, frenetic rhythmic beat that's extremely contagious and vibrant. To watch on YouTube, click here. This is an example of "sotaque de orquestra." In Pernambuco, bois go out at carnaval time in a more informal way; boi costumes such as these ones that I photographed at the São José market in Recife are very popular with kids.

Canadian retail sales in April fell more than forecast, reversing most of the previous month’s gain, on declines in new car and clothing receipts. Sales fell 2 percent to C$36.2 billion ($35 billion), the biggest decline since December 2008, Statistics Canada said today in Ottawa. The drop exceeded the most pessimistic estimate in a Bloomberg survey of 17 economists, with the median forecast for a 0.4 percent fall. Bank of Canada Deputy Governor Timothy Lane said yesterday economic growth should moderate this quarter after the economy expanded faster than expected. Consumer spending helped lead growth of 6.1 percent at an annualized pace in the January-March period, and the central bank raised its key interest rate to 0.5 percent on June 1 from a record low 0.25 percent to head off inflation pressures. “There is a yellow flag here,” said Sebastien Lavoie, an economist at Laurentian Bank Securities in Montreal. “The economy is going through a phase of transition; growth is decelerating.” The growth rate will probably slow to 2.5 percent this quarter, and the central bank will stick to quarter-point rate increases at its remaining meetings this year, Lavoie said. The Canadian currency weakened 1.1 percent to C$1.0413 per U.S. dollar at 9:30 a.m. in Toronto, compared with C$1.0296 yesterday. One Canadian dollar buys 96.03 U.S. cents. Cars Lead Decline The retail sales decline was led by new car dealerships, where receipts fell 5.3 percent to C$6.1 billion. Excluding car and parts dealers, retail sales fell 1.2 percent to C$28.5 billion. On that basis, economists predicted sales would be unchanged, according to the median of 17 estimates. Sales excluding the automotive sector, which removes gasoline station sales as well as car and parts dealers, fell 1 percent to C$24.5 billion. Clothing and accessories receipts dropped 5.2 percent to C$2.02 billion in April, after warm weather in March boosted sales, Statistics Canada said. The agency also changed its March sales estimate to a 2.2 percent increase from the initial reading of 2.1 percent. Sales rose 6.6 percent in the 12 months ending in April.

Photosynthesis lab ideas? ssinger at carleton.edu Mon Mar 25 12:58:14 EST 2002 I'm trying to come up with a new and interesting photosynthesis lab for introductory students. We have four hours for lab. I'm particularly interested in finding something that helps students understand concepts. Has anyone ever developed a lab using a photosynthetic mutant? Inspiration and practical suggestions would be most welcome. Susan R. Singer Phone: 507-646-4391 Department of Biology Fax: 507-646-5757 Carleton College e-mail: ssinger at carleton.edu Northfield, MN 55057 More information about the Plant-ed

Illustrations – How Do YOU Capture Yours?April 24, 2008 When tackling the topic of sermon illustrations at last week’s Preaching Course, I mentioned that I capture illustrations using an A-Z subject file on my computer. Using 300 hundred categories I note down stories, analogies and quotes that I may find useful for some future sermon. Contrary other’s experience, I have discovered that I rarely come across illustrations ‘just when I need them.’ This means that I must constantly store up in summertime for winter. Alongside the illustration file, my other illustration store is my own memory banks and experience! So fellow preachers: I’d be very interested to know how you capture illustrations. What do you do?

Sending and Receiving Text Messaging Text Messaging has been a very important part our life, the medium of communication is in everyone hand. They are 1.5 billion mobile in use throughout the world today, with 70 to 90% the developing and developed country. Imagine the power to connect with these huge channel through your powerful email client application, with is your familiar work environment mean of communication. Here we will demonstrate you how to send and receive text messaging using our web services, which is easy to install and setup. Sending Text Message This is demonstration on how to send an short text message from Outlook 2007 using our service. Write down your short text message that you wish to send, and in the To... enter the recipient mobile number in the following international format correctly, to ensure that your message to successfully sent the recipient. As you can see their will a preview plane on the left, if your message will split into multiple message it will show here. back to top Receiving Text Message After you have signup and activate your with your account, you can start receiving text message from any mobile phone on the planet. The text message will show up in your Microsoft Outlook 2007 Inbox, and also the text message will show with a specific in state of the new mail icon therefore you can differentiate which is e-mail or text message.

Metal Injection Molding or Metal Additive Manufacturing: Which One is Best for Your Project? Both metal injection molding and metal additive manufacturing have unique attributes that can make either one the best choice for a project. For projects that involve metals, engineers should consider MIM and metal AM as an alternative to standard CNC machining, especially for creating smaller and more complex parts. Depending on the project, they can also complement each other to achieve the highest tolerances and production speed, with the least amount of secondary processing steps. Metal Injection Molding (MIM) Metal injection molding (MIM) combines plastic injection molding with metal powder fusion. A fine metal powder is mixed with a binder and injected into a mold—when the part is finished the binder is removed, leaving a metal part or structure that is then sintered into its final form. MIM is often selected for small, complex parts with unique geometries that cannot be efficiently manufactured using other manufacturing methods—for example, medical devices and components. A wide variety of metals can be processed with MIM, including stainless steel, steel alloys, iron-nickel alloys, cobalt alloys, tungsten alloys, and ceramics. Alloys can be customized for highly specific functions—for example, nickel and cobalt concentrations in carbon steel formulas can be modified for high-temperature automotive applications. Because making a part with MIM requires only a single mold, the process is highly repeatable and produces parts consistent in size, shape, and strength. The process can also be easily automated for high-volume production and even higher quality. Most finishes on MIM parts are inferior compared to standard CNC machining and require secondary processes for smoother finishes and tight tolerances. You May Also Like: How to Ride the Wave of Additive Manufacturing News MIM is used frequently in the medical device, aerospace, automotive, and electronics fields. MIM can create dense, lightweight parts, or a single part that replaces multiple parts, to make a product that is lighter in weight (for example, automotive parts that will help meet tighter MPG or emission regulations in vehicles). Overall, MIM is a cost-effective process, especially when producing complex or unusually shaped parts at high volumes (which helps offset the expense of making the mold). Metal Additive Manufacturing (Metal AM) Manufacturers often use metal AM to create complex, customized components that require specific mechanical characteristics or have intricate design features, for one-off or low-volume production—for example, patient-specific implants. The most popular metal AM processes are powder bed fusion technologies, which weld thin layers of metal powder together using a high energy source, such as a laser or electron beam. Titanium is the metal of choice for most AM applications, although new metal alloys are continuously coming into the AM market, including precious metals like gold and platinum. An advantage of metal AM compared to MIM is that it does not require a mold, which provides engineers with more creative design possibilities. Metal AM is often used to produce complex lattice and porous structures—applications include aerospace parts (strong yet much lighter in weight—for example, turbine blades) and medical implants (open porosity into which bone can grow). However, metal AM can cost more per part compared to MIM and is not suited for high-volume production. MIM + Metal AM There are several ways MIM and metal AM can be combined to produce parts. For example, metal AM can be used to make prototypes, jigs, fixtures, and tooling for the metal injection molding process, streamlining production and reducing downtime. Listen to This: The AI Evolution of Generative Computer-Aided Design In a breakthrough development, Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials has developed a new process called freeform injection molding that combines MIM and metal AM, which allows injection molders to make the same types of products as metal AM can, but stronger. The thermoplastic is injected into a 3D-printed mold made from a proprietary 3D printable liquid photopolymer resin that can be dissolved completely, revealing the completed injection-molded part. This process does not require a metal mold, which saves considerable time and cost. Engineers can become too process-focused when they design new products; by combining technologies (CNC machining, laser machining, AM, and MIM), they can create hybrid, complementary manufacturing processes that not only enable the creation of one-of-a-kind products, but also optimize quality, save production time, reduce costs, and speed up time to market. Mark Crawford is a technology writer based in Corrales, N.M.

|Duke of Windsor| Edward while Prince of Wales, 1922 |King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, Emperor of India | |Reign||20 January 1936 – 11 December 1936| |Born||23 June 1894| White Lodge, Richmond, Surrey, England |Died||28 May 1972 (aged 77)| 4 Route du Champ d'Entraînement, Paris, France |Burial||5 June 1972| |Mother||Mary of Teck| Edward VIII, later Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January 1936 until his abdication on 11 December of that year. Edward was born during the reign of his great-grandmother Queen Victoria as the eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George V and Queen Mary. He was created Prince of Wales on his sixteenth birthday, seven weeks after his father succeeded as king. As a young man, Edward served in the British Army during the First World War and undertook several overseas tours on behalf of his father. While Prince of Wales, he engaged in a series of affairs that worried his father and the British prime minister, Stanley Baldwin. Edward became king on his father's death. As king, he showed impatience with court protocol, and caused concern among politicians by his apparent disregard for established constitutional conventions. Only months into his reign, he caused a constitutional crisis by proposing to Wallis Simpson, an American who had divorced her first husband and was seeking a divorce from her second. The prime ministers of the United Kingdom and the Dominions opposed the marriage, arguing a divorced woman with two living ex-husbands was politically and socially unacceptable as a prospective queen consort. Additionally, such a marriage would have conflicted with Edward's status as the titular head of the Church of England, which at the time disapproved of remarriage after divorce if a former spouse was still alive. Edward knew the Baldwin government would resign if the marriage went ahead, which could have forced a general election and would have ruined his status as a politically neutral constitutional monarch. When it became apparent he could not marry Wallis and remain on the throne, he abdicated. He was succeeded by his younger brother, George VI. With a reign of 326 days, Edward is one of the shortest-reigning monarchs in British history. After his abdication, Edward was created Duke of Windsor. He married Wallis in France on 3 June 1937, after her second divorce became final. Later that year, the couple toured Germany. During the Second World War, Edward was at first stationed with the British Military Mission to France, but after private accusations that he was a Nazi sympathiser, he was appointed Governor of the Bahamas. After the war, Edward spent the rest of his life in retirement in France. He and Wallis remained married until his death in 1972. Wallis died 14 years later. Edward was born on 23 June 1894 at White Lodge, Richmond Park, on the outskirts of London during the reign of his great-grandmother Queen Victoria. He was the eldest son of the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George V and Queen Mary). His father was the son of the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra). His mother was the eldest daughter of Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge and Francis, Duke of Teck. At the time of his birth, he was third in the line of succession to the throne, behind his grandfather and father. He was baptised Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David in the Green Drawing Room of White Lodge on 16 July 1894 by Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury.[a] The names were chosen in honour of Edward's late uncle, who was known to his family as "Eddy" or Edward, and his great-grandfather King Christian IX of Denmark. The name Albert was included at the behest of Queen Victoria for her late husband Albert, Prince Consort, and the last four names – George, Andrew, Patrick and David – came from the patron saints of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. He was always known to his family and close friends by his last given name, David. As was common practice with upper-class children of the time, Edward and his younger siblings were brought up by nannies rather than directly by their parents. One of Edward's early nannies often abused him by pinching him before he was due to be presented to his parents. His subsequent crying and wailing would lead the Duke and Duchess to send him and the nanny away. The nanny was discharged after her mistreatment of the children was discovered, and she was replaced by Charlotte Bill. Edward's father, though a harsh disciplinarian, was demonstratively affectionate, and his mother displayed a frolicsome side with her children that belied her austere public image. She was amused by the children making tadpoles on toast for their French master as a prank, and encouraged them to confide in her. Initially, Edward was tutored at home by Helen Bricka. When his parents travelled the British Empire for almost nine months following the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, young Edward and his siblings stayed in Britain with their grandparents, Queen Alexandra and King Edward VII, who showered their grandchildren with affection. Upon his parents' return, Edward was placed under the care of two men, Frederick Finch and Henry Hansell, who virtually brought up Edward and his brothers and sister for their remaining nursery years. Edward was kept under the strict tutorship of Hansell until almost thirteen years old. Private tutors taught him German and French. Edward took the examination to enter the Royal Naval College, Osborne, and began there in 1907. Hansell had wanted Edward to enter school earlier, but the prince's father had disagreed. Following two years at Osborne College, which he did not enjoy, Edward moved on to the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth. A course of two years, followed by entry into the Royal Navy, was planned. Edward automatically became Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay on 6 May 1910 when his father ascended the throne as George V on the death of Edward VII. He was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester a month later on 23 June 1910, his 16th birthday. Preparations for his future as king began in earnest. He was withdrawn from his naval course before his formal graduation, served as midshipman for three months aboard the battleship Hindustan, then immediately entered Magdalen College, Oxford, for which, in the opinion of his biographers, he was underprepared intellectually. A keen horseman, he learned how to play polo with the university club. He left Oxford after eight terms, without any academic qualifications. Prince of Wales Edward was officially invested as Prince of Wales in a special ceremony at Caernarfon Castle on 13 July 1911. The investiture took place in Wales, at the instigation of the Welsh politician David Lloyd George, Constable of the Castle and Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Liberal government. Lloyd George invented a rather fanciful ceremony in the style of a Welsh pageant, and coached Edward to speak a few words in Welsh. When the First World War broke out in 1914, Edward had reached the minimum age for active service and was keen to participate. He had joined the Grenadier Guards in June 1914, and although Edward was willing to serve on the front lines, Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener refused to allow it, citing the immense harm that would occur if the heir apparent to the throne were captured by the enemy. Despite this, Edward witnessed trench warfare first-hand and visited the front line as often as he could, for which he was awarded the Military Cross in 1916. His role in the war, although limited, made him popular among veterans of the conflict. He undertook his first military flight in 1918, and later gained a pilot's licence. Edward's youngest brother, Prince John, died at the age of 13 on 18 January 1919 after a severe epileptic seizure. Edward, who was 11 years older than John and had hardly known him, saw his death as "little more than a regrettable nuisance". He wrote to his mistress of the time that "[he had] told [her] all about that little brother, and how he was an epileptic. [John]'s been practically shut up for the last two years anyhow, so no one has ever seen him except the family, and then only once or twice a year. This poor boy had become more of an animal than anything else." He also wrote an insensitive letter to his mother which has since been lost. She did not reply, but he felt compelled to write her an apology, in which he stated: "I feel such a cold hearted and unsympathetic swine for writing all that I did ... No one can realize more than you how little poor Johnnie meant to me who hardly knew him ... I feel so much for you, darling Mama, who was his mother." Throughout the 1920s, Edward, as the Prince of Wales, represented his father at home and abroad on many occasions. His rank, travels, good looks, and unmarried status gained him much public attention. At the height of his popularity, he was the most photographed celebrity of his time and he set men's fashion. During his 1924 visit to the United States, Men's Wear magazine observed, "The average young man in America is more interested in the clothes of the Prince of Wales than in any other individual on earth." Edward visited poverty-stricken areas of Britain, and undertook 16 tours to various parts of the Empire between 1919 and 1935. On a tour of Canada in 1919, he acquired the Bedingfield ranch, near Pekisko, Alberta, and in 1924, he donated the Prince of Wales Trophy to the National Hockey League. In 1929 Sir Alexander Leith, a leading Conservative in the north of England, persuaded him to make a three-day visit to the County Durham and Northumberland coalfields, where there was much unemployment. From January to April 1931, the Prince of Wales and his brother Prince George travelled 18,000 miles (29,000 km) on a tour of South America, steaming out on the ocean liner Oropesa, and returning via Paris and an Imperial Airways flight from Paris–Le Bourget Airport that landed specially in Windsor Great Park. Though widely travelled, Edward was racially prejudiced against foreigners and many of the Empire's subjects, believing that whites were inherently superior. In 1920, on a visit to Australia, he wrote of Indigenous Australians: "they are the most revolting form of living creatures I've ever seen!! They are the lowest known form of human beings & are the nearest thing to monkeys." In 1919, Edward agreed to be president of the organising committee for the proposed British Empire Exhibition at Wembley Park, Middlesex. He wished the Exhibition to include "a great national sports ground", and so played a part in the creation of Wembley Stadium. By 1917, Edward liked to spend time partying in Paris while he was on leave from his regiment on the Western Front. He was introduced to Parisian courtesan Marguerite Alibert, with whom he became infatuated. He wrote her candid letters, which she kept. After about a year, Edward broke off the affair. In 1923, Alibert was acquitted in a spectacular murder trial after she shot her husband in the Savoy Hotel. Desperate efforts were made by the Royal Household to ensure that Edward's name was not mentioned in connection with the trial or Alibert. Edward's womanising and reckless behaviour during the 1920s and 1930s worried Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, King George V, and those close to the prince. George V was disappointed by his son's failure to settle down in life, disgusted by his affairs with married women, and reluctant to see him inherit the Crown. "After I am dead," George said, "the boy will ruin himself in twelve months." George V favoured his second son Albert ("Bertie") and Albert's daughter Elizabeth ("Lilibet"), later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II respectively. He told a courtier, "I pray to God that my eldest son will never marry and have children, and that nothing will come between Bertie and Lilibet and the throne." In 1929, Time magazine reported that Edward teased Albert's wife, also named Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother), by calling her "Queen Elizabeth". The magazine asked if "she did not sometimes wonder how much truth there is in the story that he once said he would renounce his rights upon the death of George V – which would make her nickname come true". In 1930, George V gave Edward the lease of Fort Belvedere in Windsor Great Park. There, he continued his relationships with a series of married women, including Freda Dudley Ward and Lady Furness, the American wife of a British peer, who introduced the prince to her friend and fellow American Wallis Simpson. Simpson had divorced her first husband, U.S. naval officer Win Spencer, in 1927. Her second husband, Ernest Simpson, was a British-American businessman. Wallis Simpson and the Prince of Wales, it is generally accepted, became lovers, while Lady Furness travelled abroad, although the prince adamantly insisted to his father that he was not having an affair with her and that it was not appropriate to describe her as his mistress. Edward's relationship with Simpson, however, further weakened his poor relationship with his father. Although his parents met Simpson at Buckingham Palace in 1935, they later refused to receive her. Edward's affair with an American divorcée led to such grave concern that the couple were followed by members of the Metropolitan Police Special Branch, who examined in secret the nature of their relationship. An undated report detailed a visit by the couple to an antique shop, where the proprietor later noted "that the lady seemed to have POW [Prince of Wales] completely under her thumb." The prospect of having an American divorcée with a questionable past having such sway over the heir apparent led to anxiety among government and establishment figures. King George V died on 20 January 1936, and Edward ascended the throne as King Edward VIII. The next day, accompanied by Simpson, he broke with custom by watching the proclamation of his own accession from a window of St James's Palace. He became the first monarch of the British Empire to fly in an aircraft when he flew from Sandringham to London for his Accession Council. Edward caused unease in government circles with actions that were interpreted as interference in political matters. His comment during a tour of depressed villages in South Wales that "something must be done" for the unemployed coal miners was seen as an attempt to guide government policy, though it has never been clear what sort of remedy he had in mind. Government ministers were reluctant to send confidential documents and state papers to Fort Belvedere, because it was clear that Edward was paying little attention to them, and it was feared that Simpson and other house guests might read them, improperly or inadvertently revealing government secrets. Edward's unorthodox approach to his role also extended to the coinage that bore his image. He broke with the tradition that the profile portrait of each successive monarch faced in the direction opposite to that of his or her predecessor. Edward insisted that he face left (as his father had done), to show the parting in his hair. Only a handful of test coins were struck before the abdication, and all are very rare. When George VI succeeded to the throne he also faced left to maintain the tradition by suggesting that, had any further coins been minted featuring Edward's portrait, they would have shown him facing right. On 16 July 1936, an Irish fraudster called Jerome Bannigan, alias George Andrew McMahon, produced a loaded revolver as Edward rode on horseback at Constitution Hill, near Buckingham Palace. Police spotted the gun and pounced on him; he was quickly arrested. At Bannigan's trial, he alleged that "a foreign power" had approached him to kill Edward, that he had informed MI5 of the plan, and that he was merely seeing the plan through to help MI5 catch the real culprits. The court rejected the claims and sent him to jail for a year for "intent to alarm". It is now thought that Bannigan had indeed been in contact with MI5, but the veracity of the remainder of his claims remains open. In August and September, Edward and Simpson cruised the Eastern Mediterranean on the steam yacht Nahlin. By October it was becoming clear that the new king planned to marry Simpson, especially when divorce proceedings between the Simpsons were brought at Ipswich Assizes. Although gossip about his affair was widespread in the United States, the British media kept voluntarily silent, and the general public knew nothing until early December. On 16 November 1936, Edward invited Prime Minister Baldwin to Buckingham Palace and expressed his desire to marry Simpson when she became free to remarry. Baldwin informed him that his subjects would deem the marriage morally unacceptable, largely because remarriage after divorce was opposed by the Church of England, and the people would not tolerate Simpson as queen. As king, Edward was the titular head of the Church, and the clergy expected him to support the Church's teachings. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Cosmo Gordon Lang, was vocal in insisting that Edward must go. Edward proposed an alternative solution of a morganatic marriage, in which he would remain king but Simpson would not become queen consort. She would enjoy some lesser title instead, and any children they might have would not inherit the throne. This was supported by senior politician Winston Churchill in principle, and some historians suggest that he conceived the plan. In any event, it was ultimately rejected by the British Cabinet as well as other Dominion governments. Their views were sought pursuant to the Statute of Westminster 1931, which provided in part that "any alteration in the law touching the Succession to the Throne or the Royal Style and Titles shall hereafter require the assent as well of the Parliaments of all the Dominions as of the Parliament of the United Kingdom." The Prime Ministers of Australia (Joseph Lyons), Canada (Mackenzie King) and South Africa (J. B. M. Hertzog) made clear their opposition to the king marrying a divorcée; their Irish counterpart (Éamon de Valera) expressed indifference and detachment, while the Prime Minister of New Zealand (Michael Joseph Savage), having never heard of Simpson before, vacillated in disbelief. Faced with this opposition, Edward at first responded that there were "not many people in Australia" and their opinion did not matter. Edward informed Baldwin that he would abdicate if he could not marry Simpson. Baldwin then presented Edward with three options: give up the idea of marriage; marry against his ministers' wishes; or abdicate. It was clear that Edward was not prepared to give up Simpson, and he knew that if he married against the advice of his ministers, he would cause the government to resign, prompting a constitutional crisis. He chose to abdicate. Edward duly signed the instruments of abdication[b] at Fort Belvedere on 10 December 1936 in the presence of his younger brothers: Prince Albert, Duke of York, next in line for the throne; Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester; and Prince George, Duke of Kent. The document included these words: "declare my irrevocable determination to renounce the throne for myself and for my descendants and my desire that effect should be given to this instrument of abdication immediately". The next day, the last act of his reign was the royal assent to His Majesty's Declaration of Abdication Act 1936. As required by the Statute of Westminster, all the Dominions had already consented to the abdication. On the night of 11 December 1936, Edward, now reverted to the title and style of a prince, explained his decision to abdicate in a worldwide radio broadcast. He famously said, "I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love." He added that the "decision was mine and mine alone ... The other person most nearly concerned has tried up to the last to persuade me to take a different course". Edward departed Britain for Austria the following day; he was unable to join Simpson until her divorce became absolute, several months later. His brother, the Duke of York, succeeded to the throne as George VI. George VI's elder daughter, Princess Elizabeth, became heir presumptive. Duke of Windsor On 12 December 1936, at the accession meeting of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, George VI announced he was to make his brother the "Duke of Windsor" with the style of Royal Highness. He wanted this to be the first act of his reign, although the formal documents were not signed until 8 March the following year. During the interim, Edward was universally known as the Duke of Windsor. George VI's decision to create Edward a royal duke ensured that he could neither stand for election to the British House of Commons nor speak on political subjects in the House of Lords. Letters Patent dated 27 May 1937 re-conferred the "title, style, or attribute of Royal Highness" upon the Duke, but specifically stated that "his wife and descendants, if any, shall not hold said title or attribute". Some British ministers advised that the reconfirmation was unnecessary since Edward had retained the style automatically, and further that Simpson would automatically obtain the rank of wife of a prince with the style Her Royal Highness; others maintained that he had lost all royal rank and should no longer carry any royal title or style as an abdicated king, and be referred to simply as "Mr Edward Windsor". On 14 April 1937, Attorney General Sir Donald Somervell submitted to Home Secretary Sir John Simon a memorandum summarising the views of Lord Advocate T. M. Cooper, Parliamentary Counsel Sir Granville Ram, and himself: - We incline to the view that on his abdication the Duke of Windsor could not have claimed the right to be described as a Royal Highness. In other words, no reasonable objection could have been taken if the King had decided that his exclusion from the lineal succession excluded him from the right to this title as conferred by the existing Letters Patent. - The question however has to be considered on the basis of the fact that, for reasons which are readily understandable, he with the express approval of His Majesty enjoys this title and has been referred to as a Royal Highness on a formal occasion and in formal documents. In the light of precedent it seems clear that the wife of a Royal Highness enjoys the same title unless some appropriate express step can be and is taken to deprive her of it. - We came to the conclusion that the wife could not claim this right on any legal basis. The right to use this style or title, in our view, is within the prerogative of His Majesty and he has the power to regulate it by Letters Patent generally or in particular circumstances. The Duke married Simpson, who had changed her name by deed poll to Wallis Warfield, in a private ceremony on 3 June 1937, at Château de Candé, near Tours, France. When the Church of England refused to sanction the union, a County Durham clergyman, the Reverend Robert Anderson Jardine (Vicar of St Paul's, Darlington), offered to perform the ceremony, and the Duke accepted. George VI forbade members of the royal family to attend, to the lasting resentment of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Edward had particularly wanted his brothers the Dukes of Gloucester and Kent and his second cousin Lord Louis Mountbatten to attend the ceremony. The denial of the style Royal Highness to the Duchess of Windsor caused further conflict, as did the financial settlement. The Government declined to include the Duke or Duchess on the Civil List, and the Duke's allowance was paid personally by George VI. The Duke compromised his position with his brother by concealing the extent of his financial worth when they informally agreed on the amount of the allowance. Edward's wealth had accumulated from the revenues of the Duchy of Cornwall paid to him as Prince of Wales and ordinarily at the disposal of an incoming king. George VI also paid Edward for Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle, which were Edward's personal property, inherited from his father and thus did not automatically pass to George VI on his accession. In the early days of George VI's reign the Duke telephoned daily, importuning for money and urging that the Duchess be granted the style of Royal Highness, until the harassed king ordered that the calls not be put through. Relations between the Duke of Windsor and the rest of the royal family were strained for decades. The Duke had assumed that he would settle in Britain after a year or two of exile in France. King George VI (with the support of Queen Mary and his wife Queen Elizabeth) threatened to cut off Edward's allowance if he returned to Britain without an invitation. Edward became embittered against his mother, Queen Mary, writing to her in 1939: "[your last letter][c] destroy[ed] the last vestige of feeling I had left for you ... [and has] made further normal correspondence between us impossible." In October 1937, the Duke and Duchess visited Nazi Germany, against the advice of the British government, and met Adolf Hitler at his Berghof retreat in Bavaria. The visit was much publicised by the German media. During the visit the Duke gave full Nazi salutes. In Germany, "they were treated like royalty ... members of the aristocracy would bow and curtsy towards her, and she was treated with all the dignity and status that the duke always wanted," according to royal biographer Andrew Morton in a 2016 BBC interview. The former Austrian ambassador, Count Albert von Mensdorff-Pouilly-Dietrichstein, who was also a second cousin once removed and friend of George V, believed that Edward favoured German fascism as a bulwark against communism, and even that he initially favoured an alliance with Germany. According to the Duke of Windsor, the experience of "the unending scenes of horror" during the First World War led him to support appeasement. Hitler considered Edward to be friendly towards Germany and thought that Anglo-German relations could have been improved through Edward if it were not for the abdication. Albert Speer quoted Hitler directly: "I am certain through him permanent friendly relations could have been achieved. If he had stayed, everything would have been different. His abdication was a severe loss for us." The Duke and Duchess settled in France. Second World War In May 1939, the Duke was commissioned by NBC to give a radio broadcast (his first since abdicating) during a visit to the World War I battlefields of Verdun. In it he appealed for peace, saying "I am deeply conscious of the presence of the great company of the dead, and I am convinced that could they make their voices heard they would be with me in what I am about to say. I speak simply as a soldier of the Last War whose most earnest prayer it is that such cruel and destructive madness shall never again overtake mankind. There is no land whose people want war." The broadcast was heard across the world by millions. It was widely seen as supporting appeasement, and the BBC refused to broadcast it. It was broadcast outside the United States on shortwave radio and was reported in full by British broadsheet newspapers. On the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, the Duke and Duchess were brought back to Britain by Louis Mountbatten on board HMS Kelly, and Edward, although an honorary field marshal, was made a major-general attached to the British Military Mission in France. In February 1940, the German ambassador in The Hague, Count Julius von Zech-Burkersroda, claimed that the Duke had leaked the Allied war plans for the defence of Belgium, which the Duke later denied. When Germany invaded the north of France in May 1940, the Windsors fled south, first to Biarritz, then in June to Francoist Spain. In July the pair moved to Portugal, where they lived at first in the home of Ricardo Espírito Santo, a Portuguese banker with both British and German contacts. Under the code name Operation Willi, Nazi agents, principally Walter Schellenberg, plotted unsuccessfully to persuade the Duke to leave Portugal and return to Spain, kidnapping him if necessary. Lord Caldecote wrote a warning to Winston Churchill, who by this point was prime minister: "[the Duke] is well-known to be pro-Nazi and he may become a centre of intrigue." Churchill threatened the Duke with a court-martial if he did not return to British soil. In July 1940, Edward was appointed Governor of the Bahamas. The Duke and Duchess left Lisbon on 1 August aboard the American Export Lines steamship Excalibur, which was specially diverted from its usual direct course to New York City so that they could be dropped off at Bermuda on the 9th. They left Bermuda for Nassau on the Canadian steamship Lady Somers on 15 August, arriving two days later. The Duke did not enjoy being governor and privately referred to the islands as "a third-class British colony". The British Foreign Office strenuously objected when the Duke and Duchess planned to cruise aboard a yacht belonging to a Swedish magnate, Axel Wenner-Gren, whom British and American intelligence wrongly believed to be a close friend of Luftwaffe commander Hermann Göring. The Duke was praised for his efforts to combat poverty on the islands, although he was as contemptuous of the Bahamians as he was of most non-white peoples of the Empire. He said of Étienne Dupuch, the editor of the Nassau Daily Tribune: "It must be remembered that Dupuch is more than half Negro, and due to the peculiar mentality of this Race, they seem unable to rise to prominence without losing their equilibrium." He was praised, even by Dupuch, for his resolution of civil unrest over low wages in Nassau in 1942, even though he blamed the trouble on "mischief makers – communists" and "men of Central European Jewish descent, who had secured jobs as a pretext for obtaining a deferment of draft". He resigned from the post on 16 March 1945. Many historians have suggested that Hitler was prepared to reinstate Edward as king in the hope of establishing a fascist Britain. It is widely believed that the Duke and Duchess sympathised with fascism before and during the Second World War, and were moved to the Bahamas to minimise their opportunities to act on those feelings. In 1940 he said: "In the past 10 years Germany has totally reorganised the order of its society ... Countries which were unwilling to accept such a reorganisation of society and its concomitant sacrifices should direct their policies accordingly." During the occupation of France, the Duke asked the German forces to place guards at his Paris and Riviera homes; they did so. In December 1940, the Duke gave Fulton Oursler of Liberty magazine an interview at Government House in Nassau. Oursler conveyed its content to the President in a private meeting at the White House on 23 December 1940. The interview was published on 22 March 1941 and in it the Duke was reported to have said that "Hitler was the right and logical leader of the German people" and that the time was coming for President Franklin D. Roosevelt to mediate a peace settlement. The Duke protested that he had been misquoted and misinterpreted. The Allies became sufficiently disturbed by German plots revolving around the Duke that President Roosevelt ordered covert surveillance of the Duke and Duchess when they visited Palm Beach, Florida, in April 1941. Duke Carl Alexander of Württemberg (then a monk in an American monastery) had told the Federal Bureau of Investigation that the Duchess had slept with the German ambassador in London, Joachim von Ribbentrop, in 1936, had remained in constant contact with him, and had continued to leak secrets. Author Charles Higham claimed that Anthony Blunt, an MI5 agent and Soviet spy, acting on orders from the British royal family, made a successful secret trip to Schloss Friedrichshof in Germany towards the end of the war to retrieve sensitive letters between the Duke of Windsor and Adolf Hitler and other leading Nazis. What is certain is that George VI sent the Royal Librarian, Owen Morshead, accompanied by Blunt, then working part-time in the Royal Library as well as for British intelligence, to Friedrichshof in March 1945 to secure papers relating to the German Empress Victoria, the eldest child of Queen Victoria. Looters had stolen part of the castle's archive, including surviving letters between daughter and mother, as well as other valuables, some of which were recovered in Chicago after the war. The papers rescued by Morshead and Blunt, and those returned by the American authorities from Chicago, were deposited in the Royal Archives. In the late 1950s, documents recovered by U.S. troops in Marburg, Germany, in May 1945, since titled The Marburg Files, were published following more than a decade of suppression, enhancing theories of the Duke's sympathies for Nazi ideologies. After the war, the Duke admitted in his memoirs that he admired the Germans, but he denied being pro-Nazi. Of Hitler he wrote: "[the] Führer struck me as a somewhat ridiculous figure, with his theatrical posturings and his bombastic pretensions." In the 1950s, journalist Frank Giles heard the Duke blame British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden for helping to "precipitate the war through his treatment of Mussolini ... that's what [Eden] did, he helped to bring on the war ... and of course Roosevelt and the Jews". During the 1960s the Duke said privately to a friend, Patrick Balfour, 3rd Baron Kinross, "I never thought Hitler was such a bad chap." At the end of the war, the couple returned to France and spent the remainder of their lives essentially in retirement as the Duke never held another official role. Correspondence between the Duke and Kenneth de Courcy, dated between 1946 and 1949, emerged in a US library in 2009. The letters suggest a plot where the Duke would return to England and place himself in a position for a possible regency. The health of George VI was failing and de Courcy was concerned about the influence of the Mountbatten family over the young Princess Elizabeth. De Courcy suggested the Duke buy a working agricultural estate within an easy drive of London in order to gain favour with the British public and make himself available should the King become incapacitated. The Duke, however, hesitated and the King recovered from his surgery. The Duke's allowance was supplemented by government favours and illegal currency trading. The City of Paris provided the Duke with a house at 4 route du Champ d'Entraînement, on the Neuilly-sur-Seine side of the Bois de Boulogne, for a nominal rent. The French government exempted him from paying income tax, and the couple were able to buy goods duty-free through the British embassy and the military commissary. In 1952 they bought and renovated a weekend country retreat, Le Moulin de la Tuilerie at Gif-sur-Yvette, the only property the couple ever owned themselves. In 1951, the Duke had produced a ghost-written memoir, A King's Story, in which he expressed disagreement with liberal politics. The royalties from the book added to their income. The Duke and Duchess effectively took on the role of celebrities and were regarded as part of café society in the 1950s and 1960s. They hosted parties and shuttled between Paris and New York; Gore Vidal, who met the Windsors socially, reported on the vacuity of the Duke's conversation. The couple doted on the pug dogs they kept. In June 1953, instead of attending the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, his niece, in London, the Duke and Duchess watched the ceremony on television in Paris. The Duke said that it was contrary to precedent for a Sovereign or former Sovereign to attend any coronation of another. He was paid to write articles on the ceremony for the Sunday Express and Woman's Home Companion, as well as a short book, The Crown and the People, 1902–1953. In 1955 they visited President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the White House. The couple appeared on Edward R. Murrow's television-interview show Person to Person in 1956, and in a 50-minute BBC television interview in 1970. That year President Richard Nixon invited them as guests of honour to a dinner at the White House. The royal family never fully accepted the Duchess. Queen Mary refused to receive her formally. However, Edward sometimes met his mother and his brother, George VI; he attended George's funeral in 1952. Queen Mary remained angry with Edward and indignant over his marriage to Wallis: "To give up all this for that", she said. In 1965 the Duke and Duchess returned to London. They were visited by Elizabeth II, his sister-in-law Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, and his sister Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood. A week later, the Princess Royal died, and they attended her memorial service. In 1967 they joined the royal family for the centenary of Queen Mary's birth. The last royal ceremony the Duke attended was the funeral of Princess Marina in 1968. He declined an invitation from Elizabeth II to attend the investiture of the Prince of Wales in 1969, replying that Prince Charles would not want his "aged great-uncle" there. In the 1960s the Duke's health deteriorated. In December 1964 Michael E. DeBakey operated on him in Houston for an aneurysm of the abdominal aorta, and in February 1965 Sir Stewart Duke-Elder treated a detached retina in his left eye. In late 1971, the Duke, who was a smoker from an early age, was diagnosed with throat cancer and underwent cobalt therapy. On 18 May 1972, Queen Elizabeth II visited the Duke and Duchess of Windsor while on a state visit to France; she spoke with the Duke for fifteen minutes, but only the Duchess appeared with the royal party for a photocall as the Duke was too ill. Death and legacy On 28 May 1972, ten days after the Queen's visit, the Duke died at his home in Paris, less than a month before his 78th birthday. His body was returned to Britain, lying in state at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. The funeral service took place in the chapel on 5 June in the presence of the Queen, the royal family, and the Duchess of Windsor, who stayed at Buckingham Palace during her visit. He was buried in the Royal Burial Ground behind the Royal Mausoleum of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert at Frogmore. Until a 1965 agreement with the Queen, the Duke and Duchess had planned for a burial in a cemetery plot they had purchased at Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore, where the Duchess's father was interred. Frail, and suffering increasingly from dementia, the Duchess died in 1986, and was buried alongside her husband. In the view of historians, such as Philip Williamson writing in 2007, the popular perception in the 21st century that the abdication was driven by politics rather than religious morality is false and arises because divorce has become much more common and socially acceptable. To modern sensibilities, the religious restrictions that prevented Edward from continuing as king while planning to marry Simpson "seem, wrongly, to provide insufficient explanation" for his abdication. Titles, styles, honours and arms Titles and styles - 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1898: His Highness Prince Edward of York - 28 May 1898 – 22 January 1901: His Royal Highness Prince Edward of York - 22 January – 9 November 1901: His Royal Highness Prince Edward of Cornwall and York - 9 November 1901 – 6 May 1910: His Royal Highness Prince Edward of Wales - 6 May 1910 – 20 January 1936: His Royal Highness The Duke of Cornwall - in Scotland: His Royal Highness The Duke of Rothesay - 23 June 1910 – 20 January 1936: His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales - 20 January – 11 December 1936: His Majesty The King - 11 December 1936: His Royal Highness Prince Edward - 12 December 1936 – 28 May 1972: His Royal Highness The Duke of Windsor - 22 June 1911: Midshipman, Royal Navy - 17 March 1913: Lieutenant, Royal Navy - 18 November 1914: Lieutenant, 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards, British Army. (First World War, Flanders and Italy) - 10 March 1916: Captain, British Army - 1918: Temporary Major, British Army - 15 April 1919: Colonel, British Army - 8 July 1919: Captain, Royal Navy - 5 December 1922: Group Captain, Royal Air Force - 1 September 1930: Vice-Admiral, Royal Navy; Lieutenant-General, British Army; Air Marshal, Royal Air Force - 1 January 1935: Admiral, Royal Navy; General, British Army; Air Chief Marshal, Royal Air Force - 21 January 1936: Admiral of the Fleet, Royal Navy; Field Marshal, British Army; Marshal of the Royal Air Force - 3 September 1939: Major-General, British Army British Commonwealth and Empire honours - KG: Knight of the Garter, 1910 - MC: Military Cross, 1916 - GCMG: Grand Master and Knight Grand Cross of St Michael and St George, 1917 - GBE: Grand Master and Knight Grand Cross of the British Empire, 1917 - GCVO: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, 1920 - PC: Privy Counsellor, (United Kingdom) 1920 - GCSI: Knight Grand Commander of the Star of India, 1921 - GCIE: Knight Grand Commander of the Indian Empire, 1921 - Royal Victorian Chain, 1921 - KT: Knight of the Thistle, 1922 - GCStJ: Bailiff Grand Cross of St John, 12 June 1926 - KStJ: Knight of Justice of St John, 2 June 1917 - KP: Knight of St Patrick, 1927 - PC: Privy Councillor of Canada, 1927 - GCB: Knight Grand Cross of the Bath, 1936 - ISO: Companion of the Imperial Service Order - FRS: Royal Fellow of the Royal Society - Knight of the Golden Fleece, 22 June 1912 - Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, August 1912 - Knight of the Elephant, 17 March 1914 - Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav, 1914 - Knight of the Annunciation, 1915 - Croix de Guerre, 1915 - Order of St George, 3rd Class, 1916 - Knight of the Order of the Royal House of Chakri, 16 August 1917 - Order of Michael the Brave, 1st Class, 1918 - War Merit Cross, 1919 - Grand Cordon of Mohamed Ali, 1922 - Knight of the Seraphim, 12 November 1923 - Collar of the Order of Carol I, 1924 - Order of Merit, 1st Class, 1925 - Grand Cross of the Order of the Condor of the Andes, 1931 - Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun, 1931 - Grand Cross of the Sash of the Two Orders (Christ and Aviz), 25 April 1931 – during his visit to Lisbon - Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross, 1933 - Grand Cross of the Order of St. Agatha, 1935 Freedom of the Burgh Edward's coat of arms as the Prince of Wales was the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom, differenced with a label of three points argent, with an inescutcheon representing Wales surmounted by a coronet (identical to those of Charles, the current Prince of Wales). As Sovereign, he bore the royal arms undifferenced. 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UK National Archives. - Portraits of Edward, Duke of Windsor at the National Portrait Gallery, London - BBC News 1972 – Duke of Windsor (King Edward VIII) Funeral - Sound recording of King Edward VIII's Abdication Speech - Newsreel film on King Edward VIII's Abdication - 1972 Clip of Funeral - Signed Royal Christmas Cards sent to The Duke & Duchess of Windsor - Wallis and death of Duke of Windsor - Newspaper clippings about Edward VIII in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW Cadet branch of the House of WettinBorn: 23 June 1894 Died: 28 May 1972 | King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions; Emperor of India 20 January – 11 December 1936 later became King George V | Prince of Wales Duke of Cornwall; Duke of Rothesay Title next held byPrince Charles Sir Charles Dundas | Governor of the Bahamas Sir William Lindsay Murphy Title last held byThe Prince of Wales | Grand Master of the Order of St Michael and St George The Earl of Athlone |New title|| Grand Master of the Order of the British Empire | Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Auxiliary Air Force King George VI |New office|| Chancellor of the University of Cape Town

