<div class=California releases search warrant for Wells Fargo bank on identity theft
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California releases search warrant for Wells Fargo bank on identity theft

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Saturday, October 22, 2016

The California Department of Justice on Wednesday released the warrant and affidavit of a criminal investigation of the Wells Fargo bank. The State of California served the warrant on October 5 to search the San Francisco headquarters of Wells Fargo for felonious activities related to identity theft.

The warrant said property to be seized at the bank’s San Francisco headquarters was related to the unauthorized creation of accounts by Wells Fargo employees including the names of individuals for the accounts; account information and fees; the names of employees and their managers who created accounts without the consent of the Wells Fargo customers in question; and all communications including emails referencing the unauthorised accounts.

California Attorney General Kamala Harris’s criminal probe is part of an increasing list of officials nationwide questioning the business practices of Wells Fargo such as California State Treasurer John Chiang who announced a one-year suspension of State investment with the bank on September 28; Illinois State Treasurer Mike Frerichs followed suit with a year-long ban on October 3; and Democratic United States Senators Bob Menendez of New Jersey, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who wrote to the U.S. Security Exchanges Commission (SEC) suggesting investigation on September 29.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=California_releases_search_warrant_for_Wells_Fargo_bank_on_identity_theft&oldid=4578395”
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<div class=Commonwealth Bank of Australia CEO apologies for financial planning scandal
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Commonwealth Bank of Australia CEO apologies for financial planning scandal

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Thursday, July 3, 2014

Ian Narev, the CEO of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, this morning “unreservedly” apologised to clients who lost money in a scandal involving the bank’s financial planning services arm.

Last week, a Senate enquiry found financial advisers from the Commonwealth Bank had made high-risk investments of clients’ money without the clients’ permission, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars lost. The Senate enquiry called for a Royal Commission into the bank, and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).

Mr Narev stated the bank’s performance in providing financial advice was “unacceptable”, and the bank was launching a scheme to compensate clients who lost money due to the planners’ actions.

In a statement Mr Narev said, “Poor advice provided by some of our advisers between 2003 and 2012 caused financial loss and distress and I am truly sorry for that. […] There have been changes in management, structure and culture. We have also invested in new systems, implemented new processes, enhanced adviser supervision and improved training.”

An investigation by Fairfax Media instigated the Senate inquiry into the Commonwealth Bank’s financial planning division and ASIC.

Whistleblower Jeff Morris, who reported the misconduct of the bank to ASIC six years ago, said in an article for The Sydney Morning Herald that neither the bank nor ASIC should be in control of the compensation program.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Commonwealth_Bank_of_Australia_CEO_apologies_for_financial_planning_scandal&oldid=3869292”
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Importance Of Body Image And Self Esteem

Importance Of Body Image And Self Esteem

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By Kya Grace

There is a close link between body image – the way you feel about your physical appearance – and self esteem – how much you value yourself. According to research, the fitter you are, the better is your body image and resultantly, higher is your self esteem. This link and correlation is more pronounced in the case of people in their early teens, since at that age you are more concerned and perturbed about the way others see you.

It is important to note that self esteem is not something that is permanent and cannot be changed. Studies have shown that the level of self esteem in people changes depending on the age group that a person belongs to and also the external factors – media images, criticizing peer or colleagues – that one is exposed to. Since self-esteem is not set in stone, it can be altered, resulting in a marked difference in one’s personal as well as professional life. One of the most potent ways of building greater self-esteem is to feel confident about the way you look and feel about your physical appearance – your body image.

Since body image is your perception about your physical appearance, it can be positive or negative. A positive body image brings with it self-confidence and self-worth, thus having positive ramifications for your self-esteem. A positive body image implies that you are comfortable with yourself. Having such a healthy attitude helps you become more outgoing, developing friendships and being able to challenge yourself mentally as well as physically. On the other hand, if you have a negative body image, it translates into feelings of anxiety and emotional distress, which has a detrimental effect on your self-esteem. Body image is manifested through one’s body language. The way people react to your body language and image, reinforces your self-esteem – positively or negatively.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6ZT1y8JCrs[/youtube]

It has been argued that in the case of inherently good-looking people, a positive body image is a given. However, this may not be the case, since a body image is one’s perception and that may deviate from reality. Thus, body image is a matter of consideration for all, even if we may not be consciously thinking about it.

