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RESEARCH ARTICLE| 01 August 2016
Disentangling the visual cues used by a jumping spider to locate its microhabitat
Cynthia Tedore
Cynthia Tedore *
*Author for correspondence (cynthia.tedore@biol.lu.se)
Sönke Johnsen
The authors declare no competing or financial interests.
Received: 10 Dec 2015
Duke University (NO AWARD)
National Science Foundation (IOS-1122228)
© 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd
https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.129122
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Accepted Manuscript 01 January 2016
Cynthia Tedore, Sönke Johnsen; Disentangling the visual cues used by a jumping spider to locate its microhabitat. J Exp Biol 1 August 2016; 219 (15): 2396–2401. doi: https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.129122
Many arthropod species have evolved to thrive only on the leaves of a particular species of plant, which they must be capable of finding in order to survive accidental displacement, developmental transitions or the changing of the seasons. A number of studies have tested whether such species select leaves to land or oviposit on based on their color, shape or size. Unfortunately, many studies did not control for correlates of these characters, such as the brightness of different colors, the areas of different shapes, and the level of ambient illumination in the vicinity of different sizes of leaves. In the present study, we tested for leaf color, shape and size preferences in a leaf-dwelling jumping spider (Lyssomanes viridis) with known summer and winter host plants, while controlling for these correlates. First, color preferences were tested outdoors under the natural illumination of their forest habitat. Lyssomanes viridis did not prefer to perch on a green substrate compared with various shades of gray, but did prefer the second darkest shade of gray we presented them with. Of the green and gray substrates, this shade of gray's integrated photon flux (350–700 nm), viewed from below, i.e. the spider's perspective in the arena, was the most similar to that of real leaves. This relationship also held when we weighted the transmitted photon flux by the jumping spiders' green photopigment spectral sensitivity. Spiders did not prefer the star-like leaf shape of their summer host plant, Liquidambar styraciflua, to a green circle of the same area. When given a choice between a L. styraciflua leaf-shaped stimulus that was half the area of an otherwise identical alternative, spiders preferred the larger stimulus. However, placing a neutral density filter over the side of the experimental arena with the smaller stimulus abolished this preference, with spiders then being more likely to choose the side of the arena with the smaller stimulus. In conclusion, L. viridis appears to use ambient illumination and possibly perceived leaf brightness but not leaf shape or color to locate its microhabitat. This calls for a careful re-examination of which visual cues a variety of arthropods are actually attending to when they search for their preferred host species or microhabitat.
Habitat selection, Color vision, Salticidae, Visual search, Forest
Many arthropod species have evolved to thrive only within a narrow range of microhabitats, such as the leaves or bark of a specific species of plant, or the leaf litter in a particular type of forest (Gullan and Cranston, 2014). Although some animals spend their whole lives in one microhabitat, others must move to undergo developmental transitions or to survive the changing of the seasons. In addition, accidental displacement is a real risk for animals living on plants, and the ability to relocate one's microhabitat after falling to the ground could mean the difference between life and death (Lowman, 2000).
A number of studies have tested which visual cues arthropods, primarily agricultural pests, use to find their preferred host plant species, with the goal often being to design effective traps to mitigate crop damage (reviewed by Prokopy and Owens, 1983). Although numerous such studies have reported leaf color and shape preferences, many did not control for potential correlates of these traits (e.g. Vaishampayan et al., 1975; Schonherr, 1977; Städler, 1977; Rausher, 1978; Degen and Städler, 1996; Omena and Romero, 2010; Kühnle and Müller, 2011). When testing for color preferences, it is crucial to control for differences in the perceived brightness of different colors by testing the color(s) of interest against various shades of gray or, at the very least, against various perceived brightnesses of another color that reflects light across the same spectral range as the color of interest. Several studies have done this, and provided compelling evidence that certain insects do attend to the color of leaves (Vaidya, 1969; Prokopy and Boller, 1971; Walker, 1974; Harris et al., 1993; Kelber, 1999; Bian et al., 2014).
In contrast to leaf color, we have found only a single study that has reported an innate visual preference for a particular leaf shape while at the same time controlling for leaf area (Degen and Städler, 1997). The few other studies that have controlled for leaf area have found no innate preference for leaf shape (Prokopy et al., 1983; Roessingh and Städler, 1990), so it remains unclear how common it is for arthropods to attend to leaf shape. There is a similar lack of studies of leaf size preferences, but those that do exist have found that insects tend to prefer larger leaves (Ives, 1978; Prokopy et al., 1983; Roessingh and Städler, 1990). How these animals judge one leaf to be larger than another remains untested, however. It could be that arthropods respond to the level of ambient illumination underneath a large leaf (all else being equal, larger leaves cast larger shadows), rather than judging the area, length, width or some other dimensional size measure of the leaf itself.
In the present study, we tested whether a jumping spider (Lyssomanes viridis) with known plant substrate preferences and dependencies responds to the color, shape or size of leaves, while controlling for the potentially confounding variables described above. Lyssomanes viridis is a translucent green jumping spider that perches on the undersides of leaves. It has been shown to have a chemically mediated preference for, and higher hatching success on, sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) leaves during the summer (Tedore and Johnsen, 2015). The contact, but not airborne, chemical cues of this species are attractive to L. viridis. These spiders overwinter predominately on the leaves of a broadleaf evergreen species, American holly (Ilex opaca), so must migrate to American holly in the autumn, and back to sweet gum in the spring once its leaves have re-emerged. A search strategy requiring an individual to sample every plant species by touching it would seem to be rather inefficient, and as L. viridis is unable to localize either sweet gum or American holly by olfaction (Tedore and Johnsen, 2015), we expected that the use of visual cues was likely to have been selected for in this species. In particular, we expected that L. viridis might use leaf shape to find sweet gum in the spring, and green coloration to find American holly in the autumn and winter.
Subjects and housing
Immature Lyssomanes viridis (Walckenaer 1837) were collected by beating sweet gum trees (Liquidambar styraciflua) along the Black Creek Greenway (35°49.3′N, 78°47.1′W) in Wake County, NC, USA, and in Jordan Lake State Recreation Area (35°50.0′N, 78°58.0′W) in Chatham County, NC, USA, in August 2012. Housing conditions were as described previously (Tedore and Johnsen, 2013). Photoperiod was regulated by a timer that followed the natural outdoor photoperiod in the North Carolina Piedmont. Experimental trials were conducted between September and November. Spiders were given four Drosophila melanogaster and a light misting of filtered water daily after experimental trials were complete for the day and at least 1 h before the lights were turned off.
To test whether L. viridis prefer to perch on green substrates, we printed out a panel of six differently colored 45×25 mm rectangles and affixed it to the outside of the transparent experimental chamber lid, with the colored rectangles facing downwards, into the chamber (Fig. S1). One of the rectangles was green and the remaining five rectangles were various shades of gray. The arrangement of the six rectangles was randomized for each individual. Randomization was accomplished by assigning a number (1–6) to each position and using the random number generator in Microsoft Excel to assign a position to each colored rectangle. The arena (100×100×100 mm) was placed on a black folding table situated outdoors under woodland shade (Endler, 1993) close to midday (between 11:30 h and 12:00 h EST) in mid-October. Radiance spectra directly under the rectangles, situated in the location where the experiments were run, and viewed from below from the spiders' perspective in the arena, were taken with a USB2000 spectrometer (Ocean Optics, Dunedin, FL, USA) calibrated with an LS-1-CAL calibrated light source (Ocean Optics). Radiance spectra were converted to quantum flux (Fig. 1) and multiplied by an opsin template (Govardovskii et al., 2000) peaking at 530 nm, which is where the green photopigment is known to peak in four jumping spider species (DeVoe, 1975; Yamashita and Tateda, 1976; Williams and McIntyre, 1980; Blest et al., 1981; Zurek et al., 2015). We found that the second-darkest gray was somewhat closer than the green, both in integrated quantum flux (350–700 nm) and in quantum flux weighted by spectral sensitivity, to real I. opaca leaves plucked and measured in the same place that the colored rectangles were measured (Table 1). This was important because it enabled us to determine which quality of their substrate was more important to the spiders, its wavelength content or brightness.
