text:
Nintendo's Hardware DNA: A Switch Teardown
March 3rd marked the anticipated release of Nintendo's newest console, the Switch. Capitalizing on advancements in mobile processor technology, Nintendo has catapulted forward into the next generation of hardware, with a device that combines the portability of a handheld with the experience of a traditional home console.
The Nintendo Switch's signature move is a seamless transition between its handheld and TV modes by placing the portable console into the included accessory dock. The console itself is essentially a tablet with two detachable controllers that can operate as a single controller or as two separate controllers for impromptu multiplayer gaming.
The convergence of handheld and home console paradigms isn't the only aspect of the Switch that breaks the mold. A cursory teardown of the main tablet unit strongly suggests that Nintendo is utilizing a Tegra X1 reference design from NVIDIA. This has enormous implications for the Switch's development in the past, present, and future.
Before the Switch, Nintendo developed the majority of their hardware architecture internally. Consequently, Nintendo's consoles have suffered from a lack of third party support due to development differences with Sony and Microsoft. Designing their hardware around an industry standard like the Tegra X1 has already paid off, with third parties like Bethesda, EA and an onslaught of indie developers porting games to the Switch that would have typically flown right past a Nintendo console in the past.
Leveraging NVIDIA's tablet gaming technology means that Nintendo can focus on what they do best — innovating on tried and true game control design.
The Nintendo Switch benefits from a rich legacy of both portable and home consoles, inheriting hardware traits from more than 30 years of devices. To view the Switch as simply an on-the-go home console is to overlook the storied past of each design detail that makes it a uniquely Nintendo product.
In order to gain a better understanding of what makes the Switch a true innovation for Nintendo, we must look at the aspects of the design that are already familiar to us.
We'll dive into Nintendo's history and their journey of mastering the art of game control, and how it has led them to the product that we will be tearing down today.
If you want to skip the historical overview of Nintendo's gaming innovation, you can scroll down further to the physical teardown, below.
A Legacy of Hardware Innovation (A "Historical Teardown")
Although the core interaction of quickly transitioning between portable and home console modes is a new idea, the user-facing hardware features of the Switch have been a part of Nintendo's history for the past three decades. In fact, the very idea that Nintendo creates new ways to play games is not a recent development.
In early generations, Nintendo set the gold standard for video game controllers. We see this in multiple aspects: with the first cross-style directional pad (Game & Watch Donkey Kong, 1979), the iconic ABXY face buttons, left and right trigger buttons (Super Nintendo, 1991), and one of the first analog thumbsticks in a home console (Nintendo 64, 1996).
The Rumble Pak (literally) shook up the idea of immersive gameplay on the Nintendo 64 by providing the first home console with haptic feedback. The Zapper brought virtual duck massacres and arcade-like shooter tech to the living room with the NES. 1995's Virtual Boy, despite unrivaled critical and commercial failure, was an honest attempt at an affordable virtual reality headset that arrived a quarter century early.
Novel gameplay elements have defined Nintendo's handheld devices and home consoles since 70's, but the past decade and a half has brought forth a hardware innovation renaissance — thanks to the vision of the late president Satoru Iwata.
The Nintendo DS family of systems pioneered touch-based gaming in 2004 with their bizarre two-screened system and a cost-effective resistive touch screen. In 2006, the Wii brought motion-controlled gaming to the living room by way of inertial measurement units (IMUs) and infrared (IR) cameras in the Wii Remote.
Nintendo introduced both of these input methods to the mainstream consumer before the dawn of mobile gaming on the iPhone — when motion-controlled and touch-based gaming would reach critical mass. Nintendo also debuted the first mass-market handheld device to have a glasses-free stereoscopic 3-D display with the Nintendo 3DS in 2011 (which also included augmented reality capabilities and two cameras for capturing 3-D content).
The Switch's hardware DNA is composed of the most distinctive elements from their products over the past 30 years. Nintendo hasn't incorporated much of anything into the Switch that we haven't seen before; they've simply refined their design formula. And thanks to NVIDIA, Nintendo was able to focus their efforts on creating the heir to their game control dynasty in the form of the Joy-Cons.
For instance, haptic feedback in the form of rumble has existed in almost every console since the Nintendo 64 days, but the Switch is the first console to have HD Rumble. Instead of using a typical eccentric rotating mass motor, Nintendo uses a linear resonant actuator not unlike that of Apple's Taptic Engine. This iterative technology enables the user to feel the faintest pop of a bubble or the rolling of a marble in a box, and is more advanced than either the Xbox One or PS4's rumble technologies, which are based on eccentric rotating mass motors.
Low cost resistive touchscreens have also been a cornerstone of Nintendo's handheld line and the Wii U since the DS launched in 2004. The Switch boasts the first capacitive multi-touch screen in a Nintendo product.
The Switch makes a bold statement about Nintendo's mastery of the art of game control by inheriting the traits of its hardware ancestry.
The Present Day Hardware Innovation (AKA The Physical Teardown)
The Switch is like any shiny new gadget: a treasure trove of tech, waiting to be unlocked, with all sorts of intricate mechanical and electrical engineering puzzles and Easter eggs tucked away behind its enclosure.
As a product engineering firm, we couldn't wait to get our hands on the Switch and tear it down! Although the Switch teardown is already well documented (thanks iFixit and our friends at fictiv), we will provide additional insight from a hardware development perspective.
When first opening the device, we are instantly drawn to the injection molding marks left on the plastic back piece of the Switch. A stamped-in date shows a production date of Nov 15, 2016 – showing they had the production line up and running for a while now.
It takes time to manufacture millions of units!
The NVIDIA Tegra produces some serious heat, which is why it's important to activate a cooling system — you wouldn't want to burn the hands of millions of gamers. Many commentators might call the Switch a glorified tablet but, in reality, it's around 10x more powerful than your average iPad, thanks to the Tegra. The cooling system uses an amazingly thin heat pipe (a squashed copper tube filled with coolant) with a small radiator and fan, including vibration damping rubber mount, at the end.
A very high tech solution crammed into an impressively small package.
The heatsink does not directly contact the Tegra chip; instead, it goes through the metal shield over the processor and memory. You can even see a little copper square over the processor, as copper is known for its high thermal conductivity, and the gray thermal paste to aid heat transfer. Warning from the wise, that stuff gets everywhere!
The main connector is often the primary cause of unit failures. In this case, the Switch uses a relatively new USB Type-C connector that enables all it's power and data needs. The Nintendo team designed this connector to be incredibly tough – as multiple dockings and chargings will undoubtedly abuse it.
The connector is soldered down at multiple points on the PCB, a cover is spot-welded on, screwed down and the board it is assembled to butts up against the metal chassis of the Switch.
This thing isn't going anywhere!
One common mistake that happens during manufacturing is when chips are installed incorrectly on the circuit board. Nintendo has tried to circumvent this by including little pictograms of chip orientations (and even diode marks for the keen-eyed geek!) directly on the board. Hopefully this will minimize any mistakes.
Mindtribe has spent months designing light-pipes for products. The art of funneling light from a LED to the right external location for the user to see can often be a dark art. Nintendo has gotten this spot on, with no 'light-bleed' (the light escaping into areas it shouldn't normally be). A very impressive effort.
The Future of Hardware Innovation (AKA Nintendo's Boundary Pushing)
With Nintendo's impressive track record of designing and manufacturing boundary-pushing user-experiences, they are unlikely to slow down anytime soon. The Switch marks a huge success not only as a desirable product but also realizing they should focus on what they do best, marrying innovative gameplay interfaces with tried and true game control design.
A central principle of the Mindtribe method is leveraging the experience and domain knowledge of industry experts, rather than reinvent the wheel. Leveraging NVIDIA's technology in their newest console has already paid off in more ways than one, with third parties and indie developers flocking to the Switch. Consequently, Nintendo was able to redirect their resources towards integrating their hardware DNA into the Joy-Cons.
We eagerly await the next announcement from Nintendo, although it's always difficult to predict where they'll go next. Some commentators have already suggested the Switch as a potential VR component, paired with a headset. This might not be far off — both the Switch and the Joy-Cons have the necessary motion tracking sensors — but it would necessitate more power, as well as a more responsive screen to make that a reality. Still, the Switch positions Nintendo well, with the potential to become the first all-in-one console, from handheld, to TV, to VR.