There are certain ways in which you can influence your body image. Regular exercise and a good diet helps raise the energy levels in the body, resulting in stronger bones and a glowing skin, thus shaping a positive body image. Research has shown that psychological health is closely tied to physiological well being. During exercise and regular workouts, the body releases endorphins and other associated chemicals, which are believed to be ‘mood-lifters’. Moreover, physical activity helps in slowing down the aging process, making you look as well as feel younger by many years.

Thus, regular exercise plays a major role in lowering stress levels and anxiety. This will result in a more confident demeanor, a sense of true happiness, piece of mind and satisfaction. Fitness and exercise represent the path leading to a positive body image, thus helping you arrive at the destination of high self esteem.

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<div class=British white paper on public health
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British white paper on public health

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Wednesday, November 17, 2004

ENGLAND — UK Health Secretary John Reid has proposed widespread legislative and health care changes in a new white paper on public health released Tuesday. Titled “Choosing Health”, the paper details government plans to restrict smoking in public places, limit ‘junk food‘ advertisements to children, make available “lifestyle trainers”, campaign against sexually transmitted diseases and tobacco, and improve food labelling.

The white paper comes after extensive public comment that involved 150,000 people.

Smoking would be restricted in enclosed public spaces, restaurants, workplaces, and some pubs. The ban would be enacted gradually, affecting government and NHS buildings in 2006, enclosed public places in 2007, and private property in 2008. Permanent exemption would be granted to pubs that do not serve prepared food — though not at the bar — as well as private clubs, a decision that has provoked some to call the measure incomplete. Up to 90% of pubs are expected to be affected. The Scottish executive proposed a complete ban on smoking in enclosed public places last week, and Ireland has already banned smoking in pubs and restaurants.

Food advertisements targeted to children would be banned until 9pm, under the White Paper’s proposals. The restriction is a measure to tackle rising rates of childhood obesity. The government also intends to develop voluntary standards on food and drink advertisements to children with industry, only threatening legislation if an acceptable standard is not reached by 2007. Additionally, low income families would receive vouchers for fresh fruit, vegetables, milk, and infant formula. School lunches would also be held to stricter nutritional standards. Reid has warned that unless childhood obesity is tackled, “we face the prospect of children having shorter life expectancy than their parents”.

Food labelling would also be improved, with a “traffic light” system implemented. Packaged food would be evaluated based on its fat, sugar, and salt content.

The paper is unusual for suggesting a more holistic approach to health care, offering for the first time “lifestyle trainers.” The National Health Service would be funding with an additional £1bn to make people’s overall lives healthier, which is expected to save £30bn in preventable illness.

The paper additionally makes mention of reducing accidents, which affected 2.7m people last year and is a leading cause of child death, curb binge drinking, and reduce substance abuse among youths.

The paper has been criticized by many parties. The Tory Shadow Health Secretary has criticized the Labour government’s comprehensiveness and creation of a “new nanny state approach”. He has additionally described it as “gimmicks”. The Liberal Democrats have accused the government of not being comprehensive enough. It has also been criticized by the British Medical Association as being implemented too slowly, saying “When lives need saving, doctors act immediately”.

Mr. Reid has argued against the nanny state label, saying “In a free society, men and women ultimately have the right within the law to choose their own lifestyle, even when it may damage their own health. But people do not have the right to damage the health of others, or to impose an intolerable degree of inconvenience or nuisance on others … This is a sensible solution which balances the protection of the majority with the personal freedom of the minority in England”.

The full white paper “Choosing Health” can be read here.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=British_white_paper_on_public_health&oldid=4627124”
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<div class=Surprise demolition of partially collapsed building in Buffalo, New York met with opposition
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Surprise demolition of partially collapsed building in Buffalo, New York met with opposition

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Saturday, June 14, 2008

Buffalo, New York —Wikinews has learned that, in a surprising turn of events, the city of Buffalo located in New York, has ordered and begun an emergency demolition on a three story 19th century stable which partially collapsed on Wednesday June 11 causing at least five homes to be evacuated. Residents are not happy, and despite the short notice of the demolition, nearly 30 people showed up to protest it. Demolition was not supposed to begin until Monday June 16.

