Why Lake Trout Don’t Need a Calendar
Have you ever wondered why fish spawn when they do? For that matter, how do insects know when to emerge in the spring, or how do birds know when to migrate? As it turns out, two environmental factors largely control the timing these biological processes: temperature and light. Light is more accurately described as something biologists call photoperiod, or the period of time each day between sunrise and sunset.
Did you know that given a day of the year and location coordinates, you can calculate the photoperiod for anywhere on earth? Photoperiod is time spent between sunset and sunrise. The picture above shows Follensby Pond in New York State’s Adirondack Park at sunrise during Lake Trout spawning season.
Imagine a day with little sunlight and cold temperatures. Does winter come to mind? As you probably know, day length is longer in the summer and shorter in the winter. Coupling photoperiod and temperature can be used to predict the time of year. Lake Trout and many other species use these environmental cues to determine when to perform certain life history events. The timing of life history events (such as fish spawning, spring budbreak, insect emergence, etc.) is called phenology.
If light and temperature control the timing of life history events across many different species, what happens if temperature increases with climate change? I have been using historical Lake Trout spawning records and climate data from New York to answer this very question.
Before I delve into the answer, let’s talk a little bit about Lake Trout biology. Lake Trout are coldwater fish; warm water temperatures can cause them great stress, and even warmer water temperatures (< 25ºC or <77ºF), can kill them. Lake Trout are native to Alaska, Canada, and northern regions of the United States. However, climate change is predicted to eradicate Lake Trout from the southern extent of their range and areas of low elevation.
Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush
Lake Trout generally spawn for two to three weeks from September to November, the timing of which is triggered by cooling water temperatures (8-13ºC) and shortening day length. If the late summer and early fall are particularly warm, it often takes longer for lake temperatures to cool. For this reason, Lake Trout spawn later in years with warm late summer and early fall temperatures, and earlier in years with cool temperatures during the same time period.
This means that if the climate continues to warm, Lake Trout are likely to spawn continually later in time, and populations subject to very warm conditions may stop reproducing altogether due to thermal stress and sub-optimal environmental conditions.
While climate and photoperiod determine the general timing of the spawning period, it’s likely that weather events such as wind storms may trigger Lake Trout to spawn on a shorter temporal scale. Storms are common in Montreal due to the region’s hot and humid weather. I took this photo from the balcony of my apartment.
You might be wondering, “Why should I care about this research?” A few reasons:
1. Scientists all over the world are trying to figure out how climate change will affect earth’s biology. Research like this adds to the growing body of literature on the sub-lethal impacts of climate change on fish species and other organisms.
2. If natural Lake Trout reproduction declines, management agencies will need to compensate by reducing Lake Trout harvest or increasing stocking of hatchery-reared fish.
Recreational Lake Trout fisheries are substantial economic assets. Reducing harvest could also mean a reduction in the economic benefits associated with these fisheries. An increase in stocking could also increase the negative environmental effects associated with fish farming, such as water pollution.
Have I piqued your interest? This research currently comprises the second chapter of my Master of Science thesis for McGill University, and is currently being finalized for journal submission. Read again next month (or perhaps a few months after that, realistically speaking) for more information on the publishing process.
The books that have collected on my desk over the past month of thesis writing. The blue book on top is “Quantitative Fisheries Stock Assessment” by Hilborn and Walters, otherwise known as the fishery science bible.
It’s been over two years since I temporarily moved to Quebec, Canada to pursue a Master of Science in Renewable Resources at McGill University. Last week I submitted the initial version of my thesis to McGill for review. In one week, I move again, this time to the seat of the American revolutionary war: Boston, Massachusetts. Looking back, my time in Quebec has been a blur of traveling for workshops and conferences, pulling fishing nets in the Adirondacks, and long days glued to my computer.
While I prepare to finish, Sarah has decided to prolong her stay in the Netherlands at the University of Groningen to study science business and policy. Congratulations Sarah!
Several undergraduates have asked me for advice on how to get into a natural resource based graduate school program like Sarah and I have been pursuing. The advice from my two year post-undergraduate wizened self is three fold:
1) Take a modeling class. No, not that kind of modeling.
A working knowledge of statistical modeling is one of the most useful skills a new graduate student can possess. Already know how to use programs like R, Matlab, or Python? You are way ahead of the game. Many of these programs, like R, contain user guides for beginners, so you can also learn the basics on your own, without taking a class.
2) Get some field or lab experience.
Spend a summer or a semester gaining experience as a field or laboratory research technician. There are a lot of important skills to gain outside of the classroom, and there are a lot of graduate students looking for extra help gathering data. While a paid position is obviously preferable, an unpaid position can also look great on a resume.
3) Do an independent research project.
This could either be an honors thesis or another project carried out with a graduate student or professor. Want to take it even further? Publish your results in a peer reviewed journal and present at a conference.
Speaking of modeling, I finally caved and ordered myself a Canada Goose parka as a graduation present to myself. It’s one of the warmest winter jackets on the market. Here’s to hoping it curbs the severity of my Raynaud’s (unpleasant but generally nonthreatening circulation disorder) for the upcoming Boston winter.
I have submitted my thesis and finished my course requirements; the congratulations from happy friends and relatives have been pouring in. However, my work here is not yet done. My thesis is now in review, and I will need to address reviewer comments before submitting the final thesis in December. Furthermore, the Follensby Lake Trout management manuscript is back from review and requires modifications in line with the reviewer comments. And on top of that, I am preparing the Lake Trout spawning manuscript for journal submission. With a full time internship, and a substantial list of activities to complete on the evenings and weekends, I will also be searching for a full time job.
In hindsight, those congratulations may have been a little hasty.


Hi friends, i have some small doubt regarding in default value of char primitive type. Actually the default value of char primitive type is o, but when i am trying to print that value, its giving nothing. But when i am passing that in array as an index, its giving the value of a, if a is an array. I dont why it is showing like . can anybody tell me this and and clear this idea.
the default value of a char is not the character 'o' (lower case letter O), but the numeric value of 0 (zero). when you try and print it, java knows it's a char, so prints the ascii character associated with that number. if you look at an ascii table, you will see that the number 0 is a null character. it's a non-printing character.
There are only two hard things in computer science: cache invalidation, naming things, and off-by-one errors


09 January 2018
Postal historian and ephemera expert and dealer John Scott provides an introduction to collecting ephemera and explains how it links to stamp and postal history collecting
What is Ephemera, and does it matter?
Exhibits of ephemera will be on display at Spring Stampex 2018 for the first time. Here, postal historian and ephemera exeprt and dealer John Scott provides an introduction to the subject…
The classic definition of ephemera is a transient document of everyday life.
Today a bus ticket, if you can still find one printed on paper, would be a classic example, and two centuries ago it would have been a stage coach or toll road ticket. Such commonplace, small and insignificant pieces of paper were seldom kept and consequently they are now among the scarcer collectables, although still cheap by philatelic standards.
A postage stamp is also an ephemeral item as it has no useful purpose, other than to a collector, once it has served to evidence payment for a letter in the postal service. Other ephemeral documents such as invoices and dinner menus may have been retained after serving their initial purpose, either to evidence a monetary transaction or to serve as a memory of an event in the life of the recipient.
In isolation a postage stamp, or even a piece of postal history, has limited appeal to those who have not been bitten by this particular bug. However, by setting the item in its social and historical context you bring to life the very reason for its purpose and its survival. That is the principal reason why ephemera is so important to the philatelist and why this Stampex sees its inclusion among the competitive exhibits for the first time.
While the vast bulk of ephemera has no connection with our hobby, the very fact of writing a letter created another ephemeral layer. The paper on which a letter was written, or the envelope in which it was enclosed, or the wax or wafer used to seal the missive, are all items of ephemera in their own right.
While philatelists are accustomed to studying watermarks on stamp paper, on writing paper they may tell you where the paper was made, by whom it was manufactured and the year of production. If a letter bears no other year, then that narrows down the possibilities as paper was an expensive and fragile commodity which did not bear lengthy storage.
If you are curious about life in days gone by, a growing passion in itself, then both the text and the images on an ephemeral document bring the story to life and, in the days before photography are often the only idea we have as to what a person, a product or a building looked like at the time when the first postmark was used in 1661 or the first postage stamp in 1840.
The carriage of a letter from one place to another relied upon the existence of a whole raft of ephemera, from the way bills for the mail bags to the receipt upon delivery. Ship letters are much sought after and those from the smaller ports carry a price to match their scarcity but you try to find the printed document which the ship’s captain had to hand over on arrival and it may be like searching for the end of the rainbow.
So, ephemera really does matter to us as collectors and has a vital role to play in completing the jigsaw which enables the whole picture to be seen.
However, finding the object of your desires, and even being aware that it exists, is no easy task. The fact that ephemera has been ignored relative to philately means that all but the most sought after pieces cost a small fraction of their worth and well below the minimum auction threshold.
The Ephemera Society was founded in 1975 by the late Maurice Rickards with the aim of bringing like-minded collectors together and their twice yearly ephemera fairs in London are one of the few occasions where the leading dealers and collectors come together for their mutual benefit.
Maurice was also the author of the bible for ephemerists, The Encylopedia of Ephemera, which includes definitions of Postal History, Postal Labels, Postal Stationery and Postcards. Ironically philately makes its appearance as a sub-set of postal history whereas most philatelists would see the relationship in reverse.
Hopefully the inclusion of ephemera at Stampex will help to bring us all closer together and give us greater understanding of the mutual benefits that can result.
Visit Stampex International at the Business Design Centre, Islington between 14 and 17 February 2018.


