text:
Threats to Radiology and the 20 Ways to Beat Them Back
Whitney L. Jackson
Conferences | ACO
CHICAGO - Radiology is under attack from several fronts, but Vijay Rao, MD , and colleagues outlined strategies to conquer these problems.
CHICAGO - It's a common topic of conversation in radiology today: The profession is under attack from several fronts. This lament is most certainly true, but there are several ways to conquer these problems, industry experts said at this year's RSNA annual meeting.
But before you know how to fix the situation, said Jonathan Berlin, MD, associate professor of radiology at Northwestern University Feinburg School of Medicine, you have to understand the forces working against you.
The Threats
1. Declining reimbursement: This issue is no surprise. Since 2006, Medicare reimbursement as slowly dwindled. Until recently, the drops only affected the technical component, but this year, CMS retained the multiple procedure payment reduction (MPPR) to the professional component. It will eliminate 25 percent of the payment you receive for CT, MRI, and ultrasound imaging conducted by one or more providers in the same practice, during the same session, on the same day. Add bundled payments, combined codes, and the new accountable care organization model, Berlin said, and CMS is whittling away your reimbursement.
2. Bad job market: Ask any radiology resident, and he or she will tell you there are simply no jobs available in the field. Confusion around reimbursement and the radiologist's role in health care has prompted many practices and departments to freeze any hiring efforts. Less job opportunity is already equating to fewer medical students pursuing radiology as a specialty, and existing resident morale is at an all-time low, he said.
3. Commoditization: In recent years, rather than focus on all the work associated with diagnostic imaging - the pre-, intra-, and post-service - radiology has placed the greatest emphasis in image interpretation. And hospitals and referring physicians have followed suit, giving the profession the reputation for being a commodity rather than an integral specialty. Many facilities now outsource their image reading to the lowest bidder, and many insurance companies now steer patients to facilities that offer services at the lowest cost.
4. Teleradiology companies: Although shifting night reads initially seemed like a good idea, corporate teleradiology companies are now expanding beyond nighthawk work. Many are now stealing hospital contracts away from local radiology practices, promising to offer high-quality care at reduced cost.
5. Medically-inappropriate imaging: CMS and other health care agencies now estimate that 35 percent of all imaging studies conducted are unnecessary and don't contribute to diagnosis. A major reason for this is self-referral, non-radiologists who purchase scanning equipment in order to perform studies without sending a patient to an outside radiology practice. In many cases, the physicians are practicing defensive medicine, but they lack the proper skills to correctly interpret studies.
While these challenges are significant, said Vijay Rao, MD, chair of radiology at Jefferson Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, there are many strategies at your disposal to reverse these trends.
1. "Take back the night": Don't outsource to teleradiology companies, and don't work for them. Instead, find a way to bring night reads back into your practice.
2. Consolidate: If your practice is too small to handle night reads alone, consider merging with a larger group or multiple groups. This move can also increase your ability to offer subspecialty services. Mega-groups, she said, will likely be very common in the future of radiology.
3. Affiliate: Free-standing practices are vulnerable under the new models of care. Contract with a hospital or a larger multi-specialty group. You could even consider becoming a hospital employee. Any of these decisions would help protect your revenue.
4. Build bridges: Work on your relationships with hospital administration and become more active in hospital management structure and culture. Currently, most of these relationships are strained, Rao said, but you can nurture them by serving on committees, getting involved with quality and safety measures, or participating in strategic planning or marketing efforts. Jumping into the hospital culture will show that radiologists add value.
5. Manage your department: Don't be afraid to take on more responsibility for your department's management; Hospital administration is generally amenable to letting you do this, and you could get paid for it. Create financial targets and propose getting a portion of the savings if you meet the goal. The more you show administrators you're a team player and can help control costs, the less likely you are to lose out to a teleradiology company, she said.
6. Control image utilization, even if it hurts: Do everything you can to make hospital leadership understand the importance of order entry and decision support systems. It might take money out of your pocket, but it's the right thing to do for patients, Rao said. As with department management, work on an arrangement where your department and the hospital split the cost savings from reduced imaging equally.
7. Spread the word about appropriateness: Radiology hasn't done a good job at educating primary care providers, residents, and medical students about the American College of Radiology's Appropriateness Criteria. Publish papers in clinical journals other than those dedicated to radiology.
8. Reach out to primaries: Under health care reform, primary care physicians will play a bigger role in patient care. Improved relationships between these physicians and radiologists could enhance diagnostic abilities and decrease the need for engaging sub-specialists, she said.
9. Fix the image: Not the study you're reading - the image radiology has in the medical profession. According to Rao, radiologists should focus less on money and lifestyle. It's no secret that radiologists are well-compensated, and much of the hospital often believes you're not working hard. Demonstrate the added value you bring and shift away from lifestyle concerns.
10. Make it about quality: Focus like a laser beam on improving your quality metrics and develop a way, such as a dashboard or scorecards, to track them. Then, share the result with the hospital. It's not possible to monitor and improve the more than 300 quality metrics directly associated with radiology, so pick five or 10, Rao said, and work on those. Patient safety, contrast reactions, universal protocols, and outcomes measurements for procedures could be good places to start.
11. Promote research: Radiology needs more research from private practice. Either conduct your own or support someone else's, she said. Running studies could help change the industry's reputation for being a commodity.
12. Be a service line: Many hospitals are now creating and publicizing service lines, and most concentrate on five areas: cancer, cardiology, gastroenterology, orthopedics and neurology. Radiology loses out because its providers work horizontally across all disciplines. Suggest hospital administrators consider radiology to be a service line in your facility, Rao said. After all, diagnostic imaging's contribution margin to outpatient services is 37 percent.
13. Fight radiation hysteria: Yes, undergoing a diagnostic scan exposes a patient to radiation. But, said David Levin, MD, a radiologist at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, radiologists must work hard to allay the public's fears by discussing and publicizing efforts to reduce dose, recording dose parameters, and emphasizing patient safety efforts. Educate your patients that a single CT scan will only increase their existing 25 percent lifetime chance of developing cancer by a miniscule amount.
14. Be a consulting physician: To counteract the existing commodity reputation, Levin recommended you act more like consulting physicians. Screen for the appropriateness of imaging tests, work with referring physicians to cancel or change inappropriate scan orders, and be willing to discuss results with the referring doctor. Consider having a consultant of the day where each radiologist sits in an office one day a week and answers questions.
15. Make room for new jobs: It might mean sacrificing some individual income, but you must make room for younger radiologists to come on board. Unless medical students know that they'll be able to find jobs after they finish training, fewer will select a radiology residency, Levin said. In fact, according to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges, the number of unfilled radiology residency spots jumped by 53 from 2011 to 2012, leaving 86 positions open nationwide. New physicians could help with consultative services, and they could help you rebuild a night or emergency service.
16. Be proactive about dropping reimbursement: Cuts to Medicare payments aren't going away, but you can prepare. Many of you are already becoming hospital employees, and the trend seems to only be increasing, Levin said. He suggested free-standing practices seriously consider lowering their charges and encourage nearby hospitals to do so, as well. In an era where payers are steering patients to low-cost providers, reducing charges can prevent a loss of business.
17. Bolster the real doctor reputation: Many health care professionals don't think of radiologists as real doctors, especially now that almost every specialty is involved in some type of minimally-invasive, image-guided procedure. To counteract this, Levin said, build up your interventional radiology services. Negotiate for space for an IR clinic, including recovery areas, care coordinators, and adequate nursing and physician assistant staffing. And then demonstrate how the clinic will help reduce costs and get patients out of the hospital faster.
18. Lobby against self-referral: Although the federal government doesn't appear interested in policing self-referrals, Levin said, radiologists could find advocates at the state level and with payers. Work with state legislators to craft bills to crack down on non-radiology providers who self-refer. Payers, such as Independence Blue Cross in Philadelphia, can also adopt policies that deny payment for imaging services not provided in a full-modality imaging center.
19. Talk to the press: Get involved with the news media. You have a responsibility to educate reporters about radiology risks, what radiologists do, the problems with self-referral, and all quality and safety initiatives.
20. Demonstrate added value: Show your hospitals and colleagues that you bring more added value to the facility than do teleradiologists. Highlight what facilities will lose if they farm radiology services out to a teleradiology company.
Even with these threats and the many steps radiologists should take to overcome the problems, Levin said there's no indication that radiology will be going away.
"The population is aging, and older patients use imaging three to four times more than younger patients. There's also an increase in the number of insured patients under the Affordable Care Act, and new technologies will continue to be developed as years go on," he said. "If we continue to put the patients' interest first, behave like consulting physicians, take back the night, and do everything possible to eliminate unnecessary imaging, radiology will continue to be a well-compensated, exciting profession."
ACO | Facility Management | News


