In April 2013, the most deadly textile accident in world history - the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory in Bangladesh, which killed 1,129 workers in single day - revealed to the world the grave hazards of sweatshop work.
The tragedy also brought to light the even larger global epidemic of occupational injury and disease. Occupational injury, according to the World Health Organization, accounts for an estimated 352,000 global deaths annually. This is in addition to the 177,000 cancer deaths from exposure to occupational carcinogens and the 457,000 deaths caused by the inhalation of airborne particulates in the workplace (according to 2004 data), adding up to almost 1 million dead from occupational injury and disease a year.
Yet, tragedies can highlight injustices and catalyze change in ways that statistics can't. Since April, there has been definite action: consumer petitions and rallies, a legally binding safety plan involving major retailers, the suspension of Bangladesh's US trade privileges, a promise for a higher minimum wage and - most recently - the July 15 passage of a new labor law by the Bangladeshi parliament. Such progress has led some to hope that Rana Plaza might lead to a new era of occupational health and safety in the developing world, analogous to the response to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in the United States.
Yet there are several reasons to suggest that the campaign for decent working conditions in the developing world will not be won so easily, chief among them the unique challenges of labor organization in these nations. For if it is true that successful unionization is a critical component to a strong occupational health and safety framework, then whatever the proclamations of Western retailers and the resolutions of their consumers, there is still a long struggle ahead for the workers of Bangladesh.
Occupational Health in Comparative Perspective
Nations in Asia are now passing through a new stage of the global industrial revolution that began in the 18th century. It is not surprising that - as it did for Europe and the United States - industrialization is now creating novel problems for the health and safety of the workers of these nations.
Indeed, although we may be shocked at the extreme laxity of workplace safety in Bangladesh, throughout the 19th and into the 20th century, employer disregard for the health - and lives - of workers was rampant in the United States as well. Understanding what made things better - if still far from perfect - in this country helps shed some light on the challenge of occupational health in Bangladesh today.
For more than anything, it was the mobilization of an increasingly emboldened labor movement - beginning in the Progressive era of the first decade of the century - that pushed the agenda for worker health and safety onto the forefront of the mainstream political agenda. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of March 25, 1911 - so frequently compared with Rana Plaza - was such a catalytic event not merely because of the number killed but because of the massive organizing campaigns that preceded and followed it.
Clearly, the tragedy moved the nation: 120,000 marched in the streets with the bodies of the killed workers, and an additional 300,000 went out to support them. The labor movement - with much of the public at its back - was asking for more than improved safety: It was demanding justice. "I would be a traitor to these poor burned bodies if I came here to talk of good fellowship," declared Rose Schneiderman of the Women's Trade Union League in front of some 50,000 rallying unionists. "Too much blood has been spilled. I know from my experience it is up to the working people to save themselves. The only way they can save themselves is by a strong working-class movement."
Ensuring worker safety became an almost defensive position for industry and government. In 1911 a bill establishing the New York State Factory Investigating Commission passed without a single dissenting vote. And in the decade following the fire, some 25 states passed, in relatively short order, Workingman's Compensation, the most significant welfare legislation the nation had yet seen.
In the aftermath of World War I, however, the conservative and pro-business environment of the 1920s stemmed the expansion of worker safety efforts. Subsequent upsurges in occupational safety efforts - to some extent during the New Deal in the 1930s but more so in the late 1960s and 1970s - awaited the mobilization of labor.
Apart from its overall political influence, labor frequently pushed effectively for specific health and safety reforms. For instance, as described by the historians David Rosner and Gerald Markowitz in their exposé on industrial pollution Deceit and Denial, in the 1970s steelworkers joined the fight for more rigorous standards for lead in the workplace, which succeeded in pushing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to pass a more stringent occupational lead standard in 1978. Along similar lines, in the late 1960s, again following another disaster - the November 1968 coal mine explosion in West Virginia - rank-and-file miners revolted and brought about the "Black Lung" compensation laws of 1969 and 1972. And the passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 itself was very much the result of pressure from rank-and-file laborers working with environmental activists in the context of a political climate in which labor constituted a crucial voting bloc.
This intersection between politics and health is, of course, nothing new. Occupational health merely happens to be an area in which this relationship is particularly, if not uniquely, transparent.
Bangladesh and the Climate of Labor Activism
None of this is to say that there aren't men and women struggling in Bangladesh for better working conditions today. On the contrary, , as per Vijay Prashad, the nation has a history of trade union activism stretching back to its independence in 1971. May Day is even a national holiday in Bangladesh. And the nation's labor law of 2006 enacted a procedure - albeit a highly problematic one - for unionization.
But whatever the letter of the law, sweatshop labor activism is gravely dangerous work in Bangladesh. In 2010, for instance, a campaign for a higher minimum wage was countered with heavy-handed repression from the government. An "Industrial Police" was launched to meet the protesters in the street. One group that helped lead the campaign, the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity (BCWS), found itself targeted and was deregistered as an NGO while the leaders of the organization - the labor organizers Aminul Islam, Kalpona Akhter and Babul Akhter - were arrested and charged with inciting riots.
The fate of one of these three - Aminul Islam - is most disturbing of all. After being arrested, Islam - according to his later statements - was tortured by police and intelligence services, and threatened with death. Following this ordeal, according to The New York Times, his coworkers and his family reported that he had his phone tapped and was harassed by officials. But despite facing such repression, his work bravely continued.
That is, until April 4, 2012, when he disappeared. His body was found a few days later near a police station north of Dhaka. The signs of torture were clear: wounds from the waist down, toes and ankles smashed.
In an open letter to Bangladesh's prime minister shortly after the Rana Plaza collapse, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reiterated its "grave concerns" about Islam's killing, noting that the circumstances of his death "raise concerns of involvement by Bangladeshi security forces." Despite the passage of more than a year since his death, there has been no progress in finding, much less prosecuting, those responsible.