text:
Brittany Roesch
- Studied Computer Science at UBC (2015)
- Spent 8 months at Hootsuite (January-August 2014)
- Joined our Platform Team
- Worked with Scala, Akka, distributed systems
- Worked with @hootsuitemike, @cherylsyli, @ujm
- Follow me @brit_roesch on Twitter
- Connect with me on LinkedIn
My Contributions
- Built an application to display current and historical uptime of our Streaming system using the Play Framework and Scala
- Helped to move our entire twitter streaming infrastructure to Amazon AWS
- Federated queues in RabbitMQ to support integration from consumers in different AWS regions
- Implemented ZooKeeper to coordinate and monitor our distributed streaming infrastructure to ensure all parts are working and recovering as expected
- Published a blog post about her work with ZooKeeper
My ExperienceHootsuite has been one of those companies that has always been on my radar. I had heard many great things in the tech world about the culture, work and people that make up Hootsuite so when the opportunity to work here came up, I jumped on it.
Hootsuite was such a great experience. The people there are so incredibly talented, intelligent and friendly. Everyone is one big team there, all supportive of each other and each having the same goal in mind. There is a buzz there that I haven't experienced at a job before. You are surrounded by extremely passionate people who love coming to work everyday and it is such an amazing environment to be a part of.
During my term, I had the opportunity to learn a new language (Scala) and work on a very complex, but rewarding, distributed system. Everyone is very supportive and helpful and they are a huge factor in how much I have learnt during my 8 months. Hootsuite has trust in everyone here, so you can count on having a voice and actually being heard. It is a great place to grow as an engineer and to gain and develop both technical and non-technical skills.
If you are passionate about this industry and the work you do, are willing to learn, motivated to constantly contribute to a super cool product and want to work in a fast-paced, encouraging and fun environment, then Hootsuite is the place for you. Working at Hootsuite is being a part of a really unique culture and I definitely recommend it as a great place to work, where you will meet tons of talented and interesting people and will be challenged and inspired every single day.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
So remember that time when I used to update my blog somewhat regularly and then I just sort of...stopped? Well that is soon to be a thing of the past! I'm back!! AND...guess what?!?! I got my PhD! I'm officially a Dr!
Last Sunday (5/19) was my PhD Convocation and then last Wednesday (5/22) was the university Commencement and then my hooding ceremony. I am elated that I was able to achieve my dream of earning my PhD. I just wanted to share a few pictures from last week's festivities.
My mom, Sean (bf), Matt (best friend), Uncle Dan, and Aunt Cathy accompanied me last Wednesday to Commencement and hooding. I know that they were so very proud of me--maybe as proud or prouder than I was!
Here I am leaving the hooding ceremony. If you have never been to a hooding ceremony it is the time that we are officially presented our doctoral hoods that show the color of our degree (royal blue for me indicating PhD) as well as our school colors on the inside (although you can't see it in the picture, the inside of my hood is light blue and white for Columbia). Technically we aren't supposed to wear our hoods before being hooded, but we all did--call us rebels! Commencement took place prior to hooding and it just felt good to wear the hood to Commencement!
I actually have a funny story about the hood I received. We had the choice of either buying or renting both the hood and the gown for graduation. We all had to buy the tam. Well, after pricing out the outfit I decided that it would be best to rent the gown (it was over $600 to own) and buy the hood as a memento. If I was to buy the entire thing it would cost about $1,000 which is a bit too much for me right now for something I might not wear again. Anywho, back to my hood story. I had the bookstore ship my regalia to my house since I'm very rarely at school any longer. (Side note: I got a job much closer to home so I no longer have to go to the city every day!) So when my regalia arrived I was so excited to try it on! When I put the hood on I realized that it was red and royal blue inside, but didn't think more of it. When I got to school on Sunday for my Convocation my mom and I decided to visit the bookstore to purchase a few items. The bookstore has PhD gowns on display and I realized that the inside of the hood was school colors--Columbia blue and white. I checked with the bookstore staff and the assured me that as long as the velvet part of my hood was royal blue, the hood was correct. When I asked about the red inside the bookstore staff, Convocation staff, and even a Dean did not have an answer. So after my Convocation I was sure that I was sent the wrong hood in the mail--EVERYONE else had Columbia colors on the inside of their hood. Luckily the bookstore lent me a rental for the other ceremonies! At least my mom was able to spot me easily at Convocation!!
Ok, back to pictures. Here are a bunch of people from the Human Development department. HUD (as we call it) houses my program as well as other psychology programs. We were waiting to go into the hooding ceremony--notice that no one is wearing the hood :). I think someone commented that without the hood we look like a chef choir. Haha!
Here I am post Commencement posing with the "Columbia University--Congratulations to the Class of 2013" banner! I think I have a similar one from when I graduated in 2008 with one of my masters degrees.
Here I am with Sean and My mom after my Commencement. If you look to the left of the picture ALLL the way in the background you'll see a "sea of blue"--that's where I was sitting for the ceremony! Needless to say it was tricky to get to my family afterwards to take some photos! Luckily we got some nice ones :). There were over 30,000 people said to be at this years graduation.
Here I am with Uncle Dan (who is also my godfather) and Aunt Cathy! I know they had such a nice time at the ceremony. I'm so glad they came!
I do like that we got Low Library (which isn't a library) in the background of these photos. I do love the campus! Here I am with Matt and my mom. :)
And last, but certainly not least is a photo with my advisor. Dr. Johnson was a wonderful mentor for my dissertation and I'm very proud to have been able to work with him!
So that is it for now. Definitely expect some project posts coming soon! I've done a bit of knitting and crocheting during my blogging hiatus and would love to share the projects with you! Until then, happy yarn time! :)


text:
FORT COLLINS, Colo.—Colorado officials and an independent fundraising foundation are asking for public input on a proposal to pursue corporate sponsorships to help fund state parks.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Foundation for Colorado State Parks are holding public meetings around the state starting July 19 in Grand Junction.
Parks and Wildlife Assistant Director Ken Brinks tells the Fort Collins Coloradoan ( http://noconow.co/MjCw1p) that corporate sponsorship might include a company sponsoring an education program.
Agency spokesman Randy Hampton says the agency opposes selling naming rights but that could be considered if the public supports it. Brinks says visitors oppose the idea and it doesn't fit with the agency's mission.
Other meetings are planned July 24 in Colorado Springs, July 31 in Fort Collins and Aug. 8 in Denver.
Colorado State Parks: http://www.parks.state.co.us/Pages/HomePage.aspx
The Foundation for Colorado State Parks: http://www.thefcsp.org/web/
Information from: Fort Collins Coloradoan, http://www.coloradoan.com


text:
"It's a magazine for fashion obsessives by fashion obsessives" ~ Style.comWith so many magazine titles moving to digital, and new titles being launched online only – Style.com has surprised many by doing reverse. This week the site launched the inaugural edition of their print magazine. But there's no possibility of forgetting the magazine's online roots with its slightly awkward title Style.com/print. So what does Style.com hope to achieve by innovating backwards?
Editor-in-chief of Style.com Dirk Standen explains the move:
"I don't think [media] brands can afford to be tied to one medium anymore. Obviously you see that with magazines paying a lot of attention to their websites now. But even on the web, it's not enough to just have a website. You have to on various digital devices. You need to be on the various social media sites. You want your content to be available in as many places as possible"
|Style.com is not the only online site to recognise the benefits of a hard copy presence. Online retailers ASOS and Net-A-Porter both have launched successful print magazines recently.
The Style.com/print strategy must be viewed as part of a wider strategy to reach more people and provide content in more forms. But do we really need another fashion magazine – or will Style.com/print offer something more?
Audience generated content
As Style.com says the print magazine combines "the voices of both the editors and the readers of the world's leading fashion Web site". Style.com has opted to create a unique print version of their website rather than a traditional fashion magazine.
The first edition includes a full wrap up of the SS12 runway shows – combing the glossy visuals of a traditional fashion mag with twitter messages, photo blogs, street fashion snaps. Coverage of the top ten shows of the season are ranked, not in terms of the editor's favourites, but the number of page views received on Style.com! Instead of redundantly recapping what happened the magazine pits the views of editors and contributors against what was most popular on the site in terms of web traffic.
|Chanel was the readers top show of SS12 with over 3.5 million page views - while the editors' pick was Balenciaga (Chanel wasn't even in the editors' top five)
"I think if we can combine the emotional narrative of storytelling with the kind of authoritative reporting that Style.com already does, we can create something that is fun" ~ Dirk Standen
Instant Gratification
Speed has always been one of Style.com's strengths – allowing instant public access to fashion shows throughout the world. The Style.com catchphrase is the "first in fashion for ten years". The first print edition of Style.com launched only three weeks after the final Paris Fashion Week shows. The plan is to continue coordinating the editions with the end of fashion weeks.
Backwards Innovation
Style.com was the first major fashion site with an iphone app and the also the first fashion site to launch a magazine. Style.com is finding success by swimming against the current – not something encouraged in the fashion world. Standen comments "We have a history of innovating and will continue to innovate". In fact, the magazine launch coincided with Style.com first attempt at e-commerce "instant gratification". Another first, Style.com has partnered with six designers so readers can buy limited numbers of pieces direct from the runway.
The Reasons to Envy:
- Courage shown by Style.com to go against magazine publishing trends
- The use of core strengths (speed, innovation and viewer opinions) to createprovide a fresh approach
Rather than trying to emulate a traditional fashion magazine Style.com has stuck to what it is good at and instead created a printed web experience. While fashion advertising certainly benefits from the richness of print – it's an intensely crowded marketplace. Is there room for one more magazine or has Style.com made a wrong move?
A self-professed geek with an insatiable appetite for learning. While completing a BCA in Marketing and Commercial Law at Victoria University, Nicole worked her way up from an entry-level position to Marketing Manager (in just 3 years). She created The Envy Collection to showcase clever and inspiring advertising and marketing ideas.
Connect with Nicole on Twitter - @envycollectEnvy Credits:
Quotes from Style.com editor-in-chief Dirk Standen sourced from Media Ideas – please visit for full interview! First envied on Oyster Magazine; Photos sourced from Huffington Post


