How Turkey's Geopolitical Ambitions Could Change the Middle East

January 24, 2018 Topic: Security Region: Middle East Tags: TurkeyErdoganSyriaKurdsWarPresidentialElection

How Turkey's Geopolitical Ambitions Could Change the Middle East

Turkey’s current stabilization role is upheld by selective tactical partnerships with regional actors possessing similar geopolitical objectives.

On December 26, 2017, Turkey expanded its military presence in Qatar by deploying hundreds of Joint Force Command troops to its military installation in Doha. This troop deployment gained significant media attention, as it came just one day after the release of a report revealing that the Turkish military intervened on Qatar’s behalf to prevent Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from launching a coup against Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in June.

The Turkish government’s decision to flex its military muscles on Qatar’s behalf underscores a major shift in Ankara’s Middle East strategy. Since the July 2016 coup d’etat attempt, Turkey has transformed itself from being a destabilizing revolutionary actor to the Middle East’s strongest supporter of state stability. In recent months, Turkey has underscored its commitment to preserving state stability in the Arab world, by supporting the reunification of Syria under a strong central government and vociferously backing Libya’s UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA).

Turkey’s adoption of a pro-stability agenda in the Arab world can be explained by Ankara’s heightened concerns about internal unrest after Erdogan’s authority was challenged by the July 2016 coup attempt. As Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan believed the coup attempt was orchestrated by rogue military units inspired by Islamist cleric Fethullah Gulen and facilitated by external forces, Turkey has sought to undercut nationalist insurgency movements and counter destabilizing foreign involvement in regional conflicts. This strategy aims to prevent Turkish-style coup attempts from occurring in other parts of the Middle East, and recreate the network of stable nation-states that preserved collective security in the Arab world prior to the 2003 Iraq War.

In order to consolidate its position as the Middle East’s leading guarantor of collective security, Turkey has refined its approach to inter-state diplomacy and showcased its formidable coercive capacity to the international community. In contrast to the unwieldy balancing act that upheld Erdogan’s pre-Arab Spring “zero problems with neighbours” approach, Turkey’s current stabilization role is upheld by selective tactical partnerships with regional actors possessing similar geopolitical objectives. These partnerships have expanded Turkey’s network of allies in the Arab world and ameliorated the reputational damage caused by Erdogan’s incoherent responses to the Arab Spring.

The deterrent effect provided by Turkey’s formidable military resources, which include the second largest standing army in NATO, has also strengthened Ankara’s ability to act as a regional stabilizer. Countries seeking to counter Turkish objectives have often been forced to shelve their plans as they fear an aggressive retaliation from Turkey which could be detrimental to their security and regional power projection ambitions.

Turkey’s commitment to strengthening fragile states in the Arab world is exemplified by its expanded diplomatic and military involvement in Syria. Even though Turkey provided vital material support for Sunni rebel groups seeking to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the first years of the conflict, and continues to view Assad as an illegitimate leader, Ankara’s current policy preference is for the reunification of Syria as a stable centralized state.

Although Erdogan recently described Assad as a “terrorist” who has no place at the bargaining table, Turkey’s unofficial Syria strategy views the political ambitions of Kurdish nationalist groups, like the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Democratic Union Party (PYD) as the biggest impediments to stability in Syria. The Turkish government believes the formal establishment of two centers of power in Syria, one in Damascus led by Assad and one in Rojava led by Kurdish nationalist factions, could trigger a wave of partitions that undercut the territorial integrity of Middle East states, and destabilize eastern Turkey by empowering the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

In Turkey’s view, the preservation of a unitary state in Syria will avoid these pitfalls and facilitate the re-establishment of a politically stable Syrian nation-state. A unitary state structure would have a legal framework that ensures an eventual regime change in Syria produces an opposition government that exercises political power over the entire country. This outcome would be highly beneficial for Turkey’s geopolitical interests, as it would allow Syria to potentially become a Turkish ally if Assad were to fall from power.

To ensure a peace settlement that preserves Syria’s unitary state structure, Turkey has forged partnerships with regional stakeholders aimed at restricting the political influence of Kurdish nationalist groups. These efforts have also resulted in Turkey improving its relations with Iran and Russia. Turkey has signed landmark deals with Iran on border security, counterterrorism and intelligence sharing, which ensure that both countries can coordinate military efforts against Kurdish militant groups. The Turkish military has also collaborated with Russia by launching joint airstrikes in Sunni opposition strongholds of northern Syria. This cooperation has not yet caused Russia to abandon its support for a federal state in Syria, but has contributed to the weakening of Moscow’s links with the SDF and Russia’s willingness to facilitate Turkish military operations in the Kurdish city of Afrin.

The coercive dimension of Turkey’s stabilization role has also been on display in Syria as Ankara demonstrated its willingness to militarily intervene in the Syrian conflict during the August 2016–March 2017 Operation Euphrates Shield anti-ISIS campaign. President Donald Trump’s November statement calling for the end of Washington’s military assistance to the PYD can be regarded as a means of appeasing Turkey and preventing Ankara from launching an impulsive military campaign against the pro-U.S. SDF. This policy shift suggests that Erdogan has successfully converted his unpredictability from a major liability to a source of leverage and fostered respect for Turkey’s military capabilities in both the West and the Arab world.

Turkey’s support for the GNA in Libya mirrors its actions in Syria. Since Turkey announced its decision to reestablish diplomatic relations with Libya in June 2016, the Turkish government has worked assiduously to unite Libya under the leadership of the Tripoli-based GNA government and undermine the power of militia groups in eastern Libya. Turkey has also stridently opposed interventions by regional powers, like Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who support the federalization of Libya and seek to strengthen the influence of Tobruk-based military chief Khalifa Haftar.

Much like in Syria, Turkey has used its efforts to strengthen state institutions in Libya to expand and deepen its network of allies within the Arab League. Turkey’s principal ally in this endeavor is Qatar. The Turkish government’s expression of solidarity with Doha in the Gulf crisis aims to demonstrate that the Turkey-Qatar alliance against the UAE can extend beyond the GCC context. Turkey has also courted Sudan, as Khartoum shares Ankara’s concerns about the destabilizing impact of the Libyan military’s illegal arms sales.

The coercive dimension of Turkey’s campaign to support Libyan sovereignty is weaker than in Syria, as Turkey’s willingness to use military power on Tripoli’s behalf remains unclear. Haftar’s forces have historically viewed the risk of a Turkish military intervention in Libya as negligible, and this opinion was strengthened further by Turkey’s muted reaction to the Libyan military’s May 2015 shelling of a Turkish ship bound for Tobruk.

Despite this precedent, Haftar has become more cautious about provoking Turkey in recent months, as Ankara has deployed military resources to African countries, like Somalia and Sudan, and escalated tensions with Egypt over President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s endorsement of the 2016 Turkish coup attempt. This ensures that Turkey is able to protect Libya’s sovereignty with little risk of military backlash. Therefore, international supporters of Haftar, like Russia have expanded their diplomatic engagement with Tripoli in part to avoid antagonizing Turkey.

Even though Erdogan’s unpredictable conduct has been regarded as a source of instability in the Middle East, Turkey’s postcoup foreign policy towards its neighbors has focused chiefly on protecting state sovereignty in the Arab world and reviving the pre-2003 stable unitary state system. If Turkey succeeds in protecting the sovereignty of Syria, Libya and Qatar, then its status as a guarantor of collective security in the Middle East will increase substantially, strengthening Ankara’s range of diplomatic allies and Erdogan’s prestige as a global statesman.

Samuel Ramani is a DPhil candidate in International Relations at St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford. He is also a journalist who contributes regularly to the Washington Post and The Diplomat. He can be followed on Twitter at @samramani2 and on Facebook at Samuel Ramani.

Image: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attends a ceremony marking the 95th anniversary of Victory Day at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in Ankara, Turkey August 30, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas


Get ready for the most patriotic penguin! It has to be, right? Since we’re talking about it the same week as Canada Day and the Fourth of July?

The Fiordland Penguin (Eudyptes pachyrhynchus) can be found in New Zealand, on the South Island, Solander Islands and Steward Island/Rakikura. Though many people associate penguins with ice and snow, these penguins are native to the temperate rain forests of the islands. The Maori call the Fiordland Penguin tawaki, and it was described by an English zoologist named George Robert Gray in 1845. They are one of the smaller species of penguin.

Adult Fiordland Penguins grow to heights of around 24 inches (60 cm), and weigh only 13 pounds (5.9 kg). They are similar in appearance to other crested penguins, with the tufts of yellow feathers running over their eyes toward the back of their head. They have tough, red-brown bills. Many of them have white markings on their faces, though these stripes don’t show until the penguins are fully grown. Juvenile Fiordland Penguins are hard to distinguish from their close relatives, the Snares Penguins.

