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Nurture and Heal with Nature’s Herbal Wonders
This complete guide will get you growing, harvesting, using, and healing with herbs the world’s oldest and most effective natural medicines. Popular health writer Dr. Michelle Schoffro Cook profiles thirty-one common and easy-to-grow (or readily available) herbs, sharing scientific discoveries about their usefulness and offering more than one hundred easy ways to use them in delicious recipes, healing teas, and soothing body treatments. You’ll discover ways to delight body and mind as you incorporate Mother Nature’s medicines into daily life, where they nurture and protect.
|Publisher:||New World Library|
|Product dimensions:||5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)|
About the Author
Michelle Schoffro Cook is an internationally bestselling author, a certified herbalist, a board-certified doctor of natural medicine, and one of the world’s most popular natural health bloggers. She holds advanced degrees in health, nutrition, orthomolecular nutrition, and acupuncture. She lives near Vancouver, BC.
Read an Excerpt
Be Your Own Herbalist
Essential Herbs for Health, Beauty, and Cooking
By Michelle Schoffro Cook, Peggy Duke
New World LibraryCopyright © 2016 Michelle Schoffro Cook
All rights reserved.
Your Guide to Being Your Own Herbalist
I did not know that an uneventful spring day almost twenty-five years ago would become one of such significance in my life. I was nineteen and had just withdrawn from a university degree program in journalism because of severe illness. A few years earlier, my doctors had diagnosed a rare genetic disease. They proceeded to subject my body to harsh treatment that did nothing to alleviate the original symptoms but instead left me fragile, exhausted, and devastated as I watched my dreams and life fall apart. By the time I was nineteen, my life was not going as planned, but I had made peace with it.
On this particular spring day, I managed to get myself out of bed, washed, clothed, and onto the elevator, and even to take the fifty or so steps to sit on a park bench beside a nearby canal. Proud and exhausted from this unusual experience of getting myself outdoors, I was happy to sit in the sunlight and regain my breath. I was accustomed to spending the days alone in silence and contemplation: thinking and getting in touch with my feelings had replaced the physical activities that had once occupied my days.
I looked around and noticed that dotting the grass were clover leaves and their purple flowers, oddly shaped leaves that I later learned were lamb's quarters, and brilliant yellow dandelion heads. I wondered about the purpose of these plants, which gardeners seemed to hate so much. Only days earlier my doctor, who practiced hundreds of miles away, had told me over the phone that there really wasn't anything he could do to help me. He apologized with a sadness that seemed sincere and explained that the research on such a rare disease was antiquated at best. I had been hoping he would allay my fears and concerns about my health and a treatment that had produced side effects worse than the condition it was meant to treat. Instead, his words filled me with an overwhelming grief for the life I had once had and a hopelessness I never imagined possible.
Yet this particular combination of grief and hopelessness, experienced on this park bench on this particular day, would change my life. While contemplating the purpose of these odd herbal misfits in the monoculture we know as grass and at the same time knowing that the most caring physician of the dozens who treated me had given up any hope of improvement in my condition, I asked myself, "What if Mother Nature provided the cure for every disease imaginable? What if these plants that gardeners dismiss as weeds could heal a person's ills?" I felt the sunlight on my face and warming my body, and at that moment I knew that I needed to study herbs. I signed up for the only course I could find, a distance- learning course, in hopes that in the limited periods of lucidity I had each day, I could learn about herbal medicine.
That day marked the first step on a powerful and amazing journey that has lasted nearly twenty-five years. I hope that reading this book will help you take an important step on your own journey.
My study of Mother Nature's medicine, as I call it, has taken many forms. That first distance-education herbal course fueled a passion for herbs that led me to read endlessly and take additional courses. As my health improved, I was able to venture on guided herb walks and voraciously research the latest studies in herbal medicine.
I learned about plants that healed all sorts of diseases. "How could I not have been taught this before?" I thought, angry and hopeful both at once. I learned about plants that eliminated arthritis, those that reversed diabetes, and even plants that healed cancer. It seemed that for every illness, Mother Nature had a cure that outranked our best pharmaceutical medicine. Shockingly, many of these medicines go ignored, even though they lie right at our feet.
As I grew stronger, I began to drive out to the forest near my home, carrying the manual from my first herbal course along with a bag and scissors to collect these wild medicines. It was as though a magical kingdom had appeared before me. Every time I spotted a new flower or plant, I flipped through the pages of my well-worn textbook to find out what this overlooked plant could heal.
I discovered that the much-hated dandelion purifies the blood and kidneys and may even be a cancer cure. I found that calendula heals skin conditions, echinacea restores the immune system, feverfew banishes migraines, juniper heals the kidneys, milk thistle protects the liver, clover balances hormones, and St. John's wort lifts the spirits. The list went on. How could I have seen these plants on lawns, in forests, and along riverbeds as a child, yet never have learned of their amazing healing abilities? Spurred by my newfound knowledge and greatly improved health, I continued my studies to become a board-certified doctor of natural medicine, registered nutritional consulting practitioner, certified herbal medicine practitioner, and registered orthomolecular health specialist. As my health improved, my passion for and belief in the healing abilities of herbs grew stronger.
At the same time, I learned that billion-dollar pharmaceutical companies were getting rich scouring the earth for new plant compounds they could extract, synthesize, patent, and then manufacture into so-called wonder drugs that promise to reverse and even cure our worst ailments and diseases. But in separating these plant compounds from the essential nutrients and other beneficial substances found naturally alongside the original compound, and then attempting to re-create these naturally occurring compounds in the laboratory, they were actually reducing the effectiveness of the plant medicine and creating drugs that carried long lists of side effects and frequently a steep price tag. I learned that the third leading cause of death is the correct use of these drugs and that they kill hundreds of thousands of people every year.
I learned that pharmaceutical companies held patents on many once-natural but now synthetically derived drugs that frequently allowed them to charge sick people hundreds or even thousands of dollars each month. I realized that many of these people were losing their pensions, their hard-earned cash, and even their homes in a desperate attempt to recover some semblance of a normal life. Millions of people couldn't afford the drugs that they believed could restore their quality of life.
I knew that the medication I had been prescribed was killing me. I had all of the "common," "less common," and "rare" side effects and all but three of the "extremely rare" side effects listed in the pharmaceutical books for the drug I had been told my life depended on. The only three I hadn't experienced were blindness, coma, and death. More than a dozen specialists had told me I would surely die if I discontinued taking the medication. I decided that since they had been wrong about there being no hope for me, they were also wrong about the medication.
While my decision to discontinue the medication took only a second to make, it took me nearly two years to implement. Slowly and gradually I reduced my dose until, with bated breath, I took the last pill ... and waited ... and waited ... and waited. Finally, I had the evidence I needed to prove that my doctors, while well trained and mostly well intentioned, were wrong. Not only was I alive, but I felt hopeful again.
I'm not suggesting that there is no place for pharmaceutical drugs and so-called modern medicine in our society, but total reliance on this system is failing to help many people and actively ruining the lives of many others. It certainly has its strengths in emergency medicine, but at its core it has become a system that values profit over people, and that is something I cannot accept.
Conversely, Mother Nature's medicine, along with some expert guidance, can empower people, restore hope, and bring communities — poor or rich — together. Pharmaceutical-based medicine, due to its often-high cost, has frequently only been available to the rich, while natural medicine is available to rich and poor alike. Additionally, natural medicine is a local option that is readily available to people around the world, no matter how remote their communities may be. Pharmaceutical giants have largely played God by determining which diseases are worthy of their attention and research, decisions that are driven largely by profit. Conversely, there is no inherent bias in natural medicine. There are natural medicines for just about every condition that exists, and more applications are being discovered almost daily. Unlike many pharmaceutical drugs that kill or cause serious side effects even when they are correctly used, most natural medicines are safe when used correctly. Natural medicines are available to the suffering people who need them, regardless of their financial resources, their location in the world, or the type of disease from which they are suffering.
Every human being on the planet has a right to health. Herbs can offer the solution. They also offer the hope of relief from the widespread misery caused by unprecedented rates of serious and disabling diseases, from heart disease to diabetes, cancer, and HIV. Even when complete cures may not be possible, herbs can immensely improve a person's quality of life, as I know from experience. In the years since that spring day that changed my life, I have witnessed many people with debilitating and life-threatening illnesses restored to health, thanks to herbs and natural foods.
Herbs helped me rebuild my body, and while they have not undone all the damage caused by the injury I sustained from pharmaceutical-based medicine, I have lived more than two decades longer than many doctors predicted. I have also enjoyed a much better quality of life than I imagined possible that day on the park bench. Today I live with my husband on our property in the middle of the Coast Mountains in British Columbia, Canada. We grow a significant amount of our own food and herbs and live an increasingly self-sufficient life, independent of many of the corporations that now control the global food supply. We also strive to grow and make the natural medicines we need and use, independent of major drug companies.
I share this story with you not to discourage you from continuing any medical treatment you may be undergoing but to reinforce the healing power of herbal medicine. The choice I made was a personal one that was right for me; only you can decide whether the same choice is right for you.
In this book I want to share with you the exciting and empowering research on thirty-one common and accessible herbs, all of which are easy to grow and use daily as food and medicine. These herbs are among my favorites because they are indigenous to many places, readily available, easy to incorporate into food and body-care products, and powerfully therapeutic.
I am thrilled to share with you Be Your Own Herbalist, which instructs you on cultivating and using the world's oldest and most effective natural medicines. Throughout human history, we have relied on herbs in medicine. Only recently have we lost touch with these ancient healing agents in favor of drugs. Even though most of these compounds were originally derived from herbs, the process of isolating single compounds and synthesizing them in a laboratory results in harmful and sometimes life-threatening side effects. Most herbs contain dozens and sometimes even hundreds of healing compounds that work best (and cause the fewest side effects) in synergy. In many cases, the herbs are actually more effective than our best drug medicines. Of course, herbs are still medicine: we need to treat them with respect and recognize their potency. This also means learning how drug medicines might interact with herbal medicines and which herbs may not be right for everyone.
I understand from experience that exploring the realms of herbal medicine can be intimidating. After all, we've been taught that herbs are dangerous or inferior to pharmaceutical drugs. And that is one of the reasons I created this book: not only to impart the knowledge I have gained over the years but also to help you feel confident in using it to improve your health.
Additionally, over the years I could not find a single book that explained how to grow, cook with, and use herbs as food and medicine at home. Some books explain how to use herbs, others share information on how to grow them, and still others share the exciting research that proves the medicinal effectiveness of herbs. All of these books have their strengths. This one integrates all these kinds of information into a single, accessible, and practical book.
As an author, blogger, doctor, and researcher, I regularly search for information on herbs. I own dozens of herbal books and always grab a stack of them whenever I'm looking for information, because each book has its strength: information on growing herbs, therapeutic insights, or medicinal research. But I wanted a book that combines this information into a single, accessible, and practical book. Be Your Own Herbalist provides all the information you need to become a savvy home herbalist who can grow, use, and heal with these powerful medicines. With this book in hand, you can feel confident that you are using herbs safely and effectively. Growing and using natural medicines allows you to regain control over your own health and the health of your family, preventing and even reversing many serious health conditions. It is a step toward a life of self-sufficiency and independence.
Be Your Own Herbalist is loosely based on a series of articles I wrote for Mother Earth Living magazine from 2013 to the present, revised and expanded. It translates the most cutting-edge research on the therapeutic effectiveness of common herbs into accessible language illustrating just how therapeutic herbs can be while dispelling the myth that they are not as effective as other forms of medicine. It provides clear instructions for growing your own herbs in your garden, backyard, small farm, or even indoors or in pots on a balcony. It explains how to make your own salves, tinctures, herb-flavored honey, infused oils, compresses, and other herbal medicines. You'll find discussions of thirty-one of the most common and many of the most effective herbs that you can grow and use. Each chapter shares humorous or amusing information about the herb's historical uses, detailed growing instructions and harvesting guidelines, research that showcases the herb's effectiveness for various health conditions, and some recipes and suggestions for using the herb safely and effectively.
It is my mission in life to teach and empower people to become self-sufficient in growing their own food and natural medicines, and to use them to promote good health. How you opt to apply your knowledge of herbs is up to you. You may choose to use them for culinary purposes only, to enjoy more delicious and healthier foods. You may choose to use herbs alongside the pharmaceutical medicines you already use, to boost your overall health and strengthen your body. Or you may choose to use herbs as your primary system of medicine. Whatever choice you make, herbs can enrich and improve your health and life. Whether you simply want to dabble in using more fresh herbs for your cooking or whether you want to find greater food and medicine independence, you'll find the information you need to start or continue to use herbs in food and beverages, body-care products, and medicines. It also makes no difference whether you have a small apartment and can only grow medicines in pots on your windowsill, or whether you have a suburban patch of grass or a large acreage; you can still grow and use your own medicines. And even if you have no interest in growing herbs or making your own remedies, you can still use this book as a guide to help you navigate the waters of Mother Nature's medicine safely and for the benefit of your health and that of your family.
Excerpted from Be Your Own Herbalist by Michelle Schoffro Cook, Peggy Duke. Copyright © 2016 Michelle Schoffro Cook. Excerpted by permission of New World Library.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
ContentsForeword by Yarrow and Angela Willard,
PART 1: Everything You Need to Get Started,
Chapter 1:Your Guide to Being Your Own Herbalist,
Chapter 2:Using Herbs: Know Your Infusions from Your Decoctions,
PART 2: Discovering Nature's Herbal Wonders,
Chapter 3:Basil (Ocimum basilicum),
Chapter 4:Calendula (Calendula officinalis),
Chapter 5:Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile, Matricaria chamomilla, Matricaria recutita),
Chapter 6:Chives (Allium schoenoprasum),
Chapter 7:Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum),
Chapter 8:Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale),
Chapter 9:Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea, Echinacea angustifolia),
Chapter 10:Elecampane (Inula helenium),
Chapter 11:Feverfew (Tanacetum spp.),
Chapter 12:Garlic (Allium sativum),
Chapter 13:Ginger (Zingiber officinale),
Chapter 14:Horsetail (Equisetum arvense),
Chapter 15:Juniper (Juniperus communis),
Chapter 16:Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia),
Chapter 17:Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis),
Chapter 18:Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra),
Chapter 19:Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum),
Chapter 20:Mullein (Verbascum thapsus),
Chapter 21:Nettles (Urtica dioica),
Chapter 22:Oregano (Origanum vulgare),
Chapter 23:Parsley (Petroselinum sativum),
Chapter 25:Plantain (Plantago major),
Chapter 26:Red Clover (Trifolium pratense),
Chapter 27:Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis),
Chapter 28:Sage (Salvia officinalis),
Chapter 29:St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum),
Chapter 30:Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus, Artemisia dracunculoides),
Chapter 31:Thyme (Thymus vulgaris),
Chapter 32:Valerian (Valeriana officinalis),
Chapter 33:Yarrow (Achillea millefolium),
Appendix: A Word to the Wise about Mainstream Herbal Reporting,
About the Author,

