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What Is Gresham's Law? Gresham's law is a monetary principle stating that "bad money drives out good." It is primarily used for consideration and application in currency markets. Gresham's law was originally based on the composition of minted coins and the value of the precious metals used in them.
- 1 What is an example of Gresham's law?
- 2 What are the main limitations of Gresham's law?
- 3 What is the meaning of bad money drives out good money?
- 4 On which the Gresham law is not applicable?
- 5 How does Gresham's law work?
- 6 Who made Gresham's law?
- 7 What is Monometallism?
- 8 What do you mean by gold standard?
- 9 What is fiat money?
- 10 Who told bad money drives good money?
- 11 What is seigniorage revenue?
- 12 What is meaning of hot money?
- 13 What is the Gresham effect?
- 14 Are old coins legal tender?
- 15 What seigniorage means?
What is an example of Gresham's law?
In economics, Gresham's law is a monetary principle stating that "bad money drives out good ". For example, if there are two forms of commodity money in circulation, which are accepted by law as having similar face value, the more valuable commodity will gradually disappear from circulation.
What are the main limitations of Gresham's law?
Limitations of the Greshamâ€™s Law:
- If the total money in circulation, including, both good and bad money, exceeds the actual monetary demand of the public.
- If the public is prepared to accept and circulate bad money.
- If the good money is full-bodied legal tender whose face value equals its intrinsic value.
What is the meaning of bad money drives out good money?
Bad Money Drives Out Good Money Meaning If there is counterfeit or inflated currency in circulation, people will hoard their genuine currency and only use the counterfeits in order to preserve the thing of true value. This phenomenon is also known as Gresham's law.
On which the Gresham law is not applicable?
If, for example, the government of a country that is operating under a bimetallic system declares the overvalued currency as legal tender, the public will hoard, export, or melt the undervalued currency type into bullion (Rothbard 1980). Gresham's law is not only applicable to bimetallic currency systems.
How does Gresham's law work?
Gresham's law, observation in economics that "bad money drives out good." More exactly, if coins containing metal of different value have the same value as legal tender, the coins composed of the cheaper metal will be used for payment, while those made of more expensive metal will be hoarded or exported and thus tend
Who made Gresham's law?
The expression "Gresham's Law" dates back only to 1858, when British economist Henry Dunning Macleod (1858, p. 476-8) decided to name the tendency for bad money to drive good money out of circulation after Sir Thomas Gresham (_PHONE_).
What is Monometallism?
British Dictionary definitions for monometallism monometallism. / (ˌmɒnəʊˈmɛtəˌlɪzəm) / noun. the use of one metal, esp gold or silver, as the sole standard of value and currency. the economic policies supporting a monometallic standard.
What do you mean by gold standard?
The gold standard is a monetary system where a country's currency or paper money has a value directly linked to gold. With the gold standard, countries agreed to convert paper money into a fixed amount of gold. In the U.S., for instance, the dollar is fiat money, and for Nigeria, it is the naira.
What is fiat money?
Fiat money is a government-issued currency that is not backed by a physical commodity, such as gold or silver, but rather by the government that issued it. 4
Who told bad money drives good money?
The principle of bad taking over good is explained by Mr. Gresham and is popularly known as Gresham's law which states "bad money drives out good money…" Let me tell you a historical story of Indian ruler Muhammad Bin Tughlaq. He ruled from 1324 to 1351.
What is seigniorage revenue?
Seigniorage Explained Seigniorage may be counted as revenue for a government when the money it creates is worth more than it costs to produce. This revenue is often used by governments to finance portions of their expenditures without having to collect taxes.
What is meaning of hot money?
"Hot money" refers to funds that are controlled by investors who actively seek short-term returns. These investors scan the market for short-term, high interest rate investment opportunities. A typical short-term investment opportunity that often attracts "hot money" is the certificate of deposit (CD).
What is the Gresham effect?
In this post I'll explore the idea that the use of credit cards in payments is driving a modern Gresham effect, the result of which is a displacement of cash and an inflationary race to the bottom of sorts. First, we need to revisit the idea of Gresham's law, or the idea that the bad money drives out the good.
Are old coins legal tender?
Top Money Stories Today Although the older notes cannot be used as legal tender, the Bank of England will accept them. A spokesperson told the BBC: "All genuine Bank of England banknotes that have been withdrawn from circulation retain their face value for all time."
What seigniorage means?
Introduction. Seigniorage refers to the profit made by a government from minting currency. Seigniorage is determined by the difference between the face value of the currency and the cost of producing it. 5


internal anal sphincter
The topic internal anal sphincter is discussed in the following articles:
anal canal
 - TITLE: anal canal (anatomy)
 - TITLE: human digestive system
 SECTION: Rectum and anus
 ...A second sphincter, the external anal sphincter, is composed of striated muscle and is divided into three parts known as the subcutaneous, superficial, and deep external sphincters. Thus, the internal sphincter is composed of smooth muscle and is innervated by the autonomic nervous system, while the external sphincters are of striated muscle and have somatic (voluntary) innervation...


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Premium Prestashop Template
The main symptoms of Fusarium are green patches between 12 and 15 cm in diameter that can increase up to 90 to 200 cm and change color to look like dried grass straw. The shape of the spots on the law
The Rhizoctoniais a fungus that affects the lawn and its main symptoms are: presence of brown spots, circular and small (up to 40 cm in diameter).
Red thread is a fungus that affects grass causing the following symptoms: irregular round spots of 5 cm to 1 m in diameter.
The cotton leafworm is a very common lawn pest.
Bananas trees in your garden are losing leaves and one can see very small bothersome insects? This is that the trees are suffering from the sycamore lace bug.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


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The Mercedes-Benz Museum is home to more than just automobiles. In 2007, the Guinness Book of Records gave it recognition for housing the "strongest artificially generated tornado in the world." The 34.4 meter high (that is 37.2 yards to those metrically challenged) vortex was not designed as an attraction, but to channel smoke out of the building in the event of a fire. In the event of fire, 144 outlets located along the core walls inject air into the interior courtyard of the Mercedes-Benz Museum. The 100-feet twister takes around seven minutes to materialize, drawing smoke out of the building's corridors and funnelling it upwards and out an exhaust vent on the roof.
Due to the open-plan structure of the Mercedes-Benz Museum, the various exhibition areas are connected to each other without any fire zones via an interior courtyard and ramps. From the perspective of smoke elimination this presented a challenging task that could not be implemented through conventional fluid mechanics. It was necessary to take a new approach, and so a globally unique smoke elimination system was developed especially for the Mercedes-Benz Museum.
This procedure uses the principle of the tornado force, which has a devastating effect under natural conditions, to create a controlled life-saving form of fluid mechanics that opens up new architectural possibilities.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


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This was a great, if in cohesive group of panelists. They've each done really interesting research on different architectural expressions of 'women's spaces' in three different US institutions: contemporary Mosques, Gymnasiums at the turn of the century, and Settlement Houses in the early 1900′s.
Maryam Eskandari gave a very compelling presentation on the need to re-examine mosque typology and explore the gender hierarchy assumptions embedded in that typology. Essentially, her work has determined that mosques prioritize men's space, making the front of the mosque inaccessible to women, and allocating the separate women's prayer space as ½ to 1/5 the amount of space allocated to the men. She talked about radical activists in the US staging Rosa Parks-style interventions in this model. And, she advocated for the role of architects in changing the typology, making contemporary mosque design reflect the changing politics of the practice of Islam in the US where communities are more open to mixed gender prayer spaces.
follow the conference @ Gender, Sexuality and Urban Space


