The ocean is a large water body, relatively larger than inland water bodies such as rivers and lakes. The oceanic water covers more than 71% of the Earth’s surface. Moreover, the oceans are the habitats of most living organisms in the world, even though they are less explored. To this date, the salty depths remain a mystery.

Here are the world's deepest oceans.

1. Pacific Ocean

The Pacific is a popular ocean due to its unusual size. The ocean is the largest in the universe as well as the deepest in the world, according to World’s Top Most. The ocean separates Australia and Asia with North and South America. The Pacific has the deepest part of the world, the Mariana Trench which is 36,070 deep. The New Guinea is located in the southern part of the Pacific and is the largest island in the ocean.

The oceans are the habitats of most living organisms in the world. [Image Credit: Family Travel Fun/YouTube]

The water in the Pacific Ocean can cover the top of Mount Everest.

Depth: 13,740 feet

2. Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic is one of the deepest oceans the world has, according to Visi How. The deepest part of the ocean is the Milwaukee Deep near the Puerto Rico Trench which is located 28,374 feet below the surface. The subduction zone is responsible for a couple of natural disasters, for instance, the 1953 earthquake and a subsequent tsunami. The ocean separates Europe and Africa from North And South America. The Greeks called the ocean the Sea of Atlas, and that’s where it got its name from.

Depth: 12,254 feet

3. Indian Ocean

According to Netwaves Systems, the Indian Ocean is one of the deepest oceans on earth. Furthermore, it’s considered the warmest among oceans and its composed of the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. The ocean has a couple of islands including, Sri Lanka, Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka. Its deepest point is the Sunda Trench, also called the Java Trench, which is 24,460 feet deep. Tourist love to tour the ocean because of its clear waters and beauty.

Depth: 12,740 feet

4. Southern Ocean

Created by the International Hydrographic Organization, according to Visi How, the Southern Ocean is the world’s newest named ocean. The ocean surrounds the Antartica and is located at the South Pole. It is the fourth deepest ocean, and its lowest point is the 23,737 deep South Sandwich Trench.

Depth: 12,100 feet

5. Arctic Ocean

The Arctic Ocean is located in the North pole, according to Netwaves Systems. It’s the shallowest and smallest of all the world’s oceans, and it has a lot of fresh water due to melting ice. In fact, it’s usually covered by ice all the time.

Its deepest area is the Eurasia Basin which has a depth of 17,881 feet.

Depth: 3,407 feet

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dc.contributor.authorOrdouei, Mohammad Hossein 13:54:47 (GMT) 13:54:47 (GMT)
dc.description.abstractNowadays, computers are extensively used in engineering modeling and simulation fields in many different ways, one of which is in chemical engineering. Simulation and modeling of a chemical process plant and the sizing of the equipment with the assistance of computers, is of special interests to process engineers and investors. This is due to the ability of high speed computers, which make millions of mathematical calculations in less than a second associated with the new powerful software that make the engineering calculations more reliable and precise by making very fast iterations in thermodynamics, heat and mass transfer calculations. This combination of new technological hardware and developed software enables process engineers to deal with simulation, design, optimization, control, analysis etc. of complex plants, e.g. refinery and petrochemical plants, reliably and satisfactorily. The main chemical process simulators used for static and dynamic simulations are ASPEN PLUS, ASPEN HYSYS, PRO II, and CHEMCAD. The basic design concepts of all simulators are the same and one can fairly use all simulators if one is expert in any of them. Hydrogenation process is an example of the complex plants, to which a special attention is made by process designers and manufacturers. This process is used for upgrading of hydrocarbon feeds containing sulfur, nitrogen and/or other unsaturated hydrocarbon compounds. In oil and gas refineries, the product of steam cracking cuts, which is valuable, may be contaminated by these unwanted components and thus there is a need to remove those pollutants in downstream of the process. Hydrogenation is also used to increase the octane number of gasoline and gas oil. Sulfur, nitrogen and oxygen compounds and other unsaturated hydrocarbons are undesired components causing environmental issues, production of by-products, poisoning the catalysts and corrosion of the equipment. The unsaturated C=C double bonds in dioleffinic and alkenyl aromatics compounds, on the other hand, cause unwanted polymerization reactions due to having the functionality equal to or greater than 2. Hydrogenation process of the undesired components will remove those impurities and/or increase the octane number of aforementioned hydrocarbons. This process is sometimes referred to as “hydrotreating”; however, “upgrader” is a general word and is, of course, of more interest. In this thesis, a hydrogenation process plant was designed on the basis of the chemistry of hydrocarbons, hydrogenation reaction mechanism, detailed study of thermodynamics and kinetics and then a steady-state simulation and design of the process is carried out by ASPEN HYSYS 2006 followed by design evaluation and some modifications and conclusions. Hydrogenation reaction has a complicated mechanism. It has been subjected to hot and controversial debates over decades. Many kinetic data are available, which contradict one another. Among them, some of the experimental researches utilize good assumptions in order to simplify the mechanism so that a “Kinetic Reaction” modeling can be employed. This thesis takes the benefit of such research works and applies some conditions to approve the validity of those assumptions. On the basis of this detailed study of reaction modeling and kinetic data, a hydrogenation plant was designed to produce and purify over 98 million kilograms of different products; e.g. Benzene, Toluene, Iso-octane etc. with fairly high purity.en
dc.publisherUniversity of Waterlooen
dc.subjectAspen HYSYS 2006en
dc.subjectComputer-aided modeling and simulationen
dc.subjectProcess designen
dc.subjectBasic designen
dc.subjectConceptual designen
dc.titleComputer Aided Simulation and Process Design of a Hydrogenation Plant Using Aspen HYSYS 2006en
dc.typeMaster Thesisen
dc.subject.programChemical Engineeringen Engineeringen
uws-etd.degreeMaster of Applied Scienceen

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Mount Hua
By: Anna.Gan on 3/15/2013 2:25:54 AM Category: Uncategorized
Tags: ,China Tours, Mount Hua, culture,

 Mount Hua, known as Xiyue, is a mountain located near the city of Huayin in Shanxi province. It is one of China's Five Great Moungtains,and has a long history of religious significance. It is well known for steep trails, breath-taking cliffs, narrow passages, and grand sceneries.

There are five peaks: the South peak, also called the Goose-Landing Peak, is the highest at 2,160 meters; the East peak is also called the Sunrise Peak; the West peak the Lotus Peak; the North peak - the Cloud Terrace Peak; and the Middle peak - the Jade Maid Peak.

 The trails through Mount Hua are particularly challenging. There are more than 210 narow pathways planked over or chiseled in cliffs. The most famous one is the Sky Ladder, the Gray Dragon Peak, the Thousand Stairs, the Clouds Ladder. The most adventurous scenic spots are the Sparrow Hawk Flipping, and the Long Sky Pathway, which are at the top of cliffs.

