When the ugly head of racism shows itself

ONE of the most pervasive problems that plague our country is racism that is fuelled by ethnic parochialism and only recently, this ugly head of racism revealed itself to many of us in no small way with the circulation of a video of a young University of Guyana (UG) student making racist remarks about Afro-Guyanese.

In the video, the young man placed money on the floor and posited that only an Afro-Guyanese would pick it up since he believed that an Indo-Guyanese would not do that. Not only did he make those filthy remarks, but he subsequently posted another video, purportedly an apology of some sort, where he trivialised the severity of what he did. By the time I saw the videos circulating on my social media feeds, I had already submitted my column for last week and I felt as though it was a missed opportunity for me to use this space to add my two cents to the conversation. Afterwards, as I continued reading the news articles on the matter and then letters to the editors with persons proffering their judgements and suggestions for sanctions, it dawned on me that I did not miss this opportunity. It is my opinion that this specific incidence is a manifestation of those microcosmic tensions in our society. And I think we can agree that until this nasty characteristic of racism stops showing itself (if it ever will!), there is always scope to continue this conversation.

From what I’ve discerned, two broad schools of thought emerged specifically with this situation. On one hand, some contend that it is only through punitive actions will an example be made and a precedent is set. Lest this occurs, it seems as though the matter will become trivialised and opens the floodgates for this to happen again, given that there are no serious consequences. On the other hand, some contend that while the young man was outright and blatantly racist in a supposedly tolerant society, efforts should be made to edify him. In essence, those proposing this are emphasising that you cannot ‘fight fire with fire’.

I don’t know what the correct approach is if there is any at all. But, what I do know is that when these incidents occur (because yes, they do occur), we have to talk about it. We cannot continue to ignore these sentiments because they will continue to fester. We have to question, why is ethnic parochialism still a major feature in a society that prides itself on being “multicultural”?
Why do we still have these ugly stereotypes in our everyday lives?

I’ve spent much of the past three years dedicating my time to learning about Guyana’s and the Caribbean’s history because I believe there are lessons to be learnt from the past. One of those lessons is that there are tensions that exist in our region because of the varying experiences our fore-parents had on the plantations and through colonialism. Ethnic parochialism was a tool that was used to keep our people apart and create strife among us, and it helped to enforce social stratification within the society. This has only been to the detriment of our own development, and years later, if we are to engage in holistic development, we have to break away from these structures we have been put into.

Another dimension I’d like to factor in is consideration for who this young man is. This young man is a student of the University of Guyana (UG), Guyana’s premier tertiary educational institution and an extensively diverse space. That being said, it seems logical to advance that this young man belongs to the relatively small pool of tertiary educated citizens in this country, and has, in no small way, been exposed to the tenets of a plural society through his educational pursuits.

I have been one to say that I am confident that the ethnic parochialism that envelopes Guyana will fade away at least by the time my generation has aged to maturity. And the reason behind my belief was that we have wider access to educational opportunities and we would have been able to understand racism has, literally, split our country into two.

At this point in our country’s development, I don’t believe that racism is a foreign concept; we know of it, we know how it has stymied our collective development, and we know that it is something that we have to fight off. Now, what baffles me is that if education is the solution to the woes of our society, how did this young man even begin to think about making those insensitive remarks? We have to do better, man.


Many spinal problems seen in adults began as early as birth. Even natural birthing methods can stress an infant’s spine and developing nerve system. The resulting irritation to the nerve system caused by spinal and cranial misalignment can be the cause of many newborn health complaints such as: colic, breathing problems, nursing difficulties, sleep disturbances, allergic reactions and chronic infections can often be traced to the nerve system stress. As the infant grows, learning to hold up the head, sit, crawl and walk are all activities that affect spinal alignment and are important times to have a child checked by a Doctor of Chiropractic. As the child begins to participate in regular childhood activities like skating or riding a bike, small yet significant spinal misalignments may occur. If neglected, the injuries during this period of rapid growth may lead to more serious problems later in life. This is why developing good spinal care at a young age is so important.


Fiber 2

What fiber really is, and what does it really do?

Everyone must know that fiber should be eaten and is recommended for a daily diet. But in the midst of all, did it really make up what fiber is and what does it do to the body?

Nutritionist Melina Jampolis reports that fiber is plant-derived carbohydrate that does not melt in the human digestive system. The fiber goes through the digestive system quite unchanged, and it does not have much energy.

There are two types of fiber: water-soluble and water-insoluble. Both are important for health and are commonly found in whole grain products, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and beans.

Fiber is an important part of digestion, as it will increase the number of faeces. Fiber is like natural laxative. The fiber allows the better movement in the intestine, as well as helps loosen the stomach. Fiber contributes to the growth of good bacteria in the gut, and can ease the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

Fiber affects blood glucose balance as it slows down the gastric emptying of food. The same is also the case with weight management because fiber keeps satiety longer. Fiber is a good addition to diet, but not too energy-intensive. Fiber has many health benefits, for example, it lowers blood pressure and reduces the risk of inflammation and heart attacks. Studies show that sufficient fiber in the diet also helps to reduce the risk of death.

The industrially-added fiber is basically a good addition to the diet, but it does not yet beat the natural fibers. Instead of opting for diets with fiber-reinforced diets, it would be worthwhile to favor clean sources of fiber in the food.

If the diet has not been fiber-rich before, it's worth taking the fiber to start with cautiously. An acute dose of fiber can cause gasps and swelling. Adding fiber little by little, can achieve health benefits without the side effects.

Dietary fiber

Dietary fiber is found in plant products: cereal products, vegetables, fruits and berries, nuts and seeds. There is no fiber in meat, fish, milk and fats.

The fiber-rich food has many health effects, and fiber does not contain much energy. The addition of fiber can be achieved by small selections. Here are good fiber sources.

The fiber content of cereal products varies. The darker the bread, the more fiber. Whole grain products contain the most fiber. Amounts are stated in product packaging - compare and select.

Eat bread 6-9 pieces per day!

Cereal products

The cereal products include porridge, bran, muesli, grain, pasta, and rice.

Flakes (eg oats, rye, barley) are good fiber sources. Porridge is a good and inexpensive basic dish. Try making a porridge in a microwave oven. New tastes can be obtained by mixing different flakes or adding berries or fruit sugars to the yard. Of cereal products, oats contain water-soluble fiber that lowers cholesterol.

The fiber content of the vegetables does not decrease when cooked. Vitamins, minerals, flavonoids, and other health promoting agents are included in the vegetables. Both flavors and colors. You can easily add frozen vegetables to almost all foods. The most water soluble fiber is in beans and peas. Eat vegetables every day!

Fruits and berries

Berries are good fiber sources. Eat different fruits and berries, 2-4 servings per day. If you can not eat frozen berries because of their acidity, add sugar or aspartame. Dried fruits have more fiber than fresh.

Nuts and seeds

Nuts and seeds have plenty of fiber. They also contain plenty of fat and energy. They can be varied with salads and other food and the flavor of baking. Suitable as energy-intensive snacks.

Food fiber promotes healthy aging

Food fiber keeps aging person healthy and functional, says a recent study from Australia. The aim was to find out what the effect of different sugars, carbohydrates and fibers on food is on good aging.

The researchers at the University of Sydney used a file that was originally collected from people living near the city. In addition to careful dietary surveys, a 10-year follow-up of participants' health and death was compiled. At the beginning of the study the participants had a minimum age of 50 years. Of the crowd, around half a thousand people who were healthy at the start of the follow-up were selected for this study. Over the course of 10 years, how many participants were ill with other problems, such as heart disease or cancer, depression, respiratory symptoms, brain problems or functional ability. The results of the monitoring were then compared to the previously collected dietetic data.

Approximately 15% of the participants could be considered healthy after 10 years. Almost 40% were dead. The availability of different sugars did not have any effect on healthy staying. Instead, the likelihood of staying healthy and fit with high fiber levels was about 80% higher than in the least-received group. Fibers are included in bread, grains, fruits and vegetables. In a more detailed analysis, healthy aging was linked in particular to grains and fruits, not to vegetables. Scientists believe that fiber sources matter.

Explanations are sought for the limiting effect of the fibers on inflammatory mechanisms. It may be related to post-meal blood sugar rise. High fiber edible increases blood sugar less and slower than sugar-containing foods.

It's good to remember that not only good fiber sources, fruit, berries, vegetables, and grain products are also healthy eating.

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Gol Probiotic 600


The lonely society?

Although many people experience loneliness at one time or another, it is often overlooked or dismissed. Because society prides itself on self-reliance, loneliness might carry a stigma for people who admit to it. This is both paradoxical and pernicious: if loneliness is transient, it is simply accepted as part of life, but there is a deep dread of being lonely for the long haul.

