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Announcing the 2018 Keep Austin Beautiful Award Winners
Announcing the 2018 Keep Austin…
CELEBRATING COMMUNITY CONSERVATION EFFORTS
Keep Austin Beautiful Honors Local Environmental Stewards at Beautify Bash
AUSTIN, Texas – Since 1985, Keep Austin Beautiful has given annual awards to recognize the outstanding efforts of individuals, community groups, and businesses to make Austin a better place to live through environmental stewardship and community engagement. The awards distinguish those who inspire friends and neighbors to care for Austin's open spaces and natural resources, through involvement with their neighborhoods, schools, community groups, and workplaces. Keep Austin Beautiful will celebrate the community-building achievements of award winners and raise funds for the organization's mission at Beautify Bash on Thursday, November 15, 2018, from 6:30 to 9:30pm at the UMLAUF Sculpture Garden and Museum (605 Azie Morton Road, Austin, TX 78704).
At this time, Keep Austin Beautiful would like to recognize the 2018 Annual Award Winners. These inspiring awardees have gone above and beyond in their work to engage community members, neighbors, family, and friends in protecting and improving Austin's environment. They have spearheaded recycling initiatives, raised awareness about the negative impacts of litter and single-use plastic, coordinated the removal of materials from illegal dumpsites, and led by example as volunteers dedicated to cleaning up public spaces and enhancing shared community resources. Each has engaged with Keep Austin Beautiful's programming and resources to amplify their efforts. The 2018 Annual Award Winners are:
Visa Beautification Award – TX Sprouts
Samsung Litter Abatement Award – fitppl
Emerson Community Involvement Award – Waste Management
Dennis Hobbs Individual Achievement Award – Karen Eshliman
Applied Materials Education Award – Doss Elementary School
Dell Youth Achievement Award – Sheridan Ray, Akins High School
Cooke & Mullen Community Leadership Award – Julie Sondecker
TX Sprouts has helped numerous schools in and around Austin create beautiful and functional gardens. In building edible gardens at schools, TX Sprouts provides students with beautiful outdoor spaces and food resources, but also teaches them important lessons about caring for the green spaces around us. By engaging students in projects to build gardens and grow food, the organization shows students how maintaining and improving our shared outdoor spaces can keep us happy and healthy, too. Their collaborative work perfectly demonstrates how green space beautification projects can serve broader community needs and goals. TX Sprouts truly embodies Keep Austin Beautiful's mission. We are thankful that our Tool Shack lending library is able to serve a program that does so much positive work in Austin communities, and we look forward to working with TX Sprouts for years to come.
fitppl puts serious muscle and dedication into efforts to remove plastics and other litter from the environment, while emphasizing the overall importance of community health. Their Active Cleanups combine exercise with community service, and fitppl has mobilized volunteers in creek beds, greenbelts, and other challenging terrain to remove large, illegally dumped items, from couches to mattresses to tires. A passion for keeping plastics out of our waterways led their founder, Patrick Schecht, to become a Lake Leader for Keep Austin Beautiful's Clean Lady Bird Lake program. Six times a year he is at the lake bright and early to provide volunteers with a unique cleanup experience. fitppl embodies the belief that by inspiring individuals to take small, daily actions to reduce waste and clean our environment, we can make a meaningful, collective impact.
Waste Management has been a long-term partner in Keep Austin Beautiful's work to remove litter from public spaces, and without their support, many Keep Austin Beautiful projects would not be possible. They provide dumpster services at major events such as Keep Austin Beautiful Day and the Lake Travis Cleanup, as well as at numerous community organized projects, ensuring that the trash, recyclables, and bulk items volunteers clean up end up where they belong. Without these Waste Management dumpsters, many of these materials would go right back into the environment. Paul Daugereau and the Waste Management team have also distinguished themselves for many years as the grill team at the Keep Austin Beautiful Day Volunteer Appreciation Party, cooking up burgers and hot dogs for the 1,000 or more volunteers who attend the event. This kind of service perfectly illustrates Waste Management's dedication to supporting the volunteers who do so much to keep Austin clean and beautiful.
Karen Eshliman is a true volunteer leader, in every sense of the word. She began volunteering with Keep Austin Beautiful's Clean Lady Bird Lake program in 2011, and her love of volunteering motivated her to become a Lake Leader the very next year. In the past seven years, she has led some 40 lake cleanups (missing only three events in her tenure), coordinating hundreds of volunteers and picking up more than 3,000 pounds of trash. Volunteers are sure to have a great experience and learn a lot about the impact of cleaning up litter from Austin waterways when they volunteer at Karen's site on the lake. Karen also shows a knack for getting people out to participate in a cleanup. She is the first to strike up a conversation with a neighbor or friend about Clean Lady Bird Lake, and this dedication ensures that new people are always learning about the program and how they can help solve the problem of litter in Austin.
The teachers and students at Doss Elementary School are consistently undertaking projects to make their campus more sustainable. After participating in Keep Austin Beautiful's Generation Zero education program, the second grade students were so excited by what they had learned about recycling and litter that they organized their own "Keep Doss Beautiful" club. Second grade teacher Ms. Means reports that students took it upon themselves to clean up their campus at recess twice a week, an effort that became part of a bigger "Garbage Challenge" led by the fifth grade, to see who could collect the most litter and recycling on campus. This year, the school was temporarily relocated for campus renovations, and Doss teachers partnered with Recycle Austin to recycle as many materials as possible during the move. At the new campus, kindergarteners are maintaining a pollinator garden while other grades are supporting cafeteria composting and recycling and caring for two chickens and a composting worm bin. As one student summed up the efforts at the school, "I hope I can make a difference in Austin and Doss!" Doss is a shining example of how schools can encourage and support students to see how their actions can have a meaningful impact on our environment.
Sheridan shows outstanding leadership and commitment to environmental stewardship in many aspects of her life. As a freshman participant in the Akins High School Green Teens organization last year, she took an active role in fundraising for a reusable water bottle filling station at her school. She sold Green Teens-branded Nalgene bottles to peers, encouraging them to move away from disposable water bottles to reusable containers, and thanks in part to her efforts the hydration station is being installed at Akins this fall. Over the past summer, Sheridan served as a Green Teens intern at Keep Austin Beautiful. Sheridan consistently demonstrated her creativity and passion for environmental science as she taught Keep Austin Beautiful's environmental education curriculum to youth at local parks and summer camps and developed her own Activity Kit curriculum about the nitrogen cycle. As a sophomore at Akins, she is now a Park Ranger Cadet in the Akins Green Tech Academy, and continues to encourage her friends and peers to move toward more sustainable practices and zero waste lifestyles. She plans to expand on these efforts in her future career as a marine biologist.
As the community member who nominated Julie for this award puts it, "For Julie Sondecker, every day is Earth Day…literally." Many know Julie through her Instagram handle, @365daysofhiking, a project that got its start on a hike after Memorial Day in 2017. Encountering litter all over the ground from the recent holiday festivities, she picked up as much trash as she could hold in her hands, but saw there was much left to clean up. Where some might have stopped, Julie decided she wanted to do more. She challenged herself to pick up trash on a hike every single day for the next year, and to share what she picked up with the public through Instagram. The project has reached countless people in Austin and beyond, and Julie continues in her efforts to complete 500 trash hikes by the end of this year. She has also led walking tours of Austin greenbelts, hosted trash cleanups in partnership with other organizations, and helped educate youth at Camp Impact. In all these efforts, Julie has been an incredible advocate for raising awareness and educating people from all walks of life about the importance of protecting and preserving our outdoor spaces. In leading by example, Julie is an inspiration to us all to do more to keep our city clean.
PURCHASE TICKETS TO BEAUTIFY BASH
Andrew Gansky, Development Coordinator
andrew@keepaustinbeautiful.org
Category: NewsBy Andrew Gansky November 1, 2018
Author: Andrew Gansky
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Site Leader Registration Open
Austin Receives Green Bag Grant from Keep Texas Beautiful
Activity Kits Available!
$51,000 for Keep Austin Beautiful
Congratulations to our Beautify Bash Awardees!
Bleed Orange, Live Green: The Zero Waste Award goes to…!
A Year of Service: Volunteers Build a Better Austin
Planting Trees is a Legacy Worth Leaving
Susie Shockley Recognized for Extraordinary Environmental Stewardship


It all started with an idea back in early 2017 when crypto world was still just for nerds. Then the ICO started to flood the world with tons of new blockchain ideas and start to crowdfund the money for their projects. The same happens with PronCoin. At the end of the year, we succesfully started our own ICO and from that day on, we're working hard to bring something awesome to adult oonline industry. It's not an easy task, but someone needs to do it and start somewhere.
On December 23rd, 2017 we offically lunched our ICO ( initial coin offering ). At that time, we also revealed our brand logo for all our projects under the name PronCoin.
CEO of PronCoin and marketing guy heads to Las Vegas, biggest adult webmaster expo InterNext and AVN show. They met a lot of adult influencers, made partnerships and an awesome introduction of PronCoin to the adult world. They also got an amazing advisor team from adult online industry, that will help PronCoin to become one of the best crypto currency in this area.
We proudly announce that PronCoin Token Sale has finished reaching the Hard Cap.
Thank You all who contributed and therefore helping us to realize our vision to bring in a new era, for the online adult industry.
Complete team attended TES "The European Summit" 2018 in lovely Lisbon, Portugal. We had an amazing time there and this time we made an even bigger impact on adult online industry and got some really hot deals that are coming soon, together with our first platfrom called PronWorld.
We lunched PronWorld.com for our internal inhouse testing use, so we could develope certain algorithms and see how they work. We are excited and looking forward for this platform to goes online as it will be something completely new to adult online industry. We will really decentralize the system and make everyone gets paid for every contribution and every interaction with the site. We just provide the tools. Users, webmasters, models and producers are the one who are shaping the site and will become what will become. So they need to be paid fairly. Welcome to PronWorld.com!
PronWorld.com starts to invite early birds to use our system and they will get rewarded with some extra locked coins on their wallets. We will announce when those coins will be unlocked. So far, everything works fine and we're upgrading and adding even more features to the site.
Since we're from EU, we also attended the biggest adult show in Europe Venus Berlin 2018. PronCoin is the sponsor and also we are nominated for the best adult coin in adult industry. We're so excited as our platform PronWorld will be publicly lunched for all users. At the show we also distributed 300 USB cards with each holding 1.000.000 ( 96.000$ at that time ) locked PronCoins. So everyone that attended the awards, got a gift from us. Everyone who claimed their locked coins will be added to their wallet inside PronWorld.com platform. Again, we will announce when those tokes will be unlocked. Our vision is that everyone who claimed them will become a millionaire in a few years with our tokens.
We won the award!!!! Thank you to everyone that believe in us and what we want to do. See you soon with more great news and with a lot more projects out soon.


