in season
Sardines are baby pilchards - long, thin, silver, oil-rich fish. Sardines are a sustainable choice of fish, rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
During high summer in St Petersburg the sun never fully sets. (Jonathan Smith/LPI)
During high summer in St Petersburg the sun never fully sets. (Jonathan Smith/LPI)
Belye nochi, the Russians call them – White Nights. These are the incredible, luminous northern midsummer eves when the high latitudes are bathed in a pearlescent all-night glow.
In Russia’s northern city of St Petersburg, the few brief weeks of White Nights and sun-filled summer days are an intoxicating time. By day, locals revel in the heat of the outdoors; by light-washed night, there are festivals, concerts and all-night parties. This is a time when St Petersburg is at its most lustrous, when zhizni radost – the peculiarly Russian brand of joie de vivre – is irresistible.
White Night revelling starts in May, when the city finally succumbs to spring and the parks are filled with flowering trees, but mid-June is peak time, when the sun slumps lazily towards the horizon but never fully sets. Here are some White Night – and summer day – experiences not to miss in St Petersburg:
Eat your fill of morozhenoe and arbus
Russians take their ice-cream making very seriously, and delicious, creamy Russian morozhenoe becomes ubiquitous in mid-summer. Buy some from an ice-cream cart and wander along one of the breezy riverside embankments for a real taste of summer, St Petersburg-style. During the few brief hot weeks, stalls selling arbus – giant, juicy watermelons – also sprout up all over the capital. Take one with you and head for a shady park.
Visit the Summer Gardens and sunbathe by the Neva
St Petersburg’s Letnii Sad (Summer Garden) is specifically designed for strolling during languid summer days. Walking along its shady avenues decorated with cool white marble statues and soothing fountains is a quintessential St Petersburg experience. Sunbathing by the Neva River is also typically “Piter” (as locals lovingly call the city). The riverside walls of the Peter and Paul Fortress are a favourite sun-lovers’ hangout.
Go swimming
Lake Ladoga – the source of the Neva – is a short train ride from the city, and its forested banks are a favourite Petersburger summer destination for picnics, canoe paddles and cooling swims. Komarova Beach on the Gulf of Finland is a fine place to visit mid-summer. It is not quite the Caribbean, but in less than an hour’s journey from the city, you can feel a million miles away. Take icy dips in the Baltic and breathe deep on the sea breeze.
Stay up all night
You have to do this at least once during the White Nights season. There is kind of euphoria to strolling at midnight under a still-light sky. Start the evening with a breezy outdoor dinner somewhere like Okean, set on a converted cruiser moored on the Neva, then go dancing at one of the understatedly cool nightclubs like Datscha on Dumskaya Ulitsa. As the sun rises – about 3 am – make your way to the glass-enclosed upper storey of Revolution for the best view of dawn over St Petersburg from any dance floor.
Watch the Neva bridges open
This is the signature tradition of the White Nights: watching the spectacle of the massive Neva River bridges heaving apart to let through boat traffic. Watch from the riverside embankments, or take to the water on a White Nights boat cruise and slip right through the heart of the midnight city. If you are on foot, make sure you are on the correct side of the river to get back to your accommodation: the metro stops at 12:30 am and with the bridges open until 5 am, there is no other way to cross the river.
See the stars of the White Nights
Midsummer was traditionally when Russian performing artists took holidays or went on tour, and St Petersburg’s stages were traditionally quiet during this season -- until 1993 when the Marinskii Theatre’s Valery Gergiev founded the spectacularly popular Stars of the White Nights Festival. Now, between the end of May and mid-July, there are almost daily operas, ballets and classical concerts at the Marinskii, featuring top-notch Russian and international stars.
Be part of Russia’s biggest celebration
This is it, the high point of all the White Nights revelry. The Scarlet Sails event (held on 18 June this year) is the biggest annual public gathering in Russia, with more than a million people attending each year. There is a mock pirate battle on the River Neva, followed by a firework extravaganza, culminating in the appearance of a tall ship with blood red sails. The imagery originates from a popular Russian children’s book, but the Scarlet Sails – Alye Parusa – have become the consummate symbol of White Nights revelry, and perhaps the most special moment of a St Petersburg summer.
The Ritual Suite at the Spa Montage in Los Angeles. (Montage Beverly Hills)
The Ritual Suite at the Spa Montage in Los Angeles. (Montage Beverly Hills)
Keeping up appearances is crucial for the Hollywood glitterati, so naturally Los Angeles has a variety of ways to help its famous residents stay fresh-looking and camera-ready. From a tailor-made facial for brightening post-party skin to a spa package that combats jet lag, here is a look at how Tinseltown beautifies itself.
Pressed Juicery’s Juice Cleanses
You are what you drink seems to be the philosophy behind Pressed Juicery, a delivery service that has locations in celeb-populated neighbourhoods like Malibu, Brentwood and West Hollywood. It serves a variety of raw, unpasteurized juices that purport to aid in detoxing one’s system. Order up a bottle of Detox 1, made up of lemon juice, cayenne pepper and filtered water, or commit to a cleanse package like Cleanse 3, which is described as being “for detox lovers” as it is heavily vegetable based and has the lowest sugar levels of the three cleanses. At $70 a day for a package of six juice bottles (you can opt for the three-day program or five-day), this health kick is not for the struggling actor. But it is extremely popular among stars like Jessica Alba, Nicole Richie and Elijah Wood.
Huntington Spa’s Flight Recovery
Since jet-setting around the world can wreak havoc on a starlet’s mental health, not to mention complexion, Pasadena’s Huntington Spa created a special package specifically to help relieve jet lag. The $290 two-hour treatment is comprised of an herbal salt scrub, a tension-relieving Chuan Harmony Massage (a full body oil massage using acupressure and relaxation massage techniques) and a foot massage.
Sonya Dakar’s Hangover Facial
After hitting the award party circuit, even the most gorgeous stars need help, and many, like Kirsten Dunst and Robert Downey Jr usually flock to Sonya Dakar’s skin clinic to find it. The $350 Hangover Facial, with its deep cleansing, detoxing and de-puffing treatment, aims to make one look well-rested, even after attending the after, after, after-soiree.
Spa Montage’s Red Carpet Ready services
For the awards season (until 31 March), this Beverly Hills spa located in the Montage Hotel offers a series of treatments to get its clients ready for the big show. TV actress Azita Ghanizada from Body of Proof recently splurged on the Lifetime Achievement Award treatment: an hour-long massage and facial, a mani/pedi, a blowdry and a style. Prices range from $185 to $375 depending on the treatment, and special event makeup application is also available for an additional $100.
Caroline Pardilla is the Los Angeles Localite for BBC Travel. She also writes Carolineoncrack.com.
Israel’s third city, Haifa, is a sun-splashed metropolis on the Mediterranean Sea. (Adina Tovy Amsel/LPI)
Israel’s third city, Haifa, is a sun-splashed metropolis on the Mediterranean Sea. (Adina Tovy Amsel/LPI)
Israel’s third city, Haifa, a sun-splashed metropolis on the Mediterranean Sea, is rarely thought of as a tourist destination. Until recently its best known landmark was the Dagon Grain Silo, while its rusting port was filled with smoky bars where salt-caked longshoremen would drink strong liquor before returning to the sea-bound frigates.
Fast forward to the present and Haifa is one of the most picturesque cities in the Middle East. Its downtown is a wholly different place, with chic Middle Eastern restaurants along Ben Gurion Avenue, freshly planted palm trees in Paris Square and throngs of tourists skipping off cruise ships in the renovated port. The longshoremen have been joined by groups of students and artists who stay in eco-friendly dormitories.