Photon flux from colored printed rectangles measured in the outdoor experimental arena from the spider's perspective (i.e. from below). Measurements were all taken within 5 min of each other on a clear day. Gray lines denote gray rectangles, the solid green line denotes the green rectangle, and the dotted green lines denote two Ilex opaca leaf exemplars. The thick gray line corresponds to the shade of gray that spiders preferred to cling to. Although the spectral content of the green stimulus and green leaves do not match perfectly, both stimuli should stimulate the salticid green photoreceptor more strongly than any other photoreceptors thus far described in jumping spiders (see Yamashita and Tateda, 1976; Zurek et al., 2015). When variation in viewing angle and illumination, as well as genetically and/or environmentally induced traits such as leaf thickness, waxy layer thickness and relative concentrations of chlorophylls a and b and carotenoids are taken into account, it is expected that the artificial green stimulus should fall within the range of natural spectral variation in green leaves (Gates et al., 1965; Breece and Holmes, 1971; Kwolek, 1982; Goncalves et al., 2001; Holmes and Keiller, 2002; Sims and Gamon, 2002; Buschmann et al., 2012).
Integrated quantum flux values from the leaf color experiment
Spiders were placed on the floor of the experimental chamber and allowed 3 h to wander about and choose which rectangle to cling to. Between trials, for this experiment as well as those described below, the chamber was scrubbed with 70% ethanol, rinsed with tap water, rinsed with 70% ethanol and allowed to air dry.
In this and all subsequent tests, there were always some individuals who did not make a choice and were not perched on any of the stimuli we provided. These individuals were re-run on subsequent days, for up to 3 days, in an attempt to get them to make a choice.
To test whether L. viridis prefer to perch on sweet gum leaf-shaped profiles, we gave them the choice to perch under a printout of a sweet gum leaf shape versus a circle. The sweet gum leaf-shaped stimulus was created by scanning in a real sweet gum leaf and then replacing its color and texture with a homogeneous green. The circle was made the same color. Spiders were run in two different tests: one in which the green circle was the same area as the leaf, and one in which the green circle was made to have the same diameter as the maximum diameter of the leaf. The arena consisted of a 420×290×140 mm plastic container with a clear Plexiglas sheet laid over the top of it. Leaf printouts were laid side-by-side face down on top of the Plexiglas, and which size of leaf was on which side was randomized for each individual (Fig. S2). The arena was illuminated from above by two full-spectrum (including ultraviolet) fluorescent mercury vapor tubes (T8, 32 W, 48 in, Duro-Test Lighting's Vita-Lite, Philadelphia, PA, USA), which were oriented along the long axis of the arena (see Fig. S3 for irradiance spectrum). Each spider was placed on the floor in the center of the arena under a downturned Petri dish and allowed to habituate to the chamber for 10 min. After this period, the Petri dish was removed if the spider was standing on the arena floor, or gently inverted if the spider was perched on the underside of the lid itself. The spider was then allowed to roam freely throughout the chamber for 3 h to choose which leaf to perch under.
Leaf size
To test whether L. viridis prefers to perch on larger or smaller leaves, we gave spiders a choice between the printed leaf described in the previous section and the same leaf scaled down to 50% of its original area. The experimental procedure was identical to that described above.
Ambient illumination
To test whether L. viridis might be attending to the ambient illumination under larger leaves, rather than the area or some linear dimension of the leaf itself, we again ran the leaf size experiment described above, but this time with a neutral density filter placed over the side of the arena with the smaller leaf. The neutral density filter decreased overhead illumination by 30% (filter no. 298, 0.15ND, Lee Filters, Burbank, CA, USA). As in the above experiments, we first tested whether the spiders that made a choice (i.e. those that settled on either the small or large leaf) still exhibited a size preference. We then analyzed all replicates of trials for all individuals from this and the previous experiment, ignoring whether or not spiders had chosen to perch on one of the leaves. Using the software program SuperMix (Scientific Software International, Skokie, IL, USA), we ran a generalized linear mixed model with a Bernoulli distribution and a logit link function to test whether spiders were more likely to be situated on the side of the arena with the small leaf after the addition of the neutral density filter than they had been before the filter was added. Specifically, the presence/absence of a neutral density filter over the small-leaved side of the arena was input as a fixed effect, with the outcome variable being the size class (large or small) of the leaf on the side of the arena the spider settled on. Individual identity was input as a random effect. We allowed the model to calculate both random slopes and intercepts, as well as to test for covariance between the two.
Lyssomanes viridis showed no preference for green over gray substrates, but did prefer the second darkest shade of gray (exact multinomial test, N=15, two-tailed P<0.0001; Fig. 2). Compared with the green and other shades of gray, this shade of gray was the most similar, in 350–700 nm integrated quantum flux, under natural light (i.e. woodland shade), to real leaves. It was also the shade most similar to real leaves in integrated quantum flux when we multiplied quantum flux by a Govardovskii opsin template peaking at 530 nm (Govardovskii et al., 2000) (Table 1).
Number of spiders choosing to cling to green versus five different shades of gray rectangles. Spiders preferred the second darkest shade of gray to green and all other shades of gray (exact multinomial test, N=15, two-tailed *P<0.0001).
Spiders showed no preference for the sweet gum leaf-shaped stimulus over the circular one when the two stimuli were of the same area (exact binomial test, N=23, two-tailed P=0.68), and preferred the circular one when it had the greater area (exact binomial test, N=26, two-tailed P=0.0094; Fig. 3). Lyssomanes viridis also preferred the larger leaf-shaped stimulus to the smaller one (exact binomial test, N=28, two-tailed P=0.00091). However, when a neutral density filter was placed over the side of the arena with the smaller leaf, this preference was abolished (exact binomial test, N=23, two-tailed P=0.41; Fig. 4). Furthermore, when all replicate trials of both leaf size experiments (including trials in which spiders did not choose a leaf) were run in a generalized linear mixed model, we found that spiders were significantly more likely to be situated on the side of the arena with the small leaf after the addition of the neutral density filter than they had been before the filter was added (N=35, two-tailed P=0.012). The model found no significant effect of individual (random intercepts two-tailed P=0.96, random slopes two-tailed P=0.95, covariance between intercepts and slopes two-tailed P=0.96; Table 2). A similar proportion of individuals chose to perch on one of the leaf stimuli (as opposed to no stimulus) in their first trial of both size experiments: 30% in the experiment without the neutral density filter and 36% in the experiment with the neutral density filter.
Percentage of spiders choosing to cling to a sweet gum leaf-shaped stimulus as compared with a circular stimulus. Spiders had no preference when the leaf and circle were of the same area (exact binomial test, N=23, two-tailed P=0.68), but preferred the circle when its diameter equaled the maximum diameter of the leaf (i.e. when the circle's area was larger; exact binomial test, N=26, two-tailed *P=0.0094).
Percentage of spiders choosing to cling to a larger versus smaller sweet gum leaf-shaped stimulus. When there was no neutral density filter present, spiders preferred the larger leaf (exact binomial test, N=28, *P=0.00091). This preference was abolished when a neutral density filter (shaded rectangle) was placed over the side of the experimental arena with the smaller leaf (exact binomial test, N=23, two-tailed P=0.41).
Results of a generalized linear mixed model to test whether spiders were more likely to be situated on the side of the arena with the neutral density filter, regardless of whether the spider settled on the leaf or elsewhere (N=35)
Our results suggest that L. viridis does not attend to the color or shape of leaves, but does have a visually mediated preference for a particular level of ambient illumination and possibly also perceived leaf brightness, which, in our experimental conditions, overrode any potential preference for leaf size. Importantly, if we had not controlled for an effect of leaf size on the ambient illumination in the area surrounding the leaf, we would have concluded that L. viridis was capable of judging the relative sizes of leaves using some parameter like relative area or a linear dimension. Although we cannot say for sure that leaf size is not assessed by L. viridis, we can say that ambient illumination was the more important factor in determining which leaf they settled under in our experimental conditions.
Because the integrated quantum flux of our green stimulus was somewhat higher than that of the preferred gray stimulus and of real leaves, we cannot say with certainty that color is a cue that L. viridis disregards completely. However, it is clear that ambient illumination or brightness of targets is the more important cue when there is competition between illumination/brightness and color.