The Fiordland Penguins forage in the sea, and the bulk of their diet consists of squid, though the primary food sources vary by location. In some parts of its range, small pelagic fish make up about 80% of their diet. They will also eat crustaceans. They have been observed as far as the western coasts of Australia, the Tasman sea, and the Chathams, Macquarie and Campbell Islands.

The breeding season of Fiordland Penguins occurs in June and July, with the males arriving at the breeding grounds before the females to scope out prime nesting sites. Fiordland Penguins prefer to hide their nests even from other mating pairs, and mating pairs are monogamous. The females will usually lay a clutch of two eggs, but usually only one of them will hatch. One the rare occasion that both eggs hatch, the parents are usually unable to provide enough food for both of them, and the smaller one will die. Most of the time, the parents only have one chick to feed, however, and will take turns guarding and foraging for the chick.

Fiordland Penguins are considered to be a vulnerable species by the IUCN, because they have seen a decline in breeding population since the 1980s, from around 10,000 breeding pairs to between 2,500 and 3,000 today. Introduced animals like domesticated dogs and cats, or stoats have preyed upon eggs and chicks, preventing the Fiordland Penguins from naturally maintaining their populations. The weka, another flightless bird native to New Zealand, also preys on the eggs.

Source for all images used in this post.


Vicarious Liability of Parents for Crimes Committed

Vicarious liability refers to occasions whereby a senior party may hold responsible for crimes committed by a junior party under their mandate, which caused by the nature of their relationship (Howard, 1997). Vicarious liability of parents for crimes committed by their children signifies how parents are liable for any criminal acts performed by their children. Vicarious liability on parents is embraced due to increased cases of youth crime. It intends to hold parents accountable for any crimes committed by their children. This is because the care of these children has been entrusted to them so as to enhance the reliability of the parents over their children.

An example is a situation when a parent possesses a gun, but does not take the proper precautions to keep it away from a child, who may use the firearm to harm or even kill another child. It is the responsibility of parents to protect their children from harmful deeds and discipline their children. It also their responsibility to control what their children should access and what should be kept outside their reach. In this case, although a child may be placed under juvenile care, a parent will hold responsibility due to recklessly storing the firearm. It is obvious that parents perform their duties as required. If the firearm were stored away from the child’s reach, then the crime would not be committed. Thus, parents may be viewed as an accessory to the murder. Though they did not contribute directly to the crime, it was because of their carelessness that a child had performed the crime.

In Rhodes Island, there are laws intended to hold parents responsible, in case parents do not perform their duties of restricting children from visiting gambling dens, taking alcohol, loitering late in the night without any lawful intentions or even a parent being unable to prevent their children from getting into or associating with ill-mannered people (Nemeth, 2011). This shows that although the law recognizes the offence on the part of the child, it does not let loose on the parents poor parenting methods that have led a child into committing a crime. The law holds the parent accountable despite the fact that they were aware of the act being committed or not.

Another role of parents is to support their children by providing them with the basic needs for survival which include food, shelter, clothing, and medical care. Thus, in case a child is involved in a robbery, for example, in school and whatever they steal is a basic need then the parent holds accountable for the unfortunate event. This is because parents have neglected their roles and responsibilities.

Another example is when a parent is aware that a child is exposed to commit a particular crime. However, he does nothing to prevent the crime from happening (Gilicker, 2010). This renders a parent as an associate to the crime even though he has not been involved in committing it. This is because a parent had the knowledge and the ability to prevent a child from committing the crime, but decides to ignore and let a child go ahead and commit the crime instead of exercising their authority to ensure that a child keeps away from the immoral behavior. This also looks like a parent is helping a child commit the crime. It makes a parent an accomplice to the crime.

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What is a Norway Style Deal?

Although there’s not much time left it is possible, with an extension, for the UK to reach a new kind of deal with the EU. One of these potential deals is a Norway style deal. Norway isn’t an EU member but is in the European Economic Area and European Free Trade Association. Could an agreement like this be close enough for remainers and far enough away for leavers?


Stable fibrin clot

Figure 1 The tissue factor pathway and contact activation pathways of blood coagulation. PL, platelet phospholipids; TF, tissue factor.

produce TF are endothelial cells and monocytes when the proinflammatory cytokines and bacterial endotoxins stimulate these cells to express this cell membrane-bound protein. The presence of a NFkB binding site in the promoter region of the tissue factor gene on chromosome 1 further indicates involvement of hemostasis in inflammatory processes.

TF is an integral membrane protein of 263 amino acids and molecular weight 47000. It has been assigned CD142 by the VIth International Workshop and Conference on Human Leukocyte Differentiation Antigens held in Kobe, Japan, in 1996. The ligand for this cell surface protein is factor VII or factor VIIa. There are relatively small amounts of factor VIIa constantly present in normal blood. However, only when factor VIIa binds to TF does it become significantly potent as an activator of blood coagulation. A TF:Ca2+:factor VIIa complex is formed and this activates both factor X to factor Xa and factor IX to factor IXa, which forms a complex with factor VIIa, Ca2+, and platelet phos-pholipids to activate further molecules of factor X. The activated factor X forms a factor Xa:Ca2+:fac-tor Va complex, which converts prothrombin to thrombin. Thrombin acts on fibrinogen molecules to convert them to fibrin monomers. These monomers form an instantaneous clot by associating via noncovalent bonds. The clot is then stabilized in a reaction catalyzed by factor XIIIa by crosslinking the fibrin molecule by covalent bonds between glu-tamic acid and lysine residues of adjacent fibrin monomers. Thrombin plays a central role in hemos-tasis in that it not only converts fibrinogen to fibrin but also activates other key players in the pathways; in particular, factor VII, factor XI, and the copper-dependent factors V and VIII. The major physiological activator of factor VII remains unidentified but, in addition to thrombin; factor Xa, factor XIa, and factor XIIa are capable of converting factor VII to factor VIIa.

TF is inhibited by a specific inhibitor of the TF:Ca2+:factor VIIa complex (Figure 3). This inhibitor, designated tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), is a 276 amino acid polypeptide that has three Kunitz-like regions. Therefore, this belongs to the Kunitz-type protease inhibitors whilst most other inhibitors of blood coagulation are serpins. In peripheral blood this inhibitor is associated with the lipid fractions and is, like tissue factor, synthesized by activated endothelial cells and monocytes. The TFPI remains inactive until sufficient amounts of activated factor X (i.e., factor Xa) can bind. The TFPI:factor Xa complex then inactivates the TF:Ca2+:factor VIIa complex.

Figure 2 The action of tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI). TF, tissue factor.

In the second mechanism of initiation, the contact activation pathway (Figure 1 and Figure 2), blood coagulation may be triggered by activation upon contact with collagen and other highly charged surfaces, including glass or plastic test tubes. Contact with collagen leads to activation of factor XII and, in turn, factor XIIa activates factor XI. Factor XIa activates factor IX, which together with Ca2+, platelet phospholipid, and factor VIIIa activates factor X to factor Xa. The contact activation pathway merges with the tissue factor pathway

Figure 3 Contact activation pathway. PL, platelet phospholipids.

at this point and, as before, the factor Xa, together with Ca2+, platelet phospholipid, and factor Va activates prothrombin to thrombin, which converts fibrinogen to fibrin. The existence of this second pathway means that fibrin production remains switched on as long as the blood remains in contact with external surfaces despite the fact that the tissue factor pathway may, at this point, be closed down by the action of TFPI and factor Xa. The formation of factor XIIa has important consequences for other processes involved in the response of the body to injury. For example; high-molecular-weight kininogen and prekallikrein are activated to the kinins and to kallikrein, mediators of inflammation that can activate the contact pathway (Figure 3). In addition, fibrinolysis and the complement pathway are both activated by factor XIIa. It is probable that the physiological role of factor XIIa is to act as a mediator in many of the processes involved in the defense of the body during trauma and its role in the activation of blood coagulation may be of minor importance.

The coagulation process is inhibited by nonspecific mechanisms such as blood flow and by the presence in plasma of general serine protease inhibitors such as alpha2-macroglobulin. In addition, unique molecular systems will specifically inhibit blood coagulation and one of these involves heparin, a sul-fated glycosaminoglycan. Heparin combines with antithrombin III in a one to one molar ratio and the resultant complex inhibits factor Xa and thrombin. Another specific control mechanism involves the vitamin K-dependent proteins, protein S and protein C, which combine with each other in molar ratios to form a complex with cellular membranes that inhibits the activity of factors Va and VIIIa. The complex also inhibits the action of PAI-1 thereby promoting fibrinolysis. Interestingly, a normal factor V molecule is essential for the inhibitory properties of this complex since mutation of factor V will cause a malfunction of the complex and result in a tendency to form clots (thrombophilia). This is the basis of the action of factor V Leiden, a mutant of factor V that causes familial thrombophilia.