Historically, the Mount Hua has been close to the early centers of Chinese civilization. Legendary kings of China such as Huang Di, Yao, and Shun all paid visits to Mount Hua. Dozens of emperors of the Qin, Han, Tang dynasties used to hold sacred rituals here. For thousands of years, Buddhist and Taoist monks and pilgrims have traveled here, established monasteries, and practised alchemy in the Mount Hua. Today there are more than 20 Taoist monasteries. The most famous is the Jade Spring Temple and the East Tao Temple.

When you have China Tours, paying visit to the Mount Hua is truly unique and worthwhile especially if you are capable physically and adventurous spiritually. From the supreme summit of Mount Hua, you can see the Yellow River. The spectacular sunset and sunrise, nature's grandest scenery, and the challenge will make your journey to Mount Hua a truly remarkable event.

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Use the included vibration sensor, stack, and 30 days of free Interstacks MyStacks cloud platform, to view the vibration sensor data anywhere, anytime, from any web browser on a laptop, phone, or tablet. The stack includes the following blocks: Superbase, I/O Expander, and Wifi. Attach the sensor to a pump, motor, or machine.


Chinese newyears

Why is Mandarin Chinese a difficult language to learn?

Sixteen of the world population speaks Chinese. Therefore it is the most widely spoken language in the world. Around a billion people speak Mandarin throughout the globe! However, according to China’s Education Ministry, over 400 million Chinese natives cannot speak Mandarin. These 400 million will generally speak a different dialect of Chinese like Cantonese or Min Nan. This variety of language has even caused the Chinese government to force businesses to use Mandarin instead of other dialects. The challenge is that Mandarin Chinese is a difficult language to learn.

What makes Mandarin so tricky to learn?

Chinese boy with balloon

If so many people speak it, how could it be all that difficult?

While there is no definitive or scientific answer to why it is so difficult to learn, I think it is fair to say that its tonal differences are what makes the language so difficult, as Mandarin is a tone language. If you are a native English speaker, tone languages are a bit confusing, as our words do not change with the tone of voice. Our attitude and feeling behind our words can vary, but the definition is generally the same.

For example, when I say the word “bye” with a high-pitch and cheery sound or “bye” with a short and low-pitch sound. Both are used as a way to depart with a group or individual (even if it has a different attitude behind it). This is not the case for Mandarin Chinese.

Four different tones in Mandarin Chinese

In Mandarin Chinese, there are four different tones used: high level (first tone), rising (second tone), falling-rising (third tone), and falling (fourth tone). For an example of the four tones used, check out this Youtube. The four different words here are all different tones of the homophone “ma.” In Pinyin they are written: “mā,” “má,” “mǎ,” and “mà,” which mean mother, hemp, horse, and scold respectively.

That is absolutely confusing! Mother and hemp are nowhere near the same words. All are pronounced so similarly, the only difference being the tone of voice used. In conclusion, something to remember, Mandarin Chinese is a difficult language to learn, but not impossible.

So, do you think you have what it takes to learn Mandarin? Try LingoHut’s online Mandarin classes!

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Miami-Dade County

Person shot at take-out restaurant in Northwest Miami-Dade

One day after nine people were shot in a drive-by at a basketball court at Arcola Park, another person was shot less than two miles away at Mazie’s Soul Food Take-Out, 7525 NW 22nd Ave. in Miami-Dade.

Police are questioning restaurant employees and customers who were there when the shooting occurred around 12:15 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.

The glass front door of the restaurant was blown out. The victim was airlifted to Ryder Trauma Center.

A spokesman for Miami-Dade Police had no further information on suspects or a motive for the shooting.

This report will be updated as more information becomes available.


Quantum computers put blockchain security at risk

Aleksey K. Fedorov is a quantum information-technology group leader at the Russian Quantum Center, Moscow, Russia.

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Evgeniy O. Kiktenko is a leading research fellow at the Russian Quantum Center, Moscow, Russia.

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Alexander I. Lvovsky is a quantum-optics group leader at the Russian Quantum Center, Moscow, Russia, and a professor in the Department of Physics, University of Oxford, UK.

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Quantum cryptography apparatus

Quantum cryptography equipment, which uses the principle of entanglement to encode data that only the sender and receiver can access.Credit: Volker Steger/SPL

By 2025, up to 10% of global gross domestic product is likely to be stored on blockchains1. A blockchain is a digital tool that uses cryptography techniques to protect information from unauthorized changes. It lies at the root of the Bitcoin cryptocurrency2. Blockchain-related products are used everywhere from finance and manufacturing to health care, in a market worth more than US$150 billion.

When information is money, data security, transparency and accountability are crucial. A blockchain is a secure digital record, or ledger. It is maintained collectively by users around the globe, rather than by one central administration. Decisions such as whether to add an entry (or block) to the ledger are based on consensus — so personal trust doesn’t come into it. Any party inside or outside the network can check the integrity of the ledger by making a simple calculation.

But within a decade, quantum computers will be able to break a blockchain’s cryptographic codes. Here we highlight how quantum technology makes blockchains vulnerable — and how it could render them more secure.

One-way codes

Blockchain security relies on ‘one-way’ mathematical functions. These are straightforward to run on a conventional computer and difficult to calculate in reverse. For example, multiplying two large prime numbers is easy, but finding the prime factors of a given product is hard — it can take a conventional computer many years to solve.

Such functions are used to generate digital signatures that blockchain users cite to authenticate themselves to others. These are easy to check and extremely difficult to forge. One-way functions are also used to validate the history of transactions in the blockchain ledger. The hash, a short sequence of bits, is derived from a combination of the existing ledger and the block that is to be added; this alters whenever the contents of the entry are changed. Again, it is relatively easy to find the hash of a block (to process information to add a record) but difficult to pick a block that would yield a specific hash value. That would require reversing the process to derive the information that generated the hash.

Bitcoin also requires that the hash meets a mathematical condition. Anyone who wishes to add a block to the ledger must keep their computer running a random search until that condition is reached. This process slows the addition of blocks, giving time for everything to be recorded and checked by everyone in the network. It also stops any individual from monopolizing network administration, because anyone with sufficient computational power can contribute blocks.

Yet, within ten years, quantum computers will be able to calculate the one-way functions, including blockchains, that are used to secure the Internet and financial transactions. Widely deployed one-way encryption will instantly become obsolete.

Information security has faced such mass extinctions before. For example, during the Second World War, German military messages were encoded and decrypted using Enigma machines, initially giving the Axis powers an advantage until the Allies cracked the Enigma code. And in 1997, the Data Encryption Standard, an algorithm for encrypting electronic data that was then state of the art, was broken in a public contest to prove its lack of security. That gave rise to a second competition to develop a new protocol, resulting in today’s Advanced Encryption Standard.

