text:
Stories to Come
Stories to Go
aviott
The American Way of Life
November 11, 2020 10:15 am / Leave a comment
In 1992, at the first world environment conference in Rio de Janeiro, attended by 192 heads of state or of government, George HW Bush (a.k.a. Bush '41) refused to accept certain terms and conditions of the draft agreements that had been worked out by international negotiation teams. The teams involved experts from all UN member countries on agriculture, forestry, and environment and they had thrashed out details of the various agreements over months of preliminary meetings, painstakingly modifying or eliminating wording that was unacceptable to this country or that, Of course the richest countries carried the most clout when all these decisions were made. At that time, in 1992, the US consumed a quarter of the world's oil, a third of its paper, and 40% of its beef and veal. Some of the terms of the agreements would have impinged on the US' ability to continue consuming so much of the world's natural resources, so at the final meetings President George HW Bush insisted on last minute changes to some of the previously agreed text. The reason he gave: the American way of life is not negotiable.
This statement naturally did not go down well with the other countries, but as the 800 pound gorilla at the UN, the nations of the world grinned and bore it. A host of watered down agreements were signed, and the world went back to business-as-usual. Environmental activists sighed and thought: at least we've managed to bring all these issues to the world agenda; kings, dictators, prime ministers and presidents of 192 countries came to Rio, the first such meeting in the history of the world, so surely we're beginning to make progress.
Today, 28 years later, the American way of life is indeed being re-negotiated, but it is Nature that is doing the re-negotiating, not the UN or other countries. As Covid, climate change, and repeated financial meltdowns are showing us, the American way of life is indeed negotiable.
Opium: The unlikely poster child for renewable energy
September 18, 2020 5:42 pm / 2 Comments on Opium: The unlikely poster child for renewable energy
On 27 July 2020, Justin Rowlatt, Chief Environmental Correspondent of BBC News, published an article with the headline: What the heroin industry can teach us about solar power.
I missed that, but a month later found it reported in an issue of Zac and Jesse's amusing and informative blog called "Now You Know." about issues related to electromobility and renewable energy. This particular episode of the blog was called: Solar Panels: Proof is in the Poppies where they highlighted the findings reported by Justin Rowlatt.
Solar Panels for sale in Afghanistan: stacked three stories high. Image courtesy BBC News
So what's the story here?
In 2013, the first Afghan farmer used solar panels to power a pump that brought water up to the surface from 100 meters below ground. Prior to that, his only alternative had been diesel pumps. Pumps ran on dirty diesel that fouled his motors and caused frequent breakdowns, in addition to intermittent supply. Running on solar power was clean and free, the pumps worked reliably, and the farmer was able to grow 2 or even 3 crops a year, in addition to increased yields per crop. The following year, a few panels were available for sale in local markets. Since then, the sale of solar panels has taken off in the province, with 67,000 arrays counted in Helmand Valley alone in 2019. The negative effect of this bounty is that opium output has more than doubled in the intervening years.
If only we could see that kind of exponential growth of renewables in rich countries, the world's environmental outlook would not be the bleak picture it is today. But there is a surprising amount of misinformation in the educated, industrialised world. This is partly due to the existence of powerfully entrenched corporations that jealously guard their own turf and discourage innovation. The second negative factor is the advertising industry that has spent decades fine-tuning their ability to spread the message of their paymasters, however detrimental to the planet. Time to take a leaf from an Afghan farmer's book on energy, if not for choice of crops.
Reposting from Electrifying: All-Time Highs for Renewables in 2020
As the blog ELECTRIFYING noted this week: Renewable electricity generation has hit all-time highs in the first half of 2020. And this despite the slowdown in utility scale renewables installations as a result of Covid-19. Read more at the link to the original posting below.
Renewables have seen all-time highs in the first half of 2020
Xi's Napoleon Moment – Reposting Sandomina's blog
August 8, 2020 12:54 pm / Leave a comment
For anyone interested in Asian Geopolitics, I can highly recommend "Insightful Geopolitics" by a writer whose pen-name is Sandomina. The posts are well-researched and, well, insightful. I sometimes don't know the sources of the statistics quoted in the blog, but my gut feeling is that they are all from reliable sources.
Many people in the West are concerned about China's growing economic might and how dependent their own industries are on Chinese supply chains. In Asia, Sandomina remarks, China has 14 neighbours with a common land border and 7 maritime neighbours. China has territorial disputes with all of them.
People everywhere would be well advised to take note of China's rise. Depending on the way it's internal politics develops, it can become a powerful engine for development and international growth. At present, all signs point to a belligerent China that reflects Xi Jingping's personal thin-skinned sensibilities rather than statesmanship with a global perspective.
Having said this much, go to the link below and read about more about Xi's Napoleon Moment here
Post-Covid: We must save the Future, not the Past
July 24, 2020 7:13 pm / Leave a comment
When Austrian-born American economist Joseph Schumpeter spoke of creative destruction, he was referring to cycles of innovation in industry as new technologies displaced older, less efficient ones. As a new technology gained the upper hand, older industries died out, giving rise to a period of disruption and major unemployment.
In a chapter in his book Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy, Schumpeter writes: "The same process of industrial mutation—if I may use that biological term—that incessantly revolutionizes the economic structure from within, incessantly destroying the old one, incessantly creating a new one. This process of creative destruction is the essential fact about capitalism," he said. Schumpeter was more right than he knew, not only about industrial mutation, but in regard to natural mutation. As a passionate environmentalist, I would assert that Schumpeter's insight is primarily applicable to natural systems. More than 60% of the world's wealth is embedded in nature and natural systems. Heedless of that, we, in developed industrial societies and all aspiring, developing industrial societies, are recklessly plundering our planet's natural resources in order to fuel economic growth; in pursuit of the cachet of success, of material wealth far beyond basic human needs of food, clothing and shelter.
Nature's beauty is free. Raintree blossoms in Schönbrunn Park.
Studies show that most forest trees need to be exposed to fire every 50 to 100 years to invigorate new growth. Epidemiologists have long predicted pandemics like the current one, but societies at large have been too busy chasing prosperity to pay much attention. Now that Nature has targeted humanity with some creative destruction of its own, it's up to us to learn the lessons of the forest; clearing away the dead wood of outdated industrial practices, investing in lifestyles and technologies that eliminate waste and support planetary health.
What need for annual trillion dollar subsidies for fossil fuels when 99% of scientific studies say we should stop carbon emissions? What need for continued economic growth when wealth accrues to the 1% of the population and leaves the other 99% behind? What need for new technologies when the best ones currently available are not being used widely enough?
Political leaders won't ask us these questions. We must ask it of them. Our survival as a species depends on it.
Nikola vs. Tesla
July 7, 2020 9:35 am / Leave a comment
Growing up in a country where English was the language of higher education, I inherited an Anglo-centric view of most developments in science and technology. For example, thinking about the history of printing, the names of Johannes Gutenberg and William Caxton came to mind. When I mentioned Caxton to a German friend, they looked blank, having only heard of Gutenberg. Six hundred years before Gutenberg and Caxton, however, there were nameless Chinese monks who used carved wooden blocks coated with ink to print Buddhist texts. Subsequently, movable metal type was used in both China and Korea, two hundred years before Gutenberg's printing press.
Language matters! The point was driven home to me when I travelled in Central Europe in the 1970s and came across a book. Lightning in his hand: the life story of Nikola Tesla. I read about his discoveries and inventions and thought, it couldn't possibly be true. Most of these were Edison's discoveries. The light bulb. The generator. Alternating current. Wrong on all counts apparently. Edison merely perfected the lightbulb and was a savvy marketer. He was also not above using dirty tricks to discredit competition. He is said to have publicly electrocuted dogs and cats with alternating current (ac/which we use today) to prove that his direct current was safer than Tesla's ac. All this happened in the late 19th and early 20th century. For an amusing take on Nikola Tesla's many accomplishments compared to Edison's, see Why Tesla was the greatest Geek who ever lived.
In the 21st century, there's a face-off between two companies that both borrow the great Serbian genius's name. Nikola and Tesla. Tesla, as some of you might know, became the most valuable car company on the planet this week, based on market capitalization, overtaking Toyota.
Image courtesy Transport & Environment via Clean Technica
Nikola Motors is far less known, and aims to compete head-to-head with Tesla's electric semi, a heavy duty battery electric vehicle slated to appear in 2021. Nikola claims its trucks, powered by electricity from a hydrogen fuel cell, will provide driving range comparable to a diesel truck. They say that pure battery electric vehicles (BEVs) will have to compromise either on range or haulage capacity, simply because of the weight of its batteries. Nikola has no sales and no revenue, yet has achieved market valuation of $34 billion in 2020. Hmm! Why is there no end of people willing to bet their money against Tesla?
On the other hand, Tesla has a brilliant track record of achieving seemingly impossible goals, its cars outperforming every other electric vehicle on the road today, and it already has several prototype semis on the road. CEO Elon Musk reiterates at every opportunity that he relies on first principles of physics to base technology choices and manufacturing decisions. The above image, courtesy of the non-profit Transport and Environment (via Clean Technica), seems to support his opinion, that producing hydrogen with current technologies to run vehicles on electricity produced by a fuel cell just does not make economic sense. Many engineers at Toyota, Hyundai, Honda, BMW and Mercedes disagree with Musk and are putting a chunk of their considerable R&D resources into FCEVs* using hydrogen. None of them seem as yet to have prominent plans to roll out extensive hydrogen charging infrastructure so this indicates a future for FCEVs as niche products in the coming two decades.
All the legacy automakers are in a bind because of Tesla's rapid roll-out of increasingly attractive and popular electric models. They face a triple whammy, locked in to their traditional supply chains, with highly qualified and experienced ICE workforces who need to either be retrained or made redundant, and confronting dramatically decreased car sales in 2020. Post-Covid, the only automotive growth segment seems to be in EVs.
A case can be made for FCEVs in the case of heavy duty, long-range transport vehicles that only need point-to-point charging infrastructure rather than a widely distributed one; think cargo ships, passenger ferries, trains. Aircraft powered by hydrogen? I don't know whether the concept will take off (pardon the pun), although Zero Avia has short haul aircraft that run on hydrogen fuelled electricity. Whatever the case, the sooner we come off conventional ICEs, the better for our planetary future.
*FCEV – Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle
**ICE – Internal Combustion Engine
Miyawaki Forests
June 20, 2020 10:11 am / Leave a comment
Anyone who reads the news today, whether on social media, newspapers, television, blogs, or whatever, is confronted with a litany of disastrous news about global warming, climate change, natural disasters, political crises, corruption, conflict and so on. True to the adage that good news is no news, there are few in-depth news stories about far-reaching events, running mostly in the background, that have potential to change the world. To give them credit, most news outlets nowadays are aware of this deficit and pepper their front pages with good news, most of which are one-offs; heart warming stories that are categorized as "human interest" stories. Don't get me wrong. I love human interest stories, and devour them with my morning coffee. But they are not weighty enough to counter the leadbelly that results from reading the rest of the news. So how to counter that?
A perceptive listener once corrected me when I quoted: knowledge is power. No, they chided. Knowledge is only potential power. You have to do something with your knowledge to make it powerful. If you think about it, the converse holds true for bad news. Too much knowledge can be disempowering and reduce us to abject helplessness unless we do something about it. But what?
In an earlier blog entitled "Three score years and ten" I outlined a series of actions one can take to counter planetary leadbelly, beginning with baby steps. Meanwhile, here's another link to a website that tells in-depth stories of people taking action around the planet to restore its health. Today, this particular story about Miyawaki Forests caught my eye. Tell your planetary gloom to take the day off. Follow the two links above, read, and enjoy.
June 16, 2020 1:48 pm / 2 Comments on Ecosia
The Covid-19 lockdown has put a damper on my scheme to sponsor the planting of at least 1000 trees in 2020. I hoped to plant a few of the thousand with my own hands. I think taking personal action leads to a deeper commitment.
There have been many articles recently about a Swiss company called CLIMEWORKS that has a strategy to remove CO2 from the air through conversion to carbonates. These carbonates can then store carbon underground as solids or else, in gaseous form, be treated to produce synthetic liquid fuels at an ultimate cost of around $ 1 per liter, as mentioned in a recent Nature Briefing newsletter.
Sequestering carbon with trees is much slower, less industrial, and would be Nature's way to restore the planet. Following Nature's way might be less glamorous to the uninitiated, but to be done well, it requires a wealth of local knowledge. This local knowledge is often the kind that is not found in text books or taught in schools. The kind of people who possess this knowledge usually do not know they possess something valuable, since much of the world discounts their knowledge for lack of paper qualifications, not even a high school diploma. But some of the most successful development programs have been based on inputs from aboriginals and "primitive" forest tribes. After all, artemisinin, cinchona and willow bark had been in use for centuries before modern medicine discovered them; artemisinin in China 2000 years ago, cinchona in early South American cultures. Willow bark and leaves were used by Assyrians, Sumerians, early Egyptians and ancient Greeks. So let's plant trees then, as widely as we can, in order to suck up carbon. But if we make use of available local knowledge, we will find dozens, if not hundreds, of ancillary benefits.
One such afforestation program, conducted by a non-profit foundation called The Forest Way, strictly plants only indigenous species of trees on an area that covers a few square miles of once-barren land. In the twelve years since the planting began, a few dried out streams carry water again, leaf litter decomposing on the forest floor is slowly building up a layer of healthy soil and, most spectacular, the number of bird species sightings have increased from around 60 to 230+ at last count.
The subject of tree-planting brings me finally to the title of this post. ECOSIA calls itself an "ecological search engine" and it aims to help reforest the earth. According to Wikipedia, Ecosia plants an average of 1 tree for every 45 searches made on it. The Ecosia search engine works with all browsers and once you begin to use it, the page shows a small window with a tree symbol and a number to denote the searches made on this search engine since the download. Most recently Ecosia's website reports 97 million trees planted (and counting), and more than 15 million users. Make that 15 million and one. I became an Ecosia user yesterday!
What we need to do now (Book Review)
June 15, 2020 4:24 pm / 4 Comments on What we need to do now (Book Review)
Chris Goodall (environmentalist, economist and businessman) has published a book in 2020 on recommended steps for a zero carbon future. In 12 concise and easily digestible chapters he outlines steps to be taken to achieve (or even exceed) the UN goal of stopping greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Although specific to the UK, the straightforward proposals in the book could easily serve as a blueprint for any country around the world, regardless of where they stand on the spectrum of greenhouse gas emissions intensity.
The opening chapters deal with green energy generation to power local and regional grids, then move on to housing and transport. The chapters on transport deal with ground, air and shipping transport, three sectors that might need different fuels, depending on technological developments currently in their early stages; battery electric vehicles (BEVs) for ground transportation, hydrogen used with fuel cells for shipping, and liquid synthetic fuels for aviation. There are potential breakthroughs in the offing for each of these solutions and, of course, unforeseen developments in battery technology could mean that energy density is high enough for BEVs to power ships and airplanes as well as cars, buses and trucks. With so much potential waiting in the wings, this is an exciting time for new technologies, despite the looming threat of runaway climate change that can annihilate patterns of living we've developed over the past century.
There is a chapter devoted to fashion and its climate impact, as well as one on the carbon footprint of buildings, specifically in concrete production, and fossil fuels in heavy industry. There are known low-carbon solutions here, and the main problem is changing established production norms, the long lifetimes of existing physical infrastructure, and changing the mindset of the large corporations that own these industries.
Food production and forests have great potential to (one) reduce emissions and (two) absorb more CO2 respectively. Finally, it's the economist's turn to ask: how will all these changes be paid for? The straightforward answer is through a carbon tax that captures the environmental cost of the fuels used. However, experience has shown that the implementation of this straightforward answer is anything but. There are powerful vested interests to be overcome, not to mention the expense of retraining workers made redundant by obsolete industries.
Two chapters at the end of the book deal with direct air capture of CO2 and geo-engineering solutions. Each of these have their champions, but in my opinion, direct air capture (by industrial means) would never be cost-effective for a simple reason. The technologies that are sophisticated enough to make direct air capture cost-effective would also be good enough to lower emissions to the point where the technology is no longer needed. A sort of negative Catch-22. As for geo-engineering, the scales and money required for this effort would be best spent on researching and implementing technologies that lower emissions in the first place, rather than trying to decrease their effects. Secondly, there are too many unknowns associated with such large scale engineering projects. History is replete with examples of engineering hubris. The second half of the twentieth century saw countless predictions that "science would solve all problems" and "plentiful nuclear energy will provide power that is too cheap to meter."
The final chapter, entitled "What can we do ourselves," is more important than most people realize. On the one hand, individual actions do count and "little drops make an ocean." But a second, little regarded effect of "little drops" will be the most important. Whether we live in democracies or dictatorships, ultimately, governments are guided by the cumulative wisdom of the governed. And in any nation where the overwhelming majority of its citizens practice sound environmental stewardship, this mindset will be inexorably transferred to the leadership as well.
We all know that leadership counts. We all realize intuitively that we get the leadership we deserve. So ultimately, logic stands on its head and we are forced to admit that we, the people, are the leaders who have to show our leaders the way.
FOSSIL FUELS ARE FOR DINOSAURS – Aviott John
The Lost Soul of a Nation
May 27, 2020 10:18 am / Leave a comment
The impassioned plea (text in italics) was originally published in the wire.in (link below). The author is Avay Shukla, a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer. The IAS and IPS (Indian Police Service) cadres, numbering close to 10,000 nation-wide, represent the backbone of the country's administration. Although beholden to their political overlords, there are a few dedicated public servants whose primary loyalty is to India's secular constitution. This is one of the miracles of India, a nation of 1.3 billion that struggles to hold on to Gandhian ideals while ruled by a national government that tacitly condones communal disharmony.
Although the letter below specifically refers to India, this searing indictment applies equally to the political ruling class in most countries, with very few exceptions. One exception in this bleak Indian picture is the state of Kerala whose Communist-ruled government has made extensive provisions for the welfare of migrant workers. As the Economic Times notes: "Amid lockdown: Migrant workers a content lot in Kerala."
View from [Greater] Kailash
THE LOCK DOWN DIARIES (VIII)–FEEL A LITTLE SHAME FOR THE LOST SOUL OF A NATION.
This is not about the sorry exodus of millions of our more unfortunate brothers and sisters playing out on prime TV these days. It is not a piece about the government, or about politics or economics. It is neither critical nor sacerdotal. It is not about Mr. Modi or the Biblical scale suffering he has inflicted, yet again, on those who had put their trust in him. That is a matter between him and his Maker, and I hope the potter who moulded him can forgive him, for history will not. This is not about a callous Finance Minister with the rictus of arrogance stretched across her face. It is not about a judiciary which has thrown away its moral compass in the arid deserts of ambition and preference. It is not about a media which has struck a Faustian bargain with the devil and is content to feed on the offal flung its way. It is not about Rahul Gandhi or Mayawati or Nitish Kumar for they have already become irrelevant to the pathetic course of events unfolding.
This piece is about me and the burden I carry, a burden of shame, that has been sitting on my back for the last few weeks and cannot be dislodged, no matter how hard I try. It' s a burden which just got heavier this morning when I read a post by an army officer describing his moving encounter in Gurgaon with families of "migrants" walking their way to Bihar, no footwear on the weary soles treading on melting roads, hungry and uncomprehending four year olds, of how they wept and tried to touch his feet when he gave them a few five hundred rupee notes.
I hang my head in shame in the India of 2020. At belonging to a country and a society which exiles tens of millions from their cities, fearful of catching an infection from them, from a virus brought here, not by them, but by my brethren flying in from abroad. Of treating the hapless victim as the perpetrator. Ashamed of being a gullible cretin who swallows all the lies and half-truths churned out by a dissembling official apparatus. Of beating pots and pans as a servile hosanna to an uncaring presiding deity to drown out the sounds of tired feet marching to their distant villages.
I can no longer recognise the religion I was born into, it no longer has the wisdom of its ancient sages and rishis, or the compassion of an Ashoka, or the humility of a Gandhi. It is too full of anger, of hatred, of violence. It has replaced its once lofty ideals with even loftier statues, caring deeds with dead rituals. It once fed the mendicant and the poor but now drives them away as carriers of some dreadful disease, without any proof. It even finds an opportunity in this pandemic to stigmatize other religions.
I am ashamed of my middle class status, of many of my friends, colleagues and the larger family even. Cocooned safely in our gated societies and sectors, we have locked out our maids, drivers, newspaper man, delivery boy and a dozen others who have built for us the comfortable lives we now desperately try to cordon off from the less fortunate. We have deprived them of their livelihoods. We encourage another extension of the lockdown because our salaries and pensions are not affected. Our primary concerns revolve around resumption of deliveries from Amazon and Swiggy: the lot of the migrating millions is dismissed as just their fate- the final subterfuge of a society that no longer cares.
I am ashamed of the thought processes of my class, of Whatsapp forwards that oppose any more "doles" to the hungry millions, that denounce MNREGA- the only lifeline the returning labour have left- as a waste of public money and food camps as a misuse of their taxes. I am ashamed that people like me can encourage the police to beat up the returning hordes for violating the lockdown, which, in the ultimate analysis was meant to protect "us" from "them". For the life of me I am unable to comprehend how we, sitting in our four BHK flats, have the heartlessness to blame sixteen tired labourers for their own deaths: why were they sleeping on railway tracks? How can one not be ashamed when I hear my peers decrying the expense of trains/ buses for the returning migrants, the costs of putting them up in quarantine, when they approve of their likes being flown back by Air India ? This is not double standards, this is bankrupt standards.
I am ashamed of my social milieu which lauds the leader for dismissing the cataclysmic sufferings of almost five percent of our population as "tapasya", as if they had a choice. I am mortified to see the layers of education and affluence, the facade of civilisation being peeled back by a virus to disclose a heart of darkness in our collective inner core, the sub cutaneous mucous of hatred and intolerance for a minority community, contempt for the destitute. All age old prejudices, bigotry, racism and narrow mindedness have reemerged, fanned by a party which has fertilised their dormant spores.
I am ashamed of the dozens of four star Generals and beribboned Admirals and Air Chiefs who were quick to shower flowers and light up ships at a dog whistle from a politician but did not move a finger to provide any help to the marching millions. Did it even occur to them that they owe a duty to this country beyond strutting around at India Gate? That they could have used their vast resources and vaunted training to set up field kitchens for the hungry marchers, putting up tents where the old and infirm could catch a few breaths, arrange transport for ferrying at least the women and children?Their valour has been tested at the borders, but their conscience has certainly been found wanting.
I am ashamed of our judges who have now become prisoners in their carefully crafted ivory towers, who had repeated opportunities to order the executive to provide meaningful relief and succour to the exiled wretches, to enforce what little rights they still have left, but spurned them at the altar of a dishonourable appeasement.
I am ashamed of our governments who have forsaken the very people who elected them, and are using their vast powers, not to provide the much needed humanitarian aid these disorganised workers desperately need, but to take away even the few rights they had won over the last fifty years. I am ashamed of a bureaucracy that uses a catastrophe to further enslave those who have already lost everything, which insists that illiterate labourers fill in online forms to register for evacuation, pay hundreds of rupees ( which they do not have) for rail tickets, produce ration cards and Aadhar before they can get five kgs of rice, all the while beating them to pulp. Of a Joint Secretary to government who can apportion blame for the infections by religion. This is not Orwellian or Kafkaesque, this is a government gone berserk. How can one not be ashamed of such a soul-less administration, and of the people who commend its mistakes?
They will reach their homes ultimately, those marching millions, minus a few thousand who will die on the way. They will not even be mentioned in the statistics: there will be no Schindler's list for them. And we will pat ourselves on our collective, genuflecting backs that one problem has been taken care of, the danger to our neo-liberal civilisation has been beaten back, the carriers have been sent away, the curve will now flatten. But the mirror has cracked and can never be made whole again. As the Bard said, the fault is not in our stars but within us. Or, as delectably put by another great bard, one of our own who now belongs to the "others":
" Umar bhar Ghalib yahi bhool karta raha,
Dhool chehre par thi, aur aina saaf karta raha."
"All his life, man made this mistake
The dust was on his face and he was cleaning the mirror"
Actually, this piece is not just about me- it's also about you, dear reader. Look into that cracked mirror. Do you feel any shame, just a little , for what we have become, for the lost soul of a once great nation?
Note: Poet Mirza Ghalib (1797-1869) was born in the last days of the Mughal Empire and died in British India. Obscure during his lifetime, he is today considered one of the foremost Urdu poets of India and Pakistan.
In 1992, at the first world environment conference in Rio de Janeiro, attended by 192 heads of state or of government, George HW Bush (a.k.a.…
On 27 July 2020, Justin Rowlatt, Chief Environmental Correspondent of BBC News, published an article with the headline: What the heroin industry can teach us…
As the blog ELECTRIFYING noted this week: Renewable electricity generation has hit all-time highs in the first half of 2020. And this despite the slowdown…
For anyone interested in Asian Geopolitics, I can highly recommend "Insightful Geopolitics" by a writer whose pen-name is Sandomina. The posts are well-researched and, well,…