Daniel Swain in SF Gate, High-pressure ridge settled along coast keeping California dry
Daniel Swain is a UCLA climate scientist, studying the physics, dynamics, and impacts of the Earth’s changing climate system.
In this SF Gate article, Swain talks about the high pressure ridge in the Bay Area.
“Nearly every winter tends to feature at least one weeks-long dry interlude,” says Daniel Swain, “The real question is whether the upcoming dry spell persists for more than a couple of weeks. That’s when we’d start falling behind average once again from a precipitation and water supply perspective.”


Children love to make books and lately, my students have been making plenty of them! Here is the newest edition to my collection of little books...
These sight word booklets are chock full of fun activities for the children to complete to help them learn and practice their weekly sight words. Although the words come from the kindergarten Journeys reading program, these books can also be used if you don't use this reading program.
First, they trace and color each word.
Then, they fill in the missing letter.
Then, they write the words in the correct configuration boxes.
Next, they write each word using different colored pencils.
Next up, is counting how many letters are in each word.
And finally, they practice building their sight word fluency.
This was the first book my students completed and we did it together. From now on, these books will be a part of my Word Work Station. I am confident that my students can complete these books independently, with great success. These activities will surely help them learn all the kindergarten sight words.
If you would like to use these books in your class, just click the image below to find them in my store.
You can find all my sight word activities here and all my little books here. I promise you, your students will really enjoy them!
Currently, I am working on making these little books for word families. I think my students will really enjoy them. I hope your students do too!
In other news, there is still time to purchase this AMAZING educents bundle, brought to you by the Freebielicious girls! Click the image below to check out this wonderful deal!