It is interesting that color and fine spatial vision appear to play little role in helping L. viridis locate its preferred plant substrates, given that other jumping spider species are known to have anatomically and physiologically impressive eyes with high visual acuity and the potential for color vision (DeVoe, 1975; Yamashita and Tateda, 1976; Williams and McIntyre, 1980; Blest et al., 1981; Zurek et al., 2015). Instead, it would appear that L. viridis must rely heavily on contact chemoreception, especially in the spring, sampling a number of trees before finding the species they depend upon for successful reproduction, i.e. sweet gum (Tedore and Johnsen, 2015). That said, the visual cues they do use could potentially be more important in autumn and winter than one might initially expect. American holly should have a dark profile against a background of trees having lost their leaves. There are achromatic contrasts between green leaves and leaves undergoing seasonal color changes that spiders may attend to as well. Interestingly, during the winter, we have found L. viridis on the occasional broadleaf evergreen vine, which suggests that L. viridis may not have a species-specific preference for American holly during the winter per se, but rather a preference for the ambient illumination provided by any broadleaved evergreen species they can find in their habitat, provided it does not have chemical or mechanical properties that are repellent to them. Illumination and brightness preferences may additionally, or alternatively, help spiders find microhabitats that are not subject to rapid thermal changes, as would be experienced in areas receiving direct sunlight. Such preferences may also help protect L. viridis from UV damage, as these spiders are translucent and presumably not as well defended against harmful UV rays as other opaque and/or heavily pigmented species. In the field, we do not find L. viridis at habitat edges that receive direct sunlight for prolonged portions of the day.
Although we did not test whether L. viridis prefer a specific level of absolute illumination or, instead, a specific level of relative illumination scaled to, for example, the most brightly lit area of their habitat, it seems likely that their preference is a relative one. If their preference were an absolute one, these spiders would constantly be on the move, climbing to different parts of the canopy at different times of the day or when a cloud passed over the sun. Still, in future, it would be interesting to test whether and how much L. viridis responds to changes in the absolute brightness of its habitat.
As jumping spiders have the finest visual acuity among the arthropods, it is a bit surprising that L. viridis does not appear to have evolved a shape- or pattern-based mechanism of locating sweet gum. In contrast, the carrot fly Psila rosae has been shown to preferentially land and oviposit on artificial leaves shaped like its host species (Degen and Städler, 1997). In simulations of jumping spider visual acuity at different distances, we have found that the shapes of leaves against a natural background remain discernible at up to 4–8 m away (Fig. 5), so it does not appear that visual acuity should be the limiting factor here. An alternative explanation could be that jumping spiders conceive of shapes in a different way from humans. Dolev and Nelson (2014) found that Evarcha culicivora, a jumping spider specializing on mosquitos, did not distinguish between abstract images of intact mosquitos and a similar image in which the legs, body and antennae were disconnected and disarranged. However, they did discriminate between these images and a similar image in which the orientations of the body parts were not preserved. This suggests that jumping spiders identify objects by collections of disconnected oriented edges and do not attend to whether or not a shape is entire. A similar phenomenon seems to exist in honeybees (Zhang et al., 1995; Horridge, 1999, 2006, 2009). If jumping spiders do not perceive objects as entire, but rather as collections of oriented edges, then distinguishing leaf shapes may be a tricky task for them, as leaves occur jumbled together at various orientations and rotations in 3D space. More studies are needed to determine how common leaf shape discrimination is among arthropods, as well as the sensory and cognitive mechanisms behind it.
Simulated visual acuity of a jumping spider versus a human looking at sweet gum leaves from different distances. We used Gaussian blurs with diameters matched to the interreceptor angle of adjacent photoreceptors in the fovea (see Caves et al., 2016, for details). As L. viridis appears not to use chromatic cues to identify leaves, we created grayscale images from the green channel of an RGB camera. This channel's transmission spectrum approximates the spectral sensitivity of a photoreceptor with peak sensitivity in the green portion of the spectrum. Original RGB image (not shown) courtesy of Eric Hunt.
In conclusion, our study highlights the importance of including adequate controls in studies of visually mediated habitat preference. Although it is tempting to imagine that arthropods, particularly those with anatomically and physiologically advanced eyes, use vision extensively across a variety of different tasks in their daily lives, this is an assumption that needs to be more broadly tested with adequate controls to rule out alternative explanations for habitat-directed behaviors.
We would like to thank two anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments on the manuscript.
C.T. planned and executed the experiments, analyzed and interpreted the results, and wrote the manuscript. S.J. participated in analyzing and interpreting the results and in writing the manuscript.
This work was supported by the National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship, the James B. Duke Fellowship, and the Duke University Department of Biology.
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What Changes At ModCloth And Nasty Gal Mean For E-Commerce
Boris Wertz	6 years
Boris Wertz Contributor
Boris Wertz is the founder of version one ventures, and has invested in over 50 early-stage consumer and enterprise companies, including Edmodo, Flurry, Indiegogo, and Wattpad. Follow him on his blog and on Twitter @bwertz.
Editor's Note: Boris Wertz is the founder of version one ventures, and has invested in over 50 early-stage consumer and enterprise companies, including Chloe & Isabel, Frank & Oak, Julep, and Indochino. Follow him on his blog and on Twitter @bwertz.
Recent weeks have brought some major shakeups to the e-commerce world as Sophia Amoruso stepped down as CEO of Nasty Gal and Eric Koger stepped down as CEO of ModCloth.
While some may wonder if such personnel changes signal the fall of vertically integrated retail, I believe the industry is entering a new phase where successful players will look and behave more like retailers and less like tech startups.
Two years ago, I wrote that vertically integrated retailers represented the next wave of e-commerce, citing examples like Warby Parker, Bonobos, Frank & Oak, Julep, and yes, Nasty Gal and ModCloth.
These web-only brands vertically integrate the retail value chain, taking ownership of the design, curation, manufacturing, and sales. By going straight to the consumer and typically foregoing the high costs associated with brick and mortar, vertically integrated (or v-commerce) retailers can offer high-quality products, such as eyeglasses or clothing, at significantly lower prices.
Perhaps even more importantly, these start-ups are able to carve out a niche with unique offerings that stand out among mass-market goods. As the saying goes, "If it has a UPC code, Amazon will beat you" (via Chris Dixon). By owning the design and manufacturing, v-commerce retailers don't have to compete head-to-head with Amazon. In addition, they can offer their customers a more rewarding experience based on small-batch, artisanal philosophies.
Is There A Scaling Problem With V-commerce?
For all the promise that vertically integrated commerce offers, these retailers have struggled to scale beyond $100 million in revenue. TechCrunch reported that ModCloth saw little to no growth in 2014, and reduced its engineering team to just over a half-dozen.
It is unfair to generalize what is happening with a diverse group of retailers by assuming that scaling problems with one company apply across the board. However, it is true that with any niche or long tail marketing, you can connect with your target customer segment quickly and efficiently, but it is much harder to break into the mass market. To put it another way: it's easier to scale with a blockbuster film than a collection of low-volume art films.
For this reason, we've seen many examples of impressive early growth followed by relative stagnation among v-commerce start-ups.
Additionally, since these companies haven't gotten to scale yet, they aren't enjoying the deepest price breaks in the supply chain and the best gross margins. As a result, more v-commerce start-ups are forced to change their initial business model and focus on profitability over revenue growth. Breaking even is the new goal for many of these start-ups.
The Next Stage For Vertically Integrated Companies
In a company announcement about his departure as ModCloth CEO, Koger wrote:
"We always knew the time would come when ModCloth would need the leadership of an experienced retail executive to take our well-loved brand into the future, expand our distribution, and lead the continued evolution of the customer experience."
One important lesson we have learned over the past years is that vertically integrated retailers are a lot closer to traditional retailers than we once thought. While these companies are often portrayed and positioned as tech start-ups disrupting retail, they still need to follow the retail playbook and sweat the small stuff in order to succeed.
We should expect more v-commerce companies to change up their teams in the near future in order to bring in seasoned executives with deep retail experience.
Moving Online To Offline
A growing number of v-commerce companies are refocusing their acquisition and growth strategies on offline versus online. Warby Parker, Birchbox, Bonobos, Frank & Oak, Indochino, and Harry's have all recently opened some kind of physical space.
Warby Parker's co-Chief Executive Neil Blumenthal told the Los Angeles Times, "We can create really special experiences online, but there's nothing quite like walking into a physical space, a world we've created. … To some extent these stores can be considered a form of marketing and customer acquisition."
Offline channels let shoppers try things on, see the quality first-hand, and interact with a brand on a deeper level. Pop ups and stores tend to generate more word-of-mouth than online since shoppers are immersed in a fuller experience.
By 2016, men's retailer Bonobos will have approximately 40 "Guideshops" nationally. As a great example of showrooming trends moving offline to online, Bonobos' physical locations will bolster its online business: customers can go to a location, try on clothes first-hand, and then order them to be shipped a few days later.
The takeaway message should not be that e-commerce is moving offline. Vertically integrated companies will continue to rely on online as the most cost-effective channel for reaching their markets. However, we are learning that v-commerce is harder to scale and execute than we once thought.