Quantum advantage

Quantum computers exploit physical effects, such as superpositions of states and entanglement, to perform computational tasks. They are currently much less powerful than conventional computers, but will soon be able to outperform them on certain tasks. One such example is breaking security protocols that are based on cryptographic algorithms, as mathematician Peter Shor pointed out in 19943. A blockchain is particularly at risk from this because one-way functions are its sole line of defence — a user’s only protection is their digital signature, whereas bank clients are protected by plastic cards, security questions, identity checks and human cashiers.

Bitcoin mine

Conventional computer equipment inside a Bitcoin mine near Sichuan, China.Credit: Paul Ratje/The Washington Post/Getty

Cracking of digital signatures is therefore the most imminent threat. A wrongdoer equipped with a quantum computer could use Shor’s algorithm to forge any digital signature, impersonate that user and appropriate their digital assets. Most specialists think that this feat would require a universal quantum computer (one capable of performing a wide variety of calculations), which is more than a decade away. Yet some researchers suggest that this could happen sooner, using emerging quantum computational devices that have more limited capabilities, such as those being developed by the computing firms D-Wave, Google and others4,5.

Quantum computers will find solutions quickly, potentially enabling the few users who have them to censor transactions and to monopolize the addition of blocks to the Bitcoin ledger (known as mining). These parties could sabotage transactions, prevent their own from being recorded or double-spend. An international team of researchers has highlighted the possible impacts of such attacks6, with a report earlier this year charting the threats and suggesting a possible workaround7.

If nothing is done to update the protocols, cryptocurrencies will crash once quantum computers become available.

Improving security

Fortunately, quantum technologies also offer opportunities to enhance the security and performance of blockchains.

Quantum-safe encryption. Quantum communications are inherently authenticated — no user can impersonate another. Such technologies use states of individual particles of light (photons) to encode bits and communicate them. Fundamental physics stipulates that quantum states cannot be copied or measured without being altered. Any eavesdropper will be immediately uncovered.

Quantum cryptography can be used to replace classical digital signatures and to encrypt all peer-to-peer communications in the blockchain network. Our group has demonstrated such a simple system8. However, the complexity and cost of quantum cryptography networks will limit their adoption. In particular, current protocols require that each node in the network be connected to every other through optical fibre channels, because there is no trust in any intermediary node and hence all communications must be direct. Protocols will be needed to maintain secure communications even when information flows through untrustworthy nodes; these systems have been developed but need to be made more accessible for consumers.

Photon losses in optical fibres are another challenge. These limit the range of modern quantum-key distribution systems to a few tens of kilometres. The solution is to develop a quantum repeater, which uses quantum teleportation and quantum optical memory to distribute entangled states between the communicating parties. Research is progressing, but is a long way from delivering a practical device.

In the interim, one-way functions should be tightened. Some alternative encryption functions have been proposed9 that should be equally difficult to reverse using conventional or quantum computers. Although not completely secure, these could be run on existing hardware and would buy time, but they, too, could be deciphered in the long term.

Quantum internet. Using quantum technology for communicating as well as for the computational processing of blockchain data would further enhance security and enable blockchains to become faster and more efficient. This step requires a ‘quantum internet’10 — connecting quantum computers across a quantum communications network. It would then become possible to run fully quantum blockchains. These would bypass some computationally intensive steps of the current verification and consensus processes, and thus be more efficient and more secure. The proposed Quantum Bitcoin currency could be realized, with its security assured by the no-cloning theorem of quantum mechanics. Such quantum ‘bank notes’, if they still prove necessary in future, could be made impossible to forge by containing quantum information records11.

The quantum internet is several decades away, so ‘blind quantum computation’ is an interim step. In this, a user with a conventional computer could run an algorithm on a remote quantum computer without sharing the input data or algorithm. This technology would enable public cloud-quantum-computing platforms, making blockchains cheaper and more accessible.

Next steps

The blockchain business needs to update its existing software to use one-way cryptographic functions that are equally hard to reverse using conventional or quantum computers9. Until these post-quantum solutions are established or standardized, platforms must be flexible and capable of changing cryptographic algorithms on the fly12.

The longer-term answer is to develop and scale up the quantum communication network and, subsequently, the quantum internet. This will take major investments from governments. However, countries will benefit from the greater security offered13. For example, Canada keeps its census data secret for 92 years, a term that only quantum cryptography can assure. Government agencies could use quantum-secured blockchain platforms to protect citizens’ personal financial and health data. Countries leading major research efforts in quantum technologies, such as China, the United States and members of the European Union, will be among the early adopters. They should invest immediately in research. Blockchains should be a case study for Europe’s Quantum Key Distribution Testbed programme, for example.

Much greater urgency needs to be given to these risks — their impact could be grave.

Nature 563, 465-467 (2018)

doi: 10.1038/d41586-018-07449-z

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    Marr, B. ‘How Blockchain Technology Could Change The World.’ (Forbes, 27 May 2016).

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    Nakamoto, S. Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System (Bitcoin, 2008).

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    Shor, P. W. in Proc. 35th Ann. Symp. Found. Comp. Sci. 124–134 (IEEE Comp. Soc. Press, 1994).

  4. 4.

    Peng, X. et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 220405 (2008).

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    Anschuetz, E. R., Olson, J. P., Aspuru-Guzik, A. & Cao, Y. Preprint at (2018).

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    Aggarwal, D., Brennen, G. K., Lee, T., Santha, M. & Tomamichel, M. Preprint at (2017).

  7. 7.

    Stewart, I. et al. R. Soc. Open Sci. 5, 180410 (2018).

  8. 8.

    Kiktenko, E. O. et al. Quantum Sci. Technol. 3, 035004 (2018).

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    Bernstein, D. J. & Lange, T. Nature 549, 188–194 (2017).

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    Kimble, H. J. Nature 453, 1023–1030 (2008).

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    Broadbent, A. & Schaffner, C. Des. Codes Cryptogr. 78, 351–382 (2016).

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    Gheorghiu, V., Gorbunov, S., Mosca, M. & Munson, B. Quantum-Proofing the Blockchain (Univ. Waterloo, 2017); available at

  13. 13.

    Chapron, G. Nature 545, 403–405 (2017).

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Technology has played an integral role in art-making since humans started making art. Whether it be the development of pottery and glazes, or the multiple different ways of painting and making paint, technology and our ability as a species to learn and grow has long informed the artist’s studio.

With the development of film and television, the way in which we can interface with the theater has greatly changed. No longer are we required to venture out to see a show, unless we want to. With the internet and home theaters being commonplace, our ways of digesting the theatrical arts have been enhanced. Often they're a literal extension of our bodies and hands, as we watch what was traditional television on our phones or laptop computers.

Synthesizing all of the ways we interact with the theatrical and visual arts into something tangible is worth noting. Presenting it in a way that bridges the traditional gallery or museum setting so it sets its own direction, or points to a possible future for art, is exciting.