Copy your DVD movie to DVD R/RW easily. Two newly designed operating interfaces: Express and Expert, bring you more convenience. Tremendous promotion plans during Dec(1st-31th) for Christmas provide you chances to get free DVD-Cloner and prize money.


Are you testing your Swift code? Are you able to get a decent coverage of your project? Testing is not a hipster trend, but a tool for increasing productivity (Yes, I mean that!) and reducing risk. So if you are not fully happy with your tests or you aren't testing yet, I think that it is worth spending some time to improve that.
– What do I test?
– How do I test that?
– Why do I need test doubles?
– What kind of test doubles can I use?
– How do I implement them in Swift?
– Even a little bit about architecture and how it helps testing.
I "assert" that this session is going to be awesome. Will you join me to make the test pass?


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Breast cancer prevention study reaches 2,000 participants mark, but more still needed
The number of women who have volunteered to take part in a Cancer Research UK breast cancer prevention study called IBIS-II has reached 2,000 but more volunteers are needed. Speaking at the National Cancer Research Institute Conference in Birmingham today, the study's co-chairman announced that another 8,000 eligible women are needed to join the study by 2008.
Professor Jack Cuzick, the IBIS-II co-chairman who is based at Cancer Research UK's Centre for Epidemiology, Mathematics and Statistics, said: "It is encouraging news that so many women have come forward so far to take part, as this study could provide them and future generations with a valuable option in helping to prevent and control the disease. But in order for us to gather conclusive evidence about the role of anastrozole in the prevention of breast cancer in increased risk women, we need more eligible women to come forward."
The study* which is split into two arms has been ongoing in the UK since 2004. The IBIS-II prevention arm is the first worldwide trial to investigate whether the breast cancer treatment drug anastrozole** can prevent the disease in postmenopausal women at increased risk of breast cancer. Previous research on anastrozole as a treatment for early breast cancer
suggested that it could prevent up to 70-80 per cent of new tumours*** but to confirm its role in preventing the disease in women at increased risk, a large study on thousands of women must be conducted.
The IBIS-II prevention arm is open to women aged 40-70 years old, who have passed the menopause and are at increased risk of breast cancer, primarily because they have a family history of breast cancer. This includes women whose mother or sister had breast cancer or ovarian cancer at the age of 50 or under. Other risk factors including atypical benign breast disease may also make women eligible.
The second arm of the study, IBIS-II DCIS is the largest international trial to compare tamoxifen and anastrozole in the prevention of breast cancer recurrence in women with an early form of breast cancer called Ductal Carcinoma In-Situ (DCIS)****. Many breast cancer experts believe that hormone therapies, like tamoxifen or anastrozole, may be effective in protecting women with DCIS from developing breast cancer in the future, although they are still unclear on which therapy is best.
Professor Nigel Bundred, Professor of Surgical Oncology at Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester said: "Anastrozole may also be the ideal candidate for women who have had a DCIS removed because it has already been proven to be better than tamoxifen at reducing disease recurrence in women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. Now we need to see whether anastrozole will do better, and have fewer side effects, than tamoxifen for women with DCIS."
He continued: "The DCIS trial will help to confirm which treatment is more effective in helping to prevent the disease from returning and helping women to live free from breast cancer. So we encourage more postmenopausal women who have had DCIS diagnosed and removed in the last 6 months to speak to their surgeons or consultants about volunteering for the study."
The IBIS-II DCIS trial is open to postmenopausal women aged between 40 and 70 and who have had surgery to remove a hormone receptor positive DCIS in the last six months. Women who are found to be suitable to take part in the trial will receive either anastrozole or tamoxifen for five years.
Women can find out more about the IBIS-II study by visiting the IBIS-II website or calling the Cancer Research UK nurses on 0207 0618355.
For media enquiries or to interview an IBIS-II spokesperson or a woman on the study please contact Rita Martins on 0207 014 0223.
IBIS-II is being coordinated by Cancer Research UK and sponsored by Queen Mary, University of London. The trial is taking place in 21 countries, including Australia, India, Chile, Germany and Italy.
There are IBIS-II study centres currently open for recruitment in 47 UK hospitals. These are:
Tameside General Hospital, Ashton-Under-Lyne
Belfast City Hospital, Belfast
Royal Bolton Hospital, Bolton
Royal Bournemouth Hospital, Bournemouth
Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton
Frenchay Breast Care Centre, Bristol
Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol
Queens Hospital, Burton
University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff
Chelmsford & Essex Centre, Chelmsford
Cheltenham General Hospital, Cheltenham
Countess of Chester Hospital, Breast Unit, Chester
Essex County Hospital, Colchester
Ninewells Hospital, Dundee
Eastbourne District General Hospital, Eastbourne (DCIS only)
Western General Hospital, Edinburgh
Frimley Park Hospital, Frimley
Northwick Park & St Marks Hospitals, Harrow
Harlow and St. Margaret's Hospital, Harlow
Conquest Hospital, Hastings
The Academic Surgical Unit, University of Hull, Hull
Western Infirmary, Glasgow (Prevention only)
Airedale General Hospital, Keighley
Leeds General Infirmary, Leeds
St James's University Hospital, Leeds
Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool
Guy's Hospital, London
Royal Marsden, London
University College Hospital, London
Macclesfield Hospital, Macclesfield
Christies and Withington Hospitals, Manchester
Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle
Northampton General Hospital, Northampton (DCIS only)
City Hospital, Nottingham
Royal Oldham Hospital, Oldham
Derriford Hospital, Plymouth
Dorset Cancer Centre, Poole Hospital, Poole
St Mary's Hospital, Portsmouth (DCIS only)
Hope Hospital, Salford
Cancer Research Centre, Weston Park Hospital, Sheffield
Royal South Hants Hospital, Southampton (DCIS only)
Staffordshire General Hospital, Stafford
Morriston Hospital, Swansea
Mermaid centre, Truro
Cookridge Hospital, Wakefield (DCIS only)
Worthing Hospital, Worthing (DCIS only)
Yeovil Hospital, Yeovil
* IBIS-2 (International Breast cancer Intervention Study II)
The IBIS-2 Prevention part of the study aims to recruit 6,000 post-menopausal women who are at increased risk of developing breast cancer. A number of factors for increased risk can make a woman eligible to enter the study and these are set according to the different age groups. Women can take part in the trial if they are aged between 40-70 years and are not on HRT. There are 1232 participants worldwide in this arm.
IBIS-2 DCIS will recruit 4,000 postmenopausal women who have been diagnosed with and had surgery to remove DCIS (Ductal carcinoma in situ). This part of the trial is designed to determine which of the two drugs, anastrozole or tamoxifen, can best prevent new cancers, both in the breast affected by DCIS and in the opposite breast. Women who have had a mastectomy to remove their DCIS cannot join this arm of the trial but they can be part of the prevention part. There are 776 participants worldwide in this arm.
**Anastrozole (trade name Arimidex) and Tamoxifen
Anastrozole is one of a group of drugs called aromatase inhibitors. In post-menopausal women, an enzyme called aromatase is the main source of oestrogen. Aromatase inhibitors block the action of aromatase, reducing the levels of oestrogen in the body.
In August 2006, the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommended aromatase inhibitors as options for the adjuvant treatment of early oestrogen-receptor-positive invasive breast cancer in postmenopausal women.
Anastrozole is known to have some side effects which include hot flushes, vaginal dryness, hair thinning, joint pains and an increased risk of osteoporosis (weakened bones).
Tamoxifen is also a hormone treatment but works differently from anastrozole by preventing breast cancer cells from picking up oestrogen.
Side effects reported on tamoxifen include hot flushes, vaginal bleeding, an increase in blood clots and rarely endometrial cancer.
*** ATAC study – Arimidex and Tamoxifen Alone or in Combination, results published ATAC Trialists' Group. Results of the ATAC (Arimidex, Tamoxifen, Alone or in Combination) trial after completion of 5 years' adjuvant treatment for breast cancer. Lancet 2005; 365 (9453): 60-62.
**** Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)
DCIS is often removed by a lumpectomy or wide local excision. Some patients are also given radiotherapy following surgery to kill off any abnormal cells left behind.
According to new figures release in January 2006, the number of registered cases of DCIS has increased. In 2002 nearly 3800 women in the United Kingdom were diagnosed with DCIS compared with 2910 five years earlier.
Preventing cancer Cancer type Research and trials Breast cancer

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Hospice at Home nurses operate seven days a week, in partnership with Primary Care services, and visits from the medical team can be arranged if required.
The team can support you and your family by easing symptoms such as pain and sickness, helping to relieve any worries or fears, and keeping you comfortable and safe in your home environment. We also offer short-term respite care and a night-sitting service.
Who are Hospice at Home?
Care is provided by a team of nurses and healthcare assistants, who provide nursing and personal care. The team also provides essential emotional support for you and your family.
Carers also receive care too, meaning they have time for themselves and may go out for a while. This can ease the tension and anxiety of a carer's situation, allowing them to be the sister, brother, husband or wife and friend they are once more.
See the referral section for contact details or contact our 24/7 Nurse Line on 01323 434222 for more details from your professional nursing team.