 NIOSHTIC-2 Publications Search - 20023265 - Tell me a story - using narrative to teach miners.
Tell me a story - using narrative to teach miners.
Miners, like many skilled blue-collar workers, are not traditional learners. They have not generally been successful in classroom type settings, preferring to learn on the job in a hands-on environment, usually from older, more experienced miners who have earned their respect. U.S. miners are required to have annual safety training, but they have not viewed this positively. In fact, it has been called "safety jail" by many of them, who regard it as a time to get a little extra sleep. The challenge for the NIOSH research project "Developing and Evaluating Effective Safety Training for Miners" then, was to find a way to develop effective safety training for these people, particularly in view of the fact that their work is among the most dangerous of all occupations, and failure to learn about and pay attention to the hazards of doing the job could mean injury or even death. Miners are born story tellers. They share "near miss" stories, stories about master miners they have known, and stories about how things used to be. These stories not only pass along information about what will happen if a miner fails to respect the mining environment, they also instruct listeners in the culture of mining and the values that it embraces. Stories, it seemed, were a possible way to get safety messages to miners, especially inexperienced ones, and using older, wiser miners in these stories was an obvious choice. Finding appropriate stories to tell was not a difficulty. Every miner who has worked for any length of time has personal experiences of near-misses, either as a participant or as a by-stander. A digital video format was chosen as the most logical media for capturing the stories, because of the versatility it provided as a source of raw material to other media such as DVD, VHS or even CD-based training. The initial plan was to visit the Sunshine Mine of northern Idaho to interview survivors of the infamous Sunshine Mine Fire of 1972 that killed 91 miners. In those interviews, it was hoped, other stories would surface, that could also be used to illustrate the hazards and consequences of working in a dangerous environment. All of the miners interviewed had at least 30 years of experience, and all of them had stories to tell. 27 people were interviewed on camera, for anywhere from 15 to 90 minutes. They talked about the fire, but also talked about how they got into mining, what mining was like then, who' trained them, what kind of inistakes they had made and what happened because of them. It is an amazing wealth of information that will generate many more training products before it is depleted. This presentation will discuss how the videos that have been created to date were developed, how "master miners" and story lines were chosen, and how the resulting videos have been received in the mining industry. It will also provide information on the newly released documentary-style video, You Are My Sunshine, which tells the story of the Sunshine Mine disaster through the eyes of those who lived it. This particular video has generated intense interest, with over 700 requests for copies received in less than a month after its release in early August of 2002. It is a compelling story, and one that is already being used nation-wide to train mine rescue teams as well as fire-fighters and other emergency teams. It appears that story-telling is a very effective way to train skilled blue collar workers. To hear another person's experience, and see the impact it has had, is to become involved in the experience, and to learn from it. And that is what training is all about.


