Man Confesses He Asked For His Wife to Abort Their Baby…Guess Why – VIDEO

I can not imagine the guilt he must feel confessing that he wanted to abort a child that he is now madly in love with. I cried several times watching this, and to be honest the thought of his daughter finding out that at one point she was not wanted by her daddy breaks my heart. 🙁

What are your thoughts? Would you have publicly confessed this? Would you let your child find out?


Back to Care about the Animals: Care about the Science (Webinar Recording)

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WEB-021A: In Europe as elsewhere, laboratory animal welfare is given the highest priority, mostly driven by what is commonly known as the 3Rs: Replacement, Reduction, Refinement as defined by Russell and Burch in 1959. 1) Replacement: methods that avoid or replace the use of animals in research. 2) Reduction: methods that enable researchers to obtain comparable levels of information from fewer animals, or to obtain more information from the same number of animals. 3) Refinement: methods that alleviate or minimize potential pain, suffering or distress, and enhance animal welfare for the animals used. It is also well accepted that of the three, the main area of progress is in the field of refinement where a great deal has, and continues to be done, not to only reduce pain or suffering but to enhance the overall welfare of the animal via environmental enrichment and attention to improving animal welfare. While refinement is both morally and ethically correct, one could question if there were other benefits outside of those for the animal. For example, do well cared-for, stress-free animals produce better quality data? The most anticipated response is probably- less stressed animals should give more stable background data for instance, but is there any hard evidence to substantiate this view? This presentation will describe with real data where changes in animal welfare, caging, and technology can and has improved the quality of the data gained from in vivo studies.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Review the 3Rs in animal research.
  2. Describe how changes in the environment, technology, and behavioral training can improve the welfare of various species, particularly rabbits, dogs, minipigs, and nonhuman primates.
  3. Explain how a culture of care centered on the welfare of animals helps to achieve good science.

Audience: Veterinarians, veterinary technicians, animal health technicians, and senior animal care technicians.

To view the recording: Once you purchase the product, you will be provided a link to download the instructions and access the recording. To view this link, log in on the AALAS website, select "My Profile" at the top of the page. You will see a menu on the left side of the page. Select "Digital Content Access". There will be three files - the instructions to access the recording, the handout, and a CEU certificate to keep as a record of your viewing for AALAS CEUs.

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Dr. Brian Burlinson, PhD FRSB, UKEMS Fellow Principal Scientist, Safety Assessment, CRS Europe

Brian Burlinson joined Envigo (then Huntingdon Life Sciences) as Director of Cellular and Molecular Toxicology in January 2004, after 18 years at GlaxoSmithKline where he was Head of...

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Richardson happy with new ODI rules

in Mumbai •
ICC Chief Executive Officer David Richardson speaks during a press conference.
ICC Chief Executive Officer David Richardson speaks during a press conference. © Cricbuzz

Most of the captains have been unhappy with the new ODI rules, which is heavily loaded against the bowlers. However, ICC chief executive Dave Richardson spoke in support of the changes, calling it a "good success."

"The ICC Cricket Committee meets once a year and the next meeting will be in May 2014. We have had a number of changes in recent times in the ODI playing conditions. We wanted to keep things as stable and as consistent as possible leading up to the (2015) World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Overall it has been a good success," Richardson said.

"Overall, if you look at the results so far using the fielding restrictions, we are seeing that the total runs scored in an innings have more or less remained constant, compared to previous years before the new regulations being introduced," he added.

Richardson pointed out that the new rules were introduced in order to make the game more attacking and exciting. "The average runs in an one-day innings is about 250 and the data shows that the only change is that a higher percentage of those 250 are scored in boundaries-fours and sixes, as opposed to ones and twos."

In the recently concluded India-Australia series, the batsmen made a mockery of the bowlers with both teams reaching scores in excess of 300 regularly. Richardson conceded that bowlers were having a tough time coping with the new rules in the sub continent.