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On Saturday, The Evergreen State College will present “Giving Voice to Experience,” the first of three public events planned to showcase its Voices From the Harbor project.
The overall endeavor is led by Evergreen faculty members Stephen Buxbaum and Elaine Vradenburgh. It’s part of the college’s 5-year-old Community Connections program, in which students working toward a bachelor’s degree investigate the history of their hometowns and learn about current events and issues facing the region as a whole.
“The energy from the students has been great,” Buxbaum says of this year’s class. “We’ve deepened our connection with community organizations. I’m looking for more of the same next year.”
Through individual interviews and public discussion, the organizers are looking to involve local residents in their study of how Grays Harbor communities have responded to social and economic changes through the years.
“Part of our mission is to expand the local record of history and how communities developed in the Harbor region. We’re building a repository, if you will, of information,” says Buxbaum. “All the info that we collect, our vision is to make that available to the community through our Community Connections website.”
A $7,500 Sparks Grant from Humanities Washington is covering the costs involved in planning and executing the three upcoming events, such as promotion, graphic design and printing. Buxbaum and Vradenburgh hope the events will help boost community interest — not to mention enrollment in the Evergreen program.
“We haven’t done a lot of outreach in the Harbor area,” Buxbaum says, “so this is something new for us in terms of telling our own story.”
In addition to the cash grant, the program has received numerous in-kind contributions from partner organizations including the Driftwood Players, the Polson Museum, the Aberdeen and Hoquiam libraries, Greater Grays Harbor, and local media and advertising service providers. Evergreen matches all donations.
Vradenburgh, a veteran of multimedia storytelling, joined the effort a little more than a year ago and was inspired to form Window Seat Media last winter. The Washington nonprofit, founded upon her interest in “ways that stories can serve as a catalyst for social change,” has become a vital partner to the Evergreen program.
Since the program launched in 2012, some 60 students have pieced together about 50 extensive oral histories from longtime residents of the area. All of those involved live in the Harbor region — which Buxbaum defines “loosely” as extending from the hub of Aberdeen, Hoquiam and Cosmopolis north to Quinault, south to Willapa Bay and east to Elma.
Buxbaum says the next class will continue using the same methodology: focusing on primary source research in the fall quarter, oral history work in the winter and action advocacy projects in the spring. The only major difference will be the topic of focus, which changes each year to broaden the scope of the historical record. Past topics have included K-12 education and housing. Next year’s will be sustainable communities, with emphasis on natural resource-based industries and food systems.
When asked for a favorite anecdote gleaned from the project, Vradenburgh cites a “story within a story” told by the postmaster of Bay Center, who related at length how she wore many hats because her post office was the “heartbeat” of the village — a place where people would gather and talk about their lives. One day, a local man’s brand-new glass eye fell out, and he asked the postmaster if she would help him replace it. Of course, she obliged.
“She popped the eye back in his head, and he was good to go!” Vradenburgh laughs. “I just thought that was a very sweet example of the many ways she engages with her community at the post office.”
Several Evergreen students will present excerpts from about a dozen stories they’ve collected this Saturday at the Driftwood Playhouse, which is donating its space for the event.
After the presentation, some of the project’s contributors — both residents and students — will participate in a panel discussion to share their perspectives on what draws people here, what helps them persevere during difficult times and what cultivates a sense of community. They also will touch on the importance of documenting the area’s history in this fashion.
“There’s something very special about oral histories, because it’s the voices of real people from the community, and they’re all telling us something special that’s being passed forward to others,” says Buxbaum. “I think that’s quite magical. It’s like receiving a message in a bottle that’s washed up on the beach.”
Two prominent local historians will moderate the panel discussion: John Hughes, a former editor and publisher of The Daily World, who now serves as chief historian of Washington’s oral history program; and John Larson, director of the Polson Museum in Hoquiam for the past 20 years.
“I’m interested as much as anyone to see who might show up … and what questions they might have,” Larson says.
He hopes those who do choose to attend will be inspired to “become their own personal historians and capture the stories of those they know best” — friends, co-workers, family members — or even get to know new people who have interesting stories to tell. “Recruiting an army of people” to help document the history of the community would be the ideal outcome, he says.
The history presentation will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday, with the panel discussion to follow. Admission is free.
For more information on the program and all three events, go to www.windowseatmedia.org.