text:
Scores of Taliban suspects killed
More than 100 killed in south Afghanistan battle as Nato hit by suicide bombing.
Western soldiers with the Nato-led ISAF have been
repeatedly attacked in recent months [AFP]
In the suicide attack, Nato soldiers were helping to build a bridge in eastern Afghanistan when the bomber struck, killing three and wounding six, Nato said.
Afghan security officials also reported six Afghan soldiers and more than 20 Taliban fighters killed in separate incidents across the country.
More than 3,900 people, mostly fighters, have died this year, according to an Associated Press tally of casualty figures provided by Western and Afghan officials.
In the eastern province of Nangarhar, a roadside bomb hit a vehicle carrying Afghan National Army troops on Monday, killing four, the defence ministry said.
On Monday, Nato and Afghan soldiers killed 15 armed fighters near the Taliban stronghold of Musa Qala in the southern province of Helmand, officials said.
Afghan forces backed by US-led multinational force soldiers also foiled an attempted Taliban ambush in Kandahar, killing seven fighters, the military said.
Foreign soldiers in Afghanistan have been hit by a wave of attacks that have left 153 dead since January.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I wanted to take this time during the busy holiday season to thank all of you who have supported me over the last 3 years that I have been organizing paranormal investigations and other events for Bay Area Ghost Hunters. It has been my complete pleasure to plan these events and to meet the wonderful members of BAGH. I have meet some truly amazing people and formed some fantastic and lasting friendships.
I wanted to give you all a heads up that while I may continue to organize some daytime events and classes under BAGH, all of my future paranormal investigations going forward will be posted under the new meetup group "Bay Area Paranormal Society". I hope you will consider joining the group and continuing on this journey with me of communicating with spirits an exploring the world of the unknown.
Thank you once again. I cannot tell you what it's meant to me to be a part of your lives. I wish you all a wonderful and spirit filled holiday season and I look forward to seeing you in the new year.