At about 2:30 p.m. (eastern time) on June 13, demolition crew arrived at the stable located at 428 Jersey Avenue and began to unload heavy equipment which will be used to demolish the building. This came as a surprise to residents, as demolition was not supposed to start until Monday June 16.

During the early afternoon hours on June 11, the Buffalo Fire Department was called to scene after residents called 9-1-1 stating that part of the building had collapsed. Material from the building fell into the yards of at least three neighboring houses. Some of the bricks landed inside the building, while some fell into the yards of some houses behind homes on Richmond Avenue, leaving a ‘V’ shape.

At about 3:30 p.m. crews began to demolish a small portion of the stable located behind Joe Murray’s home, a resident who lives behind a portion of the building on Jersey and Richmond avenues. While demolition was taking place, the section collapsed into Murray’s backyard, prompting a call to police. Some residents who own home surrounding the building were inside Murray’s house holding a neighborhood meeting when demolition began. No one was injured when the section collapsed.

“[The building] can come down any minute,” stated Donna Berry of the Buffalo Police Department who also added that when police arrived on scene, they immediately put a stop to demolition, fearing the safety of surrounding residents and pedestrians.

“So many [of the] people [living around the building] are at risk, it makes me want to cry,” added Berry.

Police, local politicians and area residents are concerned that demolition crews and the city are not taking the proper precautions to ensure the safety of residents during demolition.

“[There is] no protection for neighbors. [This is] appalling and beyond negligence,” stated Tim Tielman, Executive Director of the Campaign for Buffalo who was referring to the negligence of the demolition crew.

“[In order to stop demolition] citizens must demonstrate direct harm to themselves,” added Tielman.

The city’s preservation board held an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss the issue. Wikinews has learned that the owner of the building, Bob Freudenheim, gave the city permission to demolish the building because he would not be “rehabilitating the building anytime soon.” Freudenheim was part-owner of the Hotel Lenox at 140 North Street in Buffalo and was also an advocate to stop the Elmwood Village Hotel from being built on the corners of Forest and Elmwood Avenues in 2006 and 2007, which Wikinews extensively covered. He also financially supported a lawsuit in an attempt to stop the hotel from being built. Though it is not known exactly how long Freudenheim has owned the stable, Wikinews has learned that he was the owner while fighting to stop the hotel from being built.

Tielman states that he was in contact with Freudenheim this morning. Tielman states that Freudenheim “is not spending a dime” to have the building renovated. Tielman states that Freudenheim has offered to sell the building to any interested party for only one US dollar, but that he “flip flops [his decision] constantly,” sometimes wanting hundreds of thousands of dollars for the building. Wikinews has attempted to contact Freudenheim, but so far has been unsuccessful.

City building inspectors were also on scene evaluating the building and ensuring the safety of residents. Donald Grezebielucina states that “some people are on notice to vacate their properties”, but also stated that no other precautions were being taken other than placing “tires and scaffolding” onto the side of 430 Jersey, which sits less than eight feet from the buildings East side.

“The gas has been shut off in case we lost the building, so there would be no explosions or anything like that. It’s so unstable, the structural integrity is gone. The chemical composite of the trusses has changed dramatically and dry rotted. There are three vehicles in the basement which totally disappeared,” stated Grezebielucina to the press while protesters yelled “save our building, save our neighborhood.”

Wikinews has also learned that local residents have consulted a lawyer regarding the issue, and hope to petition the New York State Supreme court to issue an injunction to stop demolition. They states that Freudenheim should be “100% responsible” for his actions, and many are afraid that once the building is demolished, Freudenheim’s charges of neglect will be abolished. Freudenheim is facing housing violations for neglecting the building. Though residents are fighting, Tielman states that “an injunction is unlikely.”

“We had a letter of violation against him. He was supposed to have started work to stabilize the brick this Monday. We all hope this building could be saved. But we’ve got five houses evacuated and we cannot tolerate any further delay. We’ve got to get people back into their homes in a safe condition,” said Richard Tobe, Commissioner of the city’s Permit and Inspection Services.