The map of our genetic contacts In an uncoiled state, all of our DNA strands would be about two meters long. It’s therefore easy to grasp that it must be complex to fit the structure of folded chromosomes inside every single cell in our body. The role that this elaborate architecture plays in diseases is being studied by Einstein BIH Visiting Fellow Mario Nicodemi and his host Professor Ana Pombo, in cooperation with the clinical geneticist Professor Stefan Mundlos. We met the former two scientists in Berlin to get a more precise explanation of the architecture of our genome. In your project description, it says you’re working on a kind of map. Can you give us some idea of what that means? Nicodemi: I’m studying the 3D structure of the folded chromosomes. Certain areas of the genome are responsible for controlling the genes and the positions of physical contact between these areas of the genome determine, for example, whether the activity of those genes is enhanced or suppressed. With about 20,000 genes in our genome, you can imagine how these contacts may interplay which each other to bring about a complex architecture of chromatin – i.e. the folded packets of DNA. Ana Pombo has developed a technology to show those points of contact. By applying physical laws, I’m trying to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms that control that architecture. Stefan Mundlos is studying how mutations in connection with diseases influence the architecture. Mutations often appear in segments of the genome that do not produce proteins, but nevertheless have a medical effect. We’ve found out that such mutations that do not directly affect genes, often change the contacts between the genes and their regulatory elements elsewhere in the genome, and that certain congenital diseases are connected to that mechanism. Pombo: To understand how these structures work, we have to look at different states of the cell. We have to observe the cell when it’s at rest, when it’s dividing, when it’s healthy or diseased. So, due to mutations, gene segments become connected together that weren’t actually supposed to have contact with each other. What effects does this have? Pombo: Children with birth defects, called congenital diseases, have mutations in their genome that can lead to segments being missing or reorganized. When they consult a clinical geneticist, such as Stefan Mundlos, it is not trivial to guess whether the change in the linear genome sequence has also an impact in the 3D structure of the genome. Mario Nicodemi’s work can make appropriate predictions based on physical laws. Einstein BIH Visiting Fellows 2017 – 2019 Understanding chromatin folding and gene regulation in disease associated genomic rearrangements Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Coordinator of the National Initiative "Biological Physics", Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Italy Research Associate, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare Professor of Theoretical Physics, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy Nicodemi: Different mutations on the same gene locus can be connected to different patterns of disease, such as malformations of the limbs. That can be predicted with our models. Then your role is to develop the models further? Nicodemi: The overarching objective is to integrate and explain the high-quality data generated using high-throughput technologies. To this aim, we are developing models by applying the principles of physics. On the one hand, we can better understand fundamental mechanisms of gene regulation, on the other we can expect great benefits for the clinic. Up to now, with Stefan Mundlos we investigated malformations of the skeleton, but our next target is the study of neural developmental disorders as well. Are the mechanisms involved in the development of neurological and skeletal diseases similar? Pombo: Different points on the linear genome have different characteristics. There are gene-rich and gene-poor areas. Neural genes are often located in the outer regions of the nucleus during early development; this can influence what happens in that area in the event of a mutation. In the case of the neurological developmental disorder Rett syndrome, the responsible proteins are for example expressed throughout the body, but neurons are particularly susceptible to the mutation. In other cases, a mutation doesn’t lead to any disease at all. We study these complex mechanisms in our models. Your backgrounds are actually very different. Did you get to know each other by chance? Pombo: We first met in 2008 – that was by chance. However, despite our different academic backgrounds we quickly discovered that we shared similar ideas as to how and why the 3D structure of the genome could be important. We began working together on the subject in the UK. Later on, in Berlin, I got to know Stefan Mundlos and other colleagues who have enriched my research enormously. In London, I did not have direct synergies with clinical geneticists. The Einstein BIH Visiting Fellows Program of Stiftung Charité was a great opportunity to establish a closer connection between our laboratories. In this way, a real hub has come into being, centred on the subject of the “nucleome”. Nicodemi: The interdisciplinary cooperation between a molecular biologist who originally trained as a biochemist, a theoretical physicist and a clinical geneticist is definitely the key to our collaboration. So half a dozen articles in prestigious academic journals have come out of this synergy over the last few years. (laughs) Your collaboration connects up different disciplines as well as basic research and the clinic. Is this usual nowadays? Pombo: At the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, a guiding principle is that although basic research is essential, good integration in the Berlin research landscape and close collaboration with colleagues at the Charité and at the Berlin Institute of Health are equally important. Berlin is ideal for this exchange. We expect this productive contact to become even easier now that the MDC has opened its new BIMSB building in Mitte. Nicodemi: At the moment, the flight from Naples to Berlin lasts about as long as the journey from Mitte to the MDC in Buch. (laughs) We have regular meetings and organize joint retreats for our labs, when we spend half a week together and plan different activities. We’ve already met in Berlin, in London and in Naples. What’s the first thing that springs to mind when you think of your particular laboratory? Pombo: My team is interdisciplinary and international: we come from ten different countries. The whole troupe is a big adventure, but at the same time they’re also very serious researchers – a mixture of courageous adventurers and at the same time extremely down-to-earth people. Nicodemi: In my lab, it’s a bit different: we really are nearly all theoretical physicists. You could compare us to the team from the Big Bang Theory, with a great interest in mathematics and computers, but also very open to interdisciplinary collaboration. Would you want your children to follow in your footsteps and become researchers? Pombo: If they want that, I wouldn’t try to prevent them. But I wouldn’t tell them what they should do either. Would you react differently if they wanted to become YouTubers, for example? Nicodemi: It’s not that far-fetched – my children are very active on YouTube. But if you’re explicitly against it, that only makes it more likely to happen. Pombo: I totally agree. As a group leader, you’re working with young people at a very exciting time in their lives. Taking care of your own children teaches you certain things that help you to manage a young team. It also works the other way round too. It’s an honour and a great responsibility to accompany young people at this stage of their lives. Did you feel prepared for such a task? Or is this something one has to grow into? Pombo: No one is really prepared for it, because there isn’t any preparation. However, there are more and more psychology studies which offer insights about how best to teach and learn. For example, when and how it’s best to teach maths. I’m curious to see how these insights will change teaching in the future. At German schools, it was often the physics lessons that almost completely failed to interest many pupils… Nicodemi: The same thing applies in Italy, France, the UK – in fact, everywhere l’ve lived. Of course, it depends on the quality of the teacher concerned. There are people who have a brilliant grasp of physics but are unable to convey it. Other physicists are less brilliant in their field but are better at conveying knowledge. Now and again, you get someone who has both abilities – which is, of course, the ideal scenario. Have you yourself had any experience with formats that aim to awaken the interest of the broader public in research? Pombo: At the MDC, there’s the Glass Laboratory, which is almost always booked out and is visited by school groups from all over Germany – it’s fantastic. In other countries, it can be a problem especially if you live away from the bigger scientific centres. That makes it less likely that you’ll have access to such opportunities. Nicodemi: The less central the area, the less likely it is that people will come into contact with new scientific discoveries. As southern Italy traditionally has a weaker infrastructure than the rich north of the country, programs have been developed in which scientists personally visit the schools in such areas. I’ve participated in this program because I think it’s important to help young people get in contact with novel scientific and technological developments and to draw their attention to the option of a career in frontier science and technology. What were the best pieces of advice that you yourself received in your scientific career? Pombo: When I was obtaining my doctorate, I was encouraged to explore at less-known areas of molecular and cellular biology. That way, I had a chance to pursue my own interests and to have a look at new areas. Nicodemi: It’s important to remember that the level of pressure in a scientific career is extremely high, particularly in the early years. You risk quite a bit and don’t usually have a permanent post for many years. In time, once you’ve proved yourself in the system, it does get easier. For me, following my heart and also taking the odd risk has proved worthwhile.

The Story of National Women's History Month As recently as the 1970's, women's history was virtually an unknown topic in the K-12 curriculum or in general public consciousness. To address this situation, the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women initiated a "Women's History Week" celebration for 1978. We chose the week of March 8 to make International Women's Day the focal point of the observance. The activities that were held met with enthusiastic response, and within a few years dozens of schools planned special programs for Women's History Week, over one-hundred community women participated in the Community Resource Women Project, an annual "Real Woman" Essay Contest drew hundreds of entries, and we were staging a marvelous annual parade and program in downtown Santa Rosa, California. In 1979, a member of our groups was invited to participate in Women's History Institutes at Sarah Lawrence College, attended by the national leaders of organizations for women and girls. When they learned about our countywide Women's History Week celebration, they decided to initiate similar celebrations within their own organizations and school districts. They also agreed to support our efforts to secure a Congressional Resolution declaring a "National Women's History Week." Together we succeeded! In 1981, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Rep. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) co-sponsored the first Joint Congressional Resolution. As word spread rapidly across the nation, state departments of education encouraged celebrations of National Women's History Week as an effective means to achieving equity goals within classrooms. Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Oregon, Alaska, and other states developed and distributed curriculum materials all of their public schools. Organizations sponsored essay contests and other special programs in their local areas. Within a few years, thousands of schools and communities were celebrating National Women's History Week, supported and encouraged by resolutions from governors, city councils, school boards, and the U.S. Congress. The Entire Month of March In 1987, the National Women's History Project petitioned Congress to expand the national celebration to the entire month of March. Since then, the National Women's History Month Resolution has been approved with bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. Each year, programs and activities in schools, workplaces, and communities have become more extensive as information and program ideas have been developed and shared. Growing Interest in Women's History The popularity of women's history celebrations has sparked a new interest in uncovering women's forgotten heritage. Many states and cities have instituted a "Women's Hall of Fame," or have published biographical materials about prominent women in the history of their particular locale. In many areas, state historical societies, women's organizations, and groups such as the Girl Scout of the USA have worked together to develop joint programs. Under the guidance of the national Women 's History Month educators, workplace program planners, parents and community organizations in thousands of American communities have turned National Women's History Month into a major focal celebration, and a springboard for celebrating women's history all year 'round. Expanding the Focus The National Women's History Project is involved in many efforts to promote multicultural women's history. We produce organizing guides, curriculum units, posters and display sets, videos, and a range of delightful celebration supplies. We also coordinate the Women's History Network, conduct teacher training conferences, and supply materials to people wherever they live through a Women's History Catalog. "Every time a girl reads a womanless history she learns she is worth less." -- Myra and David Sadker, in their book Failing at Fairness: How America's Schools Cheat Girls

by Tim Buck Custer and Rembrandt 2 portrait paintings I started painting a few years ago while living in Japan. Tried the Ross method, but couldn't get it to work. Starting with photos I took, i tried doing Japanese landmarks, and eventually (over several years - I'm slow) came to my favorite subject - US Military history in the 1800's. I noticed that there were not many portraits of 1860's-1870's military figures - photography was the big thing. So, I decided to try and paint one of Brady's subjects as if he had lived during Rembrandt's time. I studied a little on the Dutch Masters' style and methods, and am pretty pleased with what I ended up painting. I have learned more about this style since (I didn't understand the gray under-painting process). The most difficult part was developing the color scheme when there are no color photo's (or even paintings that I could find) of Custer. He was known as "Yellow Hair" and is almost always portrayed as being blond, but a close look at his photos reveals a freckled face and I presumed he probably had sandy/reddish hair. Anyway, I am working more as I have time on developing this portrait technique. Also, this painting is accompanied by the next painting I did after someone told me to loosen up (they thought Custer was too "precise"). So, I tried to copy a Rembrandt self portrait. It is not terribly accurate, but definitely looser than Custer.

Examine whether contaminants in your water supply met two standards: the legal limits established by the Safe Drinking Water Act, and the typically stricter health guidelines. The data was collected by an advocacy organization, the Environmental Working Group, who shared it with The Times. Johnson Water - Independ Uintah County, Utah. Serves 100 people. No data was available for this system. Units: ppb: parts per billion, pCi/L: picocuries per liter, ppm: parts per million, mrem/yr: millirems per year, MFL: million fibers per litre

This started out as a continuation on the theme of Why We Are So Screwed (see http://polination.wordpress.com/2013/01/19/democrats-hate-god-its-that-simple/) but ended up being a bunch of fun stuff about the Jewish calendar and Noah’s Ark. I confess that I was pretty much totally creeped out when I realized that the FIRST full day of Obama’s SECOND term was the FORTIETH anniversary of Roe v. Wade. ONE, TWO and FORTY are all Big Important Numbers in the Bible. And there’s no question Obama is THE most rabidly pro-abortion president EVER. I’ve talked about ONE (God) and TWO (complementary or contrasting pairs) before, but I haven’t explored FORTY in any depth, so I did that this morning during my Bible and Java time on the couch. (Fave part of the day!) According to my Bible Dictionary, FORTY is associated with new developments in the history of God’s Big Plan, particularly with periods of TRIAL and CHASTISEMENT. - TRIAL: Jesus was tempted by the Devil for 40 days and 40 nights in the desert, and won the battle. - CHASTISEMENT: The Israelites spent 40 years wandering in the desert because of the golden calf incident. Funny how in the number FORTY, there is a SINGLE number with TWO meanings. And when you add the ONE number with the TWO meanings you get, tada, God’s Big Number, THREE. I started looking up the FORTY incidents my Bible Dictionary listed, beginning with Noah and the Ark, when God sent FORTY days and FORTY nights of heavy rain and drowned everybody but Noah and those with him in the ark. Obviously, mega CHASTISEMENT for the sinful earthlings who drowned, but I’m thinking it was no picnic being shut up on that boat with all those animals in all that humidity, so mega TRIAL for the righteous. Ew. But Scripture provides a bunch of actual dates and time frames within the whole story that got me intrigued. I had so much fun researching, it took up the whole day! I never did get to any more of the FORTY incidents. LOL The Jewish calendar is composed of TWELVE lunar months of twenty-nine or thirty days, for a total of 354 days. Like us, they use leap years to keep it from getting out of synch with the solar cycle. Below is a list of the common months and the major holidays with the 2013 dates for our calendar. 1. Tishrei (30 days) - Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) Sept 5, 2013. - Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) Sept 14, 2013. - Sukkot (Feast of Booths/Tabernacles) Sept 19-25, 2013. 2. Marcheshvan (29 days) 3. Kislev (30 days) - Hannukah Nov 28-Dec 5, 2013 4. Tevet (29 days) 5. Shevat (30 days) - In leap years, they stick an extra month in between Shevat and Adar. 6. Adar (29 days) - Purim February 23-24, 2013. 7. Nisan (30 days) - Pesach (Passover) Always begins on Nisan 15, lasts 7 or 8 days and celebrates God freeing the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. Mar 26 – Apr 2, 2013. 8. Iyar (29 days) - Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) – Apr 16, 2013. - Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day) – May 7, 2013 9. Sivan (30 days) - Shavuot (Pentecost) – May 15-16, 2013 10. Tammuz (29 days) 11. Av (30 days) - Tisha B’av (The Ninth of Av) A fast day that commemorates two of the saddest events in Jewish history that both occurred on the ninth of Av – the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE and of the Second Temple in 70 CE. July 16, 2013. 12. Elul (29 days) According to Genesis 7 and 8: 2/10: The Noahs got themselves and the animals on to the ark during the second month, Marcheshvan, which falls in October. 2/17: The rain started a week later “in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month.” 7/17: The ark “came to rest on the mountains of Ararat” one hundred and fifty days later “in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month.” This date is always the third day of Passover, which falls in the spring. Can you imagine what it was like on the ark, with the animals and the humidity and the motion sickness and the relatives living in close quarters? I bet the Pilgrims had a whole new understanding of the Noah story after their arduous boat ride across the Atlantic in their itty bitty, mega crowded Mayflower! 10/1: The level of the water “continued to diminish” until “the first day of the tenth month” when “the tops of the mountains appeared.” The tenth month is Tammuz; it falls in June. 11/10 part one: “At the end of forty days Noah opened the hatch of the ark that he had made.” FORTY days after the first of Tammuz is the tenth of Av. Both destructions of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem happened on the 9th of Av. I love it that the hope-filled day when Noah first opened the hatch of the ark was the 10th of Av. It’s like God gave the Jews a sign of hope about the Temples centuries before they would even need it. 11/10 part two: On this day, Noah “released a RAVEN. It flew back and forth until the waters dried off from the earth. Then Noah released a DOVE, to see if the waters had lessened on the earth.” I was puzzled about the RAVEN and the DOVE, until I thought to surf a bird guide and learned that ravens live on mountains and eat almost anything, including carrion, while doves live among tall grasses or groves of trees and eat mostly seeds. The RAVEN didn’t come right back, because it was comfortable spending time on the mountains that had been exposed. But it “flew back and forth” for a while, maybe because ravens are really smart and this one knew the people on the ark were good for a meal of something other than carrion (which I expect was plentiful, what with the way dead animals float) and a place out of the wind to catch some zzzs. Noah released a DOVE to see if “the waters had lessened on the earth”, because the dove would not be comfortable staying out until there was dry land and seed-bearing plants down in the foothills and valleys. 11/17: “Noah waited yet seven days more and again released the dove from the ark. In the evening the dove came back to him, and there in its bill was a plucked-off olive leaf! So Noah knew that the waters had diminished on the earth.” They’d have been in July more or less. 11/24: “He waited yet another seven days and then released the dove; but this time it did not come back.” That was a good sign, since it meant there was not only dry land, but also plants that had flowered and were now bearing seeds in the valleys below. 1/1: “In the first month, on the first day of the month, Noah removed the covering of the ark and saw that the surface of the ground had dried.” I was puzzled why Noah waited five weeks after the dove took off before removing the “covering of the ark”, but then I went back to the instructions God gave him for building in Chapter Six. There were only two openings, one “for daylight” (the “hatch”) and “the entrance on its side” (the “covering of the ark”). Obviously, opening the latter was a big deal, both mechanically and because the animals would have gotten very antsy to be let loose once it was opened. It makes sense that he waited until he was sure there was habitat available for them. Can you IMAGINE what it meant for the Noahs to get that Big Door open and start sending the animals off the ark? And wow … on New Year’s Day, no less! Best New Year’s Ever!! 2/27: The journey ended in Marcheshvan, the same month it had started the year before. “In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry. Then God said to Noah: Go out of the ark.” SUMMARY: The Noahs boarded on Marcheshvan 10, the rain began on Marcheshvan 17 and they debarked the following year on Marcheshvan 27. Since the Jewish lunar calendar is about eleven days shorter than our solar calendar, it works out that they boarded with the animals ONE week before the rain started, which is kinda like the SEVEN days of Creation, then were on board for ONE solar year. That is so cool! 40s in the Bible. See a list @ http://www.biblestudy.org/bibleref/meaning-of-numbers-in-bible/40.html Lessons from the Olive Tree @ http://www.pray4zion.org/LessonsfromtheOliveTree.html About ravens @ http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Raven/lifehistory About doves @ http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Ground-Dove/id Hebrew calendar @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_calendar

This report provides a geologic map of the Blue Gap 7.5-minute quadrangle, located along the eastern flank of the Washakie Basin, Wyo. Geologic formations and individual coal beds were mapped at a scale of 1:24,000; surface stratigraphic sections were measured and described; and well logs were examined to determine coal correlations and thicknesses in the subsurface. Additional Publication Details USGS Numbered Series Geologic map and coal stratigraphy of the Blue Gap quadrangle, eastern Washakie Basin, Carbon County, Wyoming Scientific Investigations Map 1 sheet, 46.25 in. x 39 in.; metadata, base map, info files; 10 p. text map

Free Shape Race Game Using games in speech therapy is a fun way to keep students engaged. The challenge is getting a high number of trials while playing the game. That’s where Shape Race comes in. This speech game is a game of strategy that will ensure you get a high number of trials. Students will race to connect a path across the game board. This game is most fun when students can incorporate some strategy…try to block their opponent while making their own path. Here are the some files you can use to try out this game with your students: - Shape Race Game Notes & Instructions (PDF) - Shape Race /s/ Color (PDF) - Shape Race /s/ B&W (PDF) - Shape Race /s/ Words (PDF) To get access to ALL of the Shape Race pages and other speech games, join the KI Speech Community.

Visitors to Gunwharf Quays in the 21st century may deduce from the name that the site probably played a part in the military history of Portsmouth and may garner further details from the several plaques adorning variously, torpedoes, mines and buildings, but they may not appreciate that prior to the 18C the land on which they stand did not exist. Had they for instance been able to accompany King Charles II when he visited Portsmouth in 1662 to inspect the town and dockyard, they would have travelled between the two along what is now Gunwharf Road, across a bridge and along Ordnance Row to The Hard, all the while seeing open water to their left. The Founding of Gunwharf Some historians place Gunwharf on the site of King Richard's dock, the first to be built in Portsmouth. Whilst it is certainly close to that spot evidence for the exact position for the dock is too sketchy for this to be stated with confidence. What can be said is that almost all of the area now known as Gunwharf was mud flats, only exposed at low water, until the first decade of the 18C when some 60,000 square yards of mud bank were surrounded by a stone wall and filled in with earth thereby extending the shoreline some 350 yards into the harbour. The date for the construction of Gunwharf is generally given to be 1662, but this is too early as there exist several maps drawn after that date on which Gunwharf does not appear. One such example is a map of 1679 by Thomas Phillips, drawn for a review of the existing fortifications. 1662 is almost certainly cited as Patterson and others quote it as being the year in which Col. M. Legge, Lieutenant of Ordnance was issued with a warrant for £3822 "for the purchase of ground, buildings, structures and the making of a wharf at Portsmouth for the use of the navy". There are three problems with this. Firstly, the Lieutenant of Ordnance in 1662 was William Legge; secondly the Calendar of State Papers Domestic (CSPD) for 1662 makes no reference to this warrant; thirdly it does not refer specifically to Gunwharf whilst the CSPD does refer to at least five other warrants being awarded in 1662 for the building of docks and wharves, almost all of them payable to Sir George Carteret. A further concern is that the construction of Gunwharf was a massive project and 1662 was the beginning of a period when the King's chief Military Engineer, Sir Bernard de Gomme was re-fortifying Portsmouth and it seems unlikely that works of such a size could have happened at that time without him being involved. This is supported by Andrew Saunders, who, in his meticulous biography of Bernard de Gomme entitled "Fortress Builder", makes no mention of Gunwharf nor any works which could have been associated with it. In any case it is difficult to imagine where the required workforce would have come from at the time given the significant numbers of labourers then involved in the remodelling of the ditches and ramparts around Portsmouth. The most accurate date for the actual construction comes from the maps of the period, in particular an anonymous publication dated c1700 with possible amendments in 1706 and 1709 [PRO MPHH 516 (formerly WO 78/1426)]. The commentary on this map as published in the Portsmouth Record Series starts by referring to a 'plan for proposed Gunwharf...' and goes on 'original, unbuilt version of Gunwharf is shown'. The commentary also quotes the State Papers for 12th September 1699 - 'The Board of Ordnance reported that "the wharf where our guns lie is not in very good condition.....it might be better to have another wharf built particularly for the guns"' (this may well have been a reference to the Ordnance wharf at Point which had been leased to the Board for 99 years in 1676 - see, The Last House in Portsmouth). It ends by quoting PRO WO 55/1548 (10) which contains a report on Portsmouth defences by Talbot Edwards dated 20th March 1707-8 stating that the Gun Wharf was being filled in with earth during the previous year. The area reclaimed from the sea around 1706 formed only one half of the modern Gunwharf Quays. It lay between Ordnance Row and a creek which led to the Mill Pond and which was located in approximately the same position as the canal which divides the current commercial development in the north from the residential quarter in the south. There seems to have been some protection provided for Gunwharf in the form of a ditch and palisade which separated it from Ordnance Row but it was not as extensive as the fortifications around Portsmouth and the Dockyard. From the outset the role of Gunwharf was to act as the main repository for the navy, supplying and maintaining the guns, small arms and other ordnance. It would receive the armaments of ships going into ordinary (mothball) or refit and supply ships outward bound to war, commercial protection or even circumnavigation of the globe. Gunwharf did store some gunpowder but the main repository remained in the Square Tower in Portsmouth, much to the consternation of local inhabitants, until 1777 when Priddy's Hard on the other side of the harbour was constructed. Operations at Gunwharf continued unabated for most of the 18C but in 1797 a review of resources came to the conclusion that more land was required and to this end the Board of Ordnance ordered that a further section of the harbour, to the south of the creek, would be reclaimed. Once this was complete a boundary wall was erected with two fine gates on the piers of which were placed stone mortars (see left). The southern section of Gunwharf was later extended landwards with a new wall constructed, thereby isolating the original gates which have survived to be incorporated into the modern housing development. The foundation stone for the Grand Storehouse (now the Vulcan Building) was laid by the Duke of Clarence on 28th November 1811 and the whole complex was completed in 1814. In his "Defence of the Realm", John Sadden reports that 'Visitors to the Gunwharves in the 19th Century were astonished by the scale of arms and munitions kept at the Grand Storehouse, with hundreds of huge mortars and cannon neatly arranged in parallel rows and pyramids of up to 40,000 cannonballs and shells......The stores and magazines contained 21,000 rifles, other small arms, boarding hooks and gun carriages.' In 1888 a further review split the two halves of Gunwharf with the army taking over the northern section and the navy the southern. Responsibility for Gunwharf remained divided until the First World War when, in 1915, the two halves were re-united under the Admiralty with the army being relocated to Hilsea Barracks. After the end of the war, in 1919, the southern half of Gunwharf was taken over by the Mines School, followed later by the Torpedo school in the northern half, before in 1923 the whole of Gunwharf became the Vernon Shore Establishment. In 1866 Robert Whitehead, a marine engineer, developed his Whitehead-Luppis torpedo which used a hydrostatic plate to maintain submerged depth. Although some experiments with torpedoes had been carried out by the navy prior to Whitehead's breakthrough the new model with it's potential to revolutionise warfare at sea enthused several officers, including Commander H.C. Kane who was at that time attached to the gunnery school at HMS Excellent. Kane began laying down the principles for the study of torpedo warfare as a separate subject within the school with the blessing of the Excellent Captain A.W.A Hood, but within two years he had been succeeded by Lt. Jackie Fisher who was promoted to Commander almost immediately. Hood and Fisher set up the new school in the hulk HMS Vernon which was then a tender to the Excellent, whilst experimental trials took place from 1885 at Horsea Island. At about the same time Excellent and Vernon went their separate ways, Excellent to Whale Island in the late 1890s and Vernon to Gunwharf in the 1920s. Although the name of Vernon would become synonymous with the torpedo and the mine, the association was entirely accidental. The name of Vernon originated with Admiral Edward Vernon who was born at Westminster on November 12th 1684 and went on to become a successful and much loved naval captain and occasional member of Parliament. He died in 1757, leaving behind not only a cherished legacy but also his nickname 'Old Grog' from which the name of the navy rum ration was derived. Even before Vernon had died his reputation was such that his name adorned a new ship built in 1739 and though neither it nor the two succeeding ships that used the same name were naval vessels they all served the government. The second Vernon was built in 1741 which meant that there were two ships afloat at the same time with the same name. The third Vernon first sailed in 1781 but it's fate after seeing action in a various theatres of war is unrecorded. It is the fourth ship bearing the name of Vernon that is of greatest relevance to subsequent events. Known as the 'Symondite' frigate after her designer William Symonds, the fourth Vernon was often described as "the most magnificent frigate ever built by any nation". She was constructed in 1832 to a radical new design which made her more stable and much faster than her contempories though she attracted as much criticism as adoration from her commanders. For 16 years HMS Vernon served during many engagements with great honour, but in 1848 she was paid off at Chatham and spent the next nineteen years laid up until in 1867 she was briefly moved to Portland where she served as a coal jetty before being moved once more, this time to Portsmouth where she was set up as a tender to HMS Excellent. Once the torpedo school on Vernon had separated from Excellent other hulks were added to the complex, all of which were moored in Fountain Lake, north of the Dockyard. First to arrive was the Ariadne (also in 1876) which served as living quarters followed by Actæon (1876), Donegal (1886), Marlborough (1904), Warrior (1904) and a number of smaller vessels. The whole group were known collectively as Vernon with some renamed Vernon I, Vernon II and Vernon III. In 1895 the whole of Vernon was moved to Portchester Creek as Fountain Lake was becoming too crowded. It may not be obvious to us today but in 1867 the torpedo was considered to be a variety of mine so it is not surprising that the two weapons were developed alongside each other from the beginning. Both the torpedo and the mine were fired electrically, this being the first application of electricity to warfare, and as a consequence the Torpedo branch became inextricably linked with electricity. As the two schools grew it became increasingly obvious that they could not remain afloat for ever. The first move to bring them ashore involved the Mining School which was destined for the southern half of Gunwharf, the half under the control of the navy. This was largely achieved by 1919 with the Torpedo and Electrical Schools following shortly after to be allocated the northern half of Gunwharf as soon as the army had vacated the premises. Once safely ashore and settled down the whole of Gunwharf became known, on 1st October 1923, as the Vernon Shore Establishment (see 1930 plan). Left behind, the ships that had formed the original Vernon were soon on their way to the breakers yards, all that is except Warrior and Marlborough which sank at sea on it's way there. After the Vernon Shore Establishment closed in the 1990s the whole of Gunwharf was taken over by the Berkeley Group and redeveloped as a commercial centre to the north and residential accommodation to the south. Most of the original buildings were demolished but much of the boundary wall, both North and Original South Gates, the Lock Keepers Cottage, the Old Infirmary, the Grand Storehouse (Vulcan Building) and the Administrative Block (The Old Customs House) have survived, as has the figurehead from the fourth ship named Vernon. "Portsmouth Record Series, Maps of Portsmouth before 1801", compiled by D. Hodson "Calendar of State Papers Domestic, 1622" edited by May Anne Everett Green "Fortress Builder" by Andrew Saunders "HMS Vernon. A History" published by the Ward Room Mess, HMS Vernon "A Military Heritage" by Brian Patterson "In Defence of the Realm" by John Sadden "The Mariner's Mirror", Vol. 67, No. 1 "Whaley", by Captain John G. Wells Minewarfare & Clearance Diving Officers Association Royal Navy Research Archive Robert Whitehead - a brief history St. Adjutor's Church, Vernon Shore Establishment

Outback farmer investigates 'space junk' find A south-west Queensland grazier says he is hoping to discover the origins of a suspected piece of space junk discovered on his property. James Stirton was checking cattle on his place at Cheepie late last year when he noticed the large ball of black twisted metal. He says he has been in contact with NASA and the US Aerospace Corporation for help to identify it. "We'll I've had a few emails from them and they were going to let me know when they sort out what it is and where it came from," he said. "But that was only last week, so I haven't heard back from them yet. "It's only about 20 kilograms, which is ... half a bag of dog biscuits or whatever. "They did say in the email to hang onto it because they might want someone to come and have a look at it."