These changes are government initiatives, created to transform Haifa’s blue-collar, industrial image into something more hip and welcoming. But the real catalyst for change has been Haifa’s vibrant student population and its unique assembly of Arab and Jewish residents living in mixed neighbourhoods.
The full Haifa alternative experience starts with a subway ride from Paris Square to Masada Street, located halfway up Mount Carmel, upon which Haifa is built. Tucked into a narrow bend on this leafy road stands a half dozen miniature cafes where poets, activists and writers socialise over strong cups of Arabic coffee and bowlfuls of hummus. The best known is Café Masada (16 Masada Street; 052-657-3937), where the chatter is politically-charged, heated and philosophical. Left-wing points of view are typically the dominating theme in this liberal corner of the city.
The culture trail continues in nearby Wadi Nisnas, where narrow lanes are squeezed between sandstone buildings that date back more than a century. This is the old Arab quarter, and despite its ramshackle appearance (or perhaps because of it) Wadi Nisas has gained a popular following for anyone seeking a traditional Middle Eastern meal. After a falafel snack at 50-year-old eatery Felafel Hazkenim (Wadi Nisnas Road; 04-851-4959), wander the back alleys and discover a zany collection of colourful street art.
Further up the mountain looms Carmel Center, a leafy, well-to-do neighbourhood that is always a few degrees cooler than the port area below. Hipness in Carmel Center comes in the form of trendy coffee shops, including local favourites Greg Coffee and Mandarin, where students come to sip lattes and schmooze. The Carmel Centre is also home to the Cinematheque, a classy movie theatre that screens Israeli films and independent foreign flicks.
Brave creative types may prefer to meet up with local painter Shahar Sivan, an eccentric young artist who opens his studio every Monday at 8 pm (Nemala Studio, HaNamal 35; 052-567-0505) for an evening of drinks and nude portrait drawing. Shahar mixes cocktails, sets up easels and helps his students perfect the difficult art of drawing the exposed human form. It may sound a little off the wall, but Haifa likes to embrace its weird side.
The energetic vibe of the city is best felt on Tuesday nights in the port area, when popular restaurant Mayan Habira, meaning “Fountains of Beer” (4 Nathanson Street) hosts an weekly outrageous rhythm and blues revival that gets folks dancing on the tables. Rocking out to the blaring guitar riffs, wailing harmonica and gut-rattling drum rolls by house band Kostiza is a great way to kick off a night of bar hopping.
Other nearby watering holes include pocket-sized and mellow Jack and the Beanstalk (44 Jaffa Road; 04-853-5668), the larger and louder Barki (84 Hatzmaut Street; 054-425-8904), Eli’s Bar (35 Jaffa Road; 054-635-4696), which is good for live music and La Bira (21 HaNe’emanim Street), renowned for its house-brewed beer. For dancing, try nearby Syncopa (5 Khayat Street; 050-918-8899), which keeps the port rocking until the small hours.
Another strictly Haifa experience is spending a late night at Tichon in the Hadar neighbourhood. This hipster hangout hosts an eclectic mix of live music acts ranging from avant-garde to Arabic hip-hop and Hebrew folk ensembles. The owners, Suzan and Yoni, form a unique Arab-Jewish partnership, but the cross-cultural business arrangement does not seem out of place in Haifa, a mixed city where Arabs and Jews mingle freely, seemingly unaware of the ethnic tensions simmering in other parts of Israel and the Palestinian territories.
The Haifa tourist office has yet to adopt “Hip Haifa” as a slogan for the city, perhaps because the city’s funky side remains a largely underground phenomenon beyond the grasp of government officials. But most Haifans like it that way. It is a low-key place, far removed from uber-cool Tel Aviv and religious Jerusalem. Here locals are carving a unique niche as a place where young Jews and Arabs coexist and collaborate on their progressive ideas.
For visitors looking for something different, Haifa’s hip spots are experiential and unique on every visit – bring your sketchbook, open mind and blue-collar shirt, and get set for the unexpected.
Hong Kong Tourism Board
Hong Kong’s Cheung Chau Bun Festival culminates in a race where competitors shimmy to the top of three pyramids fashioned out of plastic buns. (Hong Kong Tourism Board)
There's no question that Hong Kong's traditional holiday celebrations are colourful, from the buckets of freshly-cut flowers exploding out of market stalls during Chinese Newtoday it is a destination for city folk looking for a laid-back day trip -- except during the bun festival, when huge crowds gather to witness the spect Year to the gentle glow of the elaborate lanterns that pay homage to the harvest moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival. But no ritual is as vibrant -- or as zany -- as the Cheung Chau Bun Festival, an annual springtime rite characterized by parades, performances -- and thousands of hunks of steamed dough.
A 40-minute ferry ride from downtown Hong Kong, the sleepy island of Cheung Chau is a fishing village with narrow lanes, seafood restaurants, beaches and water sports. Once known for being an outpost of piracy within the territory, today it is a destination for city folk looking for a laid-back day trip -- except during the bun festival, when huge crowds gather to witness the spectacle.
Held annually according to the lunar calendar (this year falling on 25 to 29 April), the bun festival's origins date back 100 years to when a plague struck competitors carry sacks to hold the buns, wear competitor numbers like runners and are strapped into harnesses as if they were climbing a rock wall the island, and in response villagers set up an altar to Pak Tai, a Taoist god. They sacrificed offerings to drive away the evil spirits causing the scourge -- and it worked. The bun festival is celebrated every year to thank the deities who saved the island.
Hong Kongers and tourists pack Cheung Chau for the four-day affair, which is chock-full of Cantonese opera shows, lion and unicorn dances and Chinese acrobatics. Bands play; drums beat; flags wave. In the parade that winds through the small island, five- and six-year old children are suspended above floats, dressed in bright silk outfits to resemble mythological figures.
It culminates in a midnight bun-scrambling competition, during which villagers shimmy to the top of three 14-metre-tall pyramids fashioned out of buns -- 9,000 of them, to be exact (and today made of plastic to avoid wasting food). In the past, villagers believed that whoever gathered the most buns would bring their family good health and fortune. These days, competitors carry sacks to hold the buns, wear competitor numbers like runners and are strapped into harnesses as if they were climbing a rock wall instead of scalin
You don’t just have fun with buns at the festival--you eat them. Giant bamboo steamer baskets full of buns are everywhere. They come in sesame, lotus or red bean paste varieties, all bearing a red stamp with the Chinese character for peace. At the conclusion of the celebrations, the auspicious buns are doled out to villagers and visitors. Because of the limited supply, there are often queues, so most festival-goers simply buy them throughout the festival -- and even throughout the year -- at many Cheung Chau food stalls.
g a tower of dough. They collect as many buns as they can in three minutes, and the winner is the contestant who racks up the most.
You don’t just have fun with buns at the festival--you eat them. Giant bamboo steamer baskets full of buns are everywhere. They come in sesame, lotus or red bean paste varieties, all bearing a red stamp with the Chinese character for peace. At the conclusion of the celebrations, the auspicious buns are doled out to villagers and visitors. Because of the limited supply, there are often queues, so most festival-goers simply buy them throughout the festival -- and even throughout the year -- at many Cheung Chau food stalls.