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On Sunday, when the people of Kazakhstan voted in a historic referendum and decided to amend one-third of the articles of the country’s constitution, a New Kazakhstan was born: The Second Republic of Kazakhstan.
This deep but evolutionary change was conceived a few months ago by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, after the January 2022 tragic events in our country. We are still recovering from those wounds, while fully committed to learning the lessons, addressing challenges, and moving forward.
Against the background of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which forces huge economic turbulence on the Central Asia region, Kazakhstan has made a very clear choice to open up to wider cooperation with the global markets, play a greater role in international democratic institutions, and, to underpin all this, implement wide-ranging constitutional reforms in the country.
In March 2022, Kazakhstan’s president proposed landmark reforms, which would not only limit his own powers but transform the country’s parliament, emboldening it with greater authority and power. The reforms were designed to address the socio-economic and civic grievances voiced by Kazakhstan’s citizens.
Since then, our country is rapidly embarking on an unprecedented route of democratization, modernization and decentralization. The reforms, which will now tailwind the fresh amendments to the constitution, will enhance checks and balances; strengthen the parliament and the akims (governors) of cities and districts; and create legal and law-enforcement bases for an uncompromising struggle against corruption and nepotism.
The Kazakh culture and heritage are first and foremost tolerant, welcoming, and peace-loving. Our long-lasting warm relations with Israel and the Jewish people are alike. The history of the Jews in Kazakhstan connects back to the Bukharan and Juhuro Mountain Jews.
During World War II, more than 8,000 Jews were evacuated to Kazakhstan between August 1941 and January 1942; they were embraced by the Kazakhs with open arms, and until this day, there is no antisemitism in Kazakhstan.
Our diplomatic and bilateral relations with Israel were established on April 10, 1992, less than four months after Kazakhstan became independent, and remain close and strong ever since.
Now we are entering a new phase in Kazakhstan’s democratic transformation. Key governmental bodies, such as the Office of the President, the Parliament, local administrations, as well as the law enforcement system, will be thoroughly reformed.
Barriers to the formation of new political parties will be eased, providing for political diversity. A new Constitutional Court will be created, increasing the strength and the transparency of the judiciary.
On Sunday, the citizens of Kazakhstan went to the polls and voted “yes” for the creation of a New Kazakhstan, which according to our president, means, first and foremost, a fair Kazakhstan. This was a celebration of democracy, in our great country, the ninth-largest in the world.
It was the first referendum in Kazakhstan in 27 years, and it did not happen by chance: President Tokayev has listened carefully to civil society and public opinion when designing these reforms and amendments to the constitution.
From now on, the tremendous wealth accumulated by oligarchs will be redirected toward the working people and the middle classes. The government has been tasked to develop immediate programs to increase wages and reduce poverty. Small businesses will see their tax burdens shrink, while Kazakhstan’s extractive monopolies will shoulder a much larger share of the economic burden.
President Tokayev described the core vision of New Kazakhstan in his own words: “The amendments to the constitution will open a new chapter in the history of independent Kazakhstan. This is an important milestone in the construction of New Kazakhstan.
“The political meaning of the constitutional reforms is the constitutionalization of the Second Republic of Kazakhstan – with the aim of shifting from a super presidential to a presidential form of government. Under the new paradigm, the powers of the president are being reduced, the role of parliament and districts is being significantly strengthened, citizen participation is being substantially expanded, and the human rights sphere is being systematically strengthened”.
As we engage in these momentous developments, we also look forward to working ever closer together with our good international partners, such as Israel.
The writer is the deputy minister of foreign affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

domain: law


The report highlights that a large number of towns and cities need reshaping on a scale not seen since the building programmes of the Victorian era or post-war Britain in order to survive and thrive for the 21st century. Future-proofing is now required because the structural changes that are shaking our communities are so fundamental. Not least, the dramatic impact of the recession on town centres, the oversupply of retail floor space and massive shifts in consumer shopping patterns to multi-channel which is not a short-term fad.
The Taskforce was established following the Government’s response to the recommendations from the Portas Review and makes radical recommendations based on clear evidence. This allows both central and local government to make informed decisions over the priorities with regard to High Street regeneration.
Based on research by Colliers International, ‘Beyond Retail: Redefining the shape and purpose of town centres’, clearly demonstrates the unprecedented scale, background and long-term implications of change in retail over the last five years. The necessity for the nation’s town centres to evolve is now extremely urgent and will not happen organically. The required change, in response to changing retail demands based on the shift to online shopping, should not be necessarily be viewed in a negative way but as an opportunity for towns and cities to adapt to modern communities.
• Government should designate town and city centres as key national ‘infrastructure’ in order to open significant funding opportunities currently not accessible. This could be in the form of access to the UK’s Infrastructure Guarantee Scheme or any future round of the Local Infrastructure Fund. Commercially, this could attract private sector infrastructure funding, with the initial step to establish a High Street Infrastructure Platform (HSIP) to engage with these institutions.
• Multiple ownership in town and city centres is a major barrier to change. Government should pilot a joint venture vehicle, and associated high street property fund, to pool land assets and address fragmented ownership.
• Aggressive use of compulsory purchase powers should be encouraged, simplifying the current system for local councils, in order to bring about the scale required for major urban reconfiguration and regeneration.
• Local authorities should take more risk in investing capital reserves now, which can be replenished as the economy recovers. The ‘rainy day’ for town centres has arrived.
• The private sector should be utilised to equip local authorities in terms of finance and human resources; up-skilling and best practice support for councils is critical to encourage strong local leadership and planning.
• Significantly greater flexibility in the planning system is required to enable quick and easy change of use from redundant retail premises to more economically productive uses, achieved against a strategic masterplan allowing clarity over the long term rather than piecemeal conversion.
Mark Williams, Chairman, Distressed Town Centre Property Taskforce and partner at asset managers, Hark Group, commented: “Over the last 12 months it has become increasingly clear that waiting for so-called ‘normal’ economic growth to return is unviable: many more town centres will have embarked on the course of terminal decline. Successful rejuvenation of the nation’s city and town centres requires radical action on a scale unprecedented since the country was rebuilt after World War Two.
“Solutions vary from place to place but for the overwhelming majority a smaller retail core supplemented by leisure, residential and community uses is likely. Current retail capacity models are not fit for purpose.
“Strong local leadership is a pre-requisite for the major repositioning, redevelopment and large scale long-term masterplanning now required to meet the demands of modern communities. The recommendations we lay out today are radical because the challenges are serious and solutions are overdue. Critically, our recommendations offer a clear vision of rejuvenated town and city centres which are fit for the future. Not only places where people can shop but where they live, eat, work and are entertained. We also have clear routes for implementing the recommendations and significant support from key decision makers in the commercial and public sectors.”
Mark Charlton, Head of Research and Forecasting for Colliers International and author of the report, said: “Today’s ‘Black Friday’ marks the most important event in the US retail calendar and many are expecting it to have repercussions in the UK. However, through conducting this study, what has become most apparent to the Distressed Town Centre Property Taskforce is not only the unyielding change that has taken place in our town centres, but that the power of online retailing means town centres will continue to evolve for the next decade.
“It is therefore crucial that the Government and the property industry completely readjust their approach to retailers’ needs Beyond Retail, and the future functions of town centres. It is imperative that we diversify the range of services and attractions that town centres town centres provide, in addition to the range of shops, giving people a reason to visit.”
The Taskforce brings together both public and private sectors, including professional bodies and trade associations, with senior representatives from banking, retail, local government and the property industry.
Member organisations and businesses include Association of Chief Estates Surveyors (ACES), British Council of Shopping Centres (BCSC), British Property Federation (BPF), British Retail Consortium (BRC), Investment Property Forum (IPF), Property Bankers Forum (PBF), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), and The Booksellers Association. There are also key representatives from GL Hearn, Gloucestershire LEP, Javelin Group, Legal and General Property, Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP), and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). The authors are grateful to the Local Government Association (LGA) for the assistance and advice it provided.
To download a copy of ‘Beyond Retail: Redefining the shape and purpose of town centres’, please click here.