Despite this threatening context, there has been significant worker action since the Rana Plaza disaster. In early May, for instance, almost 100 textile factories in the Ashulia industrial area near Dhaka were closed after workers erupted in protest. On June 17, about 5,000 workers in the Tejgaon area protested for improved benefits, clashing with police and facing tear gas and rubber bullets. Another 2,000 or so workers in the Gazipur district fought with police after their factory was indefinitely closed.
It remains to be seen, however, whether or not this energy can be transformed into the effective organization of Bangladeshi labor in the years to come.
Promises and Pessimism for a Safer Workplace
But already, during the past few months, a combination of domestic unrest and international pressure has resulted in some reforms in Bangladesh. The crucial question, however, is how sustained, effective and substantive these reforms will be.
On the international front, for instance, in the face of petitions and protests, many large clothing retailers - including Europe's two largest - signed onto a five-year safety agreement on May 13 that would require independent factory safety inspections, with mandatory improvements paid for by the retailers. Yet a number of giant American retailers - including Walmart, Gap and Target - have refused to join, fearing that such agreements would expose them to litigation and claiming that they would pursue their own safety assessments.
Also in May, the US trade representative - under pressure from labor advocates - moved to exclude Bangladesh from the import tax breaks that, under the "Generalized System of Preferences," allow developing countries to sell some goods tax-free within the US. On June 27, the administration announced that it would move ahead with this suspension and, several weeks later, detailed steps that Bangladesh would have to take to restore its trade privileges: an increase in the number and training of safety inspectors, a public database of inspections, improved recognition of unions and an investigation into the killing of Amimul Islam.
Meanwhile, within Bangladesh, the government moved to set up a new minimum wage board in May, tasked with issuing recommendations for pay raises. Around the same time, the Cabinet passed an amendment that would, pending Parliamentary action, lift restrictions on labor organizing. Given previous unfulfilled promises from the government, however, these proposals met with skepticism from various quarters, ranging from labor groups and HRW to The New York Times’ editorial page.
Subsequent developments, unfortunately, have confirmed some of these pessimistic suspicions. The law that was passed by the Bangladeshi Parliament on July 15 does do some useful things, but with many more caveats, restrictions and loopholes.
Factories, for instance, are required to set aside 5 percent of profits for a welfare fund for employees. However, export-oriented factories are exempted.
The 30 percent workforce threshold needed for unionization - put in place by the 2006 labor law - remains in place. But unlike in the United States, where 30 percent of workers at a particular plant can form a union, the law requires 30 percent of all the company's employees, no matter how scattered or numerous their factories, to sign-on - a formidable barrier.
The law does away with a provision in place from 2006 that required that the labor ministry hand over a list of workers who had voted for unionization to factory owners for verification of employment, a practice that could result in anti-union firing and an end to the organization effort. Yet the new law also requires that union leaders be active workers at the factory, allowing a firm to quickly eliminate union leadership through firing.
Other provisions of the law are more straightforwardly antiunion, such as the exclusion of several additional sectors from legalized unionization. Additionally, all workers in the "export processing zones" would remain unable to form unions. There are antistrike provisions as well: Workers at factories owned by foreigners or even in collaboration with foreigners would be barred from striking for these operations' first three years. And even worse, the law allows the government to stop a strike if it would be "prejudicial to the national interest," a rather vague formulation.
Finally, the law curbs efforts at transnational labor solidarity: it requires prior approval from the government before trade unions can receive technical or financial support from international sources. "By controlling access to foreign funding," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch in a statement on the law, "the government would have a stranglehold over assistance to unions."
Laws and Reality in Bangladesh
Putting aside for the time being the balance of positives and negatives in this law, it is clear that paper promises alone won't be sufficient. Existing safety regulations, minimum wage requirements, and labor laws have been consistently ignored in Bangladesh for years. For instance, anti-union firing - which allows employers to nip organizing in the bud - is widespread in Bangladesh. According to the US State Department's human rights report on Bangladesh, despite allegations of mass anti-union firing, in 2012 the nation's labor court - which is charged with reinstating workers who are illegally fired - did not reinstate a single worker.
Nor are the problems limited to the textile industry. As documented in an extensive report on Bangladesh's shrimp industry by the AFL-CIO's Solidarity Center, shrimp workers frequently face forced and unpaid overtime, shifts in excess of 12 hours per day, exploitative wages less than the legal minimum wage and dangerous working conditions. Along similar lines, a report from HRW based on extensive on-the-ground research describes the grotesquely unsafe working conditions in Bangladesh's tanneries, which have resulted in health consequences for workers ranging from severe respiratory disease to amputations. Despite being illegal, this is the reality of working conditions in Bangladesh, and disempowered workers simply have few options to resist.
Given this context, consumer activism can take us only so far. First, the consumer simply has too many choices (and often limited means), while the complexity of the supply chain is vast and the origin of goods frequently obscure. But second, even when consumer movements succeed in pushing particular retailers to pressure producers to improve working standards, without organization and empowerment, workers remain at the whim of the subcontracted employers, whatever the letter of the law. In the context of such gross asymmetries in power, the rules truly are made to be broken.
This is not to say that consumer education does not have a place. But "smarter shopping" is neither a sufficient nor realistic course. If the history of occupational health and safety in this country is to be any guide, the empowerment of the individual worker - girded by a potent political movement - is a far more powerful force for the creation of decent working conditions. Would organized workers - whose meager wages could not be docked so easily or whose jobs could not be taken away so easily – have stepped back into the Rana Plaza factory, the day after cracks ominously developed in its foundation?
What Bangladesh really needs from the developed world is more efforts at solidarity with Bangladeshi labor activists, like Aminul Islam. Although his murderers may never be brought to justice, it is through the work and vision of men and women like him that - one day - justice will come to the workplaces of Bangladesh.