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Master of his craft: Masayoshi Takanaka
Kyle Gagnon, Sports Editor|December 9, 2021
japantimes.co.jp
As the man once said, "You're gonna wanna stop whatever you're doing and listen to Masayoshi Takanaka."
I am embarrassed to say that I hadn't heard of this music legend until very recently. Born in Tokyo in 1953, Masayoshi Takanaka has been wowing the world with his sweet guitar licks since 1971 when he played for the now defunct band "Fried Egg." Luckily for us, he didn't take much time to release his first solo album, "Seychelles," in 1976 and hasn't stopped producing heaters ever since.
By my calculations, this guitar legend has released 37 studio albums between the years 1976 and 2011. Prolific to say the least. I have spent the last month listening to each of them and can honestly say that if you like Takanaka's style, you will undoubtedly enjoy all that he has to offer.
Like all great artists who seem to relentlessly pummel the world with record after record, Takanaka's sound only changes to the point that fans are pushed to continue listening to hear something new. While new techniques are employed and demonstrated by the artist, his DNA remains the same and is still faithful to the sound that makes Takanaka distinctively Takanaka.
My best comparison of his sound would be to that of Joe Satriani … just with a heavy twist of Japan. The lighthearted, melodic guitar sings with a voice of its own. The songs are overwhelmingly instrumental and make for great study or background music.
His first albums are what I currently consider to be my favorite: "Seychelles" (1976), "Takanaka" (1977), "An Insatiable High" (1977), "Brasilian Skies" (1978), "On Guitar" (1978), "Jolly Jive" (1979), "All Of Me" (1979).
"All Of Me" is one of the only non-David Geffen examples of a band releasing a greatest hits album while still producing music. This album can be accessed on YouTube for free and I promise it is worth the commercial interruptions.
My only real gripe with his music is that only three of Takanaka's albums are available on Spotify. As awesome as Masayoshi is, he is not good enough to get me to pay for Apple Music.
It is hard to pick just one album outside of the greatest hits to suggest to a new listener. If I had to, I would recommend the self-titled "Takanaka" as a great place to start. Funnily enough, it has a track titled Mambo No. 5 that is not a cover and is about six times better than Lou Bega's 90's hit. "Takanaka" also features bangers like "I Remember You" and "Ready to Fly."
Each song on this album (or any Takanaka album) combines the artist's massively impressive instrumental skills along with a catchy and upbeat songwriting ability that will you keep you digging through his tracks finding jam after jam that almost made my stale ass want to dance.
Perhaps the best part of my discovery was learning that Takanaka is still performing live today. If you have the means to get to Japan in the near future, you can try to get your hands on a likely sold-out ticket to see the 68-year-old work his magic on stage.
Unfortunately, I have been unable to find any 2022 concert dates and regretfully was unable to get to Tokyo on Nov. 29 to catch his most recent show.
Perhaps I am biased, but I feel that Takanaka transcends any negative classic rock stereotype that you might label him with as an excuse to shrug off your newfound obligation to listen to his work. Masayoshi's music will satisfy fans of Thin Lizzy or "Cliffs of Dover" by Eric Johnson, sure. But, his music will also delight fans of more modern rock and pop as well.
Do yourself a favor, NVU. Next time you are pulling an all-nighter working on a 5,000 word essay on Vermont's role in the American Revolution, put on some Masayoshi Takanaka and allow his spellbinding licks to carry to the astral realm where homework assignments seem small when compared to the vast expanse that is powerful melody emanating from a Fender Stratocaster somewhere on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.
Kyle Gagnon, Sports Editor
Kyle Gagnon is a writing student living on the NVU-Johnson campus. Originally from Fairfax, VT, he has spent time living in Burlington, Milwaukee, and...
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Winning honor (if not companionship).
It's Saturday night, late, dark, and chilly, with dry leaves rustling on creaking tree branches. And as the reality of the season sets in, single people everywhere begin the annual quest for winter companionship. The only thing colder, darker, and bleaker than a Montana winter, is the idea of spending that winter alone. Of course, even with significantly more women improving Bozeman's once-dismal suitor-to-sweetheart ratio, a single guy's search for good company remains difficult.
The answer, of course, comes from the Rico Suave of the animal world: elk. And an elk's answer to the problem of securing female affection is simple: put your head down and fight off the competition. Of course, two dudes running at each other on foot and butting heads is ridiculous. Not to mention expensive, as very few health-insurance policies cover court-ordered psychotherapy.
On the other hand, two dudes furiously pedaling bicycles at one another while leveling makeshift jousting lances tipped with bright-red boxing gloves—that's just plain badass, and it's the most surefire way to win the hearts of women everywhere.
This up-and-coming martial art weds a disorienting smorgasbord of chivalrous ideology, fitness, mountain-town angst, dude-bro competitiveness, hipster bike culture, gear obsession, comedy (because… bike-jousting), and explosive violence. In short, it's the rut—but for humans. Humans with bikes. And no ladyfriends.
The rules are simple: two suitors battle for the affections of a mate. This mate, in all likelihood, has zero interest in either suitor. It is possible she is not even aware of the battle being fought in her honor. She just wanted a nice night out with her girlfriends and a decent glass of pinot grigio. No matter—the show must go on. Plus, even if the gal in question is oblivious, the spectacle of bike-jousting invariably attracts onlookers, any one of whom may be Ms. Right. Optimism is any unattached Montana man's greatest ally.
Jousters need, at minimum, a bike and lance. Lances should not be sharpened, tipped, or otherwise modified to inflict serious injury. Remember, the idea is to emulate bull elk: embarrass your opponent and assert your dominance—no killing. Very important: no killing. In fact, we recommend padding lances with boxing gloves, both for safety and humorous effect. (Although urgent, impromptu duels outside the Molly Brown may necessitate broom-handles wrapped with bar towels; just keep the jousting distance short and the speed down.) Goggles, helmets, chest padding, and protective cups are also encouraged. And costumes. Remember, elk antlers are as much for show as they are for battle—so if you can't be good, you may as well look good. And being at least moderately drunk helps, too.
Starting 30 yards apart, jousters pedal at top speed toward one another with the goal of unseating the opponent. Chest strikes are most effective, but glancing shoulder blows and well-aimed gut shots can work, too. Aiming for the groin, head, or any part of the bicycle merits disqualification. Actual contact with these off-limits areas warrants restitution, payable in beer, the amount commensurate with the pain inflicted.
In the case of a stalemate—both parties coming to their senses, for example—various other knightly challenges may be employed to demonstrate a man's skill with his lance. Slipping one's pole through a small metal ring (aka, a "dry run") is the most common alternative crucible. Either way, the match lasts until one contender is beaten, or both are sober—whichever comes first.
By the time this occurs, the object of the jousters' affections will probably have left with a smarmy "New Bozeman" guy wearing product in his hair and an ostentatious watch. In this case, it's tradition for the embattled bike-jousting bros to drown their sorrows in beer, together. Companionship comes in many forms, after all.
Sure, this proud display of bullish desperation and medieval derring-do may be archaic, and machismo, and even a little dumb. But if two lonely guys are going to be ignored by eligible females anyway, they may as well beat the snot out of one another with sticks, on bikes. This is still Montana. Joust do it.