text:
Love letter to a project
Millie Cattlin and Joseph Norster, presented at Open Engagement 2014.
Testing Grounds
Self Initiated
Dear Testing Grounds,
It's getting dark early now and the winter is coming to Melbourne, and we have flown half way around the world to talk about work and art and life and the things that bind these things, things that have never really stood apart.
A year has past now, a little more truth be told, and the rain is coming back to the site and we put on our boots and hats and gloves and scarfs once more.
In the morning we walked across you, splashing through the long grass and muddying the studio floor with your yellow clay.
We are far from you now, having flown across the world to another city, another time. We wanted to say, we wanted to tell you, we wanted to reveal the depth of our care and concern.
You surprised us; you came up out of the ground, a hidden thing, forgotten thing in the middle of a city.
Everyone talked about you as a problem, a big vacant site, awkward, misshapen, fought over by those around you. Subject to reports and studies, analyses and comment, each one with a detailed litany of your problems, your lack and difficulties.
Too exposed, too hidden, too contaminated, too sterile, too isolated, too engulfed, too geologically unstable, too forgotten, out of reach out of place out of time out of mind, out of the way out of money and out of kindness we will ignore you and hope you go away.
Surrounded by the home of Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, The National Gallery of Victoria and the Victorian State Theatre, all are within frowning distance of your weeds and windblown flotsam. How did you last so long amongst these giants of high culture?
An idea is formed, just a whisper in the back rooms of public policy, the caretakers have the keys – the repairers, the maintainers, the ones who fix the windows and close up at night.
You are part of the city's arts precinct, the proposal we give they accept, allow us to open your gates, take down the black shade cloth, and give the people open access to you day and night for the first time in 30 years.
The caretakers have the keys. The program is simple, use the budget that is spent weekly on rubbish removal, fence repair, and weed killing to run a public art project that allows the community to access and program the work that happens on site. Create a genuine and lasting relationship with the locals by giving them a place to feel at home.
March in Melbourne and when we first walked and sat, you were everything but empty. You were full of bugs and clover, small flowers and strange patches of concrete. Patches of light moved across you, reflected from the office towers that surrounded you, a sinkhole, a depression, a void. The last of summer still holding onto the wild fennel and canola that carpeted you.
We sat with you and just looked for months. Watching the winter come on and the site grow dark and cold, the ground soft underfoot and the foundations of the old building now long gone, exposed and rusting.
These first days, and then weeks, that pile up with the leaves of close observation, of daily care, of exposure to the elements, exposure to the sun, the wind, the rain, the too rapid setting of the sun form a bond, a very real connection with us. We start to know you in a way unexpected.
First arrived a single shipping container, 20 feet of rusty steel, which we turned into a workshop, at that stage we had no toilet or running water, so in the workshop we had a small bucket and a water jug, an electric kettle and tea, we had a heater and gloves for our hands. Big and bare, we came and spent time with you through autumn and winter.
We are interested in notions of exposure, to the elements, to ideas, to the observation of others. We take down the 1000 feet of black shade cloth on your 8 foot high fence and watch as walkers and riders and passing traffic notice you for the first time. Conversations through the fence, at the gate about the place and the work that is going on, just the two of us and an overly friendly kelpie pup. We meet the walkers, we meet the mothers and students and workers that pass by. We answer questions; we talk about public space and art. We learn that most think you will be a car park or hotel, apartment tower or office block, a theatre, a gallery, an art centre, museum, rehearsal space, prop store, artist accommodation or park. We tell them that you will be open soon and they should come and see.
For months we build and design and build and design, through June and July, August and September, and we learn from the site, we learn from our mistakes. A studio and stage, islands of pallets, islands of habituation, ways of domesticating the site, of invitations to sit and talk and think.
We think it works, we think we are ready.
October 4, as spring settles in we open the site for the first time, 10am and we cast footprints in concrete and drink tea, and the locals wonder in and look around. We talk and show, the little things that have taken so long.
You are in the shadow of Melbourne's Arts Centre, a strange back of house paddock that has slipped out of sight and out of mind for so long.
We admit it, we hadn't heard of you, you were unknown, a ghost, a blank, a burnt out pixel on our map of the city. We pride ourselves of having lived an urban life, a close observation of the city and its streets and back lanes and hidden places, and yet you had remained unfound.
We have spent every day with you, everything that is here now, that you hold we have built, the two of us together, we know you so well, its just been us and you for many early mornings and long nights.
This project has taught us to take our time.
The building that stood on this ground, killed by the building of the Arts Centre and your namesake's dream, had a caretaker and a dog and we now fill this role, as caretaker, also with a dog.
You have had concrete casting, silent disco, woodworking, painting and video. You have had craft sessions and hand poked tattoos, weeks of live music and you have been sung to and sworn at, broken open and set fire to, you have been 3D terrestrial scanned. Students come to learn and ask questions like "can I dig a hole here?"
You have been filled with sunflowers, you were burnt by the summer sun, we have buried a rabbit beneath you, we have projected films on your wall. Sparrows, pigeons, dogs, foxes, snakes, mice and rats and people all call you home.
I think you would agree that there have been some touch and go moments, doubt and worry creep in, loss of heart and just down right tiredness take their toll.
So we have left you these instructions for care, each one a taste, each one a slice through.
It's a neat trick to fold your canvas into a few A4 sheets of paper, a topographical origami in defiance of at least the one of the laws of thermodynamics; to condense you, to distill your 2000 square meters into 10 minutes and a 1000 words.
Bendigo Creek 2018
200 Torches 2011
Parts, program and care-taking 2018
Conceptual Back of House 2018
Views from the Inside 2018
Material Matters 1 – Brick 2018
Forest Guardians 2019
Analogue Loop: Access to tools 2018
Previous Project	Next Project
These Are The Projects We Do Together Pty Ltd
We respectfully acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Eastern Kulin Nation as traditional custodians, on whose unceded lands we work and live.
We respectfully acknowledge elders – past, present and emerging. And we extend our deepest respects to all First Nations peoples. In the context of the work we do, we express gratitude for our shared connection through place, to the oldest continuing cultures on earth.
Studio 6, 33 Saxon Street, Brunswick 3065
PO Box 1011, Fitzroy North, 3068
info@theprojects.com.au
These Are The Projects We Do Together