Neutering is a surgical procedure that makes it impossible for cats to breed . During this process performed by veterinarians, testicles of male cats are taken. In female cats , ovaries are removed by surgical intervention during sterilization . Neutering has many benefits for cat health . The main reason for this is that female cats eliminate the risk of developing diseases such as ovarian and uterine cancer . Again in male cats, neutering is the cat’s testicular cancer. reduces the probability. Accordingly, cats whose physical activity decreases tend to gain weight. In order to prevent such negativities, it is very important that they feed on sterilized cat food . So, what are the features of neutered cat food ?
Cat owners should be informed about how to feed cats after infertility surgery. Because the life style of cats that experience hormonal changes after the sterilization operation also changes. Neutered cat food has an important place in the nutrition of these cats that need special care. Today, special foods for sterile cats are produced by many cat food brands . However, it should not be forgotten that vicious cat food is a special food variety and it should have some features . For this reason, it should be ensured that there are no products in the content of the food that will harm the cat’s health and should choose from high quality cat food brands .
The amount of fat that special foods are produced for sterile cats is very important. Because the fat rate of these foods should be lower than other foods. Accordingly , while 20% fat is present in a normal food , 10% mercury oil is contained in the neutered cat food . Again, the amount of protein contained in the content of vicious cat food is also important. Proteins are important basic molecules for cats in every period. But struggling with infertility disorders in the era of e d can on behalf of our strong in protein should be fed with vast foods.
The content of neutered cat food should contain a balanced proportion of magnesium, calcium and phosphorus. However, their high availability may cause kidney and urinary tract diseases. For this, sterile cat interior of food while the preferred rate at which the contents of phosphorus, calcium and magnesium that takes place must be ensured.
When vicious cat food is examined, it can be seen that they usually contain taurine. Taurine is an amino acid and is good for many diseases . Again, dogs are creatures that can naturally produce this amino acid . But the same is not true for cats. Therefore, they need to take a taurine supplement from the outside. The ideal way is to consume vicious cat food. Because these foods contain a preliminary amount of taurine.
In addition, the foods prepared for sterile cats do not contain artificial preservatives. These foods, which are rich in vitamins A, E and C, also support bone health.
Is the cat neutered but are produced in accordance with the age of the cat. Accordingly , it is possible to choose between kittens, adult and old cat foods. Prepared cat food for kittens provides healthy and balanced nutrition for both female and male offspring . These foods, which strengthen the immunity of the offspring, provide weight control and are beneficial for urinary tract health. K ısırlaştırıl have the appropriate dry food for adult cats, they contain taurine through the heart and gun retains the essence of health. These foods, which prevent plaque formation and provide fresh breathing in the teeth of adult cats, play an effective role in the protection of oral and dental health thanks to their calcium content.
Dry cat food that can be preferred for feeding neutered old cats is easy to chew and digest. They provide saturation and prevent obesity thanks to the high fiber content they contain . They also reduce the risk of older cats experiencing kidney failure thanks to low phosphorus levels .
Vicious cat food is also very diverse in content. These foods with options such as low-grain, salmon fish, chicken, tuna fish, turkey, liver, beef; It is offered in different quantities such as 1.5 kg, 3 kg, 12 kg and 15 kg .
Failure to take the necessary precautions about feeding after sterilization in cats causes them to gain weight quickly and even cause obesity . It can be easily observed that physical activity decreases in overweight cats. Again, any weight gained in neutered cats; It also increases the risk of diabetes, bladder cancer, difficulty breathing and heart disease. For this reason, the most ideal is to consult a veterinarian and provide them with special food for sterile cats. Because neutered cat food varieties can be easily digested as they contain high protein . In addition, these foods containing low levels of carbohydrates are very effective for controlling weight in sterile cats .
There may be many reasons for the formation of stones in the kidneys and urinary bladder of cats . These stones, which are formed due to stress, thirst or advancing age, may also occur due to malnutrition . Urinary stone problem is frequently seen especially in sterilized male cats . Therefore, the nutrition of sterilized male cats should be treated precisely. It should be ensured that they consume cat foods that are balanced in terms of pH, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium ratio . In foods that are specially produced for bitten cats , the balance of minerals such as calcium, magnesium and phosphorus is carefully determined.
Neutered cats can also be fed normal cat food . But in this case, the owners of the cats need to follow the cat very well. Otherwise, cats experiencing hormonal changes after sterilization can gain weight quickly. It is very difficult to achieve balance by adjusting the amount of food continuously according to the cat’s weight during normal food use . For this reason , the most practical method for feeding the vicious cat is to use a vicious cat food suitable for the age of the cat. However , the instructions for use written on the food must be followed. Otherwise, the vicious cat food that is consumed in excessive amounts may not prevent the cat from gaining weight and may cause it to gain more weight. For this reason, the recommended amount of use on the food package must be observed. Also , it should not be forgotten that cats that consume dry food need to drink more water than cats that consume wet food and fresh water should be kept near the food containers. However, if the cat refuses to drink water, sterilized canned food can be given several times a week .


Organized labor led no mass opposition to Trump’s presidency or the December 2017 tax cut or the failed U.S. preparation for and management of COVID-19. Nor do we yet see a labor-led national protest against the worst mass firing since the 1930s Great Depression. All of these events, but especially the unemployment, mark an employers’ class war against employees. The U.S. government directs it, but the employers as a class inspire and benefit the most from it. More
The looting of stores is inherently a class issue, whether you look upon it favorably or not (there are always exceptions of course). The act of looting is a long-standing American tradition, dating back to the theft of Native lands and African enslavement. And today, while wealthy people don’t loot strip malls, they are adept at looting natural resources and labor, from the coalfields of West Virginia to Jeff Bezo’s Amazon warehouses. The poor, exerting their nominal power—even in a destructive and violent manner—display an entirely natural reaction to a continually powerless state of being. For them, looting is a cry for help, an expression of hopelessness.
“If there is going to be class warfare in this country, it’s time that the working class of this country won that war.”


Most people don’t think that snoring should be something you need medical attention for. That may not be true. While some cases of snoring can be overcome with small lifestyle changes, most people are not aware of any snoring problems until they have spiraled out of control and are leading to apnoeas which may be severely affecting their health.