When management at the University of Sussex announced plans to outsource 235 jobs, workers responded by launching a 'Pop-Up Union', a new tactic in modern British industrial relations. Is this a model other workers can emulate? An unpleasant surprise In May 2012, the management at the University of Sussex announced plans to transfer more than 10% of their workforce to private, outsourced firms. Of the approximately 2,200 staff, 235 were facing privatisation. The affected workers were mainly in catering, estates, and facilities management, including roles such as cleaners, porters, and cafe staff. The majority of affected staff were relatively low paid, although some mid-level management were also due to be outsourced. There are three recognised trade unions at Sussex. UCU is the largest, and represents academics, postgraduate students, and higher-grade support staff (typically managers). Unison and Unite have recognition agreements for various aspects of the support staff, with Unison representing most clerical and cleaning staff, while Unite represent the porters and trades (electricians, plumbers, etc). Most of the affected staff would be in Unison or Unite, with only a handful in UCU. When the plans were announced, the recognised unions organised a joint meeting the next day. Called at short notice, around 60 staff attended. The mood was a mixture of shock and anger. Long-serving staff felt betrayed. Union officials said they'd been broadsided, and that the news had been announced without any consultation, despite their recognition agreements, which they said obliged management to consult with them. There was talk of industrial action from affected staff. Some, although a minority, even proposed not to wait for a ballot, asking "what would they do if we all just called in sick tomorrow?' Workers, students, and trade unions respond The following week, the three trade unions organised a mass meeting in a campus lecture theatre, Arts A2. The room holds around 300 people, and had been the scene of an eight-day occupation in March 2010, when students defied a high court injunction to demand reinstatement of six students suspended for involvement in a previous occupation. The room was packed, with people spilling into the aisles. The atmosphere was militant and confident. Union branch officials spoke about the unfairness of management announcing the plans without consulting them. A speaker from the floor - a Marxist lecturer - proposed a show of hands as an indicative ballot for industrial action. Every hand in the room was raised. The branch officials cautioned that it could take six weeks to organise official industrial action, but there was no doubt the appetite was there. That week and the following one, demonstrations were organised by rank-and-file affected staff. A facebook group was set up, and posters and flyers appeared all around campus. Accepting defeat from day one? Unfortunately, Unison branch officials began working against the campaign at this early stage. Emails were circulated stressing the demonstrations were not organised by the union, and that it had not been agreed by management. Privately, officials stressed that demonstrations were 'the wrong tactic', too confrontational, and risked losing the (non-existent) goodwill of management to consult with them over the terms of the outsourcing - which was assumed to be going ahead. In fact, while the Unison branch officials were the worst offenders, none of the campus trade unions really put forward a plan to oppose the outsourcing. Unite, to their credit, were the most open that industrial action was needed, but as the smallest of the three unions, they stressed they couldn't do it without UCU and Unison. Unite reasoned - probably correctly - that they didn't have the strength to beat management on their own. Unite members had previously been stitched up by Unison in a dispute several years prior, when Unison failed to ballot for agreed joint action leading to an unsuccessful strike by Unite members alone, with Unison telling their members to cross picket lines. Instead, the attempts to oppose outsourcing, rather than simply attempt to negotiate the terms, were lead by rank-and-file affected staff, supported by student activists and other rank-and-file campus workers. However, these attempts ran out of steam over the summer of 2012. This is a common problem with campus organising, where students are away or working, and campus becomes something of a ghost town. No more trade union meetings materialised, and staff, at this point, lacked the networks and relationships to organise their own. With little in the way of meetings or demonstrations, the campaign stalled. It is worth noting that Unison's approach was not an anomaly of a particularly bad branch (though that it may be). Rather, it was fully in line with the Unison rep training on outsourcing. This, while stating a verbal opposition to outsourcing in principle, emphasises negotiating the terms of the Transfer of Undertakings and Protection of Employees (TUPE) agreement rather than attempting to prevent the outsourcing from happening. Over the summer, a small group of workers and students began meeting informally, and began mapping the campus and building contacts with rank-and-file workers. The idea amongst SolFed members was to get to a point where a mass meeting could be called independently of the campus trade unions, to discuss and organise industrial action. This seemed very ambitious, but the alternative seemed to be accepting defeat before the fight even began. During this time, disillusionment with Unison in particular was growing amongst rank and file staff. many had stories of betrayal, such as Unison working with management to impose changes to contracts that staff had voted to reject, or Unison refusing to ballot with other Unions and instructing its members to cross picket lines. Many of the workplace militants who might usually be reps were disillusioned, not participating in the branch, and on the verge of quitting, possibly to join Unite. A workers' union? As Christmas approached, small 'mass' meetings of 40 or so had been organised. But the numbers were too low to organise industrial action, and even among the militants who attended, support for unofficial, wildcat action was low. 'If only we had the numbers of the early meeting!' was remarked more than once. As the meetings couldn't organise official action, and there wasn't sufficient appetite for unofficial action, attendance began to dwindle, and the attempt to kickstart the opposition to outsourcing floundered. In response to these meetings, Unison organised a meeting advertised as a discussion of action against privatisation. It was well attended - only to discover the aim was in fact to fill out a survey on methods to increase productivity. The branch officials planned to present this to management to persuade them to talk to them. Several SolFed/Education Workers Network members accidentally led a walkout when they left to get lunch, and several more people took the opportunity to walk out in disgust. Those who remained staged a minor rebellion, demanding a ballot for industrial action. Branch officials promised to discuss it at the next meeting - then simply didn't organise another meeting for several months. Around this time three related ideas began to circulate, which would later coalesce into the Pop-Up Union. As mentioned, many Unison members were on the verge of quitting to join Unite. Ironically, the creation of the Pop-Up Union probably delayed or even prevented a mass exodus, since it was expressly set up to allow dual membership. Unison officials never really appreciated that. Some staff were also discussing joining an independent union, such as the IWW or IWGB, who had had some success organising cleaners at several London university campuses. A third idea came from a discussion of Joe Burns' book 'Reviving the strike'. Burns, writing in a US context, proposes that unions set up formally independent front organisations to organise what would otherwise be unlawful strike action without risking the union's assets. However, in the US, the right to strike is a right that individual workers have, which is signed away by a union contract. This is why Burns suggests unions set up formally independent non-union groups as a vehicle for strike action. However in the UK, there is no right to strike (though recent precedents in the European Court of Human Rights may be changing this). Rather, only trade unions have some limited immunity for breaches of contract (e.g. striking) and civil torts (e.g. lost revenue). Burns' idea was turned around therefore, to propose a temporary, single-issue 'anti-privatisation union', which, having the legal status of a trade union, would be able to organise official industrial action. Occupy Sussex and the Pop-Up Union These three ideas circulated, and began to fuse into the idea of a 'Pop-Up Union', a temporary, low-dues, trade union with the sole purpose of organising industrial action to defeat outsourcing. Then in February 2013, following a large demonstration organised by students and some affected staff, several hundred people took over the Bramber House conference centre and Occupy Sussex was born. Management initially brought in private security and attempted to impose a siege on the occupation (clearly, management didn't trust the loyalty of in-house security staff, themselves facing outsourcing). However, after a few days of winching in supplies via a balcony, another mass demonstration rushed the doors, overwhelmed the bouncers, and secured open access. Bramber House, one of the facilities slated for outsourcing, became a valuable organising space and hub for campaign activity, as well as hosting discussions, film screenings, exhibitions, music and poetry events. The bold action by the students also inspired many workers, many of whom had become disillusioned following nine long months of trade union inaction. Workers began to meet with each other and with students, and formed a working group which would lay the groundwork for the Pop-Up Union. Activity intensified: legal research was done, organisers had one-on-one conversations to float the idea to rank-and-file workers and union reps, and funds were secured to list the Pop-Up Union with the Certification Officer (which provides evidence of being a 'real' trade union). Unison's response, after months of silence, was to send a letter to all members warning them off the Pop-Up. The letter included false information - it's hard to know whether deliberately dishonest or just ill-informed - such as citing the British Airways v Unite case on balloting technicalities, which had already been overturned by a newer precedent in a higher court (see legalities box). This was Unison's first official communication with members about the outsourcing, and all it said was stop doing what you're doing and get everyone to join Unison! After six weeks of intense organising, the Pop-Up Union was publicly launched at a national demonstration called by Occupy Sussex on the university's Falmer campus on March 25, 2013. With momentum building, it was hoped that membership would snowball to a sufficient level to allow for disruptive industrial action. The formal legal process for official action was initiated, with the Pop-Up Union delivering a 3,000 word claim document to management listing grievances and demanding a response. A crowd-sourced strike fund was launched which raised several thousand pounds and substantial further pledges if the action went ahead (this money has since been earmarked to support non-union strikers in the official pay dispute). At the same time, Unison full-timers arrived on campus, and started slandering the Pop-Up as a scab union on the campaign facebook group (comparing it to the strike-breaking Union of Democratic Miners in the Miners Strike of 1984-85). Who exactly the Pop-Up were scabbing on, when Unison refused to organise industrial action, was not explained. This disinformation and slander backfired, since it was their own members and activists they were attacking. Ironically, the full-timers' hostility to rank-and-file initiative alienated many of those who had been arguing for working within the Unison branch. Race against time The Pop-Up was formed as a 'listed' trade union, appearing on the official list maintained by the Certification Officer. It was set up as an industrial union - open to all staff on campus except senior management. The union rule book was compiled from elements of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) rulebook - which had already passed the Certification Officer's scrutiny - the SolFed industrial strategy, which stressed worker-control through mass meetings and recallable delegates - plus some modifications to include necessary legal requirements and specifics about the Pop-Up Union's nature and purpose. Dues were set at 50p to encourage non-union staff to give it a try, and to allow existing union members to participate without having to quit their existing union, if they didn't want to. The Pop-Up was explicitly temporary and single-issue (anti-outsourcing). As the Pop-Up Union was formed to operate within the law, the launch began a race against time to organise industrial action before the summer break - when it would be far less disruptive. All this time, workers in Unison, Unite and UCU had been pushing within their branches for industrial action. Unite's position was in favour of a ballot, but only if Unison balloted too. With only a handful of UCU members affected the branch was also told by the national union they could only ballot if Unison did. Unison officials stalled, lied and deflected all requests for a ballot - even when it was formally proposed and passed by a show of hands at union meetings. Indicative ballots - at last! After ten months of brick walls, within a week of the launch of the Pop-Up Union, all three campus trade unions announced indicative ballots on industrial action. While these have no legal status, they are commonly insisted upon by union hierarchies before authorising an official ballot. Unison soon sent a second letter to members, announcing they had entered formal dispute with management. The wording and claims within their dispute were remarkably similar to the Pop-Up's claim document, which had been shared with the Unison branch as a courtesy. Of course, Unison officials insisted this similarity, as well as the timing, was purely a coincidence. The indicative ballots came back strong: UCU 70% (60% turnout) and Unite 93% in favour (70% turnout). However, Unison's result was more ambiguous, due to an impressive level of self-sabotage. First, Unison officials downplayed their membership numbers, saying they feared derecognition as membership had fallen so low, and they couldn't ballot for industrial action without major recruitment. Then, they agreed to organise an indicative ballot, following the launch of the Pop-Up. Unison: sabotage and shenanigans Subsequently, they backtracked on this commitment, made with the other recognised unions, and instead circulated a four page survey packed with inane questions such as how frequently members wished to receive emails from the branch. Branch officials decided they had a "communication problem", and if only members knew all the fine work they were doing behind the scenes, a strike and a Pop-Up Union would be unnecessary. Questions on industrial action were buried on pages 2 and 4 of the survey, which was subsequently referred to as a "prize draw competition" rather than an indicative ballot. The results were then delayed for two weeks, allegedly for counting (UCU and Unite had used an online poll, which compiled results instantaneously). Despite all this foot-dragging, the results were pretty strongly in favour of industrial action. Unison activists, not trusting branch officials, had hand delivered the 'surveys' to members and told them they only needed to complete the questions on industrial action. When the results were collated, branch officials announced that the turnout was lower than the number of forms hand-collected by several activists. They also started claiming a membership of double what they had previously claimed - when possible derecognition was the reason for inaction - which had the effect of halving the alleged turnout. Despite repeated requests within the branch, the turnout was never clarified, but the result was 85% in favour (with a turnout somewhere between 30% and 60%). While Unison officials desperately sabotaged and downgraded their own indicative ballot, the Pop-Up forged ahead. The target date for industrial action was June 2013, which gave a timescale of six weeks to meet all the legal notification requirements. This was the quickest a TUC union could ballot, with a full-time legal team involved. The all-volunteer Pop-Up went into overdrive to try and make the schedule. There was no margin for error. Unfortunately two errors were made, one of which management discovered. One of the requirements for official industrial action was to give management a 'matrix' of affected staff. The Pop-Up had been advised that this was all the staff eligible to strike. However, management's expensive London lawyers served a High Court injunction insisting the matrix needed to detail union membership numbers at the time of balloting. On further investigation, it seemed likely they were right. The Pop-Up - formed to organise industrial action within the law - was forced to cancel the ballot. The planned strike never materialised. The injunction killed off the threatened Pop-Up strike. But the fact management relied on a small technicality validated the concept. If Pinsent Mason LLP - with a specialist team in industrial relations law - could only find a technicality to base an injunction on, then the principle is sound. Future attempts would simply have to not make the same mistake again. The balloting process is - quite deliberately - a minefield, but it is not impossible to navigate. The fact management's lawyers packed their injunction with irrelevant hearsay - such as property damage unrelated to the Pop-Up - was a clear sign their whole case relied on that one simple error. An error easily avoided in future. Up until that point, membership had been swelling. The Pop-Up became the second largest union on campus, and involved many staff who'd never previously been in a union before. Many staff with long time union experience said it was something really different - 'this is how a union should be' was a sentiment expressed more than once in relation to its direct democracy. A revolutionary union? While the form of the Pop-Up union was inspired by the assembly-based horizontalism of Occupy Sussex, as well as anarcho-syndicalist ideas about self-managed unions without hierarchy, it was not, as some critics alleged, a 'red' or revolutionary union. Indeed, the objective of the union was rather more modest than the overthrow of capitalism and the state - maintenance of the status quo by resisting outsourcing. It addition, its methods, while directly democratic, were explicitly legalistic, rather than the wildcat, direct action favoured by revolutionary unionists. 'Self-organised legalism' would probably be a fairer description, with all the contradictions that implies. True, if successful, this may have laid the groundwork for future struggles, and perhaps a more permanent autonomous union (this was a conversation deferred until the fight was won). But the politics of the Pop-Up were far from revolutionary. Opposition to outsourcing is the kind of thing that, were not the existing unions so compromised by social partnership and bureaucratic inertia, would be bread and butter trade unionism. Ironically, when Unison officials claimed it was "illegal" to strike against outsourcing, Pop-Up activists found a legal precedent - won by Unison - that outsourcing was grounds for a lawful trade dispute. Following the Pop-Up's attempted strike, management did improve their voluntary redundancy offers to many of the 235 affected staff. It would be dishonest to claim this as a victory, but it was a concession. And while Unison claimed it as the fruit of responsible partnership and union recognition, many staff, who had been made to sign gagging orders, chalked it up to the actions of the Pop-Up, which had been a game-changer for management and the recognised unions alike. While the Pop-Up was defeated, it may yet rise again to take on new struggles. And it has planted a syndicalist seed which has been noticed far beyond the Sussex campus. At the same time, the experience highlights how industrial action within the law is industrial action according to the minefield of rules written by and for the bosses. Legalism remains such a minefield even if the union bureaucrats can be bypassed. Navigating this minefield is not impossible, but is a major handicap for workers in struggle. Legalities of the Pop-Up Union A Trade Union, in England and Wales, is any organisation which meets the definition set out at the start of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 ('TULRCA'). The full text is available online, and wikipedia has a summary. Trade unions have certain 'statutory immunities' for inducing breaches of contract (i.e. employment contracts - organising strikes). They also have legal obligations set out in TULRCA, such as obligations to maintain membership records, hold elections, and file audited accounts. Although any organisation that meets the legal definition is a trade union, 'listing' with the Certification Officer is good evidence the organisation is indeed a 'real' trade union. Listing costs £150. The Pop-Up did this, and the status of the Pop-Up was not disputed by the injunction (management simply noted they did not recognise the Pop-Up, which was irrelevant). Trade unions need to have a rulebook, which sets out how they operate, and includes certain legal obligations and phrases. The Pop-Up Union's rulebook was based on the IWW's one combined with SolFed's industrial strategy, with some modifications and legal phrases added to satisfy the Certification Officer. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) 'Code of Practice' on industrial action also relates to trade union law. The contents - including the infamous '6 person per picket' limit - are not law. However, they can be used in court as evidence of 'reasonableness', so if involved in official action it can be wise to follow the code closely so long as it doesn't compromise the union. The process for organising official industrial action is set out in TULRCA and elaborated in the BIS Code of Practice. This includes having a 'trade dispute' and going through a number of steps to notify the employer of the dispute, the intention to ballot, and details of the ballot. The quickest possible process is commonly reckoned to be six weeks. Recent case law has overturned the famous British Airways v Unite precedent, where small inconsequential errors can invalidate a ballot. Now, according to the precedents in RMT v Serco Ltd and Aslef v London & Birmingham Railway Ltd (Court of Appeal, 2011), the 'de minimis' rule applies. In other words, errors must be consequential and substantial. The limits of TUPE The law that covers workers being outsourced is the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employees) Regulations, better known as TUPE. In theory (according to direct.gov.uk), the law means: your job transfers over to the new company; employment terms and conditions transfer; continuity of employment is maintained. However, there’s a catch – and it's a big one. The above only applies to changes arising from the transfer itself, and not from “an economic, technical or organisational reason” (section 7(1)(b)), which covers pretty much anything a new employer might dream up. TUPE also does not cover pensions (section 10). Common tricks employers use to get around TUPE include: offering redundancy to existing staff, or 'managing them out', and bringing in replacements on worse terms and conditions (with a slightly different job title); creating a two-tier workforce with all new hires on inferior terms and conditions; and carrying out a business restructuring, activating the 'organisational reason' clause. Consequently, TUPE offers even less protection than it appears to on paper. Unfortunately, many trade unions focus their approach to outsourcing on TUPE negotiations - particularly union recognition status - rather than opposing outsourcing per se. This focus is reflected in union training courses for reps that deal with outsourcing, and means that often employers can outsource staff more or less unopposed. Strengths and weaknesses of the Pop-Up Union Is the Pop-Up Union a model for workers elsewhere? It isn't a one-sized-fits-all model, but it does have some advantages. There are pros and cons to the model, which will influence whether it's the right tactic in the circumstances. Below, the strengths and weaknesses, as it played out at Sussex, are listed and discussed. Industrial not trade: The Pop-Up Union was open to all workers on campus (apart from senior management). This helped overcome the division of staff between different recognised unions, and simplified the legal process for joint industrial action. Trade divisions are an artificially divisive way to organise, and industrial unionism helps overcome this. Horizontal/directly democratic: The Pop-Up had only the officials required by law, and these had no power, and were subject to mandates and recall. Decision-making power rested in open members' meetings. The Pop-Up Union was a workers association without representation - nobody spoke for the workers, workers spoke for themselves. Can organise lawful, official industrial action: This was the main purpose of the Pop-Up Union, to create a minimal legal form which gave the open workers' meetings the power to enter a trade dispute with management and ballot for official industrial action. Moved the TUC unions: Within a week of its launch the Pop-Up Union had more success getting an indicative ballot out of the three recognised unions than ten months of patient pressure by members within their respective branches. Fear of being outflanked seemed to break the inertia. Low dues/dual card: At 50p dues, anyone could afford to join, even if they were already paying subs to an existing union. This minimised conflict with the existing trade unions, and also took away the 'I can't afford it' excuse, encouraging some workers to unionise for the first time. "This is what a union should be!": Many Pop-Up participants said things to this effect. The experience of direct democracy showed another way to do union organising, and gave an organisational form which helped sustain and link up the self-organisation of different groups of campus workers. Temporary: The Pop-Up Union was temporary by design, but this limited the potential for longer-term gains or organisation. But contacts, trust, and mutual respect was built between campus workers, and the Pop-Up may yet rise again if needed. Small and resource-poor: The low dues policy meant the Pop-Up was run on a shoe-string. Virtually the entire subs revenue was spent on stamps, envelopes and printing for the postal ballot. However, an innovative crowd-sourced strike fund was deployed, a tactic subsequently used to great effect by the IWGB cleaners strike at the University of London in November 2013. Legalistic: The Pop-Up was legalistic by design, but this did mean it had to navigate the minefield of the UK's repressive anti-strike laws. Legalism means fighting on the bosses' turf. This could even have encouraged workers to believe in legalistic methods, which ultimately allowed the strike to be squashed by an injunction, rather than direct action. Reliance on experts: Arguably legalism also created a reliance on the few relative legal 'experts'. They had expensive lawyers where we had cleaners, porters and receptionists trying to get up to speed, with many members relying on a few. At several points, things were delayed by waiting to contact external legal experts for help. This was in tension with horizontalism. Race against time: An ordinary drive to organise a new union would pick small, winnable fights to build up confidence and membership on a timescale set by the union. At Sussex, the Pop-Up took on a huge fight affecting several hundred staff, from scratch, on a timescale set by the bosses. This meant it was always a race against time, especially as the Pop-Up wasn't even launched until it became clear the recognised trade unions were not going to allow a strike. Ultimately, the Pop-Up Union was a contradictory mix of self-organisation and legalism. These tendencies pulled in opposite directions, but for a single-issue, temporary organisation, that wasn't a big problem. While the Pop-Up was hit with an injunction, the principle is sound, and could be repeated by workers elsewhere more easily, now that a precedent, and the trial and error that went with it, has been established. Pop-Up Unions - or even just the threat of one - could be useful to groups of workers divided between several unions in one workplace, and/or where their recognised unions are refusing to hold a ballot. The limit of the Pop-Up is the limit of working within the UK's highly restrictive anti-strike laws. These are difficult, but not impossible, to navigate. Wildcat, unofficial action might be more effective, but where the confidence or organisation required to pull that off doesn't exist, Pop-Up Unions may be a viable tactic somewhere in between the bureaucratic, representative legalism of the TUC unions and wildcat, unofficial action organised through workplace mass meetings. original article: Brighton Solfed

50 & 20 Years Ago 20 Years Ago: BCSA sponsor Plymouth steel structure Taken from STEEL CONSTRUCTION, February 1991 This series of red brick columns standing close to the existing Penzance line are all that remain of a viaduct which once carried the boat train to Millbay Docks. Here travellers would have boarded one of the great cruise liners ploughing its trans-atlantic route. Richard Deacon’s large steel sculpture sits aside three of these columns as if they were plinths for sculptures in a vast open air gallery. The artist has provided a new function for these otherwise obsolete piers. The organic shape of the sculpture, which is nearly 100ft long, recalls the shape and construction of the coastal railway running from Exeter to Plymouth, it also echoes the extraordinary architecture of Brunel’s great bridge across the River Tamar a few miles down the line. Though abstracted, the sculpture derives both from Richard Deacon’s childhood memories of Plymouth, where he grew up, and his fascination with the great engineering achievements of the 19th century. Richard Deacon often makes sculptures which refer to real objects. In this case, the references could be to the industrial fabrication of a temporary bridge of the sectional construction of an aircraft fuselage. The changing form only becomes aparrent on exploring the sculpture from all sides. Richard Deacon is acknowledged as one of Britain’s leading contemporary sculptors. His interest in making large sculptures for both rural and urban landscapes continues a rich tradition in British sculpture, exemplified by the outdoor works of Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore. The sculpture was comissioned by TSWA in partnership with British Railways Board Corporate Community Fund. With thanks to Royal Mail, Blight and White Ltd, (Dr Roger Pope, Bob Hyrdziuszko), Kenchington Little plc, Nick Hanika, The British Constructional Steelwork Association Ltd and Lisson Gallery (Nicholas Logsdail).

Focus on what needs to be done, not how to do it Continuing the database security trends with database activity monitoring (DAM), the next model I want to talk about is policy-driven data security. Conceptually this means you define the security or compliance task to be accomplished, and that task gets divided by a number of technologies that get the work done. Policies are mapped -- from the top down -- into one or more security tools, each performing part of the workload to accomplish a task. In an ideal world, the tool best-suited to do the work gets assigned the task. To make this type of approach work, you must have a broad set of security capabilities and a management interface tightly coupled with underlying features. For database security, this is the classic coupling of discovery, assessment, monitoring, and auditing -- each function overlapping with the next. The key to this model is policy orchestration: Policies are abstracted from the infrastructure, with the underlying database -- and even non-database -- tools working in unison to fulfill the security and compliance requirements. A policy for failed logins, as an example, will have assessment, monitoring, and auditing components that capture data and perform analysis. A central management interface includes lots of pre-generated rules that coordinate resources that allow customers to cover the basics quickly and easily. In practice, it's rare to see top-down security limited to database security, and it usually covers general network services and endpoints as well. This model is great for reducing the pain of creating and managing security across multiple systems. It also lowers the bar on technical and compliance expertise required for users to manage the system -- that knowledge is built in. Workers don't have to know "how" to do it, just what they need to do. And that is a big deal for mid-market firms that cannot afford to have lots of security and compliance experts on staff. Finally, since it's designed to leverage lots of tools, integrating with other platforms is much easier. However, there are several significant detractors to the model because the lack of flexibility and deployment complexity overwhelms the midmarket buyer it conceptually best serves. Since the technologies are prebundled, you have more tools to accomplish tasks you can solve with a single product from a different vendor, resulting in a much larger footprint on your organization. While basic setup of policies is as simple as selecting a prewritten rule, custom policies have a greater degree of complexity as compared to more traditional database security systems. In this model, DAM is just one of many tools to collect and analyze events, and not necessarily central to the platform. As such, policy-driven security is not an evolution or change to DAM (as it is with business activity monitoring and ADMP); it's more a vision of how DAM fits within the security ecosystem. The intention of the model is to mask the underlying complexities of technology from the users who simply want to get a compliance or security task done. Many in IT don't have the time or desire to be a security expert, and want more of a "point-and-click" solution. This model has been around for a long time -- since at least 2006 with DAM. I know because this was the model I architected and was attempting to build out as a "next generation" DAM solution. Conceptually, it's very elegant, but every firm I have ever seen try to attempt this fails because the underlying technologies have not been best-of-breed, nor did the interfaces deliver on promised simplicity. It requires a great deal of commitment from the vendor to carry this off, and the jury is still out as to whether it will deliver on the intended value proposition. Adrian Lane is an analyst/CTO with Securosis LLC, an independent security consulting practice. Special to Dark Reading. Adrian Lane is a Security Strategist and brings over 25 years of industry experience to the Securosis team, much of it at the executive level. Adrian specializes in database security, data security, and secure software development. With experience at Ingres, Oracle, and ... View Full Bio

Spanish gastronomy is as varied as delicious. Even though most traditional Spanish dishes are strongly influenced by the proximity of the coast, the characteristics of Spain’s cuisine vary a lot from one region to another. A common fact all around the country is the pleasure of cooking and eating. A meal is something that requires a special moment for spaniards, so they take the necessary time to prepare it and to enjoy it. Food is a huge part of their culture and they have a strong conscience of this. Spanish use food as an excuse to gather together and as a way to honor their guests at home. Regional food is much influenced by factors such as climate, soil conditions and history. Nevertheless, “Tapas” are the typical Spanish food that represents the country worldwide. Tapas are appetizers or snacks usually served before the main meal, but currently tapas’ popularity has increased, appearing new restaurants only specialized in tapas cuisine. This traditional food is also known as “Picadas” and it can be seen nowadays in Fairs, Conventions and welcoming banquets in Spanish events. Located in the metting point of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic (with mountain and plain landscapes), Andalusia has an endless cuisine which is a mixture of the Roman and Moor legacies. Excellent quality fish, fresh tropical fruits and a marvelous olive oil are a must in the local gastronomy where Gazpacho (the famous cold tomato soup), Pescaito (floured fish fried in olive oil) and Salmorejo (a cream made of tomatoes, bread, garlic, oil and vinegar) delight both residents and visitors. Catalonian cuisine uses the typical Mediterranean ingredients, such as oil, grapes, vinegar, garlic, herbs and tomatoes, but it has been strong influenced by French and Italian cuisine. Beyond these general characteristics, Catalonian gastronomy is very varied, changing notoriously from the Costa Brava to the Pyrenees. Catalan Cream (custard topped with hard caramel), Vic Salchichon (sausage) and Botifarra are some of its most remarkable dishes. The region of Aragón, also in the North, is home of the Serrano ham which can be found all over the country. The central regions of Madrid, Castille and Extremadura enjoy the products of big and small game on their typically midland cuisine based in meet, pork, rabbit, lamb and cheese. The region of Madrid in particular has been strongly influenced by other regional culinary habits. Cocido (meet and vegetables stew), Manchego Cheese, Toledo´s Marzipan (sweets made of almonds and sugar), roasted lamb and pork and Tortilla Española (potato or sausage omelet) are only some of the jewels that central Spain has to offer. Galician food is a tourist attraction itself. More than 300 gastronomic “fiestas” are held in this community to celebrate its culinary variety. Seafood, cheese, beef and almonds have a strong presence in the gastronomy of Galicia. Octopus prepared in varied ways, empanadas (filled pastries) and “caldo gallego” are only a few of its worldwide famous dishes. Valencia has a strong culture of rice and sea food being "Paella" its maximum exponent, which can be cooked only with seafood or with meet and pork as well. Valencian food provides the typical Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables and fruits which abound on the zone. Flemish eggs, Asturian Cider, Sangria and Basque Marmitaco (fish and potato stew) are also very well known exponents of the Spanish cuisine. For more information about gastronomy or other Spain tips, contact us and we will gladly send you further material about any subject of your interest. We will e-mail this information at no cost within 72 hours and it will be specific to your requirements. Spain is a country with a strong rural tradition. Since ancient times, the countryside has played a very important role on the country’s economy and... Tours offered in Madrid are varied and comprehends different preferences and possibilities. There are short tours that last some hours or full day tours. Also there are... The Way of Saint James is the pilgrimage path to Santiago de Compostela (Galicia) on which Cathedral, as per tradition, the remains of the apostle Saint...

The biggest hack in Facebook’s history occurred when nearly 50 million people had their personal data compromised. This cyber attack forced Facebook to reset the logins for another 40 million people racking up the total of affected Facebook users to 90 million. While the first 50 million are known to have been directly affected, the login reset for the other 40 million was done as a precaution by the social media giant. A Facebook software vulnerability caused the data breach. In other words, cyber criminals were able to exploit the feature “View As” and steal Facebook access information. If you don’t already know, “View As” is a feature that lets Facebook users see what their profile looks like to someone else. By gaining access to users Facebook accounts, cyber criminals were able to get their hands on sensitive information such as the DOB of the affected people and their friends, Facebook activity history, full name, addresses and generally everything that they’ve shared on Facebook. Facebook apologized and confirmed that the breach had been large. The scary thing is, once in, the hackers gained access to apps like Spotify, Instagram and hundreds of other websites that give users a way to log into their systems through Facebook. So, even though 50 million Facebook accounts were compromised, there are untold numbers of other accounts that were also compromised since many people use Facebook to login for other websites. The reality is, 71% of American have a Facebook account. In addition, Facebook has 2.4 billion monthly active users and it is the third most visited website in the world. Taking into account these facts, Facebook uses many tools to track people across the Internet, and they rely on the online activity data from other apps and websites that is shared with Facebook. This is why I want to share with you a vital security measure you should have in place if you use Facebook or any app associated with the social networking behemoth. Basically, after facing criticism over privacy and data breaches, Facebook created a privacy tool called Off-Facebook Activity, which gives users more control of their data collected by the company. In other words, this is information Facebook has collected about you from other websites, information that can contain more personal information than you ever want to share. So, here is how you delete this information from Facebook: To access Off-Facebook Activity tool: · Go to “Settings & Privacy” in your Facebook app, then select “Settings” · Select “Off-Facebook Activity.” On the next screen, you are provided with a list of all the websites and apps that have shared your data with Facebook. · Select “Clear History” to remove all the information collected about you from other websites. However, by clearing the history you may be logged out of certain websites where you have used your Facebook login. In this same section of Facebook settings, you can download activity details by clicking on the number of interactions and clicking Download Activity Details at the bottom of the popup. Of course, this feature won’t stop websites from collecting data about you, however, by clearing the history you can disassociate your Facebook account from other websites. When it comes to advertising, websites love to get your Facebook information because it contains so many personal details, but this simple step will help reduce the sharing of your personal information if you clear the history often. (Or just don’t use Facebook at all.)

John Pearson is to the Newlyn School what Margaret Gilmour is to the Glasgow School – an Arts and Crafts metalworker who specialised in repousee work of naturalistic style. He had founded the Guild of Handicrafts with Charles Ashbee and designed tiles with William de Morgan before arriving in the Cornish village where he made this copper charger pictured right, – the highlight of a Decorative Arts section at the November 5 sale at Phillips Bath (15/10% buyer’s premium). Hammered out with birds in flight among berry laden vines. the 20in (51cm) charger was signed and dated 1890, and was contested to £3100 – a price at the top end of the market for Pearson. A Pearson charger with the more common design of a galleon surrounded by a border of tendrils and plants, sold at £1050. Other notable results included a c.1962, 8in (21cm) Hans Coper Digswell stoneware vase, at £2000 – the sum also bid for a 1920s lady’s smoking set, possibly Austrian, comprising cigarette holder, vesta case and roach clip, all mounted with two lines of rose diamonds and fitted in a case. The sleepers of the silver and works of art sections were a c.1750 Cork sugar bowl by Robert Potter, 51/4oz, at £3200 where £300-400 was expected, and an early Victorian set of 12 mother of pearl buttons decorated with fox hunting scenes, which mustered £1150. Antiques Trade Gazette is the weekly bible of the fine art and antiques industry. Read articles like this every week in the Antiques Trade Gazette or ATG app. Click here to subscribe today. Back to top

Hazards caused by above ground storage tanks and how to avoid them Above ground storage tanks (AST) can be a real plus. They’re easier and less expensive to install, and they’re certainly easier to monitor since you can see them. Advances in above ground storage tank containment technologies are one reason that ASTs are becoming more widely accepted. Nonetheless, not all municipalities allow them and local regulations can differ based on whether you plan to sell the product being stored or keep it for private use only. Regardless, by their very nature ASTs can create significant workplace dangers. That’s why above ground storage tank containment systems and procedures are critically important. Worksite dangers can have a significant impact on your employees, of course. But the hazards associated with above ground storage tanks can also potentially harm the natural environment — air, soil and groundwater – contaminating drinking water for humans and rendering streams and rivers toxic for wildlife. Here are five workplace dangers that can be caused by above ground storage tank containment. 1. Physical accidents. Containment includes protection. Without it, vandals can damage tanks or vandals can run into them. Thoughtless behaviors such as smoking around tanks can cause explosions or fires. 2. Tank cleaning. Regular inspection and cleaning procedures put people in close physical proximity to above ground storage tank containment systems, which could very well hold something more dangerous than a little built-up rainwater. 3. Spills, leaks and releases. This is the big one, of course. Hazardous substances can escape into the air or soil as the result of an accident, sloppy tank cleaning procedures or corrosion or breakage that can occur over time with tanks, piping or their connections. Breathing or direct contact with these vapors or liquids can cause a wide range of problems. Some may be deemed “incidental” — non-emergency spills, etc. that are relatively easy to clean up and don’t pose a threat to health or safety of people or the environment. But a major spill or release constitutes a full-scale emergency requiring immediate response and remediation steps. 4. Improper personal protections. The rules are clear on what kind of personal protective equipment is required for employees working with petroleum products and hazardous substances such as gasoline or diesel fuel, fuel oils and other liquid chemicals. Failure to provide – and ensure use of — gear from face masks and respirators to safety glasses, gloves, even entire body clothing can exacerbate all other workplace dangers, with potentially disastrous health and safety repercussions. Workers in confined spaces or performing “hot” work such as welding near tanks especially need to observe special safety precautions, too, to avoid inhaling vapors or starting a fire. 5. Financial disaster. You’re running a business, whether it’s private or a public agency. Poor above ground storage tank containment can cause your workplace to be unsafe at the very least, causing high and unnecessary expense. Every avoidable problem raises costs. And if the worst occurs, you’ll be shut down entirely, putting people out of work. You can head off potential workplace dangers by observing these protocols for above ground storage tank containment: - Proper location, installation and ongoing maintenance. - Proper product transfer procedures. - EPA and NYSDEC requirements for ongoing monitoring and regular inspection of tanks, associated pipes and hardware and surrounding areas. That includes reporting any spills, leaks or other releases. - Choosing tanks that provide the most comprehensive containment – double-wall tank construction or those with built-in or added dikes that serve as secondary containment areas. Containment requirements and other AST standards depend on what you’re storing, the quantities, how the products will be used and also the physical nature of your facility. Doing everything you can to preclude workplace dangers that can result from above ground storage tank containment is simply a combination of playing by the official rules and a healthy dose of common sense. Adopting both will ensure you maintain a workplace that’s safe for people as well as the environment. If you have any questions about the work place risks your business or municipal facility is exposed to from above ground storage tanks, give us a call at 516-624-7200, (518) 698-3012, or (845) 745-0888 for a free consultation. Interested in more information on above ground storage tanks? Check out our tanks webpage.

the phase difference, expressed in degrees, by which one sinusoidal function moves behind a second having the same period, as alternating current moving behind the alternating voltage. angiophacomatosis angiophacomatosis an·gi·o·pha·co·ma·to·sis or an·gi·o·pha·ko·ma·to·sis (ān’jē-ō-fə-kō’mə-tō’sĭs, -fāk’ō-) n. See Lindau’s disease. See Sturge-Weber syndrome. angiopathy angiopathy an·gi·op·a·thy (ān’jē-op’ə-thē) n. Any of several diseases of the blood or lymph vessels. angiopathic angiopathic an·gi·o·path·ic (ān’jē-ō-pāth’ĭk) adj. Of or relating to angiopathy. - Angle of dip to plunge (something, as a cloth or sponge) temporarily into a liquid, so as to moisten it, dye it, or cause it to take up some of the liquid: He dipped the brush into the paint bucket. to raise or take up by a bailing, scooping, or ladling action: to dip water out of a […]

7 Skills of the Successful Careerist — from the Career Opportunities Podcast Looking back over my own long career, and the careers of family, friends and Career Opportunities listeners and readers, I have struck upon 7 Skills that can help to insure a successful career for any careerist, regardless of their work industry, their position in a company or their goals as a careerist. These fundamental skills form a solid foundation for any career and, in many ways, also enhance life outside of your career. In this introduction I will give an overview of of the skills and then explore each one further in its own, upcoming, Career Opportunities column. Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners. The 7 Skills of the Successful Careerist include: Organization is the ability to control your life and your work as much as possible, knowing that unforeseen events will always crop up. It means tracking the work you need to do, the progress of that work and the flow of work through your life. While tools like ToDo lists, GTD and Agile processes, and calendars can help you organize, organization is an overall mindset the underpins nearly everything else you do. If you are disorganized, work and life can quickly become much more difficult than they need be. Communication, in all its forms — face-to-face, online, written, spoken — is critical to everyone, regardless of your position or type of work. Poor communication skills will hamper any career. In some cases, poor communication limits your impact and ability to grow in your career. In other cases, it may prevent you from having a successful career at all. Do people frequently misunderstand your words, your actions or your intentions? Surely, some people will have their own communication issues, but if miscommunication is a frequent and common thread in your career, you need to look to your own communication skills, or lack thereof, as the possible source any career issues you might face. The ability to logically think through any problems you face — both large and small — can unlock great success in your career. Too many people start flailing wildly when faced with problems, having no rhyme or reason to the way they approach the problem. This is odd when you consider that all of us have been exposed to an excellent tool for troubleshooting during our school years — the scientific method. - Develop a question - Research the questions - Construct a hypothesis - Test your hypothesis with an experiement - Analyze the results Applying the scientific method we all learned to problems large and small, can make you seem a troubleshooting genius. Especially to those who have ignored it or forgotten how to use it. “The action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another” — Merriam-Webster Dictionary Too few of us, in the heat of our career, remember what it was like to be new, to be scared, to be ignorant, to be young, to be striving, to be a entry level employee. It is almost as if we lock away our past fears and memories so we are no longer trouble by them. Unfortunately, this can lead us to be callous, petty and often, downright mean, to our fellow coworkers and careerists. Lack of empathy can also hamper relations with your customers, your clients and those you depend on for your career. Developing a sense of empathy with those around you isn’t some “soft skill” that only serves the “creatives” in your business. Rather, it is a deeply important skill and trait that can open doors to people hearts and minds and allow you, your message, your product, your work to resonate more deeply with them. It has been said that one of the most important traits of any person is to “know what you don’t know.” We are all ignorant on so many things, but when we forget that we are ignorant we can make deep and painful mistakes in our careers and lives. Self-Knowledge means not only understanding our own ignorance, but also taking the time to explore our actions, motivations, wanted, needs and desires so that we can better manage them and use them to achieve great things. If we don’t contemplate our own lives and work, we can find ourselves taking actions that actually harm our careers and lead us away from what we truly want. We are surrounded by a myriad of outside forces pushing us in one direction or another. If we don’t deeply think about what we want, though. we risk living someone else’s life instead of the one we truly desire. If you are not moneywise — at least in the most basic ways — your life and career will be difficult. You don’t need to be a financial wizard or spend all your waking hours thinking about money, but you must know how to develop a budget, how to prevent overextending your credit, how to make the best purchasing decisions and, most importantly, how to be frugal, especially early in your career. Poor money decisions have a way of haunting you for years, if not the rest of your life. Make as few poor decisions as possible early on, and you will ease your path as you grow older. Sure, we all make poor money decisions on occasion, but we should seek to make as few as possible to prevent them damaging our long-term success. Flexibility to Change The world has always been filled with change. From the beginnings of civilization to today’s hyperspeed, Internet-driven culture and it has been proven that those most likely to succeed, in life and career, are those that can be flexible in the face of change. This doesn’t mean following every new fad that arises or flitting from one idea to another, but rather bending with the winds of change and finding ways to turn changes to your advantage. Sure, there will be changes we do not like. We may not wish to participate in this change or another, but neither can we ignore change as it comes rushing upon us. We need to recognize that change is omnipresent from moment to moment, day to day, year to year and our lives and careers will need to adapt to that change. To ignore change is to limit yourself, work and your career. Look for more on these 7 Skills of the Successful Careerists in upcoming Career Opportunities columns.

Professor of evolution calls Darwinism 'pseudo science' One of the greatest European zoologists, Pièrre-Paul Grassé held the Chair of Evolution at the Sorbonne University, Paris, for decades. He openly admitted that he did not know how particles-to-people evolution could have happened, and attacked Darwinian ideas as naïve. In his 1973 book he wrote: ‘Through use and abuse of hidden postulates, of bold, often ill-founded extrapolations, a pseudoscience has been created. … Biochemists and biologists who adhere blindly to the Darwinist theory search for results that will be in agreement with their theories. … Assuming that the Darwinian hypothesis is correct, they interpret fossil data according to it; it is only logical that [the data] should confirm it; the premises imply the conclusions. … The deceit is sometimes unconscious, but not always, since some people, owing to their sectarianism, purposely overlook reality and refuse to acknowledge the inadequacies and the falsity of their beliefs.’ Pièrre-Paul Grassé, L’évolution du Vivant, 1973, published in English translation as The Evolution of Living Organisms, pp. 7–8, 1977. Quoted by P. Johnson in J. Buell and V. Hearn (ed.), Darwinism: Science or Philosophy?, Foundation for Thought and Ethics, Richardson, TX, USA, p. 7, 1994.

I wrote this piece in 2002 on the behest of a fellow who was doing a book on Diamond Disc Records. The book had very limited sales and was read very little. Therefore I thought I would put the piece I wrote for the book here, so others could enjoy much of what is not talked about when it comes to Edison and his role with the Diamond Disc Record. When Edison got involved in the “ recording biz” as he used to call it, he was in his early sixties. He was always somewhat involved in the recording industry, but not to the extent he was when he lead the charge onto the battlefield called “disc recording”. Edison had always been involved in this part of the business but by the time the disc record was first commercially developed he devotes nearly all of his energy to this cause.(The rest of his research went toward cement, storage batteries, business machines and motion pictures). Marginalia would be inscribed on the pages of novels as well as books on history, religion, music, and science. Even encyclopedias and dictionaries were open season for his pencil. His output was incredible and covered every subject imaginable. No subject was taboo to him. He would make these notations for his own reference and pleasure. These were his thoughts and not for the public to see. Here Edison said exactly what he thought and was often very blunt; in many ways the very opposite of how he was perceived by the public. He seemed to always have a pencil in his hand. The Edison of 1910 was not the Edison of the good old days of Menlo Park either. He had in a sense become a bit of a caricature of himself. In this period of his life he also had the time to write more. We find that a good deal of his documentation dates from the 1910-1930 period, with the bulk of it dating from the mid-1920’s, when he spent a good deal of time at home. By 1912 Columbia had even given up on the cylinder and announced that the disc was king. Edison was not in a hurry to change from the cylinder format but was unusually agreeable once he discovered that work on a disc record was progressing in secret and, much to the alarm of some, he encouraged and spearheaded the project. These recordings were often done with Lauder pianos from Newark, New Jersey. The pianos had to be changed often as Edison said they had lost their sound from being pounded by jazz musicians. He often got upset with his private pianist Ernest Stevens for playing jazz on one of the sacred pianos from the studio. At least Stevens didn’t pound on the keys, saving him from further wrath. There was never a release of any orchestral recordings made with the 125’ horn. There were experiments putting things in the horn such as storage batteries and Ice. Edison did this to see if there was a difference in the sound quality. There were no improvements in the recordings. It was also the sad duty of the recording department’s Will Hayes to clean out the horn after the recording experimentation was done. Of course as he aged his hearing got worse. There were also a few operations performed on his ear that harmed his hearing more than it helped it. His hearing was correctable as proved by his son Theodore. He took his father to Bell Labs and had a curve made of T.A.E.’s hearing. Then he constructed a hearing aid to compensate for the hearing loss. This monstrosity as he called it worked very well. But it was a large box with vacuum tubes, a stethoscope-like headset and a microphone to speak into. He said his father put his head into the headset and someone spoke into the microphone he heard the high-pitched sounds that he had never heard before. In fact, Theodore said his father “heard pretty good through it”. But the thing weighed a lot and was “tremendous” in size. So we can see where Edison’s hearing loss centered. He had very few highs in his hearing and he would often lose the hissing sibilant. He could hear lower tones rather well and I believe this is what led him to push for a very mellow sound with low tones. It was a pleasing and comfortable sound for him.

