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It may be harder for the students to concentrate on an online STAAR test, but the new online method makes the whole operation of grading and submitting run smoother.

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The pros and cons of the STAAR test going online | Houston Public Media

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While some teachers have reservations about the now fully online STAAR exam, their anxiety may be offset by younger students’ relief.

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Discrimination means treating some people differently from others, weather is be race or gender.

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Discrimination means treating some people differently from others. It isn’t always unlawful - after all, people are paid different wages depending on their status and skills. However, there are certain reasons for which your employer can’t discriminate against you by law.

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People learn better when their interested in a topic or activity. If you have a interesting way to learn the kids will be willing to learn even more because its fun and enjoyable.

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Academy for Teaching and Learning | Baylor University

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Since Bonwell and Eison's seminal work (1991), "active learning" has been a buzzword in the scholarship on teaching and learning. But the phrase can be misleading. Whenever someone learns something, the learner has been active to some degree-maybe not physically, but certainly mentally. In other words, there is no such thing as "passive learning." As interconnected processes, however, physical and social activity often correlates with mental activity and therefore can aid learning (Zakrajsek, 2016). A more appropriate term might be "interactive learning," which encompasses all methods of purposeful student engagement with material aided by students interacting with others (instructor or peers) and themselves.

The Case for Interactive Methods

Interactive learning is associated with many benefits for students. (Click here for an annotated bibliography on interactive learning.) Group work that is a common element of interactive learning more closely aligns with the collaborative methods of most occupations and professional academics. Research consistently finds that interactive methods correlate with positive student outcomes, such as higher rates of attention, interest in subject matter, and satisfaction (Bligh, 2000; Burrowes, 2003; Sivan et al., 2000).

Interactive classrooms also perform better on measures of student learning. One meta-analysis found that in STEM classrooms with "active learning," broadly defined, student exam scores improved by about six percent (Freeman et al., 2014). In addition to greater retention, interactive classrooms perform better (compared to lecture only) on higher-order learning measures of Bloom's Taxonomy, like analysis, synthesis, and evaluation (Garside, 1996). Furthermore, interactive learning is associated with improved learning for typically at-risk students, like minorities and first-generation college students, making it an important part of inclusive teaching (Handelsman, et al, 2007).

Students may initially resist interactive learning methods. Lack of experience with interactive learning, the greater effort that is required of students in interactive learning, and the impression that the instructor is abdicating the "teacher" role can factor into students' resistance. Therefore, it is important for instructors to explain the reasons for interactive learning in general (such as the learning benefits above). Instructors should also explain the specific reasons for each particular interactive learning exercise, provided they have carefully selected methods that are appropriate to learning goals and students' abilities (Felder, 2011).

Strategies for Interactive Learning

The possible methods for interactive learning are perhaps limitless, constrained only by creativity and resources. Below are a few of the most common interactive learning strategies, organized from less-intensive to more-intensive, in comparison with the traditional lecture. For even more interactive learning suggestions, see these Active Learning Cards from Cal State LA.
Lecturing
Although interactive methods are often pitted against "lecture only" classrooms, lecturing can be an effective interactive experience, as anyone who has ever eagerly shared a TED Talk knows. Learning is likely to happen when the lecturer carefully connects new material to students' existing knowledge and significant human experience and also when the teacher intentionally piques students' curiosity and imagination through the use of narrative structures-setting up conflict or tension, followed by resolution (Bain, 2004). Such techniques should not devolve into entertainment but emerge honestly from the questions or problems inherent in the subject matter itself. Instructors can also easily add a more intentional interactive element to lectures by pausing and encouraging students to ask clarifying questions (see Effective Lectures).
Brief Writing Exercises
Some interactive methods require little time to prepare and execute. Brief writing exercises, while also a type of Formative Assessment, can help students review, understand, and think critically about material. These exercises can be targeted to various levels of thinking. For instance, asking students to list items from a previous lecture reinforces basic knowledge; asking students to rephrase a central concept in their own words aids comprehension; asking students to use information in addressing a new situation gives them practice in application.
Think-Pair-Share
Another relatively simple interactive method is "Think-Pair-Share." The instructor presents a problem or question, first asking students to think (and usually write) individually their answer(s) along with rationale and evidence. Students then discuss their answers with a partner, with the instructor encouraging respectful questioning and critique among students. Finally, the students share their insights (both individual and those gleaned from paired discussion) with the entire class, with the instructor encouraging further questioning and critique.
Discussion
"Think-Pair-Share" might be thought of as a combination of brief writing and discussion. Discussion can be used in many ways in an interactive classroom-students discussing in pairs or small groups, or a single conversation including the entire class. Likewise, discussion can be brief interludes or the entire agenda for a class session. (See the Discussion page for discussion ideas.) Depending on pedagogical goals, the instructor may be more or less involved in the actual discussion. As a form of interactive learning, however, discussions should strive for the free sharing of ideas while constructing and critiquing arguments using logic and evidence.
Debate
Like discussion, debate aims at encouraging students to express their ideas to each other and to critique each other's ideas. Debate can be particularly helpful when the instructor wants students to understand and appreciate perspectives that students might not themselves hold. Unlike discussion, which often strives for consensus, debate is inherently competitive and tends to obscure the similarities of opposing viewpoints. Instructors should be aware that debate can foster a conflict mentality and give the impression that complex issues are dichotomies. A way to mitigate this is through "panel" debates, which can better acknowledge complexities and nuance (Crone, 1997).
Problem-Based Learning
Problem-based learning is a demanding but rewarding interactive strategy for students and instructors. Many other strategies begin by presenting material and then asking students to apply discrete knowledge to a well-defined problem or question. Problem-based learning, however, begins with an open-ended, usually authentic (i.e., "real-world") problem, requiring students (often in groups) to identify what they know and what they need to know that can help solve the problem, determine how they can acquire needed knowledge, formulate hypotheses/studies/experiments, determine a solution, and report their findings. Modeled on the theory that open-ended inquiry increases student motivation, the distinct advantage of this approach is that acquired knowledge immediately takes its place in a meaningful context.

Instructor Role in Interactive Classrooms

The instructor often assumes a less overtly authoritative role in an interactive classroom. Some proponents have described this as moving from "sage on the stage" to "guide on the side." This may be overly simplistic, however. Just as "higher order" thinking builds upon mastery of "lower order" thinking, interactive learning must be supported by clear academic authority. Likewise, while the collaborative nature of many interactive methods can increase student motivation, too much student autonomy can produce uncertainty that can be demotivating. Practically, this may mean giving "just-in-time" mini-lectures when students are struggling with basic terminology or concepts. The instructor should also establish early in a course that he or she welcomes and can appropriately answer pressing questions-unless the instructor has valid pedagogical reasons for not providing an answer, in which case the instructor should make the rationale explicit to students. In short, an instructor using interactive methods must balance autonomy with support and be flexible and competent in a range of teaching methods (Wijnia et al., 2011).