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the observed mismatch between observed and modeled K concentration could relate the analytical uncertainty of analyzing K concentrations at the 1 mg L−1 level or lower. Furthermore, the elevated K concentration could be a consequence of secondary limited exchange of Na by K at the surfaces of newly formed potassium sheet silicates. The phreeqc model also suggests undersaturation for the clay minerals kaolinite and beidellite. Including biotite in the phreeqc model results in similar K concentrations in the solution and as observed very low dissolved Mg.
Calcium: Ca in waters from the crystalline basement originates mainly from the alteration of anorthite component of plagioclase. Ca is removed from the water by precipitation of observed zeolite (laumontite or Ca-rich stilbite). Dissolution of minerals from Ca-silicate lenses or amphiboles from amphibolite occurring in some units of the Gotthard Massif may contribute additional Ca locally (Additional file 1: Table S1). Despite the generally low Ca-concentrations the tunnel-waters are saturated with respect to calcite. Observed calcite on fracture surfaces and in veins and dissolution of secondary calcite coating these fractures are the expected consequences of local dissolution or precipitation of calcite.
Fluoride: Alteration of biotite present in most basement rocks releases Mg, Fe, K and F to the solution. Additional Fe-sources are pyrite and Fe–Mg silicates other than biotite in some rocks. Biotite dissolution is the only significant source of fluorine in the water. Fluoride is a substantial component of the basement waters from the Gotthard Massif. Its presence proves that biotite dissolution progresses along the flow path of the surface water to the sampling fracture in the tunnel. The Bt-dissolution reaction (rxn 8) is essential to the chemical evolution of the water:
Biotite is written here as F-endmember (see below). The basement water contains very little Mg and almost no Fe (Table 1). This means that all Mg and Fe released by reaction rxn 8 is redistributed into a low-solubility solid. This Mg-Fe sink is predominantly chlorite, which is an abundant product mineral in fissures, fractures and cavities. Released K and excess Mg, Fe are trapped in low-T sheet silicate including various clays (illite, smectite). A generic model for the process is given as reaction 9:
Biotite from Streifengneiss s.s. at the south end of the Sedrun section contains up to 0.9 wt% F corresponding to 20 mol.% F-endmember Bt. Since product chlorite does not incorporate F in its structure all F from Bt alteration is released to the water. Streifengneiss biotite also contains a small amount of Cl, typically 0.15 wt% Cl corresponding to ~ 4 mol.% Cl-endmember (analyzed samples from km 27.339). Biotite alteration also contributes a part of the Cl in water. Muscovite present in gneiss contains from 0.2 to 0.4 wt% F and trace amounts of Cl. Ms does not release F to the water because Ms remains in the rock and does not alter to a low-grade product mineral like biotite does. The minor mineral titanite, which is occasionally present, contains 1.7 wt% F and traces of Cl (< 0.01 wt%). Consequently, the F-content of the water directly indicates the extent of Bt-alteration and thus the local brittle deformation, fracturing and faulting. Therefore, Bt-alteration and associated F-release is favored in the same zones that also open primary salty fluid-inclusions in quartz. This explains why fluoride and chloride are correlated (Fig. 8).
The chloride-fluoride signature of water in basement rocks is a sensitive property monitoring the rock unit it is in contact with (Fig. 15). The Cl and F concentrations reflect details of the lithological structure of basement units that are difficult to map in the field or recognize in the opened tunnel. The base of the GM in the north produces very halogen-rich water, probably as a result of massive brittle Alpine deformation. Further south a homogeneous subunit of Paragneiss releases water with markedly lower halogen. The inflows in the following section in Paragneiss and Streifen-Gneiss have similar halogen signatures. It follows a marked zone very low in halogens but has been identified and mapped as Streifen-Gneiss north as well (marked with a darker signature in Fig. 15). The signal could be a result of primary properties of the rock, which might constitute a separate unit. This is our preferred interpretation because TDS and Na do not show a noticeable signal in this zone precluding the possibility that the zone is a low-deformation zone. The inflows distinctly mark the Paradise-Gneiss unit (Fig. 15). Further south all inflows contain more fluoride than chloride as a result of the high F-content of biotite in these rocks.
The maximum concentration of fluoride is limited by the saturation with fluorite thus by the amount of Ca in the water, which is extremely low in the GM. However, all water-samples from the investigated tunnel section are undersaturated with respect to fluorite (CaF2) and the occurrence of fluorite is not documented in the GM (in contrast to the Aar-Massif of the Amsteg Section of the tunnel).
Chloride in deep groundwater residing in basement units has potentially 4 sources: It may represent stored fossil seawater, dissolution of evaporitic halite, and alteration of Cl-bearing silicates e.g. biotite or amphibole, but could also be the result of cracked fluid inclusions. The measured range of Cl/Br mass ratios of 20–60 in the northern GM and 40–80 in the southern GM is typical for the salinity in crystalline basement originating from stored brine in original fluid inclusions trapped at high metamorphic temperature mostly in quartz (Stober & Bucher, 1999).
Magnesium: In the southern part of TZM-south relatively high Mg-concentrations were observed (11.7 mg L−1, 21.868 km) where Ca is also elevated (56.8 mg L−1) (Fig. 7). This could be related to the presence of altered ultrabasic lenses in this unit, or more probable to infiltration of dolomite water from the UGZ.
Iron: Measurable Fe concentrations in water from the GM suggest generally reducing conditions consistent with relatively high sulfate from sulfide oxidation (Fe up to 0.7 mg L−1; detection limit 0.02). Fe sources are pyrite, biotite, and amphibole. The tunnel waters are supersaturated with respect to hematite (Fe2O3) and goethite. Hematite on fracture surfaces and as fissure deposits is common in the Sedrun region. In the Aar Massif Fe in solution is typically below detection limit of 0.02 mg L−1 (Bucher et al., 2012).
Sulfate is an important anion also in waters from the basement rocks (Fig. 6b). Sulfate could be released to the fracture water by dissolution of secondary CaSO4 in fractures of the basement rocks. The second source of sulfate is oxidation of sulfide e.g. pyrite (FeS2) (rxn 2, 3, 4). The data show that Ca and SO4 are uncorrelated and Ca/SO4 is < 1 (mmol L−1 ratio) in all samples collected in crystalline basement rocks suggesting that dissolution of gypsum or anhydrite (or gypsum) is not the prime source of sulfate. This conclusion is consistent with the absence of reported gypsum or anhydrite in the Sedrun tunnel (Guntli et al., 2016). Thus sulfate in basement water has the same origin as in the meta-sediments of the UGZ described above, specifically from sulfide dissolution and oxidation. All analyzed rock samples of Streifengneiss and gneiss from the Piz-Fuorcla-Zone contain pyrite. Some also contain secondary calcite and graphite in veinlets and as fracture fillings. Small amounts of methane have been detected in a few selected water samples. H2S was below detection limit (0.005 mg L−1) and residual O2 is low. The gas-analysis of one sample from Streifengneiss north revealed CO2 7943 vol. ppm, O2 9.0 vol. %, N2 90.2 vol. %, CH4 302 vol. ppm (Atmosphere: 380, 20.9, 78.2, 1.5). The reactions that produce sulfate can be written slightly different from for the sulfate produced in the UGZ presented above. Reaction rxn 2 from above dissolves pyrite and the water contains abundant dissolved Fe(II). The iron may subsequently precipitate as siderite (rxn 10):
Siderite occurs on fractures and fissures instead of being oxidized to hematite. The limiting factor keeping Fe in solution is remaining O2 in water. Alternatively, the ferrous iron may subsequently be oxidized to ferric iron, precipitating as iron oxide, ferric oxyhydroxide, or hydroxide by reactions of the type rxn 11:
The significance of both reactions is supported by the abundant occurrence of massif graphite coatings on many fracture surfaces and by the presence of


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Domino is a game in which players try to place dominoes in a line or a shape that will be the highest when completed. The first player to do so wins the round or the game. There are many different games that use domino, and the rules vary by game and even by country. However, most domino games fall into one of four categories: bidding, blocking, scoring and round games.
A domino is a small tile that is normally twice as long as it is wide. It has a line in the middle to divide it visually into two squares with a contrasting arrangement of dots, called pips, on each side. A domino may have all or some of its pips colored black, white or a combination of both colors. The value of a domino is determined by its arrangement of pips on both sides, and this is known as its rank or weight.
The pips on a domino are usually arranged in the form of an upside-down pyramid. Each side of the domino has a set number of pips that are grouped into three, five or nine sets. Each of these groups has a specific color that is used to distinguish one domino from another. In addition, each end of a domino is marked with a particular number, either 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 (depending on the type of domino).
Once a domino has been placed, it is considered an active domino and is therefore vulnerable to being knocked over by other dominoes that are adjacent to it. This is why it is important to play on a hard surface, so that the tiles can be stood on edge and not touched by other pieces.
When the first domino falls, much of its potential energy converts to kinetic energy and pushes the next domino forward. This energy travels down the line until the last domino is knocked over. The speed at which a domino travels is dependent on its rank, as well as the distance from the point at which it was triggered.
As the dominoes fall, each of their ends are joined together. The number of ends that are joined is referred to as the count, and it is important to keep track of this in order to calculate the score at the end of a game. The count may also be used to determine the winner of a game.
In some games, the player with the heaviest tile begins play. If the heaviest tile is not a double, or if there is a tie in points, a new hand of dominoes may be drawn from the stock.
A common method of calculating the winning score is to add up all the individual numbers of each player's losing dominoes at the end of the hand or game. This is a fairly accurate way of determining the winner, but it can be confusing to keep track of the individual values of each piece, and it requires that the losing players have a full set of dominoes.


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How-To: Organizing Your Books
 - Color-coordinated. Organizing your books by spine color, in a rainbow colored lineup or otherwise, can add visual appeal to a room. This technique is fit for design fiends, who don't mind having to search a bit to find the book you need. Look at it this way: there's a world of possibility in your snooze-worthy scientific encyclopedias that you never thought were cool. Wanna see how it looks? Check out my bookcase.
 - Digitally. There's a handful of software that will help you catalog your books, including Readerware for Books, Booxter, and Delicious Monster. I've yet to test these out, but most reviews are favorable.
 - Dewey Decimal System. This one's an ode to my grade school librarian, who was a staunch proponent of Melvil Dewey. It organizes your books into 10 main classes, 10 further divisions, and then 10 sections. Decimals allow it to be numerical as well as hierarchical, so similar topics will also have similar numbers, and books are arranged on the shelf in increasing numerical order, not necessarily by topic.
 - Library of Congress System. This system, developed by, you guessed it, the Library of Congress, divides subjects into broad categories, which are given letters, and assigns call numbers to each book. So, books of the same topic are on the same shelf.
 - Utility. Keep books your rarely need to use in the hard to reach places, and the ones you read frequently in easy to access places. Put display books, art books, etc., at eye level so your guests can enjoy them.
 - Genre. Rather than organizing books simply by topic, organize them by genre. Keep all your naughty fiction novels in one place, travel books in another, reference books in another, self-help in another, etc., much like a bookstore would. Use bookends between each section so they're visually easy to find, even if each book doesn't have a set place.
 - Vertical free-for-all. If a classification system isn't for you, go for vertical bookcases which will keep your books looking clutter-free, even if there's nothing systematic about them.
Don't have books? Check out my home library for suggestions.
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Published: December 4, 2020
Bandwidth refers to the amount of data that is transferred from your web server. Monthly bandwidth is a cap that is placed by hosting providers based on the pricing plan you have chosen. This refers to any transfers whatsoever that occur on your website, whether they are uploads or downloads. It is worth noting that the amount of data that will be transferred from a single web page will likely be the sum of the size of all files on that page.
For each time that this page is fully loaded by a unique user, this means that all of that data will be transferred from the web server to the client (the user's browser). If the user visits multiple pages on your site, each one of those will need to be added to the total. If you get a large number of users during a month, to calculate the bandwidth used, you would need to sum up all of the data loaded for each user, and multiply it by the data on the number of pages.
All things being equal, larger files will generate a larger amount of bandwidth; if you provide multimedia content, each stream of that content will count toward the total. Similarly, if you use many large images on your site, the bandwidth will be taken up by each time these images load.
If the amount of bandwidth exhausted during a month for a site, this will typically accrue an additional charge from the web host. What they charge will vary between providers.
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Computer and Software Support
How to reset modem
If you cannot access the internet, try resetting the cable or DSL modem. Here is the procedure. (Click on the link for further instructions)
Have a cable modem and can't connect to the internet. Do the following
 1. Turn system off
 2. Unplug your cable modem from the computer.
 3. Unplug the power to the cable modem. This will reset the cable modem.
 4. Turn the computer on (with the cable modem unplugged)
 5. Turn the computer off after it gets to the desktop
 6. Plug the power back in on the cable modem.
 7. Plug the cable modem back in the system.
Here is information on turning off and on Cable/DSL Modems and Routers.