"Brian Bress: Pictures Become You" at the Akron Art Museum is an exhibit of about a dozen framed high-definition monitors and players that display video. They blur the lines between painting, sculpture, collage, drawing, storytelling and theater in way that is vibrantly colorful, often humorous and quite simply intriguing to look at.

Taking a page from surrealists like René Magritte, Bress presents what is often a formal painterly or photographic image, then uses human-like characters to cut, shape and change what is on the screen. It’s a visually engaging approach that utilizes the enhancements in technology and the development of reasonably lightweight and reliable high definition monitors. The colors and the imagery being used inside a framed box that feels like something we might have at home enhances the surreal nature of the work and offers a doorway to a connection with the artist and what he is making.

"Mountain Man" opens with photographic image of a mountainscape, then a character dressed in a striped outfit with a striped box for a head proceeds to cut out a profile of man in a hat that looks like something out of the 1950s. Behind the character is a striped background of similar pattern. The character has a “puppet-like” quality, as do all of the characters featured in the works; this makes them feel familiar and adds to the absurdist feel as the “people” go about doing something to the composition itself. In the case of "Mountain Man," the landscape, the box-headed character and the cutout profile creates a visual narrative that, while familiar on one level, is also ineffable.

"Stillife" features a plainly clothed character with a circular Brancusi-esque face. The character is sitting in front of a gridded background, and the entire composition is theatrically lit so the colors go in a gradient from orange to blue or blue to orange. I did not sit through the entire 18-minute, 25-second video. However, for the several minutes I did see, I noticed that the character was moving ever so slightly, just like a person normally would who might be trying to sit as still as possible for a long period of time.

A still life is a common tool used to teach drawing or painting, and a traditional, formal way an artist can investigate form and color. This work investigates color and shape, and also creates a narrative and a tension in a way that only theater can by already having created an expectation for movement with his other works. It would be interesting if students came to draw the piece or photograph it for further study, and somehow integrated "Stillife" into something of their own, thus pushing traditional art-making boundaries even further.

"Chefs #4 (on green, violet and pink waves)" features three screens. Inside each screen is a character dressed as a chef, standing in front of a wavy lined white and green, white and violet or white and pink background depending on the screen. The chefs draw onto their particular screen with dry erase markers and then erase what they have drawn. Like the rest of the works featured in the show, the traditional portrait is pushed and changed by the chefs' performing this type of action.

While these pieces have a clear sense of humor, that does not mean they should not be taken seriously. Rather, the ideas of time, impermanence and the playing with formal elements we have long come to accept is quite important. We live in an age full of “stuff,” and Bress’ work plays with how we interact with our world and highlights the impermanence of the objects we often value.

Further, it shows how far technology and its now commonplace elements have come. It is the use of this everyday technology that sets Brian Bress and his work apart, starting us on a new conversation about how might make art in the future.

Contact Anderson Turner at haturner3@gmail.com.


How Are Lung Cancer And Mesothelioma Different?

by Terry Bryant

Although lung cancer and mesothelioma share a lot of the same characteristics, and are both deadly diseases that require extensive medical treatment, they are caused by different factors and progress in different ways. It can be difficult, if not impossible, to pinpoint the cause of a tumor, especially when it takes decades to detect them in the first place. But this isn’t the case with mesothelioma, which is always the result of asbestos exposure. This is a primary reason why attorneys regularly represent victims suffering from the disease, as the cause of the tumor can easily be connected to a negligent employer or material manufacturer.

In general, lung cancer and mesothelioma present with the same symptoms, which often include fatigue, chest pain, coughing and labored breathing. As these symptoms are nonspecific, it may be years before an accurate diagnosis is made, and the tumors will spread during this time. To produce a clear diagnosis, a doctor will need to take x-rays and perform a bronchoscopy, along with a biopsy.

Once a diagnosis is made, the patient’s long-term prognosis is unfortunately poor. No matter the cause behind the tumor, less than half of patients survive a year following diagnosis. Among patients whose tumors were caused by asbestos, only four percent survive for 10 years.

People who are facing a deadly tumor will need all the help they can get from loved ones, and from an attorney pursuing their interests. In many cases, the victim has been harmed by another party, and has a legal right to compensation as a result.


Top tips for a data reference interview

The reference interview - or consultation - is a well established technique used by librarians and information professionals. This helps establish the issues that a researcher wishes to cover. More fundamentally it also defines the kind of relationship a researcher will have with those offering advice. Now that the use and management of research data is so important to academics it has become an important potential element of the reference interview. This extract from The Data Librarian's Handbook shows how it can be used to bridge traditional librarianship and the expertise required by the data librarian.

Established researchers often know what datasets are available in their field of study, or at least the main sources and providers from which to seek them. They are immersed in the literature and knowledgeable about the activities of their peers, they know the institutes and principal investigators that are producing research relevant to their work. This is usually not the case with postgraduate students, even less so with undergraduate students, and nor is it the case with researchers exploring the boundaries of their disciplines or doing cross-disciplinary research.

Fortunately for data librarians, it is possible to become knowledgeable about sourcing datasets in a given field without being an expert in that field. How do data librarians match users to the data required?  Through a reference consultation or interview.

Since every research question is unique (unlike every classroom assignment), it is easy to feel daunted when confronted by a new one. These are some helpful hints to guide you through a difficult reference interview:

  1. Buy yourself time by asking more questions before trying to come up with a source; avoid making assumptions about the user’s requirements, prior knowledge or viewpoint.
  2. Find out if the user is basing their query on a published article; ask for the citation or a copy to help you with the context. If a student, ask who is their teacher or supervisor.
  3. Ask the user to explain acronyms and jargon they use in their language; you do not have to pretend to be an expert in their area of study to help them.
  4. Take notes and write down key phrases as the user speaks (if meeting in person or on the telephone).
  5. Even if you are unable to find the perfect source for your user, you can probably give them some useful starting points for their search, based on your knowledge of data sources, or that of your peers.
  6. Do not be afraid to take time to think, search and consult others; always take the user’s e-mail address for future contact or to follow up.
  7. If you remain stumped, resort to asking others: immediate colleagues, peers at other institutions, government statistical agencies, data providers and publishers. Once you have done your homework and ruled out obvious contenders you can also post to a library mailing list or the member list of IASSIST.
  8. If the query is about using a dataset rather than finding one, take time to read the documentation, try out the interface yourself or reproduce the problem before turning to others for help.
  9. If the user does not voluntarily let you know their query has been satisfied, follow up in a reasonable amount of time to see if you can offer further assistance.

Interest in data has been growing in recent years. Support for this peculiar class of digital information – its use, preservation and curation, and how to support researchers’ production and consumption of it in ever greater volumes to create new knowledge, is needed more than ever.  Many librarians and information professionals are finding their working life is pulling them toward data support or research data management but lack the skills required. The Data Librarian’s Handbook, written by two data librarians with over 30 years’ combined experience, unpicks the everyday role of the data librarian and offers practical guidance on how to collect, curate and crunch data for economic, social and scientific purposes.