Loneliness might accompany depression or another psychological illness, but it has its own set of characteristics that have specific implications for people's mental, physical and societal health. This report is aimed at raising awareness of loneliness and of the steps that can be taken to reduce isolation.

Jo Griffin


Analysis of Peer-to-Peer Lending Platforms in the UK

Essay 2016 16 Pages

Business economics - Banking, Stock Exchanges, Insurance, Accounting

Table of content

1. Introduction

2. Literature Review

3. Evolution of P2P lending and its influence over the past ten years

4. Standing of P2P platforms in the Financial Services industry
4.1. Future Outlook

5. Conclusion

6. Reference List

7. Appendix

1. Introduction

Due to the exponential rate at which technology has developed in recent years, plentiful new businesses have established. The digital revolution is challenging many well situated, regulated and often conservative industries, such as the financial service industry. Several financial technology start-up companies, also known as Finance Technology Companies (FinTechs), thereby constitute as competitors to traditional retail banks by accessing technological innovations. While the FinTech “eToro” is challenging the investment divisions, start-ups like “Transferwise” are putting pressure on the prices for payment and transfer services (Hale, 2014; Kaminska, 2016; Milne, 2014). The largest market volumes of so-called alternative finance models in the United Kingdom (UK) have peer-to-peer (P2P) lending businesses, such as ZOPA (KPMG, 2015). P2P, or social lending allows individuals to borrow and lend money to each other directly, without intermediate financial institution, such as retail banks (Bachmann et al. 2011; Jones, 2014). Subsequently, the global trend of disintermediation also arose in the banking industry (Authers, 2014).

After reviewing relevant literature the market power of P2P lending as well as its impact on the financial services industry over the last ten years will be assessed. Furthermore, this essay will illustrate the current situation by evaluating the extent to which P2P FinTechs replace personal finance functions of retail banks in the UK. Finally, major aspects will be summarised and future aspects will be discussed.

2. Literature Review

The predominant view about the impact of P2P lending platforms on financial services in the UK is broadly consistent. Even though the topic has great popularity among newspapers and the consultancy industry, the past, as well the actual influence of P2P lending platforms on the financial position of the financial services industry is commonly assessed as modest. Underlying reasons for the assessment are the comparable small volume of borrowing and the small number of customers compared to the traditional retail banking industry (Barnes, 2015; Kupp and Anderson, 2007; Wallace, 2015), mainly because P2P platforms are not established among ordinary people (Mackenzie, 2015; Morgan Stanley, 2015).

Even though the actual financial impact on financial services is assessed as moderate, the literature is referring to the high growth rate that P2P platforms experienced in the past and the huge potential and influence that P2P platforms may have in the future (Bakker, 2015; Morgan Stanley, 2015; Nesta, 2016; PwC, 2015a). Estimations about P2P platforms’ volume of loans in the UK vary between £12.3bn (Wallace, 2015) and £24.1bn (Morgan Stanley, 2015) for the year 2020. Although, this is a small proportion compared to the outstanding loans of traditional banks, which amounts to £262bn (Wallace, 2015), it is commonly agreed that this may impact the profit of retail banks. Reading (2015) accentuates that if P2P lenders capture the retail mortgage market, UK banks will experience a threatening decrease in profit, as this is one of the most profitable market for the banks at the moment. Besides, Siedenbiedel (2015) emphasises that a single FinTech will not substantially threaten a bank, however, many FinTechs, such as Zopa, have specialised in one of the traditional banks’ functions. According to Deloitte (2015), Mackenzie (2015) and Siedenbiedel (2015), the threat for financial services provider is not that one single entrant or model will dominate their market, but the sum of FinTechs, which are capturing the market by increasing the efficiency of single sections of financial services providers and thereby alienate their customers.

While Barners (2015) argues that retail banks do not acknowledge P2P services in the marketplace in a sufficient way and thereby underestimate the potential risk, the predominant view is that financial services institution are aware of the increasing potential of FinTechs. An increasing number of partnerships as well as investments in P2P platforms reflect the acknowledgement and the impact that FinTechs have on the strategies of retail banks (Dunkley, 2015; Moules, 2014; Reading, 2015; Zopa, 2015).

In the following, this essay will discuss social, political as well as macroeconomic influences on the market position of P2P platforms and banks during the past ten years.

Analysing the financial service sector over the past years indicates that technology is a not a new phenomenon. However, technological developments in the past, such as the electronic stock trading, Internet Banking or online stock trading, were enhancements to banking services, while new FinTechs might replace banking services completely (Desai, 2015; Zimmermann, 2016).

Constantly decreasing costs for technology resource development allows smaller firms to enter the market and challenge established, conventional financial services providers (Barners, 2015; KPMG, 2015; Moenninghoff and Wieandt, 2013). Deloitte (2015) assessed that it may cost less than £10mn to set up a small bank due to technological development. While traditional banks can handle only 7% of their products digitally from end to end, FinTechs commonly handle the vast majority of their products digitally and automated, which is not only cost-efficient, but also time- saving (Bain & Company, 2015; De Munck, 2014; KPMG, 2015). FinTechs save costs as they employ less staff and do not have a branch networks. These competitive advantages enable FinTechs to offer low interest rates for borrowers, higher interest for lenders, a simplified application process and much quicker lending decisions (Morgan Stanley, 2015; PwC, 2015a,).

Besides the technology development, macroeconomic and regulatory changes have boosted P2P businesses and influenced the development of retail banking negatively in recent years (De Muck, 2014). While regulations for retail banks have been tightened after the financial crisis in 2008, P2P lending platforms have not been affected (Mackenzie, 2015). Especially regulations for risker customers have been strengthened, as they experienced heavy losses during the financial crisis. Although theses borrowers were an essential component of the banks’ revenue before the crisis, today these loans are less interesting for banks due to increased regulations (Figure 1) (Bank of England, 2016; Lapavitsas and Costas, 2008). Furthermore, the interest rate has been increased for consumers and small businesses (Morgan Stanley, 2015; Morrison, 2014). Thus, banks are less attractive and the trend of consumers and small businesses using P2P lending platforms is fostered. Consequently, P2P platforms have the opportunity to capture the market and develop from niche offering to major players (PwC, 2015a). Morgan Stanley (2015) and KPMG (2015) argue that the lack of regulations is still the most influential competitive advantage of P2P services. Although banks developed similar technologies, regulatory issues and compliances hold them back (Mackenzie, 2015).

Figure 1: Lending to UK businesses

illustration not visible in this excerpt

(Source: Bank of England, 2016, p. 4)

In addition, traditional financial services providers suffered from a lack of trust of customers after several banks required a bailout by taxpayers during the financial crisis (De Munch; Barnes, 2015). KPMG (2015) found that even if a bank offers similar terms, 80% of the interviewed people would approach alternative finance platforms. While retail banks experienced a decreasing trust of their customers, P2P platforms benefit from the trend of a sharing economy, referring to consumers trusting relationships tied to social sentiments (PwC, 2015b).

The use of new technologies, highly automatized processes, as well as complex algorithms, minimises the FinTechs’ operating costs, and thereby often put pressure on the conditions that retail banks offer their clients (World Economic Forum, 2015). Besides, the financial crisis led to tighter regulations and missing customer’s trust. Thereby, banks are loosing their perceived security advantage (Deloitte, 2015) and lost several customers. Although all above-discussed factors indicate an increasing impact of P2P platforms on the traditional financial services industry, the actual impact is assessed as moderate. Even though P2P services experienced growth rates of up to 288% per year, their market share of loans, compared to the outstanding loans of traditional financial service provider was considerable small (Figure 2) (Bank of England, 2016; Nesta, 2016; Wallace, 2015). Accordingly, in the past banks had no pressing reason to be concerned with loosing considerable profits and customers to P2P platforms. Assessing non-financial aspects depicts that P2P platforms increased the pressure on altering strategy, increasing efficiency and implementing new technologies. In 2014 Santander was the first bank acknowledging P2P platforms as a competitor by partnering with one of them (Moules, 2014). This recent alliance illustrates that even the strategic pressure for traditional retail service providers were moderate until 2013 (Gallarotti, 2015; Morrison, 2014). However, more recent alliances, as well as heavy investments of banks in P2P platforms illustrate that especially during the year 2015, banks increasingly acknowledge P2P platforms as potential competitors and adapt their strategies.

ISBN (eBook)
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Edinburgh Napier University
analysis peer-to-peer lending platforms

Title: Analysis of Peer-to-Peer Lending Platforms in the UK


‘Moon Lander’s High Speed Didn’t Give It A Chance’

Chicago: The Vikram moon lander likely crashed at about 184 miles per hour (mph), a speed at which nothing of value could have survived, a highly respected Indian American mechanical engineer, specialising in such critical failures has calculated.