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The LDC offers experiments in hypergravity: the 8m-dimameter four-arm centrifuge is set spinning at up to 67 revs a minute, creating up to 20 times normal Earth gravity.
Experiments in microgravity, on board the ISS for example, allow us to explore the effects of living and coping in an environment without gravity. But to understand these effects properly, it is useful to same responses in different gravitational conditions such as partial gravity (on the Moon) and hypergravity.
ESA built its LDC to improve the research infrastructure it could offer the European research community, encouraged by the European Low Gravity Research Association and supported by Dutch government. It is located at the ESA's Life and Physical Sciences Instrumentation Laboratory in the Netherlands.
Poster image courtesy of ESA.


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28. October 2021 21:07
The capacity to tap into enormous volumes of data to enable real-time, intelligent decision-making is of crucial importance for any smart building. Builders need a dependable and adaptable communications infrastructure that can serve both current and future use cases. Security is paramount to all digital technologies as traditional WiFi deployment architecture has become vulnerable. Builders and contractors must consider addressing these constraints to improve the experience of residents using WiFi in smart buildings.
Constraints over deploying WiFi in smart buildings: -
- Leave no blind-spot - Someone might require network access in lobbies, meeting rooms, and other common areas. Physical security management teams increasingly require comprehensive coverage. Wireless IoT sensors could be deployed at elevator shafts, maintenance rooms, roofs, & parking garages.
- Cabling and installation - Twisted pair cabling improves the WiFi 6 and 6E performance. Category 6A cable should be installed as PoE (Power over Ethernet) devices get more complex, and frequently require more power to function. Ensure safe delivery of high electric watt supply to WiFi APs (Access Points), UHD (Ultra-HD) security cameras, IoT sensors, and PoEs.
- Antenna and Radar - Antenna types such as yagi, panel, and parabolic are better alternatives for coverage and performance in regions with concrete or plaster walls or huge metal machinery. The interior-exterior environment such as office spaces, atriums, parking garages, maintenance, or engineering floors often decides the type of antenna to be deployed. WiFi access points with built-in antennas must be created for conventional office area deployments. This will bypass the physical obstacles such as drywall, cubicle barriers, office-grade doors, and glass panes.
- Network subnetting - Strict WiFi access controls must be implemented by employing micro-segmentation to mitigate malware outbreaks and service disruptions. LPWAN (Low-Power-Wide-Area Networks) provides ease of deployment, and ultra-low power consumption is required to scale with low-computing, battery-operated IoT sensor devices. LPWAN system requires a single base station to link thousands of scattered endpoints across the building utilizing the basic star topology. LPWAN utilizes sub-GHz frequencies. This helps to avoid excessive interference from old wireless systems functioning in the building at 2.4 GHz range. This ensures long-term network dependability. At the end of the day, the robustness and reliability of your WiFi systems will determine whether your smart building architecture succeeds or fails.
The range of smart building applications is enormous, and it's developing all the time. As a result, in order to take advantage of everything that this transition has to offer, both existing broadband networks and future low-power IoT connections will need to coexist in the wireless architecture.
WiFi deployment in smart buildings helps in: -
- Occupancy and damage detection - Integrating different systems over WiFi in smart buildings can help in regulation of safe distance measure and sanitation operations. It can also detect faults in time and prevent avoidable maintenance and energy expenditures.
- HVAC and access control systems - Smart building systems can reduce utility expenditures, carbon emissions and increase tenant satisfaction by installing AI-enabled HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) systems. Smoke detectors, window/door sensors, intrusion, and fire alarm systems can also integrate with HVAC and the system can identify irregularities proactively to resolve them early on.
- Monitoring of the environment & consumables - Smart building systems can monitor IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) conditions to enhance the health, comfort, and well-being of building occupants and to lower the risk of respiratory complaints. The WiFi enabled system can also monitor in real-time how much hand sanitizer, soap, paper towels, and toilet paper is being used in the building. To guarantee timely refills and the health and safety of tenants, receive notifications when products are running short.
Centex Technologies provide IT and networking solutions for establishments. For more information on deployment of WiFi for smart buildings, call Centex Technologies at (972) 375 - 9654.


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|Exploring Mars: Oh Water, Where Art Thou?|
In this lesson students explore the idea of water on Mars. Many active links allow the students to come to their own conclusions about water on Mars and explore how Earth might appear from space without water. Other links provide the students with the opinions of experts. This is the eighth in a series of interactive student lessons from the Martian Sun Times.
Intended for grade levels:
Type of resource:
A printable version of this site is available as a pdf file, requiring Adobe Acrobat reader.
Cost / Copyright:
Copyright and Other Restrictions Information is Unknown
DLESE Catalog ID: DLESE-000-000-004-933
This resource is part of 'The Martian Sun-Times'
Resource contact / Creator / Publisher:


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August 17 2012
When it was decided in 1850 to build a railway bridge linking the Island of Montreal with the south shore, many people said it was impossible to build such a large structure. Despite the skeptics, the Grand Trunk Railway launched a gigantic construction project, and the celebrated engineer Robert Stephenson (son of George Stephenson 'The father of railways') drew up the plans for a tubular structure made of riveted iron plates that would form the 3km covered railway bridge.
At the time it was built, the Victoria Bridge ranked as one of the most daring structures of its day. Erected between 1854 and 1859, Victoria Bridge was officially inaugurated by Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales on August 25, 1860. At the time of its completion it was the longest bridge in the world.
Before the bridge was built, travelling to the South Shore from Montreal was done by boat in the summer and sleds in the winter, but only when the ice froze solid. The Victoria Bridge assured year-round transportation and access to seaports in the Maritimes, Toronto and Chicago.
The bridge spawned ingenious innovations in construction techniques:
- The stone piers were angled at 45 degrees into the current to act as a long line of icebreakers.
- The builders also devised the first derricks to lift up the rocks brought in by barge and the first steam-driven cranes.
- There was even a just-in-time delivery system for the prefabricated parts shipped from Liverpool, England, that used a fleet of steamboats.
Since steel hadn't yet been invented and cast iron was proving problematic, the bridge was constructed using wrought iron. While the 28 piers are pretty much those that were constructed in 1860 the initial tubular iron sections were replaced in 1897/8 with standard metal trusses.
Today the bridge has a rail line running in the center section with single roadway on either side. In morning rush hour both lanes carry traffic to Montreal and in the evening rush hour the lanes carry traffic to the south shore. At all other times, there is one lane available in each direction. Due to weight restrictions and low clearance, heavy Goods Vehicles are prohibited from using the Victoria Bridge.
Having walked all the way to the bridge, and not being the easiest place to get to, I forgot completely about looking for the Irish Commemorative Stone (known as The Black Rock) that was laid by the workers on the bridge who discovered human remains during construction. The remains were of Irish immigrants to Canada, who had fled the famine in Ireland, only to die during the typhus epidemic of 1847 in fever sheds at nearby Windmill Point (site of the grain Silo 5). I plan to return again to shoot the bridge in winter so hope to find Black Rock then.
It's a bit sad having viewed a structure that is over 150 years old and still in good working order to then have to walk under the elevated Bonaventure Expressway that was built in 1967 and is due to be demolished over the next few years. Not to mention the Turcot Interchange (built in 1967 and to be demolished in next few years), Champlain Bridge (built in 1962 to be demolished and replaced in next 10 years) and the Mercier Bridge (built in 1934 requiring ongoing major repairs). I plan to cover these structures in future posts, but feel I need to go buy a hard hat first
I didn't want to end the week with some ugly shots, so here are some nice views of modern Montreal…Have a great weekend everyone!!!
To view images in gallery format, simply click on one of the images below.
Thanks for stopping by. Until next time.


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Most seats in sub-Saharan Africa are low stools with round or rectangular tops, carved from a single block of wood. As early as the sixteenth century, Portuguese traders and explorers introduced chairs with backs, leather seats, and decorative brass tacks, giving them as presents to chiefs, who used them as thrones. Chokwe artists soon began to produce similar chairs, adapting the style to preexisting sculptural conventions. Here, a cikungu mask, a symbol of chieftaincy, is represented on the back of the chair. Figures on the rungs and splats depict scenes of daily and ceremonial life.
- Culture: Chokwe
- Medium: Copper alloy, animal hide, wood
- Geographical Locations:
- Dates: 19th century
- Dimensions: 26 3/4 x 12 x 15 1/2 in. (67.9 x 30.5 x 39.4 cm) (show scale)
- Collections:Arts of Africa
- Museum Location: This item is on view in South Gallery, 1st Floor
- Accession Number: 22.187
- Credit Line: Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund
- Rights Statement: Creative Commons-BY
- Caption: Chokwe. Chief's Chair, 19th century. Copper alloy, animal hide, wood, 26 3/4 x 12 x 15 1/2 in. (67.9 x 30.5 x 39.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.187. Creative Commons-BY
- Catalogue Description: European-style chair with two splats, rungs, and a leather-covered seat, decorated with figural and animal carvings and brass tacks. Carved geometric, designs on front and back of splats create background for a Chihongo mask, rows of figures, a snake, the backs of birds, and two figures with Cikunza masks. Figures representing daily and ceremonial life (e.g. man on the back of a cow, musician, etc.) decorate the rungs and front legs of the chair. The front figure between the legs on the proper right panel is lost. The lower left figure on the front of the seat back has losses on both feet. On the hide seat, there is a loss on the front of the proper left edge. On the rear and at the center and proper left top edges of the seat back, the surface is abraded. There are some tacks missing.
- Record Completeness: Best (91%)


U2 song scientifically proven to be most effective in the world for helping young children get off to sleep
ONE OF U2's most iconic tracks has been identified as the perfect song for parents to play when trying to get any young children off to sleep.
Released back in February 1992, One topped the singles chart in Ireland and has regularly featured on lists of the world's greatest songs ever since.
However, if you were to play it to a young child, the chances are they would start to drift off. That's according to new research conducted by kid's bed specialist Cuckooland.
Researchers from Durham University analysed Spotify data linked to some 4,500 songs that regularly featured on lullaby playlists created on the music streaming service.
Annaliese Grimaud, a researcher at the Music & Science Lab at Durham University said:
"The function of a lullaby is to soothe a baby and put them to sleep, so common features we would expect to see in lullabies would be, a slow(ish) tempo, relatively quiet dynamics, simple rhythm pattern - potentially one that imitates a rocking movement - a simple melody that's easier to memorise and easier to sing, predictability achieved by repetitive phrases and verses, and a high pitch due to the connotations that mothers/females usually sing lullabies."
The study concluded that U2's One contains all the properties of the "perfect lullaby".
All of which contrasts much of the meaning behind the track, which is anything but idyllic.
The Edge, meanwhile, described as a "bitter, twisted, vitriolic conversation between two people who've been through some nasty, heavy stuff".
Not exactly the stuff of lullabies then.