(This post originally appeared in a somewhat different form at CILIP)


The ABC tells children: LGBTQ Mardi Gras is a family-friendly celebration that’s also ‘naughty’ and ‘an act of resistance’.

The ABC continues to paint the LGBTQ Mardi Gras as a family-friendly event. This year they recycled a program on the kid’s channel called Mardi Gras + Me. The show, featuring  Playschool host Zindzi Okenyo, follows a group of children as they prepare to march in the Sydney parade.

Activist Julie McCrossin makes an appearance, to tell the children what Mardi Gras is all about. According to McCrossin, “Mardi Gras is welcoming, naughty, and multicultural in every sense of the word.”

Benjamin Law, who said he sometimes finds himself wondering if he would hate-f–k all the MPs in parliament who opposed same-sex marriage, describes the events as “a party, but it’s also a protest and it’s an act of resistance.”

So, here’s just a small glimpse at what the taxpayer-funded ABC is trying to expose your children to:


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Flash Projects

With all Flash animation projects, remember to preview your animation often while you are working on the project. It is much easier to correct a mistake just after you have made it than later on. The final result of each project should be exported as a SWF. As we do not cover Flash scripting in Digital Media Tools, these projects do not require scripting knowledge, and are therefore focussed on Flash’s animation features.

Where these projects require importing one or more bitmapped images you should make sure that the bitmaps are of a suitable size and resolution (and colour mode, where appropriate) before you start working in Flash. Use Photoshop to prepare your images where necessary. Note that the way that Flash handles Trace Bitmap operations can be very demanding on your processor.

Animating a Bitmapped Image

Import a (small) bitmapped image in black and white into a new Flash document and copy it into 30 keyframes. (You will probably need to prepare your image first: use Photoshop to downsample it and convert it to greyscale.) Use Modify>Bitmap>Trace Bitmap with different settings in each frame to make an animation where the appearance of the image changes from frame to frame (experiment a bit first and make sure you understand how the settings work before you trace all the images). Now choose one part of the vectorized image and apply colour to it in every frame. If you think it will work well in your animation, vary the colour of this element from frame to frame too – otherwise just apply the same colour in every frame. When you are satisfied with the result, copy frames 2 to 29, paste them into the timeline after the original 30 frames, and reverse the copied frames. You should now have a perpetually looping animation that plays smoothly.

Motion Graphics from a Single Bitmap

Import a photograph and use Modify>Bitmap>Trace Bitmap with “coarse” settings that give a bold and simplified graphic result. Delete any parts of the resulting vector image that seem superfluous to a simple motion graphic. Now use tweening combined with any other of Flash’s tools you like to produce an attractive abstract animation derived from the original image. The length of the animation will depend upon how sophisticated you want to make it. You could, for example, copy elements of the vector image to different layers and animate them independently over many frames.

Bitmap Fills

Note: we don’t describe how to apply a bitmap fill in Chapter 6, but it is simple to do. Import a bitmap to the Library, and when you have a graphic object selected, use the pop-up menu on the right of the Color panel to select Bitmap. It’s worth experimenting with this before you start – results may not be quite as you expect. In particular, note that bitmap fills are tiled.

Scan part of some object with a distinctive texture or pattern (e.g. a piece of wood, a knitted sweater, some pebbles, or a piece of wrapping paper) and use the image as a bitmap fill to create objects in Flash made of that material. Experiment with appropriate and inappropriate objects (for example, wooden trees and wooden birds). Each time you make a successful textured object, convert it to a graphic symbol. Finally, create a composition made from your symbols (adjust individual instances so that there is sufficient variation) and add a suitable background. If you are an animator, consider animating your textured objects.

Motion Tweening with Sound

Using only motion tweening (no shape tweening or frame-at-a-time animation) create a multi-layer 60 frame animation in which various objects change in shape, colour, brightness and position during the course of the animation. This could either be a character animation or abstract motion graphics. Add one or more event sounds to emphasize certain parts of the animation.

Instances of a Graphic Symbol with Sound

Create a simple looped animation of a single object or character moving in a distinctive fashion – for example, a walk cycle or a dolphin leaping out of the sea, or if you are not an animator, a simple abstract animation or a mechanical action. Turn the whole animated sequence into a graphic symbol. Create a movie incorporating multiple instances of this symbol, transforming different instances of the symbol for scale, position, shape, etc. Import or create a suitable background for the movie and add a stream sound. Ideally the whole movie should loop gracefully.

Custom Easing and Motion Guides

Draw an object that can be made to move – for example, a ball, a vehicle, a boat, an aeroplane, etc. and convert it to a graphic symbol. Make several instances of your symbol on different layers and alter them so that each has distinctive characteristics, and so that you create a sense of perspective where appropriate. Animate each instance along a specific path by using motion tweening together with a separate motion guide for each layer. Apply custom easing to make the motion more naturalistic, and to vary the rate of movement of the objects with respect to one another. (Remember that the movements can start outside the frame.) Finally create a convincing background for your objects to move against. Some subjects for this type of animation would include a car or boat race, a bowling alley, or an aerobatic display – but there are many other possible options. (If you are an animator and feel ambitious, try a synchronized swimming display, with a watery background.)

Live Action with Animation

If you have the facilities, shoot a short video clip involving people or animals moving against a background (a movie shot on a digital stills camera or mobile phone would do), or use one available online under a Creative Commons licence. Import the video into Flash using the Embed video in SWF and play in timeline option, choosing Embedded video under the Symbol type pop-up menu. If necessary, edit or crop the movie as you import it. Now add animated features to the movie on new layers in such a way that the animation seems to interact with the live action. There are many possibilities, depending upon both your original movie material and your animation skills. Create the most interesting result that you can. Finally add an appropriate sound track to create a finished movie.


De Facto Relationships and Their Legal Standing

Family Law Firm in BrisbaneDe facto relationships are often considered as one of the most confusing aspects of family law. And this can become a problem for cases dealing with the matter. In this article, you will learn about such relationships and how they affect legal matters relating to family.

What is a de facto relationship?

In its simplest definition, a de facto relationship is a marital setup where a couple is not yet legally married but is living as if they are. When determining if a couple can already be considered as being in a de facto relationship, time is the biggest deciding factor. In most states, the status is granted when a couple is already living together for at least two years, though the rule can be waived if they already have a child.

However, the court might also look at other factors. Notably, it will determine if there is indeed an existing sexual relationship between you and your spouse. How your relationship is perceived by the public at large can also be considered.

Note that the status of a de facto relationship is not achieved through a formal ceremony. Rather, it is automatically given to a couple who has met the necessary requirements. However, not all countries recognise such an arrangement, which is something to consider when moving abroad.