As v-commerce matures, the lines between tech start-up and retailer will blur. These entrepreneurs will innovate across multiple channels, while borrowing from the traditional retail playbook, to improve the customer experience.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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I love music; even Country. Some like to joke about the very story-telling-lyrics that I find so charming in Country Music. The various strains of the guitar and fiddle add emphasis to the tale of entering-the-bar-finding-you-there-with-another-guy set of lyrics which unfo ld in a particular song about love and loss, or so it goes.
I enjoyed last night's performance of the ACM Awards 2014. The entertainers were top notch. I loved seeing new faces, and the old ones, too; hearing the new music, and the old.
This morning I Googled some of the faces and songs that I didn't recognize in last night's show. One was: I Drive Your Truck, sung by Lee Brice. The song was written by Connie Harrington and won the "Song of the Year" award. I listened to the YouTube version this morning. I am writing this post now, because of how deeply this song affected me.
The lyrics are about loss. The pain of loss. The process of grieving. The lyrics and melody provide a swift kick in the gut. To all of us who have lost children, husbands, fathers, or those closest to us, this song will have you re-living your memory within the first stanza. Congratulations on the writing and performance of this ballad, which is so close to most of our hearts.


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The 20c And 50c Stamps Of 1893
The Postmaster-General's Report for 1892 states that "Postage stamps of the value of 20 cents and 50 cents are about to be issued. These will be useful in prepayment of parcel post." These high values were, of course, intended to be used in making up relatively large amounts of postage. They were not issued to be used in prepayment of any specific rates though a study of the postal rates of the period show that the postage on a parcel weighing up to one pound sent to th
United Kingdom would require a 20c stamp, while a 2 lb. parcel sent to Japan would take the 50c denomination. The same rates show that the postage on 1 lb. parcels sent to Newfoundland was 15c, though no stamp of this value had been issued subsequent to the series of 1868 nor has one ever since been included in the regular series.
These new 20c and 50c labels were issued on February 17th, 1893, and while alike in design, except as regards the denotation of value, they are quite dissimilar from any of the previously issued postage stamps of the Dominion both as regards size and design. The portrait shows Queen Victoria in her widow's weeds and is similar to that shown on the Bill stamps which were first issued in 1868. Above the portrait CANADA POSTAGE is curved, and on straight labels at the foot is the value in words, while between this inscription and the lower part of the medallion are figures of value.
The stamps were, as usual, produced by the line-engraved process, and they were printed in sheets of 100 at the Ottawa establishment of the British American Bank Note Company. The manufacturer's imprint was shown twice on each sheet—in the centre of the upper and lower margins. This imprint consisted of the words "British American Bank Note Co. Ottawa," on a strip of solid color measuring 38 mm. in length and 2½ mm. in height. This colored strip has square ends and is enclosed within a pearled border.
Both values were printed on the wove paper used for the other denominations then current and the perforation was the usual 12 made by single-line machines.
Evidently these values were but sparingly used, for Mr. Howes tells us:—
Both were ordered to the number of half a million copies in 1893, and in 1895 25,000 more of the 20 cent and 30,000 more of the 50 cent were delivered, with a final 200 copies in 1896. These quantities were sufficient to last until the 20 cent was superseded by the newer type in 1901, and the 50 cent by the King's head stamp in 1908. Some 1500 of the 20 cent were returned for destruction and about 10,000 of the 50 cent.
It seems hardly possible that but 200 copies of each were supplied in 1896—i.e. two sheets of each value—if they were the normal perforated stamps. Possibly this small supply consisted of the imperforates—both values being known in this condition—and if so they may have been printed to fill a special requisition. The imperforate 20c is on the normal shade but the 50c is, as Mr. Howes observes, in a "peculiar black blue" shade. There are no marked varieties in shade as can easily be understood from the few printings which took place.
1893. Engraved and Printed by the British American Bank Note Co. of Ottawa. Wove paper. Perf. 12.
33. 20c vermilion, Scott's No. 46.
34. 50c deep blue, Scott's No. 47.
The 1c Orange Of 1869
The 20c Value Of 1900


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Q: Configure docker repo with https without domain name I have a website that I'm running on a digital ocean droplet, which I want to continuously deploy via docker and a Teamcity build server which I have running on my home server.  I want to enable https on my docker repo, with a self signed certificate, and without a domain name.
Let's say my home's ip address is 10.10.10.10 and the docker repo is running on port 5000.
I followed the steps here, however docker on my website complained that it cannot connect to the docker repo on my homeserver because it doesn't specify an IP in the SAN extension.
Okay.  So I created a new certificate without the CN field and only an IP in the SAN, and now my cert config on my website looks like...
/etc/docker/certs.d/10.10.10.10:5000/ca.crt

I also added the cert to my general certs (Ubuntu 16.04 btw)
Then I try to pull the image from my home server to my website...
docker pull 10.10.10.10:5000/personal_site:latest

However, I'm getting this error.
Error response from daemon: Get https://10.10.10.10:5000/v1/_ping: x509:
certificate signed by unknown authority (possibly because of "x509:
invalid signature: parent certificate cannot sign this kind of
certificate" while trying to verify candidate authority certificate "serial:xxx")

I thought by adding my cert to the /etc/docker/... it would accept a self-signed cert.  Anyone have any advice here?

A: You can't used a self signed certificate for this, it needs to be a CA certificate. Follow the same steps required to create a certificate for a docker host and store your CA in /etc/docker/certs.d/.... Or you can also define 10.10.10.10 as an insecure registry as part of the docker daemon startup (dockerd --insecure-registry 10.10.10.10:5000 ...) and docker should ignore any certificate issues.

A: I just did the same thing with this instructions create private repo with password without domain and ssl. That will require you to add certificate on client and domain on host file (if you love to have an domain yourself without registering new domain)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Following on from the release of their acclaimed new album 'Kingfisher', Prawn are now set to storm the EU/UK, supporting Gnarwolves on their biggest tour to date! The winter tour is set to start on 10November 2014 in Belgium, with Prawn and Gnarwolves hitting the UK from 30 November – 12December 2014 (with Public Domain joining them from the London show onwards).
Following on from their second full-length album 'Kingfisher' (released 12th August 2014 via Topshelf Records), this tour marks the New Jersey quintet's highly anticipated third visit to the EU/UK. Prawn consistently make a huge impact on audiences wherever they play and are constantly gaining new fans by exhibiting their unique flavour of post-rock infused emo. This combined with the recent praise for 'Kingfisher' guarantees that this will be the bands most exiting overseas tour to date!
This tour will follow on from the forthcoming US Topshelf Records Tour (feat. A Great Big Pile of Leaves, Diamond Youth, Prawn & Field Mouse). The band have also recently finished touring the US this summer with Into It. Over It., the Hotelier, and Foxing.
Having recently opened the main stage at both Reading and Leeds, winter tour headliners Gnarwolves consistently impress crowds with their incendiary performances of their own raucous blend of punk-rock. This tour will be the longest set of dates that Gnarwolves have embarked on so far, and will follow on from their forthcoming self-titled debut, set for release on 15th September 2014 on Tangled Talk Records/Big Scary Monsters.
Austrian skater punks Public Domain will also be joining them on the tour, having recently impressed UK crowds with their explosive set at TDON Fest 2014.
This is a serious line-up consisting of bands that are currently impressing fans at every step of the way! Make sure you catch them at one of their dates - these are all available from the Topshelf website.


Drinking is an intrinsic part of Australian culture. Introduced during colonisation, our tumultuous consumption patterns have gone from excess to restraint and back. Binge drinking has declined in recent times: however, moderate alcohol consumption has increased. Previously, research has suggested that moderate wine consumption may be beneficial for heart health. But a recent study has found that even moderate drinking can increase risk of death from stroke, aneurysm and heart failure, indicating that the threshold for avoiding health risks may be lower than previously thought.
Australians have had a somewhat complicated relationship with alcohol. A culture of heavy drinking was introduced during colonisation and by the 1830s consumption had reached a high of more than 13 litres of pure alcohol per person each year. Meanwhile, church-affiliated Temperance organisations were advocating for moderation and eventually prohibition. Liquor restrictions and the implementation of prohibition in some states failed to solve the problem: although consumption did decline during the 1890s and the Great Depression, it increased again after World War II. We've since developed more 'civilised' drinking habits; however, binge drinking has become prevalent in the last few decades.
