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On 13 December 2020, the White House confirmed reports that the US treasury and commerce departments had fallen victim to a major cyber espionage campaign. Orchestrated by hackers thought to be working on behalf of Russia, the campaign stunned the US intelligence community. But for Lindy Cameron, the new chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the incident was just the latest in a series of geopolitical crises she had witnessed as a senior civil servant.
“I had quite an amusing conversation with Jeremy [Fleming],” says Cameron, referring to the GCHQ intelligence chief she reports to. “I had to remind him that the bread and butter of what I’ve done for 20 years has been managing crises and conflicts. So, in some ways, a rapid-onset, complex, international crisis allowed me to work out how to apply my skill set to the new organisation.”
Cameron applied to become NCSC’s second chief executive last summer. “I’ve known Jeremy for a while and he called me up to ask me if I was interested,” Cameron tells Spotlight during a recent interview at NCSC’s headquarters in central London. “We had a really great conversation about how the skill set that I had – which was effectively about convening across Whitehall and being able to communicate a set of tricky issues really effectively – would work in this space.”
While Cameron notes that she is still working with many of the same people in the national security community she has “grown up with”, she likes “doing new and different things. I get bored easily and I like to stretch myself.” That she was succeeding Ciaran Martin, the first CEO of NCSC, also appealed: “I like taking over from people who have done a brilliant job.”
Cameron’s first year as Britain’s most senior cyber official has coincided with an extraordinary era in national security. Less than a month after the Russian attack on the US government came to light, it emerged that China was exploiting vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange email servers in what became an even larger crisis. Five months later, cyber extortionists believed to be operating out of Russia triggered the shutdown of one of the most critical parts of US energy infrastructure: the Colonial Pipeline responsible for transporting millions of barrels of fuel between Texas and New York each day.
The pipeline attack “parachuted” cyber security onto the agenda of the G7 meeting in Cornwall in June, says Cameron. “Of all the many things Ciaran left me, what he didn’t leave me was the expectation that we would be right at that level on the agenda of a very high-level political meeting less than a year later.” The real question now, she says, is how to take advantage of that moment of opportunity. “World leaders understand that cyber security is a really big issue for the future, both in technological terms but also in operational risk terms,” she explains.
During the G7 meeting, leaders issued a communique calling on Russia to “hold to account those within its borders who conduct ransomware attacks” and “abuse virtual currency to launder ransoms, and other cybercrimes”. Cameron says the meeting has led to closer international cooperation on how best to tackle the “complex system that is the ransomware criminal network”.
In February, Cameron’s predecessor, the aforementioned Ciaran Martin, called on governments to consider banning insurers from subsidising their clients’ ransom payments. “I see this as so avoidable,” Martin said. “At the moment, companies have incentives to pay ransoms, to make sure this all goes away. You have to look seriously about changing the law on insurance and banning these payments, or at the very least having a major consultation with the industry.”
Does Cameron agree? “The government’s got a really strong position on this that people shouldn’t be paying,” she says. “I can understand that there are specific contexts in which, more actually from a law enforcement perspective, sometimes you don’t want it to be absolutely binary. I just think we need to make it much easier for people to feel like that’s not the choice.”
Cameron believes that because the cyber insurance market is still relatively new, providers are not yet at a point where they incentivise prevention rather than payment. “I think about it a bit like the car insurance market,” she explains. “When I was 17, it was quite cheap to insure myself with a learner driving permit. It’s definitely not that cheap for my godchildren to do it these days.” Cameron would really like insurers to be “incentivising businesses to be demonstrating that they’re not a risky proposition”. This is because, in her opinion, businesses have done a “fantastic job with their own cyber resilience”, and therefore, she adds, “they’re a very good insurable risk”.
Over the coming weeks, the government is expected to publish an updated national cyber strategy. Cameron is keen that the remit of NCSC, which is now five years old, is clearly articulated. “It does require us to slightly more carefully redefine what’s the thing that we need to do and only we do or that we always do,” she says. “I’m definitely not on a mission to be expansionist. If I was, this organisation would be ten times the size.”
As the government seeks to transform the UK into a “science and technology superpower”, one role NCSC will increasingly play is as an advisor – drawing on GCHQ intelligence – on the threats posed by emerging fields of technology.
“We’re the base of the cybersecurity apparatus that really understands in depth the insight we get from secret intelligence,” says Cameron. She notes that NCSC has also “some of the most incredible technologists in government and that when their analysis is combined with secret intelligence, it provides unrivalled insights. “I think it’s a real responsibility for us to be able to use that really strategically, really long term, to ask ourselves the questions that my successor in 10 years time will really grateful that Ian levy [NCSC’s technical director] was thinking about today.”
If the UK is to prepare for the future, ministers and civil servants need to be “driven by a real understanding of what that 20-year vision looks like, not just a single political cycle”, says Cameron. “We have a real responsibility to be doing the stuff that is the very long-term understanding of trends and technology, both in terms of intent and in terms of capability, in a way that means that we are helping to proof the UK against future cyber security threats.”


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| Apr 12, 2011
| 7:39 AM
South Floridians should expect to get their hands on one of the most anticipated smartphones of the year when T-Mobile releases the HTC Sensation this summer, upping the ante in the 4G carrier wars.
South Florida is one of the hottest markets when it...
| Apr 12, 2011
| 8:17 PM
COSTA MESA — Finding a job isn't an easy task, but Orange Coast College made it a little easier Tuesday afternoon by bringing employers to students.
As students traipsed back and forth from class, or stopped in at the cafeteria, they couldn't help...
| Apr 13, 2011
| 8:14 AM
AT&T announced it will start selling its first prepaid smartphone, the LG Thrive, available for purchase on April 17. The move allows South Floridians more opportunity to take advantage of a growing trend, prepaid phone service and saving money.
| Apr 19, 2011
| 8:12 AM
Anyone who loves their Blackberry is probably happily awaiting todays release of the companys first tablet, the Playbook.
Early reviews have been all over the map. The Blackberry Playbook will challenge the likes of Apple iPad and Motorola Xoom, and it...
| Apr 25, 2011
| 9:44 PM
Musicians from the Pacific Symphony and friends will be serenading donors at the second annual Musical Blood & Marrow Drive in Corona del Mar from noon to 6 p.m. April 29.
The event at the Newport Center United Methodist Church, 1601 Marguerite Ave.,...
| May 12, 2011
| 11:27 AM
If your idea of a breezy beach vacation involves a plane or passport, then hold off on the tropics and head instead to Virginia Beach.
This resort city of nearly 438,000 people is a laid-back East Coast destination about a five-hour drive from Baltimore....
| Jan 31, 2011
| 9:20 PM
National health care reform is on the minds of Americans, and whether one agrees with the new laws or not, the debate continues to stimulate discussion on how Americans can be healthier. The bottom line? Being sick costs money — not just for the...
| Oct 10, 2012
| 6:32 AM
| Jun 13, 2011
| 4:36 AM
When Sade's first concert in a decade was announced last fall, she was billed as the sole headliner. Interest was expected to be high because the British R&B singer hadn't toured in years.
But a couple of weeks after tickets had gone on sale for her show...
| Sep 15, 2011
| 8:22 PM
There's a new performance space in town, and judging by what's planned for the opening night, it's off to a good start.
The Soka Performing Arts Center has called upon the Pacific Symphony to take center stage at the center's grand opening at 8 p.m....
| Nov 18, 2011
| 12:34 PM
Sprint Nextel Corp. owns and operates Sprint, the third-largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States, with 53.4 million customers, behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility.
2011 rank: 56
2010 rank: 58
Full-time employees in 2011:...