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Sternotherus – rodzaj żółwia z podrodziny Kinosterninae w rodzinie mułowcowatych (Kinosternidae).

Zasięg występowania
Rodzaj obejmuje gatunki występujące w Ameryce Północnej {Kanada i Stany Zjednoczone).

Systematyka

Etymologia
 Sternotherus (Sternothaerus):  sternon "pierś, klatka piersiowa"; θαιρoς thairos "zawiasy drzwi lub bramy".
 Aromochelys: gr. αρωμα arōma, αρωματος arōmatos "aromatyczny korzeń"; χελυς khelus "żółw rzeczny". Gatunek typowy: Testudo odorata .
 Goniochelys: gr. γωνια gōnia "róg, kąt"; χελυς khelus "żółw rzeczny". Gatunek typowy: Goniochelys triquetra  (= Aromochelys carinata ).
 Ozotheca: gr. οζω ozō "pachnąć"; θηκη thēkē "skrzynia, szkatuła, sposób pochowania". Gatunek typowy: Testudo odorata .

Podział systematyczny
Do rodzaju należą następujące gatunki:
 Sternotherus carinatus  – piżmik brzytwogrzbiety
 Sternotherus depressus
 Sternotherus intermedius
 Sternotherus minor  – piżmik trójstępkowy
 Sternotherus odoratus  – piżmik wonny
 Sternotherus peltifer

Uwagi

Przypisy

Bibliografia

Mułowcowate

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


We don't want you to think for a second we're not giving 110%, giving you a mathematical impossibility of ourselves, a number invented for us.
Life is easy for millennials. Our parents worked hard so that we could do whatever we wanted. We've had everything handed to us on a plate. And still we're complaining. Do we need to wake up from our dream world and face reality? What is that reality?
One millennial stands before you, trying to process her three most pressing concerns: job exploitation, crumbling friendship and the apocalypse. She has an overwhelming need to share…and to apologise for it. Taking you on a journey from the aisle of a supermarket to the edge of a volcano, REP Foundry graduate Susie Sillett has written a highly-charged trilogy of monologues exploring the experiences of young people in the 21st century.
Originally commissioned by Women and Theatre and supported by Old Red Lion Theatre.


text:
#ifndef THINLENSCAMERA_H_
#define THINLENSCAMERA_H_

#include <cfloat>
#include <string>

#include "Matrix3x3.h"
#include "Ray.h"
#include "Hitpoint.h"
#include "Aperture.h"
#include "AccumulationBuffer.h"
#include "Camera.h"

class ThinLensCamera : public Camera {

public:

    Aperture ap;
    float stopNumber;

    ThinLensCamera(const string &filename, const int xres, const int yres, float sensitivity_in);