Comparative Assessment of SSAT and ISEE
Which is BetterISEE or SSAT?
SSAT school entrance exam and ISEE school entrance exam are the two most popular entrance examinations in the United States. Students and their parents, from all over the world, are often in doubt regarding which one the students should opt for, in order to secure admission in a good school of their choice. Hence, the students and their parents should understand that one of these school entrance examinations cannot be judged as better than the other because both have their respective merits and demerits, which are again based on individualistic judgement. The characteristics that may appear as merits for one individual may contribute to demerits as per another individual. However, by knowing the features of these tests, a student can decide upon the examination that is better for him/her in comparison to the other.
Which is Better - ISEE or SSAT?
As discussed earlier, it is not possible to generally declare the better examination between the two, as both of these school entrance examinations are designed for test takers with different requirements. However, a comparison of the two examinations is given below for one to decide upon which of these examinations will prove to be better than the other for his/her individualistic requirements:
 1. SSAT is to be taken by those seeking admission in 4th gradeBoth the examinations are available for those seeking admission in schools from the 5th grade - 12th grade. However, for those wanting to take admission in the 4th grade, SSAT is the only examination available.
 2. For facing fewer questions in the Mathematics section, the SSAT is betterSSAT has the Mathematics section in its Quantitative section. In ISEE, questions from Mathematics can be seen in both the Quantitative Reasoning and Mathematics sections. Hence, there are more Mathematics questions in the latter than in the former. If a student is not comfortable with answering Mathematics questions, he/she has to choose SSAT.
 3. Attempt ISEE for a more generalised Verbal sectionThe Verbal section in the ISEE is more generalized than it is in the SSAT, as it has Sentence Completion questions that need to be answered with answers that fit accurately in the sentences in the question, with respect to concept and grammar. The Verbal section of SSAT, on the other hand, tests one's ability to draw analogies. Hence, students good at analogical thinking can prefer SSAT.
 4. Essay section of SSAT allows a choice, for selection of essaysThe Essay section of SSAT gives you an opportunity to choose between a couple of given topics. Such a choice is not available with the ISEE essay section. Hence a student can choose SSAT, if he/she wants a choice in the essay section
 5. Fewer answering alternatives make ISEE an easier option - The SSAT presents 5 answering alternatives, whereas the ISEE presents only 4. ISEE is advantageous in this aspect since it is easier and less time consuming to arrive at the correct answer from fewer available choices. More answering alternatives implies, greater granularity in the alternatives, which makes it tougher for one to select a correct answer in comparison to questions that have fewer answering alternatives to choose from. Hence, one should opt for ISEE when there is a choice.
 6. Negative marking in SSAT makes it less favourable for test takers than ISEE - Both the tests have questions from a wide variety of topics. Hence, it is not easy for one to know the correct answer for each and every question given in the test. Negative marking for wrong answers makes a test tough. SSAT has negative marking for wrong answers, whereas ISEE does not. Hence, you should opt for SSAT only if you are conceptually very clear in the subject areas on which you will be tested.
 7. Test DatesSSAT has 3 types of test dates, the National Test Date, the Flex Test dates, and the Regional Flex Test dates from which one can choose the dates on which one wants to appear for the test. Most of the flexi dates of SSAT allow the student to take the SSAT only once a year. The ISEE, on the other hand, has only one testing date plan under which one can opt for taking the test. Moreover, a minimum of six months' time gap is prescribed for two subsequent attempts of the ISEE. In this aspect, one has to consider individual preferences in order to choose between the two.
Both the tests are mostly similar, though they differ in certain aspects. It is for the students and their parents to understand which of these examinations will be beneficial for them and choose the one that they feel better. For more information, please visit _URL_ and _URL_ respectively.


I need to split a list into a list of all possible tuples, but I'm unsure of how to do so.
For example:
pairs ["cat","dog","mouse"]
should result in:
[("cat","dog"), ("cat","mouse"), ("dog","cat"), ("dog","mouse"), ("mouse","cat"), ("mouse","dog")]
I was able to form the first two, but am unsure of how to get the rest.
Here's what I have so far:
pairs (x:xs) = [(m,n) | m <- [x], n <- xs]
You can use a list comprehension:
allpairs xs = [ (x1,x2) | x1 <- xs, x2 <- xs, x1 /= x2 ]
 - Thank you! I completely forgot about list comprehension. – user1742646 Oct 13 '12 at 1:30
This answer is in two parts. The first part addresses the question directly. The second part goes off on a tangent (literally) in order to dig about in the mathematics behind the first part: it may thus prove to be difficult material of limited interest, but I thought a few extremists might enjoy it.
The answers I've seen so far make neat use of list comprehensions or their monadic equivalent, but they use equality to rule out duplicates, thus requiring an extra Eq constraint. Here's a solution which makes all the pairs of elements in two different positions.
Firstly, I write a handy function which decorates each element of a list with the list of elements in other positions: all the ways to "pick one and leave the others". It's very useful whenever lists are being used to collect stuff for selection-without-replacement, and it's something I find I use a lot.
picks :: [x] -> [(x, [x])]
picks [] = []
picks (x : xs) = (x, xs) : [(y, x : ys) | (y, ys) <- picks xs]
Note that map fst. picks = id, so that the selected element in each position of the result is the element from that position in the original list: that's what I meant by "decorates".
Now it's easy to pick two, using the same list comprehension method as in the other answers. But instead of selecting the first component from the list itself, we can select from its picks, at the same time acquiring the list of candidates for the second component.
allPairs :: [x] -> [(x, x)]
allPairs xs = [(y, z) | (y, ys) <- picks xs, z <- ys]
It's just as easy to get hold of the triples, taking picks twice.
allTriples :: [x] -> [(x, x, x)]
allTriples ws = [(x, y, z) | (x, xs) <- picks ws, (y, ys) <- picks xs, z <- ys]
For uniformity, it's almost tempting to make the code slightly less efficient, writing (z, _) <- picks ys rather than z <- ys in both.
If the input list has no duplicates, you won't get any duplicating tuples in the output, because the tuples take their elements from different positions. However, you will get
Picks> allPairs ["cat", "cat"]
To avoid that, feel free to use allPairs. nub, which removes duplicates before selection and demands once more an Eq instance for the element type.
For extremists only: containers, calculus, comonads and combinatorics ahoy!
picks is one instance of a more general construct, arising from the differential calculus. It's an amusing fact that for any given containery sort of a functor f, its mathematical derivative, ∂f, represents f-structures with one element removed. For example,
newtype Trio x = Trio (x, x, x) -- x^3
has derivative
data DTrio x = Left3 ((), x, x) | Mid3 (x, (), x) | Right3 (x, x, ()) -- 3*x^2
A number of operations can be associated with this construction. Imagine we can really use ∂ (and we can kinda code it up using type families). We could then say
data InContext f x = (:-) {selected :: x, context :: ∂f x}
to give a type of selected elements decorated by context. We should certainly expect to have the operation
plug :: InContext f x -> f x -- putting the element back in its place
This plug operation moves us towards the root if we're zippering about in a tree whose nodes are seen as containers of subtrees.
We should also expect InContext f to be a comonad, with
counit :: InContext f x -> x
counit = selected
projecting out the selected element and
cojoin :: InContext f x -> InContext f (InContext f x)
decorating every element with its context, showing all possible way you could refocus, selecting a different element.
The inestimable Peter Hancock once suggested to me that we should also expect to be able to move "down" (meaning "away from the root"), collecting all the possible ways to pick an element-in-context from a whole structure.
picks :: f x -> f (InContext f x)
should decorate every x-element in the input f-structure with its context. We should expect that
fmap selected. picks = id
which is the law we had earlier, but also
fmap plug (picks fx) = fmap (const fx) fx
telling us that every decorated element is a decomposition of the original data. We didn't have that law above. We had
decorating every element not quite with something a bit like its context: from just the list of other elements, you can't see where the "hole" is. In truth,
∂[] x = ([x], [x])
separating the list of elements before the hole from the elements after the hole. Arguably, I should have written
picks :: [x] -> [(x, ([x], [x]))]
picks [] = []
picks (x : xs) = (x, ([], xs)) : [(y, (x : ys, ys')) | (y, (ys, ys')) <- picks xs]
and that's certainly a very useful operation too.
But what's really going on is quite sensible, and only a slight abuse. In the code I originally wrote, I'm locally taking [] to represent finite bags or unordered lists. Bags are lists without a notion of specific position, so if you select one element, its context is just the bag of the remaining elements. Indeed
∂Bag = Bag -- really? why?
so the right notion of picks is indeed
picks :: Bag x -> Bag (x, Bag x)
Represent Bag by [] and that's what we had. Moreover, for bags, plug is just (:) and, up to bag equality (i.e., permutation), the second law for picks does hold.
Another way of looking at bags is as a power series. A bag is a choice of tuples of any size, with all possible permutations (n! for size n) identified. So we can write it combinatorially as a big sum of powers quotiented by factorials, because you have to divide by x^n by n! to account for the fact that each of the n! orders in which you could have chosen the x's gives you the same bag.
∂Bag x = 0 + 1 + x + x^2/2! +...
shifting the series sideways. Indeed, you may well have recognized the power series for Bag as being that for exp (or e^x), which is famous for being its own derivative.
So, phew! There you go. An operation naturally arising from the datatype interpretation of the exponential function, being its own derivative, is the handy piece of kit for solving problems based on selection-without-replacement.
 - 16
 Great answer. People should also see Brent Yorgey's blog post where he describes the type of Sets, which are Bags that don't allow duplicates. The punchline: rather than the exp function (satisfying ∂f = f) you get a function g constructed with falling factorials, which satisfies Δg = g, where Δ is the finite difference rather than the derivative (also see this sigfpe post which completes the circle by referencing one of _USER_'s papers!) – Chris Taylor Oct 14 '12 at 9:59
My approach, which is somewhat similar to others'. It doesn't require Eq.
allpairs :: [t] -> [(t,t)]
allpairs [] = []
allpairs [_] = []
allpairs (x:xs) = concatMap (\y -> [(x,y),(y,x)]) xs ++ allpairs xs
Another possibility is to use monadic notation:
pairs l = do
 x <- l
 y <- l
 guard (x /= y)
 return (x, y)
(The most general type for this definition of pairs would be (MonadPlus m, Eq a) => m a -> m (a,a) but I believe there is no instance of MonadPlus other than [] for which it would make sense.)
import Control.Applicative
pairs xs = filter (uncurry (/=)) $ (,) <$> xs <*> xs
pairs = (filter.uncurry) (/=). (join.liftA2) (,)
Your Answer