George Washington's Mount Vernon
Over the course of American history, no one person's celebrity has ever garnered the national esteem bestowed to George Washington: America's premier founding father. He served as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, helped outline the U.S. Constitution, and was elected the First President of the United States. His brilliant efforts on the battlefield and in office helped establish the foundation of a nation and fostered the ideals for American advancement. He is the epitome of a national hero whose legacy is still passionately championed to this day.
THE LIFE OF GEORGE WASHINGTON
George Washington was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, on February 22, 1732. His father, Augustine Washington, was a planter, land speculator, and county court justice—positions that earned the Washington family considerable wealth and distinction in the community. Between 1734 and 1738, the Washington family resided at Little Hunting Creek Plantation, Mount Vernon’s predecessor. However, George spent most of his adolescence at Ferry Farm, his family’s second plantation situated along the Rappahannock River near Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Very little is known about George Washington’s early years other than he received a grade school education. There are, however, several fables tailored around his youth, most notably his encounter with a cherry tree. As the story goes, young George damaged/chopped down one of his father’s cherry trees with a hatchet. When his father confronted him about the incident, George replied, “I cannot tell a lie. I did cut it with my hatchet.” His father, astonished by his son’s truthfulness, embraced him and praised his virtuosity. While the sentiment of the story is indeed touching, it was fabricated by Washington’s first biographer, Mason Locke Weems. His Life of Washington (1800) portrays George as a perfect role model for young Americans, demonstrative of the ideals and merits this country was founded upon. This particular story appears in the fifth edition of his book, published in 1806.
When Augustine Washington died in 1743, George received a small portion of his estate. The majority was passed to his older half-brothers. Lawrence, the oldest, inherited Mount Vernon. Sadly, he died in 1752 following a prolonged battle with tuberculosis; however, Lawrence was a beloved role model to George who helped advance his standing in society and drove his desire to enter military service.
George had plans to join the British Navy, but following the protests of his mother, Mary Ball Washington, he decided to pursue a career in surveying. He was mentored by long-time family friend George William Fairfax (whose family owned Belvoir Plantation neighboring Mount Vernon) and was appointed as the surveyor for Culpeper County in 1749. Washington left the surveying profession after a couple of years and in 1752, began his military career serving as a major in the Virginia militia.
In the autumn of 1753, Lieutenant Governor Robert Dinwiddie was growing increasingly wary of French settlers invading the Ohio Territory, land he believed belonged to Virginia and the English Crown. He organized a diplomatic expedition to the area to persuade the French to leave. Washington, despite having no background in the French language and neither any prior military nor diplomatic experience, enthusiastically volunteered to lead this mission in order to display his leadership and loyalty to Governor Dinwiddie and King George II.
Washington’s diplomatic party left Williamsburg on October 31, 1753, and reached Fort Le Boeuf on December 11. After a series of negotiations with French commander Jacques Le Gardeur, the settlers refused to leave. Disheartened by their failed efforts to dislodge the French, Washington’s party made the perilous journey back home through harsh winter weather and hazardous terrain. Washington kept a journal of his 900-mile, 2.5 month-long expedition and published his accounts with the French and the climate in The Journal of Major George Washington (1754). His Journal gained considerable notoriety in the Americas and Britain and significantly contributed to Washington’s increased celebrity.
In May 1754, Washington, now a lieutenant colonel, embarked on another journey to the Ohio. This time he was accompanied by members of his Virginia Regiment, twelve Mingo warriors, and their leader, Tanacharison (Half King). On the evening of May 27, 1754, Washington was informed of a French reconnaissance party near his camp. He decided to conduct a surprise attack and capture the French party the next day. On May 28, Washington’s troops took up positions along the bluffs overlooking the French encampment and waited to advance. Suddenly, gunfire erupted and the French were thrown into disarray. The skirmish lasted fifteen minutes and ended in the deaths of one Virginian and thirteen French, including commander Ensign Joseph Coulon de Villiers de Jumonville. How the engagement started and the manner of Jumonville’s demise are shrouded in mystery, but it was rumored that Half King axed a wounded Jumonville to death in a ritualistic fashion following the ceasefire. The controversial actions of Washington and his men at the Battle of Jumonville Glen were enough to ignite the beginnings of the French and Indian War.
Knowing retaliation was inevitable, Washington constructed Fort Necessity in the Great Meadow of the Ohio River Valley and requested the assistance of an additional 240 militiamen to defend its position. The fort was hastily constructed and quite vulnerable to attack, but Washington believed his force of 400 men could withstand a French assault until more British troops arrived.
When word of Jumonville Glen reached Fort Duquesne, French commander Claude-Pierre Pecaudy de Contrecoeur ordered Jumonville’s brother, Louis, to assail Fort Necessity with a force of 600 French-Canadians and 100 Native soldiers. French and Indian forces arrived in the Great Meadow on July 1 and attacked Washington’s position on July 3. Surrounded and hopelessly low on supplies, Washington was forced to surrender. The French drafted articles of capitulation that allowed British forces to return to Virginia in peace but placed blame of Jumonville’s “assassination” on Washington’s shoulders. With a poor understanding of French and misinterpretation of the document, Washington signed, unknowingly accepting responsibility for that event.
Washington’s surrender at Fort Necessity was far from his last military experience in the frontier. In the spring of 1755, Washington served as an aide to General Edward Braddock during his march to Fort Duquesne. On July 9, when Braddock’s army was only ten miles away from Fort Duquesne, his forces were ambushed by French and Indian troops in the disastrous Battle of the Monongahela. Of the 2600 British soldiers engaged in this fight, 977 were listed as casualties. Braddock himself was mortally wounded in the fighting. With the commander incapacitated, Washington took control of the shattered army and managed to organize a retreat, escaping complete annihilation, but not before having four bullets pierce his coat and two horses shot from underneath him. His heroic efforts at Monongahela earned Washington the rank of colonel and commander-in-chief of all Virginia forces by the Virginia General Assembly.
In 1758, Washington once again marched to Fort Duquesne, this time under the command of General John Forbes. Six thousand men took part in the Forbes Expedition to expel the French from the confluence of the Allegheny and Ohio Rivers. A series of minor engagements were fought between Forts Cumberland and Duquesne, each one resulting in British victory. On November 23, 1758, the French abandoned Fort Duquesne and burned it to the ground. The British had secured the Ohio River Valley.
Following the success of the Forbes Expedition, Washington emerged as one of the colonies’ first war heroes. While his public image gleamed, the British regular army failed to recognize his efforts and denied Washington full commission in the King’s Army. In lieu of the snub, Washington resigned from his position in late 1758 and returned to private life at Mount Vernon.
On January 6, 1759, he married a wealthy widow named Martha Dandridge Custis and became stepfather to her two children, John Parke and Patsy. The wealth Washington obtained through marriage allowed him to expand his plantation and achieve new standing in Virginia society. He became a Freemason and gained political office in the House of Burgesses.
Throughout the 1750s and 1760s, Washington studied several innovative farming techniques called “the New Husbandry,” cycling fields with livestock and cash crops. In 1766, Washington transitioned his main cash crop from tobacco to wheat, since it did not deplete the soil like tobacco nor was it taxed as heavily.
Following the French and Indian War, Britain heavily levied the American colonies in order to pay off the conflict’s expenses. Common household goods, such as tobacco, sugar, and tea, rose drastically in price. Many colonists, including Washington, protested vigorously against taxation without representation and boycotted of British goods. However, taxes continued to be imposed.
The unjust acts of King George III and Parliament prompted the colonies to go to war. The Second Continental Congress named Washington Commander-in-Chief of the newly-formed Continental Army on June 14, 1775. The Continental Army at this point in time was nothing more than a ragtag assembly of untrained state militias numbering roughly 5,000 men, whereas the British Army was arguably the most elite military force in the world—organized, disciplined, technologically-advanced, and ten times the strength of the Americans.
Washington’s first action during the War of Independence came in March 1776 when the Continental Army drove the remaining British troops from Boston, Massachusetts. However, later that August, 32,000 British troops under General William Howe landed on Staten Island, New York. Washington organized the New York Campaign to protect New York City from invasion but his army was driven back by superior British forces at the Battles of Long Island and Kip’s Bay. While they managed to claim victory at the Battle of Harlem Heights on September 16, 1776, the Continental Army continued to withdraw northward from its defenses of New York City, encountering a string of defeats along the way. The greatest defeat came on November 16, 1776, when the British army defeated Continental troops at Fort Washington, forcing the surrender of Colonel Robert Magaw and his 2,800 men. The last formidable defenses of New York had fallen and the city was effectively under British control. Washington and his shattered army fled across New Jersey and into Pennsylvania.
The relentless defeats of the New York Campaign were extremely demoralizing for the patriot cause and Washington knew he had to achieve a sound victory in order to continue the fight for independence. He saw an opportunity for such victory against Colonel Johann Rall’s Hessian troops stationed in Trenton, New Jersey. On Christmas night, 1776, Washington and 2,400 Continentals crossed the Delaware River and launched a daring surprise attack. The Hessians were taken completely by surprise, many of whom were still asleep in their tents after celebrating the Christmas holiday. The Continental Army swiftly invaded Trenton and forced the surrender of 900 enemy soldiers. Rall was mortally wounded in the engagement. Those who surrendered at the Battle of Trenton were taken prisoner and transported across the Delaware later that day.
When word of the Hessian surrender at Trenton reached British forces in New York, General Charles, the Earl Cornwallis, mobilized his 8,000-man army to engage the Continental forces. Washington, anticipating a strong British response, shuttled his army back across the Delaware again on December 30, 1776, and took up defensive positions along Assunpink Creek outside of Trenton.
On January 2, 1777, Cornwallis’s army arrived in Trenton and engaged the well-defended American positions in the Second Battle of Trenton. Cornwallis launched three successive assaults against the Continentals along Assunpink Creek, but the narrow bridges and fords congested the offensives and drove the Redcoats back, sustaining heavy loss of life.
Washington knew that while his men had defended their positions valiantly, they couldn’t hold them through another day of fighting, especially if Cornwallis flanked their lines. That night, Washington ordered campfires to create the illusion of activity while his army silently withdrew north toward Princeton. The Continental Army engaged Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mawhood’s 1,200 troops on January 3 during the Battle of Princeton and proved victorious once again, inflicting 230 casualties and capturing 300 enemy soldiers. Cornwallis was dumbfounded (to say the least) when he discovered the American camps at Trenton deserted the following morning. Washington’s keen maneuvering helped save the Continental Army from sure destruction and his victories at Trenton and Princeton helped revive morale, bolster enthusiasm for independence, and influence eventual French participation in the war.
After several years of guerilla warfare and espionage against British forces in New York, Washington mobilized his forces south in late summer 1781 to besiege Lord Cornwallis’s army at Yorktown, Virginia. Cornwallis was awaiting evacuation at the town’s port after a long and tiresome Southern Campaign. He didn’t realize, however, that the French navy had formed a blockade around the Chesapeake and soundly defeated the British navy earlier that September. While the Redcoats stood idle in Yorktown, French and American infantry forces under Marquis de Lafayette converged on the Virginia Peninsula and blocked Cornwallis’s only avenue of retreat. The British Army was essentially trapped.
The Siege of Yorktown began on September 14 and lasted for nearly a month. The combined Franco-American forces under Washington and Comte de Rochambeau slowly dislodged British infantry from Yorktown’s outer defenses and used artillery to bombard the British into submission. Cornwallis and his 7,000-man army surrendered on October 19, 1781. While the American victory at Yorktown didn’t end the war, it opened up a series of peace negotiations that culminated in the Treaty of Paris and American Independence in September 1783.
In March 1783, while negotiations were still ongoing, internal dissention between members of Congress and the Continental Army jeopardized everything the United States had achieved during the Revolutionary War. Dissatisfaction with Congress’s poor financial support and lack of regular pay impelled high-ranking officers to threaten a military coup against the governing body and crown Washington king, a plot known as the Newburgh Conspiracy. When Washington heard about this plan he intervened and delivered a powerful speech to his officers. As he read his address, Washington removed some reading glasses from his coat pocket and said, “Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray but almost blind in the service of my country.” The sentiment of Washington’s sacrifices for independence greatly moved his men and deterred them from pursuing the conspiracy.
Washington resigned his military commission as Commander-in-Chief on December 23, 1783, and returned to Mount Vernon in pursuit of a private life. His first order of business was to increase commerce and transportation opportunities on the Potomac River that extended into the frontier. On March 28, 1785, Washington hosted the Mount Vernon Conference where representatives from Maryland and Virginia discussed Potomac River navigation and economic rights. Out of the conference came the Mount Vernon Compact, a thirteen-point document that set the precedent for interstate cooperation, toll duties, commerce regulations, and fishing rights. The meeting also established the Patowmack Company—a partnership between Maryland and Virginia to build canals around the treacherous rapids of Great Falls. The commercial principles established during the Mount Vernon Conference influenced the economic tenets of the U.S. Constitution nearly three years later.
In the years following the Revolution, a young United States struggled to find its footing. The Articles of Confederation, our country’s first constitution, were incredibly ineffective, voiding national powers from issuing taxes, standardizing laws, and regulating commerce, among other abilities. In 1787, fifty-five delegates from twelve states convened in Philadelphia for a Constitutional Convention and asked Washington (who was in the midst of retirement) to preside over the meetings. He accepted the appointment and helped establish a new structure of government for the United States.
When the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1789, state representatives unanimously elected Washington to serve as the nation’s Chief Executive. Although Washington wanted to enjoy a quiet life of retirement, his dedication to the advancement of his country influenced him to accept the nomination. On April 30, 1789, Washington was sworn in as the first President of the United States at Federal Hall in New York City. Chancellor Robert Livingston issued the 35-word oath of office while Secretary of State Samuel Otis held the Bible under Washington’s right hand.
Washington served two terms as President and established a solid foundation of governance for the United States through numerous acts of legislation and policy, more than what one article can adequately describe in a concise manner. Instead, we’ll cover some of the major issues Washington faced during his presidential tenure and how he went about addressing them:
War Debt—the young United States faced economic disaster following the Revolution. American businesses were reeling from a post-war economy, infrastructure remained war-torn, and the Articles of Confederation did nothing to produce revenue nor repay debts owed to France and Britain. Washington instructed his Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, to develop a plan to rescue the American economy from total collapse. Hamilton presented an idea for a National Bank, which would give more power to federal government, stimulate investment, and regulate a national currency. Washington approved his Secretary’s proposal and signed the Bank Act of 1791, which chartered the First National Bank of the United States.
Supreme Court—in accordance with the U.S. Constitution, a governing judiciary body was needed to ensure balance of powers, protect constitutional rights, and uphold federal laws. Washington’s Judiciary Act of 1789 created a Supreme Court and named John Jay as its Chief Justice. His act also established the position of Attorney General, which was first held by Edmund Randolph.
Freedoms and Rights—Washington approved the Bill of Rights (the first ten amendments of the Constitution) on December 15, 1791. These amendments guaranteed American citizens personal liberties and unalienable rights, which addressed the concerns of Anti-Federalists who feared a strong central authority would abuse power and take advantage of the populace.
Slavery—as Washington aged, his view on slavery changed considerably. As a young man, he was indifferent to the institution and saw it necessary to foster economic and agricultural growth. However, as a General and a President, he found it difficult to justify slavery in a country founded on freedom and predicted that the institution would tear the country apart. Regional differences already presented in Congress. Southern delegates (who held considerable political power at the time) influenced Washington to pass the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, which made it a federal crime to aid and abed escaped slaves. The following year, Washington signed the Slave Trade Act, which restricted American vessels from participating in the Atlantic Slave Trade.
Westward Expansion—American settlers flooded the western frontier following independence. In doing so, they infringed upon Indian lands that were protected by British treaties created before their Revolutionary War defeat. Washington saw the volatility of the situation and diplomatically tried to find a middle ground. He issued the Proclamation of 1790, which reinforced the territorial agreements made with the Cherokee, Choctaw, and Chickasaw Indians, but had little efficacy on the settlers who continued to confiscate Indian lands. Violent struggles soon erupted across the frontier and Washington had no choice but to quell them. In 1794, he sent Major General “Mad” Anthony Wayne to the Northwest Territory to suppress the Indian rebellions and secure room for expansion. Wayne’s Legion of the United States engaged Indian and Canadian forces at the Battle of Fallen Timbers on August 20, 1794, and soundly routed the opposition. Wayne’s victory resulted in the Treaty of Greenville, which surrendered all Indian claims in the Ohio Territory to the United States.
Whiskey Rebellion—in January 1791, Congress passed a tax on distilled spirits, which placed great economic hardship on small western distilleries. Protesters in western Pennsylvania organized a revolt in mid-1794 that quickly turned violent. In response, Washington personally led 13,000 militiamen to quell the insurrection and enforce the national law. The rebels quickly disbanded following Washington’s arrival and this display of power reinforced the central authority of the federal government.
Britain—unsurprisingly, Britain held hostile attitudes towards the United States following the War for Independence. British troops still occupied forts in the western territories and Canada, preventing American expansion, and harassed U.S. vessels in the Atlantic. Not looking to get into another war, Washington sent John Jay to England to discuss diplomatic resolutions to the animosity. The result was Jay’s Treaty: Britain agreed to abandon forts in the Great Lakes region and open lines of trade between the British West Indies and the United States. It did not, however, resolve the issue of impressment (the forced conscription of American sailors into the British Navy) which made the agreement incredibly controversial.
France—in the 1790s, France was in the midst of its own revolution. The monarchy of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette had toppled and French diplomats requested the assistance of the United States to aid in their rebellion. The U.S. was unable to offer any support due to the Neutrality Proclamation of 1793 and the tenets of Jay’s Treaty in 1794. Needless to say, the French were outraged that the United States didn’t reciprocate their assistance during the Revolutionary War. In response, they sent diplomat Citizen Genet to the States to recruit privateers, exploit political divides, and undermine the Neutrality Act. When Washington found out about Genet’s deceptive undertaking, he denounced them and sent him back to France. The growing bitterness between the U.S. and France would lead to the “Quasi War” (1798 – 1800).
Party Politics—there was a growing divide in Washington’s Cabinet between Federalists and Anti-Federalists (later the Democratic-Republicans). In fact, Thomas Jefferson resigned from his position as Secretary of State due to embittered political disagreements with his colleague Alexander Hamilton. Differing political ideologies disseminated into the populace and were fostered by the creation of Democratic-Republican Societies. Federalists held the belief that these clubs promoted faction and would undermine political stability. Washington, who was never a proponent of party politics, agreed and publicly disparaged these societies arguing their divisiveness. He received abundant criticism and backlash for his comments and many of his constituents remarked that his outspokenness on political parties was his greatest fault.
On September 19, 1796, Washington issued his Farewell Address and declined a third term for the presidency. He outlined his vision for the country’s development and set the precedent for presidents to come. He retired to Mount Vernon later in 1797.
On December 12, 1799, Washington caught a cold while inspecting his farms at Mount Vernon. He returned that night in frigid, wet clothes and refused to change out of them before supper. The illness progressed over the next couple days to the point where Washington could barely talk. On December 14, Martha sent for the family physician, Dr. James Craik, who administered bleeding and blister treatments to no avail. Washington succumbed to a bacterial infection of the epiglottis later that evening.
In his will, Washington granted freedom to the 123 slaves he owned following his wife’s death (the other 194 slaves at Mount Vernon were either dower slaves belonging to the Custis family or borrowed from neighbors). He also made provisions for financial and educational support and established a permanent fund to provide clothing and food for those too elderly or sick to support themselves upon emancipation. Children who were too young or without parent were placed under guardianship of the state, taught how to read and write, and apprenticed in a “useful occupation.” George Washington hoped that other American slaveholders would follow his example—he was the only founding father to grant freedom to his slaves after death. On January 1, 1801, Martha freed Washington’s slaves. She would pass nearly a year-and-a-half later on May 22, 1802.
MOUNT VERNON HISTORIC SITE
Mount Vernon was originally called Little Hunting Creek Plantation, a 1.5-story home built by George’s father, Augustine. The estate was inherited by Lawrence Washington in 1743 following his father’s death and renamed Mount Vernon in honor of Lawrence’s naval commander Admiral Edward Vernon. Lawrence died of tuberculosis in 1752 and left to his daughter, Sarah, who died two years later. Anne Fairfax Washington, Lawrence’s widow, obtained rights to the property and leased it out George in 1754. When Anne died in 1761, George Washington formally inherited the estate.
Washington constantly expanded Mount Vernon over his 45 years of residence. In 1754, Mount Vernon was a 3,500 square-foot house situated on 3,000 acres of land. By 1799, the house had grown into an 11,000 square-foot mansion on 7,600 acres of land.
Mount Vernon remained in the Washington household following George’s death until 1853, when John Augustine Washington III (George’s great-grandnephew) sold the estate to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association (MVLA) for $200,000. The MVLA made great efforts to restore the estate to its colonial glory and save it from the destruction of the Civil War. Both Union and Confederate soldiers visited the property, but were asked to lay down their arms before entering. The MVLA’s dedication to preservation and historical accuracy has helped maintain Mount Vernon’s significance and grandeur for over 165 years, making it one of the most-visited historical landmarks in the nation.
The $20 admission to Mount Vernon is well worth the cost. It’s not just a mansion, but an entire complex of farms, outbuildings, museums, trails, restaurants, shops, and so much more! Every admission comes with a timed ticket tour of the Mansion House, so make sure you are in line to tour the house on time. Otherwise, you are free to stroll the grounds and see the sights Mount Vernon has to offer.
I had a few hours between when I arrived and when my tour was scheduled, so I decided to explore the property as much as I could. I started at the Bowling Green—a well-manicured level lawn—and proceeded left to the Upper Gardens, which reflect the naturalistic styles of English floriculture with strict symmetry and simple geometric lines. The area also contains a greenhouse for tropical vegetation and Washington’s botanical/experimental garden—a testing area for exotic plants where Washington would observe and record sproutings and characteristics of growth.
Adjacent to the Upper Garden are the Slave Quarters—separated into men’s and women’s wards—the Gardener’s House, Blacksmith Shop, and Shoemaker’s Shop. The female slaves who lived in these quarters performed sewing, cooking, and laundry duties for the household while the men mainly worked as servants, craftsmen, and laborers. In 1799, about 87 of the 318 slaves at Mount Vernon worked as house servants for the Washingtons while more than 200 others were housed in cabins on the property’s outlying farms.
Across the Mansion Circle is the Kitchen—built separate from the Mansion to reduce the risk of fire—and the Kitchen (Lower) Gardens, which was overseen by Martha Washington. The Kitchen Gardens have been continuously cultivated since the 1760s and produce a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and herbs from colonial times.
Down the road from the Kitchen and its garden are the Smokehouse, Wash House, and Clerk’s Quarters. To the left of these buildings are a unique architectural feature called ‘Ha-Ha Walls.’ These brick walls were built on a sloped terrain, even with the top level of the Mansion lawn, and used to keep farm animals away from the Mansion without obstructing the view of the pastoral landscape. Ha-Ha Walls are believed to be named as such because it’s easy to stumble over them without being aware!
At the edge of the Ha-Ha Walls are the Ice House and Old Vault—the original interment building for George and Martha Washington and twenty other family members. In 1831, their bodies were reinterred in the New Tomb located a couple hundred yards south. Many visitors take the opportunity to lay down wreaths or roses and pay their respects at this founding father’s final resting place.
From the New Tomb, you can take a short path to the Slave Memorial, which marks the area of a slave graveyard. In 1929, the MVLA dedicated a monument to the memory of the unknown slaves buried there—believed to be the first commemoration to recognize enslaved dead. No records exist that account the exact number of slaves buried in the graveyard, but historians estimate between 100 and 150 are currently interred. The current monument there was dedicated in 1983.
It’s a short downhill walk from the gravesites to the Wharf. Washington owned a profitable fishing business on the Potomac River and operated three fisheries along its shore. These operations would sometimes turn more profit than his cash crop cultivation. During peak seasons, the fisheries would catch more than 1 million fish from the river in a matter of weeks. The current wharf was constructed in 1860 by engineer Montgomery C. Meigs, one of the architects for Arlington Cemetery and the U.S. Capitol Dome.
Bordering the wharf is the Pioneer Farm at Dogue Run. This living history area demonstrates life at Mount Vernon’s outlying farms and some of Washington’s experimental agricultural techniques. At the end of the Farm is the Sixteen-Sided Barn, an innovative grain processing and storage building. Originally constructed between 1792 and 1795, this two-story barn contains a top-level circular treading floor that was powered by horses and mules to process the grain. As the wheat was processed, seeds would fall from the stalk through the gaps in the floor and into the granary below, which significantly increased efficiency compared to manual processing.
After finishing my tour of the grounds, it was time to tour the Mansion House. While waiting in line, I had the prolonged opportunity to appreciate the detailed architecture of the house. The outside of the mansion is decorated with wood siding made to look like stone, a stylistic effect called rustication. Wooden panels were cut and beveled to resemble stone blocks and coated with a mixture of paint and sand to create a stone-like texture. A fascinating effect for a magnificent house.
The tour group made its way through the Servant’s Hall and into the New Room to begin the tour. The New Room was constructed between 1776 and 1787 as part of Washington’s final expansion project and features two-story-high ceilings, ornate molding, and extremely fine furnishings. We then walked out onto the Piazza—arguably the most distinctive architectural feature of the mansion—overlooking the Potomac.
From the Piazza, we reentered the mansion’s Central Passage and observed the parlor rooms: the Front Parlor, the Little Parlor, and the West Parlor. The Front Parlor is an elaborately-decorated room that served as the primary formal entertaining space and displayed Martha Washington’s portrait collection. The Little Parlor was originally a first-floor bed chamber that was converted into a music and family room while the West Parlor served as public entertaining space. Adjacent to the parlors are the Old Chamber—a ground-floor guest bedroom—and the Dining Room, which is painted in a stunning verdigris green.
The tour continued upstairs to the second floor where the majority of the bedchambers are located, each one decorated in a unique style. The Lafayette Room (the chambers where Marquis de Lafayette is believed to have stayed) is furnished in late-18th century French fashion while the neighboring Chintz room is inspired by Eastern cultures. At the end of the second floor is Washington’s Bedchamber, the room where he died in 1799. We finished the tour in Washington’s Study located directly beneath his bedchambers. This was Washington’s escape from the public eye where he could write correspondence and enjoy some leisurely reading in peace. In all, the Mansion tour took about a half-hour to complete.
After touring the Mansion and its grounds, you can take a shuttle to the Distillery and Gristmill located a just few miles away. The gristmill was originally constructed in 1771 and was capable of producing 5,000 – 8,000 pounds of flour per day. It fell into disrepair in the 1840s and was torn down in 1850. The current gristmill was reconstructed in 1932.Washington’s distillery was constructed in 1797 and operated by Scotsman James Anderson. What started as a small operation quickly transformed into one of the nation’s biggest distilleries by 1799, producing nearly 11,000 gallons of whiskey. However, the production didn’t last long as the facility drastically reduced operations following Washington’s death. It was burned down in 1814. The distillery site was excavated by archaeologists between 1999 and 2006 and the current building was constructed in 2007.
Mount Vernon is a fantastic getaway from the hustle and bustle of Washington D.C. and an extraordinary opportunity to learn more about the Father of Our Country! It offers insightful analyses into Washington's public and private lives and accurately portrays the functions and attitudes of his plantation community. Mount Vernon's history, architecture, and agriculture are all incredibly enlightening and entertaining, making it a must-visit destination for anyone in the Washington Metropolitan Area.