Legal Questions

As couples living under such a setup are recognised by the law as husband and wife, they are accorded similar rights as those enjoyed by married couples. For instance, during the death of your spouse, you are entitled to receive compensation if he has died during employment. You will also be allowed to file a claim for financial assistance under the appropriate law.

If you and your spouse are separating, property distribution can become an issue as well. Hence, some couples seek help from family law firms in Brisbane and draw up financial agreements early in their union. Alternatively, if there are signs that the relationship might be falling apart, the couple can come to a separation agreement. These agreements must be signed and consented by both parties.

And as a piece of final advice, it would be best for an unmarried couple to consult a family law expert even if their relationship is going smoothly. This will help sort out any question that might come about their relationship later.


Hemignathus wilsoni | akiapolaau | ʻakiapōlāʻau

A rare treat to spot, the ʻakiapōlāʻau is the swiss-army knife of the Hawaiian forest. Sometimes referred to as Hawaiʻi’s version of the woodpecker, these 5-inch yellow and olive birds have a unusual bills that allows them to raise their upper bill and use the stout lower bill to peck into the wood of trees. They then use their long, curved upper bill to fish out any grubs. Look for them creeping up branches, and often flying in mixed flocks.


Kern County, Cal., Code § 19.28.130 (D) (current through March 13, 2019)
Brief Summary
Establishes standards for community gardens in the county's Neighborhood Commercial (C-1) District, including standards for produce stands for sales of produce grown on-site.
Legal Strategies
Requires something, sets standards.
Expressly allows something.
Food System Category: Grow, Get
State: California
Jurisdiction Type: County
Jurisdiction Name: Kern County
Does the law refer to priority populations in some way?
Does the law refer to or suggest a goal related to improving or protecting health?
Yes. Law states that the planning director shall consider "whether ... the community garden may continue to operate and may modify conditions or impose additional conditions deemed necessary to safeguard the public health, safety, and general welfare." § 19.28.130 D.9.
Does the law refer to or suggest a goal of fostering improved environmental conditions?
Yes. See reference to "erosion or sedimentation impacts." § 19.28.130 D.6.
Does the law refer to or suggest a goal related to promoting or supporting the community's economy?
Does the law include findings (including jurisdiction-specific findings), or are there findings in the larger section, title, article, or chapter which the law is part of?
Does the law have a stated intent or purpose, or is there an intent or purpose in the larger section, title, article, or chapter which the law is part of?
Yes. "The purpose of the Commercial Office (CO) district is to designate areas suitable for business and professional offices. The CO district may serve as a buffer between retail commercial and residential areas. The CO district may also be combined with the Cluster (CL) combining district to achieve innovative, creative office or commercial development. Uses in the CD district are limited to low-intensity commercial activities and generally higher-density residential developments. " § 19.28.010.
Does the law include definitions, or are there definitions in the section, title, article, or chapter which the law is part of?
Yes. § 19.04.
Does the law address implementation in some way?
Yes. The law provides that "[a] copy of the adopted rules [pertaining to the use of the property and rights of membership] shall be filed with the Kern County Planning and Community Development Department, together with name and contact information of an individual who oversees the program." Creation of the rules and general administration is left to the private organizational entities that operate each garden. § 19.28.130 D.6.
Are there enforcement provisions that identify specific penalties or consequences for non-compliance?
Yes. Closure of the community garden/removal of structures, materials, and produce. § 19.28.130 D. 9.
Does the law include an evaluation component, beyond reporting on activity?
Does the law require an extra or atypical financial or resource investment?
Code context and ordinance history
Section 19.28.130(D) "Special review procedures and development standards" is located in Title 19 - Zoning , Chapter 19.28, "Commercial Office (CO) District." History: Ord. G-4832 § 89, 1988; Ord. No. G-8226, § 39, 11-8-11.


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8 Simple Steps to Good Decision-Making for Teens

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Ivana Pejakovic B.Sc., MA
No one is born with awesome decision-making skills. It is a skill that needs to be learned and strengthened (but may not ever be perfected). This means the more often you make decisions the better you’ll get at it. It’s a difficult skill to perfect however, since the better you get at decision making the more challenging problems you’ll face.

Some people get nervous when it comes to making decisions because they’re afraid they’ll make wrong choices. This is the basics of decision-making. Whenever you have more than one option, there’s always a chance you’ll make a ‘better’ or a ‘worse’ decision. Although you can imagine where each decision will take you, you often won’t know how good your decision is until a period of time passes by.

While easier decisions (e.g., which shoes to wear with which top) don’t require a detailed planning process (or maybe it does?), decisions such as picking a university or college, moving out on your own, getting a job or just focusing on school, figuring out if your friends are true friends, or whether or not to report bullying or a crime you witnessed usually require more contemplation.

Keep in mind there is no right or wrong answer to many of the dilemma’s you’ll face. As a result, you’ll have to make a choice depending on what you know about yourself, your situation in life, your needs and wants, and what you think will work best for you. To help you with difficult decisions, here are 8 steps you can follow.

8 important steps…

1. What is the problem you are facing? What is the problem to be solved (e.g., to have a part-time job or to focus on school)? Write it down so you are clear on what you are trying to resolve. Write down why you should solve this issue (e.g., what are your priorities). This step gives you an idea of how important this decision is.

2. Gather information. Ask for advice. Write down what you need to learn. Interview people (e.g., other students who worked and didn’t work while in school). What do others who have already been through this say? Gather information from valid sources (e.g., speak to your school counsellor about how many hours per week does school require and how many hours per week does a part-time job require). What are the facts? What is holding you back (e.g., fear you can’t handle both, bad habits, fear of responsibility, etc.). This step gives you objective (non-biased) and subjective (biased) information.

3. What is important to you? List your values (e.g., honesty, good grades, money, independence, etc.). What conditions do you want your choice to reflect (e.g., your family’s opinion)?

4. Brainstorm and write down your possible options. Come up with ideas and choices you can choose form (e.g., work 5 or 10 or 20 hours per week, do not work, work in summer time only, etc.).

5. What are the consequences (good and bad) of each choice? Use steps 2 and 3 to determine the pros and cons of each possible choice listed in step 4. Write these down in a table so you have all the data right in front of you.

6. Decide on the best choice for you. This is much easier after you go through the above steps. Rate your options if you have to. Rank order based on your research. Take a few days to think about it if you need to and then come back to your dilemma.

7. Create a plan and carry it out. When you have made your choice, create a plan of specific steps you will take. Carry out your plan.

8. Measure the results. This can only be done once you made your decision, carried out your plan, and received feedback (e.g., your report card, regular pay). How would you rate your decision? What about the steps you took? Are you still meeting the things important to you. What lessons did you learn? This is an important step for strengthening your decision-making skills. If you find your decision didn’t work out well the first time around, use what you learned when you go back to the drawing board and re-evaluate your choice. If the first choice didn’t turn out right, it doesn’t mean game over. Retrace your steps and start from the best place possible.