domain: news


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Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
We all experience stress, and recovery is a natural process that takes time and often doesn’t require any assistance. However, certain traumatic and frightening events trigger a reaction which can last for months, years, decades and even a lifetime.
This is post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD for short, it presents both physically and psychologically. Research shows that around 30% of individuals who experience traumatic events will manifest PTSD.
What is it?
PTSD describes a range of symptoms which occur following on from involvement in a traumatic event which is usually both beyond our control, and outside of our normal human experiences.
Examples range from witnessing a road traffic accident, natural disaster or terrorist attack, through to being the victim of abuse, a mugging, or witnessing harrowing scenes whilst serving in the armed forces.
Whether you are present during a traumatic event, a witness, or a direct victim, the intense distress and helplessness you felt in the midst of that situation can have a deep and long lasting psychological effect.
The onset of symptoms may be delayed by a number of months, or even years after the trauma first occurred.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the official medical terminology which is used to describe the condition by organisations such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and for that reason I will continue to use the above terminology throughout.
PTSD will usually occur after an individual has been involved in, or has witnessed a traumatic event such as a serious road traffic accident, a natural disaster, being held hostage, a violent death, military combat, a sexual assault, or another situation in which an individual feels extreme fear, and or helplessness.
After events such as these, PTSD will usually develop fairly quickly, though for some (below15%), the development of symptoms will be delayed by a period of weeks, months, or sometimes years.
Symptoms will vary from person to person, but often involve the anxious sufferer ‘reliving’ the event to some extent through a combination of flashbacks and nightmares. Re-experiencing the trauma can lead to anxiety, sleep problems, concentration difficulties, feelings of isolation and depression and a variety of additional symptoms.
The severity and persistence of these symptoms will vary greatly from person to person. For some sufferers, symptoms will be interspersed with periods of remission and for others they will be constant and acute enough to considerably impact quality of life.
Some of the key symptoms of PTSD are outlined below:
Re-experiencing parts of the trauma
It is quite common for individuals with PTSD to relive parts of the event through vivid flashbacks and nightmares. It may be that something in everyday life such as a sound or image has triggered this response, or this may occur for no identifiable reason. Flashbacks, intrusive images, thoughts and nightmares can be extremely distressing for sufferers as they can make them feel as though the event is happening all over again, even if only for a brief moment.
Often, sufferers find that after a traumatic event they remain constantly alert and vigilant to potentially threatening events, and are extremely anxious and easily startled.
This ‘hypervigilance’ can also come coupled with irritability, angry outbursts, aggressive behaviour, sleep problems and concentration difficulties.
Reliving a traumatic experience is extremely upsetting, so understandably some sufferers attempt to avoid anything and anyone which may trigger a response. Sufferers sometimes believe that feeling nothing at all is better than the negative and upsetting feelings they keep experiencing so will try to numb themselves emotionally.
Avoiding situations, people, conversation, activities and thoughts that directly relate to the trauma or are a reminder of the trauma is a common reaction.
Sufferers often try to keep themselves busy so that they don’t have time to think about the trauma and thus it becomes easier to repress those very difficult memories. Many sufferers will develop an extremely pessimistic outlook to life, losing interest in activates they once used to enjoy, disregarding the idea of making plans for the future, finding it difficult to keep or form close relationships and generally detaching themselves on both a physical and emotional level from others.
Other common symptoms and indicators of the condition include inexplicable physical symptoms such as severe headaches, dizzy spells, upset stomach, sweating, the shakes and chest pains, as well as mental health problems such as depression, phobias and anxiety. PTSD is a mental health condition in itself and the symptoms and side effects experienced can result in a breakdown of personal relationships and work relationships which can lead to further distress and upset.
Friends and family – what to look out for
As discussed in the above, a very common symptom of PTSD is avoiding memories and repressing emotions, so it is often friends, family members or colleagues who identify warning symptoms and signs of the condition before the actual sufferers themselves.
PTSD is a very sensitive issue and often sufferers may feel uncomfortable opening up about their experiences and may not be able to recognise that they require extra support. If you are concerned that one of your loved ones may be suffering from PTSD then below are some useful tips, formulated by the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPSYCH) which could help you broach the topic:
What to do
- Look out for any behavioral changes such as frequent lateness to work, poor productivity and concentration, numerous days off sick etc.
- Look out for changes to mood. Are they more irritable and angry than usual, do they seem depressed and withdrawn and are they isolating themselves?
- If they open up to you about their story, don’t rush them and give them plenty of time to tell it.
- If you ask questions make sure they are general and not too specific, as talking about certain moments in depth when they are not ready could trigger symptoms such as flashbacks.
- Don’t interrupt them when they are telling you about their trauma and don’t reply with your own experiences.
What not to do
- Really try to avoid generic phrases such as ‘I know how you feel’ as everyone’s situation is different and this may make them close up and stop talking.
- Don’t tell them they are lucky to have come out the other side of their situation as they are unlikely to see this as a positive and again it could result in them closing up.
- Don’t underplay their experience with phrases such as ‘It’s not all bad’.
- Telling them to ‘snap out of it’ or to ‘get over it’ will not help them to recover.
Who suffers from PTSD?
Anyone who has witnessed a severe trauma could be susceptible to PTSD and it is estimated that up to one in 10 individuals may be affected by the condition at some stage during their lives.
However, some individuals who work within certain professions, and some individuals who exhibit certain risk factors may be more prone to develop the condition than others.
According to some studies the condition is present in approximately one in two female rape victims, one in three teenagers who have survived a car accident, two in three prisoners of war and one in five fire-fighters.
Those who have previously suffered from a mental health condition or who have a family history of mental health concerns are also considered to be at a ‘high risk’ of developing PTSD after being exposed to a harrowing event. It is estimated that up to four in five PTSD sufferers are affected by other mental health problems.
PTSD diagnosis can be problematic for health care professionals because very often sufferers will not feel comfortable talking openly about how they are feeling, and in a large number of cases may not even seek treatment until weeks, months or even years after symptom onset.
Visiting a specialist can be a very difficult ordeal for sufferers, as discussing how they feel is required in order for a diagnosis to be reached. However, confronting these emotions and asking for professional help is the first step towards overcoming the condition so that sufferers are able to move forward in their lives.
If symptoms such begin after a traumatic event but then start to ease off and improve in the six week post trauma period, it may be that they were part of the body’s natural coping mechanism. However, if the symptoms persist for longer than six weeks and show no signs of improving then it is advisable to seek medical advice from a professional.
Because each sufferer will experience their own unique PTSD symptoms, a specialist will discuss your symptoms with you in depth. They may ask you whether you believe the trauma is a result of a recent event or as a result of something from a long time ago, what symptoms you are experiencing, your physical and psychological health background and your current overall health status.
Help for PTSD
PTSD is a condition which manifests itself both a physically and psychologically, and therefore treatment may be required for both aspects.
Effective treatments for the condition are still being researched as different types of trauma can have different impacts, and treatment for single incident trauma will usually differ to treatment for long-term trauma.
In their treatment guidelines NICE recommend that individuals undergo talking treatments such as psychotherapy, BEFORE any medication is prescribed.
This is a form of talk therapy that involves focussing on the traumatic experience in a bid to help you think differently about it and about your life. Though it is not possible to forget about the event entirely, psychotherapy helps individuals to reach a stage where they feel safer and more in control of their feelings so that they will no longer need to avoid these memories and are able to control when they think about them.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT, is a branch of psychotherapy which is based on the premise that the way we think (cognitive) determines how we respond to those thoughts (behaviour). Over years these negative thinking and behaviour patterns become fixed, and cognitive behavioural therapy hopes to challenge those behaviours, bringing about positive feelings and behavioural changes.
CBT for PTSD is aimed at teaching sufferers ways to help them modify negative thought patterns so they are able to gain control of their fear. Though techniques will vary from practitioner to practitioner, often-mental imagery is used to help individuals through their trauma.
Please note: Some medical professionals argue that general counselling may actually be detrimental in some PTSD cases, as encouraging ‘feeling’ work during such a fragile stage could embed the trauma even further. The condition and its treatments are very complex and that is why if help is sought from a counsellor, psychotherapist or another talk therapy practitioner, it is advisable to ensure they’ve successfully treated PTSD before.
Antidepressant medication may be prescribed by your GP.
However, NICE also state that drugs should only be prescribed when all other treatment avenues have been explored and none are deemed as suitable. For example:
- If a sufferer has chosen not to undergo psychological treatment.
- If they have had psychological treatment but experienced very little to no benefit.
- If they are at further risk of trauma.
- If they have severe depression that would make it unlikely for psychological interventions alone to be of benefit.
In any of the above incidences it may be that antidepressants are the most suitable option.
It is important to note that the effects of antidepressants will not begin instantaneously and it can take between two and four weeks for the effects to start being felt and up to three months before the benefits really become clear.
Of course, with every positive there is a negative, and antidepressants don’t come without their downsides. They come with a long list of possible side effects, can be addictive, and can also be difficult to come off. With this in mind they should be taken with absolute caution, with full knowledge of their side effects, and with regular supervision and check-ups from your GP.
- Benzodiazepines – Medications such as diazepam are sometimes prescribed with the intention of being a short-term solution for issues such as irritability, sleep problems and anxiety. They can be addictive and begin to reduce in effectiveness after just a few weeks so only a short course should be prescribed.
- Betablockers – These are being examined as a treatment option but further research is needed to prove their efficacy.
If you are prescribed medication to help treat your PTSD and you have found it to be effective then you can expect the course of treatment to continue for a possible period of around 12 months before your healthcare provider gradually begins the withdrawal process.
PTSD in children and young people
NICE have developed a set of guidelines which outline the recommended treatment procedure for children and young people affected by PTSD. According to the guidelines, older children exhibiting severe symptoms should undergo a course of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), preferably within a month after the traumatic incident.
For cases that occur three months or more after the event first occurred, NICE recommend the following:
- Regular and on-going psychological treatment conducted by the same medical professional each week.
- Families playing a role in the treatment programme if appropriate.
- A course of CBT which is age and circumstance appropriate.
- Parents are informed that no evidence has been found proving the efficacy of play therapy, family therapy or art therapy to treat PTSD.
Hypnotherapy for PTSD
As well as undergoing the treatment recommended by their health care provider, some enlightened PTSD sufferers also find that hypnotherapy treatment is very beneficial and many sufferers have experienced success with the treatment.
The aim of hypnotherapy is to unlock any repressed emotion (emotional baggage) so that the trauma can be reduced, reframed and explored from a distant perspective, meaning that the emotions don’t have to be felt, but more likely just witnessed as an observer.
There are various forms of hypnotherapy so I can only comment on my own process.
In order to determine which is the most suitable for you, I would usually begin by performing an assessment of your personal circumstances. This would be done at our initial consultation.
In most cases I will tend to use cognitive hypnotherapy or analytical hypnotherapy, both of which function on a deeper level than direct-suggestion hypnotherapy and are able to work with the unconscious mind so that negative beliefs which were built up during the trauma can be explored and alleviated.
I will treat you with absolute confidentiality, sensitivity and understanding and will discuss and explain any decisions regarding your treatment plan with you thoroughly before treatment begins or any changes are implemented.
You’re absolutely welcome to contact me if you have any questions or to book your consultation.

domain: medical


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|« Jul||Sep »|
39 articles published
Myanmar's visiting military chief, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, has asked Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to ensure the Self-Defense Forces continue to provide "capacity-building assistance" to Myanmar's national forces. During a meeting at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday, Abe expressed hope that stability and ...
Investigators working for U.S. special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating whether President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign colluded with Russia, have asked the White House for documents related to Michael Flynn, his former national security adviser, The New York Times reported Friday. "Though not a ...
From bone shards to swipe keyboards, "Chinese Script: History, Characters, Calligraphy" is a brief but absorbing crash course on the origins and evolution of China's writing system that tackles a range of topics beyond language. Chinese Script, by Thomas O. Hollmann, Translated by Maximiliane Donicht.128 ...


