FUN AND GAMES
Does "learning by doing" work? What does the research say?
I often get asked about learning by doing. What is “learning by doing”? Does it work? When
does it work?
In this column, I offer an overview of the process and explain how you can implement this
yourself to harness your own potential as a learner. For instance, I really recommend approaches
like “brain dumps.
What’s more, I flag when learning by doing does not work because many times the approach is
not used in an effective way, and I would not encourage learning by “doing” if you’re at the start
of the learning process.
What is learning by doing?
Learning by doing is the idea that we learn more when we actually “do” the activity.
For example, imagine you are a jazz musician looking to understand how chords relate to one
another. Traditionally, you might play the chords over and over again alone in the studio. With
the learning by doing approach, you would gain a basic understanding of the chords and
then hop on stage to play the chords as an improvised piece with other musicians-- active
engagement, not passive practice. Active engagement facilitates deep learning and encourages
mistakes - i.e. those ‘wrong’ chords - and how to learn from those as well.
The American philosopher, John Dewey, first popularized learning by doing. For Dewey, this
meant a heavy emphasis on student engagement. This approach upended the traditional notion
that learning happens through lectures and rote memorization. Dewey became famous by arguing
that we learn best when we deeply engage with the material. He believed that the best way to
achieve that was to create a practical curriculum that had relevance to students’ lives and
experiences. Dewey’s insight, already nearing a century old, is freshly becoming relevant again
today as modern researchers empirically show the importance of learning doing (with some
major caveats.)
The problem with short-term memory is that it’s so, well, short.
When does learning by doing work?
For learning by doing to work, you need to lay some initial groundwork. Recent research shows
that learning by doing works when it comes at the right point in the learning process. What does
this mean? First, it’s important to underscore that learning is a process. Learning builds on itself,
and if learning by doing comes too early, people get overwhelmed. They don’t learn.
This makes intuitive sense in real life situations. Let’s go back to the jazz musician. Imagine
hopping onstage with only the slightest knowledge of the new chords. Your fingers wouldn’t
find the right spots on the guitar. The chords wouldn’t ring out and rather than enjoying your
time improvising with other musicians, you would come off stage dejected and reeling from
frustration. Before you can hop onstage, you need the basic ability to comfortably play the
chords. The same principle holds in the classroom.
Part of the reason is short-term memory. It holds the key to making learning experiences
productive. Researchers like John Sweller have shown that short-term memory is often where
learning happens. If we want to successfully improvise with a set of new chords, then short-term
memory has to process the chords. Only after short-term memory processes the chords can they
arrive in long-term memory.
But the problem with short-term memory is that it’s so, well, short. Think about the jazz
musician’s hands. Each chord involves moving up and down the guitar’s neck, placing each
finger on the right string at the right time, allowing only the right strings to ring out -- a complex
feat of memory and dexterity.
Learn too many chords too quickly and your hands won’t follow because your short-term
memory has been overwhelmed. Your fingers fall out of place, each chord loses its shape and
what should be a beautiful sound comes out a jumbled mess of dissonance. Your hands, just like
your mind, need time to learn the basic techniques. Only after establishing this basic foundation
will the musician’s hands find the way.
Understanding the ‘shortcomings’ of short-term memory helps explain why learning by doing
can’t come too early. To learn, we need to break down knowledge and skills into digestible parts
and concentrate on discrete bits of mastery. In other words, you have to learn a few chords at a
time before you can master multiple chords in multiple key signatures.
If learning by doing comes too early, then we can’t learn. Hands-on learning doesn’t work in
many schools and colleges precisely because our short term memory has yet to break down the
material into bite sized chunks. The same principle holds with practice: too often, people try to
develop their skills without knowing what exactly they’re developing, without any sort of goals
or targets (the bite sized chunks) that lead up to and create the larger picture.
Why does learning by doing work?
Learning by doing works after you’ve already gained some familiarity with the content. It works
because the technique calls you to actively engage with the material and generate the knowledge
yourself, bit by bit, chord by chord.
One effective technique to facilitate learning by doing is what’s known as the “generation
effect.” Also known as the testing effect or retrieval practice or even learning by doing, the
“generation effect” underscores that students understand and remember material better when
they have been asked to generate it themselves rather than reviewing an account generated by
someone else (e.g., re-reading a section of a textbook, sight reading a musical piece).
Many teachers focus on imparting knowledge to students; they imagine themselves as “putting
information into students’ minds.” But, the science of learning shows that students need to
construct knowledge for themselves, and in many cases, effective learning would be better
described as a process of “pulling information out of students’ minds.” Next time you read a
new text, ask yourself these questions: What’s this text about? What point is the author trying to
make? Is there anything here that seems confusing? These questions focus your attention on the
substance of the material and guide you into the learning by doing technique.
All too often I’ve found myself reading scientific literature only to come up blank when someone
poses the simple question, ‘what’s that about?’ I spent far too much time passively reading
material. I learned that only after asking, ‘what’s the central question of this piece?’ ‘what’s the
purpose of this article,’ do I fully learn the material.
We learn a lot more when we consistently ask these questions be it at the end of each
paragraph—or even the end of a sentence. So while some textbooks might offer “reading
comprehension” questions at the close of each chapter, you'll take away a lot more if you ask
yourselves these sorts of queries more frequently.
BUYING AND SELLING
Buying and selling in trading explained
When you place a trade, you are either ‘buying’ or ‘selling’ a financial instrument.
There are buyers and sellers in every market. Here we discuss how their
relationship works, and how it influences the markets.
What do ‘buy’ and ‘sell’ mean in trading?
When you open a ‘buy’ position, you are essentially buying an asset from the
market. And when you close your position, you ‘sell’ it back to the market. Buyers
– also known as bulls – believe an asset’s value is likely to rise. Sellers – or bears –
generally think its value is set to fall.
When you open a position with a broker or trading provider, you’ll be presented
with two prices. If you want to trade at the buy price, which is slightly above the
market price, you open a ‘long’ position. If you want to trade at the sell price –
slightly below the market price – you open a ‘short’ position. The difference
between the buy and sell price is known as the ‘spread’, which the provider takes
to facilitate the position.
What is a long position?
A long position in traditional trading is when you buy an asset in the expectation
its price will rise, so you can sell it later for a profit. This is also referred to as
going long or buying.
Making a long trade doesn’t necessarily mean buying a physical asset. Derivatives
like CFDs and futures contracts give you the opportunity to take a long position on
a market without owning underlying asset. You are simply speculating that the
price of the asset will rise.
What is a short position?
A short position in trading is a strategy used to take advantage of markets that are
falling in price. When you make a short trade, you are selling a borrowed asset in
the hope that its price will go down, and you can buy it back later for a profit. It is
also known as short-selling, shorting or going short.
Short-selling works by borrowing the underlying asset from a trading broker, and
then immediately selling it at the current market price. Shorting is the opposite of
going long – where you will make a profit if the price goes up.
Again, let’s say you want to trade bitcoin against the US dollar (bitcoin/USD). The
current market price is 3919, and you decide to take a short position and sell 5
contracts (each equivalent to 1 BTC) to open a position at this price.
If you were right, and the value of bitcoin fell against the US dollar, your trade
would profit. Let’s say that the new market price is 3874, you could close your
position and take your profit by buying 5 contacts to close your position at the buy
price of 3879, which is slightly higher than the market price due to the spread.
Because the market has moved 40 points in your favour, the profit on your trade
would be calculated as follows: 5 x 40 = $200. If the market moved against you by
40 points, you would have made a loss, calculated as 5 x -40 = -$200.
How to go long and short on markets
If you want to take a long or short position on a market, you can open a CFD
trading account. CFD trading is the buying (going long) and selling (going short)
of contracts for the difference in price of an asset, between the opening and closing
of your position.
CFDs and are derivative products, because they enable you to speculate on
financial markets such as shares, forex, indices and commodities without having to
take ownership of the underlying assets. Both methods use leverage, which means
you only have to put up a small margin (deposit) to gain exposure to the full value
of the trade. This can magnify your potential profit, but also your potential loss.
How buyers and sellers affect the market
Buyers and sellers affect supply and demand – and therefore the price – of an asset.
At any given time, one group tends to outweigh the other, and that’s the primary
reason the price of a market fluctuates. When the buyers outweigh the sellers,
demand for the market rises. As a result, the price of the asset rises. When it’s the
other way around, supply increases and demand for the asset starts to drop – and
the price falls. The way supply and demand affect markets is often referred to
as volatility.
A buyer’s market is when buyers have the advantage over sellers. They can
negotiate a better buying price for an asset because supply is far more than
demand. A seller’s market is when there is limited supply of an asset and an
overflow of buyers. In this case, the seller has the advantage.
FRIENDS AND RELATIONS
Elizabeth Bowen’s deceptively simple novel opens with the
weddings of two quietly conventional sisters: Laurel to Edward, and
Janet to Rodney. Ten years later, one intense week is all it takes to
unravel the couples’ peaceful lives as a long-concealed secret explodes
to the surface. The repercussions ripple through four different families
connected by the two marriages, hinging on the comic interventions of
such vivid characters as Edward’s mother, the glamorous and scandalridden Lady Elfrida; Rodney’s notorious rake of an uncle; and a
stridently awkward teenager, Theodora, who is keen to insert herself into
the drama. Humor and pain abound in Friends and Relations, as Bowen
weaves the barest hints of menace and the subtlest nuances of emotion
into this devastating tale of the tangled web of human relationships.
In his introduction to a collection of criticism on the Anglo-Irish
author Elizabeth Bowen, Harold Bloom wrote, “What then has Bowen
given us except nuance, bittersweet and intelligent? Much, much more.”