May 14, 2015 |
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has wished Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook as the later turned 31 today. Modi who is on a visit to China, took to social media to wish the founder of Facebook and also cherished their meeting a few months ago.
May 20, 2015 |
NEW DELHI: Facebook's billionaire cofounder Mark Zuckerberg is pulling all stops to swing opinion in India in favour of Internet.org, even as he explores alternatives to subsidise access to certain Internet services including Facebook. Zuckerberg in recent weeks initiated dialogues with key people in India's startup and technology world to convince them of the virtue of Internet.org, a partnership stitched by the social networking giant that allows certain...
July 23, 2010 |
NEW YORK: Mark Zuckerberg, founder of popular social networking website Facebook, is all set to appear as a voice actor on animated sitcom 'The Simpsons'. Playing himself, Zuckerberg will meet Lisa Simpson and tell her a personal story which actually happened to him before the Facebook era, New York magazine reported. The yellow version of Zuckerberg will make his acting debut on the episode called 'Loan-A Lisa'...
August 7, 2011 |
NEW YORK: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's sister Randi has reportedly quit the popular social networking website to start her own company. After working six years in her younger brother's shadow as Facebook's director of market development, Randi Zuckerberg has resigned from her post to set up her social media company, 'The Guardian' online reported. Technology bloggers of Silicon Valley are rubbing their hands at...
February 3, 2012 |
SAN FRANCISCO: Mark Zuckerberg's majority control over Facebook puts too much power in the hands of one person and may deter potential investors in the company's initial public offering, corporate-governance experts said. The chief executive officer has 56.9% of voting power, the Menlo Park, California-based company said on Wednesday in its prospectus to investors. He also has the ability to designate a successor in the event he still controls the company at...


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Team Sky's Chris Froome thinks his team could have won more at this year’s Tour de France. The British team finished the race with one and two on the podium with Bradley Wiggins and Froome and won six stage wins, but the Kenyan-born Briton told Cycling News HD thinks the team could have done even better.
“There were some moments of the race, where we were overly cautious,” says Froome. “Perhaps we would have been too greedy, if we were too ambitious. I do believe we could have got more out of the race, without compromising the yellow jersey.”
Mark Cavendish definitely believed he could win more and is the principal reason he broke his contract with Team Sky to join Omega Pharma-QuickStep. The Manxman told The Telegraph newspaper recently that he thought the team treated him as a “back-up” rider. Froome agreed.
“I think his comments are just. Certain promises were made to him that weren't fulfilled. I can empathise with that,” he says.
Cavendish was under the impression the team would help him defend the green jersey, but says the team management reneged on their promise. As far as Froome was aware, the team only had one goal.
“He's a great stage winner and contester for the green jersey and this year he had to put those ambitions aside for the team to focus on the yellow jersey. I definitely know that, in the team, the focus was to get the yellow jersey more than it was to get the green jersey.”
As Wiggins’ chief lieutenant, in this year’s Tour, Froome had his own battles to fight. Rumours of tensions in the team erupted when Froome 'attacked' Wiggins on the climb of La Toussuire on stage 11. Many thought Froome might try to win the Tour for himself. He says this isn’t the case and insists he is a team player.
“In sport you always think the strongest guy should be going for it and getting the best results. The thing is cycling also has a very important team aspect, which I don't think that a lot of people fully grasp."
“Being professional cyclists we have a responsibility to the team and their objectives. I was just doing my job at the Tour and people were asking me if I could do more.”
Plans for 2013
While the 27-year-old hasn’t had official word from the team, things are beginning to point towards him leading Team Sky at the 2013 Tour de France.
“It hasn't been 100% confirmed, but that is how things are shaping up at the moment,” he says when questioned on the subject. “Bradley has announced that he wants to focus on the Giro. I think that would mean that I can focus on the Tour.”
With Wiggins looking to win his second grand tour at the Giro it remains to be seen if he can and will return the favour and help Froome at the 2013 Tour. Froome knows firsthand how difficult it is to contest two grand tours in succession. He struggled to stay with the top guys at the Vuelta a España after feeling the fatigue from his exploits in July.
“It is hard to say beforehand how a rider will come out of a grand tour. I found this year, with the Vuelta, that trying to do two grand tours in quick succession is a hard ask."
“I think that is a call Brad is going to have to make next year, because if we go there with the goal of winning yellow then we are going to have to be at our absolute best.”
Cycling News HD
The full exclusive interview with Chris Froome will appear in next week’s issue of Cycling News HD, out on Wednesday 14 November. This week’s issue, out now, looks back at the Giro, and talks to winner Ryder Hesjedal and pink jersey holder Taylor Phinney.
Delivered to your iPad every Wednesday, Cycling News HD brings you the best all-new cycling photography in the world via the best medium for viewing it, as well as reports, results and exclusive analysis of all the week’s biggest races, in-depth previews of the races and stages to watch in the week ahead, interviews, news and opinion.
With over 50 pages packed with new and original content every Wednesday, alongside all the latest reports and results, Cycling News HD is the best way to enjoy a roadside seat at all the season’s biggest and best races.
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domain: news


Reinhard Florey is Chief Financial Officer (CFO) und Executive Board Member of OMV Aktiengesellschaft since July 2016. He is also Member of Supervisory Bord OMV Petrom SA in Bucharest (Romania) and Wiener Börse in Vienna (Austria). Florey graduated in mechanical engineering and economics from Graz University of Technology while also completing his music studies at the University of Fine Arts in Graz. The 55 year old manager started his career in corporate consulting and strategy consulting at McKinsey & Company in Austria. From 2002 to 2012 he worked in different positions for Thyssen Krupp AG in Germany and USA. Until June 2016 he served as CFO and deputy CEO of Finnish stainless-steel manufacturer Outokumpu Oyj.
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Although we could not find any businesses located in the precise ZIP code you provided, we have additional choices close that may be of interest to you. As you can see, on the right you have a map (which you can enlarge) with additional locations that may sell the used spares you're looking for. Additionally, below these lines you have a list ordered by distance with basic information. Tap on any of the items to review the complete contact info.
5 junk yards in our database close to your area
The junk yards you can see below are the closest to the ZIP code you entered before (33160, North Miami Beach). As you can see, the distance to the desired location is pointed out, so you can orientate yourself in a better way.
- 1Insurance quality Parts
3601 nw 55 st unit 104, Miami
5.1 miles open now
If you are looking for the best used parts in the Miami surroundings, this salvage yard is a perfect option to purchase them at a great price. You can contact them via: email and phone. Additional info: The Insurance quality Parts is open Monday to Saturday.
- 2Relampago Used Auto Parts
4953 E 11th Ave, Hialeah
Visitors can find this junk yard in the proximity of the city of Hialeah (Florida). Its essential business model is the sale of auto parts at the best prices in the state and with all the warranties that you may wish. If you want to get in touch with them, you can do it by these methods: phone.
- 3All Around Ins for South Florida All Auto Recyclhng
790 Ne 128th St Apt 408, Miami
Neighbors of the Miami neighborhood can check an enormous inventory of used spares for their autos in this salvage yard. You can get in touch with them using: phone. This salvage yard operational hours information is not available, however, you have the option to check its website.
- 4Fernys Auto Salvage
12764 Cairo Ln, Opa Locka
You can talk with the welcoming owners of this business by these methods: phone. In order to buy high quality vehicle pieces in the city of Opa Locka (Florida), they are an inescapable choice. This junk yard operational hours info cannot be found, however, you can check its web.
- 5R & Y A/C Compressors - AC Auto Parts
15315 NE 21st Avenue, Miami
10.5 miles open now
Do you have an used car or are you looking for used pieces for your auto? We advise you a visit to this salvage yard, since it offers an enormous inventory. The R & Y A/C Compressors - AC Auto Parts is open from Monday to Saturday.

domain: geography


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Decision On Gay Scout Leaders To Come By October, Group's Head Says
Updated at 5:45 p.m. ET
Robert Gates, the president of the Boy Scouts of America, tells NPR his organization will have a decision on its ban on gay adults no later than October. His comments come a day after he told the Boy Scouts that a ban on gay adults was "unsustainable."
NPR's Scott Simon asked the former CIA director and former defense secretary whether his comments in Atlanta meant it was now "OK for Scout leaders to be gay?" Here's Gates' reply:
"No we haven't made that decision yet, but what I said was that I believed our present position was unsustainable and that we are going to need to move promptly to re-examine it.
"I think that we will have a decision not later than October, but so far there has been no change. We need to reach out to our sponsoring institutions and talk with them about the potential change. We need to talk with donors and others so there's a process to be gone through here, but I think that it's inevitable that we have to change the policy and that's what I recommended, and we'll see as I say not later than October if the rest of the movement is in agreement with the position. But I think that change is the right thing for our movement."
Gates tells NPR his approach would allow churches that sponsor Scout units to exercise their religious freedom and ensure that leaders in troops they sponsor, or units that they sponsor, reflect the faith of the sponsoring institution.
"There would be a First Amendment protection for their right to do so, but from the National Council's standpoint gays would be permitted in units that want to have them," Gates said.
Some 70 percent of Scout units are sponsored by churches.
In his comments Thursday, Gates told officials in the national organization that the U.S. is changing and "we are increasingly at odds with the legal landscape at both the state and federal levels."
"The one thing we cannot do is put our heads in the sand and pretend this challenge will go away or abate," he said. "Quite the opposite is happening."
The BSA voted in 2013 to allow gay members, but not scoutmasters.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Flamboyant, intriguing, beautiful and exotic, orchids have evolved to become the largest family of plants in the world. This classic book, written by two of the world's leading orchid authorities and now updated, presents everything you need to know to identify, choose and display these delightful flowers successfully. It contains guidance on tools and equipment; feeding and watering; and dealing with pests and diseases. A directory describes and illustrates a wide range of species and hybrids, providing information on habitat, size, flowering time and growing requirements. With over 600 exquisite photographs, this is the definitive guide to growing these well-loved plants.
- Everything you need to know to grow orchids successfully, with step-by-step information on potting and mounting orchids, propagation, feeding, watering, light levels, and dealing with pests and diseases.
- Practical advice on growing and displaying orchids indoors, under glass, and outdoors, both in temperate and tropical areas.
- An easy-to-use plant directory of over 200 fabulous orchids, with photographs of each orchid, and vital information on habitat, size, flowering time and growing requirements.
THE WORLD OF ORCHIDS 6
Why Grow Orchids? 8
Orchids in the Wild 12
The History of Orchids 30
The Botany of Orchids 40
WHERE TO GROW ORCHIDS 52
Growing Orchids Indoors 54
Growing Orchids Outdoors 66
Growing Orchids Under Glass 74
CARE AND CULTIVATION 86
Tools and Equipment 88
Growing Mediums 90
Potting and Mounting Orchids 94
Routine Care 120
Common Problems 134
ORCHID DIRECTORY 144
Popular Orchids 146
Specialist Orchids 226
Temperate Terrestrial Orchids 246
Brian and Wilma Rittershausen came from a family of orchid experts that had a nursery in Devon, England. In 2009 they were awarded the Westonbirt Orchid Medal for outstanding literary achievement, and the nursery has won many gold medals at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.a