text:
In a game where both sides were missing a number of players which yet again prompts the age old question -- why play on the long holiday weekend? -- Cavan came away with a deserved but hard pushed victory.
Despite being behind or tied for 40 minutes of the contest, they used a good defensive performance down the stretch to negate Leitrim chances and secure the win.
Cavan did have the first two points of the game with midfielder Stephen Harold and center forward Kevin Smith the scorers.
On seven minutes it all changed, however. A long Leitrim ball into the corner looked to be going wide, but Kenny O'Connor rescued it. He soloed towards goal and punched to Paddy Daly at the opportune time to leave his corner forward with the easy task of punching to the net.
When Rory Woods followed with a point from play, Leitrim were settled. The sides had three points a piece in the next 12 minutes, with the towering shooting of Shane Sweeney and Woods for Leitrim superb.
Gearoid McCarthy had two brilliant scores for Cavan in the mix when he was found by early ball by his midfielders, and he then punished the defense with his shooting.
Smith was taking over the free taking duties for Cavan, and he punished some defensive indiscressions by Leitrim with good placed ball shooting.
The game was tit for tat, however, as Woods had a free at the other end, while O'Connor was first to a rebound off the upright to leave Leitrim ahead 1-6 to 0-8 at the break.
Cavan had a clear-cut goal chance in the first minute of the second half when Harold stormed forward and shot low. It was deflected out by the defense and the resulting 50 was dealt with easily.
The winners did have a good point after five minutes by Justin O'Halloran, but that was cancelled out by Sweeney six minutes later. Cavan were hurting themselves with a succession of wides, but they were building chances while also shutting down the Leitrim attack.
McCarthy leveled the game for the last time with a point after Paddy Smith set him up, and that was followed by an outstanding goal. The ball was worked out from the back by O'Halloran and Ronan McGinley, who carried it over 40 yards in short passes. It was then given to Smith who fired it to the net for a 1-10 to 1-7 Cavan lead.
Leitrim responded by winning two frees with Dan Doona and Woods popping them over, but good defensive play by Denis McCarthy and Paul Lambe cleared up a further three chances.
Smith had Cavan's final point of the afternoon on 28 minutes with his fifth of the day to secure the win.
After the victory over Armagh which is now in the hands of the CCC due to an objection, this was an important win for Cavan. Paul Lambe and Denis McCarthy were very strong, particularly in the second half.
The battle between Kenny O'Connor and Alan Carolan finished in a draw. It wasn't pretty, but it was enthralling.
Kevin Cardin had some prominent moments on his return too New York. Paddy McCullough continues to dominate; he would have been a big plus for New York against Roscommon.
Kevin Smith had his best shooting game in a long while. The responsibility of the frees helped his game. Gearoid McCarthy is having a brilliant start to his New York career.
Kieran Power did nothing wrong for Leitrim. Ger Farrell, Alan Lowney, Pat Madden, Shane Sweeney and Ken O'Connor were others to shine. Rory Woods had four points, but they were the quiet type.
Cavan: 1 Maurice Power, 2 Paul Lambe, 3 Alan Carolan, 4 Denis McCarthy, 5 Ronan McGinley, 6 Kevin Cardin, 7 Ronan Fitzsimons, 8 Paddy McCullough, 9 Steven Harold (0-1), 10 Barry McGinn, 11 Kevin Smith (0-5), 12 Joe McKeon, 13 Gearoid McCarthy (0-3), 14 Justin O'Halloran (0-1), 15 Paddy Smith. Sub: James Moore.
Leitrim: 1 Kieran Power, 2 Kieran Scannell, 3 Alan Lowney, 4 Dermot Keane, 5 Colin Cronin, 6 Ger Farrell, 7 Mike Creegan, 8 Pat Madden, 9 Paul O'Hara, 10 Shane Sweeney (0-3), 11 Dan Doona (0-1), 12 Pa Ryan, 13 Rory Woods (0-4), 14 Kenny O'Connor (0-1), 15 Paddy Daly (1-0).
Man of the match: Kevin Smith (Cavan).
Referee: Lawrence McGrath.


text:
Last week our newest book joined our lineup in the TrailCooking Bookstore:
Between 2009 and 2013, Kirk and I developed these 50 recipes, that really stood out to us, for our outdoor food column, Trail Eats, which ran from 2009 to 2013.
From raw energy bars, to luxury desserts, hearty carb fests and even pizza, we hope you enjoy some of our favorites, while you are out on your adventures!
Included are BBQ Chicken Wraps, Chicken and Apple Soup, Crab Mac n' Cheese and many more!
Breakfast • Bars, Balls & Noshes • Lunch • Soup • Dinner • Desserts
In digital form, for $4.99.
Available On Amazon:


text:
I love being the person responsible for the Bridal Day Emergency Kit. I have so much fun finding all of the items and putting it together. I just made a new kit for my friend's wedding in Cabo. I thought I would share with you what I included in my kit. And this kit could be used for other big events as well - proms, galas, parties, black tie events, etc. It is just extra fun when it is called a BRIDAL day ER kit!
Items included:
Scope mouthwash
dental floss
Cotton pads, Cotton balls and Cotton QTips
makeup application pads
makeup remover and make up remover pads
baby oil
hand sanitizer
hand cream and foot cream
nail polish remover
clear nail polish
emery boards
scotch tape and double sided tape
sewing kit
Shout It Out stain remover pen
Aleve, Tylenol, Aspirin
first aid kid
safety pins
hand soap
wet ones wipes
lint roller
eye drops
contact cleaner
We used so many of the items at the wedding last weekend. The sewing kit repaired a bridesmaid dress, the scissors cut a few loose strings on the wedding dress, visine was used to take the redness out of a bug bite, the wet ones were used to remove deodorant from a dress and the safety pins held up a hem. Always better to be over prepared! Leave a comment if there is anything I forgot and I will add it to my kit next time!


text:
Hooray hooray! It's Valentine's Day!
Valentine's Day makes me happy. What is it about those red and pink hearts that gets to me so?! I know it's a Hallmark holiday and all, but I say embrace it and enjoy love, share love, spread love. I've had some memorable V-Days over the years. Some romantic. Some sweet. Some silly. Some with the bf. Some with the gfs. Some with Ben + Jerry. Oops, did I say that out loud?
This Valentine's Day Dan and I are double dating with our friends, so it will be twice as fun. Hope you get to spend time with someone you love!
Oh, I should also mention that Valentine's Day puts me in the mood for chocolate. Shocking, I know! Check back soon for a fun – and very interesting – chocolate treat!
What are you doing this Valentine's Day?


text:
Director Hector Babenco dies at 70
''Kiss of the Spider Woman'' film maker, who was the first Latin American to be nominated for a best director Oscar, has died in Brazil. Rough cut (no reporter narration)
NATURAL ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION) Hector Babenco, whose 1985 film "Kiss of the Spider Woman" made him the first Latin American to be nominated for a best director Oscar, died of a heart attack late on Wednesday (July 13). "We lament the death of an extraordinary director," tweeted Brazilian President Michel Temer, after news of the death was announced on Thursday by the Sao Paulo hospital where he had been treated. Born in 1946 and nominated for the Oscar 40 years later, Argentine-Brazilian Babenco also directed other films such as "Pixote" in 1981 and "Carandiru" in 2003. Set in a Latin American jail cell where an unlikely pair of prisoners are forced by brutal circumstances to understand and eventually respect each other, "Kiss of the Spider Woman" was based on the novel by Argentine Manuel Puig.