Demolition is set to resume at 8:00 a.m.in the morning of Saturday June 14.

Mike Lombardo, the Commissioner for the Buffalo Fire Department, believes that the building was built in 1812 or 1814, making it nearly 200 years old. It is one of only three stables still standing in the city.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Surprise_demolition_of_partially_collapsed_building_in_Buffalo,_New_York_met_with_opposition&oldid=771930”
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<div class=CEO of GM outlines plan for “New GM” after auto company declared bankruptcy
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CEO of GM outlines plan for “New GM” after auto company declared bankruptcy

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Thursday, June 4, 2009

In a New York press conference at 16:15 UTC, June 1st, Fritz Henderson, the Chief Executive Officer of General Motors, which filed for bankruptcy and Chapter 11 protection from its creditors earlier today, outlined a plan for what he called a “New GM”.

Speaking to the press under safe harbor provisions of U.S. law, Henderson described the events of today as a “defining moment” in the history of General Motors. Speaking to the public he said that “The GM that let you down is history,” and described a “New GM” that he expected to result from the bankruptcy process.

Henderson stated that he envisioned the bankruptcy process would take between 60 and 90 days. He stressed several times his view that the process would be one that is executed quickly, saying that not just a sense of urgency but “pure unadulterated speed” was his expectation of the process. He emphasized that “GM remains open for business” during the bankruptcy period, continuing to sell and to support its products, and that day one motions had been filed in the bankruptcy court in order to allow this.

Regarding the bankruptcy process he said, “We will do it right. And we will do it once.”

He stated that the plan for General Motors had the support of the United Auto Workers union, the Canadian Auto Workers union, the GM VEBA, and a majority of the unsecured bondholders of GM. He also mentioned that GM had already received €1.5 million in bridge financing from the German government.

In response to questions about the possibility of the United States federal government, a majority shareholder in the restructured company, dictating future product development and strategy, such as the sale of more fuel-efficient and green vehicles; he first observed that the federal government had already stated to him that it had “no real interest in running our business” and that he expected that still to be his job. Of the specific hypothetical scenario where the management of GM wants to make one type of car, because it thinks that it is the right thing for the business, and the U.S. government wants to make another type of car, he stated that “I don’t think it’s going to happen.” Expanding on that point he stated that he expected the “New GM” to focus upon “highly fuel-efficient and green technology”, and that operating both in accordance with U.S. environmental laws and in response to customer demand would naturally result in the New GM producing the types of vehicles that the U.S. government would encourage.

The “New GM” he also expected to focus on “four core brands”, and will size its dealership to match that. He stated that GM would offer a “deferred termination” package to dealers, to allow them to cease dealing in GM vehicles in a managed and gradual way.

He stated that the bankruptcy filings did not cover General Motors’ businesses in Latin America, Europe and the Middle East, and Asia and the Pacific. Of GM’s profitable ventures in China, specifically, he stated that they were “a critical part of the New GM”. In response to questions of whether the New GM would import cars from China to the U.S., he stated the formative company’s core principle that “We build where we sell” applied in both directions, with GM building in China to sell in China and building in the U.S. to sell in the U.S., stating that this shortened supply chains.

He declined to predict when the New GM would return to profitability, stating that the goal was rather to lower the break-even EBIT point for the company. He also declined to speculate upon when the U.S. government would sell its stake in the company, saying that that was a question “better addressed to the U.S. Treasury”, and merely saying that he expected it to be “years, not months” when the U.S. Treasury felt it would give “the right return for taxpayers.”

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=CEO_of_GM_outlines_plan_for_%22New_GM%22_after_auto_company_declared_bankruptcy&oldid=4455649”
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Using Structured Interviews For Selecting And Developing Employees

Using Structured Interviews For Selecting And Developing Employees

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By Andrea Watkins

The purpose of structured, competency-based interviewing is to help organizations hire and promote people who will succeed in their jobs. Different jobs require different competencies. Competencies are important because they can be used to improve performance (both individual and organizational) in at least three ways: selection, feedback and development.