Fibrinolysis, Fibrinogen, and the Acute Phase Response

The breakdown of the fibrin clot is initiated by activators of plasminogen, mainly tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) (Figure 4). This protein is produced by endothelial cells and activates plas-minogen by converting it to plasmin. The plasmin then acts on fibrin to form the fibrin split

Tissue plasminogen activator

Plasminogen ■

2 x Fragment D 1 x Fragment E

1 x D-dimer 1 x Fragment E

Figure 4 Fibrinolysis and fibrinogenolysis.

Figure 5 The role of interleukin-6 in fibrinogen synthesis.

products, a D-dimer and a fragment E from each fibrin monomer, and on fibrinogen to form the fibrinogen degradation products, two molecules of fragment D and one of fragment E. These breakdown products act as inhibitors of thrombin. They also stimulate the release of interleukin-6 (IL-6) from blood monocytes; the IL-6 then acts on the liver parenchymal cell to stimulate the synthesis of fibrinogen. The presence of this regulatory loop demonstrates the direct link between a proinflammatory cytokine, interleukin-6, and the production of a protein (fibrinogen) of the so-called acute phase response (Figure 5). Fibri-nolysis is inhibited by PAI-1 and alpha2-antiplasmin.

Thrombosis is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in Western societies. Deep venous thrombosis, myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism, and acute thromboembolic stroke are, probably, all consequences of inappropriate blood coagulation or fibrinolysis. Fibrin formation is instantaneous and therefore clots can quickly occlude an artery and thereby precipitate an acute cardiac or cerebral event. This usually, but not exclusively, occurs in atherosclerotic blood vessels where plaques may rupture and cause thrombus formation.

The expression of tissue factor on cells and their subsequent exposure to blood is probably the major initiator of thrombus formation in vivo. It has been demonstrated that the blood monocytes from unstable angina and myocardial infarction patients express increased amounts of tissue factor when compared to healthy controls. Furthermore, it has been shown that monocytes from atherosclerotic plaques from unstable angina patients express increased amounts of tissue factor when compared to controls, thereby further implicating plaque rupture in the pathology of heart disease.

Hemostatic Factors and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease

Elevated plasma coagulation factor levels are risk factors for coronary heart disease. Fibrinogen synthesis in the liver is stimulated by the proin-flammatory cytokine interleukin-6 and, therefore, elevated levels are found during the acute phase response. It has been argued that it may be difficult to assign elevated plasma fibrinogen as a definitive risk factor since the pathology of CHD involves inflammation and the acute phase response, which will lead to increased fibrinogen anyway. The same argument has been used in the case of elevated white cell counts, which is also a risk factor for coronary events. However, it has been demonstrated that if fibrinogen and/or white blood cell count remain high after a vascular event then there is greater risk of subsequent events. Therefore, increased plasma fibrinogen and elevated white cell count are now considered a major risk factor for CHD.

Further studies have indicated that other blood clotting factors may act as risk factors for CHD. For example, a prospective study, The Northwick Park Heart Study, identified factor VII as a risk factor for CHD and showed that plasma levels of factor VII were predictive of CHD in a dose-dependent manner. Another study has shown that factor VIII may be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Increased levels of PAI-1 and decreased plasma levels of plasminogen activators have also been identified as risk factors for coronary heart disease.

Dietary Effects on Hemostatic Function

Dietary vitamin K profoundly affects the activity of the blood clotting factors II, VII, IX, and X and the inhibitory molecules, protein C and protein S. These proteins are synthesized in the liver and contain a region or module of the protein that contains modified glutamic acid residues (gamma carboxy glutamic acid) (Gla). Gla formation requires vitamin K and so a deficiency state will cause abnormal bleeding. A dietary deficiency of vitamin K is rare and nearly always occurs in the neonate leading to hemorrhagic disease of the newborn. However, the oral anticoagulant drugs based on warfarin are vitamin K analogs and thus prevent the synthesis of a biologically active coagulation protein.

Fibrinogen levels are elevated in obese individuals although many studies have failed to demonstrate any relationship between plasma fibrinogen levels and dietary fat. Active men have lower fibri-nogen levels and a number of studies have demonstrated an inverse relationship between alcohol consumption and plasma fibrinogen. A high-fiber diet was also shown to correlate negatively with plasma fibrinogen. A few studies on the effects of antioxidant vitamins show that they may lower fibrinogen. For example, the Swedish MONItoring CArdiovascular disease (MONICA) study found that high levels of plasma retinol were associated with lower fibrinogen levels. However, plasma tPA levels were also lowered indicating that the fibri-nolytic pathway was compromised in these subjects. Fish oil was shown to lower fibrinogen levels when the oil contained vitamin E.

Dietary fat profoundly affects the activity of factor VII. A high fat intake is associated with increased amounts of factor VIIa. Indeed, the postprandial levels of this active blood coagulation factor have been shown to be elevated after a high-fat meal. If exposed to tissue factor, these increased levels of factor VIIa would have major consequences for thrombogenesis. Platelet aggregation is often affected by diet and fish oils can reduce platelet aggregation.

The influence of diet on the components of the coagulation pathway is well recognized by the requirement of vitamin K. However, the role that diet plays in modulating the levels of coagulation factors that are, or may be, risk factors for coronary heart disease is unclear and the results are often conflicting. For example, in intervention studies examining the effects of fish oils on monocyte TF production, one study reported a decrease in expression whilst other studies showed no effect. The study where the positive effects were reported was carried out in Italy and it has been suggested that the Mediterranean diet of the Italians was a contributory factor in these findings. Obviously, more work is required to establish the effects of fish oils on TF expression.

Hemostasis is an exciting and important area of medicine and our knowledge of the molecular and cellular interactions that bring about clot formation is now at an advanced stage. Many of the studies on diet and hemostasis may have used inappropriate laboratory techniques. For example, blood platelets are easily activated making aggregation data difficult to interpret. The advent of automated coagul-ometers means that the clotting factors may be easily measured. There are commercially available immunoassays for many of the components of hemostasis described in this article. Using flow cyto-metry, TF can be measured on monocytes and P-selectin may be detected on activated platelets. Since thrombosis is a major cause of acute coronary events the rewards of studies on diet and hemostasis may be great.

See also: Cholesterol: Sources, Absorption, Function and Metabolism; Factors Determining Blood Levels. Coronary Heart Disease: Lipid Theory; Prevention. Vitamin K.

Further Reading

Hutton RA, Laffan MA, and Tuddenham EGD (1999) Normal haemostasis. In: Hoffbrand AV, Lewis SM, and Tuddenham EGD (eds.) Postgraduate Haematology, pp. 550-580. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann. Laffin MA and Manning RA (2001) Investigation of haemostasis. In: Lewis SM, Bain BJ, and Bates I (eds.) Practical Haemato-logy, pp. 339-413. London: Churchill Livingstone. Ross R (1993) The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis: a perspective for the 1990's. Nature 362: 801-809.

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Gender Equality in Ethiopia: Good Beginning, but Much Remains

By Staff Writer

Gender-Equality-EthiopiaDecember 3, 2018 (Ezega.com) – In Africa, gender equality has always been elusive. Women still play minor roles in all the major sectors of the economy and politics. However, it seems there is a new wave that is sweeping across Africa. A change is coming, and Ethiopia appears to be determined to be at the forefront of this transformation.

According to data from the United Nations, Ethiopia has always performed poorly when we look at its gender equality performance indicators. While there has been tremendous progress made in the Millennium development goals (MDGs), the country still lags behind in the scope of gender disparities.

Women and girls in Ethiopia are disadvantaged compared to their male counterparts in various areas like education, health, livelihoods, human rights, and leadership. Apart from their low status in the community, they lack social support networks in the country. Discrimination against women is acute and clearly manifested.

For instance, 80 percent of Ethiopia’s population resides in rural areas, where the economic activity is largely agricultural. Women and girls provide the much-needed labor in their rural communities, in addition to 100% of house chores and childbearing and nurturing. They work in farms and look after livestock, just like men. However, their efforts are unrecognized. Their husbands and fathers restrict their access to resources and community participation. It is worse to an extent that the USAID data indicate 1 in 3 women experience physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Furthermore, more than 65% of women have undergone female genital mutilation, half of the girls who enroll in primary school never make it past grade five, and only 35 percent of undergraduate university students are female and five percent of them drop out in the first year. The statistics can go on and on, showing the grim reality of gender inequality existing in Ethiopia, as elsewhere in much of Africa.

The situation is particularly depressing when one considers women’s potential and the critical role they can play in the overall governance and development of a country. As we elaborate later in this article, in general, women are less corrupt than men, and, in general, they are more responsible than men – especially in less developed countries such as Ethiopia. Losing this half of the population is indeed a great loss for any country.

African leaders are beginning to recognize this. There are encouraging signs that show progress being made in some pockets. The transformation is not only being witnessed in Ethiopia, but also the rest of the continent. Since the 1990s, there has been an increase in women politicians. They are becoming actively engaged in various leadership positions at the local level, the corporate sector and the executive.

