This article is from The Economic Crisis Reader, available at dollarsandsense.org.
This article is from the November/December 2009 issue of Dollars & Sense magazine.
In recent recessions, state and local governments have been among the few sources of economic stability and employment growth. This is why the recent fall in government employment, including a loss of 37,000 local government jobs in September 2009, has alarmed, even shocked, observers. But without serious action, a sharp drop in government employment, with a loss of a million jobs or more, is what we can expect over the next year. This has implications for the economy as a whole and also for the well-being of large parts of the American public who depend on state and local government services. Two intrinsic features of the American system of government come together to threaten a social disaster: the limited capacity of state and local governments to spend beyond their immediate revenues even in the harshest economic crises, and our peculiar federal system in which education and social services are largely funded by local and state authorities rather than by the federal government, with its deep pockets and ability to spend beyond its revenues as needed to maintain existing services.
State Budget Blues, by Marianne Hill.
When tax revenues fall and demands for services rise during an economic downturn, the federal government sells bonds to cover its expenses, bonds often paid for with money printed by the Federal Reserve. States cannot do this. In 49 states, state constitutions requires a balanced budget, a requirement further enforced by bond-rating agencies and financial institutions, which threaten to lower the rating and raise the interest rate on bonds issued by states facing declining revenues and rising spending.
Together, constitutional requirements and the pressure of bond-raters require that state governments respond to economic recessions and declines in revenue with budget cuts. This makes state and local spending pro-cyclical, moving up or down with the economy, reinforcing downturns rather than acting counter-cyclically to ameliorate economic recessions. Not only is pro-cyclical spending by states and localities bad macroeconomic policy, but a peculiar feature of American federalism ensures that reducing spending during economic downturns is especially hard on investments in infrastructure, human capital, and the welfare of needy Americans. This is because problematic funding of states and local governments parallels a division of labor in the American system. With its deep pockets and elastic spending, the federal government is responsible for the military and for a few special programs, notably retirement pensions and health care for the elderly. States and localities, with rigid restrictions on spending, are responsible for education, local infrastructure, and social services. Federal spending, for example, accounts for only 8% of education spending in the United States, compared with nearly 83% from states and localities. When economic circumstances drive down tax revenues and increase the need for services, there is always money for the federally-funded military; but states and localities have to scramble to coordinate spending cuts and tax increases to balance budgets. They reduce social services, hitting the poor and middle-class, the young, the needy, and the disabled, just when the need for services is greatest.
The crisis facing the states has just begun and threatens to get worse, much worse. Special circumstances delayed the collapse of state and local government services in the current crisis. While state tax revenues are running more than 10% below last year's level, and have already fallen to the 2005 level, most states have been able to balance their budgets without draconian cuts because of two special circumstances. First, heading into the recession, 41 states had "rainy day" funds with an average balance of nearly 3% of revenue. These funds, mostly exhausted now, helped to cushion the initial decline in revenue. Second, the federal government came to the rescue with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Under the ARRA, the "Obama Stimulus" program, the federal government in effect shared its elastic borrowing capacity with states by granting them nearly $100 billion in immediate fiscal relief with another $230 billion in supplemental and competitive grants.
Rainy day funds and ARRA allowed most states to balance their budgets in the past two fiscal years with cuts of "only" $168 billion. Unfortunately, both the rainy day funds and the ARRA will be exhausted long before the recovery of state and local revenues. Under an optimistic forecast, the combination of declining revenues, rising demand for services, and the withdrawal of ARRA aid will force states to cut as much as 4% of their spending each fiscal year through 2013; if the economic recovery slows the cuts will have to be as much as 8% of spending. Even this forecast may be too optimistic. A recent report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities finds that revenue shortfalls in the current fiscal year are forcing 26 states to reopen their budgets and cut an additional $16 billion, or 4%. In the current fiscal year, 48 states have already reduced spending or increased revenues by $178 billion, or 26%, the largest budget gap on record. In the next fiscal year, 2011, budget gaps are projected to be $80 billion for 35 states, or 14%, and this total is likely to grow to over $180 billion as revenues continue to deteriorate. Deficits of this magnitude will require further state and local spending cuts and revenue enhancements made even more punishing than previous rounds because of the exhaustion of rainy-day funds and ARRA aid. Ironically, by reducing employment and spending, cuts of these magnitudes will slow any recovery, making the less-optimistic forecast more likely.
The division of labor in American federalism creates the fiscal pressure causing these draconian budget cuts and places them squarely on the infrastructure investments and education and social services financed at the state and local levels. There is nothing new in this depressing analysis. Early-19th-century politicians like John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay, for example, wanted the federal government to use its more elastic and expansive revenue stream to provide more adequate funding for education and welfare as part of a broad national program of internal improvements. Before the Civil War, their proposals were rejected by southern politicians who dominated the federal government. Southern secession in 1860-61 opened the door to a more active federal role. Under the Morrill Act of 1862, the federal government provided land grants to establish public universities in every state, and in 1867, a federal Department of Education was formed building on the work of the Freedman's Bureau and charged with promoting education and learning.
The determination of southern politicians to control their African American and poor white labor force led them to stymie efforts to use federal funds to expand access to education and, later, to social welfare benefits. The Hoar Bill or the Blair Bill could have been enacted; we could finance education or welfare nationally using the relatively abundant and elastic federal tax system. Their defeat, and the defeat of later measures, left the financing of education and welfare on the state and local level because it was a decision made by politicians to accommodate entrenched local oligarchs, especially southern planters. Had the American left been politically stronger or legislatively more astute, we could have had a different fiscal regime. Maybe we still can. And then maybe we'll have adequate financing of education and human services; and the Pentagon will have to hold bake sales to buy bombers.
The mismatch of needs and revenues on the state and local level threatens social services and endangers needed investments in health, in transportation, in green technology, and elsewhere. If we allow this to happen, cuts in state and local spending will chase the economy down the hill to economic recession or worse. All of us, including the needy, the poor, the young, the disabled, and the sick will pay the price. Building on the ARRA program, we can insist on a renewed program of federal support for states and localities. This would avoid the worst effects of the current crisis but it would be better to eliminate the problem, the standing threat of local fiscal failure to essential programs of social insurance and investment, with a renewed revenue sharing program which would place a floor under state revenues. Even better would be to fund these programs with federal dollars, spreading the umbrella of the federal government's elastic revenue stream over them so as to give all Americans equal access to schooling and social services, regardless of what states they live in. In this way, we would give education, health care, the environment, and other services the same fiscal priority we now give the military.
For two centuries, racists used a "states' rights" to block national programs. By dismantling segregation, the Civil Rights movement eliminated this obstacle. We now have the opportunity to bring Lincoln's "new birth of freedom" to all Americans by moving our federal system away from the shadow of states' rights and, as the late Hubert Humphrey said, to "walk forthrightly into the bright sunshine of human rights." It is only our political failure that leaves infrastructure, social services, and education on the chopping block to be decimated by state and local budget balancers who are bound to match expanding spending needs with shrinking revenues.
Gerald Friedman teaches economics at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
Sources: Richard Franklin Bensel, Yankee Leviathan: The Origins of Central State Authority in America, 1859-1877, Cambridge University Press, 1990; Michael K. Browon, Race, Money, and the American Welfare State, Cornell University Press, 1999; R. Freeman Butts, A History of Education in American Culture, Holt, 1953; Lawrence A. Cremin, The American Common School: An Historic Conception, Teachers College, Columbia University, 1951; Donald Boyd, "Coping with Effects of Recession in the States," Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute, www.rockinst.org, July 27, 2009; Hubert Humphrey, "Hubert Humphrey's 1948 Speech on Civil Rights," available through the Minnesota Historical Society, www.mnhs.org; Gordon Canfield Lee, The Struggle for Federal Aid, First Phase; a History of the Attempts to Obtain Federal Aid for the Common Schools, 1870-1890, Teachers College, Columbia University, 1949; Jill S. Quadagno, The Color of Welfare: How Racism Undermined the War on Poverty, Oxford University Press, 1994; Jill S. Quadagno, The Transformation of Old Age Security: Class and Politics in the American Welfare State, University of Chicago Press, 1988; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "Recession Continues to Batter State Budgets; State Responses Could Slow Recovery," October 20, 2009, www.cbpp.org; Elaine Maag and Alison McCarthy, "State Rainy Day Funds," the Urban Institute, www.urban.org; Donald J. Boyd and Lucy Dadayan, "State Tax Decline in Early 2009 Was the Sharpest on Record," Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government, www.rockinst.org, July 17, 2009; "10 Facts About K-12 Education Funding," U.S. Department of Education, www.ed.gov.


