text:
Coming up with an ingenious idea for a business is relatively easy; it’s the implementation and taking action that is difficult. Fortunately, you won’t always have to start from scratch. Since plenty of entrepreneurs have come before you, it would be wiser to borrow from their experiences and learn from their mistakes.
Of course, you’ll have to find your way through the industry you want to grow in, but it makes much more sense to utilize your resources. This way, you’re not diving off the deep end without so much as an oxygen tank on your back. Keep in mind that you can take risks and prepare for what can happen if things don’t go according to plan.
But before you worry about taking risks and implementing your plans, you’ll need to get over the biggest obstacle of them all when it comes to establishing a business: securing your funding. Getting a business to take off the ground will be next to impossible if you don’t have the money to invest in the equipment or manpower needed to carry out your plans.
Therefore, work on getting your capital first. Of course, you’re going to need a solid business plan if you’re planning to approach potential investors or apply for a loan because this will show your determination regarding your business. Here are three options you can consider when looking for where to get your seed money:
Small Business Loans
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbones of the economy. They provide thousands of jobs and opportunities to people across the country, making them essential to society. That’s why initiatives such as Enterprise Singapore’s Enterprise Financing Scheme (EFS) can help SMEs secure their funding.
Although the EFS initiative won’t provide the loans themselves, they’ll share the risk with the borrower as a guarantee to the lender. Most of the time, the risk share is static at 50%, but sometimes, it can increase to as high as 70% for young enterprises that have yet to exceed the five-year mark.
But even if you don’t look to traditional lending institutions for your funding, you can always apply for a small business loan from accredited lenders. You just have to make sure that you have a stellar credit score and history to increase your chances of getting approved for the loan without much trouble.
If you’re not particularly fond of the idea of borrowing in lump-sum for your business capital, you can always consider approaching venture capitalists. These are investors who are constantly on the lookout for promising endeavors that have the potential to succeed in the rapidly changing business landscape.
However, you must understand that you can’t approach a venture capitalist with a half-baked idea. Since you’ll be pitching your automotive business idea to potential investors, you’ll need to be able to back up your claims with solid arguments and data. This way, they’ll be more than willing to consider revenue-based financing in your business moving forward.
This could also be an excellent opportunity to approach venture capitalists who you believe can share your values and worldviews when it comes to what you’re passionate about. For instance, if you’re determined to create the newest sustainable car as an eco-friendly alternative to traditional vehicles, then you should find someone who believes in that reality as well.
Family and Friends
The last funding option you can consider is borrowing from your friends and family. Most people are divided when it comes to this option because half are uncomfortable with the mere idea of borrowing money from people they’re related to, while the other half considers them as their first option.
Thus, no matter what you decide, you should know that borrowing money from your friends and family is always an option. If you were to go down this road, you wouldn’t have to worry about the stringent borrowing terms or application requirements in traditional lending institutions, and your credit score will be irrelevant.
You also won’t have to provide collateral, especially because you might not have any to put down as one. But this is not to say that it would be easy. After all, this is still money you’re talking about, and a substantial amount at that. Hence, if you’re comfortable with the idea of borrowing money from your friends or family, then you should consider this as your last resort.
Once you’ve decided how to secure your funding, the next step would be to undergo the process and get a hold of your money. Then, you can start implementing your plans to get your business off the ground because after you set everything into motion, it will be much easier to navigate your way through the industry.

domain: economics


Building on proven cellular analysis technology, the company’s new UniCel DxH 600 Coulter cellular analysis system – complete with FDA-cleared advanced software – provides laboratories with exceptional quality results, improved first-pass accuracy and automatic re-run and reflex testing, thereby reducing overall manual review rates and processes, the firm reports.
The haematology laboratory’s single most important step, and most time consuming, is the manual review. By reducing manual differential rates, the new analyser frees mid- to high-volume labs to focus time on quickly and accurately reporting patient results, improving patient health and reducing the overall cost of care.
‘This new haematology analyser has the ability to transform the haematology lab with unparalleled efficiency, revolutionary scalability and quality of results,’ said John Blackwood, the company’s senior Vice-President for Product Management at Beckman Coulter Diagnostics. ‘The UniCel DxH 600 advances the technology that made Coulter systems the worldwide market leader in haematology and will change how labs manage their cellular analysis process.’
The software provides new features, enhancements and research-use parameters to improve laboratory efficiency, reliability and quality, the firm adds. ‘The software saves time by allowing labs to partially release patient results manually or automatically via decision rules and offers users the ability to create and edit decision rules during instrument operation and offers pre-defined decision rules using Cell Population Data.’*
In addition, the firm reports, other software features include ‘…the ability to track workload by the day, hour and test, as well as providing automatic notification of STAT samples that have neither been processed nor released within an expected time frame, helping users to report STAT results in a timely and efficient manner.
‘With the same technology, user interface and consumables as the UniCel DxH 800 Coulter cellular analysis system, the UniCel DxH 600 brings true standardisation of results and process to the haematology lab, reducing lab personnel training and simplifying consumable inventory management. To further enhance standardisation, all new DxH 800 analysers will be installed with the advanced software; and current DxH 800 customers will be upgraded.’
Upgraded CytoDiff CXP software for HematoFlow
Also launched in April was the advanced version of the CytoDiff CXP Autogating Software. This new software is an integral part of Beckman Coulter’s unique HematoFlow solution*, which combines diagnostic reagent, haematology and flow cytometry hardware and IT expertise.
Version 2 CytoDiff CXP Autogating software was designed to bring confidence in the use of flow cytometry in the routine haematology lab for the auto-validation of abnormal samples. Easy-to-use, the advanced Version 2 software further improves sub-population classifications, the manufacturer reports. ‘It adds new features, such as greater precision in the removal of potential interference and metrics that provide a new “confidence level” on population classification. The new software simplifies the review process making it easier to validate results with greater certainty.’
HematoFlow with the CytoDiff five-colour antibody cocktail and CXP Autogating Software make it possible to use the precision of flow cytometry to deliver extended white blood cell (WBC) differential results with far greater consistency than manual microscopic assessment, Beckman Coulter adds. ‘The five-colour antibody cocktail, the CytoDiff, uses six monoclonal antibodies to establish the differential.
‘HematoFlow with CytoDiff CX Autogating Software offers enhanced performance by delivering flow cytometry expertise alongside cutting edge image analysis technology applied to each of the multiple population classifiers,’ explains Dr Josee Naegelen, haematology marketing manager for Beckman Coulter Diagnostics Global Product Management and Strategy. ‘The routine use of flow cytometry for validating abnormal samples can improve workflow and turnaround time as well as providing access to additional diagnostic information for patients. This has a significant impact on the lab, enabling it to handle increasing workloads with greater confidence.’
European laboratories are already working with Beckman Coulter to increase confidence in the routine use of flow cytometry in the haematology process for validating abnormal samples. According to the firm, hospitals including University Hospital, Rennes and Bordeaux in France, Erasme University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium and several private labs are successfully adopting this approach: ‘They are using our FC 500 flow cytometer and the CytoDiff reagent to establish the extended flow WBC differential, detecting and quantifying normal and abnormal population subsets.’


text:
Sarcoma viruses simian
sarcoma viruses, simian
species of mammalian type c retroviruses (retroviruses type c, mammalian) producing tumours in primates. Originally isolated from a fibrosarcoma in a woolly monkey, ssv is a replication-defective v-onc virus which carries the sis oncogene. In order to propagate, ssv requires a replication-competent helper virus, simian sarcoma virus-associated virus (ssav).

domain: medical


text:
Evliya Çelebi describes this place as follows: After the conquest of Istanbul, Fatih Sultan Mehmed demolished the castle of Kadıköy. It still has 800 houses. It has one Muslim neighborhood, seven Greek non-Muslim neighborhoods, and 600 vineyards. There are windmills by the sea.
Source: Travel Account, 17th century
-Nurhan Atasoy, Seyit Ali Kahraman
Evliya Çelebi Seyahatnâmesi: Topkapı Sarayı Bağdat 304 Yazmasının transkripsiyonu (Open in Zotero)
Originally published at: Atasoy, Nurhan, and Seyit Ali Kahraman “Kadıköy.” Middle East Gardens Traditions. Dumbarton Oaks, December 1, 2014. https://www.doaks.org/resources/middle-east-garden-traditions/catalogue/C98. Archived at: https://perma.cc/5UDZ-R9BM.