Hana R Alberts is the Hong Kong Localite for BBC Travel
Competitive spirits
Highland competitions include running, tug-of-war and throwing the hammer, and traditional attire is worn. Pictured here, a kilted man throws a pole at the Glennfinnan Games, usually held on the last Saturday in August. (Jim Richardson/National Geographic Stock
The Cairngorms are home to the United Kingdom’s only herd of reindeer. (David Tipling/LPI)
The Cairngorms are home to the United Kingdom’s only herd of reindeer. (David Tipling/LPI)
Imagine the comical mating ritual of the capercaillie bird, the flash of a red squirrel sprinting by and the grunt of a reindeer -- all set against the backdrop of an ancient Caledonian forest, remnants of a landscape that once covered the British Isles.
Cairngorms National Park is nearly 4,500 sqkm of mountain wilderness in northeastern Scotland and is the country’s largest protected area. The diversity of its fauna and flora is often overlooked due to its renowned status as Britain’s top ski destination. But its isolated location, far from any big cities, means that the Cairngorms are less visited than most other national parks in Britain. A mere 1.5 million visitors (as opposed to the Lake District’s 15.8 million) make the journey each year.
Arctic voyage
From the park’s main town, the ski centre of Aviemore, valleys of lofty pine trees and pristine lochs cut dramatically into corrie-riven mountains and the United Kingdom’s most extensive plateau. This granite massif retains the characteristics of an arctic-alpine tundra ecosystem, where high-altitude forest and wild, rocky plains combine with cold winds and low temperatures to provide a habitat found nowhere else in Britain. This remoteness has allowed rare animal, bird and plant species to thrive, and its mountains are among the world’s last sanctuaries for many Arctic birds and plants outside of the Arctic Circle.
Walk on the wild side
The Cairngorms is famed for two creatures: the osprey, which nests on a reserve after declining to near-extinction in Britain during the 20th Century, and the United Kingdom’s only herd of reindeer, which ranges free in the Reindeer Park above Aviemore. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds runs guided walks around the Loch Garten reserve north of Aviemore between April and August to see ospreys and other seasonal incumbents such as siskins, crossbills, sandpipers and otters. Ask at the Reindeer Park about joining the herder and leading your own reindeer on a half-day trek to their mountain enclosure (possible between June and August only).
The Rothiemurchus Estate, one and a half miles from Aviemore Railway Station, provides a host of family-friendly safaris themed around the distinctive, shaggy ginger Highland “coos” (cows), red squirrels and red deer. Meanwhile, nearby Atholl Estates whisks you off by Land Rover on safaris which take in various birds of prey, mountain hares and deer, in stunning forest and moorland terrain. If you are looking for more than just wildlife-watching, Alvie Estates offers a glimpse into life on the other side of the fence: human management of the land and its potential conflicts.
High-altitude wildlife
The hikers and climbers that make it to the most remote Cairngorm forest and plateau can expect to see even rarer species.
The Scottish crossbill, Britain’s only endemic bird, has the park’s pine trees as its sole stomping ground. The capercaillie, a large, colourful bird with one of the natural world’s most entertaining courtship displays, uses these forests as one of its last European breeding grounds. Wildcats and pine martens also roam. Higher up on the plateau, Arctic buntings, ptarmigan and golden eagles can be glimpsed, while the mountain scrub is adorned with rare plants such as globeflower and roseroot.
Travelwise: The implications of Scottish independence
A Scottish National Party member holds a mini Scottish flag. (David Cheskin/PA Wire)
It’s hard to tell just how many Scottish voters want independence from the United Kingdom.
A Sunday Times poll conducted between 27 January and 1 February said 47% of Scots were for and 53% were against Scottish independence, while a poll conducted the very same week by its sister newspaper, The Times, arrived at 37% for and 50% against. Both polls tested the same question: “Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?” It’s the question that First Minister and Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Alex Salmond wants for the referendum on independence, slated for 2014. The referendum itself, and whether it may include an option for something between total independence and total control by the UK, is still being debated by Salmond and British Prime Minister David Cameron.
The SNP argues that independence will boost tourism by decreasing corporation tax, which could increase business investment. But according to the hospitality trade publication Caterer and Hotelkeeper Magazine, the Apex Hotels chain counters that there will be no guarantee of lower taxes. The Herald, a Scottish newspaper reports that a move to slash corporation tax could be blocked by the European Union.
If Scotland does become independent, visitors will find many things unchanged. The SNP says that Scotland will remain a part of the EU, its currency will remain the pound, the border between Scotland and England will stay open, and Queen Elizabeth will still be the head of state. It should be noted, however, that Scotland could in the future vote to adopt the euro if it becomes in their interest to do so. Major changes could also include the formation of a national military, control over 90% of the North Sea’s oil and gas fields (although this is hotly contested by Great Britain) and a different tuition policy for non-Scottish Europeans attending school in Scotland. Currently, all Europeans outside of the UK enjoy free tuition in Scotland, but the SNP would want to change that.
It’s unclear whether transportation would be affected by independence, according to CPT Scotland, the trade association that represents bus, coach and light rail industries. Since the transportation policy largely comes under the Scottish Parliament’s responsibilities, there may be few changes, said CPT Scotland communications manager Paul White. “It would also be interesting to see what independence would do to fuel duty [tax] – something which is currently set by the UK government,” White said.
Overall, those in favour of independence believe that Scotland will become a stronger country on its own two feet, while those opposed believe that the country will lose the security granted by being a part of the United Kingdom. If the former group is right, independence will help the country grow its economy, attracting more business and more travellers. If the latter group is right, the result could be the opposite.
Move over Miami, the US home for the international Art Basel art show.
The Paul Kasmin Gallery at the 2011 Frieze Art Fair in London. (Linda Nylind/Frieze)
Move over Miami, the US home for the international Art Basel art show.
New York City is reclaiming its crown as the centre of the US art scene, courtesy of the inaugural Frieze Art Fair, taking place on Randall’s Island in the city’s East River from 4 to 7 May. The four-day festival is the first US edition of the famous UK festival, which was founded by art powerhouses Amanda Sharp and Matthew Slotover and takes place in London’s Regent’s Park every October.
More than 1,000 artists from 30 countries will show their work in a curving 250,000sqft building designed by Brooklyn architects SO-IL. Add to that eight specially-commissioned outdoor works by artists like Rick Moody and Ulla von Bradenburg, outposts of some of New York’s hippest restaurants — Roberta’s, Fat Radish, The Standard Biergarten — and a star-studded roster of parties, and this oft-overlooked island between Harlem, Astoria and the South Bronx is set to become the hottest spot in the city. Art Info, a website dedicated to art news and gallery reviews, offers a great guide to the weekend’s events.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
A lot of people, other than those who work in the medical field need first aid training. It is safe to say that anyone who is around a number of people on a daily basis should learn first aid. This is because as much as we think we are safe, and nothing wrong could happen, unfortunately it could. You could slip and fall on your way to work, your child could have a fall while playing in the park, there could be a car collision near your house or a fire could have broken out in a nearby area. You could either be a by-stander, or be one that helps a large number of people get on the road to recovery.
First aid is, simply put, the first kind of treatment given to a sick or an injured person. This could be before professional help arrives or even at the Emergency Room (ER) of a hospital. First aid training helps curb bleeding, teaches you how to administer Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), take care of minor cuts, bruises and burns.
There are a number of people who must take up first aid training such as:
• Healthcare professionals: Every single person associated with the medical field, from doctors, nurses, and attendants and absolutely anyone else should learn first aid. Over and above this anyone working at a hospital should know first aid; this not only helps in a crisis situation, but also raises the standards of the hospital.
• Rescue workers: This refers to firefighters, police officers, lifeguards and security guards. In case of emergency, civilians will look up to you for help. Being trained in first aid and CPR will make a huge difference in bringing the situation in control.