    ~ThinLensCamera();

    int getRay(const float x, const float y, Ray &ray, float &Lweight, ThreadEnv &sb);

    int getDebugRay(const float x, const float y, Ray &ray);

    int evaluateRay(const Hitpoint &lensHit, Ray &lensRay, const float radiance, AccumulationBuffer &accBuff, ThreadEnv &sb);

    void updateSampler();

    void focus(float dist);

    void stats(char *text1, char *text2, char *text3, char *text4, char *text5, const int length);

    void zoomAbs(float fl);

    void zoomRel(float mult);

    void stopUp();

    void stopDown();

    void setStopNumber(const float stopNumber);

    void * operator new(size_t bytes);

    float getLensSampleLocal(Sampler &s, Vector3 &sample);

} _MM_ALIGN16;

#endif /*THINLENSCAMERA_H_*/

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Theodore Wirth had a soft spot for Minneapolis songbirds. The city's orioles, larks and sparrows were under siege when Wirth took office as parks superintendent in 1906. Public enemy No. 1? "Boys who rob birds' nests," according to the Minneapolis Tribune.
Theodore Wirth in about 1915.
"Cruncho the Red," the last of the squirrel hordes in Loring park, a defiant rebel, who is apparently bullet-proof, or at least possessor of a charmed life, roams at will through the park and chatters out a saucy defiance at Theodore Wirth, whenever he happens along. However, Cruncho has but another month in which to give up the battle and die game, or put pride behind him and hike to Kenwood parkway, where many of his relatives have flown, as persecuted patriots fleeing to a land of freedom.
In one month's time Mr. Wirth expects to receive from Washington state a consignment of two dozen gray squirrels, which are to be installed in some newly built, just-for-two cottages, in the trees of Loring. Mr. Wirth had expected ere this to have the gray squirrels here but was disappointed.
Meanwhile "Cruncho, the Red," he of the hated family of bird-eating squirrels, grinned sardonically at the superintendent of parks yesterday and dodged a volley of bullets from the revolver of the park policeman.


This post from the dentist at Decatur Smiles in Decatur AL is about filling cavities with a material that matches the color of your teeth.
We like to see you for a dental checkup every six months. That way, we catch any new cavities that may be developing in your teeth, and fill them.
When a tooth has been damaged through decay, a dental filling is the most common way to restore it to its previous condition. Most of us have a few fillings in their mouth.
Dental fillings have been used for over a hundred years, and they've come a long way from the silver amalgam fillings many of us remember.
Dentists and dental labs have been working to formulate filling materials that are more cosmetically pleasing to their patients.
Today, the filling material of choice in Decatur and around the country is a composite of plastic resin with glass or quartz filler. Referred to as composite fillings, dental patients love the fact that they can be matched to their natural tooth color, making them practically invisible. This is particularly important when the filling needs to be in a conspicuous part of the mouth, such as the front teeth.
Despite the popularity of tooth-colored fillings, many dentists still find amalgam fillings appropriate in some cases. Dental amalgam is made from a metal alloy, which gives it the ability to hold strong even when the chewing load is great.
At Decatur Smiles in Decatur AL, tooth colored fillings are part of our general dentistry. We also offer a range of cosmetic dentistry procedures. Call us today to schedule an appointment.


text:
Uber, Lyft, Taxis, Limos, and others in Ban Rong Bon, Phrae
Availability of Uber, Lyft, Didi, Ola, and other rideshares in Ban Rong Bon
Ban Rong Bon, Phrae, Thailand
Are Uber and Lyft available in Ban Rong Bon? Do Didi and Ola pickup at airports? How much do rideshare drivers earn in Ban Rong Bon?
This page lists all available rideshare services that RideGuru tracks for Ban Rong Bon, Phrae. Scroll down for nearby airports and transportation hubs where rideshares may be available.
How much do Uber and Lyft drivers make in Ban Rong Bon?
Airports Near Ban Rong Bon
Lampang Airport (LPT)
Phrae Airport (PRH)
Rideshares unavailable
Lampang Railway Station, Mueang Lampang, Lampang 52100, Thailand to ท่าอากาศยานเชียงใหม่, 60 Mahidol Rd, Mueang Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
หมู่บ้านฆ้องคำ, ถนนประตูม้า, Mueang Lampang, Lampang 52100, Thailand to ท่าอากาศยานเชียงใหม่, 60 Mahidol Rd, Mueang Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
Mueang Lampang, Lampang, Thailand to ท่าอากาศยานเชียงใหม่, 60 Mahidol Rd, Mueang Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand


text:
Taikkala (, ) is an ancient historical site, located in Mon State, Myanmar.

References

Bibliography

Mon State


Battlestar Galactica at War is back!
Hey Guys, Byron here. Avid BSG fans will be well aware that between 2010/2011 NBC issued a take down notice of a single BSG mod from Moddb.Since Moddb didn't want to get into trouble they decided to remove all BSG related content from their website.
However, we have started up our Battlestar Mod project again, and hopefully we can continue to develop it without NBC feeling threated by its presence.
Well most of the content used in BSG Colonial Wars needed upgrades. Textures weren't great and most models need re-rigging.
Our Priority at the moment is to re-rig enough units to get you guys a mini-mod by 2013. We are aiming for something small, but quite diverse. We aim to change the graphics of the game so you feel like as if your playing a Total Conversion mod.
As mentioned all models are being Re-rigged, and re coded to be more accurate to the ships shown in the show. We have already re-rigged the Battlestar Galactica, and have put its Flak Shield ability to test against some cylon raiders, and the results are fantastic. The video below from our November update shows you this ability being used.
Due to some set backs re-rigging was placed on hold and minor modding of Factions, Galactic Conquests and Planet placement has taken over at this moment. But I am pleased to announce that we have finally overcome the rigging issues we were experiencing with the rigging process, but I'd like to show you what I've been up to in the meantime.
This video shows the new and updated effects that we are looking to create with our mods Galactic Conquest. As you can see we've taken to offering an accurate representation of a Galaxy by adding in Nebula and Star effects, we've even gone as far as adding Suns to each Galaxy.
Let us know what you think, after many attempts at getting the effects to work correctly I cracked it. We are aiming to develop another 3 of these areas for the other Helios' within the Twelve Colonies. You'll also notice some sound updates for the GC.
The mod is well and truly back in production, however as always we must say that Real Life events to come before any modding, so If you haven't heard from us in a while don't assume we are dead, we might just be very busy.
If you want to keep up to date with is visit www.bsgmods.com/forum and register there with us. The forums is quite New and we still don't have many members.