References

Bonwell, C., & Eison, J. A. (1991). Active learning: Creating excitement in the classroom. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Reports.

Crone, J. A. (1997). Using panel debates to increase student involvement in the introductory sociology class. Teaching Sociology 25(3), 214-218.

Felder, R. (2007). Sermons for grumpy campers. Chemical Engineering Education, 41(3), 183-184. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/293604312_Sermons_for_grumpy_campers

Freeman, S., Eddy, S.L., McDonough, M., Smith, M.K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., & Wenderoth, M.P. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 111(23), 8410-8415.

Handelsman, J., Miller, S., & Pfund C. (2007). Scientific teaching. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Program for Scientific Teaching.

Messineo, M., Gaither, G., Bott, J., & Ritchey, K. (2007). Inexperienced versus experienced students' expectations for active learning in large classes. College Teaching, 55(3), 125-133.

Sivan, A., Leung, R. W., Woon C., & Kember D. (2000). An implementation of active learning and its effect on the quality of student learning. Innovations in Education and Training International, 37(4), 381-389. DOI: 10.1080/135580000750052991

Wijnia, L., Loyens, S. M., & Derous, E. (2011). Investigating effects of problem-based versus lecture-based learning environments on student motivation. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 36(2), 101-113. DOI:10.1016/j.cedpsych.2010.11.003

Zakrajsek, T. (2016). All learning is an active process: Rethinking active/passive learning debate." The Scholarly Teacher (weblog). https://www.scholarlyteacher.com/blog/all-learning-is-an-active-process

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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Since Bonwell and Eison's seminal work (1991), "active learning" has been a buzzword in the scholarship on teaching and learning. But the phrase can be misleading. Whenever someone learns something, the learner has been active to some degree-maybe not physically, but certainly mentally. In other words, there is no such thing as "passive learning."

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This article mainly talks about how the government is trying to ban TikTok, as they believe that it could lead to China spreading misinformation. It talks about some of the issues that the government has with TikTok.

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TIME MAY be running short for TikTok. In the US, both Democrats and Republicans view the Chinese-owned app as a national security threat and want to ban it. It's practically the only policy issue that the two parties agree on. And yet the politicians in Washington DC have left it very late to act. TikTok has already reached 150 million users in the US, half the country's population, and every day it adds more.

On this week's podcast, hosts Alice Fulwood, Tom Lee-Devlin and Mike Bird look at whether the fears about TikTok are well grounded, and what the options are for addressing them. The Economist's Alexandra Suich Bass explains why alternatives short of an outright ban have gone nowhere. China security analyst Matthew Johnson says his biggest concern is that Beijing could use the app to spread pro-Chinese propaganda. Meanwhile, Nazak Nikakhtar, a former staffer of the US Commerce Department, suggests a way of neutralising the app without upsetting users. Runtime: 40 mins

Sign up for our new weekly newsletter dissecting the big themes in markets, business and the economy at www.economist.com/moneytalks

For full access to print, digital and audio editions, subscribe to The Economist at www.economist.com/podcastoffe r

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TIME MAY be running short for TikTok. In the US, both Democrats and Republicans view the Chinese-owned app as a national security threat and want to ban it. It's practically the only policy issue that the two parties agree on. And yet the politicians in Washington DC have left it very late to act.

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People in American have troble with not only the bills of medical, but now with the access of it. Hospital have tons of break time a their offics hours are super short causing people to find other places of help.

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Top Challenges Impacting Patient Access to Healthcare

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Convenient options and patient supports are critical for promoting patient access to healthcare. Organizations must be mindful of schedules, medical transportation, and patient education.

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Preventing pollution in todays environment is very important. This article talks about how you can prevent pollution in oceans and how you can help to get rid of harmful pollutants.

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The flow of plastics into our environment has reached crisis proportions, and the evidence is most clearly on display in our oceans. It is estimated that up to 12 million metric tons of plastic enter our ocean each year.

Our oceans are slowly turning into a plastic soup, and the effects on ocean life are chilling. Discarded plastic fishing lines entangle turtles and seabirds, and plastic pieces of all sizes choke and clog the stomachs of creatures who mistake it for food, from tiny zooplankton to whales. Plastic is now entering every level of the ocean food chain and is even ending up in the seafood on our plates.

Our planet can no longer tolerate a culture of throw-away plastics. Single-use plastics are filling up our landfills, choking our rivers, and contaminating our oceans. For far too long, corporations have put the onus on all of us to deal with their own failed design problem. We have been told that the individual should simply recycle away the billions of tons of plastics corporations produce and that it will make the difference needed to sustain our planet.

We have been told a lie.

Over 90% of plastics are not recycled. Recycling alone is simply never going to solve this problem. The scale of the problem corporations have created must be met with a fundamental shift in how they bring products to people. It is up to all of us to demand better - to tell these corporate giants that we will no longer tolerate the plastics they force upon us. Our world deserves better, and we don't need their products if they refuse to adapt.

It's time for us to reject the old corporate story that a throw-away lifestyle makes us happy. Nothing that is used for a few minutes should end up polluting our oceans for a lifetime.

With enough pressure from our supporters and allies around the world , the biggest companies like Coke, Pepsi, Starbucks, McDonald's, Unilever, Nestlé, and Procter & Gamble will embrace a better model through innovation and redesign. They will reject the old story, and rediscover how to produce and deliver goods in a way that respects our oceans and our planet.

Together, we can do better. We can bring about a simpler life without endless waste - a life where people and the planet flourish. Demand big corporations do their part to end plastic pollution!

What You Can Do

At Greenpeace, we think the industry plays a larger role than individuals. Why is it that something intended to be used for minutes is packaged in something that lasts forever? We're demanding that corporations take responsibility for the plastic pollution crisis and end the use of destructive single-use plastics and packaging. They have created this mess and must be held accountable. Here are the steps you can take now to end plastic pollution:

It is going to take commitments both large and small to tackle the scale of the plastic pollution crisis in front of us, and we all have a role to play. Every action to reduce single-use plastics sends a message to the industry that it's time to change. Use our Million Acts of Blue Toolkit to learn more about how you can take action and stop single-use plastic at its source!

Sign our petition demanding that the CEOs of seven of the largest producers of single-use plastics take responsibility for their products. Join us in letting executives at Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestlé, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Starbucks, McDonald's, and others know that we no longer want products made with single-use plastic packaging.

Document the single-use plastic pushed on you and use your social media to tell corporations enough is enough! You can share your images highlighting the problem in one of 3 ways:

On Facebook: Tag @GreenpeaceUSA and the brand responsible!