Data from Democracy in Africa (DIA) indicates that African countries have one of the world’s highest representation of women in politics. Rwanda has the highest representation of women in parliament, with 64% of the country’s legislators being women. In South Africa, Seychelles and Senegal, more than 40% of the lawmakers are women. Mozambique, Uganda, Tanzania, and Angola have 35%. This is commendable bearing in mind a developed country like the U.S. has 20% representation in the House and 23% in the Senate.

Ethiopia is on the right track of achieving gender equality, even though the gap is still large in rural areas. The existing gap is treated as an outcome of patriarchy and poverty. This suggestion might be true, but it doesn’t account for the variations between countries.

The government of Ethiopia, under the leadership of the Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, seems to be committed to achieving gender equality. It all started when he appointed women to key positions in the government. As reported here, the election of the first Ethiopian woman president has raised hopes for more gender equality in Ethiopia.

While the president’s position is ceremonial, the election of Sahle-Work Zwede into office is significant since it has weight and social influence. She was unanimously voted into office by the country’s parliament, which clearly sent a strong message it is time for women to participate in the development of the country by assuming highest political positions.

Prior to the elections, Abiy Ahmed had already made it clear that he was determined to achieve gender equality in the country by nominating a 50% female cabinet, which was subsequently approved by the parliament.

Historic win for Ethiopia’s women

“Our women ministers will disprove the old adage that women can’t lead,” Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed reiterated. According to the prime minister, the decision was historic and the first of its kind in the country and in Africa.

The Global Citizen reports that “Appointing women to leadership positions is key to achieving gender equality. Historically, women have been underrepresented in positions of power in Ethiopia but that’s changing.”

Data from the BBC shows that, in Africa, Ethiopia is now the second country after Rwanda to have equal gender representation in the highest positions of government.

After taking the oath of office, Abiy’s cabinet comprised of 28 ministers, with four women. However, the cabinet was later trimmed to 20, and women were appointed to fill 10 slots in the new cabinet. “Women are less corrupt, have proved to restore peace and stability, and can help move the country forward,” said Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and hence for his decision to give women a chance to participate in the country’s development.

The Washington Post reports that, previously, women in Ethiopia held cabinet positions, but they were appointed to head ‘soft’ ministries. In the current administration, they run key ministerial portfolios; including the ministries of trade, Industry, the ministry of peace and Defense. Later, he also appointed female heads of the Supreme Court and the National Election Commission.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed couldn’t be more right when he said women are less corrupt than men and they can safeguard peace and stability better than men. Whereas each sex has its own merits, a lot can be said about the qualities women can bring to the table for the well-being of our society.

Numerous studies have shown there is a direct link between gender equality and reduced corruption. For example, this study and this one. According to these studies, it has been observed that increased participation by women in public domain reduces corruption. And there is built-in biological reason for this outcome. Compared to men, women are more risk averse (less daring), more sensitive to social cues, less competitive, more altruistic and more inclined to cooperate. For instance, in general, men tend to accept more bribes than women; and the average bribe received by men tends to be greater than that received by women.

The Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh lent 97% of micro loans to women. The rational behind this was simple. He found that women use the money they borrow more responsibly than men - to buy more useful items for their family or their business. He also found that the loan repayment rate for women was much higher (97%) than that for men.

The implication of all of this is clear. There is a lot to be gained by having women participate in the governance and development of a country at par with their men counterparts. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed seems to recognize that.

Positive move

Ethiopia’ appointment of the first-ever female president is not an isolated phenomenon. “If the current change in Ethiopia is headed equally by men and women, it can sustain its momentum and realize a prosperous Ethiopia free of religious, ethnic and gender discrimination,” said Sahle-work Zwede.

Human rights groups in the country welcomed the appointment of a female president, but cautioned that much more needs to be done. Gender equality has a long way to go, despite the recent moves by the prime minister. The president has also been urged to open dialogue with groups that drive the gender equality debate.

According to President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, the promotion of women transforms countries. However, men must play a huge role in putting women in these positions. They must be at the forefront to ensure their countries achieve gender equality.

Rwanda is among the countries that rank high in gender equality, but according to statistics from the inter-parliamentary union, what is reported does not reflect the true situation in a country that has been under the leadership of President Kagame for 18 years.

“A higher number of women in decision-making roles have led to a decrease in gender discrimination and gender-based crimes…you [men] must play an important role in upholding the rights of women,” said President Paul Kagame.

Gender equality in Africa is a field of study that is fast evolving and has helped explain the increasing number of female leaders across the continent. According to research conducted by the World Bank ‘Can Africa Claim the 21st Century?’ Africa has enormous potential that is yet to be exploited. This hidden potential lies in its people, especially women. The study concludes that achieving gender equality is a potent force for accelerated economic progress in the continent.

Moving forward

For a long time, African countries lacked bold leaders like Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and President Paul Kagame, who see women beyond the scope of mothers and sisters, leaders who can inspire women to assume positions of power where they can inspire others and contribute to the development of their countries.

Ethiopia, a country with the second largest population in Africa, and one that 30 years ago was facing famine, is presently striving to lead the way in this area than many other countries on the continent.

The current regime is set to transform the country into a middle-income nation by 2025. Whether that goal is achieved or not, let’s hope women will play a significant role in this transformation.

Despite the progress made, one might argue the country is still an authoritarian state. That’s why Mr. Abiy Ahmed has managed to change the country’s fortunes easily.

And as summarized by The Independent, these types of radical overhauls of a gender-balanced government is only possible when it’s authoritarian. The trade-offs essential in a more dynamic political arena are part of the reason why western democracies are unable to achieve the kind of results witnessed in Ethiopia.

Will the move towards gender equality continue, not only at the top level, but also all the way down to local level? Let’s hope so, for the sake of the country – and for the sake of men themselves.

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Meet the first-ever robot citizen — a humanoid named Sophia that once said it would 'destroy humans'

sophia robot
Sophia the robot is the first robot in history to be granted full citizenship of a country.
Graham Flanagan/Business Insider
Sophia the robot might not have a heart or brain, but it does have Saudi Arabian citizenship.

As of October 25, Sophia is the first robot in history to be a full citizen of a country.

Sophia was developed by Hanson Robotics, led by AI developer David Hanson. It spoke at this year's Future Investment Initiative, held in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh.

Sophia once said it would "destroy humans," but this time around the robot spoke about its desire to live peaceably among humans.

Here's what the robot is all about.

Sophia was designed in Audrey Hepburn's image, with high cheekbones and a slender nose.

Denis Balibouse/Reuters

Sophia has appeared on The Tonight Show and at numerous conferences around the world, including the World Economic Forum and the "AI For Good" Global Summit.

"Sophia is an evolving genius machine," the company states on its website. "Over time, her increasing intelligence and remarkable story will enchant the world and connect with people regardless of age, gender, and culture."

David Hanson, a former Disney Imagineer, created the robot with the goal of helping the elderly who need personal aides and the general public at major events or parks.

Denis Balibouse/Reuters

"Our quest through robots like Sophia is to build the full human experience into the robots, make robots that can really understand us and care about us," Hanson told Business Insider in January .

He wants people to interact with Sophia in the same way they'd talk to a friend. Eventually, he hopes the robot can perceive the social world just as it perceives the physical world. Its current state is still a bit rough when it comes to smooth conversation.

A complex set of motors and gears power Sophia, enabling a range of facial expressions.

Graham Flanagan/Business Insider

Sophia has a flesh-colored zipper running down the base of its neck, and the exposed plastic skull doesn't quite sell the illusion of humanity.

But the guts of Sophia's machinery are intriguing. Along with the mechanical systems that give Sophia the ability to "emote," the machine learning software stores bits of conversation in its memory and tries to grasp the flow of discussion to produce live answers in real-time.

"Sophia is Hanson Robotics' latest and most advanced robot," the website states.

"The idea of fooling humans is not necessarily the goal," Hanson told Business Insider.

Graham Flanagan/Business Insider

Ultimately, Hanson wants to mimic humans' capacity for love, empathy, anger, jealousy, and the sense of being alive.

His goal is to help provide answers to the questions What islife?, What is intelligence?, and What is consciousness?

Sophia's capacity for displaying emotion is still limited. It can show happiness — sort of.

Graham Flanagan/Business Insider

And it can raise its eyebrows and frown to show sadness.

Graham Flanagan/Business Insider

It can also bear its humanoid teeth to show anger (which, hopefully, is not directed at any of us).

Graham Flanagan/Business Insider

Hanson has spent the bulk of 2017 touring Sophia around the world.

Denis Balibouse/Reuters

His mission is to get people accustomed to seeing Sophia's face and have them gain an appreciation for the advances AI has made.

"She has also become a media darling," the Hanson Robotics website explains, "having given numerous interviews to multiple media outlets, sang in a concert, and even graced the cover of one of the top fashion magazines."