• Physical fitness personnel: Gym trainers, sports coaches, aerobics instructors, massage therapists and dance instructors, there is a lot of physical activity around their work areas. A fall resulting in a sprain or a fracture could be taken care of instantly.
• School staff and child-care facilitators: You need to make sure your child is safe when you are not around. Children by nature are difficult to handle and when they are in groups an accident is bound to happen. Make sure you are certain that your child's school or day-care center has a first aid trained professionals.
It has become increasingly common that large offices have a Safety Committee or a Safety Officer. This committee or officer must be trained in first aid and CPR administration. Over and above this they also make sure the office conducts regular fire drills and keeps fire exits clear and safety norms up to date. They also take care of a well-equipped first aid kit so that there is a sense of safety that employees feel while working in the office. Workplaces also have tie ups with hospitals or clinics where they can take their employees in case professional help is required.
First aid training makes you aware of how you can help save lives with basic essentials. Make sure you speak to as many people as possible to spread the word about first-aid training.
A lot of people, other than those who work in the medical field need first aid training. It is safe to say that anyone who is around a number of people on a daily basis should learn first aid. This is because as much as we think we are safe, and nothing wrong could happen, unfortunately it could. You could slip and fall on your way to work, your child could have a fall while playing in the park, there could be a car collision near your house or a fire could have broken out in a nearby area. You could either be a by-stander, or be one that helps a large number of people get on the road to recovery.
First aid is, simply put, the first kind of treatment given to a sick or an injured person. This could be before professional help arrives or even at the Emergency Room (ER) of a hospital. First aid training helps curb bleeding, teaches you how to administer Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), take care of minor cuts, bruises and burns.
There are a number of people who must take up first aid training such as:
• Healthcare professionals: Every single person associated with the medical field, from doctors, nurses, and attendants and absolutely anyone else should learn first aid. Over and above this anyone working at a hospital should know first aid; this not only helps in a crisis situation, but also raises the standards of the hospital.
• Rescue workers: This refers to firefighters, police officers, lifeguards and security guards. In case of emergency, civilians will look up to you for help. Being trained in first aid and CPR will make a huge difference in bringing the situation in control.
• Physical fitness personnel: Gym trainers, sports coaches, aerobics instructors, massage therapists and dance instructors, there is a lot of physical activity around their work areas. A fall resulting in a sprain or a fracture could be taken care of instantly.
• School staff and child-care facilitators: You need to make sure your child is safe when you are not around. Children by nature are difficult to handle and when they are in groups an accident is bound to happen. Make sure you are certain that your child's school or day-care center has a first aid trained professionals.
It has become increasingly common that large offices have a Safety Committee or a Safety Officer. This committee or officer must be trained in first aid and CPR administration. Over and above this they also make sure the office conducts regular fire drills and keeps fire exits clear and safety norms up to date. They also take care of a well-equipped first aid kit so that there is a sense of safety that employees feel while working in the office. Workplaces also have tie ups with hospitals or clinics where they can take their employees in case professional help is required.
First aid training makes you aware of how you can help save lives with basic essentials. Make sure you speak to as many people as possible to spread the word about first-aid training.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Emmelyn Roettger becomes Mensa’s youngest US member after being dignosed with autism Article by: Kathryn R. Bown Three-year-old Emmelyn Roettger of W
Emmelyn Roettger becomes Mensa’s youngest US member after being dignosed with autism Article by: Kathryn R. Bown Three-year-old Emmelyn Roettger of W
Juan Luis Gutierrez, 27, tripped on his baggy pants while trying to steal beer earlier this year.
Juan Luis Gutierrez, 27, tripped on his baggy pants while trying to steal beer earlier this year.
Saggy pants clumsy beer-thief was arrested in Polk County, Florida.
Polk County police said Juan Luis Gutierrez from Lake Wales, tried to steal two 18-packs of Bud Light from the E-Z Food Store, 15 Acuff Road in Lake Wales, on April 27.
As thief Juan Luis Gutierrez ran toward the get-away car, he tripped on his baggy pants and fell, and dropped the beer.
The driver was later identified as Angel Miguel Ortiz, 22, who was arrested on August 18 and charged with one count of petty theft. He has since bonded out of jail.
Polk County police said saggy-pants Gutierrez admitted to the incident.
International
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| |  On April 3, 2006, Verizon announced definitive agreements to sell its Caribbean and Latin American telecommunications operations in three separate transactions that involved our operations or interests in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. Learn more...
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صور بنات اجنبية اجسامهم حلوة احلى بنات اجانب
بنات اجنبية اجسامهم حلوة صور بنات اجانبيهم اجسامهم حلوة جمال بنات الاجانب صور بنات اجانب جديدة 2011 اجمل بنات الغرب بنات اجانبب مثيرة صور بنات اجانب
صور بنات اجنبية اجسامهم حلوة احلى بنات اجانب
Why Proofreading Services are Beneficial for You?
Why Proofreading Services are Beneficial for You?
Posted on April 28th, 2012 in Writing Business by ArijitKRoul
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There are many a times when people do not give due importance to proofreading. If you are a writer and if you come up with articles or books that contain lots of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, then it is surer to put off the reader and he will loose interest in the author.
Need For Proofreading
There are many a times when people do not give due importance to proofreading. If you are a writer and if you come up with articles or books that contain lots of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, then it is surer to put off the reader and he will loose interest in the author. The same way if there is no proofreading in place for your business documents, then this might be one of the reasons for your potential clients or business partners to not collaborate with you for business. Most of the people who know the importance of proofreading will tend to go for cheap and free online software that is easily accessible over the internet to go through their grammatical errors and spelling errors. Though, there are plenty of online spell checkers and grammatical error corrector software available nothing will do a foolproof job for you and you will still have errors in your business documents or articles or e-books or anything you write. Hence, there is no proper substitute for a professional proofreader and it will always be ideal for you to seek professional proofreading services help to get your documents error free.
Online Proofreading Services
With the advent of internet and each and every business done over the internet, the same is the case for proofreading businesses and we see a lot of professional proofreaders providing their services online these days. It is ideal for you to go for online professional proofreaders who have been doing this business for a few years now and who are well versed in dealing with proofreading of business documents and other important articles and books. It is not only grammatical error checks and spell check corrections that your online proofreader must carry out. It will also be helpful for you to come across online proofreaders who will be able to highlight on the required changes that you might need to incorporate in your business document in order to make it more attractive for your clients and customers.
Benefits Of Proofreading Services
There are plenty of reasons that will prompt you to hire good and professional proofreading services. Any business concern will always look to be run in a professional manner in order to impress its business partners as well as its customers and a proofreading services help in going through all your business documents, business reports and marketing documents will only help your business grow. Good quality and error free business documents and reports will speak volumes of your business and more and more clients will be interested in dealing with your company. If you are a person who is I the job of preparing a lot of contracts, then it is very important for you to have error free contracts in place all the time and hiring online proofreading services will make this difficult task very easy one for you. There are also many online proofreading persons who will be ready to write a document for you on your specifications and guarantee and you can be certain that this document will be totally error free.
The Best Way to Build Successful Business Writing
The Best Way to Build Successful Business Writing
Posted on May 3rd, 2012 in Writing Business by jonnapettersson
You will discover three major characteristics of effective business writing: CompleteConcise Accurate What will be the intent behind business writing? You’re posting a small business letter to imply information to or obtain information in the other party. Be clear and direct to the point which means your reader will easily realize what you will be telling or asking them.