Grief is a natural response to loss, particularly the death of a close family member or friend. It encompasses a range of emotions, from deep sadness to anger, and can manifest differently in everyone. On the other hand, guilt is a feeling of remorse or responsibility for a perceived wrongdoing, whether rational or irrational. In the context of losing a loved one, guilt often arises from thoughts like “I should have done more” or “I could have prevented this.”
The Interplay of Grief and Guilt
For many, grief and guilt are intertwined, creating a complex emotional landscape. You might find positive thoughts overshadowed by negative thoughts, leading to heightened levels of guilt. This guilt when grieving is not uncommon and can manifest as feelings of guilt about things left unsaid or undone.
Coping with guilt while grieving requires understanding that these feelings, whether rational or irrational, are a normal part of the mourning process. Thought stopping techniques can be helpful in managing obsessive negative thoughts. This involves consciously stopping a negative thought and replacing it with a more positive or rational one.
Mental Health and Grief-Related Guilt
The impact of grief and guilt on mental health cannot be overstated. Prolonged feelings of guilt can lead to emotional exhaustion and complicate the grieving process. It’s important to acknowledge these emotions and, if necessary, seek professional help to navigate through them.
Grief is Not a One-Size-Fits-All Experience
Everyone’s experience with grief is unique. Some may primarily feel sadness, while others might experience guilt more intensely. Understanding that there is no “right” way to grieve is crucial. Allow yourself to feel without judgment, whether it’s grief, guilt, or a combination of both.
Finding Support in Community
Joining a support group can be incredibly beneficial. Sharing your experiences with others who understand can make you feel less isolated and provide perspectives that help you cope with guilt and grief. The Grief Works app, inspired by Julia Samuel’s insights, offers a supportive community for those in mourning. It’s a space where you can share your feelings, learn from others’ experiences, and find solace in knowing you’re not alone.
Amidst the turmoil of grief and guilt, finding positive thoughts can be a lifeline. Focusing on good memories, honoring the loved one’s life, and engaging in activities that bring joy can help balance the negative thoughts that often accompany grief.
Guilt: Rational or Irrational?
It’s vital to discern between rational and irrational guilt. Rational guilt stems from something you did or didn’t do that realistically could have changed the outcome. Irrational guilt, however, is based on things beyond your control. Recognizing this difference can alleviate unnecessary self-blame.
To overcome feelings of guilt, start by acknowledging them. Understand that guilt is a common part of grieving and doesn’t diminish the love you had for the deceased. Practicing self-compassion and engaging in self-care activities are crucial steps in this journey.
Experience Guilt but Don’t Dwell in It
While it’s normal to experience guilt during grief, dwelling in these feelings can be harmful. Thought stopping, mindfulness, and focusing on positive memories can help shift your focus. Remember, experiencing guilt doesn’t mean you’re at fault; it’s a natural response to loss.
Healing from grief and guilt is a journey. It involves acknowledging your feelings, seeking support, and finding ways to remember your loved one. The Grief Works app can be a part of this journey, offering resources and a community to help you navigate these challenging emotions.
In the end, it’s not about which is worse, grief or guilt, but how we handle these emotions. Both are natural responses to loss and can coexist. By understanding them, seeking support, and finding ways to cope, we can navigate our way through this difficult time. The Grief Works app is a tool that can support you on this journey, helping you find your way back to a place of peace and acceptance.
Remember, you are not alone in your grief and guilt. With the right tools and support, you can find a path forward, one where memories bring comfort, not pain, and where you can honor your loved one in a way that brings healing to your heart.