text:
The Otter ~ La Loutre
Search NiCHE
Nature's Past Podcast
Episode 64: Environment and Alibi
Register for a NiCHE Account
Local, National, and Imperial Landscapes of Science
June 25, 2018 June 25, 2018 6 minute readby Pete Anderson
Editor's note: This is the second in a series of articles on the 2018 Canadian History and Environment Summer Symposium. The symposium was held in Saskatchewan in early June and focused on the theme of "Prairie and Environmental Change in the Twentieth Century."
"We understand 'place' as more a network of relations, and consider how taking translocal dialogue and interchange into account might shape practice and enrich analyses of 'places' on both sides of the Atlantic."
-Laura Cameron and David Matless, "Translocal Ecologies: The Norfolk Broads, the 'Natural,' and the International Phytogeographical Excursion, 1911," Journal of the History of Biology 44.1 (2011): 17.
Local Science: Seager Wheeler Farm and Sutherland Forest Nursery
Your humble author at the Seager Wheeler Farm, 31 May 2018. Photo credit: Erin Spinney.
In 1911 Saskatchewan farmer Seager Wheeler won the international prize for best spring wheat at the New York Land Show with a bushel of Marquis wheat. Within a few years, Marquis accounted for upwards of 90% of Canada's grain exports [1]. Wheeler, working on his quarter section in Rosthern 75km north-east of Saskatoon, repeated this feat in 1914 and 1915 [2], helping to launch the hybrid varietal's rapid rise to prominence on the Canadian prairies.
Just over 100 years later a group of well-fed historians, historical geographers, and public historians rolled on to Wheeler's farm, now a national historic site of Canada, to explore this landscape of science with local historian Larry Epp as part of CHESS 2018. Epp explained how settlers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century had to modify both the prairie landscape as well as species of western food and ornamental plants to establish agricultural settlement.
Wheeler's farm site and the Sutherland Forest Nursery, which we visited the following day, are reminiscent of central Canadian farms. The residences and barns, surrounded by trees and ornamental plantings, would have been familiar to settlers moving onto the prairies from other parts of Canada. As David Moon notes in his reflections on CHESS 2018, migrants purposefully introduced many of these plants from Eurasia, and as I noted in my remarks at the Wheeler House, represent the efforts of Dominion scientists based at experimental farms across the country [3].
Interlude: Geographies of Science
Stephen Bocking argues in a NiCHE post from 2015 that"scientific activity has ebbed and flowed across the Canadian landscape, responding to government and industrial patronage and scientists' priorities." Wheeler's achievements in bringing Marquis wheat to the attention of farmers on the Canadian prairies—and beyond—as well as his success in enlisting plants from around the world in creating a place that felt like home are a clear demonstration of the flow of scientific activity across Canada, as well as the networks of relations described by Cameron and Matless in the epigraph above.
As a historical geographer of science, the conceptualization of place as "a network of relations" helps guide my understanding of how local scientific sites, such as the Seager Wheeler Farm, fit into national and international networks. Where my own research has focused on the particular place and role of the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa, I recognize that without the collaboration of farmers across Canada and scientists around the world the efforts of my Farm would have come to nothing.
I live very close to the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa and my research has taken me to important sites of imperial science in the United Kingdom. CHESS 2018 provided the opportunity to visit local sites of these globe-spanning networks for the first time and, in doing so, helped cement my appreciation of the magnitude of geographies involved in supporting Canadian agriculture and agricultural science.
National Science: Central Experimental Farm
Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, facing Baseline Road
Local farmers received extensive state support in these settlement efforts. This included scientific research conducted by the Dominion Experimental Farm Service and directed by the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa. While Marquis wheat is perhaps the most famous product of the experimental farms, many of the plants historically grown by Wheeler, as well as those grown by the current custodians of his estate, can be traced to the experimental farms. Ottawa-based scientists such as William and Charles Saunders, William Macoun, and Isabella Preston bred hardy cereals, apples, and ornamentals (including the ever-present lilacs) specifically for western Canadian homesteads.
The Central Experimental Farm, as well as the network of branch farms, stations, and substations across the country, were sites of experimentation, breeding, and transshipment. Scientists and farmers gathered plants from across the country and around the world to be tested for their hardiness and suitability for Canadian agricultural conditions. Dominion scientists studied plants, animals, and agricultural techniques from around the world. Where existing crops failed to meet Canadian needs, they developed hybrid varieties in decades-spanning breeding projects. The best of these were shipped to farmers across the country, including Seager Wheeler, for localized testing. Farm scientists gathered reports and collated data from these co-operative experiments. Their conclusions and recommendations were then distributed in published circulars, reports, lectures, and travelling exhibitions.
International Science: Rothamsted Experiment Station and Kew Gardens
Scientists at the Central Experimental Farm and agricultural experimenters such as Seager Wheeler relied on a carefully cultivated network of international collaborators for the success of their projects. This included important research sites in the heart of the British Empire, such as Rothamsted Experiment Station in Hertfordshire, England, and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, in Richmond outside of London.
Distribution of wild rice seed from the Central Experimental Farm by RBG Kew to British experimenters, 1909.
While there are no direct connections between Rothamsted and Kew with Marquis wheat, these stations played a key role in assembling the knowledge and plant materials necessary for the Canadian experimental farms. Writing after receiving the first shipment of seed from Kew in 1886, less than two months after the establishment of the experimental farm system in Canada, founding farm director William Saunders told Kew's William Thistelton-Dyer that "Canada will not much longer be a clank" in the agricultural research of empire [4]. Further, just as the Central Experimental Farm acted as a transshipment point for seed received from Kew, so too did Kew distribute plants and seeds from the Central Experimental Farm to local experimenters across the United Kingdom.
Epilogue: The Afterlife of Marquis Wheat
Marquis Wheat grown in greenhouses at the Central Experimental Farm, June 2016.
There is a persistent rumour in Ottawa that Marquis wheat cannot be grown at the Central Experimental Farm as a result of the micro-climate caused by its envelopment by the city after the Second World War. Although it's true that Marquis isn't grown on the fields anymore, it's not because of climate. Rather, scientists continue to grow it in greenhouses as a negative control in SR2 stem rust resistance research, because it is susceptible to many current plant diseases [5]. Plant breeding that targets disease resistance remains an important part of the Central Experimental Farm's mandate and is often conducted alongside international partners who are facing similar threats to their agricultural capacity. In this way Marquis wheat continues to enact local, national, and international networks of agricultural science.