Tips on How to Generate Charming Technical Documentation
Technical documentation, or communication, is a process whereby someone conveys information that may be user-friendly on a certain topic to a chosen audience. Technical documentation ranges originating from a business mail to user guides or help systems. The leading strive for the writing of technical documents would be to convey a message to the layman generally. The data should conserve the reader comprehend the basic functionality or specification of your chosen topic.
Before starting writing a technical documentation, there’s two stuff that ought to be with care considered. They are planning and implementation. Determine who you are writing this documentation for and your purpose in creating it. In other words, if your documentation wills an architect, the kind of documentation you’ll write changes as from documentation likely to an engineer. Do proper collection of information. Often, one making the documentation can be a writer. Therefore he’d not always be a specialist inside intended theme. It can be, therefore, important for information being collected well then it may be documented. What this means is doing proper research and interviewing a pro on the subject matter. One may also have to try out the particular product, for example, when it comes to software. Outline and organize information Flex Questions.
Begin simply using a template or simply a document that already exists. It is best to enter in the information that you’ve leave blank other parts in places you ought to hunt for information. This really is gonna be your working document which you’ll develop. Your confidence will be boosted once you make a list of what we have, get the job done empty space will probably be large. You need this confidence as a way to advance in the project. Write your initial draft. This implies filling the blanks and ensuring there is a flow of ideas streaming out of your conscience. Don’t revise at this stage because it may stop the flow. Do your editing and revision. You really should squeeze document away to get a time period take a look in internet marketing afresh. This fresh look just might help you note down any errors much better than in case you achieved it all continuously. Center on topics that requirement attention. You may also shorten sections, expand others or maybe delete some. Ensure your final draft is purely grammatical and is a good idea. Publish and distribute the document to the specific audience. The options for publication include printing and photocopying it yourself, employing a company printing facility, should your company have, or finding the document outsourced. Another recommendation is the document published in pdf format. This tends to allow easy distribution through emails.
Keep the pre-publication material carefully on file in case there are future revisions needed, the first material can be accessed. How to develop Winning Technical Documentation Technical documentation, or communication, is usually a process whereby someone conveys information that’s user-friendly for a certain topic to a chosen audience. Technical documentation may range at a business mail to user guides or help systems. The key try to get the writing of technical documents is to convey a message to some layman in most cases. The information should profit the reader comprehend the basic functionality or specification of your chosen topic. Before starting writing a technical documentation, there’s 2 things which need to be with great care considered. These are generally planning and implementation. Determine whom you are writing this documentation for and for the reason your creating it. To put it briefly, in the event the documentation is going to an architect, any type of documentation that you’re going to write will be different as from documentation planning to an engineer. Do proper number of information. Often, the one making the documentation is often a writer. This means that he or she possibly not be a professional in the intended theme. It is actually, therefore, important for information to get collected well then it could be documented. This implies doing proper research and interviewing an experienced about them matter ColdFusion Questions.
You may also have to try out the exact product, by way of example, in the case of software. Outline and organize information. You can start with a template or maybe a document that already exists. It is advisable to say hello to the information you have by leaving blank the areas in places you have to hunt for information. This can be going to be your working document which you will develop. Your confidence is going to be boosted if you write down whatever you have, even if the empty space might be large. You will need this confidence every single child advance from the project. Write the first draft. This requires filling the blanks and being sure that you will find a flow of ideas streaming from your conscience. Don’t revise during this period as this may stop the flow. Do your editing and revision. You ought to assemble the document away to get a time frame take a look in internet afresh. This fresh look will assist you to compose any errors a lot better than when you achieved it all continuously. Target topics that requirement attention.
Also you can shorten sections, expand others as well as delete some. Keep the final draft is purely grammatical and makes sense. Publish and distribute the document to the specific audience. The variety of publication includes printing and photocopying it yourself, utilizing a company printing facility, if your company has, or finding the document outsourced. Another recommendation is having the document published in pdf format. It will allow easy distribution through emails. Keep the pre-publication material carefully on file regarding future revisions needed, the original material can be simply accessed. How to make Winning Technical Documentation Technical documentation, or communication, is actually a process whereby someone conveys information that may be user-friendly on the certain topic with a chosen audience. Technical documentation can vary from a business mail to user guides or help systems. The principle aim for the writing of technical documents is usually to convey a phone message to some layman usually. The details should conserve the reader see the basic functionality or specification from the chosen topic. Before entering writing a technical documentation, there are 2 issues that need to be with care considered. These are generally planning and implementation. Determine your identity writing this documentation for and why you are creating it. Simply speaking, if your documentation is going to an architect, any type of documentation that you write varies as from documentation about to an engineer.
Do proper variety of information. Often, the only one making the documentation is actually a writer. Because of this he could definitely not be a specialist while in the subject material. It is, therefore, essential for information to become collected well so it can be documented. Therefore doing proper research and interviewing a specialist on the subject matter. One may need to test out the specific product, for example, in the matter of software. Outline and organize information. You can begin simply by using a template or a document that already exists. You should enter the information that you’ve by leaving blank other locations the spot where you have to try to find information. This can be usually your working document which you’ll create. Your confidence are going to be boosted once you write down what we have, even when the empty space are going to be large. You’ll need this confidence to be able to proceed in the project. Write the primary draft. This requires filling the blanks and making sure that you will find there’s flow of ideas streaming through your conscience. Don’t revise during this period because this may stop the flow. Do your editing and revision. You may want to position the document away for the time period then look at it afresh. This fresh look will help you put in writing any errors as good as when you did it all continuously. Concentrate on topics that requirement attention. It’s also possible to shorten sections, expand others or maybe delete some.
Be sure that your final draft is purely grammatical and is sensible. Publish and distribute the document to its specific audience. The variety of publication include printing and photocopying it yourself, using a company printing facility, when your company has, or keeping the document outsourced. Another recommendation is the document published in pdf format. This will allow easy distribution through emails. Keep the pre-publication material carefully on file in case there are future revisions needed, the initial material can be easily accessedKedgeree
Kedgeree
This word was from Hindi word “kichri” or a dish of rice. Now, this word refers to hot dish of rice, fish and egg cooked together.
Juggernaut
This word came from Sanskrit “Jagannatha” or Lord of the World. This word refers to the Hindu God Krishna who will be worshipped by the followers and each year there will be a procession to drag his huge image on a large chariot. The word was unconsciously borrowed by the English in the 19th century to refer to heavy vehicles like large lorry and a heavy-duty truck.
Jodhpurs
This word came from the word Jodhpur which is a city in west India. The men in this city wore a type of garments. In late 19th century, the English used similar type of garments, i.e. trousers that are loose above the knee and tight from the knee to ankle, worn when riding a horse.
Cushy Loot
Loot
The word came from Sanskrit “lut” or to rob. During the British ruling in India, the soldiers would usually take away all the valuables from the enemy after winning a battle. Basically the meaning of the word remains and it also now refers to the act of stealing from anyone.
Cushy
This was originally an Urdu word “kushi” or pleasure. It basically refers to easy job or pleasant situation.
Chit
Chit
The word came from Hindi “chitthi” or a note or a pass. Now, it refers to a short written note, signed by somebody, showing an amount of money owed.
Shampoo
This word was from a Hindi word “campoo” or press. This word was used during the 18th century by the Europeans who were in the Turkish baths. This is basically a word to give instruction to the masseur to press and massage. Somehow or rather along the way, the word became shampoo and it refers to the liquid soap used to clean hair, furniture, carpet and so on or the act of washing hair using shampoo.
Thug
This word came from a Hindi word “thag” or thief or swindler. The thags at that time were professional robbers who pretended to be travelers in the deep forests of India. They robbed and killed whoever came along the way. The thug now refers to similar type of violent person, usually a criminal.
