Archaeologists Discover Elite 6th Century AD Cavalryman With Unique Foot Prosthesis

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In Hemmaberg, Austria, archaeologists excavating a cemetery associated with an early Medieval church discovered the remains of a middle-aged man whose left foot had been amputated. In its place, a unique foot prosthesis was found. Through analysis of the burial and the bones, the researchers tried to figure out who this man was and whether his foot was amputated for medical reasons, accidentally, or as punishment for a crime.

Heavily occupied in the Late Roman to Early Medieval periods, Hemmaberg was a site of early Christian pilgrimage due to its abundance of churches. Archaeological excavation of graves near the Church of St. Hemma and Dorothea revealed early Christian burial practices as well: east-west aligned pits with few grave goods and little evidence of clothing. But one grave in particular piqued researchers' interest. Situated close to the church, buried with a short sword and an ornate brooch, was a man who likely died during the Frankish reign in the area, the mid- to late-6th century AD, but who had clearly survived a foot amputation.

The analysis of the skeleton, which will be published in the March issue of the International Journal of Paleopathology, was led by bioarchaeologist Michaela Binder of the Austrian Archaeological Institute (OEAI). She and her team pored over the bony evidence, and also x-rayed and CT scanned the remains, in order to learn as much as possible about this man's life and injury. His name is lost to history, but his bones provide a wealth of information.

Osteological investigation revealed the man had major dental health issues, with cavities throughout his mouth, and he sustained a broken nose that healed before his death. Evidence of arthritis was found throughout this body, but particularly in his shoulders, hips, left knee and wrist, and spine. He also had rotator cuff disease in his left shoulder. The left foot and the ends of the left tibia and fibula were missing entirely, providing clear evidence of amputation, and small circular holes are likely an indication of infection of the remaining lower leg bones.

Read More: This One Bone Is the Only Skeletal Evidence for Crucifixion in the Ancient World

To try to determine how long the man survived following the amputation, Binder and her colleagues turned to the X-rays, as cut marks on bone can disappear as soon as two weeks after an amputation procedure.  The X-rays showed significant changes in the bone density of the femur, tibia, and fibula on the left side of the body as compared to the non-amputated right side. But osteoarthritis in the left knee suggests the man was indeed still using his left leg following the amputation, with the assistance of a prosthesis.

Prostheses are almost never found archaeologically, perhaps because many in antiquity were made of wood and have rotted away. But this individual was found with an iron band near where his foot would have been. "Remnants of wood together with the position of the iron ring in the grave suggest that the prosthesis may have consisted of a wooden peg reinforced with an iron band on the bottom," Binder and colleagues write in their article. "The dark staining covering the remaining left tibia and fibula of the individual may have derived from a leather pouch or wooden construction used to strap the prosthesis to the remaining leg," they conclude.

Read More: Here's How Corsets Deformed the Skeletons of Victorian Women

But what exactly caused this injury? "Three main causes are generally considered in cases of archaeological amputation," Binder and colleagues note: "medical treatment, mutilation, and trauma (accidental or violent)." Medical amputation is possible in this case, as knowledge of how to do this procedure goes back much further in history, but those were usually done at the joint and not mid-bone as in the Hemmaberg man.  Mutilation as punishment can probably be ruled out as well, as that was generally reserved for vassals and not high-status individuals such as this man. It is more likely this injury was the result of either accidental or violent trauma.

Clues lie in the additional injury to the man's right leg, which suggests that blunt force trauma caused a massive hematoma that eventually healed, and in the osteoarthritis and evidence of overused muscles in his hips and spine, which suggest he may have ridden horseback. "Several bioarchaeological studies of war-related trauma in Medieval cemeteries and mass graves," Binder and colleagues note, "have found the tibia to be a common site of sharp force trauma and have been interpreted as being inflicted by men on foot to mounted men."

Was the man from Hemmaberg a high-status cavalryman, injured in a skirmish in the 6th century? We will likely never know for sure, but his bones and his grave are certainly suggestive of that interpretation.  More importantly, though, Binder and colleagues have evidence that "the man kept his elite status and importance within the community." His disability in life did not make him a social outcast in death.

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The Nature Of Bias

There have been many definitions of test bias (Flaugher, 1978; and see chapter 4 of this volume). Messick's (1980, 1989, 1995) conceptions of test bias are perhaps the most widely accepted and emerge from the perspective of construct validity. Messick portrayed bias as a specific source of test variance other than the valid variance associated with the desired construct. Bias is associated with some irrelevant variable, such as race, gender, or in the case of cross-cultural testing, culture (or perhaps country of origin). van de Vijver and his associates (van de Vijver, 2000; van de Vijver & Leung, 1997; van de Vijver & Poortinga, 1997) have perhaps best characterized bias within the context of cross-cultural assessment. "Test bias exists, from this viewpoint, when an existing test does not measure the equivalent underlying psychological construct in a new group or culture, as was measured within the original group in which it was standardized" (Allen & Walsh, 2000, p. 67). van de Vijver describes bias as "a generic term for all nuisance factors threatening the validity of cross-cultural comparisons. Poor item translations, inappropriate item content, and lack of standardization in administration procedures are just a few examples" (van de Vijver & Leung, p. 10). He also describes bias as "a lack of similarity of psychological meaning of test scores across cultural groups" (van de Vijver, p. 88).

The term bias, as can be seen, is very closely related to conceptual equivalence. van de Vjver describes the distinction as follows: "The two concepts are strongly related, but have a somewhat different connotation. Bias refers to the presence or absence of validity-threatening factors in such assessment, whereas equivalence involves the consequences of these factors on the comparability of test scores" (van de Vijver, 2000, p. 89). In his various publications, van de Vijver identifies three groupings of bias: construct, method, and item bias. Each is described in the following sections.

Construct Bias

Measures that do not examine the same construct across cultural groups exhibit construct bias, which clearly is highly related to the notion of conceptual equivalence previously described. Contstruct bias would be evident in a measure that has been (a) factor analyzed in its original culture with the repeated finding of a four-factor solution, and that is then (b) translated to another language and administered to a sample from the culture in which that language is spoken, with a factor analysis of the test results indicating a two-factor and therefore different solution. When the constructs underlying the measures vary across cultures, with culture-specific components of the construct present in some cultures, such evidence is not only likely to result, it should result if both measures are to measure the construct validly in their respective cultures. Construct bias can occur when constructs only partially overlap across cultures, when there is a differential appropriateness of behaviors comprising the construct in different cultures, when there is a poor sampling of relevant behaviors constituting the construct in one or more cultures, or when there is incomplete coverage of all relevant aspects of the construct (van de Vijver, 2000).

An example of construct bias can be seen in the following. In many instances, inventories (such as personality inventories) are largely translated from the original language to a second or target language. If the culture that uses the target language has culture-specific aspects of personality that either do not exist or are not as prevalent as in the original culture, then these aspects will certainly not be translated into the target-language form of the assessment instrument.

The concept of construct bias has implications for both cross-cultural research and cross-cultural psychological practice. Cross-cultural or etic comparisons are unlikely to be very meaningful if the construct means something different in the two or more cultures, or if it is a reasonably valid representation of the construct in one culture but less so in the other. The practice implications in the target language emerge from the fact that the measure may not be valid as a measure of culturally relevant constructs that may be of consequence for diagnosis and treatment.

Method Bias van de Vijver (2000) has identified a number of types of method bias, including sample, instrument, and administration bias. The different issues composing this type of bias were given the name method bias because they relate to the kinds of topics covered in methods sections of journal articles (van de Vijver). Method biases often affect performance on the assessment instrument as a whole (rather than affecting only components of the measure). Some of the types of method bias are described in the following.

Sample Bias

In studies comparing two or more cultures, the samples from each culture may differ on variables related to test-relevant background characteristics. These differences may affect the comparison. Examples of such characteristics would include fluency in the language in which testing occurs, general education levels, and underlying motivational levels (van de Vijver, 2000). Imagine an essay test that is administered in a single language. Two groups are compared: Both have facility with the language, but one has substantially more ability. Regardless of the knowledge involved in the answers, it is likely that the group that is more facile in the language will provide better answers on average because of their ability to employ the language better in answering the question.

Instrument Bias

This type of bias is much like sample bias, but the groups being tested tend to differ in less generic ways that are more specific to the testing method itself, as when a test subject has some familiarity with the general format of the testing or some other form of test sophistication. van de Vijver (2000) states that the most common forms of this bias exist when groups differ by response styles in answering questions, or by their familiarity with the materials on the test. As is described later in this chapter, attempts to develop culture-fair or culture-free intelligence tests (e.g., Bracken, Naglieri, & Baardos, 1999; Cattell, 1940; Cattell & Cattell, 1963) have often used geometric figures rather than language in the effort to avoid dependence upon language. Groups that differ in educational experience or by culture also may have differential exposure to geometric figures. This differential contact with the stimuli composing the test may bias the comparison in a manner that is difficult to disentangle from the construct of intelligence measured by the instrument.

Alternatively, different cultures vary in the tendency of their members to disclose personal issues about themselves.

When two cultures are compared, depending upon who is making the comparison, it is possible that one group could look overly self-revelatory or the other too private.

Imagine the use of a measure such as the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) in a cross-cultural comparison. Not only do the people pictured on many of the TAT cards not look like persons from some cultures, but the scenes themselves have a decidedly Western orientation. Respondents from some cultures would obviously find such pictures more foreign and strange.

Geisinger (1994) recommended the use of enhanced test-practice exercises to attempt to reduce differences in testformat familiarity. Such exercises could be performed at the testing site or in advance of the testing, depending upon the time needed to gain familiarity.