Backlighting is the method that deprives the objects being shot the light they need to be clearly seen. And yet, in some instances, it can create a compelling result. Here the backlight rakes the rear and surface, providing a textured backdrop. And enough light is bounced from the arch above and to the right to provide a modest amount of sidelight, defining the teapots that form the subject.
The familiarity of these pots mean that less lighting is actually more, modeling them dramatically, and making them an interesting study, instead of the obvious objects they would be with more typical lighting. This is the very type of lighting that artists sometimes use to light subjects for still life studies in charcoal or ink. The result is a photograph echoing a hand-drawn black and white still life. A touch of warmth in the image color, mostly to the upper right, and a cooler “light leak” mostly on the lower left add a color range to the otherwise monochrome image.
C. David Tobie


Birdsong learning was admittedly my favorite area of neuroscience as a young scientist, not only because of the auditory aesthetic of chirping canaries, but also because the way juvenile songbirds learn to sing is intriguingly similar to how humans learn to speak. Thus I’m moved to give special notice to a paper in PLoS Biology by Sebastian Haesler, Constance Sharff and colleagues. This new study confirms in genetic detail the parallels between singing birds and human language.
A genetically determined speech abnormality has been linked to a transcription factor FoxP2, and this gene’s function is believed to be important in the basal ganglia of the brain. FOXP2 is also expressed in the basal ganglia of canaries and zebrafinches at a time when these birds learn their songs, providing an intriguing suggestion of its importance for song learning as well. Now, Haesler et al. accomplished the technical feat of knocking down FoxP2 (using RNAi) in the basal ganglia before zebrafinches start to imitate songs from adult tutors. With FoxP2 experimentally altered, these birds experienced a host of problems imitating their tutors, including high variability in the acoustic structure of the song and duration of the syllables. This is akin to developmental verbal dyspraxia seen in children that have inherited a version of FoxP2 with a chromosomal translocation.
The importance of understanding language difficulties is not lost on me, especially now that I have a bubbly, babbly 10-month-old son who already echoes my words (he clearly said “chicken” last night during dinner). Although the translational benefit is yet unclear, this new experimental insight only reinforces what the field has inferred based on behavior: that hopefully what we learn from our feathered friends really will teach us something profound about human language as well.


The role of the artist initially explored techniques to communicate the plume prediction model designed by the UNRESP team to multiple audiences, including the local population of El Panama, a community based at the foot of the Masaya volcano.
Using a 3D printed model of the Masaya volcano and surrounding area, we utilised projection mapped videos of the volcanic plume’s location over google earth images. Through experiential storytelling techniques, we connected El Panama’s location, with the date, time to communicate the location of the plume and meaningful impacts on the population and agriculture.
As the research develops, the role of the artist has evolved into co-designing cultural strategies; techniques and methodologies for meaningful, mass engagement and dissemination. Working alongside co-investigators and others collaborators from the artistic and creative communities to develop novel funding strategies. The role also reflects and observes the nature of interdisciplinary collaborative practice between the diverse team including the local Nicaraguan community.
The featured image is from UNRESP open day in the community of El Panama and shows children interacting with an animation of vumo projected a 3D model of Masaya volcano
Art work is led by
Dave Lynch, University of Leeds


New: check out my website for Landscape Astrophotography!
What is Landscape Astrophotography? Here is my take on it!
Landscape Astrophotography is the discipline of photographing scenes that include both astronomical elements and terrestrial landscape elements. The motivation for landscape astrophotography is a desire to depict the night sky, including stars, planets, comets, meteors, the Milky Way galaxy, space dust and our Moon among other elements, along with some recognizable piece of planet Earth. This approach differs from the classic “deep space” images that, for instance, NASA produces, since those typically show nothing of the Earth and are thus disconnected from the type of scenes we experience when we view the night sky ourselves. In my landscape astrophotography, I choose to use lenses and compositional choices that produce an image similar to what the viewer would experience with his own eyes. A few details that characterize landscape astrophotography, both mine and the way I believe most photographers practice it today. Landscape astrophotographs:
- are made at night, or at the edge of night (dawn and dusk).
- use exposures “long enough” to record relatively dim objects in the night sky. Almost all landscape astrophotography involves the use of a tripod.
- sometimes employ artificial light on foreground elements in a technique known as “light painting”.
- sometimes will combine, or “stack”, multiple images to produce a final image. Naturally, in this case the resulting image is not what one would have been able to see in person, but the image can serve to illustrate the passage of time (e.g., star trails) or a relatively infrequent phenomenon (e.g., meteor shower).
- often use relatively high ISO settings. This is made possible by the recent technological improvements in the sensitivity and noise characteristics of digital camera sensor.
- often will use lenses “wide open”, or at or near their maximum aperture, in order to capture as much light as possible.
- use focus that is typically near or at infinity so depth of field is not an issue.
- benefit from maximum corner sharpness and minimal coma distortion, at or near “wide open” aperture — two highly desirable lens characteristics for landscape astrophotography.
- require considerable post-processing techniques in software such as Photoshop, Lightroom and Starstax to adjust white balance, contrast, exposure and especially noise.
- often will push a digital camera to the edge of what it is capable of recording. This means that as the technological capabilities of our cameras continue to improve, new possibilities in landscape astrophotography continue to emerge.
Below are few of my favorite landscape astrophotographs, made during the last two years with both Canon and Nikon equipment, all in California, Nevada and Utah. If you like these, please see my gallery of landscape astrophotography for others. All of my astrophotography landscape images are available as prints for display in your home or office, up to 30″ x 45″ in size, and have been some of my best sellers recently. Cheers, and thanks for looking!
The moon sets over the Fire Wave, a beautiful sandstone formation exhibiting dramatic striations, striped layers in the geologic historical record.
Image ID: 26511
Location: Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, USA