But red wine is healthy, isn't it?
Around the 1970s, research began to report links between alcohol and reduced risk of heart disease. Mild to moderate red wine consumption was associated with increased HDL cholesterol and reduced LDL cholesterol, inflammation and atherosclerosis. This effect was attributed to both alcohol itself and polyphenol antioxidants, particularly reservatrol and proanthocyanidin.Bertelli AA, Das DK. Grapes, wines, resveratrol, and heart health. Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology. 2009;54(6):468-76 Some, however, believe the connection between red wine and heart health may have stemmed from "The French Paradox", or perhaps due to wine featuring in the Mediterranean Diet. This diet also includes other heart-healthy foods such as olive oil, oily fish and a high intake of vegetables, making it difficult to confirm causality, especially as most research around wine and heart health is observational.
The alcohol-heart disease relationship is complex: studies have reported that both abstinence and drinking too much are linked to increased risk. At the same time, moderate drinking is also associated with health risks including liver cirrhosis, sudden cardiac death, alcoholic cardiomyopathies and cardiac rhythm disorders.
Drinking is an element of many Australian celebrations and social gatherings and although evidence does indicate a general decline in drinking over recent years, many are still consuming alcohol at harmful levels. A comparison of drinking habits between 2007 and 2017 revealed a decrease in those drinking to excess; however, this habit is still prevalent in younger drinkers, particularly those aged 18 to 24 years. And even though excessive drinking is on the decline overall, there has been an increase in those that drink up to two standard drinks per day, particularly for men aged 34 years and above and women 40 years and over. Around 20% of those who reported drinking more responded that this was due to life stressors. Also of concern is that 36% of current drinkers did not recognise any health risks from drinking: these were mainly females aged 55 years and over that reported moderate consumption.
Time to reassess the guidelines?
The National Health and Medical Research Council are currently reviewing their guidelines for alcohol consumption, which presently advise that both men and women should consume a maximum of 2 standard drinks per day and no more than 4 drinks in any one occasion. They also mention that any potential health benefits from alcohol may have been overestimated and that there is no level of alcohol intake that can be considered completely safe. This echoes the findings in the recent study, which concluded that despite a slight reduction in risk of non-fatal heart attack, the increased risk of other serious conditions outweigh any benefit. In light of this, as well as current consumption trends, perhaps it's time to challenge Australia's relationship with alcohol once and for all.
Thanks for sharing the research in your article. I agree, our relationship with alcohol is complicated and confusing and also goes much deeper than relaxation and socialisation.
The above are guidelines and need to be applied alongside knowing ourselves, our bodies, the week we've had, personal situation and nourishment. Complicated because this changes regularly. I believe awareness is a great start.


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Police in Sacramento are asking for the public's help after a mass shooting
Capital Public Radio | By Nicole Nixon
There was a deadly shooting in downtown Sacramento, Calif., early yesterday morning. Six people are dead, a dozen others injured. We have the latest from Cap Radio's Nicole Nixon.
NICOLE NIXON, BYLINE: Police say shooting broke out right after 2 a.m. as bars were closing on K Street, an area just one block from the state capitol building. Video posted to social media shows a chaotic scene on the street outside a club, a fight cut short by rapid gunfire and people running for cover. No arrests have been made, but police say there were multiple shooters. They recovered a stolen handgun at the scene. Mayor Darrell Steinberg called increasing gun violence a nationwide sickness and said thoughts and prayers for the victims are not enough.
DARRELL STEINBERG: We can't do that. In our city, we will take stock. And we will do everything we can on the investment side, on the public safety side, on the gun side, to protect the public.
NIXON: Leticia Fields' husband, Sergio Harris, was among the dead. When she got a call about the shooting in the middle of the night, Fields rushed to the scene, where she waited for hours for confirmation that her husband had been killed.
LETICIA FIELDS: He loved his kids. He was a happy person, that's for sure. He just loved living life and trying to make a difference, making a mark on himself, you know?
NIXON: This is the second mass shooting to rock California's capital city this year. Just over a month ago, a man killed his three young daughters, a chaperone and himself during a supervised visit at a church.
For NPR News, I'm Nicole Nixon. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
Nicole Nixon


1. SIMEON "MITAR"1 DADOVICH was born abt. 1859 in Yugoslavia, Romania, and died Feb 17, 1931 in Akron, Summit Co, Ohio. He married MARISHKA "MARIA" MIYOUE abt. 1888 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. She was born abt. 1865 in Torein, Yugoslavia, and died in Akron, Summit Co, Ohio. Simeon "Mitar" and Marishka "Marie" arrived New York aboard ship Aquitania, from Southampton, England, their destination was to the home of their son, Simeon Dadovich, on Irave St, Akron Ohio. Simeon's closest relative, in Yugoslavia, is his sister, Milive Majstovic Roma. The 1930 census indicates that he first immigrated, or visited, the U.S. in 1914. He returned home and in July 1921, they finally emmigrated from Sremska Mitronica, Yugoslavia, to live permanently in the United States. In 1921, Simeon was a farmer. The State of Ohio shows a Death Record for Mike Dadovich, who died Feb 17, 1931 in Summit Co, Ohio.
2. i. ANKA "ANNA" DADOVICH, b. May 20, 1891, Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
ii. SIMEON 'SHUSTA' DACH DADOVICH, b. Oct 05, 1894, Mitrovica, Hungary; d. Bef. 1952, Akron, Summit Co, Ohio. He immigrated in 1914 traveling to Akron, Ohio, to live on Grove St, Akron Ohio, where he worked as a laborer in the steel mills in 1920 and in 1930 he did shoe work in a rubber factory.
3. iii. YELENA DADOVICH, b. Aug 04, 1901, Mitrovica, Yugoslavia; d. Mar 07, 1973, Burton, Genesee Co, Michigan.
iv. FRANK VASA DADOVICH, b. Dec 28, 1905, Sremska Mitrovic, Yugoslavia; d. Nov 13, 1976, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co, California. He was buried in Los Angeles, CA. Frank immigrated on Jul 23, 1921, arriving in New York on ship SS Aquitania. He was 15 years old, on his way to live with his brother Sam Dadovich on Ira Ave, in Akron, Ohio.
4. v. STEVAN DADOVICH, b. abt. 1908, Sremska Mitrovic, Yugoslavia; d. Dec 12, 1944, Akron, Summit Co, Ohio.
2. ANKA "ANNA"2 DADOVICH (SIMEON1) was born May 20, 1891 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia; d. abt. 1986 in Ohio. She married STEVE ANTONOVICH abt. 1920 in Akron, OH. He was born Aug 08, 1894 in Djakovo, Yugoslavia. Anka immigrated in 1910. She died at 95 years old. In 1930, she worked in a rubber factory in Akron, Ohio. In 1920, Steve was a grocery clerk and in 1930, he was also a laborer in a rubber factory, in Akron.
i. MARION ANTONOVICH, b. Apr 23, 1919, Akron, Summit Co, Ohio; d. Mar 07, 1992, Cleveland, Cuyahoga Co, Ohio. Marion never married and the Ohio Death records list him as "Marion Antunovich"
ii. MILITSA (MILLIE) ANTONOVICH, b. July 26, 1921, Akron, Summit Co, Ohio. She is listed as "Mary" on her father's Naturalization papers.
iii. MARISHKA (MARY) ANTONOVICH, b. Oct. 26, 1923, Akron, Summit Co, Ohio. She is listed as "Milcoa or Milcva" on her father's Naturalization papers.
iv. MIKE ANTONOVICH, b. Nov 21, 1924, Akron, Summit Co, Ohio. He is listed as "Martin" on his father's Naturalization papers.
3. YELENA2 DADOVICH (SIMEON1) was born Aug 04, 1901 in Mitrovica, Yugoslavia, and died Mar 07, 1973 in Burton, Genesee Co, Michigan. She was buried in Evergreen cemetery in Grand Blanc, Genesse Co, Michigan. She met (1) UNKNOWN INDIVIDUAL. He was born in Yugoslavia. She married (2) UNKNOWN BANNICK. He was born in Yugoslavia, and died bef. Apr 16, 1930, probably in Michigan. She married (3) DEMETRIUS PESICH 1929 in Detroit, Wayne Co, Michigan. He died 1929 in Detroit, Wayne Co, Michigan. She married (4) SIMA (SAM) NOKOVICH abt. 1934 in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan. He was born Dec 15, 1890 in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, and died Nov 16, 1966 in Flint, Genesee Co, Michigan. Yelena "Helen" immigrated on Sep 11, 1921, arriving in New York on Ship Saxonia, from Yugoslavia, via London. She lived at 2068 Bergin Ave., Burton, Genesee Co, Michigan. When Yelena immigrated, she listed her closest relative in Yugoslavia as her aunt Milna Anna Majstavoric. In 1930, she worked in an auto factory and attended the Russian Orthadox church.