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Trucking and Freighting
Warehousing & Shipping
TXM Plant
Keeping things moving
Recognized for compliance, safety, and reliability within the rail industry, TXM Plant possesses one of the most extensive Road Rail Vehicle (RRV) plant fleets found anywhere in the UK
With more than 25 years of experience of working within the rail sector – and over 445 dedicated and professional men and women involved within the business – TXM Plant is today recognized as one of the UK's leading suppliers of Road Rail Vehicles (RRVs). Boasting over 260 RRVs and more than 900 complementary attachments to support a variety of projects, the company specializes in delivering operated RRV hire, plant operations scheme (POS) services and ALO planning services across the country.
"In what is a somewhat limited market – where the barriers to entry are high and operations tend to be very capital intensive – TXM Plant has grown to become among the largest players in the field of operated RRVs and the provision of ancillary value added services to the rail industry," begins the company's Sales Director, Mike Heafield. "With nine strategically located regional depots, we have created a national footprint that offers TXM Plant excellent geographical coverage built around the busiest parts of the rail network."
For TXM Plant, there are a number of routes to market, with the company having worked not only with leading infrastructure managers such as Network Rail, but also collaboratively with some of the UK's major rail contractors, such as Balfour Beatty, Keltbray, Atkins and Amey. "Our principle customer is Network Rail," Mike continues. "The support we provide through the provision and hire of our wheeled and tracked RRVs, heavy-lift Monster Cranes, and other equipment, covers two key areas, these being the maintenance of the track network, and small enhancements or minor project works. The latter extends to the renewal and refurbishment of elements like the track and sleepers, and also supports overhead line electrification works, the structural inspection and maintenance of bridges, tunnels and other assets, as well as off-track activities such as drainage and vegetation management.
"Through our machines and the staff that we provide to operate and manage them safely, we offer a dedicated service that is focused on the successful delivery of our customers' objectives. We work as part of our customers' team, planning and managing the activities of our machines in line with their expectations, with safety and compliance always at the heart of what we do."
2020 has been a particularly important year for TXM Plant. In February, the company named its Chief Finance Officer Brian Reynolds as its new Chief Executive Officer (Brian is currently undertaking both roles). This move came six months on from Mike's own arrival from Speedy Hire, and eight months following Richard Watts coming on-board as TXM Plant's Chief Operating Officer, having previously worked as part of the HS2 project. Together, this new management team has been spearheading a cultural shift centered around placing the customer at the core of what TXM Plant delivers.
"One of our big priorities over the last 12 months has been driving a consistent way of working throughout the business, from the top down, in order to ensure that TXM Plant becomes widely recognized as being a truly customer-led, collaborative organization," Mike confirms. "This has been made possible by ensuring that what we have in place is a consultative management team that is not only prepared to listen to and seek the input of its employees when it comes to making key decisions – such as the investment in new plant and equipment – but is also not afraid to adapt and try new things in order to best meet its customers' demands."
The results of the company's efforts are already beginning to bear fruit, an example being its collection of the Route to Gold, Gold award from Network Rail in October 2020. This scheme promotes collaborative working behaviors, reducing costs associated with re-works, and embedding a culture of continuous improvement across the rail industry. The award recognizes the hard work and dedication of TXM Plant's engineering and maintenance teams to ensure that safe and reliable plant is always available to meet the needs of the industry.
Other initiatives that continue to be pursued by the company include its 6S approach to its depots. 6S refers to an innovative methodology for transforming working environments, organizing workspaces in a way that is safe and efficient. By stripping out waste and creating structure, safety risks are greatly reduced and productivity invariably increases. With one of its depots initially being selected to pilot this approach, the company involved its staff from the outset in determining what to keep and what should be removed. What followed was a period of several weeks in which time the depot was cleaned and reorganized to give everything an assigned place. Once the process of refurbishment and reinstallation was complete, a series of regular audits were arranged and controls established to sustain the new approach.
Following the success of the first pilot, the methodology has since been rolled out across the rest of TXM Plant's locations, and will culminate in the company's planned opening of an entirely new depot in Birmingham in the coming months. Modernized and extended to handle the servicing and maintenance of the company's expanding range of RRVs, the depot now covers an area of 20,000-square feet, including offices, training facilities, a test-track and a plant maintenance workshop.
Commenting recently on the new depot, Brian stated: "As TXM continues its 34journey of growth, this new depot is the next step in our commitment to long-term investment in rail infrastructure. Ideally located, with easy access to all major transport routes, and with state-of-the-art facilities, we are excited to support up-coming projects, working closely with clients both old and new."
Also on the company's investment agenda are its RRVs themselves, as Brian goes on to detail. "RRVs are certified in cycles of seven years, after which point they are each required to undergo a major strip down and repair program ahead of being certified for a new cycle. The age profile of our machines is varied; therefore, we have committed to investing £25 million over a three-year spell in both our existing and brand new RRVs. This will include wheeled and tracked RRVs, as well as general purpose machines, heavy lifters and elevated working platforms."
With 2020 now drawing to a close, Brian and the rest of the TXM Plant team will be turning their attention towards what 2021 holds for the business, and what its priorities going forward will be as it looks to build on a successful period over the last year. "Our focus areas will include building relationships with a much wider customer base, which we intend to do by engaging with companies directly in order to ascertain how our plant and services can help them to achieve their outcomes," Brian adds. "Rather than simply handing over a list of plant and prices, what we want to do is gain a clear understanding of how we can work collaboratively within our customers' supply chains.
"At the same time, we will continue to do everything we possibly can to drive towards even greater levels of reliability, while making sure that we retain the talents of the best engineers. In doing so, we see no reason whatsoever why TXM Plant cannot cement its position as the leading provider of specialist RRVs and ancillary services to our customers."
www.txmplant.co.uk
Services: The leading supplier of Road/Rail vehicles in the UK
Transportation and Logistics International
Cringleford Business Centre
Intwood Road
Cringleford, Norwich, UK
NR4 6AU
Click here for a full list of contacts.
© 2016 Transportation and Logistics International. All Rights Reserved.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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The successful operation of the telescope requires a wide range of skills from astronomy through to mechanical, electrical and software engineering, as well as administrative support.
The telescope is funded and operated by the SALT Foundation, a collection of academic and government institutions throughout the world and while the telescope itself is in the Northern Cape province, the permanent headquarters of the SALT Foundation is based at the South African Astronomical Observatory in Observatory, a suburb of Cape Town.
Partners from South Africa, Poland, the United States, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and India have made the construction and operation of SALT possible.


ARC+ Update (our route to the Caribbean). Our handbook detailing all our cans and cant's and should haves arrived today, included in this was the coveted ARC+ Flag, which will be flown from when we leave here in May until we arrive in St Lucia in December and most probably longer.
So excited for you both. Wow!!!
Well now you've gone and done it. Not long to go. See you soon.