Administration Bias

The final type of method bias emerges from the interactions between test-taker or respondent and the individual administering the test, whether the test, questionnaire, or interview, is individually administered or is completed in more of a large-group situation. Such biases could come from language problems on the part of an interviewer, who may be conducting the interview in a language in which he or she is less adept than might be ideal (van de Vijver & Leung, 1997). Communications problems may result from other language problems—for example, the common mistakes individuals often make in second languages in regard to the use of the familiar second person.

Another example of administration bias may be seen in the multicultural testing literature in the United States. The theory of stereotype threat (Steele, 1997; Steele & Aronson, 1995) suggests that African Americans, when taking an individualized intellectual assessment or other similar measure that is administered by someone whom the African American test-takers believe holds negative stereotypes about them, will perform at the level expected by the test administrator. Steele's theory holds that negative stereotypes can have a powerful influence on the results of important assessments—stereotypes that can influence test-takers' performance and, ultimately, their lives. Of course, in a world where there are many cultural tensions and cultural preconceptions, it is possible that this threat may apply to groups other than Whites and Blacks in the American culture. van de Vijver (2000) concludes his chapter, however, with the statement that with notable exceptions, responses to either interviews or most cognitive tests do not seem to be strongly affected by the cultural, racial, or ethnic status of administrators.

Item Bias

In the late 1970s, those involved in large-scale testing, primarily psychometricians, began studying the possibility that items could be biased—that is, that the format or content of items could influence responses to individual items on tests in unintended ways. Because of the connotations of the term biased, the topic has more recently been termed differential item functioning, or dif (e.g., Holland & Wainer, 1993). van de Vijver and his associates prefer continuing to use the term item bias, however, to accentuate the notion that these factors are measurement issues that, if not handled appropriately, may bias the results of measurement. Essentially, on a cognitive test, an item is biased for a particular group if it is more difficult for individuals of a certain level of overall ability than it is for members of the other group who have that same level of overall ability. Items may appear biased in this way because they deal with content that is not uniformly available to members of all cultures involved. They may also be identified as biased because translations have not been adequately performed.

In addition, there may be factors such as words describing concepts that are differentially more difficult in one language than the other. A number of studies are beginning to appear in the literature describing the kinds of item problems that lead to differential levels of difficulty (e.g., Allalouf, Hambleton, & Sireci, 1999; Budgell, Raju, & Quartetti, 1995; Hulin, 1987; Tanzer, Gittler, & Sim, 1994). Some of these findings may prove very useful for future test-translation projects, and may even influence the construction of tests that are likely to be translated. For example, in an early study of Hispanics and Anglos taking the Scholastic Aptitude Test, Schmitt (1988) found that verbal items that used roots common to English and Spanish appeared to help Hispanics. Limited evidence suggested that words that differed in cognates (words that appear to have the same roots but have different meanings in both languages) and homographs (words spelled alike in both languages but with different meanings in the two) caused difficulties for Hispanic test-takers. Allalouf et al. found that on a verbal test for college admissions that had been translated from Hebrew to Russian, analogy items presented the most problems. Most of these difficulties (items identified as differentially more difficult) emerged from word difficulty, especially in analogy items. Interestingly, many of the analogies were easier in Russian, the target language. Apparently, the translators chose easier words, thus making items less difficult. Sentence completion items had been difficult to translate because of different sentence structures in the two languages. Reading Comprehension items also lead to some problems, mostly related to the specific content of the reading passages in question. In some cases, the content was seen as culturally specific. Allalouf et al. also concluded that differences in item difficulty can emerge from differences in wording, differences in content, differences in format, or differences in cultural relevance.

If the responses to questions on a test are not objective in format, differences in scoring rubrics can also lead to item bias. Budgell et al. (1995) used an expert committee to review the results of statistical analyses that identified items as biased; in many cases, the committee could not provide logic as to why an item translated from English to French was differentially more difficult for one group or the other.

Item bias has been studied primarily in cognitive measures: ability and achievement tests. van de Vijver (2000) correctly notes that measures such as the Rorschach should also be evaluated for item bias. It is possible that members of different cultures could differentially interpret the cards on measures such as the Rorschach or the TAT.

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Sara Barry

Writer. Stevie Nicks enthusiast. College student.

Sara is a student at Fordham University in New York City studying English. She changes her mind about possible career paths every day but knows she wants to do something involving writing. Sara's writing has been featured on Medium, Tremr, mxdwn, and in 25A Magazine. She currently writes for Medium and is the editor of the publication Reflector. When Sara isn't writing, she can be found singing the entire Fleetwood Mac discography or getting lost in the abyss that is the internet.


How Classification Impacts the Design of a Cleanroom

Clients often come to me specifically requesting an “ISO 7 cleanroom” or an “ISO 8 cleanroom.” What they often fail to realize is that the ISO class does not define the layout of the cleanroom. It only defines the cleanliness level that needs to be met. In fact, the ISO classification actually corresponds to a specification of how clean the cleanroom must be. The ISO 14464-1 standard doesn’t say how to design the cleanroom, it only specifies the maximum quantity of air particles allowed.

In order to help people that may be less familiar with cleanroom terminology and standards, below you’ll find some cleanroom design elements which are impacted by cleanroom classifications.

What is cleanroom classification?

A cleanroom’s class is determined by the concentration of particles of various sizes ranging from 0.1 microns to 0.5 microns, which is determined by ISO 14644-1.

The ISO standard 14644-1 (ISO 5, 6, 7, 8) replaced the Federal Standard 209 classification (Class 100; Class 10,000; Class 100,000) in 1999 (and revised in 2015), but many companies continue to use the traditional Class 100; Class 10,000; Class 100,000 terminology.

You might also like this article —>Cleanroom Classifications (ISO 8, ISO 7, ISO 6, ISO 5)

Cleanroom classification comparison chart iso and fs 209

1) The layout and the quantity of classified rooms

The cleanroom classification will influence the layout of a facility. For example, you can enter an ISO 8 cleanroom directly from an uncontrolled environment. On the other hand, you will need at least one airlock (my recommendation is two) before entering an ISO 6 environment. It is important to keep this in mind when planning your space.

2) The HVAC system

A cleanroom isn’t simply walls and ceilings. The heart of the cleanroom is the air treatment system (HVAC). Cleanroom HVACs differ from conventional systems with their increased air supply, airflow patterns, use of high efficiency filters, and room pressurization. In order to meet the required air cleanliness, the air must pass through HEPA filters. The lower the ISO class, the more often you will need to pass the air through the HEPA filter. This is what we call air change per hour (ACH). Thus, the HVAC’s required air flow (cubic feet per minute (CFM)) is calculated using the ACH and room volume.

2.1) Air changes per hour (ACH)

In order to reach a desired cleanliness level inside the cleanroom, the HVAC system combines air changes per hour (ACH) with HEPA filtered air circulating into the cleanroom many times per hour. The required ACH is determined by the ISO class to be met, as illustrated below. In comparison, a conventional HVAC system usually makes two to four air changes per hour, whereas in a cleanroom it can range anywhere from 10 to 250 or even more.

To read the full article, click here.


Fleeting Hope

Buy Now

Fleeting Hope

Dreams of Plain Daughters, #3

Eleven years after schoolteacher Ruth Yoder lost her beloved fiancé, Daniel, in a buggy accident, she finds herself ready to be courted by someone again. David Hershberger, Ruth’s neighbor and also a widower, seems smitten with Ruth, but hasn’t expressed his thoughts to her. Since he’s forty years old and Ruth is thirty-five years old, he worries that he might be too old for her. They continue enjoying each other’s company, but remain noncommittal for now. As they spend more time with each other, do they both realize they are developing feelings for one another? Or do they just keep enjoying each other’s company since they are both lonely and have lost their significant others?

This was another enjoyable story in the Dreams of Plain Daughters Series. I loved the complexity Ms. Craver wove with these characters and her storyline. As I turned the pages, I continually wondered what would happen next. I enjoyed getting to see the vulnerable sides of Ruth and her neighbor, David, while also being a part of their internal thoughts that they had throughout the story. The author created rich characters I easily fell in love with and made them feel as if they were real people I was getting to know. If you enjoy reading Amish stories as much as I do, than this might be one you’ll want to look into.

Book Blurb for Fleeting Hope

Night Owl Reviews Aug, 2014 5.00


Japan: a Paradise for Anthropomorphic Characters

Culture Anime Manga Entertainment

Japan’s tradition of personification has taken off in recent years, with a profusion of new characters and mascots appearing to represent everything from national flags to tourist destinations to government bodies.

Flags as Samurai

A Japanese website reimagining world flags as handsome young men is making a splash in the runup to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Through the characters, the site introduces the origins of the flags and the cultures of the different countries they represent.

The site depicts Japan’s flag as a strapping young samurai. As the obvious aim is to get people around the world interested in Japanese culture, any number of widely recognized cultural icons would do. However, the theme is apt, as Japan’s national teams for baseball and other sports are nicknamed “samurai” for their fighting spirit.

It is interesting that the creators chose to personify flags as good-looking men, considering the common reliance on images of beautiful young girls that appeal to male fans or even androgynous mascots. Japan’s knack for personifying objects as attractive people has gained recognition in East Asia, but I am curious how the rest of the world will receive the flag project. I am also fascinated to see whether it will catch on with men and older people.

From left: The personified flags of Japan, Spain, France, Russia, and Britain. (© WorldFlags)

Combining Motifs

Personification is everywhere in Japan today. It is part of branding campaigns for such disparate entities as railway stations, coffee shops, and computer languages. It is also a fundamental aspect of the mascots and other characters that are ubiquitous across Japanese culture.