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The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than one-third of women worldwide (some 35 percent) experience gender-based violence over the course of their lives. This ranges from about 37 percent in women in the WHO African, Eastern Mediterranean, and South-East Asia regions to 23 percent in the high-income region and 25 percent in the European and Western Pacific Regions.
Globally, 47 per cent of murders of women are committed by an intimate partner or family member, compared to less than 6 per cent of murders of men.
“What is even harder to understand is why: Why, why men prey on women and girls. Why societies shame the victims. Why governments fail to punish deadly crimes. Why the world denies itself the fruits of women’s full participation”, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a UN Women-hosted Orange the World event at UN Headquarters in New York to raise money to end violence against women and girls, and kick off 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence. The campaign begins on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and ends on 10 December, Human Rights Day.
When world leaders adopted the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, they recognized that ending violence against women and girls is a pre-requisite for the achievement of the development agenda. Goal 5 on gender equality includes a specific target to end all forms of violence against women, including trafficking, other forms of sexual violence and harmful practices. Yet, the resources dedicated to addressing the issue do not match the scale of the challenge
Beyond the intangible factors like pain, suffering, and worsened quality of life, violence against women and girls brings huge economic costs, from greater health care and legal expenses to losses in productivity and potential, impacting national budgets and overall development. It has been estimated that the cost of such violence ccould amount to around 2 per cent of the global gross domestic product (GDP.
According to a new report by the McKinsey Global Institute,violence against women costs about $4.9 billion in the United States annually. “Seventy percent of this comes from direct medical costs, 15 percent from lost productivity, and 15 percent from lost earnings over women’s lifetimes," the report stated. PricewaterhouseCoopers has estimated the cost of lost productivity to the Australian economy due to violence against women at $2.1 billion in 2014-15. It costs approximately 2,3 billion of euro in Italy. Yet, a UK study put the estimated cost of women's lost productivity at $42bn. In Chile was put at $1.7bn in Chile and at $34m in Nicaragua.
However, there is no right way to measure the economic impact of violence due mainly to the extremely difficult to take into account all of the costs linked to violence against women.
One thing is for sure, the efforts made by many institutions to capture the full costs of violence against women is helpful when trying to understand the magnitude of the problem and how it affects society as a whole.
Cover photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images


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Cloud Pirates Entering Early Access on February 9
Cloud Pirates will go into Early Access on Steam on February 9. On the very same day, the game will receive a content update introducing a new game mode: Gold Rush. Watch the new trailer below.
The Gold Rush mode will allow players to loot special resources. Players will be able to form brotherhoods (clans) to defend or attack aerial convoys and get "meteor ore". In the future, brotherhoods will be able to build sky fortresses.
Here is the trailer:

domain: game


The M4-02S Stag is a deluxe model which has a traditional look with stag scales and brushed stainless steel bolsters. While engineering it, Columbia River decided to add some more value by offering the OutBurst assisted opening, and patented* LAWKS safety. It creates a virtual fixed blade when actuated after the blade is opened and locked. The OutBurst mechanism instantly springs the blade fully open after you have opened the blade approximately 30 degrees. M4 models have dual thumb studs for ambidextrous one-hand opening and bronze bearings and lubrous washers at the adjustable blade pivot for smooth, fast action. The 3.25" blade is a high-hollow-grind drop point of premium 8Cr13MoV stainless steel in a bead-blast finish with a Razor-Sharp edge. Columbia River heavy-duty InterFrame build is true to Kit's design, with dual stainless steel liners, one locking, and a stainless steel back spacer. The M4-02S Stag is a deluxe model which has a traditional look with stag scales and brushed stainless steel bolsters, plus the LAWKS safety. So here you have a friendly E.D.C. knife that fits the hand naturally for all kinds of cutting and carving tasks. Like Kit, it's a bit unassuming, but it's a knife you'll come back to year after year. Specifications: Dimensions - Open Overall Length: 7" - Closed Length: 3.75" - Weight 4.1 oz Blade - Length: 3.25" - Thickness: 0.121" - Material: 8Cr13MoV - Blade-HRC: 58-59 - Finish: Satin - Grind: Hollow - Style: Drop Point - Edge: Plain Handle - Material: Stainless/Red Stag - Liner: 2CR13 Lock - Type: Locking Liner - Safety System: LAWKS Carry - Carry System: 1 Position Clip
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Geelong star Patrick Dangerfield has laughed off suggestions he exaggerates injuries after former Port Adelaide Kane Cornes midfielder questioned the legitimacy of his latest foot problem.
Dangerfield sent a scare through the AFL community on Saturday afternoon after picking up a foot injury against Hawthorn in the first term.
However, the reigning Brownlow medallist moved forward and still kicked five goals in a best on ground performance, prompting Cornes to question how injured ‘Danger’ actually was.
"He does exaggerate injuries," Cornes said.
"In his time at Adelaide, his teammates had to sit him down and say ‘look you do carry on a little bit’, and he does."
Dangerfield said Cornes would be better off doing more research on his subjects.
"I just laugh at Kane Cornes — that’s all you can do I think,” Dangerfield told KIIS 101.1.
"It’s great we’ve got someone from the Crows’ inner sanctum. No one was as welcome as Kane Cornes in the Adelaide change rooms.
"I don’t think I need to reference his career at times. I’ll leave it at that.
"Surprisingly I never had that conversation. Maybe Kane should do a little bit more research next time."
The extent of Dangerfield's injury is yet to be determined as he heads for scans on Monday morning, but Cornes believes he will be fit to play against Adelaide on Friday night.It's not the first time Cornes has stirred the pot. He recently accused Richmond of jumping the gun, prompting a terse response from former teammate and Tigers coach Damien Hardwick.

domain: sports


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Is there any virus that when someone has natural immunity, that the someone can get it again? When the body fight the virus and won, the body has the code or the program installed in the body to win the fight again and again for this type, right? Or is there an expiration date on the program?
Who got the covid-19 virus and have natural immunity and never got the covid-19 vaccine and never was sick again with the covid-19?
We see know, the ones who got the mRNA covid-19 vaccine also got sick again with covid-19, right?

domain: medical


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WCM newsletter current issue
Site searchTop one searches articles. The second is a Google site search (includes PDF).
Author Archives: ipcm-edit
Shawn Conley, State Soybean and Small Grains Specialist The 1st place winner in Division 4, RnK DeVoe Farms of Monroe, grew DuPont Pioneer P31T77R and harvested 93.15 bu/a. In second place, Bahr Farms Inc. of Darlington grew Asgrow AG2535 and harvested … Continue reading
Bryan Jensen, UW Extension and IPM Program The Wisconsin CCA Board is now accepting nominations for four positions on the WI CCA Board. The nominee must be a CCA in good standing and submit a short biography (up to ½ page) … Continue reading
This is the 1st issue of the 25th volume of the Wisconsin Crop Manager and is now available. Click on the link below to view this issue.
Attached is the the schedule for the 2018 Agronomy Update meeting series to be held January 3-9, 2018. This annual meeting series is designed to bring current information to consultants, farmer / seed dealers, seed company and industry representatives, and … Continue reading
Bryan Jensen, UW Extension and IPM Program Dr. Chris DiFonzo, Michigan State University, with contributions from Dr. Pat Porter, Texas A&M University and Dr. Kelley Tilmon, The Ohio State University, have provided their annual updates to the Handy Bt Trait … Continue reading
Shawn Conley, State Soybean and Small Grains Specialist The University of Wisconsin Madison and UW Extension has been inundated with questions related to industrial hemp production since the passing of the 2017 Wisconsin Act 100. The below information was authored … Continue reading
Bryan Jensen, UW Extension and IPM Program A friendly reminder the Madison Field Scout Training Classes will be held on the UW Madison Campus from January 2-5, 2018. The course is designed to provide the skills necessary for proper pest … Continue reading
Daniel H. Smith- Nutrient and Pest Management Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Kevin Jarek- Outagamie County, University of Wisconsin- Extension This 5-minute video demonstrates a top-to-bottom front-to-back procedure for cleaning a combine of plant material. Prior to winter storage a combine needs to be cleaned … Continue reading
Shawn Conley, State Soybean and Small Grains Specialist Does Strip Tillage or Fertilizer Placement Influence the Soybean Row Spacing Yield Response? The objective of this study is to quantify the effect of strip tillage and fertilizer placement on soybean stand … Continue reading
Kent Kohn, Thierno Diallo, and Joe Lauer Every year, the University of Wisconsin Extension-Madison and College of Agricultural and Life Sciences conduct a corn evaluation program, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Crop Improvement Association. The purpose of this program is … Continue reading