Have more questions about the decisions in your life? Contact Toronto Life Coach, Ivana Pejakovic, and find out how you can strengthen your decision-making skills.


Cultural Glimpse

Enjoying diversity

Tag: Books

Author Nicholas Belardes and the Aboutness in Our Stories

In 2012, I went on a four-day writer’s retreat in Colorado, which was led by Random-House author and literary agent Cicily Janus. Cicily, a young mother of three children, brought many authors, editors, and publishers together through her retreats. She had a number of health complications and passed away last year, but those who formed friendships thanks to her visions and dreams have continued to inspire each other. One such person is Nicholas Belardes, whose career I’ve followed with admiration – especially when he posts Facebook pictures of the beautiful locations where he writes and takes walks.

NAMOU: When did you decide to become a writer?

BELARDES: There was a moment early in grade school where I was asked to write a story. It turned out to be one of the first moments I was confronted with the idea that actual, real people write stories, that someone has to imagine them, someone’s mind has to be filled with words, and somehow those words have to spill onto the page.

I remember writing about hairy outer space creatures. It was kindergarten. Mrs. Robinson was the teacher. She always wore her brown hair in a bun. We’d visit her house, play with her dogs and cats. Her son lived in a converted barn behind a pond and he’d tell me stories, offer me food, tell me he was eating octopus. I’d run back by the pond imagining he was a real adventurer (because every adventurer must have octopus in jars to snack on). That time in the early 1970s in San Jose, California sparked something in me that never went away.

Actually deciding on becoming a writer was a slow process, something that haunted me on and off for many years. It flared up during episodes in my life where I took on writing jobs: creative writer for the Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegas, scene blogger, managing editor/journalist for an ABC News affiliate. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I dedicated my entire being to writing fiction, essays and poetry. I’d just been sidetracked up until then.

NAMOU: Why do you write?

BELARDES: I really don’t think there’s anything I’m skilled at other than writing. I fail at everything else.

NAMOU: What have you written and what are you working on at the minute?

BELARDES: Novels, an essay collection, a book of oddities, books of poetry, a memoir, cheesy animated shows, news articles, and a small mountain of short stories and graphic narratives. Some of all that is published, including some short stories in journals. “St. Augustine the Starfighter” is in Carve Magazine. “Gaspar” is in Pithead Chapel. “A Different Kind of Boiling Point” is in the Acentos Review.

At the minute I’m revising a literary fantasy novel. Last week I finished ghostwriting a novel for an African client. I take on ghostwriting to pay the bills. My personal efforts are mostly with the literary fantasy, though I am slowly developing a Middle Grade novel, which is being overseen by a literary agent. It’s all very weird, because the life of a writer is frustrating, exhilarating, annoying, depressing, challenging and fun!

NAMOU:  What are your ambitions for your writing career?

BELARDES: For now it’s a simple vision of finishing the literary fantasy and finding a literary agent who cares about it seeing the light of day as much as I do, and writing more publishable short stories.

NAMOU: Do you write full-time or part-time?

BELARDES: Full-time.

NAMOU: Where do the your ideas come from?

BELARDES: An idea can come from anywhere, a friend’s story told over the phone, a news article, an experience, brainstorming interests, a political reaction, a social reaction. As a dual ethnic I try to find connections to both my Latin X side and my white side. Some stories blend the two. Some are one or the other. It also really depends on what I’m intending to write at the moment.

Even ghostwriting may include a pre-formed outline, or one I completely make up to expand from. Those ideas come from discussions with a client, from pure creativity, research, and from my experience of understanding story and character. Maybe we can think of the realm of ideas as cloud banks whispering around us. They can take any shape. A writer must find a way into them.

NAMOU: How do you think you’ve evolved creatively?

BELARDES: I’ve become more socially aware. Reinventing myself along those lines has been important. Caring about the plight of farm workers, or immigration reform, or socially and culturally oppressed areas like that of Bakersfield, California, where I spent much of my life. It helps me to understand that good writing doesn’t just involve language, or charged language, but what Ezra Pound once wrote as “language charged with meaning to the utmost possible degree.”

Anything else, when it comes to my own work, is a waste of time. I have to consistently create a body of work that reflects this socially aware version of myself. For instance, in the short stories I mentioned, “St. Augustine the Starfighter” tackles child cruelty, and how we can grow out of the cruelty we inflict on the world as children. “Gaspar” is about living within an oppressive system and taking on those same characteristics (and needing a way out). “A Different Kind of Boiling Point” is about a retired farm labor leader. She realizes her own imperfections and failures are part of a path of penance and revolution. If we don’t find this aboutness in our stories, then why write them?

NAMOU: What is the hardest thing about writing?

BELARDES: Accepting more defeats than victories. There is an article I read recently that every writer should aim for a hundred rejections a year. That’s really not bad advice!

NAMOU: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

BELARDES: Aspiring writers really need to figure out what I meant by “language charged with meaning to the utmost possible degree.” Once they do, they will be on to something in their own lives, and in their own words. Oh, and take walks. Lots of walks. And connect to powerful writers. Be inspired by them. Say hello to them once in a while.

To learn more about Nicholas Belardes’ work, visit his website: on

ISIS Cannot Destroy our Stories

The Feminine Art

Chaldeans are an ancient people who trace their roots to Prophet Abraham as he was from Ur, land of the Chaldees. These are my ancestors and, for thousands of years, they have contributed a great deal to the birth of civilization. They were builders then and they are still builders today, despite the hundreds of years of oppression and violence they keep enduring.

After the Islamic State attacked the Christian villages of Iraq, the birthplace of my parents and grandparents, Christian Iraqis in the United States were outraged.  They helplessly watched family, friends and relatives being forced out of their homes in the most inhumane way possible. Chaldeans, Assyrians, Yazidis and other minorities were kidnapped for ransom, or killed, and others were threatened to convert or die. Women and girls were captured, like slaves, and those who survived had nothing to their name but their identification cards. They left their homes and all their belongings and became refugees.

The leaders in our community immediately reached out to political figures in Washington to help the minorities during this dire situation. As ISIS destroyed historical sites and artifacts, artists took up their brush and rebuilt these monuments on canvas, more determined than ever to bring their history back to life. Myself, I picked up the pen and I wrote and wrote and wrote.

Aside from wanting to give our community a voice, I wanted to preserve our stories. I’ve always wanted to do that, but more today than ever. We have magnificent stories that are unheard and these stories are not necessarily about war, religion, or politics. They are about love, culture, courage, and triumph.

This weekend, my three novels are for the promotional price of $0.99 (eBook), so that they reach more readers, so that more people have the opportunity to learn about an ancient people that are not victims over their lives, but victors!