1. Selection: Competencies can be used to guide recruitment (the company seeks to identify recruiting sources rich in critical competencies) and selection (the company builds structured interviews around the critical competencies). If new employees can be hired into the job already possessing most, if not all, of the critical competencies, they will be more successful more quickly.

2. Feedback: Research has shown that employees receiving feedback about their strengths and weaknesses improve their performance more than those who do not (Smither, London, Vasilopoulous, Reilly, Milsap & Salvemini, 1995). Furthermore, it appears that those who need it most are those who benefit the most from feedback. Competencies provide a useful framework for organizing job-relevant feedback.

3. Development: Finally, competencies can be strengthened through a variety of developmental activities. Although enhancing one’s knowledge or changing one’s skills is not easy, those who make development a priority can improve competencies and their resulting performance.

The objective of interviewing is to help managers and human resource professionals hire and promote employees who possess the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in the target job and the broader organization.

A structured interview has scripted questions and guidelines for consistently evaluating responses. Therefore, all candidates are asked the same questions, in the same order and in exactly the same way (without differing explanations or interpretations by the interviewer). Structured also means that every candidate’s responses are evaluated and scored, typically using behaviorally anchored rating scales developed for each question. After all, structured questions have been asked and evaluated, any follow-up questions can be asked based on answers given by candidates.

Some elements of structure in employment interviewing as defined by Huffcutt and Arthur (1994) include:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU6epAkC9wg[/youtube]

1. Basing questions on an analysis of the target job (i.e., tying questions to competencies required by the job)

2. Asking the same questions of each candidate

3. Asking specific types of questions (i.e., asking about specific past job behaviors or what one would do in hypothetical job-related situations)

4. Using detailed, behaviorally anchored rating scales (i.e., rating scales with behavioral examples to illustrate points along the scale)

5. Limiting the use of follow-up questions by the interviewer

6. Systematically combining ratings of questions to derive an overall score

7. Providing comprehensive training for interviewers

A recent analysis of 120 interview studies, with 18,158 interviews, showed that interviewer training improves the validity of the interview (Huffcutt & Woehr, 1999). That is, well-trained interviewers make more accurate, consistent predictions about a candidate’s likely performance than do untrained interviewers.

Why Use a Structured Interview?

The employment interview is undoubtedly the most widely used of all potential employee assessments. In the typical unstructured interview, the interviewer asks questions based on the applicant’s resume or from a limited set of “pet” interview questions. Research on unstructured interviews is extensive and not particularly encouraging.

Most unstructured interviews are nearly random events. As an illustration, consider that if selection decisions were purely random and that half of all applicants were hired, the odds of hiring an above-average performer would be 50/50 (half or 50 percent of those hired would perform above average and half would be below average). Based on past research, the odds of hiring an above-average performer using an unstructured interview (versus relying totally on chance) would improve to only 56 percent (Huffcutt & Arthur, 1994). In other words, the typical unstructured interview barely improves upon a roll of the dice. At the risk of discouraging the reader, interviewer accuracy does not appear to improve with experience (most interviewers continue to make the same mistakes).

This same research, however, has shown that structuring the interview can pay handsome dividends. The average structured interview will increase the odds of hiring an above-average performer to 70 percent. While recognizing that no selection method is perfect, this still represents a dramatic improvement. The use of structured interviews increases the chances of hiring an above-average performer from about 56 to 70 percent.

While unstructured interviews are among the least reliable and least valid methods of assessing job candidates, properly structured interviews are among the most reliable (Conway, Jako & Goodman, 1995) and valid methods (Campion, Palmer & Campion, 1997). In measurement terms, reliability refers to the degree of consistency and may take several forms. The consistency with which different interviewers arrive at similar conclusions (inter-rater reliability), the consistency with which the same interviewer reaches the same conclusions after interviewing a candidate on two different occasions (test-retest reliability) and the consistency with which different but related questions yield similar conclusions (internal consistency reliability) are all forms of reliability. Reliability is a necessary condition for validity.

Validity refers to the accuracy of the inferences drawn from the interview about future job performance. It is not the interview form itself that is valid, but the inferences drawn from it (which is why the same interview can be valid or invalid if, for example, it is used with two totally different jobs). As noted previously, structuring an interview for a job is an effective way of increasing the accuracy of inferences (i.e., prediction of job performance) drawn about job candidates (McDaniel, Whetzel, Schmidt and Maurer, 1994).