Dr. Bharat Thakkar, 77, a veteran of quality control and reliability of systems, who has taught at several prestigious institutions here in Chicago, has raised several fundamental questions about the lander. “These questions may be uncomfortable to those lay observers not trained in mechanics, projectile motion, horizontal and vertical velocities etc. They certainly go beyond any politics and ideology,” Dr. Thakkar told this correspondent in an interview.

“Vikram was designed for soft landing. Is it true that there was no contingency in design for free fall any time during moon landing or any other time during Chandrayaan-2 mission? Expecting Vikram to function after free fall is a false hope similar to a ï¿½dead person’ coming alive. Pulling the plug on ï¿½brain dead’ is the right attitude. Expecting for divine intervention is very much cultural phenomenon in India,” he said.

However, beyond that broad criticism, Dr. Thakkar, a long time well-wisher of India’s science and technology who was a key member of the C-DOT generated telecom revolution, made some very specific technical points. One relates to whether there was consideration in Vikram’s design about “the moon’s ï¿½coefficient of restitution’ at the predetermined landing location”.

“Upon free-falling from a 2.1 km height, Vikram would have bounced back and forth more than ten times in upright position (positive thinking) before coming to rest at a different location with a different coefficient of restitution than originally planned. During bouncing back and forth, the pre-determined centre of gravity of Vikram could have gone into anon-equilibrium position upon the first impact. Thus, is it not hopeless to think for Vikram to stay in upright position,” he asked.

“A post-mortem must be carried out in terms of the mechanical design of Vikram. What was the factor of safety used in the dynamic mechanical design of Vikram? Was it even considered? These are the questions that need to be asked to ensure that upcoming missions do not suffer a similar fate,” he said.

In arriving at the figure of a 184 mph crash, Dr. Thakkar, who calls himself as a great admirer of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) passion, said: “Free fall velocity can be closer to square root of 2gh. Where g is one-sixth of earth (32.2 feet per sec2) h = 2.1 km = approximately 7,000 feet. With this free fall velocity of 270 ft per second = 184 miles per hour, nothing can survive at that speed.”

“I am assuming ï¿½free-fall’ but it is not exactly so. It is a minor thing but needs to be mentioned. At 2.1 km height, because of existing trajectory, there must be initial downward velocity. This is equivalent to forcing the tennis ball downward with a velocity that can rebound greater than free-fall. This downward velocity and coefficient of restitution combined can give us worst first bounce than I mentioned earlier.

“In my opinion, only the first hit, may have crushed Vikram. There could have been no chance for subsequent bouncing. However, theoretically it is possible to have more bouncing like a tennis ball but Vikram is not a tennis ball,” Dr. Thakkar reasoned.

“Anything four-legged falling does not necessarily hit all four legs at the same time depending upon the profile of moon’s surface. It is always one leg touching first and taking all the forces due to free falling. If one leg is weakened, the rest cannot help the situation. The deformations that are plastic are not recoverable in metal and materials. Anyone making prediction with a common sense, Vikram was destroyed as soon as it hit the moon ground,” he said.

Dr. Thakkar said since it involves a large sum of public money, ISRO and those involved must ask difficult questions of themselves beyond just sentimentalism. “ISRO is a great enterprise and has done India proud. I am sure it has within its DNA the ability to ask brutally honest questions and come up with rational answers,” he said.


how-to-write-a-scholarship-essay July 11, 2019

What is the scholarship? This is the amount of money for your education, which is allocated to you by a university, a foundation, or another company. The amount that you are allocated is usually enough to pay for tuition, housing, and meals. However, most importantly, this money does not need to be returned. Naturally, there are a lot of people willing to receive such a scholarship. In most cases, when applying for a scholarship and participation in the competition, the student needs to write an essay.

To begin, devote enough time to writing an essay. This process takes different amounts of time for each person. Someone spends a week on it, and someone spends the whole month. Even if you are confident in your abilities, you should not start writing a scholarship essay the day before the deadline, in a hurry. Such an approach is a failure in advance. It happens candidates who are keen on the process of preparation, forget about the last date of submitting the documents and miss deadlines. Having spent a lot of time and effort to write an essay, do not forget about the deadline for applying for a scholarship.

As part of the scholarship application process, essay scholarships give applicants the opportunity to demonstrate their strengths, abilities, and personal qualities on a positive basis. A well-written paper may be the most convincing part of a statement. That is why enough time and attention should be devoted to writing it.

Read and re-read the essay questions you are asked to identify key topics. It is pivotal to formulate a question. Learn the features and specifics of the scholarship, as well as the organization that provides funding. Determine its goals and values. Highlight this information in short separate paragraphs. You can also go directly to the university or organization that provides scholarships and ask them what should be covered in your paper.

If you find it difficult to start your essay, you can quote or affirm your intended goal; then you can link them to the main text. By showing more knowledge and skills on your subject, you can convince the committee that you are a worthy scholarship candidate.

Fill your essay with keywords and their synonyms used in the original statement. In this way, you will demonstrate your commitment to addressing the question. In addition to general topics, the scholarship essay may need to answer questions about your field of study, personal accomplishments, experience and influence on you, your future goals, financial needs, etc. To test your ability to solve problems on your own and understand actual problems, the committee may also ask questions about current events and social issues. Most of these questions are designed so that you can demonstrate your motivation, vision, and creativity. These questions will also give you the opportunity to share your most outstanding qualities and abilities.

Having determined the topic of your essay, you should start collecting materials that will serve as the basis for the document. Formulate for yourself a simple question, the answer to which needs to be found in your biography. For example, "How can your experience in the economic field help this area in the future (the area depends on the specialty you want to receive, it can be business, marketing, etc.)?” To answer this question, you need to structure your past experience in the form of a list, a map, or in any other way in order not to miss anything.
Then go to the second part of the question (for example, this is your contribution to the future of the international economy) and your research. Namely, identify existing problems in the international economy and then analyze how your experience will help to cope with them. Put these two pieces in one whole. Moreover, do not forget to be specific.

To get a scholarship, you need to show good, fresh ideas. To do this, identify simple questions to which you need to find answers within your field. During a brainstorming session, be sure to write down all your ideas on paper and in no case do not discard some thoughts right away, you may be able to return to them later. At the end of the brainstorming, you need to highlight the main idea. For doing this, you can again refer to the “questions-answers" technique. Formulate a simple question that reflects the essence of the problem.

Now you need to write a draft version of the work, fixing everything that you have analyzed, remembered, and invented. Avoid complex language; write your story, telling who you are and why you do it all. There must be an understanding that the essay was written by a living person; personalization and a “living language” will play in your favor at the moment when the commission will read your essay. Do not use clichés. Your paper should stand out by vivid, active, exciting speech that will attract a sponsor. The final stage of writing an essay is a mandatory time-out. Leave your work for a while, take your time off (walk, work, read a book). After some time, re-read the essay, highlight those moments that you do not like, and revise the writing.

Reread the paper to, assess its content by analyzing whether you have taken into account and reported everything in your essay. Think about whether you like it. After completing this task, give the document to another person for evaluation and ask for an honest and complete answer. Do not be afraid of constructive criticism; it can be useful at this stage. You can read good scholarship essay examples in order to understand the structure or logic of writing such a text. Send your application, essay, and all necessary documents as soon as possible. It often happens that the preparation and collection of documents, the work on an essay takes a lot of time and effort. Make sure that the work done is not in vain. Now you know how to write a good scholarship essay.

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Satellite Data Science MSc

University of Leicester

Undergraduate Research Opportunity 1 year Leicester, UK

Uploaded 11 Nov 2019

Job Description

Satellite observations of the Earth provide us with detailed information about the natural environment and allow us to monitor how humans are altering the planet. Uptake, use, and commercialisation of Earth observation data demands expertise in data analysis. There is a need for graduates who understand the principles of remote sensing whilst being able to write computer programmes, especially in Python, and use high-performance computing infrastructure. This course covers these areas, placing you in a strong position to seek employment in industry.

On this degree you will:

  • Use data from space-based sensors to understand and tackle pressing global environmental challenges related to the biosphere and atmosphere.
  • Develop analytical skills to use and process big datasets from satellites and other sensors.
  • Learn to effectively use and modify open-access big data processing environments such as Python and R.
  • Get started with cutting-edge image processing techniques, artificial intelligence and machine learning, on different platforms (e.g. cloud computing).
  • Gain an appreciation for the extensive application of Earth observations to multiple sectors throughout the world.

Person Specification

2:2 degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject. Non-standard qualification or professional experience in a relevant area may be considered.


Speaking & Listening Skills

Developing a Child’s Speaking and Listening Skills is Vital!