5. i. YOVAN "JOHN" DADOVICH (YELENA2, SIMEON1) b. Jul 16, 1921, French waters; d. Mar 18, 1987, Saginaw, Saginaw Co, Michigan. He married MIRIAM Elaine FARVER, April 25, 1944 in Chapel 2, Camp White, Rogue Valley, Jackson Co, Oregon. She was born Sept 12, 1921 in Flint, Genesee Co, MI and died Jan 28, 2008 in Lansing, Ingham Co, Michigan.
ii. BOB3 BANNICK, b. abt. Feb 1930, Michigan.
iii. METHA "MIKE" PESICH, b. Jan 06, 1930, Dearborn, Wayne Co, Michigan; d. May 03, 2006, Davison, Genesee Co, Michigan; m. MARY LOUISE MANN, Nov 07, 1964. "Mike" lived in Grand Blanc, Michigan after serving in the U. S. Army. He is buried in Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly, Oakland Co, Michigan. He had six children.
v. RADE "RALPH" NOKOVICH, b. Jun 20, 1936, Burton, Genesee Co, Michigan; d. Jan 30, 2007, Davison, Genesee Co, Michigan; m. Name Withheld, Nov 27, 1954. "Ralph" was born at home in Burton, Genesee Co, MI. He was employed by the A.C. factory in Flint and was an ordained Minister. He is buried in Flint Memorial Park, in Flint, Genesee Co, MI. He has seven children.
vi. YVONKA "JOANNE" NOKOVICH was born May 31, 1937 in Flint, Genesee Co, Michigan. She married KENNETH E PEAL in May 1954. She married NELSON MAJOR MILLER in Flint on Nov 18, 1961. She had three children before she died on Sept 21, 2009.
4. STEVAN2 DADOVICH (SIMEON1) was born Sep 06, 1908 in Sremska, Mitrovic, Yugoslavia, and died Dec 12, 1944 in Akron, Summit Co, Ohio, where he was buried. He married ELISABETA "BERTA" PFEIFER, a.k.a. Bertha Bibich, May 29, 1927 in Akron, Summit Co, Ohio. She was born Aug 10, 1909 in Mitrovica, Yugoslavia. Steven immigrated on Jul 23, 1921, arriving in New York aboard ship Aquitania, with his parents, from Yugoslavia, via Southampton, England, traveling to the home of his brother, Simeon Dadovich, on Irave St, Akron Ohio. Listed as closest relative in Yugoslavia as aunt Milive Majstovic Roma. In 1930, he was also employed as a "shoe worker" at the rubber factory, along with his wife, Berta. He was naturalized on June 15, 1939.
i. MARY DADOVICH, b. Apr 12, 1928, Akron, Summit Co, Ohio; d. Dec 11, 1996, Akron, Summit Co, Ohio; m. CLARENCE MCKINNEY BRINLEY, JR, Feb 06, 1948, Ohio; b. May 23, 1926, Akron, Summit Co, Ohio; d. Nov 30, 1972, Akron, Summit Co, Ohio. Mary is buried in Hillside Memorial Park in Akron, Summit Co, Ohio. Clarence is buried at Greenlawn cemetery, same city.
ii. JOAN HELEN DADOVICH, b. Jan 24, 1931 in Akron, Summit Co, Ohio.
5. YOVAN "JOHN" 3 DADOVICH (YELENA2, SIMEON1) b. Jul 16, 1921, French waters; d. Mar 18, 1987, Saginaw, Saginaw Co, Michigan. He is buried in Evergreen cemetery, in Grand Blanc, Genesee Co, Michigan. He m. (1) MIRIAM ELAINE FARVER, abt. Oct 1945, Flint, Genesee Co, Michigan; m. (2) BEVERLY IRENE MARSTON, Dec 13, 1952, Genesee Co, Michigan; m. (3) CLARA UNKNOWN, aft. 1957; m. (4) PHYLLIS GERALDINE MILLER, May 06, 1960, Genesee Co, Michigan. Newborn Yovan "John" immigrated on Sep 11, 1921, arriving in New York on Ship Saxonia, Yugoslavia, via London, England, with his mother. He lived in Morrice, Michigan or Millington, Tuscola Co, MI at the time of his death, due to an injection prior to a surgery for cancer. He was both an Army veteran and a Navy veteran, serving as a chef, following that occupation through his life.
ii. JEFFERY ALLEN DADOVICH (YOVAN3, YELENA2, SIMEON1) b. Sep 27, 1953 in Alma, Gratiot Co, Michigan; d. Apr 19, 1997 in Bullhead City, Mohave Co, Arizona. He is buried in Mountain View cemetery, Kingman, Arizona. Like his father, Jeffery also served as a cook in the military and worked in that field until his death.
iv. JOHN ANTHONY DADOVICH, JR.; b. Feb 14, 1956 in Flint, Genesse Co, MI; d. Jan 26, 2006 in Sturgis, Meade Co, South Dakota. John was a U. S. Army veteran and is buried in Black Hills National Cemetery at Sturgis, Meade Co, South Dakota. He has one son.
v. TIMOTHY PAUL DADOVICH; b. Aug 04, 1959 in Flint, Genesse Co, MI; d. Jan 01, 1995 in Flint, Genesse Co, Michigan. He married (name withheld).


Last edited by David Robertson on Sun Jan 14, 2018 11:05 pm, edited 6 times in total.
Toma's win in our match today had quite an amusing finish.
Well, perhaps we are looking in the wrong division. More players over 2600 in action in the temporary insanity zone that is the second division this last weekend.
Goodness Manx stepping it up rather and Celtic Tigers refusing to take it lying down.... Nearly worked.
well, was white ever about to win that easily, really? Doesn't strike me as that outlandish a save.
Ghasi v Gordon was one for the ages, though. I can see why, by move 70, White may have lost the confidence to play 71 gxf6, given as trivially winning by SF which sees no reason to elaborate, but the human would need to be unusually calm to see the win quickly.
Good choice. As an old club colleague of Dan's, I'm obviously delighted! He has always played some good stuff, but this is impressive even by his standards.
Move 15 being the sting in the tail that has been played at least once before and refutes black's thirteenth move.
All games from all four divisions from the January weekend are now on the 4NCL website.
Speelman has annotated this game - poor opening play by White in his opinion, and Bisby's piece sacrifice should have ended in a draw by repetition with best play by both sides.


text:
FANDOM FUN
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YA Author, Laurie Halse Anderson, Gets Real on Getting Real
By Administrator Fandom	 April 30, 2015 No Comments
Laurie Halse Anderson shares her thoughts on getting real in literature.
Books are vehicles for many different things — to educate, to entertainment, to enlighten. And regardless of the author's intention, the reader makes the final decision on what a reading experience means to them.
Authors like Laurie Halse Anderson use each of their books as a means of being completely honest, raw, and real with their audience. From the most intense emotions to the simplest everyday experiences. Regardless of the tackling of these issues, Halse's intention is to do so with authenticity, and to also leave an air of hope for her readers; Some who may be going through similar experiences.
Anderson uses her story-telling to raise real life issues for teens and young adults. Anorexia, sexual abuse, suicide. Proper heavy stuff.
Too often our kids are isolated and don't get the support they need, Anderson says.
"For me, I ask how do we change that? How do we help? My job is to tell stories.
"In the United States we are spectacular failures at caring for our teenagers. We have a culture that is so consumer-based and there is a lot of advertising aimed at teens but we don't seem to care enough about them to properly fund their education or to support families going through hard times, to make sure the kids are getting the kind of attention and care that they need.
"When I speak to kids I say bad things happen to good people, which sadly we can't control, but we all have control over how we react to those bad things and you see a lot of characters in my books struggling to cope with what has happened to them in their lives and figure out way to make them better."
Readers have been very receptive to Halse and her intentions. She's gotten tons of feedback, letters, notes of thanks, encouragement, and inspiration.
She recently got an email from a young woman struggling with an eating disorder. She'd read a story about a young woman dealing with anorexia and was inspired to seek help.
"She got into a treatment centre and no is longer struggling with an eating disorder. She's a healthy seventeen year-old.