domain: history


text:
A two-year-old boy was electrocuted at Sukamumva informal settlement in Chatsworth on Monday after he slipped and landed on illegally-connected live wires snaking through structures.
The child's nanny, Aniswa Shazi, was shocked as she tried to save him and was rushed to the nearby RK Khan Hospital.
Palesa Mosia wept as she watched the tiny body of her son, Tsepang Mosia, being loaded into a mortuary van.
She was too traumatised to speak to News24.
Community member Simfumene Godidi explained how the incident happened.
"They left the local daycare centre and walked to the nearby spaza shop. While on their way back, Tsepang tripped and fell hands first on the live electric wires that were lying on the path that they had been using," he said.
He said Mosia was at work when the incident happened.
"The nanny (Shazi) tried to save the young boy by trying to remove him from the live electric cables. She was also shocked, but she survived," said Godidi.
However, Tsepang died at the scene.
Referring to the child's mother, Godidi said: "Her neighbours phoned her and told her what had happened to her son. She came back and was shocked that her child had died. She is traumatised. She has to go to hospital for counselling".
The residents blamed the eThekwini municipality for not providing them with electricity.
"We have been asking the municipality to provide us with proper and legal electricity for the past four years. We've been living in this area for the past five years now," said Andreas Ngqunde.
Godidi said the municipality kept making empty promises while children were dying in their area.
"This is the sixth child who has died after being electrocuted. The last child to die after being electrocuted occurred last year", he said.
eThekwini municipality head of communications Tozi Mthethwa said electricity theft has led to devastating and tragic consequences, "such as loss of life, as well as damage to infrastructure, costing the municipality millions annually".
"Acts of vandalism taking place in our communities cannot be addressed by the municipality and police alone. They require vigilance from us as community members. We must not look away when we know that our relatives, neighbours and friends are involved in these illicit activities," she said.
She added that the municipality regularly conducted multi-disciplinary operations, along with law enforcement agencies, to remove illegal electricity connections.
"These operations are conducted regularly in all areas where we have received reports of illegal connections," she said.
Police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala confirmed the death of the child.
"An inquest docket was opened at Chatsworth police station for investigation. Circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated," she said.

domain: law


text:
It’s amazing how something as simple as bio-diesel can cost us money at the store. When we have to compete with our food source for things like fuel, the prices go up.
You can see the direct results in things like bakeries. Around here, a famous wedding cake shop had to close up his store because he had quoted brides a certain price per slice and the cost of the ingredients more than ate up his profit. He had contracts and couldn’t go back and raise the price…a problem when you pre-sell a service 1-2 years in advance.
Now add the fact that fuel costs are rising again. Our gas pumps jumped $.15 in one day! The cold winter and predicted heavy snow fall are going to add more to the bill and that effects transportation costs for food.
Now add the commodities markets – they are going up and all the “experts” are predicting food price increases too.
This means a serious OUCH for us at the stores! All of these costs will add up and be passed on to us, the consumers.
I predict one of three things:
1) They will simply raise prices on things.
2) They will lower the coupon values
3) They will make package sizes smaller and charge the original price.
This last item happened a few years ago with sugar. We pay the same price for a 4# bag that we used to for a 5# bag. Ice cream containers have shrunk – that is why Tupperware no longer carries that “half gallon” ice cream container. No one really makes a half gallon any more, it is 1.75 or 1.5 gallons.
Some bargain – not!
THIS is the time to watch package sizes, stock up on long term pantry basics and try to ride out the upcoming wave of more expensive items. Us “frugalistas” have to hang in there and work our way around it all.
Since they just printed a whole bunch of money last week — we will see the effects pretty fast (sad to say) — so, if you have NOT been coupon clippin’ – you might want to start!

domain: finance


text:
There have been so many amazing books released this year, and Allegra Goodman’s The Chalk Artist is no exception. When I started reading, I wasn’t convinced that I would like this book. It seemed like one of those books I pick up because the cover is nice, and then let sit on my shelf, unread, for years. Fortunately, I actually read this book, because it ended up being one of my favorite new releases of the year (and I’ve read quite a few amazing new books this year).
(From Goodreads) Tension arises in the love affair of a young artist for whom nothing is permanent and his girlfriend, a teacher who believes that things are meant to last by the New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist.
This is a compelling love story between two very different young people: Collin, a disarming chalk artist who thinks nothing of erasing his dazzling work, and Nina, an idealistic teacher who struggles every day to make a lasting impact on her students. Wanting Collin to realize his full talent, Nina warily introduces him to her powerful father, who owns the most cutting edge virtual reality game company in the world. Add to this a brilliant but unstable pupil of Nina’s who is gaming obsessed, and you have contemporary life caught in the crosshairs by one of our most charming and socially astute literary voices.
The Chalk Artist wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but it ended up being something infinitely better. It took a few chapters for me to become fully immersed in the story, but it was completely worth it. I fell in love with the characters and their world. (Only a little because I miss Boston so much.) Each character was distinct and interesting, without being the least bit unrealistic. They all felt like real people, even when the things happening to them were outside of the norm. Goodman manages to make even Nina’s struggles with teaching seem other than mundane.
This is one of those books that was written for not just readers, but literature lovers. I really enjoyed how Nina’s love of literature allowed Goodman to share her own, to include Dickinson and Shakespeare and Whitman. I personally enjoy reading books by authors who clearly love books as much as I do. And I think it was one of my favorite elements of The Chalk Artist.
The one thing I didn’t love about this book was the ending. While I don’t think the ending was necessarily bad, it felt very rushed. So much of the story is drawn out and described in beautiful detail, and I felt that the ending was really lacking what I loved about the rest of the novel. It felt anticlimactic and a little bit like the author just wanted to be finished with the book, and it left me wanting more.
Overall, I found The Chalk Artist to be a great read. I was invested in the characters in the stories, and ultimately enjoyed reading it.
★★★★☆ – I really liked this book! It was very close to five stars, but I just wanted more from the ending. Still, I enjoyed it immensely, and plan on reading more of Allegra Goodman’s writing in the future! (If you’ve read any of her books, let me know what I should pick up next.)
The Chalk Artist will be in bookstores starting tomorrow, June 13! Get your copy on Amazon now – and be sure to check out my Instagram for a chance to win a copy of The Chalk Artist! I will be announcing the winner tomorrow.
To get the audiobook for free, use this link to sign up for a free trial of Audible and choose The Chalk Artist as one of your two free books!
This book was generously provided to me by Random House/Ballantine Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

domain: artistic


Moscow’s seapower is set to expand as navy bosses revealed Project 09852 – which is primed to be the biggest nuclear-powered sub on Earth.
The vessel – known as Belgorod – would be nearly 200-metres long and would be tasked with deep-sea exploration in the Arctic.
Putin’s new 184-metre sub will be based around the unfinished Antey-class missile strike carrier vessel developed by the Soviet Union.
Belgorod will be 14 metres longer than the USS Pennsylvania, the biggest submarine the fleet of the US Navy.
Project 09852 would also be 11 metres longer than the biggest submarine ever unveiled by Russia – the Typhoon cruiser.
The sub’s prime mission will be unexplored territory beneath the Arctic shelf – amid fears Russia and the US could race for oil beneath the North Pole.
The submarine was revealed to carry scientific equipment and unmanned deep-sea vehicles, Russian newspaper Izvestia reported.
It will also carry a number of smaller submarines – known as bathyscaphes – as Putin expands into the Arctic.
Professor Vadim Kozyulin, of the Academy of Military Sciences, said: "It will transport and install autonomous nuclear submarine modules designed to charge uninhabited submarines on the seabed.”
He added: "The submarine will ensure the deployment of a global underwater monitoring system, which the military is building on the bottom of the Arctic waters.”
Russia is heavily expanding into the Arctic with military bases such as Northern Shamrock – which welcomed an army convoy that drove 1,200 miles across the ice earlier this year.
Cold War-era military bases have been reopened in bid to secure vital territories which could be a gateway to oil and gas beneath the tundra


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This year there were only two active Peregrine Falcon territories known inside the Forest of Bowland, sadly both of these nesting sites containing eggs failed following human disturbance. The first nesting site located on the United Utilities estate was deserted after an unidentified person was seen entering the territory at 17:00 (21 April), both falcons were observed flying above their nest in a disturbed manner alarming loudly, stooping towards the ground. The site was still being disturbed by an unknown male who had ridden up to the valley on a mountain bike 2 hours later at 19:00. The territory was found abandoned two days after this event. Follow the full story HERE. It is suspected the person causing the disturbance had been sent to the territory to install a surveillance camera overlooking the nest.
Another satellite-tagged bird of prey disappears in the Monadhliath Mountains
RSPB Scotland has today announced that a young male hen harrier, fitted with a satellite transmitter as part of the charity’s part EU funded Hen Harrier LIFE+ Project, has gone missing on a grouse moor in the Monadhliath Mountains, south-east of Inverness. The bird, named Elwood, was the only chick to fledge from a nest in Banffshire, which was being monitored under the Partnership for Action against Wildlife Crime Scotland (PAW Scotland) ‘Heads-up for Harriers scheme’.
The Scottish SPCA is appealing for information after a buzzard was found dead in Ayrshire having been poisoned. A member of the public discovered the young, female bird of prey in farmland between Maybole and Patna in April.
One of our readers wrote to his MP regarding the license to kill 10 Buzzards and was horrified to read that his MP, Rory Stewart, former DEFRA Minister, claimed that the loss of such a small number of birds would have no impact on their overall population!Remember Natural England said that they had received over 5500 wildlife licence applications but did not identify the number to remove Buzzards! So many people have predicted just one successful application will almost certainly open the floodgates and given that the claims states ‘no impact on the overall conservation status of the species’ then many more Buzzards will be legally killed in the future’!
A bird survey that was reported to have taken place on a managed grouse moor in the Pennines has been widely quoted in the media this week. The report arising suggested that 800 pairs of Lapwing, 400 pairs of Curlew and 100 pairs of Golden Plover were present, and that 89 species of bird were seen. These results have been used as evidence that moorland managed for grouse shooting is good for birds.
These figures have been attributed to the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), but this claim is erroneous. This fieldwork was not carried out by the BTO and did not use the rigorous statistical methods employed by BTO in order to produce accurate estimates of this type.
The organisation wishes to make it clear that the quoted figures should not be attributed to the BTO.
BTO is a charity dedicated to providing scientific information to inform decisions about birds and their habitats. Whenever possible we make our evidence available for use by all stakeholders.
Paul Stancliffe (BTO Media Manager) Office: 01842 750050 (9am to 5.30pm) Mobile: 07585 440910 (anytime) Email:email@example.com
Illegal shooting and trapping of Hen Harriers has left just three active nests in England, driving the bird towards extinction as an English breeding species· The RSPB is looking at how licensing of the grouse moor management industry must be implemented following the charity’s withdrawal from Defra’s Hen Harrier Action Plan
The RSPB is calling for a licensing scheme to improve standards in grouse moor management, compliance with the law and encouragement for existing good practice, which should become the norm for all moors in England
RSPB Scotland has issued an appeal for information following the disappearance of another young golden eagle, the eighth of this species to vanish in the same area in less than five years. The young female golden eagle, named Brodie, hatched two years ago and was fitted with a satellite transmitter shortly before she fledged from her nest. Brodie was being monitored by conservationists as part of a national study to improve our understanding of the movements and survival of young golden eagles. Her last recorded position placed her in the northern Monadhliath mountains, south east of Inverness on 2nd July this year.
As the food queues lengthen, the government is giving our money to the super-rich.
So now you might have to buy your own crutches, but you’ll get your shotgun subsidised by the state. A few days after False Economy revealed that an NHS group is considering charging patients for the crutches, walking sticks and neck braces it issues(1), we discovered that David Cameron has intervened to keep the cost of gun licences frozen at £50: a price which hasn’t changed since 2001(2).