text:
Migration Causes And Effects In Pakistan Economics Essay
5/12/16 Economics Reference this
Disclaimer: This work has been submitted by a student. This is not an example of the work produced by our essay writing service.
You can view samples of our professional work here.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of UK Essays.
Since 1947 after partition a millions of people transfer from India to Pakistan. This was one of the mass level migration in the sub-continent. Currently the total number of Pakistani migrant is about 7 millions around the world. Most of them are living in the richer west countries while more then 2 millions are live within Middle-East. This paper is based on secondary data to examine the issue of international migration and their positive & negative impact on the economic development of Pakistan. Migration has both cost and benefits on the socio economic structure of any country. The findings reveal that remittances are one of the most important contributions to the home country while social cost is very high to the migrant families.
Key words: Migration causes and effects, economic development, Pakistan.
1. Introduction:
Migration mean change of habitat or a removal from one place to another .Migration is usually interpreted as a response to two sets of mutual forces i.e. push factors operating at the place of removal and pull factors work at place of target. Every year million of world people make what is often a significant decision to move to a new dwelling. Migration the component of population change may be interpreted as natural efforts to achieve a better balance between population and resources. Migration is define here as a movement of population involving a change of permanent residence of substantial duration. Migration may be divided into various categories but two are very important as under.
Internal migration
External migration
Migration from rural to urban areas is generally the most important form of migration especially in countries experiencing industrialization and rapid technological changes. In area of departure population pressure modernization of agricultures well as tradition system of land turn over have been the key push factors. The rapid increase of employment opportunities in urban areas is the major pull factor. (1)
A helpful approach to understand migration process is to think in terms of push and pull factors. Push factors for example unemployment, famine, political factors enmities etc make people dis satisfied with their home areas. Pull factors help migrants decides exactly where they will go. Close family affiliation, job opportunities better education, facilities and good environment of big cities are major pull factors. (2)
Migration is probably as old as the mankind however rapid development and population pressure has change the causes and dimensions of migration. As like some people migrate from their homelands due to war and terror situation and uncertain circumstances of their country called refugees. Many migrate across the geographical boundaries of the country for the search of better job and maintenance of their financial status in the society. Other compelled by the governments to leave their homes for the time being due to military operations ,natural disaster or any other reason called internally displace persons(IDP). Migration has many types like cyclic movement; consist of seasonal movement and nomadisim (3). The periodic movement involves labor migration and migration from rural areas to cities urbanization. Whatever the type of migration is? The matter of concern is to explore its well-known causes and the impact of migration on the overall economic and social system of a country.
The positive relationship between urbanization and per capita income in one is the most outstanding stylized facts of development process. If a country is more developed measured by per capita income the share of population living in urban areas is also greater so it means that higher income countries are more urbanized. In economics development literature Rural Urban migration was viewed most favorable. Internal migration was thought to be a natural process in which additional labor was withdrawn from rural sector to provide needed workforce for urban industrialization. This process was seem to be very beneficial for the society because there is positive shift of human resources from the place where the marginal product was zero to the place where it is not only positive but increasing rapidly due to capital accretion and industrial development.(4)
As we discussed above that employment opportunities or attractive jobs at urban centers is the major pull factor which may compel the people to leave their home lands, and if they migrate to urban centers then their migration make them economically well off then before. Same is the case with external migration that if the migrant got attractive job across the geographical boundaries then their contribution in shape of remittance which they send to their nation is greater in the development of the country economy. Recent data shows that remittance flows to developing countries reached $328 billion in 2008 up 15% from $285 billion in 2007.(5)
The research on hand will try to elaborate the causes and effects of migration in context of Pakistan, and especially the role/contribution of remittances to balancing the balance of payment of Pakistan.
2. Literature Review:
2.1. Migration in global perspective:
The very old civilization of the world settled in cities and countries around the Mediterranean Sea and along the cost of Arabia India China and the contents of Europe and Asia. Drifting tribes such as Huns In the 3rd century BC dominated various part of the huge core area of Eurasia. The most amazing military migration was that of 13th century AD Mongol tribes under Genghis Khan who Capture China, Southern Russia, Turkistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Syria ,Asia minor and some parts of Europe.(6) During the mercantile period from 1500 to 1800 the movement of people around the world was dominated by Europeans. During period of industrialization an estimated 48 million emigrants between 10 and 20 percent of the population left in Europe.
In 1970 a huge flow of migrants was received by the northern Europe and America such as Italy Portugal and Spain from Africa and Middle East. In the period of 1970 oil producing rich countries made a Persian Gulf a charming destination for migrants. The new International migrants flow have varied from 2 percent increase between 1970and 1980 to 4.3percent from 1980 to 1990 and 1.3percent from 1990 to 2000.
Less developed and middle income countries now send the most emigrants led by Bangladesh, China, India, Mexico, Pakistan and Turkey. (7) All These Facts and Figures are given in the table below.
Table 1.1:
In the late nineteenth century most international migrants come from better off-Europe Top sending countries in 1900 and 2000.
The table depicts that in the late nineteenth century most of international migrants belong to European countries but the flows of international migrants from poor countries and middle income countries also increase in the year 2000. Over the past 15 years the number of people crossing borders in search of better life has been rising steadily. At the start of 21st century one in every 35 people is an international migrant. If they all live in the same place it would be the world s fifth largest country (8).
2.2. Historical Background in Pakistan:
Migration has been a constant in the history of Pakistan. The 1947 Partition of the Indian Sub continent into two sovereign states India and Pakistan consequence a large scale population transfers.6.6 million Muslims entered Pakistan from Indian region and 5.6 millions estimated Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India. Indeed this was remarkable migration from one region to another.
Qayum et al identify that since 1947 an event that intensely related to migration is the transfer of millions of people from India to Pakistan consequential in a large set up of refugee link around the globe. The total recent Pakistani immigrants are about 7 millions most of them are living in the richer West countries and more then 2 millions living within middle east. So according to his findings Pakistan is one of the major recipient of remittances in the developing countries. Migration to gulf countries begins in 1970 by the mid 1980's when this temporary was at its peak there were an estimated 2 million Pakistani in the Persian Gulf states making up the largest group in the foreign workers. Their men were remitting more then $3 billion every year to Pakistan (9, 10). According to year book (2004-05) of the ministry of labor the estimates of overseas Pakistanis is over 7 millions including illegal immigrants. (11)
Table 1.2: Pakistan around the world:
Saudi Arabia
500000 ………900000
Source: Year book 2004-05.Govt of Pakistan-Ministry of labor force, Manpower overseas Pakistanis (Overseas Pakistanis division), Pp. 29 to 34.
2.3. Cause and effect analysis of International Migration:
What cause migration? Is the question of million worth. Before going to discuss the main causes of international migration first we little bit discuss some general causes of migration. Psychologically it is very difficult to change the abode however if some problems arise at the living station and it makes difficult to survive there then definitely one can decide to move from their homelands. Basically people take the decision of migration due to lack of employment opportunities, better education facilities, some migrate due to lack of good environment at living place and deficiency of other necessities of life, some time hostility against any group cause migration and there are much more causes that may compel the people to leave there place of birth. So these are some general causes of migration even internally or externally. But I think that the major causes of international migration are two as follows
(1)Lack of better job opportunity at home country.
(2) Lack of better education facilities.
Many researches has been don on international migration and their findings are mostly same that the main cause of leaving own country is no job opportunities or low job opportunities. Unequal income and resource distribution and rising trends of poverty and inflation are the major causes that may compel the people to migrate to other countries and find new world of opportunities for them across the boundaries .Same is the case in Pakistan as the Pakistan is over populated country caught up with unemployment hyperinflation and miserable poverty.
The unemployment rate in the country is 5% at the end of labor force year 2005-6. The rate of inflation measured by CPI reached at its peak in August 2008 at 25.3% and bounced backed to 21.1% in February 2009 (Ministry of finance) (12).According to World Bank report poverty rates in Pakistan are 17.2% in recent years means that 17.2% of the total population are living below the poverty line(13). So these figures revealed the fact that when poverty ridden people find no hope to uplift their lives from vicious circle of poverty and unemployment they may migrate across the boundaries to search new hopes for survival.
Another important cause of migration is search of better education in the technological advance countries. Getting higher and good education from the world best universities are now becoming dream of our youth because of the lack of quality education and jobs opportunities accordingly at the home countries. For this purpose many people decided to leave their country and getting higher education abroad for glooming their future.
Some people also migrate due to close friends and family affiliation when working people feel isolation of their friends' family and children abroad. To the some extent the phenomenon of international migration can also take place due to lawlessness and war and terror situation in the country. People temporarily migrate due to trade and business activities where the profitable business opportunities are not available in the country due to political instability and distortion.
The above mention causes of migration have also some socio economic impacts on the economy. Migration was very favorable in early economic development literature but due to rapid development in industrialization and huge increase in the phenomenon it now becomes a serious problem like various other macro economic problems. Migration creates threat and opportunity for both sending and receiving countries. The labor force movement particularly from one country to another creates negative and positive socio economic effects. The positive economic effect of migration across the border for sending country is found in remittances. This refers to money transfer sent by migrants to there families. Remittance flows globally currently exceeds USD 100 billons (14).The flow of foreign remittance to developing countries has steadily grown over the past three decades – rising from $18 billion in 1980 to $328billion in 2008. Within developing countries South Asia accounted for 23% that is $74 billion. Pakistan accounted for 9.5% or $7 billion remittances. Pakistan's worker remittances shows a rising trends over the last one decade (1999/00-2008/09).The remittance flows in Pakistan during 2008-09 has surprised many analysts because in the global economic and financial crunch period (2008-09 ) the Pakistan remittances grew by over 21%.. Remittance are very important for developing countries especially for Pakistan ,because it help in up grading the living standard of Pakistani masses at the same time help them to uplift there self from poverty circle. Remittances play a critical roll in balancing the balance of payments of Pakistan and may convert the deficit BOP into favorable BOP.
In absence of remittances, the current account deficit would have been over $20 billion or 12 per cent of GDP in 2007-08 and $16.4 billion or 9.9 per cent of GDP in 2008-09 which is creating a serious balance of payment crisis. Thus, remittances have played an important role in not only preventing the balance of payment crisis but also helping the country to build foreign exchange reserves (15).
If remittance are the positive sign for sending countries at the same time they has to bear the negative effect in shape of brain drain .Most of skilled and highly educated people move from the country and use there intellects and skills for receiving country. Outflow of the most educated persons from developing countries to the most developed countries of the world is the issue at the fore front of developing countries. For example in case of Pakistan many scientists, engineers, and educationist are working in the most advanced countries of the world .Brain drain has been a persistent problem of Pakistan over the years. According to daily times report "New study of the phenomenon in medicine has reveled that Pakistan is the third leading source of International Medical graduates (IMGs) in the affluent countries. The bureau of emigration and overseas employment estimates that annually about 1000 to 15000 physicians leave the country, of whom 10 to 15% return for net migration of 900 to 1275 physicians (16). Another positive effect for receiving countries is the availability of cheap labor to achieve the benefits of low labor cost. And the cost paid by receiving countries in terms of huge immigrant's burden on economy may leads to labor market distortion and disturb their social setup as there is possibility to increase criminal activities unemployment problems and so many other problems arise. Analyzing the social impact of international migration we can say that it has some negative effect on the sending country.
The social setup of home country could be disturbed by the culture, customs and the values (acquired) adopted by returned migrants from abroad.
Reduction in local investment and productivity because of low availability of highly skilled workers (17).
There is possibility of another negative effect for receiving countries that if immigrants acquired knowledge, skills and education from their country and they immediately go back to their own home lands it may creates an ordinary supply shock for their economy.
Table 1.2:
Global Commission on International Migration (GCIM) pointed out the following Positive and Negative effects.
Positive effects
Negative effects
Provides opportunities to workers not available in the home country.
€ May ease effect on the domestic market of the supply of excess labor and reduce unemployment.
€ Inflow of remittances (that increase incomes and may lead to improved human development outcomes for recipients) and foreign exchange.
€ Technology, investments and venture capital from Diasporas.
€ Can contribute to increased trade flows between sending and receiving countries.
€ Stimulus to investment in domestic education and individual human capital investments.
€ Return of skilled workers may increase local human capital, transfer of skills and links to foreign networks.
Charitable activities of diasporas can assist in relief and local community Development.
Loss of highly skilled workers and reduced quality of essential services.
€ Reduced growth and productivity because of the lower stock of highly skilled workers and its externalities.
€ Lower return from public investments in public education.
€ Selective migration may cause increasing disparities in incomes in the home country.
€ Loss of fiscal revenue from taxation of workers.
€ Remittances may diminish over time.
€ Inflationary potential of remittances, especially on real estate, in some areas.
€ A 'culture' of migration, disincentives to invest locally.
Source: UN/DESA (2004: 97) and other sources. (18)
Comparison of existing study with previous studies ?????.
Migration rather internal or external raises some management and policy challenges at various levels. What government should do immediately is the decision taking about the problem of residency (Residential problems) and citizenship rights, for both temporary and permanent migrants. Migration is always and everywhere a phenomenon of unemployment. To conclude we can say that international migration remittances transfer of skill broader investment, culture circulation brain drain and brain gain and Diaspora network are the important features of international migration that contribute to sustainable development. On the basis of above positive and negative effects it is concluded to Indeed migration is favorable and desirable but the purpose of the study is that we should try to reduce the phenomenon up to the level where we got its maximum benefits and avoid from receiving its sever costs. On the basis of above cited literature it is highly important for the country to create job opportunity with in the country in order to reap the benefits of highly technical skills employees to accelerate economic development of the country and minimize the social cost face by the citizen of the country. A policy or a set of policies should be designed by the government towards retaining program of doctors by providing them residential facilities, cars, and better remuneration and such facilities should be extended to other professionals like engineers, educationist, etc. A well design strategy should make to reduce inflation and to reinstate the market stability. As we know that migration is positively related to unemployment so government should take sound measures to reduce the unemployment rate that could help to minimize the abroad movement of people.
Another important thing regarding the policy action is that government should make hard and fast rules to control the illegal migration which creates lot of problems for both sending and receiving countries.
Cite This Work
To export a reference to this article please select a referencing stye below:
Related Content
Featured review
"Thank you UK Essays for your timely assistance. It has helped me to push forward with my thesis."
Related ServicesView all
DMCA / Removal Request
If you are the original writer of this essay and no longer wish to have the essay published on the UK Essays website then please.