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MSC Grandiosa to Resume Cruising Southern Europe on January 24
By Bruce Parkinson
The MSC Grandiosa will set sail again in the western Mediterranean on Sunday, January 24th, following a month-long pause. The ship was the first to start operating in southern Europe last August, but was forced to take a break when the Italian government tightened travel restrictions in the pre-Christmas period.
As the number of active cases in Italy has declined in recent weeks, the government has loosened the rules again.
MSC Grandiosa (Photo courtesy of MSC Cruises)
A press statement from MSC Cruises read: "Following the latest ministerial decree issued by the Italian government and related updated health measures, the company's flagship will resume her planned weekly cruises leaving every Sunday from Genoa, Italy and calling on other Italian ports of Civitavecchia, Naples, and Palermo, as well as Valetta in Malta.
While cruises departing from North American ports have been suspended since March 2020, MSC was able to restart last summer with two Italy-based ships. The line worked closely with government officials to develop comprehensive health and safety protocols, both on the ship and during shore excursions.
READ MORE: Europe-Based MSC Cruises Plans Cruising's Biggest Expansion
"The latest ministerial decree authorised the resumption of cruise operations under the protection of the unique health and safety protocol that had been developed with and authorised by the Italian health, transport and safety authorities last summer," the MSC statement added. "Since then, MSC Cruises has safely welcomed over 30,000 guests on board its two ships based out of Italy."
As the world's largest privately-owned cruise line — and one with a massive expansion plan over the next several years — MSC hopes to use the knowledge gained in Europe to streamline its North American restart once guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention are finally made clear.
"We're leveraging the fact that we were the first ones to start operating in Southern Europe to set the tone on how to operate a safe cruise," Ken Muskat, EVP and COO of MSC Cruises (USA) told Cruise Industry News.
It is expected that many of the initiatives MSC has taken, including universal testing, social distancing, closely-monitored excursions, and shorter itineraries, will be part of North American rules as well.
READ MORE: 15 Tips for Visiting Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve
When it can restart here, MSC will have three ships based in the Florida ports of Miami and Port Canaveral. Initial plans are for short cruises of three, four, and seven nights, with MSC's private destination Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve playing a key role. The line says the same health and safety protocols will be in place on the island as they are on its ships.
Ocean Cay (Photo courtesy of MSC Cruises)
Unlike some other private islands, Ocean Cay, which opened in December 2019, features programming that extends late into the evening, adding diversity to the experience. As well as sunning, swimming, and water sports during the day, evening events including a Bahamian-style Junkanoo parade and a dazzling light show projected from the island's lighthouse.
READ MORE: MSC Cruises Releases Summer 2022 Schedule
Geneva, Switzerland-based MSC Cruises is planning the largest single expansion in the industry, with a dozen ships on order from 2021-2027. These include four 5,400-passenger, liquefied natural gas-powered mega-ships, the largest ever for a Europe-based cruise line. The plan represents a massive investment of $11.3 billion dollars and will add nearly 45,000 berths to the line's fleet.
Late this year, MSC plans to begin sailing the MSC Seashore from Miami. The brand-new, 4,560-passenger ship promises the highest ratio of outdoor space per guest in the company's fleet.
MSC Seashore (Photo courtesy of MSC Cruises)
MSC has suspended cruises from U.S. ports through March 31, 2021. At present, its first scheduled voyage is a three-night sailing out of Port Canaveral on April 1, with a stop at Ocean Cay.
Bruce Parkinson
Bruce Parkinson has written about cruising and the broader international travel industry for more than 25 years.
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Hi, this may be of interest to you: MSC Grandiosa to Resume Cruising Southern Europe on January 24. This is the link: https://cruiseradio.net/msc-grandiosa-to-begin-cruising-southern-europe-on-january-24/


text:
Why is no one talking about antenatal anxiety?
Elizabeth Di Filippo
Yahoo Canada Style January 30, 2019
Image via Getty Images.
Editor's note: In October 2018 Yahoo Canada published a series on anxiety, which is currently the leading mental health issue in Canada. We're re-running several stories for Bell Let's Talk Day to help raise awareness and funds for mental health initiatives across Canada.
When it comes to the topic of mental health and pregnancy, the conversation is largely focused on the postpartum experience, particularly postpartum depression. While raising awareness about postpartum depression has undoubtedly helped destigmatize mental health, we have failed women by not discussing another serious and debilitating disorder: antenatal anxiety, or anxiety during pregnancy.
Although women are twice as likely to suffer from anxiety disorders, not much research or attention has been given to anxiety during pregnancy (antenatal and perinatal anxiety). While women with a history of anxiety and depression are at an increased risk of developing antenatal anxiety, many women develop diagnosable anxiety for the first time during and following pregnancy.
According to a 2017 study, more than 20 per cent of women self-report feelings of anxiety such as panic attacks, restlessness, irritability and obsessive thoughts while pregnant. While it's completely normal to experience feelings of anxiety prior to giving birth (it is a major life change after all) antenatal anxiety is widely regarded as underdiagnosed, and under-represented in research. Many women who report symptoms of anxiety are dismissed, with their feelings as either the product of nerves or hormones.
When my sister Carrera Danks became pregnant with her first child in 2011, our family was overjoyed. She had conceived on her first try — just a month after her picture-perfect wedding complete with a poofy princess-like ball gown, blinged-out centrepieces and a friendly bartender who faithfully obliged my requests for more tequila.
The excitement of a new baby overshadowed any fears we may have had about my sister's mental health. Like me, Danks had been diagnosed with both anxiety and depression in her early teens and had been taking antidepressants ever since. When she announced that she was going to stop taking medication during her pregnancy, she was nervous, but convinced that it was the safest option for the baby. What followed was nine arduous months of anxiety, exacerbated by her being diagnosed with gestational diabetes, followed by severe postpartum depression.
ALSO SEE: Is anxiety curable? Why that's the wrong question to ask
From her home in Guelph, Ont., Danks admits that despite her medical history, she was surprised by the severity of anxiety and depression she experienced.
"I've always wanted to be a mother for as long as I can remember," she said. "It was something that we had wanted and planned for. I thought, surely anxiety and depression wouldn't be a problem because this is the one thing that I've always wanted."
Doctors dismissed her anxiety as jitters. Friends and family (myself included) resounded in a chorus of "Everything is going to be fine!" whenever she voiced her concerns. The warning signs were there – restlessness, panic, obsessive thoughts and worrying, but it wasn't until after the baby was born that our family took action.
With counselling and a return to medication, Danks slowly improved, but was left with an intense fear of a similar experience should she ever get pregnant again.
According to Dr. Simone Vigod, a psychiatrist and clinical researcher in pregnancy and postpartum mental health at the Women's College Hospital in Toronto, many expectant and new mothers suffer in silence.
"Anxiety can be extremely debilitating," Vigod tells Yahoo Canada. "One of the most heartbreaking things is when a woman who's nine or ten months postpartum comes to see me and it's obvious that she's been struggling for months, but never thought it was OK to seek care."
Vigod helps run the Reproductive Life Stages program, dedicated to supporting women with mood and anxiety issues related to the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and postpartum period and problems that develop during menopause.
"There are some women's brains who are sensitive to the hormonal fluctuations that occur during these times," she explained. "Part of what's happened is that 'postpartum depression' has become a really important code word in the public. Postpartum depression and anxiety have different symptoms but can be conceptualized along the same spectrum of issues."
While some women present with clear anxiety disorders such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Vigod says there's evidence to suggest that the vast majority of postpartum depressions are very "anxious depressions." Along with the symptoms of depression, many women are feeling agitated, rather than slowed down, and consumed with worry that something will be wrong with the baby or will go wrong during labour.
"If an anxious thought occurs and a woman can't let it go, or it prevents her from doing the things that she would normally do, like interact with people, leave the house, or feel confident to take care of the baby on her own, then there may be a problem."
Through her work with in reproductive mental health, Vigod helps women at all stages of pregnancy (planning, antenatal and postpartum) transition into parenthood through group therapy and private treatment. Vigod says the goal is to help patients develop mindfulness based skills and relaxation skills to help reduce anxiety symptoms, which can negatively impact the health of the baby. High levels of stress during pregnancy have been linked to preterm birth and low birth weight, which are markers for illness throughout the child's lifetime.
"Anxiety disorders are very treatable," Vigod said. "There's strong evidence that shows that psychological treatments like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) does help."
While proactive treatment and talk therapy is undoubtedly helpful, for some women continuing medication during pregnancy is the safest course of action for both mother and child.
ALSO SEE: Nearly half of all Canadians suffer from anxiety — and many believe there's no cure
"The vast majority of medications used to treat anxiety are antidepressants, specifically selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)," Vigod explained. "These are relatively low risk medications, but you can never say that they're completely risk free."
For my sister, the decision to have another child after experiencing antenatal and postpartum anxiety and depression required careful consideration and a revised game-plan. For her second pregnancy in 2017, she continued taking antidepressants and enlisted the help of midwives for additional support.
"I was more inclined this time around to say, 'Something's not right and I need help,'" Danks said. "I had a better understanding of my feelings, and I didn't want my daughter to see me in a state that would worry her as well. I wanted her to know that some days may be harder than others, but that we can all get through it. It's nobody's fault."
Like Danks, many women are motivated by their children to seek treatment for anxiety. Dr. Vigod notes that many of her patients who are suffering postpartum are eager to improve the trajectory of their family, which starts with putting their mental health first.
"I have a lot of respect for the people I see who are doing such an incredible job as mothers, but suffering so much inside," Vigod said. "This is a time in life when we have a huge opportunity to intervene not only with one person, but with a family as well. We can make improvements for multiple people across generations."
The Reproductive Life Stages program is structured to help restore a sense of community and support for women who are otherwise shamed into silence by the stigma surrounding their feelings and the overwhelming desire to be the "perfect" mother.
"We do a lot of group work," Vigod explained. "Sometimes women are hesitant to go into groups because they feel ashamed or they feel like nobody else will understand. It's extremely powerful to be in a group with other women and hear. 'Yes, I felt that too – and we'll get through this together.'"
Although we know that anxiety is the most common form of mental illness, and that women are at an increased risk for experiencing anxiety disorders, the research surrounding antenatal and perinatal anxiety is still in its infancy. By elevating anxiety during pregnancy to the same level of public consciousness as postpartum depression, we can hopefully encourage more women to seek medical intervention when the problem arises, and rid ourselves of the myth that treatment is only safe and necessary after giving birth.
Phone calls with my sister, including the one for our interview, involve several interruptions from my nieces. Their curious little voices derail our conversations as my sister tries to corral her daughters between activities and wrestle with a teething toddler.
Still, despite the chaos, I can hear that my sister is in a good place emotionally, and that she's raising happy kids.
"These days I see my family and I know that I can do it because I wouldn't want to not do it. I love my children more than anything in the entire world," she said. "But some days all I can do is love them, feed them, clean them, cuddle them and that's OK. It's just about making sure all of our needs are met physically and an emotionally — that's a win most days."
During the month of October, Yahoo Canada is delving into anxiety and why it's so prevalent among Canadians. Read more content from our multi-part series here.
Let us know what you think by commenting below and tweeting @YahooStyleCA andfollow us on Twitter and Instagram.
Abacus Data, a market research firm based in Ottawa, conducted a survey for Yahoo Canada to test public attitudes towards anxiety as a medical condition, including social stigmas and cultural impacts. The study was an online survey of 1,500 Canadians residents, age 18 and over, who responded between Aug. 21 to Sept. 2, 2019. A random sample of panelists were invited to complete the survey from a set of partner panels based on the Lucid exchange platform. The margin of error for a comparable probability-based random sample of the same size is +/- 2.53%, 19 times out of 20. The data was weighted according to census data to ensure the sample matched Canada's population according to age, gender, educational attainment, and region.
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What Types of Criminal Justice Majors Are There?
A career in criminal justice can provide you with a very rewarding career in which you will always have job stability and have the opportunity to contribute to society. Those that are looking for a career in criminal justice will find that there are many more career options if they have a degree. Prior to pursuing a degree and career in criminal justice, all people should be aware of the broad range of criminal justice majors that are available.
The most common educational option for those looking to pursue a career in criminal justice is law enforcement. When getting a degree with this major, people will not only what the law is but also how to enforce it legally. The degree path is a great choice for someone that wants to be a police officer or federal agent. Those that want to work in the prison system would also benefit professionally from a degree in law enforcement.
For people that want to stop crime at its source and help former criminals get back into the real world, pursuing a degree in rehabilitation would be a goo option. Those that get a degree in this field could do a variety of differing jobs. Many graduates get jobs working as parole officers in which they will ensure that former convicts are meeting all of the requirements of their parole. Another specialization in this includes drug rehabilitation in which a person will help criminals recover from drug addiction.
Criminology is another major that could be good for someone that is looking to pursue a degree in criminal justice. Criminology differs from other education options in that it focuses on social and psychological reasons why someone would commit a crime. The degree program will likely include many courses is psychology and sociology. Those with a degree in criminology would work well as either a forensic psychologist or criminal psychologist.
A degree path that could also be a good option for someone that wants to work in criminal justice is accounting. Accountants can be hired by law enforcement agencies to do a number of different jobs. At the federal level accountants are frequently hired to help inspect white collar and financial crimes. At the local level, accountants can be hired to inspect similar crimes and even to handle the police departments finances.
The fifth major to consider would be a degree in law. Lawyers play a very important part in the legal and criminal justice process. Lawyers can be hired at the state, county, or federal level to prosecute defendants or to defend those that do not have the means to hire their own defense attorneys.
In conclusion, the criminal justice career path is a great one for someone that wants to help make society a safer place. Criminal justice can be a very broad career path with a wide range of career options. For those that are looking to pursue a degree in law enforcement, there is an equally wide range of majors that could be pursued.
For more information, check out the "Criminal Justice Career Guide".