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New cult film directed by LEZ’s Joseph Delaney for his subversive zine SORT follows the rise and fall of an imaginary cult. Written and narrated by Rose McGowan, who herself was raised in a cult, the viewer is given an inside look at the hedonism, communalism and isolation of Delaney’s fictional sect.
His aim is to show that this societies heteronormativity and homogeneity, and shaming of all that isn't narrowly considered ‘normal’ is a constraint to freedom of expression rendering normative society a cult. The result is a dark, stylised and subversive video laced with nudity, underground fetish clubs, submission and domination.
Joseph himself is part of an interesting sub culture emerging which crosses music, politics and fashion. The film is fresh, a sinister beauty which has incredible strength. Driven by the intense and dark sound design the film encapsulates Joseph’s abstract vision of the world that challenges mainstream societies oppression of identity - a concept more frightening than a cult. In the words of Joseph:
‘The narrative around the global political situation is reading more and more like the retelling of some cult-like dystopian world, so maybe it's time to hijack that narrative.’

domain: entertainment


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October 22nd, 2013
Stanford University researchers have created the first computer using carbon nanotubes (CNTs) instead of silicon chips. The nanotechnology runs faster and uses less energy, which means less heat emitted from the processors. Science is years from taking this invention and scaling it to support the vast volumes of data that silicon chips handle, but most experts agree it's a big first step.
What Experts Say about CNTs
Stanford researchers managed to build a basic computer from CNTs that performed mathematical and sorting functions, but it's nowhere near the technology needed to support, say, a graphic-dense video game.
Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy told CNME Online that the major silicon chip producers (Intel, Samsung, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) should take this carbon nanotube technology seriously and shift away from silicon, no matter how much it costs to rework the manufacturing process. However, to be commercially viable, the CNT technology has to offer a better solution than what already exists. Not every great idea results in a profitable and market-accepted solution.
Will CNTs End Moore's Law?
Industry analysts and scientists have been predicting Moore's Law will come to an end. Coined by Intel founder Gordon Moore circa mid-1960s, Moore's Law states: The number of transistors incorporated in a chip will approximately double every 24 months. For the most part, Moore was right. The smaller chip technology gets, the more that will fit in processors, and the smaller the technology gets. The proof is evident in mobile devices like laptops, smartphones and tablets that get smaller and perform more tasks.
Some say physics will end Moore's Law, while one expert says economics will. Director of the Microsystems Technology Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Robert Colwell, stated that companies will have to invest a lot of money in manufacturing plants, research and design to create something they don't know will generate profit, according to Cnet. Companies like Intel can afford to take such risks, and if it does, it paves the way for other companies to follow suit.
Colwell says if this happens, Moore's Law will end because companies will shift to the new technology and away from chip production. If demand for chips lessens, Moore's Law ends.
How CNTs Look
In addition to delivering and processing data at faster speeds, CNT technology has the potential to lessen energy consumption (and waste).
Types of Carbon Nanotubes
The smaller transistors are, the more can be placed on a single chip. Consequently, more energy is consumed and more heat is generated. Think of the typical laptop computer and tablet that generate heat as they run. A unit like a Lenovo IdeaPad with dual graphics ideal for gaming, for example, will run hotter than a model used for Internet browsing and email.
What's Next for Carbon Nanotubes
Should CNTs succeed, the technology must overcome two limitations:
Finding and correcting (or preventing) CNTs that do not grow in parallel lines
Preventing them from behaving like wires that generate electricity and more like semiconductors that can be switched on and off
Rather than looking for ways to prevent or correct imperfections in CNT circuits, the Stanford team developed a way to bypass imperfections in the CNT circuits, and they succeeded. An 'imperfection-immune design' technique enabled the CNT computer to succeed.
We'd like to hear your thoughts on the Stanford researchers' developments, and whether you think Moore's Law is ending and where CNT will take us. Leave your comments below.


text: Gaucher disease is caused by mutations in the gene encoding acid beta-glucosidase (GlcCerase), resulting in glucosylceramide (GlcCer) accumulation. The only currently available orally administered treatment for Gaucher disease is N-butyl-deoxynojirimycin (Zavesca, NB-DNJ), which partially inhibits GlcCer synthesis, thus reducing levels of GlcCer accumulation. NB-DNJ also acts as a chemical chaperone for GlcCerase, although at a different concentration than that required to completely inhibit GlcCer synthesis. We now report the crystal structures, at 2A resolution, of complexes of NB-DNJ and N-nonyl-deoxynojirimycin (NN-DNJ) with recombinant human GlcCerase, expressed in cultured plant cells. Both inhibitors bind at the active site of GlcCerase, with the imino sugar moiety making hydrogen bonds to side chains of active site residues. The alkyl chains of NB-DNJ and NN-DNJ are oriented toward the entrance of the active site where they undergo hydrophobic interactions. Based on these structures, we make a number of predictions concerning (i) involvement of loops adjacent to the active site in the catalytic process, (ii) the nature of nucleophilic attack by Glu-340, and (iii) the role of a conserved water molecule located in a solvent cavity adjacent to the active site. Together, these results have significance for understanding the mechanism of action of GlcCerase and the mode of GlcCerase chaperoning by imino sugars.

domain: chemistry


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Dean, E. 2017, “Cultural competence”, Nursing Standard, vol. 31, no. 22, pp. 15.
Our nurses must be awareness and assist their multidisciplinary team to work effectively with their from different cultural backgrounds and to gain a greater understanding of the diverse needs of patients from minority ethnic backgrounds. They have to work together in the tasks to which they give rise in the management of our health service. Developing Cultural CompetenceFRAMEWORK FOR DELIVERING CULTURALLY COMPETENT SERVICESCampinha-Bacote and Munoz (2001) proposed a five-component model for developing cultural competence in The Case Manager.1. Cultural awareness involves self-examination of in-depth exploration of one’s cultural and professional background.
- Thesis Statement
- Structure and Outline
- Voice and Grammar
This component begins with insight into one’s cultural healthcare beliefs and values. A cultural awareness assessment tool can be used to assess a person’s level of cultural awareness.2. Cultural knowledge involves seeking and obtaining an information base on different cultural and ethnic groups. This component is expanded by accessing information offered through sources such as journal articles, seminars, textbooks, internet resources, workshop presentations and university courses.
3. Cultural skill involves the nurse’s ability to collect relevant cultural data regarding the patient’s presenting problem and accurately perform a culturally specific assessment. The Giger and Davidhizar model offers a framework for assessing cultural, racial and ethnic differences in patients.4. Cultural encounter is defined as the process that encourages nurses to directly engage in cross-cultural interactions with patients from culturally diverse backgrounds.
Nurses increase cultural competence by directly interacting with patients from different cultural backgrounds. This is an ongoing process; developing cultural competence cannot be mastered.5. Cultural desire refers to the motivation to become culturally aware and to seek cultural encounters. This component involves the willingness to be open to others, to accept and respect cultural differences and to be willing to learn from others.
Cultural needs in relation to equal access to treatment and care are paramount in transcultural health care (Gerrish et al, 1996; Polaschek, 1998; Royal College of Nursing, 1998; Gerrish and Papadopoulos, 1999; Henley and Schott, 1999; Narayanasamy,1999a) There is a consensus that a sense of cultural safety is most likely to promote trust and therapeutic relationships which are vital for interventions designed to meet cultural needs (Narayanasamy, 2002). Some people may share similar religious beliefs and practices but may differ in their cultural beliefs and values (Henley and Schott, 1999).Nurses must respect beliefs and they have to practising and try to identify nursing care needs connected to cultural beliefs and practices. Numerous writers have identified the significance related to cultural beliefs and practices. Henley and Schott (1999) provide a guideline for health carers with respect to the cultural and spiritual needs of multi-ethnic patients. Spinal cord injured patients are at considerable risk of developing pressure ulcers. The Waterlow score is the most commonly used pressure ulcer risk calculator in the UK (Dealey, 1997). Pressure risk assessment tools have been developed and validated on a largely white population and pressure ulcer risk assessment tools that have been validated for darkly pigmented skin may be required (Bethell, 2005).
A large study to explore the relevance of ethnicity in the development of pressure ulcers compared white and Pakistani patients using the Waterlow scale, and found that once age is taken into consideration, there is no evidence that the risk of pressure ulcers to Pakistani patients is greater than to white patients (Anthony et al, 2002).According to the literature, the crux of transcultural care is communication, comprising strategies such as consideration to appropriate body stances and proximities, gestures, languages, listening styles and eye contact (Peberdy, 1997; Narayanasamy, 2002). It is important for nurses to be aware that groups vary widely in their ideas about appropriate body stances and proximities, gestures, languages, listening styles and eye contact (Sherer, 1993; Narayanasamy, 2002).
The implications of this are that communication difficulties may actually impede early detection of health needs, treatment and care. Where an interpreter is required, sometimes it may seem convenient to use a member of the patient’s family as an interpreter to facilitate the communication process. However, the patient may fabricate a new problem to save embarrassment in the presence of a family member. Also, the interpreter may interpret rather than translate a patient’s problems (Narayanasamy, 2002).
The nurse who is unfamiliar with the language may not realize whose views are being expressed. For this reason, the Royal College of Nursing (1998) advises against the use of informal interpreters and suggests that substantial professional interpreting should be provided. With more courses and learning material in this subject, nurses can be helped to become more confident and competent in transcultural health care (Gerrish and Papadopoulos, 1999). Transcultural care models originating from the work of Gerrish and Papadopoulos (1999), Papadopoulos and Lees (2002), and Narayanasamy (2002) offer strategies for improving cultural competence.
Nurses response of cultural needs included religious practices, diets, communication, dying needs, prayer and cultural practices.The future of nursing depends on the nurses’ability to meet healthcare needs in diverse communities (Hall et al, 1994) for such a concept offers one way to understand phenomena relevant to health needs of multiethnic populations.CONCLUSION This empirical study offers some insights on accounts of nurse participants’ lived experiences and beliefs about transcultural health care. Although these nurses operated from narrow conditions related to transcultural health care, we may take comfort in the fact that at least some aspects of cultural needs are dealt with consideration and sensitivity. But Many nurses indicated the need for further education in meeting the cultural needs of their patients. However, we can see in our practice that there is scope for improving nurses’ knowledge and competence in transcultural healthcare practice.
There is an evidence to focus on education that nurses have the motivation to find further courses and discussion to become competent in transcultural care. Many nurses need further education in meeting the cultural needs of their patients.Conclusion and Recommendations, it is clear that cultural diversity is a key challenge for the Irish health care sector, both in terms of diversity in the workplace and the development and enhancement of service delivery that has the potential to impact positively on minority ethnic groups. A key strategy in meeting this challenge is to build a cultural diversity dimension into key health care policy strategies including the National Health Strategy; the National Health Promotion Strategy; the National Health Information Strategy and the National Strategy for Health Research. A second key strategy to meeting this challenge is to develop policies that are specific to the needs of minority ethnic groups, such as Traveller Health, a National Strategy. A gender focus should be included in both general and specific strategies. A Third related strategy is developing good practice and policy guidelines within health care organisations, a framework for which is outlined in this report. A fourth related strategy is mainstreaming cultural diversity awareness and training.
Providing care cwithin our global community is challenging. This discussion provided some resources that can be of use in one’s practice. Remember, culture is both external and internal and cannot be easily summarized in a reference book, but viewed through one’s own life experiences.Providing culturally appropriate care for cross-cultural patients depends on many factors, including the health care worker’s own cultural beliefs and practices.
Transcultural frameworks may help in the assessment and delivery of care, but it must be remembered that patients are individuals and care must be taken not to be influenced by cultural stereotypes (Holland and Hogg, 2001). There is a need for the range of programmes to improve the knowledge of nurses and their ability to deliver care in a multicultural society. I am looking to develop or implement a cultural care plan for our health system

