dailyhealthpost--2020-09-02--5 Tiny Tweaks That Will Shift Your Body From ‘Fat-Storing’ to ‘Fat-Burning’ Mode

Weight loss isn ’ t just a question of eating fewer calories and getting more exercise .
It ’ s also about doing what you can to improve the way your body uses the nutrients you feed it .
You ’ ve probably heard about how to maintain a healthy weight by boosting your metabolism , but it ’ s a little more complicated than it sounds .
According to the Mayo Clinic , “ Metabolism is the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy .
During this complex biochemical process , calories in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to release the energy your body needs to function.
” ( 1 ) Your metabolism is always functioning because your body is constantly in need of energy , even when you ’ re at rest .
Every action in your body , including breathing , circulating blood , adjusting hormone levels , and growing and repairing cells requires plenty of energy .
Metabolism is actually the results of many organs and system coming together .
It goes without saying that if your body is in a state of distress or disease , then @ @ @ @ @ @

Weight loss isn’t just a question of eating fewer calories and getting more exercise. It’s also about doing what you can to improve the way your body uses the nutrients you feed it. You’ve probably heard about how to maintain a healthy weight by boosting your metabolism, but it’s a little more complicated than it sounds.
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The Low-Down On Metabolism
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Metabolism is the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy. During this complex biochemical process, calories in food and beverages are combined with oxygen to release the energy your body needs to function.” (1)
Your metabolism is always functioning because your body is constantly in need of energy, even when you’re at rest. Every action in your body, including breathing, circulating blood, adjusting hormone levels, and growing and repairing cells requires plenty of energy.
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Metabolism is actually the results of many organs and system coming together.
Important structures include:
Your liver
Your adrenals
Your thyroid
Your muscles
It goes without saying that if your body is in a state of distress or disease, then your metabolism is likely impaired.
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dailyhealthpost--2020-09-03--How One Man Learned Robotics on YouTube and Started Creating Affordable 3D Prosthetics for Others

The story of Easton LaChappelle isn ’ t just inspiring but has the potential to change the entire world .
The young man learned electronics , software development , and robotics from YouTube videos and then used those skills to create affordable 3D prosthetics for amputees .
Easton said in an interview with CNN that he ’ s always had a passion for electronics and for finding out how things work .
Because his school had a limited budget , however , he was forced to look elsewhere to pursue his passion .
This lead him to YouTube to look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understanding of electronics , reading sensors , and even software interfaces .
After years of hard work , Easton eventually developed several cool personal projects and earned himself a trip to the White House Science Fair in 2013 where he also met with the then-president Barrack Obama .
Funnily enough , meeting the President wasn ’ t the most important encounter for Easton during his stay at the Science Fair .
While he was there he also met a young girl with a prosthetic arm .
He got to talking with her and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only did the arm looked “ archaic ” with its simple grappling mechanism and uncomfortable design but it also cost the girl an unbelievable $ 80,000 !
Easton remembers thinking “ is this really her best available option ?
” “ I was shocked to learn how much it costs , especially realizing that she would soon outgrow it and it would become useless at that point , ” Easton said .
“ I couldn ’ t believe this was the best thing available for her , and that ’ s when I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ create something that provides physical utility.
” More than that , Easton also said he was driven to not only create something better but something more affordable as well .
“ That ’ s when I decided to dedicate my life to solving the affordability of prosthetic devices and creating technology that can impact someone ’ s life on a deep level .
There are over 40 million amputees worldwide , and only about 5 % of them have access to prosthetic devices .
It was just not acceptable to me and I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hard at work , Easton eventually managed to develop a crude but operational prototype with complex electronics and five working fingers , including an opposable thumb .
Not just that , but he also founded the company Unlimited Tomorrow in 2014 and through it raised $ 1,568M in just 30 days .
With that influx of cash , Easton and his colleagues from Unlimited Tomorrow managed to drastically improve his initial prototypes in every aspect – functionality , look & feel , as well as price .
“ We make a product called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an affordable , 3D-printed prosthetic limb that uses a special remote-fitting process that is personalized to your skin tone , shape , and size for the perfect fit.
” The price announced on the company ’ s website at the moment is just $ 7,995 or a $ 259 monthly payment plan .
This makes TrueLimb 10 times more affordable than the simple prosthetic used by the girl Easton encountered .
More than just affordable , the TrueLimb prosthetic also has custom-designed comfortable , breathable , and adjustable sockets , a multi-grip functionality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ multi-day battery life .
It can also come in a variety of skin colors .
“ Because of YouTube , ” he continued , “ I was able to turn my passion into a business that is having a positive impact on people ’ s lives.
” Easton ’ s story was quickly but beautifully summarized in the YouTube video below .
SHARE The Hope of a Better Tomorrow With Your Friends & Family…

The story of Easton LaChappelle isn’t just inspiring but has the potential to change the entire world. The young man learned electronics, software development, and robotics from YouTube videos and then used those skills to create affordable 3D prosthetics for amputees.
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Easton said in an interview with CNN that he’s always had a passion for electronics and for finding out how things work. Because his school had a limited budget, however, he was forced to look elsewhere to pursue his passion. This lead him to YouTube to look for guides and experiments to further his understanding of electronics, reading sensors, and even software interfaces.
After years of hard work, Easton eventually developed several cool personal projects and earned himself a trip to the White House Science Fair in 2013 where he also met with the then-president Barrack Obama.
Advertisement
Funnily enough, meeting the President wasn’t the most important encounter for Easton during his stay at the Science Fair. While he was there he also met a young girl with a prosthetic arm. He got to talking with her and was astonished to find out that not only did the arm looked “archaic” with its simple grappling mechanism and uncomfortable design but it also cost the girl an unbelievable $80,000!
Easton remembers thinking “is this really her best available option?” “I was shocked to learn how much it costs, especially realizing that she would soon outgrow it and it would become useless at that point,” Easton said. “I couldn’t believe this was the best thing available for her, and that’s when I decided to find out how I can create something that provides physical utility.”
More than that, Easton also said he was driven to not only create something better but something more affordable as well.
Advertisement
“That’s when I decided to dedicate my life to solving the affordability of prosthetic devices and creating technology that can impact someone’s life on a deep level.
There are over 40 million amputees worldwide, and only about 5% of them have access to prosthetic devices. It was just not acceptable to me and I wanted to do something about it.”
Hard at work, Easton eventually managed to develop a crude but operational prototype with complex electronics and five working fingers, including an opposable thumb. Not just that, but he also founded the company Unlimited Tomorrow in 2014 and through it raised $1,568M in just 30 days.
Advertisement
With that influx of cash, Easton and his colleagues from Unlimited Tomorrow managed to drastically improve his initial prototypes in every aspect – functionality, look & feel, as well as price.
“We make a product called TrueLimb,” says Easton, “an affordable, 3D-printed prosthetic limb that uses a special remote-fitting process that is personalized to your skin tone, shape, and size for the perfect fit.”
The price announced on the company’s website at the moment is just $7,995 or a $259 monthly payment plan. This makes TrueLimb 10 times more affordable than the simple prosthetic used by the girl Easton encountered.
Advertisement
More than just affordable, the TrueLimb prosthetic also has custom-designed comfortable, breathable, and adjustable sockets, a multi-grip functionality and individual finger control, and a multi-day battery life. It can also come in a variety of skin colors.
“Because of YouTube,” he continued, “I was able to turn my passion into a business that is having a positive impact on people’s lives.”
Easton’s story was quickly but beautifully summarized in the YouTube video below.
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Easton LaChappelle’s Story: Advancing Affordable and Accessible Prosthetics
Watch this video on YouTube
SHARE The Hope of a Better Tomorrow With Your Friends & Family…


dailyhealthpost--2020-09-04--Disney-like Scene of Woman Walking Next to All Kinds of Animals has People Mesmerized

Do you sometimes wish your life was a fairytale ?
While we can ’ t promise that you ’ ll find a prince on a white horse or a sleeping beauty , if you feed enough stray animals you can certainly recreate some of the iconic “ princess singing with animals ” scenes that Disney animations love so much .
For a case in point , check out this video captured by Twitter user @ cocukkilidi in Turkey .
In the video , we can see a lone woman walking on a narrow street followed by a procession of dozens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and lots of birds .
The Twitter user who captured and posted the video was Dilara İlter .
Dilara was just visiting her mother in Turkey when she saw the fairytale parade going on underneath their window .
Luckily , she managed to get plenty of footage but even if she hadn ’ t , her mother told her that this is actually a regular occurrence .
“ The moment I saw her walking like that , I thought she was a wizard or something , ” Dilara said .
“ My @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ the woman ] gathers stray animals around and feeds them.
” And indeed – when Dilara visited her mother again a year later , she managed to capture a second video of the same woman and many of the same animals following her .
“ The scene was so poetic , ” Dilara said .
“ I was amazed [ by ] how beautiful what she was doing for these animals.
” Even though these videos were captured several years ago , Dilara shared that the daily “ animal parade ” is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found her and talked to her but she was too shy to talk , ’ Dilara said .
“ The streets are full of food left out for animals .
It ’ s pretty common in Turkey actually .
Everybody loves stray animals here.
” While this seems almost magical to most westerners , it ’ s actually relatively common in Turkey .
As we found out in a recent story about a momma cat bringing her baby to a human hospital in Turkey , people there have a very different attitude toward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we spray and castrate stray animals to limit their populations in a humane way .
In Turkey , however , stray cats and dogs are all but celebrated as they help keep port cities like Istanbul free of pests .
That ’ s why people regularly feed them and take care of them .
This isn ’ t to say that everyone in Turkey always takes care of stray animals – there are always exceptions .
But by and large , the attitude toward strays over there is very different .