It is not just the key to literacy success but an essential social communication skill.

Sadly, schools are still reporting ever increasing concerns over the decline in young children’s speaking and listening skills. So, over the next 6 weeks, we are looking again at the different developmental elements of speaking and listening; providing practical games and activities to help build a child’s skills.

Week 1. The Importance of Small Talk

Week 2. Conversational Turn Taking Skills

Week 3. What is Listening?

Week 4. Games to Develop Listening Skills – Sound Screen Games

Week 5. Games to Develop Listening Skills – Sound Scanning Games

Week 6. Games to develop Listening Skills – Music Fun

Accents and Phonics

Bath - phonics section

Because the English language is so rich and diverse it is very difficult to create a phonics system that caters for all. Every region that speaks the English language has its own accent which means there are always variations in the way that a word is pronounced.

Across England we all spell words the same but we certainly do not say them all the same, even though we all use the same 44 sounds. In the English language the 44 sounds can be represented by over 280 letter combinations.

For example, in the South of England the letter ‘a’ can be pronounced as the ‘long ’R’ controlled’ vowel sound /ar,(ɑː)/ in words such as ‘grass’ and ‘bath’ whereas in the North of England it will be pronounced as the ‘short’ vowel /a,(æ)/ sound in these two words.

Click bit.ly/1Qgc9dA and then scroll down the page to see the animations of the different pronunciations of the word ‘bath’.


Realized Gain Definition

A realized gain results from selling an asset at a price higher than the original purchase price. It occurs when an asset is sold at a level that would exceed its book value cost.

While an asset may be carried on a balance sheet at a level above cost, any gains while the asset is still being held are considered “unrealized” as the asset is only being valued at fair market value. If you’re selling an asset that results in a loss, this is referred to as a realized loss.

How Do Realized Gains Work?

  • Realized gains and unrealized gains differ in a number of different ways. An unrealized gain usually refers to a gain reported on a company’s financial statements and will appreciate the value of the specified asset on a company’s books.

The assets are included in the company’s balance sheet, even so, they could be reported with or without the unrealized gains. Unrealized gains for an asset can be used to determine a selling price since these gains are added to the asset’s book valuation.

Realized Gains And Unrealized Gains

While realized gains are actualized, an unrealized gain is a potential profit that exists on paper, which is the result of an investment. It is an increase in the value of an asset that has not been sold for cash yet, like a stock position that has increased in value but still remains open. A gain won’t become realized until that position is sold for a profit.

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When unrealized gains present, it usually means an investor believes the investment has room for higher future gains. If it was the opposite, he/she would sell now and recognize the current gain. Unrealized gains can come about because holding an investment for an extended time period lowers the tax burden of the gain.

If an investor holds a stock for longer than one year, his tax rate is reduced to the long-term capital gains tax. If an investor wants to move the capital gains tax burden to another tax year, he can sell the stock in January of the proceeding year versus selling in the current year.

Investors should also note the distinction between realized gains and realized income. Realized income refers to income that you have earned and received, such as income from wages or a salary as well as income from interest or dividend payments.

*Accelerated Analytics publishes resources like this to provide insights to different analytical metrics, data points and formulas. POS Analytics. Please be aware, this doesn’t mean that our product will this metric, data point or formula. To learn exactly what our reporting covers, please feel free to schedule a demo or give us a call. Thanks for understanding.


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How do students feel about the registration process?

How do students learn what courses transfer?

Better information helps students make better decisions

When Saint Peter’s University took a wholistic view at their student experience, they realized that by providing better information and streamlining technological processes, they could improve interactions between students and staff and help students succeed from orientation through graduation. Watch to learn more about their Pathways to Distinction strategic plan.

What do students discuss with their advisors?

The cost of changing majors


High-quality cancer surgery for Canadians, from start to finish: A Q&A with Dr. Christian Finley

The Pan-Canadian Standards for Cancer Surgery were released earlier this year

Dr. Christian Finley, thoracic surgeon and Expert Lead, Clinical Measures, at the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer led development of the cancer surgery standards. Here he discusses why they were created and how they will help to improve the quality of cancer surgery in all parts of Canada.

Why were the standards created?

In Canada, cancer is the leading cause of all deaths (30 per cent)1 and tremendously impacts the economy of the health system. In 2019 alone, there will be over 220,000 estimated new cancer cases2 and over 82,000 projected cancer deaths.2 In our fight against the disease, there are three pillars of treatment: chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery. In recent years, we’ve identified that surgery largely sat outside management of the traditional cancer system as it’s often delivered, resourced and evaluated under provincial ministries of health and territorial health authorities, not cancer agencies, which typically manage chemotherapy and radiation. For this and many other reasons, we’re seeing significant variations in the effectiveness of cancer surgery in different parts of the country. These observations were quantified in the Approaches to high-risk, resource intensive cancer surgical care report that we released in 2015. Seeing that these gaps existed, we needed to develop evidence-informed cancer surgical standards that could be applied to different types of the disease and adopted by any health care setting where cancer surgeries are taking place.

By setting standards for care delivery and promoting their adoption, we will improve surgical practices across Canada and deliver on a priority of the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control (2019-2029). The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer is the steward of the Strategy working with provincial and territorial governments and others to make changes that ensure the our cancer system delivers high-quality care in a sustainable, world class system.

What issues are you seeing with cancer surgery in Canada?

The 2015 report looked at surgeries for breast, rectal, esophageal, pancreatic, liver, lung and ovarian cancers. The findings were startling as we saw significant variances in surgery outcomes for these cancers in different parts of Canada. Through advances in screening, many cancers can now be identified at an earlier stage, and surgery is often the optimal treatment choice to cure or manage the disease. While many patients fare well after surgery with no complications and are discharged home within expected timelines, some experience more complex post-surgical effects with extended hospital stays, adverse effects requiring additional care, re-admission to hospital, or in some cases, death. While cancer prevention, early detection and screening are important in the fight against cancer, surgery is often the only way to cure the disease. High-quality surgical practices, along with pathology and imaging, can mean up to a 55 per cent increase in chances of survival.3 As such, we need to make sure all Canadians are receiving high-quality cancer surgery.

Why are there variations among hospitals delivering cancer surgery in Canada?

There are many reasons why cancer surgery practices differ from province to province. The first is having the right resources and services in place, particularly before and after surgery. It’s vital that hospitals have physicians and nurses well-trained in identifying the specific signs and symptoms of complications following surgery, and that processes are in place to support timely action and “rescue” a patient should adverse events occur. There also needs to be 24-hour access to a radiologist and a hospital must have an operating room open at night to allow surgeons to go back and assess patients experiencing complications following a cancer surgery. We’re seeing that this is not the case with every hospital in Canada where cancer surgery is being performed. The other key factor is quality improvement practices. No surgeon, institution or province is the best at everything. There is tremendous value in knowing your performance compared to others across the country. That means getting hospitals to allow their data to be collected and compared with others. Routine data collection on the process and outcomes of a cancer surgery are needed in every facility that provides these procedures. Currently, that data is two to three years behind and its retrieval takes more than six months. This is a major obstacle in identifying and addressing problems in the cancer surgical practices at many hospitals across Canada.

What are the standards and what do they hope to achieve?

To increase the quality of surgery, it requires significant support from a multidisciplinary group of healthcare providers, as well as appropriate equipment and processes. Combining these factors will ensure that patients undergoing cancer surgery receive safe, timely and high-quality care. In August 2019, we released pan-Canadian standards for the practice of cancer surgery, including defining training and resource requirements. These standards seek to address the challenges affecting the quality of cancer surgery in Canada. They have been developed to elevate and standardize surgical practices in every part of the country where these procedures are performed. The standards include surgeon criteria and processes to ensure every hospital is providing training and routine re-certification for those operating on cancer patients. The standards can help hospitals in ensuring organizational resources are in place to support high-quality care at all stages of a cancer surgery. And importantly, the standards include data collection practices to encourage continuous quality improvement, particularly with feedback directly from patients following their surgery.

How will the standards benefit the patient and the cancer system?

Surgery is one of the greatest success stories in treating many types of cancer. Because of this treatment option, we have reduced deaths from the disease by 35 to 50 per cent over the last decade.3 It’s because of this effectiveness that we need to ensure that these types of surgery are being done at the highest quality possible. A cancer system with high-quality surgery practices from coast-to-coast-to-coast is in everyone’s best interest. For a patient, surgery is less invasive and has fewer physical post-treatment effects compared to chemotherapy and radiation therapy. For the system, surgery can remove tumours completely and if done effectively, you can see improved outcomes and minimal care required for the patient after treatment. From an economic standpoint this means fewer resources used in the cancer system. Getting these standards implemented in all relevant health care settings will mean all Canadians, no matter where the live in the country, will receive high-quality cancer surgery and are supported from end to end from diagnosis through to post-treatment care.