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Let $X,Y$ be complex manifolds and let $f: X \rightarrow Y$ be a continuous map. When exactly do we say that $f$ is "holomorphic"? I am interested in the basic definition (possibly using charts), not an equivalent characterization.
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1 Answer 1
up vote 2 down vote accepted
If $p$ is a point of $X$, then we say $f$ is holomorphic at $p$ if there is a chart $(U, \phi)$ on $X$ with $p \in U$, and a chart $(V, \psi)$ on $Y$ with $\phi(p) \in V$, such that $f(U) \subseteq V$ and the induced map
$$ \phi(U) \stackrel{\phi^{-1}}\longrightarrow U \stackrel{f}{\to} V \stackrel{\psi}{\to}\mathbb{C}^n $$
is holomorphic in the familiar sense (using $\phi(U) \subseteq \mathbb{C}^n$).
We say $f$ is holomorphic if it is holomorphic at all points.
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Do we say that if $f$ satisfies the property you described using charts for a point $p$, then it is "locally holomorphic"? – Manos Sep 18 '12 at 18:04
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text:
Divergent thinking is related to creativity and is related to the generation of different alternatives or solutions for a given task. The usual way to measure it is to invent the different uses that a current object can have for a limited time. And they've done it just to compare the divergent thinking of three artificial intelligence text creators (chatbots) with 256 volunteers. The result is that chatka boots are better than humans. However, the best volunteers were better than the best chats.
The researchers delivered four objects to the three chatrooms (ChatGPT3, ChatGPT4 and Copy.Ai) and the 256 volunteers to invent the uses: a rope, a box, a pencil and a candle. To measure the originality of the responses, researchers have taken into account creativity (1 to 5) and the semantic distance between the response given and the original use (0 to 2). On average, the responses of chatbots have been better than those of humans in both parameters: creativity 2.91, human 2.47, and semantic distance 0.95 and 0.91, respectively.
The difference between the highest and lowest scores of volunteers was much greater than that of the chatrooms. And the results of the best humans were pretty much better than the chotoads.
The work has been attended by researchers from Finland and Norway and has been published in the journal Scientific Reports. Within the limits, the homogeneity of the volunteer group (all young or middle-aged adults from western culture) and the inability to compare the processes (among other things, because chats are "black boxes") are mentioned. However, they propose to investigate how to integrate chatbots into future creativity processes.


text:
The law of agency is an area of commercial law dealing with a set of contractual, quasi-contractual and non-contractual fiduciary relationships that involve a person, called the agent, that is authorized to act on behalf of another (called the principal) to create legal relations with a third party. Succinctly, it may be referred to as the equal relationship between a principal and an agent whereby the principal, expressly or implicitly, authorizes the agent to work under his or her control and on his or her behalf. The agent is, thus, required to negotiate on behalf of the principal or bring him or her and third parties into contractual relationship. This branch of law separates and regulates the relationships between:
agents and principals (internal relationship), known as the principal-agent relationship;
agents and the third parties with whom they deal on their principals' behalf (external relationship); and
principals and the third parties when the agents deal.
In 1986, the European Communities enacted Directive 86/653/EEC on self-employed commercial agents. In the UK, this was implemented into national law in the Commercial Agents Regulations 1993.
Beckett's original choice for the lead – referred to only as "O" – was Charlie Chaplin, but his script never reached him. Both Beckett and the director Alan Schneider were interested in Zero Mostel and Jack MacGowran. However, the former was unavailable and the latter, who accepted at first, became unavailable due to his role in a "Hollywood epic." Beckett then suggested Buster Keaton. Schneider promptly flew to Los Angeles and persuaded Keaton to accept the role along with "a handsome fee for less than three weeks' work."James Karen, who was to have a small part in the film, also encouraged Schneider to contact Keaton.
The filmed version differs from Beckett's original script but with his approval since he was on set all the time, this being his only visit to the United States. The script printed in Collected Shorter Plays of Samuel Beckett (Faber and Faber, 1984) states:
In fluid dynamics, lubrication theory describes the flow of fluids (liquids or gases) in a geometry in which one dimension is significantly smaller than the others. An example is the flow above air hockey tables, where the thickness of the air layer beneath the puck is much smaller than the dimensions of the puck itself.
Internal flows are those where the fluid is fully bounded. Internal flow lubrication theory has many industrial applications because of its role in the design of fluid bearings. Here a key goal of lubrication theory is to determine the pressure distribution in the fluid volume, and hence the forces on the bearing components. The working fluid in this case is often termed a lubricant.
Free film lubrication theory is concerned with the case in which one of the surfaces containing the fluid is a free surface. In that case the position of the free surface is itself unknown, and one goal of lubrication theory is then to determine this. Surface tension may then be significant, or even dominant. Issues of wetting and dewetting then arise. For very thin films (thickness less than one micrometre), additional intermolecular forces, such as Van der Waals forces or disjoining forces, may become significant.