Do you sometimes wish your life was a fairytale? While we can’t promise that you’ll find a prince on a white horse or a sleeping beauty, if you feed enough stray animals you can certainly recreate some of the iconic “princess singing with animals” scenes that Disney animations love so much.
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For a case in point, check out this video captured by Twitter user @cocukkilidi in Turkey. In the video, we can see a lone woman walking on a narrow street followed by a procession of dozens of animals such as dogs, cats, and lots of birds.
Bu hanim her gun mahallede ne kadar hayvan varsa etrafina toplayip onlari doyuruyor. Kedi kopek karga hepsi sisko hahajd @MaltepeBelTr pic.twitter.com/f8r5UnDHUb — ☽ Dilere (@cocukkilidi) September 23, 2017
The Twitter user who captured and posted the video was Dilara İlter. Dilara was just visiting her mother in Turkey when she saw the fairytale parade going on underneath their window. Luckily, she managed to get plenty of footage but even if she hadn’t, her mother told her that this is actually a regular occurrence.
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“The moment I saw her walking like that, I thought she was a wizard or something,” Dilara said. “My mom told me that every other day [the woman] gathers stray animals around and feeds them.”
And indeed – when Dilara visited her mother again a year later, she managed to capture a second video of the same woman and many of the same animals following her.
Yine karsilastik 🙂 Gidip konusamadim ama bi gun denk gelicez seninle super kadin pic.twitter.com/9tPcvQhqOQ — ☽ Dilere (@cocukkilidi) June 26, 2018
“The scene was so poetic,” Dilara said. “I was amazed [by] how beautiful what she was doing for these animals.”
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Even though these videos were captured several years ago, Dilara shared that the daily “animal parade” is still going on.
“My mom found her and talked to her but she was too shy to talk,’ Dilara said. “The streets are full of food left out for animals. It’s pretty common in Turkey actually. Everybody loves stray animals here.”
While this seems almost magical to most westerners, it’s actually relatively common in Turkey. As we found out in a recent story about a momma cat bringing her baby to a human hospital in Turkey, people there have a very different attitude toward stray animals.
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In the West, we spray and castrate stray animals to limit their populations in a humane way. In Turkey, however, stray cats and dogs are all but celebrated as they help keep port cities like Istanbul free of pests. That’s why people regularly feed them and take care of them.
This isn’t to say that everyone in Turkey always takes care of stray animals – there are always exceptions. But by and large, the attitude toward strays over there is very different.


dailyhealthpost--2020-09-08--Breathtaking Iridescent Clouds Photographed In Rare Sighting on Siberia’s Belukha Mountain

People often romanticize wildlife .
Especially nature photographers , whether they ’ re professionals or amateurs .
And it does seem like an astonishing job – you travel the world , you see amazing sights , and you try to capture them with your camera so you can share the beauty with others .
This type of work also requires a lot of dedication and an unorthodox lifestyle – it ’ s not your typical nine-to-five office job .
This duality of the nature photographer ’ s life is very well exemplified by Svetlana Kazina who decided to uproot her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also managed to capture one of the most beautiful natural phenomenons there – cloud iridescence .
This stunning visual effect is caused by countless small water droplets or ice crystals in the clouds who are sufficiently far from one another to scatter light individually .
Essentially , each droplet is acting as a mini light prism , creating its own tiny rainbow .
And when you ’ ve got millions or billions of them in a giant cloud over the Siberian mountains – this happens .
It ’ s definitely not something you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better than anyone as she captured these photos on the Katun ridge in the Siberian Belukha mountains .
They are located in Russia ’ s Altai Krai region which itself is located in the central-south part of Russia in Asia , on the borders with Mongolia and Kazakhstan – not exactly a common destination even for tourists and mountain enthusiasts .
It does seem like a gorgeous place , however , especially if you love the peace and quiet that come with broad blue skies and tall scarcely-inhabited mountains .
According to Svetlana @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moved there from the big city with her two kids – to enjoy the nature of the region .
Instead of a modern inner-city apartment , she and her family now live in a wooden hut in the mountain village Uznezya in Altay Krai .
The hut itself was built nearly seven decades ago and has no running water , no heating , and no indoor toilet .
And Svetlana and her family seem perfectly happy there , surrounded by beautiful sights .
Even from the Uznezya village , however , Svetlana still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get to the Katun ridge and the Ak-Kem valley where she took those photos .
“ [ From where I live , ] it ’ s a one-day trip by car to a nearby village , after which the road ends .
Then , two days on foot or on horseback to the Ak-Kem valley and one more day to the foot of the Belukha mountain , ” Svetlana said .
“ I often visit the Belukha mountain just because I really love it and the whole Katun ridge.
” The mountains are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are tall as well .
Mount Belukha is 4,506 m or 14,783 ft tall and the two meteorological stations in the area are the Akkem weather station at 2050 m ( 6726 ft ) and Karaturek weather station at 2600 m ( 8530 ft ) .
Svetlana would often visit the two stations where she could enjoy not only the gorgeous sights but the company of meteorologists , helicopter pilots , and mountain rescuers .
“ This mountain is not just the highest peak in Siberia , but a beautiful natural monument and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I love it for its unusual beauty and power.
” It was during one of her frequent visits to the Belukha mountain when she noticed the cloud iridescent effect .
“ I captured the iridescent clouds on a frosty winter morning , standing on the frozen Ak-Kem lake , ” Svetlana said .
“ Iridescence is a fairly common phenomenon in our mountains .
When taking these cloud photos , I used a polarizing filter to make the formations even clearer.
” She did have to be quick as that gorgeous effect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , her Nikon D850 camera with Nikkor 28-300 lens managed quite well .
“ Firstly , the sun rose higher and higher , and it was getting too bright .
Secondly , I had to fly to the second weather station.
” Svetlana admitted that the quality of her equipment makes the colors a bit more vivid than they are but to the naked eye .
However , she reaffirms that the sight is almost as beautiful in person as well .
What makes the effect difficult to witness with a naked eye @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that you also have to shield your eyes from the sun .
And to further show that the beauty is not just caused by the equipment , Svetlana also took some photos with her phone ’ s camera .
Unlike the Nikon photos , these are less beautiful than “ the real thing ” but even a phone photo still shows how unique this effect is .
“ [ It was ] an amazingly big mother-of-pearl cloud which was colorful for roughly an hour , ” Svetlana said .
“ The colors grew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behind the horizon.
” If you want to see more of Svetlana ’ s photos from Altai Krai you can do so easily online as she shares new photos with her followers very often .
“ I photograph a lot when I ’ m in the mountains .
Therefore , I even created separate albums for the fluffy clouds , sun , and moon on my social media accounts.
” And these include Facebook , Instagram , and VKontakte .

People often romanticize wildlife. Especially nature photographers, whether they’re professionals or amateurs. And it does seem like an astonishing job – you travel the world, you see amazing sights, and you try to capture them with your camera so you can share the beauty with others.
Advertisement
This type of work also requires a lot of dedication and an unorthodox lifestyle – it’s not your typical nine-to-five office job. This duality of the nature photographer’s life is very well exemplified by Svetlana Kazina who decided to uproot her entire life and move to Siberia but also managed to capture one of the most beautiful natural phenomenons there – cloud iridescence.
This stunning visual effect is caused by countless small water droplets or ice crystals in the clouds who are sufficiently far from one another to scatter light individually. Essentially, each droplet is acting as a mini light prism, creating its own tiny rainbow. And when you’ve got millions or billions of them in a giant cloud over the Siberian mountains – this happens.
Advertisement
It’s definitely not something you can see anywhere and Svetlana knows that better than anyone as she captured these photos on the Katun ridge in the Siberian Belukha mountains. They are located in Russia’s Altai Krai region which itself is located in the central-south part of Russia in Asia, on the borders with Mongolia and Kazakhstan – not exactly a common destination even for tourists and mountain enthusiasts.
It does seem like a gorgeous place, however, especially if you love the peace and quiet that come with broad blue skies and tall scarcely-inhabited mountains.
According to Svetlana, that’s exactly why she moved there from the big city with her two kids – to enjoy the nature of the region. Instead of a modern inner-city apartment, she and her family now live in a wooden hut in the mountain village Uznezya in Altay Krai. The hut itself was built nearly seven decades ago and has no running water, no heating, and no indoor toilet. And Svetlana and her family seem perfectly happy there, surrounded by beautiful sights.
Advertisement
Even from the Uznezya village, however, Svetlana still has to travel quite a bit to get to the Katun ridge and the Ak-Kem valley where she took those photos.
“[From where I live,] it’s a one-day trip by car to a nearby village, after which the road ends. Then, two days on foot or on horseback to the Ak-Kem valley and one more day to the foot of the Belukha mountain,” Svetlana said. “I often visit the Belukha mountain just because I really love it and the whole Katun ridge.”
The mountains are not just remote and beautiful, they are tall as well. Mount Belukha is 4,506 m or 14,783 ft tall and the two meteorological stations in the area are the Akkem weather station at 2050 m (6726 ft) and Karaturek weather station at 2600 m (8530 ft). Svetlana would often visit the two stations where she could enjoy not only the gorgeous sights but the company of meteorologists, helicopter pilots, and mountain rescuers.
Advertisement
“This mountain is not just the highest peak in Siberia, but a beautiful natural monument and shrine of the Altai Mountains, too. I love it for its unusual beauty and power.”
It was during one of her frequent visits to the Belukha mountain when she noticed the cloud iridescent effect.
“I captured the iridescent clouds on a frosty winter morning, standing on the frozen Ak-Kem lake,” Svetlana said. “Iridescence is a fairly common phenomenon in our mountains. When taking these cloud photos, I used a polarizing filter to make the formations even clearer.”
Advertisement
She did have to be quick as that gorgeous effect didn’t last long. Thankfully, her Nikon D850 camera with Nikkor 28-300 lens managed quite well.
“Firstly, the sun rose higher and higher, and it was getting too bright. Secondly, I had to fly to the second weather station.”
Svetlana admitted that the quality of her equipment makes the colors a bit more vivid than they are but to the naked eye. However, she reaffirms that the sight is almost as beautiful in person as well. What makes the effect difficult to witness with a naked eye (apart from its rarity) is that you also have to shield your eyes from the sun.
Advertisement
And to further show that the beauty is not just caused by the equipment, Svetlana also took some photos with her phone’s camera. Unlike the Nikon photos, these are less beautiful than “the real thing” but even a phone photo still shows how unique this effect is.
“[It was] an amazingly big mother-of-pearl cloud which was colorful for roughly an hour,” Svetlana said. “The colors grew in intensity as the sun sank lower behind the horizon.”
If you want to see more of Svetlana’s photos from Altai Krai you can do so easily online as she shares new photos with her followers very often.
Advertisement
“I photograph a lot when I’m in the mountains. Therefore, I even created separate albums for the fluffy clouds, sun, and moon on my social media accounts.”
And these include Facebook, Instagram, and VKontakte.
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dailyhealthpost--2020-09-09--Cat Hangs Around Hospital For a Year, Ends Up Getting Hired As Security Guard