text:
I know I did a post about how to make homemade soy yogurt before, but I was not sure if my instructions were clear enough… plus, it is just too good to not post about it again!
Over the summer while I was in the US, I was disappointed when I could not find a good non-dairy yogurt. Almost all of them were sweetened and the one unsweetened soy yogurt I found was not very good in my opinion and contained all kinds of thickeners. Here, in the UK, they have a brand of soy yogurt that is incredibly smooth and creamy. The ingredients? Soy milk and cultures. No thickeners, sweeteners, or flavors. I like it even plain (of course it is also good with a little bit of raspberry jelly)!
Unfortunately, they only have this amazing soy yogurt in about 2 cup containers… in this household… we could go through one of those a day! So of course, I decided to make it! Fortunately, it is just as good as the store bought and it requires no yogurt maker! Plus, those of you who live in the
soy yogurt deprived US can have some of the real stuff! 😉 It is really so simple and I make it almost every day!
The trick is to find a soy milk that has a higher fat content. I have made it with a few different brands and while one brand tastes amazing, the other one tastes bland and watery. Unfortunately, I have not tried all of the brands in the US, so I can not give you a definite recommendation. The soy milk I use, has 5.5 g of fat per 250 mls.
So what soy milk brand should you use? For those of you in the US… of course I spent the extra time and looked up all of the different soy milks in the US and their fat content. I have to say… 90% of them have sugar and/or 10 other "enriching" ingredients. Plus, most of them have a measly 4 g of fat per 240 mls (1 cup).
Finally I found one that has just two ingredients (soy beans and water) and has 6 g of fat per 240 mls! Now, I am jelous… with that fat content, I bet it is going to make a very creamy yogurt!
So, that soy milk is Eden Soy Unsweetened. Make sure it is unsweetened!
Oh, and I thought I would mention… don't try and make yogurt with rice, oat, almond milk… it doesn't work… I have tried! 😉
So how do I make it? I use a store bought yogurt as my starter and use generally 2 T plain soy yogurt for 3 c of soy milk. If you use yogurt as your starter, make sure it has LIVE strains of bacteria in it, otherwise it will not work. Your other option is to simply buy a non-dairy yogurt starter and then use your own yogurt as your starter for subsequent batches!
Mix room temperature soy milk with the yogurt in a glass jar. Put a lid on it and place it in your oven at 30 C or about 100 F overnight or about 10 hours. It should be thick and creamy. If not wait a couple of more hours.
If your oven does not go that low, I have also been successful making yogurt by preheating the oven, turning it off and leaving the yogurt overnight in the warm oven.
It might sound like a lot of work, but it really is easy once you have it down and the results are so worth it!
I love using the yogurt as a dressing, in coleslaw, parfaits, or eating straight out of the jar! If anyone tries to make it, please let me know how it goes! 😀
For breakfast/lunch/dinner I will make cauliflower "rice" (cauliflower in the processed in the food processer) mix yogurt in it, some cinnamon and optional stevia… tastes like cereal! You can also steam it if you would rather not have it raw! I also like to put (non-dairy) milk in it too… something about cold milk and cereal…
I know… I like REALLY healthy food! 😉
On to other things:
Anyone think you can't have a garden and live in London (while renting)? Leave my dad to figure that out! 😉
In between the bushes, he has conveniently "stashed," in pots and growing bags, zucchini plants, corn, tomatoes…
Our first homegrown heirloom tomato!
lemon cucumber
baby carrots!
We also went blackberry picking again and I was determined to pick enough to make something… trouble is, I haven't decided yet!
Last, but not least… I made some of my sweet potato brownies with oat flour (they were super sweet, sweet potatoes), left out the walnuts and flax and added a white mulberry cashew cheese icing… delish!
For those interested, I calculated the nutritional info for these babies (without icing) and they are 75 calories per brownie (1/9th of the recipe)!
Submitted to: Potluck Party, Healthy Vegan Fridays, Wellness Weekend


text:
Diabetes Research Studies
We are seeking volunteers for 2 different Diabetic Studies, one is for Diabetes II Metformin only and the other is Diabetic Neuropathy. We are located in Santa Ana, CA. If you are interested, please visit our website: www.apexresearch.org or call 714-542-3008
No replies
Next Discussion: Hello, I'm New Here »


text:
+1 619 710 0900
2296 Niels Bohr Court San Diego 92154 USA
Location This hotel enjoys a central location in San Diego, in the Otay Mesa Business Park, near the International Commercial Border Crossing. It lies less than 1.5 km from the Tijuana Border and the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, about a 5-minute drive from Browns Field, some 10 minutes by car from the Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre and just 32 km south of downtown San Diego. Facilities This hotel was built in 2007. The air-conditioned establishment comprises a total of 99 rooms. Services and facilities at the hotel include a safe, a restaurant, a breakfast room, a conference room and a business centre. Wireless internet access is available to travellers in the public areas. Those arriving in their own vehicles can leave them in the car park of the accommodation. Rooms Each of the rooms is appointed with air conditioning, central heating and a bathroom. The carpeted rooms feature a double bed, a king-size bed or a sofabed. There is also a safe. A fridge, a mini fridge, a microwave and a tea/coffee station ensure a comfortable stay. An ironing set is also available for guests' convenience. Internet access, a telephone, a TV, a radio and WiFi add to the comfort of the holiday. Rooms suitable for wheelchair access are bookable. A shower and a bathtub can be found in the bathrooms. A hairdryer is also available. Bathrooms with wheelchair access can also be booked. The hotel offers non-smoking rooms. Sports/Entertainment The establishment offers attractions including sport and entertainment opportunities. A refreshing dip in the swimming pool is a great way to cool off on hot days. The hot tub is the perfect place to relax. The accommodation offers a gym (for a fee) to travellers. Meals Bed and breakfast is bookable. Options include breakfast. Payment The following credit cards are accepted at the hotel: American Express, VISA, Diners Club, JCB and MasterCard.