Creators have learned to be resourceful and experiment with different motifs when making new characters. This can be seen particularly with Japan’s growing army of regional mascot. Designers will commonly start with a basic outline and then blend references to regional features like local dishes, tourist spots, wildlife, or famous historical figures.

For instance, the character for Okegawa, next door to where I live in Saitama Prefecture, sports the town’s official flower, a safflower, on its head and wears the garb of a traveler from the Edo period (1603–1868) to invoke the town’s history as a post station on the old Nakasendō highway. However, the various characteristics mascots convey are not always so concrete. Characters representing political or corporate entities, for instance, are known to communicate abstract concepts like “peace” or “the future.”

Oke-chan, the mascot for Okegawa, Saitama Prefecture.
Oke-chan, the mascot for Okegawa, Saitama Prefecture.

The character for Tennōzu Isle Station on the Tokyo Monorail provides another example. The area combines the traditional Japanese place name “Tennōzu” with the English word “isle,” and the station’s mascot is imagined as someone with mixed Japanese and Western roots.

Creative Amateurs

Personification emerged as a form of metaphor and has been applied for educational and satirical purposes since time out of mind. In modern societies around the world, it remains popular in children’s education, is a standard in satire and parody, and is much used in advertising. While these trends continue, in Japan it has come to be used in an increasingly wide range of fields.

Since the 1990s, groups of mostly female fans at events like Comic Market have cast their favorite characters from popular works in completely new situations, creating original content with fresh scenarios.

In the late 1980s, self-published magazines reimagined characters from well-known children series like Anpanman and Doraemon as handsome protagonists in “boys’ love” stories, manga that depict romantic relationships between male characters. Such works established anime parody as a subgenre and can be traced back further to the late 1970s, when readers submitted stylized versions of famous characters to fan club publications and anime and manga magazines.

The arrival of the Internet and the spread of computers and smartphones have hugely changed the reach, and subsequently appeal, of amateur works. Derivative material posted on personal websites, blogs, and social media now reach a wide audience, unlike with the small fan communities of earlier decades.

Anyone wanting to create a character with broad appeal is wise to avoid obscure elements that play to only a small slice of society, but instead pick a motif that people can easily relate to. In the 2000s, this approach lead to a host of characters based on mundane items—blackboards, railway stations, and sushi toppings, just to name a few—public bodies like prefectures, temples and shrines, and even political parties.

As the personification phenomenon picked up steam, the initial emphasis was on creating characters that were truly original—cockroaches reimagined as beautiful girls and the personification of Japan’s war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution won a lot of interest. However, personification has mushroomed to the point that nowadays almost anything can become reimagined as a character, and quality has come to be more in demand than novelty.

Personification in the Mainstream

Since the early 1990s, a seemingly endless parade of fluffy promotional mascots, known colloquially as yuru-kyara, have appeared, representing a staggering array of bodies and organizations like local governments, law enforcement, corporations, universities, and even regional business associations.

These mascots have generally taken inspiration from children’s entertainment, being cute and cuddly so as to ensure broad appeal. However, some have mimicked the scantily clad female characters most frequently associated with otaku culture—although often at the risk of becoming the focus of public ire for objectifying women.

Japan’s Self-Defense Forces has readily adopted such subculture elements to create a vast cast of characters representing everything from the different SDF branches to regional bases. In particular, the SDF has viewed the approach as a potentially effective means of recruiting. For instance, the regional headquarters in Yamaguchi Prefecture uses three female characters—air, land, and sea forces—clad in outfits more resembling the mobile suits of the Gundam anime series than a modern armed force. It is arguable whether this is personification or not, but the effect is much the same.

The three mechanized meka musume characters of the Self-Defense Forces office in Yamaguchi Prefecture.
The three mechanized characters represent the three branches of the Self-Defense Forces.

An Evolving Tradition

Personification in Japan has been around since the middle ages, as can be seen notably in the famous anthropomorphic creatures of Chōjū giga, a set of ancient scrolls depicting different frolicking animals, and the fanciful portrayals of the various chapters of The Tale of Genji produced over the centuries. Even today, there remains a strong element of playfulness, helping personification become accepted by people of all ages.

This traditional expression has found new manifestation in subculture events like Comiket and has developed even further through shared spaces on the Internet. I will be watching with interest to see where it goes next.

(Originally published in Japanese on November 5, 2019. Banner image: Handsome samurai representing the flags of (from left) Japan, China, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates. © WorldFlags.)

otaku manga anime yuru kyara subculture


Carbon tax

carbon pollution amnesty

Canadian Property Management

Feds foil carbon pollution amnesty efforts

Surcharges will apply to 22 different fuel types, but most consumer expenditure is expected to go to gasoline and natural gas price add-ons.
stop collecting carbon tax

Canadian Property Management

Ontario utilities to stop collecting carbon tax

The Ontario Energy Board must provide direction before the levy can be removed from natural gas bills.
carbon polluting fees

Canadian Property Management

Canada-wide carbon polluting fees coming

Canadian provinces and territories have been given a 2018 deadline to either invoke some form of carbon pricing or accept a federally imposed model.
CO2 with earth globe.

Canadian Property Management

Complex alternative to carbon tax questioned


September 2019

Use Microsoft Teams to run a virtual lab or virtual hackathon event.

Kids, where there is a will there is a way.

You try to be a good parent and put some guardrails in Internet usage, and they find ways around them.


Day: October 14, 2019

Today, I am thankful for online selling shit services like – Craigslist, OfferUp, LetGo, and Facebook Market. Since I’ve been working only part time, and from home… I’ve had time to list and sell a ton of stuff (see also: junk) that we had cluttering up our world. I’ve even made an inventory list: things to list, what is listed, what is pending pick up, what sold, where, and how much. I am up enough to cover all the costs of our road trip to Sarasota this month, and then some. That is just impressive.

The extra dough is nice, sure, but my favorite part is the freed up space. The more that goes out the door, the more I want to send out that door. I’ve even started looking around at things we still use daily, to decide if I really actually love them, or as Marie Kondo would ask.. “Does it spark joy?” If not, sell it!

It’s a way more satisfying feeling than just tossing things in the trash. Because of the money, yeah, sure, but also the people who buy these things are excited about them. Today, I sold a container of unused yard and a couple booklets with patterns, to a mom and her son. They told me he had just recently learned to knit and he was wearing a hat he made himself. And it was good! Way better than I could’ve ever made. I’m glad it’s all going to good use.


Bushcraft - The Survival Tactics

When the term "bushcraft" was invented by Les Hiddins, he would have barely thought that it would become so popular everywhere, especially his own country, Australia. It didn't take much time for it to spread to other countries as well, especially South Africa and New Zealand. So let's come to the term itself. Bushcraft means the craft or skills to survive in a raw environment like a forest or desert where you would have only your perseverance and surviving capacity to help you. In other words, it's like going back in time to thousands of years back and living like our ancestors did making use of only the resources of the nature.

There are different factors that comprise bushcraft. Here are a few of them:

Learning the environment

This involves the study of the behavior of wildlife. Living in the raw nature, as you would've guessed, is all about adapting to the surroundings. Understanding and predicting the actions and reactions of the animals in the bush where you are is very important. Similarly, being able to identify the plants and trees also help you survive. It tells you how these plants can be used for different situations as well as why some of them should be avoided.

The main purpose of hunting is of course to find the food to survive in the bush. It involves fishing as well as tracking. Tracking lets you find and follow the foot tracks of the animals and finally get them for food. And if it is a ferocious animal, tracking also lets you escape from the animal.

Fire craft

Fire serves many purposes in a forest. From providing you safety from animals at night to preparing food, it is the best gift nature has provided you. Besides the warmth and comfort that fire provides you, fire can cook food as well as preserve many items. It sterilizes wounds and also helps create smoke signals to get rescued.

To erect a shelter in any environment is one of the most important aspects of bushcraft. It is highly important to know how to make a shelter, be it a tent or a caravan, to protect yourself from animals or other natural damages.

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Hawk’s CODE Focus

HADLEY the HAWK. Focus Color: RED

Why a Hawk?

Hadley, like many hawks, is known for being very focused and for avoiding distractions. Hadley and people who prefer the Code Focus, aim their attention on the consistent principles that should guide our actions.

Main Consideration:

When deciding what’s right Hadley and others with a Code Focus tend to believe that it’s best to stick to consistent principles or CODEs that should apply across situations, as opposed to calculating the results of specific actions.

Like Hadley, someone with a Code Focus may ask themselves: “Would I want this action made into a rule/code for everyone to follow?” They believe in the importance of protecting other’s rights, especially individuals or small groups who might be left out by others.

1. INTENT MATTERS. Hadley and some friends were recently playing a game of high flying aerial tag. During the game they distinguished between a foul committed by mistake and an “intentional foul”, just as we do in many sports (e.g. basketball, soccer). Hadley helps us to remember the importance of distinguishing between hurting someone by mistake and hurting someone on purpose, just as we distinguish between involuntary manslaughter (killing someone by mistake) and premeditated murder. Either way, someone is hurt (or even killed), but Hadley helps us consider the intent of our actions (e.g. “what are we trying to do?”), not just what happens as a result.

2. RIGHTS. Hadley heard about an animal attack that many believe was based on prejudice and intolerance of difference. Many animals were on the verge of rioting to show their anger, but no one knew who committed the attack. It was tearing the community apart. Hadley was part of a council of animals who were meeting to decide what to do. Some council members recommended finding a scapegoat (i.e. holding a random individual responsible) in order to prevent a riot where others would get hurt. Hadley stopped the group from finding a scapegoat by saying: “We must not use someone, even if finding a scapegoat would prevent further violence.” Hadley helps us to consistently focus on respecting others’ rights (e.g. through consistent rules/codes for all) and not using others.