domain: news


text:
Are you passionate about working with people with disabilities and supporting your local community? Do you have what it takes to champion our Vision to Inspire Potential, Build Community and Enrich Lives?
Then look no further! Easter Seals Alberta is a provincial not-for-profit organization that has been in existence for 70 years. Our mission is to provide services that foster inclusion, independence and recreation for individuals with disabilities and medical conditions. We strive to ensure that the resources Albertans need for an independent and full life are available.
Easter Seals fosters a work environment that’s inclusive as well as diverse, where our people can be themselves. Every idea and perspective is valued to reflect the people we serve.
We have an opening for Kitchen Lead who will be responsible for the overall meal planning, preparation, and food service for Camp Horizon in this Bragg Creek / Kananaskis location. Come join an exceptional team of people while living in the beautiful Kananaskis country!
Conditions of Employment
What We Can Offer You:

domain: sociology


VH1 aired T.I.‘s episode of their newly returned original series, “Behind the Music” last Thursday (Oct 8). If you didn’t catch it or caught it and would like to see it again, here it is! The 41 minute video really dives deep into T.I.’s past life as a drug dealer and budding rap star. He also goes a bit more in depth into the situation that left his best friend/assistant Philant Johnson dead and explains why he was carrying a stock pile of firearms following that incident.
In 2006, T.I. released his fourth album “King” and also made his movie debut in the film ATL. But drama would meet him once again that spring. At a concert after-party in Cleveland, Ohio an altercation erupted between the rapper and some club goers. After leaving the club, the vehicle carrying T.I. and his entourage was sprayed with a barrage of bullets – wounding the driver, T.I.’s bodyguard, and T.I.’s personal assistant and good friend Philant Johnson. Phil was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The death of Phil caused T.I. to feel immense guilt; questioning if he wanted to continue with his rap career. He said for all the times he’d been arrested for having guns the one time he needed a gun he didn’t have one.
2007’s “T.I. vs. TIP” highlighted T.I.’s heightened paranoia following the death of Phil. If that wasn’t bad enough, police officials that same year informed him that his name and address were on a “hit list” compiled by gang members. T.I. was also receiving death threats via phone calls that were being sent to him and his family members. Because of this he started to stockpile firearms.
Continue reading for the full 41 minute video!


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Gastronomy and art expert Annamaria Parlato, author and events curator, tells us about her new book “Guides to one hundred and twenty places in Salerno and province.”
By Anna Volpicelli
Her passion for food and art has been the common thread in her life, including her professional life. Annamaria Parlato, a mayonnaise art historian and gastronomy expert, has loved genuine afternoon snacks made of bread baked in a wood-burning oven with fiordilatte from Tramonti or Agerola since childhood. After several experiences in the world of culture and food and wine, both as an author, including collaboration with Authentic Amalfi Coast, with the Quotidiano del Sud, to name a few, and as an events curator, from which PAMart, a cultural consulting and design studio, was born, she founded 2ingredienti. It is an online blog and magazine dedicated to the flavors and art history of the area, where you can find recipes, events, restaurant reviews, and more. In 2019 she received the “Io Donna per Maiori” VII edition award from the municipality of Maiori for her dedicated work in culture, food, and wine, bringing the name of the Amalfi Coast worldwide. Devoted to enhancing the tradition and innovation of territorial cuisine and always looking for novelties in the local food& beverage sector, she has recently published her first book, “Guide to one hundred and twenty restaurants in Salerno and province” (Edizioni dell’Ippogrifo). We met with her to learn more.
How did the idea for the book come about?
The desire to write a book has always been there, but I never managed in the past to materialize it. Then finally, in November 2021, during an editorial meeting of the online newspaper Salernosera, with editor Andrea Manzi, we decided to go beyond the regular programming of the articles contained in the weekly column Gustando, which I edited. We put together a project that would collect all my gastronomic research on the vast Salerno area from about ten years ago, which would also be helpful for the reader.
What are the typicalities of the Amalfi Coast, both in terms of sea and land flavors?
The gastronomy of the Amalfi Coast is unique and valuable. As in the entire province of Salerno, here too, there are the best products, a high concentration of DOP, IGP, D.e.C.o., DOCG marks, and this makes us realize how important it is to preserve native crops, respect the environment, and safeguard the artisanal work of those who for generations have made superhuman efforts to ensure the continuity of production. Tramonti’s pizza, sfusato Amalfitano, colatura di Alici di Cetara, red, white, and rosé wines, cow’s and sheep’s milk cheeses, fiascone tomatoes, the list could go on and on because in this sun-kissed strip of land, protected by the Lattari Mountains and the coveted by the sea, nothing is lacking. The kitchen workers have excellent raw materials available daily to express their creativity.
The author Annamaria Parlato
How does tradition combine with innovation?
The rich basket of products is the basis for making traditional recipes often revisited, especially by younger people who wink at new culinary trends. The secret to combining innovation and tradition is to maintain the proper balance without ever overdoing it and going overboard, preserving the freshness of the raw material, studying the combinations at the table, using techniques and tools wisely, combining aesthetic beauty and flavor, making the dish delicious to the eyes and palate. I believe this is a successful compromise, and those who abide by all these rules certainly have the doors to success wide open.
What do you think are the emerging figures in the local culinary scene to watch?
The guide, divided geographically by territories, makes the reader understand how in the coastal areas, from the Amalfi Coast to Cilento, there is more experimentation, perhaps dictated by the fact that we are talking about territories with a high tourist vocation where chefs have adapted to tastes that are a tad more international. The inland areas of the province of Salerno, on the other hand, have remained anchored to a more traditional, authentic, genuine cuisine, even if then, right here, there are unexpected flashes of creativity perceptible in the kitchens of young chefs, whimsical pastry chefs or enterprising pizza chefs who after long apprenticeships have returned to the base to combine local knowledge with modern gastronomic contaminations that are to be kept an eye on without a doubt.