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Page Six Page Six
Celebs flock to Bob Saget's house to support wife Kelly Rizzo after his death
January 10, 2022 | 10:18pm
Saget's "Full House" co-stars John Stamos and Candace Cameron Bure visited, as did musician John Mayer and fellow stand-up comedian Jeff Ross.
Suzanne Somers recalls 'two sides' of Bob Saget
January 10, 2022 | 9:38pm
"One was the dad good guy always doing [the right thing], and the other was one step beyond Richard Pryor," Somers recalled.
Antonio Brown a 'happy guy' at strip club after getting fired by his team
Brown hit the stage to perform his new single. The crowd threw money at him and he even gave them a little striptease by flashing his abs, we're told.
Britney Spears' family 'disturbed' by her ex lurking outside their homes
Jason Alexander showed up to matriarch Lynne Spears' estate in Kentwood, La., late Sunday night and posted two bizarre videos and a photo of the exterior.
Gilbert Gottfried speaks out about last conversation with Bob Saget
Actor and comedian Gilbert Gottfried said Monday he spoke with Bob Saget "a few days" before his death and his longtime friend was the "same guy he's always been."
Bob Saget's touring partner says comic 'seemed great' before death
"He was excited about going on vacation with his wife pretty soon, he was excited to see his daughters. He had so much to live for and was looking forward...
Jenna Jameson loses ability to walk, diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome
"And then within two days, it got really not so good, her legs started to not hold her, she wasn't able to walk." Jameson's partner said in a video.
A-Rod buys $9.9M NYC co-op after 'begging' for board to approve him
"He had a tantrum and then they said 'yes.'"
Kanye West 'still pursuing' Kim Kardashian amid Julia Fox romance
"Kim had planned to go to the Dominican Republic with Pete just after New Year, but Kanye somehow got wind of it, and so she secretly changed the destination …"
Kelly Rizzo: I am 'completely shattered' by husband Bob Saget's death
"I am so completely shattered and in disbelief. I am so deeply touched by the outpouring of love and tribute from our friends, family, his fans and his peers."
'Unresponsive, not breathing and no pulse': Bob Saget 911 call released
Bob Saget was "not breathing" and had "no pulse" when he was found unresponsive in his Florida hotel room, according to the 911 audio released Monday.
Audrey Hepburn's son reacts to Rooney Mara's casting in new biopic
Audrey Hepburn's son Sean Ferrer gave his take on Rooney Mara's recent casting as the late film icon in an upcoming biopic.
Selena Gomez reveals meaning behind matching tattoo with Cara Delevingne
The inspiration stemmed from the supermodel's sweet nickname for the Rare Beauty founder.
'Full House' cast says they're grieving Bob Saget's death 'as a family'
"We ask in Bob's honor, hug the people you love," stars of the iconic '90s sitcom wrote in a joint statement. "No one gave better hugs than Bob."
'Fresh Prince' spin-off 'Bel-Air' drops dark first full-length trailer
"Bel-Air," the self-serious reboot of the 1990s sitcom released a full-length trailer Monday, and there's not a hint of comedy in this new spin on Will Smith's iconic character.
Ayesha Curry slams Instagram troll over open marriage insult
"Don't disrespect my marriage like that," Ayesha Curry told a commenter on her latest Instagram post.
Betty White suffered a stroke on Christmas, 6 days before her death
The "Golden Girls" star's rep previously said she died of natural causes on Dec. 31 at the age of 99.
No surprise: Julia Fox is a fan of Kim Kardashian's Skims
Fox is a fan of Kardashian's ex and her fashion line, having once struck poses in her Skims on social media.
Bob Saget revealed he recently had COVID-19: 'It does not feel good'
"I don't know if I had Delta or … I might have had a combo," Saget revealed. "Maybe at one point they [Delta and Omicron] were working together."
Zendaya gives 'Euphoria' fans trigger warning after explosive premiere
The star gave fans a heads up ahead of the second season premiere, which involved raw scenes of drug abuse, heroin addiction, a near-overdose and child abuse, among other mature...
'Devastated' Lori Loughlin praises late Bob Saget's 'kind heart'
Loughlin played the role of Aunt Becky in "Full House" alongside Saget, who played Danny Tanner, from 1987 to 1995.They reprised their roles in "Fuller House"
Jodie Sweetin vows to tell 'an inappropriate joke' at Bob Saget's funeral
In a nod to her "Full House" character Stephanie Tanner, she also wrote, "But you were supposed to be here longer… How Rude."
Woman says 'Bachelor' producers 'ghosted' her because of body type
"When you get a DM from 'Bachelor' casting producers but you're a size 6-8," user Caroline Cronin's video began.
Bachelor in Paradise's Riley Christian, Maurissa Gunn spark breakup rumors
Gunn deleted most of her Instagram photos with Christian, who has been tweeting cryptic quotes. The reality stars got engaged on last summer's "Paradise" finale.
'Bachelorette' Clare Crawley sparks romance rumors with contestant Blake Monar
The former reality star shared a montage video after spending the weekend with a contestant she sent home in week two of the ABC show.
Delilah Belle Hamlin and boyfriend Eyal Booker break up
The daughter of Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin first met the "Love Island" star after she slid into his DMs in early 2019 after her sister, Amelia, saw him on...
Kendall Jenner addresses 'inappropriate' dress worn to BFF's wedding
"Inappropriate outfit at a wedding @kendalljenner I'm embarrassed for you," one person commented of the supermodel's skin-baring attire.
Video shows Bob Saget's farewell at one of his final comedy shows
The beloved "Full House" alum, who died Sunday at age 65, "had this bit about being a 'fourth responder'" at one of his last stand-up comedy shows.
For Kanye West, relationships come with makeovers
It seems the ladies in Ye's life are often "Bound 2" switch up their style or don designs from the rapper's favorite labels.
Bob Saget had a 'fascination with death' after family tragedies
January 10, 2022 | 11:57am
The "Full House" alum, who was found dead in his Florida hotel room Sunday at age 65, wrote about the tremendous amount of loss in his life in his 2014...
Gabrielle Union reveals shocking 'Bring It On' secret in viral TikTok
Gabrielle Union, 49, spills the untold, shocking secrets behind the "Bring It On" movie trailer in a viral TikTok.
Porsha Williams' fiancé, Simon Guobadia, reveals tattoo of her name
"My ride or die through thick or thin, this love will stand strong until the end," Williams wrote on Instagram, in part.
Kanye West argues he's a genius in Netflix's 'Jeen-Yuhs' documentary
A new, official teaser trailer has dropped for the upcoming Kanye West docuseries ahead of its Feb. 16 release on Netflix.
Kate Middleton wears the Queen's and Diana's jewelry in birthday photos
The Duchess of Cambridge's new portraits honor two other famous members of the royal family, too.
Sterling Shepard parties with Mary J. Blige amid divorce from Chanel Iman
The New York Giants wide receiver filed for divorce from the Victoria's Secret model in June after nearly four years of marriage. They share two daughters.
Rebel Wilson flaunts her figure and more star snaps
Rebel Wilson puts on a busty display, David Beckham hangs with his dogs and more...
Britney Spears' ex-husband Jason Alexander pleads guilty to stalking
The 40-year-old was given 11 months and 29 days of probation, including random drug tests and a mental health evaluation.
Julia Fox appears on Kanye West's Donda Creative Instagram
In the pic, The "Uncut Gems" actress was seen posing sensually on the hood of an old-school car as she donned a long black leather jacket.
Kevin Bacon shares shirtless throwback 'selfie' with wife Kyra Sedgwick
The couple of more than 30 years cuddled up in their swimsuits in a sweet undated snap that the "Footloose" star shared to Instagram.
Suzanne Somers finds out about 'great guy' Bob Saget's death live on air
Somers reflected on some of her fondest memories with Saget, including filming sitcoms at Warner Bros. Studios in L.A. in the '90s.
Savannah Guthrie tests positive for COVID-19 a week after 50th birthday party
January 10, 2022 | 9:28am
Page Six broke the news that Guthrie's husband, Michael Feldman, threw her a bash on New Year's Eve with 60 friends, family and colleagues on the guest list.
Bradley Cooper is turning into awards seasons' biggest flop after Globes shutout
Despite a mountain of acclaim, Cooper is turning into one of award seasons' biggest perpetual losers -- and was even snubbed by the embattled 2022 Golden Globes. Is Oscar next?
Dwayne Hickman, 'Dobie Gillis' star, dead at 87
Dwayne Hickman, star of the sitcom "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis," passed away on Sunday following a battle with Parkinson's disease.
Kaia Gerber is 'newly dating' Austin Butler after Jacob Elordi breakup
The model's parents, Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, are "supportive of the relationship and only want to see Kaia happy," a source told Page Six.
John Mayer pays tribute to Bob Saget: 'I'm taking you with me forever'
"I love you, Bob. I will never forget you. I will visit you often in my memories, and I hope I get to see you in my dreams," the "Gravity"...
Matilda the Hun, GLOW wrestling icon and 'Spaceballs' actor, dead at 73
The wrestling icon got her start in the 1980s as an amateur mud wrestler, where she grappled with both men and women. Her first pro wrestling match was against a 700-pound...
James Mtume, 'Juicy Fruit' jazz and funk legend, dead at 76
Legendary musician played with greats from Duke Ellington to Miles Davis — and his "Juicy Fruit" was sampled by the Notorious B.I.G.
Pete Davidson thanks Bob Saget for helping him through 'mental health stuff'
The "Full House" alum was found dead in his hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando on Sunday. There were no signs of foul play or drug use. He was 65.
Bob Saget playfully recaps year with his wife in final Instagram post of couple together
Bob Saget's wife, Kelly Rizzo, recapped "another year of fun" in a heart-wrenching final Instagram post of the couple together.
Main Archive