What’s next?

Through our National Surgery Standards Implementation Network, we have a conduit to provincial and territorial government policymakers and healthcare providers involved in the practice of cancer surgery. We are actively meeting with surgeons in all jurisdictions to present and promote adoption of the standards or identify if there are any barriers in their jurisdiction to adopting them. We are also starting a mentorship program whereby we connect leading cancer surgeons with other surgeons to share current practices and lessons learned. The goal is to have champions of the standards who can help in facilitating their adoption on the front lines of cancer surgery in every province and territory. The other big focus is on measurement. We are currently gathering data to show the effectiveness of surgery for breast, rectal, thoracic, gynecological and prostate cancer. We know that resources required to improve cancer surgery are limited in every province and territory. By obtaining the data in each jurisdiction and identifying which cancers are being treated effectively through surgery, and which are not, we can allocate our efforts and resources appropriately. This data will be featured in a report to be released to the public in spring 2020.

1- Government of Canada. Fact Sheet: Cancer in Canada. 2018. Available at: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/fact-sheet-cancer-canada.html
2- Canadian Cancer Society. Canadian Cancer Statistics. 2019. Available at: https://www.cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-101/canadian-cancer-statistics-publication/?region=bc
3- Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. Approaches To High-Risk, Resource Intensive Cancer Surgical Care In Canada. 2015. Available at: https://www.partnershipagainstcancer.ca/topics/quality-high-risk-cancer-surgery/


Many people in the northern parts of the United States think of Florida as a utopian location where they hope to retire, or just get away for a week or so to chase their troubles away. However, Floridians encounter their share of problems, just like everyone else. For instance, many people throughout the state find themselves involved in divorce proceedings. In fact, some face serious challenges surrounding contentious child custody issues or asset division complications.

If you belong to this group, you might have already familiarized yourself with state law regarding the division of assets in divorce. As an equitable distribution state, the courts aim to provide spouses going through divorce with a fair division of all their assets. Although, that doesn’t necessarily mean everything will be divided right down the middle. Unfortunately, many spouses run into problems in this area when their soon-to-be former married counterparts hide assets to keep them from division.

Signs of illegal asset activity

Intentionally hiding assets so that you fail to receive your fair portion of them violates state law. If you’re worried this might happen in your particular situation, it might help to review the following list of common ways of carrying out such crimes:

· Repeated cash back at points of purchase: It’s definitely not a crime to answer, “Yes” when a cashier asks if you’d like cash back when using your debit card. However, it might allude to questionable behavior if someone does it repeatedly in order to tuck a stockpile of cash away without a spouse’s knowledge to keep it from asset division in a divorce.

· Asking a boss to delay a raise in pay: “No thanks, I don’t want a raise,” says no one, ever, right? Right, except some people do request that their bosses withhold their salary increases until the completion of a divorce in order to keep those funds out of their spouses’ reach in court. If you suspect this type of unlawful behavior, it may be worth investigating further.

· Delaying an IRS refund: Some people ask the Internal Revenue Service to hold on to a refund in order to create a fat overpayment refund after a divorce, which violates the law. Your spouse might use this common trick to hide assets.

· Transferring money to single account: If your spouse takes money from a joint account without your approval or knowledge and transfers it to an account that doesn’t bear your name, it could definitely be a red flag warning that he or she intends to hide assets.

· Giving cash gifts to friends: Another way to hide assets involves secretly asking friends to hold money until after a divorce.

One way to deter the potential for hidden assets requires you to familiarize yourself with your own finances. Knowing the location of your assets and money at all times makes it easier to discover when it’s missing. This could make you feel as though you don’t trust your spouse, but leaving the finances to your spouse without at least knowing what goes on could jeopardize your future in the event of a divorce. When you got married, you likely never imagined you’d face a situation where that same person would hide money to keep you from getting it in a divorce.

This situation often creates a highly emotionally charged atmosphere, and a network of support helps you remain focused and obtain a fair and agreeable outcome. An experienced Florida family law attorney can explain the equitable distribution process and help you overcome any obstacles that arise.


Access Keys:

Davyhulme Primary School, Davyhulme

At Davyhulme Primary School, children are taught to understand and respect all world religions. In R.E. lessons, there is an emphasis on drawing comparisons between different religious beliefs and rituals. As a school, our lessons focus on Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism, with the flexibility to include the beliefs of other faiths as well, so all children feel represented. We aim to include a consideration of non-religious beliefs and values too.

We aim for all R.E. lessons to be based on questioning and to be interactive and engaging. Children are encouraged to share their own beliefs with their class in an open and tolerant way and to draw comparisons between their own beliefs and others. In lessons, links are also made with our school Values, with similarities being highlighted. As a school, we would like every child to have a first-hand experience of places of worship belonging to different faiths by the time they leave us.


Davin Quinn, MD Davin Quinn, MD

Heading Off Brain Trauma

Knowing the Warning Signs and Seeking Treatment for Concussion

Much national attention has focused recently on head injuries, but many people might not really know what a concussion is, how to recognize if we or our loved ones have had a concussion, or what to do after a concussion.

“A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can lead to disruption of normal brain function, such as losing consciousness, or feeling dazed.

Concussions are considered to be a form of mild traumatic brain injury. An estimated 2.8 million Americans are seen in the hospital for a traumatic brain injury every year, with the vast majority of those being mild cases, but this is likely a low estimate, as many cases are believed to go unreported.

Concussions can occur at any age, but they are more common in early childhood and older adulthood, and are usually caused by falls. Motor vehicle accidents are a more common cause in those aged 15-44 years, while sports- and recreation-associated concussions are typically seen from early childhood to young adulthood.

Males are more often seen for concussion than females throughout their lifespan, and are more likely to experience more than one concussion, but females may have higher rates of concussion in sports played by both of the sexes.

If you suspect you or a loved one have suffered a concussion, it is important to recognize the common physical signs and symptoms after an injury in order to receive appropriate diagnosis and treatment.

Early signs of concussion following a head injury include nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, difficulty focusing, fatigue, sensitivity to light and noise, blurry vision or ringing in the ears, mood swings and insomnia.

Go to the emergency room if you or your loved one has experienced loss of consciousness, seizure, weakness, numbness or discoordination, difficulty speaking, changes in vision or hearing, neck tenderness or limited movement of the neck, excessive drowsiness, memory loss – including memory of the concussion event – and worsening headache that won’t go away.

Some individuals might not show signs of a concussion until they engage in a mentally or physically demanding task. You needn’t visit the emergency room if you have not experienced one of these symptoms, but if you are unsure, it is always safer to seek medical attention.

It is important to rest for the first 48 hours until symptoms resolve. This also prevents the likelihood of Second Impact Syndrome – the occurrence of a second concussion before the initial injury has healed. Having a second concussion during the vulnerable window prolongs recovery and increases the risk for worse outcomes.

Most concussions resolve within a week, but recovery also depends on the individual’s age, the severity of the injury, the quality of rest, medical history and the symptoms following the concussion.

Following the first 48 hours, one may gradually return to normal activity, while avoiding those activities that increase the risk of a second injury or worsening of symptoms.

Resuming light, non-contact physical activity soon after the initial rest period may help speed recovery (there is also evidence that too much rest can actually delay recovery). It may take time to resume normal activity and that modifications in the workplace and/or school may be necessary during the recovery period.

Although symptoms typically resolve fairly quickly, it is not uncommon for symptoms to last longer. In fact, recent studies have shown that up to 25% of people with a concussion will have symptoms for up to three months.

For those whose symptoms last more than three months, it may be necessary to consult a specialist. Risk factors for developing prolonged post-concussive symptoms include prior concussion, recreational substance use, female sex, level of education, attentional, learning or developmental disorder, depression or anxiety and migraines.

Treatment should focus on reducing risk factors, identifying causes of symptoms and engaging in specific therapies, such as physical therapy for visual and balance symptoms.

The main thing to remember is that concussions are common and often occur in everyday life – and they are treatable. Meanwhile, ongoing research studies at UNM and the Raymond G. Murphy Veterans Affairs Medical Center are evaluating experimental treatments for prolonged post-concussive symptoms.


We are builders...builders of Men

2nd Monday of the Month [dark in August]

Polar Bear Plunge

The Brothers of Cincinnati-Lafayette has committed to braving the cold and getting “Freezin’ for a Reason” to show our support for the over 30,000 Special Olympics athletes in Kentucky and Ohio.

A Blueprint for Living to Your Potential

Freemasonry is an individual journey towards becoming a better father, husband, friend, citizen and man, supported by other men at different points on the same journey. For centuries, the Lodge itself has been the launchpad for Masonic Education, and a common ground for Brethren of different backgrounds to meet and exchange ideas, provide support and offer friendship.