Having friendly coworkers can make your job more pleasant .
But what if your coworker wasn ’ t human , but a cat ?
Apparently , cat employees are now a thing at the Epworth Hospital in Richmond , Australia .
Meet Elwood , the now security guard at Epworth who makes sure law and order is present within hospital grounds .
It all started when colleague Chantel Trollip shared photos of Elwood and talked about him online .
Chantel is a Pathologist at the Epworth Hospital and noticed Elwood hanging in front of the hospital every day about a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very “ chill ” there , usually alternating between shady and sun-lit spots and he didn ’ t mind people ’ s attention at all .
On the contrary , Elwood loved getting pets from strangers .
Elwood didn ’ t have a collar the first several times Chantel noticed him and he seemed like a stray , even though his fur was in a generally good condition .
Later , however , she noticed that he had not only acquired a collar from somewhere but even had an Epworth Hospital ID badge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ID badge on him in June .
I was actually having a case of the sads that day , but seeing his ID badge turned my whole mood around !
” explained Chantel .
“ When I first saw him , he wasn ’ t wearing anything , so I assumed he was a stray .
Then someone put a collar and tag on him and now most recently he ’ s got his own ID badge , which is identical to our actual staff badges down to the call codes on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ friendly , but not overly affectionate .
He enjoys a good pat , but likes to keep things short and move around a fair bit .
He is on the security team , after all , has to make sure everyone coming and going gets checked , ” explained Chantel .
Is Elwood doing a “ good security job ” ?
Probably not , especially if an emergency happens .
But he seems really good at uplifting people ’ s moods by giving them the privilege to pet his fluffy orange-white fur .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible that Elwood is deterring crime through his cuteness alone .
“ I think any potential criminals are thwarted by his sweetness when passersby see him !
He has a very sweet chirp of a meow and I think anyone with any ill will would automatically change their plans upon hearing it and so I assume this is his way of getting the job done.
” And , as a slight twist in the story , it eventually turned out that Elwood isn ’ t a stray and lives across the road with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jake .
He just comes out to “ work ” every day .
“ He ’ s never really tried to get into the hospital , I think he ’ s too small to activate the automatic doors anyway , ” elaborated Chantel .
“ There is a kidney dish from the hospital that someone has turned into a water bowl for him.
” And while we hate to end this on a bit more serious note , it should be noted that cat owners in Australia are advised to not let their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ properties in Australia .
In fact , that ’ s expected to be codified into law soon .
The idea behind this expected ban is to protect the native wildlife in Australia to which cats present a major problem .
Still , we ’ d like to think that Elwood is not a part of this dark statistic .
After all , if he ’ s busy at work all day , he probably doesn ’ t have time to hunt birds .
And that badge with a bell on it probably hinders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while simultaneously boosting up his style points .

Having friendly coworkers can make your job more pleasant. But what if your coworker wasn’t human, but a cat? Apparently, cat employees are now a thing at the Epworth Hospital in Richmond, Australia.
Advertisement
Meet Elwood, the now security guard at Epworth who makes sure law and order is present within hospital grounds. It all started when colleague Chantel Trollip shared photos of Elwood and talked about him online. Chantel is a Pathologist at the Epworth Hospital and noticed Elwood hanging in front of the hospital every day about a year ago. The cat would seem very “chill” there, usually alternating between shady and sun-lit spots and he didn’t mind people’s attention at all. On the contrary, Elwood loved getting pets from strangers.
Elwood didn’t have a collar the first several times Chantel noticed him and he seemed like a stray, even though his fur was in a generally good condition. Later, however, she noticed that he had not only acquired a collar from somewhere but even had an Epworth Hospital ID badge on.
Advertisement
“I first noticed his ID badge on him in June. I was actually having a case of the sads that day, but seeing his ID badge turned my whole mood around!” explained Chantel. “When I first saw him, he wasn’t wearing anything, so I assumed he was a stray. Then someone put a collar and tag on him and now most recently he’s got his own ID badge, which is identical to our actual staff badges down to the call codes on the back.”
“He is lovely and friendly, but not overly affectionate. He enjoys a good pat, but likes to keep things short and move around a fair bit. He is on the security team, after all, has to make sure everyone coming and going gets checked,” explained Chantel.
Is Elwood doing a “good security job”? Probably not, especially if an emergency happens. But he seems really good at uplifting people’s moods by giving them the privilege to pet his fluffy orange-white fur. Although, Chantel believes it’s possible that Elwood is deterring crime through his cuteness alone.
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“I think any potential criminals are thwarted by his sweetness when passersby see him! He has a very sweet chirp of a meow and I think anyone with any ill will would automatically change their plans upon hearing it and so I assume this is his way of getting the job done.”
And, as a slight twist in the story, it eventually turned out that Elwood isn’t a stray and lives across the road with a nice family and his twin cat Jake. He just comes out to “work” every day.
“He’s never really tried to get into the hospital, I think he’s too small to activate the automatic doors anyway,” elaborated Chantel. “There is a kidney dish from the hospital that someone has turned into a water bowl for him.”
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And while we hate to end this on a bit more serious note, it should be noted that cat owners in Australia are advised to not let their cats wander outside of their owners’ properties in Australia. In fact, that’s expected to be codified into law soon. The idea behind this expected ban is to protect the native wildlife in Australia to which cats present a major problem.
Still, we’d like to think that Elwood is not a part of this dark statistic. After all, if he’s busy at work all day, he probably doesn’t have time to hunt birds. And that badge with a bell on it probably hinders his hunting success quite a bit too while simultaneously boosting up his style points.


dailyhealthpost--2020-09-11--Daisugi – Japan’s Forestry Technique That Produces High-Grade Lumber Without Cutting Down Trees

Most of us have heard about bonsai trees but there ’ s another ancient Japanese forestry technique that ’ s arguably more fascinating , beautiful , and even useful than bonsai and that ’ s daisugi .
Daisugi works on a similar principle to bonsai in that it involves heavy pruning of trees to “ guide ” their growth .
But while in bonsai that ’ s used to keep trees in a miniature size so they can be grown indoors as large flowers , the goal of daisugi is very different .
With daisugi , the forester or arborists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cedar trees – so heavily from a certain point , that instead of growing multiple branches in every direction it only grows a single or a few tall branches going straight up .
The tree is first grown to its large “ adult ” size , of course , and it ’ s allowed multiple branches in its lower half .
However , going upward , it ’ s pruned so that only 100 % vertical branches are grown .
The end result looks both amusing and captivating and daisugi is a treasured @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daisugi done , what is its benefit ?
Originally , the daisugi technique was developed around the 14th century in feudal Japan .
It was done because the island country had a much higher demand for high-quality lumber but not many wide forest regions .
Japan ’ s several islands are mostly full of high mountains so it couldn ’ t supply the lumber its people required .
Daisugi fixed that problem by allowing the Japanese people to get quality lumber without chopping off their forests .
Because with this technique you get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and very thick branches , the Japanese people were able to just chop the tall branches off the top of the trees as if they were tree trunks , and the trees underneath them would continue to grow .
This means that a single tree could give large , thick , and quality lumber every ~20 years while the tree itself would survive for centuries and won ’ t need to be replanted .
What ’ s even better is that the lumber from daisugi trees was 140 % more flexible and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cedars thanks to all the pruning .
If this sounds counter-intuitive , let us explain : By pruning the other branches of the tree the foresters don ’ t just “ clear ” room for a large single branch – they also allow the tree ’ s internal nutrients that would otherwise be enough for dozens of branches to all be used on a single “ super branch ” .
Essentially , they ’ d trick the tree to “ overfeed ” a single branch , making it grow much thicker , stronger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added benefit of all this is that the branch would be mostly devoid of any “ knots ” that are typical for wild trees , meaning that daisugi lumber requires less processing .
And , as Japanese culture has long favored wooden architecture over stone one because of the volatile climate in the region , daisugi lumber became a staple in Japanese architecture .
From standard wooden roofs to the wooden beams in the famous tea rooms in Kyoto , daisugi cedar lumber was a highly valuable commodity in Japan for centuries .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ The demand for lumber dropped off in Japan in the 16th century but daisugi trees were already popular enough for arborists to keep pruning Japanese cedars in this manner .
Ornamental outdoor gardens with daisugi trees also remained very popular for centuries and are why we can see daisugi trees even today .
In the wild , former daisugi cedars that have been allowed to grow unpruned have also created some very fascinating forests .
The forests that cover Kyoto ’ s northern hillscape , for example , are especially gorgeous .
Is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ today or does it have a strictly ornamental purpose ?
Today , in Japan and elsewhere around the world , daisugi is only used for ornamental gardens .
However , it is a viable question as to whether it can be used for lumber today and more and more people are making that argument .
While worldwide we have plenty of flat lands that are suitable for forestry , we also have disastrous deforestation problems .
And since maintaining wide and healthy forest areas around the world is crucial for maintaining a healthy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climate experts have been looking for .
The problem , however , is obvious – the lumber industry is highly conservative and doesn ’ t accept change very well .
And switching from the current model of cutting everything down and replanting forests only occasionally when the government makes them to daisugi will be difficult for the lumber industry .
Here are the basic pros and cons of adopting daisugi as a mass forestry technique .
• Very high-quality lumber that ’ s much denser and more flexible than ordinary lumber .
• @ @ @ @ @ @ @ processing .
• Sustainable forests that don ’ t need to be cut down and replanted .
• Incalculably enormous environmental benefits as forests worldwide will be in a much healthier state .
• As implementing the daisugi arborist technique worldwide would require extra man hours ( we ’ ll mention that as a con below too ) , this may open lots of additional well-paying jobs in a time of increasing low-pay jobs and poverty .
• The daisugi technique requires time and effort .
Expertly pruning each tree so that it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lumber industry prefers not to invest in .
This will include both a lot of know-how training as well as a lot of investments .
• The previous point will likely also mean an increased cost of lumber-derivative products such as furniture , paper , etc .
• Not all trees are as suitable for daisugi as the Japanese cedars .
So , some types of lumber will either become rarer or the deforestation effect of the lumber industry will continue .
• The decisive con , however , is that this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and unorthodox for western lumber companies in particular and that alone would be a deal-breaker for most of them .
Unfortunately , most industries across the world are not yet ready to comply with the environmental needs of our planet and the lumber industry is no exception .