Born in 1899, Bowen became part of the famous Bloomsbury scene, and
her novels have a much-deserved place in the modernist canon. In recent
years, however, her work has not been as widely read or written about,
and as Bloom points out, her evocative and sometimes enigmatic prose
requires careful parsing. Yet in addition to providing a fertile ground for
criticism, Bowen’s novels are both wonderfully entertaining, with rich
humor, deep insight, and a tragic sense of human relationships.
Friends and Relations follows the exploits of four wealthy families
whose lives are changed forever by a torrid affair. The Studdart sisters
each take a husband; for beautiful Laurel there is Edward Tilney, and for
the introverted Janet there is Rodney Meggatt. But the marriages are
complicated by changeable passions, and each character must navigate
the conflict between familial piety and individual desire. With Bowen’s
signature blend of tragedy and comedy, Friends and Relations is truly
an investigation into the human heart, and the book is as beautiful,
mysterious, and moving as its subject.
INVENTIONS AND DISCOVERIES
The Static GK part of the Government exams is vast and questions from any
field may be asked in this section. The list of Inventions and Discoveries is also an
important topic with respect to the General Awareness section.
Questions based on the various discoveries in the different fields are quite
often asked in SSC, RRB, Bank, Insurance and other competitive exams and
candidates must thoroughly prepare themselves with all these inventions along
with their Inventors.
Candidates who are anticipating the release of notifications for various
Government exams can check the latest notifications page for more information.
Aspirants preparing for the various competitive exams must note that the
Static GK part of the General Awareness section is the most scoring section as no
extra calculations or solutions have to be done for questions asked in this section.
Thus, it is easier to score more for this part.
Further, in this article, we bring to you the list of Discoveries and Inventions
along with the name of the Inventor and the year in which the invention was done.
Also, a few sample questions based on this topic have been given below
This list of Indian inventions and discoveries details the inventions,
scientific discoveries and contributions of India, including the ancient, classical
and post-classical nations in the subcontinent historically referred to as India and
the modern Indian state. It draws from the whole cultural and technological
history of
India,
during
which architecture, astronomy, cartography, metallurgy, logic, mathematics, metrol
ogy and mineralogy were among the branches of study pursued by its
scholars.[1] During recent times science and technology in the Republic of India has
also
focused
on automobile
engineering, information
technology, communications as well as research into space and polar technology.
For the purposes of this list, inventions are regarded as technological firsts
developed in India, and as such does not include foreign technologies which India
acquired through contact. It also does not include technologies or discoveries
developed elsewhere and later invented separately in India, nor inventions by
Indian emigres in other places. Changes in minor concepts of design or style and
artistic innovations do not appear on in the lists.
Construction, Civil engineering and Architecture
 Iron pillar of Delhi: The world's first iron pillar was the Iron pillar of
Delhi—erected at the time of Chandragupta II Vikramaditya (375–413). The pillar
has attracted attention of archaeologists and materials scientists and has been called
"a testament to the skill of ancient Indian blacksmiths" because of its high
resistance to corrosion.
 Stepwell: Earliest clear evidence of the origins of the stepwell is found in the
Indus
Valley
Civilisation's
archaeological
site
at Mohenjodaro in
[4]
Pakistan and Dholavira in India. The three features of stepwells in the
subcontinent are evident from one particular site, abandoned by 2500 BCE, which
combines a bathing pool, steps leading down to water, and figures of some
religious importance into one structure.[4] The early centuries immediately before
the common era saw the Buddhists and the Jains of India adapt the stepwells into
their architecture.[4] Both the wells and the form of ritual bathing reached other
parts of the world with Buddhism.[4] Rock-cut step wells in the subcontinent date
from 200 to 400 CE.[6] Subsequently, the wells at Dhank (550–625 CE) and
stepped ponds at Bhinmal (850–950 CE) were constructed.
 Stupa: The origin of the stupa can be traced to 3rd-century BCE India. It was
used as a commemorative monument associated with storing sacred relics.[7] The
stupa architecture was adopted in Southeast and East Asia, where it evolved into
the pagoda, a Buddhist monument used for enshrining sacred relics.[7]
Hanuman and Ravana in Tolu Bommalata, the shadow puppet tradition
of Andhra Pradesh, India
 Squat toilet: toilets platforms above drains, in the proximity of wells, are
found in several houses of the cities of Mohenjodaro and Harappa from the 3rd
millennium BCE.
SENDING AND RECEIVING
Once the BEA Tuxedo system establishes a conversational connection,
communication between the initiator and subordinate is accomplished using send
and receive calls. The process with control of the connection can send messages
using the tpsend(3c) function; the process without control can receive messages
using the tprecv(3c) function.
Note: Initially, the originator (that is, the client) decides which process has control
using the TPSENDONLY or TPRECVONLY flag value of
the tpconnect() call. TPSENDONLY specifies that control is being retained by the
originator; TPRECVONLY, that control is being passed to the called service.
Sending Messages
To send a message, use the tpsend(3c) function with the following signature:
int
tpsend(int cd, char *data, long len, long flags, long *revent)
The following table describes the arguments to the tpsend() function.
tpsend( ) Function Arguments
Argument Description
cd
Specifies the connection descriptor returned by
the tpconnect() function identifying the connection over which the data
is sent.
data
Pointer to a data buffer. When establishing the connection, you can
send data simultaneously by setting the data argument to point to a
buffer previously allocated by tpalloc(). The type and subtype of the
buffer must be types recognized by the service being called. You can
set the value of data to NULL to specify that no data is to be sent.
The conversational service being called receives
the data and len pointers via the TPSVCINFO data structure passed to
it by main() when the service is invoked. (A request/response server
receives the data and len pointers in the same way.) For more
information on the TPSVCINFO data structure, refer to Defining a
Service.
len
Length of the data buffer. If the buffer is self-defining (for example,
an FML buffer), you can set len to 0. If you do not specify a value
for data, this argument is ignored.
revent
Pointer to event value set when an error is encountered (that is,
when tperrno(5) is set to TPEEVENT). For a list of valid event values,
refer to tpsend(3c) in the BEA Tuxedo ATMI C Function Reference.
flag
Specifies the flag settings. For a list of valid flag settings, refer
to tpsend(3c) in the BEA Tuxedo ATMI C Function Reference.
In the event of a failure, the tpsend() function returns a value of -1 and
sets tperrno(5) to the appropriate error condition. For a list of possible error codes,
refer to tpsend(3c) in the BEA Tuxedo ATMI C Function Reference.
You are not required to pass control each time you issue the tpsend() function. In
some applications, the process authorized to issue tpsend() calls can execute as
many calls as required by the current task before turning over control to the other
process. In other applications, however, the logic of the program may require the
same process to maintain control of the connection throughout the life of the
conversation.
The following example shows how to invoke the tpsend() function.
Sending Data in Conversational Mode
Receiving Messages
To receive data sent over an open connection, use the tprecv(3c) function with the
following signature:
int
tprecv(int cd, char **data, long *len, long flags, long *revent)
The following table describes the arguments to the tprecv() function.
Argument Description
cd
Specifies the connection descriptor. If a subordinate program issues the
call, the cd argument should be set to the value specified in
the TPSVCINFO structure for the program. If the originator program
issues the call, the cd argument should be set to the value returned by
the tpconnect() function.
data
Pointer to a data buffer. The data argument must point to a buffer
previously allocated by tpalloc(). The type and subtype of the buffer
must be types recognized by the service being called. This value
cannot be NULL; if it is, the call fails and tperrno(5) is set
to TPEINVAL.
The conversational service being called receives
the data and len pointers via the TPSVCINFO data structure passed to
it by main() when the service is invoked. (A request/response service
receives the data and len pointers in the same way.) For more
information on the TPSVCINFO data structure, refer to Defining a
Service.
len
Length of the data buffer. If the buffer is self-defining (for example, an
FML buffer), you can set len to 0. This value cannot be NULL; if it is,
the call fails and tperrno(5) is set to TPEINVAL.
revent
Pointer to event value set when an error is encountered (that is,
when tperrno is set to TPEEVENT). Refer to tprecv(3c) in the BEA
Tuxedo ATMI C Function Reference for a list of valid event values.
flag
Specifies the flag settings. Refer to tprecv(3c) in the BEA Tuxedo
ATMI C Function Reference for a list of valid flags.
People and daily life.
Everyday life, daily life or routine life comprises the ways in which
people
described
typically act, think, and feel on a daily basis. Everyday life may be
as
mundane,
routine,
natural,
habitual,
or normal.
Human diurnality means most people sleep at least part of the night and are active
in daytime. Most eat two or three meals in a day. Working time (apart from shift
work) mostly involves a daily schedule, beginning in the morning. This produces
the daily rush hours experienced by many millions, and the drive time focused on
by radio broadcasters.
Evening is often leisure time. Bathing every day is a custom for
many.Beyond these broad similarities, lifestyles vary and different people spend
their days differently. Nomadic life differs from sedentism, and among the
sedentary, urban people live differently from rural folk. Differences in the lives of
the rich and the poor, or between factory workers and intellectuals, may go beyond
their working hours. Children and adults also vary in what they do each day.
Everyday life is a key concept in cultural studies and is a specialized subject in the
field of sociology. Some argue that, motivated by capitalism and industrialism's
degrading effects on human existence and perception, writers and artists of the
19th century turned more towards self-reflection and the portrayal of everyday life
represented in their writings and art to a noticeably greater degree than in past
works, for example Renaissance literature's interest in hagiography and politics.