Purpose: Our study aimed to investigate and compare the effectiveness of general and toric orthokeratology lenses in corneal toricity using the vector analysis.
Methods: A retrospective observational study was carried out. 19 patients, 37 eyes, (spherical group) were fitted with spherical ortho-k lenses and 15 patients, 30 eyes, (toric group) were fitted with toric ortho-k lenses. Data collection was performed at baseline and 1 d, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months after the commencement and included visual acuity, corneal topography, axial length and biomicroscopy examinations. Changes in corneal toricity were evaluated using vector analysis.
Results: Ortho-k significantly reduced the manifest myopia and improved UCVAs in both groups after 1 d, 1 week, 1 month and 3 months of lens wear. The median subjective myopia of spherical group and toric group at base line was -3.85 ± 1.29 D and -3.66 ± 1.69 D (P>0.05). After wearing ortho-k lenses for 1 d, 1 week, 1 month and 3 months, the UCVAs improved steadily in both groups, the differences between the two groups were insignificant in 1 d, 1 week, 1 month, but with significant difference only in 3 months (0.07 ± 0.05 vs. 0.00 ± 0.07, P<0.05). The corneal J0 vector values were -0.98 ± 0.60 and -1.19 ± 0.25 D (P>0.05) and the J45 vector values were 0.09 ± 0.20 and 0.09 ± 0.46 D (P>0.05), respectively. The differences of corneal J0 vector values between the two groups were significant for all the time points (t=-3.34, -1.94, -1.41, -1.82, P<0.05). The differences of corneal J45 vector values between the two groups were not significant. The percent of patients in spherical group and toric group who reported visual disturbance symptoms were 15% and 0%, respectively.
Conclusions: For low-moderate myopias with moderate-high astigmatism, despite the similar UCVAs achieved in two groups, Toric design lens were more effective in reducing corneal toricity.
Myopia, Corneal toricity, Spherical ortho-k, Toric ortho-k.
Myopia is a common ocular disorder and has been particularly conspicuous in East Asia], especially in China [1-6]. Recent reports have shown orthokeratology lenses to be effective in slowing the progression of myopia in children [7-9]. The contact lenses are designed with a "reverse geometry" in which the curvature in the center is flatter than that at the periphery . After an overnight wear and removal upon waking up, Uncorrected Visual Acuity (UCVA) can be temporarily improved in the daytime, and the progress of myopia can be controlled [11,12]. Orthokeratology lenses work best for patients with myopia no more than -6.00 D and astigmatism no more than 1.50 D. Patients meet these two criteria have a relatively high chance of achieving satisfactory effects . However, the prevalence of astigmatism is as high as that of myopia. The incidence of astigmatism was about 33.6% in Asian children aged 5-17 y and this value significantly increases with age [14-16].
Although spherical design orthokaratology lenses are effective in correcting low-moderate myopia with low corneal astigmatism, the efficacy and safety in the treatment of patients with myopia complicated by moderate to high astigmatism are still unknown . We prescribed orthokeratology lenses for the correction of myopia combined with moderate to high astigmatism for 24 patients with the two designs: Spherical and Toric, and investigated the changes in corneal astigmatism, the stability in the wearing of the two lenses and the safety in clinical settings after wearing orthokeratology lenses.
The inclusion criteria for subjects were as follows: (1) Age between 8 and 45 y; (2) Myopic refractive error of ≤ -6.00 diopters and corneal astigmatic refractive error of 1.50 to 3.50 D; (3) Radius of corneal curvature within the range of 39.00 to 46.00 D; (4) Ability to follow instructions during the clinical trial; (5) Willingness to participate in the clinical trial and provide written consent; (6) All subjects had no contraindication for orthokeratology lens wear and did not have any past corneal refractive surgery.
A total of 34 adolescents (67 eyes) who visited our hospital from March 2014 through June 2015 were enrolled, among which 19 cases (37 eyes) were assigned to the spherical orthokeratology lenses group (the spherical group) which included 4 males and 15 females, and 15 cases (30 eyes) were assigned to the toric orthokeratology lenses group (the toric group) which included 4 males and 11 females. This study was in compliance with the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki. Subjects and their patients were fully informed of the risks and benefits of the procedure and agreed to the treatment protocol. This study was designed to be double blinded, and neither researchers nor subjects knew the design.
For group I, Spherical orthokeratology lenses supplied by Oupu Kang Technology China Inc. (Hefei Province, PRC) were used, a four-zone reverse geometry design of the inner surface. For group II, Lucid Korea orthokeratology lenses for astigmatism were used. A toric design was used for the Reverse curve and the Alignment curve, with a toric specification of CP100-200 (Table 1). Not obvious complications orthokeratology lens were observed.
Table 1: Characteristics of the orthokeratology lenses used in the trial.
Examinations: At the first visit (1 d), Uncorrected Visual Acuity (UCVA), Best Corrected Visual Acuity (BCVA) and manifest refractive error were measured using a phoropter (Nidek Co., Ltd., Japan) at cycloplegic visits. Intraocular pressures were measured with a non-contact tonometer (Topcon Co., Ltd., Japan). Axial lengths were monitored using the IOLMaster (Carl Zeiss AG, Germany). Anterior segments and fundi were examined using slit-lamp microscope and funduscope.
Measurement of corneal astigmatism: Corneal curvature, corneal astigmatism and axial direction were measured using computer-aided corneal topography (Allegretto Wave, Germany). The subjects were asked to blink normally to avoid the disruption of tear film, open the eyes widely after the last blink, and fixate on the target during the image acquisitions. Images were automatically captured and the best images were recorded. Photos of the corneas were taken with a 24-ring keratoscope. Then the keratoscopic images were converted to refractive powers using a computer program. The subtractive maps between pre and post were used to determine lens centration and the size of treatment zone (tangential maps) and the amount of corneal flattening (refractive maps).
Orthokeratology lens fitting: Fit was confirmed during slitlamp microscopy. The targeted ideal fluorescein pattern was characterized by a central zone of light touch (3.0 to 3.5 mm diameter), surrounded by a wide deep doughnut-shaped tear reservoir, a zone of peripheral light touch, and peripheral clearance, with lens movement of 1 to 2 mm on blink. If the fitting showed a poor response, the trial lenses were adjusted with new parameters. And an overnight trial-lens wearing would be done as necessary. Unless the corneal response showed a bull's pattern at an overnight visit, the lens prescription was issued . When the lenses came back, patients were instructed on how to wear and take care of the lenses, and were informed of the schedule for follow-up visits.
Re-checks: The first visit took place 1 d after wearing the orthokeratology lenses overnight. Both UCVA and refractive error were measured. UCVA was measured once per day at the same time of each day (10 am). Corneal topography, axial length, intraocular pressures and examination of cornea and conjunctiva were performed. The same tests were repeated after 1, 2 weeks and 1 month of lens wear. The follow-up visits were carried out once a month through 6 months and then every 3 months.
Corneal astigmatism was converted to rectangular vector coordinates. Where C denotes the amount of astigmatism at axis θ, J0 and J45 are the horizontal or vertical and oblique components of astigmatism respectively. Changes in astigmatism were evaluated by comparing corneal toricity as well as J0 and J45 before and after ortho-K treatment using vector analysis [19,20]. The component J0 indicated astigmatism along the horizontal and vertical direction. J45 indicated oblique astigmatism from a 45-degree angle.
Such calculation method takes a with-the-rule astigmatic change as a positive value and an against-the-rule astigmatic change as a negative value. The results can directly reflect astigmatic changes based on directions, and can also avoid potential errors that may be caused by neglection of the directions of astigmatic changes when simply applying subtraction [21,22].
Retrospective observational study was adopted. Data were expressed as x̄ ± s. Because the distribution of data were not significantly different from normal (Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests, p>0.05), parametric tests were used to compare J0 and J45. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to study the changes in the parameters after ortho-k lens wear. Comparative analysis of corneal toricity and UCVA between the two groups at various time points after putting on different-design orthokeratology lenses was conducted using the independent-sample T-test in SPSS 22.0. For all statistics, a p-value<0.05 was indicated statistically significant difference.
All 34 cases initially enrolled in this study have completed the 3-month follow-up visit.
The pre-ortho-k refractive sphere of Group I (spherical group) ranged from -1.00 to -5.75 diopters sphere, and the refractive astigmatism ranged from -1.00 to -3.00 DC, and Group II (toric group) refractive sphere ranged from -1.25 to -6.25 diopters sphere and the refractive astigmatism ranged from -1.00 to -3.25 DC.
The spherical power of Group I and Group II before wearing the lenses were -3.85 ± 1.29 D and -3.66 ± 1.69 D respectively, without statistically significant difference (t=-0.53, P=0.60>0.05); the cylindrical powers were -1.76 ± 0.79 D and -1.88 ± 0.88 D respectively, without statistically significant difference (t=2.50, P=0.065>0.05). The average base curves of the lenses worn by the two groups were 8.92 ± 0.37 mm (8.23-9.58 mm) and 8.07 ± 0.64 mm (7.46-9.71 mm) respectively.
Mean ± SD UCVA (logMAR) of Group I and Group II after the first overnight, 1 week, 1 month of lens wear not significantly different. UCVA at 3rd month was significantly different between the two groups (Table 2 and Figure 1).
Table 2: Mean ± SD UCVA logMAR values measured during the 3-month orthokeratology treatment of the two groups.
Figure 1: UCVA after orthokeratology lens wear of the two groups.
Changes in J0 of corneal toricity: Table 3 showed the changes in the corneal toricity of the two groups before and after ortho-k treatment. There were no statistical differences before ortho-k lens wear of the two groups (independentsample T-test, p>0.05). Significant reductions at subsequent visits were observed in Group II (repeated measures ANOVA, p<0.05). No significant changes were observed in Group I (repeated measures ANOVA, p>0.05).
Table 3: Mean ± SD corneal toricity before and after orthokeratology and their mean changes of the two groups.
There were significant differences between the two groups at the following visits respectively (independent-sample T-test, p>0.05) (Table 3 and Figure 2). A sudden increase in J0 was observed in group II, and this increase may be caused by specific stimulus. At 3 months after lens wearing, the decrease rates (the proportion of magnitude of decrease in astigmatism to the original astigmatism) of J0 component were 6% and 61% respectively in group I and group II.
Figure 2: Corneal torocity (J0) before and after orthokeratology lens wear of the two groups.
Changes in J45 of corneal toricity: No significant changes were observed in the two groups (repeated measures ANOVA, p>0.05).The were no statistical differences before and after ortho-k lens wear of the two groups (independent-sample Ttest, p>0.05) (Table 3).
At the first overnight visit, corneal staining was observed in 32% and 29% of subjects in Group I and Group II. No significant corneal staining (staining<grade 2) was observed in the subsequent visits at 3 months in both groups. Four patients (14.8%) in Group I complained of double and blurred vision, while no significant vision abnormality was reported from Group II. During the 3-month lens wear, no dimple veiling and no pigmented arc were observed and no adverse events were noted in any subject. None of the patients of the two groups dropped out due to an adverse reaction.
A number of clinical trials have certified that orthokeratology can reduce moderate to high myopia and control myopiaprogression [23,24]. Orthokeratology is a reversible method used to correct vision and change the corneal curvature using a polymethyl methacrylate contact lens . With the development of contact lenses, which have high oxygen permeability, potential for side effects during sleep has decreased significantly . The inner surface of lens can press the center of the corneal to reshape the cornea, so as to correct myopia for a temporary period and the vision can be improved. Orthokeratology lenses must be precisely stabilized at the center of the corneal. De-centration may results in an increase in high order aberrations, which affect the visual quality [27,28].