domain: agronomy


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Planet Earth is in Distress: We Need Action on Climate
It’s no longer a matter of climate change – it’s a climate crisis. 1 Almost every day you can see the effects of global warming on TV or your cellphone. Earth’s temperature is climbing, polar ice sheets are melting, glaciers are disappearing, sea levels are rising and coral reefs are vanishing.
Meantime, Delhi and Beijing are experiencing deadly levels of air pollution, while Australia, the Arctic and the Amazon Rainforest are experiencing runaway wildfires.
In recent weeks, an estimated half a billion mammals, birds, and reptiles have been killed in the Australian fires alone, including an estimated 25,000 koala bears burnt to death in a matter of days. 2
Planet Earth is in distress. We hear about it almost every day. But many of the world’s governments aren’t interested in reaching agreement on climate action because they are too busy protecting their “national interests.” For more, see: Our Climate Plan Can’t Cope.
- Planet Earth is in Distress: We Need Action on Climate
- How Hot Can The Planet Get?
- Why Is The Planet Getting Hotter?
- What’s The Solution To Our Climate Crisis?
- Okay, So Are We Reducing Our Emissions Of Greenhouse Gases?
- Are We Reducing The Amount Of CO2 In The Atmosphere?
- Are We Using Fewer Fossil Fuels?
- Are We Consuming Less Energy?
- How Much Renewable Energy Is The World Using?
- How Much Renewable Energy Should The World Be Using?
- How Can Renewable Energy Grow Faster?
- More Investment Needed to Alleviate Climate Crisis
- Why Are Governments Refusing to Take Our Climate Crisis Seriously?
- Do We Need A Massive Carbon Tax?
- Conclusion: Our Climate Crisis is Getting Worse
How Hot Can The Planet Get?
No one knows. Climate models suggest that, if left unchecked, temperatures could rise by between 4.8°C and 5.7°C (8.6°F to 10.2°F) by the end of the century. 3 To grasp the full impact of a global 5°C temperature rise, remember that all the effects of global warming we’re seeing so far are the result of a 1°C increase. (See also: Why Does A Half-Degree Rise in Temperature Make Such a Difference to the Planet?)
Why Is The Planet Getting Hotter?
The scientific consensus on rising temperatures is pretty clear. Things are getting hotter because the usually benign greenhouse effect has been seriously unbalanced by the surge in man-made greenhouse gases (GHGs), like carbon dioxide (CO2), caused by the burning of fossil fuels in our power plants, factories, homes and cars. Cement industry CO2 emissions are another significant contributor.
What’s The Solution To Our Climate Crisis?
For more than a decade, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been saying that in order to deal with the climate crisis we need to make dramatic cuts in our greenhouse gas emissions by phasing out fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) and replacing them with renewable sources of energy.
In its last major bulletin on global warming in 2018, the IPCC says we need to reduce our emissions by 45 percent (from 2010 levels) by 2030, and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. This will limit the rise in Earth’s temperature to 1.5°C in 2100, saving us from the worst of the effects.
Okay, So Are We Reducing Our Emissions Of Greenhouse Gases?
No. In fact, our emissions are increasing. In 2018, emissions of carbon dioxide grew by 2 percent, the highest increase for seven years. 4 The year 2020 was the warmest on record, with wildfires, droughts, storms and glacier melt intensifying. Carbon dioxide emissions were predicted to fall by up to about 7 per cent as a result of the pandemic slowdown. But this dip only translates to a 0.01°C reduction of global warming by 2050. 5
Are We Reducing The Amount Of CO2 In The Atmosphere?
No. In fact, globally averaged concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the troposphere (lower atmosphere) reached 412 parts per million (ppm) by November 2020, an increase of 2 ppm on the previous year. 6
Are We Using Fewer Fossil Fuels?
No. In fact, we’re using more. Global energy production for 2019 showed increases across all fossil fuels: coal production is up 1.5 percent and natural gas is up 2.6 percent. 7 To make matters worse, China is continuing to invest in coal-fired power stations. Edward Cunningham, a specialist on China and its energy markets, at Harvard University, says that China is building or planning more than 300 coal plants in places such as Egypt, Turkey, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines. 8 Does the Beijing government realize there’s a climate crisis?
Are We Consuming Less Energy?
No. In fact, we’re consuming more. Energy consumption for 2019 was still up 0.6 percent, despite a context of slower economic growth. 9
How Much Renewable Energy Is The World Using?
Renewable energy accounts for roughly 11 percent of total global energy, and 27 percent of global electrical power. Renewable sources of energy are growing, and they’re getting cheaper, but their availability is ridiculously small. So, it’s hardly surprising that fossil fuels continue to dominate.
What Are the Main Types of Renewables?
Currently, the most productive source of renewable energy is hydropower (hydroelectricity). A long way behind comes solar power and wind power (offshore/onshore). Geothermal energy (from underground heat sources) is less common though very important in certain parts of the world. Organic biomass, obtained from a huge variety of different organic materials is becoming more important, although it remains difficult to quantify. (Estimates range from 2-10%.) Next generation renewables include hydrogen power plus marine energies like wave power and tidal power, both of which are still in development. Nuclear fusion is more of a futuristic source.
How Much Renewable Energy Should The World Be Using?
The IPCC’s Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C (2018) lays out certain options (called 1.5°C pathways) that we can take in order to avoid the worst impacts of our climate crisis. A key characteristic of these pathways is the mix of fossil fuels and renewables that should be used. The overall aim is the reduction of CO2 emissions (from 2010 levels) to “net-zero” by 2050, to be achieved via cut-backs in fossil fuel consumption and corresponding increases in the use of clean energy like wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and bioenergy.
The IPCC’s middle-of-the-range options assume:
Renewable sources will supply 50-66 percent of global energy by 2050. 10
Electricity generation will be powered by fossil fuels (10 percent), with 8 percent coming from natural gas, and no more than 2 percent from coal; renewables will supply about 70–85 percent of electricity, with nuclear energy supplying the balance.
All fossil fuel usage after 2050 will be neutralized through carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies. 10
Most of the 1.5°C pathways foresee an increased role for nuclear power (currently supplying 4 percent of global energy), in one scenario up to 20 percent by 2050. But in some pathways nuclear power decreases.
The IPCC’s assessments rely heavily on the use of carbon capture and storage 11 to neutralize CO2 emissions of fossil fuels, and cites the potential of clean energy technologies like energy storage (such as lithium-ion batteries), even as it warns about the availability of resources and their impact on the environment. If CCS technologies fail to live up to their billing, or if lithium supplies dry up, renewables will not be able to fill the gap. In such a case, nuclear power may be the only emission-free option available. (Please see our article: Is Nuclear Power a Replacement For Fossil Fuels?)
How Can Renewable Energy Grow Faster?
Despite promising growth, the use of renewables needs to expand much more quickly in all three main energy sectors – heat, transportation and electricity generation – to have any chance of meeting long-term climate goals as set out in the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming 1.5°C. At current rates, fossil fuels will remain the dominant global energy source well after 2050 – the date set by the IPCC for “net-zero” fossil fuel emissions.
Renewable power consumption increased by 14 percent in 2019, providing 27 percent of the world’s electricity. 12 Which makes electrical power generation the most promising sector for renewables. This is based on the recent exponential growth of solar photovoltaics and wind, as well as the significant contribution of hydropower. But, electricity accounts for only 20 percent of global energy consumption, thus the growth of renewable energy in the transportation and heating sectors remains critical to the move away from fossil fuels. In these two sectors, renewables are forecast to enjoy only modest growth over the next five years. 13
Frequently Asked Questions About Global Warming
For answers to popular questions on all aspects of rising temperatures caused by human actions, see: 50 Climate Change FAQs, and 50 FAQs About Global Warming.
More Investment Needed to Alleviate Climate Crisis
Investment of $2.9 trillion in renewables since 2004 14 , is highly positive but, not nearly enough if we want this climate crisis to blow over. What’s more, Bloomberg New Energy Finance counted a mere $138.2 billion in clean energy investments during the first half of 2018. In contrast, says the International Energy Agency (IEA), to boost take-up of renewables in the power industry to the levels needed to limit warming to 1.5°C, an annual investment of $2.4 trillion is required.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, moving to a low-carbon, energy-efficient society requires large-scale public and private investment in energy infrastructure, including smart grid systems capable of interfacing with and integrating supplies from renewable sources. Since solar power ceases at night and wind power fluctuates with the wind, it’s vital to be able to store this power to guarantee continuity of supply.
In addition, if the motor industry is to be decarbonized, each country needs to establish a national network of electrical charging points, capable of facilitating long distance travel.
How Popular Are Renewable Fuels In Europe?
Renewables are already playing an important role in Europe. Denmark leads the way with 69 percent of electrical power coming from renewables, while in Germany and the UK the proportion of electricity generated from renewable energy sources is 32 percent. Other countries where renewable sources contribute more than 20 percent of electrical power include: Spain, Italy, Portugal, Finland and Ireland. It’s a reasonable start but more needs to be done. 15
Why Are Governments Refusing to Take Our Climate Crisis Seriously?
As this article shows, when it comes to the use of fossil fuels it is very much “business as usual” for most governments and corporations. While all profess to accept the seriousness of climate change, few seem to be sufficiently impressed by the climate science to make the necessary changes in practice. For example, try answering the following questions:
- When was the last time your President or leader appeared on TV specially to talk about climate change and what the government was actually doing (as opposed to making plans) about it?
- Does your government have a full-scale ministry or government department devoted to climate change?
- Has your government explained why global warming is happening and what lifestyle changes can help to mitigate it?
- Has your government announced that it’s drawing up plans to encourage power companies to transition to renewable sources of energy?
- Has your government announced that it’s drawing up plans to help workers in fossil-fuel businesses find jobs in other sectors?
- Has your government announced that it’s actively building a national network of electrical power points capable of servicing the millions of electric cars that will soon appear on the roads?
- Do you know of any oil company that is preparing its shareholders for the need to switch most of its operations into non-fossil fuels by 2050?
- Do you know that the climate change denial machine is financed by conservative think tanks and fossil fuel companies, and uses the same type of anti-science strategies as those used by Big Tobacco in its campaign to prove that cigarettes had nothing to do with lung cancer.
Then again, we can’t expect governments to do what’s best for their citizens any more than oil companies are likely to give up their profits merely to save the world from extinction. They need to be pushed to accept the ethics of climate change and to do the right thing.
For more on this, see: What is the Root Cause of Climate Change?
Do We Need A Massive Carbon Tax?
Oil companies and power plant operators can be pushed into using more clean energy, but not overnight. They need to know that the future is much brighter for renewables than for fossil fuels. One way of doing this is to levy a very high carbon tax – introduced in phases over (say) 5 years – to force fossil fuel companies to pay for the environmental effects of fossil fuels and to encourage them to switch to greener energy sources.
Of course, before imposing any carbon tax, governments need to ensure that greener alternatives are available and that, where necessary, the right infrastructure is in place to enable consumers to switch to cleaner energies.
How Does A Carbon Tax Work?
A carbon tax – a form of carbon pricing – is a tax levied on the carbon content of fossil fuels, which is designed to reduce the use of emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, so as to mitigate global warming.
The idea is that by making fossil fuels more expensive, corporations will switch to tax-free renewable fuels. Research confirms that carbon taxes do lower greenhouse gas emissions, although success rates vary. 16 Researchers have noted a consistently high level of public support for a well designed carbon tax. 17
Carbon is present in every kind of hydrocarbon fuel – that is, fossil fuels like coal, oil, natural gas as well as their derivatives like kerosene, paraffin and LPG – and is released as carbon dioxide (CO2) whenever this kind of fuel is burned. CO2 is the compound primarily responsible for the “greenhouse” effect of trapping heat within the Earth’s lower atmosphere, making it one of the main triggers for global warming. With the exception of bioenergy from wood burning, renewable fuels are carbon-neutral and do not emit CO2. (See our article on The Carbon Cycle: How Does it Work?.)
More than 70 countries and regions have introduced carbon taxes, including: Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Mexico and Portugal. Tax rates vary enormously from around $10 per ton to almost $140 per ton. Tax revenues are typically ploughed back into energy efficiency measures or the environmental needs of low-income groups.
Are Leading Economists In Favour Of A Carbon Tax?
In May 2017, a group of leading economists including Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz and former World Bank chief economist Nicholas Stern, called on countries to impose higher taxes on CO2 emissions in order to alleviate the catastrophic risks of global warming. The level of tax should be levied at $40-$80 per metric tonne by 2020. The aim is to meet the emissions targets called for under the Paris Climate Agreement (2015). 18
Restrain The Big Polluters
In a response to the IPCC’s Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C (2018), Kevin Anderson – Professor of Energy and Climate Change at the University of Manchester – argues that almost 50 percent of all global CO2 emissions are caused by the activities of about 10 percent of the population. By imposing a limit on the per-capita carbon footprint of these high emitters, to bring them into line with (say) the carbon footprint of an average European citizen, global emissions could be reduced by one third in a matter of a year or two. 19
Conclusion: Our Climate Crisis is Getting Worse
- With a few exceptions, governments, sub-national authorities and fossil fuel producers all seem to be heading in completely the wrong direction. Our greenhouse gas emissions are going up, instead of coming down – hence the huge emissions gap that has now opened up – while our dependence on coal, oil and natural gas has hardly changed.
- Within 30 years, renewable sources are supposed to supply 50-66 percent of global energy. In addition, renewables are supposed to generate 70–85 percent of all electricity. Given the predicted 45 percent increase in population and the predicted 80 percent (minimum) increase in food demand, these objectives seem far fetched, to put it mildly.
- According to all the available evidence, the current climate crisis is shaping up to become a real emergency, and it demands an emergency response from our governments. Instead, we are told everything is fine. Meantime, scientists are telling us that our society, our lifestyles and our expectations can be radically transformed within a matter of a decade.
- It doesn’t add up. Our climate system is in distress, the clouds are gathering and we are being told to relax and stick our heads in the sand.
- “World Scientists Warning of a Climate Emergency.” William J Ripple, Christopher Wolf, Thomas M Newsome, Phoebe Barnard, William R Moomaw. BioScience, Volume 70, Issue 1, January 2020, Pages 8–12,
- Climate Crisis: “Thousands of koalas burn to death as Australia fears native wildlife may never recover from bush fire disaster.” Giovanni Torre (Perth). Daily Telegraph, London. January 5, 2020.
- IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C: Summary for policymakers
- “Emissions Gap Report 2019. Executive Summary.” U.N. Environment Programme.
- “Emissions Gap Report 2020. Summary.” UN Environment Programme.
- Trends in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide November, 2020
- B.P. Statistical Review of World Energy 2020.
- “Why Is China Placing A Global Bet on Coal?” Steve Inskeep, Ashley Westerman. NPR. April 29, 2019.
- Global Energy Statistical Yearbook (2020)
- IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C: Summary for policymakers: (3)
- “The health and climate impacts of carbon capture and direct air capture.” Mark Z. Jacobson. Energy & Environmental Science. Issue 12, 2019. (8)
- B.P. Statistical Review of World Energy 2020.
- Renewables 2018. International Energy Agency (IEA).
- “Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2018.” U.N. Environment. Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
- “Which is better: carbon tax or cap-and-trade?” The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. 21 March, 2014. (12)
- “Carbon Taxes: What Can We Learn from International Experience?” Gilbert Metcalf. Econofact. May 3, 2019.
- “How to win public support for a global carbon tax.” Stefano Carattini et al; Nature 565, 289-291 (2019).
- “Sky-high carbon tax needed to avoid climate crisis, say experts.” The Guardian. Phillip Inman. 29 May 2017.
- “Response to the IPCC 1.5°C Special Report.” Professor Kevin Anderson.