Other theorists dispute this argument based on a long history of
writings about daily life which can be seen in works from Ancient
Greece, medieval Christianity and the Age of Enlightenment. In the study of
everyday life gender has been an important factor in its conceptions. Some
theorists regard women as the quintessential representatives and victims of
everyday life.
The connotation of everyday life is often negative and is
distinctively separated from exceptional moments by its lack of distinction and
differentiation, ultimately defined as the essential, taken-for-granted continuum
of mundane activity that outlines forays into more esoteric experiences. It is the
non-negotiable reality that
exists
amongst
all
social
groupings
without
discrimination and is an unavoidable basis for which all human endeavor exists.
Much of everyday life is automatic in that it is driven by current
environmental features as mediated by automatic cognitive processing of those
features, and without any mediation by conscious choice, according to social
psychologist John A. Bargh. Daily life is also studied by sociologists to investigate
how it is organised and given meaning. A sociological journal called the Journal of
Mundane Behavior, published 2000 - 2004, studied these everyday actions.
Daily entertainment once consisted mainly of telling stories in the
evening. This custom developed into the theatre of ancient Greece and other
professional entertainments. Reading later became less a mysterious specialty
of scholars, and more a common pleasure for people who could afford books.
During the 20th century mass media became prevalent in rich countries, creating
among other things a daily prime time to consume fiction and other professionally
produced works.
WORKING AND EARNING
Child support enforcement has increased dramatically over the past 10 years,
with new policies continuing to be implemented at both the state and the federal
levels to find “deadbeat dads” and make them pay. This increased enforcement is
viewed as especially relevant in the context of welfare reform. Because benefits are
time-limited in most states, nonwelfare sources of support, such as child support,
will become increasingly important for low-income custodial mothers. However,
the increase in enforcement comes at a time when many of the noncustodial fathers
associated with these mothers may not be able to pay. Average earnings for men
with low levels of education have fallen over the past two decades, with
employment prospects relatively poorer for African-American and Hispanic men in
urban areas (Gottschalk, 1997; Bound and Freeman, 1992). The economic status of
these men raises doubts about whether stricter enforcement will provide more
resources for low-income mothers. Only very recently did the research and policy
community begin to look more closely at fathers and how they interact with and
are affected by the enforcement system (for example, see Garfinkel et al., 1998).
This attention has been especially focused on low-income noncustodial fathers and
programs that might increase their employment and earnings and help them
become more involved in their children’s lives. The money made available through
the Department of Labor’s welfare-to-work grant, for example, enables states to
provide employment and training services for the hard-to-serve, which can include
low-income noncustodial fathers. Parents’ Fair Share (PFS) is an early example of
such a program. PFS, a demonstration conducted in seven urban areas across the
country, targeted unemployed or underemployed noncustodial fathers who had
support orders in place but had not been paying child support. A key goal of the
program was to increase the fathers’ ability to pay child support by increasing their
employment and earnings. Fathers assigned to PFS were subject to enhanced child
support enforcement (CSE), but they also received an array of employment and
training services. A complementary goal of the program was to help the men
become better and more involved parents. Interim results for an early cohort of
fathers were published recently and indicated that although the program increased
the child support payment rate, it did not produce statistically significant increases
in the fathers’ employment or earnings (Doolittle et al., 1998). Employment and
earnings data for the interim report were obtained from employers’ quarterly
reports to the state unemployment insurance (UI) system. This report presents a
final and more comprehensive look at the program’s effects on employment and
earnings. We estimate the effects of PFS for the full sample of fathers using data
from the UI system and for a subsample of fathers (the survey sample) using data
from a survey administered one year after they entered the program. The survey
data are an important complement to the UI data: in addition to providing
information on hours worked and employment stability, they capture earnings from
jobs not covered or reported by the UI system. These types of jobs may be an
important source of employment for low-income men. In addition, the survey
provides us with a rare opportunity to present a picture of these men, given that
few existing surveys are targeted specifically to noncustodial fathers. The survey
also focuses on low-income minority men, a group typically underrepresented in
national surveys. The first half of the report uses the survey data to describe the
characteristics and circumstances of low-income fathers eligible for PFS and to
examine how these characteristics are associated with -2- their ability to find and
keep jobs.
BODY AND LIFESTYLE
It’s important to take care of both your mind and body. It will pay off in many
ways, including:
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
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



Allowing you to take charge of your life and feel good about the choices you
make.
Gaining energy and feeling more fit.
Improving your physical health.
Gaining a positive outlook and finding more enjoyment in your life.
Being a role model for your family and friends.
Any lifestyle change is a “work in progress.” Lasting changes take time. So, begin
by setting small goals that are easy to add to your daily life and that you control.
Wellness and fitness involve being aware and making healthy choices about diet,
exercise, and staying positive. This is the most important investment you can make
in your life. Strive for the best health you can have in all areas of your life by
making mindful, healthy choices.
Path to improved health
Caring for your physical health through proper diet and nutrition
Whether meal preparation is for yourself or your family, focus on making smart,
healthy meals. Tips for success include:
Make an effort to have more home-cooked meals. This can help encourage
healthy eating. Also, it promotes more family time.
Let your kids help plan what to eat. Kids love to help make meals and snacks.
Keep healthy snacks on hand to help kids make good choices. Have more fresh
fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Have fewer chips and sweets.
Teach kids to eat when they’re hungry, not when they’re bored, sad, or
angry. Respect their ability to know when they feel full.
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










Breakfast helps jump start the day. It provides fuel for an active lifestyle and
gives you and your child the energy to think faster and more clearly.
Play “Put the Fork Down” at meals. Put your forks down between bites and take
turns sharing your day.
Balance. Balance what you eat to meet your need for nutrition and enjoyment.
Variety. Enjoy all foods from important food groups (fruits, vegetables, lean
sources of protein, low-fat dairy, and whole grains).
Moderation. Focus on feeling comfortable instead of being too full after you eat.
Use moderation when choosing less nutritious foods.
A food and activity journal can help you understand your eating patterns. Also, it
can help you find ways to make simple, healthy changes. Ask your family doctor
about how to get started.
When unhealthy food choices lead to weight gain, some people turn to popular
diets to achieve quick weight loss. Diets usually tell you what you should or should
not eat. Instead, focus on understanding why you eat in the first place. Are you
eating because you are hungry, bored, sad, or angry? Is there something else
causing your urge to eat?
Also, don’t restrict your foods. Try to balance between good and bad choices.
Make good choices more often and limit the bad foods to small portions once in a
while. For lasting dietary changes, there are some simple keys to eating healthy.
Start by asking yourself if you are hungry. Hunger signals your body when it needs
to be nourished. Let hunger tell you when you need to eat and how much to eat.
Many people don’t drink enough water and the brain can mistake thirst for hunger.
So if you feel hungry, it can be a good idea to drink an 8 ounce glass of water first
to see if you are really just thirsty.
True hunger signals:
Hunger pangs, gnawing, growling, or rumbling in your stomach.
Weakness or loss of energy.
Slight headache or trouble concentrating.
Irritability.
False hunger signals:
thirst
cravings
emotions
external cues (like mealtimes or social events)
Learn to listen to your hunger signals so you can determine when to eat and how
much food is right for you. Make mindful decisions about eating by paying
attention to how you feel. And don’t use diet “rules” to restrict what, when, and
how much you eat. Instead, learn to trust your body to tell you when it needs food.
If you are truly hungry, ask yourself what it is that you want, what your body
needs, what you have available (so you can make a healthy choice), and how much
food you need.
CREATING AND BUILDING
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My only strong reservation is around
"Create" vs "Build" and it may suggest
the need for a special section on
(Learning) Design. Please consider the
following.
I prefer "build" over "create" because:
This handbook is about "building" OER the practical, step by step process.
"Create" conjures up an image of
someone independently creating
something out of nothing - or an artist
alone creating a sculpture from a pure
block of marble.
"Build" suggests groups of people cooperating to build a structure with some
function (bridge, house, etc.) using available materials - coordinated concrete
mixing, brick throwing, brick laying, painting, ....
The term "build" is associated with architecture - a creative process including
aesthetic and functional design.
The field of software architecture and design has "built" on the field of architecture
specifically in relation to architectural "patterns". See the work of Chris
Alexander (specifically his influence on computer science) which inspired the
seminal GoF book.
The OER movement was inspired by the software industry, specifically the
pragmatic "open source" approach to software development whose success rests on
sharing and collaboration.
While there have been some conversations about the parallels between "FLOSS"
and "OER", there is still much to explore on various levels.
Collaborative development - commons based peer production (this has been
discussed at length)
Agile software development methodologies applied to OER development
Pedagogical patterns - this one is of prime importance. The handbook might inspire
research programmes on learning design in the connected world.
To do this well requires deep and broad pedagogical knowledge.
The type of knowledge which might find its way into Lore of Learning and
distilled into Patterns of Learning.
The "Use OER" section in the handbook could touch on elements of learning
design - but at this stage only implicitly, through practical real world examples
(e.g. learning4content, Teemu's course, Connexions and OCW examples).
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Alternatively, we could add a (Learning) Design section (to flesh out the life cycle
diagram).
So, for me, "Build" would be preferable for this pragmatic handbook, and in the
interests of knowledge transfer and building across relevant disciplines: e.g. a
consistent terminological base for the patterns concept spanning architecture,
software design and architecture, OER design and blended learning patterns.