The release of ProfileUnity and FlexApp v6.8 today is our best release ever! This release has several enhancements and new industry-first features that raise the bar.
Object-based Cloud Storage – FlexApps can now be seamlessly stored and retrieved from object based cloud storage. This is an industry first and supports Amazon S3, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure Blob.
FlexApp Caching – Blocks level caching of layers.
FlexApp Caching – If you leverage cloud object-based storage you'll want to ensure that your layered apps are always available, regardless of the stability of your cloud connection. FlexApp Caching ensures that FlexApps work smoothly by caching blocks of the layer to the local session. FlexApp caching helps ensure seamless application layering performance even if your cloud connection is temporarily lost. Benefits include faster execution of apps and enhanced FlexApp stability on less than reliable networks. FlexApp Caching is another industry-first innovation from Liquidware.
FlexApp Cloud Apps – FlexApp now features over a dozen pre-packaged cloud-hosted applications. These apps are ready to deploy for pilot projects and easily cloned for production environments. You guess it…this is another industry first. Cloud Apps means you'll have zero packaging required to get started!
Amazon AppStream Support – Amazon AppStream is similar to publishing apps with RDS or Citrix Virtual Apps (formerly XenApp). FlexApp's support of AppStream one AppStream server to publish multiple applications, minimizing the number of base images and servers required. This is another industry-first, FlexApp's support of Amazon AppStream is an exclusive, you won't find it anywhere else.
A new Licensing Server – ProfileUnity and FlexApp's management console will now act as a licensing server to enable true concurrent license models. Benefits include accurate in-use ProfileUnity and FlexApp license counts, especially helpful in healthcare, government, and education.
Faster ProfileUnity and FlexApp client execution – startup of the agent been streamlined, reducing login times for most customers by several seconds.
If you are a current customer it is very easy to upgrade to our best ProfileUnity and FlexApp release ever.Simply check the "About" tab in the admin area of your Management Console and see the update notice to upgrade your environment. If you'd like to try ProfileUnity and FlexApp you can download now and begin testing today!