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They aren't just clowning around when they say this group offers family entertainment.
Katya Quiroga, a seventh-generation circus performer, and husband Nelson Quiroga, a fifth-generation Big Topper, own Circus Vargas, which has set up through Monday at a Hollywood athletic field where Sunset Boulevard crosses the Hollywood Freeway.
"My father is general manager and tent master, my mother is a retired acrobat and my sister is a former acrobat who now is Circus Vargas' graphic designer. Nelson's parents used to be acrobats too, and they work in the concessions department," said 41-year-old Katya.
The Quirogas' three daughters — Graciella, 3, Daniella, 8 and Mariella, 13 — are also being taught performing skills. "We've introduced them to the circus arts, dancing and acrobatics. I'm pretty sure our kids will follow in our footsteps," said 44-year-old Nelson.
Nelson's career was launched when he was 11 and performing with his parents and brother in a South American circus, based in Argentina.
"We lived in a little 10-foot-by-10-foot tent. We didn't have vehicles, so when we traveled from town to town, we'd just roll up our little tent and throw it on top of the circus semis. We'd travel in the semis too," he said.
In those days, the children of circus performers would attend a local school during the three weeks that the show was in town before moving to the next place and the next classroom. "I have very little schooling," acknowledged Nelson.
Katya's parents, both acrobats, sent her and her sister to live with grandparents in Holland while their circus moved through Europe, South Africa and elsewhere. She studied classical music and ballet at Holland's Royal Conservatory.
Circuses "didn't have a school system for kids back then. That's why my parents made the wise decision to send me to school," she said. "When I finished school at 16, I wanted to be with my parents and experience the circus. I thought it might be short-term, a year or two."
Katya started by doing a juggling act with her mother and soon began acrobatic training. "It was so much fun I didn't leave," she said.
Things are different these days for children of circus performers.
Circus Vargas has a mobile classroom and employs a teacher who oversees the studies of 15 school-age youngsters. Five preschoolers will soon join them.
"I want to give our daughters choices. They will be going to college for a few years, that's our plan. Then they can make an educated decision that yes, they want to stay in the circus, or no, they don't," Katya said.
The Quirogas — who have performed together as The Flying Tabares — met when Katya was 18 and Nelson was 21.
Former Circus Vargas owner Clifford Vargas had recruited Nelson's family to perform in his 1989 show and brought the four of them to the U.S. "He was sort of our Cupid," said Katya.
"He told Katya that he'd hired a bunch of hot Latin guys and one of them was going to be her future husband," Nelson says, laughing. Vargas, 64, died soon after, but not before learning that his two young performers had begun dating.
Another group ran Circus Vargas after his death. But changing public tastes and allegations of animal cruelty caused the circus to decline. When the new owners decided to sell in 2005, the Quirogas offered to buy it.
"The circus was just barely functioning. We couldn't bear to see it disappear," Katya said. "It was a bit of a miracle. We didn't offer as much money as other buyers, but those selling wanted it to be in good hands. They knew we'd take care of it."
Since taking over, the Quirogas say, they have refined the one-ring circus' two-hour show and recruited a tightly knit group of performers. Also, the circus does not use animals.
"It's not enough just to have a good act. We are together 24/7, so we have to have people who are happy to be here. When they go home, their RVs are parked next to each other. Everybody does have to get along," Katya said as she watched performer Jon Weiss balance a 12-foot, 70-pound ladder on his chin.
After Sunday's shows at 12:30, 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. and Monday's 6:30 performance, the circus will pull down the 1,400-seat tent and move its 60 vehicles to Orange County for four weeks. Shows will be held in Westminster, Irvine and Santa Ana. Later, the troupe heads for Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
"We're a big traveling community without a ZIP Code," she said.


Ann Kakliouras (Anthropology) will discuss her digital indigenous mapping project, and share insights on her experience working on digital projects with community groups.
Teresa Delfin (Anthropology) will share her new short documentary, Daughter, Sister, Mother, which chronicles the journey of transgender woman, Shaky Estrada, and her shifting role in a tight-knit Mexican family.
Daughter, Sister, Mother_Trailer from Teresa E.P. Delfin on Vimeo.
There will also be plenty of time to imbibe, socialize, and celebrate the end of the semester. We hope you can all stop by for a bit! And many thanks to Gil Gonzalez and Hartley House for generously hosting this gathering.
If you have any questions, email Anne Cong-Huyen or Sonia Chaidez.