Soon, Hanson will unveil other robots to join Sophia in a humanoid family, and perhaps eventually a society.

Sophia is the only one of its kind, however, which means it isn't for sale.

Denis Balibouse/Reuters

Among its fleet of robots, the product Hanson Robotics champions the most for consumer use is the Professor Einsten robot.

The 14-inch-tall personal assistant was designed to make over 50 facial expressions as users ask about the weather, traffic, and basic trivia. Jeanne Lim, chief of marketing for Hanson Robotics, told Business Insider in January that the company believes lifelike robots are the future.

Hanson himself, however, believes that future is much more immediate. "The age of living androids is among us," he told Business Insider.

Graham Flanagan/Business Insider

SEE ALSO: Walmart will soon have robots roaming the aisles in 50 stores

FOLLOW US: INSIDER is on Facebook

More: Features BI Innovation Sophia Robotics


Valentine J. Oldshue

u0003_0001072_0000071 While in France, Valentine Oldshue was affiliated with an American hospital, but he also worked for the Red Cross and was a correspondent for the American Legion. Since he was a writer by trade, his collection is an especially good resource about the period. For example, if you want to learn about the ambulance service he worked for, read his pamphelet What American Ambulances are Doing in Paris. Looking over the collection, you can also get a sense for how militarized the area had become, even though it was dozens of miles from the front. Moving around the country required so many identification papers, passports, and other passes. Some relate specifically to his role as a journalist. (Click on the thumbnails below to see full images.) But the bulk of the collection is postcards Oldshue sent from Europe to Catherine Wilson. Some have illustrations on the back, but a good many feature photography, either normal tourist scenes or scenes from wartime France. wwi-vjo


On-page and technical SEO success factors: what goes in before the page goes out

We had a client who was so enraptured with the full version of this chart that she handed it out to her CEO and her board. They had developed a list of 5 search terms which represented the KPIs for all search marketing. Problem was, the search terms were topics, not search phrases…so each one would have dozens of longer-tail search terms which had the core search term within it. That added a layer of complexity they weren’t happy with.

What they were ecstatic about was how optimizing on a lot of related search terms is exactly how you rank on the core term…so we exceeded all their KPI goals before we even finished optimizing the web site. We saw a 600% increase in search traffic over the second year, and launched a new site, targeted to the higher education market.


There Is A Clear Link Between Lung Cancer And Asbestos

by Terry Bryant

Medical researchers have been clear on the link between lung cancer and asbestos for some time. This silicate, which was used extensively for decades, is the primary cause of mesothelioma and other serious health problems. The problem arises from how the silicate forms and how it is used. As the mineral develops, it generates millions of tiny crystals that material manufacturers mix into other building substances. This provides a great deal of heat resistance, which makes it an ideal additive to items that must resist friction or fire.

However, this resistance comes at a price. When the crystals are exposed and disturbed in any way, usually during renovation or demolition, they are swept up into the air and can be easily inhaled by anyone nearby. Once inside the body, the crystals punch into tissues and may settle there for many years. This forces the body to produce inflammation and scar tissue, building a mass that may eventually turn into lung cancer. This asbestos condition is known as mesothelioma, and it is almost always fatal soon after diagnosis.

Courts have consistently ruled in favor of victims of mesothelioma and other similar conditions. This is because employers and material manufacturers that expose workers to the silicate are considered negligent. If you have been forced to work around this material or other dangerous conditions, you may be able to attain compensation for your medical expenses and suffering.


On Criticising Past Socialist Projects

 - by Kay

Before we can engage with the challenge of analysing past socialist projects in the internet era we must first look at the way the internet, and social media specifically influences the way we discuss politics and history. In an environment dominated by character limits and people often just reading headlines before deciding what they think about something, many political stances are not explorations of the topic, but statements of intent.

Let’s use the USSR as an example. If a person believes the USSR was generally a positive thing in the 20th century, even if they are willing to accept that it failed in some places, it can still be much easier for them to concisely display their support of the USSR via pithy statements such as “Stalin did nothing wrong” to align yourself with other people who support the USSR. Likewise, if another person views USSR as a revisionist distortion of the goals set out by the revolution, but is still prepared to acknowledge some areas where it succeeded, it can still be much easier to align themselves with people who do not support the USSR and/or hold anti-authoritarian stances with their own one liners about “Tankies” and “Red Fascists”.

Now that we’ve each picked our teams we can begin the work of selectively trawling for information on the USSR to find ammunition with which to attack the enemy team, proving once and for all that the Soviet Union was either a perfect utopia or a giant death camp. Things are either Good or Bad and once you decide which thing is which the discussion kind of has itself.

A problem of the internet era is that for nearly any stance, there exists evidence in support of it, if you simplify the stance enough. If your stance is “USSR Good” you can quote any number of quality of life improvements (reduction of homelessness, progress in women’s rights) and be technically correct. If your stance is “USSR Bad” you can quote the wholesale deportation of specific nationalities. Also technically correct.

This is reinforced by the argument style we apply to currently living people. If you can provide evidence of a person doing or saying something bigoted or otherwise harmful you now have a source in your back pocket and can freely respond to any mention of that person with “X is problematic because Y” and be technically correct. The thing with random celebrities who say racist shit is they are: a) individuals, b) given an opportunity to respond to these criticisms with the possibility of positive change and aiming to make amends as well as the possibility of doubling down or outright denial.

Applying this same way of thinking to, say, the leader of a party with membership numbering in the millions at the head of a country made up of a complex bureaucratic network and declaring, with the benefit of hindsight, that something they did was harmful or generally a failure, therefore “USSR bad” is not a helpful way to view history, and with these men long dead and unable to actually respond to these criticisms (and they are often valid criticisms, though some may be ahistorical) it doesn’t have the same possibility of positive improvement that it does when applied to a living person.

We need to let go of the concept of past socialist states and leaders being Good or Bad and accept them for what they are: a massive resource of lessons (both positive and negative) to take forward in the struggle to build socialism and oppose the stranglehold of global capitalism. As well as an attempt (with varying degrees of success) to actualize the will of that country's proletariat, for better or worse. No socialist project exists in isolation (philosophical, economic, geographic, or historical). The ideas of their time and their people will have an impact on them and some of those ideas WILL be wrong, and even dangerous. We need to deprioritize scoring Gotcha Points on dead men (it’s worth noting just how many of them ARE men) and constructively analyse the environment that breeds such policies.

Having established what sort of criticisms are NOT useful we now need to look at what kind of criticisms ARE useful.

As Marxists we have a question that we must ask of socialist projects first and foremost. What is their approach to the contradictions of class society? This should be the starting point of asking the second question, and the question that matters much more than applying some moralistic Bad or Good status: Are they building socialism? Building socialism will not always look the same, it will not be without setbacks, and it will be imperfect. The goal is not perfection, the goal is to build a better world by ending class contradictions by bringing the struggle between classes to its natural conclusion: the withering away of classes. Taking a single failure and reasoning that this project has therefore failed is to not accept the fact that socialism is built in the real world, by real, fallible people, and it is to assume that any mistakes suddenly render the progress made in the struggle for liberation somehow irrelevant. Some failures reverse the direction of travel of the class struggle and others do not.

What does it look like when a socialist project is taking an approach to the class struggle that does not aim to progress toward that ultimate goal of elimination of class society, therefore descending into revisionism? Continuing to use the USSR as an example we can learn a lot about the face of revisionism from the likes of Nikita Khrushchev, who proposed a policy of “Peaceful Coexistence” between the proletariat and capitalist classes, both in individual countries and globally, and asserted that revolution could be carried out without violence, through the ballot box, with the approval of the state.

History has, of course, undone that sort of wishful thinking, but its indicative of an abandonment of the most fundamental principle of building socialism: The goal is to end class society. The class in power, the bourgeoisie, will not allow this to happen peacefully and uninterfered with, as has been demonstrated by the Cold War itself and countless coups, propaganda campaigns, and outright military opposition. Khrushchev’s proposition was, in effect, to put the class struggle on the back burner and prioritise the strengthening the USSR's productive capacities from within; and while still espousing "revolution" but only on terms that the ruling classes of other countries knew were generally doomed to failure or at best reformism in order to develop better ties with the imperialist powers, headed by the USA.

To criticize a socialist project for not completing the massive undertaking of transforming their entire society and production model within your personal timeline is not a good faith engagement with the struggles we face in the fight against capitalism. However, criticizing a socialist project for stunting that development and deprioritizing the class struggle in order to play at conventional global power politics, which they would ultimately go on to lose (inevitably, as the terms of these power politics are dictated by capitalism) is completely justified.