text:
Prev Next
Know more about Dubai and the UAE !
Everybody living in Dubai knows how the cabin crews from Emirates and the other airlines do matter in our daily life. With about 20 000 of them, everybody knows at least one or ten !
A part of being part of the night life of the UAE, for many of us they do represent also a chance to get some small international services !
Emirates, fly Dubai and other crews around the UAE enjoy different offers and discount programs. World Of Crew is a free app where they can find the latest discounts for Facecard and other programs.
Real question is more like when will have a free app for people to find all the discounts they can enjoy around them !


text:
Grandma and Papa came up from Portland to help cheer for Jackson's basketball team!
Our little Spokane is happy to host the largest 3-on-3 basketball tournament in the whole wide world and Jackson has participated for more years than I can remember.
It's become quite the fun family tradition.
In fact, when we first were deciding on our moving date {from Spokane to Pittsburgh}, we promised the kids that we would stay through Hoopfest. Our last hoorah.
And here we are. Already. So soon.
How time flies.
It's hard to believe that we only have 2.5 weeks left until we load up the wagons and head east, across the wild frontier. Hello Pittsburgh.
After a long, hot day of watching basketball, crowding around the living room to watch America's Funniest Home Videos was pretty much the best thing ever. It's never not funny to watch other people get peed on by infants, knocked down by large running animals, and kicked where it really counts.
Happy Weekend, All!


text:
Ahh, Fridays! Aren't they the best? The thoughts of a late breakfast on a Saturday morning is very cheering, especially if you work 9-5 ish, Monday to Friday!
For the record, happy moments today, in my little corner of Ireland:
Beautiful Mocha coffee on way to work, lifting my spirits considerably
Sharing recipes for a no-fail Victoria sponge with whipped cream and jam...
Sinful chocolate Moro bar at lunch, calorific but very necessary
Walk through a forestry after work with my dog Boots
Sitting on a mossy bank, in said forestry, thinking...
Blackbirds, raising the roof at dusk, chattering crazily
Have a fabulous weekend wherever you are, filled with happy moments.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Friday Happiness!
Posted by The Wild Fairy at 9:48 PM
Labels: blackbirds, Breakfast, Chocolate Cake, forestry, Victoria Sponge
No comments:
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Sheffield institution Henderson's Relish is to go from the dinner table to the silver screen.
While the city may no longer be steel capital of the world and the words 'Made in Sheffield' are no longer stamped on knives and forks around the globe, the condiment remains a culinary obsession.
And now the story of Sheffield's culinary secret is to be aired for the first time.
Sheffield-born actor Ian Reddington has produced and narrated Relish, a new documentary on the story of a Sheffield mealtime institution.
He is joined by some of the best known faces in Sheffield – everybody from comedy favourite Bobby Knutt to former Home Secretary David Blunkett as well as musicians Richard Hawley, Paul Carrack, Heaven 17 and artist Pete McKee – as they explain their devotion to a condiment that is made only in Sheffield.
For the first time the Freeman family - owners of Henderson's Relish – allowed cameras into their Sheffield factory.
Although not so closely that you'll be able to work out the secret recipe that for more than a hundred years has made Henderson's an essential part of the Sheffield dinner.
Relish, directed by Aaron Rogers, has been selected from thousands of entries to receive its world premiere at the Sheffield Documentary Film Festival on June 6 and 8.
"We have made Henderson's Relish represent Sheffield," said former Coronation Street star Ian, himself a lifelong Hendo's devotee.
"For some reason this little bottle defines us. I found that very strange and I wanted to try and work out why."
Comic Bobby said: "You can have all that other stuff with the similar label – but it isn't a patch on this!"


text:
** This is a sponsored post for a company I know, use myself, and luv. As always, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own!
Unfortunately, as summer comes to an end, so does much of our outdoor fitness; going for a run along the boardwalk, kayaking on the lake, or biking to the beach becomes a bit more challenging for many folks across the country. NOW is the perfect time to find your best, most convenient, and amazingly affordable alternative. Enter Groupon Things To Do!
|I found my gym on Groupon!
Don't lose your hard-earned health and fitness gains this fall- find a gym, personal trainer, yoga studio, Zumba class, or CrossFit center right in your own neighborhood. Studies prove that exercise that is convenient and easy-to-use is most likely to be repeated. Add in affordable, and you have your recipe for fitness success. (For instance, at the gym I joined last week, a one-month membership normally costs $150. The Groupon rate for that same month is only $19!)
Top PT Tip:
Going on vacation and don't want to lose your motivation or momentum? Research Groupon Things To Do deals for the city you plan to travel to. You may find the perfect opportunity to try a new fitness vehicle (body boot camp anyone?) at a can't-be-beat price. Never lose a step while on vacation!! We visit my son in Washington D.C. often; the Groupon selections there are vast. Kickboxing seems to be quite popular in our nation's Capitol.
|Kayaks for rent on Long Island.
Of course, Groupon also offers substantial discounts for everything from jewelry to electronics, clothing to hotel stays. (And if you are tempted to give back some of those fitness gains, everything from wine tasting to a meal at your local steakhouse is also offered! Not to tempt you, but many of our favorite high-end restaurants are also on the site…)
Groupon Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Groupon.US/?brand_redir=526662987435979
Groupon Twitter: https://twitter.com/groupon


text:
Progress in Mind
- May 14-18 2016
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Venue: Georgia World Congress Center
- Organized by; AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION (APA)
Did you know that resilience to stress may play a role in the neurobiology of depression? Or that there are at least 8.4 million Americans providing care to an adult with an emotional or mental health issue? A wealth of interesting topics were covered during APA, and we are excited to bring you our top 8 highlights from the congress.
Download the featured highlights as PDF:
Download APA 2016 highlights PDF
Signup to receive the highlights directly to your mailbox:
Hot on the heels of a study showing that at least 8.4 million Americans provide care to an adult with an emotional or mental health issue, comes further information highlighting caregiver burden.


text:
A PIL was filed by capt. Narendra Singh, Balwant Singh, Daljit Singh, Bua Ditta Mohd. Hussain, Gulam Fareed, Ludhar Mani, Om Nath and Karnail Singh through B. R. Chandan, Advocate.
The Relevant Extract of PIL reads
"3. That recently the J&K water and resources management Act, 2010 has been passed by the Govt. of J&K wherein Section 3 of the Act says that every water body or natural resources has been declare as the property of the Govt. No individual, society or organization community or religion has any right to encroach and use the same for their personal benefits. Section 3 of the act is reproduced as under for the kind perusal of the Hon'ble Court.
(a) Every water source in the State is, and shall remain, the property of the Govt. and any proprietary ownership or any repair or usage right on such water resources vested or any individual, group of individuals or any other body, corporation, company, society on community shall, from the date of the commencement of the Act be deem to have been terminated and vested with the Govt.
(b) No person shall use any water from any source (surface or ground) or collect or extract any material from such water resources except in provision of the Act. Section 4(ab)- Prevention of encroachment of existing of water bodies and deterioration of water quality in the such water bodies and deterioration of water quality in such water bodies due to the pollution.
4. That the petitioner aggrieved of the senseless and unbridlled encroachments by the land grabbers of the water bodies as a result of which depletion of water level because of shrinking traditional water bodies and seasonal Nallahs narrowing downs of rives beds, khads and other green covers or constrained to invoke the jurisdiction of this Hon'ble Court for conservation, preservation and protection of water bodies and the land appurtenant to it with green cover after setting the natural resources free from land grabbers. Criminals and other miscreants having bureaucratic nexus and even the patronization of the political mentors, in the interest of public and existence of society as a whole it has been learned in reports appearing in a newspapers and also from reliable sources that the reliable sources that the green cover in and around the Jammu City and in the Kandi Area in particular is fast shrinking water bodies almost and the land attached to the water bodies is almost extinguished being encroached water active patronization of the bureaucratic and politicians which ultimately has endangered the inhabitation and in other may has invited the natural disaster. The land grabbing and illegal encroachment of the natural resources is at peak where as those interest with protection of the same or either mute spectator or have connive or execution of the nefarious designs of the miscreants and the enemies of the human existence. The traditional water bodies, seasonal ponds, shappris and other water reservoir and the green cover appurtenant to it have almost made their traditional sources of water and greenery to disappear from the scene just to satisfy their unending desires and lust for money. The nefarious motive of the miscreants and land grabbers who have eaten the green gold of over area and their could not possible without the could not possible without the could not possible without the guidance and active support of the guidance and active support of the bureaucrats and politicians and accordingly those are responsible for recklessness destructions of our mutual resources (water bodies) deserves to be penalize for the same Division Bench of J&K Court comprising of Chief Justice M.M. Kumar & justice D.S. Thakur passed the following order."
Hon'ble Mr. Justice M. M. Kumar,Chief Justice
Hon'ble Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur, Judge
Appearing counsel:
For the petitioner (s): Mr. B. R. Chandan, Advocate.
1. Learned counsel for the petitioners has placed reliance on the judgment of Hon'ble the Supreme Court rendered in Jagpal Singh and others v. State of Punjab and others, AIR 2011 SC, 1123 (P1) and has argued that the water bodies in the village should be protected from the encroachers. Mr. Chandan has drawn our attention the observations made in para 7 and 8 of the judgment to support his contentions.
2. Notice of motion.
3. Mr. Ravinder Sharma, AAG vice Mr. H.A. Siddiqui,AAG accepts notice. Let copy of the paper book be handed over to the learned State counsel.
4. Reply, if any, be filed within six weeks with a copy in advance to the counsel opposite.
5. List on 01.04.2014.
6. In the meanwhile, construction over the water body known as kunjwani Talab situated at village Deeli, Jammu shall remain stayed."
Copyright © 2012 Journey Line
Copyright © 2012 Journey Line