Resistors feature long side termination to enable high performance on small surface areas
November 04, 2010 // Paul Buckley
Isabellenhutte is launching the VLx resistor series which features long side termination for high performance on small surface areas. By reversing the length to width ratio the company has expanded the resistance range to low values (1 mOhm in size 0612) and enables high performance benefits.
The larger soldering and contact pads increase the mechanical stability of the solder joints during temperature and power cycling and guarantee at the same time a much better heat flow into the PC board. A new mechanical construction increases the mechanical stability and the internal heat resistance (Rthi as low as 15 K/W) with the consequence that the heat produced within the components is conducted efficiently to the terminations and out of the resistors. Despite their small size, the power rating of the resistors is high in comparison to similar components.
The operation temperature range is between -65 and +170 degrees C. The device’s properties guarantee the application under full power even at high temperature (size 1020: 2 W permanent power at 140 degrees C, maximum current 45 A). With 50 ppm/K the TC value is low considering the low resistance values.
Possible applications for VLx resistors are control systems for the automotive industry, power modules, frequency inverters, switch mode power supplies as well as current sensors for semiconductor power hybrids.
Sample quantities are available from February 2011 with resistance values of 1, 3, 10 and 50 mOhm with tolerances of 1 and 5%. Serial production of the resistors will start by mid-2011.
Visit Isabellenhutte at www.isabellenhuette.de
NXP extends NFC ecosystem to the car
October 30, 2014
NFC (Near Field Communication) is a technology for contactless payment solutions, right? Yes, but the range of potential ...
Japan's MegaChips to buy MEMS maker SiTime
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3D prints world's best inverter
Research project significantly improves electronics reliability
Netscout Acquires Communications Businesses From Danaher
October 29, 2014
Acquisitions let companies accelerate growth by increasing global footprint, product lines, and revenues. Lately, more and ...
"Quality happens at the system level, not just at the product level"
Some memories never die
Johnson Matthey snaps up Clariant energy storage business
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InterviewFreescale CEO: 'IoT isn't just buzz'
Coming after the solid third quarter results that produced higher operating margins and improving cash flow, Freescale Semiconductor's CEO Gregg Lowe had every reason to be chipper and lively when EE Times ...
Filter WizardCheck out the Filter Wizard Series of articles by Filter Guru Kendall Castor-Perry which provide invaluable practical Analog Design guidelines.
Linear video channel
READER OFFERRead more
This month, Oscium is giving away three of its iMSO-204L dual analogue iOS oscilloscopes, worth USD400 each. Designed with native Lightning compatibility, the iMSO-204L transforms the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch into an ultra-portable, two-channel oscilloscope.
Since Apple changed its connector, Oscium has been working to bring native compatibility to its customers. The third generation...MORE INFO AND LAST MONTH' WINNERS...
December 15, 2011 | Texas instruments | 222901974
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Category Archives: Connecting to Community
In the aftermath of the arrests of Ammon Bundy and others a sort of denouement has overcome me. It is cathartic to see the militants arrested and to see the fiasco in Oregon slowly dissipate. It is tragic that someone died. But in the aftermath of this event one can’t help but see that there were real victims of the stunt pulled by the Bundy brothers, and they are the people of Harney County.
This morning I was going through photos of my oldest son for his school yearbook and the warm memories they conjured mixed with thoughts of residents in Harney County. They are people just like me, with children of their own, trying to make it in life. I can’t seem to stop thinking about them and some of things I have read.
One article that struck me in particular was in The Nation. It took note of the fact that many in Harney County are poor and feel disenfranchised and while none to my knowledge publicly supported the occupation of the refuge, the people were divided and getting torn apart by it.
They didn’t buy the Bundys’ claimed reasons for being there, they didn’t agree with their interpretation of the constitution, but they did understand some of the anger and did worry about the impact the occupation would have on their town and businesses from tourists watching from the outside.
The article ended by saying that after the news worthy events end, no one will pay attention to the poor people left in its wake.
It is a sad state of affairs that the poor have no voice in this country and that it takes poisonous drinking water or the actions of distorted militants to get some attention. Unfortunately, the author of the article is probably right; now that this is winding down, people will move on to other “hot” events and forget about Harney County – and that is tragic.
Over the last couple of weeks I have wondered if there is a way beyond breaking the law to draw attention to problems and I haven’t come up with much. There are the normal routes such as talking to local politicians, but for poor people, there seems to be little else they can do and there seems to be even fewer who care or are willing to go the distance to help. This is perhaps what makes civil disobedience so powerful and alluring.
The beauty of civil disobedience, (not to be confused with the armed resistance manifested by the Bundys) the act of breaking the law and accepting the penalty, is that recognition of the rule of law enables people to see the humanity of the plight of the person/people breaking it.
Most mainstream people cannot relate to breaking the law and so cannot relate to people who do it, and probably will never relate if the person breaking the law does not acquiesce to the punishment; but they can relate to a person or people who articulate problems and why they resorted to breaking the law to bring those issues to light.
While I am not a huge fan of cattle on public lands I am even less a fan of gentrification or disenfranchisement of poor rural people. My fear about our public lands is that they will become pristine playgrounds for the wealthy (take Vale, CO for example) if we are not careful.
Who doesn’t want to live in a beautiful and pristine place with clean air, water, and abundant outdoor opportunities? What rural towns and ranchers have provided, I think, is a buffer between development and our public lands and may even provide environmental services that I am unaware of. Furthermore, as far as I know, no ranchers actively seek to keep people out of those public places.
Typically, when ranches go, development moves in. There are many cases of wealthy home owners moving in, jacking up the costs of living, and then restricting access.
There have got to be real solutions for rural people to thrive and continue. Their economies need to be diversified and they need to be able to continue in a sustainable way. A huge part of the future of rural communities is going to be tourism and recreation as more and more people want to enjoy public lands and as a result, they should be given financial help to develop that sector of their economy.
Not too long ago I had a discussion with Justin Fischer, the economic developer in Garfield County, Utah, where we were discussing these very issues. Garfield County is probably somewhat similar to Harney County in that a large portion of the county (94%) is federal land.
We went the rounds about the federal government, environmentalists, the economy, tourism and recreation, grazing, timber, and mining and at the end of it all what Fischer told me was that it is hard for a poor county to compete and to build a sustainable economy without help.
He said, “What can we, a very poor county, offer in terms of incentive that bigger counties cannot? We would love to diversify our economy, but that is a tremendous, costly challenge as we are competing against thousands of other communities nationwide, and we lack some of their assets.”
He went on to say, “A great deal of our means is spent in trying to prevent economic loss. The solution isn’t more tourism. We need a wide diversity of employment, and we need help to get there. Thinking we can bootstrap our way out of this is just as wrong as saying that a poor person should pull him/herself up by their bootstraps without a helping hand.”
I started brainstorming and asked him if it would help local communities to get a stimulus package when monuments get designated and if it would help to have a local hiring authority for federal jobs. He said that those things would help immensely; that is, those things would help in providing amenities for tourism and recreation and paychecks for people trying to raise their families and to stay in the county.
While it is easy to pick on the federal government, the states and Congress members are not blameless. Congress determines the budgets of land management agencies which puts limits on how many people they can hire, how many environmental impact statements can get done and how fast, and hinders people from being able to do their jobs such as road grading, prescribed burns, etc.
States often broker land swaps with the federal government and could broker deals that help rural communities. Furthermore, states and local counties have control over growth, growth incentives or requirements, and can establish regulations on builders and developers to buffer local people against rising living costs from wealthy new incomers.
Furthermore, what often happens at the local level is that farmers and ranchers are pressured by local officials to sell their property for development. This is happening in Washington County as grow, grow, grow seems to be the only value.
I believe that real solutions can be found and that people need to be willing to listen to concerns by people who have voices that are often ignored or overlooked. It shouldn’t take wealth, celebrity, or crime to be heard.
I am very interested in talking with people from Harney County. Please contact me if you are willing to talk about the local issues affecting you.
More on the political ecology (the associated connections between politics, economics, and the environment) of rural western towns to come.
Zoe Carpenter, The Nation. Inside the Bundy Brothers’ armed occupation: http://www.thenation.com/article/inside-the-malheur-wildlife-refuge-occupation/
Whether we like it or not, what we wear says something about us and reveals insight into our personality, our taste, and possibly our attitudes. Just think baggy jeans with underwear sticking out, skinny jeans, a business suit, a low cut, slinky dress, wranglers, or a ball cap worn sideways, to name just a few. As you think about them, images come to mind with conjoined judgment.
Over the years fashions have changed only to come back around decades later. Clothing trends popular one year die and give way to new trends the next, but some items remain classic. There is an enduring quality to them that makes them adaptable to the progression of time and loved by one generation to the next. One of those items is the flannel shirt, and whether you agree with me or not, I think a flannel says, “Cool, laid back, unpretentious.”
When I see someone in a flannel, any number of things may come to mind depending on how they wear it, but overall I usually think, “My people.” The greatest thing I have seen recently in regard to flannel is that it seems to transcend not just time, but class as well. Gone are the days when only lumberjacks, miners, or fishermen wore flannels – everyone is, from doctors to surfers, hunters to pop stars, from hipsters and gangsters, to metrosexuals. It’s not just for grunge music, nor just for men. These time tested shirts are everywhere and on everyone and are made by companies from Carhartt to Victoria’s Secret.
So what is the allure to these time tested shirts? I think it is what they represent. They represent the humble, the hardworking, the hard scrabble, the rebel rousers, the adventurous, and more generally, ‘the common man.’ They are practical and simple, and I think it is the simplicity that draws people and social groups to them decade after decade.
They also tend to generally be worn by those in the outdoors community, whether ranchers or climbers, and no wonder, they got their beginning by the Welsh who needed clothing that would keep them warm from the elements – something that is always necessary for those who spend a lot of time outside. And let’s not forget plaid, the synonymous pattern associated with flannel shirts, which got its start in, where else but Scotland. As for America, we all know the legendary Paul Bunyan and his black and red flannel which may have contributed to the myth and lore surrounding the shirt, but they were largely popularized by Hamilton Carhatt who made clothing specifically for the blue collar working class, including flannels, in the late 1880s.
So whatever your take on flannels, they’ve been around a long damn time, and for good reason. They are warm, casual, colorful, and are typically reasonably priced. I like getting mine from local thrift stores and often find real gems with brand names like Pendleton, Woolworth, and Patagonia, for a few bucks at the most. They are kind of like an aged wine, the older they get, the better they look – and feel.
So in homage to the flannel, we have our annual non-Christmas, Christmas flannel party every December. Everyone is required to wear a flannel and must bring food and drink to attend. In other words, it’s the antithesis to a serious religious ceremony to mark the birth of Christ or a rated G family holiday party. I guess in retrospect, it’s kind of a Krampus party in that it’s more in the spirit old Saint Nick’s holiday devil sidekick than the jolly old man himself.
I’d be willing to bet the German originated Alpine Christmas devil wore flannel – or perhaps didn’t play tricks on those who did. Either way, between today ringing in the first day of winter, Christmas around the corner, and the cold weather to boot, flannel is king this time of year – though as stated already, it has a steady showing all year long.
Let me say outright that I am not interested in this post in trying to prove climate change to anyone. I frankly find such debates exhausting. If you want to know what I think of climate change, you can find some of my posts here and here. And if you want to read a more serious and academic version of these arguments, you can read an essay I published in Interdisciplinary Studies of Literature and the Environment. More importantly, if you want a primer on the science from a reputable resource, take twenty minutes and watch this excellent video from the National Academy of Sciences.
What I am interested in, however, is the reasoning, particularly the theological reasoning, I often hear used to support climate change denial. I have heard over the years various arguments made by deniers that appeal to an idea of the universe in which human-caused climate change just can’t exist. The theology goes something like this:
God alone controls the natural world. To imagine that human beings are capable of damaging the environment on a planetary scale is absurd. Sure, we can ruin a stream, pollute the air, and we might even endanger a species now and then, but the very idea that we have the power to influence something as complex and global as the climate and perhaps even endanger all of life as we know it and especially our own livelihoods flies in the face of everything we know about God and his plans for us and this planet. Least of all if what causes this damage are emissions and not sins! Why should we imagine that fossil fuels, which have enabled so much good for so long for so many, are now a scourge? There is nothing quite like climate change in the Bible, for example. In the Bible we see God punishing the wicked by cursing the earth under their feet. Similarly he blesses it for the sake of the righteous. And we might imagine that natural cycles too were part of history. But it is never human action that directly creates environmental problems. Environmental problems are secondary symptoms of such sins as immorality, worship of false gods, and the like, or they might be the natural outgrowth of natural processes, but we never read of instances of human behavior directly compromising the health of the environment. And to imagine that this could happen on a global scale, where millions of people collectively influence and damage a climate and harm millions of others would make individual accountability simply too difficult to trace, so there must be some other explanation for problems we see. Perhaps God is punishing us. Perhaps nature is just being nature, and we just have to accept it. Perhaps it isn’t happening at all. But it simply cannot be something we are directly causing.
If you want to read one version of this theology, you can find an argument here in an Op-Ed in my local paper. What is striking about the author’s argument is that there simply are only two explanations for natural events: they are either caused by God or by natural law. They are never, in other words, unnaturally caused by human interference in ecosystems. And this is despite the fact that she lives in a valley choked by so much pollution that it has caused a dramatic uptick in rates of asthma and heart and lung disease. This is a scientific fact. One of the world’s leaders in understanding the link between pollution and public health is Arden Pope, a professor at BYU, who was able to establish this science because Utah Valley provides an ideal scenario to study the effects of spikes in pollution on an otherwise quite healthy and largely non-smoking population. The elderly, the young, and the pregnant, it turns out, are the primary victims of this pollution. Are we to believe these effects have no human causes or that we bear no responsibility? Maybe pollution is God’s curse for our sinfulness but it isn’t as if he had to create a big brown cloud of bad air and hurl it down upon us. Like all forms of environmental change we have instigated, we brought it on ourselves, and as a result, the innocent and vulnerable are suffering. The fact is, environmental problems have huge collateral damage. If you and I won’t take responsibility for this, who will?