[1] A.H.R. Buller, Essays on Wheat (New York: Macmillan Company, 1919): 172-173.
[2] See, for example: Serving Agriculture: Canada's Ministers of Agriculture (Ottawa: Department of Agriculture, 1997): 28.
[3] The Sutherland Forest Nursery, established by the Department of the Interior, was itself part of the Experimental Farm Service from 1931 to 1961. T.H. Antsey, One Hundred Harvests: Research Branch Agriculture Canada, 1886-1986 (Ottawa: Department of Agriculture, 1986): 388.
[4] Correspondence William Saunders to William Thistelton-Dyer, November 29, 1886, MR/615 Canada Cultural Products 1862-1909, Folio 327, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew Archives, Richmond, United Kingdom.
[5] Doors Open Ottawa, Central Experimental Farm. 5 June 2016.
Pete Anderson
Public History Consultant at History Applied
I am an Ottawa-based historical research consultant. My personal research examines the confluence of science, settler colonialism, and landscape change in Canada and my doctoral thesis explored the early history of Ottawa's Central Experimental Farm.
Latest posts by Pete Anderson (see all)
Reading Deep Horizons - September 12, 2018
Local, National, and Imperial Landscapes of Science - June 25, 2018
Introductions, Invasions, and Infections: Testing Environmental and Cultural Reception in Canadian History - May 24, 2016
The Herbarium: An Interior Landscape of Science - August 17, 2015
Proceedings of the 1975 British-Canadian Symposium on Historical Geography - June 29, 2015
Environmental History Panels at Canadian Historical Association 2015 Meeting - May 29, 2015
River Deep, Mountain High: archiving the sounds of water - August 13, 2014
CFP: Geography and history: Water under the bridge or a bridge too far? Panel for ICGH 2015 - July 24, 2014
Review: How Agriculture Made Canada - July 14, 2014
Environmental History Panels at Congress 2014 - May 4, 2014
Tags: #envhist, agriculture, Canada, CHESS2018, Environment, Environmental History, farming, Landscapes of Science / Category: CHESS 2018, The Otter
Call for Manuscripts: Environmental History and Studies in Failure with Concordia University Press
November 6, 2019 November 3, 2019 3 minute readby Ryan Van Huijstee
Bewitching Environments in 2016's The Witch
October 31, 2019 October 24, 2019 6 minute readby NiCHE Administrators
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I am a teacher and MSL (Multisensory Structured Language) Educational Specialist who provides teaching sessions for children. Students will be taught explicitly using a structured phonics approach that uses multiple senses simultaneously to teach reading, writing and spelling. Intensive instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, reading fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension strategies are covered in a systematic way.
School readiness, one-to-one weekly and holiday sessions are available. Suitable for all children having difficulties with learning to read and spell. Our approach is evidence-basedd and is excellent for children with Dyslexia and also ESL.
At our BJJ school, we believe in changing lives through Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Martial Arts. You will learn simple and effective self-defence techniques, train in functional fitness, and make life-long friendships. Our fully dedicated school also offers a wide range of programs, private training and yoga.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a grappling style focussing on throws and ground techniques. There is no striking which enables students of all ages to practise the style in a live environment with a considerably lower chance of injury. Kids of all ages enjoy wrestling and grappling and our games enable kids to have fun whilst learning how to deal with contact situations.
Our purpose built facility in Gladesville offers classes six days a week starting from kids ages 3-4 all the way through to teens and adult classes.
Our passion is to provide fun-filled classes, developing creativity and co-ordination across a range of dance styles including Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Hip Hop, Musical Theatre, Lyrical, combo classes and performance teams.
Whilst focusing on technique, creativity and confidence, each class is challenging and stimulating so as to provide the opportunity for all to access and enjoy dance as much as we do!
Whether you join our family-friendly studio to build confidence or as a start to a professional career in dance, The Dance Hub is where the magic begins and we would love to be a part of your dance journey!
Classes for students aged 2 and up running in Ermington and Melrose Park.
Contact us to book a free trial!
More than two years experience working at Educational Assessment Australia, UNSW Global, developing world-class assessment resources for NAPLAN, UNSW ICAS tests (English, Mathematics, Computer Skills) and developing an online ESL assessment tool for the Victorian Education Department.
Writer and reviewer of global maths assessments for 3P Learning, the company behind Mathletics.
BEAM is a tutoring business in Gladesville run by a qualified teacher with over 25 years experience. It was established to provide support and a love of learning for preschoolers (4-6yrs) and Kindergarten – Year 3. BEAM provides children with the opportunity to engage in personalised learning programs based on their individual needs to become successful and confident learners. We offer a diverse range of fun and engaging activities to promote academic and social success.
I Can Read Ryde is a total literacy centre for students aged 3.5-12 years and all abilities who wish to learn to read or improve their English literacy – comprehension, grammar, writing.
Little Bears: Interactive lessons designed for very young children to encourage and develop their receptive and expressive language and understanding of the world through a wide variety of child-centred activities.
I Can Read Preliminary: This program is designed to develop both expressive and receptive vocabulary as well as essential pre-reading phonemic and phonological awareness skills that are necessary to learn how to read.
Comprehension & Creative Writing: This program focuses on creative writing, spelling, reading comprehension and vocabulary development.
comprehension, grammar, punctuation, spelling, text types and public speaking.
Sewing with Nikki offers weekly/fortnightly classes and holiday workshops teaching children to sew.
My brand-new studio located in Ryde offers classes suitable for children from 7 years old.
Students will complete stylish projects while learning basic sewing techniques. They will learn how to modify and layout patterns, cut fabric, construct, sew using a machine and hand stitching.
Sewing with Nikki provides students with all patterns, fabric and trims to create our on-trend projects using one of our brand-new computerised Janome sewing machines.
Classes will be fun while learning a valuable life skill.
Saturday afternoon classes are held fortnightly from 2pm till 4.30pm.
All patterns, fabrics & trims included in this fee.
Do you want your child to speak Mandarin?
Children have an amazing aptitude for learning a second language and it's even easier when they are having fun! Since 2008, Mandarin Stars has been delivering immersion based Chinese language classes for children age 1- 12 years old!
Language building activities such as puppet shows, role play, craft, music & movement!
The discovery of Chinese culture, festivals, Calligraphy, Tai Chi and even Kung Fu!
To book a free trial class, contact us NOW! PLUS! Mention code RydeDistrictMums to receive $10 off your first term of fees!
Email: enrol@mandarinstars.com.au or call 1800 18 11 18 for more details.