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Home/Writing Tips/15 Tips To Write A Strong Female Character Novel
15 Tips To Write A Strong Female Character Novel
Strong Female Writing
How to write a strong female character?
Nowadays, the strong female character is something of a joke. The biggest complaint is that she's a Mary Sue. One of the most exciting things about a character is their weaknesses and flaws. However, if the strong female character is the main character, the writers will scrub those weaknesses away.
They want to focus on her awesomeness, not her struggle and pain. I get it both as a writer and a feminist, but it makes for a very boring character. She won't have much if any character arc or growth, or the arc will revolve around her getting more power rather than growing as a person. It is how you get characters like Rey and Captain Marvel.
Female characters tend to be patsy written to play a man's counterpart or fill their small role in the story. Historically, if they're not written to be the counterpart to a man, they're written into a handful of stereotypes. If you want to write a strong female character story, follow me.
Strong female characters are fantastic to write about in any genre, but correctly presenting them is tough. I'm going to be showing you how to create fantastic, strong female characters for your mangas comics and light novels. Everyone tries and fails to write a strong female character. You say strong female character, and certain women come to mind.
We associate the character type with heroines, action stars, or women who kick ass. But punching baddies and firing guns do not a strong woman make sure maybe it equates to physical strength. But when we talk about strong characters, we're talking about the strength of will, disposition, and mind. Now, I will give you 15 tips to write a strong female character perfectly. Let's write!
1. Avoid unnecessary cliches
The strong female character has become a cliche, and it usually presents itself in the following way. One, she's strong because she's physically strong. You can tell because she will punch someone in the face early on in her introduction. Two, She's still effortlessly, conventionally beautiful. Three, she's never scared, and she never expresses any vulnerability.
This strong female character representation doesn't work because none of this equates to strength. Physical strength and strength of character are entirely different things. Punching people doesn't prove the strength, and having zero moments of weakness doesn't mean you're strong. It means you're one-dimensional. So, follow this formula, and you'll have readers rolling their eyes at your complete lack of creativity.
2. Know the definition of strength
The definition of strength as it pertains to a strong character is being able to withstand great pressure or force. Another similar definition is showing determination, self-control, and good judgment.
A strong female character can go through many problems without it destroying them. She's committed and disciplined, and she's not a dummy.
If you want to write a specific character trait, it's a good idea to understand what that trait means first. If you don't understand it, the dictionary exists. Utilize it for the love of God.
3. Strength and vulnerability coexist
People often confuse strength with stoicism. If a character is strong, we should never see them in a vulnerable position. But the strength of character stems largely from vulnerability. It is because you can't develop strength if you've never been in a vulnerable position. We become strong often by getting hurt.
The ability to allow yourself to be vulnerable is in itself a strength. It's scary to put yourself out there, and facing that fear head-on is a powerful thing to do.
This is why it's essential to give your strong female characters moments of vulnerability. These could be heartfelt conversations, raw honesty, open communication, or moments of trust. But most importantly, we need to see her struggle with the plot's conflict. Whatever she's up against, it should be tough to handle. None of this paints her as weak. If anything, it drives her strength home even more.
Readers can see the adversity, yet she is still determined to push through. Remember, determination is a key to strength. So if she is struggling but persisting, that is one tough chick.
4. Show training to develop skills and abilities
Readers will be more likely to believe in your character's abilities if they see your character in training and learning them. Your character should not be perfect from square one. Your character should go through a period where they have to learn these skills and abilities.
If your character needs to learn how to use a sword, you can show the slow progression of her training to use it. You show her falling a few times, stumbling, but eventually perfecting her abilities.
If your character is learning magic, she might need to do a lot of research beforehand before being able to understand it. No matter your character, skills, and abilities, they need to go through a period where they learn those abilities. That learning is going to make it more realistic and understandable. It will be more natural when your audience can see your character using their abilities and skills. Also, it will also make it more exciting when they do. Because you've had your characters in your readers, see your character going on this.
5. Focus on giving her one main ability
Your characters should not be able to wield swords, make errors and write good stories. Doing everything at once and being amazingly skilled at everything would be pretty unrealistic. So your character shouldn't be unrealistic in this way either.
Focus on giving your character one main ability that they are good at, an ability that they can perfect and grow with over the story.
You can give your character other abilities, but these will be solid abilities. They're not going to be as prominent as your character's primary ability. So I want you to focus on your character's prominent ability and give the other sub-skills that she can also use over the story. But the main focus will be on the central ability.
6. Give her a hobby or interest outside of her main abilities
Life shouldn't always revolve around who she will fight next or her next target. Characters can have an interest in hobbies, too. Giving them a hobby or interest makes your character more realistic and entertaining. When your strong female character is not strong, what is she doing? Does she love baking your recipes? Does she enjoy gardening, creating things, writing stories, or talking to others?
In this way, when things are calm, and there's no battle, you'll female character can take a little bit of a break, enjoy the interest, and be happy for the moment.
Give her character growth, make her different from beginning to end. It's entertaining to see a character grow from beginning to end because the writer and the reader are on the journey with them.
Therefore, they need to change when you create a strong female character. From beginning to end, they should be someone different. So first of all, decide who they are. In the beginning, they might be more shy or friendly or quiet, whatever personality you would like. Then throughout the story, things need to change. Maybe she learns to be more confident in herself, believes in her abilities, and stands her ground when it matters the most.
7. Make her stronger
In the current moments of the story you're telling, a narrative gives her a difficult antagonist that she must face. The antagonists are equally important. You want to ensure that you give her a difficult opponent. However, the key here is that she must eventually defeat this opponent alone without someone helping her.
The problem with many strong female characters is that your strong female character runs into a problem when things get difficult.
If you want to create a truly strong female character, she needs to be able to solve problems herself and defeat the antagonist with her abilities.
Instead, your female protagonist needs to be able to protect themselves. They need to be able to defeat this problematic antagonist, mainly through something only they can do. They can receive help, but the main goal of beating the antagonist should be achieved mainly through her skills and abilities.
Another good way to create strong female characters is to let her fight for herself and give her various problems out of the story that can be solved through her means. These moments will help her stand out as a strong female character.
8. Focus more on internal strength over external
It's essential to focus more on internal strength over external humor. Characters may not always have the bulk and muscle that a strong male character might have. However, strong female characters can have a lot more mental strength and willpower, and that mental strength can be more powerful than anything else. They can have strength, shown in their abilities and skills. But at the end of the day, a lot of what makes a female character strong is what comes from within.
They will determine to fulfill their goals, their willpower to stand up when they fail, and their strength when it comes to being there for themselves.
Focus on giving your female characters internal strength and external strength and what your female characters develop into someone amazing, entertaining, and inspiring.
9. It's normal to be girly
Strength and femininity also coexist, provided you're avoiding the strong female character cliche. It's perfectly fine if you want to make your female character somehow a tomboy or a masculine present. But it's not perfectly fine if you're doing it because you think masculinity is a requirement for strength. To associate femininity with weakness is incorrect.
It's acceptable and believable to write a strong female character who likes the color pink or paints her nails or wears dresses. Many women push watermelon-sized babies out of their Pikachu or bleed at a crime scene once a month. Lots of inherently feminine things require a significant amount of grit. So if you're trying to butch this character up to make her strong, you're wrong!
10. Don't force the character to change hardly
One piece of advice floating around about how to write strong women is to write them the same as you write men. The sentiment is well-intentioned. It's supposed to be about equality, but it misses the mark most tragically.
The key to writing strong women is not to write them exactly like men. This implies that strength is inherently masculine, which again is sexist. It also eliminates the female experience.
Women and men are often treated differently in many societies, meaning they experience different struggles, pressures, and expectations. It is not to say that men and women are wildly different, but people as a whole come in a colorful variety. Writing her like a man doesn't mean you've given her agency or toughened her up. It means you lack a basic understanding of psychology and sociology, and you shouldn't be writing women at all.
11. Give her a friend that is a girl
You would be surprised about how many young adult novels add strong female characters, but they don't give her any friends that are girls. I've often seen it where the main female protagonist is super cool, and all the girls seem to prefer it for no reason. When you create a strong female character, I also want you to ensure that not all the girls hate this character. It makes more sense that your female character would have other friends supporting her in her journey. Avoid this and show that you give them at least one girlfriend.
Let them have a conversation not about boys or romance, which is another cliche.
Your strong female character does not need to be hated by all the other girls in your story to be a powerful character.
Avoiding these cliches, see your character away from potentially becoming a Mary Sue. Focus more on creating a powerful and unique female character instead.
12. Give reality and evidence
One of the biggest mistakes writers make when writing a strong female character is that they will state she is strong without providing evidence to support this claim. We are told she's strong because she is an assassin, a mercenary, or a warrior princess. But the minute something goes wrong, she needs to save. Can you write a strong female character who needs saving now and then? No one is infallible.
But you need to show a whole lot more than you tell. In this case, you need to show her strength. More often than not, that means that she's a warrior princess. We need to see her push through and weather the storm if she can withstand hardship. Unfortunately, this is a very common mistake when writing female characters.
13. Keep it real
Perfection and strength are not synonymous. A strong female character should be able to withstand hardship. But you can withstand hardship and make a few mistakes along the way. Mistakes are vital to a strong female character because they're realistic. No one will believe that she has all the answers all the time. They're relatable because real people mess up a lot.
When creating your strong female protagonist, you have to keep in mind that she doesn't have to be super curvy or wear revealing armor.
A strong female character can have any body type, face shape, hairstyle, and appearance.
A strong character can stand up after failing too many times. They are a character who can keep moving forward, even when everything seems impossible. Therefore, it would be realistic for them to have a flaw or weakness because your character isn't perfect, and by giving them a weakness. It gives them something that they can improve on throughout the story.
It's not entertaining to read about a heroine who never struggles. We need to see her take two steps forward and one step back. Also, it contributes to her strength and character. A strong person will move forward anyway, and that's what you want for this character.
14. Avoid abusive elements
Another common strong female character cliche is that females became strong due to sexual assault. This is problematic for a million reasons, namely because sexual trauma is treated as the reason behind a positive character trait. Quite often, the character herself will say, What happened to me made me stronger.
Sexual assault is a terrible thing that no one should have to deal with, and it shouldn't be glorified as some necessary step to strengthening a woman. Also, It paints a truly horrible experience as having a silver lining.
That's not to say you can't write a female character who's also a victim of sexual assault. But let me remind you that this has been overdone and grossly misrepresented in fiction, and it's super uncomfortable to read. So proceed with caution.
15. Write more of them
There should be several strong female characters in your book, and at least a few should be allies. Otherwise, it's not very realistic because strong women tend to congregate with other strong women in many fictions written by men. They put so much effort into writing a single, strong woman that they forget that she's the only woman in the book.
It's not like women make up over half of the world's population. I'm not asking you to create an army of strong female characters. There are plenty of us out there, and we usually like one another. So if you only got one in your book, it's not realistic. You're smarter than that.
Strong female character traits
We've always had token warrior women throughout stories and mythology, but for the most part, women-only existed in stories to be rescued and married. That is, until the 20th century. Moviemakers noticed audiences getting tired of the damsel in distress trope. So they created the polar opposite, a strong female character who could defend herself and did not need rescuing. As the years and decades passed, several subtypes were created.
For one, we got the femme fatale, the original strong female character who uses sexiness and seduction as her main weapons.
Then we have the hot heroine, our standard, strong female character. She's the femme fatale who also knows martial arts.
There's the brainiac, and she's usually not good physically. Her powers are her brain, and she's usually very career-oriented.
With the hero, we have the token girl that is the only woman on a team full of men. So writers can point to the movie poster or the book cover and say, Look, we wrote a whole woman. We're not sexist. Then we have the queen bee. The ruthless leader usually doubles as the token girl because all her underlings are men. This is very common in historical fiction because it's historically accurate. But you see it a bunch in science fiction and fantasy too.
There are several more subtypes of the strong female character, but those are the major ones. The strong female character was created from a good place, and it went pretty well at first. It's how we got characters like Ellen Ripley, Princess Leia, Hermione Granger, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. These are full, well-rounded characters with flaws, weaknesses, and struggles, so they are iconic. We see them struggle and then triumph.
3 Mistakes When Writing a Strong Female Protagonist
Are you writing a strong female protagonist? Then making sure she is real and empowering is a must. This way, we can all write better female protagonists that readers can look up to. But to do that, you must avoid the top three mistakes writers make when writing a strong female protagonist. So be sure to stick around to learn more. Let's get started.
Physical strength
The first mistake is physically making strong female protagonists because you're interpreting the words strongly. If you're writing about a girl who trains a lot, goes to the gym, and possibly those martial arts. It makes sense for someone who trains or has a supernatural ability to be physically strong. But those are the exception, not the rule. Besides, when referring to a female protagonist as strong, we're not referring to her physical strength. She can be physically strong but still be a weak female protagonist because of how poorly written she is.
For example, I'm not physically strong, but that doesn't mean that I'm not strong in other ways. If we only label a female protagonist as strong because of her physical strength, then we're saying that she's not capable of achieving much if it's not for her physical strength. You're telling women that they can't accomplish anything unless they get tough.
The second mistake is giving female protagonists supernatural power and nothing else and calling them strong. It is awful to make them physically strong, give them power, and call them strong. Again, you're saying they're not capable of much unless they have supernatural abilities. But look around. None of us have any supernatural abilities, at least none that are made public.
Yet look how often women have paved the way in history, and they did it all using their minds, creativity, and determination. They didn't need any supernatural abilities. I love characters with supernatural powers, but don't give them an ability and assume they're strong now.
The third mistake is saying that they're not like other girls. We've read at least one book where a character referred to the main female protagonist as not like other girls. But how is that a good thing? If the strong female protagonist is strong because she's not like other girls, then we're outright saying that other girls are not strong. We're saying that the strong female protagonist is the exception, which is as offensive to women as anything else.
Besides, what makes her different from other girls? Is that how intellectual she is? Is it that she reads? Is it that she doesn't talk to a lot of boys? The list of questions goes on and on. But at the end of the day, why are we shaming women who talk to many boys or maybe are picky eaters? Or why are we calling some women stupid? Because they don't enjoy learning science but are highly creative. That's not the message you want to put out there. So try to avoid doing this. Don't make your female protagonist strong at the expense of calling other women weak.
So those are the top three mistakes to avoid. But now, what makes a strong female protagonist strong? Above anything else, their will and determination to go on making them strong. You want her to make a move. Despite being afraid, you also want her to stand against corruption when she witnesses it. You want her to be a loyal friend and family member. That's not to say that a strong female protagonist is without flaws.
She could have many flaws, make mistakes, and even hurt the people she loves. But what makes her strong is that she learns from her mistakes and tries to fix her flaws throughout the book. That makes a strong female protagonist feel real and inspires other women to be strong.
Get more ideas from these books: 10 Romance Books With Strong Female Lead
More Writing Tips:
7 Tips To Write A Slow Burn Romance Novel
10 Tips To Write A Myth