But this is just a small sample. To believe that only God or nature can cause environmental change, we would have to ignore virtually all of human history which is rife with stories of environmental excess. We have plenty of evidence to suggest that human-caused environmental degradation explains societal collapse. Environmental degradation is surely a symptom of sin. When people consume more than they need, when they are indifferent to the plight of the poor and the most vulnerable, when they are indifferent to their fellow humans and to God’s creations and greedily pursue more and more, the environment loses capacity to support all life.
But for some reason denial simply cannot accommodate such logical and theological possibilities. Now, granted, deniers claim the science is totally bogus, but you won’t hear them citing scientific evidence to establish their claim and that’s because such evidence doesn’t exist. That’s right. There isn’t a single scientific society that purports to have sufficient evidence to overturn climate science. Questions and doubts about the research and aspersions about the integrity and honesty of researchers certainly exist, but they do not constitute evidence. They simply create doubts about findings. And once you become convinced that the very process of research is corrupt, then you don’t have to listen to the science at all. That’s very convenient except for the fact that it is also hypocritical. I don’t see the same level of distrust for, say, good old American government sponsored cancer research or space research. Or, for that matter, what about healthy distrust of the petroleum industry that funds much of these efforts at denial? So what gives?
It’s theology and bad theology at that. It might be hard to accept, but the fact is that there are many phenomena today for which we have no biblical precedent. I am thinking of human trafficking, acid rain, or environmentally caused cancers, depletion of the ozone layer, contamination of ground water, to name just a few examples. Heck, the list is pretty long. That is not to say that the Bible isn’t relevant. It is highly relevant, precisely because of the principles of respect, integrity, equity, honesty, judgment, and justice that the Bible espouses and that would go a long way in redressing such problems. But it also seems that at least for one segment of our society, climate change offends their very idea of God. I guess I have a hard time believing in the same Bible they do. What I read teaches over and over again that the earth’s capacity to support life is directly connected to human agency. Why else are we commanded to respect the Creation and to be good stewards over it? Why should we be given dominion and responsibility for the whole of the earth if it is true that we are not capable of harming it? Why would God care what we did to the environment if we can never influence it? Why so much attention in the Bible to how we eat, how we dress, how we labor, and how we treat the poor, if it simply doesn’t matter how or when or why we use natural resources?
Let’s just take the Sabbath Day as one example. Honoring the Sabbath Day was instituted as a way of recognizing the creation and the need to give the land a rest from our interference, and to honor and thank and respect the bounty we receive from it. When we observe the Sabbath, we recognize that its bounty are not things we earn but are gifts of God, evidence of his grace. And it seems to have environmental benefits to follow this spirit of humility in the commandment. For Mormons, this should be even more obvious because Section 59 of the Doctrine and Covenants makes it plainly clear that we are promised the bounty of the earth as a gift for which we must show proper gratitude by careful observance of the Sabbath and of fasting. And it warns explicitly about using natural resources “with judgment, not to excess, neither by extortion.”
Granted, these verses don’t prove that climate change is real and human-caused. That’s not my point. But they do demonstrate the Lord’s profound concern for our proper treatment of the earth. It is a moral issue for him and if so, it’s apparently because we are capable of messing it up. I hear deniers admit that they at least believe in stewardship, but then it astounds me how quickly and flippantly they dismiss science or claim their own science. We can’t make up facts and we can’t cherry pick evidence. If we are serious about stewardship, we should be serious about knowing science. To do otherwise is irresponsible. You can’t claim you are a good steward of your own body if you don’t know the first thing about how it works, what it needs, what harms or what helps it. I am not surprised to hear deniers spout theories that don’t reflect even the most superficial understandings of climate science. When Sean Hannity makes fun of a snowstorm in Houston, you can be pretty sure you are listening to ideology, not science. When people claim history is full of climate change so therefore what we are seeing now cannot be human-caused, they aren’t even using good logic, let alone science.
There has never been a generation in the history of the world that has had a better opportunity to understand the causes and depth of our impact on the world. What a crying shame it is to see such knowledge mocked and disparaged, even though our science is also what we rely on everyday to enjoy our American standard of living. To enjoy the fruits of our economy while we disparage the science that built it is unconscionable. Why did Brigham Young teach that scientific discoveries are part of the ongoing restoration of all truth if we are to ignore such findings? Surely we can’t ignore science and then claim, when we do our damage, that we didn’t know any better. Maybe we didn’t want to know, but we certainly had a chance.
The Word of Wisdom warns about “conspiring men” in the last days who will presumably wish to distort facts about our health and the health of the earth so lovingly described in the revelation. It has been well documented that the same folks who worked hard to deny links between smoking and cancer have also worked hard to deny climate change. The Word of Wisdom teaches to eat meat sparingly and to remember that the earth is intended to feed all of life, including domestic and wild animals. Does it not interest us to know that such industries as the cattle industry and the petroleum industry are deeply involved in climate change denial and are also responsible for enormous levels of environmental degradation? What does our society tell us? It says:
Eat lots of meat. Eat whatever you want, whenever you want, as fast as you want it, at whatever cost, from whatever distance. Drive lots of cars. Build more roads. Buy things. Buy more than you need. Whatever technology allows us to do, you should do. It’s all good for the economy and, in the long run, for the poor, so you can consume with categorical impunity.
According to this accepted logic, there is never anything wrong with being a consumer in the global economy; it’s a virtue to consume more than the next guy. That is what every industry wants you to believe. And these would be interesting ideas to consider as a Christian, except for the inconvenient fact that they have never been supported by biblical ethics, not to mention that we now know these are the very things that are causing us to emit so much carbon into our atmosphere. A Christian economy is a moral economy and it matters what we eat, how we eat, what and how much we consume, and why. And our obligation is to the foreigner, the stranger, the poor and the vulnerable, and to God himself. And to imagine that we can watch while biodiversity collapses on this planet and the earth’s capacity to regulate the climate is compromised to such a degree that millions of the poor are threatened and somehow convince ourselves that these things are not happening, or that they are the will of God, or that they are merely natural and have no relationship whatsoever to our own agency, well, I don’t know how we can call such an attitude even remotely Christian. A denial I could respect would at least be based in a commitment to living up to the highest standards of material modesty, concern for the poor, and respect for all of life that I find everywhere expressed in Christianity. However, if such were the truly cherished values of conservatism, then Christian conservatives couldn’t help but be the most ardent conservationists. Some Christian conservatives get it. But unfortunately they aren’t the ones getting elected or hired or heeded.
Religion is the greatest hope we have in solving environmental problems. This might sound extreme or wrong and you might want to argue the point with me, but let me explain. If you look at the heart of environmentalism, it is a moral issue; a moral imperative that calls into question the way we live and how our economy drives it and bucks the new American Dream. Not the American Dream where we can all rise as high as we are willing to work, but the American Dream of consumerism and consumption.
What environmentalism calls into question is the new global economy and no one wants to hear that because the economy is king. But if we were to be honest, we would acknowledge that environmentalism is the most urgent and persistent ethical dilemma of this century precisely become of our economic values. To paraphrase the purpose behind the National Environmental Policy Act explained in the 96th Congressional notes of record, we can no longer ignore the science, the effects of our actions, and the subsequent consequences for humanity (1). The National Environmental Policy Act was meant to protect humanity from itself. Religion does the same thing. It has guidelines for how to protect you from yourself, from others, and others from you. It is a moral code. Environmentalism just requires one to expand that moral code to encompass more, to connect dots that we previously hadn’t.
While there are many who want to leave religion out of environmentalism and just look at the facts, which is noble if you are swayed that way, the fact of the matter is, science does not answer the moral question. While it provides information and knowledge about cause and effect, it does not answer why we should do something or behave a certain way. Religion does. Religion has the most potential to change attitudes and minds about environmentalism and climate change because it is the source for moral and ethical behavior for millions of people. It already addresses caring for the poor, living selfless lives, and not worshiping money – all of which are also at the heart of environmentalism. Because of this, religion is also the antithesis to the New American Dream. It is so closely aligned with environmentalism that if the two combined it could be the ultimate game changer, the unstoppable movement that turns the tides on how we live in the world and how we define living a moral or good life.
George Handley is a very good friend of mine. He is a humanities professor at Brigham Young University, an environmentalist, and yes, a devout Mormon. He is also a Democrat. In other words, he is a bit of an anomaly in these parts. While George is a religious person, and I am not so much, we have more in common than one might believe, and I believe this is true of most of us – despite our differences. George and I do not share the same beliefs on all things, but we share a lot of common ground. George is an outstanding, conscientious, and genuinely good man. I have been blessed to know and call him a friend. We have had great conversations, all of which have been enlightening for me. I hope this blog post that I am about to share will be as enlightening to you as it was to me and if you feel so inclined, compels you to write, share, or engage in. He articulates and explains so well the moral blind spot so evident from the religious community when it comes to climate change – and the schism between religion and ideology and why it should be different. Enjoy.
“There has never been a generation in the history of the world that has had a better opportunity to understand the causes and depth of our impact on the world. What a crying shame it is to see such knowledge mocked and disparaged, even though our science is also what we rely on everyday to enjoy our American standard of living. To enjoy the fruits of our economy while we disparage the science that built it is unconscionable… Surely we can’t ignore science and then claim, when we do our damage, that we didn’t know any better. Maybe we didn’t want to know, but we certainly had a chance.” ~ George Handley
“Today we have the option of channeling some of our wealth into the protection of our future. If we fail to do this in an adequate and timely manner, we may find ourselves confronted, even in this generation, with an environmental catastrophe that could render our wealth meaningless and which no amount of money could ever cure.” ~91st Congress, NEPA
(1) 91st Senate Report No. 91-296 The National Environmental Policy Act: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CCsQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fta.dot.gov%2Fdocuments%2FUnit1_04SenateReport91-2961.doc&ei=YRoGVJfkGYGkyATy8oHIDw&usg=AFQjCNH0USSo6ghEJI7yThoAB7Xl3735jg&sig2=LKCc70_ibQaZPpyrQP4qYA
The Story of a Flower: From community member, to endangered species, to public enemy – Is it time for a new narrative?
Every spring, as the days begin to grow longer and the weather consistently warms, my eyes start scanning the horizon for very specific plants, vegetative cues that mark the passage of time from one season to another. One of those plants is the Globe Mallow. Their presence marks the transition from spring to summer. Bright orange bushes burst into flame along highways, freeways, and across the desert floor. They are flowers that you must see up close to truly appreciate. The small petals form little bowls, globes, or women’s skirts, that when filled with light, glow softly. Delicate like tissue paper, they are enchantingly beautiful. When they bloom I make a yearly pilgrimage with my boys to explore the changed landscape for the short period that they are blossoming. Though I don’t know much about the niche the Globe Mallow fills, or about the other species connected to or relying on them, they provide aesthetic pleasure, joy, and wellbeing to my life. I enjoy them. They are a part of the community in which I belong. They are a part of my story. If they suddenly disappeared, I would miss them, wonder about them, and seek to discover what had happened to them. They do not provide food or shelter and I’m not sure of their economic value, but they hold value to me. They ground me in time and place.
If the Globe Mallow was facing extinction I would feel an urgency to protect it. I would feel its loss before it was gone and would work to avoid that reality. If, however, a barrier was put around the flower that kept me away in order for the government to protect it, I would feel helpless. It would no longer be a part of the same world as the one I am in; it would be separate, sanctioned off. I would hope that the government would be able to ensure its existence, but I would no longer feel a part of its presence or protection. I could only hope. My interaction with it would be similar to looking at it through protective glass.
Though not all species provide this sort of personal connection to me, all it would take to change that would be intimate knowledge. Kind of the same way a person changes from a stranger to a friend. For example, I know that if I rub creosote leaves between my fingers, it smells like rain. I know that sage provides a pungent fragrance that seems to permeate and rise up out of the earth. I know that right before autumn and a chill can be felt in the air, tarantulas come out. Knowing ones community happens subconsciously and almost intuitively, but turning that knowledge into love usually takes an act of conscious and willful acknowledgment and recognition. Often this is brought about through someone else’s actions, like the demolition of a hill. Sometimes is comes through absence, like when we move away. But without knowing a place, we cannot love it, and if we don’t love it, we won’t protect it, and if we don’t protect it, it will disappear.
“Life is a miracle,” said Wendell Berry, “One kind of evil certainly is the willingness to destroy what we cannot make – life, for instance.” Life, including ours, plants, and animals, but also, the elements that sustain life such as water, soil, nutrients, and sunlight; in other words, the cycle of life and all of its interconnected parts and dependencies, is a miracle. Utter extinction, pollution to the point of poisoning life, annihilation of life giving properties, is unacceptable to us and virtually unfathomable, but it is happening. These changes are on a large and slow enough scale that if we choose not to see it, we won’t. But when we narrow the scope, bring it down to our own backyard, we can’t help but see it and be impacted by it. We need to take our backyard and apply it on a global scale to take what matters to us and expand it to the world; amplify it across borders and landscape to people and communities not so different from ours, and interestingly, not so far removed from ours either.
Robert McKee said, “On one side is the world as we believe it to be, on the other is reality as it actually is. In between is the nexus of story.” This is the story of a flower, a close relative to the Globe Mallow, and some of the people living and working in proximity to it. Living in remote and small sections of the Mojave Desert in Utah and Arizona is the Gierisch Mallow, a rare and largely unknown flower found nowhere else on earth. It grows in a crusted, gypsum soil suitable only for unique species that holds nitrogen, moisture, and stays erosion. The flower is believed to be pollinated by the same bees that pollinate the Desert Globe Mallow, a flower found in much larger numbers throughout the southwest. The bees nest in the ground, within range of the flowers. A combination of evolutionary adaptations have produced a habitat suitable for the flowers to grow and survive in. Without the ability to travel the way we do, we might never have known of their existence.