In addition, several clinical reports have addressed the insufficiency of the astigmatism correction using orthokeratology lenses due to lens de-centration . It is difficult to place the lens at the corneal center in patients with astigmatism resulting from a difference in two corneal curvature . So, toric orthokeratology lenses are designed to have more than two aspherical curvatures to match the corneal surface precisely [31,32]. The special design can be used for In 2012, Chen et al. conducted a clinical study in which subjects aged 6 to 12 y old with myopia of 0.50 to 5.00D and with-the-rule astigmatism of 1.25 to 3.50 D were fitted with toric orthokeratology lenses . The astigmatism was decreased from 1.91 ± 0.64 to 0.40 ± 0.39 D (p<0.0001) after 1 month of lens wear. In another study, the mean astigmatic refractive error of 23 subjects (39 eyes) was reported to be changed from 2.07 ± 0.83 to 1.44 ± 0.99 D (p=0.001) after wearing toric orthokeratology lens for 4 weeks . These published articles evaluated the mean change in astigmatism, but there is an increasing use of vector analyses to account for the directional effect of astigmatism [9,34].
Three vector analyses have usually been described for the analysis of astigmatism change: the Bailey-Carney vector analysis, in which the orientation of the axis of the astigmatism is qualitatively but not quantitatively calculated . The Alpins vector analysis is used in refractive surgery, which provides indices regarding the success of the treatment and only addresses changes .
In this study, Thibos vector analysis was used to analyze preand post-orthokeratology astigmatism as well as changes in them [19,20]. J0=(-C/2) cos (2θ) and J45=(-C/2) sin (2θ), where C denotes the amount of astigmatism at axis θ and J0 and J45 are the horizontal/vertical and oblique components of astigmatism respectively. Similar results of this paper were obtained if changes to astigmatism were analyzed using power vectors.
Before wearing the lenses we found no statistical significance in J0 and J45 between the two groups. Significant reductions of corneal toricity J0 at subsequent visits were observed in Group II from -1.19 to -0.46 (repeated measures ANOVA, p<0.05). No significant changes were observed in Group I of corneal toricity J0 from -0.98 to -0.92 (repeated measures ANOVA, p>0.05).
There were significant differences between the two groups at the following visits respectively. And slight changes in J45 were found in both subjects and the observed changes were not clinically significant (independent-sample T-test, p>0.05). At 3 months after lens wearing, the decrease rates of J0 component were 6% and 61% respectively in group I and group II, which were basically consistent with the % decrease rate of astigmatism after wearing toric orthokeratology lenses reported by Chen et al. [31,37].
Our results suggest that toric orthokeratology is effective in the treatment of patients with both myopia and astigmatism. Corneal toricity reductions were only observed in Group II but not in Group I.
Although slight differences in mean ± SD UCVA were found between two groups at 1-night, 1-week and 1-month visit, were a litter different differences were not statistical significant (P>0.05). At 3-month the mean ± SD UCVA was better in Group II (0.00 ± 0.07) than in Group I (0.07 ± 0.05) (P=0.01). 4 patients (14.8%) in the spherical group I complained of double and blurred vision, while no significant vision abnormality was reported from the toric group II, which was consistent with previous reports .
Orthokeratology lenses cause change in the morphology of the cornea, flattening of the central base curve zone and increase of refractive power in the reverse curve, which increases astigmatic aberration. Displacement of the lenses can cause deformation in the anterior surface of the cornea, shrinking of diameters and shift of location of corneal optical zones after shaping of the cornea, irregular increase of the corneal surface, more obvious increase of astigmatic aberration, resulting in glare, false image, double vision and other visual disturbance [13,38].
Lenses with a toric design can effectively improve fitting in moderate to high corneal astigmatism, alleviate corneal astigmatism and reduce the chance of visual discomforts and symptoms after removing the lenses, and improve the quality of vision. The lenses used for the two study groups were supplied by different manufacturers, and pressures and forces of gravity vary with the different designs of the lenses, which could have somewhat affected the results of this study.
Corneal staining associated with orthokeratology lens wear is a common complication, and mechanical trauma and hypoxia in the corneal epithelium have been proposed to be likely causes. Excessive clinical intervention should be avoided for corneal staining without complicated infection [39,40].
According to our observation, the incidence of corneal staining (grade 1) at 1 day after initiation of lens wearing was 32% and 29% respectively in the spherical group and the toric group, and no corneal staining had occurred in either group up to 3 months. The incidence of grade 1 corneal staining after an overnight wear was basically consistent with previous reports: 40% in the spherical group and 23% in the toric group [41,42].
During the follow-up period, no pigmentation ring, neovascularization, corneal ulcer or any other severe complication was seen in either group. In addition to the highly oxygen-permeable materials used in making orthokeratology lenses, the stringent implementation of optometry and fitting technologies and the strict control of length of wearing, and the detailed instruction and follow-up system can effectively prevent complications such as corneal edema and infection.
So far, literatures reporting the association between astigmatism and the progress of myopia are limited. In a study conducted by Saw et al. in children aged 6-11 y, no difference was observed in the progress of myopia between the group with astigmatism (>0.50 D astigmatism) and the group without astigmatism .
Fan et al. investigated the association between astigmatism and the increase in diopters of refractive errors in Asian children aged 3-6 y, but their study subjects were mostly children with hyperopia .
Cho et al. from Hong Kong Polytechnic University compared their study results with those from TO-SEE and ROMIO studies and drew a conclusion that the progress of myopia was not affected by the initial level of astigmatism, but was associated with approaches of vision correction, with slower increase of axial lengths in patients wearing orthokeratology lenses than in patients wearing single-vision frame glasses [45,46]. This study had an observation period of only 3 months. The difference in axial lengths before and after wearing the lenses was of no statistical significance in either group. Further observation is needed to find out whether toric orthokeratology lenses can effectively control the increase of axial lengths.
With selection of a proper lens design based on the patient's own conditions and implementation of detailed instruction and stringent periodic follow-ups, orthokeratology lenses can effectively reduce myopia and astigmatism. By further optimization of vision quality under the premises of improving visual acuity and ensuring safety, orthokeratology will play a better role in clinical settings.
Pan CW, Ramamurthy D, Saw SM. Worldwide prevalence and risk factors for myopia. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt 2012; 32: 3-16.
Lam CS, Lam CH, Cheng SC. Prevalence of myopia among Hong Kong Chinese school children: changes over two decades. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt 2012; 32: 17-24.
Pan CW, Wong TY, Lavanya R. Prevalence and risk factors for refractive errors in Indians: the Singapore Indian Eye Study (SINDI). Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2011; 52: 3166-3173.
Liu HH, Xu L, Wang YX. Prevalence and progression of myopia retinopathy in Chinese adults: the Beijing Eye Study. Ophthalmol 2010; 117: 1763-1768.
He M, Zheng Y, Xiang F. Prevalence of myopia in urban and rural children in mainland China. Optom Vis Sci 2009; 86: 40-44.
Zhang M, Li L, Chen L. Population density and refractive error among Chinese children. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2010; 51: 4969-4976.
Kakita T, Hiraoka T, Oshika T. Influence of overnight orthokeratology on axial elongation in childhood myopia. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2011; 52: 2170-2174.
Cho P, Cheung SW, Edwards M. The longitudinal orthokeratology research in children (LORIC) in Hong Kong: a pilot study on refractive changes and myopic control. Curr Eye Res 2005; 30: 71-80.
Walline JJ, Rah MJ, Jones LA. The children's overnight orthokeratology investigation (COOKI) pilot study. Optom Vis Sci 2004; 81: 407-413.
Nichols JJ, Marsich MM, Nguyen M. Overnight orthokeratology. Optom Vis Sci 2000; 77: 252-259.
Hiraoka T, Kakita T, Okamoto F. Long-term effect of overnight orthokeratology on axial length elongation in childhood myopia: a 5-year follow-up study. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2012; 53: 3913-3919.
Santodomingo-Rubido J, Villa-Collar C, Gilmartin B. Myopia control with orthokeratology contact lenses in Spain: refractive and biometric changes. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2012; 53: 5060-5065.
Yang Li-Na, Xie Pei-ying. Toric design orthokeratology contact lenses and visual quality. Chin J Optom Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2013; 15: 79-83.
Fan DS, Rao SK, Cheung EY. Astigmatism in Chinese preschool children: prevalence, change, and effect on refractive development. Br J Ophthalmol 2004; 88: 938-941.
Kleinstein RN, Jones LA, Hullett S. Refractive error and ethnicity in children. Arch Ophthalmol 2003; 121: 1141-1147.
Yoon KC, Mun GH, Kim SD. Prevalence of eye diseases in South Korea: data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008-2009. Korean J Ophthalmol 2011; 25: 421-433.
Cheung SW, Cho P, Chan B. Astigmatic changes in orthokeratology. Optom Vis Sci 2009; 86: 1352-1358.
Mountford J, Noack D. Corneal topography and orthokeratology: post-fit assessment. Contact Lens Spectrum 2002; 17: 6.
Thibos LN, Wheeler W, Horner D. Power vectors: an application of Fourier analysis to the description and statistical analysis of refractive error. Optom Vis Sci 1997; 74: 367-375.
Thibos LN, Horner D. Power vector analysis of the optical outcome of refractive surgery. J Cataract Refract Surg 2001; 27: 80-85.
Deal FC Jr, Toop J. Recommended co-ordinate system for thin spherocylindrical lenses. Optom Vis Sci 1993; 70: 409-413.
Mc Kendrick AM, Brennan NA. Distribution of astigmatism in the adult population. J Opt Soc Am A Opt Image Sci Vis 1996; 13: 206-214.
Downie LE, Lowe R. Corneal reshaping influences myopic prescription stability (CRIMPS): an analysis of the effect of orthokeratology on childhood myopic refractive stability. Eye Contact Lens 2013; 39: 303-310.
Swarbrick HA, Alharbi A, Watt K. Myopia control during orthokeratology lens wear in children using a novel study design. Ophthalmol 2015; 122: 620-630.
Lui WO, Edwards MH, Cho P. Contact lenses in myopia reduction: from orthofocus to accelerated orthokeratology. Cont Lens Anterior Eye 2000; 23: 68-76.
Hiraoka T, Furuya A, Matsumoto Y, Okamoto F, Sakata N, Hiratsuka K, Kakita T, Oshika T. Quantitative evaluation of regular and irregular corneal astigmatism in patients having overnight orthokeratology. J Cataract Refract Surg 2004; 30: 1425-1429.
Hiraoka T, Okamoto C, Ishii Y, Kakita T, Oshika T. Contrast sensitivity function and ocular higher-order aberrations following overnight orthokeratology. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2007; 48: 550-556.
Mountford J, Pesudovs K. An analysis of the astigmatic changes induced by accelerated orthokeratology. Clin Exp Optom 2002; 85: 284-293.
Chen CC, Cheung SW, Cho P. Toric orthokeratology for highly astigmatic children. Optom Vis Sci 2012; 89: 849-855.
Chen C, Cheung SW, Cho P. Myopia control using toric orthokeratology (TO-SEE study). Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2013; 54: 6510-6517.
Byul Y, Kyu Yeon H, Sun Young K, Su Young K, Kyug Sun N. Effectiveness of toric orthokeratology in the treatment of patients with combined myopia and astigmatism. Korean J Ophthalmol 2016; 30: 434-442.
Bailey IL, Carney LG. Analyzing contact lens induced changes of the corneal curvature. Am J Optom Arch Am Acad Optom 1970; 47: 761-768.
Alpins N. Astigmatism analysis by the Alpins method. J Cataract Refract Surg 2001; 27: 31-49.
Chen C, Cho P. Toric orthokeratology for high myopic and astigmatic subjects for myopia control. Clin Exp Optom 2012; 95: 103-108.
Hiraoka T, Okamoto F, Kaji Y. Optical quality of the cornea after overnight orthokeratology. Cornea 2006; 25.
Sridharan R, Swarbrick H. Corneal response to short-term orthokeratology lens wear. Optom Vis Sci 2003; 80: 200-206.
Mika R, Morgan B, Cron M. Safety and efficacy of overnight orthokeratology in myopic children. Optometry 2007; 78: 225-231.
Rah MJ, Jackson JM, Jones LA .Overnight orthokeratology: preliminary results of the Lenses and Overnight Orthokeratology (LOOK) study. Optom Vis Sci 2002; 79: 598-605.
Tahhan N, Du Toit R, Papas E. Comparison of reverse-geometry lens designs for overnight orthokeratology. Optom Vis Sci 2003; 80: 796-804.
Saw SM, Nieto FJ, Katz J. Factors related to the progression of myopia in Singaporean children. Optom Vis Sci 2000; 77: 549-554.
Fan DS, Rao SK, Cheung EY. Astigmatism in Chinese pre-school children: prevalence, change, and effect on refractive development. Br J Ophthalmol 2004; 88: 938-941.
Cho P, Cheung SW. Retardation of Myopia in Orthokeratology (ROMIO) Study: a 2-year randomized clinical trial. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2012; 53: 7077-7085.