If you've been feeling depressed, and the feelings interfere with your ability to enjoy life, be active, and be productive at work, consider seeing a psychologist. A psychologist has been trained to treat depression using various techniques, and by using what you learn, you might be able to manage your depression and overcome it. Here are times to seek help for your depression and what a psychologist might do.
Times To Seek Help With Depression
Depression can happen at any time in response to life events such as the loss of a loved one or the birth of a baby. Depression can also settle in after a life trauma such as a loss of a job, financial ruin, loss of property in a natural disaster, or after being a victim of a crime.
Sometimes, you can't point to a reason for being depressed. You might just feel sad all the time, be fatigued, and isolate yourself from others. Depression might even be caused by an imbalance of neurotransmitters in your brain and have a physical cause. Any time you feel overcome with depression that doesn't go away, consider seeing a professional for help.
Treatments Your Psychologist Might Provide
You might try talk therapy because talking about your problems often makes them seem more manageable. Having someone listen to your feelings and not judge you can take a weight off your shoulders. However, your psychologist may do more than just listen. They may also teach you how to manage your thinking with cognitive behavioral therapy.
With CBT, you learn to recognize negative thoughts so you can stop them and substitute more pleasant thoughts. Negative thinking can perpetuate feelings of depression, and although it's often difficult to control your thoughts, it's a useful skill to learn.
Your psychologist can help you pinpoint events in your life that contribute to your depression and then have you consider other ways of responding to the events rather than resort to habitual dark thinking. You may take things personally or always see doom and gloom when more positive thoughts could be more realistic and help improve your depression.
Since CBT is about learning new coping skills, you may see quicker progress with your depression than just talking alone. However, talk therapy and other types of therapy can also be beneficial, and your psychologist will decide on the right type of treatment for you.
You might also be encouraged to exercise more and eat a healthier diet when you're battling depression. Getting started on change is often the hardest part, but once you make the commitment to improve your mental health and learn coping skills in therapy, you may notice a gradual improvement in your thinking and feelings even though your circumstances are still in turmoil or you're dealing with grief.
Contact a local psychologist to learn more.


Yes, the heat in our brutal summer months can also drain your vehicle battery. We often think winter is the season when batteries go dead but excessive heat and overcharging shorten the life of a battery. Heat causes battery fluid to evaporate, and that causes internal damage.
What drains a car battery?
Most of us know accidentally leaving your lights on can cause your vehicle battery to drain quickly. Just like your home chargers and electrical gadgets, cords plugged into walls will pull electricity when they are not plugged into devices. When you’re not charging your cell phone or other devices you should disconnect them from power outlets.
Can an Alarm System drain a battery?
Well, it depends. An alarm system may be a culprit in draining your battery because of improper installation or incompatibility with your vehicle electrical system. Aftermarket stereo systems if not properly installed can go into sleep mode and be draining amps while waiting for a wake up signal from your electrical system when you turn it back on.
How can I make my battery last longer?
Keep the top of the battery clean. Grime and dirt from inside your engine can become a conductor, which drains battery power. If corrosion accumulates on battery terminals, it becomes an insulator and inhibits the current flow. Its best to leave this to an automotive professional, because they have the tools and knowledge to safely inspect and test your battery.
How do I clean my car battery?
Be very careful when cleaning your vehicle battery. You can wipe off dirt with damp rags or lightly scrub off corrosion with a wire brush. However, battery fluids can cause chemical burns and only a professional should handle battery fluids and corrosion. If your battery is severely corroded please have your trusted automotive technician inspect, clean and test the battery. Corrosion from battery fluids will destroy wiring, causing safety issues as well as performance problems like hard starts. The test will let you know how much voltage (percentage) is left. Newer batteries which have low voltage can often be recharged. When a battery reaches four to five years old it may be time to replace.
Before you get ready for your summer road trips, schedule a pre-trip inspection with one of our locations. We will inspect fluids like coolant, brake, steering, and transmission, as well as your battery, tires, brakes, hoses, belts and other parts for wear or damage. When you get a recommendation for maintenance or repair ask the technician to take you to your vehicle and be shown the damaged part or corroded fluid. We will be happy to show you what we’ve found and thoroughly explain the maintenance or repair service.


Newly released data on income and poverty suggest that the recent economic downturn hit lower-income families disproportionately. The latest Census Bureau report found that poverty began rising and median family income started falling in 2001, confirming what many of us have always known: The key to improved living standards for the bottom half was, and is, full employment.
After tumbling through the latter half of the 1990s, the unemployment rate hit a 30-year low of 4 percent in 2000. With the onset of recession, it reversed course and climbed to 4.8 percent in 2001.
Now, 4.8 percent doesn't sound that bad. Most economists used to think that you couldn't get below 6 percent unemployment without triggering dangerous inflation. But from the new data we learn that the 0.8 percent increment in unemployment led to higher poverty, less income for the typical middle-class family and a return to the 1980s and early 1990s pattern of highly unequal income growth.
In one sense, this reversal of economic fortune isn't entirely unexpected; that's what recessions do. But the new information stands in stark contrast to the impressive progress of the latter 1990s. During that boom, as we stress in our latest edition of The State of Working America, gains were broadly shared for the first time in decades.
The lesson is not just that booms are great and recessions are lousy. It's that broadly shared prosperity requires full employment. During the boom years of 1995-2000, everyone gained some but the most affluent gained more. Yet with a mild increase in unemployment in 2001, everyone lost except for the top fifth, much like in the bad old 1980s.
Those who lack historical context will just blame the temporary downturn. But the fact is that the economy of the latter half of the 1990s was truly unique. From the late 1970s through the mid-1990s, the increasing inequality and stagnant living standards that beset lower-income families seemed inexorable, a trend widely ascribed, by liberals and conservatives alike, to a general lack of skills in a high-tech, globalized economy. The numbers supported this view: The real family income of low-income families was stuck at about $22,000 in 1979, 1989 and 1995.
But in the late 1990s, this pattern changed. By 2000 low-income families were up to about $25,000, a 12 percent real increase in five years. Middle-income families likewise added far more real income in 1995-2000 than they did during the whole of the 1980s.
The source of this growth was near-full employment, with the increased bargaining power that tight labor markets always provide workers. Casting even further doubt on the notion that skills pure and simple are the key to income, the strong growth of this period provided the biggest boost to the worst off. Minority-family incomes grew by 16 percent for African-American families and a remarkable 25 percent for Hispanic families, about 5 percent per year in real terms from 1995 to 2000. White-family incomes grew at a slower rate -- 11 percent -- meaning that racial income gaps closed significantly during this period.
Black and Hispanic poverty fell 7 percentage points and 9 percentage points, respectively, signaling historic lows in both cases, compared with a 1 percentage point drop for whites. For young black children, poverty fell more than 16 percentage points, by far the best performance period since we've been tracking such data, implying that the gains over this period were particularly important to low-income working parents. Conservatives, of course, want to assign these gains to welfare reform, but reams of research show that while the policy pushed people into the labor market, it was growth (and not newly gained skills) that got them jobs.
Hold your fire, New Democrats. Nobody is saying that skills aren't important. One of the most reliable findings in labor economics is that more education equals higher earnings, and the payback has grown over time. But something else was going on: The economy grew more quickly during this period than it had in years, and the Federal Reserve let unemployment fall well below the rate that most economists warned would spur an inflation spiral. It's true that bubbly speculation and rogue accounting drove some of the growth, but that only casts doubt on some of the sources of growth; its impact, which is what matters, is without question.
For the first time since the 1960s, we tapped what Dean Baker and I (in our forthcoming book) call the 4/2 solution: 4 percent unemployment and 2 percent productivity growth.
For the bottom half of the workforce to get a piece of the action, two factors have to be in place. First, the economy has to expand faster than has been the norm during the past 30 years, and second, the labor market's got to be tight enough to ensure that those whose weak bargaining power had previously prevented them from receiving their fair share of the growth are now in a much better bargaining position. In the latter half of the 1990s, productivity growth (which in turn drives much of economic growth) climbed to about 2.5 percent per year, a change that appears to be sticking. And the labor market finally tightened up to the point where employers had to raise wages to keep or expand their workforce.
Our research shows that without productivity growth in the 2 percent neighborhood and unemployment around 4 percent, we can't expect much improvement in living standards for the bottom half. The poverty and income results for 2001 bear this out: Unemployment was 4.8 percent, productivity growth was 1.1 percent.
There is a real and terribly disconcerting lack of urgency about getting back to the full-employment conditions of the latter half of the 1990s. Remember, from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s, productivity growth was just 1.4 percent and unemployment averaged 6.9 percent. And note that the Congressional Budget Office still thinks full employment is 5.2 percent. In other words, unless we take action, we are unlikely to tap the 4/2 solution anytime soon.
There are at least two main reasons for the lack of urgency about returning to strong growth. First, national policy makers are focusing on the war with Iraq, which serves as a distraction. But it's the second reason that angers those of us who were so enthralled by the benefits of full employment for that brief patch of good years after so much stagnation. This is the ceaseless and sole emphasis on supply-side economics: the notion that while fast growth and low unemployment are desirable, the only way to get there is by cutting taxes if you're a Republican and promoting skills and training if you're a Democrat.
In this view, economic performance reflects supply -- either the supply of capital or the supply of human skills.
To go over to the other side -- you can call it the demand side, but it's really more than that -- you've got to be willing to mess with markets. You need to embrace the conviction that there are times when the invisible hand needs a solid nudge in the right direction.
One key policy player is the Federal Reserve, and Alan Greenspan and company did show their willingness to redefine low unemployment in the latter half of the 1990s. The Fed should push interest rates down further now, though it probably wouldn't help much. What's holding back the current economy is not the price of capital; our industrial capacity is not constrained, and there are certainly plenty of underutilized workers. Thus, the Fed finds itself in the uncharacteristic position of not being able to do much to stimulate growth.
What's lacking is what John Maynard Keynes called "animal spirits" among consumers and particularly investors. The former kept buying despite the recession, but with their confidence low and falling, their jobs less secure and their debts deeper than a few years ago, don't expect much of a bang from consumption. And until investors see more folks coming in the door to buy the products, there won't be many sparks from that sector, either.
When the private sector is failing to generate the growth needed to lower unemployment and tap the benefits therein, the federal government needs to step up to the plate and spend some money to make up the difference. If this means deficits -- as is the case now -- that's fine (in fact, you can't offset this spending by cutting elsewhere; that's not stimulative). This is just the time for it, and for those pikers who can't stomach deficit spending, a temporary jolt may be all that's needed.
The Bush administration occasionally pretends to see the need for fiscal stimulus, but its heart's not in it. The first installment of the tax cut did provide some lift, but it was too regressive -- tilted to the wealthy -- to either stave off the downturn or generate much growth thereafter. And in general, tax cuts are too leaky relative to spending programs; they can be saved (especially if they're tilted toward the rich) or spent on imports.
In an earlier TAP piece and more recently in Senate testimony, Economic Policy Institute President Larry Mishel made the case for federal spending based on a broad set of unmet needs, including improvements in our national infrastructure (with an emphasis on school renovation), extended unemployment insurance and fiscal relief to strapped states. In each case, the administration of these spending programs is either in place or easily managed. This brand of public spending is simply a better stimulus -- and also better distributed -- than Bush-style tax cuts. We've also stressed the importance of a lower dollar and higher minimum wage (see our Web site at www.epinet.org for the relevant papers).
What these interventions all share is a willingness to intervene in the market system, alter prices and directly boost demand. But they don't have champions on Capitol Hill. Few Democrats are willing to invoke the need for new social spending. The current deficits are driven mainly by tax cuts and by the military buildup, and, as the current slow-growth recovery reminds us, they clearly haven't done the trick. Most Democrats are reluctant to give comfort to this brand of deficit, so they make the mistake of attacking deficit spending per se. The larger problem here is a general failure to acknowledge the limits of unfettered markets and to appreciate the vital importance of truly full employment.
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The utility of EVs may go beyond just serving as a mode of transport however, they may actually serve as a valuable resource for the electrical grid. Is the same true for electric ships?
Batteries in EVs need to be charged periodically. This is easily done by simply plugging the vehicle into a charging station. Once connected to the charging station, energy flows from the electrical grid to the EV’s battery. This is what is referred to as ‘grid-to-vehicle’.
Read the full story here