Last year the Gierisch Mallow was listed as an Endangered Species. Prior to the listing I attended a meeting held by the BLM for stakeholders who would be impacted by the designation. I attended to hear what the local ranchers and miners had to say. Knowing the general disdain for anything environmental in Utah and that the local ranchers and miners held strong beliefs about mankind’s role in it, I wanted to hear how they would articulate it and work within the confines of a government setting. As I watched the two groups, two distinct narratives formed in my mind: one was scientific, the other religious. The ranchers did not want the plant listed, and though the BLM employees were following a process, I presumed they supported the designation. Though the process is meant to be objective, deeply held narratives were driving it. One narrative is the desire to protect life through public policy based on scientific analysis and evidence, the other is the desire to maintain a way of life based on a belief that God gave us dominion over the earth. Though none of this was spoken, it was there under the surface.
While the life of the flower was never directly discussed, and was actually never in question, how to go about protecting it was. The local miners and ranchers did most of the talking. They not only felt betrayed, they were worried about what the listing would mean for their way of life and bottom line. Realizing that the ranchers had been collecting seeds from the Gierisch Mallow and had been providing them to the BLM in an effort to work proactively, their anger and disappointment at an outside group requesting the designation and undermining their efforts was understandable. Though they never spoke of the fragility, beauty, or right of the flower to exist, it was clear that everyone recognized this by their preemptive actions in trying to protect the flower before the listing. At the heart of this meeting was a deep suspicion, based on collective experience, that one, the locals would carelessly trample the flower into extinction, and two, the government would come in and determine that the flower held more weight than the people living there. The locals were certain they could protect the flower that lived among them and pleaded their case. What they got was a bureaucratic answer that they could make comments during the scoping process and possibly sway the decision and course of action. Once the plant was submitted as a candidate, the land management agency was required by law to follow regulations to determine its status.
The Endangered Species Act maintains that our natural heritage, plants and animals, have aesthetic, ecological, educational, recreational, and scientific value for this country and the people. Those are the values that get analyzed and discussed through the process of a listing. While the language appears to be inclusive, the Act ignores the relationship between people and the species and subsequently, the land. This exclusion of the relationship and personal narratives behind it makes the process sterile and impersonal. It isolates the species from the people, the place, and the ecological community they all belong to and makes it “other.” To compartmentalize the humans, from the species, from the land, is to keep all of the parts of a specific environment separate, and thus work against the end goal of maintaining the ecological health and integrity of the whole. Rather than using the local population to maintain and protect the plant, they are excluded. This segregation reinforces deeply held narratives that people hold to non-human life and to the earth.
The narratives that shape people’s perceptions and attitudes are as varied as the people, but there are extreme ends in the environmental debate. Though there are many shades of grey in beliefs toward the earth, it is the stereotypical types on both ends that get all the attention. The extreme narrative of the bible-based religious demographic is that God gave humans dominance over the earth, that we were made in God’s image and that ultimately, humans take priority over all living and non-living life on earth. The extreme environmental narrative is that all living and non-living, non-human life has intrinsic worth and is equal in value to humans and therefore, should be given equal standing when it comes to decisions affecting it. When a species gets protected and it inhibits human behavior, industry, and livelihood, the two clash and depending on how the decision unfolds, ill feelings and antagonism result. This end result is bad for both sides because instead of finding sensible solutions in the future, the people will simply oppose each other over any policy decision. If these policies keep ignoring the narratives of the local populations affected by them, the deeply held beliefs will be reinforced and progress will face stiffer and stiffer polarization and legal battles.
But when our decisions affect life, even if that life doesn’t seem significant, we need compassionate narratives that work creatively and ethically to protect the web of life, both human and non-human. It is easier to take an issue that obviously needs addressing, such as clean water, and have consensus, but protecting an unknown species can leave much open for debate. This is where policy fails us and story can help. As Robert McKee stated, “Values, the positive and negative charges of life, are at the soul of the art of storytelling. They can shape a perception of what’s worth living for, what’s worth dying for, what’s foolish to pursue, and the meaning of justice and truth.” It is not the worth of the flower or its existence that is at stake; it is the worth of the ones valuing that is at stake. At the core of environmental conflict is the messy relationship between people. Relating and finding common ground is easier done through narrative than policy because narrative allows empathy to surface. The gift of learning someone’s story is that it provides the opportunity to live lives beyond our own, to desire and struggle in a myriad of worlds and times, at all the various depths of our being (McKee, pg. 142). When we do that, we empathize and through empathy, link ourselves to another human being, testing and stretching our own humanity (McKee, 142).
As I sat as an observer at the BLM office listening to the local field office employees and the local people, I wondered about the missing group, the one that had proposed the listing. While I was certain they had good intentions and their mission probably states a desire to protect all species, I couldn’t help wondering: Have they been out here? Have they even seen the flower? How different would it be if they had talked to the people impacted by the designation and had learned their story? I wanted to know if the flower was in danger of extinction due to human impact, or if it was just a rare species with a small population. As I let my imagination go, I imagined the people who live and work out in the Mojave Desert and what their life was like. I am certain they not only have stories, but history there, that is personal and intimate in a way that we can only relate to by comparing it to our own place. I was certain, that like me and the Desert Globe Mallow, the men in the room also know the seasonal cues, love the landscape, and are aware of the nuances of life found there. The plants and species are not just names in a database; In other words, the people living in these remote places are familiar with the species and landscape in a way that only a local could be. While they might shape their narrative along familial and traditional stories, and may even accept and include the growing scientific evidence as guidelines for their behavior, it is their personal story being threatened.
The story of the Gierisch Mallow is not just of the flower and its beauty; it is about the beauty of the flower in context. The story includes the land, the inter-relationships of other species, and of the people who live and work in proximity to it. Depending on the narrative you subscribe to, the listing of the Gierisch Mallow is either beautiful or tragic, or perhaps it is both. In the reality of environmentalism, we are burdened by our heritage, but the story can be changed and rewritten to produce renewal and cleansing through humble, respectful, and well-told stories.
The Gierisch Mallow is just one species of many that have been entered into the narrative of species protection and extinction and the people involved. How will it unfold? Will the locals harbor good or ill will toward it? Will they resent those designating it, despite their good intentions? Will their story be a happy ending or a tragedy? It will be determined through their narrative filter. The story is ultimately one of life and how we value it, both human and non-human.
A flower offers a simple yet powerful metaphor for life. From time immemorial, flowers have been recognized for their beauty in scent, color, and form. In the short timeframe of their life cycle we see the duality of beauty and tragedy, life and death. They remind us of the passage of time. The word beauty originates from the Greek word hora, meaning ‘hour.’ It is associated with “being in one’s hour.” When a flower is in bloom, it is in its hour. The flower’s beauty, delicacy, and moment in bloom elicit an emotional stirring in us because the pinnacle of its beauty is fleeting. Because of the fleeting nature of life and the passing beauty in it, we often try to capture and prolong the essence of it through artistic reproduction, but art only makes static what is transitory.
Like a stunning sunset whose beauty lies in its temporal nature, we relish it because it won’t last, but even if we could stop time, we would not want to live in perpetual dusk. It is the moment between birth and death, the passage of time that captures our imagination. Nothing we can do will prolong the scent of a lilac or the form of a rose indefinitely, but we know the cycle of the plants, we know that after death comes rebirth, and new blooms in time. Life on earth is, if nothing else, time. It is what we do with our time that will impact those after us. Like the flower, we have our hour, our time of beauty and then we too will pass. The question is: what high beauty, laughter and joy, or tragedy will come with our passing through? Will the audience in the future experience catharsis and pleasure when our act is done?
In the drama of life we, humanity, are both the protagonist and the antagonist. We are perpetually in conflict, but history gives us perspective and clarity and helps us see and learn from the past. Through hind-sight we are able to see the comedic and tragic stories of people making decisions in time. We see their hour in history, and through theirs, we try to make sense of our own. Like a perennial flower, humanity continues generation after generation. We will bloom again as time marches on. Therefore, we should weigh our decisions with good humor, knowing that with each solved problem comes a new one, but with it, a new generation for that hour. We must recognize that while we have great technology and minds to innovate, we are not Gods, we are temporary and can only use the tools and information available to us. Perpetually fixing problems that we create is not wise, but operating with humility and wisdom on the front end and using foresight will help us in our struggles to live ethical and responsible lives. Protecting life might be a good place to start; connecting to people and places through story might be another. Whether trying to save the planet or save souls, it is the intricacy of life, the good and the bad, that we are working out.
When it comes to the environmental narrative, the conflict is largely man against man. Our needs and wants conflict with our morals and duty to the greater community in which we belong. An inner story is played out in the heart and mind which shapes worldviews and determines actions. If we do not check our inner story against the larger story of life and look for the humorous, recognizing that true humor is laughter at oneself and true humanity is knowledge of oneself, we will lean toward the tragic and the vicious cycle will begin again. The virtue of humor is that it strikes at self-righteousness and produces humility that opens us up to more faith, and deeper belief and understanding. Humor is a sort of redemption in that we recognize that finality is the only real tragedy, but often what appears to be gone is just transformed into something new. The death of a flower is only a tragedy if it is never reborn, if it is gone forever. But there is a sort of joy that comes with the seasonal death of the flower because it invokes a longing in us as we recall it and know it will return. This awareness of nature results in renewal, restoration, and a sense of being grounded to something real and solid. The same is true of lost technology for new technology, lost employment for new opportunities and the discovery of new ways of life. The transition is often painful, but worth it in the long run. There is a certain hope that comes with the transitory because it alone holds the promise of change, growth, or improvement. The hope comes from knowing that we do not live in a static and unchangeable world. Though we may not think this deeply of the life and death of the flower, we sense it, feel it, and if we do think about it, we see the passing of time and our own life in it. As William Blake might surmise, we experience heaven, or a lifetime, in a flower.
If we can find joy in the death and rebirth of a flower, then we can certainly see the tragedy in the flowers total extinction. While we cling to our own mortality and work it out through our own inner narratives, we must be aware that life continues after us and like ripples in water, our short existence plays out long after we are gone. Like the flower, we too need sunlight, water, nutrients, and the right environment to thrive, but unlike the flower, we are not benign, we have choice and the ability to change and impact our environment. We have changed and manipulated the most intricate details of living things, including flowers, all the way to landscapes and oceans. Our fingerprints are on everything, whether intentional or unintentional. We have been able to breed, cross breed, and graft plants in order to make them common and available, to patent for profit, and to manipulate and change for enhanced genetic traits, but the original is worth much more than any reproduction. We have learned that our tampering has far reaching consequences. Land change brings with it invasive plants that choke out native plants; removing forests changes the microclimate, impacts the animals, the soil, and the air. Through landscape or ecological restoration people are now trying to get back to the original, to the landscape before humans altered it. Brownfields, urban or industrial centers, are being restored to greenfields in an attempt to restore the land. While there is some question as to which point in time to restore a landscape due to the difficulty and uncertainty in identifying the original state, it is an attempt to get back to the original. But for the most part, once an original is gone, it’s gone. Though we are trying to fix what we ruined or changed, there is no creating a species out of thin air. We cannot make a flower ex nihilo, we can only take what already exists and create with it. As manipulators, tinkerers, movers, shapers, destroyers, and storytellers, we have a moral obligation to consider our actions with what we are unable to make: the original.
If science is knowing, and art is doing, as Wendell Berry states, then certainly the process of environmental stewardship done well is the art of science in practice. Weaving many stories into the environmental narrative holds the most promise in ensuring that science is not void of compassion and values, and that people are not void of the knowledge that science provides. Otherwise, the single, narrow story will continue to be held, ensuring that an incomplete view and narrative is maintained. The narratives are what must be examined because they act as a the filter through which we view the world, make decisions, pass judgment, and ultimately, interact with each other. But they also hold possibilities to see new stories and expand our narrative paradigm. We are all human after all. We can relate to others through story, experiences, and values, but not facts. The narratives can act as the bridge between the process of decision making and the reality of those living with the decision.
Though the process of science is supposed to be objective, often the people impacted by it are not and the subjective interpretation is what determines the discourse, compromise, and/or gridlock over such cases. The narratives and philosophies behind the people meeting to shape such environmental decisions lie beneath the surface. The objective analysis the stakeholders are meant to examine and engage in is limiting and will either reinforce or reshape already held narratives through the process. When the process cuts values out of the equation, it removes compassion for the particular creatures, people, and place in question. Without this compassion, the species at hand gets pitted against the people impacted. Because the beliefs, values, and morals are determined by many factors not easily defined or standardized by the government, the decision must be based on evidence and sound arguments that can be applied equitably and broadly. This makes sense from a policy perspective, but not an empathetic or understanding one. Life is complicated and messy, decisions are not easily made, but that is where there needs to be room for the non-scientific, non-economic, or non-concrete. The inherent value of the plant and the inherent value of tradition and way of life, while not openly discussed, are there. Those values should be included in the narrative of environmental stewardship because they are the threads that hold the community together in the first place.
Perhaps we need to get to know our own place and community and weave our own story into it so that we can empathize with other places and people. I know that not everyone loves the desert the way that I do, but I am certain they love some geographical location somewhere in the world to the same degree. Stories of people and place fill volumes of literature that inspire and leave lasting imprints in the minds of people in all walks of life and from all corners of the world. It is time for story, normally relegated to classrooms, bookshelves, and coffee shops, used for study or leisure, to fill in the gaps between science and humanity, policy and citizens, and from person to person.