1. CODE CONFLICT. Two of Hadley’s most important rules/codes are: “Keep your promises” & “Help others when they need you”. One day, Hadley promised to meet a young hawk to help them learn an important new flying technique. On the way there, Hadley found out that another friend was having a very bad argument and needed Hadley right then too. Hadley felt stuck and wondered: “… should I keep my promise, or help the other friend?” Hadley doesn’t help us clarify what to do when two important rules/codes conflict. In these situations, Hadley asks for help from friends who see things from a different perspective (e.g. Olly the Otter’s Character Focus, Whitley the Wolf’s Consequences Focus).

2. EXCEPTIONS. A few years ago, Hadley’s family had a very difficult time and was starving. Hadley did not want to break the “never steal” code, but others disagree with Hadley’s dedicated adherence to certain principles. Hadley believes that it is very beneficial to follow consistent principles that stand the test of time. However, one of Hadley’s friends strongly believes that exceptions exist for most, if not all of Hadley’s rules/codes. This friend encourages Hadley to focus more on the consequences of actions (e.g. it’s OK to steal to save someone from starving), since there can be exceptions for the codes that Haley chooses to follow.

3. MORE THAN CODES. Hadley’s friend was injured recently. Hadley went to visit. The friend was so happy to see Hadley and asked “Why did you stop by to see me, Hadley?” Hadley said: “I asked myself ‘what would I want everyone to consistently do in this situation?’ and I determined that I should stop by…” This seems very different than what another friend said when explaining why they were visiting: “You are my friend and I really care about you” (e.g. feelings of compassion). There seems to be more to life than codes/duty alone. A friend encourages Hadley to focus more on the type of hawk that Hadley wants to be, not just the codes that Haley chooses to follow.

Theoretical Background:

Deontological Ethics (based on the wisdom of philosopher Immanuel Kant and others).

Hadley the Hawk represents a very important and respected focus area (CODE) from moral philosophy. However, no focus area is perfect. To balance out the challenges above, Hawk’s CODE should be combined with other focus areas like Otter’s CHARACTER and Wolf’s CONSEQUENCES. Combining focus areas is called PLURALISM and can be very beneficial.

Next Steps:

1. Remind yourself of the strengths and challenges of your main focus animal/color. This can help you anticipate benefits and identify potential problems down the road. For example, if you only focus on the Golden Rule (Bear’s Care focus: yellow/gold), you may not hold someone accountable for their behavior because you would not would to be held accountable if you were in their situation.

2. Pick one other focus area (another animal/color) to read more about (see take5.gmu.edu/animals/). This can help you better understand the strengths and challenges of different decision-making strategies and help you see the benefits of uniting the focus areas (“Unite to light the way”) since they can counteract each other’s challenges.

3. We all need reminders. Use the Take5 card (take5.gmu.edu/ethics-card/) to help you make well-balanced decisions (individually or in groups).

To better understand this focus area, see the PDF Handout.

Overall Conclusion about the focus areas of the animals:

The Otter, Hawk, Wolf, Bear and Elephant represent very respected views from moral philosophy. We recommend combining the views of these 5 animals to balance out their strengths and weaknesses. For some tips on how to do this, please see the ethicspectrum page.

For George Mason University community members who would like to learn more, the Leadership Education and Development Office (LEAD) offers workshops and other programs on ethics and leadership topics. The workshop that directly addresses the ethics and leadership topics discussed on this website is called: “What Would You Do? Making Tough Ethical Choices.” Please see our general page at lead.gmu.edu or our workshop request page.


Uptake rate standard deviation of nitrate {NO3- CAS 14797-55-8} {new production} per hour per unit volume of the water body [particulate >GF/F phase] by isotope-labelled tracer addition, in-situ incubation, filtration and mass spectrometry on residue NO3_assimilation_SD_GF/FFilt The square root of the average of the squares of deviations about the mean of a set of values of the specified measurement. 2018-10-15 17:05:31.0 SDN:P01::NTRAASSD SDN:P01::NTRAASSD SDN:P01::NTRAASSD 5 5 2018-10-15 17:05:31.0 accepted false


Process maps

Every month, we'll send you new ideas and developments for working with our coaching game. We are confident that once you try them, you'll find that:
  1. The game almost always creates communication and intimacy of rare quality. Whether playing on your own or with others, playing or fun or trying to reach a breakthrough.
  2. How easy it is for you to come up with new, creative ideas for activities and meetings, both social and professional, and turning them into significant, memorable gatherings.
You can save the new ideas and developments as a computer file and print them when necessary.
Try it, enjoy it and… pay it forward.
Download files: | | | coaching, training, teambuilding ...


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The Art of Resisting Taxation

Changing the way people think about news.

Tags: libertarianism  resist taxation  taxes  anti-tax

Changing the way people think about news.

The Art of Resisting Taxation published by The 1st Amender
Writer Rating: 2.8065
Posted on 2019-07-19
Writer Description: Changing the way people think about news.
This writer has written 196 articles.

It was through the American Revolution against the nefarious Tories party that would fight representing the crown. It required many, not just individuals fervent in their beliefs, but simply vox populi. Vox populi: the opinions and belief of the majority. For ultimately, it required the majority to destroy the political coercion that would exist by means of the state. For what was the "Stamp Act" but simply a physical coercion of the body to be revoked by the very reduction of the natural right of property?

Indeed, when fundamental constitutionalists understood, the only way to resist against tyranny, is to defend oneself against it. Tyranny of course, would destroy the body of man, the property of man, and the liberty of man. People are unable to perform resistance against tyranny if they are alone in their fervor or interest. It then, must be required, to assimilate and fight against the very tyranny that would destroy the very body of individuals. That to resist government, or tyranny itself, one must understand to bring other people into a vox populi understanding that government and yet, no man, has a right to destroy the very body or property of individuals from a fundamental level.

How do you resist taxation? You fight against tyranny, and if your neighbor falls victim to tyranny, you fight. You fight to bring life, liberty, and property to be something that is not granted to you by government, but by mere natural right alone which is quantified and verified not only by God for theist, but by human reason for anti-theist.

Article Rating: 0.0000

Mathew Lancpok: 2019-07-19 12:31:30 ID:3373

While this does have a strong idea attached to it, it is merely blunt and an idea, a root, a tool. It does not exactly describe the methods or poetry of resisting taxation as would be hinted at from a title describing the 'art' of resisting taxation. Overall, this article is more of an oath then a guide to resistance, but it is an interesting, albeit short, read.

The 1st Amender: 2019-08-07 01:45:51 ID:3383

You're right! Yes, I imagine that the article name is a bit "click-baity". Though ultimately the original concept of resisting taxation is a very "American" tradition that has since been lost.


OTTAWA -- The Liberal and Conservative leaders are both in key election battlegrounds today, Justin Trudeau in B.C.'s Lower Mainland and Andrew Scheer in southwestern Ontario.

Trudeau is making an announcement in mid-morning Pacific time, at a company in Burnaby working on cutting-edge battery technology for uses such as electric vehicles.


Recent studies show that women are enrolling in and graduating from science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) doctoral programs in much smaller numbers than in other disciplines, even though they earn more doctorates overall.

Another study found that the fewer women who enter a STEM doctoral program, the less likely they are to complete their degree. As an IT executive, I urge educators and leaders at all levels of academia to commit to improving outcomes for women in STEM programs.

According to the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), women earned 53% of all doctorates—a total of 41,717 degrees—during the 2016–2017 academic year. The CGS study found that first-time doctoral program enrollment among females was 27.3% in Engineering and 27.8% in Mathematics/Computer Sciences, while doctoral degrees awarded to women in these fields were 23.4% and 25.1%, respectively.

Another study by the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) Research Center found women earned 39% of all STEM doctoral degrees in 2016. But while women outnumbered men in social sciences and psychology (55%) and biological and agricultural sciences (52%), they only accounted for 24% of engineering and 21% of computer sciences doctorates.

A new report from The Ohio State University indicates that the fewer women there are in a STEM entering class, the less likely any one of them will graduate within six years.

Ohio State researchers found that women joining a “typically male” program (fewer than 38.5% females) were 7% less likely to graduate within six years; and in cases with only one woman in a new class, she is 12 percentage points less likely to graduate within six years than her male peers. But for each additional 10% of women in a class, the gender gap in on-time graduation rates shrinks by more than 2 percentage points.

The findings suggest schools are not doing enough to recruit, retain and support women in STEM programs. The best way to boost female enrollment in engineering and technology degree programs is to nurture girls’ interest and confidence in STEM subjects from elementary through high school. This starts with educators and administrators at the K–12 level, but it doesn’t end there.

Colleges should be doing more to promote STEM graduate programs to females, and they need to provide greater support to those who do enroll. Employers and female tech professionals can also help shift the balance within these fields.

Among these steps, I propose to increase representation of women in STEM by including computer and coding classes in K–12 schools to expose more girls to these subjects at an early age.

Offer scholarships and other forms of financial assistance to female students who wish to pursue engineering or computer science degrees. Universities should aim to hire more female STEM faculty, and those that have women leading doctoral classes should promote that fact.

Colleges should track female enrollment and graduation rates for STEM graduate programs and provide more resources and support to improve outcomes.

Employers and women in tech careers should engage in mentorship programs to help guide and champion females as they pursue educational and professional goals.

Increasing the number of minorities and women in technology roles can create economic and competitive advantages for businesses. In honor of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on February 11, I urge educators to commit to improving the academic climate for females in STEM programs.