Creativity should indeed be an integral part of learning design and activity, but
here we are concerned with "building" OER. Ktucker 10:14, 11 June 2008 (UTC)
Hey Kim -That's well argued and justified --- particularly the connections between OER and
the software movement. The nuance of language fascinates me -- particularly
across disciplinary boundaries.
Throwing my thoughts in on this one taking the target audience into account I
think that "create" would be a better concept for a teaching audience than "build".
Educators frequently emphasise the creative side of the "art and science" of
teaching. While we build a content resource -- content never stands alone in an
educational context. It's design and development involves thought and creativity
concerning how the resource will be used in an educational setting.
This becomes particularly evident in materials designed for asynchronous learning
because the author must create and embedded some of the creative dynamic of
teaching within the OER.
When working on OERs -- a like to think that I'm creating rather than building -but that comes from my "biases" and "indoctrination" as an educator. I think create
will be a better fit for the audience.
Kim -- I admire your conviction -- but more importantly your passion for OER and
the attention to detail that you are applying to this project.
Open transparent discourse is far better than edit wars -- or worse, a closed
education resource!
BTW -- I've started a "style guide" page which is linked from the issue list to help
with our consistency decisions.
Nature and universe
Nature, in the broadest sense, is the natural, physical, material world
or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also
to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science.
Although humans are part of nature, human activity is often understood as a
separate category from other natural phenomena.
The word nature is borrowed from the Old French nature and is derived
from the Latin word natura, or "essential qualities, innate disposition", and in
ancient times, literally meant "birth".In ancient philosophy, natura is mostly used
as the Latin translation of the Greek word physis (φύσις), which originally related
to the intrinsic characteristics that plants, animals, and other features of the world
develop of their own accord. The concept of nature as a whole, the
physical universe, is one of several expansions of the original notion; it began
with certain core applications of the word φύσις by pre-Socratic philosophers
(though this word had a dynamic dimension then, especially for Heraclitus), and
has steadily gained currency ever since. During the advent of modern scientific
method in the last several centuries, nature became the passive reality, organized
and moved by divine laws.
With the Industrial revolution, nature increasingly became seen as the part
of reality deprived from intentional intervention : it was hence considered as
sacred by some traditions (Rousseau, American transcendentalism) or a mere
decorum for divine providence or human history (Hegel, Marx). However, a
vitalist vision of nature, closer to the presocratic one, got reborn at the same time,
especially after Charles Darwin.
Within the various uses of the word today, "nature" often refers to geology
and wildlife. Nature can refer to the general realm of living plants and animals,
and in some cases to the processes associated with inanimate objects—the way
that particular types of things exist and change of their own accord, such as the
weather and geology of the Earth. It is often taken to mean the "natural
environment" or wilderness—wild animals, rocks, forest, and in general those
things that have not been substantially altered by human intervention, or which
persist despite human intervention. For example, manufactured objects and
human interaction generally are not considered part of nature, unless qualified as,
for example, "human nature" or "the whole of nature". This more traditional
concept of natural things that can still be found today implies a distinction
between the natural and the artificial, with the artificial being understood as that
which has been brought into being by a human consciousness or a human mind.
Depending on the particular context, the term "natural" might also be
distinguished from the unnatural or the supernatural.
LAUGHING AND CRYING
The primary sign of pseudobulbar affect (PBA) is frequent, involuntary and
uncontrollable outbursts of crying or laughing that are exaggerated or not
connected to your emotional state. Laughter often turns to tears. Your mood will
appear normal between episodes, which can occur at any time. Crying appears to
be a more common sign of PBA than laughing.
The degree of the emotional response caused by PBA is often striking, with
crying or laughing lasting up to several minutes. For example, you might laugh
uncontrollably in response to a mildly amusing comment. Or you might laugh or
cry in situations that others don't see as funny or sad. These emotional responses
typically represent a change from how you would have previously responded.
Because pseudobulbar affect often involves crying, the condition is
frequently mistaken for depression. However, PBA episodes tend to be short in
duration, while depression causes a persistent feeling of sadness. Also, people with
PBA often lack certain features of depression, such as sleep disturbances or a loss
of appetite. But depression is common among those who have pseudobulbar affect.
When to see a doctor
If you think you have PBA, talk to your doctor. If you have a neurological
condition, you might already be treated by a doctor who can diagnose PBA.
Helpful specialists include neuropsychologists, neurologists and psychiatrists.
It's suspected that many cases of pseudobulbar affect go unreported and
undiagnosed due to a lack of awareness about the condition.
A person comes to a psychiatrist because they're having sudden bouts of
crying for no apparent reason. The doctor diagnoses depression and prescribes an
antidepressant. The crying episodes are reduced, but there is still a problem.
Another person sees their doctor because they are experiencing unexplained
crying and laughing. They may be diagnosed with bipolar disorder and treated as
such.
In both cases, the diagnosis may be correct, but the reason for these bursts of
uncontrollable crying and, less often, laughing may be due to an illness called
pseudobulbar affect (PBA). (The illness may be known by several names, and
more recently has been called involuntary emotional expression disorder, or
IEED.)
The main symptom of PBA is sudden, unexplained and unstoppable crying
that occurs multiple times a day for no apparent reason.
Similarly, sudden laughing can also occur as well as bursts of anger. Very
often, people become socially isolated out of embarrassment, which can lead to
other depressive symptoms.
What Is PBA?
Pseudobulbar affect is a condition that occurs due to other neurologic
conditions and may occur in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or
Lou Gehrig's Disease), multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimer's disease, and
Parkinson's disease. Traumatic brain injury via accident or stroke may cause PBA
to appear as well.1 Sometimes PBA symptoms uncover a hidden brain injury.
Although the illness was described over a century ago, it continues to be
misdiagnosed with great frequency.
Part of the reason is that it can cause depression, as well as lead to other
symptoms associated with both depression and bipolar illness. In addition, people
with the illnesses PBA is associated with, such as multiple sclerosis, often also
have depression or bipolar symptoms. And finally, treatments for mood disorders
generally do have some effect in reducing the symptoms of PBA, though
frequently not enough to allow the patient to feel normal again.
A major study found that 51% of people with PBA reported spending little
to no time with friends and family, and 57% spent little to no time talking on the
telephone.2 Thus the impact on daily life and functioning of this illness is extreme.
The 7 Best Online Help Resources for Depression in 2021
Between PBA and Mood Disorders
The primary difference between pseudobulbar affect and other mental
illnesses like depression and bipolar are that the outbursts of crying, laughing
and/or anger happen for no reason with PBA; these last a very short time and can
occur many times in the course of a day.
Still, one can see where a patient who only has bouts of crying might be
diagnosed with depression, especially since one study found that almost 90% of
PBA patients also had significant depressive symptoms.2
Since social withdrawal/isolation is so often a symptom of major depressive
episodes, the reason for it has to be determined. In depression and bipolar disorder,
this is a primary symptom, while in PBA, it happens because people are fearful of
being in social situations.
Imagine bursting out laughing during a funeral, or suddenly crying in the
middle of a board meeting. Such events could easily make a person avoid any
situation where PBA symptoms would be inappropriate and embarrassing.
PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
We've all had our share of
problems - more than
enough, if you come right
down to it. So it's easy to
think that this section, on
defining and analyzing the
problem, is unnecessary.
"I know what the problem
is," you think. "I just don't
know what to do about it."
Not so fast! A poorly
defined problem - or a
problem whose nuances you don't completely understand - is much more difficult
to solve than a problem you have clearly defined and analyzed. The way a problem
is worded and understood has a huge impact on the number, quality, and type of
proposed solutions.
In this section, we'll begin with the basics, focusing primarily on four things. First,
we'll consider the nature of problems in general, and then, more specifically, on
clarifying and defining the problem you are working on. Then, we'll talk about
whether or not you really want to solve the problem, or whether you are better off
leaving it alone. Finally, we'll talk about how to do an in-depth analysis of the
problem.
THE NATURE OF PROBLEMS
So, what is a problem? It can be a lot of things. We know in our gut when there is a
problem, whether or not we can easily put it into words. Maybe you feel
uncomfortable in a given place, but you're not sure why. A problem might be just
the feeling that something is wrong and should be corrected. You might feel some
sense of distress, or of injustice.
Stated most simply, a problem is the difference between what is, and what might or
should be. "No child should go to bed hungry, but one-quarter of all children do in
this country," is a clear, potent problem statement. Another example might be,
"Communication in our office is not very clear." In this instance, the explanation of
"what might or should be" is simply alluded to.
As these problems illustrate, some problems are more serious than others; the
problem of child hunger is a much more severe problem than the fact that the new
youth center has no exercise equipment, although both are problems that can and
should be addressed. Generally, problems that affect groups of people - children,
teenage mothers, the mentally ill, the poor - can at least be addressed and in many
cases lessened using the process outlined in this Chapter.
Although your organization may have chosen to tackle a seemingly
insurmountable problem, the process you will use to solve it is not complex. It
does, however, take time, both to formulate and to fully analyze the problem. Most
people underestimate the work they need to do here and the time they'll need to
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o
o
o
spend. But this is the legwork, the foundation on which you'll lay effective
solutions. This isn't the time to take shortcuts.
Three basic concepts make up the core of this chapter: clarifying, deciding, and
analyzing. Let's look at each in turn.
CLARIFYING THE PROBLEM
If you are having a problem-solving meeting, then you already understand that
something isn't quite right - or maybe it's bigger than that; you understand that
something is very, very wrong. This is your beginning, and of course, it makes
most sense to...
Start with what you know. When group members walk through the door at the
beginning of the meeting, what do they think about the situation? There are a
variety of different ways to garner this information. People can be asked in
advance to write down what they know about the problem. Or the facilitator can
lead a brainstorming session to try to bring out the greatest number of ideas.