Orūmīyeh, also spelled Urmia or Urūmiyeh, formerly Reẕāʾīyeh or Riẕāiyeh, city, capital of West Āz̄arbāyjān province, northwestern Iran. It lies just west of Lake Urmia on a large fertile plain that yields grains, fruits, tobacco, and other crops. The population is mainly Azeri Turkish, with Kurdish, Assyrian Christian, and Armenian minorities. The remains of ancient settlements are scattered over the plain, as are traces of the ancient kingdom of Urartu.
Orūmīyeh, IranOrūmīyeh, Iran. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
For long periods the city belonged to the Ottoman Empire. Christians formed nearly half the population in 1900, but in 1918 many left. Most of the remainder were massacred after the retreat of the Russians from the area. Some survivors were later repatriated by the Iranian government. Orūmīyeh is connected by primary roads with Tabrīz, 75 miles (120 km) northeast, and with Kermānshāh, 250 miles (400 km) southeast. There is an airfield nearby. Pop. (2006) 583,255.


That is because Walgreens and a slew of other stores have opened up small retail clinics in their shops. These clinics work much like your doctor's office and treat a number of small infections and illnesses from the common cold and flu, to bug bites and allergic reactions.
A visit to one of these clinics often costs less than $100, which is much less than a visit to your doctor or primary care physician's office would be if you have a high deductible health insurance plan. In addition, they are usually much less crowded, have lower wait times, and – because the physician in attendance is only concerned with meeting your immediate needs – they are the perfect locations to visit when you don't have a lot of time out for a real doctor's visit.
Even if you don't have a high deductible health insurance plan you may find a use for these clinics. In many instances, you will find that your insurance company covers the visit and you pay the same copayment as you would when visiting your doctor, but with all the benefits of less waiting time.
It is important to remember that these clinics are not meant for preventative care or routine physicals. You should see your regular physician for those items since he or she may notice subtle changes in your health through these exams that a retail clinic physician will not. But if you need a little allergy, flu or cold care, a retail clinic might be a great resource for you.


In the latest chapter of a running battle between old and new, Virginia families are at odds over whether an institution for those with disabilities should be rebuilt or dismantled.
The facility, which houses 133 adults, was slated to be the first institution in Virginia to close down. Instead, under pressure from families of residents — many of whom have called the facility home for decades — the state is breaking ground on a $23.7 million replacement for the deteriorating compound.
Families of residents say the facility has served their loved ones well and that they shouldn't be forced to move.
But parents of those in younger generations who have grown up in the community say that with so many of the state's resources going to maintain costly institutions as opposed to community-based programs, their children ironically may be forced into unnecessary institutionalization themselves. Currently, more than 5,000 Virginians are on a state waiting list for community-based services.
Nationally, about 33,000 people continue to live in institutions, down from 186,743 in 1970. Virginia is one of only 11 states that has yet to close any of its facilities, reports The Washington Post. To read more click here.


An increasing number of governments, NGOs and social enterprises are using design thinking to address 'wicked problems' — a term popularized by academic Richard Buchanan to describe society's ambiguous design challenges, posed without any clear answers.
empowering citizens, engaging all the stakeholders and co-creating a shared vision in the change management process.
People are unlocking a way of seeing the world that enables them to see new possibilities and develop new solutions.


text:
The Newborn Connection is a weekly meet up for mothers to connect and feel supported as they navigate the early months of new parenthood. This nonjudgemental group is a safe space for parents to share in the joys and struggles of their new life, ask questions about feeding and caring for their baby and get advice from experts in various fields of expertise. This group will meet every Thursday morning from 10-11am at the SHED Children's Campus in Andover and is intended for all new mothers (first time or otherwise) and their non-mobile babies. Please note there is a limit of 12 babies for this group and space fills up quickly so be sure to register ahead of time!
This group is led by Kaleigh Daigle, a certified Labor and Postpartum Doula, Infant Care Specialist and Certified Lactation Counselor from Boston Birth Associates. Kaleigh is a mom of two young boys and experienced first hand the powerful impact of support during the postpartum period after attending a new mom's group when she first became a mother. Kaleigh can be reached at newborn@themotherconnection.org
Upcoming Newborn Connection Dates
Newborn Connection (Support Month Event #2)
Kaleigh Daigle, CLC, CHBE
Certified Labor and Postpartum & Infant Care Doula
Kaleigh Daigle has always felt drawn to the world of pregnancy, birth and new life, even from a young age. She was born and raised in Ipswich, Massachusetts and attended The College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina where she received her degree in Communications. She lives in North Reading, Massachusetts with her husband and two sons.
While birth had always fascinated Kaleigh, she was terrified of experiencing it herself. When she became pregnant with her first child in 2015 she decided to make the most of the experience. Through research, reading countless birth stories, completing a HypnoBirthing Course and with the support of a doula, Kaleigh was able to have a beautiful birth experience of her own. In the postpartum period she found unbiased emotional support in a new mom's group as she adjusted to motherhood. These experiences were life changing and reignited her passion for birth and for supporting others. Kaleigh knew then she wanted to become a doula.
In 2016, Kaleigh attended both a Labor and Postpartum & Infant Care Doula training with ProDoula and began her career as a doula. Over the past two years she has had the honor of helping many families welcome their child to the world and adjust to parenthood in a caring and supported way as a labor and postpartum & infant doula with Boston Birth Associates. Kaleigh has also trained to become a Certified Lactation Counselor, Postpartum Placenta Specialist and Certified HypnoBirthing Educator.
Kaleigh has learned that each family has their own way of parenting, feeding, birthing and raising their children, but in the end all parents love their children unconditionally. She takes pride in and enjoys supporting each family as they make their way into parenthood in the way that feels best to them.