"You do find that on wickets which are really flat, don't spin and don't seam, the bowlers really have a hard job. Conditions vary across the world and certainly in sub-continent where you find yourself on a good batting pitch that is taking no spin, no seam movement, the bowlers really have their hands full."

The former South African wicket-keeper said the fielding restrictions have worked well in some of the bowler-friendly countries and also mentioned that use of two new balls has aided the bowlers in countries like England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Richardson confirmed that directives would be given to the curators in Australia and New Zealand for the 2015 World Cup and the ICC chief executive mentioned that the wickets for the mega event will be batsmen-friendly.

"Certainly for ICC events, we do give directions to the host countries as to the preparation of the pitch. It will be the same as the World Cup that was held in the sub-continent. The difference being that in Australia and New Zealand conditions, they tend to be more seamer friendly as opposed to spin friendly (sub-continent pitches)."

"So our direction would be - we want a pitch that provides good bounce but not too much lateral movement, in this case seam movement. Generally in one-day cricket we try to favour the batting team and we look for totals of between 230 and 260," he said.


Firefox 3.5 - CSS3 Boogaloo

As I'm sure you're aware, Firefox 3.5 was released recently. If you haven't already, I would suggest updating(:

A large bonus is their support for a whole slew of CSS 3 features. Their developers page for 3.5 serves as a great resource for checking the -moz specific CSS features, as well as a nice refresher on some of the more complicated CSS 3 features in general. This plus Safari 4's ongoing CSS 3 awesomeness opens plenty of doors for doing some cool stuff. With the two main (good) browsers supporting so many CSS 3 features, plus Firefox's astronomical update rate, the time to start using this stuff is now.


The world is changing incredibly fast, creating new opportunities for many people but leaving others behind.

We help governments and employers design and deliver services to solve the complex challenges caused by social and technological change.

We want to make sure people have the skills, support and behaviours to get jobs, gain independence and become productive employees.

We equip people with the right knowledge, skills and support to stay independent and healthy.

Equipping people with skills so they can enjoy great, long-lasting careers that help their employers grow.

Youth services

We’re helping to build a new generation of confident, independent and aspirational young leaders.


Marcus Aurelius

Also found in: Thesaurus, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Related to Marcus Aurelius: Commodus

Mar′cus Au•re′li•us

(ɔˈri li əs, ɔˈril yəs)

A.D. 121–180, Stoic philosopher: emperor of Rome 161–180. Also called Mar′cus Aure′lius An•to•ni′nus (ˌæn təˈnaɪ nəs)
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.Marcus Aurelius - Emperor of RomeMarcus Aurelius - Emperor of Rome; nephew and son-in-law and adoptive son of Antonius Pius; Stoic philosopher; the decline of the Roman Empire began under Marcus Aurelius (121-180)
References in classic literature ?
Marcus Aurelius used to say: 'A man should leave the world as a ripe olive falls from the tree that bore it, and with a kiss for the earth that nourished it.
A syndicate of Galahad, Parsifal, and Marcus Aurelius might have done it, but to an ordinary erring man, conscious of things done which should not have been done, and other things equally numerous left undone, he was too oppressive.
Galahad, Parsifal, and Marcus Aurelius, as I say, might have remained tranquil in his presence, but Robert Ferguson found the contract too large.
No less noteworthy than 'John Inglesant,' and better constructed, this latter is placed in the reign of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, but its atmosphere is only in part historically authentic.
and went on to sack both Seleucia and Ctesiphon; supreme commander in the East, he suppressed a major revolt in Egypt (172); heard false report of the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, and assumed the throne in the East (April 175); when Marcus Aurelius began to march eastward, Cassius was assassinated by a centurion (July); his usurpation was unrecognized by the Senate, and the Emperor treated his family with notable clemency.
She also wrote novels, among them Lucy Howard's Journal (1858) and a History of Marcus Aurelius (1836).
The book of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, emperor of Rome from 161 to 180, has been called The Thoughts and The Reflections, but most commonly Meditations.
full name Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, 121 - 180) Roman emperor (161 - 80) and Stoic philosopher.
It is believed the coins date back to the period of the Emperor Nero, from 54AD to 68AD, to Marcus Aurelius, from 161AD to 180AD.
Cicero, Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius are among the Roman philosophers.
A Greek physician at the court of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, Galen (130-200 AD) was one of the most influential writers on medicine throughout the Middle Ages.