My Amazon page to order these books:

The Feminine Art

The Mismatched Braid

The Flavor of Cultures

27 Years Ago

Twenty seven years ago today my father passed away. He was a very pleasant man, full of life and laughter. I didn’t get to know him too well, as I was a young teenager when he died (I knew he loved “Sandford and Son” and “The Jeffersons” and will never forget the way in which he laughed wholeheartedly as he watched each episode). He’d spent the majority of his days in Iraq working hard to support his eleven children. Then we immigrated to the United States, where he fell ill shortly afterwards as our family experienced a big struggle.

But I do know this – I got my love for books from his side. I remember him often walking around with an Arabic/English dictionary in his hand. He was a translator for the train station in Iraq. I also got my passion for education and my independence from him and his sisters, one of whom left the village of Telkaif to go study at the University of Baghdad. This was in the 1950s! Another aunt, who was a single mother because her husband went missing in some war, studied to be a nurse and became the midwife of Fallujah.

Well, I did not get to spend enough time with my father on this earth. But I am often visited by his energy, which especially during adversaries gives me strength to push ahead.


Precision nutrition for exercise can be complex and that’s why exercise physiologists and sports nutritionists are of great value to sporting teams and athletes. Even though keen amateurs and weekend warriors don’t have to worry too much about the split second in a race or the inch of bicep in a bodybuilding competition like the pros do, we can still eat well for our activity by following the basics of sports nutrition. If you need help sorting it all out, consult a doctor or dietitian who has experience working with athletes.
Warm up with ten minutes of aerobic exercise. This can be with treadmill walking or jogging, stationary bicycle, cross-trainer or stepper machines. Extend this to 30 minutes depending on requirements for fat loss. In any case, we recommend at least 30 minutes of cardio exercise at moderate intensity three times each week for all weight trainers in order to promote aerobic fitness. It need not be done at the same time as the weights session.
Eat plenty of carbs. Although a high-protein diet is a must for bodybuilding, you should not eschew carbs altogether, as your body needs carbohydrates to build and process energy. Instead, make sure you are eating carbs wisely; a doughnut and a bowl of quinoa are not equals. When implementing carbs, aim for whole-grain, high-quality carbohydrates, including grains such as quinoa, brown rice, oats, and barley.[12]
Muscle growth is no mean feat. The process of muscular hypertrophy requires strenuous exercise and good eating habits. However, with the right mental fortitude and habits, with the right discipline and training, as well as these 6 tips, being a skinny hard gainer will be a thing of past. It is incredible what a good attitude and hard work, along with a few expert tips can achieve in any aspect of life, especially healthy living.
Simply knowing where you stand can help your efforts tremendously. In exchange for a few bucks and a little pain, you'll receive health benchmarks on things like cholesterol and triglycerides, blood pressure, fasting glucose, and perhaps bone density for older women. These are concrete, quantifiable areas where you can track progress and see your hard work translate into results.

You can reduce frequency. This would definitely be my first choice. If you’re using the 4 day upper/lower split, just switch to the 3 day version. The slightly lowered frequency/extra day of rest between each workout should GREATLY improve any recovery related issues you may have. If you’re already using the 3 day version and it still seems like it’s too much for you, see below.
In either phase, don’t exceed 1 gram per pound of body weight of protein (2.2 grams/kilogram). A little more probably won’t hurt a healthy person, but chances are, based on the science of protein requirements for athletes, it won’t help either. It will only cost you in expensive supplements or food. Any hint of kidney disease and you would need to be cautious about excessive protein intake. Consult your doctor for advice if this applies.
Keep things simple at dinner and aim for an even distribution of protein, starchy carbs and vegetables. Pick steak, chicken, pork, turkey or fish for your protein, or a soy-based product if you're vegetarian. Pasta, sweet potatoes, couscous, quinoa and buckwheat are all nutrient-dense, high-fiber carb sources. And as for vegetables, anything goes. Consider making double your evening meal to take for lunch the next day.

Perform three weight-training sessions per week, hitting your whole body each time. Base your routine on compound exercises such as squats, lunges and deadlifts. These burn the most calories, hit more muscles and give the best bang for your buck, claims Rachel Cosgrove, strength coach and co-founder of Results Fitness in California. If you're not sure of any exercise techniques, ask a trainer at your gym for assistance.

So when you get to that point in your leg workout where you're completely dead but have to finish an insane drop set, then you need to go to the gun scenario. Would you finish the set if there were a gun pressed against your temple? Hell yes you would, so do the damn set! As an advanced lifter, it's not supposed to be easy or "fun" and you might even puke. Just man up, find your happy place and do your damn set!
One of the reasons why I love this specific routine so much is that is it easy for beginners. It does not have you doing a thousand reps and burning you out! Instead, you might notice the reps being a little lower than what you are probably used to and that is because the goal is to gain muscle-not worrying about endurance much. Also, you train 4 days per week-that screams “DO-ABLE” to me! You have two designated days where you work your upper body and the same goes for lower body.
One scary-sounding study says your health depends on x, but another says it depends on not doing x. One writer says CrossFit kills people, but the people in those pictures all seem ripped and happy. But so does that woman in yoga class. And, let's be honest, so does the Shake Weight guy! So does that online writer guy shouting at you about intermittent fasting, high reps, low reps, high-carb, low-carb, no-carb, steady-state, or HIIT.
Note the flexibility here. If you're an experienced casual lifter starting an organized program, you may be able to kick off with 3 X 12 from the beginning. If you are new to weights and have some fitness issues, you should start with one set and progress slowly. Doing only 1 set of 9 exercises will not take too long, perhaps only 30 minutes with warmup included. Doing an extra 20 minutes or more of cardio before or after weights would be time well spent at this stage. Once you reach full stretch in the program, aerobic training may be better done before weights or at a separate session.

Should you do cardio when you want to lose weight and get lean? Well it depends on your individual situation and body type. You’re going to hear mixed reviews and opinions on whether or not you should do cardio for fat loss. Some trainers say cardio is a waste of time and that you should only focus on strength training workouts. While other trainers recommend doing cardio on a regular basis.
To achieve healthy fat loss, the best prescription is moderate calorie restriction combined with physical activity. Try to reduce your intake by no more than 30 percent of your total calories. Never go below 70 percent of maintenance intake. For example, if you've been maintaining weight on 2,000 calories, try to get at least 1,400 calories while dieting.
A well-rounded fitness program includes strength training to improve joint function, bone density, muscle, tendon and ligament strength, as well as aerobic exercise to improve your heart and lung fitness, flexibility and balance exercises. Australia’s physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines recommend that adults do muscle strengthening activities on at least two days each week.

This is very important and can be very beneficial for beginners. It allows you to track your progress, see what exercises you enjoy, which ones you are improving the most, and what areas you need the most work on. Your journal should include the date, time of workout, duration of workout, the exercises, sets, reps, rest between sets, meals for the day, and supplements you may be taking.