text:
- Typically reserved to refer narrowly to the cultures of the native peoples of the United States and Canada, excluding the Eskimos and Aleuts. For the indigenous peoples of Canada use the term "First Nations." For the broader concept of the cultures of any native peoples of Central America, South America, North America, or the West Indies who are considered to belong to the Mongoloid division of the human species, use "Amerindian (culture)."
- Refers to the cultures of the continent of North America, which is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Arctic Circle, and Central America. In classifications schemes based on physical geography, Central America, and North America are parts of the same continent.
- Pieces of hard material, typically stone or metal, sharpened to have a cutting edge or penetrating point for use as projectiles or the heads of projectile weapons.
- The most common variety of silica; commonly occurs as crystals.
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text:
I see the mountains.
The golden glow fades
As darkness descends.
Music from the past blares from my phone.
My body begins to settle
As my mind begins to calm.
The hot Indian summer breeze wafts through.
My breathing slows
As my body responds to sweet grass and humid clouds.
The coffee trickles down my throat.
Its warm, rich flavor dances on my tongue
As memories of my gram and her sisters flow in my mind’s eye.
I have nothing to hold.
My lover sleeps alone tonight
As I try to get stronger in his weakness.
My soul is aching and yearning.
My desires are unnamed and indescribable
As a distant car alarm physically jars my lost mind to the present.