Mahatma Gandhi, the founder of Khadi movement once said, "There is no beauty in the finest cloth if it makes hunger and unhappiness". The fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world and accounts for 10% of the greenhouse gas emissions. According to a recent report, this industry generates more greenhouse gases than the international shipping and aviation industries combined.
Cotton is the most common natural fibre used to make clothing, accounting for about 33% of all fibres found in textiles. Cotton is also a very thirsty crop, which means one requires 2,700 litres of water—which one person drinks in two and half years—to make one cotton shirt. In areas like Maharashtra and Gujarat which are already facing water stress, cotton production can be particularly damaging. Polyesters are also one of the most popularly used fabrics. When Polyester garments are washed, they shed microfibers that add to the increasing plastic in the sea. These microfibers are minute and can easily pass through the sewage and wastewater treatment plants into our waterways but because these microfibers are not biodegradable, they pose a threat to the aquatic life. Small creatures like plankton eat these and make their way up to the food chain to fish and shellfish, which are eventually eaten by humans.
Majority of the world's apparel conglomerates are U.S. based, yet more than 60 percent of world clothing is manufactured in developing countries. Asia is the major clothing exporter today, producing more than 32 percent of the world's supply. China is the leading world producer and supplier of clothing, providing nearly 13 percent of the world's exports. But as production and labour costs rise in China, clothing companies are moving to countries where manufacturing is cheaper. Places like Bangladesh, Vietnam, Pakistan and the Philippines are therefore being looked at. These countries however, might not have the raw materials needed, so they're often shipped there from countries like China, the U.S. and India.
Apparel spending is projected to grow tremendously. This is particularly true in Asia, as hundreds of millions of people in China and India enter the global middle class. With such a situation arising, consumers can help to change where they shop from and what they shop.
Fast Fashion is also emerging as an issue along with this. Fast fashion focuses on speed and low cost in order to deliver frequent new collections inspired by catwalk looks or celebrity styles. But it is particularly bad for the environment, as pressure to reduce cost and time taken to get a product from design to shop floor, consequently means that environmental corners are more likely to be cut. Criticisms of fast fashion include its negative environmental impact, water pollution, the use of toxic chemicals and increasing levels of textile waste. Textile waste is an unintended consequence of fast fashion because people don't keep clothes for as long as they used to. More and more people thus buy more and more clothes. The international expansion of fast fashion retailers exacerbates the problem on a global scale. Wardrobes in developed nations are saturated, so in order to sell more products, retailers must tempt shoppers with constant newness and convince them to believe that the items they already have are no longer fashionable.
Increasing disposable income levels over recent generations means there is less need to "make do and mend", as it's often cheaper and more convenient to buy new than have an item repaired. Busy lifestyles make many people more time-poor than previous generations, and with the loss of sewing and mending skills over time, there is less impetus on repairing garments.
But there are still ways to prevent the environmental damage by taking small steps. Take linen, it is a natural material woven from the fibres of the flax plant. It is expensive but it lasts longer than other materials. Other alternative includes using a fibre collecting device in your washing machine. This device collects the microfibers, which you can scoop and throw it in the trash. This way they won't work their way to the water bodies. Donating clothes will help the people in need and clothes will not land up in the landfills. You can also wash your clothes less frequently. Many of us throw the clothes into the laundry even when they are not really dirty, maybe we could reconsider doing so the next time. This will not only help with the fibres but it will use fewer energy sources like water, electricity. Such steps could collectively create a huge impact and should therefore be accepted as a part of our day-to-day lifestyle.


text:
package jo.sm.plugins.ship.edit;

import java.awt.Image;
import java.beans.BeanDescriptor;
import java.beans.BeanInfo;
import java.beans.EventSetDescriptor;
import java.beans.IntrospectionException;
import java.beans.Introspector;
import java.beans.MethodDescriptor;
import java.beans.PropertyDescriptor;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.Map;

import jo.sm.ship.logic.SmoothLogic;
import jo.sm.ui.act.plugin.ComboPropertyDescriptor;

public class SmoothParametersBeanInfo implements BeanInfo
{
    private static final Map<String,Object> SCOPE_MAP = new HashMap<String, Object>();
    static
    {
        SCOPE_MAP.put("Outside", SmoothLogic.EXTERIOR);
        SCOPE_MAP.put("Inside", SmoothLogic.INTERIOR);
        SCOPE_MAP.put("Outside and Inside", SmoothLogic.EVERYWHERE);
    }

    private static final Map<String,Object> TYPE_MAP = new HashMap<String, Object>();
    static
    {
        TYPE_MAP.put("Wedges and Corners", SmoothLogic.EVERYTHING);
        TYPE_MAP.put("Wedges", SmoothLogic.WEDGES);
        TYPE_MAP.put("Corners", SmoothLogic.CORNERS);
    }

    private BeanInfo mRootBeanInfo;

    public SmoothParametersBeanInfo() throws IntrospectionException
    {
        super();
        mRootBeanInfo = Introspector.getBeanInfo(SmoothParameters.class, Introspector.IGNORE_IMMEDIATE_BEANINFO);
    }

    @Override
    public PropertyDescriptor[] getPropertyDescriptors()
    {
        PropertyDescriptor[] props = mRootBeanInfo.getPropertyDescriptors();
        for (int i = 0; i < props.length; i++)
        {
            if (props[i].getName().endsWith("ype"))
                try
                {
                    props[i] = new ComboPropertyDescriptor(props[i].getName(),
                            props[i].getReadMethod(), props[i].getWriteMethod(), TYPE_MAP);
                }
                catch (IntrospectionException e)
                {
                    e.printStackTrace();
                }
            else if (props[i].getName().endsWith("cope"))
                try
                {
                    props[i] = new ComboPropertyDescriptor(props[i].getName(),
                            props[i].getReadMethod(), props[i].getWriteMethod(), SCOPE_MAP);
                }
                catch (IntrospectionException e)
                {
                    e.printStackTrace();
                }
        }
        return props;
    }

    @Override
    public BeanInfo[] getAdditionalBeanInfo()
    {
        return mRootBeanInfo.getAdditionalBeanInfo();
    }

    @Override
    public BeanDescriptor getBeanDescriptor()
    {
        return mRootBeanInfo.getBeanDescriptor();
    }

    @Override
    public int getDefaultEventIndex()
    {
        return mRootBeanInfo.getDefaultEventIndex();
    }

    @Override
    public int getDefaultPropertyIndex()
    {
        return mRootBeanInfo.getDefaultPropertyIndex();
    }

    @Override
    public EventSetDescriptor[] getEventSetDescriptors()
    {
        return mRootBeanInfo.getEventSetDescriptors();
    }

    @Override
    public Image getIcon(int flags)
    {
        return mRootBeanInfo.getIcon(flags);
    }

    @Override
    public MethodDescriptor[] getMethodDescriptors()
    {
        return mRootBeanInfo.getMethodDescriptors();
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Jenks Library
What are OER?
Open Educational Resources (OER): What are OER?
This guide provides an introduction to Open Educational Resources (OER), including how to find, evaluate, use, and adapt OER materials.
Find OER
Evaluate OER
Adapt/ Remix OER
Communicating the Value of OER
Free Publisher Resources
OER are teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use and re-purposing by others.
Source: The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
For more definitions of OER, see the Creative Commons Wiki.
OER can either be in the public domain, or under a more lax intellectual property license.
OER can be revised, remixed, added upon, translated, and then shared again to meet different needs.
OER can take many forms, such as: syllabi, lesson plans, videos, software, tests, teaching techniques, group activities, writing prompts, textbooks, learning modules, experiments, simulations, and course designs. There are no platform restraints.
Source: The Review Project
Why Use OER?
There are many reasons faculty might choose to use OER:
In the time of the COVID-19 pandemic
Making resources available to students for remote instruction.
Free and Legal to Use, Improve and Share
Save time and energy by adapting or revising resources that have already been created
Tailor educational resources to the specific content for your course
Expand opportunities for interdisciplinary teaching and learning by allowing you to integrate and revise multiple educational resources
Redefine "traditional" learning by incorporating multi-media or scenario-based education
Go beyond the confines of "teaching to the book"
Network and Collaborate with Peers
Access educational resources that have already been "peer reviewed" by other experts in your field
Review or annotation features and texts so other instructors have more in-depth knowledge of the resource and its quality quickly
Make learning and teaching a team project using collaborative platforms
Lower Educational Cost and Improve Access to Information
Reduce the cost of course materials, particularly textbooks so that all students have access and aren't as financially burdened
Find and access information instantly on virtually any topic, on various devices.
Give learners the option of looking at course content openly before enrolling.
Reduce the load students bear, possibly increasing graduation and retention rates
Hoping to learn more? There have been multiple studies on faculty implementations, misunderstandings, acceptance of, and evaluation of OER. The Review Project has curated a number of empirical studies published in scholarly journals on the topic. Their general conclusion is:
Once adopted, OER provide the permissions necessary for faculty to engage in a wide range of pedagogical innovations. In each of the studies reported above, OER were used in manner very similar to the traditional textbooks they replaced. We look forward to reviewing empirical articles describing the learning impacts of open pedagogies.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.
About this LibGuide
Based on the LibGuide Open Educational Resources (OER): What are OER? at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library.
Next: Find OER >>
Last Updated: Aug 5, 2021 1:25 PM
URL: https://library.gordon.edu/oer1
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The first restart Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer built by General Dynamics Bath Iron Works completed its first set of builder's trials, Naval Sea Systems Command said on Wednesday.
Rafael Peralta (DDG-115) conducted two days underway in off the coast of Maine to test the ship's "operational capability of key communication, damage control, navigation and propulsion systems," read the statement from NAVSEA.
"Rafael Peralta is the first Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) destroyer that BIW has taken to sea since the program restarted in 2010," said Capt. Casey Moton, DDG 51 class program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships said in the NAVSEA statement.
The 9,200-ton destroyer is built around the Baseline 9 Aegis combat system that will allow the ship to simultaneously track ballistic missiles as well as traditional air warfare threats – like cruise missiles and aircraft.
BIW's Peralta's and the under-construction Thomas Hudner (DDG-116) are part of the quartet of restart destroyers announced by then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in 2009 following the cancellation of the next generation cruiser program (CG(X)).
Last month the first Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Burke – John Finn (DDG-113) – completed its Alpha trials in the Gulf of Mexico.
The following is the complete Oct. 19, 2016 statement from Naval Sea Systems Command.
BATH, Maine – The future USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) successfully completed alpha trials Oct. 18 after spending two days underway off the coast of Maine.
The trials were conducted by shipbuilder General Dynamics' Bath Iron Works (BIW).
Alpha trials, the initial set of builder's trials, is the first of three underway periods that the ship will conduct to test and demonstrate that the ship's systems are properly installed and operational. RafaelPeralta successfully conducted a series of test events to demonstrate the operational capability of key communication, damage control, navigation and propulsion systems.
Rafael Peralta is equipped with the Aegis Baseline 9 Combat System which includes an Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) capability incorporating Ballistic Missile Defense 5.0 Capability Upgrade and Naval Integrated Fire Control-Counter Air. The ship's IAMD radar will provide increased computing power and radar upgrades that improve detection and reaction capabilities against modern air warfare threats. The Aegis Combat System will enable the ship to link radars with other ships and aircraft to provide a composite picture of the battlespace and effectively increase the theater space.
DDG 115 is the 65th Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) class destroyer and the first of the DDG 51 Flight IIA restart ships to be built at BIW. The shipyard is currently in production on future destroyers Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), Daniel Inouye (DDG 118) and Carl M. Levin (DDG 120) and under contract for three additional ships awarded as part of the five-ship multi-year procurement for fiscal years 2013-2017.