When women have the support they need to enter and succeed in these fields, everyone wins—not just women, but universities, employers and the economy as a whole.


Haunted (Palahniuk novel)

HauntedGutsHaunted'' (Palahniuk novel)

Rising Sun (novel)

Rising SunRising Sun'' (novel)novel of the same name
Rising Sun is a 1992 novel by Michael Crichton about a murder in the Los Angeles headquarters of Nakamoto, a fictional Japanese corporation. The book was published by Alfred A. Knopf. Gia Carangi is featured on the cover.

Body mass index

BMIbody mass index (BMI)body-mass index

Literary forgery

literary hoaxforgeryliterary forger

Atrium (heart)

right atriumatrialeft atrium
The atrium is the upper chamber in which blood enters the heart. There are two atria in the human heart – the left atrium connected to the lungs, and the right atrium connected to the venous circulation. The atria receive blood, and when the heart muscle contracts they pump blood to the ventricles. All animals with a closed circulatory system have at least one atrium (humans have two atria).

Cold open

teasercold openingcold openings
A cold open (also called a teaser, or just a cold, especially in production circles) is a narrative tactic used in television and films. It is the technique of jumping directly into a story at the beginning of the show before the title sequence or opening credits are shown. In television, this is often done on the theory that involving the audience in the plot as soon as possible will reduce the likelihood of their switching from a show during the opening commercial. A cold open may also be used to recap events in previous episodes or storylines that will be revisited during the current episode.

acidemiaacidaemiablood acidosis

Kenny McCormick

Kennyabsent during the majority of the seasonKenny would die
Kenneth "Kenny" McCormick is a main character in the animated adult television series South Park, along with Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Eric Cartman. His oft-muffled and indiscernible speech—the result of his parka hood covering his mouth—is provided by co-creator Matt Stone. He debuted on television when South Park first aired on August 13, 1997, after having first appeared in The Spirit of Christmas shorts created by Stone and long-time collaborator Trey Parker in 1992 (Jesus vs. Frosty) and 1995 (Jesus vs. Santa).

Superior vena cava

superioranterior vena cavaSVC
The superior vena cava (SVC) is the superior of the two venae cavae, the great venous trunks that return deoxygenated blood from the systemic circulation to the right atrium of the heart. It is a large-diameter (24 mm), yet short, vein that receives venous return from the upper half of the body, above the diaphragm. (Venous return from the lower half, below the diaphragm, flows through the inferior vena cava.) The SVC is located in the anterior right superior mediastinum. It is the typical site of central venous access (CVA) via a central venous catheter or a peripherally inserted central catheter. Mentions of "the cava" without further specification usually refer to the SVC.

Guard (grappling)

guardbutterfly guardfull guard
The guard is a ground grappling position in which one combatant has their back to the ground while attempting to control the other combatant using their legs. In pure grappling combat sports, the guard is considered an advantageous position, because the bottom combatant can attack with various joint locks and chokeholds, while the top combatant's priority is the transition into a more dominant position, a process known as passing the guard. In mixed martial arts competition or hand-to-hand combat in general, it is possible to effectively strike from the top in the guard, even though the bottom combatant exerts some control.

Bruce WayneBruce Wayne / BatmanBruce Wayne/Batman

Californication (TV series)

Californication CalifornicationCalifornication S5

Hank Moody

HankHenry "Hank" Moody
Henry James "Hank" Moody, portrayed by David Duchovny, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Showtime television series Californication. Moody is an esteemed but erratic writer who frequently becomes embroiled in bizarre, and in some cases, scandalous situations. Duchovny has received praise for his performance, winning the 2008 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy and being nominated for the same honor three more times.

Buddy system

buddydive buddyThe Buddy System
The buddy system is a procedure in which two people, the "buddies", operate together as a single unit so that they are able to monitor and help each other. As per Merriam-Webster, the first known use of the phrase “buddy system” goes as far back as 1942. Webster goes on to define the buddy system as “an arrangement in which two individuals are paired (as for mutual safety in a hazardous situation).” The buddy system is basically working together in pairs in a large group or alone. Both the individuals have to do the job. The job could be to ensure that the work is finished safely or the skill/learning is transferred effectively from one individual to the other.

Crush syndrome

crush injuryasphyxiatedcrush injuries

Knocked Up

Knocked Up is a 2007 American romantic comedy film written, directed, and co-produced by Judd Apatow, and starring Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, and Leslie Mann. It follows the repercussions of a drunken one-night stand between a slacker and a just-promoted media personality that results in an unintended pregnancy.

Flail chest

multiple rib fractures
Flail chest is a life-threatening medical condition that occurs when a segment of the rib cage breaks due to trauma and becomes detached from the rest of the chest wall. Two of the symptoms of flail chest are chest pain and shortness of breath.

Florence Griffith Joyner

Florence GriffithFlorence Griffith-JoynerFlorence "Flo Jo" Griffith-Joyner


A biography of harry houdini a famous illusionist

Both are also available from the museum. Harry Houdini hated cheats and frauds.

A biography of harry houdini a famous illusionist

One of five brothers and one daughter born to rabbi Samuel Weiss and his wife Cecilia, the future Houdini was four years old when his parents emigrated to the U. His boyhood was spent in poverty and, when he was 17, he conjured up a magic act with his friend Jack Hayman, in order to escape the poverty and anonymity of manual labor which would likely have been his lot in life.

Young Erich had been fascinated with magic since he was a young lad, when he was in the audience of a magic show put on by a traveling magician named Dr.

Harry Houdini hated cheats and frauds.

Billing themselves as the "Houdini Bros. Eventually, Theodore -- billed as Hardeen -- was replaced by Wilhemina Rahner known as Bessthe woman "Harry Houdini" would eventually marry. They married in secret, then again at a synagogue and in a Catholic church to please both of their families.

Inwhile visiting a doctor friend in Nova Scotia, he saw his first strait jacket, which gave him the idea of developing an act in which he would escape from it. Houdini finally hit the big-time when he was 24 years old with his Challenge Act inwhile he was making the rounds of vaudeville. Eventually, this evolved into escapes from strait jackets, boxes, crates, safes, and other instruments and devices such as his Water Torture Cellas well as from jail cells.

Houdini was also adept at escaping from being "buried alive". Hand-cuffed and strait-jacketed, he could escape while being hung upside down from a crane, or while lowered from a bridge, or even make his escape from padlocked crates lowered into a river. Houdini also became famous as a debunker of mediums and "experts" of the paranormal, but this was done in hope he could find an actual medium that could communicate with the dead so that he could communicate with his beloved mother Cecilia after she passed away.

He became quite famous in the ragtime age of the first quarter of the last century, even appearing in motion pictures produced by his own company. Harry Houdini, the greatest magician ever produced by America, died in Detroit, Michigan during a national tour.

The cause of death officially was peritonitis from a ruptured appendix.

A biography of harry houdini a famous illusionist

His death came nine days after having been punched in the stomach during the Canadian leg of the tour by J. Always the trouper, Houdini had soldiered on despite stomach pains.

Early during the tour, he had broken an ankle but did not let it stop him or the tour.

Harry Houdini

The date of his death was October 31, -- Halloween, one of three days October November 2 of Samhain, the Celtic New Year, when the veil between the living and the dead allegedly is at its thinnest and the living can make contact with the dead.

She did not succeed, though she helped keep the memory of her husband alive in the American consciousness. In addition to his career as a stage magician and an escape artist, he also had a part time career as a debunker of mediums and other so called experts of the paranormal.

However, his reasons for this campaign included a hope he could find an actual medium that could communicate with the dead. Became the first person to make a successful aircraft flight in Australia.

At the time he said he may be forgotton as an escapologist but he would be remembered as an aviation pioneer. Today, his boyhood home there is maintained as a museum.

Harry Houdini biography. The life story of the most famous magician in history. Little known information, facts, trivia, rare photos, accomplishments. Find out why we remember Harry Houdini. Kids learn about the biography of Harry Houdini including his early life, becoming a magician, his famous escapes and illusions, later life, mysterious death, and fun facts. Biography: Harry Houdini Parents and Teachers: Support Ducksters by following us on or. HOUDINI: Harry Houdini biography, Magician, Escape Artist, Lock Picker. Harry Houdini magic museum, Harry Houdini magic show, in the Scranton, Wilkes Barre, Steamtown, Pennsylvania, Pocono region. Harry Houdini theater magic, Harry Houdini vaudeville magic, Harry Houdini museum tourism, school children and bus vacation travel trips.

A common misconception is that his death was caused by a student who tried to test his famously strong stomach muscles by punching him. Although it is true that Houdini was not given sufficient time to prepare himself for the blows, landing him in a hospital, this is not what he died of.

He died of diffuse peritonitis, nine days later, despite his appendix being ruptured by the unprovoked assault. Was one of five children of a penniless rabbi who died when Houdini was 18 years old.

Was fanatically devoted to his mother, Cecilia. He is mentioned in the song "Ghost Town" by Cat Stevens. His will stated that a bronze bust of himself be placed on his tomb to guide his spirit back from "the other side". Willed his collection of books on magic to the American Society for Psychical Research, on the condition that J.Watch video · Harry Houdini Biography Magician (–) Harry Houdini's grand illusions and daring, spectacular escape acts made him one of the most famous magicians of all time.

Apr 26,  · Harry Houdini Biography Hello, I’m Harry Houdini, one of the most famous magicians, illusionists, and the most famous escape artist in the world.

I was born as Ehrich Weisz (American immigration officials changed Weisz to Weiss) in Budapest, Hungary on March 24, - Research Paper about Harry Houdini Who was the illusionist most famous for his sensational escape acts.