On Twitter: Use hashtags #PointlessPlastic, #RidiculousPackaging, #BreakFreeFromPlastic, and the brand responsible!

On Instagram: Tag @greenpeaceusa and the brand responsible!

Doing a trash clean up? Help us identify and expose the corporations contributing to plastic pollution on our beaches and in other natural areas by adding a brand audit to your cleanup!
Need more ideas? Here are more individual actions you can take on a daily basis to help solve this problem:

Refuse plastic whenever possible. Say no to straws, lids, plastic bags, and plastic takeaway containers. Carry your own utensils or a wooden spork and avoid using plastic utensils.

Review restaurants and cafes and recognize them when they avoid straws and plastic packaging - and let them know you want them to do better when they don't.

Use reusable water bottles, coffee mugs, and bags. Some retailers will even give you a discount for doing so!

If you forget your reusable coffee mug at a coffee shop, ask to have your coffee "for here" in a real mug and drink it there. Many coffee shops have ceramic mugs for customers, but they only use them upon request.

Tell your local supermarket that you won't buy produce wrapped in plastic. Purchase loose fruits and vegetables or shop at the farmers market.

Bring your own glass container or mesh baggies and buy grains, nuts, and other items in the bulk section.

Avoid items wrapped in excess plastic.

Replace plastic items at home with alternatives made from natural materials (bamboo toothbrushes, glass jars, wooden toys).

Whenever you see plastic in nature, collect it and recycle it if possible or put it in the trash can.

Talk trash with your friends, family, and colleagues! Share this website with them and show them photos and videos about plastic pollution on social media to help spread awareness about this global problem.

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Preventing Plastic Pollution - Greenpeace USA

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The flow of plastics into our environment has reached crisis proportions, and the evidence is most clearly on display in our oceans. It is estimated that up to 12 million metric tons of plastic enter our ocean each year. Our oceans are slowly turning into a plastic soup, and the effects on ocean life ...

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Having a good musical education at a young age can lead to many benefits!

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Important Benefits of Music In Our Schools

This article is originally appeared on the Bachelors Degree website (2014)
and has been updated by NAfME (2021).

Join National Association for Music Education today.

Nearly everyone enjoys music, whether by listening to it, singing, or playing an instrument. But despite this almost universal interest, many schools are choosing to do away with their music education programs. This is a mistake, with schools losing not only an enjoyable subject, but a subject that can enrich students' lives and education. Read on to learn why music education is so important, and how it offers benefits even beyond itself.

1. Musical training helps develop language and reasoning: Students who have early musical training will develop the areas of the brain related to language and reasoning. The left side of the brain is better developed with music, and songs can help imprint information on young minds.

2. A mastery of memorization: Even when performing with sheet music, student musicians are constantly using their memory to perform. The skill of memorization can serve students well in education and beyond.

3. Students learn to improve their work: Learning music promotes craftsmanship, and students learn to want to create good work instead of mediocre work. This desire can be applied to all subjects of study.

4. Increased coordination: Students who practice with musical instruments can improve their hand-eye coordination. Just like playing sports, children can develop motor skills when playing music.

5. A sense of achievement: Learning to play pieces of music on a new instrument can be a challenging, but achievable goal. Students who master even the smallest goal in music will be able to feel proud of their achievement.

6. Kids stay engaged in school: An enjoyable subject like music can keep kids interested and engaged in school. Student musicians are likely to stay in school to achieve in other subjects.

7. Success in society: Music is the fabric of our society, and music can shape abilities and character. Students in band or orchestra are less likely to abuse substances over their lifetime. Musical education can greatly contribute to children's intellectual development as well.

8. Emotional development: Students of music can be more emotionally developed, with empathy towards other cultures They also tend to have higher self esteem and are better at coping with anxiety.

9. Students learn pattern recognition: Children can develop their math and pattern-recognition skills with the help of musical education. Playing music offers repetition in a fun format.

10. Fine-tuned auditory skills: Musicians can better detect meaningful, information-bearing elements in sounds, like the emotional meaning in a baby's cry. Students who practice music can have better auditory attention, and pick out predictable patterns from surrounding noise.

11. Music builds imagination and intellectual curiosity: Introducing music in the early childhood years can help foster a positive attitude toward learning and curiosity. Artistic education develops the whole brain and develops a child's imagination.

12. Music can be relaxing: Students can fight stress by learning to play music. Soothing music is especially helpful in helping kids relax.

13. Musical instruments can teach discipline: Kids who learn to play an instrument can learn a valuable lesson in discipline. They will have to set time aside to practice and rise to the challenge of learning with discipline to master playing their instrument.

14. Preparation for the creative economy: Investing in creative education can prepare students for the 21st century workforce. The new economy has created more artistic careers, and these jobs may grow faster than others in the future.

15. Development in creative thinking: Kids who study the arts can learn to think creatively. This kind of education can help them solve problems by thinking outside the box and realizing that there may be more than one right answer.

16. Music can develop spatial intelligence: Students who study music can improve the development of spatial intelligence, which allows them to perceive the world accurately and form mental pictures. Spatial intelligence is helpful for advanced mathematics and more.

17. Kids can learn teamwork: Many musical education programs require teamwork as part of a band or orchestra. In these groups, students will learn how to work together and build camaraderie.

18. Responsible risk-taking: Performing a musical piece can bring fear and anxiety. Doing so teaches kids how to take risks and deal with fear, which will help them become successful and reach their potential.

19. Better self-confidence: With encouragement from teachers and parents, students playing a musical instrument can build pride and confidence. Musical education is also likely to develop better communication for students.

Teachers, Music Parents, Students, and Advocates: looking for more information on music's benefits? Check out these other resources:
Did this blog spur new ideas for your music program? Share them on Amplify! Interested in reprinting this article? Please review the reprint guidelines. The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) provides a number of forums for the sharing of information and opinion, including blogs and postings on our website, articles and columns in our magazines and journals, and postings to our Amplify member portal. Unless specifically noted, the views expressed in these media do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Association, its officers, or its employees.

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Important Benefits of Music In Our Schools - NAfME

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Join National Association for Music Education today. Nearly everyone enjoys music, whether by listening to it, singing, or playing an instrument. But despite this almost universal interest, many schools are choosing to do away with their music education programs. This is a mistake, with schools losing not only an enjoyable subject, but a subject that can enrich students' lives and education.

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How can sportsmanship be improved in youth sports?

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​
Actor Chris O'Donnell Helps Liberty Mutual Insurance Shine a Light on the Need for Parents to Lead Sportsmanship Discussion
June 2, 2014 - With spring sports seasons in full swing and summer sports camps on the near horizon, a new national survey of 2,000 youth sports parents and coaches by Liberty Mutual Insurance illuminates a troubling decline in what some would say is the most important lesson of youth sports: sportsmanship. The results generated new resources and information available to help address this important issue head on.