domain: literature


Bash For Loop
Bash Scripting for loop examples
The for loop can be used to repeat a given set of instructions over and over again. It can be used to read a list of items that need to be processed. These items can be names, file names, numbers, variables. The basic syntax of a for loop is as follows:
Syntax of a for loop:
#!/bin/bash for i in item1 item2 item3 item4 item5 do echo $i done
In the above example, our list is read into the variable $i one item at a time. The code between the "do" and "done" statement is executed for each item read into $i. For example, the output below is from the above script:
Output from above for loop script
john@john-desktop:~/scripts$ ./for1.sh item1 item2 item3 item4 item5
for loop using the contents of a variable
As we saw in the previous example, our list is read into the variable $i. Instead of passing a list, we could have passed a variable that contained a list:
#!/bin/bash file_list="/home/john/scripts/test1.txt /home/john/scripts/test2.txt /home/john/scripts/test3.txt" for files in $file_list do [ -f $files ] && echo "file: $files exists" || echo "file: $files is missing" done
In the above example a variable $file_list has been given a list of files. This list is read one at a time into a variable called $files. We then carry out a test for the presence of the file using the file object test "[ -f $files ]. If the file exists we execute the echo statement "file....exists". If the file doesn't exist we then execute the "files...is missing" statement.
Output from the above script
john@john-desktop:~/scripts$ ./for2.sh file: /home/john/scripts/test1.txt exists file: /home/john/scripts/test2.txt is missing file: /home/john/scripts/test3.txt exists
From the above we can see that two of the files have been found and one of the files is missing.
Processing the contents of a file using a for loop
Another useful way a "for loop" can be used is to process the contents of a file. In the example that follows, I have created a simple script that creates new users that are listed within a file. This can be useful if you have numerous users to create.
Useradd script with for loop
#!/bin/bash echo "Running Script as user $USER " count=0 for i in $(cat ./userlist.txt) do echo "Adding user $i" useradd -m -c "$i" $i echo "Return code: $?" ((count++)) echo "Record processed are $count" done echo "Last lines form /etc/passwd follow" tail -n $count /etc/passwd
The above script starts by displaying who has executed the script. This information is held within the variable $USER
The variable $count is set to a value of "0" initially as we will be using this variable to keep count of how many users have been added from the file.
The line for i in $(cat ./userlist.txt) uses command substitution to read the contents of the file userlist.txt.
The "do....done section contains the commands that are to be executed against each entry that was read from the file userlist.txt. Here we use the "useradd" command to create new users. The return code from this command is displayed by the echo "Return code: $?" line. Our running count variable $count is incremented by 1 to keep track of how many records are processed. The last line tail -n $count /etc/passwd displays the associated entries in the passwd file for the new users.
Contents of userlist.txt
root@john-desktop:/home/john/scripts# cat userlist.txt test1 test2 test3 root@john-desktop:/home/john/scripts# cat for3.sh
Output from the above script
root@john-desktop:/home/john/scripts# ./for3.sh Running Script as user root Adding user test1 Return code: 0 Record processed are 1 Adding user test2 Return code: 0 Record processed are 2 Adding user test3 Return code: 0 Record processed are 3 Last lines form /etc/passwd follow test1:x:1003:1003:test1:/home/test1:/bin/sh test2:x:1004:1004:test2:/home/test2:/bin/sh test3:x:1005:1005:test3:/home/test3:/bin/sh


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LOS ANGELES: The brave Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie was spotted in Hawaii, back in action post her reconstructive surgery a few months back.
Jolie had undergone a double mastectomy nearly six months ago, in a bid to cut her chances of developing breast cancer. Over the weekend, the sexy Hollywood star was spotted on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, in a cleavage-revealing black tank top and black pants. She looked happy and smiled at the cameras.
Jolie was scouting for locations to film her upcoming release ‘Unbroken’. The film revolves around the tale of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic athlete who becomes a prisoner of war in World War II. ‘Unbroken’ will be Jolie’s second directorial venture, after her debut film as director: ‘In the Land of Blood and Honey’.
The latest news circulating about Jolie’s ‘Unbroken’ is that American actor Jack O’Connell (of ‘Skins’ fame) has been signed on as the lead actor for the film.
‘Unbroken’, produced and directed by Angelina Jolie, will see an early 2014 release.


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In Pew Research survey results, 39% of us (US adults) are caregivers. Yet, as I participated in MedX, I didn’t encounter too many of us. There was one great ePatient Scholar, Erin Keeley Moore (Blog) advocating for her son. It’s not to say that others that I didn’t speak to weren’t also caregivers, but their voice is continuing to be unheard in discussions like MedX.
Do I believe that MedX is a great conference? Yes! I had amazing conversation and interactions – I learned a tremendous amount – I think other participants resonated with my topic – “Being Alexis’ voice” (obviously there was a longer title: Engaged, equipped, enabled, and empowered by LOVE
But we have to endeavor to get more voices into the national conversation. As I was waking up after the conference this morning, it dawned on a me a useful analogy for caregiving.
Caregiving can be like being a short order cook or like being a caterer. It depends on which type of cook you are as to whether you can take time to be part of the national conversation.
Both types of cooks may serve 500 people in a 2 week period. A short order cook is making meals for 30-40 people each day with no set menu and no clear control over the interactions with people from many walks of life.
A caterer may be preparing a meal for 500 people, but with a set menu, time to anticipate and prepare for the event where it’s usually known the kind of people who will be at the event.
(Keep in mind, I’m not a cook or a caterer in real life – but this analogy seemed to work from what I’ve seen)
At this moment in Alexis’ care, we are in the catering scenario – which means we can plan our hospital time – plan our doctor appointments, plan our additions of new doctors, plan our surgeries).
It didn’t start like that, during the first year of life, we were short order cooks – dealing with multiple unexpected in-patient hospital stays, new diagnoses, new urgent appointments, new doctors added at the list moment. And even during her short 7 years, we’ve been thrown back into periods of ‘short order cook’ (either by Alexis or her sister).
I’ll estimate that people who choose short order cook or caterer, have qualities that make them suited for one or the other – which may help them decide.
As caregivers, we don’t decide. And I would argue that we aren’t equipped for handling the role as short-order cook or caterer. So we must endeavor in the future, to appreciate the challenges of the caregiver role. There are too many of us to overlook, and as the population ages, it will be every so much more important.
In future conferences, we must consider how to be flexible for the voice of the caregiver to be present. It’s really not possible to have caregiver voice without extreme amount of planning flexibility – caregivers are already juggling: caregiving, jobs, pressures on fellow caregivers (if they exist) and emotional stress.
Using technology, like University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital created for their pediatric rooms – allows caregivers to participate remotely and we should be open to having their participation in a virtual presence in conferences – so we see beyond the voices that are in ‘catering-caregiver’ mode – giving us all an opportunity to learn from ‘short-order-cook’-caregiver mode.
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domain: sociology


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GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) Twelve-year-old Rachel Hess brought in the biggest, strongest, fastest show-and-tell display ever Green Bay Packer running back Ahman Green.
Rachel won a contest sponsored by JC Penney and the NFL in cities with professional football teams throughout the nation.
She had to keep it secret for about two weeks before bringing Green to Greenville Middle School on Oct. 19.
''It wasn't that hard. I just had to bite my tongue a few times,'' Rachel said.
Green cited the Packers' problems this season as he talked to the students about why they should never give up, even when times are tough.
The Packers won their opener and then lost four games before a convincing win over the Detroit Lions.
''With our season, hopefully it's looking up,'' Green said, ''but up until then it's going rough, making bad plays here and there, but we keep working at it, chugging along.''
He also talked about growing up in Los Angeles, and realizing in junior high school that there is more to life than sports.
''My parents instilled that in me,'' Green said. ''They basically told me if I didn't get good grades I couldn't play football, couldn't play basketball, couldn't play baseball.''
© 2018. All Rights Reserved. | Contact Us

domain: sports


Muslims told to refrain from buying Christmas gifts by high-profile cleric.
Islamic ruling forbidding Muslims to participate in Christmas celebrations or mark the holiday is troubling Egypt’s Christians.
The call, which is being described as a fatwa, or Islamic decree, came from Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradawi, an influential firebrand cleric criticized in the West for his controversial rulings.
“Egypt has over the last two decades been infiltrated by Wahhabism,” Magdi Khalil, executive editor of Watani International and the Middle East Freedom Forum told The Media Line. “This culture and atmosphere is new in Egypt.”
The Egyptian-born Al-Qaradawi denounced the purchasing and selling of Christmas gifts, including Santa Claus dolls, Christmas trees and turkeys for Christmas dinner as “Christian and Western.”
Sales of Christmas gifts in Egypt have gone down by nearly a third this year because of the edict, according to one news report.
Christians contacted by The Media Line said they were unaware the fatwa had affected the celebrations or the Christmas revenues, but did express concern over the wider ramifications the fatwa may have on Christian minorities in Egypt and elsewhere.