For the budding pianist from school age children to adult, we've chosen the Simply Music Piano program for you.
We look forward to hearing from you and helping you get started with bringing music into your child's heart.
Letterland is a proven, child friendly phonics program for teaching children valuable pre-reading skills. Our interactive classes are 45 mins and run for 9 weeks during the school term. Your child will sing songs and sit down to their own drawing and craft activity as they become familiar with the fun, engaging Letterland characters that enable preschoolers to more easily learn letters and their sounds (parental participation is not required). Letterland classes are held at 565 Mowbray Road, Lane Cove, right next door to the West Chatswood library. There is also a cafe just metres away, a playground and ample parking for parents.
ActReel Dramatic Institute is a boutique acting school based in Gladesville.
Our origins stem from the passionate belief that delivering quality material tailored to the needs of students allows individuals to flourish and be inspired in all forms of acting. This coupled with progressive and dynamic teaching methods leads the student into discovering their own innate abilities through movement, voice and method. Professional Training in Stage and Screen Acting by fully accredited staff.
All teaching staff have current Working with Children Checks, First-Aid certification, certification IV in Training and Assesment and Bachelor degrees in Dramatic Arts.
As seen on TV! Philotimo Freestyle Jujitsu programs have been running for over 20 years specialising in Self-defence and Anti-bullying programs for primary and high school aged children.
WHAT: jujitsu is fantastic for self-defence. Overcome shyness, develop fitness, make new friends, learn new skills that are more than just sport, they're life skills.
Nick's Maths Studio at West Ryde (near Ryde Tafe) is open to students K-12 up to and including extension 2. Nick is a high-achieving student who has a contagious passion for mathematics and aims to maximise every child's marks. Email/phone for resume & bookings.
At Fitness First Swim School we encourage each child and ensure that learning to swim is an enjoyable and rewarding experience by teaching them life-saving skills in a fun and caring aquatic environment.
Sydney Taekwondo Centre was formed by Vicki and Pino Donofrio, who have been teaching Taekwondo for over 25 years at various martial arts schools. We specialise in kids tuition and a variety group fitness classes, from Taekwondo to Boxing, and from Personal Training to all forms of Pilates. We cater for all levels of fitness, beginners to advanced.
A2 Tutors is a one-on-one tutoring service, in the comfort of your home! Helping students from K-12 strive to achieve their best across all subjects. Give your child a chance to be their best and enrol today!
We are a family-friendly swim school that offers a broad range of lessons from 6 months of age up to adults, as well as catering for some swimmers with special needs.
We operate our terms the same as public school terms to make it easier for our families. Everyone has the chance to take a break and refresh for the next term.
Our success is demonstrated through the high calibre of our coaches and instructors who not only strive to obtain the best out of their swimmers but to have fun in the process.
All our instructors are Austswim qualified and we pride ourselves on our teamwork, excellent teaching methods, our outstanding reputation within the community and the high level of success we have experienced within the swimming industry.
The continual support and guidance we offer our families and our staff help us to remain a swim school with a personal and caring approach while keeping our focus on water education and safety.
CRAFT NATION offer fun arts and crafts workshop for children aged 7 – 11 years old during school terms and school holidays.
The workshops aim to help children build their confidence, creative thinking, fine motor skills and learn new skills.
Focusing on tactile and sensory learning, children get to experience different arts and craft activities such as drawing, painting, sculpture making with clay and papier mache, collage, scratch and string art, sand painting and much more!
Check out https://craftnation.com.au/pages/workshops for workshop timetable and location.
Dance Action is a unique and innovative studio with trailblazing programs for boys and girls to engage, challenge and inspire all who attend.
Dance Action's outstanding boy's program is delivered to over 130 boys weekly.
The Dance Action community includes a supportive and engaged parenting community, student teachers and mentors, exciting dance events, guest teachers and outstanding dance and acrobatics programs. Classes include Breakdancing, Hip Hop, Boys Technique, Jazz, Lyrical and Acrobatics with embedded core components of building confidence, resilience and positivity.
Hot Shots Tennis is a national Tennis Australia program that utilises modified courts and tennis balls to allow kids of all ages and skill level to play the game. TennisWorld North Ryde separate the kids into appropriate level groups and receive coaching from our team of professionals as well as an introduction to matchplay!
Ryde Carlile Swimming Club provides members with the opportunity to practice racing in a friendly and supportive environment to achieve their personal best. It's also a great way to make new friends and have fun! Club races are held weekly during summer (October to March) and monthly on the last Friday of each month during winter (April – Sept).
Extend Education is a newly established Mathematics extension and enrichment program designed to engage and challenge young minds to think, reason and solve problems in a fun and exciting way.
Each 10-week course has a strong emphasis on problem-solving and will teach your child skills that will be necessary beyond the classroom. Qualities like curiosity, inquiry, creativity and thinking outside the box will be the basis of each activity.
At PIEX, we develop kids today with the future in mind. We develop 21st century skills such as creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communcation skills through our STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) program.
These include coding, robotics, engineering and science after school and holiday programs.
Established in 2010 in the heart of West Ryde, Stepaside Studios pride ourselves on delivering quality programmes in Dance Education; Our qualified teaching faculty are proud to offer up-to-date dance curriculum in a positive and inclusive environment to suit all levels and ages.
GymbaROO offers fun educational programs that have been researched for over 30 years to enhance the development of essential motor skills in children and to inform parents of the importance of early childhood development to health, learning and behaviour. The programs are led by trained teachers with specialised equipment and activities to stimulate your child's physical, psychological and social development.
The GymbaROO program is designed to assist brain development from birth through to reading and writing. It is sequential, from 6 weeks of age, right through to starting school. Occasionally parents say: 'we have done GymbaROO'; and they have not understood that they have only completed a tiny part of the program. They have only stimulated the part of the brain that was age-appropriate at the time. It is like building a house from the foundations, and if any part of the house has gaps, there can be problems.
Eleni offers singing lessons for all levels and ages.
She travels around the area to peoples houses to teach.
Eleni has completed her Diploma of music in performance with 12 years of vocal teaching experience.
She has sung at many different venues overseas and in Australia.
Eleni enjoys teaching and helping students reach their full potential in singing.