text:
My verdict
Obama, as ever, scored highly on inspiring rhetoric. For some, this was the most important aspect of his speech, given how little to date his presidency has offered the so-called "climate concerned". He gave the strong impression that climate change was back, square and centre, on the Oval Office desk, something he had promised on the election trail, both in 2008 and 2012.
But details matter when it comes to climate and energy policies. And details were lacking in his speech. We still don't know, for example, what he intends to do with the Keystone pipeline. What does he mean by "significantly" when he says he will authorise it, but only if it "does not significantly exacerbate the climate problem"? And without instruments such as carbon taxes and "cap and trade", how can we be sure that his beloved shale gas only ever replaces coal and not, as some fear, also curtails growth in renewables?
And what of the wider question of whether the US's current emissions targets are enough to help prevent global temperatures rising above 2C over the course of this century? Judging by the calculations of Prof Piers Forster and Dr Chris Hope, it would appear the current targets are woefully short of where they need to be. But, if we're being honest, we already knew that.
Therefore, Obama's speech can certainly be spun positively as "better late than never", but a pragmatic assessment must conclude that the US is still making baby steps when huge strides forward are required. This is not the global leadership so many wish the US to take on climate change.
Reacting to the earlier analysis by Prof Piers Forster, Dr Chris Hope, a climate change policy researcher and PAGE model developer at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School, has sent me his own calculations:
Piers Forster made some initial calculations that a 17% drop in US emissions by 2020 could reduce CO2 concentrations in 2100 by between 3 and 5 ppm, and reduce temperature rises by between 0.02C and 0.04C compared to where they would be without the US plan. But Piers's calculation used just a single value for equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS) of 3C.
The PAGE09 model (pdf) uses a range of climate sensitivities consistent with the latest IPCC reports. Running Obama's plan to reduce US emissions by 17% by 2020 through 10,000 runs of the PAGE09 model confirms that, with a range of ECS values, the plan will reduce global mean temperatures by between 0.012C and 0.032C by 2100 (5-95% values), with a most likely reduction of 0.02C, compared to business as usual. The PAGE09 model can also do what Piers could not, and make an estimate of how much this drop in temperatures would reduce global damages from climate change. The answer is it will reduce them by between 0.5 and 10.5 trillion dollars (5-95% values), with a mean reduction in damage of 4.5 trillion dollars.
As other commentators have said, it's a start.
(Details: US CO2 emissions assumed to be 17% below base year (2008) emissions from 2020 until 2075. Comparison with IPCC A1B business as usual scenario.)
Brad Plumer's analysis on the Washington Post's Wonkblog is worth a read:
If you take a look around the world, averting climate change looks like a daunting task. Global emissions soared to record levels last year. The World Bank is warning that the Earth is on pace to heat up more than 2°C by century's end, and possibly as much as 4°C (7.2°F) if the worst-case scenarios pan out — a level, it says, that humanity might be unable to adapt to. And international climate talks are barely limping along.
For now, then, the minimum that the United States can do is try to meet the near-term climate goals that Obama promised as part of the Copenhagen Accord a few years back. That would require reducing U.S. emissions 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. Right now, the country isn't on pace to do that:
Since 2005, U.S. energy-related carbon-dioxide emissions have fallen about 11.8 percent,* thanks to the recession, improved energy-efficiency, and a shift from coal to natural gas. But those trends have bottomed out recently, and coal started making a comeback in 2013. The White House has argued that new "policy steps" will be necessary to get back on track.
Four years ago, the White House was hoping that Congress would write a big climate bill to enforce these emissions cuts. That policy, known as "cap-and-trade," would have set an economy-wide ceiling on U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions and allowed businesses to trade pollution permits with each other in order to stay under the ceiling. But the climate bill died in the Senate in the summer of 2010.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the "pond", the UK government's Committee on Climate Change has published its annual report. And it's not good news, as Fiona Harvey reports in the Guardian:
The UK is on track to miss its carbon targets in the 2020s, the government's advisers on climate change warned on Wednesday.
Efforts to cut emissions are not happening quickly enough, and a looming "policy gap" will lead to a shortfall in the investment and infrastructure needed for a low-carbon economy, they said.
Last year, UK greenhouse gas emissions rose by 3.5%, in a setback to the government's plans for stringent "carbon budgets" that stipulate steep falls in emissions from now to 2027. The rise was owing to the cold winter and more power coming from coal, which is currently cheap.
The committee on climate change, in its annual progress report, said this was a temporary increase and the UK was likely to meet its carbon reduction goals for 2017. But it warned that without strong measures the UK would miss its carbon reduction targets from 2017 to 2027. When the effects of last year's rise are stripped out, the underlying emissions trend is for a 1% to 1.5% decrease in emissions each year – less than half the 3% annual reductions needed to meet longer-term climate goals.
Twitter reaction
Earlier, I noticed this tweet by Prof Piers Forster, a climate scientist based at the University of Leeds...
So I emailed him to ask if he could send me his more detailed thoughts. He kindly emailed me this response:
Despite the fall in global CO2 emissions from 2008-2009 with the economic downturn and a 10% reduction in US emissions since 2005 (1), global emissions are roughly following the worst-case emission scenarios that will be used in the upcoming Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change Report (2).
Commentators are at odds about exactly what cuts the new policy will achieve, but if we optimistically assume that US emissions will follow the Copenhagen agreement and reduce by 17% from 2005-2020 (3), this could save up to 1000 million metric tonnes of global CO2 emissions (around 3% of current world values). If we further assume that this is a real global cut from the worse-case scenario and emissions growth elsewhere doesn't compensate (as previously happened with huge growth in China over 2005-2011), we can go on to calculate the effect on atmospheric CO2 levels and temperature.
To do this we estimated CO2 changes with the Bern pulse carbon cycle model (4) and temperature changes by using a simple model of climate (5) that is tuned to the latest climate model projections from our recent paper (6). These cuts acting alone would have a small but significant effect, reducing projected CO2 levels by 3 ppm in 2050 and 5 ppm in 2100, giving us between 0.02 and 0.04 C less warming in 2050 and staving off passing the 2C warming mark by 2-5 years. This may seem small as current levels of 400 ppm could easily pass 500 ppm by 2050, but every little helps.
- US emissions were 5940 million metric tonnes in 2005 and 5420 million metric tonnes in 2011. EDGAR database. http://edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/overview.php?v=CO2ts1990-2011&sort=des9
- Scenario used is a "Representative Concentration Pathways" (RCP) RCP8.5, see http://www.pik-potsdam.de/~mmalte/rcps/
- http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/06/23/obama-is-announcing-new-climate-actions-tuesday-this-chart-explains-why/
- http://unfccc.int/resource/brazil/carbon.html
- http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/v6/n6/full/ngeo1836.html
- http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jgrd.50174/abstract
Carbon Brief's Mat Hope delivers some sober analysis:
Obama's action plan will probably only have a limited impact on the US's greenhouse gas emissions, but at least it will start to push the US towards serious climate action. The climate action plan is ultimately based on the hope that where Obama is heading, the rest of the government may follow.
As does Matthew Daly, Associated Press's energy and environment correspondent:
Legal challenges are a near certainty. Some legal experts question whether the Clean Air Act allows the EPA to limit carbon pollution from existing plants before finalizing rules for future plants. Roger Martella, an EPA general counsel under President George W. Bush, said Obama's proposals are "very much in uncharted legal waters. This is not a settled area of law." Even if courts uphold the EPA's right to act, further legal challenges are likely. Scott Segal, director of the Electric Reliability Coordinating Council, a coalition of utilities and energy companies, said previous EPA regulations have had technical and methodological errors that had to be fixed, often under court order.
And here's some reaction from a range of environmental commentators and NGOs...
World Resources Institute: It will be important for the EPA to act with a sense of urgency in order to meet the U.S. emissions target. Just as important as the timeframe for finalizing these standards is their stringency. Without sufficient ambition, the United States will not be able to achieve the reductions it needs by 2020 and in the years beyond.
Center for Biological Diversity: President Obama's new climate plan takes modest steps toward reducing carbon pollution, but the strategy announced today will not cut emissions enough to prevent catastrophic warming and extreme weather dangers predicted by federal scientists. A key point in the president's plan is a vague directive to the Environmental Protection Agency to establish carbon pollution standards for new and existing power plants — standards already required by law. The plan fails to address the Keystone XML pipeline, fracking on public lands and other dirty extreme-energy projects that could fatally undermine the climate change fight...The pollution control measures announced by the president today are aimed at fulfilling his administration's pledge to put the United States on the path to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 4 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. But such a reduction falls far short of what the U.S. pledged in the Kyoto Protocol and would not be enough to avert catastrophic temperature rises, according to climate scientists.
Bjorn Lomborg in USA Today: Fracking is this decade's green solution. Obama recognizes gas as a "bridge fuel." Replacing dirtier coal, cheaper gas from fracking has cut up to 500 MT of the U.S. CO2 emissions. This is 10 times more than what renewables do, and while renewables cost the U.S. tens of billions of dollars, fracking has saved the U.S. consumer $125 billion annually in cheaper energy prices. Fracking has local environmental issues, but these can all be addressed with good regulation. Moving the US fracking miracle to the rest of the world will be the biggest source of CO2 reductions this decade, and simultaneously increase global welfare by allowing energy access to billions yet unserved.
Nick Molho, head of climate and energy policy at WWF-UK: The president's plan wouldn't reduce carbon pollution as much as scientists say is needed, but he rightly zeros in on executive branch actions, rather than waiting any longer for Congress. President Obama correctly sees this as an all-hands-on-deck moment requiring a government-wide plan, including action on pollution from the largest source of US emissions -- existing dirty power plants. Recognizing that the US needs to meet its international commitments and strongly support robust international action is also crucial as the world works to forge a new global climate pact by 2015.
Phil Radford, executive director of Greenpeace USA: We proudly stand with Obama in the fight against carbon pollution, but we know that this fight won't be won with words alone...It's clear there's no room in our future for the Keystone pipeline, fracking, Arctic drilling, or giving away our public lands to the coal industry. Each of these projects will have a significant negative climate impact and not be in our national interest.
Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club: The Sierra Club's 2.1 million members and supporters issued a collective cheer as they heard the President declare that the most effective defense against climate disruption will be by tackling the biggest single source of carbon pollution: coal plants...While we must reduce pollution further to truly address dangerous climate disruption, we applaud the Administration's continued commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent by 2020. This plan includes key steps to reaching that goal, and we look forward to working with the Obama Administration to build on the progress laid out in today's announcement.
And here's a Google+ Hangout hosted by ClimateDesk's James West, featuring Grist's David Roberts and Mother Jones's Kate Sheppard...
The Science Media Centre has gathered together some reaction from academia...
Prof Myles Allen, head of the climate dynamics group, University of Oxford: Focussing on the basics — long-term solutions to reduce carbon dioxide emissions — is exactly what is needed. In a nutshell, we started out with four trillion tonnes of fossil carbon underground. It has taken us 250 years to dump half a trillion tonnes into the atmosphere; if we carry on as we are, we'll dump the next half-trillion in about 35 years; and the half-trillion after that will take us over two degrees. It really is that simple — but European and global climate policy is a well-intentioned mess, much of it irrelevant to real challenge of limiting total carbon emissions. Let's hope America can get us back on course to a simple, effective long-term solution.
Prof Sir Brian Hoskins, director of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change, Imperial College London: There has been important action on climate change in many US states, but I am very pleased to see this plan for federal action. Reduction in US greenhouse gas emissions is crucial. Equally important is the proposed US leadership role in international negotiations.
Dr David Reay, senior lecturer in carbon management, University of Edinburgh: As President Obama packs his bags for a week-long trip to Africa, the international ramifications of his new climate change plan must be on his mind. Any ambition for big cuts in greenhouse gas emissions in the US is somewhat hobbled by the Republican control of Congress but, with a ramped-up commitment to financing of the UN's Green Climate Fund, Obama can still walk the talk on tackling global climate change.
US newspaper reaction
Here's how the speech went down in some US newspapers...
The Baltimore Sun: It falls far short of the truly significant reforms that are needed, but it at least moves America in the right direction, away from burning fossil fuels and toward renewable energy and greater fuel efficiency...A far better approach would involve some form of carbon tax or cap-and-trade policy that gave greater flexibility to energy providers. It would let the marketplace determine the solution. And fossil fuel-based forms of energy would be forced to pay for the harm they cause. In return, the federal government might reduce other taxes so that average consumers would suffer little-to-no net loss while the invisible hand of the free market works its magic. But that kind of proposal would require action by Congress and, unfortunately, it's far easier for opponents to attack climate change policy as a "jobs killer," a term filled with irony given that global warming is the real killer.
The New York Times: It is an impressive lineup that aims not only to reduce carbon emissions but to strengthen the nation's defenses against rising seas, more intense storms, drought and other consequences of global warming. But, so far, it is only a list, involving many moving parts and government agencies, and seeing it through will require coordination and, above all, a continuing commitment from him.
The Washington Post: Mr. Obama's plan is far from perfect. For one thing, it excludes the best anti-emissions policies, such as carbon taxes, that all require Congress's approval. For another, it appears the EPA's new rules on existing power plants could take a very long time to write and implement. The president has also larded up his plan with some of the usual nonsense that poses as energy policy in Washington, such as $8 billion in loan guarantees for fossil fuel technologies like carbon capture and sequestration, which hasn't proven to be anything but excessively expensive. And the country still requires a long-term strategy to green the economy. But the major elements of the White House's plan are still far better than settling for congressional inaction. Republicans in Congress, who were swift to criticize Mr. Obama on Tuesday, should offer him a better way to reduce emissions meaningfully while minimizing the economic effects. Otherwise, it's time for the president to follow through.
The Wall Street Journal: Mr. Obama's ambitions will have no effect on global atmospheric carbon concentrations. Emissions are already falling in the U.S., thanks primarily to the shale gas boom, but emissions are rising in the developing world. Mr. Obama pandered to the climate-change absolutists by saying "We don't have time for a meeting of the Flat Earth Society." But he never explained how his plan will reduce warming, or why climate models have failed to predict the warming slowdown of the last dozen or so years even as more CO2 is pumped into the atmosphere.
I will be adding to these voices throughout the day, but the Guardian has already rounded up a snapshot of reaction to the speech here. Views include Al Gore, Nicholas Stern and Christiana Figueres.
The Guardian has also posted this reaction from Nafeez Ahmed, executive director of the Institute for Policy Research & Development, who is critical of Obama's bowing to the "fossil fuel and nuclear lobbies".
There has been some criticism that Obama's speech was not carried on any of the main US cable networks, but here it is in full...
And here is a full transcript provided by the Wall Street Journal.
Welcome to the Eco Audit
After much teasing, delay and feverish anticipation, Barack Obama finally laid out his "climate action plan" yesterday in speech in Washington DC.
Environmental groups had long called on the US president to make this announcement, having seen him stutter on climate change throughout his first term, largely due to fierce opposition to his plans by Republicans.
As Suzanne Goldenberg reported in the Guardian:
Obama went further than any previous US president in outlining a comprehensive strategy for dealing with climate change. He also said he would continue to press the issue as a priority of his second term even in the face of implacable opposition from Republicans in Congress.
"I refuse to condemn your generation and future generations to a planet that's beyond fixing," Obama said to a gathering of students.
Obama outlined a broad range of measures to cut greenhouse gas emissions and promote the development of renewable energy, protect coastlines and cities from flooding and sea-level rise, and encourage efforts to reach a global climate deal.
The over-arching goal was to put the US on track to meet its commitment to cut carbon emissions 17% from 2005 levels by the end of the decade.
But can his plans achieve that goal? Is it enough? He signalled in the speech, for example, that he would only allow the expansion of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline carrying tarsands oil from Canada to ports in the Gulf of Mexico if it "does not significantly exacerbate the climate problem". He also said he was supportive of fracking for shale gas.
Are his plans compatible with the widely shared aspiration of preventing average global temperatures rising 2C above pre-industrial era levels?
Please leave your own thoughts below. If you are quoting figures or studies, please provide a link through to the original source. I will also be inviting various interested parties to join the debate, too. And later on today, I will return with my own verdict.