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Keep those brilliant ideas all in one place.
Stay ahead of the curve, and authentically you.
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The She Can planner combines stylish, beautiful and smart. The stunning rich black grabs your attention while the accents of rose gold cover all the elements—of style.

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O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend The brightest heaven of invention, A kingdom for a stage, princes to act And monarchs to behold the swelling scene!
(Lines taken from “Henry V” by William Shakespeare, 1598-1599. The scene before the Royal Shakespeare Company’s performance of “Henry V” at the BAM Harvey Theatre. The throne is replica of the Coronation Chair/King Edward’s Chair. Photo by Riffchorusriff. March 31, 2016.)
i think my favorite thing about mcpoyle vs ponderosa is the implication that the mcpoyles are familiar enough with bird law to know about the three-strike rule and therefore know to protect royal from the chair. or lethal injection. or perhaps some sort of small bird guillotine. i wouldn’t understand the physics of it, i’m not an executioner. i’m just the best goddamned bird lawyer in the world.


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Holly here. As many of you know, I’m a long-time twitter user (@history_geek)…and much of what I tweet about has to do with history. So I’m playing around with ways that will let me capture my history-related Twitter links once a week in a Wonders & Marvels post.
Still perfecting the system, obviously. I am trying Twitter Tools for Word Press, with mixed results. Any suggestions out there?
In the meantime, for those of you dying to see Winston Churchill in a swimsuit, be sure to check out the link below!
- Bowery, New York, c.1890-1908 http://t.co/mPOOo5Do #
- Civil War Mourning Customs, by @karenabbott. Fascinating read! http://t.co/wJaSMOQh #
- What 40 Years Have Wrought: The Earth Since 1972 http://t.co/HQq6nWiK #
- Can You Hear Me Now? Sound Technology of the 19th Century http://t.co/urn50Z3r @jenlucpiquant #
- Civil War Mourning Customs: Karen Abbott (SIN IN THE SECOND CITY; AMERICAN ROSE) joins Wonders & Marvels. http://t.co/11Xvqrb7 #
- History of Tobacco Multimedia Collection at UCSF <–huge resource http://t.co/0QNxw6W7 #
- Winston Churchill in his swimsuit, 1911/1922 http://t.co/khtXTDtk #