Masons live by the principles of Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth.

Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth

The traditions of Freemasonry are founded upon the building of King Solomon’s Temple, and its fraternal ceremonies use the working tools of the stonemasons to symbolize moral lessons of Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth.

For example, Masons are reminded at Lodge to “meet upon the level of equality, act by the plumb of uprightness, and part upon the square of virtue.”


Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Time Travelers Handbook

Very few people understood the art of time travel.

The Accomplished Time Traveler
During the post Atlantean era the Eastern quadrant of the Earth called time travel reincarnation. If the priests understood the dynamics of their ability to incarnate at will .. they did not reveal this to anyone during that period.

The accomplished time traveler had the ability to see back and forward across time. Naturally back and forward is not exactly the most accurate description for this skill. It could be defined more closely like looking into a pool of water.

All water in the oceans have tides and currents. Oceans and lakes have deep currents and surface currents. All currents and tides exist together as one. The skill of the time traveler is to be able to see those currents within themselves.

The physical body is not the time traveler .. and this is why the Eastern world talked about reincarnation where the physical body is the time travel vehicle and the spirit is the traveler. No time travel vehicle lasts forever.

Zen of Time Travel
Time traveling spirits move through space and time dimensions using various biological vehicles called bodies. Humanoid forms can include serpent .. bird .. animal .. fish and reptilian races. Earth humans are one of the youngest humanoid forms on the Planet today. That is simply the Earth dimension.

Due to cognitive chaos the problems faced by humans appeared to be freedom of choice. The animal worlds each had their own restricted spheres within which incarnate beings could operate within the laws of Nature. Humanoid races had the not so common ability to make choices. This does not mean other restrictions do not apply.

Accomplished time travelers soon began to realise that there were intelligent pathways between restriction and choice. These pathways were generally known as Paths of Enlightenment. What was not generally discussed is that humanoid time travelers were taught use these pathways by other mysterious beings.

We say: Mysterious .. because these other more ancient beings appeared to have advanced beyond .. operated within .. a space and time field that avoided choice and restriction. The difficulty in understanding those advanced fields outside of space and time dimensions is that all physical incarnation experiences are designed by space time fields.

Only by leaving the physical restrictions of space and time can the time traveling spirit re-organise their awareness fields. The question arises: How do these advanced beings communicate with incarnate spirits inhabiting physical time fields?

They use meditation.

Time travelers soon began to understand that meditation is not a religious practice .. as humans are conditioned to believe when entering specific control paradigms. Meditation is an advanced technology. The truth was forced to go underground and operate secretly as physical reality experience began to dominate human consciousness.

Linear physical time is an illusion.

Time travel spirits could go back and forward in time rearranging and re-organising their experience .. including subtly altering their past and future through the now .. as we began to understand the true nature of reality.

Only accomplished time travelers who have the skills needed to observe deeper and surface currents within themselves [beyond the physical experience] are able to connect awareness in such a way that they perceive the true nature of reality. The key is: The Light Within.

The light within does not exclude darkness.

Light from the Sun illuminates the oceans .. but deep within the depths of the oceans is another light: Dark Light. The yin yang symbol was introduced to remind our human selves that there is darkness within light and light within darkness .. as they are one and the same force.

Buddha of time travel taught us to be aware that those who see a tunnel of light after death beware! People would see a lot of distractions after the death of the physical body .. and those who could take the Dark Path would effortlessly escape those Earth associated levels that exist together with the physical realms.

Dark Paths are the non-associated intelligent pathways that run between choice and restriction. These pathways have no association with physical world dimensions. Time travelers began to see that spirits - on losing the physical body - would get stuck in any one of the world associated fields. Some of those spirits just get stuck there because they like it so much.

Dark Paths are the ending of attachment.

Physical reality-bound humanoids of all races think that choice exists because they are 'chosen' [choice] as supreme beings and it gives them the power to do anything they want. As a result "I want" is a big thing. Desire is a big thing. Conflict is a big thing. Together with all of that comes: Fear suffering and pain.

Time travelers soon realised through observation that choice was not given to humanoids for the physical dimensions. Choice is a spiritual dimension technology. The element of choice was to be used in regard to the spirit dimensions from the physical reality field. It is a bit like having a zoom lens.

Choice was designed as a viewing field and was not designed for personal use in the material dimensions. Choice is a zoom lens that allows observation with GUIDANCE. As time travelers discovered .. there is no observation without guidance. In a reversal of the spiritual principle people were choosing not to follow The Path when incarnate in physical realms.

Having lived a life of ego-self and desire these spirits were becoming trapped in the associated fields connected to the physical reality dimensions living and reliving their experiences. From the associated fields these spirits only desired to reincarnate again to have those experiences in the physical dimension.

Accomplished time travelers aligned their consciousness with the Dark Pathways so that they could effortlessly move from physical reality to the higher dimensions between incarnations. When we are trapped .. all we ever do is get trapped within ourselves.

All of time and space is like an ocean where past and present are ONE.


How can a trans-disciplinary media designer fit in today’s diverse landscape of media outlets? In The Void I examine the in-between spaces in a range of forms including animation, physical objects, interactive architecture, and the urban environment.

Animation excels at bringing life to the tween frames but suffers in it’s 2-dimensional linearity and prescribed narrative. Physical objects may be 3-dimensional but being mass produced for predefined purposes they discourage other creative uses. Interactive architecture may be more dynamic than traditional static architecture but despite being very spatial it is often more similar to animation with its predefined experiences. Scaling up our view to include the urban environment we find the life in the spaces between the beautiful structures.

Within all of these I explore the idea that designers can interject themselves into a range of areas by using a hacker’s mindset. By identifying the unused or overlooked areas in design and space we can expose the weaknesses in these systems and find more personally meaningful outcomes than the ones predefined for us. By engaging these voids through design hacking and space hacking we can create platforms for other people to engage with their world more creatively.

Designing in The Void

What design opportunities are there in the spaces between?

1.The Current Landscape

Surveying the design landscape around us today, the modern designer may feel stretched in multiple directions. We must be both experts and dilettantes of fields both within and around our domain. Every day we find there is an endless supply new devices, spaces, and outlets to design for. The possibilities available to us are at once awe inspiring and intimidating.

How can we begin to build a scaffolding upon which our practice may thrive in this disparate landscape? As an undergraduate student learning about visual hierarchy my design professor, Karen Cheng, often said “If everything is important, nothing is important.” This idea can also be extremely helpful in thinking about how to position ourselves as trans-disciplinary designers. If we can’t be experts in everything where should we focus our energies? In many ways, it seems the most interesting space emerging today is the space in between.

Fig. 1 The InDesign Layout

It used to be that designers were just focused on designing The Pages. For instance, pages of a book (see Fig. 1) or pages of a website. The reader could only turn the page to get to the next one or click a link for a new page to load. Content also usually existed in just one form. While the visual design of this main content is obviously very important, with advances in technology we’re finding there is now emerging a void in between these beautiful things. Who is responsible for filling that void? Clearly that should also be the designer. But a modern designer is not only responsible for creating a linear journey from point A to point B. We are also tasked with setting the stage for the interesting range of possibilities that can take place during that journey. This is also a common thread capable of transversing multiple forms, whether that be animation, physical objects, or the built environment. These seemingly disparate fields are united by the need for a designer to create the scaffolding for complex experiences that can evolve in the gaps.

2. Animation

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Of all the fields in question, animation clearly has the most history and development in the importance of the spaces in between. While the key frames are important, it is in the actions between the keyframes, the tweens, that really give the animation personality, character and a sense of life. The animator must consider a wide range of variables aside from merely the path a character takes from point A to point B. The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation is a classic which establishes 12 basic principles of animation. These include squash & stretch, anticipation, staging, straight ahead and pose to pose animation, follow through and overlapping action, slow-out and slow-in, arcs, secondary action, timing, exaggeration, solid drawing, and appeal (Lightfoot, “12 Principles).

Of these twelve steps its important to note that only the last two out of the twelve, solid drawing and appeal, relate specifically to the the aesthetic visual and technical representation of a character. Many people think that character design is the most important aspect of a cartoon. But in reality it’s the sense of life that comes from the way the character gets from one point to the next (in addition to the story). This explains why the first 10 principles relate to the details of movement and timing which are all about giving the character a unique personality when getting from one point to the next (see Fig. 2).Without considering these details the animation would be lifeless.

Walk Cycle

Fig. 2. Williams, Richard. The Animator's Survival Kit.

Animation’s fundamental principle of the nuanced tween can extend to 3D, non-linear, and tangible systems as a way to fully appreciate the potential for life in the in between space. But animation itself is still quite passive, one sided, and allows the viewer to only observe a preset narrative from a screen. While there is life, it is still heavily scripted. There is little room for interaction, improvisation or interpretation.