In addition to the increased reliability and validity of structured interviews, there is also research documenting a relationship between litigation outcomes and the level of structure of the employment interview (Gollub Williamson, Campion, Malos, Roehling, & Campion, 1997). The more structured the interview process, the more likely it is that the employer will receive a favorable verdict when challenged legally.

Finally, a properly constructed and administered structured interview can produce a “competency profile” of key competencies related to the job for each candidate. This profile gives hiring managers insight into candidates’ strengths and weaknesses. This information can help managers focus subsequent steps in the selection process and provide a foundation for developing newly hired or promoted employees. Below is an illustration of a Competency Profile. On this form, ratings of interview performance in given competency areas can be recorded and combined to give an overall look at a candidate’s strengths and weaknesses and, therefore, his/her suitability for the target job.

Despite many documented advantages of using structured http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Job_interview : interviews, many organizations find them to be difficult and time consuming to develop. One study showed that more than two out of three employers rely on unstructured interviews. Structured interviews and assessments are an essential ingredient in a strong http://www.kenexa.com/ : HR Management strategy and one that should not be overlooked.

About the Author: Andrea Watkins writes articles about

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Assessments

from Kenexa, a solutions provider for HR departments around the world. Using employee assessments from Kenexa allow your organization to find the best candidate for the job.

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<div class=Men isolated to mimic Mars flight
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Men isolated to mimic Mars flight

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Monday, June 7, 2010

Following a similar experiment in 2009, six men entered an enclosed room in Moscow last Thursday to simulate a flight to Mars. The Mars-500 team consist of a Chinese man, a Frenchman, an Italian, and three Russians. Only the Chinese man, Wang Yue, is a trained astronaut. The six waved goodbye, crying “see you in 520 days’ time!”.

According to Wang, not being able to see their families and friends was one of the greatest challenges, although e-mail is allowed during the experiment. Both Wang and the Frenchman, Romain Charles, expressed pride to be part of this experiment. Wang said, “it will be trying for all of us. We cannot see our family, we cannot see our friends, but I think it is all a glorious time in our lives.”

The joint-effort project is being organised by the Russian Institute for Biomedical Problems (IBMP) and the European Space Agency; the goal is to study physical and psychological effects on would-be astronauts. All six men speak reasonable English; however, as Russian is another primary language for the simulated trip, Russian crew member Sukhrob Kamolov said body language will be used should they fail to understand one another.

Food for the volunteers will be rationed as it would in a real Mars mission. All supplies were supplied by China and loaded into the ‘simulated spacecraft’ prior to the beginning of the experiment. For backup, China is sending three mission support staff to Russia.

No women are included in the crew, excluding issues relating to a mixed-sex crew from the study. During a similar experiment in 1999, a woman complained that the captain attempted to kiss her.

Following 250 days of “travelling” to Mars, the group will split. Three will stay in the “spacecraft”, the other three going to the surface of “Mars”. Only two will actually leave the “spacecraft” to study the surface of “Mars”. After a month, the group will go through the return journey simulation, a 240 day trip. The men will follow a strict timetable, with 8 hours each of sleep, work, and leisure each day.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Men_isolated_to_mimic_Mars_flight&oldid=4582483”
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Cold Hardy Palm Trees For Northern Garden Planting

Cold Hardy Palm Trees For Northern Garden Planting

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By Pat Malcolm

Palm trees were once thought to be suitable for planting only in tropical landscapes, however, several cold hardy palm trees occur naturally, growing in America, where snows fall during winter. The windmill palm tree, Trachycarpus fortunei; the Dwarf Palmetto palm tree, Sabal minor; the Saw palmetto, Serenoa repens; and the Sabal Palm, sabal palmetto; and the Needle Palm, Rhapidophyllun hystrix; Much of the information that is published in book from, magazine articles and Internet websites is extremely conservative, perhaps because the testing for national cold hardiness is of a recent origin; and also temperature fluctuations caused by global warming increases the survival rate of palm tree plantings in recent years. Try buying a few palm trees in your garden to plant and grow. Very large specimen palm trees can be purchased for semi-truck fast delivery at a few Internet nursery websites.