The survey reveals that sportsmanship is considered among the most important lessons taught by youth sports. Regrettably, approximately 50 percent of parents and coaches believe that sportsmanship has worsened in youth sports since they participated as children, while only 12 percent feel it has improved. Yet, survey results suggest it may be their own behaviors that are contributing to this perception:

60 percent of respondents reported either witnessing or participating in negative or abusive sideline behavior

26 percent of parents said they have witnessed a verbally abusive coach

16 percent of parents said they have witnessed a physical confrontation between parents

55 percent of coaches have experienced parents yelling negatively at officials or their own kids, and two in five have experienced parents yelling negatively at other kids

Further, 75 percent of parents and coaches say that teaching sportsmanship is the responsibility of parents. With 80 percent of parents responding to the survey claiming to play an active role in their child's youth sports experience, the challenge isn't parental involvement; it's taking the time to instill the value of sportsmanship in their children.

"Growing up as a youth athlete, my coaches and parents were constantly using examples of poor behavior on the field as an opportunity to teach me about the importance of sportsmanship," said actor Chris O'Donnell, a father of five and the Liberty Mutual Insurance Responsible Sports ambassador. "Those lessons have stuck with me over the years, and now as a father of children involved in youth sports, I know the opportunity lies with us as parents to have the conversation and reinforce this important life lesson."

Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports provides just the types of resources that parents need to have a meaningful discussion with their children about sportsmanship and other aspects of the youth sports experience that extend into everyday life:

St art with a simple question, "What Is Sportsmanship?" - focus conversation on abiding by rules and respecting opponents and officials and teammates

Explain that sportsmanship doesn't have an off switch - reinforce that sportsmanship is important win or lose, even on the practice field

Commit to Mom and Dad's role in sportsmanship - express that your child's effort and learning is more important than wins and losses and that leading by example is the best way to exhibit sportsmanship

Other key findings from the Liberty Mutual Insurance Responsible Sports sportsmanship survey include:

What Matters in Youth Sports - According to the survey, learning "teamwork" and "sportsmanship" are the two most important aspects of participating in youth sports, according to both parents and coaches. Parents and coaches both also reference the importance of developing skills of the sport as important, but place greater value on the fundamental life lessons that are learned through youth sports participation.

However, while parents acknowledge the importance and value of instilling sportsmanship within their child, not all parents are taking the opportunity to have the conversation. While 68 percent of parents surveyed indicate that they have discussed good sportsmanship with their child, roughly one third of parents are not having the conversation, despite acknowledging that promoting sportsmanship is there responsibility.

Wake up Call for Parents and Coaches - Survey findings indicate that both parents and coaches can be poor role models for youth athletes, and that coaches may not feel empowered to take control of their sideline.

40 percent of parents insert themselves into the game by "coaching" their child from the sideline

While more than half of coaches have experienced parents yelling negatively at officials or their own kids, and two in five have experienced parents yelling negatively at other kids, less than a third of coaches have ever confronted parents about poor behavior

Role Models in Professional Sports - The survey also found coaches are more likely than parents to feel professional athletes model good sportsmanship. Nearly nine in 10 coaches cited at least one professional sport they believe athletes demonstrate the most sportsmanship, compared to eight in 10 parents that mention a specific sport as having positive role models. Similarly, the survey revealed that more parents (20 percent) feel there is not any professional sport that best models sportsmanship than do coaches (10 percent) who feel the same way.

Coaches and parents identified professional golfers and baseball players as the most positive role models for their youth athletes among all professional sports.

"The value of sportsmanship is an essential part of developing youth athletes into responsible adults," said Anthony Storm, senior vice president and Chief Marketing Officer, Liberty Mutual Personal Insurance. "Through this survey, we have pinpointed that sportsmanship is on the decline and there is a greater need for parents to reinforce this important life lesson. Our Responsible Sports program provides the resources and tips to properly arm parents for this discussion."

More results from the survey, as well as the wide range of resources, tools and information that Liberty Mutual Insurance Responsible Sports offers to support youth sports parents and coaches who help children succeed both on and off the field, can be found at ResponsibleSports.com. Parents and coaches can join the conversation by visiting the Responsible Sports Facebook page.
About the Study
As a leading resource in youth sports, Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports program commissioned ORC International to conduct a national survey to uncover attitudes and perspectives towards youth sportsmanship in both parents and youth coaches. 2,000 parents and coaches of 7-12 year olds who participate in organized youth sports participated in the survey, resulting in a margin of error +/- 1.99%.
About Liberty Mutual Insurance Responsible Sports
Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports is a community-based program providing resources, tools, tips and advice for volunteer youth sport coaches and sport parents. Powered by Positive Coaching Alliance, the Responsible Sports program offers parents and coaches constructive tips, expert advice and practical examples to help create a positive sports environment for children. Liberty Mutual also has provided more than $500,000 in grants to youth sports teams, organizations and schools for community participation in the online Responsible Sports curriculum. Liberty Mutual is proud to support youth sports organizations, including ASA Softball, US Youth Soccer, USA Hockey, U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association, USA Softball, U.S. Speedskating, USA Volleyball, USA Water Polo, and USA Wrestling. To access the Responsible Sports resources, visit www.ResponsibleSports.com.

About Liberty Mutual Insurance
"Helping people live safer, more secure lives" since 1912, Boston-based Liberty Mutual Insurance is a diversified global insurer and the third largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on 2013 direct premiums written as reported by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Liberty Mutual Insurance also ranks 76th on the Fortune 100 list of largest U.S. corporations, based on 2013 revenue. The company employs over 50,000 people in approximately 900 offices throughout the world.

The sixth-largest auto and home insurer in the U.S., Liberty Mutual ( libertymutual.com) sells full lines of coverage for automobile, homeowners, valuable possessions, personal liability, and individual life insurance. The company is an industry leader in affinity partnerships, offering car and home insurance to employees and members of more than 14,000 companies, credit unions, professional associations and alumni groups.

Liberty Mutual Insurance is the Official Property and Casualty and Life Insurance Partner of the 2014 and 2016 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams. Liberty Seguros (Brazil) is a National Supporter and Official Insurer of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2013 FIFA Confederation Cup, both of which will be held in Brazil.

Press Contacts:
Glenn Greenberg
Liberty Mutual Insurance
617-574-5874
glenn.greenberg@libertymutual.com

Sarah Smedley
Ketchum Sports & Entertainment
212-796-9813
sarah.smedley@ketchum.com

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New Survey Identifies Decline of Sportsmanship in Youth Sports According to Parents and Coaches | LMG

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​ Actor Chris O'Donnell Helps Liberty Mutual Insurance Shine a Light on the Need for Parents to Lead Sportsmanship Discussion June 2, 2014 - With spring sports seasons in full swing and summer sports camps on the near horizon, a new national survey of 2,000 youth sports parents and coaches by Liberty Mutual Insurance illuminates a troubling decline in what some would say is the most important lesson of youth sports: sportsmanship.