"This is some of the power of fiction for teenagers – when kids see their experience reflected in a story, that's what they needed. They needed to see they are not alone and that there's a way to fix this."
To read more of the interview, click here.
via SOURCE.
Administrator Fandom
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You are here: Home / Various Assagioli articles / The Position of Psychosynthesis in Contemporary Psychology
The Position of Psychosynthesis in Contemporary Psychology
11/01/2021 af sorensen kenneth 2 Comments
In this article Assagioli explain some of the ideas behind his egg-diagram and his understanding of the scientific method, asserting that superconscious experiences are also facts.
By Roberto Assagioli, translated from Italian by Gordon Symons, source Assagioli, Archive, Florence. Italian title: La Posizione Della Psicosintesi Nella Psicologia Contemporanea
This diagram should not be considered as a simple framework, or a mere aid to memory, but rather as a kind of mandala, with its own life within its field of meaning. Because each of its lines has a meaning, even a "message", and each of you, if you meditate on it, can discover many things both of general and personal application. Personal application can be done if we understand that the drawing represents each one of us: I am That; and that all the aspects of our psychological and spiritual being are described there. Each area of the diagram is full of vital and psychological elements. Think of it as something alive that has a vital message for you, a message that is constantly renewed.
Roberto Assagioli's egg-diagram
Theoretically, the diagram is very simple. The circle in the middle represents our conscious personality – what we are aware of at any given moment. The point in the center represents the consciousness of the "I" – "I am" – a consciousness that is characteristic of the human kingdom. Even an animal has a much broader psychological structure than we think (such as the geometric sense highlighted in the formation of the cells of a beehive, and the relative saving of space through its hexagonal shape). But animals have not acquired ego consciousness. On the other hand, the super-human beings have transcended, but not lost, this "self-awareness". Self-awareness is in fact a necessary stage in the great evolution from mineral to God.
The normal human being is intensely aware of the "I". I am tired, I am happy, sad, and so on. By thinking in this way, he connects the "I" with the elements of his conscious awareness. But we know that the area of awareness does not exhaust our whole being. Research carried out on the unconscious level of our being has shown how many things happen in us of which we are largely unaware.
Psychology acknowledges this unconscious part of the human personality. But if we move from the fact to the usage of the fact, we discover that we are still, as it once was, in the "stone age". For example, most psychologists, especially psychoanalysts, admit the existence of the lower unconscious. But they ignore or deny the existence of the higher aspects – that is, of a greater quality, value and power than those of our normal personality. This is the great dividing line between materialistic psychologists and those who have a broader and truer vision of the human being and his potential.
For educational purposes, I divided consciousness into three parts – the lower, the middle and the upper. How is it that most psychologists deny the existence of higher consciousness? There is a strange and interesting fact here, which is of general interest because it underlies the great problem of modern psychology. This has developed as a reaction to the old psychology that was part of philosophy. At that time, before the development of science, psychology was subject to philosophy, and was colored by the religious or metaphysical system to which the theologian or philosopher adhered. Generally speaking, science was a branch of theology.
Then a healthy and very creative revolution took place. Science affirmed its independence from religion and philosophy. Francesco Bacone started this revolution and drew up some principles of the scientific method that are still fully valid today. There was then a long conflict between individualistic science and the contingent theology. For example, when Galileo built the first small telescope that made Jupiter's satellites visible, some theologians of the time refused to look inside! Science was therefore forced to take a very clear stand against theology. But in doing so it went to the opposite extreme and in turn built a "philosophy" that became as narrow as that of the theologians.
When psychology came to assert itself as an autonomous science, it made an attempt at mediation with the Natural Sciences, with a view to the fact that each science needed its own methods of seeking the Truth. We are all agreed, or should be, on the principles of science set by Bacon, and on their measure of objectivity and impartiality, on the fact of avoiding logical errors, on exact observation, experimentation, etc. But psychology had a difficult legacy, in that it had been subject first to theology and philosophy, and then to chemistry and physics.
And so it became that hybrid called "physiological psychology", and psychologists tried to study psychological facts through quantitative methods. This method could only be applied to the study of the more basic aspects of the interior of the human being – that is, in relation to the study of sensation, memory, and similar aspects. In other words, they tried to limit themselves as much as possible to the functions shared by animals. For example, in one of the manuals in use in Psychology about twenty years ago, in a chapter on animal psychology, there was a half-page on the topic of genius in humans, placed however in a section of the book concerning facial asymmetry. This was not an exception. Even more ridiculous things happened. Even the sensations were viewed with suspicion and became "behaviorism"! That was truly the darkest hour in psychology. Starting with Watson, it was said that sensations were objective and that they could not be studied subjectively: that only external behavior could be measured – that only that was "scientific"! This was a completely unrealistic and perverted perspective. As has been said, psychology first lost its soul (because it was not scientific), and then its mind; and finally lost its senses. The only thing left was "behavior"!
Our starting point for spiritual psychology, in Psychosynthesis, is different, because we argue that higher manifestations are equally important facts of behavior and sensations and that, when they happen, can also be studied scientifically. Intuition can be the origin of an invention that can change our civilization. The intuition of a poet can ignite a generation. Creative imagination has mechanical effects. The superconscious and its facts are as scientific as those of the subconscious. A conditioned reflex is no more scientific than an inspiration. This is the basis of our attitude, the very solid platform on which we can take a position with confidence.
The most charitable answer to why thinkers with otherwise clear ideas do not realize this, is that they are genuinely unable to make the distinction. But there are also other reasons, based on two fundamental aspects – the fear and laziness of the academic perspective. Laziness is highly emphasized by Jung and corresponds to gravity in matter. It falls under the law of minimum means – which also has its uses, such as when it is seen for example in relation to automation. It is right that energy is not wasted in vain. But mental laziness is one of the worst aspects of the Law of Inertia. Then there is misoneism, an aversion to the new. There is also an aspect of pride. The big problem is that most psychologists are devoid of religious spirit. Their pride is therefore hurt when people without academic qualifications have experiences that they haven't had. They interpret these experiences as hallucinations. (See William James in "The Rightness of Religious Experience", where he claims that the honest psychologist can accept the values of a plane of reality that he himself has not experienced directly. He had the humility to admit that he had no experience. He collected facts, screened them, and then drew conclusions.
It was a perfect example of the correct attitude to take. He was sometimes mistaken, but only because he hadn't studied Oriental experiences. But as a way of working with the knowledge available at the time, he is the perfect example of the correct method of approach.) Psychology should be independent of theology, philosophy and physical sciences. It should be a science in itself. You will notice that all the lines in the diagram are broken lines This means that there are no rigid divisions. The area between the individual and collective unconscious can be defined as "the psychological atmosphere in which we live, move and are". It consists of movement and change, through the senses and also in parapsychological ways. These movements take place continuously, although fortunately we are more or less in the dark about them. The star at the top of the diagram, is the Self, called soul in unscientific language, but which in psychological language we can call the Self, a term also used by Jung. In doing so, Jung actually made the self "respectable"! As you can see, the star is located half outside and half inside the outer edge of the Egg-shape. This indicates a great esoteric truth – that the Soul, or Self, has both individual and universal consciousness, and that its sense of individuality and universality persists during the mysterious process of identification with the Whole.
Filed Under: Various Assagioli articles
Cangül Soydemir says
Thank you for this article.
I am in Sufi practice since 20 years which is a continous practice in life.
The fact that I have been entering in the world of pschosynthesis after having practicing Sufism helped me, is helping me to make comparisions and assesments for how one can interpret the spiritual pscyhology.
In fact I would like to write also articles about Sufism and Psychosynthesis in that regard.
Thanks again Kenneth.
sorensen kenneth says
Thank you, and I am looking forward to your articles 🙂


Another study discovered ginger root helped minimize monosodium glutamate (MSG) neurotoxicity. After male albino rats were given a daily dose (4 mg/per kilogram) of pure MSG for thirty days, a significant decrease in the hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine along with the brain neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin was observed. However, when an injection of ginger root extract (100 mg/per kilogram) was given for the same length of time, the hormones and neurotransmitters significantly increased. Researchers then found that when both were administered simultaneously, the extract mitigated the damaging effects of MSG – leading the team to conclude that ginger acts as a potent protective agent.
As an excitotoxin, MSG is linked with Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, autism and attention deficit disorder.