3. Design Hacking

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Fig. 3 Yonoh. Ikea Hack

4. Design for Empowerment

If we as designers would like to foster and empower people to embrace this form of personal ingenuity how can we approach the practice of designing? As designers we traditionally like to be in control of all the aspects of an experience, but in order to allow for this personalized tween space to thrive we must release some of the control. Instead of just packaging the experience for consumption, a rich experience is one that’s designed to be hacked. Legos may be a very basic classic example but it’s a great example of a system that supports multiple outcomes (see Fig. 4). In other words, in order for things to have a sense of life we need to consider not only what goes on between the two ends but also systems that can support multiple possible uses, some of which we may not have anticipated. The focus then becomes on designing for the idea of Productive Interaction, which “shifts the emphasis of interaction design away from the notion of creating persuasive, consumptive, feel-good experiences for people, and moves it towards the design of content, contexts, affordances and interactions, creating an open mode of communication where people can form their own outcomes and meanings” (Van Allen et al. 56).

Fig. 4. Will Gorman. Battle Bricks: MakerLegoBot: A Lego Mindstorms NXT 3D Lego Printer.

5. Interactive Architecture

Designing for design hacking may seem limited to small scale objects and interactions but this idea can actually scale to the built environment that surrounds us. While adding new technologies to the traditionally static structures in the environment can add a level of life, similar to finessing the tween in an animation, it often stops at that level. Currently, what is usually considered “interactive architecture” tends to be just a linear relationship between an input and output, taking in A and giving out B. The environment recognizes my presence, and reacts in a pre-determined way (see Fig. 5). In this scenario the designer still controls the whole experience and leaves no room for people to create their own outcomes. On the other hand a more complex interaction would be able to adapt to the intentions of the people or the system (Greenfield, Shepard “Urban Computing and Its Discontents”).

Fig. 5. Studio Roosegaarde. Dune 4.2.

While graphic designers have traditionally been experts at controlling every aspect of the beautiful glossy page, or what I would consider the keyframes, architects have traditionally been well versed in controlling every aspect of the big beautiful structure which functions as a threshold separating the outside world from the inside world (Beesley, Khan “Responsive Architecture/Performing Instruments”). But even if a structure has the added technological ability to react to the presence of people, by not designing it in a way that adapts to complex goals it fails to understand the human experiences that fill the gaps above, below, through and in between the structure.

6. The City

Fig. 6. Cake ladies in Downtown Seattle (2006)

7. Space Hacking

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But it’s not enough to just build more plazas and expect people to show up and sit on the benches provided, especially when these plazas are often not true public spaces. Particularly troubling is the growing trend towards privatizing what would appear to be a public space. Commercial shopping districts, playing on our sense of nostalgia, increasingly emulate traditional public spaces of the past while simultaneously limiting the potential for public use (see Fig. 7). Instead of fostering complex and multi-dimensional interactions between a diverse group of people, commercialized pseudo public space seeks to minimize conflict and maximize order and monetary gain (Hou 6).

Fig. 7 Americana at Brand

Like the designed object, so singular in its form and function, these so-called public spaces are ripe for the hacking. The rigid and lifeless structures of the regulated city leave little room for personally meaningful outcomes that adapt to the complex goals of the people. Perhaps this is why we’re seeing people in cities around the world starting to reshape their urban landscape between the structures to suit their own needs and desires, and at a greater scale. With the help of networked technologies more people are able to find ways to intentionally come together throughout these in between spaces. While these gatherings are ephemeral and sporadic they serve as a tool to chip away at the officially sanctioned uses and open the door for new possibilities, inspiring others to find new ways to engage in their own world around them. Free from the bureaucracy of official rules and regulations, citizens take ownership of their urban environment. This form of guerrilla urbanism “recognizes both the ability of citizens and opportunities in the existing urban conditions for radical and everyday changes against the dominant forces in the society” (Hou 15).

8. Looking ahead

Animation, design hacking, and the urban built environment may seem unrelated when in reality they are connected by the need for complex and nuanced signs of life in the space between. What we can learn from this need is that instead of only constantly aiming for progress in the form of newer, bigger, and faster there are ways to add life in the nooks and crannies of the world around us. By reconsidering these overlooked spaces we can also encourage others to find their own personally meaningful experiences. Blaine Merker explains that “deep within every rational system holding societies together are assumptions that, if taken to their logical conclusion, tend toward absurdity. As such, they are highly fertile terrain for artistic exploration” (Merker 55). Thus the modern world is ripe with opportunity for designers to make a difference in these spaces, regardless of the end form. The trans-disciplinary media designer’s role is not to define and control every aspect of the new media landscape, but instead to expose and create platforms that encourage creativity within those voids.

Fig. 8. Flickr user BuhSnarf. "Mind the gap!"


Home | | Plant Anatomy | Trichomes - The leaf

Chapter: Plant Anatomy:An Applied Approach: The leaf

Trichomes - The leaf

Hairs and papillae (and scales) are collectively called trichomes. Taxono-mists use their occurrence and cellular structure extensively as an aid to identification, because there is such a wide range of form.

Hairs and papillae (and scales) are collectively called trichomes. Taxono-mists use their occurrence and cellular structure extensively as an aid to identification, because there is such a wide range of form. When a plant possesses hairs or papillae, they are usually of a type or types charac-teristic of that species. It should be noted that various samples of a plant of a given species may range from being glabrous (hairless) to very hirsute (hairy). This means that the numbers and density of hairs can be a poor character to use taxonomically, except, perhaps, in defining subspecies or varieties, if there are other, linked characters to support those divisions. Also, although hairs are so diverse in form, there are very few types that can be used even in the diagnosis of a family, that is, are of taxonomic significance.

The greatest value of hairs is in identification, that is, they have high di-agnostic value. They are constant in a species when present, or show a con-stant range of form. Consequently, small fragments of leaf with hairs can often be matched with known material. If you look at the descriptions of powdered drugs of leaf origin in the European Pharmacopoea or your national pharmacopoea you will see the hairs carefully defined. Examina-tion of hair types can help in quality control, for example of dried herbs, like mint, where cheaper substitutes may have been added (Fig. 6.15).

In some families, individual species can be defined on the form of their hairs alone. Among these are Restionaceae and Centrolepidaceae which show good examples of simple, unbranched hairs (Fig. 6.14). The relative sizes of the basal cell and the cells of the free portion vary from species to species. The curious ‘boathook’ end of the cell in Aphelia cyperoides is diag-nostic. Gaimardia has complex, branching filamentous hairs.

In the Restionaceae, Leptocarpus from Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and South America, flattened, shield-shaped stem hairs occur. These hairs are multicellular, diamond-shaped plates, held closely to the surface of the stem on short, sunken stalks as shown in Fig. 6.14. Until recently it was thought that Leptocarpus also occurred in South Africa, but the hair type and other internal histological differences show that the South African plants really belong to a distinct genus, which at that stage in the investiga-tion, had not been named. A close relative to Leptocarpus in Australia is Meeboldina, which have diamond-form hairs, and two large, thin-walledtranslucent central cells, together with a border of thick-walled cells withrecurved micropapillae which effectively zip adjacent hairs together so that they will strip off in a sheet if you try to pull one away.

Some plants have hairs on both upper and lower surfaces but in many cases they are confined to the lower surface. Examples of leaves with hairs on both surfaces are to be found among the silver-leaved composites. The air in the hairs masks the chlorophyll in the leaf, giving a highly refractive, silvery or white appearance.

Hairs are divided into two major categories, the glandular and non-glandular (or covering) hairs. Glandular hairs (Fig. 6.16) include the sting-ing hairs of plants like the nettle, Urtica. Less familiar are the irritant hairs from the pods of Mucuna, the ‘cowitch’ (Fabaceae), from the West Indies (Fig. 6.16a).

Simple glandular hairs are present on the leaves of plants that can trap and digest small insects and other small animals. Some of these are sticky, and some specialized to secrete digestive enzymes. Pinguiculaand Drosera are examples.

Some of the fragrant (or less pleasant) essential oils occur in glandular hairs or leaves. The non-glandular hairs are much more varied and diverse than the glandular. A range of types are illustrated in Fig. 6.17, and the plants on which they occur are identified in the caption. One or more of these plants or its relatives should grow near your home. The larger hairs will be visible with a hand lens.

As mentioned earlier, usually the hair type is only one of many characters that may be used in identification. However, some families are easily recog-nized by their hairs, for example the T-shaped hairs of Malpighiaceae (Fig. 6.17h). Rhododendrons have been classified on the basis of leaf hairs, as an aid to the identification of species. Here, not only form, but also hair colour is used in the keys.