Most of us have heard about bonsai trees but there’s another ancient Japanese forestry technique that’s arguably more fascinating, beautiful, and even useful than bonsai and that’s daisugi.
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Daisugi works on a similar principle to bonsai in that it involves heavy pruning of trees to “guide” their growth. But while in bonsai that’s used to keep trees in a miniature size so they can be grown indoors as large flowers, the goal of daisugi is very different.
With daisugi, the forester or arborists will prune the tree – traditionally Japanese cedar trees – so heavily from a certain point, that instead of growing multiple branches in every direction it only grows a single or a few tall branches going straight up.
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The tree is first grown to its large “adult” size, of course, and it’s allowed multiple branches in its lower half. However, going upward, it’s pruned so that only 100% vertical branches are grown. The end result looks both amusing and captivating and daisugi is a treasured part of Japanese arboriculture.
Why is daisugi done, what is its benefit?
Originally, the daisugi technique was developed around the 14th century in feudal Japan. It was done because the island country had a much higher demand for high-quality lumber but not many wide forest regions. Japan’s several islands are mostly full of high mountains so it couldn’t supply the lumber its people required.
Daisugi fixed that problem by allowing the Japanese people to get quality lumber without chopping off their forests. Because with this technique you get lots of very tall, very straight, and very thick branches, the Japanese people were able to just chop the tall branches off the top of the trees as if they were tree trunks, and the trees underneath them would continue to grow.
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This means that a single tree could give large, thick, and quality lumber every ~20 years while the tree itself would survive for centuries and won’t need to be replanted.
What’s even better is that the lumber from daisugi trees was 140% more flexible and 200% stronger and denser than regular cedars thanks to all the pruning. If this sounds counter-intuitive, let us explain:
By pruning the other branches of the tree the foresters don’t just “clear” room for a large single branch – they also allow the tree’s internal nutrients that would otherwise be enough for dozens of branches to all be used on a single “super branch”. Essentially, they’d trick the tree to “overfeed” a single branch, making it grow much thicker, stronger, taller, and straighter.
Advertisement
An added benefit of all this is that the branch would be mostly devoid of any “knots” that are typical for wild trees, meaning that daisugi lumber requires less processing.
And, as Japanese culture has long favored wooden architecture over stone one because of the volatile climate in the region, daisugi lumber became a staple in Japanese architecture. From standard wooden roofs to the wooden beams in the famous tea rooms in Kyoto, daisugi cedar lumber was a highly valuable commodity in Japan for centuries.
Is daisugi still as widely used?
The demand for lumber dropped off in Japan in the 16th century but daisugi trees were already popular enough for arborists to keep pruning Japanese cedars in this manner. Ornamental outdoor gardens with daisugi trees also remained very popular for centuries and are why we can see daisugi trees even today.
Advertisement
In the wild, former daisugi cedars that have been allowed to grow unpruned have also created some very fascinating forests. The forests that cover Kyoto’s northern hillscape, for example, are especially gorgeous.
Kitayama Cedars 北山杉 Forest Industry of Kyoto（英語字幕付き）with English Subtitle
Watch this video on YouTube
Is daisugi a viable forestry technique for lumber today or does it have a strictly ornamental purpose?
Today, in Japan and elsewhere around the world, daisugi is only used for ornamental gardens. However, it is a viable question as to whether it can be used for lumber today and more and more people are making that argument.
While worldwide we have plenty of flat lands that are suitable for forestry, we also have disastrous deforestation problems. And since maintaining wide and healthy forest areas around the world is crucial for maintaining a healthy climate, daisugi might be the answer climate experts have been looking for.
Advertisement
The problem, however, is obvious – the lumber industry is highly conservative and doesn’t accept change very well. And switching from the current model of cutting everything down and replanting forests only occasionally when the government makes them to daisugi will be difficult for the lumber industry.
Here are the basic pros and cons of adopting daisugi as a mass forestry technique.
Pros:
Very high-quality lumber that’s much denser and more flexible than ordinary lumber.
Straighter and clearer lumber that requires less processing.
Sustainable forests that don’t need to be cut down and replanted.
Incalculably enormous environmental benefits as forests worldwide will be in a much healthier state.
Fantastically beautiful forests.
As implementing the daisugi arborist technique worldwide would require extra man hours (we’ll mention that as a con below too), this may open lots of additional well-paying jobs in a time of increasing low-pay jobs and poverty.
Cons:
The daisugi technique requires time and effort. Expertly pruning each tree so that it grows the right way will take manhours the lumber industry prefers not to invest in. This will include both a lot of know-how training as well as a lot of investments.
The previous point will likely also mean an increased cost of lumber-derivative products such as furniture, paper, etc.
Not all trees are as suitable for daisugi as the Japanese cedars. So, some types of lumber will either become rarer or the deforestation effect of the lumber industry will continue.
The decisive con, however, is that this would simply be something new, unfamiliar, and unorthodox for western lumber companies in particular and that alone would be a deal-breaker for most of them. Unfortunately, most industries across the world are not yet ready to comply with the environmental needs of our planet and the lumber industry is no exception.


dailyhealthpost--2020-09-14--All of Africa Finally Declared “Free” of Wild Polio

Through decades of hard work and countless sacrifices , Africa has finally been declared free of wild polio , according to the Africa Regional Certification Commission !
In a year dominated by news surrounding one particular disease , it ’ s easy for mainstream media to ignore or gloss over other medical and disease-related news .
But this polio news is too big of a victory to ignore .
The World Health Organization may have gotten some flack over their handling of the coronavirus pandemic but theirs ’ and other organizations ’ contribution to the eradication of wild polio can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ polio ?
Polio or poliomyelitis is a virus that attacks people ’ s nervous systems .
It easily spread from person to person , usually through contaminated water .
As a neurological virus , it often leads to paralysis and in some cases – death if the paralysis affects the victim ’ s breathing muscles .
There are no effective cures for polio so the burden of defeating the disease fell on vaccines .
Fortunately , good and very cheap vaccines with no significant side effects were effective enough to rid the continent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time polio affects children under five so it was important for kids all across the continent to be vaccinated as soon as possible .
There were three naturally-occurring strains of the polio virus with two of them already eradicated – one in 1999 and one in 2012 .
The last , strain called “ wild polio ” is the one that was also defeated recently with Nigeria being the last African country to finally defeat the virus .
Wild polio still exists worldwide , however , as Afganistan and Pakistan still have recorded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exist anywhere in the world , countries worldwide will still be at risk of contracting the disease again .
There is a fourth strain of the virus too , which is vaccine-derived polio .
There are 177 cases of it in Africa at the moment but this virus is different from the wild polio virus .
It ’ s a polio virus that mutated from the oral polio vaccine and can spread through under-immunized communities .
This is the only significant side-effect of the wild polio vaccine but it pales in comparison with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suffered from wild polio until now .
Since 1996 the oral wild polio vaccine has prevented an estimated 1.8 million cases of wild poliomyelitis .
How was this success achieved ?
The fight against polio started all the way back in 1952 .
Since there was no cure , the first vaccines for the virus were developed back then by Dr. Jonas Salk .
In 1961 , Albert Sabin pioneered the oral wild polio vaccine that ’ s been used almost everywhere around the world to this day .
In the early days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was slow .
By 1996 there were still 75,000 paralyzed children across all of Africa .
It was then that Nelson Mandela launched the “ Kick Polio Out of Africa ” program .
This program was crucial as it helped to mobilize millions of health workers all across Africa to go from one village to the next , delivering vaccines by hand .
The program was backed by many groups and institutions around the time , many of which had been working against the polio virus for decades before Mandela ’ s program @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fight against polio has become the biggest public-private partnership for public health in the world .
A huge contributing factor , especially over the last decade , came from polio survivors who ’ ve worked tirelessly to inform their communities about the dangers of this virus .
Misbahu Lawan Didi , president of the Nigerian Polio Survivors Association says that survivors of the disease have played a huge role in convincing their countrymen of just how important the vaccine is .
“ Many rejected the polio vaccine , but they see how much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crawling large distances , to speak to them , ” Misbahu said .
“ We ask them : ‘ Don ’ t you think it is important for you to protect your child not to be like us ? '
” There were a lot of setbacks since 1996 , most of them due to misinformation from religious leaders and anti-vax movements , as well as terrorist groups .
Slowly but surely , however , health workers continued working and risking ( and often losing ) their lives to spread the vaccine to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Why did it take so long ?
There are many problems when it comes to vaccinating an entire continent – some were clear and ever-present , others came quite unexpectedly and also slowed the progress .
The key issue was that many communities in Africa were very distant and difficult to reach .
Not only that but even after going there , health workers often had problems convincing people why the vaccine was important .
Aside from these expected difficulties , the numerous insurrections , military coups , changes in government and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contributed to the slowing of the progress .
For example , several years ago Nigeria had gone through 2 years with no recorded polio cases .
However , the Islamic Boko Haram insurrection in 2016 cut off a large portion of the country from health workers which made delivering the oral wild polio vaccine impossible for a long time .
This , in turn , meant a new spike in polio cases and made Nigeria the last country in the continent to be officially cleared of the virus .
Similar conflicts around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Boko Haram insurrection alone had displaced over 2 million people , making it even harder for health workers to do their job .
Still , they persevered .
95 % of the frontline were women and they managed to navigate the conflict areas through mountain routes or by boat through lakes and rivers such as Lake Chad .
This allowed them to slowly but surely deliver the vaccine to even the most remote communities .
Even outside militant insurrections , mere rumors and misinformation also made the vaccinations more difficult .
For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Muslim religious leaders in Kano and other northern states declared that the polio vaccine included “ anti-fertility agents ” , designed to make Muslim women infertile .
They believed this was an American plot to reduce Muslim communities .
Extensive laboratory testing by Nigerian scientists dismissed the false accusations .
Nevertheless , the damage was already done and the rumor persisted for over a decade .
In 2013 nine female health workers who were vaccinating kids in health centers in Kano were killed in two separate shootings .
Both incidents were credited to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problems like these , the vaccination efforts have taken over half a century – much more than they needed to .
Still , this year ’ s success is to be celebrated .
As we ’ ve seen in recent years , anti-vax movements are fully capable of resurrecting long-gone and deadly diseases with nothing more than a Twitter account .
So , technically , even if and when wild polio is defeated worldwide , there ’ s still going to be a danger of resurgence .
But we ’ re not even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actively spreading in Afganistan and Pakistan , a reemergence in African or other countries worldwide can be as easy as one tourist taking a trip there .
That ’ s exactly what happened in Angola in 2005 , for example .
Despite the civil war that was still raging in the country at the time , health workers managed to defeat the disease in 2001 , only for it to return from an unknown foreign source four years later .
This is very much why institutions like the World Health Organization reaffirm that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccination efforts to continue .
That , plus continuous surveillance efforts is the only thing that can prevent the reemergence of any strain of the poliomyelitis virus .