Netflix has criticised the BBC for refusing to allow the streaming giant to license popular children's shows for up to five years after they air.
CEO Ted Sarandos said the company has been forced to find US-made alternatives rather than supply the nation's youth with homegrown programming.
The streaming chief said Auntie's stubbornness is restricting the popularity of its shows and costing it money that could be reinvested in producing more popular content.
He accused the BBC of having a negative attitude that is preventing the corporation from having an even larger global footprint.
Sarandos told the Guardian: "[The BBC] do some things that are very negative for consumers like they hold back programming from the BBC before it comes to Netflix, up to five years for kids' programming," Sarandos said.
"We could pay a lot of money to license that programming, and they could make more programming and make the BBC a better public service product. What is amazing is we have the ability to give an even larger global footprint to BBC content but I don't want to sit behind that big blackout window."
He added that the money that could be going into the corporation's pockets is instead being spent on US content, just so younger viewers have plenty of content to watch.
He added: "What it is doing is forcing us into licensing content from the US for the UK if we want to have children's programming, creating kids brands that are not homegrown.
"It is a huge mistake – kids' brands are very short life cycles and I'm not willing to pay anything for those things five years later. The best commercial decision possible is to license content while it has a shelf life."


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Alejandro Calvo Mata (Córdoba, 20 de febrero de 2004) más conocido como Álex Calvo, es un futbolista español que juega en la demarcación de centrocampista para el Málaga CF de la Segunda División de España.

Trayectoria

Natural de Córdoba, con 13 años ingresaría en la cantera del Málaga CF en la temporada 2016-17, para ir pasando por todas las categorías inferiores del club malagueño hasta llegar en la temporada 2022-23 a militar en el juvenil "A" del conjunto malagueño.

El 8 de diciembre de 2022, hace su debut con el Atlético Malagueño en un encuentro frente al UD Torre del Mar de la Tercera División de España.

El 11 de marzo de 2023, debuta en Segunda División en un encuentro frente a la UD Las Palmas, en el que anotaría un gol en minuto 86 de partido que pondría el empate a dos final.

Selección nacional
Calvo es internacional con la selección de fútbol sub-19 de España, con el que anotó un gol en su debut.

Clubes

Referencias

Enlaces externos
 Ficha en transfermarkt
 Perfil en Málaga CF

Futbolistas de la provincia de Córdoba (España)
Futbolistas del Atlético Malagueño
Futbolistas del Málaga Club de Fútbol
Nacidos en Córdoba (España)
Futbolistas de la selección de fútbol sub-19 de España

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The Villagers, the parent and family organization for school support, will have its first meeting of the school year this evening. Light refreshments will be served.
This will be an opportunity to learn more about The Villagers, who have, over the years, organized the book fair, the Spelling Bee and Community Dinners. The Chair of the Villagers is Mrs. Tenea Allen (parent of a class of '27 Gent). You may contact her via email at thevillagers@baltimorecollegiate.org to add your name to the Villager mailing list.


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Exclusive: Lil Baby Represents Atlanta on the Cover of The Source's Inaugural 'The Future' Issue
Covers, Digital Entertainment, Exclusives, featured, From the Issue, Her Source | Beauty and Fashion Trends, Hip Hop Music | Listen To and Download Hip Hop Tracks, Hip Hop News | Trending Hip Hop Stories
SOURCE REPORT | The Carters Helped To Raise $7 Billion to Aid World Poverty
Bola Ogungbuyi
feature, featured, Source TV, SourceTV, SourceTV | Original Videos, SourceTV | Viral Hip Hop Videos
The Carters were on the run in South Africa for the Global Citizens Festival to celebrate the life of the late Nelson Mandela. The festival's initial aim was to raise one billion dollars, however with the help of the high-powered Hip-Hop couple and many other celebrity guests including Oprah Winfrey, John Legend and Janet Jackson they raised a whopping $7.1 billion.
While Hov and Bey continue to show everything is love, it's not the same for Cardi B and Offset.
The high profile split has received critics and opinions from across the world, but none may be stronger than the ones that come from Offset's father. The rapper's dad stated that the relationship also has had an effect on him. Details that are shared by Offset's dad includes constant back and forth between the two A-list rappers and saying the release of the picture of Kulture was a slight by Cardi B to her husband.
It seemed quiet for Tekashi 6ix9ine for a bit, however, he is now facing paternity issues to go along with the various components of his RICO case. 6ix9ine, born Daniel Hernandez, is facing a child support case regarding a new child that popped up.
beyoncecardi bglobal citizens festivaljay-zkulturemigosTekashi 6ix9inethe carters
DJ Khaled and Nicole Tuck Welcomes Second Child
Your History Teacher Has Been Lying to You… Dr. King was More Like The Black Panthers and The Hip-Hop Community Than They are Like Malcolm X