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fast & free shipping, guaranteed delivery dates and all-inclusive pricing
Softball Uniform Design Ideas and Clip Art
Design and order your custom softball uniforms from CustomInk! As you can see from the customer photos below, custom softball jerseys make your team look unified and serious about the game - even if you're just playing for fun! Need some inspiration? Check out our softball team names page and our softball design templates page to get started!
Bumpers family softball team and the superfans by FamilySoftballteam - almost 5 years ago
DoGS by VolcanoMonster - almost 5 years ago
"This was taken after out first softball game of the season. We lost, but it was a game worth photographing, everyone had a lot of fun. CustomInk was very helpful when I ordered these t-shirts. It was very easy to call and speak to a real person."

domain: design


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Most people don’t even consider renovating their home until it’s time to sell it. And when the time for renovations does come around, they’re often left scratching their heads in confusion.
What are some home improvement investments that can transform the interior of your house? What can you do to make it attractive to potential buyers? And which ones give you the best ROI?
We’re glad you asked these questions! Because we know all the tricks of the trade that can help you sell your house for a high price.
Remodel the Bathrooms
If you have small bathrooms, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a way to make them look bigger. Instead of a shower, for instance, you can install a bathtub. You could also change the position of the sink; move it near the corner of your bathtub.
This will create the illusion of a bigger space. Also, instead of a wardrobe and cabinets, we recommend adding a small rack behind the bathroom door. You can even add drawers underneath the sink to create storage space.
Put all the towels and bathing essentials on the rack. Moreover, when repainting your bathroom, make sure to go with a pastel color or theme. Pastel colors distract the eyes and create the illusion of a larger room.
We recommend going with olive green or mint green.
Taking Care of the Kitchen
A cluttered and cramped kitchen can decrease the value of your home. To mitigate this issue, get kitchen cabinets installed to add to the storage space. You can add lazy Susans to the countertops to store all your pans and pots.
We recommend going with stainless steel cabinets because stainless steel doesn’t rust. It’s also easy to take care of, making it ideal for modern-day kitchens. It will also increase the value of your home because it adds a nice, modern touch to the kitchen’s interior.
Work on the Garden
If you have a garden, don’t leave it looking bare. Mow the lawn regularly and make sure to add plants and flowers. This will give your garden/front porch a beautiful and “neat” look.
Believe it or not, but landscaping increases the value of residential properties.
A Local Expert to Guide You
And last but not least, make sure to ask a local real estate agent for guidance. A professional will be able to help you figure out other ways to increase the value of your home and sell it for a great price.
Whether you’re looking to buy or sell your home in Reno, NV, you need a seasoned real estate agent who can help you. At Thuy Real Estate, we have experts with more than a decade’s experience in the Northern Nevada real estate industry. Give us a call at 1-775-250-1417!


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Afrobeat diva, Angélique Kidjo, has been nominated for the 42nd NAACP Image Award under the ‘Best World Music Album’ category for her ‘Oyo’ album.
One of the continent’s most internationally celebrated female artists; Kidjo previously won an Image Award for album “Djin Djin” at the 39th Image Awards in 2008.
Announced during a live press conference held at the Paley Center in Beverly Hills, California, actresses Kimberly Elise and Sanaa Lathan, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Smokey Robinson and Columbus Short, joined NAACP Image Awards chairman Clayola Brown and executive producer Vic Bulluck to announce the categories.
Leading the list with multiple nominations was Tyler Perry, who received a total of 19 nominations for films “For Colored Girls,” “Why Did I get Married Too” and his TV series “House of Payne.”
Actress Tatyana Ali also received two nods for her TV sitcom “Love That Girl” and the CBS drama “The Young and the Restless.” Nicki Minaj and 10-year old Willow were both nominated for Outstanding New Artists, whilst Corinne Bailey Rae and Mary J. Blige will battle for the title of Outstanding Female Artist.
Nominees for Outstanding Motion Picture include “For Colored Girls,” “Just Wright,” “The Book of Eli,” “The Kids Are All Right” and “Why Did I Get Married Too?”
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) awards celebrates the accomplishments of people of color in the fields of television, music, literature and film.
The awards will also honor individuals or groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors during the two-hour event airing live Friday, March 4 on FOX.
Samantha Ofole-Prince is an entertainment journalist based in Los Angeles and contributes to Trendy Africa Media. She can be reached on email@example.com
Kidjo photo by Shola Orols/Royalty Image
photo (2) by Clinton.H.Wallace – L-R: Columbus Short, 50 Cents, Clayola Brown, Smokey Robinson, Affion Crockett

domain: artistic


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- 8,99 zł
The Kingdom of Simmaria is locked in a bloody battle for the succession. Yet everyone overlooks King Grahakan's illegitimate "slave spawn" children. Inago the phalanx fighter Princess and her brother the clumsy bookish Cedyg are not important enough to assassinate.
They've grown up at the bottom of the Palace pecking order, scorned for their "Macan superstitions" of magic and prophecy.
When their Simmarian older brother Malon raises an ancient demon to secure the throne for himself only the Macan slave-prince Cedyg can unlock the power to save their world. But can Cedyg reach the power of the Source in time? And just how much will he have to sacrifice if he is to wield the power of the Furies?

domain: library


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Wreck League Volleyball
Gill Stanfield's Antpile
A Night On The Caspian
by Michael Grimberg
This collection of short fiction takes a humourous look at the unique subculture of the "heads" – shiftless drug-addled rockers whose defiantly anti-authoritarian outlook and penchant for hedonistic excess often result in hilarious misadventures.
Grimberg approaches his subject matter with both a clinician's detachment and an insider's insight, alternating between empathy and antipathy. Heads is a unique literary undertaking, wryly augmented by Neufeld and Dittrick's uncannily accurate portraiture.


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Halifax Historical Museum, Daytona Beach, Florida
252 South Beach Street, Daytona Beach, Florida 32114| Map |
The Halifax Historical Museum is dedicate to showcasing the history of the Halifax River area. Its numerous exhibits and attractions include The Racing Zone, Spanish and British Plantation Eras, Pioneer Life, Victorian Households, Handmade Surf Boards, Hotels of Yesteryear, two exhibits dedicated to World War II and many more. The museum also hosts seasonal exhibits that revolve throughout the year.
Ratings by kids' ages
- Tots (0-2)
- Little kids (3-5)
- Big kids (6-8)
- Tweens (9-12)
- Teens (13+)
Tips for Families
Admission is by donation on Thursdays. The museum is small so only give it a half hour to an hour. But it is charming, so if the weather isn't great, it is worth a trip.
Address: 252 South Beach Street, Daytona Beach, Florida 32114| Map
Phone: 386 255 6976
Hours: Tue-Fri 10:30 am - 4:30 pm; Sat 10 am - 4 pm More Info
Price: Adults (13+): $5; Children under 13: $1 More Info

domain: geography


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This is the first in a series of conversations with BUILD awardees in celebration of National Public Health Week.
Public health departments are a cornerstone of well-being in our nation. They play a vital role in the community-driven, multi-sector partnerships that are central to our mission at The BUILD Health Challenge® to achieve just health outcomes for all. In celebration of National Public Health Week this week, we would like to highlight the important work that public health agencies have done, and continue to do, as an integral part of their BUILD community, as well as the people behind that work.
Hannah Hardy, MPA is the director of the Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention Program at the Allegheny County Health Department. Her collaborative focused on addressing social determinants of health and improving access to healthcare for populations experiencing disparate health outcomes in Pittsburgh, PA during the second BUILD cohort.
What was your role within your BUILD collaborative? Why did you and your health department decide to get involved in the BUILD project in your community?
I was the health department representative for our BUILD collaborative. When we first saw the BUILD opportunity, we immediately reached out to community partners to identify a good fit for this program. The BUILD opportunity presented a rare opportunity to focus on addressing the social determinants of health with the unique perspective of putting the grassroots, community-based organization in the leadership role. Our health department supports that work and we saw this as a way to develop and build our partnerships with community-based organizations with the goal of reducing health disparities. Our BUILD Collaborative focused on addressing the needs of some of the most vulnerable members of our community in partnership with healthcare.
Building on the last year, which included a racial justice movement, a global pandemic, and a growing economic divide, how do you think public health will be impacted going forward? What do you see your role, and the role of the local public health department, being in this change?
I think (and hope) that public health will be more front and center in addressing issues including the racial justice movement, global pandemic, and increasing economic divide. Other practitioners will borrow public health’s multi-sectoral way of working in which we strive to bring together a lot of different people, organizations, and institutions to focus on the messages of primary prevention. I see my role as continuing to push myself, my team, and my partners as much upstream as possible to think about the root cause of the issues that we are addressing and then to respond accordingly. It is vitally important for me as a public health professional to continue to exercise my advocacy muscles to fight for equality.
What is one thing you wish people knew about the work you do?
Working in public health is the hardest, but also the most rewarding, work of my career.
Adam Britton is an intern with The BUILD Health Challenge. He will graduate from the University of Maryland in May 2021.