Friendship, to ev'ry willing mind, Opens a heav'nly treasure, There may the sons of sorrow find Sources of lasting pleasure; See what employments men pursue, Then you will own my words are true, Friendship alone presents to view Sources of lasting pleasure. Poor are the joys that fools esteem, Fading and transitory; Mirth is as fleeting as a dream Or a deluding story. Luxury leaves a sting behind, Wounding the body and the mind; Only in friendship can we find Pleasure and solid glory. Learning, that boasting, glitt'ring thing, Is but a worth possessing; Riches forever on the wing, Scarce can be called a blessing; Fame, like a shadow flies away, Titles and dignity decay; Nothing but friendship can display Joys that are freed from trouble. Beauty, with all its gaudy shows, Is but a painted bubble; Short is the triumph wit bestows, Full of deceit and trouble; Sensual pleasures swell desire, Just as the fuel feeds the fire - Friendship can lasting bliss inspire, Bliss that is worth possessing. Happy the man that hath a friend Formed by the God of nature; Well may he feel and recommend Friendship for his Creator; Then let our hearts in friendship join To let our social pow'rs combine, Ruled by a passion most divine, Friendship to our Creator.

This page is available at: www.oecd.org/sti/privacycooperation. Since 1980, the volume and characteristics of cross-border data flows have been evolving, elevating privacy risks, and raising crossborder enforcement challenges. This has resulted in the need for a more global and systematic approach to cross-border privacy law enforcement co-operation. On 12 June 2007, the OECD Council adopted a Recommendation setting forth a framework for co-operation in the enforcement of privacy laws. OECD governments have been active in implementing the Recommendation and in April 2011 the OECD issued report on the progress made. Among the initiatives highlighted in the report is the launch in 2010 of a new global network for co-operation by privacy enforcement authorities (GPEN), the website for which is hosted by the OECD. Work by the OECD on this subject started in early 2006 with a Questionnaire, which formed the basis for the “Report on the Cross-border Enforcement of Privacy Laws” (October 2006). For more information on work of the OECD on the subject of privacy law enforcement co-operation, see: OECD model forms to facilitate privacy law enforcement co-operation: The Recommendation and related work have been developed by the OECD Committee for Information, Computer and Communications Policy (ICCP), through its Working Party on Information Security and Privacy (WPISP). The work, conducted in close cooperation with privacy enforcement authorities, is led by Jennifer Stoddart, Privacy Commissioner of Canada. It has built upon other OECD work on law enforcement co-operation in areas like spam and cross-border fraud. Report on the Cross-Border Enforcement of Privacy Laws OECD Questionnaire on the Cross-Border Enforcement of Privacy Laws Presentations of the Roundtable on Privacy Law Enforcement Co-operation (London, November 2006) Roundtable on Privacy Law Enforcement Co-operation OECD Privacy Enforcement Roundtable Agenda (12 March 2007) OECD Privacy Enforcement Roundtable Documents (12 March 2007) Frequently Asked Questions on OECD Work on Privacy Law Enforcement Co-operation

Every language has a word for mother, and every culture has ghost stories! I've collected ghost stories all my life, and to celebrate the season of the thin veil between this life and the afterlife, I'd like to share a few of my favorite international haunts! China's Hungry Ghosts are a mixture of morality tale and horror. People who were greedy during their lifetime are cursed to everlasting hunger in death. They're constantly searching for satisfaction that will never come. While Japan has the standard complement of ghosts to avenge wrongs, or who died tragically, they also have the unique Ikiryo. If you are stirred up by enough passion, enough fury, you can release the ghost inside of you while you're still alive! The Romanian strigoi are souls too troubled to stay in their grave. They have all kinds of powers- and they drain the life out of victims by stealing their blood. As you might guess, the strigoi are closely linked with vampire mythology- but their shapeshifting also makes them cousins to werewolves. Sometimes, the name is as good as the stories about certain ghosts. French Revenants are ghosts that come back to haunt and harass those they knew in life- and revenant comes from the French, "revenir" - to return. They are The Ones Who Return. Sometimes I wonder if certain ghosts really exist. The Bengali Aleya is a marsh-light ghost that confuses travelers, leaving them to wander lost until they drown. Quite a lot like England's corpse candle, Ireland's will o' the wisp, Newfoundland's Jacky Lantern, Rome's ignis fatuus, Brazil's Boi-tata and Vietnam's Lân tinh. Even as I shiver, I love the shadowy possibilities. No matter where you roam, there will always be a little haunted hospitality to greet you!

The strong colors and stylized forms of Diego Rivera’s “El Venedor de Alcatraces” depict a Mexican peasant, and the burden carried by the country’s working class. Instrumental to the revival of outdoor mural painting, Rivera (1886 – 1957) created frescoes portraying Mexico’s history and social problems in a form that working people could easily access. A strong supporter of revolutionary politics, Rivera expressed his dream of a socialist utopia to Mexicans, making him a legendary Mexican artist. Champion of the working class, legendary artist and political activist Diego Rivera’s enormous murals call attention to Mexico’s history and class civil rights. Rivera (1886 – 1957) was born in Mexico and his enormous outdoor murals paid tribute to farmers and laborers. By reintroducing the fresco, a mural painted on fresh plaster, into modern art and architecture, Rivera made his artwork and political messages available to everyone.

This 10-part series discusses the notion of “cognitive” radio, the combination of a radio transceiver with computerized intelligence to automate coordination of devices, networks and services for improved functionality, interoperation and spectrum utilization. The term originates from parallels with biological systems that interact with their environment using a regime of goals, sensory inputs and reactive behaviors to sustain themselves. Cognitive radio, formerly the interest of a few, has now entered the “group think” environment, where “cognition” means many things to many people. Outgrowths of the concept have been advanced to address a variety of next-generation wireless origins and current forms. The author also attempts to forecast how FCC cognitive radio rulemaking may proceed in connection with its initiatives to achieve higher spectrum productivity. What is Cognitive Radio? Like many modern concepts, “Cognitive Radio” is not entirely new, but rather an amalgam of manual radio resource management techniques invented and proven earlier for enhancing the performance of wireless communication systems, now automated by a computer. Simply put, cognitive radio is the combination of a radio transceiver with computerized intelligence to automate coordination of devices, networks and services for improved functionality, interoperation, and spectrum utilization. Recently, a focal point has become coexistence of radios in common spectrum. It is termed “cognitive” because the actions it is envisioned to take are analogous to the way a biological entity reacts to its environment based on a regime of goals, sensory inputs, and behaviors. Cognitive radio has become a topic of interest lately because of two important changes in the radio application space: - The growth of personal portable communications services - The need to provide enough suitable spectrum for such services Personal communications has changed the face of two-way radio from a microwave relay, push-to-talk, and mobile telephone world to mainstream, anytime, anywhere wireless for the masses. Cellular telephone started this revolution in the 1980s, but today’s broadband multimedia wireless networks have carried the banner forward. Even at its inception, the very nature of cellular radio dictated some level of cognition: the systems depended upon devices to detect an available wireless network, interact with it to allow a connection to be set up, and to maintain the connection as the user moves about. It is fortunate indeed that cellular and microcomputer technology arose contemporaneously, as much of what cellular telephony has become would have been impossible otherwise. In today’s advanced radio networks, even more is expected: wireless devices may actually be parts of the network as well as clients (as with forwarding mesh topologies), they may have to accommodate a variety of media, rates, and QoS needs, and they may have to operate in a spectrum that is shared with other services while minimizing interference. They may even have to recognize exactly where they are and to notify other devices or networks. The Origins of Cognitive Radio Having begun almost 100 years after the development of wired technologies, radio has traversed several stages of maturation, the latest of which is the exploitation of the signal processing techniques that had proved so successful in making broadband transmission possible using wires. However, adoption of these techniques has also forced radio engineers to reconcile with Shannon: Information theory increases consciousness of the bandwidth resource, link attenuation, power and noise floor as fundamental limits of reach and rate. This entry into the “Shannon Zone” has also sparked the realization that spectrum is finite and not all of it is necessarily appropriate for every application. The realization that spectrum is finite is easily visualized if one thinks of a wireless “cell” as a coaxial cable of the same diameter. Individuals within the cell/cable must share the RF medium efficiently with others while minimizing interference. With wires, one can always add more cables to fixed-use locations because the spectrum is contained and can be reused almost infinitely; with wireless the spectrum is much less contained and can be reused only to the extent to which smaller cells can be used. Even with small cells, the spectrum resource may have to be divided among a significant number of users within the coverage area. With appetite for wireless broadband connections increasing, cells must inevitably become smaller with better resource reuse and higher-channel spectral efficiency absent vast amounts of new spectrum. In the end, one might envision a “Shannon Communication Volume” (SCV) expressing the maximum number of users at a particular rate that can be sustained over a geographic area in much the same way as the Shannon limit is now routinely used to bound the “reach” and “rate” of transmission over wires. The Communications Act of 1934 established the FCC as the manager of spectrum for citizens of the United States and a regime of licenses, regulations, and process thereafter ensued to ensure that spectrum use was organized, productive, and efficient. In a sense, the FCC’s goal has been to maximize the SCV of the United States by building rules for various radio services one-at-a-time into a large body of regulations. Part 2 coming soon... This article is published as part of the IDG Contributor Network. Want to Join?

Rail experts gather in London this month for a special conference on lighting which will pose the question: are antiquated standards holding back innovation? Concerns have been rising that standards and guidelines covering illumination on the network, some of them based on Victorian practices, are not fit for purpose in the LED age. Coupled with a risk-averse culture, this is leading to a lighting estate that doesn’t match global best practice. The conference will also focus on key topics such as procurement, asset management and the new design principles for London Underground. Leon Smith of TfL will outline the organisation’s new procurement process while Terry Denyer of Network Rail will look at the challenges and opportunities in lighting big investment projects such as HS2 and Crossrail project. Former head of lighting at London Underground David Burton will examine the implications of the migration of the network’s lighting from traditional sources to LED, Jeff Shaw of Arup will explain how dining, retail and hospitality offers are best integrated in stations, and LUL electrical engineer Ivan Perre will unveil the lighting plan of the Tube station design guide. Other topics covered at the event, at the Cavendish Conference Centre in central London on Wednesday 24 June, include emergency lighting, lighting heritage and Victorian environments and exemplar projects such as Rainhill Station. - The Lighting for Rail conference is free to attend for all professionals working for a network operator or TOC. See the full programme and book your place at www.raillightingconference.com

The Anavilhanas Archipelago is situated on the Rio Negro, half a day’s boat ride away from Manaus. When the river level is at its highest, half of its islands are submerged, to create a floating forest in front of your eyes. You will discover countless creeks and canals. A dense vegetation which harbors birds, monkeys, iguanas, rodents and snakes. With its unique black waters, it is extremely rich in aquatic life: numerous species of fish come here specially just to reproduce. Here you will find the pirarucu and piranhas as well as caimans, dolphins and even the giant otter of the Amazon. A cruise in which you can view the flora and fauna from your boat as well as discovering the islands by canoe or on foot. A sublime destination to discover the jungle and its ecosystem. Discover our unique itinerary in South America. From 2 to 6 persons All year round The river is at its lowest in November The river is at its highest in May Destination Brazil! Observe the treasures of the Amazon: the vastness of the Rio Negro, the unique flora and fauna of the Anavilhanas National Park, unique encounters with local communities… a trip that is out of this world! Travel to the heart of the Amazon rainforest and discover all the beauty of an extraordinary destination. This river cruise will take you in contact with nature, between Amazonian dolphin, giant otters, monkeys and birds to accompany you in your activities. A 5-day private river cruise for couples, families or groups of friends as we navigate along the Rio Negro. An experience which will allow you to: Dive into the heart of the Amazon with the comfort of a traditional privatized boat Cross the Anavilhanas archipelago and its 400 islands See the meeting of waters, where the waters of the Rio Negro and the Rio Solimões meet to form the Amazon Go hiking through the forest Spot the flora and fauna with a specialist guide whether by foot or by boat, at day and at night Spend a night in a hammock in the jungle under the canopy Meet the “Botos cor de rosa”, dolphins of the Amazon Go on nighttime outings to look at the fauna Spend some time with local communities Marvel at the vastness of the Milky Way Where will you sleep and what will you eat? Several options are available for sleeping. You can sleep in a hammock on the deck of the boat or in an air-conditioned cabin. Meals will be prepared by the chef aboard the boat. You will eat vegetables and fruits accompanied by freshly caught fish and local meats. Water and fruit juices are provided for your entire stay (alcoholic beverages are not included). This cruise is intended for all profiles of participants, it is our most accessible adventure. Families, couples and groups of friends will enjoy this expedition. The price includes : Pick-up from your hotel or Manaus airport; Bilingual guide for the entire duration of the stay and all activities Privatized boat with crew composed of a captain, a machinist and a cook Entry into the national park of Anavilhanas Hammocks and mosquito nets for sleeping in the rainforest Breakfast, lunch and dinner every day of our tour The price doesn’t include: National and international flights Hotel accommodation or lodge and restaurants in Manaus before and after our tour in the jungle The program gives you an idea of how your trip will unfold. You are the protagonist of your adventure, and we will adapt to fulfil your wishes. The people you will meet, the animals you will see, the landscapes that will pass before your eyes, the unique moments you will share that are out of this world are impossible to convey in their intensity on this page. Each one of these elements, will, in our view, make your journey to the Amazon Rainforest complete. Day 1 : On the first day of our adventure, we will come to pick you up from your hotel or the airport early in the morning and we will stop off at the Manaus market, by the port. Next activity: meeting the waters! We will then board our boat and head off toward the confluence of the Solimöes and Rio Negro rivers which form the Amazon River. Their waters, clear on one side and dark on the other, run along next to each other for miles without mixing. During the afternoon you will discover the Janauari Ecological Park in the afternoon before we travel back up the Rio Negro cape on the Anavilhanas Archipelago. Day 2 : After breakfast, which is served aboard the boat, we will set off to find the Amazon pink dolphins in the Rio Negro. If you wish, you can get into the water with them. We will then meet a local community where we will have lunch before taking a walk in the rainforest. This hike will be devoted to spotting the flora and fauna. It is an ideal opportunity to discover medicinal plants and herbs. At the end of the day we will set up camp in the jungle to spend the night underneath the stars and sleep in our hammocks around the fire as is the custom in the Amazon. You can also sleep on the boat if you prefer. Day 3 : We will navigate through the Anavilhanas Archipelago. You can then explore the islands by canoe or on foot according to the time of year and water levels. We will then reach the Ariaú river along which we will continue our exploration activities by canoe for a spot of bird and monkey watching. You will have the chance to try your luck at piranha fishing. Day 4 : We will visit the Acajatuba lagoon to meet members of a local community. We will go to see the manioc plantations and learn how manioc flour is made. The afternoon will be devoted to relaxing on a river beach (praia grande) where you can go for a swim. A nighttime outing to look at the caimans will wrap up our day. Day 5 : To end our trip on a high note, we will cross the archipelago’s islands by journeying down the Rio Negro after breakfast. We will meet the Amerindian tribe, the Umukomasã, also known as Desana. We will take the time to talk with them and find out about their traditions during our excursion. At the end of the day, we will return to Manaus with an expected arrival at the port there of 5:00 p.m. From the port, we will take you to your hotel, lodge or to the airport.

Advice for the eco-minded What causes the northern lights? —Allan Chisholm, Orono, ME Painting the sky blue, green, and red, the northern lights, or aurora borealis, is a spectacular natural phenomenon often associated with cold nights in northern latitudes. The scientific explanation of the shimmering colors lies in the relationship between the sun and the earth. The sun is so hot that it evaporates, releasing a stream of high-speed charged particles. This solar wind—made up of protons and electrons collectively called plasma—makes its way to earth. There it encounters a magnetic shield that extends from the poles and surrounds our planet. As the plasma clashes with oxygen atoms in earth’s atmosphere along the magnetic field lines, the electrons release energy, and the color green lights up the night. If the solar winds are strong enough, a chain of processes causes the electrons to penetrate deeper into the atmosphere, where they encounter nitrogen atoms and turn the sky purple and pink. The strength of the aurora borealis depends on the sun. Generally the northern lights follow an 11-year solar cycle, says Dirk Lummerzheim, of the University of Alaska’s Geophysical Institute. “Halfway in between we will have a maximum of the solar activity,” he says. When that happens, a few times per solar cycle, people as far south as Florida and Texas sometimes see the northern lights. Look for them from September to April when it’s clear and dark. Back to Top Is there an easy way to stop the flow of unwanted catalogs? —Abigail Andrews, Washington, DC If a heap of catalogs slides out of your mailbox every day, you’re not alone. Retailers sent some 17 billion catalogs to American households last year, says April Smith, a managing director for Catalog Choice, a nonprofit that helps consumers manage mailings. Though these glossy publications are effective marketing tools, the paper they’re printed on depleted forests, and transporting them contributes to carbon emissions. Thankfully, it’s possible to stop the overflow. Consumers can log on to the Direct Marketing Association’s website and request having their names removed from all direct-mail lists. For those who can’t live without one or two specific catalogs, Catalog Choice might be a better option. “Our mission is to provide a free and convenient way to reduce the number of unwanted catalogs in the mail,” says Smith. Just sign up for an account online and ask that any of the more than 1,000 participating retailers take your name off of their list or send you fewer catalogs. Catalog Choice is expanding this year to include credit-card offers and coupons. Junkmailstopper.com, stopthejunkmail.com, and 41pounds.org also allow anyone buried beneath the glossy pages to slow the torrent of catalogs, but they charge up to $41 for the service. Back to Top Does eating local honey help prevent allergies? —Wei Ja, Gainesville, GA A spoonful of honey is often touted as the best natural medicine to combat the sneezing and itchy eyes brought on by pollen-filled blooms. After all, bees make honey from the nectar collected from plants close to their hives, so it stands to reason that eating the sweet stuff would prompt your body to build up a resistance to the cause of your discomfort. Alas, no scientific studies show that local honey combats allergies. Still, future research may prove otherwise, says Peter Gallmann, head researcher at the Swiss Bee Research Centre. “There are hints in the literature that some relief can be due to the intake of pollen,” he says. “But pollen in honey is only in the range of parts per thousand. So it’s really not very much of an effect.” Until the honey connection is proven, be wary—some people have reported allergic reactions to the honey itself. Even if local honey doesn’t clear your sinuses, it does offer benefits. It’s increasingly easy to buy, thanks to the growing trend of urban beekeeping, and purchasing honey from a farmers’ market means you’re supporting local agriculture and reducing emissions spewed from trucking the golden liquid. Back to Top Send your most vexing questions to [email protected].

Image From ..ourfiniteworld.com The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the United States expanded by 2.5 percent in the first quarter of 2013 over the previous quarter. GDP Growth Rate in the United States is reported by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In a case of apparent cheerleading, when they reported the latest GDP number, the Wall St. Journal said the number was an indication that the U.S. economy ‘perked up’ in the first quarter. Additionally, WSJ explained that the GDP’s first-quarter 2.5% tick followed growth of “just 0.4% in the fourth quarter” and said “the overall performance suggests the economy continues to expand at around 2% a year on average, as it has throughout the recovery.” ‘Recovery’… yes, that was the word they used. Strangely, the media's words conceal what numbers reveal... Hold that thought for a moment while we look at China. Just a month ago Bloomberg reported that China’s energy consumption had stalled “as its economy slows.” (Apparently there was nothing to suggest anything even perking up.) But, remarkably, the numbers tell us something else… Elaine Leven, president of Powerhouse, a Washington DC-based energy consultant, says “Economic growth in China is still robust and China’s GDP grew by 7.8% in the first half of 2012 (the most recent data available).” She noted that the growth there is slower than in recent years, adding that China’s economy has grown at an average real rate of about 10 percent per year over the past 10 years. China’s energy consumption reflects the growth. Oil demand has increased from 4 million barrels per day in 2000 to more than 10 million bpd today and climbing… EIA reports that China now represents two-thirds of the world’s oil demand growth. And that’s important for American consumers to understand and recognize that where fuel prices are concerned we are impacted by China as much, if not more so, than we are by OPEC. So when gasoline consumption wanes in the U.S. amidst reports that robust energy supply outpaces demand and America’s “driving patterns have downshifted” it’s important not to let these pieces of information paint the whole picture for us. Let’s remember that the price at our local pump reflects not only local logistics and taxes but seasonal changes, global crude oil prices and global supply & demand too. Don’t be fooled by a U.S. economy stuck in ‘neutral’. The growth of China and other emerging nations suggests that global demand could keep consistent pressure on crude oil and U.S. gasoline prices.

Is it ridiculous, a sign of the times or just fine for a Transportation Security Administration agents to pat down a 6-year-old? A much talked-about video, recently posted on YouTube, shows a little girl with her mother at Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans last week when a TSA screener said the girl needed to be patted down. It seems the girl had been scanned previously because her mother can be heard asking for a rescan instead of a full pat-down. The little girl can also be heard in a portion of the video saying, "I don't want to." The gloved female agent pats her down and checks inside the top of her waistband. During the screen, the agent is heard telling the girl where she will be touching her next. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, there have been lots of questions about who should be screened at airports -- and how. Some passengers at Reagan National Airport Wednesday said the checks are being done in the name of safety, while others think the TSA has gone too far. "It has to be done," Rose Griffin said. Fairfax's Gene Christie disagrees. "I understand there's a security need but there's also common decency," he said. Thirteen-year-old Raoul Rutter, whose family was flying to Armstrong Wednesday, said he thinks there should be some leeway when it comes to kids and airport security. "For adults I think it's important because security is important, but for little girls who are scared of that, they should at least have their mother or father by their side," Raoul said. The TSA said children have been used to carry explosives and released a statement supporting the agent, saying she followed proper screening procedures. The policy on screening children has changed over the years. Agents are expected to use a modified pat-down on kids under age 12. The statement said the agency will explore additional ways to move beyond a "one-size-fits-all system" while maintaining a high level of security. "I see the pros and I see the cons, " traveler Lael Herbert said. "Kind of comes with the territory, unfortunately." TSA officials said they are now reviewing their current policy to improve screening of low-risk travelers like children.

It was among the most innovative scientific organizations of the 20th century. With its somewhat small group of scientists and engineers, it was responsible for a string of inventions, including the transistor, the first cellular telephone system, the first communications satellites and the first laser patent. Like Facebook, it sought to connect us all. This was Bell Labs in the early part of the last century, and the man at the helm was Mervin Kelly, a physicist who led the laboratory. Follow his lead for inventing the future: • Build a critical mass of talented people. Kelly believed having a lot of talent was key to fostering an exchange of ideas. • Put them all under one roof. Having talented people wasn’t enough. They needed to be physically close to one another. So Bell Labs put thinkers and doers together, intentionally mixing engineers, physicists and metallurgists on projects. At the Murray Hill, N.J., lab, the hallways were abnormally long. A researcher on his way to the cafeteria would inevitably encounter problems, ideas and diversions along the way. • Keep an open floor plan. Cubicles didn’t yet exist, but employees were told to keep their doors open. • Give them time. Kelly gave his employees years to solve vexing problems. That might seem impossible today, in a time when the desire for short-term results can override everything else. But to create the sorts of innovative leaps that Bell Labs did, products that created millions of jobs and a better society, you must sometimes move a little slowly. — Adapted from “True Innovation,” Jon Gertner, The New York Times.

…put it in a book. At least, that’s how the saying goes. And the main folks guilty of making such an allegation…? You guessed it… Black folk themselves. You see, many of us who say this do so not to hate on our own community, but rather to stir black folk in to understanding what we’re missing in life by not consistently reading books. For there are many secrets contained in books. Secrets other folk don’t want you to know. Secrets of knowledge; of the world around you; on how you can succeed in life; on how you can transform a negative situation into a positive one … secrets on who you are and where you come from; or on how you are currently being lied to about who you are and where you come from. There are many secrets hidden between pages, valuable ones, holding the very keys to our economic and spiritual success, and our mental emancipation as a people. It certainly follows that one of the most empowering things you can do as an individual is to make a commitment to find a book and read it from cover to cover each month. Even if you don’t complete it by month’s end, just make sure you complete it. And then pick up the next one… and the next one… You see, the mind is a complex thing. It lives and thrives off of stimulation, knowledge and inspiration. We must feed it constantly or it will become parched, thirsty and weak, and begin to work against us. So in the spirit of feeding our minds, welcome to the debut version of Charisse’s Lit Bit, a literary review forum I will host each week here at NewsOne. Charisse’s Lit Bit will pull in reviews, events and happenings in the world of books while engaging authors, reviewers, black book sites, and others relevant to the written (and digital) word. It will focus on books by or about black people, literary fiction, urban fiction and non-fiction. Be sure to check out Charisse’s Lit Bit here, each week, at NewsOne.com to discover incredible jewels about life, drama, mystery, success and happiness. Trust me, you don’t want to be the one who misses out. Because these are valuable secrets we can no longer keep. Charisse Carney-Nunes is the award-winning author of the children’s books, I Am Barack Obama, I Dream For You A World, and Nappy. She is the founder of new media publishing company, Brand Nu Words and a senior vice president of the Jamestown Project, a think tank focusing on democracy.

by Christopher Baker This project was created by combining images, dating back to the mid-1800s, from every US patent containing the phrase “toy pistol”. This video shows the compositing process. About the Artist: Christopher Baker is an artist whose work engages the rich collection of social, technological and ideological networks present in the urban landscape. He creates artifacts and situations that reveal and generate relationships within and between these networks.

Devizes waste recycle centre fire under control A fire at a waste recycling centre in Devizes has been brought under control, after fire crews spent the night tackling it. The blaze broke out at the Wiltshire Waste site in Nursteed Road at about 16:45 GMT on Tuesday. The fire caused a huge plume of black smoke to billow across the town. Earlier people living in the area were warned to keep windows and doors shut but the health warning has now been lifted. A spokesman for Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said 300 tonnes of waste was alight when they arrived. Among the items involved in the fire were wood, paper, garden waste and plastics. Five fire crews were called in to fight the blaze. One fire engine remained at the site on Wednesday morning. A spokesman for Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said it is believed to have started accidentally, although the exact cause may never be established.

Elk -- Monitoring -- South Dakota; Elk -- Habitat -- South Dakota; Elk -- South Dakota -- Geographical distribution; Hunting surveys -- South Dakota; Wildlife management -- South Dakota This report summarizes results from the 2013 Elk Management in South Dakota survey. Information was collected from elk license applicants and Black Hills landowners regarding elk populations in South Dakota, including values, management... South Dakota -- Department of Labor and Regulation; Labor supply -- South Dakota; Employment agencies -- South Dakota; Unemployment -- South Dakota; Insurance -- South Dakota; Banks and banking -- South Dakota; Securities -- South Dakota Annual report for the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation. South Dakota. Legislature -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.; South Dakota -- Registers; South Dakota -- Politics and government -- Handbooks, manuals, etc. The Legislative Manual, commonly known as the Blue Book, is a comprehensive reference source on state government that is published every two years according to South Dakota Codified Law. It contains information on elected state officials, judges,... South Dakota. Department of Agriculture, Resource Conservation and Forestry Division; Conservation of natural resources -- South Dakota; Forest conservation -- South Dakota This report highlights our accomplishments and special projects in fiscal year 2009 by each program: Community Forestry, Natural Resources Conservation (soil, water, air, etc.), Forest Health, and Service Forestry.

Road Rule Traffic Laws – Changing Lanes, Overnight in Samoa! Road Rule Changes To ‘Drive’ Most People Crazy If you’re travelling (slowly) around Samoa, you will definitely come across this odd Road Rule Sign like this on the side of the road: Hmm, it’s a bit unusual to remind the locals to keep to the left hand side of the road, they should be used to it. But that’s because Samoans used to drive on the right hand side until 2009! Driving on the right hand side was a legacy from German colonial times. Samoans had been driving on the right hand side of the road for more than a hundred years! Anyway, back in 2009, the Samoan Road Rules literally changed overnight – where locals who were used to driving on the right hand side of the road, then had to relearn everything and learn to drive on the left hand side of the road. Road Rule Change Reasons The reason for this, was because Samoans could now import apparently cheaper right hand drive cars from Australia, New Zealand or Japan, and so that the large number of Samoans living in Australasia can drive on the same side of the road when they visit Samoa. Another reason was to reduce the reliance on expensive, left-hand drive imports from the United States. But there was a major campaign initiated to reduce potential accidents: the government widened roads, added new road markings, erected signs and installed speed humps to prepare for the change. That’s why when you visit, you will notice a lot of left hand drive vehicles driving on the left hand side of the road. That’s one thing I like about Samoa. There is no mucking around, they just go ahead and do things! This monumental change is not a first for Samoa – they’re also able to change the time! They recently became the first country to see the day in instead of being the last, as the international date line was moved to the east of Samoa to be more in line with New Zealand and Australia. More Road Rule Stuff I’m guessing this Road Rule scenario didn’t appear in Driving Simulator & Road Rules – 2012 SimuRide Home Edition. Also, for more on Samoa, check out the Samoa Tourism Authority Website.

Another young girl has been informally dubbed the "most beautiful girl in the world." And it illustrates a problematic pattern with this label. According to the Daily Mail, Anna Knyazeva is a six-year-old from Russia who's already signed with a modeling agency. Her Instagram account, managed by her mother, is followed by over half a million people, with fans complimenting Knyazeva's "doll-like" features in the comments on photos. "You're the most beautiful child I've ever seen," one person commented recently, while another weighed in, "I think she is the most beautiful girl on the [Earth]" — a sentiment shared by many others. Knyazeva isn't the first to have the "most beautiful girl" label bestowed on her. Another Russian girl, Kristina Pimenova, was called the same in 2014, and many people are familiar with French model Thylane Blondeau, who made headlines for being on the cover of French Vogue when she was 10. There's a troubling pattern here, however: All three are white, with straight, light-colored hair, thin figures, and "Western" features. It begs the question: Why do we automatically consider this the ideal for beauty? And why do we need to have a "world's most beautiful girl" in the first place? The title only puts pressure on other girls and young women to live up to the same narrow standards, setting beauty and body expectations others can't possibly meet — and shouldn't feel the need to meet. Instead, we should be encouraging girls and women to embrace who they are and calling out backwards trends like this one. More on beauty and body standards: - Ashley Graham Just Not-So-Subtly Dragged the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show With This Photo - Christie Brinkley's Daughters Sailor Lee and Alexa Ray Talk Body Image - Why Having Body Hair Makes This Woman Feel Beautiful

Judging the intelligence of a person is really a subjective matter since the standards we go by are usually diversified and even inconstant. Many people also hold that this kind of judgment is prejudicial since all men are supposed to be born equal. However, we cannot deny that there are several geniuses walking the earth who at least deserve our recognition. Bearing in mind that judging a person’s intelligence is only relative, SuperScholar.org listed the top 10 genius people alive today based on their IQ and achievements in life. If we take IQ as the measure for intelligence, statistics show that: 0.5 % of people are almost genius or genius. Their IQ is over 140. 2.5% of people have superior intelligence. Their IQ is over 130. 2.5% of people are mentally impaired. Their IQ is below 70. 50% of people have IQ scores between 90 and 110. Here follows the list of ten smartest people alive today as released by SuperScholar.org: - IQ of 180 - Age: 65 - Won three Emmy Awards - Two Academy Award nominations

The role of Christian churches in European integration Mudrov, S 2011, The role of Christian churches in European integration , PhD thesis, Salford : University of Salford. Restricted to Repository staff only until 03 October 2014. Download (2682kB) | Request a copy This PhD thesis analyses the role of Christian Churches in European integration. We learn that Churches are inalienable participants in the process of European integration; therefore it is important to identify how they are placed within the European project and what their contribution is. We show that social constructivism is the most adequate approach to the study of the role of Churches in European integration. This thesis contains six main chapters. Chapter One is dedicated to the analysis of the existing theories of European integration. It identifies an important gap in the existing theories, which largely overlook the religious factor in the integration process. Chapter Two analyses why and how identity, non-state actors and religion are particularly relevant to European integration. Chapter Three deals with research methodology. It argues in favour of the case study method and justifies the selection of two case studies: Churches in the reform of the EU treaties and Churches in the EU immigration and asylum policy. Chapter Four looks in detail at why Churches should be regarded as unique participants in European integration. It also identifies the confessional specificities of the Churches' involvement in the EU politics and the possible level of their influence. Chapters Five and Six are dedicated to the case studies themselves. In chapter Five attention is drawn to the role of Christian Churches in the process of recent reform of the EU treaties (2001-2009). Specifically, it analyses the contribution of Churches to the three main stages of this reform: the work of the Constitutional Convention, the Inter- Governmental Conference and the Treaty of Lisbon. In chapter Six the focus is on the policy level, with an analysis of how Churches contribute to the EU immigration and asylum policy. It also discusses their contribution in a specific case, analysing the adoption process of the Returns Directive. The main original contribution of this thesis is that it establishes a comprehensive view of Christian Churches as special and unique participants in European integration, as compared with other non-state actors, considered in the analysis of integration by social constructivism. |Item Type:||Thesis (PhD)| |Schools:||Colleges and Schools > College of Arts & Social Sciences| Colleges and Schools > College of Arts & Social Sciences > School of Humanities, Languages & Social Sciences |Depositing User:||Institutional Repository| |Date Deposited:||03 Oct 2012 14:34| |Last Modified:||18 Feb 2014 14:43| Document DownloadsMore statistics for this item... Actions (login required) |Edit record (repository staff only)|

Some city taxis are getting technology to help visually impaired riders make sure they're not being cheated. Former Gov. David Paterson was present for the announcement Tuesday in front of City Hall. Paterson is legally blind. He says he has often suspected that cabbies asked him for a higher fare than was on the meter, but he had no way to prove it. The new technology will eventually be installed in about half the city's yellow cabs. Get the latest from NBC 4 New York anytime, anywhere. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Sign up for email newsletters here. Get breaking news delivered right to your phone -- just text NYBREAKING to 639710. For more info, text HELP. To end, text STOP. Message and data rates may apply.

> Gasoline selling for $4 a gallon. Instability in the Middle East and industrialization in China impacting oil imports. Greenhouse gas emissions accelerating climate change. This perfect storm of energy-related concerns led Chancellor James L. Oblinger to declare 2008 “The Year of Energy” at NC State University. > In a field west of the NC State campus, a large array of solar panels looks up toward the sun. If it catches enough rays, the array can generate power for seven or eight households. > Distinguished University Professor of Electrical Engineering B. Jayant “Jay” Baliga is leaving a huge mark on the world through the tiniest of footprints. > Skyrocketing fuel prices and growing concern over greenhouse-gas emissions have the U.S. scrambling for answers to its energy questions. > Dr. Wesley Henderson was in the Iraqi desert in the early 1990s when he experienced an epiphany, realizing his life’s work would be in energy research. > Looking out his office window on Centennial Campus, Progress Energy Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering Alex Huang stares past the brick buildings and open fields for a glimpse at the future. > After spending part of his school year running computer simulations of a next-generation nuclear reactor, Justin Carey spent his summer working for GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Inc., in Wilmington. > If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there, could it make biofuel? NC State scientists are determined to answer this Zen-like question with a less philosophical “yes.” > While much of the national attention on biofuels has been directed at corn-based ethanol, NC State researchers are looking at creating fuel from everything from animal fat to pond scum. > Want to put a tiger in your tank? Don’t start with a corn cob, say NC State researchers, who have compared the fuel economy and emissions of various biofuels with regular gasoline and diesel. > With the nation’s energy future at the top of today’s news, hands-on learning related to energy is opening the door to future energy careers for students touched by the College of Education (CED) and The Science House at NC State.

Looks like it was the turkey after all. Meat giant Cargill has recalled 36 million pounds of ground turkey after the Centers for Disease Control found that Cargill's meat samples were contaminated with the same strains of salmonella connected to the recent outbreak. So far, the salmonella surge has caused one death and 76 other cases of illness across the U.S. But since the samples tested had not directly caused any illness, the Agriculture Department has not been able to name Cargill the culprit. An antibiotic-resistant salmonella superbug is also on the rise in Europe, though officials believe it first came from Africa.

The conflict with Russia has diverted Ukraine's resources from restoration efforts in Chernobyl, Volodymyr Yelchenko, Ukrainian ambassador to the United Nations, tells dpa. Starting around the time Ukraine became independent in the early '90s, it spent between 10 and 15 per cent of its state budget on the consequences of Chernobyl consequences, Yelchenko says. But there has been a delay because of expenditures related to the conflict with Russia." "Many things which are now about to be completed would have been done let's say two years ago. For example, the shelter facility, the sarcophagus, was supposed to be completed almost two year ago." He says the cost of a single day of military operations in the east of Ukraine, not including the consequences of the annexation of Crimea, is a couple of million dollars, according to some estimates. "So all this money, at least part of it, would go to Chernobyl." Tuesday, April 26, 2016 - 22:45

Lurita Doan commentator, Federal News Radio, former GSA administrator : Why does Congress turn chicken in election years? Congressional campaigns seem designed to appeal to all people on all things, whilst obscuring the specific choices of the elected member. Government is now big business, responsible for almost $4.7 trillion in annual spending, coupled with the ability to regulate vast amounts of the private sector. While many elected members come to Congress as middle-class citizens, after a few, successful, election cycles, they have become rich men and women, all while receiving only modest pay. Sadly, it seems as if many elected members of Congress view government service as a path towards personal wealth. Often, congressional campaigns are family enterprises that employ family members, as consultants, assistants and lobbyists, all of whom depend upon future elections to keep the enterprise running. Our political process was not always this way. After serving the nation, most members of the Continental Congress returned to their farms. But, you don’t see that much anymore. Displaced members of Congress, and just about every former Cabinet Secretary, will join or form a consulting group, usually designed to help others win government business and curry favor with Congress. Like it or not, government is big business, with several trillion dollars worth of reasons to appease voters, and thus, they turn chicken at election time.

Filing a Student Complaint The Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) is a coordinating agency, not a regulatory agency. Therefore, the CDHE has limited jurisdiction over institutions of higher education (IHEs) in the state of Colorado. Prior to filing a complaint with the CDHE, students must follow the appeal procedures at their IHE. Each IHE has a process for addressing student complaints. Filing a complaint with the CDHE is the last resort. To file a complaint against a Colorado instutituon of higher education, please choose one of the following options: Click here to find out if your institution is PUBLIC, PRIVATE or a PRIVATE OCCUPATIONAL SCHOOL. - If your institution a PUBLIC institution, click here. - If your institution a PRIVATE institution, click here. - If your institution a PRIVATE OCCUPATIONAL SCHOOL, click here. Are you concerned about a possible diploma mill/illegal school? - For a definition of diploma mill/illegal school - click here. - Do you want to report a diploma mill/illegal school? click here. - Don't see your school on any list? Send us a comment.