Microhairs are very short, two-celled hairs that are present on the leaves of some grasses, mostly from the tropics. Prickle hairs, which are usually prominent on margins and veins of grasses, are normally unicellular. They have thick walls that can be silicified. This is why it is easy to cut your hands on some grasses, and why cattle are selective in their grazing.

A number of hairs are of commercial value. These are not leaf hairs, but usually come from the fruit or seed, for example cotton (Gossypium) and kapok (Bombax).

The function of hairs is generally thought to be related to the water rela-tions of a leaf. A densely hairy surface would tend to restrict the rate of flow of drying air. In xerophytes, hairs frequently have a suberin band in the wall towards their base. This prevents water leakage from the leaf through the cell wall of the hairs (apoplastic movement). Hairs, of course, increase con-siderably the potential surface area for evaporation. The converse require-ment is true of hairs on epiphytes like Tillandsia (Bromeliaceae). In these plants, which are not rooted in the ground, the hairs are able to absorb water from rain or mist. They lack suberin bands. It is easy to test for ‘waterproof’

hairs. A piece of hairy leaf surface is cut carefully from a leaf and floated on a Petri dish containing a solution of calcofluor white for an hour, then re-moved and viewed in UV light (while wearing protective goggles). If there are suberin bands, the hairs will not fluoresce. If bands are absent, the hairs will fluoresce brightly. However, other hairs seem to have primarily an anti-herbivore function as in the grasses described above.

Scales have a wide base, are usually one to a few cell layers thick, and lack any vascular tissue. Their form, size and position can be used diagnosti-cally. They are frequent on fern fronds.


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Story of The Evil Eye

Story of The Evil Eye

       Throughout the history, the eye figure has been considered a powerful talisman that defies evil forces in every culture and religion. We find this figure in Jewish, Christian and Muslim cultures as well as Buddhist and Hindu societies. This common tradition finds a new identity in the 3000 year old glass craftsmanship of Anatolia, Turkey when a master glassmaker combines the power of the eye figure with the power of fire and creates a new talisman, the Evil Eye Bead!

       The evil eye bead is an amulet that Turkish people believe protects against the evil eye which is a kind of negative power or bad energy. The belief is that even well-intentioned compliments include a conscious or unconscious dose of envy and resentment. As in many cultures, Turks believe that the envy of others can cause harm and that if you wear an evil eye amulet, all the bad energy will be directed to the amulet. This is an ancient superstition that you will find in many countries around the Mediterranean sea including Turkey, the Middle East and as far afield as India. The evil eye amulet is commonplace in Turkey: it can be seen hanging above the doorways of houses, businesses, offices or hanging from the rear-view mirrors of cars and especially pinned to the clothing of newborn babies. Women wear it in the form of bracelets, earrings or necklaces.

          In Hebrew, the evil eye is called "Ayin ha'ra". On mainland Italian, it is "Mal occhio" (the bad eye), in Spanish, "Mal ojo" or "El ojo" (the bad eye or just the eye) and in Farsi, "Bla band" (the eye of evil). In Sicily, someone who has the “evil eye” is known as a "Jettatore". The evil eye is also known as "Droch shuil" in Scotland, "Mauvais oeil" in France, "Büsen blick" in Germany and was known as "Oculus malus" to the Romans.

          Have you just had a baby? Bought a new car? Moved into a new house? Worried that your "friends" and others are envious about your good fortune? The protection of the evil eye is used for anything new or likely to attract praise. It resembles an eye and the typical blue color is said to protect the user.

         So the idea is to protect yourself, your house, business or loved ones. If you want to use it in your house, you should hang it by the front door so visitors can see it. If you want to wear one, we have a great selection of evil eye jewelry here at Nazar Imports.

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SWBAT graph the tides in a region over a multi-day period SWBAT explain the factors which influence tides on the Earth and draw or identify the positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun given specific tidal conditions

Big Idea

Students create a graph of tidal ranges in New York City to explore how tides change as a result of the Moon's gravity

Lesson Introduction

An action-packed lesson where we talk tides, tides, and tides! This lesson has a lot of information (I had to squeeze in a lot in this lesson, as we were coming up on the end of the year, and I needed to make sure I had time to fit everything in). We talk about what tides are, how they form, the positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun that lead to specific tidal formations, and most importantly, we make tidal graphs based on data from tidal ranges in NYC. A lot going on (and if you have shorter classes than 60 minutes, you might want to cut some things), but a fun lesson! Beyond technology for viewing a brief video, there are no special materials needed for this lesson.

[Note: For embedded comments, checks for understanding (CFUs), and key additional information on transitions and key parts of the lesson not necessarily included in the below narrative, please go to the comments in the following document: 8.13 - Tides (Whole Lesson w/comments). Additionally, if you would like all of the resources together in a PDF document, that can be accessed as a complete resource here: 8.13 - Tides (Part I)[PDF]8.13 - Tides (Part II)[PDF], & 8.13 - Tides (Part III)[PDF]. Finally, students may need their Earth Science Reference Tables [ESRT] for parts of the lesson (a document used widely in the New York State Earth Science Regents course) as well.]

Do Now

10 minutes

Video & Notes

20 minutes

As noted in the Lesson Introduction, this is information that would probably be presented over two days or so (and feel free to do that if it suits you or your class better). But due to time constraints, I had to push it into one day, so we started with the Video & Notes resource, which starts with the (embedded) Youtube video:

The video, which is a time-lapse, shows a very large tidal range in Canada. As the video is playing, I have students write down their observations on what they think is causing this phenomenon. After taking a few responses and introducing tides as movement of the height of water via gravitational attraction from celestial objects, we jump directly into the text. We read the text together as a class (which is only about 2 paragraphs, so it goes quickly; also check the inserted comments in the Word document in the Lesson Introduction section above, as it has key information on annotations and checks for understanding to ask during the reading) before, on the second page of the Video & Notes resource, we draw out the astronomical positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun to diagram when both neap and spring tides occur.

20 minutes

After introducing tides, I wanted to present some real-world data to students (and have them do their usual graph at least once a unit, and felt that since the Regents so often asks about tidal ranges graphically, I would have the students create their own to better recognize ones that they would see in the future). To be frank, the GraphGraph Analysis, and Graph Data are much less intimidating then they look. In fact, the graph has all the axes and intervals already labelled, so all students really have to do is graph the information on the Graph Data page.

I start this lesson section out by introducing this as real data from Battery Park in New York City. Every hour, they're given the water level height (in meters) for a period of 2.5 days. Their task is to carefully graph that data on the Graph provided, and then answer the associated Graph Analysis questions following the graph (I pass out rulers to assist in this process). In terms of student habits, before they start graphing, I encourage them to use extra caution since there are so many points. Additionally, I make sure that they know that Mid on the Graph correlates to midnight (or 00:00:00) on the Graph Data, while N correlates to noon (or 12:00:00). This may be hard to see online, but I also leave an intentional blank page after the Graph Data and before the Graph page so that students don't have to flip back and forth 48 times to record the data. They can tear off the Graph page and have them both side-by-side. It also may help if you have a document camera to post the Graph Data page so that students also don't have to flip back and forth. I give all my students either option and let them decide. After they're finished (and I let them work at their own pace), I encourage them to independently start the Graph Analysis questions.

10 minutes

Exit Ticket & Closing

5 minutes

  • Can you reiterate one thing you learned about (in this case, tidal ranges and types of tides, etc.)?


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A balance sheet, also known as a "statement of financial position", reveals a company's assets, liabilities and owners' equity (net worth) YURAS_
“Balance sheet”
Balance sheetIn financial accounting, a balance sheet or statement of financial position is a summary of a person's or organization's balances. Assets, liabilities and ownership equity are listed
as of a specific date, such as the end of its financial year. A balance sheet is often described as a snapshot of a company's financial condition. Of the four basic financial statements, the balance sheet is the only statement which applies to a single point in time.
A company balance sheet has three parts: assets, liabilities and ownership equity. The main categories of assets are usually listed first and are followed by the liabilities. The difference between the assets and the liabilities is known as equity or the net assets or the net worth of the company; according to the accounting equation, net worth must equal assets minus liabilities.
Another way to look at the same equation is that assets equals liabilities plus net worth. This is how a balance sheet is presented, with assets in one section and liabilities and net worth in the other section. The sum of these two sections must be equal; they must "balance."
Records of the values of each account or line in the balance sheet are usually maintained using a system of accounting known as the double-entry bookkeeping system.
A business operating entirely in cash can measure its profits by withdrawing the entire bank balance at the end of the period, plus any cash in hand. However, real businesses are not paid immediately; they build up inventories of goods and they acquire buildings and equipment. In other words:

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