Through decades of hard work and countless sacrifices, Africa has finally been declared free of wild polio, according to the Africa Regional Certification Commission!
Advertisement
In a year dominated by news surrounding one particular disease, it’s easy for mainstream media to ignore or gloss over other medical and disease-related news. But this polio news is too big of a victory to ignore. The World Health Organization may have gotten some flack over their handling of the coronavirus pandemic but theirs’ and other organizations’ contribution to the eradication of wild polio cannot be understated.
What exactly is polio?
Polio or poliomyelitis is a virus that attacks people’s nervous systems. It easily spread from person to person, usually through contaminated water. As a neurological virus, it often leads to paralysis and in some cases – death if the paralysis affects the victim’s breathing muscles.
Advertisement
There are no effective cures for polio so the burden of defeating the disease fell on vaccines. Fortunately, good and very cheap vaccines with no significant side effects were effective enough to rid the continent of the disease. Most of the time polio affects children under five so it was important for kids all across the continent to be vaccinated as soon as possible.
There were three naturally-occurring strains of the polio virus with two of them already eradicated – one in 1999 and one in 2012. The last, strain called “wild polio” is the one that was also defeated recently with Nigeria being the last African country to finally defeat the virus.
Wild polio still exists worldwide, however, as Afganistan and Pakistan still have recorded cases. Until wild polio ceases to exist anywhere in the world, countries worldwide will still be at risk of contracting the disease again.
Advertisement
There is a fourth strain of the virus too, which is vaccine-derived polio. There are 177 cases of it in Africa at the moment but this virus is different from the wild polio virus. It’s a polio virus that mutated from the oral polio vaccine and can spread through under-immunized communities.
This is the only significant side-effect of the wild polio vaccine but it pales in comparison with the millions of people who’ve suffered from wild polio until now. Since 1996 the oral wild polio vaccine has prevented an estimated 1.8 million cases of wild poliomyelitis.
How was this success achieved?
The fight against polio started all the way back in 1952. Since there was no cure, the first vaccines for the virus were developed back then by Dr. Jonas Salk. In 1961, Albert Sabin pioneered the oral wild polio vaccine that’s been used almost everywhere around the world to this day.
Advertisement
In the early days of spreading the vaccine, the progress was slow. By 1996 there were still 75,000 paralyzed children across all of Africa. It was then that Nelson Mandela launched the “Kick Polio Out of Africa” program. This program was crucial as it helped to mobilize millions of health workers all across Africa to go from one village to the next, delivering vaccines by hand.
The program was backed by many groups and institutions around the time, many of which had been working against the polio virus for decades before Mandela’s program was created. Since then, the fight against polio has become the biggest public-private partnership for public health in the world.
A huge contributing factor, especially over the last decade, came from polio survivors who’ve worked tirelessly to inform their communities about the dangers of this virus.
Advertisement
Misbahu Lawan Didi, president of the Nigerian Polio Survivors Association says that survivors of the disease have played a huge role in convincing their countrymen of just how important the vaccine is.
“Many rejected the polio vaccine, but they see how much we struggle to reach them, sometimes crawling large distances, to speak to them,” Misbahu said. “We ask them: ‘Don’t you think it is important for you to protect your child not to be like us?'”
There were a lot of setbacks since 1996, most of them due to misinformation from religious leaders and anti-vax movements, as well as terrorist groups. Slowly but surely, however, health workers continued working and risking (and often losing) their lives to spread the vaccine to the most remote places on the continent.
Advertisement
Why did it take so long?
There are many problems when it comes to vaccinating an entire continent – some were clear and ever-present, others came quite unexpectedly and also slowed the progress.
The key issue was that many communities in Africa were very distant and difficult to reach. Not only that but even after going there, health workers often had problems convincing people why the vaccine was important.
Aside from these expected difficulties, the numerous insurrections, military coups, changes in government and policies, and so on, also contributed to the slowing of the progress. For example, several years ago Nigeria had gone through 2 years with no recorded polio cases. However, the Islamic Boko Haram insurrection in 2016 cut off a large portion of the country from health workers which made delivering the oral wild polio vaccine impossible for a long time. This, in turn, meant a new spike in polio cases and made Nigeria the last country in the continent to be officially cleared of the virus.
Advertisement
Similar conflicts around the continent also contributed to the problem. The Boko Haram insurrection alone had displaced over 2 million people, making it even harder for health workers to do their job.
Still, they persevered. 95% of the frontline were women and they managed to navigate the conflict areas through mountain routes or by boat through lakes and rivers such as Lake Chad. This allowed them to slowly but surely deliver the vaccine to even the most remote communities.
Even outside militant insurrections, mere rumors and misinformation also made the vaccinations more difficult. For example, in 2003 a number of Muslim religious leaders in Kano and other northern states declared that the polio vaccine included “anti-fertility agents”, designed to make Muslim women infertile. They believed this was an American plot to reduce Muslim communities. Extensive laboratory testing by Nigerian scientists dismissed the false accusations.
Advertisement
Nevertheless, the damage was already done and the rumor persisted for over a decade. In 2013 nine female health workers who were vaccinating kids in health centers in Kano were killed in two separate shootings. Both incidents were credited to Boko Haram.
Because of many other problems like these, the vaccination efforts have taken over half a century – much more than they needed to. Still, this year’s success is to be celebrated.
Is polio gone forever?
As we’ve seen in recent years, anti-vax movements are fully capable of resurrecting long-gone and deadly diseases with nothing more than a Twitter account. So, technically, even if and when wild polio is defeated worldwide, there’s still going to be a danger of resurgence. But we’re not even there yet.
Advertisement
With wild polio still actively spreading in Afganistan and Pakistan, a reemergence in African or other countries worldwide can be as easy as one tourist taking a trip there. That’s exactly what happened in Angola in 2005, for example. Despite the civil war that was still raging in the country at the time, health workers managed to defeat the disease in 2001, only for it to return from an unknown foreign source four years later. This is very much why institutions like the World Health Organization reaffirm that it’s very important for the vaccination efforts to continue. That, plus continuous surveillance efforts is the only thing that can prevent the reemergence of any strain of the poliomyelitis virus.


dailyhealthpost--2020-09-17--Painting Eyes On The Butts Of Cattle Surprisingly Effective At Scaring Off Would-Be Predators