The Windmill palm tree, Trachycarpus fortunei, also is called a Chusan palm and a Chinese Windmill palm tree, was imported from Japan, perhaps first, into the United States, but most botanists believe that this palm tree originated in China, where many seed and specimen trees were purchased to import into the US. Windmill palm trees are a common landscape sight throughout Europe, the United States, and Canada. These Windmill palm trees are very cold hardy, and can be see flourishing along the city streets of Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, where the palms grow up to 40ft in height. The slender, graceful trunks are covered with brown-black fibers that appear as hair from a distance, and with aging, the fibers turn gray, and on large old trees the fibers fall off to reveal a slick beautiful trunk. The waxy leaves are bright green above and silver-green below; growing 2 feet long and 2 feet wide, smaller than most other palm trees. Windmill palm trees grow a flower stalk 2 feet long, with yellow, pleasantly aromatic flowers developing into long blue fruits.

Windmill palm trees, Trachycarpus fortunei, are so cold hardy that semi-truck loads of large specimen sized trees have been nursery distributed for customers in Canada who wish to buy a palm to place in a tropical landscape design. The famous Cloister Hotel at Sea Island, Georgia plants grouping of large Windmill palms, some 20-30 feet for planting near entrances and landscape positions close to buildings. Windmill palms are tolerant of salt water spray and are very adaptable for planting and growing in most areas of the United States.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw9ikG9SNkE[/youtube]

The Dwarf Palmetto palm tree, Sabal minor, is not a fast growing plant, and gorws abundantly in pine tree forests, and in poorly drained lowlands. Innumerable colonies of dwarf palmetto palm grow next to the highway between Albany, Georgia and Blakely, Georgia on swampland, that is under water periodically, and the dwarf palmetto palms grow in very heavy shade. Native to the Southeastern US, this palm grows small trunks that remain hidden behind the leaves. The flower stalk grows four to six feet, and white flowers grow into one-half inch, black fruit. This extremely adaptable palm tree is drought tolerant, and popularly is grown as a native, landscape specimen shrub or in rows as a privacy screen. This dwarf palmetto grows beautiful, pest resistant leaves, and can be seen growing as a salt water resistant plant in large landscape borders of Sea Island, Georgia, where land purchasers value the natural appearance and incorporate the plant into landscape designs.

Saw palmetto, Serenoa repens, is one of the native Southeastern plants that has become the rage for planting as a cold hardy palm in Northern States, where it can survive temperatures of -10 F. The beautiful blue or green colored leaves are shiny and waxy, growing about five feet long. The flower stalk grows 3 feet long and appears in the heat of the summer, covered with white flowers that form blue fruit one inch in diameter. The saw palmetto palm tree is very adaptable for cold hardy growing in Northerne states, where temperature extremes damage most other palms. These palm trees are grown mostly as clumping shrubs in naturalistic landscapes. You should buy large Saw palmetto palms, as they do not transplant well and should be planted and grown from a container plant nursery. Very exotic trunks form on century old Saw palmetto palms, that can be seen growing on the sand dunes next to salt water waves spraying the leaves at Sea Island, Georgia. Trunks on these trees had the lower leaves removed to reveal trunks 4ft long that can grow parallel to the ground or at right angels or twisted. All palm tree trunks obviously shaped by storms or hurricanes, that may have blown over the plants rooted in the sand, only to regrow at a different angle. These palm trees must be seen to appreciate a dune of sand landscaped properly.

The Cabbage palm tree (Sabal palmetto) is also called the Sabal Palm, and is believed to be the most commonly planted palm tree in the Southern US. This palm tree is native to that area, and grows in forests throughout Florida and coastal Georgia. The Cabbage palm tree can grow to 40 feet, but only grows about one foot per year. Upon aging, the lower leaf stem remains (petioles) attached for many years, giving the trunk a bazaar, forbidding appearance. After many years, the leaf remains can be removed artificially, or naturally, giving the trunk a slick, desirable look in the landscape. During hot weather, white flowers grow fast, to 6 feet long, to produce one-half inch black fruit that fall to the ground. Sabal palm trees grow as far North as coastal Virginia, and Carolina landscapes, and are cold hardy to below zero temperatures. This Cabbage palm is drought resistant, requires little care or growth maintenance when planted in the landscape, and is so salt water tolerant, it can be found growing along the sea coast, sometimes falling into the ocean with sea erosion.