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Being a teenager into todays world can be difficult and very stressful. This article shows how the stress that comes from school and social media can effect students.

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When nonteachers ask me with genuine curiosity, "What's new with teens?" I usually tell them that every school year, it seems like more of them end up in the hospital.

I've taught frazzled high-performers who eschew sleep for flashcards and always seem on the verge of a breakdown. I've had students who won't come to school because they don't want to compound their stress. I've heard members of a student panel brazenly explain that they felt burdened by their workloads and simply wanted "the points." It's actually become common for student breakdowns to happen and for parents to request their child's upcoming assignments in advance, knowing they'll be out of school.

Though it may seem otherwise, my school isn't a high-stress pipeline for Ivy League colleges, but a diverse public school that is home to both affluent and low-income students. We're like many other public schools where student stress seems to be on the rise and is putting teachers like me in a tough position, causing us to second-guess ourselves and ask whether students are really too stressed-or just lacking time-management skills and angling for reduced homework.

Yet my personal observations that students seem more stressed than in years prior are backed by research, which shows that anxiety, depression, and self-harm are on the rise among teens. According to a 2019 Pew Research Poll, 70 percent of surveyed teens agree that stress is a major problem. Emergency room visits for self-inflicted, nonfatal injuries among children and young adults increased by 5.7 percent from 2008 to 2015, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that between 2007 and 2017, more teens were seriously considering suicide or hurting themselves in suicide attempts than in past decades.

"I've seen an uptick in diagnosable anxiety disorders that almost incapacitate teens," said Dr. Melissa Holland, a clinical psychologist and associate professor at California State University, Sacramento. "It's estimated about one in five teens have a diagnosable mental health disorder, and most of them go untreated."

The problem is real and scary, but what's to blame?

Rising Pressures

Two years ago, I participated in a question-and-answer session at a preschool that my spouse and I were considering for our daughter. The head of the school asked parents what they wanted for their children in the coming years.

As the kids were playing just feet away, still in diapers, two parents immediately volunteered that they were eager to see their toddlers get exposure to a STEM curriculum. A third parent raised her hand and said that she wanted her child to be happy. Tellingly, her neighbors, squeezed into miniature wooden chairs like overgrown versions of their kids, looked at her with amusement.

The academic pressures and stress faced by teens today start long before high school and seem to escalate every year. The pressure comes from parents and educators who worry-and make teenagers worry-that they won't get accepted into highly ranked universities with increasingly prohibitive tuitions or be prepared for a competitive job market once they graduate.
Fredrick Kippe / Alamy Stock Photo
Short on sleep, students reared in the testing-heavy wake of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) enlist SAT tutors, fill schedules with activities and service projects, and take as many honors and AP classes as possible to boost their GPAs. Even with these overloaded schedules, students have no guarantee of getting into colleges- even state institutions-where admission rates keep dropping.

"There are academic and career aspirations, diminishing opportunities and reduced social mobility, and tremendous competition to get ahead," said Daniel Keating, professor of psychology, psychiatry, and pediatrics at the University of Michigan and author of the 2017 book Born Anxious. "For teens [today], it's not clear that there's going to be a prize at the end."

He explained that students react more intensely when their world feels less stable than they expect-and less likely to reward their efforts and hopes with desired outcomes. For teens in particular, these pressures can be especially challenging to navigate, given their stage of brain development: They simply can't manage the stress like adults.

They are simultaneously more sensitive and less capable of controlling impulses, said Keating. "The stressors feel even worse [for teens], which leads to behavioral issues, hair-trigger responses, acting out, and an inability to keep things in perspective-or, alternatively, becoming more isolated."

Unique Cultural and Social Dynamics

Students don't learn in a bubble, though. According to the psychologists and educators I talked to, these academic pressures are compounded for teens by the state of the economy, current events, and unique cultural and social dynamics that previous generations weren't exposed to.

While the world has never been safe, teens who make up Generation Z-born in the mid-1990s to mid-2000s-now receive constant alarmist reminders online through a personalized I.V. drip of troubling headlines (fake and otherwise).

"The other day, a student told me that the world isn't safe anymore, with school shootings, terrorists, politics, war, and violence," said Barbara Truluck, a middle school counselor who was recently named Georgia's 2019 Counselor of the Year. Her students sometimes erupt with emotion over issues seemingly detached from the school experience. "Kids are processing a constant bombardment of [negative] headlines on a daily basis."

There are also new terrors-climate change, immigration policy, #MeToo. Truluck's observations are corroborated by the American Psychological Association's 2018 Stress in America survey, which found that 75 percent of participants between the ages of 15 and 21 reported worrying about mass shootings, compared with 62 percent of adults overall. With every issue-whether immigration policy, sexual harassment, climate change, or suicide itself-Generation Z members reported experiencing the most stress of any age group.
Westend61 GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo
As well as being constantly exposed to negative news online, teens are also engrossed in the digital hallways of Snapchat and TikTok-sometimes so much so that they collide in the real-life hallways of school. Last year, a Pew Research Center study on teen social media use revealed that nearly 95 percent of teens use a smartphone and over 45 percent report being online "constantly," an increase of over 20 percent since 2015.

Though tech use can have positive benefits for youth, obsessive, always-on media can mire teens in the unhelpful refuge of wide-ranging shallow connections that sharpen existing problems and render them all-consuming-whether it be a conflict with a peer, an unhealthy relationship, or a negative body image. These digital connections can quickly become a substitute for real, deeper relationships that might help teens combat stress or cope with challenges.

Solutions for the World We Have

At the beginning of one school year, a senior asked to speak with me in the hallway. "I want to let you know that I will not be able to turn in all of my assignments," she said with practiced calm. "I usually let my teachers know so they understand ahead of time-I get really stressed out." Other students have given similar spiels. The message is that because tasks bring stress, tasks must be removed.

Yet playing whack-a-mole with individual student stressors doesn't address the big picture. As assignments are whisked from the gradebook to soothe a stressed student, new opportunities to panic will inevitably take their place-so long as no coping strategies take hold.

Of course, schools deserve more guidance counselors and therapists-jobs that are often first on the chopping block with school budget cuts. Students should surely detox from their phones. And the snowplow parent who wades into conferences to do battle on behalf of a kid's valedictorian chances only delays the student's inevitable reckoning with the limits of parental power.

By teaching them grit, resiliency, and self-care, you're teaching a toolbox for any stress they may face.

But for parents and teachers who can't change circumstances, they can rely on useful solutions that confront the world we live in, including coping strategies that help them address future challenges. "By teaching them grit, resiliency, and self-care, you're teaching a toolbox for any stress they may face," Truluck emphasized.