“Once you agree upon the price you and your family must pay for success, it enables you to ignore the minor hurts the opponent’s pressure, and the temporary failures. ~ by Vince Lombardi ~ Every time I think of writing this post I am tempted to change the headline so that it reads “Master of My Domain.” I blame Seinfeld for infecting my brain for this. It was a memorable episode that has secured a place as a pop culture reference. Even though it is supposed to be funny it is applicable to the real topic of this post which is about taking control of our lives. I really shouldn’t say our lives because I am not writing this to motivate you but me. Sure, I hope that you find it to be inspirational but that is entirely for selfish reasons. If you find inspiration you will come back to visit again and that will help me in building this blog so that eventually my goal of turning it into a significant source of income will be realized. It is one of a number of different objectives that I have established for myself and part of the mental map that I have constructed. The mental map is something that I keep inside my head. It is a list of things that I want to do. Some of these items are things that I have been dreaming about since I was a boy and others are more recent additions. The mental map is where I store them along side the guide for converting them from something that I dream about into reality. I often write about being a dreamer and how I see visions of the future. Or maybe I should use my preferred term, echoes of the future. People need to have dreams. It is part of what keeps us going and it is most definitely part of how I motivate myself. It is not secret that I have been fighting some battles for a while now. There are things going on that are troubling me. There are challenges that have presented themselves repeatedly and I have done my best to meet them head on. Sometimes I have found myself feeling frustrated and angry because it has felt like I have been handcuffed. My ability to confront them has been limited because so much has been outside of my control. It is not easy for me to accept that. It is not easy to feel like I am being forced to play a game whose rules are unknown or subject to change without notice. And I find myself thinking about conversations with my paternal grandfather. “You have to play the hand that you are dealt” was one of his favorite lines. The memory makes me smile even if sometimes the words feel flat. But as a father I hear something different. As a father I hear myself talking to the children about what is and what can be. I hear myself telling them to stop fighting battles that you can’t win and to adapt. Meaning, you shouldn’t bang your head against the wall because your head will break long before the wall does. So figure out a way to do things differently. And that is what I have been doing. I have been focused on finding different approaches to these challenges. I alternate between finesse and brute strength. It is not always necessary to knock down a wall if there is a door that I can walk through. Alongside that mental map is a little storehouse of quotes and life experiences that I draw upon. When I feel like I need to recharge my batteries it is one of the places that I like to visit. It is also where I made the decision that I was going to work harder on focusing my energy on doing things that are fulfilling. Life is short and our grip upon it can be tenuous. I don’t want to just be. I don’t want to just exist and pass through my days. So the things that I do and the people I hang out with are those that stoke the fires of my passions. Part of being the master of my destiny means that I focus on that. I understand and recognize that it is not possible to limit myself to that. There are still things that I have to do that aren’t going to fit into that category or people that aren’t really part of that. But if they help me to get to the places I want to be or to stay there than it is a reasonable compromise. If you have managed to read through all of this mental nonsense the takeaway here is the following. I am focused on living a life that is meaningful and not wasted. I may not achieve every objective I set out before me, but if I actively pursue them then I am still being true to trying to be the master of my destiny.

You need to separate the table you want to update from the table your querying, even though it is the same: SET t1.age = t2.age FROM t1 as tempT1 INNER JOIN t2 ON tempT1.name = t2.name WHERE tempT1.name IS NOT NULL; Apparently MySQL is using a different UPDATE JOIN Syntax than other db's. Your initial query seems to use the correct syntax, just to be sure try to alias the table names: UPDATE t1 temp1 INNER JOIN t2 temp2 ON temp1.name = temp2.name SET temp1.age = temp2.age WHERE temp1.name IS NOT NULL; After looking at this a bit longer I'm certain that the WHERE clause is the issue: WHERE temp1.name IS NOT NULL You cannot join on null values anyway, so they are filtered out by default. The WHERE clause is somehow interfering with the join. Try and remove it to see if the UPDATEworks. If you don' t want to execute and update right away simply execute a select with the same JOIN CLAUSE to see which records would be affected. Here is a general reference to Here is the SQL Server Reference in compliance with the above: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms190409.aspx Could not find a MySQL reference that states this explicitly but I think this is true for all Relational DBs.

Trial sites have begun opening in a large study to determine which regimen of corticosteroid treatment provides maximum benefit in Duchenne muscular dystrophy Update (June 25, 2014): An approximately five-minute video about this FOR-DMD trial has been posted to YouTube. Update (March 12, 2014): An approximately one-hour webinar that explains the Finding the Optimum [Corticosteroid] Regimen for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (FOR-DMD) trial has been posted to YouTube. Update (Oct. 31, 2013): This story was updated to reflect that MDA is making travel support available to North American participants in this study. In addition, several additional trial sites have opened since this story was posted originally. See Finding the Optimum Regimen for DMD for regularly updated information. Prednisone and other drugs in the corticosteroid family have become standard treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in much of the world for almost a decade. In this disorder, they slow the decline of muscle function and prolong walking ability. However, corticosteroids have significant side effects, such as weight gain, bone loss, cataracts and behavior changes. Many questions about corticosteroid use in DMD remain, particularly about which medication, which dosage regimen, and what duration of treatment should be prescribed to maximize benefit and minimize harmful effects. Now, with the support of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the first four sites in a 40-center, multinational trial exploring these questions have begun enrolling participants. More centers will open as they are ready. 300 boys on three regimens In the phase 3 trial, investigators at medical centers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy will study young boys with DMD for five years. Each participant will be assigned to receive one of three corticosteroid regimens for three to five years: Prospective participants must: Prospective participants must not: The principal investigators are neurologist Robert Griggs at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York and geneticist Kate Bushby at the Institute of Human Genetics in Newcastle Upon Tyne in the United Kingdom. For details, including contact information and recruitment status (open or not yet open) for the study sites, see Finding the Optimum Regimen for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (FOR-DMD) (or enter NCT01603407 in the search box at ClinicalTrials.gov). For general information about U.S. sites, contact Kimberly Hart, U.S. project manager for FOR-DMD in Rochester, N.Y., at (585) 275-3767 or [email protected]. MDA is making travel support available to North American participants. The four sites that are currently open to recruitment are in Los Angeles; Rochester, N.Y.; Calgary, Alberta, Canada; and Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom. Site-specific study coordinators at open sites follow. University of California,Los Angeles University of Rochester Medical Center Alberta Children's Hospital Institute of Human Genetics International Centre for Life Newcastle Upon Tyne 0191 241 8649 For more information To learn more about corticosteroids and DMD, see:

« Back to All Guides These five skills will help you overcome the most unexpected or unusual obstacles. By Brian Fiske We've all had to endure a riding friend's tale of his horrific encounter with a madcap chipmunk or his brush with killer bees. And while these stories are usually exaggerated, they aren't completely untrue. Because cyclists sometimes run into (or are run into by) some outrageous things, we offer these bike-handling skills to help you avoid an unfortunate encounter of your own. This nickname for peripheral vision comes from a rider who was blindsided by a deer while paying attention only to what was in front of him. In a pack of riders, deer vision helps you monitor your surroundings and keep your eyes on the road. The basics: To develop awareness of objects on the edge of your field of vision, practice: Focus on something beside you--your riding partner, the TV-- while looking straight ahead. People do crazy things--step off sidewalks without looking, open car doors suddenly--so be prepared to fight crazy with crazy. (This type of thinking works well in large packs of riders, too.) You don't want to be dangerous, but you do need to save people from their own lapses. The basics: Unusual actions may be called for in extenuating circumstances: Hop onto the sidewalk (but don't ride there); ride into a ditch; swerve like a madman. Sometimes, you have to break the rules to save your neck. Enthusiastic barking is often not the hallmark of a dangerous dog. Instead, cyclists should be prepared for the last-minute snarl that bite-happy mutts utter once they've raced to within a few feet of your calves. That growl is a signal that it's time to jump. The basics: Stand and go. Don't shift to a harder gear until you've spun out the one you're in, and keep working your way through the gears. (If you're stuck in the small ring, use other means of escape: If there's no traffic, zigzag through your lane to make the canine work.) We wouldn't have believed a mountain biker's story about overcooking a blind corner and running into a bear's backside had it not been for the fact that he told us while shopping for new shorts. Bear braking (a. k. a. panic stopping) is a do-or-die skill. The basics: Get your weight low and behind the saddle as you make a serious grab on the brakes. The front brake is powerful, so your weight shift will counteract the forces working to pitch you over the bar. The ability to execute a bunny hop at a moment's notice can be the difference between a successful ride and a fateful meeting of fork and furry friend. The basics: A cheater's bunny hop is simple: Stand centered on the bike, cranks level; crouch low, then extend upward sharply and pull with your arms and legs to lift both wheels off the ground. Noncheater bunny hops are for those riding flat pedals. Instead of pulling with your arms and legs, you pull up the front wheel, then push the handlebar forward and pull your legs back and up to get the rear wheel off the ground. This takes practice. Unusual actions may be called for in extenuating circumstances. Sometimes, you have to break the rules to save your neck.

Dodge is apparently getting a little worried about what's going to happen when our cars are driven by robots. What will happen to the joy of driving, they ask? Let me just say that damn, I want to live in that future right now. It's got an automated Jello dispenser! Dodge seems to be concerned that when our cars go autonomous (and they will), they'll suck all the joy out of driving. But did you notice how there's that obligatory "professional driver on a closed course" notice at the bottom of the equally obligatory "driving is fun" scene? Yeah, that's when driving is fun. On those rarer and rarer occasions when you've got an exciting and empty stretch of road and time to enjoy it. For most people, most of the time, driving is a chore. The whole objective of driving is to get from one place to another quickly, and that's increasingly impossible thanks to either traffic or long commuting distances or both. No matter how expensive or fun your car is, I can't imagine that stop and go traffic will ever be enjoyable, and that's why we should all be looking forward to autonomous cars. Instead of just sitting there, wasting time, you can work. Or sleep. Or watch TV. Autonomous cars will turn wasted time into productive time, and even enjoyable time. The other reason to look forward to cars with an autonomous component is because commercials like these show that aforementioned "professional driver on a closed course." The reason they put that in there is because if you drive like that outside of a closed course, you're likely to get arrested and/or hurt someone, since not only is it against the law to change lanes without signaling (really, it is), I'm also pretty sure that the car blew right through a red light at the 0:45 second mark. Fortunately, when we're all driving cars with artificial intelligence, they'll be able to keep us in one piece even when we've got idiot drivers like the one in the commercial on the road. Of course, this is all a little bit tongue in cheek (even the dig at Google), but there's some underlying seriousness here as well. It's not like cars of the future are going to just abandon the steering wheel and pedals; autonomy will be an option. You'll be able to decide whether you want to plod through traffic at 7am or have your car do it for you, and when you find yourself alone on a beautiful stretch of road, by all means, have a blast... And try not to let it get to you that your car is almost certainly a better driver than you'll ever be. Via [ Autoblog ]

Signals That Don't Reflect Shorter wavelength radio waves (such as VHF, UHF and microwaves) don't curve around the Earth or reflect from the ionosphere as they travel. The fact that they penetrate the ionosphere makes them very useful for long-distance communications. These signals can be transmitted from ground stations to satellites in orbit around the Earth. The satellites receive, boost and re-transmit the signal to other ground stations. The Beauty of Geostationary Orbit Satellites in geostationary orbit are very important in worldwide communications. These satellites take exactly 24 hours to orbit the Earth at an altitude of 22,300 miles. This means they hover in the sky always in view of a particular ground station. As few as 5 satellites in geostationary orbit can receive and send messages around the entire world. Space Weather Effects During periods of disturbed space weather, the ionosphere can be filled with small-scale size irregularities. Radio signals traversing the disturbed ionosphere are disrupted by these irregularities which cause phase and amplitude fluctuations in the signals. This problem is particularly bad at high latitudes in the region of the auroral ovals and in the equatorial region where ionospheric bubbles (not associated with solar disturbances) occur.

This method has no prior conditions to be satisfied. Therefore, it may sound more general than the previous method. We will see that this method depends on integration while the previous one is purely algebraic which, for some at least, is an advantage. Consider the equation In order to use the method of variation of parameters we need to know that is a set of fundamental solutions of the associated homogeneous equation y'' + p(x)y' + q(x)y = 0. We know that, in this case, the general solution of the associated homogeneous equation is . The idea behind the method of variation of parameters is to look for a particular solution such as where and are functions. From this, the method got its name. The functions and are solutions to the system where is the wronskian of and . Therefore, we have Summary:Let us summarize the steps to follow in applying this method: Example: Find the particular solution to Solution: Let us follow the steps: Using techniques of integration, we get Remark: Note that since the equation is linear, we may still split if necessary. For example, we may split the equation into the two equations then, find the particular solutions for (1) and for (2), to generate a particular solution for the original equation by There are no restrictions on the method to be used to find or . For example, we can use the method of undetermined coefficients to find , while for , we are only left with the variation of parameters. Do you need more help? Please post your question on our S.O.S. Mathematics CyberBoard. Author: Mohamed Amine Khamsi

Dr. Robert Hawkins Wins the American Studies Association 2011 Ralph Henry Gabriel Dissertation Prize May 3, 2012 Written by: Dr. Amy Scott Dr. Robert Hawkins joined the Department of History in August 2011 after earning his PhD from Saint Louis University. Shortly after arriving on the Hilltop, he was awarded the 2011 American Studies Association’s coveted Ralph Henry Gabriel Dissertation Prize for his innovative dissertation “Natural Born Ease Man? Work, Masculinity, and the Itinerant Black Musician.” The nationally competitive award is the most prestigious prize for doctoral candidates in the disciplines of American Studies, American Ethnic Studies and American Women's Studies. Dr. Stacey Robertson, Chair of the History Department, praised Hawkins’s accomplishment, noting, “Professor Hawkins' dissertation rose to the top because it combines lucid analysis with original research and beautiful writing.” She predicted, “His work on African-American musicians will continue to win awards and intrigue audiences.” Hawkins’ dissertation explores how disparate ideas of what constituted “work” were determining factors in constructions of masculinity surrounding itinerant black musicians between 1896 and 1941. His study combines the methodologies of history, literary analysis, visual and sonic culture, and critical race and gender studies to argue that differing beliefs about the nature and value of work yielded understandings of masculinity that diverged along lines of race and class. Itinerant musicians straddled the line separating the formal and informal economies, blurring distinctions between labor and criminality; consequently, Hawkins argues, these musicians serve as excellent indicators of where various social groups drew the boundaries of legitimate work and, correspondingly, of legitimate manhood. By examining how people viewed black street performers and similar figures, Hawkins explains how those people defined work and how they understood masculinity. On the one hand, his study shows the unique role that work played in working-class black gender identity during the Jim Crow era. But by comparing the assumptions about work and gender evident in responses to black itinerants, it also demonstrates that black musicians became central negative referents for the gendered work identities of white citizens and middle-class black activists. Through a close reading of the vagrancy statutes, Hawkins reveals that the legal language of such statutes placed street musicians and other black itinerants outside the bounds of manhood and working citizenship, thereby securing both as the province of whites—an exclusion which depictions of black sloth and innate musicality reinforced in the realm of popular culture. Black activists like W.E.B. Du Bois and A. Philip Randolph, on the other hand, celebrated the accomplished musicians of the race, but reserved their praise for those who complied with standards of middle-class respectability and whose talents appeared to result from perseverance in formal study. Meanwhile, rather than rejecting outright the idealized work ethics that animated white notions of legal employment and black projects of racial advancement, itinerant musicians improvised on these themes to express unique values of work and masculinity which better accorded with working-class black experiences. Engaging in activities that were both work and play, both pleasurable and productive, itinerant musicians complicate the historical narrative on the early twentieth century transformation of masculinity—ordinarily understood as a shift from stressing economic production and physical discipline to emphasis on consumerism and physical pleasure. Dr. Hawkins has begun revising his dissertation manuscript for publication. Ultimately, he hopes that his book will convey the importance of ideas about work to the construction of masculinity and demonstrates that working-class black musicians were central, rather than peripheral, figures in the shaping of gender identities across lines of race and class.

The Hazel™ for apple technology works by reducing the respiration rate of apples prior to the storage process. The technology was designed to be easy to use: operators simply toss the Hazel™ for apple sachet in a bin of apples following harvest and before storage. “Using Hazel on our Honeycrisp apples resulted in reduced labor, increased safety for employees, easy applications of 1- MCP, and after 40 days of storage, a 90% reduction of ethylene. It’s a great technology I plan on using every season,” - Scott Kee, VP Operations at Sacia Orchards - Wisconsin, USA Questions? Ideas? Hazel Tech’s here for you!

Fiberglass mesh is mainly alkali-resistant fiberglass fabric, it use the C /E-glass fiber yarn (main ingredient is a silicate, good chemical stability) through a special weaving technique, then by the anti-alkali and reinforcing agent etc high temperature heat finishing treatments. It's ideal engineering material in construction and decoration industry! 1.Good chemical stability: Alkali-resistant, acid-resistant, waterproof,, cement erosion-resistant, and other chemicals' corrosion resistant; and strong resin bonding, soluble in styrene. 2.Our fiberglass yarn is supplied by Jushi Group which is the largest producer of fiberglass yarn in the world like Saint Gobain, it's 20% extra strong strength and beauty surface than normal fiberglass yarn! 3.Strength retention rate> 90%, elongation<1%, the durability of more than 50 years. 4.Good dimensional stability, stiffness, smoothness an difficult to shrink and deformation, good positioning property.. 5.Good impact resistance and not easy to be teared. 6.Fire resistant, thermal insulation, sound insulation, insulations etc. The product have good grid fixity, and high strength, good adhesion with cement mortar, excellent fitting positioning, excellent alkali resistance is very prominent, resistant to high alkaline substances concrete erosion. Strength retention rate> 90%, elongation<1%, the durability of more than 50 years. High elastic modulus 80.4Gpa, is can't reach by other chemical fibers. 1.Wall reinforced material 2.Reinforced cement products. 3.Used for Granite, mosaic, marble back mesh etc. 4.Fabric waterproof membrane, asphalt roofing. 5.Framework material for einforced plastics, rubber products,. 7.Grinding wheel base fabric. 8.Road surface with geogrid 9.Construction caulking tape etc. 1.75g / m2 mesh fabric used in the reinforcement of thin slurry, to eliminate small cracks and scattered throughout the surface pressure. 2.110g / m2 mesh cloth is widely used in indoor and outdoor walls, prevent the various materials (such as brick, light wood, prefabricated structure) of treatment or caused by a variety of expansion coefficient of wall crack and break . 3. 145g/m2 mesh fabric used in the wall and be mixed in various materials (such as brick, light wood, prefabricated structures), to prevent cracking and scatter the whole surface pressure, especially in the external wall insulation system (EIFS ). 4. 160g / m2 mesh fabric used in insulator layer of reinforcement in the mortar, through shrinkage and temperature changes by providing a space to maintain movement between the layers, prevent crack and rupture due to shrinkage or temperature change. Packaging & Shipping Packing: each with plastic shrank, then two rolls in a woven bag or four rolls in a carton; or as customers' requires. 1. Free sample provided for your test before purchasing goods; 2. High quality and good price offered when you are purchasing goods; 3. Good service supplied after you purchsed goods.

On Monday, the capital recorded no new infections, down from 19 cases reported the day before. Previously, London has been one of the regions hardest hit by the outbreak in the UK since the first case was reported in February. Although it appears promising, the new figure should be approached with caution as it could be attributed to a glitch in the Covid-19 patient notification system – which occurred temporarily on 16 May. Download the new Independent Premium app Sharing the full story, not just the headlines NHS England confirmed the system “did not operate for a period of time on Saturday 16 May”. The Department of Health and Social Care warns the new figures do not mean the epidemic is anywhere close to coming to an end, and are likely a result of a lag in the reporting of new cases from the previous few days. Data for recent days or constantly being revised as more information becomes available. But the rate of coronavirus infections in London has been falling, raising hopes for further easing of the lockdown. Research by PHE and the University of Cambridge’s MRC Biostatic Unit showed on 15 May that the rate of infection fell to fewer than 24 cases a day, the lowest in the UK. Over 200,000 cases were recorded in the capital in a day at the peak of the outbreak in March. But recent data showed the figures in London were halving every 3.5 days.

Dog Turds Galore! The Czechs love their dogs, and take them everywhere. It's not uncommon to go into a pub and see more dogs than punters. More dogs means more dog poo, and unlike the UK, leaving your dog mess for people to slip over in is not a fineable offence. The trend of cleaning up after your beloved dog is gradually catching on, but it's fair to say older Czechs in particular are still happy to let their pet crap everywhere and leave it. So watch out when you're strolling around admiring the architecture, or else watching out for wheelbarrow loads of bricks tumbling off scaffoldings, because you could end up having one of those embarrassing two-sole shoe checks to find out who's trod in the muck. Camouflaged or hidden dog poo is also a hazard - always check before you sit down in the park or any grassy area. Also be careful when making snowballs in the winter - Czech winters tend to be long and hard, and with months of accumulated snow and ice, dog turds get trapped between the layers, suspended like the raisins in a strudel.Related to: - Budget Travel Health & Safety is for Wimps. I liked it at School when we were shown those really amateurish health and safety videos, where you had to spot all the dangerous blunders being made by the characters - leaving aerosol cans on the hob, changing a lightbulb with wet hands while standing on a swivel chair at the top of a flight of stairs, that kind of thing. Sometimes strolling around the streets of Brno can seem like you're in one of those videos, or else one of the elaborate death trap sequences from the "Final Destination" series. The most basic hazards for the unwary and accident prone are the uneven cobbled streets and loose paving slabs that tilt like trapdoors when you step on them. Holes in the ground are common, and streets and paths are frequently dug up and left gaping with nothing to prevent the careless or drunken pedestrian tumbling into an open ditch. In 2009, major renovations on Pekarska and Husova left large sections of both streets resembling badly organised building sites for most of the summer while tram tracks were laid; rather than being cordoned or fenced off, the public were free to stroll through the trenches and piles of rubble as they pleased. Indeed, inspired by the annual "Museum Night", visitors ran outside and built their own sculptures and structures from piles of cobbles left laying about the building site. All this is quite refreshing, coming from a nanny state like the UK - it's nice to be left to look after yourself without so many rules and regulations. But it still pays to be careful... New Year's Eve 2009, we were strolling back home across Zelny Trh, when I had the peculiar sensation of my right leg vanishing from existence. It had just disappeared down an unmarked round hole about two feet in diameter, and about six foot deep. Luckily I'm quite nimble, and managed to go into a forward roll and not scuff myself up too badly. It was a good job I didn't go down it with both feet, otherwise the paramedics would need to pull me out by my ears. Also worth watching out for is things falling from scaffolding around buildings under renovation - tool boxes, breeze blocks, buckets full of rubble, that sort of thing. Apart from being narrowly missed by what sounded like a spanner bouncing off the decking by my feet and into the water, I've always been deeply impressed by the slapdash nature of Czech workmen. This all stems from the time I sat in a pub of the outskirts of Prague, and watched a man plastering a wall. He was also on the beer, and getting steadily more plastered as he was plastering - he started off well, but by the time he got to the far end, it looked like he was artexing the wall instead.Related to: - Budget Travel Staying Sharp at Night Brno can seem refreshingly safe and free from hassle, especially if you come from the UK, where Friday and Saturday nights after the pubs kick out tends to turn into one massive drunken brawl. You are unlikely to have any trouble, and it's nice to walk down the street late at night without having drunken yobbos yelling in your face, or running the risk of getting randomly busted over the head with an alchopop bottle. However, it is wise to keep your wits about you and not get lulled into a false sense of security. The main place to uphold this wisdom is the main station (Hlavni Nadrazi) and it's surroundings, which is seedy enough during the daytime, but positively David Lynch-ian at night. Also, side streets away from the immediate centre tend to be rather under lit compared to what you may be used to, and usually deserted. Keep your eyes open for drunks or sinister characters lurking around in the bushes or doorways. They usually won't bother you, but you may encounter some phenomenally drunken people on your travels. So long as you keep up a brisk pace and look like you know where you're going, and keep your voice down so it appears you're a local, you shouldn't get accosted. If you are, they'll usually just want a cigarette or to slur at you for a bit before stumbling away. However, it's not very pleasant and you can do without that kind of hassle. These moments aren't the best time to whip your map out, and keep a firm grip on any personal belongings. Also, if you are going out at night, it's probably not a good idea to walk around with your $1000 SLR camera dangling round your neck. Similarly, if you need to get cash out of an ATM, chose carefully. Some ATMs in Brno are located in distressingly dark corners, and it's always good to know who's around you when withdrawing from a cashpoint. This may all sound rather obvious, but as I've found out in the past, as well as a number of friends here, it's always when you get too comfortable that something unsavoury happens. To be honest, I would not recommend to use public transport in Brno for it is a fact that the company providing this service is a bunch of insolent extortionists. For example, going to Zoo and back by a tram from the city center will cost you and your friend 88 CZK, while going by car will cost you less than 50 CZK. But it is not only money, maybe you are an environmentally thinking person! Well... good luck ;) (sorry but I just suffer when embosomed with smelly sweating people :( ). My advice: for long distances use a car, for short distances use your feet ;) Smoking causes health demage + is ANNOYING! There's finally a rule that people cannot smoke on bus/tram stops. Of course they still do it because sadly, there is practically no punishment for them. However you have a right to tell the smoking/smelling person to stop and threathen with police. Revizor (ticket inspector) Beware the ticket-inspectors in public transport! They can be insidious! Always ask them to show you their badge and ID. After all, it is better to walk. Do not support this extortionate institution! I have never stayed in this hotel, but i would like to. It has a good reputation and it is located...more We stayed in a lot of hotels in Central Europe and this was my favorite. The rooms were beautifully...more The International is part of the Best Western chain and therefore is well run, clean and comfortable...more Latest Brno Hotel Reviews - Bobycentrum Hotel Brno - 6 Reviews & Opinions Latest: Oct 30, 2012 - Grandhotel Brno - 171 Reviews & Opinions Latest: Apr 10, 2014 - Hotel Voronez - 36 Reviews & Opinions Latest: Jan 5, 2014 - Hotel Global - 2 Reviews & Opinions Latest: Nov 6, 2012 - Best Western International Hotel Brno - 82 Reviews & Opinions Latest: Apr 18, 2014 - Hostel Fleda Brno - 17 Reviews & Opinions Latest: Nov 26, 2013 - Hotel Royal Ricc - 54 Reviews & Opinions Latest: Apr 14, 2014 - Hotel Avion - 7 Reviews & Opinions Latest: Mar 14, 2013 - Book now for big savings! - Hotels.com Outstanding choice of hotels all over the world at fantastic prices. - Save money, Book now! - Booking.com Excellent choice, Low rates Explore the World - Singapore Hotels - Cebu City Hotels - Negril Hotels - La Spezia - Saskatoon Hotels - Laoag City - Cabo San Lucas Warnings and Dangers - Goa Warnings and Dangers - Bangkok Warnings and Dangers - Dominican Republic Warnings and Dangers - New York City Warnings and Dangers - Tijuana Warnings and Dangers - Cancún Warnings and Dangers - Montego Bay Warnings and Dangers - Puerto Rico Warnings and Dangers - Kazakhstan Warnings and Dangers - Abu Dhabi Warnings and Dangers

A Comprehensive Curriculum The Dominican MBA’s comprehensive curriculum combines an interdisciplinary set of core business courses with forward-looking specializations in leadership, sustainability or global business, and resume-building experiential learning opportunities. The program includes: - 31-unit common core that gives you a thorough grounding in accounting, finance, marketing, operations and other business disciplines.Included in the common core, a three-unit strategic management capstone course that integrates all of your previous coursework into a major project. - Also included in the common core, a four-unit Global Consulting Practicum during which you will research the strategic needs and concerns of a major international organization. You will then present your consulting recommendations in person during a 10-day in-country visit. - A nine-unit concentration that lets you specialize in global business, strategic leadership or sustainable enterprise. You can also mix and match courses from all three specializations to create your own general business specialization. - The Dominican MBA focuses on the leadership, team-building, communication and negotiation skills every professional needs to be successful. All organizations need to be innovative and entrepreneurial in today's economy. Effectively conceptualizing and leading initiatives that address critical environmental and social issues in business requires creative thinking, market research, financial acumen, resource allocation and the ability to produce new business models. This course challenges students to transform their capacities to generate, plan and execute opportunities to bring new products, services and approaches to the market that have a positive impact on society. Learn more about our Sustainable Enterprise (GreenMBA) MBA program.

Finland to set clocks forward on March 27 Finland will begin Daylight Saving Time on March 27, 2016 at 3:00am. Residents living in Finland should set their clocks forward one hour to 4:00am. Major cities include Helsinki but this time change affects all residents living in Finland. To receive Daylight Saving Time reminders in the future, sign up for our reminder service within your profile here - Profile

ISO’s essential guide for small and medium enterprises (SME) wishing to implement a quality management system (QMS) has just been updated, providing practical advice and concrete examples tailored specifically for small businesses. ISO 9001:2015 for Small Enterprises – What to do? has just been updated to align with the newly revised version of one of ISO’s most popular standards, ISO 9001, Quality management systems – Requirements, updated in 2015. The handbook was written by a group of experts from ISO/TC 176/SC 2, the technical subcommittee that developed ISO 9001:2015, and features useful information on everything from how to get started right through to guidance for those who choose to seek certification. It includes practical advice on the different ways of approaching a QMS as well as detailed guidance on each element of ISO 9001:2015. Click here to preview the handbook. Nigel Croft, Chairman of ISO/TC 176/SC 2, said: “This handbook recognizes that small businesses have different needs and challenges compared to large organizations, with different ways of working and often with limited resources. This handbook offers tailored advice to help them implement a quality management system that can truly be useful, and help them to improve their overall business performance.” “It includes a step-by-step guide to implementing a QMS, providing sector-specific examples for different types of small businesses, such as consultancies, manufacturers, and distributors.” ISO 9001:2015 for Small Enterprises – What to do? also provides a clear explanation of what a QMS is and how it can help organizations improve the quality of the work they do and the products and services they deliver, thereby improving the confidence of their customers and other stakeholders. ISO 9001 is one of the world’s most widely used QMS standards, with over one million organizations certified to it in over 170 countries around the world. This article has been republished in full with permission from ISO.

Providing companies have the required level of connectivity, the internet offers an enormous range of potential benefits for modern businesses. The importance of ensuring online availability at all times becomes more and more crucial, as online solutions become increasingly integral to the way in which firms operate. Companies can benefit in a number of ways from upgrading to business grade connectivity solutions; such as business broadband, EFM and Ethernet. This ensures that they have access to the bandwidth, reliability and flexibility in which they need to grow. By upgrading to business grade connectivity, companies may be able to reduce costs, improve security, optimise customer service, become more agile and cope with evolving demands. Businesses need to think about the type of solution that best supports their end goals, and then form a strategy for deployment, utilising the expertise of a specialist provider. The choices which companies make could determine how competitive they are in the months and years to come. Tempura Communications, through its partnerships with Virgin Media, Colt, and Easynet, can help organisations identify which internet solution best suits their connectivity requirements. “The rollout of next-generation digital infrastructure will unlock innovation across the economy, allowing businesses to serve customers in new ways, and to tap new markets for growth.” Rhian Kelly, Director for Business Environment, Confederation of British Industry

If William Latta has his way, Beijing may soon have only clear blue skies. In his corner office on the 11th floor of a high-rise building near the capital's Sanlitun Village, Latta, the managing director of the US clean-coal company LP Amina LLC, said his company is working with coal-fired plants in China to reduce carbon emissions. "See the smog out there? We can help with that," he said. Latta is just one of the many next-generation Western technocrats and entrepreneurs who are helping China with its efforts to develop alternate energy resources and reduce carbon emissions. Over the past two years, China has already leapfrogged competitors from Denmark, Germany, Spain and the United States to become the world's largest maker of wind turbines and solar panels. At the same time, the country is also taking steps to build more nuclear reactors and energy-efficient coal power plants. The frantic pace at which China is expanding its push for renewable energy reflects its commitment to the reduction of carbon emissions as it strives for a more balanced growth model that is not reliant on costly imports of fossil fuels. The government has already announced plans to increase the share of non-fossil energy in total energy consumption to 11.4 percent by 2015 from 8.3 percent in 2010. In December, the National Energy Administration, the top energy agency, said that power generated by clean-energy sources such as solar, wind, biomass and nuclear will account for energy equivalent to that produced by 480 million tons of standard coal between 2011 and 2015. That in itself would be a major achievement, considering that power generated by clean-energy sources was 300 million tons in the previous five years. Despite hurdles such as overcapacity in China's wind- and solar-power equipment industry and the difficulty in connecting the power generated by wind to the grid, experts and analysts say that clean energy and clean technologies are strategic investments for China, not only for environmental reasons but also for energy security. Frank Li, lead partner for the clean-tech industry at Deloitte Northern China, a member of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd, said that he anticipates growth not only in his company's clean-tech related business in China but also in confidence in the country's general business climate for the clean-energy sector. "People often ask me for advice, trying to see if wind and solar power are still worth investing in. It is true that there have been some problems in these sectors in China, such as overcapacity. But from a strategic point of view, none of these problems need be problems any more," Li said. According to Li, China has the third-largest coal reserves in the world and is ranked 14 in terms of reserves of oil and natural gas. Coal contributes more than 70 percent of China's energy needs while oil and natural gas account for 21.6 percent. But despite the statistics, the deep fuel reserves are nothing when equated with China's population of 1.34 billion, the robust economy and growing energy needs. The country accounted for 20.3 percent of global energy consumption in 2010, and that figure is likely to rise dramatically. "Statistics from BP's 2011 World Energy Review show, that based on China's reserves and its consumption in 2010, the coal reserves will be exhausted in 35 years, while oil will be used up in 9.9 years and natural gas in 29 years," he said. Although improved exploration and exploitation techniques offer the prospect of finding more fossil fuels in China, there is no denying that they have a limited life span. For better energy security, it is not prudent for a country such as China to rely heavily on imported energy resources when its own reserves are declining. In China's case, 55.8 percent of its oil requirement in 2010 came from imports, compared with 51 percent in 2008. More importantly, China needs to develop alternative energy resources, if it is to honor its global commitments on the reduction of carbon emissions, said experts. Sean Gilbert, director of climate change and sustainability at global consultancy KPMG LLP, said that, in terms of reducing carbon emissions, one has to look into clean-energy sources, because improving energy efficiency alone is not good enough for the planet. Hence there is a big incentive for China to have ambitious installation goals for clean energy. China has the globe's highest installed wind-power capacity and the highest number of nuclear power stations under construction. The country also produces the majority of the world's solar PV cells and is the biggest hydropower market. "China has nearly one-fifth of the world population, so the total size of green-energy installations in China over time should reflect this and be a very large absolute figure. The current investments are welcome, but it is just the start of things to come," Gilbert said. One of the biggest concerns expressed about clean energy is that its application leads to job losses. But experts say that not only does the sector hold the promise of more jobs, it will also create a cleaner, healthier future. In November 2011, the China Council of International Cooperation on Environment and Development said that by 2015 China may spend an estimated 5.77 trillion yuan ($909 billion) to improve energy efficiency and protect the environment. At the same time, the phasing-out of high-polluting and energy-intensive industries could cost the country as many as 952,100 jobs and more than 100 billion yuan in economic output by 2015. However, in return the country could save 1.43 trillion yuan in energy expenses, boost GDP growth by 8.08 trillion yuan and create 10.58 million jobs. According to estimates by Tsinghua University, investment in China's new-and clean-energy sectors will reach 5 trillion yuan in the coming 10 years. Such a huge market will provide several windows of opportunity for Western companies and multinationals. Much of that optimism comes from the fact that Western companies still have the upper hand when it comes to advanced core technologies for clean energy, said Zhu Junsheng, president of the China Renewable Energy Industries Association. "The competition is more intense than five years ago, but the pie of China's clean-energy sector is also getting bigger. There is still plenty of room for growth," said Zhu. The global trends for the wind power industry are not that encouraging considering the precarious financial situation in Europe and the weak US economy. Wind and other high-cost forms of energy production are virtually on the backburner, with some European nations even deciding to end subsidies for the sector. But the market for wind turbines has been growing steadily in China, and that's why large European conglomerates such Siemens AG have such strong confidence in the Chinese market. Siemens, a leading supplier of wind-power solutions, has teamed up with Shanghai Electric Group Co Ltd to form two joint ventures for wind power with the aim of strengthening the German company's footprint in China. "China has a very attractive wind-power market, but the disadvantage of being in such an attractive market is the tough competition from both international and local players," said Kay Weber, CEO of Siemens Wind Power Asia-Pacific. "By forming joint ventures with a strong local partner, we can combine our strengths to be successful in China," he said. Foreign producers of wind turbines have seen their market share in China drop dramatically to 30 percent from 70 percent over the past five years after an increasing number of Chinese companies entered the sector, according to a study by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, one of the largest consultancies in Europe. When Siemens entered the wind-power industry in 2004 by acquiring the Danish wind turbine producer Bonus Energy A/S, China was not a top priority. "To be honest, at that time, we wanted to focus more on easier markets, such as Europe and America. But you cannot be successful in the world if you don't succeed in China," said Weber. China has since overtaken the United States and is now the largest market for wind power. Although China's newly installed wind-power capacity has slowed from an annual growth rate of 100 percent between 2006 and 2010, it is still the most promising market for global suppliers of wind power equipment. The China Wind Energy Development Roadmap 2050, released by the Energy Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission in October 2011, shows that China's annual new-installed wind capacity will remain steady at 15 gigawatts per year until 2020, 20 gW per year from 2020 to 2030, and 30 gW per year for the decade to 2050. "Experience shows that government targets are often exceeded in China. Wind-power prices are coming down and are cheaper than solar power. We believe that the newly installed wind-power capacity in China will reach at least 20 gW per year," said Watson Liu, vice-president for Greater China at Roland Berger. But the tempting market also lures more competitors, and therefore overcapacity is inevitable. Liu said that China's demand for wind-power equipment was 20gW in 2010 whereas the production capacity by Chinese producers alone was 30 gW. There has been high number of accidents caused by failures and malfunctions of turbines, including massive power outages and even some fatalities. China's National Energy Administration undertook many initiatives in 2011, by moving toward a more mature industry with higher standards for safety and quality control, grid connection requirements and a centralized approval process for wind-farm projects, all of which are expected to open up more investment opportunities for Western companies. "We anticipate milestone developments in the Chinese wind sector over the next three to five years. There's a greater focus on safety, quality control and mature industry standards. Such trends will help high-quality and sophisticated turbine manufacturers like us," said Jens Tommerup, president of Vestas China, part of Vestas Wind Systems A/S. Banking on hydropower Hydropower is the world's largest source of renewable energy. China has been busy harnessing its power, with 17 percent of its 2010 electricity requirement coming from hydropower sources. Though development of large hydropower projects in China has slowed considerably because of greater awareness of ecological and social factors, experts still say that it is the most mature and cheapest source of renewable energy. Pichler Heinz, the China manager of Andritz Hydro, part of the Andritz Group, one of the world's largest suppliers of equipment for hydropower plants, said that although business has not lived up to expectations, the company has no plans to move out of China as it believes there is still huge untapped potential. On the contrary, Heinz said, Andritz plans to invest more in its manufacturing partner in Sichuan province for an additional manufacturing joint venture. "China's hydropower had an installed capacity of 216 gW in 2010. I believe the same amount is still available to be developed. The potential is huge," Heinz said. In 2010, China set the goal of reaching 300 gW of installed hydropower capacity by 2015, which will be raised to 330 gW by 2020. In a hydropower report released by Deutsche Bank Group in late October 2011, China's installed hydropower capacity is expected to exceed the governmental goal of 330 gW to 348 gW by 2020. Martin Andrae, president and CEO of Voith Hydro Shanghai, a joint venture between the world's leading hydropower equipment provider Voith Group and Shanghai Electronic Corp, said that there is a tremendous demand for electricity in China to support growth and eliminate power shortages. But the country needs to generate energy in a green manner. "Hydropower is one of the most effective approaches for China to achieve its goal of cutting carbon emissions. Last summer, China faced shortages of around 30 gW in the State Grid and of about 10 gW in China Southern Power Grid," Andrae said, adding that hydro plants have great durability. "If maintained well, they can be operational for 60 to 90 years, whereas wind-power installations average 20 to 25 years and thermal plants 35 to 40 years," he said. "Our research shows that in the first half of 2011, China's investment in hydropower plants was nearly the same as that of Switzerland, a tiny country," Heinz said. Statistics from the China Electricity Council show that the country's installed hydropower capacity was around 12.25 gW in 2011, significant growth from previous years but still lagging behind the schedule of an average new installation of 15.4 gW per year between 2011 and 2015. Like hydropower, nuclear energy is a prominent source of clean energy and accounts for nearly 13.8 percent of global electricity requirements. In China, the government is likely to set a target of generating 70-80 gW of its electricity needs from nuclear power by 2020. Like many nuclear-equipment manufacturers, Jiangsu-based Shentong Valve Co Ltd is anticipating a huge increase in orders this year, boosted by expectations that China will resume approvals for new nuclear projects soon. The valve maker has been the only supplier of butterfly and ball valves - key components in nuclear reactors - for new reactors since 2008. "We expect to receive new orders worth 150 million yuan if at least four reactors are built each year," said Zhang Qiqiang, secretary to the chairman of Shentong Valve. China recently upgraded its safety standards on nuclear power projects according to the finalized Nuclear Safety Plan currently awaiting approval from the State Council, the Chinese cabinet. It is widely believed that China will adopt third-generation technology in all plants, including the AP 1000 developed by the US company Westinghouse Electric Co and EPR developed by Areva SA of France. Industry analysts estimate that the new nuclear project approvals will create a market worth 300 billion yuan in the next five years. Despite a freeze in the industry after the nuclear accident in Japan last year, investment in the sector grew by 26 percent during the first 10 months of 2011, according to estimates from the China Electricity Council. Clean coal on fire Although China is taking steps to "decarbonize" itself, this does not mean the end of the road for companies in the conventional energy sector, such as coal. In fact, companies such as LP Amina are expanding their operations in China in a big way to ride the clean-energy wave. "One of the major challenges we have in China is to cope with fast market growth," says Latta, adding he is expecting a boom in business in China. LP Amina, which was established in the US in 2007, started its Chinese operations in 2008 after witnessing strong demand for pollution-reduction techniques at coal-fired power stations. Latta said that using LP Amina's clean-coal technology, coal-fired power plants can not only reduce up to 95 percent of nitrogen oxide from the baseline but also improve energy efficiency. "We are one of the few companies in the world that can combine emissions reduction with improved energy efficiency simultaneously," he said. For its first few projects in China, LP Amina took the initiative of finding coal-fired plants interested in the technology. "Things have changed now as more people are coming to us. Our name is invariably mentioned for new projects," Latta said. The company finished its first project in 2009, has so far completed 11, and is currently working on 100 projects across China. Apart from the advanced technologies, Latta attributes his company's success in China to the country's booming market for clean coal. According to Latta, his company's business in the US is fairly stable, because the desire to deploy cutting-edge technology among his home country's coal-fired power plants, all built about 40 years ago, is not that strong. "But in China, nitrogen-oxide control is the main target in the government's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15). The market is booming and that is why we are expanding," he said. According to the plan, China is aiming to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide and ammonia nitrogen by 10 percent below 2010 levels, and to cut demand for sulfur dioxide and chemical oxygen by 8 percent between 2011 and 2015, all of which is expected to create a market worth $30 billion. Latta said he doesn't think the market can be as big as $30 billion. "But it can be $20 billion at least. Even if we capture 3 percent of it, it will be huge," he said.