text:
in favour of PSA testing.
Exposure to Prosdex was associated with improved knowledge about the PSA test and prostate cancer. Men who had a high level of knowledge had a less favourable attitude toward and were less likely to undergo PSA testing. Prosdex appears to promote informed decision making regarding the PSA test.
ISRCTN48473735; _URL_ (Archived by WebCite at _URL_
Decision aid; Informed decision making; Internet; Prostate cancer; Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test
Web-based decision aids are known to have an effect on knowledge, attitude, and behavior; important components of informed decision making. We know what decision aids achieve in randomized controlled trials (RCTs), but we still know very little about how they are used and how this relates to the informed decision making outcome measures.
To examine men's use of an online decision aid for prostate cancer screening using website transaction log files (web-logs), and to examine associations between usage and components of informed decision making.
We conducted an observational web-log analysis of users of an online decision aid, Prosdex. Men between 50 and 75 years of age were recruited for an associated RCT from 26 general practices across South Wales, United Kingdom. Men allocated to one arm of the RCT were included in the current study. Time and usage data were derived from website log files. Components of informed decision making were measured by an online questionnaire.
Available for analysis were 82 web-logs. Overall, there was large variation in the use of Prosdex. The mean total time spent on the site was 20 minutes. The mean number of pages accessed was 32 (SD 21) out of a possible 60 pages. Significant associations were found between increased usage and increased knowledge (Spearman rank correlation [ρ] = 0.69, P <.01), between increased usage and less favorable attitude towards PSA testing (ρ = -0.52, P <.01), and between increased usage and reduced intention to undergo PSA testing (ρ = -0.44, P <.01). A bimodal distribution identified two types of user: low access and high access users.
Increased usage of Prosdex leads to more informed decision making, the key aim of the UK Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme. However, developers realistically have roughly 20 minutes to provide useful information that will support informed decision making when the patient uses a web-based interface. Future decision aids need to be developed with this limitation in mind. We recommend that web-log analysis should be an integral part of online decision aid development and analysis.
ISRCTN48473735; _URL_ (Archived by WebCite at _URL_
decision aid; informed decision making; internet; prostate cancer; prostate specific antigen (PSA) test; user tracking; web-log; website transaction log file
Communicating risk is part of primary prevention of coronary heart disease and stroke, collectively referred to as cardiovascular disease (CVD). In Australia, health organisations have promoted an absolute risk approach, thereby raising the question of suitable standardised formats for risk communication.
Sixteen formats of risk representation were prepared including statements, icons, graphical formats, alone or in combination, and with variable use of colours. All presented the same risk, i.e., the absolute risk for a 55 year old woman, 16% risk of CVD in five years. Preferences for a five or ten-year timeframe were explored. Australian GPs and consumers were recruited for participation in focus groups, with the data analysed thematically and preferred formats tallied.
Three focus groups with health consumers and three with GPs were held, involving 19 consumers and 18 GPs.
Consumers and GPs had similar views on which formats were more easily comprehended and which conveyed 16% risk as a high risk. A simple summation of preferences resulted in three graphical formats (thermometers, vertical bar chart) and one statement format as the top choices. The use of colour to distinguish risk (red, yellow, green) and comparative information (age, sex, smoking status) were important ingredients. Consumers found formats which combined information helpful, such as colour, effect of changing behaviour on risk, or comparison with a healthy older person. GPs preferred formats that helped them relate the information about risk of CVD to their patients, and could be used to motivate patients to change behaviour.
Several formats were reported as confusing, such as a percentage risk with no contextual information, line graphs, and icons, particularly those with larger numbers.
Whilst consumers and GPs shared preferences, the use of one format for all situations was not recommended. Overall, people across groups felt that risk expressed over five years was preferable to a ten-year risk, the latter being too remote.
Consumers and GPs shared preferences for risk representation formats. Both groups liked the option to combine formats and tailor the risk information to reflect a specific individual's risk, to maximise understanding and provide a good basis for discussion.
To describe the development, validation and inter-rater reliability of an instrument to measure the quality of patient decision support technologies (decision aids).
Scale development study, involving construct, item and scale development, validation and reliability testing.
There has been increasing use of decision support technologies – adjuncts to the discussions clinicians have with patients about difficult decisions. A global interest in developing these interventions exists among both for-profit and not-for-profit organisations. It is therefore essential to have internationally accepted standards to assess the quality of their development, process, content, potential bias and method of field testing and evaluation.
Scale development study, involving construct, item and scale development, validation and reliability testing.
Twenty-five researcher-members of the International Patient Decision Aid Standards Collaboration worked together to develop the instrument (IPDASi). In the fourth Stage (reliability study), eight raters assessed thirty randomly selected decision support technologies.
IPDASi measures quality in 10 dimensions, using 47 items, and provides an overall quality score (scaled from 0 to 100) for each intervention. Overall IPDASi scores ranged from 33 to 82 across the decision support technologies sampled (n = 30), enabling discrimination. The inter-rater intraclass correlation for the overall quality score was 0.80. Correlations of dimension scores with the overall score were all positive (0.31 to 0.68). Cronbach's alpha values for the 8 raters ranged from 0.72 to 0.93. Cronbach's alphas based on the dimension means ranged from 0.50 to 0.81, indicating that the dimensions, although well correlated, measure different aspects of decision support technology quality. A short version (19 items) was also developed that had very similar mean scores to IPDASi and high correlation between short score and overall score 0.87 (CI 0.79 to 0.92).
This work demonstrates that IPDASi has the ability to assess the quality of decision support technologies. The existing IPDASi provides an assessment of the quality of a DST's components and will be used as a tool to provide formative advice to DSTs developers and summative assessments for those who want to compare their tools against an existing benchmark.
Decision support technologies (DSTs, also known as decision aids) help patients and professionals take part in collaborative decision-making processes. Trials have shown favorable impacts on patient knowledge, satisfaction, decisional conflict and confidence. However, they have not become routinely embedded in health care settings. Few studies have approached this issue using a theoretical framework. We explained problems of implementing DSTs using the Normalization Process Model, a conceptual model that focuses attention on how complex interventions become routinely embedded in practice.
The Normalization Process Model was used as the basis of conceptual analysis of the outcomes of previous primary research and reviews. Using a virtual working environment we applied the model and its main concepts to examine: the 'workability' of DSTs in professional-patient interactions; how DSTs affect knowledge relations between their users; how DSTs impact on users' skills and performance; and the impact of DSTs on the allocation of organizational resources.
A conceptual analysis using the Normalization Process Model provided insight on implementation problems for DSTs in routine settings. Current research focuses mainly on the interactional workability of these technologies, but factors related to divisions of labor and health care, and the organizational contexts in which DSTs are used, are poorly described and understood.
The model successfully provided a framework for helping to identify factors that promote and inhibit the implementation of DSTs in healthcare and gave us insights into factors influencing the introduction of new technologies into contexts where negotiations are characterized by asymmetries of power and knowledge. Future research and development on the deployment of DSTs needs to take a more holistic approach and give emphasis to the structural conditions and social norms in which these technologies are enacted.
Motivational interviewing approaches are currently recommended in primary prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in general practice in Denmark, based on an empirical and multidisciplinary body of scientific knowledge about the importance of motivation for successful lifestyle change among patients at risk of lifestyle related diseases. This study aimed to explore and describe motivational aspects related to potential lifestyle changes among patients at increased risk of CVD following preventive consultations in general practice.
Individual interviews with 12 patients at increased risk of CVD within 2 weeks after the consultation. Grounded theory was used in the analysis.
Ambivalence related to potential lifestyle changes was the core motivational aspect in the interviews, even though the patients rarely verbalised this experience during the consultations.


text:
Organic farms are better for wildlife than those run conventionally, according to a study covering 180 farms from Cornwall to Cumbria.
The organic farms tended to have smaller fields
The organic farms were found to contain 85% more plant species, 33% more bats, 17% more spiders and 5% more birds.
Scientists - from Oxford University, the British Trust for Ornithology, and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology - spent five years on the research.
Funded by the government, it was the largest ever survey of organic farming.
"The exclusion of synthetic pesticides and fertilisers from organic is a fundamental difference between systems," the study says.
Other key differences found on the organic farms included smaller fields, more grasslands and hedges that are taller, thicker and on average 71% longer.
Dr Lisa Norton, of the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, said: "Hedges are full of native, berry-producing shrubs, which are great for insects and the birds and bats that feed on them."
Increased biodiversity was a "happy by-product" of sustainable farming practices and farmers working with "natural processes" to increase productivity, she added.
The fact the organic arable farms were more likely to have livestock on them also made them richer habitats for wildlife.
The study's lead author, British Trust for Ornithology habitat research director Dr Rob Fuller, told BBC News: "There were very large benefits right across the species spectrum."
The study had looked at a "very, very high" proportion of England's organic arable farms, he said.
More organic farming would help "restore biodiversity within agricultural landscapes", Dr Fuller added.
"Less than 3% of English farmland is organic so there is plenty of scope for an increase in area."
Soil Association policy manager Gundula Azeez said: "A greater area of organically-managed land in the UK would help restore the farmland wildlife that has been lost from our countryside in recent decades with intensive farming."


What the 'Texas Case' Means for the LIHTC Program Part 1
Published by Mark Shelburne on Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Journal thumb September 2015
For many affordable housing professionals, the summer of 2015 will be remembered as a blur. The last few months saw an unusual level of program rollouts, news stories, important research, regulatory activity and official reports.
Yet even among all of these, one event stands out. Those familiar with the low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) are accustomed to Congressional and cabinet agency involvement, but for the first time, the program was being considered at the highest level of the federal government's third branch. Or was it? What does the most anticipated and talked-about occurrence of the season actually have to do with LIHTCs? The answer is not entirely clear.
Presumably anyone reading this has heard about Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. Inclusive Communities Project Inc. (TDHCA and ICP, respectively), otherwise often referred to as the "Texas case." Although the topic has been covered extensively in the trade industry press, there is always more to the story. This month's article will start with the legal context, followed by a timeline of case. Part 2 will continue in the October issue.
An overall, recurring theme in what follows is the distinction between law and policy. The two have a great deal of overlap, but are crucially distinct.
Legal Context
The Texas case was decided under Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, or the Fair Housing Act (FHA). This law is one of several affecting housing, another being the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Title II of the ADA covers how state and local government programs serve people with disabilities and was the basis for the U.S. Supreme Court's 1999 ruling in what's known as the Olmstead case. Title III of the ADA governs public accommodations, including accessibility of leasing offices.
Additional civil rights requirements apply when a property or program uses federal financial assistance, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act (which prohibits discrimination based on race) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (disability). Most forms of financial assistance, including those from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), are covered. Under current law, the LIHTC is not considered federal funding for purposes of these statutes.
While those statutes are important, only the Fair Housing Act was at issue in the Texas case. The first key to learning about the FHA is to understand that its provisions apply to discrimination based on a protected class: race, color, religion, sex, handicap/disability, familial status and national origin. Some state and local governments have their own fair housing requirements covering other classes, such as source of income (meaning landlords cannot refuse to accept Section 8 vouchers) and sexual orientation.
While race, and to a lesser extent disability, receive most of the attention, it's important to remember all seven classes are protected. The question of what's protected also is an instance of needing to keep in mind the distinction between law and policy. For example, housing discrimination based on income level (being poor) may be problematic, sometimes even reprehensible, but when truly on that basis alone it is not against federal law.
After the concept of protected classes, fair housing law becomes more complex. Broadly speaking, the FHA has two types of obligations, which can be described as negative and positive:
 - prohibition of discrimination (negative), and
 - a requirement to advance desegregation (positive).
The latter is known as affirmatively furthering fair housing (AFFH) and was not an issue in the Texas case. Each aspect applies at both the project and program level. The matrix provides a summary overview.
So what is disparate impact? As implied in the matrix, it means a violation of fair housing not requiring proof of being intentional. As formally defined by HUD (in a rule cited below):
A practice has [an illegal] discriminatory effect where it actually or predictably results in a disparate impact on a group of persons or creates, increases, reinforces or perpetuates segregated housing patterns because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin.
As noted above, a policy or practice limiting housing choice based on income level alone is not a violation of the law. However, if it has a disparate impact on a protected class, then fair housing may apply.
A recent law review article by Stacy Seicshnaydre ("Is Disparate Impact Having Any Impact? An Appellate Analysis of Forty Years of Disparate Impact Claims Under the Fair Housing Act,") describes what are two types of illegal actions.
The first is a "housing barrier," preventing the creation of properties that likely will be home to those who are different from the current population based on a protected class. "In short, housing barrier regulations frequently perpetuate racial segregation," Seicshnaydre writes.
The author identifies another type as a regulation, "purportedly designed to improve the condition of housing and/or the surrounding neighborhood." The resulting legal challenge is based on involuntary displacement disproportionately affecting minorities.
The policies at issue in the Texas case do not necessarily fall into either category, but the distinction was important to the court. The law review article's analysis of disparate impact litigation also is relevant to the decision's significance going forward.
The last part of the legal context is to explain the federal court system's three main levels:
 1. Cases begin with a trial held in district court, in this case the Northern District of Texas (seated in Dallas).
 2. Appeals are heard by circuit courts; Texas is in the Fifth.
 3. Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court decide which cases and issues to consider, known as granting certiorari.
Case Timeline and Outcome
The plaintiff is a Dallas-based nonprofit led by Betsy Julian, who served as HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity in the Clinton administration. One of ICP's activities, according to its website, is helping minorities live in areas with "good schools, affordable housing, safe neighborhoods and economic opportunity," primarily through using tenant-based Section 8 vouchers.
ICP filed its lawsuit against TDHCA in 2008, alleging both intentional discrimination and disparate impact. These charges were based on a claim that the agency's policies did not produce enough LIHTC housing in areas fitting the description above, making ICP's mission more difficult to carry out. Since LIHTC owners cannot refuse to accept vouchers, such properties are important to creating opportunities for low-income minorities.
While siting affordable housing based on the quality of schools, safety, or economics may be good policy, considerations of these factors is not mandated under the FHA. Therefore ICP's legal case actually was premised on not enough affordable housing being produced in predominantly white neighborhoods. The alleged effect was on minorities not having access to those areas.
In March 2012, the district court ruled against the claim that TDHCA had intentionally discriminated in its allocation of LIHTCs, but found the state's policies resulted in a disparate impact. TDHCA appealed.
In February 2013 HUD issued a final rule entitled "Implementation of the Fair Housing Act's Discriminatory Effects Standard" (24 C.F.R. pt. 100). Since the appeal was still pending, the Fifth Circuit was able to adopt the rule as the applicable legal standard for such cases in the states under its jurisdiction. In March 2014, the circuit court remanded the case back to the district court to reconsider the facts using the approach laid out in HUD's rule.
Later that year, the Supreme Court granted certiorari, but specifically limited its review to only the discrete question of whether the FHA allows disparate impact claims. In other words, is proof of intent necessary to find a violation of fair housing law? The facts of the case, validity of TDHCA's policies and implementation of the LIHTC program would not be considered.
In January, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments. Then the affordable housing industry waited for what ended up being nearly six months. On June 25, the Supreme Court ruled against TDHCA, finding disparate impact is a valid basis for complaints under the FHA. Evidence of intent is not necessary to prove a policy or practice is discriminatory.
As a general matter, the outcome is hugely consequential. Many fair housing actions begin without any proof of the defendant's state of mind, in contexts ranging from local zoning to home mortgage underwriting. But strictly speaking, the answer to the question above is no, the decision was not specifically about LIHTCs.
So why has the industry paid so much attention? How does the Texas case matter?
Part 2 will address this question through an explanation of the majority opinion. The next article also will cover the HUD rule, legal implications of the decision and what it might mean for policy. The case and other related fair housing issues will also be the topic of a panel during the Novogradac Affordable Housing Tax Credit Conference, Oct. 1-2 in New Orleans.