Remember that a good facilitator will draw out everyone's opinions, not only those
of the more vocal participants.
Decide what information is missing. Information is the key to effective decision
making. If you are fighting child hunger, do you know which children are
hungry? When are they hungry - all the time, or especially at the end of the month,
when the money has run out? If that's the case, your problem statement might be,
"Children in our community are often hungry at the end of the month because their
parents' paychecks are used up too early."
Compare this problem statement on child hunger to the one given in "The nature of
problems" above. How might solutions for the two problems be different?
Gather information on the problem. You might collect any of several types of
information available. Most commonly, what you hear or read will fall into one of
the following categories:
Facts (15% of the children in our community don't get enough to eat.)
Inference (A significant percentage of children in our community are probably
malnourished/significantly underweight.)
Speculation (Many of the hungry children probably live in the poorer
neighborhoods in town.)
Opinion (I think the reason children go hungry is because their parents spend all of
their money on cigarettes.)
When you are gathering information, you will probably hear all four types of
information, and all can be important. Speculation and opinion can be especially
important in gauging public opinion. If public opinion on your issue is based on
faulty assumptions, part of your solution strategy will probably include some sort
of informational campaign.
For example, perhaps your coalition is campaigning against the death penalty, and
you find that most people incorrectly believe that the death penalty deters violent
crime. As part of your campaign, therefore, you will probably want to make it clear
to the public that it simply isn't true.
Travel and transport
Travel by plane is often faster—when travelling very large distances,
such as between continents, the difference is a choice between a day in transit
flying versus several weeks any other way—and safer than other modes of
transportation but it can be more expensive and generally involves dealing with
security checks and baggage issues that travelers by bus or train might not have to
face.
Purchasing airline tickets can involve a mind-numbing array of fare
classes, date restrictions, and price options. Two travelers sitting next to one
another on a plane have almost always paid different fares, so finding the best
prices can be a challenge. Airline travel varies from cramped economy cabins to
large suites that may even offer a full-length bed. Prices vary according to class of
service, but frequent flyer status and other methods offer ways of getting upgraded
travel without the upgraded price. Several airlines offer round-the-world flights,
perfect for backpackers with a lot of time and a loose schedule. These flights offer
travel to any location, provided the traveler is always moving east to west (or vice
versa) and often limit the traveler to a maximum number of flights. Air Charter is
the official name for air taxi operations, defined by the FAA and operated under a
series of rules, primarily the US Federal Code of Aviation Regulations (FAR) Part
135, which specifies specific rules for experience, safety, and maintenance.
Air charter is the business of renting a complete craft (i.e., chartering)
as opposed to individual aircraft seats (i.e., getting a price ticket through a
conventional airline). whereas the airlines specialize in selling transportation by the
seat.
Air charter companies fly point-to-point, at the time requested by hiring
customers, so that customers don't need to wait in-line at major hub airports.
Safety, pilot qualifications, and many other considerations are overseen by the
FAA.
Air charter companies often fly smaller aircraft that the FAA approves,
with room for 3-9 (or more) passengers. Since aircraft with more than 9 passengers
start to fall into the "commuter" size range, there are a number of extra
requirements and costs that occur with more than 9 passenger seats per aircraft.
The new VLJ (very light jet) aircraft being delivered by Eclipse Aviation and
others will typically seat 4-5 passengers, and offer a new set of choices for pointto-point flights.
Travelling at the controls of a small plane as a private pilot can be one
of the most fulfilling travel experiences possible. You get to see the world from a
perspective entirely different from the ground or from commercial aviation. Most
parts of the world have some form of General Aviation; in western countries such
as the United States and Europe small airports are everywhere. Costs are
somewhat higher than commercial airline seats; travel time is less than by car but
usually somewhat more than by airline. Becoming a pilot can take a significant
amount of time and money, but most will agree the rewards are outstanding; for
most travel pilots the journey is the reward.
Travel by rail often invokes a past era, with tracks winding through
mountains and forests, comforts including dining cars and sleeper cabins, and other
amenities not available to air and motor travelers. Yacht Chartering is known as
the best kept secret in the holiday industry. It is where you hire a yacht (either a
sailing yacht or a motor yacht) and to sail in a different part of the world each year.
As well as the flexibility it offers it can also be surprisingly excellent
value for money, often working out cheaper than booking hotel rooms, especially
if there are a good number of people going on holiday together.
It also usually works out cheaper than owning your own yacht if you charter for up
to six weeks a year.
Hobbies , sport and games
A hobby is considered to be a regular activity that is done for enjoyment,
typically during one's leisure time, not professionally and not for pay. Hobbies
include collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic
pursuits, playing sports, or pursuing other amusements. Participation in hobbies
encourages acquiring substantial skills and knowledge in that area. A list of
hobbies changes with renewed interests and developing fashions, making it
diverse and lengthy. Hobbies tend to follow trends in society, for example stamp
collecting was popular during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as postal
systems were the main means of communication, while video games are more
popular nowadays following technological advances. The advancing production
and technology of the nineteenth century provided workers with more availability
in leisure time to engage in hobbies. Because of this, the efforts of people
investing in hobbies has increased with time.
Hobbyists may be identified under three sub-categories: casual
leisure which is intrinsically rewarding, short-lived, pleasurable activity requiring
little or no preparation, serious leisure which is the systematic pursuit of an
amateur, hobbyist, or volunteer that is substantial, rewarding and results in a sense
of accomplishment, and finally project-based leisure which is a short-term often a
one-off project that is rewarding.
In the 16th century, the term "hobyn" had the meaning of "small horse
and pony". The term "hobby horse" was documented in a 1557 payment
confirmation for a "Hobbyhorse" from Reading, England. The item, originally
called a "Tourney Horse", was made of a wooden or basketwork frame with an
artificial tail and head. It was designed for a child to mimic riding a real horse. By
1816 the derivative, "hobby", was introduced into the vocabulary of a number of
English people. Over the course of subsequent centuries, the term came to be
associated with recreation and leisure. In the 17th century, the term was used in
a pejorative sense by suggesting that a hobby was a childish pursuit, however, in
the 18th century with more industrial society and more leisure time, hobbies took
on greater respectability. A hobby is also called a pastime, derived from the use of
hobbies to pass the time. A hobby became an activity that is practised regularly and
usually with some worthwhile purpose. Hobbies are usually, but not always,
practised primarily for interest and enjoyment, rather than financial reward.
Hobbies were originally described as pursuits that others thought somewhat
childish or trivial. However, as early as 1676 Sir Matthew Hale, in Contemplations
Moral and Divine, wrote "Almost every person hath some hobby horse or other
wherein he prides himself." He was acknowledging that a "hobby horse" produces
a legitimate sense of pride. By the mid 18th century there was a flourishing of
hobbies as working people had more regular hours of work and greater leisure
time. They spent more time to pursue interests that brought them satisfaction.
However, there was concern that these working people might not use
their leisure time in worthwhile pursuits. "The hope of weaning people away from
bad habits by the provision of counter-attractions came to the fore in the 1830s,
and has rarely waned since. Initially the bad habits were perceived to be of a
sensual and physical nature, and the counter attractions, or perhaps more accurately
alternatives, deliberately cultivated rationality and the intellect."[8] The flourishing
book and magazine trade of the day encouraged worthwhile hobbies and pursuits.
The burgeoning manufacturing trade made materials used in hobbies cheap and
was responsive to the changing interests of hobbyists.
Science and Technology
Science encompasses the systematic study of the
structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world
through observation and experiment, and technology is the
application of scientific knowledge for practical
purposes. Oxford Reference provides more than 210,000
concise definitions and in-depth, specialist encyclopedic
entries on the wide range of subjects within these broad disciplines.
Our coverage comprises authoritative, highly accessible information on
the very latest terminology, concepts, theories, techniques, people, and
organizations relating to all areas of science and technology—from astronomy,
engineering, physics, computer science, and mathematics, to life and earth
sciences, chemistry, environmental science, biology, and psychology. Written by
trusted experts for researchers at every level, entries are complemented by
illustrative line drawings, equations, and charts wherever useful.
Like most interdisciplinary fields of study, STS emerged from the
confluence of a variety of disciplines and disciplinary subfields, all of which had
developed an interest—typically, during the 1960s or 1970s—in viewing science
and technology as socially embedded enterprises.[1] The key disciplinary
components of STS took shape independently, beginning in the 1960s, and
developed in isolation from each other well into the 1980s, although Ludwik
Fleck's (1935) monograph Genesis and Development of a Scientific
Fact anticipated many of STS's key themes. In the 1970s Elting E.
Morison founded
the
STS
program
at Massachusetts
Institute
of
Technology (MIT), which served as a model. By 2011, 111 STS research centres
and academic programs were counted worldwide.[2]
Key themes[edit]
 History of technology, that examines technology in its social and
historical context. Starting in the 1960s, some historians questioned technological
determinism, a doctrine that can induce public passivity to technologic and
scientific "natural" development. At the same time, some historians began to
develop similarly contextual approaches to the history of medicine.
 History and philosophy of science (1960s). After the publication
of Thomas Kuhn's well-known The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962),
which attributed changes in scientific theories to changes in underlying
intellectual paradigms, programs were founded at the University of California,
Berkeley and elsewhere that brought historians of science and philosophers
together in unified programs.