Cats are incredibly smart animals .
Maybe not quite as much as dogs , at least not in the same way but they are smart nonetheless .
So , it ’ s especially funny to see that farmers and scientists from Botswana and Australia were able to deter big-cat predators such as lions and leopards from attacking cattle by just… painting eyes on the cows ’ butts .
The initiative wasn ’ t just the spontaneous idea of several farmers .
It was a purposeful experiment conducted by researchers from the University of New South Wales in Australia , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Predator Conservation .
The research was conducted with the help of several Botswana farmers in the Okavango delta region of the country and the results were published in the Nature Communications Biology journal .
The premise of the study was built on the idea that most big cats – which are the main cattle predators in Botswana – are “ ambush predators ” .
Whether lions , leopards , or cheetahs , every big cat is always looking for the element of surprise when it hunts .
That ’ s because hunting is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the big cats make sure they are as conservative about approaching a hunt as possible – exerting energy on an unsuccessful hunt is often detrimental for predators .
According to most wildlife statistics , cheetahs have a ~50 % success rate when hunting , leopards – ~38 % , and lions – ~25 % .
Cheetahs exert much more energy than the others , however , and lions usually hunt in packs .
For all three big cats , however , attacking prey that sees you is often an unjustified risk .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the joint UNSW Science and Taronga Western Plains Zoo study explained it in a statement like this : “ Lions are ambush predators that rely on stalking , and therefore the element of surprise , so being seen by their prey can lead to them abandoning the hunt .
We tested whether we could hack into this response to reduce livestock losses , potentially protecting lions and livelihoods at the same time.
” The study was conducted in a fascinatingly simple way – the researchers and farmers painted big , colorful eyes on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and left others unmarked .
Some of the cows that received the “ makeover ” also got crosses on their behinds rather than eyespots .
This allowed the researchers to see just how effective the eyespots are compared to other markings or the absence of markings .
And the results ?
In the four years of the study , not a single cow with eyespots on its butt was attacked , only four cows with crosses were attacked , and 15 unmarked cows became victims of the predators .
These numbers are from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should also be noted that these 19 attacks are lower than the expected average for 15 herds in a 4-years period which means that the painted cows likely “ protected ” the unpainted ones with their mere presence .
What ’ s curious is that the cross markings also seem to have been effective .
That ’ s strange as they do not represent eyes so it ’ s likely that the predators avoided them simply because they looked “ strange ” and “ different ” from what they were used to .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ % of predatory attacks in the area ( not just for these 15 herds ) were conducted by lions , 13 % – by leopards , and ~5 % – by wild dogs .
All this is both an innovative and a very common technique .
Eye mimicry is used by many different species of butterflies and birds to deter predators .
It isn ’ t naturally present in any mammal species which is strange given that it was just proven to be effective for mammals as well .
The reason for this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because of how insects and birds use eye mimicry and how the researchers used it .
With birds and butterflies , the main goal of eye mimicry is to trick the predator into thinking the prey is much bigger than it actually is .
Because the eyespots on the wings of these species are usually significantly bigger than their own eyes , they create the illusion of a giant face .
This , in turn , confuses the predators into thinking they ’ re just seeing the large head of an animal and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent experiment in Botswana , the “ artificial eye mimicry ” worked in a different way .
The lions , leopards , and wild dogs weren ’ t confused about the size of the cattle – both cats and dogs are smart enough to discern the size of a cow accurately regardless of the markings on its coat .
However , the eyespots most likely just made them feel “ watched ” which is a deterrent because these predators try not to attack when they feel the prey is watching them .
Still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confuses the researchers .
“ While these results do support our initial hunch that creating the perception that the predator had been seen by the prey would lead it to abandon the hunt – the detection hypothesis – there were also some surprises , ” Dr. Jordan said .
“ Cattle marked with simple crosses were significantly more likely to survive than were un-marked cattle from the same herd .
Although eye-marked cattle were more likely to survive than the other groups , this general ‘ conspicuousness ’ effect suggests that novel cross-marks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which was unexpected.
” How important is this research going to end up being ?
A lot and not enough – depending on your point of view .
For Botswana , the cattle industry is crucial .
The south African country has been making big strides in improving its agricultural industry and ~80 % of that comes from livestock production .
These efforts are vital for the country because for the past several decades it has been overly reliant on its diamond industry as it contributes for ~35 % if the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t doing too bad , especially compared to other African countries – the small landlocked country has seen decades of a stable multi-party democracy , an almost uninterrupted economic growth , a relative lack of corruption , and a good human rights record .
However , a lot of that is due to its diamond production .
Ever since the Kimberley Process Accords from 2003 which restricted the use of “ blood diamonds ” ( diamonds from zones of military conflicts and areas with known human rights violations ) in the diamond industry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or “ bloodless ” diamonds such as Botswana have seen an economic growth .
And that ’ s great in and of itself , however , no economy can be truly “ safe ” as long as it relies too much on a single revenue stream .
That ’ s an age-old economics fact that countries like Venezuela ( and its overreliance on oil ) often learn the hard way .
So , Botswana is smartly looking to expand its other industries .
The country is facing troubles when it comes to its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ desert climate and ancestral land conflicts with the native bushmen present two more problems in addition to the presence of wildlife predators such as lions , leopards , and wild dogs .
For some perspective , according to a census from 2019 , the African country ’ s cattle population has dropped from 2.5 million in 2011 to 1.7 million in 2015 due to droughts , reduction of grasslands , and predator attacks .
So , is painting eyes on the butts of cows going to save Botswana ’ s livestock industry ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , however ?
Yes , it will .
And it will do so at almost no economical cost as it ’ s a very easy and inexpensive solution .
And , it ’ s something that many other countries around the world can implement too if they face problems with livestock predators .

Cats are incredibly smart animals. Maybe not quite as much as dogs, at least not in the same way but they are smart nonetheless. So, it’s especially funny to see that farmers and scientists from Botswana and Australia were able to deter big-cat predators such as lions and leopards from attacking cattle by just… painting eyes on the cows’ butts.
Advertisement
A simple yet effective experiment
The initiative wasn’t just the spontaneous idea of several farmers. It was a purposeful experiment conducted by researchers from the University of New South Wales in Australia, the Taronga Conservation Society Australia, and Botswana Predator Conservation. The research was conducted with the help of several Botswana farmers in the Okavango delta region of the country and the results were published in the Nature Communications Biology journal.
The premise of the study was built on the idea that most big cats – which are the main cattle predators in Botswana – are “ambush predators”. Whether lions, leopards, or cheetahs, every big cat is always looking for the element of surprise when it hunts. That’s because hunting is a very energy-inefficient way to acquire food and the big cats make sure they are as conservative about approaching a hunt as possible – exerting energy on an unsuccessful hunt is often detrimental for predators.
Advertisement
According to most wildlife statistics, cheetahs have a ~50% success rate when hunting, leopards – ~38%, and lions – ~25%. Cheetahs exert much more energy than the others, however, and lions usually hunt in packs. For all three big cats, however, attacking prey that sees you is often an unjustified risk.
Dr. Neil Jordan, a researcher in the joint UNSW Science and Taronga Western Plains Zoo study explained it in a statement like this: “Lions are ambush predators that rely on stalking, and therefore the element of surprise, so being seen by their prey can lead to them abandoning the hunt. We tested whether we could hack into this response to reduce livestock losses, potentially protecting lions and livelihoods at the same time.”
The study was conducted in a fascinatingly simple way – the researchers and farmers painted big, colorful eyes on the butts of some of their cows and left others unmarked. Some of the cows that received the “makeover” also got crosses on their behinds rather than eyespots. This allowed the researchers to see just how effective the eyespots are compared to other markings or the absence of markings.
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And the results? In the four years of the study, not a single cow with eyespots on its butt was attacked, only four cows with crosses were attacked, and 15 unmarked cows became victims of the predators. These numbers are from 15 different herds of cattle. It should also be noted that these 19 attacks are lower than the expected average for 15 herds in a 4-years period which means that the painted cows likely “protected” the unpainted ones with their mere presence.
What’s curious is that the cross markings also seem to have been effective. That’s strange as they do not represent eyes so it’s likely that the predators avoided them simply because they looked “strange” and “different” from what they were used to.
As for the predators themselves, ~82% of predatory attacks in the area (not just for these 15 herds) were conducted by lions, 13% – by leopards, and ~5% – by wild dogs.
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Eye mimicry
All this is both an innovative and a very common technique. Eye mimicry is used by many different species of butterflies and birds to deter predators. It isn’t naturally present in any mammal species which is strange given that it was just proven to be effective for mammals as well. The reason for this seeming “evolutionary oversight” may be because of how insects and birds use eye mimicry and how the researchers used it.
With birds and butterflies, the main goal of eye mimicry is to trick the predator into thinking the prey is much bigger than it actually is. Because the eyespots on the wings of these species are usually significantly bigger than their own eyes, they create the illusion of a giant face. This, in turn, confuses the predators into thinking they’re just seeing the large head of an animal and not a small prey.
With the recent experiment in Botswana, the “artificial eye mimicry” worked in a different way. The lions, leopards, and wild dogs weren’t confused about the size of the cattle – both cats and dogs are smart enough to discern the size of a cow accurately regardless of the markings on its coat. However, the eyespots most likely just made them feel “watched” which is a deterrent because these predators try not to attack when they feel the prey is watching them.
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Still, the effectiveness of the cross marks confuses the researchers.
“While these results do support our initial hunch that creating the perception that the predator had been seen by the prey would lead it to abandon the hunt – the detection hypothesis – there were also some surprises,” Dr. Jordan said.
“Cattle marked with simple crosses were significantly more likely to survive than were un-marked cattle from the same herd. Although eye-marked cattle were more likely to survive than the other groups, this general ‘conspicuousness’ effect suggests that novel cross-marks were better than no marks at all, which was unexpected.”
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How important is this research going to end up being?
A lot and not enough – depending on your point of view.
For Botswana, the cattle industry is crucial. The south African country has been making big strides in improving its agricultural industry and ~80% of that comes from livestock production. These efforts are vital for the country because for the past several decades it has been overly reliant on its diamond industry as it contributes for ~35% if the country’s GDP.
Botswana isn’t doing too bad, especially compared to other African countries – the small landlocked country has seen decades of a stable multi-party democracy, an almost uninterrupted economic growth, a relative lack of corruption, and a good human rights record. However, a lot of that is due to its diamond production.
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Ever since the Kimberley Process Accords from 2003 which restricted the use of “blood diamonds” (diamonds from zones of military conflicts and areas with known human rights violations) in the diamond industry, the countries producing “clean” or “bloodless” diamonds such as Botswana have seen an economic growth. And that’s great in and of itself, however, no economy can be truly “safe” as long as it relies too much on a single revenue stream. That’s an age-old economics fact that countries like Venezuela (and its overreliance on oil) often learn the hard way.
So, Botswana is smartly looking to expand its other industries. The country is facing troubles when it comes to its agriculture and livestock production. The harsh desert climate and ancestral land conflicts with the native bushmen present two more problems in addition to the presence of wildlife predators such as lions, leopards, and wild dogs. For some perspective, according to a census from 2019, the African country’s cattle population has dropped from 2.5 million in 2011 to 1.7 million in 2015 due to droughts, reduction of grasslands, and predator attacks.
So, is painting eyes on the butts of cows going to save Botswana’s livestock industry? No. Is it going to help, however? Yes, it will. And it will do so at almost no economical cost as it’s a very easy and inexpensive solution. And, it’s something that many other countries around the world can implement too if they face problems with livestock predators.
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dailyhealthpost--2020-09-16--Carpenter from Iowa Secretly Leaves Behind Millions to Send 33 Kids to College for Free