Sabal palm trees are considered as the State tree in Florida and South Carolina. Because Sable palm tree roots do not branch like other palms, transplanting the tree can be difficult unless the leaves are all removed before transplanting into home landscapes, and since they are not fast growing, it is not unusual for the palm tree to require 3 to 4 years to regrow the canopy leaves to normal size. The cabbage palm is also susceptible to hurricane damage, because its roots are not largely branched like other palm trees to anchor the trunk into the earth.

The Needle Palm, Rhapidoe phyllum histrix, is native to the Southeastern United States, and is considered to be one of the most cold hardy palm trees growing in the United States. Buyers find it difficult to purchase this palm tree, because it has been removed from most of the forests, where it is not a fast growing palm tree. Large trunks up to 4 feet tall are rare, and very expensive, costing each thousands of dollars. But, this needle palm has survived minus 10 degrees F at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden in New York for many years, unaffected by the snow and cold temperatures. The leaves are two feet long and 4 feet wide, and the trunk is dangerously armed with white, sharp, 5 inch needles, easily being detached from the trunk, with the overall appearance like that of a porcupine. Even though the needle palm trees hundred of years old are expensive, it is possible to buy smaller plants at reasonable prices for fast shipment at many Internet nursery websites.

About the Author: Patrick A. Malcolm, owner of

TyTy Nursery

, has an M.S. degree in Biochemistry and has cultivated palm trees for over three decades.

Source:

isnare.com

Permanent Link:

isnare.com/?aid=77074&ca=Gardening

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2007 Frankfurt International Book Fair opens

Posted on by Admin

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Wednesday morning, the Frankfurt Book Fair opened its gates to the first of an estimated 280,000 visitors this year in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

The Frankfurt Book Fair is the biggest book fair in the world. It also organises the participation of German publishers at more than 25 international book fairs and is the co-founder of the Cape Town Book Fair in South Africa. It maintains the most visited website worldwide for the publishing industry.

The German Publishers & Booksellers Association, which runs the Frankfurt Book Fair, says that the book market is thriving. It declared on Tuesday that the high number of exhibitors and the record numbers of 7,448 exhibitors from over 100 countries, showing 391,652 books, including 121,267 new books of this year, proves that the book market is thriving.

Publishing houses have long since expanded into non-traditional markets. TV and merchandising rights have long played a role, but have become more and more important for larger projects. Two other media forms have also become more standard elements of the value chain. E-books and audiobooks are both big topics of this year’s Book Fair.

The various awards handed out during and around the fair show the variety and scope of media and interests represented at the Frankfurt Book Fair:

  • On Sunday, October 7, Australian writer Michelle de Kretser, born in Colombo. Sri Lanka, was awarded the LiBeratur-award for the German edition of her book ‘The Hamilton Case’, previously published in English with Little, Brown and Company, New York. The LiBeratur-award for an outstanding publication of a woman from Africa, Asia and Latin America in German language in the previous year, was awarded for the 20th time.
  • On Tuesday, October 9, German author Julia Franck was honoured with the German Book Prize for her novel ‘Die Mittagsfrau’. Against the background of two world wars, Julia Franck tells the disturbing story of a woman who leaves her son, without fnding herself.
  • On Wednesday, October 10, the software award GIGA-Maus for family friendly and educational entertainment was awarded to Wii Sports (Nintendo) for best software of the year. The award of the children judges went to Buzz! Junior: Robo Jam(Sony, PS2).
  • On Sunday, October 14, the Peace Prize of the German Booksellers will be awarded to Saul Friedländer, for his retelling of the Shoah as one of the most important historiographers of the time.

Prizes still open include the German Young Literature Award on Friday and the Fantasy Final of the first German Cosplay Masters at the comic-centre of the book fair.

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