Loot
Jungle
This word actually came from a Hindi word which originally meant wasteland or uncultivated land. The root word was taken from Sanskrit language which means rough and arid. However, now this word refers to an area of tropical forest where trees and plants grow very thickly.
lace to another. This word came from the Urdu word “ordu” or royal camp
Horde
This word now refers to a large crowd of people. However, it was originally the name of a tribe of nomads who lived in tents and migrated from one place to another. This word came from the Urdu word “ordu” or royal camp.
Pyjamas
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Originally, this word was from Urdu words “pay” or leg and “jama” or clothing. “Payjama” or leg clothing was a common, loose pair of trousers made of cool cotton or silk worn by men and women in countries like India and Turkey. However, because the loose garments are pretty comfortable, the Europeans who were living in these countries at that time wore them to bed.
Amusing Stories Behind the 12 Words of Indian Origin That Made It to the Oxford Dictionary
Amusing Stories Behind the 12 Words of Indian Origin That Made It to the Oxford Dictionary
One of the many languages that had spiced up the English language is Indian. In fact, some of these Indian words have become so much part of the language that it is quite easy for us to forget their Indian origin.
The history of English language traces back thousands of years ago. The English language has brought in influences of other languages through Britain’s history of world trade, overseas exploration and expansion. One of the many languages that had spiced up the English language is Indian and in fact some of these Indian words have become so much part of the language that it is quite easy for us to forget their Indian origin.
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Bungalow
This word actually came from a Hindi word which basically means “something belonging to a Bengal”. During the British ruling in India somewhere around the 17th century, bungalows were usually referred to cottages built in Bengal area for the British settlers.
Pixel From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search
This example shows an image with a portion greatly enlarged, in which the individual pixels are rendered as little squares and can easily be seen.
In digital imaging, a pixel, or pel,[1] (picture element[2]) is a physical point in a raster image, or the smallest, addressable element in a display device; so it is the smallest, controllable element of a picture represented on the screen. The address of a pixel corresponds to its physical coordinates. LCD pixels are manufactured in a two-dimensional grid, and are often represented using dots or squares, but CRT pixels correspond to their timing mechanisms and sweep rates.
Each pixel is a sample of an original image; more samples typically provide more accurate representations of the original. The intensity of each pixel is variable. In color image systems, a color is typically represented by three or four component intensities such as red, green, and blue, or cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.
In some contexts (such as descriptions of camera sensors), the term pixel is used to refer to a single scalar element of a multi-component representation (more precisely called a photosite in the camera sensor context, although the neologism sensel is sometimes used to describe the elements of a digital camera's sensor),[3] while in others the term may refer to the entire set of such component intensities for a spatial position. In color systems that use chroma subsampling, the multi-component concept of a pixel can become difficult to apply, since the intensity measures for the different color components correspond to different spatial areas in a such a representation.
The word pixel is based on a contraction of pix ("pictures") and el (for "element"); similar formations with el for "element" include the words voxel[4] and texel.[4]
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Armageddon
Armageddon
In Revelation 16:16, the battlefield designated where blasphemers, unclean spirits, and devils join forces for the final great battle of the ages between their evil hordes and Christ and his faithful angelic army is Armageddon, "the mound of Megiddo." The inspiration for such a choice of battlegrounds was quite likely an obvious one for John the Revelator, for it has been said that more blood has been shed around the hill of Megiddo than any other single spot on Earth. Located 10 miles southwest of Nazareth at the entrance to a pass across the Carmel mountain range, it stands on the main highway between Asia and Africa and in a key position between the Euphrates and the Nile rivers, thus providing a traditional meeting place of armies from the East and from the West. For thousands of years, the Valley of Mageddon, now known as the Jezreel Valley, had been the site where great battles had been waged and the fate of empires decided. Thothmes III, whose military strategies made Egypt a world empire, proclaimed the taking of Megiddo to be worth the conquering of a thousand cities. During World War I in 1918, the British general Allenby broke the power of the Turkish army at Megiddo.
Most scholars agree that the word "Armageddon" is a Greek corruption of the Hebrew Har-Megiddo, "the mound of Megiddo," but they debate exactly when the designation of Armageddon was first used. The city of Megiddo was abandoned sometime during the Persian period (539 b.c.e.–332 b.c.e.), and the small villages established to the south were known by other names. It could well have been that John the Revelator, writing in the Jewish apocalyptic tradition of a final conflict between the forces of light and darkness, was well aware of the bloody tradition of the hill of Megiddo and was inspired by the ruins of the city on its edge; but by the Middle Ages, theologians appeared to employ Armageddon as a spiritual concept without any conscious association with the Valley of Megiddo. Armageddon simply stood for the promised time when the returning Christ and his legions of angels would gather to defeat the assembled armies of darkness. During that same period, those church scholars who persisted in naming an actual geographical location for the final battle between good and evil theorized that it might occur at places in the Holy Land as widely separated as Mount Tabor, Mount Zion, Mount Carmel, or Mount Hermon.
In the fourteenth century, the Jewish geographer Estori Ha-Farchi suggested that the roadside village of Lejjun might be the location of the biblical Megiddo. Ha-Farchi pointed out that Lejjun was the Arabic form of Legio, the old Roman name for the place. In the early nineteenth century, American biblical scholar Edwin Robinson traveled to the area of Palestine that was held at that time by the Ottoman Empire and became convinced that Ha-Farchi was correct in his designation of the site as the biblical Megiddo. Later explorers and archaeologists determined that the ruins of the ancient city lay about a mile north of Lejjun at what had been renamed by the Ottoman government as the mound of Tell el-Mutasellim, "the hill of the governor."
Today, tourists visit Tel Megiddo in great numbers, attracted by the site's apocalyptic mystique and the old battleground's significance as the place where the fate of ancient empires was decided with the might of sword and spear. The Israel National Parks Authority works in close coordination with the Megiddo Expedition and the Ename Center for Public Archaeology of Belgium in offering visitors a dramatic perspective of the history of Armageddon.
Delving Deeper
Bloomfield, Arthur E. Before the Last Battle— Armageddon. Minneapolis: Dimension Books, Bethany Fellowship, 1971.
Goetz, William R. Apocalypse Next. Camp Hill, Penn.: Horizon Books, 1996.
Shaw, Eva. Eve of Destruction: Prophecies, Theories and Preparations for the End of the World. Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1995.
Silberman, Neil Asher, Israel Finkelstein, David Ussishkin, and Baruch Halpern. "Digging at Armageddon." Archaeology, November/December 1999, pp. 32–39.
Unterman, Alan. Dictionary of Jewish Lore and Legend. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1991.
Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.
ETYMOLOGY Both the study of the history of
ETYMOLOGY Both the study of the history of words and a statement of the origin and history of a WORD, including changes in its form and meaning.