Teachers, for example, can be open to the idea that the way they have always assigned and graded work may aggravate stress without actually boosting rigor. Students also have a point when they complain that teachers don't communicate enough with one another, which can mean students are faced with completing substantial assignments at the same time.

More holistically, though, social and emotional learning shouldn't be seen as an add-on in high school, or be equated with a loss of academic rigor and instructional minutes: Self-care can actually become part of the curriculum-as some schools are recognizing.

After losing a student to suicide in his third year of teaching, Roni Habib committed himself to improving the emotional health of teachers and students. Habib said that schools need to make sure that every single kid in a school knows that at least one adult in the school "really sees them" because "it's very easy for kids to fall through the cracks," especially as they progress through school and academics take priority.

There's no reason this type of connection must be informal. Habib suggests figuring out a way to have each teacher shadow a student throughout the day at least once. Habib's experience following a student from class to class shook him. "By the end of the day, I was exhausted," he said. "I barely had time to pee or eat."

Teaching his popular Positive Psychology elective at Gunn High School in the years since has also helped him realize that kids benefit from having time in the day built in, not just for relaxation, but for active healing. Even in the AP Economics course he used to teach, Habib said, he found that incorporating games and mindfulness practices into his lessons helped students focus better and made their collaboration richer.

"What's more important-for a child to understand an obscure concept in macroeconomics, or be gentle and kind with themselves when they fail so that they can recover and try again and persevere?" said Habib.

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As Teen Stress Increases, Teachers Look for Answers

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When nonteachers ask me with genuine curiosity, "What's new with teens?" I usually tell them that every school year, it seems like more of them end up in the hospital. I've taught frazzled high-performers who eschew sleep for flashcards and always seem on the verge of a breakdown.

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This article mainly talks about the way that climate change would effect certain areas on Earth.

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What are the long-term effects of climate change?

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Scientists have predicted that long-term effects of climate change will include a decrease in sea ice and an increase in permafrost thawing, an increase in heat waves and heavy precipitation, and decreased water resources in semi-arid regions.Below are some of the regional impacts of global change forecast by the Intergovernmental

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Higher screen time for children can result in addiction or lack of in person social skills. Nowadays though, many kids talk to their friends via social media or text.

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As you may or may not have realized by now, parenting in the 21st century is a lot different from the experience we might have had as children decades ago. In fact, nowadays there are all these new problems with which parents are faced as they give birth to digital natives, who seem to exit the womb with computer, tablet and smartphone know - how.

What's a parent to do, when faced with a child who seems joined at the hip with their MAC, and how does one determine when screen time has been enough or worse too much? While there's no argument that being a parent in this new age will require many adjustments to the parenting styles taught by our parents, all hope has not been lost. There's a method to this parenting in the digital age madness and it starts with proper screen time management.

In case you've never heard of the term before, simply put screen time refers to the amount of time you

spend using a device that has a screen such as a computer, tablet, or smartphone.

Is There Such A Thing as Too Much Screen Time?

Here's a question that has more than likely been on your mind since the moment you began reading.

Truth is, if the COVID 19 Pandemic has taught us anything it's that technology is our friend and not our foe. Can you imagine being quarantined without regular communication with your friends and family to maintain your sanity, albeit on facetime rather than in person? Yea, we can't either. Thankfully, however, despite not being overly enthused by the pandemic, at least we've got technology to get us through those, particularly lonely days.

So the question still remains, since everything is currently being done online, is there such a thing as too much screen time? In answer to this question, we must acknowledge that we aren't living in normal times. Many people cling more to their tech devices now and of course to their screens because it is the only tool capable of providing them with any sense of normalcy.

As a result, though we are firm believers that everything especially screen time should be done in moderation when it comes to children, we believe that measurement of screen time in today's world should be less about how many hours we spend viewing screens and more about the type of content we consume while viewing these screens.

Why Screen Time Content Matters?

When faced with no other option but to perform almost all of our daily activities such as attending school, work, or church by viewing a screen, creating strict schedules that determine our family's hourly screen usage by day just won't cut it. What really matters on the other hand is the type of content we spend hours a day on screen consuming.

You've probably heard the computer analogy "garbage in, garbage out" before, and this phrase holds true to our digital consumption. While spending all day behind a screen is never advised, it is equally important that the content we consume is of a high standard and replicates the kind of behaviors we would want to be emulating rather than the alternative.

Even more focus should be placed on quality content consumption when younger kids who are easily impacted by their environment and who are at a critical stage in their development are involved. Not only should you as parents work to ensure that the content your child views is age appropriate, however for kids aged 2 - 4 content viewed should contain more educational underpinnings instead of the regular entertainment gimmicks.

The Pros of Screen Time for Kids

Whether we like it or not, screens are here to stay. Lucky for us, however, their usage comes with many upsides in terms of what they can be used to do, especially today when the pandemic has forced us to limit face to face interaction.

A few advantages of having screen time include the following:

Screens provide a source of entertainment

While we may not be able to attend movie theatres due to gathering restrictions, thanks to our screens we can still enjoy a good family movie night, from the comforts of our home.

Screens provide a source of communication

We've said it before and we'll say it again, experiencing this pandemic with no opportunity to connect with our friends and family in state or abroad would have made it a much different experience. Acknowledging this fact, we are even more grateful to live in a world where our screens come with different applications that we can use to communicate with one another.

Screens provide an avenue for community outreach

Having to resume regular life whilst still being in a pandemic has been difficult enough, but can you imagine having to do it without being able to attend book club meetings, church events, staff parties, and thanksgiving dinners? Lol, talk about adding fuel to the fire. Thankfully, however, these days our screens come with built-in meeting applications that allow us to meet and stay connected regardless of where in the world we are located.

Screens provide an avenue for obtaining vital information

Stay in the know while on the go should really be the motto for many of our tech devices because that is exactly what they allow us to do. With the simple touch of a button on our smartphone screens we are able to receive breaking news and hear news stories on a variety of topics.

Screens provide an avenue for continued learning and education

The advent of technology has significantly revolutionized the way we work and of course the way we learn. Screens have completely dismantled the belief system that learning and schooling must take place in person and face to face. With more schools turning to online learning as their primary mode of delivery and even preschools taking steps to create virtual classrooms, the education system has now become a mostly screen based one.

The Cons of Screen Time for Kids

Whilst there is inherently nothing wrong with being au fait with technology, constant unregulated and unfiltered use is a recipe for disaster. To ensure we exercise moderation in our screen usage, rules and guidelines must be put in place to manage the amount of time that is spent especially by children in this digital space.