This Week in Petroleum History, March 12 to March 18
March 12, 1912 – Tom Slick makes First of Many Oilfield Discoveries
Once known as “Dry Hole Slick,” independent producer Thomas B. Slick discovered a giant oilfield on his way to becoming far better known as Oklahoma’s King of the Wildcatters. His No. 1 Wheeler uncovered the Drumright-Cushing oilfield, which produced for the next 35 years, reaching 330,000 barrels of oil a day at its peak. Slick then began an 18-year streak of discovering some of America’s most prolific fields in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas.
During the Greater Seminole Oil Boom, Slick secured leases and drilled successful wells in oilfields at Tonkawa, Papoose, and Seminole. The gushers often proved spectacular: No. 4 Eakin well – 10,000 barrels of oil per day; No. 1 Laura Endicott well – 4,500 barrels of oil per day; No. 1 Walker well – 5,000 barrels of oil per day; and No. 1 Franks well – 5,000 barrels of oil per day.
By 1929, Slick was the largest independent operator in the United States with a net worth up to $100 million. By 1930, in the Oklahoma City field alone, he completed 30 wells with the capacity to produce 200,000 barrels of oil daily. Stories of his business acumen grew with his fortune. His death from a stroke in August 1930 at age 46 ended a remarkable oilfield career.
March 12, 1914 – Last Coal Powered U.S. Battleship Commissioned
The U.S.S. Texas, the last American battleship built with coal-fired boilers, was commissioned in 1914. Coal-burning boilers, which produced dense smoke and created tons of ash, required the Navy to maintain coaling stations worldwide. Coaling ship was a major undertaking and early battleships carried about 2,000 tons with a crew of “coal passers.”
Dramatic improvement in efficiency came when the Navy began adopting fuel oil boilers. By 1916, the Navy had commissioned its first two capital ships with oil-fired boilers, the U.S.S. Nevada and the U.S.S. Oklahoma. To resupply them, “oilers” were designed to transfer fuel while at anchor, although underway replenishment was soon possible in fair seas.
The U.S.S. Texas was converted to burn fuel oil in 1925. The “Big T” – today the Battleship Texas State Historic Site docked on the Houston Ship Channel – was the first battleship declared to be a U.S. National Historic Landmark. Learn more in Petroleum and Sea Power.
March 12, 1943 – Secret Mission sends Roughnecks to Sherwood Forest
A top-secret team of 42 American drillers, derrickmen, roustabouts, and motormen boarded the troopship HMS Queen Elizabeth. They were volunteers from two Oklahoma companies, Noble Drilling and Fain-Porter Drilling.
Their mission was to drill wells in England’s Sherwood Forest and help relieve the crisis caused by German submarines sinking Allied oil tankers. Four rotary drilling rigs were shipped on separate transport ships. One of the ships was sunk by a U-Boat.
With the future of Great Britain depending on petroleum supplies, the Americans used Yankee ingenuity to drill an average of one well per week. Their secret work added vital oil to fuel the British war effort. Read the little-known story of the Roughnecks of Sherwood Forest.
March 12, 1968 – Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay Oilfield Discovered
Two hundred and fifty miles north of the Arctic Circle, Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay oilfield was discovered by Richfield Oil (ARCO) and Humble Oil Company (Exxon).
The Prudhoe Bay State No. 1 exploratory well arrived more than six decades after the first Alaska oil well. It followed Richfield Oil’s discovery of the Swanson River oilfield on the Kenai Peninsula in 1957. At more than 213,000 acres, the Prudhoe Bay field was the largest oilfield in North America, surpassing the 140,000 acre East Texas oilfield discovery of October 1930.
Prudhoe Bay’s remote location prevented oil production beginning in earnest until 1977, after completion of the 800-mile Trans-Alaska Pipeline. The field’s production exceeded an average rate of one million barrels of oil a day by March 1978, according to the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. It peaked in January 1987 at more than 1.6 million barrels of oil per day.
March 13, 1974 – OPEC ends Oil Embargo
A five-month oil embargo against the United States was lifted by Arab members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), a cartel formed in 1960.
The embargo, imposed in response to America supplying the Israeli military during the October 1973 Yom Kippur War, created gasoline shortages, prompting President Richard M. Nixon to propose and Congress approve voluntary rationing and a ban of gas sales on Sundays.
OPEC ended the embargo after Secretary of State Henry Kissinger negotiated an Israeli troop withdrawal from parts of the Sinai.
March 14, 1909 – Lake View Gusher of California
The Lake View well in California’s Midway-Sunset oilfield erupted oil at dawn. The San Joaquin Valley had experienced a lot of gushers, including the Shamrock Gusher in 1896 and the 1909 Midway Gusher.
“But none of these wells came close to rivaling the Lakeview No. 1 which flowed, uncapped and untamed, at 18,000 barrels a day for 18 months in 1910 and 1911,” notes one San Joaquin Valley geologist.
The Lakeview No. 1 discovery, which became America’s most famous gusher after Spindletop Hill in 1901, was brought under control by October 1910. The “ram-type” blowout preventer to seal well pressure was invented in 1922.
March 16, 1914 – “Main Street” Oil Well completed
A well completed in 1914 produced oil from about 1,770 feet beneath Barnsdall, Oklahoma. Ripley’s Believe It or Not someday will proclaim the well the “World’s Only Main Street Oil Well.”
The Osage County town, originally called Bigheart for Osage Chief James Bigheart, was renamed in 1922 for Theodore Barnsdall, owner of the Barnsdall Refining Company, which today is a wax refinery owned by Baker Hughes, a GE Company. The well site was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
March 17, 1890 – Sunoco begins in Ohio
The Peoples Natural Gas Company, founded four years earlier by Joseph Pew and Edward Emerson to provide natural gas to Pittsburgh, expanded to become the Sun Oil Company of Ohio.
At the turn of the century, the company had acquired promising leases near Findlay and entered the business of “producing petroleum, rock and carbon oil, transporting and storing same, refining, purifying, manufacturing such oil and its various products.”
In the 1920s, the company marketed Sunoco Motor Oil and opened service stations in Ohio and Pennsylvania. It got in the oilfield equipment business in 1929, forming Sperry-Sun, a joint venture with Sperry Gyroscope. The Pew family established the Pew Charitable Trusts. Also see Natural Gas is King in Pittsburgh.
March 17, 1923 – Discovery reveals Giant Oklahoma Oilfields
The Betsy Foster No. 1 well, a 2,800-barrel-a-day oil gusher near Wewoka, the county seat of Seminole County, Oklahoma, created a major Seminole area boom.
The discovery was followed by others in nearby Cromwell, Bethel (1924), Earlsboro and Seminole (1926) and other small towns south of Oklahoma City.
Thirty-nine separate oilfields were ultimately developed within a region centering on Seminole but also including parts of Pottawatomie, Okfuskee, Hughes and Pontotoc counties. Excessive oil production would drive prices to as low as 17 cents per barrel of oil.
March 17, 1949 – First Commercial Application of Hydraulic Fracturing
Experts from Halliburton and Stanolind companies converged on an oil well about 12 miles east of Duncan, Oklahoma, and performed the first commercial application of hydraulic fracturing.
A 1947 experimental well had fractured a natural gas field in Hugoton, Kansas, and proven the possibility of increased productivity.
The technique was developed and patented by Stanolind (later known as Pan American Oil Company) and an exclusive license was issued to Halliburton Company to perform the process. Four years later, the license was extended to all qualified oilfield service companies.
“Since that fateful day in 1949, hydraulic fracturing has done more to increase recoverable reserves than any other technique,” proclaimed a Halliburton company spokesman in 2009, adding that more than two million fracturing treatments have been pumped without polluting an aquifer. The earliest attempts to increase a well’s petroleum production began in the 1860s (see Shooters – A ‘Fracking’ History). In 1921, Erle Halliburton patented an efficient well cementing technology that improved oil production while protecting the environment.
March 18, 1937 – New London School Explosion
With just minutes left in the school day, a natural gas explosion destroyed the New London High School in Rusk County, Texas.
Odorless gas (a residual natural gas called casinghead gas) had leaked into the basement and ignited with a force felt four miles away. East Texas oilfield workers – many with children attending the school – rushed to the scene, as did a cub reporter from Dallas, Walter Cronkite.
Despite desperate rescue efforts, 298 people were killed that day (dozens more later died of injuries).
The explosion’s source was later found to be an electric wood-shop sander that sparked odorless gas that had pooled beneath and in the walls of the school. As a result of this disaster, Texas and other states passed laws requiring that natural gas be mixed with a malodorant to give early warning of a gas leak. Learn more about the tragedy in New London School Explosion.
Recommended Reading: “King of the Wildcatters:” The Life and Times of Tom Slick, 1883-1930 (2004); Historic Battleship Texas: The Last Dreadnought (2007); The Secret of Sherwood Forest: Oil Production in England During World War II (1973); Discovery at Prudhoe Bay Oil (2008); San Joaquin Valley, California, Images of America (1999); A History of the Greater Seminole Oil Field (1981); The Green and the Black: The Complete Story of the Shale Revolution, the Fight over Fracking, and the Future of Energy (2016); A Texas Tragedy: The New London School Explosion (2012).
Listen online to Remember When Wednesdays on the weekday morning radio show Exploring Energy from 9:05 a.m to 10 a.m. (Eastern Time). Executive Director Bruce Wells and Volunteer Contributing Editor Kris Wells call in on the last Wednesday of each month. Support our energy education mission with a donation today. Contact email@example.com for membership information. © 2018 Bruce A. Wells.