History
Classical Greek interest in words owed much to the development of alphabetic writing, in which they were laid out for inspection like merchandise. Early investigators of words included the Stoics of the 4c BC, who held that all languages were in a slow state of decline from erstwhile perfection. They therefore looked for the ETYMON or true first form of a word. Their pessimistic view survives among those who insist that the best writers are long dead, and their belief in etyma continues among those who argue that the original meaning of a word has current as well as chronological priority over any later senses it may develop. In Spain in the 7c, St Isidore of Seville compiled a 20-part encyclopedia called Originum sive etymologiarum libri (Books of Origins or Etymologies), more commonly known as the Etymologiae. He took the view that the essence of a word could be found associatively: the Latin homo (man), adjective humanus, derived from humo (from the soil), because God made man from clay. This view served a didactic and mnemonic end, and was influenced by Hebrew precedents in the Old Testament, in which words were accounted for through homonymic comparisons (Hebrew adam being both man and clay). Isidore's students of Latin remembered cadaver as a kind of theological acronym of CAro DAta VERmibus (flesh given to worms). Isidore appears to have sought to formalize what is now called FOLK ETYMOLOGY, in which associative guessing dominates. His ideological approach was not unique. In the 20c, it has been used by feminists reinterpreting history and boycott for propaganda purposes as his story and boy cott, so as to be able to formulate herstory and girlcott.Isidore's views on etymology were affected by his belief that Adam and Eve spoke Hebrew in Eden and that the story of the Tower of Babel was literally true. This continued to be the majority view among scholars through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and conditioned the research of such 18–19c enthusiasts as the Englishman John Horne Tooke and the American Noah Webster. Both were convinced that language was the product of historical development, but lacked a non-biblical theory with which to transform traditional speculation into science. The study was transformed, however, by Sir William Jones and the comparative philologists, who depended on a painstaking analysis of textual evidence from many languages. As a consequence of their work, 20c etymology is part of historical linguistics.
Nature
Contemporary etymology is concerned with both fact and hypothesis. As with information in the fossil record of paleontology, what is known of the origin and development of a word or its elements is a matter of chance, since only the earliest recorded forms and meanings can be directly studied. Earlier forms reconstructed by means of this recorded evidence and the meanings assumed for such forms are hypothetical and need to be treated with caution. Where such forms are shown in writing or print, they are conventionally preceded by an asterisk (*) to mark their status. For English, such forms are usually those of INDO-EUROPEAN ROOTS and their derivatives, or Romanic and Germanic roots. Thus, the -logy part of the word etymology goes back to an IE ROOT *leg- (collect). Many words, however, cannot be taken so far back; the recorded evidence does not suffice, and so etymologists may tag a word ‘o.o.o.’ (of obscure origin) or ‘origin unknown’.Historical changes in meaning are unpatterned, because DERIVATIONS are usually idiomatic; the meaning of the whole is not simply the sum of the meanings of the parts. The adjective sedate goes back to the Latin verb sedare (to settle: a person, a dispute, a war), which comes from the IE root *sed- (sit); hence the basic meaning ‘(having been) settled’. The derived adjective sedative is then something that tends to settle someone. However, in Modern English, the adjective sedate means ‘deliberately composed and dignified by one's own character or efforts’, not (as sedative would suggest) ‘stupefied by the effects of a drug’. The Modern English verb sedate is a backformation from sedative and therefore draws on the meaning of sedative and not on the meaning of the earlier adjective sedate. The homonymic adjective and verb sedate share a common origin in IE *sed-, but have developed such divergent meanings that the ancient adjective cannot suitably describe someone who shows the effects of the recent verb. As the 19c German philologist Max Müller wrote: ‘The etymology of a word can never give us its definition’ (1880).
Formal and semantic changes
It is therefore not surprising that the etymology of some common words reveals origins very unlike their modern form, meanings, or both. Thus, the four words dough, figure, lady, and paradise all derive in part at least from the IE root *dheigh- (to knead clay). Three of these words specialize or narrow the knead part of that meaning and ignore the clay part: (1) Dough is something that is kneaded like clay. (2) Figure derives from Latin figura, which comes in turn from IE *dhigh-ūrā, something formed by kneading or manipulation. Feign, fiction, and effigy are from the same root. (3) Lady derives from OE hlāfdige, composed of hlāf (loaf) and *digan (knead). A lady was the member of the house who kneaded the loaf, and the hlāford (from which comes lord) was its guardian. Paradoxical developments of meaning attend the changes in lady. From one who kneads the dough it became both ‘the chief female of the household’ and hence the one least likely to deal with such chores. However, the fourth word specializes the clay part of the original meaning and ignores the knead part: paradise, originally an enclosed garden, from Indo-Iranian pairi-daēza (walled around), from pairi (around: compare periscope) and daēza (wall, originally made of clay). Few words escape such changes, because change of form and meaning is inherent in language. Etymological study works at the level of the individual word, but with reference to more general rules of LANGUAGE CHANGE, the basic fact of language.Research Questions Impact of Pacifiers on Breast-Feeding
MONDAY, April 30, 2012 (Health.com) — Pacifiers can soothe agitated infants, but some experts—including those at the World Health Organization (WHO)—discourage pacifier use in the first six months of life because of concerns that it may interfere with breast-feeding, widely seen as the best way to feed a newborn.
New research, however, casts doubt on the notion that pacifier use disrupts breast-feeding. In an analysis of feeding patterns among 2,249 infants in a single maternity ward over a 15-month period, researchers found the proportion of infants who were exclusively breast-fed dropped from 79% to 68% after pacifier use was restricted in the ward.
Meanwhile, the proportion of infants who needed formula in addition to breast-feeding jumped from 18% to 28% after the change in policy, according to the preliminary results of the study, which were presented today at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies, in Boston.
“We were surprised—even disappointed—to find that our exclusive breast-feeding rates went down and supplemental formula feedings went up,” says Carrie Phillipi, M.D., senior author of the study and an associate professor of pediatrics at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), in Portland.
The conventional wisdom is that pacifier use creates “nipple confusion” in newborns, says Pete Richel, M.D., chief of pediatrics at Northern Westchester Hospital, in Mt. Kisco, N.Y., who was not involved with the study.
The theory is that infants suckle their mother’s nipple differently than they do a bottle or pacifier, and may have difficulty latching on to the mother if they’re given too much exposure to artificial nipples.
In addition, the body produces breast milk according to demand, so frequently giving infants a pacifier may in some cases compromise the mother’s milk supply, Phillipi says.
Prohibiting the use of pacifiers and artificial nipples is one of the 10 steps for encouraging breast-feeding that hospitals in the United States must take to earn a “baby-friendly” designation from the WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
As part of its efforts to qualify for this baby-friendly status, the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital at OHSU curtailed the use of pacifiers in its mother-baby unit in December 2010. After that date, the hospital required nurses and doctors to sign pacifiers out and use them only for “medically appropriate reasons,” such as when a baby undergoes a painful surgical procedure or is withdrawing from drugs the mother took while pregnant.
The policy change provided Phillipi and her colleagues with a handy way of assessing before-and-after changes in pacifier use and breast-feeding, but their analysis lacks the rigor of a carefully designed and controlled study.
For instance, the hospital allowed visitors to bring their own pacifiers into the mother-baby unit, which is specially designed to accommodate mothers, infants, and family members. The researchers have no way of knowing how many outside pacifiers were brought it, or how often the infants used them.
Moreover, the analysis didn’t take into account the mothers’ demographic profiles and the hospital’s staffing levels, in particular the availability of doctors and nurses to give breast-feeding advice, Phillipi says.
Despite these weaknesses, the findings add another wrinkle to the already confusing recommendations for pacifier use in newborns. In contrast to the WHO, which discourages all pacifier use in the first six months of life, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends giving babies pacifiers as they fall asleep beginning at the one-month mark, because this practice has been linked with a lower risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
“It’s very logical to think that pacifiers might interfere with breastfeeding, but there isn’t really strong evidence that pacifiers are the problem, and they do turn out to be beneficial for reducing the risk of SIDS,” Phillipi says. “Maybe we could approach mothers and their infants on a more individual basis… We can’t make blanket recommendations about complex things.”