text:
She begins to comprehend the mentality of such people. One need not be especially clever, and certainly not well educated. The essential thing is to conduct one's life as war: everything is permitted except compassion. [loc. 5102]
London in the 1760s: or 'Romeville', to the 99% who don't inhabit the clean well-lit civilised world of the gentry. Betsy-Ann Blore is living with a man she despises, having been won by him in a card game with her former lover, the charmingly rakish Ned Hartry. She was once a common prostitute (ensnared by Ned's mother Kitty), but now scrapes a living by thieving and card-sharping. Her brother (the brutish Harry) is a resurrectionist, digging up fresh corpses to sell to anatomists. Betsy-Ann worries that her current fellow, Sam Shiner, will join Harry in his nocturnal adventures.
Sophia Buller, only child of wealthy parents, is newly married to Edmund Zedland, whose business affairs are opaque to Sophia but clearly very lucrative. Why won't he trust her with any of his secrets? And why does his servant, the black boy Titus, seem to hate her? And why do her parents reply so vaguely to her letters?
Sophia's life is lonely, and genteel. Betsy-Ann's quite the opposite, a narrative replete with slang and double-dealing. In Betsy-Ann's world, cruelty is a constant, especially cruelty to -- and by -- women. (The men, in this novel, seem almost peripheral: on the whole they are either well-meaning but ineffectual, or dishonest and violent.)
Sophia and Betsy -- and Titus, whose name is actually Fortunate and who was brought from (or bought in) Annapolis to serve Mr Zedland -- discover how their fates are entwined, and how each of them is the victim of deception. Which leads, in due course, to each of them practicing their own deceptions, with greater or lesser success. This is a novel in which the reader becomes aware of the great central lie before any of the characters realise how they've been duped.
I confess I found Betsy-Ann's narrative richer than Sophia's, but it was also quite breathtakingly unpleasant at times. McCann does an excellent job of comparing and contrasting her two protagonists: her depiction of 'Titus', who can barely speak English but whose interior life is sketched through memory, fancy and despair, is marvellous. And though the novel ends on what, in music, would be called an 'imperfect cadence' (there is no grand resolution) I liked that ending: it works, because it opens up possibilities.