We ’ re often told by economists that money shouldn ’ t just be “ saved ” but should be reinvested .
Keeping money out of use just isn ’ t a good way to get the most out of it .
And that ’ s true , however , it doesn ’ t mean that you can ’ t just save a nice sum of money either .
If your lifestyle isn ’ t overly complicated and expensive , even with a blue-collar job you can save a lot of money , like Dale Schroeder .
Dale started out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ monetary inheritance .
He worked as a carpenter for the same business all his life and led a simple , quiet life .
It should be said that he never married nor had any kids which is a rather key detail regarding his finances .
Dale also had a secret , however .
A secret he eventually shared with his attorney and good friend , Steve Nielsen .
“ He was very quiet .
Dale was shy.
” Nielsen said , adding as an example that Dale only owned two pairs of jeans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work jeans.
” Nielsen thought he knew Dale pretty well until one day his carpenter friend waltzed into his office and shared something extraordinary with him .
“ I never got the opportunity to go to college so I ’ d like to help kids go to college.
” Dale told him .
And after Nielsen asked him just how much money Dale could donate for this cause , he got the answer – “ Oh , just shy of $ 3 million.
” “ I nearly fell out of my chair , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t have any living relatives , putting things into practice wasn ’ t even that difficult .
All Dale wanted to do with his 3 million ( and his old , rusty Chevy truck ) was send Iowa kids to college .
“ He wanted to help kids that were like him , that probably wouldn ’ t have the opportunity to go to college , ” Nielsen elaborated .
Dale Schroeder passed away in 2005 at the age of 84 .
33 Iowa kids went to college for free thanks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as Kira Conard – a child of a single-parent home that also had three older siblings , all sisters .
Without Dale , Kira Conard and others like her wouldn ’ t have had the chance to go to college .
She had the grades to become a therapist but she didn ’ t have the money .
“ ( It ) almost made me feel powerless .
I want to do this , I have this goal , but I can ’ t get there , just because of the financial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Steve Nielsen called her one day and changed her future with Dale ’ s savings .
“ For a man that would never meet me , to give me , basically , a full ride to college… that ’ s incredible .
That doesn ’ t happen , ” Kira still finds it hard to believe .
And even though Dale never married , even though his obituary said he didn ’ t have any kids , a recent reunion of 33 teachers , doctors , and therapists proved otherwise .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but sent to college gathered for a lunch in Dale ’ s honor and dubbed themselves “ Dale ’ s kids ” .
The 33 “ kids ” , now educated adults with successful careers and children of their own , talked and laughed , and reminisced about how much Dale had changed their lives .
And the main thing Steve Nielsen reminded them of was Dale ’ s only “ condition ” for his 3 million gift – “ Pay it forward.
” Financially or otherwise , Dale wished that “ his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help others too .
“ You can remember him and you can emulate him , ” Nielsen said .
You can see footage from the reunion and a summary of Dale ’ s story in this video by KCCI .

We’re often told by economists that money shouldn’t just be “saved” but should be reinvested. Keeping money out of use just isn’t a good way to get the most out of it. And that’s true, however, it doesn’t mean that you can’t just save a nice sum of money either. If your lifestyle isn’t overly complicated and expensive, even with a blue-collar job you can save a lot of money, like Dale Schroeder.
Advertisement
Dale started out as a poor man with no note-worthy monetary inheritance. He worked as a carpenter for the same business all his life and led a simple, quiet life. It should be said that he never married nor had any kids which is a rather key detail regarding his finances.
Dale also had a secret, however. A secret he eventually shared with his attorney and good friend, Steve Nielsen.
Advertisement
“He was very quiet. Dale was shy.” Nielsen said, adding as an example that Dale only owned two pairs of jeans. “He had church jeans and work jeans.”
Nielsen thought he knew Dale pretty well until one day his carpenter friend waltzed into his office and shared something extraordinary with him.
“I never got the opportunity to go to college so I’d like to help kids go to college.” Dale told him. And after Nielsen asked him just how much money Dale could donate for this cause, he got the answer – “Oh, just shy of $3 million.”
Advertisement
“I nearly fell out of my chair,” Nielsen said.
And since Dale didn’t have any living relatives, putting things into practice wasn’t even that difficult. All Dale wanted to do with his 3 million (and his old, rusty Chevy truck) was send Iowa kids to college.
“He wanted to help kids that were like him, that probably wouldn’t have the opportunity to go to college,” Nielsen elaborated.
Advertisement
Dale Schroeder passed away in 2005 at the age of 84.
33 Iowa kids went to college for free thanks to Dale’s savings. Kids such as Kira Conard – a child of a single-parent home that also had three older siblings, all sisters. Without Dale, Kira Conard and others like her wouldn’t have had the chance to go to college. She had the grades to become a therapist but she didn’t have the money.
“(It) almost made me feel powerless. I want to do this, I have this goal, but I can’t get there, just because of the financial part,” Kira said. Fortunately, Steve Nielsen called her one day and changed her future with Dale’s savings.
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“For a man that would never meet me, to give me, basically, a full ride to college… that’s incredible. That doesn’t happen,” Kira still finds it hard to believe.
A happy reunion
And even though Dale never married, even though his obituary said he didn’t have any kids, a recent reunion of 33 teachers, doctors, and therapists proved otherwise. The 33 Iowan kids who Dale never met but sent to college gathered for a lunch in Dale’s honor and dubbed themselves “Dale’s kids”.
The 33 “kids”, now educated adults with successful careers and children of their own, talked and laughed, and reminisced about how much Dale had changed their lives. And the main thing Steve Nielsen reminded them of was Dale’s only “condition” for his 3 million gift – “Pay it forward.” Financially or otherwise, Dale wished that “his kids” will follow his example and help others too.
Advertisement
“You can remember him and you can emulate him,” Nielsen said.
You can see footage from the reunion and a summary of Dale’s story in this video by KCCI.
Iowan’s wish puts 33 strangers through college
Watch this video on YouTube


dailyhealthpost--2020-09-18--Bizarre “Sheep Pigs” are Real and They’re like Giant Fuzzy Dogs

“ Cute ” is not a word we usually associate with pigs .
Then again , we usually don ’ t think of them as very bright either but they are the 5th smartest animal on the planet , ahead of even dogs !
Meet the Hungarian Mangalica pig breed , also called “ sheep pigs.
” Thanks to their sheep-like coats , if you were to look at these large animals from afar you can easily mistake them from a herd of sheep .
Up close you ’ ll notice the pig snout and short legs , of course @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look even more interesting .
And no , they don ’ t come in white only , there are also reddish-brown and black variants of the breed !
What exactly are the Mangalica “ sheep pigs ” ?
Obviously , Mangalica pigs don ’ t have any sheep DNA in them .
They ’ re not crossed with dogs either , even though some dog breeds have similar coats .
The Mangalica breed was created artificially through selective cross-breading .
The breed was created in 1833 by crossing the classic Hungarian pig breeds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There was also a touch of a Serbian pig breed tossed into the mix .
The end result of this concoction was the Mangalica sheep pig breed .
Back then the purpose of the breed was to create high-quality meat for the royal courts of the Austro-Hungarian emperors .
Nowadays , the breed is bred either for high-end meat or as pets .
The sheep pigs are not a part of the mass pork meat industry because they produce too little lean meat for farmhouses .
So , pets or delicacies – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the breed .
And the sheep pigs do make for amazing pets , thanks to their high intelligence .
They are bigger than the miniature toy pig breeds , of course , but if you have the space , a Mangalica pig can be as faithful of a companion as any dog .
“ If you treat them nicely , they ’ ll become as tame as dogs – they ’ ll follow you , play with you , ” says one of the sheep pigs ’ breeders .
If you want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you can check out this video .
On the brink of extinction Even though the Mangalica breed is still less than 200-years-old , it was already an endangered breed once .
With the rising availability of food and technology for preservation , the species was very close to extinction around the 1950s .
There are other factors to it too , such as Hungary forcefully becoming a part of the Soviet Union after World War 2 .
Since the soviets prioritized mass production over quality or diversification , “ low-yield ” livestock breeds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So , even though the breed was the most popular pig breed in East Hungary before the end of the Second World War with quantities of over 30,000 , by the end of the Cold War , there were just over 200 sheep pigs in the country .
Thankfully , animal geneticist Peter Toth came to the rescue of the adorable pigs after the fall of the Berlin Wall and resurrected the breed .
Now the president of the “ Mangalica Breeders Association ” , Toth has got the breed to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pigs ) producing between 20,000 and 60,000 new piglets every year .
So , can you get a sheep pig pet ?
Sure you can !
The pig breed is available even outside of Hungary with smaller populations present in Austria , Canada , Gernany , Slovakia , Switzerland , the Czech Republic , Romania , Serbia , and even the U.S .
The breed also comes in three distinct varieties .
The “ Swallow-belied ” sheep pigs with black fur and blonde bellies .
The “ Blonde ” breed with its sheep-like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Red ” breed with brownish or reddish coloring ,