ESCANABA - Students at Webster Elementary learned science can be anything but boring during a presentation Tuesday by the Michigan State University Science Theatre.
MSU Science Theatre groups visited schools in the Escanaba, Gladstone and Rapid River areas Monday and Tuesday. They brought to life for students the concepts of chemistry and physics, along with other applications in engineering and mathematics.
Stephen DeCamp, MSU student and a Gladstone High School graduate, is a member of the MSU Science Theatre team which visited Webster Monday.
Johnathan Gross, left, Manila Ounsombath and Stephen DeCamp show Glenda Schoff’s fifth-grade class at Webster Elementary in Escanaba the effect of liquid nitrogen when it comes into contact with liquid hand soap mixed with water. Michigan State University Science Theatre groups visited local schools Monday and Tuesday, trying to get students more interested in science. (Daily Press photo by Dionna Harris)
DeCamp, along with his fellow MSU students Manila Ounsombath and Johnathan Gross, demonstrated various chemical reactions and applications using liquid nitrogen.
The MSU Science Theatre, according to Tom Abrahmson of the Delta Schoolcraft Intermediate School District, was brought to the area to allow younger students to interact with college students while promoting an interest in science.
"The struggle we see is younger children becoming bored or fearsome of science. This program allows for college students to make connections with students in kindergarten through 12th grade with the shows being formated to show an appreciation for science," said Abrahmson.
At Webster, DeCamp, Ounsombath and Gross interacted with students while explaining the principle behind experiments. Students learned how liquid nitrogen, an extremely cold substance, is used in science and research.
"Liquid nitrogen is used in several research projects, and we are trying to show the students just how cool science can be," said DeCamp.
In demonstrating how liquid nitrogen reacts with water, DeCamp put a small amount of liquid nitrogen into a stainless steel basin of regular tap water. It resulted in a chemical reaction which generated a small amount of fog.
Students in Glenda Schoff's fifth-grade class at Webster also learned how liquid nitrogen can turn an organic compound, such as a banana, into a hammer strong enough to pound a nail into a piece of wood.
"By dipping a banana into the liquid nitrogen, it changes the property of the banana, making it strong enough to pound a nail," said Ounsombath in one of several demonstrations presented Monday.
In another demonstration, Ounsombath showed the students how brittle liquid nitrogen can affect a rose.
She dipped a rose into liquid nitrogen. After only a few minutes, she took the rose and shattered it.
DeCamp, Ounsombath and Gross also showed how a semi-soft, rubber racquetball's properties change when dipped in liquid nitrogen.
Prior to dipping the racquetball into the liquid, DeCamp showed how in its natural state it expends stored energy (bounces). After being dipped in the liquid nitrogen, the natural property of the ball is changed, causing the stored energy to become altered. In this altered state, the ball becomes somewhat fragile, breaking into several pieces when dropped on the floor.
During a question-and-answer period, students learned liquid nitrogen itself is already extremely cold, boiling at -321 degrees F. Only liquid helium is colder.
"When an object is placed into liquid nitrogen, it is already warmer than the liquid," said Gross. "Cold pulls heat toward it, and with so much of the heat being removed from an object, the object itself becomes cold or equal to the temperature of its surroundings."
The students also gave their older counterparts ideas for other experiments, including placing an egg in the nitrogen to see what would happen.
Before concluding their presentation, the students were given a treat of trying marshmallows after they had been placed into the liquid nitrogen.
The nitrogen effectively flash froze the water content in the marshmallows, giving them the same texture and properties as those found in the breakfast cereal Lucky Charms.
One last experiment which captured the attention of students was when DeCamp placed a small amount of liquid nitrogen on the floor.
"The floor is warmer than the liquid nitrogen, so the nitrogen reacts in a manner similar to a drop of water on a hot stove," said DeCamp.
According to DeCamp, when a drop of liquid nitrogen is placed on a surface which is warmer, a small amount of gas or steam forms which the drop "rides" on so it appears to be skimming across the surface.


How can we communicate to our friend and family who is living far away from us? This was the difficult question in the past but because of amazing innovations in science and technology this question have become so easy to answer. All thanks to the internet that we can communicate and interact with our love ones. Internet is basically the inter-connected network of different computers. Communication on different computers is not possible without internet. Internet have changed the world.
Internet have turn the world into global village. Every person is connected to the other person. Other than that internet is also use for different purposes which are given below:
Every information is available on the internet. We can get information and knowledge on any topic from the internet. Different scholars, authors, teachers, and even students share their information. If you want to read any novel or any book you can simply get that on internet.
Internet Have Changed the Perception of Communication
In the past people use to write letters in order to convey the message to the other person. It used to take much time but internet have changed this mode of communication. Now we can send message to our love one in just a single click. Meanwhile we can also do video call and can see them.
E-commerce have made our life so much easy. Mow we can order anything from anywhere in the world if we have the internet connection. It also profit the business man to grab the attention of the costumers. It brings more business for the companies. E360 is the business directory which can guide you about different products and services. Internet have changed the world.
These were just some of the uses which internet offer. Apart from these internet also offer a wide range of uses. You can share the help you got from the internet in our comment section.


Here’s four more amazing ways scientists are showing that cannabis actually helps to keep your brain safe from disease, dementia and even death:
Promotes new brain cell growth
Government scare campaigns often claim that cannabis kills brain cells…(based on) studies were done in the ’70s by strapping a gas mask onto a monkey and pumping in hundreds of joints worth of smoke. The monkeys suffered from lack of oxygen — that’s why their brain cells died. Modern research is now proving the opposite.
In 2005, Dr. Xia Zhang at the University of Saskatchewan showed that cannabinoids cause “neurogenesis” – which means that they help make new brain cells grow…Scientists in Brazil expanded on this research, demonstrating in 2013 that CBD, another chemical in cannabis, also causes new brain cells to sprout. Researchers in Italy then produced the same result with CBC, (also) found in cannabis resin…This helps explain previous research showing that cannabinoids effectively treat mood disorders like depression, anxiety and stress…
Modern research shows that using cannabis helps prevent the incidence of Alzheimer’s and dementia by cleaning away beta-amyloid “brain plaque.” A 2014 study…was led by Dr. Chuanhai Cao, PhD…at the Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute. “THC is known to be a potent antioxidant with neuroprotective properties,” said Dr. Cao…
This confirmed earlier studies, such as one from 2008 which found that THC “simultaneously treated both the symptoms and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.” This study concluded that “compared to currently approved drugs prescribed for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, THC is considerably superior.” (And) these studies used very low levels of THC to find these results…So where’s the headlines saying “Smoking Cannabis Prevents Alzheimer’s”?
Prevents brain damage after strokes and trauma
Several recent studies have found that cannabinoids protect the brain from permanent damage after trauma or stroke…(In) a 2014 study…Researchers analyzed blood samples from hundreds of people who had suffered head injuries, and found that people with small amounts of cannabinoids in their bloodstream were 80% less likely to be killed from head trauma…There are 52,000 deaths every year from traumatic head injury in America. This study showed that if every adult American had…cannabis once a week, 80% of those deaths would be avoided – that’s about 41,600 lives that could be saved, every year!
Helps treat brain cancer
Repeated laboratory and animal studies show that THC act(s) to kill cancer cells, while it does not affect normal cells, in the brain…A 1998 study found that THC “induces apoptosis [cell death] in C6 glioma cells” – an aggressive form of brain cancer…(A) 2012 study showing that CBD stopped metastasis in aggressive forms of cancer; a 2013 study showing that a blend of six cannabinoids killed leukemia cells, and a 2014 study showing that THC and CBD could be combined with traditional chemotherapy to produce “dramatic reductions” in brain tumour size.
The medicinal benefits of cannabis and cannabinoids are immense, and it’s time everyone is allowed full access to this amazing healing herb.