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Home Private Equity News & Analysis "It's where the world of investment is going"
"It's where the world of investment is going"
Making good, consistent returns in emerging markets is still hugely challenging. But with developed markets stagnating, these fast-growing economies are becoming increasingly difficult for private equity investors to ignore.
In a week when the headlines have been dominated by Europe's ongoing macroeconomic woes, delegates at PEI's Emerging Markets Forum in London were focused on an altogether less gloomy subject: the opportunity for private equity to generate out-sized returns in developing economies.
The thesis is very straightforward. Private equity likes growth, and emerging markets deliver it. AlpInvest's Peter Cornelius flagged IMF figures showing that since 2007, GDP growth in emerging economies has remained steadfastly positive, despite the global downturn. During the same period, growth in the so-called "advanced economies" has been anaemic at best.
The IMF believes that real GDP growth in emerging markets will continue to outstrip growth in the developed world. In fact, Standard Chartered predicts that by 2030, four of the world's five biggest economies will be from the list of those currently labelled 'emerging': China in first, India in third, Brazil in fourth and Indonesia in fifth (the US, in second place, is the only exception).
Making money in emerging markets isn't easy, of course. Political risk is invariably an issue, as the example of Egypt proves: a year ago it seemed to be one of the industry's most promising new frontiers, but now, thanks to the political unrest sparked by the Arab Spring, most investors will be giving it a wide berth. And unless you're one of those optimists who believe in the concept of decoupling, it's hard to believe that those fast-growing economies that rely on exports won't be impacted hugely by a major slowdown in the Western world.
Practical barriers to entry are still high, too. Building a local team with the necessary expertise (and managing their relationship with the rest of the firm afterwards, as James Seymour, a managing partner at Pontefract Global Strategies, pointed out at the conference) is often a difficult and expensive process. Legal and regulatory protections can be confusing, inadequate or even non-existent.
However, the opportunities remain tantalising. In addition to the general growth story in some of these emerging economies, managers are attracted by the prospect of doing deals using tiny amounts of leverage; and of buying quality family-owned businesses that just need a bit of tweaking to get "to the next level".
And regardless of the challenges, the salient question today is: do investors have a choice? With growth likely to be sluggish at best in developed markets for the foreseeable future, emerging markets are looking like an increasingly good bet. In an era where Brazil is, on some measures, considered to be substantially safer place to invest than Spain, Italy and Portugal, the risk/ return profile of investing in emerging markets is evolving all the time.
In fact, you might even go so far as to say that emerging markets are the future of the asset class. Our closing keynote interview at the Forum was with Georges Sudarskis, the man who set up the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority in 1998; in his view: "This is where the world of investment is going." Ignoring emerging markets looks increasingly like a recipe for missing out on the best returns.