“Cute” is not a word we usually associate with pigs. Then again, we usually don’t think of them as very bright either but they are the 5th smartest animal on the planet, ahead of even dogs!
Advertisement
Meet the Hungarian Mangalica pig breed, also called “sheep pigs.” Thanks to their sheep-like coats, if you were to look at these large animals from afar you can easily mistake them from a herd of sheep. Up close you’ll notice the pig snout and short legs, of course, but those just make this breed look even more interesting.
And no, they don’t come in white only, there are also reddish-brown and black variants of the breed!
Advertisement
What exactly are the Mangalica “sheep pigs”?
Obviously, Mangalica pigs don’t have any sheep DNA in them. They’re not crossed with dogs either, even though some dog breeds have similar coats. The Mangalica breed was created artificially through selective cross-breading.
The breed was created in 1833 by crossing the classic Hungarian pig breeds Bakonyi and Szalontai with European wild boars. There was also a touch of a Serbian pig breed tossed into the mix.
The end result of this concoction was the Mangalica sheep pig breed. Back then the purpose of the breed was to create high-quality meat for the royal courts of the Austro-Hungarian emperors. Nowadays, the breed is bred either for high-end meat or as pets. The sheep pigs are not a part of the mass pork meat industry because they produce too little lean meat for farmhouses. So, pets or delicacies – that’s the current purpose of the breed.
Advertisement
And the sheep pigs do make for amazing pets, thanks to their high intelligence. They are bigger than the miniature toy pig breeds, of course, but if you have the space, a Mangalica pig can be as faithful of a companion as any dog. “If you treat them nicely, they’ll become as tame as dogs – they’ll follow you, play with you,” says one of the sheep pigs’ breeders.
If you want to see these adorable pigs in action, you can check out this video.
Ummm... Did those SHEEP just "OINK??" (((The Mangalitsa)))
Watch this video on YouTube
On the brink of extinction
Even though the Mangalica breed is still less than 200-years-old, it was already an endangered breed once. With the rising availability of food and technology for preservation, the species was very close to extinction around the 1950s. There are other factors to it too, such as Hungary forcefully becoming a part of the Soviet Union after World War 2. Since the soviets prioritized mass production over quality or diversification, “low-yield” livestock breeds like the Mangalica pigs were tossed aside.
Advertisement
So, even though the breed was the most popular pig breed in East Hungary before the end of the Second World War with quantities of over 30,000, by the end of the Cold War, there were just over 200 sheep pigs in the country.
Thankfully, animal geneticist Peter Toth came to the rescue of the adorable pigs after the fall of the Berlin Wall and resurrected the breed. Now the president of the “Mangalica Breeders Association”, Toth has got the breed to the point of 7,000 sows (female breeding pigs) producing between 20,000 and 60,000 new piglets every year.
The Mangalica sheep pigs today
So, can you get a sheep pig pet? Sure you can! The pig breed is available even outside of Hungary with smaller populations present in Austria, Canada, Gernany, Slovakia, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia, and even the U.S.
Advertisement
The breed also comes in three distinct varieties. The “Swallow-belied” sheep pigs with black fur and blonde bellies.
The “Blonde” breed with its sheep-like white or blondish color.
The “Red” breed with brownish or reddish coloring,
Advertisement


dailyhealthpost--2020-09-21--Bring Back Home Economics Class Because Our Kids Lack Basic Life Skills

Do you remember studying Home Economics back in school ?
These classes taught students “ real world ” skills such as how to cook , sew , time management , budgeting and so on .
Young girls and boys alike benefited from these basic life skills taught in those courses .
Today , the school system lacks or has a shortage of such programs .
There are people who believe that the courses are outdated and aren ’ t appropriate for the cutting-edge modules in schools .
Many students are more likely to know how to compose a Shakespearian sonnet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cards or finances .
This exposes an imbalance in our education system , where high school students enter the “ real world ” with very little real-world knowledge .
Some parents are concerned that their kids don ’ t have the necessary skills needed to survive in the real world as adults .
There is no argument that arithmetic , English , and history are essential , however , home economics can help teach students about health , comparison shopping , among other important aspects of life .
Currently , high schools have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students have the option to select related courses such as Family Studies , Food and Nutrition , or Health and Safety .
NPR ’ s ‘ The Salt ’ , chose to dive a bit deeper on the topic , exploring the transition from old school home economic classes to the revamped version that kids may get to know today .
The salt reports , “ These courses haven ’ t gone away entirely , but their presence in schools is dwindling .
In 2012 , there were only 3.5 million students enrolled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This represents a 38 percent decrease over a decade .
Susan Turgeson , President of the Association of Teacher Educators for Family and Consumer Sciences , told NPR , “ Classes may now include subjects such as community gardening , composting , and even hydroponics – things you never would have seen in a 1950 ’ s classroom.
” In 2013 , the national survey of Family and Consumer Sciences ( FCS ) programs revealed that the number of students enrolled for FCS education in high school was over 3.4 million and was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2010-2012 .
Comparing that with a survey that was published in 2006 , the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences ( AAFCS ) disclosed that the number of students attending FCS courses was about 5.5 million and was taught by 37,500 teachers between 2002-2003 .
What Caused the Drop in Enrollment ?
AAFCS director-at-large , Carol R. Werhan , says that the drop in enrollment is as a result of the hard push for district-and state-mandated testing .
Carol points out that FCS is regarded as an elective .
A scarcity of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the number of available classes for the program .
In only a decade , the number of FCS teachers has declined by 26 % forcing districts across the states to cancel FCS courses because there are no instructors .
Students who aren ’ t taught Home Economics risk missing out on valuable life lessons , especially when they rarely cook at home .
Many modern families opt for takeout instead of home cooked meals .
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service , products that offered a greater degree @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , like ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat meals and snacks , constituted 26 percent of the average household food budget between 1999 and 2010 .
The problem with this trend is that more and more people are eating processed foods .
What Do Your Kids Stand to Lose If Home Economics Disappears from Schools ?
Home economics is a broad field that covers health , nutrition , personal finance , family finance , and more .
One of the main things that students risk losing without Home Economics classes are basic single-living skills .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Teachers Association of California , Dawn Maceyka , says that kids today only know how to go through the drive-through or use the microwave .
There are several Home Economics classes that are necessary for making someone successful at work and at home , says Werhan .
Home Economics has always been about imparting information to students so that they are better equipped to improve the quality of their life .
If schools abandon food and consumer science courses , students will not necessarily have someone to teach them how to ensure the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how to cook , clean , or balance a checkbook .
If a student ’ s assumption concerning food and nutrition is formed at a fast food counter because they haven ’ t been taught about nutrition , such shortcomings in their understanding will lead to poor food choices in life .
If they do not learn about the principles of finances , they ’ ll end up learning the hard way .
What are your thoughts ?
Should Home Economics class be brought back to schools ?
Will Home Economics contribute to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?

Do you remember studying Home Economics back in school? These classes taught students “real world” skills such as how to cook, sew, time management, budgeting and so on. Young girls and boys alike benefited from these basic life skills taught in those courses.
Advertisement
Today, the school system lacks or has a shortage of such programs. There are people who believe that the courses are outdated and aren’t appropriate for the cutting-edge modules in schools. Many students are more likely to know how to compose a Shakespearian sonnet but very little about taxes, credit cards or finances. This exposes an imbalance in our education system, where high school students enter the “real world” with very little real-world knowledge.
Some parents are concerned that their kids don’t have the necessary skills needed to survive in the real world as adults. There is no argument that arithmetic, English, and history are essential, however, home economics can help teach students about health, comparison shopping, among other important aspects of life.
Advertisement
Home Economics In the 21st Century
Currently, high schools have limited home economics courses. Nevertheless, students have the option to select related courses such as Family Studies, Food and Nutrition, or Health and Safety.
NPR’s ‘The Salt’, chose to dive a bit deeper on the topic, exploring the transition from old school home economic classes to the revamped version that kids may get to know today.
The salt reports, “These courses haven’t gone away entirely, but their presence in schools is dwindling. In 2012, there were only 3.5 million students enrolled in Family Consumer Science secondary programs.” This represents a 38 percent decrease over a decade. Susan Turgeson, President of the Association of Teacher Educators for Family and Consumer Sciences, told NPR, “Classes may now include subjects such as community gardening, composting, and even hydroponics – things you never would have seen in a 1950’s classroom.”
Advertisement
In 2013, the national survey of Family and Consumer Sciences ( FCS) programs revealed that the number of students enrolled for FCS education in high school was over 3.4 million and was taught by an estimated 28,000 teachers from 2010-2012.
Comparing that with a survey that was published in 2006, the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) disclosed that the number of students attending FCS courses was about 5.5 million and was taught by 37,500 teachers between 2002-2003.
What Caused the Drop in Enrollment?
AAFCS director-at-large, Carol R. Werhan, says that the drop in enrollment is as a result of the hard push for district-and state-mandated testing. Carol points out that FCS is regarded as an elective.
Advertisement
A scarcity of qualified FCS teachers is yet another cause for the number of available classes for the program. In only a decade, the number of FCS teachers has declined by 26% forcing districts across the states to cancel FCS courses because there are no instructors.
Homes Which Don’t Have Home Economics
Students who aren’t taught Home Economics risk missing out on valuable life lessons, especially when they rarely cook at home. Many modern families opt for takeout instead of home cooked meals. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, products that offered a greater degree of convenience than basic and complex ingredients, like ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat meals and snacks, constituted 26 percent of the average household food budget between 1999 and 2010. The problem with this trend is that more and more people are eating processed foods.
What Do Your Kids Stand to Lose If Home Economics Disappears from Schools?
Home economics is a broad field that covers health, nutrition, personal finance, family finance, and more. One of the main things that students risk losing without Home Economics classes are basic single-living skills. The President of the Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers Association of California, Dawn Maceyka, says that kids today only know how to go through the drive-through or use the microwave.
Advertisement
There are several Home Economics classes that are necessary for making someone successful at work and at home, says Werhan. Home Economics has always been about imparting information to students so that they are better equipped to improve the quality of their life.
If schools abandon food and consumer science courses, students will not necessarily have someone to teach them how to ensure the cooking area isn’t contaminated, how to cook, clean, or balance a checkbook.
If a student’s assumption concerning food and nutrition is formed at a fast food counter because they haven’t been taught about nutrition, such shortcomings in their understanding will lead to poor food choices in life. If they do not learn about the principles of finances, they’ll end up learning the hard way.
Advertisement
What are your thoughts? Should Home Economics class be brought back to schools? Will Home Economics contribute to a much better society in the future?
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