Snoring Affects Health:
Once upon a time, snoring was just a fact of life for some unfortunate people. It was never viewed as a health problem – other than the effects on their marital relationship, snoring presented no “health issues”. Nowadays, we view snoring as a sign of something more serious.
Snoring has been strongly linked to increase risk of stroke and heart issues. This is because if it becomes severe, it can lead to Sleep Apnoea, which pushes the health risks up severely. Thus, snoring has become a “sign” that all is not well with your health.
Sleep Apnoea: What is it?
Sleep Apnoea is a chronic condition that stops the sufferer from breathing properly while they sleep. It can be Obstructive – as in the airway becomes physically obstructed by relaxed muscles and tissue – or it can be Central – when the brain does not receive sufficient stimulus to stimulate the lungs to breathe.
Medicine has few options for treatment in the apnoea arena – other than medical devices, which are costly and difficult to get used to – and present a host of other issues – like skin eruptions of the face where the mask sits and discomfort during sleep. Sleep Apnoea presents a difficult set of circumstances for any doctor to deal with in the usual fifteen minute consult time allotted for patients. But that is not the case with interventions like the Buteyko Method adjunct programs – which studies and articles show, can help immensely with managing and correcting Sleep Apnoea.
Buteyko helps to address what we understand to be the root cause behind Sleep Apnoea – stressed breathing that has become unbalanced and is no longer in tune with your metabolic activity.
How Does Breathing become “Unbalanced”?
Breathing is one of the primary mechanisms of life – and we use it to adapt and react to our environment. When we consistently exposed to stress, our breathing must consistently change to cope with this factor. To do so, it requires the respiratory centre of the brain to make quick and rapid adaptations. If we are constantly needing to make adaptations for stress, the adaptation mechanism or respiratory centre controls may become a little faulty and it becomes difficult to tune our breathing automatically.
Because this area of the brain has very high neuroplasticity, it becomes possible for “stressed” breathing patterns to become set as the “New Normal”. This creates feelings of anxiety – even though they are not encountering stressors at the time. It also means that this is the “normal setting”. How we breathe in the day is also how we will breathe at night.
Once these respiratory controls have been reset, it takes some effort to get breathing to adapt and respond normally once more. Chronic Sleep Apnoea, Chronic Snoring, Chronic Asthma, Chronic Blocked Nose, etc. are all indications that the respiratory centre that controls breathing has reset to that person’s detriment. Attempts to change this setting are usually unsuccessful using the conventional means available, because they all require you to breathe in a less than ideal way.
Sleep Apnoea is on the increase. Why? Because many of us have extremely stressful lives and we aren’t even aware of how our health has slowly eroded over time. Stress affects our breathing, and breathing affects our stress. Until breathing is also addressed and attended to, Sleep Apnoea is unlikely to improve over time.
The Sleep Apnoea – Diet – and – Alcohol – Connection:
Stress is the “New Normal” in our Modern Society. Doctors tell us that Sleep Apnoea is likely due to increased weight gain. But increased weight gain is another symptom of stress – and is not always the cause of the stress although it certainly contributes to it!
Craving sugar is common with Sleep Apnoeics, because the brain will want extra sugary energy to replace the fact that it cannot get energy from constant and reliable oxygen supply chains. Medicine also says that alcohol is a trigger for sleep apnoea because it causes hyper-relaxation – and this is true. But alcohol is metabolized via the lungs as well as the liver, and so when we drink we have less oxygen supplied to the blood. (That’s why the traffic police can measure exactly how much you have imbibed from your exhaled breath…) This also affects breathing…. and breathing affects sleep apnoea. In the very least, allow sufficient time for the alcohol to have left your system before bed.
Symptoms of Sleep Apnoea:
Sleep Apnoea can be debilitating for some people. This is because over time, the loss of oxygen to the brain leads to anxiety, irritability and loss of function. Extreme fatigue is normal, because sleep apnoea sufferers are not experiencing true sleep – they are actually passed out from exhaustion! Apnoeas are long pauses in breathing, and during these pauses the brain is not receiving sufficient oxygen. After some time, the person often wakes up in an anxious state, gasping for breath, coughing or feeling breathless. Dizzy spells, brain fog, extreme tiredness and teeth grinding are all clues to sleep apnoea.
Can You Control Your Breathing When You Are Asleep?
Breathing rates and volumes are determined by our daytime “norms” and then “set” by the respiratory centre of the brain which has a high rate of neuroplasticity. This is believed to be a useful adaptation which allows us to automatically adjust breathing without having to think about it. Some automatic functions like blood pressure, cholesterol, hormones and so on, can be overcome with medicines – but you cannot normalize breathing using substances. This is because breathing naturally changes with every single stimulus including food, drink, temperature, medicine, mood, pain, pleasure and so on. This is probably why medical experts often have a “core belief” that breathing is not something we can have lasting control over.
But, you can overcome neuroplasticity if you know how, as Controlled Randomized trials of the Buteyko Method show. While medical professionals may feel skeptical about whether Buteyko can affect changes to lung capacity and so on, the results prove that people who use Buteyko techniques can overcome the symptoms of their breathing difficulties without resorting to additional medicines or devices. Doing the daily practice consistently does effect changes that are sustainable and long lasting.
You Can Do More Than You Realize To Help Yourself:
Adjunct health programs such as Buteyko have a pivotal role to play in the reduction of chronic disease, because Buteyko techniques are able to reduce breathing, Normalize breathing responses to stress; and increase oxygen delivery – without inducing more stress. Unfortunately, some of the things we do to relax or to heal are simply mimicking and increasing stress patterns that may be detrimental to health and recovery, and so with the best intentions, we are often sabotaging any progress that we could be making.
Obviously diet and exercise play a role in good health, but it’s not necessary to cause more stress to reduce stress….Normalizing Breathing patterns is the most important thing you can do to reduce stress and recover your health.
©Buteyko South Africa


Modern Art in an Ancient City
In the birthplace of Raphael, new artists try to work on the edge
Two peacocks stare down from their cage as the group gets out of the car at Cafe Molena. Gabrielle Arruzzo sits at the head of the table wearing a yellow shirt that reads PacificUV, a synthpop band from Northern Georgia. His students gather around the sides. One gets up to take orders while another sets the tablecloth. Arruzzo leans back to stretch, his long thin fingers grasping at the air. Without taking off his sunglasses he asserts that art in Urbino is dead.
At 38, Arruzzo is one of the youngest professors at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Urbino. He has been teaching art in Urbino for seven years but is still waiting to receive a permanent position. Much like the rest of the city, there seems to be no space in the Accademia for change.
In the place of Raphael’s birth it is difficult for many to look beyond their rich history. And yet, Arruzzo and his peers continue to embrace a new Italy. Artists are showing work in cities around the country, attempting to make a name for their generation. According to Arruzzo, the movement is based on frustration and irony. They have grown up looking to separate their voices from the engraved history Italy has written for them. Arruzzo travels and works as a teacher to fund his art, with studios in Milan and Pesaro. It is difficult to say if his pieces will ever be able to go much further.
“To study modern art in Urbino is somewhat of a contradiction,” Arruzzo says just as the food arrives. While the university is well respected, he explained, very little effort has been put into creating a new art scene within the city. Most students come here and leave as soon as they graduate. Because it is smaller than other art academies, they are able to have a closer relationship with the faculty than if they had attended a different school. While this is helpful in the development stages of their work, eventually school is not enough. Arruzzo tells his students to travel outside of the city to visit museums and gallery openings in Rome and Milan.
Arruzzo was born in Rome, and then moved when he was six to Pesaro, his mother’s oceanside home town. “I need the sea, but my ambitions are not to be just a Pesaro painter.”
He sniffs, coughs. The season has been hard on him. As a chronic asthmatic, he spent much of his youth indoors looking at books. Every year the banks his father worked for gave them dozens including illustrated encyclopedias, history books on the Italian Renaissance, and religious texts. On top of that his father also had a large comic collection that strayed from the typical mickey mouse type of cartooning. Arruzzo started his career doing graffiti around cities he traveled to, and became friends with the street artist Blue. The culture surrounding this kind of art emphasizes politics and an unwillingness to create art for fame and money. “I understood my background after I started to paint, it was not a conscious thing.”
His paintings tend to resemble screen prints, especially in photographs. They are characterized by thick black outlines and details, but in real life there is a subtle depth to them caused by many layers. Bright colors clash against the iconography. He uses old images and symbols to discuss current issues that still face Italian society and artists’ lives. One in particular that jumps out: Hitler staring at a blank canvas, his foot in Duchamp’s infamous found urinal. Goats and flowers crowd the background. Arruzzo is creating something for the viewer to interpret, and is unwilling to spoon feed his message.
“I don’t create. I redo, and I remix things.”
Rap and electronic music speak especially to him. These mediums are comprised of a repeated found sample and layers of original material on top. In a similar vein, his work is attempting to say something new using familiar words. As he stands up from the table and stretches, the noon sun casts harsh shadows across his face. “After Shakespeare talking about love what could be new? [It is the same for art.] I am friends with an old lady called painting.”
And the omnipresence of the past is especially present here in Urbino. You cannot escape the Renaissance or the men associated with it. The city’s walls clearly define the limits of what used to be. One of the reasons why Urbino has not been hit as hard during the economic crash has been the tourism. Urbino is in the running for the European Capital of Culture for 2019, and so there is even less reason to push for modernity.
“Teaching was always plan B.” When he was rejected from the Higher Institute for Artistic Industries, an extremely competitive graphic design school in Urbino, Arruzzo instead attended the Accademia. After graduation he applied to the government for a teaching position in order to fund his work. That was in 2003. After five years of waiting it was finally granted to him, but because the retirement age has been pushed back, there are currently no permanent jobs available. He has been to Milan, China, and Brazil to show and work on art.
Raphael did not influence Arruzzo, but the old masters’ mere existence is necessary for all Italian art work. “I did not need to know them to meet them.” Even more than Raphael, Arruzzo said, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood has made the meeting of old artists possible. The group, formed in 1848, valued the abundant detail, intense colors, and complex compositions of Quattrocento Italian art. They preserved old buildings and paintings and valued detailed colorful work.
One of the spaces that they worked hard to save was Raphael’s birth house. Oddly enough, it now includes the only gallery in Urbino that shows modern art. The house is on a hill right up from the piazza, two small flags resting above the door. The gift shop on the right contains postcards and history books, and the house above has copies of Raphael’s work and remodels of his modest birthplace. The gallery on the bottom half opposite the gift shop is free to enter and hosts different artists that are usually alumni of the Academia or professors. The spiral staircase reflects the neon green paintings on display. The gallery doesn’t have its own name.
Raphael’s paintings explore mortality, religion, and the urge to maintain appearances. At the root of it, he strived to encompass Italian society, just as modern artists must do.
Walking down the hallway of the Accademia, student Miriam Pascale explains the different sections of the building. She is studying to be what roughly translates as “decoration – contemporary visual arts.” Miriam is one of Arruzzo’s students, but she does not plan on practicing art in Urbino after she graduates. There is nothing for her here. Hopefully, she will get a gallery job curating in a city. If not she can always teach. But, she says, “there is a difference between studying art and being an artist.” The exams here are difficult, spanning hours and including oral and practicum.
But Arruzzo feels that to know specifics that are being tested and to feel the urge to create are two separate things. Students say he is a tough grader, expecting them to understand this and to be just as passionate as he is.
The peacocks rustle their feathers, and it echos across the empty tables. Arruzzo begins a tangent that slowly comes around to the unhappiness in art. Even so, he says, there is a drive to create. Even in towns like Urbino that do not have a community. The statement ‘art is dead’ lingers in the thick air. Arruzzo sips his beer “When we see successful artists, famous artists, we are only seeing a reflection of who they are. We don’t see how they suffer.” Suffering will come, he explains, in the big cities or in the small towns. Urbino may make it difficult to spread your ideas through modern art, but it is no worse off than most other places.
This article also appears in Urbino Now magazine’s Arte e Cultura section. You can read all the magazine articles in print by ordering a copy from MagCloud.


Bengaluru Pride and Karnataka Queer Habba is organised by CSMR (Campaign for Sexuality Minorities Rights), which is a coalition of many LGBTQ and allied groups and individuals, mainly based in Bengaluru.
What is Pride?
Pride as an event has a serious origin. It dates back to the early morning of 29th June 1969 when police in New York city raided a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn. They started questioning and humiliating the people in the bar, and even arrested some of them.This sort of harassment had been going on for years, but for the first time that night the people in the bar fought back. Lead by the drag queens (men dressed in women’s clothes) the people at Stonewall refused to get bullied in silence. The police responded by beating people savagely, but the crowd refused to go away. More people from the LGBT community came to their support and it became a riot that lasted five days. For the first time the police learned that LGBT people could stand up for their rights.
The Stonewall riot became a symbol of LGBT standing up for their basic human rights. The next year, in June 1970, a march was held in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles to commemorate what happened that night. Over the years, as LGBT people won recognition of their basic human rights the Pride marches became more about celebration. In many countries today Pride is a way of showing how LGBT people live openly and happily in society.
In India today we are closer to where Pride was when it started in 1970. LGBT people face a lot of harassment from the police. Lesbians are subject to violence and even forced to commit suicide by their families. Gay men are blackmailed by organised rackets that involve members of the police. Bisexuals are denied the chance to express same sex love and forced into opposite sex marriages. Transgenders are routinely arrested and raped by the police. Same sex couples who have lived together for years cannot buy a house together, have a joint bank account or will their property to each other without being challenged by their families.
All this is possible because Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code treats LGBT people as criminals. A case currently being heard in the Delhi High Court calls for this law, imposed on us by the British, to be amended so that it no longer applied to consenting adults. This very small change will not remove all problems for LGBT people, but it will be a vital step towards affirming that we are equal and accepted citizens of India. The time has come!
Date : Sunday, 23rd November 2014
Time : 2PM onwards
Venue : Bangalore City railway station


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The most critical characteristic of stairs, even more important than the size of any of the parts, is that every step be the same. In fact, building codes enforce this rule. Fire and building codes devote a lot of space to stairs; falls on stairs kill 4,000 people a year in the United States and another 2 million are seriously injured. If you are a homeowner planning to build or repair a stair, please read this advice first.
Many different terms have been used in describing stairs; we will use those defined in the illustration below. The ratio of unit rise to unit run determines the angle of the stairs.
The 1996 Council of American Building Officials (CABO) and the 2000 International Code Council recommendations call for unit runs to be not less than 10 inches and unit rises not more than 7¾ inches.
Staircases which consist only of treads are said to have “open risers.” Under the 1996 CABO model code, open risers are no longer permitted because they are a danger to children. They are also a danger to the elderly, who tend to catch their toe on the tread and trip.
Nosing projections are also a danger to the elderly.
Again, limits are probably specified in the local building code. Typically the minimum width permitted in residences is around 2 feet 8 inches. Three feet is better, and 3′6″ is the standard for normal occupancy. If a stair is more than 44 inches wide, a handrail is required on both sides.
Most fire codes do not allow stairs to rise more than 12 feet without providing a landing. The length of the landing should be at least equal to the width of the stair tread.
According to the 1996 CABO code, the openings between balusters are to be no greater than 4 inches. This is half of what was allowed a few decades ago; smaller holes reduce injuries to young children. The balustrade is topped by a handrail 30 to 38 inches above the top of the stringer; the handrail's grip size is between 1¼ to 2 inches. If the handrail is mounted on a wall, a space of at least 1½ inches must be left between the edge of the handrail and the wall.
Rules of thumb for determining satisfactory rise/run ratios have existed at least since Classical times. In De Architectura, Vitruvius suggests a unit rise of between 9 and 10 inches, and a unit run between 18 and 24 inches. To modern tastes, this proportion would create a very stately stair. Sir Henry Wooten (1568–1639) suggested that the unit rise not exceed 6 inches and that the unit run be between 1 and 1½ feet. Both authors, however, are describing public buildings or grand houses.
Jacques-Francois Blondel (1705–1774) argued in his Cours d'Architecture that the rise/run ratio should be based on the length of the human pace, which he took to be 25.5 inches. Since in one step on a staircase a foot travels by two risers and a tread, Blondel arrived at the formula two times the unit rise, plus the unit run = 25.5", or unit rise = (25.5" - unit run) over 2. This formula works well only for moderate values for unit rise (or unit run). It was, nonetheless, enshrined in the National Fire Code.
Among American architects, an old rule-of-thumb is that the sum of the unit rise and the unit run should be about 17½″. Common practice has been to make the unit rise about 7½ inches, the unit run 9″ for interiors and 11″ for exteriors.
In modern times, stair researchers have gone beyond observing which existing stairs cause the most accidents. Using tools like endless mechanically driven staircases with variable unit rise and unit run, they have been able to experiment with many combinations of unit rise and unit run, and to capture in stroboscopic photography how missteps occur. The results largely confirm the rules of thumb, but some interesting results emerge, such as that the optimal rise/run ratio for descent is not the same as the one for ascent. Several researchers feel that for descent the unit run should be at least 11 inches.
But requiring an 11″ unit run is controversial. Increasing the unit run even an inch or two can greatly increase the size of the staircase. With a rise of 12 feet and a unit rise of 7.2 inches, increasing the unit run from 9″ to 11″ makes the staircase two feet longer–probably 6 square feet of floor area carved out of the living room. When a “7-11” standard was adopted by a building code in the Northeast, the National Association of Home Builders got it reversed, arguing that it increased costs without any proof that it was safer.
Imagine climbing a staircase in which alternate halves of the treads have been removed. A foot moving to the next empty tread does not need to clear the tread on which the other foot stands. Such staircases exist. Their great advantage is that they can be very steep (up to 70°, compared to up to 50° for normal stairs) and still be safe and comfortable. The great disadvantage is that such a staircase can accommodate only one person at a time. Such staircases are most commonly found on shipboard. In the United States, Lapeyre Stair in New Orleans specialized in such staircases.
The Stairbuilders and Manufacturers Association offers an excellent Visual Interpretation of the International Residential Code [year] Stair Building Code, very well illustrated with photography. Highly recommended. While the web version used to be free, it is now offered as a non-printable pdf file for $5:
A useful link list of building code sites is maintained at
An inexpensive ($13), excellent Excel spreadsheet for calculating, and more impressive visualizing, the dimensions in a stringer. Design your own staircase. About the only assumption is that the top deck will be the top step. See
Cleo Baldon and Ib Melchior.
Steps and Stairways.
J. M. Fitch et al.
The Dimensions of Stairs.
Scientific American, October 1974.
The Staircase. (2 vols)
Cambridge: the MIT Press, 1992.
Copyright © 2000-2015 Sizes, Inc. All rights reserved.
Last revised: 5 May 2015.


The Responsive Classroom
Instilling lifelong learning and social skills at all levels of learning
A well-balanced education equips students to succeed in all aspects of life. In addition to academic excellence, students need to develop emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and social skills to help them navigate through the circumstances and relationships they face. Developing these skills early in life also helps to establish foundational elements of leadership development.
We have employed the Responsive Classroom methodology as a school-wide approach to create safe and engaging classroom environments in which students can develop. One of the core tenants of this approach is to create an atmosphere in which the students can develop essential social and emotional skills while they achieve academic excellence.
The Responsive Classroom in Action
The Responsive Classroom provides a unique classroom experience for students by a series of guiding principles and classroom practices. Schedule a tour or join us for an open house to see the Responsive Classroom in action and see what sets our teachers and staff apart.
Interactive Modeling: Teachers use an interactive approach and consistent modeling with their students, helping to solidify students’ understanding of both academic material and social skills.
Logical Consequences: Students learn from mistakes in an environment that handles misbehavior in logical, predictable ways that maintain dignity.
Interactive Learning: Collaborative and hands-on activities are regularly incorporated into classroom instruction to engage students and help them develop social skills while mastering skills.
Lower School Responsive Classroom Practices
Morning Meeting: Time is set aside each morning to practice greeting, sharing, and collaborating. This activity allows students to begin the day with strong social connections and encourages confidence building.
Goal Setting: Collaborating together, teachers and students discuss goals and establish an environment in which each individual can achieve success.
Energizers: Teachers engage students by incorporating regular “energiziers” into daily instruction. These short, fun, and engaging group activities help students to focus throughout the day.
Quiet Time: A time of rest is incorporated into the daily routine. These purposeful moments teach students how to transition between segments of the day.
Closing Circle: Each class wraps up their day with a short gathering that celebrates the day and teaches students the value of reflection.
Middle School Responsive Classroom Practices
Responsive Advisory Meeting: These structured meetings help to begin the day recognizing students’ developmental needs and providing an environment in which students build trust and strong relational connections.
Rule and Goal Setting: Students learn how to put SMART goals into practice and realize how the classroom environment impacts their success.
Engaging Academics: Teachers incorporate three phases of classroom instruction to facilitate learning mastery by the students. The phases include: Teach and Model, Student Collaboration, and Facilitate Reflection.
Modeling and Reinforcement: Students are encouraged to actively model and practice the concepts they are learning. This enables teachers to regularly coach on progress and ensure independent study is as effective as possible.
Collaborative Learning: Teacher-organized small group activities provide another environment for students to collaborate and develop social skills while learning academic content.
See the Responsive Classroom in action and discover what sets our teachers and staff apart.


Women’s access to and control over land in the current land administration system in two rural kebeles in Ada’a Woreda of Oromia Region
MetadataShow full item record
Woldetensaye, A. Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia). 2007. Women’s access to and control over land in the current land administration system in two rural kebeles in Ada’a Woreda of Oromia Region. MSc thesis (Gender Studies). 98p. Addis Ababa (Ethiopia): Addis Ababa University.
Permanent link to cite or share this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10568/618
The study is designed to explore the status of rural women in access to and control over land in the current land administration system in two rural Kebeles in East Shewa Zone Ada’a Woreda of Oromia region on smallholder farmers’ landholding registration. The Ormia National Regional State Rural Land Administration and Use Proclamation and its implementation procedure are examined from a gender perspective in terms of ensuring rural women’s land holding rights and control they have over land. Historical overview on the land question in Ethiopia revealed that tenure systems evolved through historical periods. Land remained under men’s control throughout history and men’s control over land was strengthened by the rural land reform carried out by the Derg. This tenure reform applied rural land distribution using households as unit for rural land allocation and women were disadvantaged as most rural households were headed by men. The Oromia rural land proclamation is not discriminatory on basis of sex. However, policy gaps are evident in addressing women specific issues such as issues of FHHs and women under polygamous marriages. Gaps also exist between policy and implementation. Customary laws and practices have serious impacts on women’s land rights at the level of implementation. The research applied both quantitative and qualitative methods in view of feminist research methodology to properly address issues from a gender perspective. Survey of 318 households was conducted administering questionnaires in the quantitative method. The qualitative method applied was interviews with relevant Woreda office and Kebele LACs, focus group discussions with rural women, case stories and observation. Triangulation method is applied in data collection, data presentation and in analysis of findings. Study findings reveal that women’s access rights to land is less equal than legally provided. This study evidences gaps between policy and implementation. Customary laws and traditional practices generally have impacts on land access rights of single/unmarried, divorced, widowed women and on access rights of women in polygamous marriages. Women’s control over land is not efficiently addressed by the regional rural land policy. This is a significant policy drawback as women’s equal rights on land could not be achieved without gaining control over land. The land administration system in general and the land registration process in particular has not considered women’s participation in community activities and decision-making. Women are not represented in LACs and Sub-Committees in both Kebeles. Study findings indicate absence of autonomous institution as gap in addressing women’s issues in the land administration system. This study also revealed loose linkages between the rural land policy and other regional legislations like the regional family law which provides women’s equal rights on land in marriage and on its abandonment. This study forwards recommendation to address gender gaps identified to ensure women’s equal access to and control over land in the study area. The Oromia rural land proclamation needs revision from a gender perspective to address women’s specific issues and the land administration system should consider women’s participation in the process, their contribution to the system as well as their equal benefits from policy outcomes.


A Look at Some of the Best Practices for Administering I.V. TherapyHealthcare Training Resource
August 8, 2012 — 1,002 views
Nurses frequently use intravenous therapy (I.V. therapy) to provide patients with essential minerals and vitamins. This form of treatment involves injecting raw materials into the body that are critical to healthy living. It is commonly used to help patients suffering from conditions such as asthma, hepatitis, migraine and more.
What are some of the most common intravenous access devices?
Intravenous access devices directly assist patients and deliver medications through veins. Additionally, these entry points are less likely to clot, and devices can remain in place for extended periods.
Central venous access units are often used by nurses. With these, medical professionals can easily access veins without deep needle sticks. Nurses typically place this device in one of the large veins in a patient's chest or neck.
Peripheral intravenous catheters are commonly used by many medical professionals. This unit is an ideal choice for patients who require IV medications, but will not need rapid fluid or blood administrations. However, keep in mind that complications could arise, including infiltration, occlusion and phlebitis.
Long arm catheters are a successful alternative to the peripheral intravenous type, as they are frequently used in situations that require extremely sterile conditions. While a peripheral intravenous catheter has a tip that lies near the vena cava, the long arm unit's end is inserted mid-clavicle.
What legal and regulatory issues exist with I.V. therapy?
Nurses have an obligation to provide patients with exemplary care. They must take accountability for their actions with I.V. therapy to avoid serious legal and regulatory repercussions.
Medical professionals owe their patients a duty of care, a stipulation that requires nurses to be attentive, cautious and prudent when they provide assistance. Failing to do so is classified as negligence, and gives a patient the right to sue a nurse. Improper administration of I.V. therapy can be considered a serious breach of care.
A nurse could also face professional consequences for his or her actions. Hearings could be held in which a committee of medical professionals will evaluate a nurse's conduct record.
The session could determine whether this person can continue providing I.V. treatment if a patient questions his or her care. Additionally, this nurse might face civil or criminal penalties based on the severity of the issues involved with the therapy.


Instead of this link: https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B00XAIP6XU?encoding=UTF8&node=283155&offset=0&pageSize=12&searchAlias=stripbooks&sort=author-sidecar-rank&page=1&langFilter=default&linkCode=ll2&tag=alicekeeler0e-20&linkId=8378a78045f9713efd6282c6d88d5435&language=en_US&ref=as_li_ss_tl
Look for Underlined
Text is hyperlinked when it is underlined. However, underlined text is not necessarily hyperlinked. Notice the difference. This is hyperlinked and this is just underlined. Not always, but oftentimes hyperlinked text changes color.
The keyboard shortcut for hyperlinking text is Control K.
Use Control K to Make a Hyperlink
A hyperlink is text that you can click on to open a webpage. If I say CLICK HERE and hyperlink the text it will open to a descriptive meme template. I ask my students to keep a list of activities they do and to hyperlink to their evidence. They list the activities on a Google Sheets spreadsheet and then click on the cell and use Control K to link that cell to the Google Doc they did.
Hyperlink Ends in K
Hyperlink ends in a K. This can help you to remember the keyboard shortcut for hyperlinK. Type your text and then highlight the text you wish to hyperlink. Hold down the Control key and press K. The text will turn blue to indicate that it is clickable.


If you’ve ever needed a basic starter HTML 5 document, it’s your lucky day. I’ve got just that for you.
<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="utf-8"> <title>title</title> <link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css"> <script src="script.js"></script> </head> <body> <!-- page content --> </body> </html>
If you’re not sure what each of the parts of the document are, here’s a quick run down.
Doctype is a declaration to the browser to let it know it’s an HTML 5 document so that it renders it correctly.
The html tag is pretty obvious, in that everything in-between is part of the web page.
The body is what you’ll see presented on the web page. This may include navigation elements, paragraphs, images and so forth.
The next time you need to test out a script, check some styles, or begin a new project use this simple HTML document to get you started.


Online courses are the best way to obtain a degree or improve your skills. Online learning requires time management, willpower, and discipline. A successful completion of an eLearning course can be very difficult. You can check over here for more information related to IOSH safety courses.
It is important to be aware of the following online learning practices. Online courses may not be the best but they are the most convenient. To learn well, you will need to dedicate considerable time to the program.
You must also be fully committed and focused on the learning process. This is similar to how you would do if you were taking up regular courses.
What to Expect? You might expect to be tech-savvy, communicate well with others, have self-discipline, and be able to complete all assignments and tasks on time.
It is important to ensure that your Internet is up and running. Tech problems are a regular occurrence. You must ensure that your work is always saved to avoid mishaps.
You should also make sure to back up all documents with cloud storage. This will allow you to access them from any device, including your tablet. You can keep up with your course and deal with sudden changes by having reliable internet access.
Create a dedicated study area. It doesn't matter if you study in your living room or office, but make sure it is clear of distractions, organized, quiet, and easily accessible at all times.
You should find a place that allows you to study. When studying, it is important to turn off your smartphone and log off all social media accounts. You must study uninterrupted.