domain: health


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The HWCDSB is a proud supporter of Bell Let’s Talk, a national awareness campaign dedicated to the promotion and support of mental health across Canada. Bell Let’s Talk promotes awareness, acceptance and action with a strategy built on anti-stigma, care and access, research, and workplace leadership.
Bell Let's Talk Day takes place on Wednesday January 25, 2023. While the goal is to keep the conversation about mental health going all year long, January 25th marks the start of the campaign.
“As a Catholic school community and in support of the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board Mental Health and Addictions Strategy, we are committed to fostering safe and inclusive learning environments, which includes addressing mental health and wellness,” says Mental Health Lead, Michelle Hayes.
“Bell Let’s Talk Day is a time to acknowledge that many students are struggling with challenging emotions in response to the realities of the pandemic and other events and impacts. It also provides another opportunity for our youth to hear messages that validate their varied and unique experiences and to be shown caring support.”
Staff, students, and parents are encouraged to join the conversation through starting a conversation about mental health. See the Bell Let’s Talk Tookit
for stickers, posters and activities to share with your family, friends and colleagues.
Catholic mental health resources are available at:
• The Sanctuary Course for Catholics
• Diocese of Hamilton
Let’s get the conversation started!

domain: psychology


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ARTSQUEST FOUNDER JEFF PARKS RELEASES NEW BOOK ‘STRONGER THAN STEEL’
Book highlights Bethlehem’s resiliency and role the arts played in transforming city from steel town to vibrant arts and cultural destination
Jeffrey Parks, founder and former President of Musikfest and ArtsQuest, will release his first book, “Stronger Than Steel: Forging a Rust Belt Renaissance,”
June 18. The book, which talks about the transformation of Bethlehem since the closing of its primary employer and the role the arts played in this transformation, retails for $19.50 for paperback or $9.99 for Kindle and Nook ebooks. It can be purchased at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, which will offer signed copies, as well as other local book stores and online retailers like www.amazon.com
On June 22, 5-6:30 p.m., Parks will also do a free reading and book signing in the Blast Furnace Room of the ArtsQuest Center, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem.
After more than three decades of developing innovative arts strategies to support the transition of Bethlehem from a steel industry town to a dynamic, information age community, Parks looks to share some of the stories, tactics and strategies that worked well in Bethlehem in the 1980s through the early 21st century. He uses census figures to highlight how the city, which lost thousands of jobs when its largest employer, Bethlehem Steel, started eliminating positions in the 1970s and ’80s, today has the highest median household income and the lowest poverty rate among Pennsylvania cities and continues to attract more and more young educated residents. He attributes much of the success of the community to the relevant, accessible arts and cultural programs offered in the city, which is home to only 75,000 residents.
Written in the first person, Parks weaves the tale of many of the prominent figures in Bethlehem throughout its history and how their legacies created the inclusive, culturally vibrant city it is today. The story chronicles the pain of Bethlehem as it, like most cities that hosted industries, suffered the twin catastrophes of deindustrialization and suburbanization, primarily through the closing of its main industry, The Bethlehem Steel, in the 1980s and early ’90s.
In the second part of the book, Parks describes how the Lehigh Valley came together as a region for economic development, tourism, transportation and planning, as well as how Bethlehem embraced regionalization. From his firsthand experience he shares how and why Musikfest, today the nation’s largest free admission music festival, was created; how it grew to become a signature event for the city; and how the nonprofit festival organization ArtsQuest (then known as Bethlehem Musikfest Association) expanded to add the Christkindlmarkt holiday marketplace and the Banana Factory arts center, lacing the story with several humorous anecdotes from the history of what has become the largest arts organization in the region.
The book concludes with chapters devoted to the amazing story of the redevelopment of the Bethlehem Steel plant, which was the largest brownfield project in the United States in 2001.
Mixing interviews with key players in the plant redevelopment with his personal role, Parks shines a light on the behind-the-scenes struggles as 1,800 acres of industrial land became three very successful enterprises: an industrial park, a destination casino and a major regional arts and culture campus known as SteelStacks. Listed in 2004 on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's annual list of 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, today the former steel mill is home to the 10-acre SteelStacks campus, which draws more than one million guests from 45 states annually for concerts, festivals, events and arts programming.
Stronger than Steel has received praises from a host of national arts and urban development leaders including:
Pam Breaux, President and CEO of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
Tom Murphy, former Mayor of Pittsburgh and Senior Resident Fellow at the Urban Land Institute
Jamie Bennett, Executive Director of ArtPlace America
Mario Garcia Durham, President and CEO of the Association of Performing Arts Professionals.
Parks, a Bethlehem native, is an attorney who resides in Historic Bethlehem with his wife Susan and dog Folly. He is currently the Chair of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.
Stronger than Steel (paperback, 349 pages) is published by Bethlehem-based Rocky Rapids Press, LLC in paperback and eBook formats. For more information see www.strongerthansteel.info