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Canada – but most tough it out right here. If you're a good "landlord", they'll reward you by hanging out in your yard; maybe even raising a family there.
Caring for birds during extreme heat
Birds need to get through our blowtorch summer, same as we do. Unfortunately, they don't have AC in their homes. A few spend summers where it's cooler – like
First and foremost; they need water. Lots of water – clean water. Without it, they may not make it to Fall. They'll be bathing in it, drinking it and splashing around in it. A typical birdbath is fine, but it should be no deeper than about 2 inches. Moving water is even better for many reasons. The temperature is always cool. The mosquito that causes West Nile can't lay eggs in moving water. The continual movement keeps it fairly clean. And the sound attracts curious birds. A birdbath can easily be fitted with a dripper or mister that just clips on the side.
Some birds of summer:
Common Yellowthroat Scissortailed Flycatcher
E. Kingbird E. Bluebird
Especially during the heat of summer, birds absolutely need shade. They need shrubs, trees and tall grasses (over a foot) where they can get away from our relentless sun. Very, very few birds are attracted to a manicured lawn, where there's absolutely no shade, and they're easy picking for a hungry hawk.
Fresh food is vitally important to birds. It provides energy to fight off disease, supports reproduction, and fuels all other aspects of their incredible little bodies. If fresh food isn't available in your yard, they'll simply go somewhere else to get it. Unlike humans, birds can instantly tell if a seed is stale or dried out. So avoid any kind of seed that's been sitting on a shelf or in a warehouse too long. Even if it's a little cheaper.
Oh, did I mention that WATER is essential to birds?
Denton's Wild Bird Center
Nancy Collins & Owen Yost


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I have a need to write PL SQL that fetches data from another database over a DB link and perform some actions on it.
 CURSOR cur_progs
 SELECT *
 FROM allen.table_dummy@db_link;
In the above example, I faced two issues.
When the link is not created, below error message is thrown
ORA-04054: database link db_link does not exist
when the link is present but the password of the user with which the link is created is now expired, below error message is thrown
ORA-04052: error occurred when looking up remote object allen.table_dummy@db_link ORA-00604: error occurred at recursive SQL level 1 ORA-01017: invalid username/password; logon denied ORA-02063: preceding line from db_link
Is there a way to catch both these errors? Something like writing PLSQL block within PLSQL block.
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possible duplicate of How to check if a database link is valid in Oracle? – Klas Lindbäck Jun 12 '13 at 7:01
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2 Answers
up vote 3 down vote accepted
The errors you are getting are compilation errors. You can't catch a compilation error (this is true in any language not just PL/SQL).
If you're really determined, you could change your code to use dynamic SQL so that you move the error from being a compilation error to becoming a runtime error. That would mean that you could catch the error in an exception handler. But doing so seems like a really bad idea.
First off, whether the error is thrown at runtime or at compilation time, the error would appear to be fatal. It seems highly unlikely that you could do something useful in an exception handler if a database link doesn't exist or if the password is invalid. Given that you should only be catching exceptions that you expect and that you can do something useful with, it seems highly unlikely that catching these errors would be useful.
Second, moving from static SQL to dynamic SQL generally makes your code harder to write and harder to maintain. Plus it frequently makes the code less efficient and less secure.
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One option to consider:
Pick a time when the database link is functioning ok, then compile a stored procedure (preferably in a package). That way, you know that the procedure is in a valid compiled state.
Then, write a simple stored procedure that uses dynamic SQL to query DUAL@db_link. Call this at runtime to test the link before running your procedure. This procedure won't be marked invalid even if the link is down.
If the link goes down temporarily, your main stored procedure won't be marked invalid unless you try to compile it.
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Production of Blackburn aircraft at the Olympia factory in Leeds during WW2. © Leodis.
A photographic trail developed in partnership with Leodis, an onlinephotographic archive from Leeds Library and Information Service, looking atlife in Leeds during World War Two. All photographs are under copyright and can be viewed in more detail on the Leodis website
Like many of the great industrial cities of the north, Leeds was at the vanguard of a manufacturing industry that turned out textiles and engineering components that were vital to the war effort.
A Blackburn 'Skua' fighter dive-bomber built by Blackburn Aircraft Ltd in Leeds for the Royal Navy. © Leodis.
Established firms in the city such as Blackburns and Avro made aircraft whilst the engineering giant Vickers Armstrong established a factory in Leeds during World War Two that concentrated on light and medium guns. By the end of the war it had churned out almost 9,000 pieces of ordnance to the British Army.
Nationally the company produced two thirds of the British Army's field artillery during the period and was also responsible for the famous Vickers machine gun, which had been in production since World War One. There is a tableau of a Vickers machine Gunner at the Royal Armouries Leeds together with examples of some of the weapons used in the Second World War.
If you'd like to see how a Vickers gun works in detail look at this animation from the Science Museum's fantastic Making the Modern World website. You need a fast web connection to view this properly.
Aerial view of Barnbow Ordnance works taken in 1963. The factory occupies the top half of the photo. © Leodis.
By 1940 Vickers were also heavily involved in tank production with Cruisers, Valentines and Matildas all rolling off their production lines.
Other factories were established in Leeds as the race to re-arm gathered pace and in 1939 the Royal Ordnance Factory (ROF) Leeds was hastily built on 60-acre site one mile from Barnbow. The area had already been the site of a famous munitions factory (closed in 1932) that employed thousands of local women during the First World War.
First World War: having worked at the Barnbow Munitions Factory in great numbers during the first war, women returned to the munitions industry during World War Two. © Leodis.
ROF Barnbow manufactured guns for the army and navy and employed 3000 workers including over 2000 women. As in other cities in the UK the contribution of women to the engineering industries became vital and in Leeds women were eventually conscripted into working from 1941 onwards to keep guns and ammunition flowing out of the factories.
Women even moved to the area to work in munitions and 24-hour production was commonplace, achieved by working shifts in factories like the other ROF munitions plant on the city outskirts at Thorp Arch where hundreds were employed in the repetitive and potentially dangerous task of cartridge filling.
A contingent of St John's Ambulance Brigade nurses, on parade down The Headrow in 1942. This was part of an appeal to raise money to build a new Ark Royal for the navy.
Prior to the war the manufacturing industries in Leeds had suffered a slump in fortunes but they were saved for a while by the Second World War. Greenwood and Batley switched to munitions manufacture, as did Mann's factory in Hunslett. Burtons started making military uniforms whilst John Fowlers Engineering Company in Hunslet, a coach maker, switched to making tanks and other fighting vehicles.
You can read a story about one Leeds man's journey from shop floor at Fowlers to the slopes of Monte Cassino on the BBC's People's War website.
View of the interior of the Wellington Street works of Fairbairn Lawson Combe Barbour Ltd. The female workers in the picture are boring two pounder gun barrels.© Leodis.
As an increasing number of local men were conscripted into the armed forces women poured into the factories to take up the slack - many of them taking on the traditional male occupations of forging, machining and other heavy manual work. The lack of'manpower' also led women to volunteer in large numbers for the ARP and auxiliary services in the city.
Another company that adapted its production lines for the war effort was Fairbairn, Lawson, Combe, Barbour Ltd. Originally a manufacturer of textile machinery, during the Second World War their predominantly female workforce made mortar barrels and other munitions at the Wellington Street Plant.
This ambulance was originally a Vauxhall 20 saloon of around 1935 vintage converted by Charles H. Roe Ltd, at Cross Gates Carriage works in Austhorpe Road. © Leodis.
Adaptability was a feature of both people and industry throughout Britain during the war and in Leeds, Oxley's Mineral Water Company began producing Coca-Cola from a special concentrate in 1943 when American troops were in the area.
The firm of Charles H. Roe Ltd, at Cross Gates Carriageworks in Austhorpe Road, converted the chassis of hundreds of private cars to ambulances and mobile canteens; private individuals in the city and abroad donating many of the cars to the war effort.
The company also produced utility double-decker and single-decker buses (to Ministry of Supply specifications) that were destined for all parts of the country as well as various military utility vehicles that ranged from mobile map printing wagons to articulated trailer kitchens. They also managed to produce 14,826 accumulator trolleys – invaluable pieces of equipment that were trundled out onto runways to start aircraft engines.
View from interior of museum entrance after bomb hit Leeds City Museum on March 15 1941. Broken shelves, boxes and pipes can be seen as well as damaged exhibits.
Despite a profusion of vital industry and possibly because of its geographical location so far inland on the edge of the Pennines, Leeds escaped a sustained period of enemy bombing during World War Two. (A popular local myth says Leeds was spared because of the thick pall of industrial smoke that smothered the city).
Even so 77 people lost their lives and nearly 200 buildings were destroyed in the nine Luftwaffe air raids over the city.
An interior staircase of the Town Hall which was also damaged on the night of March 15 1945. © Leodis.
Although relatively small and not as concentrated as those suffered by other British cities the raids resulted in some significant damage - the heaviest being on the evening of 14/15 March 1941. During that night the famous Town Hall was hit on the Calverley Street side, which partially destroyed the Law Library.
The museum was also a target (part of the Egyptology collection was destroyed) and the City Station, as well some small industrial complexes. The Union Mills in Pudsey was narrowly missed in the same raid - with bombs falling short of the Union Bridge on Roker Lane.
14 Ingram Road March 28 1941. View of bomb damage, caused by war time air-raid. On the right, group of workers with spades. There were nine bombing raids on Leeds, resulting in 77 fatalities. © Leodis.
Residential areas of the city also suffered. The Quarry Hill Flats, one of the first municipal flats to be built in the country were attacked on this night and parts of them had to be destroyed after the war – such was the damage.
Incendiary and high explosive bombs also fell in various parts of the Burley area. In Willow Street and Willow Grove a block of eight houses was destroyed. One of the bombs had a timing device that went off two minutes after the 'all-clear' siren had sounded. An elderly woman and her dog were killed and several people were seriously injured.
A bin lid and a long stick: training to put out incendiary bombs at the Leeds Anti-Bomb School based at Sweet Street. © Leodis.
Raids by the Luftwaffe remained a constant threat and in September 1941 a bomb caused damage during an air raid on Cliffside Gardens in Woodhouse, which sliced off the end of a row of houses.
Other bombs dropped on seemingly disparate locations; a raid hit Bramley in late 1941 and, in 1942 a 'stray bomb' (according to local residents it was stuck in the bomb bay of an aircraft) demolished part of Fairfield Crescent. The Oak Road Congregational Church in the city centre was hit and partially destroyed in October 1941.
Air raid wardens on parade on Marsh Street during the visit of H.R.H. Princess Mary, The Princess Royal, to mark Salute the Soldier Week on April 1, 1944. © Leodis.
The city had taken the usual precautions against bombing and although many residents were slow to build the government-provided Anderson Shelters, on Sepetmber 1 1939 18,250 children and 2,800 teachers and voluntary workers were evacuated on special trains leaving from City Station. Mainly to Lincolnshire and the Yorkshire Dales, they were followed on September 2 by 8,000 mothers, pregnant women and disabled people.
However, most of them were home again by Christmas but with the ever present threat of raids throughout the war children were sent to Ilkley or other nearby rural areas – enabling them to easily visit their families. You can read some of these fascinating and moving experiences related by Leeds evacuees on the BBC's People War Website.
Like all cities in Britain, despite the privations of war, the public were encouraged to throw their weight behind the war effort. Iron railings and even factory gates disappeared into the local foundries - reappearing as armaments.