Day Zero Predictor

We can help spread global awareness for water conservation by putting machine learning to work.

  • Python
  • Weka
  • Machine Learning
  • Data Processing

Curious what our model will predict for a particular country? Go find out here!

"Day Zero" is a term that is used to refer to a situation of extreme water shortage - a situation that Cape Town came very close to in 2017. They have managed to avoid complete water shortage as of now, but it is a huge warning for the rest of the world. Many cities all around the world experience water shortages throughout the year, causing massive disruptions in day-to-day life of locals, businesses, and the economy. The ability to keep an eye on cities coming close to a ‘Day Zero’ event could be incredibly useful in not only effectively deploying aid, but also to take preventative actions early on so that local authorities are not forced to impose extreme water usage laws on short notice.

To help raise awareness to this situation, we used machine learning to develop a model to predict the water stress level of a country given a particular set of attributes. We divided the raw stress values (a scale from 0-100) into 6 categories:

Stress Value Stress Category
0 - 20 None
21 - 40 Low
41 - 60 Medium
61 - 80 Alert
81 - 100 High
> 100 Critical

Though we do not have enough data to go down to the city level, viewing things from a larger perspective can certainly provide insight into how a nation should work as a whole to prevent reaching a Day Zero situation.

Most of our data was gathered from the extensive AQUASTAT database which provides many different water metrics for every country for the past 60 years. Another source was used to get rainwater harvesting information. Our goal was to develop a model that incorporates new attributes compared to other models. After doing some initial research, we made a small list of attributes we thought would be useful in classifying a nation’s stress level. Fortunately, we did not have to hunt down every data sample. The water consumption and usage database from AQUASTAT proved to be extremely comprehensive, however we were still tasked with consolidating multiple tables for the attributes we were interested in.

Total land cultivated (%)
Percentage of the total land area of the country that has been cultivated

Annual precipitation (mm/yr)
Total depth of precipitation per year

Rainwater harvesting awareness
True/False value determined by whether or not rainwater harvesting is widely practiced

Water consumption per capita (m^3/year/inhabitant)
Total amount of water withdrawn per capita

Total renewable water resources per capita (m^3/year/inhabitant)
The maximum theoretical yearly amount of water available per person for a country at a given moment

Desalination capacity (km^3/year)
Fresh water produced using brackish or salt water

Water dependency ratio (%)
Percentage of water that comes from other countries

Agricultural water withdrawal (%)
Percentage of total water withdrawn used for agriculture

Industrial water withdrawal (%)
Percentage of total water withdrawn used for industrial purposes

Municipal water withdrawal (%)
Percentage of total water withdrawn used for municipal purposes

Water stress level (%)
Water stress level measured by dividing total water withdrawal by the total water available minus any water needed for environmental flow. This was used to determine the class label for each sample

Dealing with missing attributes

Much of this data (at the time of this project) is difficult to measure and record for several countries, so there were many missing fields to deal with. To see what effect missing attributes had over a complete dataset, we generated two sample sets. The filled dataset uses linear regression to come up with a simple best-fit model for every attribute of every country. Any missing attributes are then populated using this model. Any negative values generated by the models are saturated at 0. The original uses ridge regression to complete only the stress column - the value we use to classify our data. All other missing attributes are left as missing.

Pre-processing proved to be a very time consuming task, however it set us up for developing a high quality model. The final dataset contains a total of 1,986 samples including data on 179 countries from 1960 to 2014.

Data from our sources were presented in several different formats and contained extra information that was not useful for our application, so we developed data purification scripts to keep only what was necessary. All of the clean datasets were then merged into one master dataset using a custom data combining script. This script also handles the best-fit model creation (described above) for each country's attribute, categorizing the output stress levels into 6 classes, and splitting the whole dataset into testing and training subsets.