domain: artistic


Astra S-Nesting History
Version history for Astra S-Nesting shows you how often it was updated over the past months (starting Dec 14, 2009) as well as 'what is new' information for each update (if available, since this information provided by the author).
||Software for true shape nesting of sheet materials: metal, fabric, wood-based panel etc. Astra S-Nesting allows you to perform fast automatic nesting, manually edit layouts, import from DXF format, output NC data for CNC cutting machine.
v 2.0.0 updated on Dec 14, 2009
Astra S-Nesting is intended for true shape nesting.
New features have been added:
automatic calculate the optimal cutting tool path;
manually edit cutting tool path;
customize post-processor for different CNC types;
output NC data in ISO G-codes and ESSI formats for CNC cutting machines.
Go back to the Astra S-Nesting review
Wondershare PPT2DVD Lite for Christmas
PPT2DVD Lite is a powerful tool designed for converting PowerPoint presentations to DVD retaining animations, sounds, videos and even links between slides. It also empowers you to easily create eye-catiching DVD menus for quick easy navigation.
GUI converter that converts CHM into PDF documents. The program allows you to convert text to PDF as well. The program supports command line, batch conversion.
Tiff Batch Separation and Multi-page Compiler
Tiff image Batch Separation and Multi-page Compiler
PlanSwift Digital Takeoff & Estimating
PlanSwift is the fastest and easiest software for accurately completing digital construction takeoffs on your computer screen. With PlanSwift's visual point-and-click interface, users can easily calculate quantities of material and labor.
LITIO2 - 3D Sheet metal unfolding soft
Sheet metal for AutoCAD. It calculates flat (unfolded) sheet development of ducts, rectangle to round transitions, cylinders, cones, intersections, connections, bifurcations, elbows, etc. For HVAC, hoppers, cyclones, ducts, silos, piping, etc.


text:
District Clerk, Commissioner at odds over vacant position
When District Clerk Vickie Edgerly left Orange County Commissioners Court, she wasn’t smiling. She got in a heated discussion with Commissioner Precinct 4 Jody Crump over a vacant position in her department. Though the atmosphere was getting a little warm, the dialogue remained cordial.
Edgerly had come before the court to request permission to fill a vacant position that had been open since January. She said the position was open due to a retirement. The opening caused a domino effect of promotions with several employees moving up a step. Edgerly said she hasn’t requested the position to be filled yet, because all the new positions had a six month probationary period and that had just been completed. She said everyone had pulled together to cover the duties of the open position during the six months.
Crump said she was obviously doing a good job at covering the position because he hadn’t been getting any complaint calls and suggested the county could skip filling the position since commissioners were in the process of preparing the next year’s budget and is facing some deep cuts.
Edgerly contended her office has not had an increase in personnel in 17 years and she was not asking for an increase now, just wanted to get back to the number she originally had and was budgeted for.
“I still have some issues with filling any position that has been vacant almost a year,” said Crump.
Edgerly said anyone can step up and do extra duties for a time, but it was unfair to expect them to do so, because it was causing a hardship in the office. She and some of the others were not able to do some of the duties that are their job because they were spending so much at the counter helping customers.
She said the duties in the office have increased over the last couple of years when they took over imaging the files themselves, when before it was done elsewhere. She also said there are some additional duties that put a greater strain on the office.
“Our new jury system, although it is saving the county a lot of money it has also required more hands on from the people at my office up front to make it work, which we’ve been willing to do and that’s another reason why the training process for people moving up has been taking a lot more time.”
Edgerly said they are also spending more time assisting people who are filing court documents on their own. She said due to the economy, more people can’t afford attorneys and are filing paperwork themselves. She said this has increased to about 40-50 percent of the people.
Commissioner John Dubose of Precinct 3 asked Edgerly if she could hold off a couple of weeks until they had a better idea of what the budget numbers would be.
Edgerly said no because she had someone that worked before that could fill the position, but they wouldn’t wait. She also said there is training on new software that needs to be done and they are hoping to get that wrapped up.
Dubose’s point was they would hate to give permission to hire and then if it becomes necessary to cut the position, they would have to let them go. “We have never been in a layoff position in the county, and I don’t think we will be now,” said Dubose, but felt the delay was necessary just in case.
Crump moved to not fill the position. The motion died for lack of a second.
Dubose moved to table the decision until after the budget numbers are known, which passed.
Commissioners told department heads there are going to be cuts and if they had anything they could volunteer they were more than open to suggestions and it could save some cuts in other areas.
The county is in a deficit situation but is in good shape according to Orange County Judge Carl Thibodeaux.
The court is taking hard steps to remain fiscally sound when many municipal and county governments in the country are facing bankruptcies.
“We have been buying what we want and paying cash for it,” said Thibodeaux. He said now it is time to build back up the Capital Account.
They have held several budget workshops and recently slashed capital outlay in half resulting in $834,000 reduction, but that is still short of the 2.4 million they are trying to cut out of the budget. In a workshop Tuesday Thibodeaux said they may possibly have to freeze almost all capital outlay except for a few projects that have to be completed including the Shelter of Last Resort, some non-inventory items and leases, which are all copiers.
They also need to keep a $100,000 capital outlay contingency account for unexpected expenses that could happen.
Payroll will be addressed next week. Thibodeaux said there is a possibility they may have to freeze the matrix that is in place. The matrix is a table that determines when employees receive a pay increase determined by longevity. If it has to be frozen, employees scheduled to receive pay increases according to the matrix would not receive them for that year. Thibodeaux said they would fight to keep the matrix in place, but wanted to let departments know what might be coming.
Fuel consumption was also mentioned. Thibodeaux said usage may have to be prioritized. They are hoping to have the budget adopted on Sept. 17, Sept. 24 at the latest. They will adopt a tax rate to fund it the same day.
Commissioners will hold two public meetings in September with one to be held in the evening. The dates for those meetings have yet to be set.
Chris Pruitt of Pattillo, Brown & Hill presented Orange County’s Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year which ended Sept. 30, 2011. For that year, revenues were 1.6 million above what was expected and spending was 1.1 million under budget. “All and all, that shows conservative budgeting of about 2.8 million dollars under budget. So that is good news,” said Pruitt.
Mosquitoes test positive for West Nile
Patrick Beebe told commissioners he was notified last week that an isolated testing of mosquitoes in the west part of the county tested positive for West Nile. Additional treatments were done in that location and surrounding areas. There have been additional tests taken, but results take about a week to be received.
Early voting for general election set
Commissioners authorized early voting times and places for the Nov. 6 general election. Early voting will take place 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday, Oct. 22 through Saturday, Oct. 27 and Monday, Oct. 29 through Friday, Nov.2. Locations will be the Orange Public Library, 220 N. Fifth St., Orange; First Baptist Church Mauriceville, 11540 Hwy 12, Mauriceville; Bridge City Public Works building, 220 Nitsche, Bridge City; and The Raymond Gould Community Center, 385 Clarborne, Vidor.
Pictured: Commissioner Precinct 4 Jody Crump


text:
Rent a Car in Omis and its surroundings
Omis is a picturesque town located on the Adriatic coast of Croatia, known for its stunning natural beauty, historical significance, and adventurous activities. It has pirate history as pirates used town as their base during the Middle Ages. It is located at the mouth of Cetina River which, along with canyon walls, make it popular among adventurers.
Omis boasts several beautiful beaches along its coastline. The sandy and pebble beaches, such as Punta Beach and Brzet Beach, offer crystal-clear waters and stunning views of the Adriatic Sea. These beaches provide a relaxing atmosphere for sunbathing and swimming.
Omis has served as a filming location for the popular TV series Game of Thrones. The cliffs and fortresses of Omis were featured in the fourth season, representing the city of Meereen, which played a significant role in the show's storyline - so ''must see'' attractions are definitely Fort Mirabella (Peovica) and Fort Fortica (Starigrad). These historic structures offer breathtaking panoramic views of the town, the Adriatic Sea, and the surrounding mountains.
Renting a car in Omis can offer several advantages and enhance your overall experience in exploring the region. Having a car gives you the freedom to explore Omis and its surroundings at your own pace. Visit nearby attractions, venture off the beaten path, and discover hidden gems that may be inaccessible by public transportation.
Renting a car provides convenience and saves you time. You don't have to rely on public transportation schedules or wait for taxis. Having a car allows you to conveniently travel to and from Omis, making it easier to access nearby cities, towns, beaches, and natural attractions.
As Omis is surrounded by stunning natural landscapes, including mountains, national parks, and secluded beaches. Renting a car opens up opportunities for day trips and excursions to nearby destinations. You can visit popular attractions such as Split, Trogir, Makarska, Source of the river Cetina or the island of Brac, all of which are easily accessible by car. If you're traveling with family or a group of friends, renting a car can be more convenient and cost-effective than relying on public transportation. It allows you to travel together, carry luggage easily, and have control over your travel arrangements.
No matter if your accomodation is in Omis Center or a bit further away, we offer special car delivery service that makes it convenient for you to pickup your car. Omis is meet&greet location of Avax main office in Split so we recommend to book your rental car in advance to secure the best rates and availability. Booking process is smooth and easy. Whether you book online or via phone/email, you will receive online check in form which you can fill so we can prepare all paperwork upfront. That way pickup time takes only a couple of minutes.

domain: travel


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Customer Reviews 1 item(s)
- Excellent and highly recommend this kit!
- I was so impressed with the build quality and how easy it was to use, I was able to quickly replace the brake fluid in the system even one handed (I have broken my shoulder so am down to one arm for the moment!) I made a YouTube video on how simple it was https://youtu.be/IJ0P5suB9jk so you can see for yourself.