That said, a few disadvantages of excessive screen time include:

Screens encourage poor time management

If there is one thing, we can all agree on, it's that screens can be very addicting in nature. No matter what actions you are performing on your screen it really doesn't take much to become deeply consumed in it, so much so that you lose track of time. If as adults we struggle to manage our own screen time usage, you can only imagine the struggle kids face in doing said when left to their own devices.

Screens limit face to face interaction and hinder social skills development

Before there were screens, there were only real people enjoying real life conversations. In recent years however, the popularity of screens has led to a break down in face to face interaction which has been replaced by communication on screen. The result? More people are finding it difficult to engage in everyday conversation when they no longer have their beloved screens to hide behind to facilitate their communication.

More than just the ever-growing problem of declining time management and social skills, excessive screen usage can result in very damaging health effects, particularly to our eyes. Extended periods of screen time have been linked to symptoms of the computer vision syndrome, which often include eye strain, irritation and double vision.

Tips for Parents to Limit Screen Time for Kids

In a world where screens have become a pertinent part of everyday life, as parents the last thing you should be doing is trying to completely dissuade your child from using them. Instead the best way for you to manage your child's screen usage, is to appear to not be managing it at all.

Children love the idea of having their own independence and the luxury of being able to do exactly what they want to do, when they want to do it, without the worry of pesky bossy parents breathing down their necks and telling them what to do. Considering this, your parenting strategy as it relates to child screen time management should be one in which you lay down the screen time law and your child is given some flexibility in deciding how to follow it.

For example, if you decide to allow your child one hour of screen time a day for entertainment purposes after which the device must be returned to you, then the likelihood that they would adhere to this agreement is heightened because you allowed them the freedom to decide when they can utilize their 1 hour of screen time entertainment.

Get your free Family Screentime Printable Downloads below by subscribing to our Weekly Newsletter and be the first to know when we have new contents and freebies!

As you may or may not have realized by now, parenting in the 21st century is a lot different from the experience we might have had as children decades ago. In fact, nowadays there are all these new problems with which parents are faced as they give birth to digital natives, who seem to exit the womb with computer, tablet and smartphone know - how.

What's a parent to do, when faced with a child who seems joined at the hip with their MAC, and how does one determine when screen time has been enough or worse too much? While there's no argument that being a parent in this new age will require many adjustments to the parenting styles taught by our parents, all hope has not been lost. There's a method to this parenting in the digital age madness and it starts with proper screen time management.

In case you've never heard of the term before, simply put screen time refers to the amount of time you

spend using a device that has a screen such as a computer, tablet, or smartphone.

Is There Such A Thing as Too Much Screen Time?

Here's a question that has more than likely been on your mind since the moment you began reading.

Truth is, if the COVID 19 Pandemic has taught us anything it's that technology is our friend and not our foe. Can you imagine being quarantined without regular communication with your friends and family to maintain your sanity, albeit on facetime rather than in person? Yea, we can't either. Thankfully, however, despite not being overly enthused by the pandemic, at least we've got technology to get us through those, particularly lonely days.

So the question still remains, since everything is currently being done online, is there such a thing as too much screen time? In answer to this question, we must acknowledge that we aren't living in normal times. Many people cling more to their tech devices now and of course to their screens because it is the only tool capable of providing them with any sense of normalcy.

As a result, though we are firm believers that everything especially screen time should be done in moderation when it comes to children, we believe that measurement of screen time in today's world should be less about how many hours we spend viewing screens and more about the type of content we consume while viewing these screens.

Why Screen Time Content Matters?

When faced with no other option but to perform almost all of our daily activities such as attending school, work, or church by viewing a screen, creating strict schedules that determine our family's hourly screen usage by day just won't cut it. What really matters on the other hand is the type of content we spend hours a day on screen consuming.

You've probably heard the computer analogy "garbage in, garbage out" before, and this phrase holds true to our digital consumption. While spending all day behind a screen is never advised, it is equally important that the content we consume is of a high standard and replicates the kind of behaviors we would want to be emulating rather than the alternative.

Even more focus should be placed on quality content consumption when younger kids who are easily impacted by their environment and who are at a critical stage in their development are involved. Not only should you as parents work to ensure that the content your child views is age appropriate, however for kids aged 2 - 4 content viewed should contain more educational underpinnings instead of the regular entertainment gimmicks.

The Pros of Screen Time for Kids

Whether we like it or not, screens are here to stay. Lucky for us, however, their usage comes with many upsides in terms of what they can be used to do, especially today when the pandemic has forced us to limit face to face interaction.

A few advantages of having screen time include the following:

Screens provide a source of entertainment

While we may not be able to attend movie theatres due to gathering restrictions, thanks to our screens we can still enjoy a good family movie night, from the comforts of our home.

Screens provide a source of communication

We've said it before and we'll say it again, experiencing this pandemic with no opportunity to connect with our friends and family in state or abroad would have made it a much different experience. Acknowledging this fact, we are even more grateful to live in a world where our screens come with different applications that we can use to communicate with one another.

Screens provide an avenue for community outreach

Having to resume regular life whilst still being in a pandemic has been difficult enough, but can you imagine having to do it without being able to attend book club meetings, church events, staff parties, and thanksgiving dinners? Lol, talk about adding fuel to the fire. Thankfully, however, these days our screens come with built-in meeting applications that allow us to meet and stay connected regardless of where in the world we are located.

Screens provide an avenue for obtaining vital information

Stay in the know while on the go should really be the motto for many of our tech devices because that is exactly what they allow us to do. With the simple touch of a button on our smartphone screens we are able to receive breaking news and hear news stories on a variety of topics.

Screens provide an avenue for continued learning and education

The advent of technology has significantly revolutionized the way we work and of course the way we learn. Screens have completely dismantled the belief system that learning and schooling must take place in person and face to face. With more schools turning to online learning as their primary mode of delivery and even preschools taking steps to create virtual classrooms, the education system has now become a mostly screen based one.

The Cons of Screen Time for Kids

Whilst there is inherently nothing wrong with being au fait with technology, constant unregulated and unfiltered use is a recipe for disaster. To ensure we exercise moderation in our screen usage, rules and guidelines must be put in place to manage the amount of time that is spent especially by children in this digital space.

That said, a few disadvantages of excessive screen time include:

Screens encourage poor time management

If there is one thing, we can all agree on, it's that screens can be very addicting in nature. No matter what actions you are performing on your screen it really doesn't take much to become deeply consumed in it, so much so that you lose track of time. If as adults we struggle to manage our own screen time usage, you can only imagine the struggle kids face in doing said when left to their own devices.

Screens limit face to face interaction and hinder social skills development

Before there were screens, there were only real people enjoying real life conversations. In recent years however, the popularity of screens has led to a break down in face to face interaction which has been replaced by communication on screen. The result? More people are finding it difficult to engage in everyday conversation when they no longer have their beloved screens to hide behind to facilitate their communication.