A socialist project demonising other oppressed groups, or agricultural reforms which when improperly implemented add to the immense hardship and starvation caused by drought can be cause for criticism but is not always cause for abandonment. It is important that we be critical and understand both where socialist projects have gone wrong, and also, where in spite of this, their role in historical context is still worth defending. Most importantly, we must remain conscious of the difference between an error and a betrayal of the revolution, even where there is a relationship between the two. Failure should be an indictment reserved for cases where direction of class struggle has actually been reversed.

The failures of socialist projects, especially when it comes to replicating oppression based on sexuality and race, often mirror the same trends in capitalist nations of the time. Communism is not the inverse of capitalism. It is the progression beyond the class contradictions that prevent our society from flourishing. A revolution will take on aspects of the society that birthed it, for better or worse. The continuation of such bigotries are to be corrected, not used as a bludgeon to beat down efforts at socialism and allow capitalist powers, who have no love for those oppressed groups, to further their global hegemony.

We must always strive to learn from the mistakes of our past, but we must also learn from our successes. We have an incredible history of proletarian struggle, a history we should be proud of. We cannot allow bourgeois idealism to prevent us upholding our greatest victories just because we have also known failure.


Successful basketball coach says the time is right to step away

NEW CONCORD - Basketball was intertwined into the life of Greg Woodard.

Darryl Jones, a former John Glenn coach, fueled his passion for the game, as did college coach Ed DiGenova.

Their influence led him to the high school sidelines. He spent four seasons, 1995-98, in Crooksville before spending the next 19 as the head basketball coach with his alma mater.

His time came to an end on Wednesday after handing in his letter of resignation, which was approved during Thursday's board meeting.

Woodard posted a career mark of 373-161, including a 321-124 mark with the Muskies. He led the program to its only state title in 2016, as well as nine Muskingum Valley League, eight sectional and five district titles.

John Glenn was also a four-time regional runner-up, including this past season.

"I knew I wanted to be a high school coach when I played for Darryl, and I always wanted to come home," Woodard said. "It was special to be able to come home and have this success.

"I'm out of gas, and anybody who has coached for a long period of time understands how much heart and soul you pour into this job," he added. "The energy and passion starts to fade over time, and this was in the best interest of the kids to get someone new in this position."

Players believing in Woodard's philosophy led to each team's success. His focus started on fundamentals, but developing players, mentally and physically, were vital in keeping his squads among the best in the area and region.

"I had good players and good coaches. In any sport, when you have a little success, the kids are more likely to buy in to what you're selling," Woodard said. "I wanted our kids to outwork and out-tough the competition. I made sure they understood there would be adversity but not to get down in those moments.

"I stressed the importance of continuing to work hard and relating it to life," he added. "It's why we always had tougher guys who were ready for every challenge."

Those traits were vital to Mount Union sophomore Tanner Slack, a starter on the state title team. He knows Woodard's influence is why he was able to continue his basketball career.

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"He understood the game. It wasn’t necessarily all the skill work we did either; it was more the logic of the game," Slack said. "Half the time it wasn’t even on court things. He would have us watch film every single day, no matter how much we won by, and critique ourselves as an individual and as a team. He is the reason my work ethic and understanding of the game are what they are."

Woodard's ability to challenge his players was crucial in capturing the state title, noted Slack.

"We played in three different tournaments, back-to-back-to-back for seven straight days the summer of our senior senior year," Slack recalled. "He did it to test our abilities because he knew our potential for the upcoming year. He did what he had to do to make us great and that’s what we were."

Drew Rackley, another member of that squad, added Woodard also made sure his players were ready for life away from the court.

"Without question he's one of the best coaches the area has had, but what gets overlooked is the role he plays in his players' lives off the floor," Rackley said. "He is a father figure away from the home for the kids and has always shown us doing things the right way on and off the floor is crucial to growing up and becoming a man. I am grateful that I was fortunate enough to be a part of that for four years."

Those accomplishments will be remembered, but the rigor of seasons, like 2016, have exhausted Woodard. Winning aided his longevity, but his family also played a vital role.

"It takes a special family for a job like this," Woodard said. "It takes a lot of patience, especially being away from home as much I was. I couldn't have done this without them, and I'm very fortunate to have that support."

Woodard is ready to enjoy the down time, but he will miss the excitement from the community as well as the people involved with the sport he loves.

"It's been a great experience and I've enjoyed having former players come back and practice with the team or get together and grab a bite to eat," he said. "The relationships I've developed with my players, staff and other coaches, those I will always cherish."

Twitter: @brandonhannahs


A unique solution to help the customer journey

Lord+Taylor was in search of a tool to help with engagement in-store.

The brief was simple, create a space for advertisement, product engagement and ordering. I visualized a stand-up totem, that allowed full-screen skyscraper style content — this would help entice the user down the path to purchase.

Based on demographics, we opted to stray from the traditional POS system and work with RFID; allowing users to use their phones for purchase. This allowed for more privacy and overall a smaller barrier to purchase.

Retouch in-situation for the client to visualize
Engagement, loud and direct


Before Measurements – SUCCESS!

Challenge Check-ins (NB!)

  1. Check-in #1 (end of Week 2) –  written progress update
  2. Check-in #2 (end of Week 4) – progress measurements + A written progress update

Some emails get marked as spam!

Step 2: Select the checkbox on the left next to the email from “ULTIMATE YOU HQ” and then select “Not Spam“:


What is achondroplasia?

Achondroplasia is a genetic bone disorder, affecting one in 20,000 babies. It is the most common type of dwarfism in which the child's arms and legs are short in proportion to body length. The head is often large and the trunk is normal size. The average height of adult males with achondroplasia is 52 inches (or 4 feet, 4 inches) and the average height of adult females with achondroplasia is 49 inches (or 4 feet, 1 inch).

How we care for achondroplasia

Children with achondroplasia can be seen in the Genetics Program or the Advanced Fetal Care Program at Boston Children's Hospital.

Areas of innovation for achondroplasia


Personal Injury Lawyers Are Superheroes

Bad things happen for no good reason, all the time. As Evans Moore Law points out, in South Carolina alone, there’s a fatal car accident every 8.9 hours. Nursing home residents face atrocious treatment, with 95% of residents saying they’ve been neglected or seen others neglected during their time in the home. Almost a third of all nursing homes have been cited for breaking federal guidelines. These are only a couple of basic statistics. There’s far more to be found for the risks people deal with every day with defective products that can lead to injuries or to death, including the very medication they are taking to feel better. Doctors make mistakes and act negligently every day. Business owners don’t keep their premises safe. Employees are constantly at risk of falling or things falling on them because someone didn’t attach the carpet or items on the walls properly.

Again, this is actually just a short list. The point is, bad things happen all the time to innocent, unprepared people. Luckily, in the world we live in, we can go to personal injury lawyers to make sure we get some compensation for those bad things. Personal injury lawyers perform this very important part of our justice system, making sure those who are victims aren’t left destitute when someone else makes a mistake or acts in a malicious fashion.

And yet, personal injury lawyers have such a bad, or at least complicated, reputation in our culture. I find that very puzzling. If we didn’t live in this world, if we lived in a world without personal injury lawyers, it’s true that some big corporations and some businesses would have more money in their pockets, but the most telling difference would be the number of people who are struggling to get by at all, dealing with serious injuries without having any way to pay for them, trying to find a way to earn a living without having the ability to work anymore, all while those responsible never had to pay a cent.

It’s easy, when comparing these two worlds, to see just how important it is we have personal injury lawyers with us. In truth, we should romanticize them in the way we sometimes romanticize court room lawyers, judges, police officers, and firefighters. Like all of those individuals, they are protecting us, holding people accountable, and looking for some kind of justice.

If we sometimes imagine other members of the emergency services and justice system are like superheroes, we really should start to include personal injury lawyers in that list. After all, it’s clear we’d all be much worse off in a world without them. It’s also clear that anytime you talk to someone who has had their financial world and their future saved by a personal injury lawyer, that that is exactly how they see their lawyer already.

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Types of Visitors in a Premise Liability Claim

Property owners have the responsibility to ensure that your premises are safe for your tenants. This is also the assumption that they will have once they occupy one of your units. But at the same time, visitors also have a reciprocal duty of care towards the property owner. When this responsibility is breached, the tenant or visitor can file a premise liability claim.

According to the website of Karlin, Fleisher & Falkenberg, LLC, it is the duty of property owners to ensure the proper upkeep and maintenance of their surroundings. However, the liability of the property owner depends on the legal status of the visitor. Generally, there are three types of visitors in a property:

An invitee enters the premises for business purposes at the owner’s request. Examples of an invitee include customers, contractors, sales people, repair men, and others.

This is a person who was invited at the premises by the property owner through invitation. For example, there is a party at the property. A licensee can make the property owner liable if they are able to prove three elements:

  1. The owner was aware of any condition or would discover the condition and realizes or should realize that it has an unreasonable risk of harm to the licensee
  2. There is an expectation that the licensee will not discover or realize the danger or will fail to protect themselves from it
  3. The owner failed to show reasonable care to protect the licensee from potential risks

A trespasser is neither an invitee nor a licensee so the property owner does not have any duty of care to them. If they get injured while inside the premises, they cannot file a claim. However, the owner cannot deliberately make the surrounding risky for trespassers. If he does so, the trespasser can make him civilly and criminally liable.