According to experts in the Training, Research and Education for Driving Safety (TREDS) program at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, there were approximately 3,300 deaths and 400,000 injuries nationwide in 2011 due to collisions involving distracted driving. The use of cell phones while operating a vehicle is currently the leading cause of driver distraction crashes in California. With April being national distracted driving awareness month, a team of researchers released survey results that reveal the habits of San Diego County drivers who use their cell phone while behind the wheel. "Studies have shown that phoning and driving increases the risk of crashes four-fold, with hands-free and handheld devices equally dangerous; this is the same as driving with a blood alcohol content (BAC) at the legal limit of .08. Texting increases this risk eight to 16 times," said Linda Hill, MD, MPH, clinical professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine. "A key initiative for the TREDS program and goal of the survey is to understand distracted driving behavior and work on strategies to improve road safety." According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), cell phone use while driving is not the only issue. "Anything from drinking coffee to managing children can take your mind off the road at a critical moment. Most drivers are distracted at one time or another. However, minimizing distractions in your own driving can prevent injury and save lives," said John Antillon, CHP border division assistant chief. The Adult Cell Phone Survey, conducted February 8, 2013 through March 31, 2013, focused on the driving habits of San Diego County residents, ages 30 to 64. The survey used an anonymous, online questionnaire to examine drivers' attitudes about cell phone use and to quantify the amount of time that respondents use cell phones to text or call others while on the road. Overall, 715 participants completed the survey: 75 percent female, two thirds married, and the average age was 46-years-old. The survey revealed: *Of the 512 respondents driving an average of one to two hours per day, the reported use of cell phones for talking, texting and other applications was: 30 percent ranged from sometimes to frequently, 53 percent rarely and 17 percent never. 56 percent reported driving with a handheld phone and 92 percent drive with a hands-free phone. *Of the 261 respondents with children younger than 11-years-old in the car, 65 percent drive with a cell phone and 36 percent text. *Of the 193 respondents with children 12 to 17-years-old in the car, 63 percent use a phone while driving and 31 percent text. *Adults with children younger than 11-years-old in the car were significantly more likely to text and to talk on a handheld phone. *31 percent of respondents feel obliged to take a work-related call while driving. "In this study, we were looking for the distracted driving trends of adults with children and employees. The results highlight the dangerous behavior of adults driving distracted, especially with children in the car, exposing both themselves and their children to increased risk for a crash," said Hill. "Moreover, employers should be aware that encouraging workers to initiate and receive calls while driving on the job is putting their employees at risk and exposing their companies to potential liability." "We know from prior research that parents are the number one source of information for teen drivers," said Freddy Santos, corporate relations manager with Allstate. "When adults choose safe driving habits over distractions, it reinforces to teens, children and California's new and future drivers the importance of driving safely." The survey was supported by a gift from Allstate Insurance Company. The survey team, led by Hill, includes deputy director Jill Rybar, MPH, and PhD student Jessa Engelberg. The above story is based on materials provided by University of California, San Diego Health Sciences. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Cite This Page:

To establish the policies and practices of the Wake Forest University, Department of Physics relating to the safe operation of laser equipment. The best authority for laser safety is the ANSI Z136.1 standard. This document is intended to be a more readable policy manual for the department. If you have questions or if you discover discrepancies with the ANSI Z136.1 standard, please contact Burak Ucer, Department of Physics, [email protected]. Laser radiation or light is coherent electromagnetic radiation characterized by one or more specific wavelength(s), the values of which are determined by the composition of the lasing medium. Laser radiation may be emitted in the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, wavelengths of 0.4 µ m and 0.7 µ m, or in the invisible infrared and ultraviolet regions. Laser radiation transmits energy which, when a laser beam strike matter, can be transmitted, absorbed, or reflected. If a material transmits a laser beam it is said to be transparent. If the beam is not transmitted the material is said to be opaque and the incident radiation is absorbed or reflected. Absorbed laser energy appears in the target material as heat. (At certain, usually short, wavelengths photochemical reactions may also occur.) Absorption and transmission are functions of the chemical and physical characteristics of the target material and the wavelength of the incident radiation. At visible wavelengths laser radiation impinging on the eye is focused on the retina and , if sufficient energy is absorbed, can cause cell destruction. At longer and shorter wavelengths, such as the far infrared and the ultraviolet, radiation striking the eye is absorbed in the cornea and the lens rather than being focused on the retina. Although these structures are less easily damaged than the retina, excessive energy absorption can cause cell damage and impairment of vision. Reflection is primarily a function of the physical character of the surface of the target material. A smooth polished surface is generally a good or specular reflector; a rough uneven surface usually is a poor reflector producing a diffuse reflection. A reflector such as a flat mirror changes the direction of an incident beam with little or no absorption. A curved mirror or surface will change the divergence angle of the impinging laser beam as well as its direction. For a diffuse reflection, the reflected energy is scattered in all directions thereby reducing the energy or power density. Generally, diffusely reflecting surfaces are favored when designing a laser experiment since their use reduces the likelihood of a specular reflection and hence enhances the safety of the experiment. A glossary of laser related terms are given in Appendix C. To provide a basis for laser safety requirements, all lasers and laser systems in the United States are classified according to the ANSI Z136.1 standard and the Federal Laser Products Performance Standard. This laser classification is most often supplied by the manufacturer. The ANSI Z136.1 standard is enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The Laser Products Performance Standard is enforced by the Centers for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), a part of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The following section describes the classification for continuous-wave lasers. The same hazard levels also apply to pulsed lasers with pulse duration of less than 0.25 seconds but classification is more complex. See ANSI Z136.1 for details of the classification. CLASS I LASERS: Class I lasers are low-powered and do not emit hazardous radiation under normal operating conditions because they are completely enclosed. Class I lasers are exempt from any control measures. Equipment, such as laser printers and laser disc players, are examples of this class. CLASS II LASERS: Class II lasers emit accessible visible laser light with power levels less than 1 mW radiant power and are capable of creating eye damage through chronic exposure. The human eye blink reflex, which occurs within 0.25 seconds of exposure to the Class II laser beam, provides adequate protection. It is possible to overcome the blink response and stare into the Class II laser long enough to damage the eye. Class II lasers are exempt from any control measures. Equipment, such as some visible continuous wave Helium-Neon lasers and some laser pointers, are examples of Class II lasers. CLASS IIa LASERS: Class IIa lasers are special purpose lasers that emit accessible visible laser light with power levels less than 1 mW radiant power and are not intended for viewing. This class of lasers causes injury when viewed directly for more than 1,000 seconds. Class IIa lasers are exempt from any control measures. Equipment, such as some bar code readers, are examples of Class IIa lasers. CLASS IIIa LASERS: Class IIIa lasers are systems with power levels of 1 to 5 mW that normally would not produce a hazard if viewed for only momentary periods with the unaided eye. They pose severe eye hazards when viewed through optical instruments (e.g., microscopes, binoculars, or other collecting optics). Class IIIa lasers must be labeled. A warning label shall be placed on or near the laser in a conspicuous location and caution users to avoid staring into the beam or directing the beam toward the eye of individuals. Equipment, such as some visible continuous wave Helium-Neon lasers and some solid state laser pointers, are examples of Class IIIa lasers. CLASS IIIb LASERS: Class IIIb lasers are systems with power levels of 5 mW to 500 mW for continuous wave lasers or less than 10 J/cm² for a 0.25 s pulsed laser. These lasers will produce an eye hazard if viewed directly. This includes intrabeam viewing or specular reflections. Higher power lasers in this class will also produce hazardous diffuse reflections. Specific control measures covered in Class IIIb lasers shall be used in areas where entry by unauthorized personnel can be controlled. Entry into the area by personnel untrained in laser safety may be permitted by the laser operator if instructed in applicable safety requirements prior to entry and provided with required protective eye wear. CLASS IV LASERS: Class IV lasers are systems with power levels greater than 500 mW for continuous wave lasers or greater than 10 J/cm² for a 0.25 s pulsed laser. These lasers will produce eye, skin and fire hazards. This includes intrabeam viewing, specular reflections or diffuse reflections. EMBEDDED LASERS: Embedded lasers are found in laser products with lower class ratings. Laser printers, CD players, and laser welders may have Class III or Class IV lasers in their protective and interlocked housings. When such a laser system is used as intended, the lower laser class applies. When such a system is opened (e.g., for service or alignment) and the embedded laser beam is accessible, the requirements for the higher class of the embedded laser must be implemented. The nature of laser beam damage and the threshold levels at which each type of injury may occur depends on the laser beam parameters. These include wavelength of light, energy of the beam, divergence and exposure duration. For pulsed lasers, parameters also include the pulse length, pulse repetition frequency and pulse train characteristics. The ANSI Z136.1 standard establishes Maximum Permissible Exposure (MPE) limits for laser radiation. Damage can occur to the skin, retina, lens, cornea, and conjunctive tissue surrounding the eye. For lasers over 0.5 W, the beam can ignite flammable materials and initiate a fire. Thermal burn, acoustic damage, and photochemical damage to the retina may occur from laser light in the near ultraviolet (UV), visible and near infrared (IR) regions (below 400 nm - 1400 nm). Damage occurs as the laser light enters the eye and is focused on the retina (see Fig. 1). Normal focusing of the eye amplifies the irradiance by approximately 100,000; thus, a beam of 1 mW/cm² results in an exposure of 100 W/cm² to the retina. Energy from the laser beam is absorbed by tissue in the form of heat, which can cause localized intense heating of sensitive tissues. The most likely effect of excess exposure to the retina is thermal burn that destroys retinal tissue. Since retinal tissue does not regenerate, the damage is permanent, which may result in the loss of sight in the damaged area. Figure 1: Damage to retina due to laser exposure Intrabeam viewing of the direct beam and the specularly reflected beam are most hazardous when the secondary reflector is a flat and polished surface. Secondary reflections from rough uneven surfaces are usually less hazardous. Extended source viewing of normally diffuse reflections are not normally hazardous except for very high power lasers (Class IV lasers). Extra care should be taken with IR lasers since diffuse reflectors in the visible spectrum may reflect IR radiation differently and produce greater exposures than anticipated. Most laser power supplies use high voltage and/or current. Precautions should be designed to prevent electrocution. Electrical components, gases, fumes and dyes can constitute a fire hazard; use of flammables should be avoided, and flame resistant enclosures can be used. The following are requirements ANSI recommended practices for safe laser use. Some additional measures may be required for specific laser classes and lasers that emit invisible radiation. See ANSI Z136.1 for more details. In addition to the regular safety training for faculty and staff, all new students (graduate and undergraduate) and new faculty and staff that will have direct contact with lasers should undergo a laser safety training session. This training session should include a review of this manual and information on emergency situations. In addition, all operators should undergo training for the specific types of lasers that they will use that will include specific precautions and a thorough review of that laser's operating manual. The signal word "Caution" should be used with all signs and labels associated with Class II and all Class IIIa lasers that do not exceed the appropriate MPE for irradiance (see Fig. 2). The signal word "Danger" should be used with all signs and labels associated with all other Class IIIa, all Class IIIb, and all Class IV lasers (see Fig. 3). At position 1, above the tail of the sunburst, special precautionary instructions or protective actions required by the reader such as: For Class II and Class IIIa lasers and laser systems where the accessible irradiance does not exceed the appropriate MPE limit based upon 0.25 second exposure: "Laser Radiation - Do Not Stare into Beam or View with Optical Instruments." For all other Class IIIa lasers and laser systems: "Laser Radiation - Avoid Direct Eye Exposure." For all Class IIIb lasers and laser systems: "Laser Radiation - Avoid Direct Eye Exposure." For Class IV lasers or laser systems: "Laser Radiation - Avoid Eye or Skin Exposure to Direct or Scattered Radiation." At position 1, above the tail of the sunburst, special precautionary instructions or protective action such as: Invisible Laser Radiation; Knock Before Entering; Do Not Enter when Light is On; Restricted Area; etc. At position 2, below the tail of the sunburst, type of laser (Ruby, Helium-Neon, etc.) or the emitted wavelength, pulse duration (if appropriate), and maximum output. At position 3, the class of the laser or laser system. Figure 2: Sample warning sign for Class II and certain Class III lasers Figure 3: Sample warning sign for certain Class IIIa and for Class IIIb and Class IV lasers When all practicable engineering and administrative controls have been applied there are sometimes still occasions when it is necessary to work close to a Class IIIb or Class IV laser. On these occasions it is necessary to use personal protective equipment (PPE) for eye and skin protection. Eye protection suitable to the laser must be provided and worn within the laser control area if there is a potential for exceeding the MPE limit if the beam is viewed. Protective eye wear may include goggles, face shields, spectacles or prescription eye wear using special filter materials or reflective coatings. Exceptions may be approved in the written SOPs if the eye wear produces a greater hazard than when eye protection is not worn. No single type of eye wear will provide protection against all wavelengths of laser radiation; therefore, eye protection should: Because the various wavelengths of laser radiation require different eye wear, more than one type of laser should not be run simultaneously in the same laboratory unless they are under the control of the same person. The only eye protection present in the laboratory will be that suitable for the laser in use. All other types will be removed. Clothing such as gloves and covers for the forearms may be required to protect the skin if laser intensity and wavelength warrant such protection. This is most important if the laser is running in the ultra-violet. Very large peak powers with pulsed ultra-violet laser may be particularly dangerous. This equipment must be addressed in the written SOP. Absorption: The process by which radiation imparts some or all of its energy to any material through which it passes. Attenuation: The decrease in the radiant flux as it passes through an absorbing or scattering medium. Beam: A collection of rays which may be parallel, divergent, or convergent. Beam Diameter: The distance between diametrically opposed points in that cross section of a beam where the power per unit area is frac1e times that of the peak power per unit area. Beam Divergence: The full angle of the beam spread between diametrically opposed 1/e-irradience points; usually measured in milliradians (one milliradian = 3.4 minutes of arc). Controlled Area: An area where the occupancy and activity of those within is subject to control and supervision for the purpose of protection from radiation hazards. Cornea: The transparent outer coat of the human eye which covers the iris and the crystalline lens. It is the main refracting element of the eye. Diffuse Reflection: Change of the spatial distribution of a beam of radiation when it is reflected in many directions by a surface or by a medium. Extended Source: An extended source of radiation can be resolved by the eye into a geometrical image, in contrast to a point source of radiation, which cannot be resolved into a geometrical image. Infrared Radiation: Electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths which lie within the range 0.7 µ m to 1 mm. Intrabeam Viewing: The viewing condition whereby the eye is exposed to all or part of a laser beam. Laser: A device which produces an intense, coherent, directional beam of light by simulating electronic or molecular transitions to lower energy levels. An acronym for Light Amplification by Simulated Emission of Radiation. Pulsed Laser: A laser which delivers its energy in the form of a single pulse or train of pulses. The duration of a pulse is considered to be 0.25s. Pupil: The variable aperture in the iris through which light travels toward the interior regions of the eye. Q-switched Laser: A laser which emits short (about 30ns), high-power pulses by utilizing a Q-switch (i.e., optically detuning the laser cavity). Retina: That sensory membrane which receives the incident image formed by the cornea and lens of the human eye. The retina lines the inside portion of the eye. Specular Reflection: A mirror like reflection. Ultraviolet Radiation: Electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths shorter than those for visible radiation. For the purpose of this standard, 0.2-0.4 µ m. Visible Radiation (light): Electromagnetic radiation which can be detected by the human eye. It is commonly used to describe wavelengths which lie in the range between 0.4 µ m and 0.7 µ m. Laser safety standards: American National Standards Institute, Inc., American National Standard for the Safe Use of Lasers, Z136.l. Some web sites offer detailed information on laser safety issues.

Windows 7 offers some new ways to work with windows – opening, closing, moving them etc. Microsoft has also removes some ways of working with windows, which I’m a bit disappointed with, but there you have it – they can’t make it too easy to work with their new operating system now, can they? Let’s start with the good things they’ve added. You can now do a lot by just grabbing the title bar with the mouse and dragging it. Depending on where you drag the window, you can do some pretty nifty things with it. The biggest change is that you can drag a maximized window and work with it that way. You used to have to restore it to taking up part of the screen before you could do anything with it. Now you can click the title bar and drag the window anywhere you want. This simultaneously restores the window size, and moves it to where you want it. If you just drag the title bar down a few pixels, it will do nothing more than restore the window. Keep dragging it around if you want to move it. To maximize the window, just drag it up past the top of the screen. If you drag it off the left or right side of the screen, the window re sizes to the full height of the screen, and half the width. This makes it easy to put two windows side-by-side for easy comparison. Another change is how the taskbar works. When you hover over an icon on the taskbar, you get a thumbnail of all applications associated with that icon. Now you can close a window by hovering over its thumbnail, then clicking the close button at the top right of the thumbnail. Microsoft has removed the ability to restore and maximize windows from the taskbar, which is annoying. You can minimize tasks, and return them to their previous state – either restored or maximized. But you can’t go from maximized to minimized to restored (for example) or restored to maximized. On the whole, Windows 7 makes it easier to work with windows, but it would have been better to keep previous taskbar functionality.

We were approached by the African Democratic Institute in South Africa to provide an integrated communications solution in support of the African Union Commission’s (AUC) #AfricaAgainstEbola campaign from February to May 2015. The African Union (AU) was developing its internal programs to respond to health crises in Africa. The AUC initiated preparations for the AU’s support of the Ebola Outbreak in West Africa (ASEOWA) as a contribution to on-going efforts to address the outbreak in the region. We took the challenge to turn a simple campaign idea of raising money to help the plight into a meaningful movement across the borders of African countries; Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, South Africa, as well as throughout the rest of the world. In order to make an impact in a cause saturated market, we needed to grab the attention of people in a unique way that would cut through the charity fatigue that exists online. Alongside this, attention and assistance had drastically shifted from Ebola to other issues around the world, but the epidemic was far from being beaten. WHAT WE DID: We favoured a fully integrated approach making use of our digital, creative, content, influencer relations, and traditional media to offer the best possible solution to meet the requirements of the AU’s brief. 1. TELEVISION COMMERCIAL Our solution first comprised the development of a 30-second television commercial to tell the African Union’s story and rally a continent to take a stand against Ebola, a disease that devastated the continent for the best part of 2014 by donating $1 to the cause via SMS. The creative concept was based on the question – “What if nobody came?” This told the story of what would happen if there was no more funding to keep the health workers on the ground with the Ebola victims. The television commercial flighted on CNN, Al Jazeera and other channels. 2. DIGITAL STRATEGY The second campaign element comprised a content-led digital campaign including creative and strategy development as well as community management of the #AfricaAgainstEbola Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn platforms. From a fan base of zero, we built a thriving online community of over 62,000 passionate Africans within two months by favouring a fully integrated approach to digital, creative, content, influencer relations, and traditional media. We started with the insight that people sift through 100s of click bait links a day that reference frivolous topics. Although highly criticized for its sensational nature, click bait is not all negative, as it drives the majority of traffic off of social networks. We took this insight and put it in a context reflective of user behaviours by creating sensational headlines that talked about trivial topics, like a celebrity spotting. To ensure that the click bait traffic was directed to the correct space, we built a Facebook application dedicated to raising awareness and building support for the cause. Once directed to the app through the click bait users were confronted with a truthful message #YouAreWhatYouShare – a sudden realization that there were more important issues in the world being ignored. The app presented three calls to action: Take the pledge and join the movement, donate one dollar to keep a health worker on the ground, or share this campaign. All three actions served to complete our objectives and raise awareness for African Against Ebola. Those who chose to join the movement would have their name pulled from their Facebook profile and added to a wall of supporters. When the campaign was shared, new click bait was randomly generated and shared on Facebook to continue the cycle of shocking content, leading to a new level of engagement – an online viral effect. Those that donated to the cause were redirected from the app to the AU website with a safe payment portal. The click bait generator, in conjunction with strategic hyper targeting, African influencers, social behavioural insights, and varied options of support, allowed us to achieve our goals in supporting the fight against Ebola through reminding the world that Africa had a big role to play in keeping health workers on the ground to assist the infected. The app also led to our team building a direct relationship with Facebook, as they were brought on as a media partner in February 2015. 3. INFLUENCER CAMPAIGN Another element of the #AfricaAgainstEbola Campaign consisted of an influencer campaign whereby key individuals in Africa including Presidents, celebrities & sports stars were identified and encouraged to get behind the message of the campaign by showing their support through a short video pledge for the #AfricaAgainstEbola initiative. The campaign attracted the likes of President Jacob Zuma, Dikembe Mutombo and Akim Hakeem, both professional basketball players in the NBA, Kolo Touré, Liverpool defender, and Davido, award winning recording artist and record producer in Nigeria. 4. PUBLIC RELATIONS The third and final element consists of traditional media relations across Africa, Europe and the US. Led by the FleishmanHillard South African office, the traditional element focused on the positioning of the AU as a transparent and action-orientated body that is leading the fight against Ebola by way of thought leadership, ambassador and business partner profiling and health worker précises, to name but a few tactics. WHAT WE ACHIEVED: The digital component was extremely successful and received over 500,000 app clicks over the period of two months. 1000s of pledges contributed to the $34 million raised up until April 2015. The campaign received over 1.5 million impressions across social networks, and helped build a direct relationship with Facebook, bringing them on as a media partner for the campaign in early February 2015. The traditional media relations campaign generated coverage in tier 1 media across the three markets. Increasing awareness about the devastation wreaked by the disease in the three affected countries, contributed to the fund-raising efforts aimed at deploying more health workers. Profiling of the AUC Chair and key medical experts reinforced the preventative measures needed to be undertaken in the affected countries as the story progressed to post-epidemic, socio economic development. In addition, the AUC deployed 1 000 healthcare workers to Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia. The African Democratic Institute was responsible for negotiating the free flighting of the television commercial across various regional and global channels.

The flesh of baked winter squash has a soft texture and sweet, plain flavor that is the perfect backdrop for spicy chilies and other assertive complements. Don’t limit yourself to acorn and butternut squash for this recipe--check out the uncommon, often organically grown varieties that show up at many farmers’ markets during autumn. They have whimsical names like Buttercup, Delicata, Turk's Turban and Pink Banana, and vary in sweetness and texture. Beat butter, chilies, lime zest, green onions and cumin. Use this mixture as a spread on hot baked pumpkin or winter squash, or fold it into pureed or whipped pumpkin or squash flesh. Squash also pairs well with quieter flavors: nuts, sautéed shallots, subtle amounts of sage or maple syrup, etc. Copyright by Terese Allen

Drupal is a free software package that offers an opportunity to developers and content owners to easily organize, manage and publish their content. Drupal is open source software and is maintained by a community of 630,000+ users and developers. The solution is distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License (or “GPL”). Acquia, the company that provides enterprise guides to Drupal has announced the introduction of a new platform named Enterprise Drupal Gardens. According to the company, this new platform allows users to create and manage endless content-rich, social websites. Some of the big names in content domain, such as Warner Music Group, have already started using this platform, the company stated in a press release. “OpenSaaS Enterprise Drupal Gardens is a game changer. Global organizations are under pressure to find a flexible and low cost means to build incredible web experiences,” said Tom Erickson, chief executive officer at Acquia. “Warner Music Group is a great example of how we are helping enterprises dramatically reduce operational hurdles and costs, while offering them unparalleled freedom to create websites without boundaries, based on open source Drupal.” Powerful Drupal CMS allows users to create photo and video galleries, custom content, forms and surveys, and dynamic content mashups. They can also easily style page elements and design themes and log in to sites with their ID’s from Facebook (News - Alert), Twitter, Google+, and twenty other social and business networks. In other news, Acquia recently announced the release of the Acquia Cloud API. The Cloud API allows developers to extend, enhance and customize Acquia Cloud's capabilities including developer workflow, site management, and provisioning. The Cloud API empowers the entire Drupal ecosystem, developers and businesses alike, to save time and accelerate deployment by integrating Acquia Cloud tools into their properties. Developers can now automate testing, data sanitization and other operations to ensure data and code quality is consistent across environments. As a result, Acquia is able to provide a platform for professional developers, distribution builders, and web design agencies to rapidly roll out new websites and businesses.