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SOEDESCO celebrates the European launch of its second Limited Edition. Only 6000 limited editions have been made per platform worldwide, so those interested in getting a copy will have to be quick. The American (ESRB) version of the 8-Bit Armies: Limited Edition is scheduled to launch two weeks after the European version, on February 15.


Carnot Cycle was proposed by the Famous French scientist Sadi Carnot planned an engine having no defect or loss. Actually it is not possible no one could make and will not invent that type of engine has no loss because we know from second law of thermodynamics there a loss must converting energy of form to another.
Carnot cycle has four steps evolving isothermal and adiabatic process. First two steps is isothermal expansion and adiabatic expansion second two are isothermal compression and adiabatic compression.
Carnot's cycle runs with reversible process considering no loss which is impossible we know that very well. Carnot cycle is based on Carnot non defective engine.
i) Cylinder: A cylinder having non frictional piston is considered by Carnot. The cylinder consists of working substance such as gas for work done.
ii) Heat source: The heat source temperature remains constant. It is a hot body kept at absolute temperature having high capacity.
iii) Heat sink: It is a cold body of having very very low temperature compared to heat source. It's temperature also remains constant according to Carnot ideal engine theory.
iv) Plat form: A pure insulator or resistance of heat is used as plat form. Heat source, heat sink and cylinder are placed on the surface of the plat form. Heat source and heat sink are very high capacity so that the heat exchange with the cylinder with them does not change their temperature. Temperatures of the source and sinks remains unchanged. Cylinder, source and sink on the plat from can be removed without any friction.
v) Working substance: The working substance remains inside the system of the engine i.e. gas which takes heat as input and does work. It varies engine to engine. Petrol is the working substance of petrol engine, diesel is the working substance of diesel engine.
To understand clearly it is important to have clear conception about isothermal, adiabatic, reversible and irreversible process.
# Isothermal process: Isothermal process that process where temperature remains constant or same changing volume and pressure.
How the temperature of the system remains same changing volume and pressure. Generally we know when volume increases temperature goes down and decrease of volume temperature rises.
For isothermal process two conditions must be satisfied a) volume increment or decrement should be slowly b) the body of the system or cylinder must be good conductor to maintain constant temperature.
When volume decrease the temperature raises if the system body is good conductor of heat and volume decrement process is gradual then compression heat rise of the system will be gone by the cylinder conducting body into the environment.
When the volume raises the system of the cylinder loses temperature which is not expected in isothermal process. In this situation heat is applied from outside to maintain the constant temperature.
In this way temperature remains constant in isothermal process maintaining two condition viz. volume change should be gradual process as the extra heat produce can be gone outside and the body of the cylinder must be good heat conductor to pass heat.
#Adiabatic Process: Adiabatic process is the process where no heat can go inside and no heat come out from inside. Temperature, volume and pressure will increase or decrease but system heat exchange will be zero.
The body of the system cylinder is insulated greatly as the heat from inside or outside can go in or out such way heat exchange is zero.
For adiabatic process entropy remains constant.
# Reversible and irreversible process: Reversible process is that process which can be reversed at same temperature there will be no loss in this process.
Irreversible process is that process which cannot reverse at the same temperature. If the process is reversed it takes two different temperatures for forward and reverse process.
There is no reversible process in the real world all the process of the world is in irreversible process.
Carnot ideal engine which has no loss works with four steps knows as Carnot's Cycle. First two steps are volume expansion with the two process isothermal and adiabatic process.
From our diagram we get volume expansion from A to B at temperature T1 remains constant because for isothermal process where volume V1 increases to V2 with the pressure P1 decrease to P2. We know pressure decreases increase of volume so A to B is expansion of volume but decrease of pressure.
AB is called heat intake step. Work done for AB is W1.
The second step of the Carnot cycle is B to C happens with adiabatic process which means the system does not take or out any heat but temperature, volume and pressure changes. BC is expansion of volume so that the system gas becomes cold at V3 volume and P3 pressure.
As the system heat remains constant no heat in or out hence ΔQ = 0. Work done of BC is W2 in adiabatic process. In this step the temperature of gas inside gradually decreases because of volume expansion.
The third and fourth step of Carnot cycle happens in compression of gas. CD compression happens in isothermal. In this process when the gas gets colder from B to C temperature falls and starting from C to D the low temperature remains constant because it does in isothermal process we know the temperature always constant for this process.
Work done for CD is –W3.
The final step of Carnot cycle D to A happens in adiabatic process means no heat can go inside or outside the system but temperature, volume and pressure changes. This is the second step for volume compression means temperature raise. As the volume compress in adiabatic process ΔQ = 0. Work done is –W4.
In this way Carnot cycle works in four steps with the help of engine working substance i.e. gas inside the system with two isothermal processes and two adiabatic processes. The graph represents the total work done the ideal Carnot engine.
Carnot engine is an ideal engine has no loss which is not practically possible.
The efficiency of Carnot engine is more than practical engine. The efficiency of the Carnot engine is the ratio of output and input which means heat transformed into work and heat absorbed from the source.
Suppose the engine working substance takes Q1 heat from the source and reject Q2 heat into the sink. If we consider in temperature intake temperature T1 and rejection temperature T2 into the sink.
This is the equation of engine in term of percentage.
Which is actually not possible in real life. There is no engine without loss. Carnot imagined his engine works in reversible process with no loss but there is a loss must.
Let's take an example to find efficiency of an engine.
Example: A man claims he designed an engine with 50% efficiency at boiling point and room temperature.
His claim is false. The efficiency of the engine is 20% not 50%.


Howard "John" Ong has over 35 years of success in business and finance with both leading organizations as well as a business owner, entreprenuer, and investor.
John holds an MSIA in Finance from the Purdue University and a MPA in Budgeting from N.M.S.U.
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The needs of people, his friends, and clients are his priority.