 Science, technology, and society. In the mid- to late-1960s, student
and faculty social movements in the U.S., UK, and European universities helped to
launch a range of new interdisciplinary fields (such as women's studies) that were
seen to address relevant topics that the traditional curriculum ignored. One such
development was the rise of "science, technology, and society" programs, which
are also—confusingly—known by the STS acronym. Drawn from a variety of
disciplines, including anthropology, history, political science, and sociology,
scholars in these programs created undergraduate curricula devoted to exploring
the issues raised by science and technology. Feminist scholars in this and other
emerging STS areas addressed themselves to the exclusion of women from science
and engineering.
 Science, engineering, and public policy studies emerged in the 1970s
from the same concerns that motivated the founders of the science, technology, and
society movement: A sense that science and technology were developing in ways
that were increasingly at odds with the public's best interests.[according to whom?] The
science, technology, and society movement tried to humanize those who would
make tomorrow's science and technology, but this discipline took a different
approach: It would train students with the professional skills needed to become
players in science and technology policy. Some programs came to emphasize
quantitative methodologies, and most of these were eventually absorbed
into systems engineering. Others emphasized sociological and qualitative
approaches, and found that their closest kin could be found among scholars in
science, technology, and society departments.[citation needed]
During the 1970s and 1980s, leading universities in the US, UK, and
Europe began drawing these various components together in new, interdisciplinary
programs. For example, in the 1970s, Cornell University developed a new program
that united science studies and policy-oriented scholars with historians and
philosophers of science and technology. Each of these programs developed unique
identities due to variation in the components that were drawn together, as well as
their location within the various universities. For example, the University of
Virginia's STS program united scholars drawn from a variety of fields (with
particular strength in the history of technology); however, the program's teaching
responsibilities—it is located within an engineering school and teaches ethics to
undergraduate engineering students—means that all of its faculty share a strong
interest in engineering ethics
THE MEDIA
Media is the communication outlets or tools used to store and
deliver information or data. The term refers to components of the mass
media communications industry, such as print media, publishing, the news
media, photography, cinema, broadcasting (radio and television), digital media,
and advertising.
The development of early writing and paper enabled longer-distance
communication systems such as mail, including in the Persian Empire (Chapar
Khaneh and Angarium) and Roman Empire, which can be interpreted as early
forms of media. Writers such as Howard Rheingold have framed early forms of
human communication as early forms of media, such as the Lascaux cave
paintings and early writing. Another framing of the history of media starts with
the Chauvet Cave paintings and continues with other ways to carry human
communication beyond the short range of voice: smoke signals, trail markers,
and sculpture.
The Term media in its modern application relating to communication
channels was first used by Canadian communications theorist Marshall McLuhan,
who stated in Counterblast (1954): "The media are not toys; they should not be in
the hands of Mother Goose and Peter Pan executives. They can be entrusted only
to new artists because they are art forms." By the mid-1960s, the term had spread
to general use in North America and the United Kingdom. The phrase "mass
media" was, according to H.L. Mencken, used as early as 1923 in the United
States.
The term "medium" (the singular form of "media") is defined as "one of
the means or channels of general communication, information, or entertainment in
society, as newspapers, radio, or television." The role of regulatory
authorities (license broadcaster institutions, content providers, platforms) and the
resistance to political and commercial interference in the autonomy of the media
sector are both considered as significant components of media independence.
In order to ensure media independence, regulatory authorities should be placed
outside of governments' directives. this can be measured through legislation,
agency statutes and rules. The process of issuing licenses in many regions still
lacks transparency and is considered to follow procedures that are obscure and
concealing. In many countries, regulatory authorities stand accused of political bias
in favor of the government and ruling party, whereby some prospective
broadcasters have been denied licenses or threatened with the withdrawal of
licenses. In many countries, diversity of content and views have diminished
as monopolies, fostered directly or indirectly by States.
This not only impacts on competition but leads to a concentration of
power with potentially excessive influence on public opinion. Buckley et al. cite
failure to renew or retain licenses for editorially critical media; folding the
regulator into government ministries or reducing its competences and mandates for
action; and lack of due process in the adoption of regulatory decisions, among
others, as examples in which these regulators are formally compliant with sets of
legal requirements on independence, but their main task in reality is seen to be that
of enforcing political agendas. Government endorsed appointments. State control
is also evident in the increasing politicization of regulatory bodies operationalized
through transfers and appointments of party-aligned individuals to senior positions
in regulatory authorities. Internet regulation. Governments worldwide have sought
to extend regulation to internet companies, whether connectivity
providers or application service providers, and whether domestically or foreignbased. The impact on journalistic content can be severe, as internet companies can
err too much on the side of caution and take down news reports, including
algorithmically, while offering inadequate opportunities for redress to the affected
news producers
PEOPLE AND SOCIETY
Business success and social responsibility go hand in hand for us. Enthusiasm,
appreciation, integrity and responsibility therefore form the foundation of our
business activity. They guide us in regard to our employees, the company, our
business partners and above all our customers.
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MULTIVAC's management policy
Through their daily work and their communication, loyalty, integrity and decisions,
our employees ensure that MULTIVAC acts highly successfully in the
international market, and that the company stands for solid values. It is our task,
within the context of sustainable company management, to create a suitable
framework. Open and respectful interaction between individuals is an important
basis, and this is conducted at all levels within the company. In addition to this, we
have defined basic principles of behaviour in our Management Policy, Compliance
Directive, Corporate Operating Procedures and Works Agreements.
Employee rights
Equal Opportunities
Compatibility of family and career
Occupational health management
Representation for handicapped persons
Diversity
Regional social commitment
MULTIVAC packaging solutions are known throughout the entire world. As a
company that operates internationally as well as locally, we feel committed to the
people of the particular region in which we operate, as well as to our social
responsibilities. That is why we are committed regionally, nationally and
internationally.
We are often hosts at our main production site in Wolfertschwenden to various
public events and organisations. We cultivate our close relationship with the
community of Wolfertschwenden and undertake joint projects with it - for example
with the local kindergarten and primary schools on the "Knowledge Factory"
project. We are also a member of the Allgäu GmbH partnership network, which
was set up to strengthen the brand of the Allgäu region. We are actively engaged
with the University of Kempten and other educational establishments. And we also
support many different initiatives and interesting projects in the areas of culture,
sport and other social activities.
National and international commitment
Since 2010 we have been supporting the international SAVE FOOD Initiative of
the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which combats worldwide food
wastage. And since 2012 MULTIVAC has been a member of the BLUE COMPETENCE sustainability initiative of the German Association of Machinery and
Equipment Manufacturers (VDMA). We are also one of the founding members of
the German Initiative for Agribusiness and Nutrition in Emerging and Developing
Countries (DIAE).





In addition to this, we are actively committed to a wide range of organisations,
associations and trade committees at national and international level:
Sector division of the German Association of Machinery and Equipment
Manufacturers (VDMA)
AUMA - German Exhibition and Trade Fair Committee
Committees for the leading trade fairs in the packaging and food sectors
Standards Committees (DIN, EN) for safety and hygiene
European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group (EHEDG)
THE LAW AND CRIME
"Penal law" redirects here. For the historic British laws punishing nonconformists,
see Penal law (British).
"Criminal case" redirects here. For game, see Criminal Case (video game).
For the 1989 film, see Criminal Law (film).
Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It proscribes conduct
perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to
the property, health, safety, and moral welfare of people inclusive of one's self.
Most criminal law is established by statute, which is to say that the laws are
enacted by a legislature. Criminal law includes
the punishment and rehabilitation of people who violate such laws.
Criminal law varies according to jurisdiction, and differs from civil law, where
emphasis is more on dispute resolution and victim compensation, rather than
on punishment or rehabilitation.
Criminal procedure is a formalized official activity that authenticates the fact of
commission of a crime and authorizes punitive or rehabilitative treatment of
the offender.
The first civilizations generally did not distinguish between civil law and criminal
law. The first written codes of law were designed by the Sumerians. Around 2100–
2050 BC Ur-Nammu, the Neo-Sumerian king of Ur, enacted written legal code
whose text has been discovered: the Code of Ur-Nammu[1] although an earlier code
of Urukagina of Lagash ( 2380–2360 BC ) is also known to have existed. Another
important early code was the Code of Hammurabi, which formed the core
of Babylonian law.[2] Only fragments of the early criminal laws of Ancient
Greece have survived, e.g. those of Solon and Draco.[3]
The Old Bailey in London (in 1808) was the venue for more than 100,000 criminal
trials between 1674 and 1834, including all death penalty cases.
In Roman law, Gaius's Commentaries on the Twelve Tables also conflated the civil
and criminal aspects, treating theft (furtum) as a tort. Assault and
violent robbery were analogized to trespass as to property. Breach of such laws
created an obligation of law or vinculum juris discharged by payment of monetary
compensation or damages. The criminal law of imperial Rome is collected in
Books 47–48 of the Digest.[4] After the revival of Roman law in the 12th century,
sixth-century Roman classifications and jurisprudence provided the foundations of
the distinction between criminal and civil law in European law from then until the
present time.[5]
The first signs of the modern distinction between crimes and civil matters emerged
during the Norman Invasion of England.[6] The special notion of criminal penalty,
at least concerning Europe, arose in Spanish Late Scholasticism (see Alfonso de
Castro), when the theological notion of God's penalty (poena aeterna) that was
inflicted solely for a guilty mind, became transfused into canon law first and,
finally, to secular criminal law.[7] The development of
the state dispensing justice in a court clearly emerged in the eighteenth century
when European countries began maintaining police services. From this point,
criminal law formalized the mechanisms for enforcement, which allowed for its
development as a discernible entity.