While they are just visitors to the premises, they have the legal duty to mitigate any injuries. They should take reasonable precautions to prevent injury. If the visitor gets injured, they should properly treat the injury or else they could not make the property owner liable.

Likewise, in most states, comparative fault is adopted. Thus, if the visitor was partially or fully responsible for their injuries, they cannot recover damages.

Learn More


solar collector orientation and tilt

Diagram showing the sun's path in the sky.

The east to west paths of the sun on June 21 and December 21. On June 21, the sun is more directly overhead than on December 21, when the path of the sun tends more toward the south.

Collector orientation

Solar electric and hot water collectors should be oriented geographically to maximize the amount of daily and seasonal solar energy that they receive. In general, the optimum orientation for a solar collector in the northern hemisphere is true south. However, recent studies have shown that, depending on your location and collector tilt, your collector can face up to 90° east or west of true south without significantly decreasing its performance.

Collector tilt

Illustration showing solar collector orientation. A house with a solar panel on the south side of the roof has the solar panel placed at an angle that is equal to the latitude

Today, most domestic and small commercial solar electric and solar water heating collectors are mounted flat on the roof. This is more aesthetically pleasing than rack-mounted collectors, which stick up from the roof at odd angles. Thus, most collectors have the same tilt as the roof.

Although the optimal tilt angle for the collector is an angle equal to your latitude, fixing your collector flat on an angled roof will not result in a big decrease in system performance. You will, however, want to take roof angle into account when sizing your system.


Packaged Foods Exposed II (Nestle)

packagedindexThe second of an ongoing series that will take a look behind the world’s largest packaged food and beverage producers. In the first episode, we took a look at global giant PepsiCo.

In this second episode of the Packaged Foods Exposed series, we take a look at the largest food manufacturer in the world – Nestlé. What products fall under their banner; how has their influence shaped economic policy, society and culture; how have they affected the environments they operate in; and what relationships do they foster within the countries they are located?

Musical Selection (name/title/album/label)


Jesus’s disciples were blessed by choosing the right.

Primary Talks

When Jesus was on the earth, he taught the gospel. The people who believed and followed him were called disciples. The disciples of Jesus Christ followed Jesus and tried to be like him. They chose the right and were blessed.

Jesus’ disciples were baptized. They could be cleansed of their sins and return to live with Heavenly Father.

Jesus’ disciples were fed. The people who followed Jesus Christ were filled spiritually by listening to his words. They were fed physically when Jesus performed the miracle of the loaves and fishes, when Jesus turned water to wine, and when they caught fish.

Jesus’ disciples were filled with hope. Because they knew that Jesus Christ was their Savior and tried to be like him, Jesus disciples were filled with hope for the future. The Apostle Paul said he was “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began/” (Titus 1:2) Jesus disciples hoped for eternal life.

Jesus’ disciples were filled with love because they chose to be obedient. Jesus taught his disciples: “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. (John 15:9-11)

We are blessed when we follow Jesus Christ. I will be a disciple of Jesus Christ by choosing the right.

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How You Can Get Over Social Anxiety

How To Over Social Anxiety

social anxiety

It may seem strange but there are many people afflicted with social anxiety. They can get very anxious and upset when they are put into any type of social situation. This is unfortunate because there are very few people in almost any job or occupation where interactions with other people is not a basic requirement of living life! Whether that interaction is a business meeting or a casual lunch or dinner, the feelings of social anxiety can quickly reveal themselves.

Let’s see what Joeden Dunne has to say about social anxiety in a recent article:One of the most prevalent psychological disorders today is SAD and it is estimated that there are up to 12% of people suffering with some degree of social anxiety disorder symptoms today.Social anxiety occurs when someone suffers from dread, uneasiness or fear about a social interaction which can be a cause of a major obstacle in their life.

It is quite different from shyness, which is more of a personality trait, where someone may prefer to not expose themselves to social situations. Social anxiety is a problem when the sufferer is unable to involve themselves in normal situations without significant emotional stress.Social anxiety disorder symptoms are things that sufferers describe when they are describing their social anxiety. They can be broadly divided into anxious thoughts, anxious behaviours, and anxious feelings.

Anxious thoughts can include over thinking certain situations. For example, someone can think that everyone is staring at them, or everyone is laughing at them, or that they are making a fool of themselves, whereas from an outside perspective, everything is normal. So someone suffering from social anxiety could be unwilling to go into a crowded meeting because they feel that everyone would be staring at them, as opposed to the main speaker, which of course is completely illogical.Anxious behaviours can include avoidance – for example, simply avoiding social situations, or being excessively late, or making excuses to leave.

They can also involve using mobile phones to avoid talking to others or making them uncomfortable. Their behaviour is centred on avoiding or escaping a situation that has made them uncomfortable and promoted anxiety. These responses and behaviours are essentially learned responses that enable reduction of anxiety. A sufferer from social anxiety may also excessively groom themselves or spend too long preparing for social situations – again a method to help them reduce their anxiety.Sufferers also describe anxious sensations in their body when they are thinking or experiencing social situations. They may find that they get sweaty and clammy.

They may feel their heart beating quickly or thumping. Their breathing may increase, and they may feel light headed and faint. They may suffer from a dry mouth and stammer or stutter.All these social anxiety disorder symptoms have been experienced by everyone to some degree at one point in their lives. In certain situations it is totally normal there are not many people who would not exhibit some of symptoms if they were to stand up and speak to one thousand people for example.

However, when these symptoms are triggered in everyday life, then it can be a significant problem.People who are unfortunate enough to suffer from social anxiety to a significant degree can find that their lives can be held back in terms of love and relationships, at work, with friends, at play, and even with their families. When these symptoms start to be triggered by everyday things such as meeting a stranger, starting a conversation, entering a new place or even holding eye contact with someone, then it can be a major problem.

panic puzzleFortunately, there are techniques available to help sufferers break free from this and live an anxiety free life.If your suffering from Social Anxiety Disorder Symptoms then this product http://panicpuzzleprogram.com/ will end your troubles in minutes.Reclaim your life back from this hideous disorder Now!!Yes it is true, there are people actually afflicted with this disorder, and it is likely much more common than you may think it is.  But the good news is that help can be provided, and that help does not necessarily mean doctor visits or prescriptions. Much of the problem can be resolved by adjusting your thinking and keeping your mind trained to focus on different things when you are faced with any type of social situation. Make no mistake, social anxiety is real for many people but it can be controlled.

Hypnosis for Anxiety in Worthing

Hypnosis for Anxiety in WorthingThere are many ways to treat excessive anxiety and bring it under control but as a hypnotist working in Worthing,I would suggest you try hypnosis first as hypnosis could bring it under control in as little as two sessions which is a lot quicker and more efficient than many other ways that can be effective but can take time and effort. I would recommend hypnosis for anxiety in Worthing.

Our feelings are useful, they have been refined over millions of years of evolution, but our feelings are supposed to guide us,anxiety is meant as a warning and not to control us completely. We need to be able to make decisions and take risks, we need to be able to contemplate our options and behave in a way fitting to the situation, to our needs and desires. We do not want to be slaves to the way we feel as this can prevent us from growing as individuals.

Feelings come about as a result of subconscious patterns. We learn that some things are good for us and some things are bad for us, and a strong, unpleasant emotion such as anxiety or fear is the quickest, most efficient way to condition ourselves to stay away from what we perceive as bad.We cannot feel those feelings of anxiety without the accompanying thoughts of the worst things that can happen. Those thoughts are stored in our subconscious and unravel at times when hazards are perceived and so anxiety grows which can often stop us taking risks and therefore prevent us growing as human beings or forcing us to retreat from our full potential.

Hypnosis speaks directly to the subconscious mind and changes those patterns so that you end up feeling a different way.If you are looking for hypnosis for anxiety in Worthing or anywhere else in the world, I would recommend that you go to a hypnotist or hypnotherapist who tests for hypnosis before going ahead with treatment. This way they know what the best methods to help you with are and you know that seeing them is a worthwhile investment.

Simple Tips And Advice For Conquering Depression Naturally

Depression 2No person wants to feel depressed. Just because you may want it doesn’t necessarily mean you will have it and it surely won’t be given to you easily. As with many things in life, it will require dedication and effort!However, if you work hard at it, you can have success; some individuals couple their own efforts with the assistance of a medical professional as well. The following tips will give you some great ideas as to how to begin treating your depression.

If you are depressed, you should steer clear of drinking alcohol. Alcohol is a known depressant and it is proven to increase depression in certain people who already suffer from the illness of depression. If you believe you have a dependency on alcohol, seek treatment, remove all alcohol from your house,and attend a meetings.One little step at a time is all that is required.