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"Following is my conversion of a Banta Speeder conversion of an HO Bachmann Cable Car. Would it be a kitbash of a kitbash? Great fun!
I have to acknowledge Dave Wingrove, by the way. He names his railcars after various waterfowl so I thought I'd carry on with it.
It wasn't difficult - I simply cut away the parts of the Speeder I didn't want (sides, roof and front) and built the kit per instructions. Same with the 44T hood although I reshaped the section inside the body, made a seat for the driver and drilled out the grill. I trimmed the floor around the hood at the front as well and faced the edges with styrene angle but it could have been left alone. I used the exhaust pipe from the kit and made a muffler from brass tubing. The trailer was made from a Miniatures By Eric 4 wheel box car. I painted and weathered both units using acrylics brushed on. And that was it!
I haven't added a lot of details yet - I think I'll look at it for a while till I get some inspiration."
Just follow along with the photo's to see how Brian accomplished this fantastic kitbash.
I also recommend checking out Brian's website, Sidney Micro. Brian specializes in micro layouts and has some fantastic layouts on display.
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This page updated June 28, 2006
Webpage © Larry Rickert
On30" News: Title and contents © Brian Wilson

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Go to www.thesenewpuritans.com to download Salem’s Drag’d out mix of Hologram, taken from These New Puritan’s second album, ‘Hidden.’
Angular Recordings will release These New Puritans’ single Hologram on the 9th August. They will be playing London’s Barbican on the 23rd October
IAMSOUND will release Salem’s album ‘King Night’ on 20 September
*READ SALEM INTERVIEW: ‘WE SEGREGATE OURSELVES FROM THE EVERYDAY’
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What is Internet of Things ?
What does IOT mean?
The Internet of things (IoT) describes the network of physical objects—“things”—that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the Internet.
The IoT brings the power of the internet, data processing and analytics to the real world of physical objects. For consumers, this means interacting with the global information network without the intermediary of a keyboard and screen; many of their everyday objects and appliances can take instructions from that network with minimal human intervention.
Why Is Internet of Things (IoT) so important?
Over the past few years, IoT has become one of the most important technologies of the 21st century. Now that we can connect everyday objects—kitchen appliances, cars, thermostats, baby monitors—to the internet via embedded devices, seamless communication is possible between people, processes, and things. By means of low-cost computing, the cloud, big data, analytics, and mobile technologies, physical things can share and collect data with minimal human intervention. In this hyperconnected world, digital systems can record, monitor, and adjust each interaction between connected things. The physical world meets the digital world—and they cooperate.
What Is Industrial IoT?
Industrial IoT (IIoT) refers to the application of IoT technology in industrial settings, especially with respect to instrumentation and control of sensors and devices that engage cloud technologies. Refer to this Titan use case for a good example of IIoT. Recently, industries have used machine-to-machine communication (M2M) to achieve wireless automation and control. But with the emergence of cloud and allied technologies (such as analytics and machine learning), industries can achieve a new automation layer and with it create new revenue and business models. IIoT is sometimes called the fourth wave of the industrial revolution, or Industry 4.0. The following are some common uses for IIoT:
- Smart manufacturing
- Connected assets and preventive and predictive maintenance
- Smart power grids
- Smart cities
- Connected logistics
- Smart Industry
- Weather Monitoring
- Smart digital supply chains
What Technologies Have Made IoT Possible?
- Access to low-cost, low-power sensor technology
- Cloud computing platforms
- Machine learning and analytics
- Conversational artificial intelligence (AI)