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Survey says: Open-source software making broad strides across the IT landscape
Among the other findings:
The open source community is now more focused on maturing technology concerns, including improved operational excellence around areas such as support, product management, feature functionality and return on investment, as opposed to earlier concerns around the legal implications of licensing and conforming to internal policies.
More than half -- 56 percent -- of respondents believe that more than half of software purchases made in the next five years will be open source.
Respondents identified software as a service (SaaS), cloud and mobile computing as the main areas that can have a dramatic impact on open source and a virtually untapped opportunity for growth.
An overwhelming 95 percent of respondents noted that a turbulent economy continues to be "good" for open source software, though for the first year ever, lower cost has been overtaken by freedom from vendor lock-in as what makes open-source software more attractive.
When asked about revenue generating strategies likely to create value for vendors, 56 percent of the respondents said that an annual, repeatable support and service agreement was the most likely.


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This mouthwatering lentil and bacon soup is so easy to make at home and tastes delicious too. The rich salty bacon flavour works wonders with the soft texture of the lentils.
This lentil and bacon soup recipe is a delicious lunch time option. Serving 4-6 people, this mouth-watering recipe is packed full of lentils which will keep you fuller for longer and bacon which adds a great depth of flavour to the soup. A hearty, healthy soup that all the family will love – and you can keep it for up to three months frozen, too. Just reheat it when you need a quick supper! This recipe takes 1hr to slow cook this luxurious soup dish. A portion of this dish works out at only 240 calories and 10g of fat per portion.
Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add the bacon, onion and carrots and cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 7-10 minutes, or until the bacon has started to turn golden and the vegetables have softened. Add the lentils to the pan and stir well. Add the chopped tomatoes and 1.5 litres (2½ pints) boiling water, and stir in stock cube. Bring to the boil, cover, and then simmer the soup gently for about 1 hour, or until the lentils and vegetables are tender.
Remove the pan from the heat and leave the soup to cool slightly. Purée the soup with the parsley, and add seasoning to taste. If the soup is too thick, a little extra boiling water can be added.
Reheat the soup for serving in mugs, with crusty bread.
To save time (and washing up), this soup needn't be puréed, but can be left slightly chunky - just make sure it's cooked for long enough, so that the lentils are very tender. If the soup isn't going to be pureed, ensure that both the bacon and onion are finely chopped. To freeze, leave the soup to cool, pack into freezer containers, cover, seal and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow the soup to defrost before reheating.


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Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in UK with a population of 2.8 million people. Created on 1st April 1974, it comprises of 10 metropolitan boroughs and the cities of Salford and Manchester.
As per a recent study, around one-third of the people in Greater Manchester suffer from insomnia and other sleep troubles. They struggle to get asleep after retiring to bed, experience frequent wake-ups during the night and early in the morning. Less sleep at night makes them drowsy and lethargic, impairs their cognitive function and makes them prone to numerous health complications.
Individuals with sleep troubles in Greater Manchester must consult a sleep expert in order to overcome their insomnia. Some of the popular sleep clinics in Greater Manchester, U.K., where people can get themselves diagnosed are Fairfield General Hospital, Bury, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester and Salford Royal Hospital, Manchester. Patients suffering from insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, parasomnias, restless legs syndrome and circadian rhythm disorders can consult experienced clinical physiologists at any of these hospitals for their successful treatment.
Run by the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, it is the third largest hospital in Greater Manchester with all modern facilities for the diagnosis of different sleep problems. Their sleep department offers specialized services and treatment for different sleep disorders, for example, sleep apnea, sleep disorder breathing, parasomnia and excessive and intrusive sleepiness.
Their sleep department is one of the oldest in the country and offers comprehensive services for the diagnosis and treatment of sleep-related breathing disorders and adult sleep disorders. This hospital also offers diagnostic services to children with affected sleep apnea.
The sleep medicine department of Salford Hospital offers specialized treatment for different sleep disorders such as sleep apnea and narcolepsy. A sleep study laboratory is also available for different sleep tests as well as for sleep studies.
Manchester, also known as a red rose county, is situated in northwestern England. Sleepless citizens of Lancashire can get themselves diagnosed at some of the popular hospitals of this city.
Lloyd pharmacy is the UK largest chain of pharmacy which offers diagnosis and prescription for a large range of medical conditions, for example, sleep apnea, narcolepsy and parasomnia.
Boots pharmacy is a popular retain pharmacy chain which offers FDA certified medications for the diagnosis and treatment of insomnia, sleep-related breathing disorder and painful sleep disturbances.
Everest pharmacy is a local community pharmacy chain which offers free prescription collection and delivery service directly at the doorstep of customers. Established in 2009 and currently working with 4 branches, they offer excellent service to all their patients and customers.
Insomnia patients have to get themselves evaluated by a sleep expert before getting a doctor's prescription to buy sleep medicines. The entire process takes a lot of time – getting an appointment from a sleep expert, waiting for lab reports, attaining a doctor's prescription and visiting a pharmaceutical store to get medicines.
SleepTab, a reputed online drug store in UK, offers FDA regulated sleep medications at an affordable price and delivers the same free of cost within 3 days in Greater Manchester at the doorstep of the buyers. Insomnia patients can save their precious time and money by buying sleeping pills online in UK from Sleeptab.


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Regarding all prospective Licensed Vocational Nurses, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing has emphasized and stipulated that nursing license is earned before employment. Likewise, it's vital to be aware that the Nurse Aide Registry has charge of the federal nursing registry. Becoming listed and credentialed is the way to get employed as a Licensed Vocational Nurse.
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Robert Watt (bapt. 1 May 1774 – 12 March 1819) was a Scottish physician and bibliographer.