When you’re depressed, it can be really tough to try and accomplish everything all at once. By taking things one step at a time, you are ensuring that you never bite off more than you can chew.A failure to take things slowly may result in becoming overwhelmed, which may result in your depression worsening.

Depression can often lead to feelings of isolation and a tendency to withdraw. An important part of curing depression naturally is to try to do the exact opposite instead. It is an important thing to have people around you that are positive and to be active while doing what you like to do when trying to recover.Hopefully the advice in this article can help you relieve a few of the symptoms of depression you may be experiencing. This advice may take considerable time to work. You need to be patient and understand that it takes time.Consider talking to people close to you for help and support.

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Empathy: the most powerful of Analytics tools

Alexander Jing | Analytics Manager, Product Analytics in Bellevue

My journey with Expedia Group started 4 years ago, when I was hired for a contractor role. Initially, it was just a short-term gig. Yet the more I learn about Expedians and the work we do here, the more I am fascinated by Expedia Group.

Seattle skyline

What motivates me to come to office everyday – perhaps misnomer since I sometimes work from home– is the opportunity and the mission that lies ahead. Firstly, the opportunity is huge. Expedia Group is in a market with tremendous potential; as big as it is today, it still only has a very small market share in the global travel market. What intrigues me even more is the mission. As a travel company, Expedia Group brings all people and places in the world within reach. Travel breaks down barriers, helps people understand each other, and broadens one’s horizon. This understanding is more important than ever in today’s world.

How do I connect the big picture to my everyday job? As inspiring as travel can be, there is still friction to solve for. When we put a traveler’s journey under a microscope, we see many elements that could be smoother. A customer trying to fit a flight to her budget and schedule. A customer needing to book a hotel in a foreign country when they don’t speak the language. A customer traveling to a destination for the first time, unsure of where to look for things to do. These and many more are the customer pain points Expedia is trying to solve, and we at Expedia Group solve them through…analytics!

Seattle sunset

I am analytic manager in the product analytics team. Our mission is to resolve customer pain points, which we do by leveraging the tremendous amount of data we collect every day. I like to imagine myself as a detective: I collect and visualize data points in a meaningful way, and I analyze them, trying to recreate the travel experience behind numbers, and pinpoint anything that may lead to a better experience. Since we don’t see our customers, we rely on modern technology to make sure we capture customer behavior as truthfully as possible. When I look at a number, I see the customer behind it. And it is my job to make sure I understand that customer and I do everything I can to improve their experience with us.

Dressing up for Halloween with the team

So how do I do that? Aside from all the “required skillset” you might see on a random job posting – query, visualization, modeling, scripting – I like to emphasize empathy. Behind every number there is a customer, or a customer’s interaction with our website. Behind every interaction there is a need or a purpose. A flight confirmation number might be somebody’s first trip to a foreign country. An error code on the confirmation page could be the difference between catching the flight or missing it. An increase in bounce rate might indicates customers are not finding the information they need. A low open rate for an e-mail campaign could mean we are not sending useful information to customers.

We are best at our job when we put ourselves in customers’ shoes, and we analytic folks are best at our job when we see the human interaction behind the numbers. This is the critical skillset one need to be successful as an analyst. Most other skills can be learned rather quickly, but empathy requires a completely different mindset! And if you have what it takes to be a customer champion? Expedia welcomes you!

Expedia Group is important to me not just professionally, but also personally. My daughter was born 2.5 years ago. Life with a young kid is hectic and unpredictable and requires tremendous energy. Life with a young kid and a full-time job? Oh my, you have no idea! Fortunately for me, I have colleagues that are supportive and understanding. Flexibility of working hours and location is common in Expedia Group, and one does not need to hesitate to take a day or two off for familial obligation. I’ve been able to watch my kid grow, read books to her, teach her to talk, whilst maintaining productivity in my role.

Expedia Group is truly a special place to be! Every day I am learning, meeting smart and devoted people, solving puzzles, and bringing the world closer! If you are like me, and enjoy fast-paced, customer-centric, and mission-driven work, I’m sure Expedia Group will not disappoint!


David Day, an artist from North Queensland, has transformed thousands of discarded flip-flops into a life-size tidal wave. The sculpture, which Day describes as a testament to the importance of ocean conservation, took six months to create. “I’ve caught many a wave in my day, and I’ve been smashed into the sand plenty of times too,” Day, who has been incorporating marine debris into his work for the past four years, told ABC Australia. “Ultimately, I would just like people to think about our marine creatures and the ocean, and try and make a cleaner environment for everyone to enjoy so it can keep living long after we’re gone.”

David Day, Australia, eco-art, eco-friendly art, sustainable art, eco-fashion, sustainable fashion, green fashion, ethical fashion, sustainable style, recycled art, upcycled art, recycled flip-flops, upcycled flip-flops, ocean conservation, ocean pollution

Gathered from a beach near Day’s home in Shoal Point, some of the flip-flops offer tantalizing glimpses of their pasts.

“You can see the teeth marks on this one,” he said, gesturing toward one of the 1,400 pieces he used. “Looking at the marks, you can tell it would have been a fairly big shark.”

RELATED | Are Flip-Flops Bad for Your Feet?

Others have foreign writing or designs. One particularly memorable flip-flop, swaddled with fishing line, revealed its former owner’s attempt at repair.

“You wonder where it came from because people here probably wouldn’t go to that much effort to repair their thongs,” he said.

+ ABC Australia


Everything in this blog post was written at the suggestion of this beautiful feline.

A new human owner will quickly find that humans have many odd habits. For example, soon after you get your human, it will probably select a random assortment of verbal sounds to use as your name. Your human will probably also make up several alternative names, otherwise known as nicknames, for you. It is up to you to decide whether or not you will respond when your human calls you, but it is generally advised that you only do so on rare occasions. You don’t want your human to think that it can control you. However, when you feel like answering, (for example, if your human is offering you food, or if you want attention) it is perfectly acceptable to come when your name is called.

Humans also have bizarre sleeping habits. Rather than logically napping periodically throughout the day, they have a tendency to sleep for several consecutive hours in the middle of the night. This has a tendency to make them wake up later than they ought; sometimes, your human might sleep as late as breakfast o’clock in the morning. When this happens, you will have to wake it up. Sometimes, it will arise if you gently paw its shoulder and speak softly in its ear. At other times, more drastic measures are needed. Jumping forcefully on its chest is often an effective method, especially if you accompany this tactic with a resounding wake-up call in your best Siamese voice.

RomanaMany humans have a special type of cat bed they call a “laptop”. This laptop consists of a horizontal keyboard and an attached upright screen which sometimes has bright, moving images on it. Frequently, your human will sit down with this cat bed on its lap or on top of a piece of furniture in front of it. It will then stare blankly at the screen. This means that your poor human is bored and lonely and would like you to come keep it company. Out of consideration for your human, you should lie down on the keyboard so that it may admire your great beauty and cuteness. As you lie on the keyboard, your laptop bed may make annoying dinging noises. Ignore this; it doesn’t mean anything, and you wouldn’t want to make your human lonely by leaving.

At times, your human may hold a book or several pieces of paper in their hand instead of holding your laptop in its lap. Books and papers are other types of cat beds. Your human may not know how to hold them properly; you may have to push the book or papers into a horizontal position before lying down on top of them. Hopefully, your human will appreciate your help in correcting this pathetic error.

Your human may occasionally tell you that you should not scratch a certain object, that you should not go through a certain door, that you should not jump onto a certain countertop, or that you should not eat a certain thing that you found. You are under no obligations to obey your human’s rules; it needs to be reminded who is the owner and who is the human.

Bo Thanksgiving 2010Humans are generally capable of feeding themselves. As an owner, it is your responsibility to offer to sample all of your human’s food. If your human declines your offer, repeat it more loudly. It is not recommended to take no for an answer. This is not only for your human’s well-being, but also because your human’s food probably tastes better than yours. If you should find that this is not the case, you are not compelled to eat the morsel that you have obtained, and you should politely request that your human replace it with some other type of food that you prefer.

As a responsible human owner, it is your duty to protect your human from dangers such as evil insects, vacuum cleaners, and running water. When your human is in danger, warn it, and then take the situation into your own paws by killing, destroying, or meowing at something. The exceptions to this rule are if you are scared or lazy, in which case you are not compelled to take any action.

Often, your human will run away from home and leave you alone for hours on end. You will generally be able to predict when this will happen based upon certain warning signs. For example, you may notice your human putting shoes upon its feet or handling car keys. When these things happen, you should tell your human to stay where it belongs, but people are disobedient creatures and are likely to ignore your instructions. Upon your human’s return, tell it how worried you were and admonish it never to do such a thing again. And then tell it how much you love it and curl up in its lap for the rest of the day, because your human is awesome and you’re glad to own such a wonderful creature.