Harry Houdini, was a Hungarian-American stunt performer. He was born on March 24, in Budapest, Hungary. Harry Houdini biography. The life story of the most famous magician in history. Little known information, facts, trivia, rare photos, accomplishments. Find out why we remember Harry Houdini.

Harry Houdini Biography Hungarian-born Harry Houdini was a legendary magician, famous for his exceptional escape stunts. Explore the profile, childhood, life and timeline of this distinguished entertainer, with this biographyPlace Of Birth: Budapest.

The famous magician was born Erik Weiz, but changed it to Ehrich which later evolved into Harry. The Houdini surname came from his partner Jack Hyman who said the name Houdini would honor the magician Robert Houdin.

Harry Houdini - Biography - IMDb


Protocol I

Protocol I is an electronic sound piece created during my studies at the Sonology Institute. ItI is the product of my search into ways to navigate and articulate the area overlapping between the automated process and the intuitive musical choice. The result was the design of a procedure that put an algorithmically generated value next to every other, defining the range of deviation of the first. I.e. a formalized function to overrule, manually, its own outcome. Two type of permutations of the same piece were thus integrated; a ‘mechanical’ algorithmic one, ignorant about the artistic results of its instructions, and a musical interpretation of those same instructions. The numeric tables spit out by this procedure were applied to a very focussed set of sound materials and transformations. The result portrays a solid, slowly shifting sound cluster with a constant feed for intentional listening and accidental hearing.

Protocol I was composed for 4 channel speaker systems.

. hear an excerpt of Protocol I

During a 2007 residency with Austrian algorithmic artist Dextro at Time’s Up, moving image was created to go with a second rendering of Protocol I


Why is our meat more expensive

Understand the difference

meadow at Nature Way Farm

Every time you buy something, you’re telling the farmer and the distributor what you want. You might be OK with farmers pumping cows full of grain. But if you want farmers to be responsible for the environment and you want them to improve it, you need to support and buy the produce from those who are farming sustainably.

Jeremy Beckman, our farmer

1. Time

Our farmers spend more time farming! Once or twice a day they move animals from one piece of pasture to another. They need to make a new daily enclosure and judge how much grazing should the animals get for the day (depending on the growth of grass and time of year). Every day, our farmers need to move the animals water to their new enclosure, which is not as simple as it may sound!

This means that every day, the farmer spends a lot of time managing animals in this regenerative way.

This contrasts with conventionally-reared animals that are not moved into a different paddock at all, staying in the same pasture the whole year, or are moved unregularly (every few months). Therefore, the farmer can just check over them and their fencing and go home. It is easier on labour which is why farmer tends to have very large fields and keep large numbers of animals more intensively.

2. We run diverse, old-style farms

Our farmers keep small numbers of animals and have a different other animals or enterprises on their farm. For example our farmer Hannah Thorogood keeps sheep, goats, layers and turkeys along with growing some vegetables.

This contrasts with large herds of the same animals (cattle or sheep or pigs) in the conventional system. The farmer is specialized to mainly one style of farming (beef farmer, dairy farmer, pig farmer, chicken farmer). This brings costs down as they buy everything in bulk. Plus, they can get subsidies from the government.

3. No environmental cost

Our farmers are not causing pollution of waters and air with too much manure.

They do not try to squeeze as much out of a piece of land as possible and cause degradation – such as overgrazing the land with too many animals to get the most profit.

This contrasts with the conventional farmer who has very large herd of animals that are overgrazing the pasture (soil degradation) and are in barns in large numbers, creating huge piles of manure to dispose of (water and air pollution).

4. We are regenerating previously mistreated land

We usually farm land that has been previously mistreated and so it needs careful attention and time to recover to its full glory. Therefore, we cannot put too many animals on it and we are therefore working with much smaller herds.

The mistreated land also may need reseeding of traditional grasses, replanting trees and hedgerows, which all adds up to more costs.

Nature Way Farm

5. No government subsidies

Our small farmers do not receive government subsidies that would help them to cover up costs of production.

Nature Way Farm

Ready to support farming that cares?

Whilst eating the finest meat

The amount of feed and fertilizers per 1 beef animal

60 kg barley
14 kg soya
23.5 kg sugar beet

growing steer (for 100 days) ratio:
350 kg barley
30 kg rapeseed

finishing steer (for 80 days)
600 kg barley

TOTAL feed per steer:
1010 kg barley
30 kg rapeseed
14 kg soya
23.5 kg sugar beet

Source: AHDB

spring and winter barley were mixed in equal ratio for simplicity.
Pesticides in spring barley:
157.5 g
Pesticides in winter barley:
307.5 g

nitrogen: 24.14 kg
phosphate: 4.59 kg
potash: 5.95 kg
sulfur: 5.95 kg

TOTAL 40.63 kg of fertilizers

Source: British survey of fertilizer practice for 2018 (DEFRA)


The President Has the Authority to Repel Attacks, Not Start Wars

Posted: Jan 08, 2020 12:01 AM
The President Has the Authority to Repel Attacks, Not Start Wars

Source: AP Photo/ Evan Vucci

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's understanding of the constitutional authority of the president when it comes to using military force seems to depend on the party affiliation of the president in question.

Pelosi supported former President Barack Obama -- a Democrat -- using military force against the Libyan regime of Moammar Gadhafi without prior congressional authorization.

But she opposed President Donald Trump -- a Republican -- using military force in Iraq to kill the leaders of two State Department-designated terrorist organizations: Gen. Qassem Soleimani, commander of Iran's Quds Force, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, leader of Kata'ib Hezbollah.

On constitutional grounds, Pelosi was wrong both times.

In 2011, Obama used U.S. airpower to intervene in Libya's civil war on the side of rebels hoping to overthrow Gaddafi. He did not seek congressional authorization for this. Nor did Congress give it.

Instead, Obama cited a resolution by the U.N. Security Council to justify his actions.

"And so at my direction, America led an effort with our allies at the United Nations Security Council to pass a historic resolution that authorized a no-fly zone to stop the regime's attacks from the air, and further authorized all necessary measures to protect the Libyan people," Obama said on March 28, 2011.

Obama argued that had he not ordered the U.S. military to intervene in Libya's civil war, it would have done irreparable damage to the credibility of the U.N. Security Council -- something he could never let happen.

"The writ of the United Nations Security Council would have been shown to be little more than empty words, crippling that institution's future credibility to uphold global peace and security," Obama said.

Pelosi supported Obama's military intervention in Libya and his use of a resolution from the U.N. Security Council -- rather than the U.S. Congress -- to claim the authority to take that action.

On March 23, 2011, she issued a statement "regarding the ongoing U.S. military action in Libya."

"Acting upon the United Nations Security Council's resolution to use 'all measures necessary' to protect the Libyan people and the Arab League's call for a no-fly zone, the United States joined the international community in preventing an imminent humanitarian crisis in Libya," she said.

Her statement did not claim that American lives were endangered by Gadhafi's forces. Nor did she call for Obama to get congressional authorization for the military action he was taking.

On March 28, 2011, after Obama delivered his speech stating that the U.S. military intervention in Libya was necessary to protect the "future credibility" of the U.N. Security Council, Pelosi issued a statement applauding him.

"I commend the president for his courage in taking this action and salute our men and women in uniform for their part in saving lives," she said.

President Trump launched his military intervention against Soleimani and Muhandis on quite different terms. He was not acting to defend the "future credibility" of the U.N. Security Council. He was acting to defend American lives.

"Soleimani was plotting imminent and sinister attacks on American diplomats and military personnel, but we caught him in the act and terminated him," Trump said.

"We took action last night to stop a war," he said. "We did not take action to start a war."

Pelosi immediately criticized Trump's attack on Soleimani for lacking congressional authorization.

"The Administration has conducted tonight's strikes in Iraq targeting high-level Iranian military officials and killing Iranian Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani without an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) against Iran," she said in a statement issued on Jan. 2.

On Jan. 5, she repeated this criticism in a letter to her congressional colleagues.

"As Members of Congress, our responsibility is to keep the American people safe," she said. "For this reason, we are concerned that the Administration took this action without consultation with Congress and without respect for Congress's war powers granted to it by the Constitution."

Which side would the framers take: Trump's or Pelosi's?

The Constitutional Convention debated the war power on Aug. 17, 1787 -- with James Madison taking notes.

The original draft of the Constitution would have given Congress the power to "make" war.

Pierce Butler was the only delegate who suggested giving this power to the executive instead. "He was for vesting the power in the President, who will have all the requisite qualities, and will not make war but when the Nation will support it," say Madison's notes.

Madison and Elbridge Gerry immediately countered Butler's proposal.

Madison "and Mr. Gerry moved to insert 'declare,' striking out 'make' war; leaving to the executive the power to repel sudden attacks," say the notes.

While Roger Sherman would have maintained the language giving Congress the power to "make" war, he agreed that the president must be denied the power to start one.

"The Executive shd. be able to repel and not to commence war," he said.

No one defended Butler's pro-presidential position. But Gerry sharply criticized it.

"Mr. Gerry never expected to hear in a republic a motion to empower the Executive alone to declare war," say the notes.

George Mason then backed Madison and Gerry's proposal.

"Mr. Mason was agst. giving the power of war to the Executive, because not safely to be trusted with it; or to the Senate, because not so constructed as to be entitled to it," say Madison's notes. "He was for clogging rather than facilitating war; but for facilitating peace. He preferred 'declare' to 'make.'"

The convention adopted Madison and Gerry's language. The Constitution gives the president the power to repel a sudden attack but not to start a war.

Obama's military intervention in the Libyan civil war had no constitutional justification.

Trump's discretely targeted attack on two terrorist leaders planning to kill Americans is constitutionally justifiable as repelling an attack.