Objectives of criminal law[edit]
Criminal law is distinctive for the uniquely serious, potential consequences
or sanctions for failure to abide by its rules.[8] Every crime is composed of criminal
elements. Capital punishment may be imposed in some jurisdictions for the most
serious crimes. Physical or corporal punishment may be imposed such
as whipping or caning, although these punishments are prohibited in much of the
world. Individuals may be incarcerated in prison or jail in a variety of conditions
depending on the jurisdiction. Confinement may be solitary. Length of
incarceration may vary from a day to life. Government supervision may be
imposed, including house arrest, and convicts may be required to conform to
particularized guidelines as part of a parole or probation regimen. Fines also may
be imposed, seizing money or property from a person convicted of a crime.
Five objectives are widely accepted for enforcement of the criminal law
by punishments: retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, rehabilitation and restoratio
n. Jurisdictions differ on the value to be placed on each.
Food and drink
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for
an organism. Food is usually of plant, animal or fungal origin, and contains
essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The
substance is ingested by an organism and assimilated by the organism's cells to
provide energy, maintain life, or stimulate growth. Different species of animals
have different feeding behaviours that satisfy the needs of their unique
metabolisms, often evolved to fill a specific ecological niche within specific
geographical contexts. Omnivorous humans are highly adaptable and have adapted
to obtain food in many different ecosystems. Historically, humans secured food
through two main methods: hunting and gathering and agriculture. As agricultural
technologies increased, humans settled into agriculture lifestyles with diets shaped
by the agriculture opportunities in their geography. Geographic and cultural
differences has led to creation of numerous cuisines and culinary arts, including a
wide array of ingredients, herbs, spices, techniques, and dishes. As cultures have
mixed through forces like international trade and globalization, ingredients have
become more widely available beyond their geographic and cultural origins,
creating a cosmopolitan exchange of different food traditions and practices.
Today, the majority of the food energy required by the ever-increasing population
of theworld is supplied by the industrial food industry, which produces food
with intensive agriculture and distributes it through complex food
processing and food distribution systems. This system of conventional agriculture
relies heavily on fossil fuels, which means that the food and agricultural system is
one of the major contributors to climate change, accountable for as much as 37%
of total greenhouse gas emissions. Addressing the carbon intensity of the food
system and food waste are important mitigation measures in the global response to
climate change.
The food system has significant impacts on a wide range of other social and
political issues including: sustainability, biological diversity , economics
population growth, water supply, and access to food. The right to food is a human
right derived from the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights (ICESCR), recognizing the "right to an adequate standard of living,
including adequate food", as well as the "fundamental right to be free
from hunger". Because of these fundamental rights, food security is often a priority
international policy activity; for example Sustainable Development Goal 2 "Zero
hunger" is meant to eliminate hunger by 2030.
Food safety and food security are monitored by international agencies like
the International Association for Food Protection, World Resources
Institute, World Food Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization,
and International Food Information Council, and are often subject to national
regulation by institutions, like the Food and Drug Administration in the United
States. Food sources .Most food has its origin in plants. Some food is obtained
directly from plants; but even animals that are used as food sources are raised by
feeding them food derived from plants.
Entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of
an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more
likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousands of
years specifically for the purpose of keeping an audience's attention.[1] Although
people's attention is held by different things, because individuals have different
preferences in entertainment, most forms are recognisable and familiar .
Storytelling, music, drama, dance, and different kinds of performance exist
in all cultures, were supported in royal courts, developed into sophisticated forms
and over time became available to all citizens. The process has been accelerated in
modern times by an entertainment industry that records and sells entertainment
products. Entertainment evolves and can be adapted to suit any scale, ranging from
an individual who chooses a private entertainment from a now enormous array of
pre-recorded products; to a banquet adapted for two; to any size or type of party,
with appropriate music and dance; to performances intended for thousands; and
even for a global audience.
The experience of being entertained has come to be strongly associated
with amusement, so that one common understanding of the idea is fun and
laughter, although many entertainments have a serious purpose. This may be the
case in the various forms of ceremony, celebration, religious festival, or satire for
example. Hence, there is the possibility that what appears as entertainment may
also be a means of achieving insight or intellectual growth.
An important aspect of entertainment is the audience, which turns a
private recreation or leisure activity into entertainment. The audience may have a
passive role, as in the case of persons watching a play, opera, television show,
or film; or the audience role may be active, as in the case of games, where the
participant/audience roles may be routinely reversed. Entertainment can be public
or private, involving formal, scripted performance, as in the case
of theatre or concerts; or unscripted and spontaneous, as in the case of children's
games. Most forms of entertainment have persisted over many centuries, evolving
due to changes in culture, technology, and fashion for example with stage magic.
Films and video games, for example, although they use newer media, continue
to tell stories, present drama, and play music. Festivals devoted to music, film,
or dance allow audiences to be entertained over a number of consecutive days.
Some entertainment, such as public executions, are now illegal in most
countries. Activities such as fencing or archery, once used in hunting or war, have
become spectator sports. In the same way, other activities, such as cooking, have
developed into performances among professionals, staged as global competitions
and then broadcast for entertainment. What is entertainment for one group or
individual may be regarded as work or an act of cruelty by another.
The familiar forms of entertainment have the capacity to cross over different media
and have demonstrated a seemingly unlimited potential for creative remix. This has
ensured the continuity and longevity of many themes, images, and structures.
Money and shopping
Money and shopping gives learners the language that they need to take
part in a number of everyday conversations, both face-to-face and over the
telephone. There are three units in this pack On the phone, Money and Shopping.
Each unit contains three separate lessons. These nine lessons complement each
other but can be used separately. Timings are approximate and make take more
or less time than shown, depending on your learner.
Bearing in mind that some learners’ oral skills are in advance of their
literacy skills, accessing the materials in this pack does not require strong reading
and writing ability on the part of the learner. However, there are activities which
aim to improve basic literacy. Where real objects are available (realia) as a
stimulus for activities it is good to use them. In the event of realia being
unavailable pictures have been provided for all lessons. With the advancements
made in modern technology, everything is much simpler to access, complete, and
even become distracted by. Usually, when a person is shopping, they are looking to
get a specific item or items, whether it be the fancy black dress for the office party,
a new pair of earrings for a birthday of a loved one, or needed household items.
Nowadays, everything is just a few clicks away on our tablets, laptops,
smartphones or computers, and the accessibility of everything makes spending
much easier to do. So, does shopping online actually make you spend more
money?
The answer to this, for many, is absolutely. When you’re in the store,
outlet, or a shop in the mall, it’s easy to look directly in the direction where you’re
meaning to go (aisle 4, or right to the dress pants, etc.) and get what you need and
leave. Sure, the end caps of aisles and the red signs that read SALE in large letters
are a bit distracting, but it’s easy to walk past it and leave. This simply isn’t the
case for many people when it comes to shopping online. There are many factors to
how online shopping not only makes it easier to buy more, but also encourages
you. Take a look at a few of these following points.
When shopping online, your cart ALWAYS has room, no item is too big, and the
cart never overflows like in real life. You can always fit more items to buy. Free
shipping encourages you to buy items you may not necessarily need, but most of
the time there is a minimum amount of money spent before you can get free
shipping on your items, so while you’re getting the free shipping, you’re being
encouraged to spend more to get it. So, is it really free? Browsing made easy. It’s a
great concept, until you realize while you’re enjoying yourself you’re also being
made into a profit. There is ease of accessibility when shopping online, and a lot of
websites off categories of “things you might like” or “other users who bought this
item also bought ---“, and while it seems personalized towards your shopping
tastes and needs, it’s not. It’s a way of tracking consumerism and encouraging you
to spend more. It’s easier to spend money that you don’t physically have. Sure, you
need an item, but when you buy it in exchange for cash or swiping a card, it’s a bit
more difficult to part with the amount of money.
Fashion and design
Fashion is a popular aesthetic expression at a particular period and place
and in a specific context, especially in clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories,
makeup, hairstyle, and body proportions.[1] Whereas a trend often connotes a
peculiar aesthetic expression and often lasting shorter than a season, fashion is a
distinctive and industry-supported expression traditionally tied to the fashion
season and collections.[2] Style is an expression that lasts over many seasons and
is often connected to cultural movements and social markers, symbols, class, and
culture (ex. Baroque, Rococo, etc.). According to sociologist Pierre Bourdieu,
fashion connotes "the latest fashion, the latest difference."
Even though they are often used together, the term fashion differs from clothes
and costumes, where the first describes the material and technical garment,
whereas the second has been relegated to special senses like fancydress or masquerade wear. Fashion instead describes the social and temporal
system that "activates" dress as a social signifier in a certain time and context.
Philosopher Giorgio Agamben connects fashion to the current intensity of the
qualitative moment, to the temporal aspect the Greek called kairos, whereas
clothes belong to the quantitative, to what the Greek called Chronos.
Exclusive brands aspire for the label haute couture, but the term is
technically limited to members of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in
Paris. It is more aspirational and inspired by art, culture and movement. It is
extremely exclusive in nature. With increasing mass-production of consumer
commodities at lower prices, and with global reach, sustainability has become
an urgent issue amongst politicians, brands, and consumers.
Early Western travelers, traveling to India, Persia, Turkey, or China, would
frequently remark on the absence of change in fashion in those countries. The
Japanese shōgun's secretary bragged (not completely accurately) to a Spanish
visitor in 1609 that Japanese clothing had not changed in over a thousand years.