I found this here and reprinted here: Origin and Migrations of the Hakkas Origin and Migrations of the Hakkas By Xiè Tíngyù (“Hsieh T’ing-yü”) (谢廷玉), B. A. - Introduction: Who Are the Hakka? - Hakka Locations: Guǎngdōng - Hakka Locations: Outside Guǎngdōng - Hakka Glory - Hakka Daily Life - Hakka Language - Misunderstanding Hakka History - Hakka Origins: List of Theories - Text Sources for Studying Hakka Origins - Historical Records of Hakkas in the North - Punti and Hakka in the Great Migrations - The Hakkas of Jiāyìngzhōu - Leaving Fújiàn and Jiāngxī: The First Wave - Leaving Fújiàn and Jiāngxī: The Second Wave - Why Leave Jiāngxī and Fújiàn? What’s Special About Guǎngdōng? - Theory 1: Mongol Garrison Soldiers - Theory 2: Fújiàn Aborigines - Theory 3: Qín Shǐhuáng’s Soldiers - Theory 4: People Leaving Hénán at the Breakup of the Táng Dynasty - A Complication: Mayflower-Like Claims - The Term “Hakka” - Six Generalizations From the Evidence - The People the Hakkas Displaced: The Kingdom of Yuè - Hakka Spread Within Guǎngdōng Province & Beyond - Hakkas at War - Hakkas Defeated - Hakkas Eternally Glorious - Appendix: Table of Events Author’s Note: This is a dissertation to fulfill the requirements for the degree of bachelor of arts from Yenching University (Yānjīng Dàxué 燕京大学). The work was begun a year ago when the writer, descended from a Hakka family that had migrated from Wàizhōu 外州 [?] [in Húnán 湖南 ] to Xiāngshān 香山 or Zhōngshān 中山 district in Guǎngdōng 广东 three generations ago, was advised to use it as his thesis. Since the results cannot claim to be conclusive or final, he will be very glad to accept corrections, additional information, or suggestions for improvement. The writer desires to express his indebtedness to all his friends, particularly Professor William Hung, who had first suggested the subject and given much valuable assistance in the preparation of this paper. Yenching University, May 1st, 1928. 1. Introduction: Who Are the Hakka? The term Hakka or Kèjiā 客家 has aroused much interest as to the origin and history of this people. Their name alone implies that they are “strangers” or “guests,” and not the original inhabitants of the regions which they now occupy. It is difficult to determine whether only those shall be counted as Hakkas who call themselves such, and who in every respect bear the characteristics of Hakkas, or whether included within them should be added those groups whom it has been customary so to classify; as for example, some people of the North River 北江, who renounce the name as one degrading to their dignity but whose speech is closely related to Hakka, in spite of a few variations. Outside of Guǎngdōng 广东 it is more difficult to demarcate the regions occupied by them. For example, in Southern Jiāngxī 江西 the colloquial [speech] or tǔtán 土谈, which we readily identify with the Hakka, becomes less intelligible than the Mandarin or Guānhuà 官话 as we go northward. For practical purposes it may be said that the Hakkas are a distinct group of people found in parts of Guǎngdōng 广东, Guǎngxī 广西, Fújiàn 福建, Jiāngxī 江西, Húnán 湖南, Sìchuān 四川, Formosa (Táiwān 台湾), and overseas, who speak a [group of] closely related dialect[s], and whose characteristics and customs are very similar. Their main point of concentration is in the province of Guǎngdōng. 2. Hakka Locations: Guǎngdōng In certain districts there they monopolize the whole countryside, as in the former prefecture of Jiāyìngzhōu 嘉应州.* In other parts of the province they form a half, a third or less of the population, being interspersed among the Puntis (Běndì 本地)** and Hoklos (Mandarin: Fúlǎo 福佬)***. In some places partly populated by them, they have settled on the higher lands, and so have been called “Chinese Highlanders;” but this is a misnomer only capable of local application, since in other places, they are spread over the plains as well as the hilly districts.(Ball, Hakka Made Easy. Introduction.) 3. Hakka Locations: Outside Guǎngdōng The Hakkas are not only confined to the province of Guǎngdōng where they form less than one third of the population.* There are large numbers of them living in Fújiàn, especially in Zhāngzhōu漳州, and also in Tīngzhōu 汀州, the old Fújiàn 福建 home of the Hakkas. They occupy Southern Jiāngxī 江西and parts of Guǎngxī 广西. There are scattered communities of them in Sìchuān 四川, Húnán 湖南, and Formosa (Táiwān 台湾).** Their emigrants abroad are second to the Puntis from Guǎngdōng, [for] they have settled in Japan, the Philippines, Siam, Annam, the Malay Peninsula, British North Borneo, Batavia, Ceylon, Sabang, Natal, the Transvaal, the West Indies, Cuba, California, Mexico, South America, Hawaii, and Australia. Thus a line of Hakkas stretches around the world. 4. Hakka Glory The character of the Hakkas is shown quite clearly in their name and history. They are a strong, hardy, energetic, fearless race with simple habits but a very contentious and litigiousdisposition. Self-reliant and active, their rapid expansion, and fondness of property have often brought them into conflict with their neighbors. Jiāyìngzhōu 嘉应州, the stronghold of the Hakkas, is the famous abode of scholars. It furnished a large number of licentiates and yamen officials for the past dynasties. Five out of the eleven successful candidates for the imperial jìnshì 进士 degree in 1752 came from Jiāyìngzhōu.See Jiāyìngzhōu Annals 20/6Even the poorest want to give their children a chance for education. Today Méi Xiàn 梅县 [Jiāyìngzhōu and its environs] is dotted with over six hundred schools and claims the highest percentage of literacy in the province. Huntington estimates the percentage of male literacy in Méi Xiàn as high as 80%. (Character of Races. p. 167.)The Hakkas are proud of the literary accomplishments of their ancestors; they claim many well known literati. The Hakkas are a “people of the future,” unhampered by the prejudices or the easy-going slackness of the old landowners who are proud of their riches and of their fancied superiority.(Stauffer, op. cit., p. 352.) Their village is a natural expression of the character of the inhabitants. The houses are clean and well-constructed. Foreigners visiting Méi Xiàn are surprised at the cleanliness and general appearance of the place. “It would not be easy to find an inland district where the people are as well housed as they are in Méizhōu.” Huntington, op. cit., p, 167: 5. Hakka Daily Life The people live in scattered hamlets or houses located, preferably in the valleys, where the farmer can live surrounded by his fields. In the villages the elders of the clan make all important decisions. In other places they are dispersed in small villages or hamlets between the hills and paying ground rent to the Puntis, or congregated in larger villages and then continually fighting with the Puntis for the ownership of the hills and fields occupied by them. (Eitel, Ethno. Sketches of Hakkas, p. 265.) Being independent and thrifty, little by little they move out of their hilly tracts and displace the coastal people to the south and east of them. This is why so many Puntis have feared and reviled them. Fundamentally the Hakka is a farmer, forced by poverty to struggle with the unproductive soil and wresting a bare livelihood therefrom. “Zhènpíng 镇平 (one of the four districts in Jiāyìngzhōu) has not less than 300,000 families and its annual produce can suffice for only three months…”(Jiāyìngzhōu Annals, 32/16.) They usually occupy the hilly and less fertile districts, while the Puntis remain in possession of the fertile deltas and plains and the Hoklos inhabit the coastal regions. The peasant class is very poor indeed; only a small percentage of them own their fields and they are often involved in debt. Hence many vocations despised by the Puntis, are taken up by the Hakkas, who become barbers, itinerant blacksmiths and stone-masons. Some of them are traders, particularly those from Xīngníng 兴宁, the richest industrial district of the Hakkas, which at one time produced enough paper fans to supply half of China. Japan is now handling this trade and the weaving of cotton stuff has taken the place of fan making. (Stauffer, op. cit., p. 352.) There are few industries producing articles of luxury in these poor Guǎngdōng districts. Such are the conditions which have made the inhabitants depend more upon their learning than upon their fields to get a living since the Sòng 宋 dynasty [960-1279] (Jiāyìngzhōu Annals, 8/2.), and migrate to other more fertile districts or seek their fortunes overseas during the past [Qīng 清] dynasty [1644-1911]. There is not much to choose between the dress and customs of the Hakkas and those of the Puntis. If there are differences at all, they are due to geographical rather than racial [i.e., cultural] reasons. “The food of the people is, on the average, inferior in quality to that of the Punti, but better than in most parts of North China. Rice forms the basis, but it is often ‘stretched’ to yield quantity by the addition of sweet potato. Other additional dishes are very frugal.” (Stauffer, op. cit., p. 352.)However, this description applies to the poorer and more mountainous districts only. The sexes are not so strictly separated in domestic life as in the case with some of the other Chinese. The women folk are strong and energetic, and have never adopted the foot-binding custom. Alongside with their domestic duties they go out to till the fields, gather grass for fuel, and feed the pigs. “There are no women who are-so industrious as those of the Hakkas.” (Jiāyìngzhōu Annals, 8/53.) Their girls are rarely sold as slaves or concubines ; polygamy is not common mainly because of the poverty of the people. As it is written in the “Jiāyìngzhōu Annals”: The soil is not fertile and the people are poor. There are lots of hills but few fields for cultivation. The men hence want to emigrate and leave the management of the home to their women. As soon as the ban on emigration overseas was lifted, many of the inhabitants flocked to Nanyang 南洋.* They began as menial workers but gradually amassed a fortune. Some returned in three or five years ‘while others delayed till ten or twenty years later. Some even left their homes in their youth and returned with hoary hairs. When they departed from their homes, they left their old folks and young children, the fields, ancestral graves, and houses in charge of their wives. … This is why the people can migrate abroad. The women in other places bind their feet and have to depend upon servants for help ; hence their men have lots of domestic cares and cannot think of leaving for distant places …. (Jiāyìngzhōu Annals, 8/34.) The Hakkas place great emphasis on ancestral worship ; this is characteristic of the Chinese people as a whole. The ancestral halls and tombs are carefully preserved. In the village, no matter how small, each clan has its family temple祠堂. The Hakkas are great believers in “fēng shuǐ”风水. In their worship at the temple, Guānyīn 观音, is the most popular. Special temples are set aside for the God of War and for the Patron of Literature. Confucius and his disciples are revered In the schools and private homes. Their religious worship, on the whole, is closely similar to that of the Puntis. However, in some districts where the Puntis predominate, the Hakkas are considered as intruders and have no share in the worship of local idols and ancestral halls. The German missionaries have been very active in the Hakka districts. 6. Hakka Language Many authorities agree that “the Hakka dialect is not a mere local growth, nor a patois of some one of the other dialects,. but an independent growth of the common Chinese language, and, so to speak, the crystallized relic of one of the different phases through which the language passed in developing from Punti, which is the oldest relic of the original form of the Chinese language, to Mandarin, which represents the latest phase in the process of development through which the Chinese language passed.” (Eitel, Ethno. Sketches of Hakkas. p. 265.) It still “retains some of the old finals for which feature Cantonese is also noted, while in the more modern Mandarin and some of the languages of China they are nearly gone, the detritions of ages of use having denuded many of the words of these relics of antiquity.” (Ball, op. cit.) It is less polite than the Mandarin and has clearer sounds than the Punti. Prof E. H. Parkercharacterizes it as having “to a large extent the vowels of Běijīng the diphthongs of Fúzhōu 福州, the finals of Guǎngzhōu, and the tones of Hànkǒu 汉口.” (Ibid) In common with other dialects of China, it contains within its limits not a few variations. At first sight the variations do not seem so numerous as in some of the Chinese speeches; in fact, however, there are enough colloquial differences to cause at least a perfect understanding between the people concerned rather difficult. 7. Misunderstanding Hakka History Concerning the origin and history of the Hakka people, there has been much controversy and misunderstanding. The” Encyclopedia of Missions” is bold enough to state that “the Hakkas are a peculiar race or tribe, inhabiting the mountains near Guǎngzhōu or Shàntóu 汕头, who are of a lower social rank than the native Chinese. Their language is written with the Chinese characters.”(Quoted in Campbell, Origin and Mig. of Hakkas, p. 474) The “International Encyclopedia” adds that for two thousand years the Hakkas have been “the object of the most persistent and inveterate hostility and persecution at the hands of the native or punti part of the population of China.”(International Encyclopedia, VIII 943.) The traditional antipathy of a section of the Cantonese is probably the cause of this widespread impression that the Hakkas are a mongrel race more civilized than the aborigines but hardly entitled to rank with the Chinese. Popular interest was aroused by the controversy over the statement made in Roger D. Wolcott’s “Geography of the World,” printed by. the Commercial Press, Limited, Shanghai, that the Hakkas are a backward people: “In the mountains are many wild tribes and backward people, such as Hakkas and Ikias …” (p. 132 of April edition, 1920. Quoted from Jiāyìng Magazine, 2/103) Indignant protests came pouring in from Hakka organizations in China and abroad. On April 3rd, 1921, a mass meeting of the Hakkas was called at Guǎngzhōu. Over a thousand delegates representing thirty odd xiàn 县 from the five provinces — Fújiàn 福建, Guǎngdōng 广东, Jiāngxī 江西, Húnán 湖南, Guǎngxī 广西 — elected Ráo Fúcháng (“Yao Fu-shang”) 饶芙裳, former member of the House of Representatives, as presiding offices. Resolutions were passed to take necessary measures to make the Commercial Press retract this statement. The minutes and resolutions of this meeting have been printed in a pamphlet called 中华客语攷原总会章程. As a result, the fourth revised edition in May of the same year came out with the following changes: “… a part of the population of Guǎngdōng is made up of Hakkas (客家), whose ancestors migrated southward on account of disorder and lawlessness in other provinces during the ‘Five Dynasties’ (五代). The language and customs of the Hakkas partly coincide with those of the ancient people of northern China.”* *Wolcott, Geography of the world, p. 144. The writer wrote a letter on March 18, 1928 to Mr. Fong, F. Sec of the Commercial Press, English Editorial Department, to ask for detailed information concerning the matter. The following reply was written on April 3rd: “… some years ago some of the Hakka people in Shanghai called on us to protest against some passages that Mr Wolcott made concerning their people. We referred the matter to Mr. Wolcott. who afterwards modified his references to them. The change was satisfactory to the Hakka people and the matter was closed … . 8. Hakka Origins: List of Theories There are at least five theories which attempt to explain the origin and history of the Hakka people: (1) The Hakkas are descendants of the Mongol garrison soldiers. (Eitel, Ethno. Sketches of Hakkas, p. 265.) (2) The Hakkas are aborigines from Fújiàn who had been assimilated by the Chinese. (Stauffer, op. cit., p. 351.) (3) The Hakkas are descendants of the half million soldiers sent by Qín Shǐhuáng 秦始皇帝, many of whom intermarried with Yíjiā夷家 women. (Mesney, Chinese Miscellany, II, 475.) (4) The Hakkas are descended from the remnants of the Kingdom of Yuè 越 which was destroyed by [the state of ] Chǔ 楚 in 333 B.C. (Bái 白, Mínguó Dìzhì 民国地志. 31/4/43.) (5) The Hakkas are descendants of Chinese coming from the Northern section of China following the Jìn 晋 and Táng 唐 dynasties.” (Campbell, op. cit., p. 476.) 9. Text Sources for Studying Hakka Origins Thus we are confronted with a difficult problem that requires careful handling and weighing of historical evidences to get the facts. Much information for this paper is obtained from the provincial [gazetteers or annals] 通志, prefectural [annals] 府志, and district annals 县志 of which the “Jiāyìngzhōu Annals” 嘉应州志 is especially valuable. These are voluminous works and require much patience and time to sift the mass of materials. The geographical works of the various periods, such as the “Yuánhé Jùnxiàn Túzhì” 元和郡县图志 of [the] Táng 唐 [dynasty], and the “Tàipíng Huányǔ Jì” 太平寰宇记 and the “Yǔdì Jìshèng” 与地纪胜 of [the] Sòng 宋 [dynasty], prove to be very useful sources. The dynastic histories of Jìn 晋, Táng, Wǔdài 五代, and Sòng [periods] are also very, very valuable. The family genealogies are useful but rather inaccurate and unreliable at times (The writer has been able to gather only three family registers. He will appreciate it very much if he can have access to more of these materials. The works by foreign sinologists are helpful in giving the lead to the Chinese sources; they are better classified but often seem to mix traditions with facts and fail to mention the exact sources. Aside from the examination into the history of the Hakkas, a study of their customs and language reveals a great deal of important information concerning their relations with the past. 10. Historical Records of Hakkas in the North How far back into the past can we trace the history of the Hakkas? Their traditions and family records place them mostly in western Shāndōng山东 Province at the end of the Zhōu 周 dynasty. There were a few living on the southeastern borders of Shānxī 山西, while some occupied the northwestern frontiers of Ānhuī 安徽 Province. The claim that they were living in the border regions south and southwest of Shāndōng is confirmed by popular ballads among the Hakkas with allusions to localities situated in these regions. (Eitel, History of Hakkas, p, 160. The writer is unable to find evidence to check this statement.) Qín Shǐhuáng 秦始皇 unified China and proclaimed himself Emperor in 246 B.C. Under his despotic rule many persecutions and wholesale removal of populations took place. (Shǐjì 史记, Vol. 6.) The First Migration. The Hakka clans were said to be among the unfortunate people persecuted. So merciless was the blow that some clans became extinct while some altered their names to avoid recognition.* The remnants fled to the mountains of Hénán 河南 and Ānhuī安徽, while a few went as far south as the borders of Jiāngxī. Here they settled and more prosperous times followed. In the Hàn 汉 and Jìn 晋 dynasties, many gained high offices in the government. The Second Migration. The second migration occurred in the early part of the fourth century. It was a period of successive invasions by the barbarians in the north. Jìn [dynasty emperor] Huái Dì 晋怀帝 was captured by the invader Liú Zǒng 刘总 in 313 and was compelled to wait on him in a menial capacity. He was finally put to death and his successor, Mǐn Dì 愍帝, also met the same fate.* These insults and humiliations broke the spirit of the people. When the founder of the Eastern Jìn 东晋 dynasty, Yuán Dì 元帝 moved his capital to Nánjīng 南京, many left their homes and took their families across the Dàjiāng 大江(another name for the Yángzǐ Jiāng 扬子江(“Yangtze River”). This was indeed a radical and desperate venture for these people to cross the “Great River” in to a new and sparsely settled region.** Seeking refuge from the ravages of the incoming barbarians, they migrated southward in search of a permanent home where they could live in peace. It was a general stampede — even those few clans remaining in Shāndōng before now fled to south Hénán 河南. Most of the Hakka family records mention further shifting and renewed migration during this period. (Eitel, History of Hakkas, p. 161.) The emigrants settled mostly in Jiāngxī. Some went to Zhèjiāng 浙江 and on to Fújiàn.* Here they lived in comparative peace and prosperity. The Third Migration. At the end of the Táng dynasty when the barbarians again descended and ravaged the northern provinces, many refugees fled southward. Even those who had been living in Jiāngxī were compelled to move again. A separation then took place; the majority sought refuge in the mountains of Fújiàn while a few reached the high mountain chains which separate Jiāngxī and Guǎngdōng. (Eitel, History of the Hakkas, p. 162.) The Fourth Migration. The fourth and last move of migration from the north occurred in the Sòng dynasty. The incoming Tartars pushed the Chinese southward until the [Sòng] Emperor Gāozōng 高宗 crossed the Yangtze and established the Southern Sòng 南宋 dynasty in 1127. Large numbers of loyal adherents followed him and settled in Jiāngxī and Fújiàn. Little by little some of them spread to Gànzhōu 赣州 [in southern Jiāngxī] and Tīngzhōu 汀州 [in Fújiàn], occupying the mountain lands and isolating themselves. Till the end of the Sòng dynasty, very little was heard of these settlements which were far from the highways of travel. 11. Punti and Hakka in the Great Migrations So far we have had only a bird’s-eye view of the migrations to the south of the Chinese in general, not only of the Hakkas. We notice that such migrations occurred almost at the end of every dynasty. The Hakkas were probably a group of related people leaving their ancestral homes of disturbances to seek the Promised Land. Hakka traditions all point to North China as the old home and their family registers support this claim. Punti records, however, also trace back their migrations in a similar manner. Who then, are Hakkas? We can state that about the time of Sòng, about 960 A.D., there were inhabitants, probably of northern origin, living in southern Jiāngxī and southwestern Fújiàn, especially in Tīngzhōu and Gànzhōu, who later crossed the mountain boundaries into Guǎngdōng and became known as Hakkas. 12. The Hakkas of Jiāyìngzhōu The history of the occupation of Jiāyìngzhōu by the Hakkas is especially interesting. As early as 900 A.D. there were wandering farm laborers from Fújiàn and Jiāngxī. A census of Méi Xiàn in 976 showed that there were 367 such “alien” and 1210 “native” families. (Tàipíng Huányǔ Jì 太平寰宇记, 160,7.) A contemporary of the period wrote: “The country is extensive but the people are lazy, depending on wandering farmers from Tīngzhōu and Gànzhōu to till their soil.”(Yúdì Jìshèng 舆地纪胜, 102, 3.) One hundred years later, in 1078, the census for the place revealed 6,548 “alien” and 5,824 “native” families. It was not until 1049 that a mud wall was built around the city and thirty-five years later a brick wall was constructed. (Ibid. 32/1.) The influx of newcomers from Fújiàn and Jiāngxī became rapid and gradually displaced the old inhabitants. The few inhabitants at the time of early Sòng disappeared, while only one-tenth or two-tenths of those that came at the end of the dynasty remained. It was in the Yuán 元 , and early Míng 明 dynasties that this region was substantially settled. (Jiāyìngzhōu Annals, 9, 1.) 13. Leaving Fújiàn and Jiāngxī: The First Wave The first wave of their migration into Guǎngdōng began at the close of the southern Sòng dynasty with Jiāyìngzhōu as the local point. What made the people leave their homes in Fújiàn and Jiāngxī? First, it was because the mountainous regions could not support the increasing population, while the region across the Guǎngdōng border, although hilly, was sparsely settled and offered more opportunities. Moreover, numerous bands of robbers and bandits were a constant menace to the people. An official sent in 1171 a memorandum to the Court saying: “Tīngzhōu has the most bandit troubles in Fújiàn. In a period of ten years, we have been forced to take arms against the robbers thrice. … Many people are out of employment and become bandits.” (Fújiàn Annals, 266,15.) The coming to [Jiāngxī and Fújiàn] of Mongol invaders [ of the Yuán dynasty] caused many to flee for safety. Some served as volunteers in the imperial army and many died with the last prince of the Sòng house in 1279 at Yái Shān 崖山, [in Guǎngdōng] west of Macao. When the Mongols reached Méizhōu in 1279, Cài Méngjí 蔡蒙吉, the local official, was captured and put to death after he had reviled them. (Cài was pupil of Hóu Ānguó侯安国 who was one of the first scholars to come from Tīngzhōu to Méizhōu.) A year later Wén Tiānxiáng 文天祥 retook the place and honored Cài. Then with his army enlarged by recruits from the region, he left for Jiāngxī. (There is a tradition that 800 men of the Zhuó 卓 clan joined him and only one, [a certain] Zhuó Mǎn 卓满, ever saw his home again. See Jiāyìngzhōu Annals, 32/12.) When the Mongols re-entered Méizhōu, they devastated the region. A native writer wondered if all the people had turned into foxes and birds. (Campbell, op. cit., p. 479.) The census then revealed only 2,478 families, — no mention of “aliens” and “natives” was made — less than one-fifth of the Sòng statistics two hundred years ago. (Yuánshǐ dìlǐ zhì 元史地理志.) It was reported that only three clans (Yáng 杨, Gǔ 古, Bǔ 卜) were left, and many Fújiàn emigrants, especially from the district of Nínghuà 宁化, came streaming in to take up the waste lands. 14. Leaving Fújiàn and Jiāngxī: The Second Wave The Mongols having been driven away by the new Míng 明 dynasty, the second wave of immigrants crossed the mountain borders into Guǎngdōng and settled in Jiāyìngzhōu 嘉应州. The Fújiàn Hakkas came in such overwhelming numbers that they drove everything before them in Jiāyìngzhōu, which has remained their exclusive possession since. About the same time, others came from southern Jiāngxī and settled southwest of Jiāyìngzhōu. The following census reports of the Nínghuà district give a graphic illustration of the Fújiàn migrations: (Nínghuà Annals, 3/48.) |Dynasty||Census Date||Migrant Families| |Northern Sòng||1078 A.D.||13,700 families| |Southern Sòng||1253||35,000 families| |Beginning of Míng||1391||12,588 families| |Middle of Míng||1492||6,565 families| |Close of Míng||1613||5,279 families| 15. Why Leave Jiāngxī and Fújiàn? What’s Special About Guǎngdōng? Thus far we have seen that the Hakkas migrated into Guǎngdōng from Jiāngxī and Fújiàn in two large movements — one in the southern Sòng period and the second at the close of the Mongol (Yuán 元) dynasty, a [total] period of about three hundred years. But how did they come to Fújiàn and Jiāngxī? Were they the original inhabitants there? If not, when and [from] where did they move to these regions? We shall now examine the five hypotheses which attempt to answer these questions. Note that there is a difference of over a thousand years and that the theories seem so varied and contradictory. We must resort to a process of logical elimination in their respective order of probability. 16. Theory 1: Mongol Garrison Soldiers One theory places the Hakkas as descendants of the Mongol garrison soldiers who were stranded in the south following the overthrow of their (Yuán) dynasty. This would place the Hakkas in the same category with those ostracized Mongol clans in Zhèjiāng who surrendered to the Chinese and are now treated as outcasts and slaves. However, there is very little probability to this answer, because it is too late a period to place the origin of the Hakkas who had lived in Fújiàn and Jiāngxī before the Táng dynasty and migrated to Guǎngdōng before the Mongols came. Moreover, their speech and customs bear few similarities to those of the Mongols. 17. Theory 2: Fújiàn Aborigines Some claim that the Hakkas are not Chinese but descendants of Fújiàn aborigines. The coming of this people from a mountainous region causes this doubt and suspicion as to their Chinese origin. But the Hakkas did not come from Fújiàn only; some of them came from parts of Jiāngxī. And also this argument in counteracted by their similarities of language and customs with those of the other Chinese. There are still some aborigines living in Fújiàn and other parts of the south, but they are generally weak, oppressed, and backward, while the Hakkas have strong characteristics of their virile Chinese strain in their pride of race and history, independence, and fearlessness to migrate and spread out. 18. Theory 3: Qín Shǐhuáng’s Soldiers There are others who believe that the Hakkas are descendants of the five hundred thousand soldiers drafted by Qín Shǐhuáng in 214 B.C. for the conquest of the south. (Shǐjì 史记.) Twelve thousand widows were sent along later. (Liang. See below.) A great number of the military colonists, however, intermarried with the semi-civilized tribes of the region. When [the] Hàn [dynasty emperor] Wǔ Dì 汉武帝 made, a reconquest of Guǎngdōng, he followed his policy of shifting the population to the Jiānghuái 江淮 region [the region between the Yangtze river and the generally parallel Huái river lying to the north of it].* This absorption of peoples and intermingling of cultures produced a “Chinafied” civilization. The people were more probably the ancestors of the bulk of the present Punti population instead of the Hakkas.* There is no such thing as a pure Chinese stock; the Hakkas cannot claim to be the purest and the “cream of the Chinese people.” (Huntington, op. cit., p. 167.) The firstChinese, after settling in the Huánghé 黄河 [Yellow River] basin, intermarried with the subjugated natives, called the Miáo 苗, or the nomads, thus making the present day Chinese a heterogeneous stock. In the Zhōu 周 dynasty, intermarriages between the ruling houses of the Chinese feudal states and the aborigines were not uncommon. In the period of the Northern and Southern dynasties (Nánběi Cháo 南北朝) (420-590 A.D.) various tribes of barbarians came in overwhelming numbers and were assimilated in blood and culture by the Chinese. (Liu, in Chinese Soc. and Pol. Sc. Rev., XI. 492.) We can stretch our imagination at Piton’s far-fetched suggestion that the Hakkas may be descendants of the remnants of the Róng 戎 and Yí 夷 tribes in North China at the close of the Zhōu dynasty, which would then place the Hakkas in the same category as the Miáo. (On Origin and History of Hakkas, China Rev. II, 224.) 19. Theory 4: People Leaving Hénán at the Breakup of the Táng Dynasty Hakka family records and traditions, however, persistently trace to Hénán as their original home and their migrations to the South at the end of the Jìn and Táng dynasties when they fled from the incoming barbarian invaders. The Hakkas point to their similarity in marriage and burial customs; after centuries of separation from their old home, they are able to preserve their Hénán speech and customs. In each family there is one or more t’ang 堂 [hall] names handed down from the past, and in most cases these are from Hénán. For example, the Yeh 叶 and Zhāng 张 clans claim the Hénán district of Nányáng 南阳 as their ancestral home. Like the European settlers in the new American colonies, the Hakka emigrants founded a “New Hénán” wherever they settled and reproduced the conditions and customs of their homeland. From generation to generation they were able to transmit the heritage of their forefathers. Their pride of race is so strong that they are able to preserve their own speech and customs even in a strange country; even those who migrated overseas have not forgotten their ancestral heritage. Below is a table showing the increase of population (in families) caused by the influx of immigrants to Jiāngxī (Jiāngxī Annals, 47i 1-4.) and Fújiàn. (Fújiàn Annals. 48/12.) |Míng (1368-1644)||1,553,923||815 527| Conclusion: Thus we see that the three great migrations were after the Jìn, Táng, and Northern Sòng dynasties. - The first migration from the north was not so large and its settlers probably intermarried and intermingled will the natives so that they lost their identity. - The second migration, being greater in strength of number and culture, probably absorbed those inhabitants remaining in the Jiāngxī and Fújiàn regions. - The third great migration easily settled in the new regions which were by this time well “Chinafied.” 20. A Complication: Mayflower-Like Claims It is a mere coincidence that the Hakkas claim Guāngshān district 光山县 in Guāngzhōu 光州as their ancestral home while the Fukienese trace back their origin to Gùshǐ district 固始县 in the same prefecture? It is said that if the claims of many people in America that their ancestors on the Mayflower in 1620 were allowed, a [whole] fleet [of] vessels would have been needed to carry the [throngs of] Pilgrims. Similarly, how many of the Hakkas have legitimate claims to be the descendants of Guāngshān emigrants and how many of the Fukienese actually come from Gùshǐ stock?* It seems that both of them base their claim on the Wáng brothers (Wáng Cháo 王潮 and Wáng Shěnzhī 王审知), who fled from Guǎngzhōu 广州 with five thousand soldiers after incurring the displeasure of the Court in 885 A.D. and finally settled as an independent colony in the present region of Tīngzhōu 汀州, Zhāngzhōu漳州 [in Fújiàn], and Gànzhōu [in southern Jiāngxī] 赣州. (3 The Five Dynasties History 五代史68/1.) Hénán was then in the utmost chaos and disorder as a result of the ravages of the barbarians and the numerous uprisings of rebels. Therefore many left their homes and crossed the Dàjiāng 大江 [Yangtze River] into Jiāngxī and then to Fúkiàn. Coming to the territory controlled by the Wáng王 family, they tactfully claimed Guāngshān as their home district [in order to have a claim on Wáng hospitality based on common place of origin]. Many of them perhaps had legitimate claims, but a great number simply “adopted” Guāngshān. Thus this region, being isolated and mountainous, became a “New Hénán.” They lived here for four centuries (about 900-1300) and during this period probably absorbed the old inhabitants, adopted some of the latter’s customs, and modified their speech which we may characterize as “corrupted Mandarin.” 21. The Term “Hakka” The term Hakka does not imply a racial distinction. It had its origin in the Táng census circa 780.* The Sòng census reports, from 968 to 1223, all use the terms “zhù” 住 [resident] and “kè” 客[guest] for the general estimate of the country’s population. After the Sòng dynasty, no such terms are found in the dynastic census surveys. In the first report of A.D. 968, during the early reign of Sòng [emperor] Tàizōng 宋太宗, are the following notes: “The Hàn 汉 families, including ‘zhù’ and ‘keh’ …” (“Hànhù Zhù-Kè” 汉户住客 in “Tàipíng Huányǔ Jì”太平寰宇记, 36/10.) And “the population of Léizhōu 雷州 includes 101 ‘zhù,’ 5 ‘kè,’ and 2 Dànjiā 蛋家 [Boat People] families.” (Ibid., 169/6.) Moreover, in the third year of Sòng [emperor] Rénzōng 宋仁宗 (A.D. 1051), an edict was issued to decrease the tax burden of Zhāngzhōu 漳州, Quánzhōu 泉州, and Xīnghuà [garrison] 兴化军 because of the poverty of the region and the suffering caused by military disturbances; the reduction for the ‘kè’ families was larger than that of the “zhù” families. (Fújiàn Annals, 52/2.) In the census report of A.D. 1085 there were 10,109,542 “zhù” and 4,743,144 “kè” families. Included among the former were soldiers, hermits, mountaineers, monks, nuns, boat people, and the semi-civilized Lí 黎 tribes; while wanderers and rovers along the borders, those with no definite homes, and outside tribes were included in the latter. (“Wénxiàn Tōngkǎo” 文献通考, Vol. XI.) According to the “Nínghuà Annals,” native dwellers were called “zhù” 住 while “kè” 客 were strangers from outside districts coming to make a living. (34/8.) 22. Six Generalizations From the Evidence Hence, by a study of the above evidences, we can make the following generalizations: - “Zhù” means “old-timers” or “native inhabitants” while “kè” means “newcomers,” “aliens,” or “guests.” - The terms did not apply to only a certain locality. They were used for the whole country in the Sòng census reports. - The Hakkas got their name because they were not the original inhabitants of the regions which they now occupy. - They were called such by the native or Punti population when the immigrants came to Guǎngdōng. Nothing was implied as to their racial difference or inferiority. - The Hakkas are not “strangers” in some of the regions they occupy. The older inhabitants were absorbed or driven away so that the “strangers” became the sole possessors of the new land. - These terns are still used to differentiate “new-comers” from the older inhabitants.* The Hakkas took their name everywhere they went because their language and customs were little changed. They were inassimilable elements in many ways in the new regions. We have examined the suppositions that the Hakkas are descended from the Mongol garrison soldiers, or from the mixture of the Qín [dynasty] 秦 military colonists and Ikias, or from the aborigines of Fújiàn, but they all seem improbable after careful investigations. Most probably the ancestors of the Hakkas emigrated from North China to the south following the disorders at the end of Jìn and Táng dynasties [i.e., the early 400s and early 900s]. Many were refugees from the disturbances of the north. Some came as exiles while others came as officials and made their permanent homes there. It is not unusual for a whole village to migrate, as in the case of many Guǎngdōng villages leaving for the overseas. When a clan heard that a neighbor had migrated to a promising region in the south, it also packed up its belongings and worked its long way to the new destination. Their conservatism and instinctive tendency to cling to their ancestral plots could not check their departure. This is especially true of the Hakka forefathers who migrated as a last resort to a distant land in spite of extreme travelling difficulties. It was the hardy and sturdy ones that survived.(Huntington, op. cit., p. 167.) It was this spirit of fight and “never-say-die” that made the Hakkas so full of independence, initiative, and pride of race. Their traditions, their characteristics, their customs, and their speech all point to a past historical background in north China. However, the Hakkas are not the “cream of the people” or the “purest of the Chinese.” Their ancestors probably intermarried with the inhabitants with whom they had come into contact. 23. The People the Hakkas Displaced: The Kingdom of Yuè Who were the natives they met? Were they Chinese people or were they semi-civilized tribes? We must remember that the Kingdom of Yuè越 [extending over southern China and the northern part of Vietnam — Yuè is the Mandarin pronunciation of “Viet”] under the rule of Gōu Jiàn勾践 had become very powerful and destroyed its neighbor, the state of Wú 吴 in 473 B.C. After this, Yuè declined in power and was finally broken up by [the state of] Chǔ 楚 in 333 B.C. into the “Hundred Yuè” 百越 states. The remnants of Yuè [population] then scattered to Fújiàn, Jiāngxī, and Guǎngdōng. They were not allowed to remain unmolested, however. The Hàn [dynasty emperor] Wǔ Dì 汉武帝 several times exchanged the population of this region with the people in the Jiānghuái 江淮 area [the region between the Yangtze river and the generally parallel Huái river lying to the north of it]. Thus by the time the first wave of refugee Chinese came in the Jìn 晋 dynasty, the character of the existing population there had become very complex indeed. The theory that the Hakkas are descended from these Yuè refugees, therefore, cannot be refuted as being without foundation. But do any of the Hakka traditions point back to the Yuè region or do their popular allusions speak of Yuè? If the Hakkas were descendants of Yuè, why had they lost their identity and become “Hénán-ized”? It seems probable that the northern immigrants, being stronger in number and culture, drove away or assimilated those in whose regions they had penetrated. They probably had to modify their customs and speech by the contact. Living in a region which was isolated, mountainous, and far from the highways of travel, they were able to consolidate into a homogenous group, united in customs and language and differing from the Puntis or Hoklos [Fukienese]. 24. Hakka Spread Within Guǎngdōng Province & Beyond Thus we have attempted to trace the origin and the migrations of the Hakkas until they finally crossed the Fújiàn-Jiāngxī borders into Guǎngdōng. The second part of this paper deals with the later history of the Hakkas — how they spread over Guǎngdōng and the neighboring provinces, and how they migrated to the overseas. Jiāyìngzhōu at the end of the Míng dynasty was centre of a raw, rough, new population. There were some quarrelsome elements among the immigrants, and fights were not infrequent. (Citation in Jiāyìngzhōu Annals, 8/1.) There were bandits, ex-soldiers, tramps, exiles, adventurers, as well as farmers, traders, and scholars. The closing years of the [Míng] dynasty saw this region suffering from frequent political disturbances and local disorders.* Many moved to Guǎngxī, Formosa, and other more promising regions to make their permanent homes. When Zhāng Xiànzhōng 张献忠, invaded Sìchuān 四川 in 1646, he captured and burned [the capital city of Ch’engtu 成都. (Míngshǐ 明史, Vol. 309.) His extreme cruelty and massacre of the people everywhere he went made the province [of Sìchuān] a waste desert. When conditions became more peaceful, immigrants from the neighbering provinces — Húnán, Húběi, and Jiāngxī — flocked to occupy the waste lands. One party of Hakkas from Guǎngxī also went along and their descendants now occupy two districts fifty miles west of Chóngqìng 重庆 [in Sìchuān]. (Little, The Far East, pp. 73-74.) They managed to maintain their customs and preserve their speech, although some of the present generation have gradually broken from their clannish ties and adopted Sìchuān as their native home. The change of dynasty which resulted in the late Qīng 清 [dynastic] house being established by the invading Manchus was also an occasion for many Hakkas to spread west and southwest of Guǎngzhōu. (In the present districts of Huà Xiàn 化县 Hèshān 鹤山, Xīnníng 新宁.) Since the time of [the early Qīng dynasty] Kāngxī 康熙 [emperor], large numbers of Hakkas were employed to cultivate the military fields, replacing the Puntis and Halos. (Eitel, Outline History of the Hakkas, Rev., II, 142.) Many enlisted in the reign of [the] Qiánlóng 乾隆 [emperor] under the eight banners, a favorite Tartar division. (Ibid.) Gradually the Hakkas gained favor and influence in the Court. They were admitted to the lower ranks of the government; they took part in the competitive examinations for literary and military degrees; individual Hakkas were appointed as district magistrates and prefects. This caused much opposition from the Puntis. The Hakkas sent a deputation to Běijīng and succeeded in their mission to maintain their rights. (Also from Eitel. The writer has not been able to locate the source concerning the deputation of the Hakkas to Běijīng.) “It is an impressive picture, that of the old Punti villages, enclosed by ivy-covered brick walls and towers half in ruins and surrounded by ditches, and all about the rows of white houses of the Hakkas, into whose hands the greater part of the lands have fallen. Soon after the appearance of a Hakka house inside the walls of a Punti village, the Punti disappeared completely. It is, however, in the main, a peaceable acquisition by diligence and thrift; though in some instances trickery and force are said not to have been entirely absent from the methods of occupation …” (Stauffer, op. cit., p. 351.) This occupation of Punti land soon made the Hakkas feared and disliked; clan fights with the Puntis became more frequent. 25. Hakkas at War The nucleus of the Tàipíng 太平 Rebellion was formed of Hakkas from Guǎngdōng and Guǎngxī. The Tàipíng “Emperor,” Hóng Xiùquán 洪秀全 was a Hakka from Huà Xiàn, northwest of Guǎngzhōu. Most of the ministers or kings (as styled), generals, and administrators also came from Hakka homes, “Through all the vicissitude of their march from Guǎngdōng to Nánjīng they succeeded in retaining the supremacy among the ill-assorted cohorts of rebels from all the eighteen provinces.” (Also from Eitel.) A Hakka Bamboo Rifle corps was formed in the 1860 war to fight for the allied Anglo-French troops against Běijīng.* The clan fights between the Hakkas and Puntis reached a climax in 1854. The Tàipíng Rebellion had spread to Zhàoqìng 肇庆, where numerous Punti people joined the rebels. The Hakka clans located there, however, for the most part remained loyal to the government. Much bad feeling was aroused and, when the Tàipíng rebels went north, the internecine war began first in Hèshān 鹤山 and spread all over the southwest districts. The Puntis, being stronger in men and means, defeated the Hakkas in these districts and expelled those not killed. In 1862 the contest was at its height when imperial authority was entirely suspended in several districts. By the end of the year, the Hakkas were outnumbered and driven towards the coast. They then stormed and occupied the fortified town of Guǎnghǎi 广海west of Macao (Mandarin: Àomén 澳门. They were soon driven out by the Puntis with the help of the imperial forces, this being the first overt act of official interference in the contest. 26. Hakkas Defeated In 1864 there were at least two hundred thousand wandering Hakkas who turned half-bandits and half-refugees. They collected in the mountains of the west districts and defied the Puntis. There was no means for reconciliation, as the Hakkas only wanted liberty to live while the Puntis refused to be “sheltered under the same heaven with them,”* In September, 1866, a new governor came and sent eight thousand troops under the Grain Intendant of Guǎngzhōu to the west districts to compel the Hakkas to give up their arms and disperse. Two hundred thousand taels were set aside for distribution in proportion of eight taels to each adult and four to each child, with passes and protection to enable them to migrate to Guǎngxī, Hǎinán 海南, and other regions where waste lands exist in abundance. The small district of Chìxī 赤溪 was marked out from Xīnníng and set apart for the Hakkas to reside. Thus ended the long bloody strife in which more than one hundred fifty thousand Hakkas perished. Some became bandits; some were sold as slaves to coolie ships at Macao; some escaped to other provinces; some migrated to Formosa, Saigon, and Singapore; others stayed back and intermingled with the Puntis. It was this internecine war through which many people came to have a wrong impression that the Hakkas have always been the object of merciless persecution since the time of Qín Shǐhuáng and indulged in far-fetched-theories concerning their origin. 27. Hakkas Eternally Glorious This misfortune does not mean the end of Hakka influence. The exclusive Hakka regions around Jiāyìngzhōu were untouched by the strife and still remain under Hakka domination. The fight for the republic against the Manchus revealed many Hakka patriots and martyrs. The Hakkas abroad contributed great sums of money to support the Revolution of 1912. Today in all lines of work, Hakka influence is felt. The military genius of this people has not diminished — Chén Jiǒngmíng 陈炯明, Zhāng Fǎkuí 张法奎, Huáng Qíxiáng 黄祺翔 are of Hakka ancestry. Their political aptitude is unquestioned — many of them hold high positions in the government. As leaders in commerce and industry, the Hakkas are well known in China and abroad; the Cháozhōu-Shàntóu Railway (Cháo-Shàn Tiělù 潮汕铁路) was built by Hakka contractors and is now largely under the control of Hakka merchants. With the modernization of China where facilities for communication and transportation have advanced and opportunities for contact are more frequent, the Hakkas have gradually mingled with the Cantonese and others. Many of them as students, merchants, or workers in Guǎngzhōu or Hongkong eventually give up their clannish ways and use Cantonese as a medium of speech. This action is commendable, because we want to see all China speaking one language and the people calling themselves Chinese, not Hakkas or Puntis, not Cantonese or Hunanese, not Northerner or Southerner, not Manchu or Mongol. We all should cast off our clannish ways and work together for the welfare of China. Appendix: Table of Events |333||Kingdom of Yuè 越 destroyed by Chǔ 楚.| |ca 300||Hakkas located in Shantung 山东, Shansi 山西, Ānhuī 安徽.| |249-209||Qín Shǐhuáng 秦始皇. Persecutions. First migration of Hakkas to Hénán 河南, Jiāngxī 江西.| |214||500,000 military colonists sent to Guǎngdōng 广东 and Guǎngxī 广西.| |206||Beginning of Hàn dynasty.| |140-86||Hàn [Emperor] Wǔ Dì 汉武帝 exchanges populations of the Huái Hé 淮河 [river basin] and Zhèjiāng 浙江, Fújiàn 福建, Guǎngdōng 广东.| |221||End of Hàn 汉 dynasty. Chaos.| |265||West Jìn 西晋 dynasty begins.| |313||Jìn [Emperor] Huái Dì 晋怀地 captured and killed by incoming barbarians.| |317||Nánjīng 南京 now capital. East Jìn 东晋 dynasty begins. Jìn Min-Ti 晋明帝also captured and killed. Second migration of Hakkas reaches Jiāngxī江西 and Fújiàn 福建.| |420-618||Period of Barbarian Dynasties.| |618-907||Táng 唐 dynasty. Substantial colonization of the south.| |780||National census first mentions such terms as “native” (zhù 住) and “newcomer” (kè 客).| |885||5000 soldiers led by the Wáng 王 brothers leave Hénán 河南 for Fújiàn 福建 for safety.| |907-960||Period of the Five Dynasties. Barbarian invasions and ravaging. Third migration of Hakkas reaches Southern Jiāngxī-Fújiàn 江西/福建 border.| |960||Beginning of Northern Sòng 北宋 dynasty.| |972||First Sòng census to separate “natives” and “newcomers”.| |1049||Méizhōu 梅州 builds a mud wall.| |1084||Méizhōu 梅州 Changes to brick will.| |1127-1280||Southern Sòng dynasty. Barbarian invasions. Fourth and last migration down south.| |1278||Mongols capture Méizhōu 梅州. Devastation.| |1280||Beginning of Yuán 元 dynasty. First wave of Hakka migration into Guǎngdōng.| |1368||End of Yuán dynasty. Beginning of Míng Period. Start of second wave of migration from Jiāngxī 江西 and Fújiàn 福建 to Jiāyìngzhōu 嘉应州.| |1644||Qīng 清 dynasty begins. Chaos and disturbances.| |1646||Zhāng Xiànzhōng 张献忠 ravages Sìchuān 四川. Guǎngxī 广西 Hakkas migrate to Chungking region.| |1662-1723||Kāngxī 清康熙 Emperor. Hakkas replace Punti and Hoklo military cultivators.| |1723-1735||Hakkas spread west and southwest of Guǎngzhōu 广州.| |1736-1796||Qiánlóng 清乾隆 Emperor. Hakkas enlist under the eight banners. Hakkas send deputation to Běijīng 北京.| |1450-1864||Tàipíng 太平 Rebellion.| |1851-1862||Tóngzhì 清同治 Emperor.| |1854||Internecine war begins at Hèshān 鹤山.| |1860||Anglo-French war against China. Hakkas serve in Bamboo Rifle Corps for Allies.| |1866||Internecine strife ends. Hakkas migrate to Guǎngxī 广西, Hǎinán 海南, Formosa, and overseas.| |1912||Establishment of Chinese Republic.| - BALL, James Dyer - Hakka Made Easy (London, 1884). Introduction. - BROOMHALL, Marshall (ed) - The Chinese Empire (London, Morgan & Scott, 1907). Pp. 43-45 on the Hakkas. - CAMPBELL, George - “Origin and Migrations of the Hakkas,” in the Chinese Recorder, XLIII, (Shanghai). - COOLING, Samuel (ed.) - Article on Hakkas. p, 222, in Encyclopedia Sinica (Shanghai, Kelly & Walsh, 1915). - EITEL, E. J. - A series of articles on the Hakka Chinese in The China Review (London), such as Vol. II. pp. 160-164, on the Outline History of the Hakkas; Vol. VIII. pp 316-318 on the Hakka Dialect; pp, 316-321 on Marriage Customs ; and Vol. XX, pp. 263-267 on Ethnological Sketches of the Hakkas. - Encyclopedia Britannica, - Article on Hakkas, p. 828, in Vol. XII, 11th Edition (Cambridge, 1910). - HUNTINGTON, Ellsworth - Character of Races (N. Y., Scribner, 1924), pp, 149-171 on migrations of Chinese to the South. - LECHLER, Rev. Rudolf - “The Hakkas Chinese” in the Chinese Recorder (1878) IX. 352-359. - LITTLE, Archibald - The Far East (Oxford, 1905), p. 149 on history of the Hakkas. - LIU, Ch’iang (Liú Qiáng 劉強) - “Isolation and Contact as Factors in the Cultural Evolution of China, Korea, and Japan prior to 1842,” in the Chinese Soc. and Pol. Science Review (1927) XI, pp. 492-493, on the intermingling of the early Chinese settlers. - MEADOWS, Thomas Taylor - The Chinese and Their Rebellions (London, Smith, 1856). pp. 36-48. - The Chinese Miscellany (Shanghai, 1896) II, p. 475. - New International Encyclopedia (N. Y., 1905), IX, p. 461. - PITON, Rev. Charles - “The Hia-K’ah in the Chekiang Province and the Hakka in the Canton Province,” in the Chinese Recorder (1870) II, pp. 218-220. - “The Origin and History of the Hakkas ; in China Review (London, 1873-1874) II, pp. 222-224. - RICHARD, L - Comprehensive Geography of China (Shanghai, 1908), pp. 199, 204-207, 343-344. - STAUFFER, Milton T. (ed.) - Christian Occupation of China (Shanghai, 1922). See article on Hakkas by Rev. D. Oehler, pp. 351-353. - WILLIAMS, Samuel Wells - The Middle Kingdom (N. Y.. Scribner’s, 1901), I, p. 138, and II., p. 586-591, on the Hakkas. - WOLCOTT, Roger D - Geography of the world (Shanghai, Commercial Press. 1926, 4th revised edition) p. 144. - ZABOROWSKI, M. - Sur cinq cranes d’Hakkas et les origines chinoises. Article in Bulletin de la Société d’Anthropologie de Paris, Série 3, Tome 2, pp. 557-578 (Librairie de l’Académie de Médicine, 1879). Foreign (Not located) - DELAVAY, M. - Lettre on the Hakkas Article in Mission Catholique, 1879. Vol. Xl, pp. 505 -606. - de RIALLE, Girard - The Hakkas. Article in Review d’Anthropologie (Jan. and April, 1885). - GIRARD, Dr. Henry - Notes sur les Chinois du Quangsi, Article in L’anthropologie, 1898, Vol. IX, pp. 144-170. - Die Hakka Chinesen. Article in Verb. Berliner Ges. f. Antli., 1879. - MacIVER, D - Ann English-Chinese Dictionary in the Vernacular of the Hakka People. (Am. Presbyterian Mission Press, Shanghai, 1905). - North China Herald, June 29, 1867 (Shanghai). - Article on Hakka reprinted from the China Mail, Hongkong. - PITON. Rev. Charles - Une visite au pays des Hakkas dans la province de Canton. See Bul. Soc. Neuchâteloise Geog., VII. pp. 31-51 (1892-1893). - VAILLART, Mr. Louis - Contribution a l’étude anthropologie des Chinois-Hakka de la province de Moncey (Tonkin). See L’Anthropologie, XXX. No 1-2, pp. 83-109 (June, 1920). - VOMEL, Johann Heinrich Von - Der Hakka Dialect. See T’oung Pao 通報 (Dec. 1913) pp. 597-696. - BÁI Yuèhéng 白月恆 著 - CÉNG Guófān 曾國藩 等重修 - CHÉNG Mèngjiǎn 程夢簡 修 - DÈNG 鄧氏族譜 - GÙ Yánwǔ 顧炎武 著 - HÉ Kūn 和坤 等纂修 - HUÁNG 黃氏族譜 - KǑNG Tíngzhāng 孔廷璋 等譯編 - LǏ Jífǔ 李吉甫 選 - LǏ Xián 李賢 等撰· - LǏ Zhòngyuán 李仲元 撰修 - LÙ Yìngyáng 陸應陽 撰· - MǍ Duānlín 馬端臨 著· - RUǍN Yuán 阮元 等重修 - SHĚN Zuògān 沈作乾 著 - 畬民調責記. (見東方雜誌廿一卷 第七號 十四年十月.） - SĪMǍ Guāng 司馬光 著· - SŪN Ěrzhǔn 孫爾準 等市纂 - WÁNG Cún 王存 等纂修 - WÁNG Xiàngzhī 王象之 褊 - WÁNG Yìnglín 王應麟 撰 - WÁNG 王錫祺 輯 - WĒN Shēnhé 溫伸和 等修 - XIÈQǏ Kūn 謝啟昆 等修 - YÁNG 楊氏續修族譜 - YUÈ Shǐ 樂史 選 - ZHĀNG Tàiyán 章太炎 著 - 章氏叢書. (新方言篇有嶺外三州一章.） - ZHĀNG Tiānpéi 張天培 纂修 - ZHĀNG Xījīng 張希京 等修 - Zhōng dúfó 鍾獨佛 著 - 粵省民族攷原.(見嘉應雜誌 第二期 民十年五月.） - Zhōnghuá Dìxué Huì 中華地學會 - 地學雜誌 (Geographic Magazine) - Zhōnghuá Kèyǔ 中華客語攷原總會章程 - (客系大同盟 民十年四月在廣州開會.） Chinese (Not located) - HUÁNG Gōngdù 黃公度 - HUÁNG Xiāngtiě 黃香鐵 - Méizhōu Tújīng 梅州圖經 - Shàntóu Dàtóng Bào 汕頭大同報 - Shàntóu Gōngyán Bào 汕頭公言報