Right now there’s a good chance you’re wearing at least one clothing item made from cotton – regular, non-organic cotton.
And last night you likely slept on cotton or cotton blend sheets, and after this morning’s shower, dried yourself off with a cotton towel. You might even have used cotton balls or swabs getting yourself ready for the day.
If so, you may be surprised to learn that you exposed yourself to potentially dangerous pesticides, herbicides, harsh dyes and other toxic chemicals. Yes, even if the item wasn’t brand new and had been laundered.
You also supported the GMO industry...
That’s right. Every time you purchase anything made with non-organic cotton, you’re contributing to the coffers of some of the most irresponsible and untrustworthy corporations on the planet.
I know what you may be thinking... You'd love to buy organic clothing, underwear, and socks but just can’t afford the luxury. And much of what is available doesn’t suit your taste.
These are valid points. Organic cotton clothing can be pricey. And some of it isn’t very stylish.
I recently started to wear more organic cotton clothing, simply because I recognize the potential dangers with conventional cotton.
And I wanted to stop funding the evil companies placing profit ahead of human and environmental health!
Now I’ve taken the next step... I’ve found a way to help you get your hands on clothing that you can feel good about wearing, like how it looks – and can afford.
6 Things You May Not Know About Your Clothes... and If You Did, You Might Think Twice About Owning Them
There are at least six reasons to ponder what’s hanging in your closet right now:
- Non-organic cotton is considered the world’s dirtiest crop.
Conventional cotton production uses up to 25 percent of the world’s chemical pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. A third of a pound of these chemicals are used for producing the cotton for just ONE t-shirt.
Half of the $2 billion spent on the chemicals sprayed on crops is classified as “hazardous,” with five of the most commonly used pesticides considered probable carcinogens.
A single drop of the commonly used insecticide aldicarb, absorbed through the skin, is enough to kill a man, yet it is still used in 25 countries, including the U.S. This presents a danger to farmers, neighbors, cotton pickers, fiber and garment makers, and you, the end user.
- Nearly all conventionally grown cotton is genetically engineered (GE).
Organic cotton only accounts for one percent of global cotton production. Today, about 94 percent of cotton is genetically engineered. Bt cotton, a GE variety introduced in 2002, requires 13 times more pesticides than other types, and produces its own internal pesticide.
The non-organic cotton industry is the highest user of the herbicide glyphosate, a “probable” human carcinogen, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The accumulation of exposure to glyphosate through food and your skin can profoundly affect your mitochondria and also put you on the path to conditions linked to dysfunctional mitochondria, including metabolic syndrome, obesity, type 2 diabetes, depression, cancer, and high blood pressure.
- Some synthetic clothes are made with carcinogen ingredients and large amounts of petroleum in an energy-intensive process.
Synthetic fabrics are made from man-made chemicals instead of natural fibers like cotton, silk, and wool. Polyester, the most widely used manufactured fiber, is made from petroleum in an energy-intensive process requiring large amounts of crude oil.
The process releases emissions that include volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter and acid gases such as hydrogen chloride, which can all adversely affect your respiratory system.
Acrylic may be even worse. The key ingredient of acrylic fiber is acrylonitrile, a suspected brain, lung, and bowel carcinogen and mutagen that targets the central nervous system. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC), acrylonitrile enters your body through your skin and lungs.
- The toxic chemicals added to clothes don’t always wash out, even after repeated laundering.
Many people are surprised to learn that the chemicals used to produce clothing don’t always wash out, especially those used for bleaching, sizing, dying, straightening, reducing shrinkage, resisting stains and odors, fireproofing, mothproofing, and reducing wrinkles and static.
These chemicals are often applied with heat and bonded to the fiber. Plus, some imported clothes are now impregnated with long-lasting disinfectants that are very hard to remove.
One such imbedded chemical is formaldehyde, a volatile organic compound (VOC) and “probable” carcinogen, according to the EPA and National Cancer Institute.
In large enough amounts, slowly releasing formaldehyde vapors can also cause rashes, headaches, burning eyes and nose, breathing difficulties, coughing, sore throat, joint pains, nausea, fatigue, and restless sleep.
Perfluorinated chemicals (PCFs), like Teflon, are also used to treat fabric to resist stains and wrinkles. I advise against cooking with non-stick pans, so I certainly don’t recommend wearing these toxic chemicals!
Keep in mind, your skin absorbs most anything that comes into contact with it – good or bad. So, there’s no barrier to keep toxic substances from directly entering your bloodstream!
- The non-organic textile industry is polluting our environment, harming our soil, and wasting precious resources.
The World Wildlife Federation (WWF) estimates that it takes 5,283 gallons of water to produce two pounds of conventional cotton. For just ONE t-shirt, it takes about 400 gallons of water, and that water is often siphoned from drought-threatened rivers and lakes in the cotton-growing regions.
With worldwide water shortages, I believe that’s inexcusable.
Toxic and carcinogenic pesticide residues flow into lakes, rivers, and other waterways, harming plants and wildlife.
A recent study looked at the long term impact of Bt cotton on soil organisms. Bt cotton is having a serious impact on the numbers of beneficial soil enzymes that make soil fertile. Total biomass of the soil was also reduced nearly 9 percent in the areas studied.
- The human cost of conventional cotton is enormous.
Besides the estimated 20,000 people dying each year in developing countries from pesticide exposure (according to the WHO), there is also a link to developmental concerns and birth defects in children, and the weakening of immune systems.
Plus, there’s the tragedy of gross human rights violations and child labor in cotton-producing third world countries. The cotton industry has become a modern form of slavery.
In Uzbekistan, the second largest cotton exporter in the world, one-third of the population, including children as young as 7, must labor for the government-owned cotton industry with little clean water to drink, bare hands and no gear to protect them from the toxic pesticides.
How Your Active and Workout Clothes May Be Polluting the Environment and the Food Supply
Stretchy yoga pants and leggings, and cozy fleece jackets and hoodies have become all the rage...
However, there’s a dark side to these much-adored articles of clothing.
Every time you wash yoga pants, leggings, or a fleece jacket, sweatshirt, or bathrobe made from fleece, you release plastic microfibers into the water.
Estimates range up to 250,000 microfibers, depending on the age of the garment. The older the clothing, the more microfibers are released. Lower-quality leggings, fleece and acrylic fleece shed the most – up to 170 percent more than higher quality brands.
While treatment plants can remove some of these microscopic plastic fibers from the water, about 40 percent end up in rivers, lakes and oceans.
Even worse than the now-banned microbeads in face scrubs, these microfibers are mistakenly eaten by fish and other wildlife and accumulate in their digestive tracts.
As you go up the food chain, the fibers concentrate in the bodies of larger animals. And then, when you eat the fish or the animal, you consume the microfibers.
What’s especially concerning about microfibers, besides being plastic, is the fact that they act like sponges and soak up toxins like pesticides, PCBs, and oil as they move up the food chain.
Microfibers have become so widespread in the environment, one researcher found that these plastic fibers now make up 85 percent of human-sourced debris on coastlines, both salt and fresh water, around the world!
How Organic Cotton Is the Perfect Partner to Regenerative Agriculture
I think you’ll agree... there must be a better way to help protect our health, the environment, our soils, and our precious natural resources.
In contrast, organic cotton, a natural fiber, offers a much better alternative, especially when you consider its effects on agriculture:
- Its non-GE seeds haven’t been treated with fungicides or pesticides
- Uses only organic-approved fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides from plants, animals and minerals to avoid harming soil organisms
- Reduces environmental footprint by using 71 percent less water and 62 percent less energy
- Plants are 80 percent rain-fed, reducing reliance on local water sources
- Reduces field emissions from fertilizer, and reduces nitrogen and phosphorus deposits into water
- Increases soil protection that in turn helps prevent erosion
- Promotes safe work and better livelihoods for farmers
When you buy organic cotton, you are supporting cleaner air, water conservation efforts, improved soils, and a better life for farmers.
Organic cotton farmers urgently need your support. When you make a purchase – any clothing purchase – you are voting with your dollars. You are either saying “Yes!” to organic cotton and a better way of life for farmers around the world... or you’re saying “Yes!” to unscrupulous mega-corporations who value only their bottom line.
Watch Out for “Blending” or “Sustainable Cotton” – Make Sure You’re Getting Certified Organic Cotton
Because organic cotton is limited worldwide, you must be very careful when buying an article of clothing labeled “organic cotton.”
In their attempts to meet the growing market for organic cotton, some major retailers have teamed up to form the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) to ensure they have access to “sustainable cotton”.
The only problem is... this isn’t necessarily organic cotton. It’s often genetically engineered cotton!
These large brands are doing what’s called “blending.” They’re using organic cotton with non-organic, GE cotton in the same garment.
While some of these companies may want to do the right thing, the conventional cotton corporations dominate the industry and there simply isn’t enough organic cotton to fill the need of these major retailers.
So how can you be sure what you buy is really organic cotton?
Just as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) sets standards for organic food, Global Organic Textile Standards, or GOTS, provides third-party certification for the organic textile industry.
GOTS oversees the growing, processing, manufacturing, packaging, labeling, trading and distribution of all textiles made with at least 70 percent certified organic fiber.
Like organic food standards, a textile product carrying the GOTS Organic seal must contain a minimum of 95 percent certified organic fibers, while one with the “made with organic” label must contain a minimum of 70 percent certified organic fiber.
GOTS-certified textiles must be produced without conventional cotton’s pesticides, genetically engineered ingredients, formaldehyde, chlorine bleaches, heavy metals or other chemicals not approved by organic standards that may be detrimental to humans and the environment.
And you don’t need to worry about harmful residues remaining on the clothing, like with conventional cotton.
When you buy certified organic cotton, you don’t need to wonder if it’s the “real deal.” GOTS guarantees it!
Introducing SITO... The Greek Goddess of the Harvest – Real GOTS-Certified Organic Cotton
Sito, also known as Demeter in ancient Greek religion and mythology, was the goddess of the harvest and agriculture.
According to Greek mythology, Sito presided over the fertility of the earth, the sacred law, and the cycle of life and death.
I believe it’s only fitting that the name of my line of organic cotton clothing be called SITO, in honor of what we’re trying to accomplish with organic cotton: regenerative agriculture and fertile soils around the world.
Here’s another way to look at the name SITO:
Either way, SITO describes our mission perfectly. Every time you see our label you’ll know we’re taking a stand for organic cotton and regenerative agriculture!
I’m excited to announce that our SITO line includes nearly everything you need, from socks to underwear to workout clothes and sweatshirts, and even dresses for women! Plus, we have soft and cozy baby and adult blankets and thirsty dish towels.
We’ve got your entire family covered, too – babies, children, women and men!
The Plight of the Indian Cotton Farmer... and How We’re Taking a Stand
Bt cotton – the type of cotton that produces its own deadly toxin – was introduced in India in 2002. With its introduction, cotton farmers were promised they would use less pesticides and their yields and farm income would increase.
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Not only did pesticide use rise, income and crop yields declined.
And Indian farmers stricken with debt started committing suicide – often by drinking the pesticide itself – in record numbers. In 2013, 11,772 farmers committed suicide – 44 deaths every day. And many of those farmers grew cotton.
Along with unmet promises, unseasonal rain and hail took their toll. But also with Bt cotton, secondary pests emerged, forcing farmers to use much greater amounts of costly pesticides — as much as 13 times more!
In addition to the pesticides farmers have to apply to the plants, Bt cotton is a pesticide in itself (it’s even registered that way!). The Bt toxin is produced in every cell of the plant, so that’s just one more source of toxic exposure for farmers and pickers.
Bt cotton seed also costs 4 to 10 times more than conventional hybrid seed, and farmers are forced to buy new seed every year when they grow conventional cotton.
In recent years, increasing numbers of Indian cotton farmers have slowly begun bucking the conventional cotton mega corporations and switching over to growing organic cotton.
These farmers are finding that organic cotton is not only better for the health of their families, workers and animals, it guarantees them a minimum price for their harvest.
And we’re there to support these brave farmers every step of the way...
Why Indian Organic Cotton Instead of American Cotton?
My goal is to bring you affordable organic cotton clothing that you can wear every day.
Because of its very limited supply, right now, American-grown organic cotton is more than twice the cost of organic cotton from India.
While we just celebrated the start of the first GOTS certified project in the United States for organic cotton, India has multiple on-going projects.
We’re supporting American-grown cotton with our Organic Cotton Dirt Shirts, and doing all we can to help reignite the U.S. organic cotton industry.
However, there’s currently a lack of infrastructure and various bottlenecks slowing the growth of the U.S. industry, unlike India’s already established organic cotton industry.
It’s going to take time to rebuild the U.S. organic cotton industry to the heights it was years back. But, believe me, once we accomplish this milestone, we’ll be right there.
In the meantime, let me tell you a little secret about Indian cotton...
It isn’t second best.
Indian organic cotton naturally has a longer staple length that is very, very soft. When it comes to undergarments and socks, you can’t beat it for comfort!
You Can Feel the Difference with My SITO Organic Cotton
My organic cotton feels different than conventional cotton. With its long staple length, it:
- Feels soft and comfortable next to your skin
- Absorbs and controls moisture
- Provides warmth and comfort
- Keeps you cool by pulling heat away from your skin
- Prevents moisture from building up between your skin and your clothes
- Allows air to flow easily through fibers and, unlike synthetic fibers, permits your skin to “breathe”
When you're active, organic cotton and other natural fibers wick away body moisture from your skin and allow it to evaporate naturally. In other words, natural fibers let your body "breathe."
Synthetic fabrics just don't provide the same ventilation that you get from organic cotton and other natural fibers.
When it comes to working out, in my opinion, you just can't beat organic cotton. Because of organic cotton's many benefits, you naturally feel more comfortable.
Here's something to consider… Cotton can hold up to one-fifth of its weight in water before feeling damp. That simple fact helps make hot, humid weather more bearable, especially when exercising outdoors.
You may get better value for your money, too, when you buy organic. Organic cotton has high tensile strength which becomes 30 percent stronger when wet, allowing it to withstand repeated washings and everyday use.
Beautiful, Lasting Color Without the Conventionally Used Azo Dyes, Formaldehyde, Bleach, GMOs, Phthalates, and Heavy Metals
Just like our Certified Organic Cotton sheets and towels, every clothing item is dyed using low-impact and fiber-reactive dyes for great lasting color at the lowest impact possible.
A low-impact dye is a dye that has been classified by the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 (an international certification process) as eco-friendly. Generally, low impact dyes do not contain toxic chemicals or mordants, chemicals that fix the dye to the fabric.
Fiber-reactive dyes are low-impact dyes that bond directly with the fibers.
The benefits of using low-impact and fiber-reactive dyes include:
- Contain no heavy metals, formaldehyde, GMO’s, chlorine bleaches, acetone, or other potentially dangerous substances
- Colors are brighter and richer and are wash-fast
- Better for the environment because of less waste water runoff and energy savings
This earth-friendly dying process requires less rinsing and have a high absorption rate in the fabric, which translates into less waste water. There’s less than 5 percent runoff into the environment, compared to 60 percent for regular cotton.
The OEKO-TEX Standard provides assurance that it’s been tested by an independent laboratory and found to be free of harmful levels of more than 100 substances, including azo and allergenic dyes, phthalates, heavy metals, and pesticides that are commonly used with commercial cotton.
Low-impact dyes cost much more than conventional dyes, but for something your body is exposed to daily, like clothing and sheets and towels, I believe it’s worth the extra cost.
Are You Ready to Make the Switch to Organic Cotton?
You’re careful about what you put in your body. What about what’s on your body?
Your clothes are an integral part of your life, and many people wear some type of clothing next to their skin 24 hours a day!
Don’t you think it makes good sense to make that organic cotton?
Now you can have it all – comfort, security, quality and smart design – all at a reasonable price, too.
Our SITO line includes women’s, men’s, children’s, and babies’ wear, as well as dish towels and baby and adult blankets.
We’ve got socks, underwear, workout clothes, t-shirts, leggings, sweatshirts, bathrobes, and dresses. And they’re all stylishly packaged, perfect for gift-giving!
When you choose organic cotton, you’re providing a healthier option for yourself, your family, and your friends.
But you’re doing much more, too. You’re helping to support farmers who are willing to stand up to the mega-corporations and do the right thing for their families, their workers, and their land.
With organic cotton, you’re supporting a cleaner, healthier world that benefits the environment and its inhabitants, including the soil, animals and insects.
While I’ve made sure the prices are as reasonable as possible, I certainly can’t compete against the cheap fast fashion rolling into the country. Choosing organic cotton clothing may still cost you a few cents more, but isn’t your well-being worth it?
Delight yourself. Start shopping now and order Certified Organic Cotton clothing today!