However, there is considerable evidence in Ming China of rapidly changing
fashions in Chinese clothing. Changes in costume often took place at times of
economic or social change, as occurred in ancient Rome and the
medieval Caliphate, followed by a long period without significant changes. In 8thcentury Moorish Spain, the musician Ziryab introduced to Córdoba sophisticated
clothing-styles based on seasonal and daily fashions from his native Baghdad,
modified by his inspiration. Similar changes in fashion occurred in the 11th
century in the Middle East following the arrival of the Turks, who introduced
clothing styles from Central Asia and the Far East.
Additionally, there is a long history of fashion in West Africa. The Cloth
was used as a form of currency in trade with the Portuguese and Dutch as early as
the 16th Century. Locally produced cloth and cheaper European imports were
assembled into new styles to accommodate the growing elite class of West
Africans and resident gold and slave traders. There was an exceptionally strong
tradition of cloth-weaving in Oyo and the areas inhabited by the Igbo people.
HEALTH OF FITNESS
Health of fitness is a state of health and well-being and, more
specifically, the ability to perform aspects of sports, occupations and daily
activities.
Physical
fitness
is
generally
achieved
through
proper nutrition, moderate-vigorous physical exercise, and sufficient rest.
Before the industrial revolution, fitness was defined as the capacity to
carry out the day’s activities without undue fatigue. However, with
automation and changes in lifestyles physical fitness is now considered a
measure of the body's ability to function efficiently and effectively in work
and leisure activities, to be healthy, to resist hypokinetic diseases, and to meet
emergency situations. Fitness is defined as the quality or state of being fit and
healthy.[5] Around 1950, perhaps consistent with the Industrial Revolution and
the treatise of World War II, the term "fitness" increased in western
vernacular by a factor of ten.[6] The modern definition of fitness describes
either a person or machine's ability to perform a specific function or a holistic
definition of human adaptability to cope with various situations. This has led
to an interrelation of human fitness and attractiveness that has mobilized
global fitness and fitness equipment industries. Regarding specific function,
fitness
is
attributed
to
persons
who
possess
significant aerobic or anaerobic ability, i.e. endurance or strength. A wellrounded fitness program improves a person in all aspects of fitness compared
to practicing only one, such as only cardio/respiratory endurance or only
weight training.
A comprehensive fitness program tailored to an individual typically
focuses on one or more specific skills, and on age-or health-related needs
such as bone health. Many sources also cite mental, social and emotional
health as an important part of overall fitness. This is often presented in
textbooks as a triangle made up of three points, which represent physical,
emotional, and mental fitness. Physical fitness can also prevent or treat many
chronic health conditions brought on by unhealthy lifestyle or aging. Working
out can also help some people sleep better and possibly alleviate some mood
disorders in certain individuals. Developing research has demonstrated that
many of the benefits of exercise are mediated through the role of skeletal
muscle as an endocrine organ. That is, contracting muscles release multiple
substances known as myokines, which promote the growth of new tissue,
tissue repair, and various anti-inflammatory functions, which in turn reduce
the risk of developing various inflammatory diseases.
SEMINAR AND EXPRESSING OPINIONS.
Much of the discussion in seminars involves putting forward
ideas, viewpoints or responses to current issues relevant to your
field of study. When putting forward an argument you will need to
also provide some evidence that supports your point of view. By
practising how to present strong evidence-based opinions in
seminars, you will develop a better understanding of how to think
critically, and also clarify for yourself how you might organise these
ideas in an essay. Here is one suggestion for preparing for seminar
discussion: 1. Complete the set weekly readings. Identify the main
ideas and key concepts / vocabulary. 2. Makes some notes: your
thoughts, reactions, any questions. 3. Compare and contrast
different ideas and opinions in the readings, and from class notes. 4.
Begin to formulate your own opinions and how you might express
them in the seminar: Based on what I have read, I believe that … 5.
Be prepared to explain why you have this opinion: One of the main
reasons I believe this is ... 6. Be prepared to direct others to
evidence from the readings to support your opinion: In the 2009
Smith reading, she points out that … 7. And remember, asking
questions can also be a valuable contribution to the discussion: I’m
not sure what Smith meant when she said After having participated
in the TOK Seminar, Isabel Vanzi and María Jesús Albarrán, two
12th-grade students, expressed their views on this event and talked
about the activities they liked most, the teachings they learnt and the
tools they acquired from this experience. All this will be of great
help for them when writing the essay for the IB Diploma
Programme.
I had very high expectations about the Seminar and I think
that after having been through the experience, I can confirm that it
was very good. It was a necessary instance to approach all titles for
the first time and be able to develop general views about each of
them.
TALKS AND PRESENTATION
I think there are plenty of models of artists who like to stick to and stay
focused on one thing. I think of Robert Ryman, who's very important to
me. I don't think his work was high risk, but I think it was extremely
vertical. And then, look at somebody like Francis Bacon. The nature of
his paintings was extremely high risk, because he was always on the
edge of losing the coherence of what he was doing. He was on the edge,
and you felt that it was essential for him to be on the edge, until
whatever resolution did occur, and the work was finished. My training
and everything would kick in. It's about peaking at the right time: I
trained for a fight for like, two months, maybe two and a half months.
My trainers Dave Jacobs and Angelo Dundee, they would say, “All
right, let's pull back.” So instead of running five miles, we’d run three
miles. Everything is cut back so that I could peak at fight time. It’s all
about timing. Why do we sit with rapt attention listening to a compelling
story yet find ourselves nodding off during most presentations?
Communication expert Nancy Duarte spent time digging into the best
stories from history, cinema, and literature – and also suffering through
some of the worst presentations she could get her hands on – to explore
the differences and come up with a winning model for great
presentations. In this talk, Duarte explores the secrets and structures of
the greatest communicators and their public speaking efforts – from
Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech to Steve Job’s public
unveiling of the iPhone. She shares with the audience the common
storytelling structure utilized by compelling presenters that you can
apply to your next effort.
Data is the lifeblood of IT, the business, and many an IT leader
presentation. But on its own, data can be lifeless – or worse, ineffective
or misleading.
British data journalist David McCandless is skilled at transforming
complex data sets into engaging data visualizations that are not only
lovely to look at but also instantly bring to life the stories within the
data. Data is not the new oil, he says, but the new soil – “a fertile,
creative medium” – if you know how to manipulate and design it.
McCandless shares his tips for visualizing information so that an
audience can see the patterns and connections that matter.
Work and business
The first two years of my first business my partner and I did every job in
the company. In fact those first years are a blur because most of it was
spent in a delivery van driving cross-country (I put over a 200,000 miles
on my van those first 2 years) to stores and to shows. It was the very
definition of a lean startup pushing ourselves and the two employees we
had to the limit. The problem is we spent all our time working in the
business and not working on it. If you want to run a successful business
you have to know how to play to your strengths. It's pretty easy to
micromanage everything. You may think that you can get things done
better and more efficiently than anyone else. That might even be true,
but all the time you are spending doing jobs that other people could be
doing is time that you are not running your business. When you get
bogged down in simple details that your employees could be working
on, you are not being an effective leader. As the leader of your business,
you are responsible for spotting problems and delegating solutions. You
are responsible for setting goals and thinking about the future. The only
person in your company who will be genuinely motivated to grow your
company is you. Every minute that you spend working on tasks that can
be delegated is a minute that you are not planning, strategizing and
building the best business possible. This is why it's important to work on
your business, not in your business. You are in charge of the big picture.
When you see areas that need improvement, delegate the work out, so
you can continue to be the troubleshooter and visionary that you need to
be. It may take some practice if you're used to getting really hands on in
your business, but your employees will appreciate the trust and
responsibility you give them, and you will quickly learn that you can do
the job of leading your business that no one else can do!
WEATHER AND THE ENVIRONMENT
The planet is warming, from North Pole to South Pole. Since
1906, the global average surface temperature has increased by more
than 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit (0.9 degrees Celsius)—even more in
sensitive polar regions. And the impacts of rising temperatures
aren’t waiting for some far-flung future–the effects of global
warming
are
appearing
right
now.
The
heat
is melting
glaciers and sea ice, shifting precipitation patterns, and setting
animals on the move.
Many people think of global warming and climate change as
synonyms, but scientists prefer to use “climate change” when
describing the complex shifts now affecting our planet’s weather
and climate systems. Climate change encompasses not only rising
average temperatures but also extreme weather events, shifting
wildlife populations and habitats, rising seas, and a range of other
impacts. All of these changes are emerging as humans continue to
add heat-trapping greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.
Scientists already have documented these impacts of climate
change:

Ice is melting worldwide, especially at the Earth’s poles. This
includes mountain glaciers, ice sheets covering West Antarctica and
Greenland, and Arctic sea ice. In Montana's Glacier National Park
the number of glaciers has declined to fewer than 30 from more than
150 in 1910.

Much of this melting ice contributes to sea-level rise. Global sea
levels are rising 0.13 inches (3.2 millimeters) a year, and the rise is
occurring at a faster rate in recent years.

Rising temperatures are affecting wildlife and their habitats.
Vanishing ice has challenged species such as the Adélie penguin in
Antarctica, where some populations on the western peninsula have
collapsed by 90 percent or more.

As temperatures change, many species are on the move. Some
butterflies, foxes, and alpine plants have migrated farther north or to
higher, cooler areas.

Precipitation (rain and snowfall) has increased across the globe, on
average. Yet some regions are experiencing more severe drought,
increasing the risk of wildfires, lost crops, and drinking water
shortages.

Some
species—including mosquitoes, ticks, jellyfish,
and
crop
pests—are thriving. Booming populations of bark beetles that feed
on spruce and pine trees, for example, have devastated millions of
forested acres in the U.S.