AQUASTAT presents nearly all of their values in 5 year increments, however the initial start time for one attribute might be different from another. This led to instances where half the attributes were present for one year and the remaining attributes were present for the year or two years after. As a result, we had large gaps of information for every documented year. To fix this issue, we shifted the years of some attributes so that all attributes would follow the same 5 year time step for each country. For example, an attribute that has a year label of 1991 would be shifted to 1990 unless a value was already present in the 1990 space. This is under the assumption that values are relatively steady over the course of a couple years.

The target attribute that is used to train the machine learning model is water stress for a particular country and for a particular year. Using the randomly generated training and testing sets, we ran a series of tests to find the best algorithm that would classify the data. Given the type of inputs and outputs, we suspected using a decision tree or some instance based learner would be effective in classifying the data. We also predicted that a multilayer perceptron may do well with our wide range of attributes because of its flexibility. The results of several machine algorithms are shown below.

Algorithm Accuracy
IBk 88.26%
KStar 89.28%
RandomForest 88.26%
RandomTree 84.69%
MultiClassClassifier 86.22%
J48 84.69%
LogitBoost 84.69%
BayesNet 85.00%
NaiveBayes 67.85%
AdaBoostM1 75.51%
ZeroR 75.51%
MLP 75.51%

NOTE: All models were generated using 10-Fold cross validation in Weka

Despite the high number of missing attributes, our model was able to predict Day Zero for all countries in the list within a reasonable range compared to other existing models. According to our model’s predictions, some countries appear to be rapidly approaching a water crisis, like Spain and Azerbaijan. Our model predicted that Spain would reach Day Zero by 2026, and Azerbaijan would reach Day Zero by 2065. For countries that have not been facing any water shortage so far, the Day Zero predictions show that they may only run out of water after many centuries, which seemed quite accurate.

Given the type of inputs and outputs of our dataset, we suspected using a decision tree or some instance based learner would be effective in classifying the data. We also predicted that a multilayer perceptron may do well with our wide range of attributes because of its flexibility. The results obtained for our project were very interesting. As expected, the best models were either trees or instance based learners. These algorithms did much better than ZeroR, showing that a decent model can certainly be generated with our sample size and attributes. Our best performer was the KStar model which is implemented in the visualization tool on the website. The MLP model performed much lower than expected, possibly because it was overfitting the training set. Further tuning could potentially improve this model, but there was unfortunately not enough time to test them all out due to the time it takes to generate just one model.

It is hard to deny that accurately determining Day Zero is influenced by many attributes that we have not even considered for our model. It is likely that many of these other attributes simply cannot be measured in a useful way. Our future plans to improve this model are to expand the list of attributes that have plentiful and reliable data so that we can get even more information about which factors are the most impactful in determining a country’s water supply.

A second goal is to make the model more fine grained and include data on major cities rather than countries. Though our model can still provide useful information, it is still very generalized, especially for large countries that have varying climates, populations, and socioeconomic structures.

Finally, we would like to add more to our website and make it more interactive for users. Providing more information on each country and going into more detail on how to conserve water for a specific country can help raise awareness for areas that are in need.

This project was a team effort, completed by myself and Ahalya Mandana.


We didn’t impose 120 cut-off mark, varsities voted for it —JAMB

The announcement on Tuesday August 22 of the minimum cutoff marks for admission into tertiary institutions by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has been eliciting reactions from stakeholders, most of them disapproval. But the board has insisted that it was a joint decision taken with heads of the institutions. JAMB’s Head of Public Relations, Dr Fabian Benjamin, in this interview with LAOLU HAROLDS explains.

The rate at which JAMB’s recommendation of 120 as the minimum cutoff mark for university admission has generated negative reactions from stakeholders (the same stakeholders JAMB claimed were part of the decision) makes one wonder if it wasn’t actually an imposition.

Was there really a consensus on this matter during the policy meeting?

First, let me say that it was not a JAMB decision as all stakeholders voted overwhelmingly in support of the direction. What happened was that before the meeting, the Board had requested that institutions submit to it their minimum cutoff marks in line with their powers of admission vested in the Senate and Academic Board of tertiary institutions as provided in the various laws establishing them.

These marks where then presented  to the meeting where they selected the least submission as the minimum that no one should go below. So, it was actually an institutions’ decision which JAMB supported.

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Come to think of it: 120 out of 400 (UTME scores) is 30%… which is actually failure. Would you in all sincerity say your critics’ condemnation has been unjustified or misplaced?

Most of our critics do not understand that the examination we do is not a fail-or-pass examination; it is an achievement or ranking examination, which cannot be  valued in percentage. First, our questions are just 180 but normalised to what you are calling 400. Having said that, please understand that the 120 is a cutoff point submitted by very few universities, not more than eight out of 149 universities which was adopted as minimum benchmark. This doesn’t in any way suggest that once you have 120, then you are sure of admission. Not so! Quality and standard of education is a function of number, and when you look at the submissions very well, you will see that the institutions with 200, 190 and 180 constitute the institutions with more than 80 per cent of the total candidates. The institutions with 120 as cutoff marks have a population of not up to 500 candidates. How then will that affect the standard of education?

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The major reason JAMB adduced for reducing the cutoff marks is that it would help solve the problem of access. How exactly is this going to happen?

At 180 as minimum cutoff mark, most universities still had more applicants than they could admit.

We did not reduce the cutoff marks; and the decision as taken by the stakeholders was not only to increase access but to address so many challenges associated with the admission exercise.

One, the Oloyede-led management intends to monitor admission to prevent any under-the-table deal. The Board has introduced the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) to ensure fairness, equity and transparency in the conduct of admission beginning with the 2017 exercise. The CAPS also has provision for candidates to track their admission in such a way that if any candidate with less scores is offered admission and they are not, they can raise queries. We assure the public that the process we are putting in place would promote healthy competition and categorized institutions according to their admission and employment market. Universities all over the world are rated differently based on the products.

There are insinuations that JAMB’s latest move is deliberately designed (using the federal character policy on admission) to armtwist federal universities outside the North to give admission to candidates with low UTME scores from that zone. Isn’t this fear justified?

The interest of the nation is our major focus in all decisions we take or support. Cutoff points are determined and all shades of interests will only be admitted if they meet established requirements. The CAPS will not allow any admission that does not conform with the institutions’ defined minimum. Now we asked and got the cutoff marks; we will key it in and no institutions can change the goal post in the middle of the game.

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Now, given the mass condemnation and disapproval that have trailed this announcement, are you considering backing off from implementing it?

There was no condemnation; rather, there was misconceptions which have been cleared by our explanation.

Most universities have made it clear that they will not implement that policy. How does JAMB intend to enforce it?

No university said that. How can a university say it won’t implement the cutoff marks. Institutions gave their cutoff marks individually, and they will respect and implement what they submitted to us as shown to you.

Source: Tribune


Interpersonal Skills for Maintaining Good Relations

Interpersonal skills are simply a reflection of your inner self. The subconscious mind is where these values are conceived, which animate your social and personal outlook. These skills are not taught deliberately, they develop gradually right from our birth. They concrete with observing and learning through our upbringing, social environment, and through abilities to define the good, bad, and ugly, in our lives. Basic interpersonal or social skills can be portrayed as communication skills, soft skills, they define how we carry ourselves, the way we talk, the kind of respect we have for ourselves and others around us. Our abilities are to listen and understand. These skills are precisely the riggers of our attitude. The qualities of listening, leadership, understanding, appreciation, and interacting with others, contribute to interpersonal skills.

How do Interpersonal Skills Help You?
Assertive communication skills make you approachable and positive, give you a better image at work and in your career, help you grow, and reduce stress and conflicts.
They make you comfortable and leave you with a sense of ease to new exposures and interactions with people.
You will have a better self control, and the ability to make quick and apt decisions, with good interpersonal skills.
Building social skills will gradually help in enhancing your relationships with the world around.
List of Interpersonal Skills

Positive personalities and interpersonal communication skills are a requirement in most of the organizations and companies today. Go through these roots of development, you can improve or implement these ideas within yourself.