Personal Finance
Tax Rules for an Inherited Non-Qualified Annuity
Inheriting assets typically comes with tax implications, and some assets have more complex tax ramifications than others. Non-qualified annuities have a host of complicated tax aspects, and when you add an inheritance into the mix, you have to be careful to understand all the rules that apply. Let's look more closely at the key tax rules on inheriting a non-qualified annuity.
Heirs: spouse vs. others
Taxation of inherited annuities is different for spouses and non-spouses. The surviving spouse often has the right to continue the annuity contract, in which case, the death of the original annuity holder has no immediate tax consequences.
For others, the tax impact varies depending on the payout choice that the heir makes. If the heir takes an immediate lump sum, then the portion of the annuity that represents the growth in value from the deceased person's original premium payments will be taxed as ordinary income to the heir. The heir also has the choice of spreading out payments over a longer period. While any appreciation distributed to the heir will be treated as taxable income, the smaller payments allow the heir to spread out tax liability over a longer period.
Note that in no case does the heir get a stepped-up basis in the annuity asset. Because of the tax-deferred nature of annuities, tax law treats them the same way they do IRAs and 401(k)s, thereby assuring that the amounts won't escape income taxation.
Can an heir switch annuities?
One issue that often comes up involves an heir of an annuity from a high-cost insurance provider. For an annuity that you purchased, you can do a tax-free exchange under Section 1035 of the Internal Revenue Code to a different annuity provider without incurring income tax.
For heirs, however, the law governing 1035 exchanges hasn't been as clear. A 2013 private-letter ruling from the IRS allowed an inherited IRA beneficiary to do a tax-free exchange without any tax consequences, but some insurance providers aren't willing to rely on that guidance, as it technically applies only to the taxpayer who requested the ruling. If you're fortunate enough to have an insurance provider that will be flexible with you, considering a 1035 exchange, because a less-expensive annuity can be a smart move.
Taxation of inherited annuities gets complicated in a hurry, but the general rule to remember is that, because the tax-deferred income escaped taxation during the original owner's lifetime, the heir will need to pay tax on that income sooner or later. By using various strategies, an heir can delay the day of reckoning considerably; but eventually, the IRS will get what's coming to it.
The $15,978 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook
The article Tax Rules for an Inherited Non-Qualified Annuity originally appeared on
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Generally NO. Moisture within the pulp of a cactus is very acidic and many cacti contain toxic alkaloids. You can, however, eat the fruit.
The moisture is acidic because of the way many succulents, including cacti, carry on photosynthesis, the process by which carbon dioxide and water are turned into carbohydrates.
Most plants have their pores (stomates) open during the day to take in carbon dioxide, and use sunlight as a catalyst for the reaction: Carbon dioxide + water sugar + oxygen. But in the desert, plants with pores open during the hot days, lose much water through evapotranspiration.
So, succulents use a modified version of photosynthesis called CAM (Crassulacean Acid Metabolism). CAM plants open their stomates only at night when it is cooler so there is less evapotranspiration. Because there is no sunlight to act as a catalyst, carbon dioxide is stored as an organic acid, principally Malic Acid (C4H6O5). Carbon dioxide is gradually released from the acid during the next day. CAM plants use about one-tenth the water to produce each unit of carbohydrate compared to standard photosynthesis. The price: a much slower growth rate.
Many plants contain malic acid, but usually in lesser quantities than found in cacti. Also cooking generally destroys the acid.
Besides malic acid, succulents produce Oxalic Acid (C2H2O4), which is toxic, as another product of photosynthesis. "Its chief function seems to be sequestering metals, principally calcium. Calcium oxalates often occur as crystalline minerals within the cactus pulp. Their function seems to be aiding structural integrity and enzymatic processes. In fact two crystalline calcium oxalate minerals have been identified in all cacti tested: CaC2O4.2H2O (weddellite) and CaC2O4.H2O (whewellite)." [Source: Plant Physiology, February 2002, Vol. 128, pp. 707-713.] Oxalates are also formed with heavy metals such as copper, perhaps to reduce toxicity to the plant.
Oxalic acid is toxic to humans because it combines with calcium in our bodies to produce calcium oxalates which clog up our kidneys.
So, what about the barrel cactus. Can't we get water from those? Did you bring along a machete and solar still?
The Seri Indians sometimes used the Fishhook barrel (Ferocactus wislizeni) for emergency water. However, drinking the juice on an empty stomach often caused diarrhea, and some Seri report pain in their bones if they walk a long distance after drinking the juice. The Seri called the Coville barrel (Ferocactus emoryi), "barrel that kills" because eating the flesh of the cactus causes nausea, diarrhea, and temporary paralysis. Think you can tell the two apart? (See: Edible Desert Plants – Barrel Cactus Fruit).
What about Prickly Pear pads we sometimes see in grocery stories or on the menu of Mexican restaurants? What you see are generally young spring pads which naturally contain less oxalic acid. Cooking leaches out the acid. In an emergency you can eat the young pads raw. And there are some spineless cultivars that naturally contain little oxalic acid which can also be eaten raw. These were developed mainly as cattle feed.
The bottom line is you really cannot get a drink from a cactus in spite of what you may have seen in old cowboy movies.


text:
Al-Dinawari Advances Botany
Abu Hanifa al-Dinawari (d.895 A.D) lived in Andalusia, Muslim Spain. His work has been made known by the German scholar: Silberberg in a thesis in Breslau in 1908, which contains the descriptions of about 400 plants. However, what is described by Silberberg is just a little part of what has survived; just two volumes out of the six.
In his expose on the earth, Al-Dinawari describes a variety of soils, explaining which is good for planting, its properties and qualities. Al-Dinawari also describes plant evolution from its birth to its death, including the phases of growth and production of flower and fruit. He then covers various crops including: cereals, vineyards and date palms. Relying on his predecessors, he also explains trees, mountains, plains, deserts, aromatic plants, woods, plants used in dyes, honey, bees, etc.
Al-Dinawari also devoted one chapter to the classification of plants (tajnis al-nabat) which he mentions in one of the volumes that have survived, but the work itself on the subject has also been lost. Al-Dinawari's Book of plants also covers various other subjects such as astronomy and meteorology.
by: Dr. Salah Zaimeche, BA, MA, PhD, Mon 30 July, 2001