Early life
The son of a small farmer in Bonnyton near Stewarton in Ayrshire, Watt attended school from the age of six to twelve. After working as a ploughman, aged seventeen he went to learn cabinetmaking with his brother. Forming the ambition to go to Glasgow University, Watt was given tuition by a local schoolmaster and managed to enter Glasgow University in 1793, transferring to Edinburgh University in 1795. After briefly considering the ministry, he graduated with a Licence in medicine in 1799 and took up a medical practice in Paisley.

Medical career
By 1800 he was publishing papers in the Medical and Physical Journal, and he continued to publish medical articles until 1814. A founding member of the Paisley Medical Society in 1806, he was admitted a full member of the Glasgow Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons in 1807 and thereafter built his reputation as a Glasgow physician. From 1814 to 1816 he was President of the Faculty, and he was a founding member and first president of the Glasgow Medical Society. Watt published two books and several papers on medicine: his 1813 Inquiry into child mortality (after two of his children had died from whooping cough) concluded that smallpox vaccination had impacted on smallpox mortality, but not on overall child mortality. However, he gave up medical practice due to ill-health in 1817 and his lasting reputation rests on his work as a bibliographer.

Bibliotheca Britannica
Watt's first bibliographical publication was a catalogue (1812) of his own medical library. Bibliotheca Britannica was a much more extravagantly ambitious project: "A General Index on the Literature of Great Britain and Ireland Ancient and Modern including Such Foreign Books as have been translated into English or printed in the British Dominions, as also a copious selection from the writings of the most distinguished authors of all ages and nations."

Watt died in 1819, but lived to see the book mostly completed and printing begun. The support of Thomas Chalmers, James Ewing, George Jardine and Ralph Whitelaw was enlisted to ensure that publication would be completed. A complete edition in four large quarto volumes was seen through the press by 1824: volumes one and two were an alphabetical author index, and volumes three and four a subject index. Over 40,000 authors were covered, and some periodical literature was also indexed. Paisley Public Library holds a manuscript of Bibliotheca Britannica in 57 folio volumes.

Works
Cases of Diabetes, Consumption, etc., with Observations on the History and Treatment of Disease in General, 1808
Catalogue of Medical Books for the Use of Students Attending Lectures on the Principles and Practice of Medicine, Glasgow, 1812
Treatise on the History, Nature and Treatment of Chincough... to which is subjoined an Inquiry into the Relative Mortality of the Principal Diseases of Children, Glasgow, 1813.
The Rule of Life, 1814
Bibliotheca Britannica or a general index of British and foreign literature. Edinburgh, Constable, 1824. Four volumes.

Notes

References

Finlayson, Life and Works of Robert Watt, 1897

Further reading

External links
James Beaton, 'Watt, Robert (bap. 1774, d. 1819)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 19 Dec 2007

 archive.org: Bibliotheca Britannica, volume I
 archive.org: Bibliotheca Britannica, volume II

19th-century Scottish medical doctors
1774 births
1819 deaths
Scottish bibliographers
People from East Ayrshire
Alumni of the University of Glasgow
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Scottish medical writers
18th-century Scottish medical doctors

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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EMERALD COUPLE DALE AND LEANNE CABAN
Photo of Leanne Caban by Mike Kenyon – www.kenyonsportsphotos.com.au
Photo of Dale Caban by Dave Ethell – www.dephotos.com.au
EMERALD couple Dale and Leanne Caban will both be seeking prize money at the Comet Rodeo on Saturday (March 21) to further their chances of qualifying for the Warwick Rodeo Australian Championships in October.
There are 198 nominations for Comet, only the second Australian Professional Rodeo Association rodeo in Queensland this year.
The rodeo will start at 6pm at the Comet Rodeo Grounds and action will be in eight championship events, three rough stock events for the cowboys, five timed events as well as four junior events.
Dale and Leanne Caban are regulars in the top-15 for their timed events and have contested many national finals.
This year, their finals hopes will depend on performances on Saturday and then rodeos at Emerald and Roma at Easter.
Dale was 15th in team roping heeler standings at the start of March but with three rodeos on the recent long weekend in Victoria, many of the southern riders have had a chance to boost their prize money and position in the standings.
Leanne is 20th in the all around cowgirl standings but not in the top-20 in either the barrel race or breakaway roping so will need to make every post a winner in the next three rodeos in Queensland. She has to finish in the top 15 to make the Australian championships.
The Caban's are just one example of families in rodeo.
Dale's brother Troy hails from Moree and is 19th in team roping header standings while Troy's wife Wendy is the all around cowgirl standings leader and certain to make the Australian championships at Warwick on October 22-25 in both the barrel race and breakaway roping.
The current season ends on April 30 and the new season will start in May but competitors will take four days off from the new season for the Australian championships in October which will be contested over four rounds in Warwick.
APRA program: March 21 Comet (Qld); April 3 Great Western Rodeo (Vic); April 3 Roma Bull Ride; April 4 Emerald M Group Easter Sunflower Festival Rodeo; April 4 Omeo; April 5 Buchan (Vic); April 5 Roma (Qld), April 5 Tocumwal (NSW); April 6 Lang Lang (Vic); April 11 Corryong (Vic); April 25 Alstonville (NSW).
More information or requests for photos to APRA head office on 07 4661 8183.


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Tools of the Trade: A Machine That Squeezes Rocks to Mimic Earthquakes
Tools of the Trade is a series that brings you inside the labs of Earth Institute scientists. Learn about the equipment scientists are using, and discover how those tools are used in their research. Inside the Rock and Ice Mechanics Lab, Heather Savage and her team investigate the physics of earthquakes and fault lines.
By Madeleine Lemos
When you visit the Rock and Ice Mechanics Lab at Columbia's Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, the first things you'll notice are the large, metal machines taking up most of the space. One of these is the Triaxial Deformation Apparatus, which Heather Savage and her team use to study the physics of faults. The lab studies earthquakes, examining the properties of faults to learn more about earthquakes before, during, and after they strike.
The Triaxial Deformation Apparatusholds a rock sample inside it between two angled metal blocks, which mirror the movement of two sides of a fault slipping against each other. The machine squeezes and slides against the sample and blocks, and then records the sample's slippage. The machine is controlled by precise hydraulic valves, which ensure that the stress on the sample remains consistent throughout the experiment, even as the sample changes or shifts during the process. They also allow Savage to carefully try many minute changes in each experiment, in order to get the best variety of results. The lab measures these effects and infers their meaning on a larger scale out in the real world.
The rock samples they use vary in composition and size. Savage says she has been working most recently with smaller rock particles. As faults slip and slide against each other, friction causes bits of rock to erode, forming thin layers of "crunched up rock," or gouge. These layers build up, and Savage and her team use the Triaxial Deformation Apparatus to study how gouge deforms during a fault slip.
"Once the fault is pretty mature it can have a thick gouge layer, and the strength of that gouge layer is really what controls whether the fault is going to slip or not," says Savage. In order for a "dynamic slip"—an earthquake—to occur, Savage says that the slip might need to localize onto a thinner gouge layer. Out in the field, she and her team see these hypotheses confirmed by looking at the ancient rock record.
Through their work both with the Triaxial Deformation Apparatus and in the field, the Rock and Ice Mechanics Lab has been able to use heat to locate potential fault slippage. "Just like when you rub your hands together to warm up, faults generate a lot of heat when they slip," Savage explains. The friction between the two surfaces causes a huge spike in temperature that can transform the organic molecules within the fault's rocks. By looking for these signs of previous hot spots, Savage and her team can reconstruct past earthquakes, figuring out where they started and stopped.
Savage is enthusiastic about her work: "It's exciting! We've had a couple papers come out, and more coming out showing a few of the different faults we've done [this work] on." She is looking forward to sharing more of the lab's findings with the world—and we look forward to learning more.
All photos by Phebe Pierson
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory