Agroforestry has a long history in Germany: forest farming and pastures, hedgerow systems and meadow orchards have been wide-spread.
Traditional hedgerow systems have been established since the ~10th, but especially in the 18th century. They were established as living fences for fields and pastures, to function as windbreaks, and as a source of various goods, e.g. fuelwood, construction timber, livestock feed, berries and nuts. The prevalent systems are hedgerows on man-made soil ridges, so-called “Wallhecken”. The ridges are covered with various combinations of shrubs, trees and herbs. The highest density of this traditional agroforestry system could and can still be found in Germany’s northern federal states. The importance of the hedgerows has changed: they widely lost their function as a source of food and feed; instead they are increasingly valued for providing multiple ecosystem services such as: effective wind breaks, preventing soil erosion, fire wood production from harvested remnant trees and as an important retreat for many plant and animal species (see photo 1).
The federal state with the highest density and diversity of Wallhecken is Schleswig-Holstein, Germany’s most northern federals state, located between the Northern and the Baltic Sea. In Schleswig-Holstein, the hedgerow system is known under the name “Knicks”. At the start of the 20th century, Knicks had a density of more than 6 km of length per km². Nowadays, as a result of the agricultural intensification and mechanization, the estimates for their density range from 2.8 to 4.3 km per km². Not only the quantity, but also the quality of the hedgerow system has declined. Wallhecken need appropriate management to maintain their biodiversity: insufficient or inadequate maintenance measures result in damaged soil ridges, vegetation gaps or tree that have grown to heights and structures comparable to common forests (see photo 2).
For further details, see:
Further agroforestry systems found in many parts of Germany are the so called “Streuobstwiesen” (orchard meadows; see photo 3, 4), i.e. the combination of fruit trees and meadows. From the initial 1.5 mill. hectares of Streuobstwiesen in Germany only around 300.000 ha remain, mostly located in southern Germany (e.g. Baden-Württemberg) and many are still actively managed. Those located in the mid-eastern part (e.g. in Thuringia) are mostly abandoned today. This can be related to the loss of small scale agricultural farms, which was the result of move towards large scale agricultural structures stimulated in the German Democratic Republic (GDR; photo 4) and the general development to produce fruits like apple or pear in bush tree plantation systems.
Historically, silvopastoral system were very common in Germany as so called “Hutewald” (e.g., pig feeding under oak trees) and partly existed until the end of the 19th century in Germany (e.g. the Solling hills in Central Germany). Today, some of these systems have been reestablished, e.g., to produce pork of high quality (for further info see: www.eichelschwein.de and photo 5). At other sites, forest pasturing has been reintroduced within the context of landscape maintenance programs, often as a tool to support and strengthen biological biodiversity, e.g. on 40 ha of pine forest in the Pfälzerwald Nature Park (for further info click here).
Modern agroforestry applications are predominantly found in experimental fields where they are used for research and as showcase for interested farmers.
Two main types of agroforestry systems have been promoted within that framework:
- Alley-cropping systems with rows of short-rotation-coppices of poplar, willow, alder or black locust on arable land, also called short rotation alley cropping system (SRACS; see photo 6 and 7). Those systems have been shown to be very promising agroforestry systems especially in areas which are strongly affected by wind erosion and without many landscape structures. Furthermore, SRACS have the potential to function as riparian buffer strips that can mitigate soil and stream water pollution. Additionally, they may provide a regular and renewable supply of raw material for heating energy but also for material use (see photo 8; for further info and examples on short-rotation-coppices systems click here).
- Different types of agroforestry systems combining different broadleaved tree species for valuable wood production with various crops and pasture feeding (see photo 9; further info can be found here).
AGROFORESTRY ASSOCIATIONS in GERMANY
The AG Agroforst Deutschland, which is the German working group on Agroforestry (www.agroforst.org), is an association of scientists, consultants as well as practitioners, who are interested in various aspects of agroforestry. Their interests cover the contribution to newly applied field experiments and research projects, teaching activities for students and farmers, rediscovering and application of traditional agroforestry systems as well as political activities on the local, national and international level. The working group was founded in 2012 in Göttingen, Germany. Since 2013 the association is an official working group of the German Crop Science Society (Gesellschaft für Pflanzenbauwissenschaften e.V.; www.gpw.uni-kiel.de/de/arbeitsgemeinschaften) and a member of EURAF.
Presently the AG Agroforst Deutschland has more than 30 members and Norbert Lamersdorf from the Göttingen University together with Rüdiger Graß from the University of Kassel are currently chairman of the AG. Norbert Lamersdorf is also the national delegate for EURAF while Rico Hübner from the Technical University of Munich is vice national EURAF delegate.
The German working group meets regularly at changing locations during the so called “Forum Agroforstsysteme”, where scientists, practitioners and interested public meet to discuss agroforestry-related topics. The last meetings took place in Senftenberg/Brandenburg (2016), Göttingen/Lower Saxony (2018), and the follow-up meeting will be held in Freising/Bavaria in October 2019. For further details and results see here).
The DeFAF (“Deutscher Fachverband für Agroforstwirtschaft“) is another Germany agroforestry association committed to the installation, management, distribution and promotion of agroforestry systems in Germany. The DeFAF is not tied to any specific farming or agroforestry system and is open to all persons interested in agroforestry. The DeFAF is active in the following fields: public relations, management and economics, planning and consulting, education and training, research and development, technology and services, law and administration, and international cooperation. The DeFAF inaugural meeting takes place on 25 June 2019 in the premises of the Association of German Foundations (Forum Robert Bosch) in Berlin. The head quarter of the DeFAF is in Cottbus and their members can be reached via mail: info [at] defaf [dot] de. Further information on the DeFAF can be found here.
In Germany, the 2nd pillar of the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is implemented at federal state level, involving a total of 13 different rural development programs. Although the establishment and maintenance of agroforestry systems was not taken into account in any of the programs, all programs support the maintenance of traditional agroforestry systems at some level: Hedgerow systems are considered as protected landscape elements. Five federal states support maintenance measures to restore and preserve existing and/or measures to plant new hedgerow systems. Most federal states implement programs to maintain orchard meadows. Six rural development programs support measures to restore and preserve existing and/or measures to plant new orchard meadows; two federal states support marketing measures for orchard products.
Nevertheless, an essential prerequisite for the establishment of new agroforestry systems by farmers is that subsidies from Pillar I and II of the EU's agricultural support are provided for agroforestry as a land use system, including both components (crops/pasture and trees/shrubs) of agroforestry. Currently funds are granted, but the wooded and the farmed part are treated as separate plots.
Likewise, agroforestry is not recognized as a land use system by national laws, which are based on agricultural EU funding programs and regulations. The main reason for this situation is the absence of a clear definition of agroforestry in EU regulations. According to statements made by several german ministry officials, agroforestry systems are not eligible for agricultural support based on the present EU regulations. This was e.g. communicated to members of the research project AUFWERTEN at several official meetings conducted since 2014 (AUFWERTEN is a German Agroforestry research project, financially supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and coordinated at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg; www.agroforst-info.de).
Because of this problem, German agroforestry stakeholders strongly encourage the following changes/adjustments/additions to provide a better political framework for agroforestry in Germany:
Agroforestry systems should be clearly defined and the whole area of an agroforestry system (crops/pasture and trees/shrubs) should be part of the eligible agricultural area.
Presently, there are two main obstacles:
- Agroforestry in Article 23 (Regulation (EU) No. 1305/2013) is linked to Article 21 (Regulation (EU) No. 1305/2013), as a result, in Germany it is presently perceived as a forestry area.
- There is no clear definition of agroforestry in EU regulations. The following definition is
- present only in Article 23 (Regulation (EU) No. 1305/2013): “For the purposes of this Article, agroforestry systems means land use systems in which trees are grown in combination with agriculture on the same land.” In this definition, however, the explicit reference that trees/shrubs are part of the agricultural area is missing.
Exact features of an eligible agroforestry field are required in order to ensure the controllability of agroforestry systems. For that, a combination of trees/shrubs (including so called permanent crops) and crops or livestock should be allowed on the same agricultural field.
The main obstacle is that:
- Presently, trees and shrubs are not considered to be part of the eligible agricultural area. Trees/shrubs are deducted from the eligible area, except when trees provide repeated yields (e.g. fruit trees).
The eligibility of high diversity of agroforestry systems should be ensured, depending on
different site conditions and economic requirements of member states.
The problem here is:
- Generally, the maximum number of 100 trees per hectare, which is commonly used also for agroforestry systems, severely limits the diversity of potentially possible agroforestry systems.
Photo 1: Hedgerow system in Germany’s most northern federal state Schleswig-Holstein, known under the name “Knicks”. Photo: Klaus Dürkop (the photo may not be used without the written approval of the rights holder)
Photo 2: Wallhecken. Photo: N. Lamersdorf
Photo 3: “Streuobstwiesen” (meadow orchards) Photo: Ch. Morhart
Photo 4: “Streuobstwiesen”, abandoned. Photo: Ch. Böhm
Photo 5: Reestablished silvopastoral systems (for further info see here) Photo: B. Stimm and Hans-H. Huss)
Photo 6: Short rotation alley cropping system comprising poplar and wheat, Federal State of Brandenburg, eastern Germany. Photo: Ch. Böhm
Photo 7: Short rotation alley cropping system, Federal State of Thuringia, eastern Germany. Photo: N. Lamersdorf
Photo 8: Products, including significant amounts of woody feedstock material from poplar short-rotation-coppices. Photo: N. Lamersdorf
Photo 9: Agroforestry systems combining different broadleaved tree species for valuable wood production with various crops and pasture (for further info see here). Photo: N. Lamersdorf


Generally, Qi Gong (气功) is a system that consists of a variety of breathing exercises which is based on our life force, meditation, and movements. Qi Gong is practiced as a way to improve health, spirituality, and it is also essential in martial arts training. Literally, Qi means the primordial life force that is believed to be part of every living thing and Chi is the western way to pronounce Qi. Qi Gong was created by the early Chinese Taoist to refine the body and mind. The term Qi Gong frequently occurs both in classical Taoism and the religions early Taoist manuscripts. The earliest records were written by the Taoist Xu Xun during the Jin Dynasty. Qi Gong methods was mentioned in the books “Lao Tzu” and “Chuang Tzu”. Qi Gong has been adapted by many martial art schools and styles beyond the Taoists.
The Taoist practice of Qi Gong predates the martial art of Tai Chi.
In Chinese mandarin, Tai Chi is pronounced as tài jí. Ji (极)literally means polarity. Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese philosophical concept which emphasizes that the universe is governed by two forces. In a number of practices, such as Feng Shui, and traditional Chinese medicine, a Tai Chi diagram is often used to interpret how we or events are changed or influenced. Yin and Yang stand for opposite forces in a Tai Chi diagram. To interpret any phenomenon in the universe, a Tai Chi diagram is often consulted.
While Chinese traditional medicine, Feng Shui, and some other disciplines have integrated the theory of Tai Chi into their fields, Tai Chi was created as a martial art, it has gradually evolved into Martial Art Tai Chi, Performance Tai Chi, and Maintaining Wellness Tai Chi. In a integrated Tai Chi training system, the fundamentals, bare hand solo form, bare hand two person form, Qi Gong, meditation, and weapon forms are all included.
Qigong practice typically involves moving meditation, coordinating slow flowing movement, deep rhythmic breathing, and a calm meditative state of mind.
The more you understand about the various aspects of Tai Chi, the more benefits you can derive from your practice. Whether your goal is to practice Martial Art Tai Chi or Maintaining Wellness Tai Chi, Qi Gong training is an essential component in your training.


At Buckton Vale we follow the Kapow Design and Technology scheme of work and aim to inspire pupils to be innovative and creative thinkers who have an appreciation for the product design cycle through ideation, creation, and evaluation. We want pupils to develop the confidence to take risks, through drafting design concepts, modelling, and testing and to be reflective learners who evaluate their work and the work of others. We aim to build an awareness of the impact of design and technology on our lives and encourage pupils to become resourceful, enterprising citizens who will have the skills to contribute to future design advancements.
The Design and Technology scheme of work enables pupils to meet the end of key stage attainment targets in the National Curriculum and the aims also align with those in the National Curriculum. EYFS units provide opportunities for pupils’ to work towards the Development Matters statements and the Early Learning Goals.


After the launch party, our children at E-Bridge PLCCC got more curious about the food they consume and start by wondering “where do our food come from?”
During our outdoor activities, we went for nature walks to look at the plants around our school. To their discovery, there are many plants that bear fruits and vegetables.
They found fruits such as banana, lime, guava, ambarella and star fruit. Through our discussions, the children realized that the even the leaves of some plants are used in our cooking.
Leaves such as lime leave, curry leave and how banana leaves are used as plates in some culture.


ERMAN, TX - Research shows as many as 160 thousand students stay home on any given day, in fear of being bullied. Some Sherman High School students say it's time for change, and they're doing something about it.
Senior, Dani Jarvis, co-founded 3D, an anti-bullying education program as part of a "stop the violence" initiative.
"well seeing that a lot of kids are bullied every day, they're in fear of coming to school really hurts me I want them to be able to come to school and it be a safe zone." said Jarvis.
3D teaches students to "decide" who they hang out with, "define" what choices they make and to "deliver" what they take away from the program.
"Personally I have been bullied, not to the extent that I wanted to take my life, but I've had bullies in the past tell me that I'm not good enough or I'm not wearing the right clothes or that's a stupid answer to that question." Jarvis said.
Teacher, Symantha Murray, worked closely with Jarvis and a few other students for about 9 months to develop this program.
The goal, to put a stop to bullying by encouraging a better understanding and respect of individual differences.
"We were talking about how we wanted to create empathy among teachers and students and kind of break down those barriers between clicks." said Murray.
Murray says 3D is unique because it is 100 percent funded by local sponsors, free to students and completely student driven.
"I think if we can build students of good character then that will help them to realize how they should be acting and not to be a bully." Murray said.


Who would want to start gardening after reading this?
There is a “Great British Garden Revival” going on! To help novice gardeners The Telegraph published some timely tips from The RHS (Royal Horticultural Society). It’s titled, “What to do in the garden in December”. Let’s get started looking at it from a novices point of view.
“Feed the birds! Although they benefit from having food put out for them all year round, birds need a high-fat boost to their diet during the winter. Feed regularly so they will not waste vital energy visiting your garden when there is nothing for them.” It is a new garden so there is not much in it. I don’t want the birds to go hungry and die. Let’s pick up some seed later. Next!
“Wage war on aphids. Some species remain active in mild winters or on indoor plants. But most overwinter as eggs, often on dormant deciduous fruit trees and bushes. These can be treated with a plant oil winter wash (Growing Success Winter Tree Wash or Vitax Winter Tree Wash).” Good grief! I don’t want dying birds, and I hate war. What are aphids, and how does washing my trees do any good? They seem clean enough. Next!
“Christmas trees, are now available. Choose from a cut, container-grown or containerised specimen. Those grown on in pots may only live for a few years – they are not naturally suited to permanent pot cultivation.” Specimens? That sounds like an unpleasant trip to the doctor. I wanted to buy a live Christmas tree to plant in my new garden, but if they only live a few years? I’ll just pick up a dying one at the supermarket. This gardening stuff sure is time consuming, and confusing. There’s more?
“If you want to move established deciduous trees and shrubs to another part of the garden, now is a good time. Choose a calm, dull day to help prevent roots from drying out.” I have to wait for a “dull day”? Why can’t I do it on a beautiful day? Deciduous? Next!
“Check recommended times for pruning trees, shrubs and climbers. Prune ornamental and edible grape vines, hornbeam, walnut and mulberry, and if necessary, maple and birch before Christmas to prevent bleeding from pruning cuts.” Before Christmas!?! How do I know if it’s necessary to prune maples and birch? That does it. I am not going to spend a dull day, washing the trees, only to watch them bleed. Meanwhile the birds are falling to the ground because I forgot to feed them? Gardening with “specimens”? No thank you. I wanted to participate, but this garden revival stuff sounds like a bunch of hard, miserable work. War? You know, my husband wants to pave over the front yard and be done with it. I wonder…
I am sure the folks at The RHS mean well, but if this is what is recommended to the public is it any wonder Britain needs a “garden revival”? I am not picking on The British, as we have the same issues here in The States. Perhaps we just need to quit being so helpful, and trying to include every last thing someone could do? Start with changing the horticultural terms like “containerized specimen”, bleeding trees”, “plant oil winter wash”, “deciduous”, and “ornamental”. “Waging war” is a term best left at the garden gate. “Permanent pot cultivation”? Maybe people just wanted to grow a little pot during the summer, not permanently? To encourage people into the garden, we need to look at how we describe what we do in the garden. Step back, and look at gardening from the novices point of view. Let’s not scare them away with war, specimens, and hungry birds.


The truth is that we just don’t know enough about GMO food to say its safe to eat — or even for feeding to farm animals! After all, farming has been around for several thousand years — GMO’s about 20 years (that’s just “twenty,” not twenty thousand).
Even if the science on GMO food was unbiased instead of bought and paid for by Monsanto and friends, it just isn’t possible that they’ve tested all the possible genetic combinations on a big enough sample size or over a long enough time period to be able to accurately claim they’re harmless. And in fact, it appears they’re not!
On the contrary, lots of research now shows that GMO food and their associated fertilizers and pesticides (like glyphosate) are not safe for human consumption. Many more are coming out every year — while simultaneously flaws and deceptions in pro-GMO research are being exposed. It seems that pro-GMO research is more often than not bought and paid for by Monsanto and friends.
By slipping it into our food without our knowledge, without any indication that there are genetically modified organisms in our food, we are now unwittingly part of a massive experiment. The FDA [often run by former Monsanto executives -ed.] has said that genetically modified organisms are not much different from regular food…. The problem is this … biotechnology allows us to do is to take this organis, and move it horizontally into a totally unrelated species …. to switch genes from one to the other without regard to the biological constraints. It’s very very bad science.” – Geneticist David Suzuki
Whenever someone says that GMOs are 100% safe they just have not done thorough research. In actuality, there is no reason for GMOs to be approved as safe for either people or animals. It’s really just a huge experiment that should have been confined to a sealed underground lab.
More importantly, we now realize that GMO’s actually cost farmers more than non-GMO or organic crops. We could easily feed the whole planet with organic, non-GMO crops for less than GMOs, especially when you consider the costs associated with the side effects of GMO farming — ruining the land for other crops, genetic drift destroying nearby farms, genetic abnormalities in farm animals and much more.
These studies have had a lot of controversy after the original article was initially published by Collective Evolution. However, the points they make are often very technical or picking at minor discrepancies rather than looking at the bigger picture. But my main points are still the most valid — that GMO food has never been adequately tested to prove they are safe for people, animals or the environment — nor has anyone been able to justify their increased costs for farmers over non-GMOs and organic food. These facts are still the overwhelming truths!
1. Multiple GMO Toxins In Maternal & Fetal Blood
Research from Canada has found pesticides associated with GMOs in women’s blood. They also found Monsanto’s Bt toxin. The study is from the Journal Reproductive Toxicology in 2011. You can read the FULL study here.
“Given the potential toxicity of these environmental pollutants and the fragility of the fetus, more studies are needed, particularly those using the placental transfer approach. Thus, our present results will provide baseline data for future studies exploring a new area of research relating to nutrition, toxicology and reproduction in women. Today, obstetric-gynecological disorders that are associated with environmental chemicals are not known.” (1)
2. DNA From GMO Crops Can Be Transferred to Humans
A study in the Public Library of Science (PLOS) shows that DNA fragments from food carry complete genes that get in your circulatory system through an unknown mechanism.(2) The study was based on analysis of over 1,000 human samples from 4 independent studies. This still doesn’t mean that GMOs can enter our cells but it’s definitely a possibility. PLOS is an open access, well respected peer-reviewed scientific journal.
“Our bloodstream is considered to be an environment well separated from the outside world and the digestive tract. According to the standard paradigm large macromolecules consumed with food cannot pass directly to the circulatory system. During digestion proteins and DNA are thought to be degraded into small constituents, amino acids and nucleic acids, respectively, and then absorbed by a complex active process and distributed to various parts of the body through the circulation system. Here, based on the analysis of over 1,000 human samples from four independent studies, we report evidence that meal-derived DNA fragments which are large enough to carry complete genes can avoid degradation and through an unknown mechanism enter the human circulation system.” (2)
3. GMOs Linked to Gluten Disorders Affecting 18 Million Americans
This study is from the Institute for Responsible Technology (IRT), and uses data from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agency, as well as several medical journal reviews and other independent research. (3)(4) The authors relate GMOs to five conditions that may trigger or exacerbate gluten disorders including Celiac Disease. The Institute for Responsible technology is a worldwide leader GMO foods education on health, the environment, agriculture and more.
- Intestinal permeability
- Imbalanced gut bacteria
- Immune activation and allergic response
- Impaired digestion
- Damage to the intestinal wall
4. Study Links GMO Corn to Rat Tumors
In a significant study that was later retracted, researchers examined the effects of GMOs treated with Monsanto Roundup herbicide. This was strange because the journal was a well known peer reviewed scientific journal. Just to get this published in the first place it had to go through a rigorous scientific review. But, it looked very bad for the big agrochemical companies like Monsanto so …
NOTE: hundreds of scientists around the world have condemned the retraction of this study. The correlation between GMOs and tumors found in the study can’t be denied. Something happened. Read the commentary from the original researchers here.
See Food and Chemical Toxicology, “Long term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize,” Gilles-Eric Seralini, France’s Caen University, November 2012. (5)
5. Glyphosate Induces Breast Cancer Growth via Estrogen Receptors
A study in the US National Library of Medicine (4) and the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology showed glyphosate’s potential to be an endocrine disruptor. Endocrine disruptors can interfere with the hormone system in mammals causing developmental disorders, birth defects and cancer tumors. Researchers found that Monsanto roundup is an “xenoestrogen” — a foreign estrogen that mimics real estrogen. — causing an increased risk of various cancers, early onset of puberty, thyroid issues, infertility and more. (6)
Glyphosate exerted proliferative effects only in human hormone-dependent breast cancer. We found that glyphosate exhibited a weaker estrogenic activity than estradiol. Furthermore, this study demonstrated the additive estrogenic effects of glyphosate and genisein which implied that the use of contaminated soybean products as dietary supplements may pose a risk of breast cancer because of their potential additive estrogenicity. (6)
6. Glyphosate and Birth Defects
This comprehensive research review shows that European regulators have known since 2002 that Monsanto’s glyphosate causes birth defects. Regulators misled the public about glyphosate’s safety and told everyone that there was no evidence to suggest that glyphosate causes birth defects. (7)
Our examination of the evidence leads us to the conclusion that the current approval of glyphosate and Roundup is deeply flawed and unreliable. In this report, we examine the industry studies and regulatory documents that led to the approval of glyphosate. We show that industry and regulators knew as long ago as the 1980s and 1990s that glyphosate causes malformation – but that this information was not made public. We demonstrate how EU regulators reasoned their way from clear evidence of glyphosate’s teratogenicity in industry’s own studies to a conclusion that minimized these findings in the EU Commission’s final review report (7)
- Multiple scientific literature shows serious health hazards posed by glyphosate
- Monsanto & friends has known since the 1980′s that glyphosate causes malformations
- Industry has known since 1993 that these effects could also occur at lower doses
- The German government has known since 1998 that glyphosate causes malformations
- The EU Commission knew in 1999 that glyphosate causes malformations
- The EU Commission has known since 2002 that glyphosate causes malformations. This was also when final review for the approval of glyphosate was published
Another study published by the American Chemical Society, from the university of Buenos Aires, Argentina also showed that Glyphosate can cause abnormalities:
The direct effect of glyphosate on early mechanisms of morphogenesis in vertebrate embryos opens concerns about the clinical findings from human offspring in populations exposed to glyphosate in agricultural fields (8)
7. Study Links Glyphosate to Autism, Parkinson’s & Alzheimer’s
When you consume glyphosate you are altering your body’s biochemistry — because it’s completely unnatural! When your body absorbs Glyphosate it creates CYP enzymes that are responsible for detoxifying xenobiotics in the body — such as the chemicals found in pesticides, drugs and carcinogens. Glyphosate inhibits these critical CYP enzymes. So humans exposed to glyphosate do not have the necessary signalling of the neurotransmitter serotonin, associated with weight gain, depression and Alzheimer’s disease. (9)
Monsanto Roundup is an “xenoestrogen,” a “foreign estrogen” that is nothing at all like the real estrogen in your body. This can cause an increased risk of various cancers, early onset of puberty, thyroid issues, infertility and more.
8. Chronically Sick People Have Higher Glyphosate Levels
A German study concludes that Glyphosate in urine and animal tissues is a major concern even at low concentrations.
Environmentalists, veterinarians, medical doctors and scientists … have raised increasing alarms about the danger of glyphosate in the animal and human food chain as well as the environment. The fact that glyphosate has been found in animals and humans is of great concern. In search for the causes of serious diseases amongst entire herds of animals in northern Germany, especially cattle, glyphosate has repeatedly been detected in the urine, feces, milk and feed of the animals. Even more alarming, glyphosate was detected in the urine of the farmers. (10)
9. GMO Feed Linked to Severe Stomach Inflammation & Enlarged Uteri in Pigs
A study published in the peer reviewed journal Organic Systems discusses the effects of a GMO feed on pigs. (11) Scientists fed pigs a mix of GMO soy and corn for about 23 weeks The GMOs were associated with gastric and uterine abnormalities in pigs. Pigs eating GMOs also had a higher rate of severe stomach inflammation. Because people and pigs share a similar gastrointestinal tract, this is a major cause for concern.
10. GMO testing is not adequate to ensure safety. (12)(13)(14)
The first guidelines to regulate GMO were created with ZERO attention to food safety. The Statement of Policy from the Food and Drug Administration that said GMOs were “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS), were created while guidelines in Europe said safety evaluation should be based on “substantial equivalence,” However, since 2003 the EU agencies for food safety found that despite their guidelines, the risk assessment of GMOs have not been followed. (12) (15) So, if anybody ever tells you that GMOs are completely safe, don’t believe them! We just don’t know enough about GMOs to be able to make such a definitive statement — while there is now a lot of evidence that says they’re not safe at all.
(13) Reese W, Schubert D. Safety testing and regulation of genetically engineered foods. Biotechnol Genet Eng Rev. 2004;21:299–324
(14) Schubert D. A different perspective on GM food. Nat Biotechnol. 2002;20:969–969.


Doc. 30.--the Texas Ordinance of secession.
An Ordinance to dissolve the Union
between the State of Texas
and the other States under the compact styled “the Constitution of the United States
1. Whereas, the Federal Government
has failed to accomplish the purposes of the compact of union between these States, in giving protection either to the persons of our people upon an exposed frontier, or to the property of our citizens; and whereas, the action of the Northern States
is violative of the compact between the States and the guarantees of the Constitution
; and, whereas, the recent developments in federal affairs make it evident that the power of the Federal Government
is sought to be made a weapon with which to strike down the interests and property of the people of Texas
and her sister slaveholding States, instead of permitting it to be, as was intended-our shield against outrage and aggression-therefore, “We, the people of the State of Texas
, by delegates in the Convention
assembled, do declare and ordain that the ordinance adopted by our Convention of delegates on the fourth (4th) day of July, A. D. 1845, and afterwards ratified by us, under which the Republic
was admitted into the Union
with other States, and became a party to the compact styled ‘ The Constitution of the United States
’ be, and is hereby repealed and annulled.”
That all the powers which, by the said compact, were delegated by Texas
to the Federal Government
is of right absolved from all restraints and obligations incurred by said compact, and is a separate sovereign State, and that her citizens and people are absolved from all allegance to the United States
or the Government
2 The ordinance shall be submitted to the people of Texas
for their ratification or rejection, by the qualified voters, on the 23d day of February, 1861; and unless rejected by a majority of the votes cast, shall take effect and be in force on and
after the 2d day of March, A. D. 1861.
Provided that in the representative district of El Paso
said election may be held on the 18th day of February, 1861.
Done by the people of the State of Texas
, in convention assembled, at Austin
, the 1st day of February, A. D. 1861.


Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2002 November 28
Explanation: The Hubble optical image on the left shows NGC 6240 in the throes of a titanic galaxy - galaxy collision 400 million light-years away. As the cosmic catastrophe plays out, the merging galaxies spew forth distorted tidal tails of stars, gas, and dust and undergo frantic bursts of star formation. Using the orbiting Chandra Observatory's x-ray vision to peer within the bright central regions of NGC 6240 astronomers believe they have uncovered, for the first time, not one but two enormous orbiting black holes, by detecting the characteristic x-ray radiation from the interstellar debris swirling toward them. In the false-color close-up view at right, the x-ray data clearly show the black hole sources (shaded blue) separated by about 3,000 light-years. Einstein's theory of gravity predicts that such a pair of black holes must spiral closer together, and ultimately coalesce into a single, even more massive black hole after several hundred million years. In the final moments the merging supermassive black holes will produce an extremely powerful burst of gravitational radiation.
Authors & editors:
Jerry Bonnell (USRA)
NASA Technical Rep.: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& NASA SEU Edu. Forum
& Michigan Tech. U.


Exemple din articole cu Ballooning spider
- Ballooning spider \Bal*loon"ing spi"der\ (Zo["o]l.
- In 1926, PA Glick, a scientist from the federal Division of Cotton Insect Investigations, and colleagues from the Department of Agriculture, among others, counted about 25 million to 36 million insects, including a ballooning spider .
- Another excellent chapter, "Air," includes a story of a ballooning spider that was found flying at 15,00 feet up in the sky, "probably the highest elevation at which any specimen has ever been taken.
- At 15,ooo feet a ballooning spider was found.
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Died 88-year-old LGBT activist Edith Windsor. She has achieved equal rights for heterosexual and same-sex families in the U.S.
On 12 September in new York at the age of 88 years died, Edith Windsor — LGBT activist and former employee of IBM. In 2013, the Windsor came into the fight with us law, demanding to include same-sex couples in the law on the protection of families — and won. “Medusa” recalls how one woman fought for their rights — and ultimately changed the lives of all homosexuals in the United States.
In 2007, Edith Windsor (which all of her adult life, called Edie) and her partner, psychologist Thea spayer were married in Canada. The couple has been together for more than forty years and experienced many things: the women met in the early 1960s in new York, both at the time were in a heterosexual relationship, trying to lead a “normal life” and only a couple of years later started secretly Dating. Windsor even invented the legend about the affair with his brother spayer to hide his relationship with a woman. They wanted to get married since 1967, participated in the wave of LGBT protests in the 60s and 70s, and their house became a kind of salon for secular LGBT community.
Most of us spent my whole life filtered information. At one point, you could say that you have a wife, and it was safe, but not in another. Edith Windsor
In 1977, Thea spayer was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and in 2007 said that she would not live more than a year. Windsor and Spier realized that they have their last chance to get married — especially since in some countries it was already legal. However, in the state of new York, where lived women, same-sex marriages were not allowed, so Windsor and Spier went to Toronto — where they painted an openly gay judge Harvey Blountstown.
Thea spayer died in 2009, bequeathing all his property to his wife. However, when Edith Windsor tried to start a legacy, it became clear that it is not subject to tax exemptions for widows and widowers: in American law the defense of marriage make clear that family is considered to be only a Union of two people of the opposite sex. For the inheritance of his wife Edith Windsor had to pay to the Federal Treasury 363 thousand dollars. If she was married, and not married, to pay she would not have had. “In addition to my grief, I realized that for the state we’re outsiders, and this meant a huge inheritance tax. For this I had to sell a bunch of stuff and parting with them was difficult. Besides, I had very limited incomes,” explained her decision to fight.


In your ketucari's genotype, solaris is denoted by the letters "nSol" (heterozygous) or "SolSol" (homozygous).
In its heterozygous form, solaris has a pass rate of 25%. Homozygous solaris has a 50% pass rate.
Color and Shape
Solaris may pull either from sunset red/gold hues OR blues/greens/silvers.
The bracketed areas are the two acceptable ranges.
Red Solaris may also pull from coppery, bronzey tones, and Blue Solaris may pull from silvers.
Solaris must be reds OR blues. It cannot be both.
Solaris must be soft edged and gradiented, and no more than 3 distinct hues may be visible.
Gradients may be cloudy and uneven and form distinct shapes within the solaris, but should never be hard edged.
Red Solaris Examples
Blue Solaris Examples
Interaction with Other Markings
- Solaris must display above and distinct from hued points
- If dusky points presents over solaris it may not completely cover the minimum range.
- All other markings may present above or below solaris.
- When affected by colorize, Solaris may display up to 4 distinct hues.


(3) PSYCHOLOGY. Human development, sensory and emotional states, psychosomatic concepts, the psyche, intelligence, generalisation, the learning process, motivation and choice. (Also listed as Philosophy 301.)
(3) EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY. The adolescent; stages of physical growth; mental development; emotions; history and theories; social components: home, peers, church; media; attitudinal changes; identity; self-discipline; motivation; moral development; leadership.
(3) PRINCIPLES AND METHODS OF SECONDARY EDUCATION. Creating a positive learning situation for the adolescent; the physical environment; classroom procedures and management; lesson and unit planning; the assignment; testing; records; motivation; critical and creative thinking; special needs students.
(3) HISTORY OF EDUCATION. Survey of educational theory and practice from ancient Greece to the present.
(3) SUPERVISED TEACHING. A full semester of teaching under supervision.
(2) RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE COMMUNICATION I. History of catechetical instruction; dynamics of religious education; unit planning; individual and group instruction; materials; supervised practice teaching of high school Religious Knowledge course. (Also listed as Pastoral 510.)
(2) RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE COMMUNICATION II. Media and audiences; use of radio, TV and press; 1-minute spots; shared professional experiences; supervised practice teaching of high school Religious Knowledge course. (Also listed as Pastoral 511.)
(2) INTRODUCTION TO COUNSELLING I. Basic types of counselling; principles of pastoral counselling; shared professional experiences from various counselling situations. (Also listed as Pastoral 530.)
(2) INTRODUCTION TO COUNSELLING II. Listening skills; guidance; patterns of interaction; crisis intervention; referrals; shared professional experiences from various counselling situations. (Also listed as Pastoral 531.)


The Signalling Record Society
Railway Bridges & Tunnels
This page should be regarded as “Work in Progress”. The webmaster will welcome additional information for this page.
Signal Fact 53
1923 saw the commissioning of a route setting lever frame at Winchester by the Great Western Railway.
16 levers were needed whereas a conventional frame would have required 32 levers.
Bridges and other similar structures are generally numbered in sequence along a specific railway line. Included in the number sequence are over bridges, under bridges, foot bridges, intersection bridges (where two lines cross), side bridges such as retaining walls (not actually passing over or under the line), tunnels and subways.
Railway companies usually started their bridge numbering at one end of the line and continued in straight numerical sequence along the line. In most cases a separate number series existed for each line, thus most railway companies had more than one bridge 1 and so on. Renumbering of bridges is relatively rare but not unknown.
Most number sequences date from the building of the line although with the passage of time and loss of some bridges there are now gaps in many sequences. Long routes which are generally seen as 'one line' today often have several sequences of numbers with the 'restart' positions echoing ancient boundaries between the original owners of the line.
The most notable exception to the general practice was the Great Western Railway which numbered each structure using the relevant milepost mileage. This practice continues to this day on the Western Zone of Network Rail. Bridges transferred by British Railways from the Western Region to the London Midland Region in the course of regional boundary changes were then given a numerical numbering sequence by the new 'owner'. The London Brighton and South Coast Railway also used mileages to designate bridges, etc, and this practice continued through the Grouping and into the BR era before a numbering scheme was introduced
Where additional structures were added after the initial numbering exercise, each additional structure received the number of the bridge immediately preceding plus a suffix letter. Thus a new bridge added between bridges 1 and 2 would be 1A. The suffixed numbers were allocated in date order of construction and thus a situation of additional structures added from time to time can give rise to a sequence such as 1 1A 1C 1B 2 and so on.
In or about 1909 the Great Eastern Railway renumbered all its bridges in a single, company wide, number sequence. A copy of the bridge numbering book from that time can be obtained from the Great Eastern Railway Society.
Many bridges had names associated with them and these names generally survive to this day in Netowrk Rail's official lists. More recent bridge number plates include additional information and this has resulted in some names reappearing in 'public' long after the old name had disappeared from local memory. Thus there are very old names for roads (or tracks or lanes) mentioned despite the road being renamed by the local authority a century or more ago. Some bridges on 'A' roads even sport the long lost name of a local farmer where the origins of the bridge are as an occupation or accomodation provision when the line was built.
Current Network Rail practice is to generally number each structure in three places - facing the driver of any approaching train from either direction and one visible from the roadway - adding in the Engineers' Line Reference and the milepost mileage. Roadside information also includes a contact telephone number for emergency reporting and the name. Not all bridges comply with this policy, particularly footbridges and subways within a station.
A unique structure reference is thus generated using a combination of ELR and bridge number or, similarly, using a combination of RailRef and bridge number.


Scams are big business. From the letters claiming you’ve won millions in a lottery that you don’t recall entering, to phone calls from people claiming to be your bank, it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with the range of scenarios being used to con people out of money.
Victims can suffer substantial financial losses that cannot be recuperated and psychological distress.
Collectively, people across the globe are losing billions each year to mass-market scams, with US$12.7 billion lost globally in 2013 to 419 advance fee fraud scams alone. Precise figures are difficult to come by due to the substantial under-reporting of this crime. Recent reports suggest only 15% of victims in the US report the crime to law enforcement.
Advances in technology mean scams have become more sophisticated. Entire fake websites can be set up, complete with company logos. Letterheads can be mimicked and telephone numbers or e-mail addresses can even be spoofed. The aim might be to get you to click a link, write a cheque, provide your personal details or download an attachment but all these scams use particular influence techniques to get people to respond.
The use of authority figures is important, for a start. The person on the other end of the line or email might purport to be an IT specialist, police officer, bank personnel or government official. Such techniques work because people have an inherent tendency to comply with requests from authority figures, something that is encouraged by society from an early age.
They also exploit other common social norms and rules. Humans tend to feel obliged to repay a free gift or favour or help an individual in need, so we find it difficult to say “no” to polite requests. This can range from people requesting monetary donations for fake charities on your doorstep to desperately asking for help to resolve a current crisis, such as travel problems or emergency medical bills – a common scenario in online romance scams.
Scams are also designed to elicit an emotional response. This might be a positive emotion such as excitement at winning money, or hope at the prospect of an online romance, or it might be a negative emotion, such as fear, anxiety or panic about fraudulent activity identified in your bank account.
This allows scammers to influence the cognitive processes people use when making decisions. They encourage the victim to use mental shortcuts, known as biases and heuristics, so that they make decisions quickly and without thinking. For example, by linking e-mail or telephone scams to current and high profile news stories, such as the TalkTalk data breach, scammers are able to increase the likelihood that people will believe them. This is because things that come to mind quicker are more likely to be judged as important and as likely to be genuine, a concept known as the availability heuristic.
Instilling a sense of urgency in recipients by imposing a time limit on responding also increases the likelihood that people will feel pressured when making decisions. They will base their choices on emotional responses and social cues rather than systematically considering the likely authenticity of the communication. This is because responses such as panic at potential identity theft or a fear of losing out can make people prioritise the alleviation of these emotions. They focus on short-term goals that will make them feel better. In this case, that means responding to the scam.
Fighting fire with fire
General awareness about scams is definitely on the rise, which helps us be more wary about who we give information to. However, awareness is only one way of tackling scams. There is growing consideration that wider public health and behaviour change models may play an important part in dealing with this problem.
That means considering the different factors that influence how we respond to scams, such as our specific attitudes and beliefs, previous experiences and the behaviour of those around us.
When we decide whether to respond to a letter or e-mail, or to believe the person on the other end of the phone, these decisions are likely to be based on our prior attitudes and beliefs. For instance, do you perceive a potential risk in responding to a lottery win? Do you generally trust people are who they say are on the phone? Do you often share email links? Have you ever had a bad experience clicking on a link? These factors might make you more or less likely to interact with scams that exploit these behavioural norms.
At the moment, we just don’t know how these different beliefs and attitudes affect people’s decision making when faced with a scam. Until we understand the factors that affect how and why people respond to scams, it is difficult to reduce the problem. The only way this can happen is if people are willing to openly talk about their experiences of scams.
All the awareness campaigns in the world won’t defeat the scammers if people continue to feel ashamed about falling for their tactics. We need to reduce the stigma associated with responding to scams so that all of the ways in which these scams work can be understood. Then we might be able to beat them.


By Sasha Savoian, Education Specialist
In a year of isolation, online learning and uncertainty, twenty-nine high school students from Whatcom and Skagit counties mobilized around the theme of environmental justice in our Youth for the Environment and People (YEP!) program.
“I wanted to tangibly make a difference, work with other motivated young people, and learn more about environmental justice!” — YEP! student
Once again, teens revealed their great capacity for compassion and action in our community — all during a time that has put extraordinary pressure on young people. Together, these students built community by giving 20 upcycled bags filled with food and supplies to Northwest Youth Services, and developing a website with COVID safety resources and educational materials on the disproportionate harm the pandemic has had on some communities. The most important outcome, though, were the connections students made and the thoughtful process they took on to learn how they can “tangibly make a difference.”
YEP! aims to empower youth to follow their passions, develop leadership skills and take action on environmental and climate justice. The program’s third year was one with many firsts. Thanks to a partnership with the North Cascades Institute’s Youth Leadership Adventures program, we were able to reach more 9th-12th students and host two cohorts of students hailing from both Skagit and Whatcom counties. We were also able to offer stipends upon completion of the group project.
Throughout the fall semester, both groups showed up on the screen every week for an hour and a half to share ideas with each other, engage in activities, learn about ways to achieve environmental justice and collaborate on a final action project.
Food and Environmental Justice
The first 16 students voted to center their environmental justice project around food access inequities. They took a deeper dive into the environmental and social inequities of large-scale agricultural food systems with online activities. After considering several project ideas, the group decided to make food bags for youth in need in our community.
Students sewed bags out of old t-shirts and filled them with food, a gift card to a local food establishment, notes of encouragement and a list of helpful resources. Small groups worked together virtually on pieces of the project and a handful of students who felt comfortable meeting in-person (masked, of course) did the legwork procuring items and assembling the bags.
After the outreach group contacted several local organizations in both counties that offer supportive services, Northwest Youth Services, who assist youth experiencing houselessness in Whatcom and Skagit counties, received 20 donated bags put together by students. In the words of a student from Mount Vernon High School, “The team of teens that made up YEP! this year was very adamant about helping people our own age, since we connected more with them. Our goal was to help as many people, in as environmentally friendly a way as possible!”
Public Health and Environmental Justice
Aptly timed, the second group of students voted to center the current inequities in public health due to COVID-19 for their project around environmental justice. The 13 participants discussed the various ways pollution and disease disproportionately impact Black, Brown, Indigenous, Immigrant, and low-income communities. After brainstorming ideas and compromising, they decided the project would be twofold: (1) donate COVID-19 safety supplies to those in need, and (2) create a website that included helpful COVID resources, highlighting the link between a healthy environment and healthy people, while providing important background information about environmental justice.
Like students in the first cohort, they divided into smaller groups to complete each element of the projects. Some students researched and compiled resources for the website. Some discussed what safety supplies they should donate and to whom, venturing out to get the supplies. Others provided content for the website.
One student translated parts of the website into Spanish. And finally, another student designed the website. “I learned that I need a community around me to accomplish a goal! Teamwork!”, reflected the student who designed the website.
The students gave Community Action of Skagit County sanitizing wipes, adult and kid sized masks, and hand sanitizer to distribute to people in need in Skagit County.
Students’ parting words: “I learned that I may have a few more ‘leadership bones’ in my skeleton than I thought.”
It’s a gift to work with these motivated and passionate youth and watch them grow as individuals and collectively! As we all navigate this time of great change and continue the work to protect the environment and communities living here, the YEP! program reminds us all to listen to the next generation of resilient leaders. When youth have space and resources, they accomplish great things.
In the words of the students:
“I think I care about this stuff even more than I realized. I have always cared a lot but I used to just kind of feel sad and wallow in how sucky the world is but now I can care in a more practical way. In a way that gets things done and helps make it better bit by bit.”
“I learned that I want to pursue my passion for fighting for environmental rights in college. Whether it’s me majoring in something specifically towards environmental justice or just me joining a club, I do hope to continue the fight for environmental justice”
“I learned that I may have a few more “leadership bones” in my skeleton than I thought. I used to see myself as someone incapable of leading, but now I feel that although I might not be the most assertive person ever, I have it in me to lead a group.”


richard Jenkyns has observed that “the distinctive feature of Pride and Prejudice is the number of its subplots, knit into one another with confident mastery” (34). Jane Austen’s mastery is indeed confident: there is nary a false step, no extraneous characters or details that are not mustered to her various thematic ends in this book with its famous lapidary attention to detail. As every student knows from studying Shakespeare, it is theme that generally does this kind of knitting. A notable subplot, the marriage of Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Collins, for example, has many thematic ties to the main plot. Likewise, minor characters are knit into the fabric of the whole by virtue of their being interpretable in comparison to major characters. That interpretability, however, entails regard for whatever theme the author has in mind. Henrietta Ten Harmsel points to Elizabeth Bennet’s role in “unify[ing] the whole novel artistically. All the action of the book is related somehow to her action; all the characters are related somehow to her character and its development” (72).
Ten Harmsel alerts us to look everywhere in Pride and Prejudice for foils to Elizabeth because they are necessary to Austen’s development of the novel’s themes. As their likenesses or mutual relationships draw them to desire the same objects, protagonists and their foils can come to vie with each other in earnest and sometimes vicious competition (Girard 1-52). Such competition does occur in Pride and Prejudice, wherein both our heroine and her sister have seeming rivals for their future spouses’ hands, though not for their affections. In Elizabeth’s case, these rivalries are of different orders: one rival has a claim upon Darcy but no interest in him; the other has a great deal of interest, but no claim . . . and no chance. Ten Harmsel points out, “Even the romances that do not evolve successfully—those of Miss Bingley and Miss De Bourgh—obviously owe their failure to the all-pervasive character and action of the lively heroine” (72). To say that neither of these relationships evolves successfully is an understatement. Darcy downright dislikes Caroline. But Elizabeth is probably also not the cause of the failure of the other potential relationship. Although Anne De Bourgh is the character Austen supplies as the most serious rival to Elizabeth for marriage to Mr. Darcy, Anne does not seem to want him.
In the scenes in which we see them together, Anne never seeks Darcy’s attention the way Caroline does, and he never gives her any, not even the scornful put-downs Caroline’s persistence invites. Speaking to no one but Elizabeth and Charlotte on his arrival at Rosings, Mr. Darcy indicates immediately his complete lack of interest in his cousin as a future wife. The reader already knows of his attraction to Elizabeth, but Austen has not let us know at this point what Anne De Bourgh thinks about him. The narrative gives important clues, though, as Anne reveals her personality through her silence, through her unheard speech, through her differences from Elizabeth and from Darcy’s other potential wife, Caroline, and especially through a very significant smile she shares with her mother―as Margie Burns has pointed out, her only smile in the novel (232). Anne may be “bland, sickly, and stupefyingly uninteresting,” as Burns says, but this “subtle part of the picture” Anne provides with one smile is a moment when Austen, importantly, emphasizes her imitation of Lady Catherine to reveal her self-delusion. What is wrong with Anne De Bourgh? I would say that, above all, it is this smile.
Initially Austen clearly distinguishes between mother and daughter. The first thing Elizabeth notices is what seems to be a total difference between the two women.
When, after examining the mother, in whose countenance and deportment she soon found some resemblance of Mr. Darcy, she turned her eyes on the daughter, she could almost have joined in Maria’s astonishment, at her being so thin, and so small. There was neither in figure nor face, any likeness between the ladies. (183-84)
Austen may be indicating, as she does of the younger Bennet girls, that Anne is deficient in gifts of nature, but she clearly does not physically resemble Mr. Darcy if she does not have her mother’s countenance or stature. Her physique also helps to give the reader the sense that Anne is completely dominated by her mother, who is physically intimidating, both in stature and demeanor. Lady Catherine, interestingly, though they are not characteristics she herself shares, prizes and in fact touts Anne’s delicacy and sickliness, saying, according to Mr. Collins, there is “‘that in her features which marks the young woman of distinguished birth’” (75). Indeed, we know in detail from authors such as Mary Wollstonecraft that moralists of the day lauded women whose languor reflected the infirmity of the female mind and advertised the wealth and idleness of the woman who could afford to feel tender about her poor nerves.
Because resembling one’s parent is, to say the least, not always a good thing in this novel, perhaps Austen is indicating that Anne, if she is different from her mother, has the potential to be better than Lady Catherine. One of the novel’s main actions is, after all, the heroine’s freeing herself from her beloved father’s defects; imitating his acerbic ways has been a principal temptation to bad behavior and could well lead her to a bad marriage even were she to accept Darcy at his first proposal, because her prejudice and her enjoyment of that hatred that endows her with brilliant sarcasm could alienate the one man in her universe who is a match for her. Fortunately for her, these traits are among the very things that attract him, along with her fine eyes. Nonetheless, Austen presents Elizabeth with both the aristocratic Anne de Bourgh and that zealous marketer of herself, Caroline Bingley, so that her alienating Darcy might threaten to result in his marriage to another claimant.
Neither Anne nor Caroline, despite their very different pretensions to the claim, is ever a serious rival for Darcy’s affections, however, so the reader wonders why Austen includes Anne—a character who never speaks, who never glances with envy or jealousy at our heroine, who never raises an ounce of interest in the man her mother thinks she will inevitably marry. Anne could well have been jealous of her neighbors’ pretty guest, could well have noticed Darcy’s attentions to her at Rosings, but Austen does not pounce on this narrative fodder even once. Once Darcy’s devotion to Elizabeth is discovered, Austen will ascribe all jealousy to Lady Catherine’s character. So Austen creates Anne, includes a reference to her even in one of the most famous scenes in the novel—her mother’s meeting with Elizabeth in the “‘prettyish kind of a little wilderness’” (391)—and simultaneously shuts down almost all potential for development in her character. Why?
Anne could merely be a narrative placeholder existing only to be the theme of her mother’s boasting and invidious comparisons; Elinor’s rival Miss Morton in Sense and Sensibility is just such a placeholder. While Miss Morton never appears upon the scene in her novel, Anne is not only mentioned: she appears; she speaks (offstage); she interacts with Elizabeth and Maria Lucas, among others. Nevertheless, the very fact that she does very little and never says a word the reader can overhear indicates something significant. This apparent taciturnity differentiates her from her mother, who has the predilection Darcy appears to have inherited from his mother for making impressive statements loudly enough to be heard or overheard. It may be that Austen gives us precious little information about Anne from which to deduce any interiority, but, as Samuel Johnson says in his Life of Cowley, “actions are visible, though motives are secret” (11). The silence itself is a kind of action and may help the reader discern the motivation behind it. Austen seems to be using Anne’s silence to show something—but what? That she feels her prior claim excludes competition, or even that she really has no interest in Darcy? That she is too fatigued and retiring due to her long-standing infirmity to care about her hale and hearty rival, Elizabeth? How can we understand her behavior in her scenes at Rosings?
A most important clue is that Anne does not react to Darcy’s pronounced neglect. A smug Elizabeth recalls Caroline to mind during the scene in which Darcy and Anne De Bourgh are first together, inviting the reader to compare the two rivals. Anne, however, does not react with jealousy to Elizabeth though she might have once she discovers, as her mother does to her slight displeasure, that Elizabeth already knows Darcy. Anne may feel her prior claim and elevated status exclude competition; her station may have blinded her, as it has Darcy, to the possibility that someone less wealthy and less high born might yet have a better nature, or better gifts. Elizabeth may for this reason be beneath her notice. Austen chooses instead to tell us about Lady Catherine’s noticeable reaction. Austen tells us about Anne’s appearance, but not a word about how that appearance reveals her reactions—yet.
She does show us that devoted retainers Mr. Collins and Mrs. Jenkinson observe and react to Anne’s appearance and behavior. Mr. Collins sings Anne’s praises to the Bennets at Longbourne in the following form:
“She is unfortunately of a sickly constitution, which has prevented her making that progress in many accomplishments, which she could not otherwise have failed of; as I am informed by the lady who superintended her education, and who still resides with them. But she is perfectly amiable, and often condescends to drive by my humble abode in her little phaeton and ponies.” (75)
Mr. Collins’s “perfectly amiable” may be another’s “sickly and cross,” but it is impossible to know from his testimony what she really is because, though he is not given to lying, he is an inveterate flatterer. Anne’s teacher, Mrs. Jenkinson, too, may be parroting Lady Catherine, speaking only what that great lady would deem acceptable when evaluating her pupil to the local clergyman. Mrs. Jenkinson is described as overly attentive, even slavish. When we see the two together, she is “entirely engaged in listening to what [Anne] said, and placing a screen in the proper direction before her eyes” (184). Later, she is “chiefly employed in watching how little Miss De Bourgh ate, pressing her to try some other dish, and fearing she were indisposed” (184). Anne has nothing to say to anyone except to this, her personal version of her mother’s flatterers, but her ill health does not prevent her from socializing. In this brief sentence, we not only see that a lagging appetite might indicate unusual ill health to Mrs. Jenkinson—Anne is not always reluctant to eat—but we also see that Anne has a devoted companion with whom she will chat all evening. Silent throughout dinner to Elizabeth, who sits at her side both surprised and amused at Anne’s incivility to a guest, she nonetheless dominates the conversation with her governess.
Is that kind of incivility to strangers but amiability to acquaintances something we have seen elsewhere in the novel? Yes, indeed. So is Anne the perfect wife for Mr. Darcy, who in this episode at Rosings proclaims to Elizabeth that he is ill qualified to recommend himself to strangers? Rather than being too weak for speech, is she perhaps not used to exerting herself to speak with those she does not know well? She speaks with Charlotte nearly every day, after all, and makes a point of stopping by to do so at the parsonage, though Elizabeth notes that she rudely detains Charlotte out in the wind and cold, intimating that a polite visitor would come into the house if only for the comfort of her hostess (180). Given her familiarity with Charlotte, it is odd that Elizabeth’s presence at Rosings seems to prevent Anne De Bourgh from being conversational even with Charlotte and Mr. Collins, but Austen may be indicating that when Anne has Mrs. Jenkinson by her side, even her familiarity with Charlotte does not compel her to make polite conversation with a relative outsider. The latter is likely when we consider the following: it is the narrator’s voice, uncolored by Elizabeth’s, that at the end of the visit to Hunsford tells us, “Miss De Bourgh exerted herself so far as to curtsey and hold out her hand to both [Elizabeth and Maria Lucas]” (237). The otherwise friendly gesture comes accompanied by narrative irony. Though Deirdre Le Faye reminds us that “to shake hands was not so much as sign of greeting or of leavetaking but more a mark of unusual affability or intimacy” (114), the narrator reveals that gestures of even the most basic politeness (the curtsey) require exertion and that Anne’s languor is, at least to a certain extent, an affectation. “What a mighty feat!” the narrator seems to be saying. “The girl shook hands with her guests. Ah, the condescension involved in such a labor.”
Austen could of course have it both ways and portray Anne as condescending and limp, and shy and physically frail. Lady Catherine may be over-protective of her aristocratically languid daughter, but she also may be attempting to hide the fact that Anne is, in fact, relentlessly average. She may not wish to admit that her daughter is indeed like herself, without the inclination to master any art or skill, a disinclination that might have arisen from having no need to please others. Her assumption that there would be some likeness between her daughter and herself in the Never Neverland of potential artistic accomplishment is revealing: “‘If I had ever learnt, I should have been a great proficient. And so would Anne, if her health had allowed her to apply. I am confident that she would have performed delightfully’” (194). Lady Catherine’s tendency to crowd others out of the limelight, out of the conversation, and out of other people’s lives may also have consistently nullified Anne, who with Mrs. Jenkinson may be repeating her mother’s behavior of excluding others in order to remain the sun in her solar system.
Unbeknownst to her, however, Anne De Bourgh is not the sun in the Pride and Prejudice solar system. Elizabeth Bennet is. Even were she not, Anne would still have a rival in Caroline Bingley, although she probably is not even aware of Caroline’s existence. Austen sets the three young women up against each other and, as she does in “The Three Sisters,” plays with their degrees of awareness of the dynamics of rivalry. For instance, unlike Anne, Elizabeth refuses, on several occasions, to be crowded out at Lady Catherine’s whim. And unlike Anne, Caroline Bingley perceives Elizabeth as a rival for Darcy’s attentions and engages her actively as a rival. Cecilia Salber has noted that this dynamic even colors her affectedly kind warning to Elizabeth about Wickham. One could say that Elizabeth’s alertness to Caroline Bingley as a rival—though at first she does not desire the perceived object—guides her toward her own observation of and attraction to Mr. Darcy because the hostile Caroline is always directing her attention toward him (and his attention toward Elizabeth). It is Lady Catherine, however, who both creates the rivalry between Anne and Elizabeth and simultaneously erases Anne from action at Rosings:
“Miss Bennet would not play at all amiss, if she practised more, and could have the advantage of a London master. She has a very good notion of fingering, though her taste is not equal to Anne’s. Anne would have been a delightful performer, had her health allowed her to learn.
Elizabeth looked at Darcy to see how cordially he assented to his cousin’s praise; but neither at that moment nor at any other could she discern any symptom of love; and from the whole of his behaviour to Miss De Bourgh she derived this comfort for Miss Bingley, that he might have been just as likely to marry her, had she been his relation. (197)
Anne is present but takes no part in a conversation that should draw her attention. Instead, Austen foregrounds the inquisitive glances of the two future lovers as each attempts to assess the other. Elizabeth is prompted to expect cordial praise by Darcy’s previous warm praise of his sister’s progress in music; he does not even seem to respond. Darcy has just been watching her as she converses about music with his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam; Austen does not say he is jealous, but he is most attentive. The air is crackling with possibility, and Anne does not sense it, or does not care. Caroline Bingley, always alert to the least hint of Darcy’s interest in Elizabeth, would have been at his elbow in a moment, would have started up some inquiry, made some deflating comment about Elizabeth to get his attention, or spoken of Miss De Bourgh’s talent to draw Darcy’s eyes to herself.
Austen knows how to portray a jealous woman; Anne is not that: she never puts herself forward, never desires her cousin’s glance or his words. We are more aware of this inattentiveness because we have seen Caroline Bingley in action and because Austen reminds us of Caroline here. In fact, Elizabeth seems to take her part and herself play a substitutionary role that makes us examine her motives; why is she constantly thinking of Caroline and looking at Darcy and Anne with Caroline’s desire to marry him in mind? As Austen keeps Caroline in the forefront of Elizabeth’s speculations about Darcy, she perhaps deflects from Elizabeth herself knowledge of her own growing interest in her haughty soon-to-be suitor.
Though Lady Catherine’s speech is meant to direct the men’s attention away from Elizabeth to Anne, it does not succeed. Austen here illustrates the substitutionary role the mother is playing in the daughter’s life as she for all intents and purposes courts Darcy on Anne’s behalf (little wonder this courtship fails). She is another Mrs. Bennet, hawking her daughter.
Mr. Darcy has with great intrepidity ignored the advertisement, but perhaps Anne does not much care because she has other, loftier goals than marriage to her cousin? A later passage reveals Anne’s feelings about Darcy and their planned marriage, however, and they are not disinterest:
Their first subject was the diminution of the Rosings party.—“I assure you, I feel it exceedingly,” said Lady Catherine; “I believe nobody feels the loss of friends so much as I do. But I am particularly attached to these young men; and know them to be so much attached to me!—They were excessively sorry to go! But so they always are. The dear colonel rallied his spirits tolerably till just at last; but Darcy seemed to feel it most acutely, more I think than last year. His attachment to Rosings, certainly increases.”
Mr. Collins had a compliment, and an allusion to throw in here, which were kindly smiled on by the mother and daughter. (233-34)
This “compliment” and “allusion” can only mean that Mr. Collins has referred to a certain happy event the future might hold, and the narrator states clearly that the daughter smiles on the compliment just as her mother does. It is hard to avoid the conclusion that Anne never displays jealousy because she is too smug, too self-assured even to notice a potential rival.
A smile can mean many things in Pride and Prejudice, just as laughter in the novel can indicate scorn, joy, relief, heedless amusement, disbelief, and so forth (Spacks 74; Casal). Elizabeth and Darcy themselves smile frequently, and their smiles are not consistently warm or affectionate, but even evince scorn or ruefulness on occasion. To smile or laugh at someone else can be divisive while smiling or laughing with another can be unitive (Fergus 104-05; Kenney 269). The fact that Austen has Lady Catherine and Anne De Bourgh smile together is therefore a notable action. For Lady Catherine, it is not the only smile in the novel. She also has given smiles to the effusive praises bestowed upon the novel dishes at Rosings by Mr. Collins and Sir William Lucas (184). Thus, we may compare Lady Catherine’s smile here to her earlier one: the likeness between the two situations is obvious. This similarity between the two sets of smiles Lady Catherine affords Mr. Collins reinforces Austen’s emphasis on mirroring between mother and daughter; it connects Anne’s smile to this earlier event.
Anne mirrors her mother here; because this smile is in concert with her mother’s, it may not indicate she particularly wants Darcy. She does not even seem to know him. They never converse, and he never speaks of her. Though Anne is clearly aware of her mother’s expectations, she evinces not one single sign of the symptoms of love Juliet McMaster reviews in Jane Austen on Love. “It is one of the conveniences of the love convention,” McMaster states, “that it externalizes the emotion, and so enlarges the action, the working out of the love between two people, beyond the principals” (16-17). Austen, McMaster makes clear, is familiar with the traditional vocabulary of meaningful silences, sighs, languid carelessness about one’s appearance, etc., as Rosalind reviews it in As You Like It. Elizabeth can observe external signs of love, first in her sister Jane but, as she herself notes, not in Anne De Bourgh. Nothing about Anne De Bourgh bespeaks the “careless desolation” (As You Like It 3.2.381) of a lover. If “[a] lover’s eyes will gaze an eagle blind,” as Berowne says in Love’s Labour’s Lost (4.3.331), any eagles in the vicinity of Rosings are quite safe. Anne never once fixes her gaze on Mr. Darcy, though she accepts with complacence the mention of her future union with him. The observant Charlotte Lucas even deduces the truth about Darcy’s being in love with Elizabeth, but why does Anne delude herself at this point? If she pays any attention to Darcy at all, how can she be unaware?
Austen suggests that Anne De Bourgh does not pay attention to Fitzwilliam Darcy. She need not. For Anne, as for her mother, the expectation of an event seems to mean its inevitable occurrence: if Lady Catherine in her argument with Elizabeth over her suitability for marriage to Darcy makes patently false statements because she thinks what she wills is what will happen, what is (Bourbon), then Anne also reflects this kind of self-involved assurance.
The De Bourghian smile shows a concord between mother and daughter, a sameness of response that Austen finds significant enough to record though she records so little about Anne. Anne can smile. When does she smile? When Mr. Collins flatters her and her mother with talk of a marriage between herself and her cousin that is a pure figment of all their imaginations. The “compliment, and . . . allusion throw[n] in here, . . . were kindly smiled on by the mother and daughter.” They not only smile together, they smile upon something, just as Lady Catherine earlier bestowed smiles upon the admiring compliments of her meal. The idiom indicates approval and nothing else, and thus, though “motives are secret,” the motive for this smile is not too hard to understand. Mother and daughter alike offer their deific approval to the blandishments of Mr. Collins. The smile is a sign of their pleasure but also of their superiority to a groveling inferior making a votive offering. It is a physical manifestation of condescension in both senses of the word: willing deference to a social inferior and patronizing superiority.
Although Anne says nothing here, again, she looks upon talk of her marriage to Mr. Darcy with a favorable eye and seems placidly unconcerned with any potential apathy on his part. She does nothing to forward the nuptials in the way of developing a relationship with her supposed groom. Lady Catherine, however, is eager to speak and act for her especially in regard to her marriage. Anne, if nothing else, lets her. When it comes to fighting for her man, Lady Catherine, hearing reports about Lizzie’s relationship with her nephew, is ready to engage the enemy. Anne does nothing of the kind, and her not mirroring her mother on this point is significant. When Darcy and Elizabeth are married, it is Lady Catherine whose resentful feelings are paramount in the narrator’s description (430). What are Anne’s feelings? Austen chooses not to tell us.
Whether because of her ill health or Lady Catherine’s nurturing of her delicate image, Anne has been prevented from pursuing any goal or excellence. She has no talents and no abilities, except playing cards and driving her phaeton―and a servant may well be performing that task while she merely sits. Now a woman in her twenties and responsible in some part for her moral self, Anne is portrayed by her creator as unpleasant. She is becoming a lesser Lady Catherine, able to talk without intermission to those who must listen and to demonstrate her condescension by the limp offer of a hand to shake. That self-confidence that provokes the smile at the mention of her future marriage to Darcy also betrays her self-delusion and her ignorance of the man who in reality prefers, in Sir William Lucas’s phrase, “the brightest jewel of the country” (425).
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Ed. Pat Rogers. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2006.
Bourbon, Brett. “‘—Not to Be Trifled with’: Lady Catherine vs. Elizabeth Bennet.” JASNA North Texas Spring Tea. Adolphus Hotel, Dallas. 21 Apr. 2013. Lecture.
Burns, Margie. “George and Georgiana: Symmetries and Antitheses in Pride and Prejudice.” Persuasions 29 (2007): 227-33.
Casal, Elvira. “Laughing at Mr. Darcy: Wit and Sexuality in Pride and Prejudice.” Persuasions On-Line 22.1 (Win. 2001).
Fergus, Jan. “The Power of Women’s Language and Laughter.” The Talk in Jane Austen. Ed. Bruce Stovel and Lynn Weinlos Gregg. Edmonton: U of Alberta P, 2002.
Girard, René. Deceit, Desire, and the Novel. Trans. by Yvonne Freccero. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1965.
Jenkyns, Richard. A Fine Brush on Ivory: An Appreciation of Jane Austen. Oxford: OUP, 2004.
Johnson, Samuel. “Cowley.” The Lives of the English Poets. Ed. Geoffrey Cumberlege. 2 vols. Oxford: OUP, 1952. Vol. 1.
Kenney, Theresa. “‘Slyness seems the fashion’: Dexterous Revelations in Pride and Prejudice.” Persuasions 27 (2005): 263-69.
Le Faye, Deirdre. Jane Austen: The World of Her Novels. London: Lincoln, 2003.
McMaster, Juliet. Jane Austen on Love. ELS Monograph Series 13. Victoria: U of Victoria, 1978.
Salber, Cecilia. “‘Excuse my interference’: Meddling in Pride and Prejudice.” Persuasions On-Line 21.2 (Sum. 2000).
Shakespeare, William. The Riverside Shakespeare. Ed. G. Blakemore Evans. Boston: Houghton, 1997.
Spacks, Patricia Meyer. “Austen’s Laughter.” Women’s Studies 15 (1988): 71-85.
Ten Harmsel, Henrietta. “Pride and Prejudice.” 1964. Elizabeth Bennet. Ed. Harold Bloom. Philadelphia: Chelsea, 2004. 65-86.


Civil engineers develop and maintain a wide variety of physical infrastructure such as bridges, buildings, airports, roads, railways, ports, mine sites, water and wastewater supply, treatment and reuse systems. They also help to maintain sustainable natural environments. There are few areas of modern society where civil engineers have not had an impact.
They are highly creative and innovative problem solvers who design, construct, manage, maintain, or rehabilitate all aspects of this infrastructure. The technical solutions developed by civil engineers must take into consideration social, environmental and financial constraints. They must work closely with architects, planners and the community to ensure that what is constructed is what is needed. And unlike many disciplines, the fruits of civil engineering often last a very long time.
Civil engineering graduates are in great demand with career destinations including building and construction, transport and the mining industries.


D. When light hits an object, it is transmitted, absorbed, and/or reflected
The light on the left is reflected, the light in the middle is absorbed and the light on the right is transmitted. Any object you can see must at least partially reflect light to your eyes. Objects can ALSO absorb and/or transmit light.
Law of Reflection
"Normal" is the imaginary line that is perpendicular to the object. Whether a surface is smooth or bumpy, light ALWAYS obeys the Law of Reflection
Click on this link to see the video we saw in class on reflection.
3. Reflected - light that bounces off a surface
a. All objects reflect some light to be visible
b. Highly polished surfaces such as mirrors are opaque because most of the visible light is reflected, none is transmitted and very little is absorbed
c. When light reflects off a surface, the angle of incidence (incoming light) is equal to the angle of reflection (outgoing light) – called “Law of Reflection”
i. If you shine a narrow beam at a highly polished surface (like a mirror), you get a narrow beam of light reflected back off it (called specular reflection)
ii. If you shine a narrow beam of light at a rough surface, the light scatters in all directions, (called diffuse reflection) but still obeys Law of Reflection
How Light Reflects
Compare light that reflects off a smooth and rough surface
When light reflects off a surface, it obeys the Law of Reflection (the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection), whether or not the surface is smooth. The light is reflecting off the flower to the water and then back to your eye. In the wavy water, the some of the light is scattered so you do not see a perfect reflection. If the water was even more disturbed - for example, stormy and very wavy - you might not see the reflection at all because the light is even more scattered so that it does not reach your eyes.


TabLab Education utilizes technology to enhance pedagogical approaches that support creativity, Innovation and critical thinking in rural schools. The need for technology integration in teaching and learning cannot be overemphasized. I recently spent two weeks at Orkeeswa school in Monduli, Tanzania, sharing and training teachers and students on how to use Tablets for teaching and learning. Orkeeswa school is located deep in the Maasai village about 10Km from the nearest small Monduli town that has an interesting history that I will share another day. Along the numerous meandering paths to the school you will notice the tropical Savannah rich with diverse vegetation that colonizes the secluded and unused extensive areas around the school. Magnificent forest and hilly landscapes full of wild animals like elephants, hyenas and buffaloes overlook the school from a far. You would enjoy the view of this forest and escarpments from the school.
Orkeeswa school is eight years old with a population of 300 students with 53% girls and 47% boys. This is a day school and all students come from the nearby Maasai villages with some walking as far as 20km to get to school. It has 45 staff members who commute to and from the nearby Monduli town. The aim of the school is to impact the local area surrounding the school and the community. The strength of Orkeeswa is placed on extracurricular activities such as basketball, athletics and other clubs. While at the school, I worked with small groups of teachers and occasionally had one on one sessions with individual teachers. Students were also very eager to use the tablets and each day including weekend, I would have a session with a selected class. The dedication of teachers and students to attend TabLab sessions really encouraged me and I always looked forward to the next day at the school.
Orkeeswa school teachers at the emerging stage in ICT integration. This stage is linked to discovering ICT tools, and acquiring basic ICT literacy skills.
I introduced the ideas of integrating ICT to teaching and learning highlighting the key objective that using Tablets should add value to the learning process. This was followed by numerous sessions of teachers developing TabLab integrated lessons, activities and actual simulations of lessons by teachers. During these presentations, teachers would critic each other with the main aim of improving their lessons. At the beginning the teachers were just reproducing the way they always teach. After a number of sessions and discussions, other teachers started giving suggestions on how they would offer the same lesson differently. Towards the end of my two weeks with them, I started observing a few lessons whereby they planned activities on the TabLab that promoted students higher order thinking. They began valuing the appropriate teacher supported learning that is initiated and directed by the students.


"Mommy, mommy, I can read this book. Listen to me!"
It's music to a parent's ears. As our little one picks up a book we've read aloud 249 times this year and begins to "read" Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. while her eyes stay laser-focused on you, we realize that our little darling has memorized the words.
It's a common phase and a sign that our kids are ready to take the next step on their reading journey.
First, I like to make a big deal out of it. Name what you see your kids doing ("That's so great that you can read to mommy!") and point out that smart readers exhibit those same behaviors.
If a child has memorized the words and can "read" them back to you, that means your read-aloud routine is paying off, and your child is soaking in lots of rich language. Keep it up! These preschool books will help you find some more read-alouds to enjoy.
Now, here are a few next steps to keep your child's interest in reading at an all-time high:
1. Teach the Concept of a Word
Help your preschooler learn that each spoken word can be matched to a printed word. We also want our little ones to notice that each word is separate, and words are separated by spaces.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to take a line from a memorized book and write it nice and big on a piece of paper. Underneath each word color a dot or place a sticker. Now, model how to point to each dot as you say one word at a time. Have your child point to each dot as they "read" the memorized text. Here's an example from Chicka Chicka Boom Boom:


At the turn of the twentieth century, scientists began pondering questions regarding the way in which human cognitive ability was measured and evaluated. Soon, the scientific community of that era began to look into the many theorized factors that would influence one’s intelligence; from the shape and size of one’s head, to their ability to memorize and recite words and numbers. In almost no time at all, the framework for what would later become what we now refer to as an IQ test, or intelligence quotient test, was set and hurriedly brought about many new ways of measuring intelligence.
The inception of intelligence testing in modern history can be attributed to the works and curiosities of two psychologists, Alfred Binet, and Theodore Simon. Initially, they designed a test that would measure someone’s verbal abilities, which they believed could help them decipher which school children might struggle most in class. Shortly after their initial experiment, the world’s greatest psychologists were busy attempting to quantify as much of the human cognitive spanse as possible, which opened the doors for tests such as the Stanford-Binet, Wechsler, Cattell Culture-Fair, including the Wonderlic test.
IQ tests work by measuring someone’s ability to navigate a certain set of obstacles, either in the form of written questions or as visual puzzles, that increase in complexity relative to a person’s age as to keep them competitive within their age range. Depending on the test that someone is taking, the questions might be tailored to assess their quantitative reasoning ability, verbal reasoning ability, visuospatial abilities, etc. By allowing a gamut of unique variables to be measured about someone, it became easier for scientists to assess where someone’s strengths and weaknesses are, allowing them to tailor a unique approach to improving one’s results. Certain high IQ societies require scores above a certain threshold to qualify someone for membership; these tests are usually administered by trained psychologists in a proper testing environment, in order to ensure the most accurate representation of someone’s IQ as possible.
Here is a quick overview of the most popular intelligence tests and some of their best uses:
A wonderful tool for assessing aptitude and growth capacity for professionals and businesses. The Wonderlic test is used by the NFL, as well as Fortune 500 companies to assess prospective employees.
Great for assessing your skills and abilities in a professional fields.
Fantastic tool for businesses and organizations.
Grow professionally and prepare for market changes by keeping your skills sharp.
The Stanford-Binet is a great asset for evaluating and quantifying multiple factors of someone’s intelligence. The latest test offers a reliable way of measuring quantitative reasoning, visuospatial processing, working memory, and fluid reasoning abilities.
Scores intelligence using a variety of factors.
Multiple test forms offer granular representations of someone’s abilities.
Can help assess where someone needs most help, and allow for a more targeted growth strategy.
Optimized for those older than eighteen years of age, the Wechsler test uses a large variety of assessment tools to measure the full scope of one’s abilities, beyond that of exclusively personal or professional applications.
Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) and General Ability Index (GAI) allow for a modular analysis of one’s potential, by allowing for quick, and in depth assessment.
Developed to utilize a varied set of tests, making it easier for to grow your skills.
Broad use case allows for a variety of applications in everyday life.
Designed to measure someone’s intelligence while limiting the effect of socio-environmental barriers, such as language or cultural differences, that might make it harder for someone to be properly assessed by other intelligence tests.
Measures Fluid Intelligence and Crystallized Intelligence for an accurate measure of someone’s complete intelligence profile.
Removes limiting factors, allowing a more even representation of IQ.
Wonderful for testing children, adolescents, and adults.
Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Test:
Created to determine which branch of the armed services someone’s abilities were best suited for. The ASVAB is certain to be of great utility to anyone applying to the armed services, or looking to develop a strategy to deploy prior to enlisting.
Precision analysis to best assist in strategic growth prior to enlistment.
Grow your skillset, and enlist in your branch of choice.
Great assessment tool for those in high school, including college degree and GED holders.


According to a study conducted through heartbeat measurement app Cardiogram and the University of California, San Francisco, the Apple Watch is 97 percent accurate in detecting the most common abnormal heart rhythm when paired with an AI-based algorithm. TechCrunch reports: The study involved 6,158 participants recruited through the Cardiogram app on Apple Watch. Most of the participants in the UCSF Health eHeart study had normal EKG readings. However, 200 of them had been diagnosed with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (an abnormal heartbeat). Engineers then trained a deep neural network to identify these abnormal heart rhythms from Apple Watch heart rate data. Cardiogram began the study with UCSF in 2016 to discover whether the Apple Watch could detect an oncoming stroke. About a quarter of strokes are caused by an abnormal heart rhythm, according to Cardiogram co-founder and data scientist for UCSF’s eHeart study Brandon Ballinger. Cardiogram tested the deep neural network it had built against 51 in-hospital cardioversions (a procedure that restores the heart’s normal rhythm) and says it achieved a 97 percent accuracy in the neural network’s ability to find irregular heart activity. Additional information available via a Cardiogram blog post.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.