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Cannabis-based CBD grows vogue despite gov't tests
James McGinnis @James_McGinnis
Jul 7, 2019 at 7:00 AM Jul 10, 2019 at 12:14 AM
Cannabidiol is legal when it contains less than 0.3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol. But no government agency tests products to ensure you won't get high or fail a drug test at work.
All she wanted was an escape from the ceaseless pain and the chance at a good night's sleep.
Walking into the emergency room at Doylestown Hospital, a 70-year-old woman on the list for an organ transplant and diagnosed with the incurable autoimmune disease scleroderma had also tested positive for THC. And, the patient insisted, she'd never smoked a joint once in her entire life.
With high concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol, marijuana's chief psychoactive compound, discovered in her blood, the patient was removed from the list of those eligible for organ transplant, remembers Dr. Christine Roussel, Doylestown's director of pharmacology.
"It was such a shame because obviously she had about 18 months to live. She was very sick," Roussel said. "She had gone to some scleroderma support groups and they recommended CBD products, but it was the THC that was helping her sleep."
CBD, or cannabidiol, is everywhere, and growing faster than the proverbial weed. The Colorado-based BDS Analytics predicts U.S. sales will surge from $1.9 billion in 2018 to $20 billion by 2024, with the majority of CBD products sold in retail stores in next four years.
Under U.S. law, CBD can be legally sold so long as products contain less than 0.3% THC.
The trouble is, no government agency is actually testing the THC levels in these products to ensure you won't get high, become intoxicated while driving, or fail a drug test at work. And, recent research suggests, some products are not sold as advertised.
In May 2018, the science journal Molecules published a study of 14 cannabidiol oils purchased on the internet between December 2017 and January 2018. "Nine out of the 14 samples studied had concentrations that differed notably from the declared amount," researchers reported. "The obtained results clearly show that 12 out of 14 samples contained THC, which is attention-grabbing because of its potential intoxicating activity," the study reported.
A second study published last October in the journal Forensic Science International looked at THC blood concentrations after smokers used CBD cigarettes currently legal in Switzerland. The Swiss government allows CBD cigarettes so long as they contain no more that 1% THC. Yet, high THC blood concentrations were reported in CBD cigarette smokers at four hours and 12 hours after smoking, researchers said. "Individuals smoking CBD cigarettes or joints directly prior to or during driving could ... risk losing their driver's license."
Finally, in the February 2019 edition of the journal Scientific Reports, researchers claimed, "the first known evidence to suggest that applying hemp oil to hair, as cosmetic treatment, may result in the incorporation of tetrahydrocannabinol." "There may be a risk where laboratories observe detectable hair concentrations of CBD, THC, and CBN in donors who use hemp oil cosmetically," researchers said.
Mary Jane's little sister
Cannabidiol is drawn from the cannabis sativa plant, more commonly known as marijuana, and makes up 40% of the plant extract, according the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Research suggests it may be a more natural way to treat anxiety and pain, and proponents claim it helps with numerous other conditions as well.
Yet the U.S. National Library of Medicine advises women who are pregnant or may become pregnant not to take CBD, and other health officials advise not to begin taking CBD products without first consulting a doctor, as CBD can have drug interactions, particularly with medications broken down by the liver.
Such warnings come even as other researchers point to potential health benefits from cannabis, including strains containing THC.
The U.S. government classifies pot as an illegal substance, complicating its sale and research into its suspected health benefits.
Yet, on its own website, the National Institute of Drug Abuse, a federal agency, says it's currently using tax money to fund studies of the "potential therapeutic uses of THC and other cannabinoids in treatment of pain, HIV, addiction, and other health conditions" since "research suggests that THC and other cannabinoids, may have potential in the treatment of pain, nausea, epilepsy, obesity, wasting disease, addiction, autoimmune disorders, and other conditions."
The National Institutes of Health, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, states on its website that, compared to cigarettes, smoking marijuana is less likely to cause emphysema or lung cancer. "Animal and human studies have not found that marijuana increases risk for emphysema," the agency concluded. "While a few small, uncontrolled studies have suggested that heavy, regular marijuana smoking could increase risk for respiratory cancers, well-designed population studies have failed to find an increased risk of lung cancer associated with marijuana use."
The NIH also states that marijuana is not typically a gateway drug since "the majority of people who use marijuana do not go on to use other, "harder" substances."
To date, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has certified just one CBD drug as having any health effects. Containing a "purified form" of cannabidiol, Epidiolex has been federally tested and approved for the treatment of seizures. In an April 12 health advisory, the FDA stressed it has not approved or reviewed any other CBD products. "Unlike drugs approved by FDA, products that have not been subject to FDA review as part of the drug approval process have not been evaluated as to whether they work, what the proper dosage may be if they do work, how they could interact with other drugs, or whether they have dangerous side effects or other safety concerns," the agency warned.
Since 2015, the agency has also issued more than two dozen warning letters to companies selling CBD products. Among them, a March 28 letter to the Mount Laurel-based Relievus pain management centers alleges the company was selling "CBD Salve," "CBD Oil" and "CBD for Dogs" in violation of the of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
"We started selling CBD products five years ago because the opioid crisis was getting out of control," said Relievus chief operating officer Ron Saltiel. "We wanted to reduce our patients' use of opioids."
Following the FDA warning letter letter, Saltiel said his company stopped offering CBD. "We told our patients that we weren't going to offer it, but we tell them of other places where they can get it," he said. "It's everywhere."
Selling like hotcakes
At retailer Deep Six inside the Willow Grove Mall in Montgomery County, you can buy CBD-infused pancake mix. There, you can also buy CBD-infused cat and dog treats, body washes, skin lotions, gummy worms and dozens of other products.
In Yardley, the Prancing Peacock massage, meditation and Reiki and yoga center offers massages in Vital Body CBD Massage Cream, which promises "deep penetration for pain and inflammation." Owner Liz Conner insists the cream contains no THC.
"The ones that are third-party tested — we know that they're made well, they're made under supervision, and they've been tested by another company," said Conner. "That was very important to us."
Most who purchase a CBD massage are "in so much pain, and they're seeking out something as an alternative to medication," Conner added. "Most people just want to have that therapeutic value. They just want to feel better."
Nine miles south in Lower Southampton, retailer Hempicated.com markets "Special Sauce Hemp Stiks," "Strain Sour Space Candy Organic Hemp Flower" and chocolate energy chews with 5 mg of cannabidiol and 100 mg of caffeine. The company says all of its products contain 0.3% THC, or less, and are third-party tested.
Even retailers such as CVS and Walgreens are getting into the game.
CVS is selling creams, sprays, roll-ons, lotions and salves at select stores in California, Colorado, Illinios, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland and Tennessee, said Joe Goode, senior corporate communications director.
"Anecdotally, we've heard from our customers that these products have helped with pain relief for arthritis and other ailments, and we believe consumers will be looking for these products as part of their health offering, said Goode. "We're entering slowly into this new category, and continue to actively monitor the regulatory landscape for CBD products and will expand product availability as appropriate and in compliance with applicable laws."
Walgreens sells CBD topical creams, patches and sprays in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, New Mexico, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vermont, said Phil Caruso, a company spokesman. "This product offering is in line with our efforts to provide a wider range of accessible health and wellbeing products," he said.
On the boardwalk in Sea Isle City, Lucky Leo's Sweet Shop is selling CBD chocolate bon bons in flavors such as "Mango Tango" and "Pineapple Express."
The Mango Tango strain has "loud peach and citrus flavors," according to Leafly.com, which describes itself as the "world's largest cannabis information resource."
Pineapple Express is a mix of the "Hawaiian" and "Trainwreck" strains made famous by the 2008 marijuana action comedy film of the same name.
'No recommended dose'
Hardly a cannabis critic, Roussel leads regular training sessions for Pennsylvania doctors and pharmacists interested in prescribing medical marijuana in state-regulated dispensaries selling strains containing THC and solely CBD.
During a recent, four-hour training and certification session held on the Philadelphia campus of the University of Sciences, Roussel and others discussed the many potential benefits from careful cannabis use. At the same time, she described incidents where patients — many of them confused and desperately seeking relief from chronic illness — had ingested incorrect amounts of marijuana-based products.
Among them, a patient in his 80s went to the hospital after experiencing intense bouts of vertigo, Roussel told seminar participants. "He had pancreatic cancer and he was using cannabis for appetite," she said. "He could not get out of bed. He was so dizzy."
Another time, Roussel said she was approached by a breast cancer patient taking CBD. "This woman asks me, 'What's the recommended dose of CBD for breast cancer?' And I told her, 'There is no recommended dose of CBD for breast cancer.'"