Please note: This information was current at the time of publication. But medical information is always changing, and some information given here may be out of date. For regularly updated information on a variety of health topics, please visit familydoctor.org, the AAFP patient education Web site. Information from Your Family Doctor Chronic Kidney Disease FREE PREVIEW. AAFP members and paid subscribers: Log in to get free access. All others: Purchase online access. FREE PREVIEW. Purchase online access to read the full version of this article. Am Fam Physician. 2005 Nov 1;72(9):1733-1734. See related article on chronic kidney disease. What do the kidneys do? The kidneys clean the blood by removing waste and extra fluid. The waste then passes out of the body in urine. The kidneys also help control blood pressure, keep bones strong, and help make red blood cells. What is chronic kidney disease? Chronic kidney disease happens when there is damage to the kidneys. Because of this damage, the kidneys cannot clean blood as well. Should I be tested for chronic kidney disease? You should be tested if you are 60 years or older. You also should be tested if you have diabetes or high blood pressure, or if you have family members with kidney disease. How do I know if I have chronic kidney disease? Your doctor can tell you if you have a kidney problem by checking your blood pressure and ordering certain tests. Your doctor may order two kidney tests: blood creatinine (say: kree-AT-ih-neen) and urine albumin (say: al-BYOO-min). Creatinine is a waste product made by your muscles. Your kidneys remove creatinine from your blood. Your doctor uses your creatinine level to find out your glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (say: glow-MARE-you-lahr). Your GFR shows how well your kidneys are filtering your blood. Albumin is a protein that your kidneys should keep in your body. Your doctor uses your urine albumin level to see how much protein your body is losing. What are the symptoms of chronic kidney disease? If you have chronic kidney disease, you may feel fine most of the time. However, you may have these symptoms: Less urine output How do I find out what caused the damage to my kidneys? To find out why your kidneys are damaged, your doctor will go over your medical history and do a physical exam. You also will need blood tests. You might need special x-rays of your kidneys and a kidney biopsy. What can I do to help my kidneys? It is important to stay away from things that can hurt your kidneys. You might need to: Lower your cholesterol Lower your blood pressure Control your blood sugar levels better if you have diabetes Lose weight if you are overweight Take medicine to slow down damage to your kidneys Where can I learn more about chronic kidney disease? One good source of information is the National Kidney Foundation Web site: http://www.kidney.org. This handout is provided to you by your family doctor and the American Academy of Family Physicians. Other health-related information is available from the AAFP online at http://familydoctor.org. This information provides a general overview and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and to get more information on this subject. Copyright © 2005 by the American Academy of Family Physicians. This content is owned by the AAFP. A person viewing it online may make one printout of the material and may use that printout only for his or her personal, non-commercial reference. This material may not otherwise be downloaded, copied, printed, stored, transmitted or reproduced in any medium, whether now known or later invented, except as authorized in writing by the AAFP. Contact [email protected] for copyright questions and/or permission requests. Want to use this article elsewhere? Get Permissions

Health Tip: Soothing Eczema -- Eczema, medically called atopic dermatitis, is a condition that causes patches of itchy, scaly and red skin. Depending on the condition's severity, soothing moisturizers, mild soaps, or wet dressings can help ease symptoms. The U.S. National Library of Medicine says the following conditions can make eczema worse, and should be avoided when possible: - Dry skin. - Exposing the skin to very warm or hot water for long periods. - Exposing the skin to environmental irritants. - Changes in temperature. Posted: October 2008

Northwest Europeans are at the highest risk for A1AD, with 4% carrying the PiZ allele and - therefore - a risk of homozygosity in about 1:625 to 1:2000. α1-antitrypsin deficiency has been associated with a number of diseases: - Wegener's granulomatosis - Bronchiectasia (possibly) - Hepatocellular carcinoma (liver) - Bladder carcinoma - Gallbladder carcinoma - Lung cancer Signs and symptoms These are generally undistinguishable from the "normal" emphysema and cirrhosis. Please refer to the alpha 1-antitrypsin for the various protease inhibitor (Pi) genotypes and phenotypes. Normally, alpha 1-antitrypsin is produced in the liver and exists in levels of 1.5-3.5 gram/litre. When the levels are reduced (40-60%, in the PiSS, PiMZ and PiSZ phenotypes), most people will only suffer symptoms if they smoke, as the levels are still sufficient to counteract "normal" elastase activity in inflammation. Only in the PiZZ phenotype, when the levels are less than 15%, emphysema develops at a young age, and 50% will develop liver cirrhosis due to the accumulated protein, which is not secreted properly. On liver biopsy, they show as PAS-positive, diastase-negative granules. Apart from increasing the inflammatory reaction in the airways, cigarette smoke also directly inactivates alpha 1-antitrypsin by oxidizing essential methionine residues to sulfoxide forms, decreasing the enzyme activity by a rate of 2000. There is no specific treatment for A1AD; present management is identical for the "normal" treatment of emphysema and cirrhosis. As ?1-antitrypsin is an acute phase reactant, its transcription is markedly increased during inflammation elsewhere in response to increased interleukin-1 and 6 and TNF? production. Any treatment that blunts this response, specifically paracetamol, can delay the accumulation of A1AD polymers in the liver and (hence) cirrhosis. A1AT patients are therefore encouraged to use paracetamol when slightly to moderately ill, even if they would otherwise not have used antipyretics. Experimental therapies are aimed at the prevention of polymer formation in the liver.

Thirsty, Thirsty Elephants Coming April 4, 2017. Pre-order now! Elephants never forget. During a drought in Tanzania, Grandma Elephant is in search of water for her herd. Little Calf follows along and playfully mimics her grandmother at each stop on their journey. When Grandma leads them to a watering hole she recalls from years before, the elephants are overjoyed and Little Calf splashes about with her tender leader. Grandma's persistence and powerful memory is something Little Calf will never forget. Sandra Markle's acclaimed nonfiction writing takes on a more lyrical style alongside Fabricio VandenBroeck's gorgeous illustrations, making this story--based on true events--accessible for younger readers. Back matter includes further information about the phenomenon of a heard of elephants that survived a drought, as well as fascinating elephant facts. Look Inside the Book: Author & Illustrator Bios:Sandra Markle, author Sandra Markle is an award-winning author of more than two hundred nonfiction books for children, including What If You Had Animal Teeth? (Scholastic), Toad Weather (Peachtree), Little Lost Bat and A Mother's Journey. She lives in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. Fabricio VandenBroeck, illustrator Fabricio VandenBroeck has illustrated several books for children, including The Mouse Bride (Alfred A. Knopf), The Witches Face (Holiday House), and Under the Mambo Moon. He lives in Mexico. Awards & Honors: ISBN: 978-1-60734-840-5 EPUB ISBN: 978-1-60734-841-2 PDF For information about purchasing E-books, click here. Page count: 32 10 1/2 x 9 1/2 Correlated to Common Core State Standards: English Language Arts-Literacy. Reading Informational. Grade K. Standards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10 English Language Arts-Literacy. Reading Informational. Grade 1. Standards 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10

A great example are video cables. Let’s say you’ve just bought that sweet new 26 inch monitor (like me) and you want to take advantage of that awesome DVI (Digital Visual Interface) port on your video card that to this point has only collected dust. So you buy the monitor (which you should have bought online!), only to find that it shipped with only a VGA (Video Graphics Array) cable. Stink! The monitor supports both VGA and HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) but you are now short the correct cable. You really want to use that monitor with the right cable, so you grab the car keys and head out for the “super helpful cuz they don’t work on commission” big box store. Right? Wrong! The cable you need could cost you from 5 to 10 times more if you buy it there verse the internet. Let me give you one example. I give you exhibit A. Standard, run of the mill (in fact, the cheapest one they sell) video cable from Best Buy. $60 of your hard earned cash. I don’t think so! I give you exhibit B. This cable is from Buy.com. It’s 4 feet longer and $40 cheaper. Delivered right to your door with free shipping and no tax! Nice eh! The picture contains the link. Check it out for yourself. So don’t ever pay those ridiculous prices again for cables. Think ahead and buy your cables online in advance. You will be glad you did. By the way, my monitor came with a 6 foot cable. I needed a 10 foot. It gets ordered tonight! Remember, I search so you don’t have to!

Find out why bright children struggle, first with spelling, then written expression, and eventually hit a wall in reading development by third grade, if not sooner. Susan Barton will share: The symptoms & causes of dyslexia, The gifted areas that come with dyslexia, Effective tutoring methods, and Simple classroom accommodations. Susan will also stay and answer questions. This presentation is open to the public. Parents, teachers, principals, reading specialists, and other professionals are encouraged to attend. RSVP is required. To sign up, see flyer that is attached below. 324 E Florida Ave Appleton, WI 54911 Google map and directions

A lot of people are asking if those trendy new e-cigarettes are safe? It’s one of the things researchers at a Texas university are trying to find out. Talk about a smoke break. Tobacco companies have introduced almost no new cigarettes or smokeless tobacco products in the U.S. in more than 18 months because the federal government has prevented them from doing so. Today is the 37th Great American Smokeout — the day when smokers are encouraged to make a plan to quit smoking. A FDA scientific advisory panel says dissolvable tobacco products could reduce health risks compared with smoking cigarettes but also have the potential to increase the overall number of tobacco users. The tobacco industry’s latest legal challenge to increased government regulation may not hold up in court, but it could mean it will be years before cigarette packs carry pictures of a smoker’s corpse or other graphic images. Corpses, cancer patients and diseased lungs: These are some of the images the federal government plans for larger, graphic warning labels that will take up half of each cigarette package.

- Videos / Webinars - Print Archive - Events Calendar Because information in document form drives nearly every action in any organization, the ability to control this information usually means the difference between success and failure. Thus, document control remains the single most critical quality assurance discipline. As with many other systems, document control is more successful if it's simple, intuitive and user-friendly. And the first step toward this end is deciding exactly which documents need to be controlled. "Do I need to control this document?" is one of the most frequently asked questions in organizations working toward, or maintaining, a formal management system. Given the universe of documents possibly requiring control, the question is understandable. Besides, most people would rather not control a document if they don't have to. The ISO 9001:2000 standard provides a quick answer to the question of what must be controlled. The first sentence of section 4.2.3 on document control states, "All documents required by the quality management system shall be controlled." This means that if a document addresses or relates to any of the issues in ISO 9001:2000, it must be controlled. Here are some questions to ask when determining whether a document should be controlled: • Does the document guide the production of products (i.e., goods or services) provided by the organization? • Does the document guide the verification, inspection or testing of products provided by the organization? • Does the document define customer and/or product requirements? • Is the document used for controlling processes? • Is the document used for decision making by production personnel? • Is the document used for collecting data that could be used later for decision making within the scope of the management system (e.g., a form)? • Is the information on the document so critical that failure to keep it updated would pose a risk to the organization or its customers? • Does the document address or relate to a requirement from ISO 9001:2000? If the answer to one or more of these questions is yes, then the document should probably be controlled. For illustration purposes, consider the following scenarios: • An interoffice memo is posted on a wall in the fabrication department. The memo gives a number of functional and packaging requirements for a product that's fabricated there. Because of where the document has been posted and the information it contains, the memo should certainly be controlled. Ignore the fact that memos are rarely controlled; in this case it provides customer requirements, guides decision making and relates directly to ISO 9001:2000 requirements. Even if the memo duplicates information contained elsewhere in controlled specifications, the uncontrolled memo would still be a problem. Eventually, there will be a discrepancy between the information on the memo and the information contained in the controlled specifications. The organization should either control the posted memo or get rid of it. • A training department develops videotapes to train employees on the proper setup and operation of production lines. The videotapes are included in the training program for new hires and existing employees. In this case, document control is required because the tapes define process control, guide the production of products and relate to the training requirements of ISO 9001:2000. • Product defect samples are displayed in a lighted glass cabinet in the visual inspection area. The samples illustrate the limits of various defects that can be considered acceptable to customers, and they're used when inspectors aren't certain of the criteria. Currently, the display cabinet is labeled "for reference only." Despite this declaration, the samples should be controlled because they define customer requirements. • An organization develops a checklist that's used to record the results of product inspection. The blank checklist defines exactly what's to be inspected, as indicated by the spaces that inspectors must complete. These blank forms need to be controlled as documents, and then as records once they're completed. These scenarios highlight the fact that documents needn't be limited to traditional procedures, work instructions and the like. The term "document" can encompass a wide range of things, all of which might require control--depending on the information they contain. Some examples include: • Electronic documentation • Drawings, diagrams and sketches • Audio tapes and videotapes • Product samples and defect samples • Paint swatches for color matching • Flow diagrams • Blank forms It's obvious from the foregoing list that controlling documents requires thinking of them as more than written procedures. However, before we jump into specifics, let's clear up some confusion that plagues many organizations, namely, how a document differs from a record. A document is a living thing. The information contained within it is subject to change; it can be revised. A record, on the other hand, is history. The information it contains can't be changed because it simply states what's already happened. It's sometimes possible for an item to exhibit characteristics of both a document and a record. Work orders, sales orders and purchase orders, to name a few, can function as both historical records and live documents. In these cases, the item is treated as a document until its real-time informational value has been exhausted. At that point, it's treated as a record. Now that we understand what documents are, let's explore the specific means of controlling them. By the way, one of the six documented procedures required by ISO 9001:2000 is controlling documents, so whatever specific controls an organization decides upon must also be documented--and controlled. All documents must be approved for adequacy before being used. There are, of course, many ways to accomplish this. Paper-based documents often include spaces for authorized persons to sign or initial. Electronic documents can be approved through a typed name if passwords prevent anyone from falsifying the approval. In much the same way, e-mail can even be used. However, such approval should be visible to the user. Otherwise, the value of approval (i.e., as a cue that the document is OK for use) is lost. Does the organization need to define who is authorized to approve documents? At least on a basic level, the answer is yes. A statement such as, "Documents must be approved by individuals responsible for managing the tasks described in the document" would satisfy the designation of approval authority. Alternatively, an organization may decide to be much more specific about who can approve documents. But from the titles shown beneath approval spaces, documents typically indicate who is responsible for approving them, and this self-declaration is usually adequate. Note that a fine line exists between having too few and too many approvals on a document. For documents that cut across departments, the approval list should include all managers who are affected by the document. This provides buy-in and communicates to managers what's expected. The flip side is that obtaining eight or 10 approvals can take a long time. Strive for the fewest number of approvals that will still provide buy-in for the information described in the document. ISO 9001:2000 introduces the requirement that documents must be reviewed, updated as needed, then reapproved. This doesn't mean routine document revision. The standard requires an organization to review documents periodically to see if they're still valid. If they are, the organization reapproves them. If they're not, either a revision is made or the document is declared obsolete. This prevents documents from becoming inaccurate or obsolete over time. If documents are used properly, this should never happen, but we all know that they're frequently ignored in the press of day-to-day work commitments. What exactly triggers a document review? An organization can handle this in three ways: • Recall documents on a strictly periodic basis--every year, for instance--and review them, update as necessary and reapprove them. This would certainly satisfy the standard. But it's sometimes difficult to review documents based strictly on the passage of time. This requires a fair amount of discipline because there's always something more important to do than reviewing documents. This system's success depends on the organizational skills of the person in charge of it. • Review, update as necessary and then reapprove documents based on business triggers or real-world events that have the power to affect a document. Some examples include the introduction of new products, equipment and processes; change in business focus; technological breakthroughs; and improved methods or practices. Because this approach is driven by actual events that make document review immediately relevant, it introduces a sense of urgency that's not present in the periodic approach. If an organization decides to use this method, it needs to define the business triggers and responsibilities clearly in the document control procedure. The document administrator will typically monitor operations for these business triggers and ensure that the relevant documents are reviewed, updated as necessary and reapproved. If a business trigger hasn't occurred within a reasonable period of time--say, three years--then documents should be recalled for review anyway. • Use the internal audit process to review documents. Keep in mind, however, that internal audits are sampling processes. By function, they're only going to examine a representative sample of documents in existence. The standard implies that all documents must be reviewed. If an organization intends to use its internal auditing process to satisfy this requirement, then extra care must be taken when planning and scheduling audits to ensure that all documents are sampled during an extended period. Documents must have revision changes identified. This is typically interpreted as the changes in the most current revision. Thus, if a document is on revision five, it will identify the changes that moved it from revision four to revision five. This identification assists document approvers to see what changed in the document, and it assists users in knowing what's changed so they can comply with the document's requirements. Changes can be identified in a variety of ways, including the following: • Change logs at the end of documents • List of changes on the cover sheet • Underlined, bold, italicized or highlighted changes throughout the document Revision status simply indicates a document's most current revision. This is normally indicated by a revision number, letter or date placed directly on the document. The revision status enables users to know whether they have the most current document. For paper-based documents, the revision status normally ties back to a master list or index that tracks the current revisions of all documents. For electronic documents, knowing the current revision is less important because the most current version is provided automatically to all users. Either way, the revision status must still be identified. A document is useless if it's not accessible. ISO 9001:2000 requires that "relevant versions of applicable documents are available at points of use." This means that current versions of documents must be accessible by the people who need them. It does not mean that everyone must have his or her own copy or computer terminal. If people know where the documents are located, have access to that location and can make use of the information in the documents, then this requirement has been satisfied. Some organizations develop elaborate schemes for distributing documents to different departments or functions. These often involve "acknowledgment of receipt" sheets that must be signed and returned with obsolete copies of documents. ISO 9001:2000 doesn't specifically require such systems, though they may provide some value. Organizations must examine their own operations and decide what will provide the right balance of control and simplicity. Remember that the more bureaucracy involved, the slower the system will work and the more likely that users will attempt to circumvent it. Legibility means that documents can be read and understood. They should be written in a clear, decipherable manner, in the language spoken by document users. For instance, if a significant number of employees in a particular department speak and read in Spanish, then the documents would need to be legible to them. To do this, the organization could write the documents in Spanish or use graphic documents (e.g., photos or drawings) that can be understood regardless of the prevailing language. "Identifiable" simply means that documents have a title, document number or other unique identifier that sets them apart from others. Organizations often develop document numbering schemes that relate to the ISO 9001 numbering system. This is well-intentioned but guaranteed to be obsolete in the future. Remember, ISO reviews and revises the 9000 series every five years, and this normally triggers a change in the way the standard is numbered. A better numbering plan would dovetail with an organization's processes or departments. Such a numbering system will be relevant to employees, and it won't become obsolete upon the next revision of ISO 9001. An external document is published outside the organization and used within the scope of the management system. The eight questions listed at the beginning of this article will help determine if an external document should be controlled. Examples of external documents possibly requiring control include: • Troubleshooting and/or calibration manuals published by equipment manufacturers • Test procedures, specifications and/or engineering drawings published by customers or other bodies • Instructions, specifications and/or procedures published by suppliers • Standards published by industrial organizations applicable to the organization • International standards such as ISO 9001:2000 Once external documents have been determined, they must be identified, and their distribution must be controlled. Like internal documents, there must be a title, document number or other unique identifier. Such identification typically comes from the source that publishes the document, and the organization simply adopts it. Distribution control is important because most external documents arrive in paper form. Knowing where they're located is critical to controlling the information contained in them. For that matter, paper-based internal documents should also have their distribution controlled, but this isn't specifically required by ISO 9001:2000. A distribution list simply defines the number of copies in existence and where they're located. Often the copies are numbered, and these numbers match the locations shown on the distribution list. When documents are revised, retrieving the old copies is much easier when their quantity and location is known. ISO 9001:2000 imposes two controls related to obsolete documents: Their unintended use must be prevented, and they must be identified if they're retained. The easiest and most obvious way to prevent the unintended use of obsolete documents is to take them out of circulation. Simply round them up and remove them. This is quite easy when their exact locations are known. Controlling obsolete documents is one more good reason to maintain distribution lists for all paper-based documents, both internal and external. Organizations often retain obsolete documents to preserve knowledge. These documents can be referred to when comparing, for example, a current process to one used five years ago. If an organization elects to retain obsolete documents, they must be identified by some means the organization considers suitable. This might include marking them as "history," "obsolete" or "uncontrolled," or putting them in a specially designated location that has controlled access. Whatever method is devised must ensure that obsolete documents aren't floating around where they can be used improperly. The issue of controlling forms is a sore spot for many people. The resistance usually follows this general theme: "I just don't see the value in controlling forms. How are we supposed to do it, anyway?" The bottom line is that forms existing within the scope of ISO 9001:2000--in other words, forms that address an ISO 9001:2000 requirement applicable to the organization--undeniably require control. Why? Because the primary reason for a form in the first place is to create consistency in the way that data is collected. This can only be enforced when everybody is using the same form, and this only happens through some type of document control. Fortunately, forms are quite easy to control. Let's look at two different approaches, both of which are widely used by organizations: • Forms controlled as "attachments" to procedures. In this framework, forms are included within the procedure or documents that describe their use. (Must there be a procedure that describes the use of every form? Of course not, but it makes sense in some cases.) The forms are generally included as the last page or two of the procedure to which they belong. Approving a procedure can also include approving the form attached to it. The same goes for revising and identifying changes. The form is treated like another page of the procedure for control purposes, but it can be reproduced for use independently of the procedure. When the form is revised, the procedure is also revised, and users are made aware of the changes just like any other changed procedure. The drawback of this system, of course, is that organizations are required to revise the entire procedure when the form is revised. • Forms controlled individually. In this framework, forms have individual numbers and revisions. Their approval may be made directly on the original copy or kept elsewhere, such as on a master approval sheet. The current revision of each form is usually indicated by a master list, computer index or even by including it in a special file. When a form is revised, users are notified via memo, e-mail or other means. Forms are often printed in huge quantities, inevitably just before a minor change occurs that renders them obsolete. If the change was inconsequential, don't toss out the old forms. They can often be labeled with a disclaimer, "Previous versions of this form may be used." This will enable an organization to use the old inventory and avoid waste. Keep in mind that this only works when changes to the form are minor and when the form itself isn't something that bears seriously on the organization's success. Fortunately, ISO 9001 doesn't require any particular format for documents. An organization can decide for itself what format will work best for its mode of operation. Furthermore, it's not required to stipulate a single type of format or style of document. However, a standardized format or style can be helpful in driving a consistent appearance for all documents. Many organizations stipulate only the content of document headers and cover sheets, while other companies require specific sections in each document such as purpose, scope, responsibilities, equipment and the like. Such decisions are up to the organization. Whatever style and formatting though, the document control procedure should clearly define it. In fact, many organizations use their document control procedure as a guide for writing documents. In this way, the document control procedure does double duty by describing the control of documents and facilitating document development. The basic tenets of document control are very simple. Most document control procedures can be drafted in four pages or fewer. Writing a document control procedure is easy: Simply work your way down the list of document control issues raised by ISO 9001:2000 and describe what the organization is doing for each one. Keep it simple and avoid creating too much bureaucracy. An effective document control system will provide documents to users quickly and not slow them down with lengthy procedures.

Saving money into a cash Isa over the last 18 years would have returned four times less than a stocks and shares Isa, according to research by Schroders. Since 2009, the average savings account could even have lost you money. But while stocks and shares returns may have been higher, they have also been more volatile, with many sharp falls and rises. Cash, in contrast, has been a more stable home for Isa money. What is an Isa? ‘Isa’ stands for Individual Savings Account. It is a tax-efficient account into which anyone over the age of 18 can save up to £20,000 a year and withdraw the proceeds, at any time, tax-free. A saver can choose to keep any savings in cash and in return receive interest payments, just like a bank account. Or they can invest their money into financial markets to try to get better returns. There are pros and cons to both. If you leave your money in cash then up to £85,000 is protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). Cash returns have historically been lower but they provide more assurance. Investing your money into financial markets might offer the potential of higher returns but it also comes with the risk that you could lose all your money. What has affected returns? The combination of record low interest rates, introduced by central banks to tackle the financial crisis, and relatively high inflation would have eroded the value of your savings in a cash Isa. By contrast an investment in shares would have grown, despite two stock market crashes. Schroders’ findings are based on analysis of average Isa savings rates collated by the Bank of England which go back to the launch of Isas in April 1999. As the chart below shows, £1,000 put into the average cash Isa at the start of the 1999/2000 tax year would have been worth £1,162 by the end of the 2016/2017 tax year, once the effects of inflation are taken into account. That suggests an annual rate of growth of 0.89% after inflation which averaged 2% over that period. Cash Isa rates appear to have been better compared to inflation in the early years. The value of the cash Isa would have stopped growing in the 2008/2009 tax year, when it peaked at £1,325. In almost every year after, between 2009 and 2017, the value of the cash Isa would have fallen, because of the combination of inflation and low savings returns. By comparison, £1,000 invested in the UK stock market in April 1999 could have been worth £1,841 by the end of the 2016/2017 tax year. Based on the FTSE All-share total return index, which includes dividend reinvestment, an investor could have achieved an annual growth rate of 3.66%, before charges are factored in. The last 18 years have included two of the biggest stock market crashes in history: the bursting of the dotcom bubble at the turn of the millennium and the global financial crisis in 2008. The chart below illustrates the potential returns for cash Isas and stocks and shares Isas since 1999. The blue column shows cash Isa returns and the orange column shows stocks and shares Isa returns. Cash Isa and stocks and shares Isa returns: 1999-2017 Money still pouring into cash Isas People have consistently put more into cash Isas despite the historic difference in returns. When Isas were launched in 1999, the total cash Isa subscriptions were £12.3 billion compared to £16.1 billion for stocks and shares Isas, according to UK government statistics. So 43% of the money went into cash Isa savings accounts. That was one of only two tax years, the other being 2000/2001, where investors have put more money into stocks and shares Isas. Demand for cash Isas over investment Isas has grown ever since. The difference was most stark in 2008/2009, the height of the financial crisis, when £30.4 billion went into cash and £9.7 billion into investments. The gap between the two has remained significant since then. By the end of the 2016/2017, 75% of the money went into cash Isas despite a global economic recovery helping stock markets to make decent gains. In the chart below the blue columns show cash Isa subscriptions and the orange columns show stocks and shares Isa subscriptions. Cash Isa vs stocks and shares Isa subscriptions: 1999-2017 James Rainbow, co-head of UK intermediary business at Schroders, said: “The data suggests investors are still nervous about investing following two market collapses in the first decade of the century. “It is hard to blame them. It has been a tumultuous start to the new millennium. Keeping your investment in cash at least prevents the investor from having to endure the emotional roller-coaster ride that comes with stock market fluctuations. - What happened to the stock market after big one-day falls? - How to find cheap stock markets: five key tests “However, it is a state of mind. Cash is effectively a false safety net in times of ultra-low rates because of the corrosive effect of inflation on purchasing power. Providing investors take a long-term approach, usually more than five years, the stock market has historically provided a better rate of return. “Our data, while it offers no guide to the future, shows this has happened recently, but there is also longer-term data to support the notion. The Barclays Equity-Gilt Study found that UK shares returned an average 5.1% a year since 1899, with inflation factored in; cash returned 0.8% a year. “Of course diversifying your investments is important. Having a mix of assets, including some in savings, is a wise approach.”

The Mars harsh square aspect to Uranus is waning, as Mars moves ahead in Aquarius. Uranus in Taurus, moving from our perspective 1 degree every 3 weeks, will station and turn apparent motion retrograde in mid-August at 10 degrees of Taurus. Now at 5 degrees Taurus it churns up the matters most important to us – health and finances. The sudden reversals in wealth and health are affecting many globally. Reversals that were unexpected, unplanned for and seemingly chaotic affect us all. Individual with a strong Uranus placement in their natal charts, have by now become accustomed to reversals and unexpected events in their personal lives, and so this pandemic may be another even that we now take more-or-less in stride. Having the pandemic affect your personal life may depend on the placement of Uranus in your horoscope, i.e., your birth chart. The effect of the pandemic, with Jupiter conjunction aspect to Pluto intensified this week in many quarters of the world. The destruction could also be modified by Jupiter, a symbol of social benefits. While some suffer loss of life or the lives of family members, others have lost their livelihood. Unable to pay their bills, their rent for months, unable to meet loan payments, they could swirl into deeper debt. Thus, misfortune strikes in various ways, with one source that is a universal or global misfortune. Being able to rebuild in the aftermath, could depend on community support. We understand one another better, as we all meet this calamity. Summary of Major Aspects of the Week Wednesday April 8th – The Moon in Libra makes a square aspect (90 deg, harsh) to Pluto/Jupiter conjunction aspect (0 deg, combining) in Capricorn, as we try to balance loss with gain. What does Pluto/Jupiter say? Jupiter will inflate the energies it encounters. Jupiter expands our sense of forceful transformation as a global culture. As Jupiter is now superseding Pluto, Jupiter will forge slowly ahead, having been transformed into a global force. Pluto cares not for social benefit, but seeks to transform power in Capricorn and thus the status quo. The Internet has brought everyone closer to everyone else, and even confined to a single room, one can communicate with the world or with one other according to his or her will. Jupiter brings us together profoundly. Mercury in Pisces is in a sextile aspect to Pluto/Jupiter in Cap, as issues that surface are being endlessly examined. Doubts arise, experts advise. We are but ships in a storm, tossed to and fro. The Sun in Aries is semi–sextile aspect (30 deg, mild) to Neptune, illusions that deceive us. While Venus in Gemini is semi-sextile aspect to Uranus in Taurus, Venus disposed of by Mercury in Pisces, offers the best remedies. The Moon ingress Scorpio late in the day, making a square aspect to Saturn in Aquarius and an opposition aspect to Uranus follows a few hours later. There is new hope for relief from symptoms of the new Covid-19 virus. The Moon in a square aspect to Mars in Aquarius follows late in the day or early morning in the eastern half of the globe. Intense efforts could show results. For intensity, the day ends with Mars square aspect to Uranus. Conflicts threaten peace and security issues, an aspect that was partile two days ago, indicates that the issues of security are still working out. Thursday April 9th – Venus in Gemini and Mars in Aquarius, are closing in on a trine aspect (120 deg, flowing) although the aspect becomes close at a degree and a half and separating over the next 3 days, Venus slows gradually, preparing for the retrograde that begins in mid-May. The aspect does not reach partile, but still could be in effect for many people, as couples are working well together, and communication improves. The effective orders to stay home and practice social distancing seems to coincide with the Jupiter/Pluto conjunction aspect in Capricorn. As Jupiter moves ahead now, advancing the social integration from the top commands, all heads-of-state. Friday April 10th – The Moon in Scorpio is in a square aspect (90 deg, harsh) to Ceres in Aquarius, and a sextile aspect (60 deg, working) to Pluto and Jupiter in Capricorn as that conjunction aspect is now with reduced intensity, effectively holding the patterns worldwide of social distancing. This is still a disagreeable command to many of the younger generations. Venus in Gemini remains at a semi-sextile aspect (30 deg, mild) to Uranus in Taurus as some forces can be held in check with sensitive verbal remarks. The Moon ingress to Sagittarius with a sextile aspect (60 deg, helpful) to Saturn in Aquarius. Medical science is advancing worldwide cooperation while Mercury ingress to Aries and sextile aspect to Saturn in Aquarius. The Moon in an opposition aspect to Venus closes the day, with greater acquiesce to conditions imposed. Saturday April 11th – The Moon in Sagittarius is trine aspect to Chiron in Aries (120 deg, flowing) as encouragement continues for distancing efforts that are wisely maintained. The Moon is then in a sextile aspect (60 deg, helpful) to Mars in Aquarius, as acceptance of the scientific is critical and philosophically promoted. The Moon in a square aspect (90 deg, harsh) to Neptune late in the day, with danger of disregarding or diluting the emotional impact of the current efforts. Sunday April 12th – The Moon and Sun in fire signs (Sadge to Aries) are in a trine aspect (120 deg, flowing) as indications of success are beginning to show. A more peaceful aura is possible. A semi-sextile aspect (30 deg, mild) to Pluto/Jupiter is another hopeful sign. The Moon is ingress to Capricorn and conjunction aspect (0 deg, combining) with Ketu (S. lunar node) indicating setbacks that could affect the speed of recovery, and a square aspect (90 deg, harsh) to Mercury in Aries as disagreeable pronouncements are upsetting. The Moon in a trine aspect to Uranus in Taurus (and square aspect to Chiron in Aries) could then lead to more breakthrough discoveries. The triggering of radical or violent events cannot be avoided. Monday April 13th – The Moon in Capricorn indicates that official voices are presiding, and semi-sextile aspect to Mars in Aquarius, the demands could seem unreasonable, and the quincunx aspect (150 deg, complex) to Venus in Gemini adds more complexity to the interaction of government and the governed. Venus in Gemini and a trine aspect (120 deg, easy) to Mars in Aquarius allows for a more unified voice in combating discord. Tuesday April 14th – The Moon in Capricorn transits Pluto and Jupiter to reinforce social imperatives, and judgments about the effect of the process, and a square aspect (90 deg, harsh) to the Sun in Aries for the 3rd quarter lunar phase, and a crisis in dissemination of the cycle. Mercury in Aries approaches a conjunction aspect (0 deg, combining) with Chiron, with the urging of compliance amid discord and the semi-sextile aspect (30 deg, mild) to Uranus indicates success of a revolutionary nature. Attempts to expand social roles (Jupiter in Cap is disposed of by Saturn) could meet with objections. The Moon ingress Aquarius late in the day or overnight, depending on location, to form a conjunction aspect with Saturn as events are solidified into consciousness. Thanks for reading this preview of the week ahead. To find your personal aspects, check for transits of current planets to natal chart positions. Don’t know your chart? Ask Gimelstar! 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Most recent posting below. See other articles in the column to the right. (BPT) - Taking active, preventive measures to support your health is one of the most important things you can do to ward off serious illness. You eat right, exercise, brush your teeth and make sure to get plenty of sleep, all to keep your body running at its very best. But did you know that preventive health is important not only for you but also for the lifelong health of your pets? Instituting preventive health measures for your pets helps keep them in top physical shape and live healthier, happier lives. Here are three key areas of preventive health for your pet. You know you should see your doctor once a year for your annual checkup and the same applies for your pet. In fact, an annual checkup may be even more important for them than it is for you. “Dogs and cats age much faster than people so missing one yearly appointment for your pet could be comparable to missing five annual checkups for yourself,” says Dr. Ellen Lowery, associate director of U.S. Veterinary and Professional Affairs at Hill’s Pet Nutrition. The best way to prevent disease is to schedule regular checkups with your veterinarian. Bringing your pet for an annual health examination allows your veterinarian to assess any risk factors and spot problems at their earliest stages. This will help your pet live a happier, healthier and longer life. Get plenty of exercise Exercise has numerous health benefits not only for your body but for your pet as well. If you have a family dog, walking him or her twice a day for 15 minutes is generally advised. The number and length of walks may increase or decrease depending on the breed, health and age of your dog. Make sure to brush and bathe your dog as well, especially if a recent walk has brought him or her in contact with tall grassy or forested areas or involved wading or swimming. Cats, of course, do not need to be walked, but that doesn’t mean you can disregard their exercise. Engage your cat in active play, whether it is chasing a stuffed toy at the end of a stick or batting a ball of catnip around the kitchen. Either way, your cat is being active and that is good for his or her overall health. Offer a nutritious diet “Proper nutrition is a cornerstone of pet health,” Dr. Lowery says. “Pet parents should choose a quality pet food that provides optimal nutrition for their pet’s specific life stage and activity or special needs.” Your veterinary healthcare team is your best resource for selecting the right food to feed your pet and will also provide education and guidance on the how much and when to feed your pet for optimal health. For additional information on helping your pet achieve a healthy weight, visit Healthy Weight Calculator at Pet360.com. Preventive care is just as important for your pet as it is for you. The good news is that the same preventive care principles that benefit you also benefit your pets. You can take the right preventive approach for your pet with annual checkups, daily exercise and a nutritious diet, and both you and your pet will be feeling even better.

If you're an adult of a certain age, you probably remember spending much of your time outside as a kid. Whether it was playing with the other kids in the neighborhood, running around your block or being involved in a bunch of different sports, you probably spent very little time indoors. But kids are different today. Video games have become a major source of entertainment, a lot of parents don't let their kids outside unsupervised anymore and -- when it comes to sports -- a lot of kids play just one. Having a child play just one sport all year around is sort of the new trend these days. If you look at leagues like the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), you'll likely see young athletes just aren't playing for fun anymore, they're actually training. A lot of parents who have athletic kids put them in just one sport because they think it will give them an advantage. The common belief is, while the other children move on to other sports, one-sport athletes will still be in training mode and getting better. The wrong approach? But that could be the wrong approach, says Dr. Timothy Hewett of Ohio State University's sports medicine division. He says kids doing the same athletic moves year after year, increases their chance of becoming injured. "You could call it the Tiger Woods syndrome," said Hewett. "Young athletes feel like they have to play a single sport and they have to play it year-round." Another potential problem with kids playing one sport is they have a greater chance of gaining weight after an injury, and that weight-gain can stick around for quite some time. "Even when we follow them over multiple years, they tend to retain the weight gain," said Hewett. Wear and tear After studying over 500 athletes for a 10-year span, Hewett and his research team found that single-sport athletes had a 50% higher chance of getting a knee injury. When a child plays and practices just one sport over a long period of time, the process of wearing-and-tearing begins very early and playing different sports gives certain body parts a break. Dr. James Dreese, an orthopedic surgeon in Maryland, said it's all of the hours of competition that can potentially harm a child who plays just one sport. "When athletes that play one sport and one sport alone, there's probably more hours of competition in that one sport than there were competing if they had two or three other sports," he said. "It's the hours of competition that puts them most at risk for having those problems." John Donahue, a track coach in Souderton, Pa., said playing multiple sports isn't only healthy for kids physically; it helps them in other ways, especially if a child is a star in one sport. "Maybe if you're the star in football, you being the second-string guard [in basketball] is good for you instead of just being in the weight room four days a week in the winter," said Donahue in a published interview. "I would say it's more fun, better for your overall development and better for your school." In a joint study conducted by Loyola University Medical Center and Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, researchers examined the health data of 1206 athletes between the ages of 8 and 18. Out of those athletes, there were 859 injuries reported and they were all connected to playing one sport over and over. The researchers said young athletes shouldn't play or practice any more hours than their age. And that's every week. "We should be cautious about intense specialization in one sport before and during adolescence," said Dr. Neeru Jayanthi of Loyola University. Loss of interest There's another risk of kids playing just one sport. They can become bored and want to give it up, which is the opposite of what many parents want. Aaron Locks, owner of the fitness center University of Sports, said if a child only plays one sport it can take away the fun. And having fun is the main reason a child should be playing sports at a young age. "It's really unfortunate when a 10-year old is told to pick just one sport," he said. "Kids should use sports to have fun. They need to play different sports and enjoy them all as much as they can." But keeping kids engaged should just be one of your goals when you put them in different athletic activities, says Hewett. Allowing them to play multiple sports gives them balance. "A diversity of activity is going to promote balance within your neuromuscular system," said Hewett. "You're going to be able to be proficient and excel at multiple tasks."