Many of you come to these meetings with the hope that by some miracle I am going to solve your difficulties, whether economic, religious or social. And if I cannot solve them, or if you are incapable of solving them for yourselves, you hope that some miraculous event or circumstance will dissolve them; or else you lose yourselves in some philosophic system, or hope that by joining a particular church or society your difficulties will of themselves disappear.
As I have often tried to point out, these problems, whether social, religious or economic, are not going to be solved by depending on any particular system. They must be solved as a whole, and one must deeply comprehend one's own process of creating ignorance and being caught up in it. If one can understand this process of accumulating ignorance, with its self-sustaining action, and discern consciousness as the combination of these two - ignorance and action - one will then profoundly comprehend this conflicting and sorrowful existence. But unfortunately most of us are indifferent. We wait for outward circumstances to force us to think, and this compulsion can only bring about greater suffering and confusion. You can test this out for yourself.
Then there are those who depend on faith for their understanding and comfort. They think that there is a supreme being who has made them, who will guide them, who will protect and save them. They fervently believe that by following a certain creed or a certain system of thought, and by forcing themselves into a certain mould of conduct and discipline, they will attain to the highest.
As I tried to explain last Sunday, faith or acceptance is a hindrance to the deep comprehension of life. Most of us, unfortunately, are incapable of experimenting for ourselves or we are disinclined to make the effort; we are unwilling to think deeply and go through the real agony of being uncertain. So we depend on faith for our understanding and comfort. We often think that we are changing radically, and that our attitude is being fundamentally altered; but unfortunately we are merely changing the outward forms of our expression, and we still cling to the inner demands and cravings for support and comfort.
So in one's life there is the abstract and the actual; the actual being the conflict, and the abstract, the unconscious, made up of those beliefs and ideals, those concepts and memories that one has so sedulously built up as a means of self-protection. There is taking place in each one a conflict between the abstract and the actual, the unconscious and the conscious. Each one is trying to bridge over the gap that exists between the unconscious and the conscious, and this attempt must lead to rigidity of mind-heart and hence to a gradual withering, a contraction, which prevents the complete understanding of oneself and so of the world. One often thinks this attempt to unify the actual with the abstract will bring about deep fulfilment; but if one discerns, it is but a subtle form of escape from the conflict of life, a self-protection against the movement of life.
Before we can attempt to bring about this unity, we must know what is our unconscious, who has created it, and what is its significance. If we can deeply comprehend this, that is, if we can become aware of our own subtle motives, concepts, conceits, actions and reactions, we will then discern that there is only consciousness, the "I" process, which becomes perceptible to sense as individuality. This process must ever create a duality in action and bring about the artificial division of the conscious and the unconscious. From this process there arises the conception of a supreme deity, an ideal, an objective towards which there is a constant striving. Until we comprehend this process, there must be ignorance and hence sorrow.
The lack of comprehension of oneself is ignorance. That is, one must discern how one has come into being, what one is, all the tendencies, the reactions, the hidden motives, the self-imposed beliefs and pursuits. Until each one deeply understands this, there can be no cessation of sorrow, and the confusion of divided action, as economic and religious, public and private, will continue. The human problems that now disturb us will disappear only when each one is able to discern the self-sustaining process of ignorance. To discern needs patience and constant awareness.
As I have explained, there is no beginning to ignorance; it is sustained by its own cravings, through its own acquisitive demands and pursuits, and action merely becomes the means of maintaining it. This interacting process of ignorance and action brings about consciousness and the identity of the "I." As long as you do not know what you are and do not discern the various causes that result in the continued "I" process, there must be illusion and sorrow.
We are now making an effort to acquire virtues, pleasures, possessions, and are developing many tendencies towards greater accumulation and security; or, if we are not doing this, we go about it negatively by denying these things and trying to develop another series of subtle self-protections. If you examine this process carefully, you will perceive that consciousness, the mind, is ever isolating itself through acquisitive and self-protective desires. In this separative process duality is created, which brings conflict, suffering and confusion. The "I" process itself creates its own illusions, sorrows, through its self-created ignorance. To understand this process, there must be awareness, without the desire to choose between opposites. Choice in action creates duality, and this affirms the process of consciousness as individuality. If the mind-heart, not cognizant of its own secret demands, pursuits, of its hopes and fears, chooses, there must be the further creation of limitation and frustration. Thus, through the lack of understanding of ourselves, there is choice, which creates circumstances necessitating a further series of choices, and so mind-heart is caught over and over again in its own self-created circle of limitation.
Those of you who want to experiment with what I am saying will soon discover that there is no such thing as an external entity or environment guiding you, and that you are entirely responsible for yourself, for your own limitations and sorrows. If you see this, then environment does not become a separate force in itself, controlling, dominating, twisting the fulfilment of the individual. Then you begin to realize that there is only consciousness, perceived as individuality, and that it does not conceal or cover any reality. The "I" process is not proceeding to reality, to greater happiness, intelligence, but it is itself creating its own sorrow and confusion.
Take a very simple example and you can test this out for yourself. Many of you have very strong beliefs, which you make out to be the result of intuition; but they are not. These beliefs are the outcome of secret fears, longings and hopes. Such beliefs are unconsciously guiding you, forcing you into certain activities, and all experience is translated according to your ideals and beliefs. Hence there is no comprehension of life, but only the storing up of self-protective memories which increase in their intensity and limitation through further experience. If you are aware, you will observe that this process is taking place in you, and that your activities are being approximated to a standard, to an ideal. The complete approximation to an ideal is called success, fulfilment, happiness; but what one has really achieved is a rigidity, a complete isolation, a self-protection through escape into security, and so there is no comprehension of life, nor is there the cessation of ignorance with its sorrow and confusion.
Question: What is the purpose of suffering? Is it to teach us not to repeat the same mistake?
Krishnamurti: There is no purpose in suffering. Suffering exists because of the lack of comprehension. Most of us suffer economically, spiritually, or in our relationships with each other. Why is there this suffering? Economically, we have a system based on acquisitiveness, exploitation, fear; this system is being encouraged and maintained by our cravings and pursuits, and so it is self-sustaining. Acquisitiveness and a system of exploitation must go together, and they are ever present where there is ignorance of oneself. It is again a vicious circle; our craving has produced a system, and that system maintains itself by exploiting us.
There is suffering in our relationships with others. It is created by an inner craving for comfort, security, possession. Then there is that suffering caused by profound uncertainty, which prompts us to find peace, security, reality, God. Craving certainty, we invent many theories, create many beliefs, and the mind becomes limited and enmeshed in them, overheated with them, and so it is incapable of adjusting itself to the movement of life.
There are many kinds of suffering, and if you begin to discern their cause, you will perceive that suffering must coexist with the demand on the part of each individual to be secure, whether financially, spiritually, or in human relationship. Where there is a search for security, gross or subtle, there must be fear, exploitation and sorrow.
Instead of comprehending the cause of sorrow, you ask what is its purpose. You want to utilize sorrow to gain something further. So you begin to invent the purpose; you say that sorrow is the result of a past life, it is the result of environment, and so on. These explanations satisfy you, so you continue in your ignorance, with the constant recurrence of sorrow.
Suffering exists where there is ignorance of oneself. It is but an indication of limitation, of incompleteness. There is no remedy for suffering itself. In the discernment of the process of ignorance, suffering disappears.
Question: Is it not true that good deeds are rewarded, and that by leading a kind and an upright life we will attain to happiness?
Krishnamurti: Who rewards you? Reward in this world is called making a success of life, getting on the top, by exploiting people, being decorated by the government or by your party, and so on. And if you are denied this kind of reward, you want another kind, a spiritual reward - either discipleship from a Master, initiation, or a recognition for having done good in your past life.
Do you seriously think that such a thing exists, except as a childish encouragement and impetus; that it has any validity? Are you kind and do you love because you are going to get a reward now or in a future life? You may laugh at this, but if you deeply examine and understand your motives and actions, you will perceive that they are tinged with this idea of reward and punishment. So our actions are never integral, complete and full. From this arise sorrow and conflict, and our lives become small, petty, and without any deep significance.
If there is no reward or punishment, and so the utter freedom from fear, then what is the purpose of living? This would be the natural question you would ask, because you have been trained to think in terms of reward and punishment, achievement, competition, and all those quali- ties that make up what you consider to be human nature. When we understand profoundly, the significance of our existence, of the process of ignorance and action, we will see that what we call purpose has no significance. The mere search for the purpose of life covers up, detracts from the comprehension of oneself.
Reward has no significance; it is merely a compensation for the effort you have put forth. All effort put forth in order to gain a reward, here or in the hereafter, leads to frustration, and reward becomes so much dust in your mouth.
Question: Do you not consider philanthropy an important element in creating a new environment leading to human welfare?
Krishnamurti: If we understand philanthropy to be the love of man and the effort to promote his happiness, then it will have value only in so far as we consider him as a unique individual and help him to realize that in his own hands lie his happiness and the welfare of the whole. But, I fear, this would not be considered as philanthropy; for most of us do not realize that we are unique, that the process of creating ignorance and sorrow lies within our own power, and that only through the comprehension of ourselves can there be freedom from them. If this is fully and deeply comprehended, then philanthropy will have significance.
Charity merely becomes a compensation, and with it go all the subtle and gross exploitations to which man has become so accustomed.


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Hotels in Harrison Hotsprings, Canada
Comprehensive hotel search for Harrison Hotsprings online
Find a cheap hotel in Harrison Hotsprings!
Hotels in Harrison Hotsprings
Get steamed up for healthy fun in Harrison Hotsprings
Lightly poaching your tensioned body in these health-giving hot waters is just one of the things you'll remember about your visit to Harrison Hotsprings. Named after a high-up in the Hudson Bay Company, the water temperature and other features are sure to energise the body. They'll also prepare you mentally, for the thrills, activities and features that this region of British Columbia has to offer. Formerly known as St. Alice's Well, the village first gained prominence when gold-digging entrepreneurs actually fell in to Harrison Lake. Rather than freeze to death, they wallowed, gleefully in these warm waters. Their experience is now yours to share.
There's something in the water at Harrison Hotsprings
The opening of the Canadian Pacific Railway also opened the eyes of those further afield to the natural potential that existed here. It took the hotel market, though, to generate fully, the vast tourism market. Consequently, things reached boiling point in 1949 when Harrison Hotsprings really began to enjoy the benefits of its unique stock in trade; that constant supply of hot, mineral infused, healthy water. In truth, there are two main hot spring types; Potash which is of a lower temperature and Sulphur – which is blissfully not too hot at all with a maximum temperature of 65C. Harrison Hotsprings itself enjoys the finest geographic setting and the maximum sulphuric content. Heading north from the village and along the spring chain, the mineral content decreases until in Meager Creek, the sulphuric benefits and smells are hardly perceptible. Harrison Hotsprings, though, enjoys other natural benefits; such as lovely, lakeside sandy beaches and scenery which is beyond spectacular. Naturally; visitors can't get enough of Harrison Hotsprings where hopes and expectations continue to spring eternal. They've certainly plugged a gap in the health and leisure market.
You'll always be in hot water at Harrison Hotsprings
Over recent years, there has been a steady increase in the numbers of hotels, motels, guest houses, hostels and apartments in the Harrison Hotsprings region. Many are close to those springs; but very few have direct access to their health-giving qualities. At Harrison Hotsprings Resort, though, they claim the highest concentrations of any mineral spring and there are five pools here catering for children, family and adult requirements. These springs are fed directly and cooled to a pleasing temperature for guests. If you aren't staying at Harrison Hotsprings Resort, the best access to the benefits of the springs is at the public pool. This is open every day and provides a safe family environment in addition to those same benefits for visitors who choose to stay elsewhere in the village. So, access to the unique qualities of spring water is available to everyone, irrespective of their budget limitations.
Things to do in Harrison Hotsprings; a watered-down version
In addition to its incredible natural benefits, there are first class hotels here and attractions other than the springs themselves. Scenically, the area is difficult to match. Harrison Hotsprings sits on the edge of Harrison Lake which extends for almost 50 miles with a backdrop of mountains. There is, though, a resort-type atmosphere here with sandy beaches, promenade and other traditional features. Organised activities include a self-guided, mouth-watering Circle Farm tour of cheese-makers and producers of home-made fudges and jams and nut producers. In addition to lots of canoeing and sailing pursuits, there's family fun to be had at Bridal Falls Waterpark where parking is free and – of course – there's warm water on the kids' slides. Within a 15-minute drive, enthusiasts will find no less than four spectacular golf courses. These and many other activities are enjoyed by increasing visitor numbers. Many are from Vancouver which is 75 miles away and from Seattle which is accessed via a three-hour car trip.
Festivities and a celebration of life, in Harrison Hotsprings
A highlight of the cultural year in Harrison Hotsprings and the source of another surge in bookings for the hotel sector is the Season of Performing Arts. This has an extended run, from September through to May. Then, the long-established Harrison Festival covers nine days during July. This event involves groups from other regions of the Fraser Valley. The Copper Room is a venue for dining, dancing and attractions throughout the year. Dining is a real feature here where there is a noticeable absence of chain-like establishments. There's lots of choice though; ranging from pub-grub through to pizzas, Thai, Chinese and gourmet dining. Fresh meat, fish and vegetables from the surrounding areas form the basis for many memorable meals that are to be enjoyed in Harrison Hotsprings. The hot water is great, but the prime memories will be of the glorious surroundings and the genuine joy promoted by the locals … just because they are privileged to live here in Harrison Hotsprings.
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