Generous Greetings

Be a sport and greet whenever you enter your organization or any other social event, it creates a cheerful and lively impression. In corporate offices, it is mandatory to do so, however, even if nobody else bothers to, you do it. Wish your colleagues, whenever there is an occasion, and if you work in a multi-cultural environment, make sure you exchange wishes. People would appreciate your respect and wisdom of thought.

Facial Expressions and Body Language

Reflect a positive image and attitude when talking or meeting people. Always keep a smile on your face! Nobody likes a sulky, or a depressive and odd face. Stand and sit confidently, do not sulk or stand with a hunch. Stop twiddling with your hair, toe-tapping and fidgeting, maintain a decent body language. Make eye contact whenever you talk to somebody, it sure creates an impressive and confident mark. Relax and even if you are stressed with an important meeting, take a deep breath. Don’t be nervous and stay calm.


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Informative Articles

Chronic Asthma Information

By Allan Wilson

Not everyone with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease suffers from chronic asthma, but many individuals who experience emphysema or chronic bronchitis have asthma-like symptoms. Medical experts continue to debate whether chronic asthma should be classified as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, since asthma can be reversed.

Chronic asthma is an inflammatory disease of the airways; the term asthma is derived from an ancient Greek word which means panting. With chronic asthma, the inflammation leads to the narrowing of the airways, which can cause wheezing, breathlessness, and gasping for air.

Studies indicate that chronic asthma involves two stages: the hyper-reactive response and the inflammatory response. The hyper-reactive response in chronic asthma refers to the constriction of the airways in response to inhaled irritants, while the inflammatory stage involves the production of white blood cells in the airways.

During a chronic asthma attack, the muscle tissue in the walls of the bronchi experiences spasms, causing labored breathing. With chronic asthma, coughing, shortness of breath and wheezing occur almost everyday. In order to combat chronic asthma, several medications may be needed.

Some medical experts speculate that the persistent symptoms of chronic asthma indicate a food allergy. As a result, some doctors encourage those suffering from chronic asthma to revise their diets in order to reduce the incidence of flare-ups.

There are some other simple strategies one can follow in order to alleviate symptoms of chronic asthma. These include removing the cause of chronic asthma, treating the symptoms, or altering the host to be more tolerant of the causes.

If you've been diagnosed with chronic asthma, medical experts suggest stopping all smoking and banning cigarette smoke from the house. Chronic asthma patients should also stop the use of volatile chemicals, which may exacerbate one's symptoms. Ending contact with pets can also alleviate chronic asthma.

The aims of any treatment program for chronic asthma should include: avoiding the trigger factors for chronic asthma, eliminating symptoms, restoring normal lung function, reducing the incidence of severe attacks, and minimizing the side-effects of drugs.

Drug therapy for chronic asthma can fall into three categories. Chronic asthma can be attacked with preventors or anti-inflammatories; relievers, which provide acute relief of symptoms; and controllers, which provide a sustained bronchodilator action with a mild anti-inflammatory action.

It should be noted that there are some misconceptions about the treatment of chronic asthma. For instance, antihistamines do not appear to be an effective chronic asthma treatment strategy. Immunosuppressives such as methotrexate are rarely beneficial for chronic asthma, and acupuncture has a negligible effect.

The basic goals of educating those with chronic asthma include an ability to understand the nature of asthma, an understanding of different types of asthma medication, an understanding of prevention strategies, knowing the correct use of inhalers, and recognizing signs of worsening asthma.

Interestingly enough, chronic asthma is often misdiagnosed in the elderly. Also, older people are more susceptible to the side-effects of drugs used to treat chronic asthma. As a result, senior citizens need special prevention strategies for chronic asthma.

About the author:
If you are interested in your health and well being then you will find some great reading at: http://www.findhealtharticles.com

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