But no president, Republican or Democrat, may commence a war against Iran -- or any other would-be adversary -- unless it is first authorized by Congress.

Terence P. Jeffrey is the editor in chief of CNSnews.com.


Purpose of the 10th Step: Inventory

Up to this point in your recovery, steps one through nine have taught you to see the truth about your behavior and how the rest of the world responds to your actions. With this awareness you can now clearly see what is going on during every moment of your day. The purpose of AA’s tenth step is to demonstrate to yourself that you have the ability to control your actions. You are no longer functioning like a robot under the weight of old habits or while not thinking about what you are doing.

Have you been drinking?

Working Step 10

Step 10 isn’t always easy to define or understand. Of course you are aware of your actions, but are you taking inventory and admitting when you’re wrong or when you’ve done wrong? This personal responsibility is critical to successful recovery from alcohol addiction. An example of working step 10 might be getting angry when someone cuts you off at a traffic light. Just as you begin to form the profanities to hurl from your open window, you recognize that the other driver will not be improved by your anger and would benefit more from your demonstration of the right way to react to anger or stress. Instead of hurling abuse, you smile as you pass the driver, even if it’s not a real smile. By responding to a conflict or anger with grace, you have used step 10.

Another example might be that you didn’t get a recent promotion. When your boss tells you it is due to poor work performance, you disagree, and because you’re angry, you tell him off. Working step 10 doesn’t mean that you don’t get angry ever again, or that you don’t make mistakes. It means that if you do, you admit when you’re wrong. So immediately after your outburst, you calm down and apologize to your boss for your inappropriate reaction. Step 10 doesn’t require you to go into a long explanation about why you’re wrong or to make excuses for it. It requires only that you admit you’re wrong.

step 10

Step 10 of AA Review

As part of step 10, Alcoholics Anonymous treatment programs recommend that you do daily and periodic reviews. The daily review means that you set aside time each day to meditate or constructively review your day. Were you resentful, dishonest or afraid? Do you owe anyone an apology for something you’ve done or said that day? What could you do better tomorrow? While carrying out your daily review, be careful to avoid slipping into worry, remorse or fear. It is not about beating yourself up. Step 10 is about being aware of your actions and their consequences.

The periodic review is basically taking stock of where you are and what you need to do to ensure you stay on the path to recovery. The periodic review is similar to the daily review in that you ask yourself the same questions, but rather than reflect on the previous 24 hours, you’re looking back over a month or more.

Each year, take stock of promises made in previous steps. If there are any that you have not kept, then this is the time to rectify that wrong.

Step 10 keeps your house clean and is not about being perfect. Everyone makes mistakes, but owning up to them settles conflict before it can fester and become blown out of proportion. The tenth step of Alcoholics Anonymous is a natural progression from step 9, where you make amends. Step 10 helps you to keep your commitment to better behavior by serving as a motivator to act in a manner that doesn’t require you to owe any apologies. Essentially, accomplishing step 10 means you’ve worked hard to be the person you want to be.

Alcoholics Anonymous is an alcohol addiction treatment program that helps alcoholics build a solid foundation for long term recovery from their addiction. The 12 steps of this program each provide another brick in that foundation. If you or someone you know is looking for an AA program, visit the website for more information and to find a meeting near you.

Next: Step 11
Last: Step 9


BWW Feature: RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN MAKE SIAM GREAT, AGAIN! at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre

Advice I received in my youth was to "know my roots." Contextually, this referred to my limited knowledge of punk rock, which spanned the not-fundamental years of 1995-2003. But "knowing your roots" can be more broadly interpreted. Understanding cultural history, including personal and family narratives, can inform identity. Knowing what came before you--and, more importantly, understanding the social climate that inspired what came before you--is a critical component to comprehending the nuances of current society.

In this mindset, I recently "discovered" an eye-opening piece of American theatrical history in the 65-year Broadway darling: Rogers and Hammerstein's The King and I.

How far we've come...?

The King and I is a musical that pits Victorian values against those of the exoticized Oriental peoples. It's 1863, and the King of Siam, sensing the inescapable reach of Western culture, hires headstrong English widow Anna to teach English and European culture to the royal harem and children. The king's motives are dictated by both governing acumen and vanity--he desires to bring Western culture to Siam to maintain a foothold of power in the rapidly globalizing landscape; he also harbors personal concern that Western culture will view him as weak, expendable, conquerable. Based on the Margaret Landon novel and the Anna Leonowens memoir, The King and I's portrayal of King Mongkut of Siam's desire to incorporate Western values into his kingdom is historically accurate. In fact, Mongkut's knowledge of the West allowed him to maintain his national sovereignty while areas around him fell to European protectorship in the mid/late 1800s.

Anna arrives in Siam and immediately asserts herself as a strong, modern woman who won't be taken advantage of in her business dealings with the King. The King is offput, and hides her away in the classroom with his wives and numerous children. Anna and the King maintain their strained, but ultimately benign (though the potential for an unrequited attraction is apparent), relationship until finding a common goal in impressing a visiting English diplomat. Anna and the King team up to throw a proper Western party, which involves teaching the ladies of the palace to walk in hoop skirts, speak English properly and politely, and adhere to Western norms during the evening meal and ensuing ball.

I'm not spoiling the end when I say that they pull off the party, but the festivities of the evening are sullied when a runaway concubine is captured, and the King is expected to punish her, despite Anna's pleas for leniency. His heart (literally) gives out mid-whipping, and Anna is horrified to realize that she hasn't truly converted him to Western decency. The savage, Oriental instincts still hold strong in his personal identity, despite the fact that she taught him to polka pretty damn well. Disillusioned, she decides to return to Europe. The king dies, leaving the rule of Siam to his heir, who makes proclamations that clearly illustrate his indoctrination into Western culture. The audience is left with the feeling that the last King of true Siam, along with the cultural practices of his nation, has passed into history.

As with any play written in the pre-civil rights/pre-women's liberation era, there are bound to be some moments that seem cringe-worthy by current social standards. The King and I does feature complex female characters (one even writes a subversive meta-play about the evils of slavery--which is, unfortunately, a lengthy and uncomfortable pidgin rendition of Uncle Tom's Cabin); however, the show's condescending treatment of the Siamese, and by extension, Asian people and cultures in general, is a stark reminder of Western culture's seemingly interminable distaste for other races. The people of Siam are shown as malleable and unsophisticated. Though the play is set in Siam, little about the nation's culture is revealed beyond childish notions (they particularly like fireworks and boat racing) and social practices considerEd Salacious and lewd by Victorian (and, frankly, by current) standards. The tension of the show rests on whether or not the leading lady, the impeccable example of Western propriety and charity, can train the King of Siam to sit, speak, and dance. The only thing she doesn't train him to do is fetch a ball.

This show is considered a classic, and the purpose of this examination is not to take issue with narrative cohesion or production value--this is a professional tour at the Pantages Theater with a talented cast, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera .... And theatre is performance literature, so looking at plays from an earlier era through a modern social lens can certainly vilify authors as insensitive, even though they were representing the accepted values system of their time. What concerns me is the fact that this show is still being produced.

The King and I has been a staple of American theatre since its premier. Its most recent Broadway revival is a Tony-winner. Despite relatively unremarkable music and a predictable narrative, audiences continue to flock to this production. I suspect the comfort of seeing a "safe" play prevents viewers from noticing and rejecting the patronizing themes being portrayed.

This is not a vendetta against old plays, nor is it call to ignore these classic shows, shows on which many of us cut our theatrical teeth; it's instead notice to be wary of "safe" theatre. "Safe" theatre like The King and I subverts social progressiveness by concealing racism in the dramatic swirling of Anna's glorious gown as she dances, triumphant, with her king. These plays, from times when America was "great," are uncomfortable reminders of an American culture that simply will not be made to accept "the other."

Maybe that America is now. Or, perhaps people are just swallowing without chewing, simply enjoying Rodgers and Hammerstein's show for its singableness and its spectacle.

Either way, The King and I at The Hollywood Pantages received a standing ovation.

Related Articles View More Santa Barbara Stories   Shows

From This Author Maggie Yates

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Theoretical Astrophysicist Claps Back At Guy Who Told Her To "Learn Some Science"

I’m sure you recognize this feeling: Someone is a total jerk, and then, too long after the fact to actually matter, you come up with the perfect comeback. If only! If this is you, you’ll find this story deeply satisfying: A and the . Watching someone skewer a troll in less than 140 characters feels so good.

Dr. Katie Mack is a theoretical astrophysicist in Australia. According to , she studies “dark matter, black holes, cosmic strings, and the formation of the first galaxies in the Universe.” She is also a science communicator who has written for about science for a popular audience in a variety of publications, and she has a large Twitter following of more than 59,000 people.

On Monday, Mack tweeted during an episode of the Australian TV show Q&A, which involved a discussion of climate change (and the validity of climate change theories) among a panel that included English physicist Brian Cox and Australian senator-elect Malcolm Roberts. In the show, , arguing that there needs to be more “empirical evidence.” Cox promptly responded with graphs showing that evidence. Roberts, in turn, argued that the data had been “corrupted” by scientific agencies like NASA.

Mack took to twitter to vent:

Unsurprisingly (this is the Internet, after all), some users felt the need to explain to her just why she’s wrong, including this shining example:

Mack’s response was simple and on point:

This perfect comeback went viral, with even J.K. Rowling getting in on the action:

Twitter user Finkowska summed things up nicely:

Find out more about Katie Mack on her .

Images: ; (3)


Taco Bell plans to offer $100,000 manager salary

Wanted: restaurant manager. Competitive salary: $100,000.