Three Rules of Thumb for Mortgage Refinancing
دروس في اللغه الأنجليزية
English Language Course
English Articles with Arabic Translation
مقالات إنجليزية مترجمة باللغة العربيه
مقدمة: هذا القسم الجديد هدفه أن تعرف كيف تقرأ الجمل وتفهم صيغتها والمعنى المقصود منها، قبل البحث عن الترجمة الحرفية للكلمات.. ومن خلاله سنقوم بإضافة مقالات في جميع المجالات: الفن art، الموسيقى music، التمويل finance، العمل business، القانون law.. إلخ.. حتى تتعلم كلمات جديدة من آن لآخر.. من المفيد أيضاً أن تتصفح صفحات أخرى ذات صلة لقراءة مقالات أو عناوين غير مترجمة، وترى هل ستستطيع أن تفهم المعنى العام منها أم ماذا.. ثم تعود لهذه الصفحة، وتتصل بنا وتخبرنا بالكلمات التي لم تفهم معناها وسنقوم بترجمتها وإرسالها لك على الإيميل.
Three Rules of Thumb for Mortgage Refinancing
ثلاثة قواعد ثابتة لإعادة تمويل صكوك الرهن العقاري
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| You might think that deciding to refinance a mortgage requires only a quick comparison of loan interest rates. Unfortunately, that’s not really true. Refinancing is trickier than that! Fortunately, three useful rules of thumb can often help you make sense of refinancing opportunities. قد تظن أن قرار إعاده التمويل لصكوك الرهن العقارى يحتاج فقط إلى مقارنة سريعة لمعدلات فوائد القروض. للأسف، فهذا ليس صحيح. فإعادة التمويل أكثر خداعاً من هذا! لحسن الحظ، فهناك ثلاثة قواعد ثابته من الممكن أن تساعدك في الإستفادة الجيدة من فرص اعادة التمويل. |
Rule 1: Don’t Ignore Total Interest Costs
You really want to use refinancing as a way to reduce the total interest cost you pay. While that sounds simple in principle, it is sometimes difficult to do. The interest costs you pay are a function of the interest rate, the loan balance, and the loan term period.
القاعدة رقم 1: لا تتجاهل إجمالي تكاليف الفائدة
أنت حقاً تحتاج إلى إعادة التمويل، كطريق لتخفيض تكلفة الفوائد التي تدفعها. ومع أن هذا قد يبدو قاعدة عامة ومعروفة، فهي صعبة التنفيذ أحياناً. فتكاليف الفائدة التي تدفعها هي دالة ام بين معدل الفائدة، وموازنة القرض، وومدة القرض.
When people refinance, they tend to focus solely on the loan interest rate. But they often don’t pay as much attention to the loan term or the loan balance.
فبينما يحصل الناس على مال إضافي عن طريق إعادة التمويل (بالقروض)، فهم يركزون أساساً على معدل فائدة القرض. ولكنهم غالباً ما لا يعيرون إنتباهاً مماثل إلى مدة القرض وميزان القرض.
عندما تستخدم إعادة التمويل (عن طريق الإقتراض) -حتى لو كان هذا يتم عن طريق معدل فائده أقل- فأنت لا تقوم بالإدخار، في مقابل زيادة المقدار الذي تقترضه، او تطيل فترة القرض. (ترجمة الفقرة التالية).
When you use refinancing—even refinancing at a lower interest rate—to increase your borrowing or to extend the time over which you borrow, you often aren’t saving money.
Rule 2: Trade Expensive Money for Cheap Money
For refinancing to make economic sense, however, you do need to swap higher interest rate debt for lower interest rate debt. This calculation, however, is tricky. To make an apples-to-apples comparison, you must look at the annual percentage rate that will be charged on your new loan—this is the best measure of the new loan’s interest rate cost—and then compare this to the loan interest rate on your old loan.
قاعدة رقم 2: قم بتبديل ما نطلق عليه الأموال الغالية بالأموال الرخيصة
فحتى يصبح التمويل معقول من الناحية الإقتصادية، فأنت تحتاج إلى أن تقوم بتبديل معدلات فائدة الدين العليا بأخرى ذات فائدة أقل. ولكن، هذه العملية الحسابية البسيطة خادعة. فحتى تقارن شيء بشيء، يجب عليك أن تنظر إلى النسبة المئوية السنوية التي ستدفعها على قرضك الجديد -فهذا أفضل مقياس لتكلفة معدل الفائدة للقرض الجديد- ثم بعد ذلك تقارن هذا بمعدل فائده القرض الخاص بالقرض الأقدم.
You don’t want to compare interest rates on the two loans nor do you want to compare annual percentage rates on the two loans. Again, just to make this perfectly clear: You want to compare the loan interest rate on the old loan to the annual percentage rate on the new loan.
أنت لا تحتاج إلى أن تقارن معدلات الفائدة على القرضين، ولا تحتاج أن تقارن بين المعدلات المئوية السنوية للقرضين. مرة أخرى، وحتى نوضح هذا الأمر جيداً: فأنت تحتاج لمقارنة معدل فائدة القرض القديم الأول، بالمعدل المئوي السنوي للقرض الجديد.
When the annual percentage rate on the new loan is lower than the loan interest rate on the old loan, then you are truly paying a lower interest rate.
وعندما يكون المعدل المئوى السنوى للقرض الجديد أقل من معدل فائدة القرض الأول، هنا أنت حقاً تقوم بدفع فائدة أقل.
Comparing annual percentage rates with loan interest rates seems confusing at first. But note that you would pay only interest on your old or current loan, so that’s all you need to look at in terms of its costs. With a new loan, however, you would pay both interest and any origination or closing cost fees. The annual percentage rate wraps the interest rate charges and setup charges, origination charges, and closing cost fees into one interest rate-like number.
إن مقارنة المعدلات المئوية السنوية مع معدل فائدة القرض قد تبدو عسرة الفهم في البداية. ولكن لاحظ أنك ستدفع فائدة واحدة فقط إما على القرض الأول أو القرض الجديد، فهذا كل ما ينبغي عليك النظر إليه من جهة التكاليف. ومع ذلك، فمع قرض جديد سوف تدفع فائدة القرضين، وأي مصاريف إنشائية أو إغلاقية أخرى. فالمعدل المئوي السنوي سوف يحصر تكاليف معدلات الفائدة، ومصاريف البدء والإنشاء، ومصروفات الإغلاق، ويجمعهم في رقم فائدة واحدة.
Rule 3: Don’t Lengthen the Repayment Period
| Be careful that you don’t extend the length of time you borrow by continually refinancing. For example, one common rule of thumb states that every time interest rates drop by two percentage points, you should refinance your mortgage. However, there have been times in recent history when following this rule would have had you refinancing your mortgage every few years. This could mean that you would never get your mortgage paid off. If you refinanced every few years, you would suddenly find yourself still 30 years away from having your mortgage paid. |
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قاعدة رقم 3: لا تطيل فترة التسديد
إحذر أن تقوم بمد فترة الإقتراض عن طريق إعادة الاقتراض مرة بعد الأخرى. فمثلاً، توجد قاعدة ثابته فحواها أنه في كل مرة تنخفض معدلات الفائده بنقطتان مئويتان، فبإمكانك أن تعيد تمويل قرض الرهن العقاري. ومع ذلك، فقد حدث في الوقت القريب عندما كان إتباع هذه القاعدة سيؤدي بك إلى إعادة تمويل قرضك كل بضعة أعوام. وهذا يعني أنك قد لا تنهي سداد قرض الرهن العقارى أبدا. فإذا أعدت التمويل كل بضعه اعوام، سوف تجد نفسك فجأة على مسافة 30 عاما من إنهاء سداد القرض!
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