Do numbers count when it comes to high-performance computing? Of course.
A capability of a supercomputer is generally measured by how many mathematical calculations it can perform in a second.
For instance, so-called petascale computers are those capable of at least 1,000 trillion (or a quadrillion) calculations per second, and that extraordinary level of number crunching can be applied to some of the world's most complex scientific problems.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory already hosts a couple of petascale machines and more are on the way, as the evolution of computing continues at a powerful pace.
It was a year ago this month that Jaguar, ORNL's Cray supercomputer, officially took over as No. 1 on the Top 500 list of the world's fastest supercomputers. Before that, the lab's computational pride and joy spent a year at No. 2, and that's the position Jaguar now holds again. Last week, when the latest list was revealed, a new machine in China's impressive and growing stable of supercomputers took over the top spot.
Numbers obviously matter. But ORNL officials have often cautioned folks not to get too wrapped up in the numbers game, especially when it comes to world rankings and such.
Even when Jaguar was No. 1, ORNL Deputy Director Thomas Zacharia said the ranking was relatively unimportant except for the attention it attracted, which tended to help recruit bright folks to join the Oak Ridge staff.
What's truly important, Zacharia said, is the science produced with the massive computing capability.
Last week, even as Jaguar lost its No. 1 position, the ORNL computer's worth was underscored by the announcement of the Gordon Bell Prize for the year's top scientific computing application.
A research team from Georgia Tech, New York University and ORNL won the prize by pushing Jaguar to 700 trillion calculations per second for a ground-breaking simulation of blood flow.
ORNL said the winning team used 196,000 of Jaguar's 224,000 processor cores to simulate 200 million red blood cells and their interaction with plasma in the circulatory system.
According to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Horst Simon, who announced the prize winners, the team's simulation represented a 10,000-fold improvement over previous blood simulation of that type.
He noted that the team used Jaguar to simulate realistic, "deformable" blood cells that change shape rather than do a simulation with simpler - and less realistic - spherical blood cells.
"It's a very significant accomplishment," Simon said.
Again, the numbers were important, but the scientific results were more important than the numbers themselves.
After the new Top 500 List was released, Zacharia congratulated the Chinese for having the No. 1 position and two of the top five slots.
"More than anything else, this is a recognition of the commitment by the Chinese to be a world leader in this important field," he said, adding that China plans to "stay the course" and remain a dominant player in high-end computing.
"That said, Jaguar remains unquestionably the most powerful scientific computing capability in the world," Zacharia said.
Four out of the six finalists for the Gordon Bell Prize did their computer applications on Jaguar, he said.
"From climate change science to nuclear simulation, energy storage to superconductivity, there are number of scientific fields where Jaguar is enabling new science," he said.
Senior writer Frank Munger may be reached at 865-342-6329.
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This has been an interesting few days in the climate department, in that we have seen some dramatic changes from morning to late afternoon. It often happens in the desert when after reaching high temperature levels after the noon day sun, the temperature plummets after sunset. We obviously don't have a desert climate here in the northeast, and the next couple of days will see some incredible swings from low to high. We saw a roughly thirty degree jump in temperature from morning low to afternoon high today and we will likely see an even bigger one on Tuesday. The record low of 23 was recorded on April 14th 1992 at Westover Air Reserve Base and we may see a few similar readings by dawn. Rest assured the mid April sun will get us back into the upper 50's by 4 or 5 o'clock in the afternoon. On the forecasting end of things, this week looks very quiet and dry with highs perhaps reaching well into the 60's by Friday.


KATHMANDU, The three major political parties have put forward a proposal on forming a joint taskforce to finalize a roadmap to an agreement with the agitating United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF).Talks between the major political parties and the UDMF held at the prime minister’s official residence at Baluwatar on Sunday ended inconclusively as the UDMF asked for time to discuss the proposal within the parties in their coalition.
According to leaders present at the talks, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli asked the UDMF to assign members from their side for the taskforce, and also informed that CPN-UML Vice Chairman and Deputy Prime Minister Bhim Rawal, Nepali Congress leader Mahesh Acharya and UCPN (Maoist) leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara would join the taskforce from the three major parties.
Following the proposal, the UDMF leaders replied that they would discuss the proposal within their front. They also asked the big parties to come up with a concrete idea regarding the 11-point demand rather than indulging in taskforce-formation.”We want to seek solutions within a few days to all the issues raised by the agitating parties. We have asked them to name a leader to work within the taskforce. The taskforce will finalize a roadmap and top leaders from both sides will sit again to finalize an agreement,” said Nepali Congress Vice-President Ram Chandra Paudel.
“They have said that they will hold discussions within their front on the proposal to form a taskforce,” he added.
DPM Rawal said that the major political parties urged the agitating side to seek a solution through the taskforce and expressed hope that the UDMF would join the taskforce soon.
“We have said that the taskforce can first discuss forming a common idea on what should be changed in the Constitution Amendment Bill tabled in parliament, and the remaining issues next,” said Rawal.
– See more at: http://myrepublica.com/feature-article/story/34264/big-3-propose-taskforce-udmf-to-discuss-it-internally.html#sthash.y6Ex9OWK.dpuf


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About a month ago my maternity workshop mama gave birth to her third son. The girls that attended that workshop all gathered back for a newborn workshop. In this workshop I showed how I typically handle a newborn session, showed some soothing techniques and general rules I follow when handling baby.
Our workshop baby was very aware of us all around him no matter how quiet and slow we were going so he did not fall asleep easily. This actually was good because a majority of newborn sessions take quite a long time to get baby in a deep sleep. Since our little guy didn’t go into a deep sleep we were unable to get him into any poses…and that is the key to posing newborns; A DEEP, DEEP SLEEP!
Here is a little overview of what we went over for the newborn workshop:
Lighting: Most times I will use window light since this type of light gives a beautiful diffused, soft and even look to newborns. However, there are times when I’ll need to pop on my studio lights…this workshop I used one continuous strobe at a 45 degree angle about 3 feet away from my subject. Studio lighting tends to be a little hotter and the coloring tends to be a bit cooler than window light so we work our settings and exposure to get a pleasing result. For workshop purposes I showed the girls a comparison of natural lighting compared to the studio and then tried to mimic my studio lights to give the same look…I was pleased with the studio outcome.
Creative angles: I encouraged the girls to get away from shooting straight on all the time. In my newborn sessions I am constantly moving around, standing up, crouching down…you never know how many different looks you can find in one pose! This is the same exact pose from above but I shot over and down to baby.
Include meaningful things in the session: A majority of the time my clients will have a special blanket or memorabilia on hand for the shoot…try your hardest to include these in your session. I will pose baby with an heirloom teddy bear, wedding rings and most often a handmade or vintage blanket. Here mama made this quilt so we wrapped baby in it and I shot the full length of it so she will have it as a keepsake for years to come.
Quick editing tips: I shoot all of my sessions in color and my client will get all of their images in color but then I pull a few I feel would look good in a black and white or vintage conversion. However, I convert a little different from most and I showed the girls quickly my technique on how to smooth skin, get a high contrast black and white and make a quick vintage color. Editing shouldn’t take longer than your actual session (travel added in too) so making sure you have an image that looks print ready out of camera will give you a much better result when you go into your editing software to enhance!
Last words: The number one thing I wanted everyone to keep in mind throughout the session was to embrace whatever happens during the session. If baby falls into a deep sleep know that you will only have a small amount of time to pose before baby tells you enough is enough so work fast and accurately. If baby does not fall asleep make sure he/she is calm and comfortable and capture awake and aware moments with mom and dad. When baby cries don’t shy away from them, crying is a beautiful emotion and one that should be captured especially in the newborn stage. Peeing and pooping is a given so prepare for those. And lastly, enjoy the family bonding. Enjoy the baby sighs and cries. Meditate on their breath and capture those natural moments; this will help your newborn session to be a success!