The six-figure sum is not being offered at a haute cuisine location with culinary accolades, but at fast-food chain Taco Bell. Amid an increasingly tough U.S. labor market, the company is betting a higher salary will help it attract workers and keep them on the team.

The Yum! Brands-owned chain will test the higher salary in select restaurants in the U.S. Midwest and Northeast and will also try a new role for employees who want leadership experience but don’t want to be in the management position. Current salaries for general managers at company-owned Taco Bell stores are between $50,000 and $80,000, according to the company.

It’s another example of how stubbornly low unemployment is changing the face of fast food, which for decades has been seen as the quintessential low-wage job. Restaurants including Olive Garden owner Darden Restaurants and Shake Shack have recently called out labor inflation that’s hurting margins.

Taco Bell on Thursday also announced plans to make all of its customer packaging recyclable, compostable or reusable by 2025. Amid the growth of plant-based meat imitations, the chain added it wants to continue providing vegetarian menu items for customers such as the black bean crunchwrap.

Bloomberg News


Defending the ‘Champion’ Tag - Googly Mania

Defending the ‘Champion’ Tag

United States kick started their FIFA World Cup campaign with an astonishing 13 goal win against Thailand and showing their dominance on the field. The same dominance was noticeable in the second game as well, against Chile on 16th June, Sunday. United States have been the world champions for 3 times and on 2011 they managed to reach the finals but lost to a more advanced Japan but regained their status in the next World Cup in 2015.

At the beginning of the game Chile goalkeeper, Christiane Endler punched the ball in the initial cross which reached Carli Lloyd, who sprinted along with the ball to score an early goal but her efforts took the ball to the cross bar only. Within 2 minutes, she attempts to squeeze the ball past Endler from a close range but Endler makes a drastic save. With repeated attempts, Carli Lloyd manages to punch the ball for the first goal of the night in the 11th minute as she hit’s a loose ball in the box to the top-right corner over a baffled Endler. In the 22nd minute Chile defender Carla Guerrero manages to get the ball in the box but was ruled out as offside. US doubled their lead in 26th minute when midfielder Julie Ertz powerfully headed the ball past Endler from another corner pass from Davidson’s pass. Carli Lloyd came back into the spotlight with her 2nd goal of the night with yet another corner kick by Davidson and Lloyd sprinted past all the defenders and guided her header into the bottom left corner of the goal as United States embraced their 3rd goal.

Chile needed to diminish the lead set by United States as well as stop any attacks by the team, but they were finding it hard to get past the United States defence. However, United States were still dominating the field with their repeated attempts to score a goal, and Endler brilliantly saved another incoming goal from Christen Press in the 56th minute. United States kept attacking the goal past Chile defence in the last few minutes of the game, while Christiane Endler kept restricting them from added damage as United States became victorious in their 2nd game in FIFA World Cup 2019.

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Acute adrenal crisis

Adrenal crisis; Addisonian crisis; Acute adrenal insufficiency

Endocrine glands

Adrenal gland hormone secretion

The adrenal gland secretes steroid hormones such as cortisol and aldosterone. It also makes precursors that can be converted to sex steroids (androgen, estrogen). A different part of the adrenal gland makes adrenaline (epinephrine). When the glands produce more or less hormones than required by the body, disease conditions may occur.

Exams and Tests

Outlook (Prognosis)

When to Contact a Medical Professional


Chapter 12. Reporting Defects

In this chapter you'll provide a facility for defining a test cycle, which is a set of test cases that are to be performed against a specific release. You will then use this to record the test results.

In the previous chapter you defined the test cases that will be used to verify your project. This process started by defining test scenarios. Each test scenario covers a particular topic or set of interactions, without the detailed input/output specifications. A scenario is usually a short description, often just a phrase or two. By keeping these brief and at a high level, you can more easily cover the entire scope that must be tested, without getting bogged down with the details. Scenarios can be used for both ...


Explanation of the philosophy
Scientific Backgrounds

Explanation of the philosophy

For the innocently modern-thinking human being, the term “urheimisch“ already represents a certain challenge. “Particularly in medicine, what are the advantages of an approach oriented towards the roots of the human being in the era of globalization and in light of triumphs of chemistry and technology? – one may ask.

More and more scientific results support the “urheimische” philosophy.
First, in academic offers in the field of ethnomedicine (institutes, chairs, courses).

Second, in modern drug research that has discovered, for example, that innate features significantly influence the effects and side effects of pharmaceuticals. These features transmitted by genes are partly passed on only within families but also within complete ethnic groups. Morphine used as painkiller during surgery, for example, is degraded more quickly in children of African origin than in white children. Therefore, dosing must be adjusted according to that principle.

American studies have shown that important physiological systems in patients with black skin suffering from high blood pressure are quite different from white patients. Thus, certain high blood pressure medicines such as beta blockers or ACE inhibitors are less effective for therapy and calcium channel blockers are first choice medicines.

What is also clear is that ethnic differences are correlated with the geographic origin. Depending on the region they are in, human beings thus develop different and heritable metabolism abilities and features in interaction with their living environment.

Scientific backgrounds

The pharmacokinetics, for example, a field of modern drug research which mainly investigates how the effects of drugs or their metabolization in liver (“detoxification”) are influenced by individual, often hereditary differences of human beings, supports the “urheimische” philosophy. Particularly well known are certain therapies in breast cancer that are effective only in patients with typical gene features (and thus spare patients from aggressive chemotherapies). Genetically-based variability of enzymes (known as polymorphism) also often indicates different reactions to drugs. Thiopurine s-methyltransferase, for example, decisively determines the effects and side effects of the cancer drug methotrexate in childhood leukemia [1]. Other findings concern the ethnic or regional origin of patients. Thus, in the US, the first “ethnic” drugs are close to being approved; patients with black skin suffering from cardiovascular diseases –and only this population - achieve more than 40% lower heart attack mortality. Modern cardiology is also taking advantage of clear differences between human beings that have lived in the same country for centuries or only recently immigrated and is taking these differences into account in therapies.

Also in the field of nutrition: origin studies show that it has taken many generations for human beings to learn to feed themselves mainly with cereals and milk or preferably with rice. This has even made it possible to inhabit the Himalayan high valleys or the Antarctic ice deserts. These extreme cases in particular make it clear that such adaptations cannot be reversed easily – so that Eskimos, for example, are only able to poorly acclimate to a tropical climate zone.

Health burdens of the modern world

In our “modern” time, our body is confronted with so many artificial substances as never before. Food plants cultivated in industrial agriculture increasingly contain chemical additives from fertilizers and pesticides, whereas the content of healthy ingredients is sharply declining. Old and established varieties can represent an “urheimische” alternative to these sometimes genetically modified new varieties. Ironically, their cultivation is fatally threatened to be massively restricted on the basis of planned EU regulations. As if this is not enough – the supply of synthetically produced food supplements and chemical drugs is increasing steadily. This does not remain without consequences: the majority of the population suffers from intolerances and other health problems. Every third person now shows allergic reactions. The numerous alien substances have become potential allergens to which the body responds with the production of antibodies. The number of antibodies, however, is limited. If more foreign substances appear than the body can repel, allergic reactions will occur and the immune system will be burdened. In the long run, this even makes the healthiest body sick.

Biological plausibility

Adaptation of an organism to foreign substances lasts many generations. In people, millions of small genetic alterations have taken place over the course of evolution - mainly via adaptive radiation - [a] by which humans are optimally and individually adapted to their homeland and local living conditions. This genetic adaptation takes place over very long time periods (over thousands of years). In contrast, short-term adaptations of the organism (over the course of hundreds of years) seem to be made via epigenetic modifications [b]. The information of the genome itself does not change but instead its subordinated use or implementation changes.

From a biological point of view, it therefore makes sense to make use of the adaptation of our organism to its environment. The nature familiar to us provides digestible and healthy remedies and food for the people living in it. This particularly applies with respect to the wide range of foreign and toxic substances that modern humans must face again and again. Without reflection to our roots, we cannot predict where the journey of the current generation is heading, since these humans no longer live in an “urheimisch” manner.

Those who wish to avoid the risk of negative effects on health are better off relying on “urheimische” foodstuffs and remedies

So summarized Münster geneticist Prof. em. Dr. K. Müller in a letter to Dr. G. Pandalis.

New studies repeatedly confirm the “urheimische” philosophy of Dr. Pandalis and show that isolated substances, for example, do not achieve the desired effect. What is even worse, the opposite happens – mice with existing tumors show accelerated tumor growth when treated with isolated antioxidants [2].

  1. Wennerstrand P, Mårtensson LG, Söderhäll S, Zimdahl A, Appell ML: Methotrexate binds to recombinant thiopurine S-methyltransferase and inhibits enzyme activity after high-dose infusions in childhood leukaemia. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 2013 Sep;69(9):1641-9.
  2. Urban TJ: Race, ethnicity, ancestry, and pharmacogenetics. Mt Sinai J Med. 2010 Mar-Apr;77(2):133-9.

a) Adaptive Radiation = Term used in evolutionary biology; (lat. adaptare – to adapt; radiatus – radiant) - diversification (radiation) of a less specialized plant or animal species into many more specialized species whereby they specifically accommodate (adapt) to the present environmental conditions.

b) Epigenetics = field of biology; (gr. epi – beyond) deals with cell properties that are inherited but not set out in the genomic sequence.


Esther Schelfhout

I'm a performance artist from Ghent  ('94) who's practise is based on narrative research of female figures in (art) history.
How do we handle superior behavior towards woman in public and private spaces?
I explore characters who dealt with these problematics in the past and emphasizes the relevance of these stories today.
I do this by activating spaces in an intervention-wise way.

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