text:
Fracking: the consequences to land, water and community in Northern Ireland.
Shale gas extraction and the dire implications for Northern Ireland, Japan & beyond…
With the anniversary of the March 2011 tsunami just a few days away, thousands of demonstrators surrounded Japan's parliament building on Sunday to protest against the government's attempt to restart some of the country's nuclear plants. After the Fukushima nuclear accident, Japan is desperately looking for energy alternatives. However, to the concern of many, one of the solutions being explored is the dangerous gas extraction process known as fracking.
I actually wrote a piece about the worrying increase of fracking in my own country of Northern Ireland a few months back (see below). But the negative implications for Japan actually go far beyond that. In a country that is still reeling from a powerful earthquake and high radiation levels, many experts believe the health risks of fracking are not worth the venture. Japanese researchers have suggested that even without fracking, Tokyo has a 70% chance of enduring an earthquake of magnitude seven or higher within the next four years. Fracking causes and increase in seismic activity, and can produce 'man-made' earthquakes. In short, this is not something Japan needs to be exploring.
Here is the piece I wrote about fracking in Northern Ireland if you'd like to know more:
Justin Egli
Romantically referred to as the Emerald Isle, Ireland attracts visitors from all over the world who come to enjoy its unspoiled coastal scenery and patchwork fields of green. Yet despite the fame of these picture-postcard landscapes, it's what lies beneath the surface that may determine the future of the island's tourism and agricultural industries – as well as the health of those who live there.
Unconventional Gas Exploration & Extraction (UGEE) is an emerging issue in Northern Ireland that involves high volume hydraulic fracturing (fracking) of low permeability rock in order to extract natural gas on a commercial scale from unconventional sources such as shale gas deposits, coal seams and sandstone. The dangers involved to both environment and public health make fracking not just an energy issue, but a human rights issue too.
During the process, millions of litres of fracking fluid (water mixed with sand and toxic chemicals, including known carcinogens) are forced into wells under immense pressure in order to fracture the rock and release the gas. However, uncontrolled cracking in the rock layers can also allow previously undisturbed heavy metals and radioactive materials to leak into and contaminate the water table. As a result, an ongoing battle is taking place right now in Northern Ireland between the multinational companies who want to exploit the country's natural resources for financial gain, and the campaigners who are trying to stop them.
Four five-year exploratory licences have been granted in Northern Ireland allowing for deep test drilling. Alarmingly, one location chosen includes the Rathlin basin, home to Northern Ireland's only UNESCO World Heritage Site – The Giant's Causeway – an area of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance. Another is Rathlin Island – a Special Area of Conservation in Northern Ireland (SAC), and a Special Protected Area (SPA). It is home to tens of thousands of seabirds which are now potentially at risk. No public consultation was required for these licences.
Of course, those in favour of test drilling would argue the gains of fracking: a temporary boom in jobs and short-term revenue for the UK. But for the campaigners, the public health risk – as well as the risk to the country's rivers and lakes – is not worth such a trade. They argue that the beauty and tranquillity of Northern Ireland is at risk, as is the reputation of its agricultural produce. Ultimately, as rural tourism is destroyed, revenue will fall.
For every species in this planet there are four basic requirements for a sustainable living: water, food, living space and homeostasis (stable internal conditions and environment). Hydraulic fracturing does not seem to support any of these four requirements. Political differences aside, both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland need to work together to explore alternative, renewable energy solutions for the island as a whole. Only then can a sustainable, environmentally friendly future be secured.
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, bangor, blog, energy, environment, fracking, global, green, ikimasho, japan, japanese, justin egli, northern ireland, solutions, tokyo, travel
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My definition of "antique" is a little more restrictive than Webster's definition, however, mine is based purely on my love of early (pre -1840) southern antiques. I am an "antiques dealers dealer". I like the bantering between dealer and collector, the struggle to justify the price, and the reward when someone says, "I'll take it".
Frank Horton was one of those dealers too. He restored an entire town, Old Salem, and founded the first museum devoted strictly to Early Southern Decorative Arts. Frank and I shared many good stories about people, antiques, and restoration.
Most of what I know today, I learned by traveling the countryside from Molly's Backbone Road clear over to Beef Tongue Road. One of the best tables I ever owned, I bought from a man who sat down and ate lunch with me at Hardee's because I offered him the only seat left which just happened to be at my table. Sometimes good things happen when least expected.
So browse the Antiques for SALE, check out the North Carolina Cabinet Makers, and enjoy my discussion on Restoring Antiques.
Click here to join in a discussion about restoration and antiques. Your opinion is greatly valued.