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St. Joseph's Church
priory lifeThe priory – fortress for the priest and assurance of spiritual benefit for the faithful.
missionAmidst turmoil and confusion, St. Joseph's provides the firm, tranquil clarity of Catholic Tradition to the world.
historySince the mid 1970s, St. Joseph's Church has played a prominent and evolving role in the preservation of Catholic tradition in the United States.
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Epidemics are Good for Us
Source: Priory Armada
May this article help us see that Providence wants some good to come out of this difficulty in which we find ourselves today. God has never allowed evil without ensuring a good comes out of it. Incredible, but true! God is a father who cares immensely for his children. And being infinitely more capable than human fathers, he can do what men cannot; he can always write straight with crooked lines - and does so. He can always turn evil happenings, the mistakes we make, even the sins we commit, into something beneficial - and does so if we let Him.
Epidemics and the Rapid Growth of Christianity
In the year 165 AD a terrifying epidemic arose. No one was immune to its contagion, and therefore at a rapid pace it destroyed at least a quarter, but as much as an entire third of the population of the whole Roman Empire. It is surmised that this could have been the first appearance of smallpox in the West.
Less than a century later, an equally terrible epidemic again struck the world of the Romans. "Out of the blue," wrote St. Dionysius, "came this disease, a thing more frightful than any disaster whatever." When it was at its worst, five thousand people a day died in the city of Rome alone. Carts carried off loads of bodies piled high. Even the lives of the greatest men were not spared: Marcus Aurelius himself, Emperor of the Roman People though he was, was stricken with the pestilence and died.
It may seem shocking to say this, but it can be argued that these calamities were beneficial to the Christian cause. If these had not happened, the Christian faith would not have grown nearly as fast as it did.
Why can we say this?
The First Reason: Paganism Could Not Explain Epidemics Sufficiently
There are two main reasons. The first of these stems from the fact that there was a crisis deeper than any crisis of health, and this was a crisis on the level of faith. The pagan belief of the time could not explain the epidemic sufficiently. The pagan priests admitted that they were ignorant of the reasons of the sickness. Why did the gods send it? They didn't know. Did the gods even care? They didn't even have an answer to that! This would be very frightening to a society with no scientific explanation of sicknesses such as these. They knew nothing of bacteria, nothing of viruses. If a system is lacking a true explanation for the existence of evil, you will be little motivated to continue in your adherence to that system during the presence of great evils such as the epidemics were.
Christianity, on the other hand, could give a reason for the appearance of the epidemics. An early bishop and martyr, St. Cyprian, writing to his flock at the time of the second epidemic, told them that the disease helps one to gain virtue. He wrote that it
"searches out the justice of each and every one and examines the minds of the human race; whether the well care for the sick, whether relatives dutifully love their kinsmen as they should, whether masters show compassion for their ailing slaves, whether physicians do not desert the afflicted…"
Challenging times set apart the good from the bad. They point out who is pleasing to God and who is displeasing. "The just," said Cyprian, "are called to refreshment, the unjust are carried off to torture." The former are urged to persevere, the latter to convert.
The epidemic was a tremendous occasion to acquire the valuable virtue of fortitude. St. Cyprian admitted that "we have begun gladly to seek martyrdom while we are learning not to fear death. These are trying exercises for us, not deaths; they give to the mind the glory of fortitude." When one is urged by the example of Christ to help one's neighbor even at the risk of death, the continued efforts that are made increase the virtue of fortitude. When one is urged by a higher motive to spurn death, the fear of death grows less and less – and the desire of heaven through martyrdom more easily germinates in the heart. It is to be remembered that these times of early Christianity were times of frequent persecution, and martyrdom was not far away from anyone.
St. Dionysius, an early bishop of Alexandria, showed that the epidemic gave rise to the virtue of hope. Only those with faith in Christ know for certain of eternal life and reach out for it by the virtue of hope. Paganism knew no such thing, and so fell into despair. Dionysius' attitude would have shocked these pagans. "Other people would not think this is a time for festival," he wrote, but "far from being a time of distress, it is a time of unimaginable joy." Only the Christian knew that those who died in the love of Christ would reach the unending joy of heaven; this filled him with an anticipatory joy and steeled him for the struggle against fear amidst those times filled with death.
The Second Reason: Christianity's Ability to Deal with Epidemics
The second main reason was that Christianity was better able to cope with the crisis and so had higher rates of survival. Christ had given his church the tools necessary to deal with any evil, and these epidemics were no exception.
Paganism, it must be noted, had no ethical standard built into it. Christianity did, and in this regard it held sacred the words of Christ: "Love one another as I have loved you." Thus when Christians saw fellow men suffering from a disease, infectious though it was, they personally brought them aid. Dionysius writes:
"Most of our brother Christians showed unbounded love and loyalty, never sparing themselves and thinking only of one another. Heedless of danger, they took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them in Christ, and with them departed this life serenely happy; for they were infected by others with the disease, drawing on themselves the sickness of their neighbors and cheerfully accepting their pains. Many, in nursing and curing others, transferred their death to themselves and died in their stead…. The best of our brothers lost their lives in this manner, a number of presbyters, deacons, and laymen winning high commendation so that death in this form, the result of great piety and strong faith, seems in every way the equal of martyrdom."
St. Dionysius points out that while all were affected by this epidemic, the pagans bore the brunt of the fatalities. He pointed out the reason why. The Christians, as we saw above, generously nursed both pagan and fellow-Christian alike. However, Dionysius notes,
"The heathen behaved in the very opposite way. At the first onset of the disease, they pushed the sufferers away and fled from their dearest, throwing them into the roads before they were dead and treated unburied corpses as dirt, hoping thereby to avert the spread and contagion of the fatal disease; but do what they might, they found it difficult to escape."
A sad example of this sort of behavior is found in a pagan individual that should have been the last to act in this way, a doctor. Galen was one of the most famous of classical physicians, but he has not even left us a complete description of the disease. This was on account of the fact that as soon as the epidemic hit, he cleared out of Rome, retiring to an estate in the outreaches of the empire until the danger had passed.
This way of acting had its consequences, and surprising ones at that! The different modes of morality led to very different rates of mortality. When it comes down to it, if the sick were left alone and received not even the most elementary care, they were much more likely to die. This was the unfortunate case with many of the pagans. Now if the basic needs of life, such as food and water, are given to the sick, they stood a much greater chance of surviving. Now this latter case was that of the sick people attended to by the courageous Christians. Relative to the pagan population, therefore, many more of the Christians survived.
In a book which is more science than religion, the sociologist Rodney Stark gives some speculative figures that give us a sense of just how much these epidemics affected the growth of Christianity. He says, in essence, the following.
In the year 160, just before the first of the epidemics in question, 0.4 percent of the population of the Roman Empire was Catholic. This roughly comes to 1 out of every 250 people.
Now with a higher survival rate during the epidemics, the Christian population would have grown relative to the pagan population. Not only this, but the good example set by these brave souls would have had its effects. Even on a natural level, many pagans who were nursed to health by Christians would have ended up indebted to the same. Many pagan families or individuals would have gained some sort of attachment to Christians. This would have led to friendships, marriages, and especially conversions. As a result, after the second epidemic in 260 AD the Christian population in the empire would probably have grown to be 1 out of every 5 people! And had the epidemics not happened, the number would have been only 1 out of every 9!
These were terrifying realities, these epidemics. But what a tremendous side-effect! The Christians of the time certainly weren't aware of how crucial these epidemics would be to their expansion within the Roman Empire. But was this not the plan of Providence? What a lesson! God uses the evils of the world, awful as they are, to bring about good. Yes, many people died on account of the epidemics, but how many more people in the world were brought the hope, the fortitude, and the self-effacing love that goes along with the Christian faith!
(The information in this article was summarized from a chapter in Rodney Stark's book, The Rise of Christianity. This article is not an endorsement of any of the author's views expressed in said book.)
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text:
Gannibeyrichia is een uitgestorven geslacht van kreeftachtigen uit de klasse van de Ostracoda (mosselkreeftjes).

Soorten
 Gannibeyrichia biplicata Martinsson, 1962 †
 Gannibeyrichia canadensis Copeland, 1977 †
 Gannibeyrichia gannensis Martinsson, 1962 †
 Gannibeyrichia hudieshanensis Jiang (Z. H.), 1983 †
 Gannibeyrichia minuta Zenkova, 1975 †
 Gannibeyrichia tumida Abushik, 1971 †

Uitgestorven kreeftachtigen

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Jay Leno has signed a new deal with NBC that will keep him at the helm of "The Tonight Show" through at least 2009.
The new contract is said to be worth more than $100 million to Mr. Leno over the life of the deal. The host's most recent contract, a five-year pact signed in January 2001, had been set to expire at the end of next year.
Sources said the deal calls for Mr. Leno to pull in about $25 million to $27 million per year, a significant bump from his previous salary, estimated to be about $18 million per year. Mr. Leno, 53, has frequently said he does not touch his "Tonight Show" money, opting instead to live on earnings from his stand-up gigs. It was unclear whether Mr. Leno's new contract takes effect immediately.
Mr. Leno has been the undisputed ratings champ in late-night since the mid-1990s after taking the "Tonight Show" reins from Johnny Carson in 1992. "Tonight Show" generates about $100 million in annual profits for NBC, according to a report in the February edition of Fortune magazine.
Seth Green, who provided the voice of Chris on "The Family Guy," is getting deeper into the animation business.
The actor is developing an animated series for the Cartoon Network, Reuters News Agency reports.
"It's like 'Saturday Night Live' with toys instead of actors," Mr. Green told Reuters.
Mr. Green, whose movie and TV credits range from "Party Monster" to the short-lived "Greg the Bunny," created and produced the series with Matthew Senreich, editorial director of Wizard Entertainment magazine.
Mr. Green and Mr. Senreich will write the series with Doug Goldstein and Tom Roots. The pair most recently collaborated on the Internet-based entertainment series "Sweet J Presents" on Sony's Screenblast.com.
The series is scheduled to join Cartoon's late-night animation block Adult Swim in October.
That block has been very, very good to Mr. Green's "Family Guy." The edgy animated sitcom drew tepid ratings on Fox and was canceled two years ago. The show has been given a second life thanks to its rating success on the Cartoon Network and massive sales of its episodes on DVD. New episodes are going into production and may air on both the Cartoon Network and Fox.
"The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening finally will make a guest appearance on his massively popular show — some 15 seasons after its debut.
While a host of celebrities have appeared on the hit cartoon, Mr. Groening has taken a back seat, but will be seen in an episode airing Sunday evening at 8 on Fox.
"The writers wrote it in as a goof. I thought, 'I'll show them. I'll do it'," Mr. Groening says.
Drea de Matteo of "The Sopranos" fame has been tapped to star as Matt LeBlanc's on-screen sister in the upcoming "Friends" spinoff.
The sitcom will revolve around the relationship between East Coast transplant Joey Tribbiani and his high-strung sis, Gina, a hairdresser and single mom to whiz kid Michael.
Best known for her "Sopranos" stint as mob moll Adriana, Miss de Matteo's character has enjoyed some compelling screen time since becoming a government informant last season.
According to TV insiders, Miss de Matteo's new role on "Joey" won't interfere with her contractual obligations to the mobster series' sixth and final season.
Compiled by Christian Toto and Robyn-Denise Yourse from staff and wire reports.