More than just the ever-growing problem of declining time management and social skills, excessive screen usage can result in very damaging health effects, particularly to our eyes. Extended periods of screen time have been linked to symptoms of the computer vision syndrome, which often include eye strain, irritation and double vision.

Tips for Parents to Limit Screen Time for Kids

In a world where screens have become a pertinent part of everyday life, as parents the last thing you should be doing is trying to completely dissuade your child from using them. Instead the best way for you to manage your child's screen usage, is to appear to not be managing it at all.

Children love the idea of having their own independence and the luxury of being able to do exactly what they want to do, when they want to do it, without the worry of pesky bossy parents breathing down their necks and telling them what to do. Considering this, your parenting strategy as it relates to child screen time management should be one in which you lay down the screen time law and your child is given some flexibility in deciding how to follow it.

For example, if you decide to allow your child one hour of screen time a day for entertainment purposes after which the device must be returned to you, then the likelihood that they would adhere to this agreement is heightened because you allowed them the freedom to decide when they can utilize their 1 hour of screen time entertainment.

Get your free Family Screentime Printable Downloads below by subscribing to our Weekly Newsletter and be the first to know when we have new contents and freebies!

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Pros and Cons for Screen Time for Kids - Play Boutique

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What's a parent to do, when faced with a child who seems joined at the hip with their MAC, and how does one determine when screen time has been enough or worse too much? There's a method to this parenting in the digital age madness and it starts with proper screen time management.

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SEAL History: The Story of Naval Special Warfare

U.S. Navy SEALs and their companion Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen (SWCC) have become an ubiquitous component of the on-going war against terrorism on a world-wide basis, yet, until recently, they have remained predominately and uniquely obscure. As in past conflicts, they prefer obscurity; however, unlike past conflicts, they have become increasingly a focus of national interest; particularly since the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips of the Maersk ship Alabama, and the raid at Abbottabad, Pakistan, where they killed Osama bin Laden the world's foremost terrorist.

Like most activities conducted by UDT between the wars, they went unnoticed and unrecognized. From the beginning of America's manned space program in the late 1950s, NASA decided to utilize water landings for spacecraft and crews returning from their flights. The fledgling space agency relied heavily on the UDTs to help establish an effective astronaut survival and recovery program. Long before America's first manned space flight in May 1961, UDT personnel were training the Mercury Seven astronaut corps how to safely egress their capsule after it splashed down in the ocean. Read more

On October 7, 1985 four heavily armed Palestinian terrorists hijacked the ship in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Alexandria, Egypt. Some 320 crewmembers and 80 passengers were taken hostage. Read the story of what happened when highly trained U.S. Navy SEAL assault forces were launched from the U.S. to capture or kill the terrorists before they could harm any of the Achille Lauro passengers or crew. Read more

Global War on Terror

On September 11, 2001, commonly known as 9/11, nineteen terrorists from the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against U.S. targets. Two planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and the fourth plane was heroically forced down by its passengers in an open field in Somerset County, PA.

These attacks resulted in 2,996 deaths and triggered the Global War on Terror. Navy SEALs and other Special Operations Forces (SOF) were immediately called upon to play key roles in the War on Terror. Fighting this new kind of enemy required SEALs to both utilize their traditional skills and broaden their operational capabilities for targeted missions.

Today's SEALs

Today there are 10 active-duty SEAL Teams, each made up of more than 200 men and women (SEALs and support and mission-enabling personnel), and each commanded by an 0-5 commander. Two additional SEAL Teams have been organized within the Naval Reserve Component.

"SEALs have survived from the earliest days because of the hallmarks of success and operating tenets adopted by them through the actions and activities of their legacy brothers in NCDU, Scouts and Raiders, OSS Maritime, and Underwater Demolition Teams. SEALs are and will remain unique among all special operations forces, because it is they who are called upon when tasks need to be carried out clandestinely; where there is a high security risk; or if the task is a particularly difficult or delicate one, where operations involve working in small numbers under isolated, unsupported, and/or hostile conditions, and where the approach to the target is on or under the water." - CDR SEAL (Ret) Tom Hawkins

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SEAL History: The Story of Naval Special Warfare - National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum

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U.S. Navy SEALs and their companion Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen (SWCC) have become an ubiquitous component of the on-going war against terrorism on a world-wide basis, yet, until recently, they have remained predominately and uniquely obscure.

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Volunteering can be very easy and can lead to many benefits to your mental health and to others.

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Volunteering can help you make friends, learn new skills, advance your career, and even feel happier and healthier. Learn how to find the right fit.

Why volunteer?

With busy lives, it can be hard to find time to volunteer. However, the benefits of volunteering can be enormous. Volunteering offers vital help to people in need, worthwhile causes, and the community, but the benefits can be even greater for you, the volunteer. The right match can help you to find friends, connect with the community, learn new skills, and even advance your career.

Giving to others can also help protect your mental and physical health. It can reduce stress, combat depression, keep you mentally stimulated, and provide a sense of purpose. While it's true that the more you volunteer, the more benefits you'll experience, volunteering doesn't have to involve a long-term commitment or take a huge amount of time out of your busy day. Giving in even simple ways can help those in need and improve your health and happiness.

Benefits of volunteering: 4 ways to feel healthier and happier

1. Volunteering connects you to others

2. Volunteering is good for your mind and body

3. Volunteering can advance your career

4. Volunteering brings fun and fulfillment to your life

Benefit 1: Volunteering connects you to others

One of the more well-known benefits of volunteering is the impact on the community. Volunteering allows you to connect to your community and make it a better place. Even helping out with the smallest tasks can make a real difference to the lives of people, animals, and organizations in need. And volunteering is a two-way street: It can benefit you and your family as much as the cause you choose to help. Dedicating your time as a volunteer helps you make new friends, expand your network, and boost your social skills.

Make new friends and contacts

One of the best ways to make new friends and strengthen existing relationships is to commit to a shared activity together. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, especially if you are new to an area. It strengthens your ties to the community and broadens your support network, exposing you to people with common interests, neighborhood resources, and fun and fulfilling activities.

Increase your social and relationship skills

While some people are naturally outgoing, others are shy and have a hard time meeting new people. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice and develop your social skills, since you are meeting regularly with a group of people with common interests. Once you have momentum, it's easier to branch out and make more friends and contacts.

Volunteering as a family

Children watch everything you do. By giving back to the community, you'll show them firsthand how volunteering makes a difference and how good it feels to help other people and animals and enact change. It's also a valuable way for you to get to know organizations in the community and find resources and activities for your children and family.

Benefit 2: Volunteering is good for your mind and body

Volunteering provides many benefits to both mental and physical health.

Volunteering helps counteract the effects of stress, anger, and anxiety. The social contact aspect of helping and working with others can have a profound effect on your overall psychological well-being. Nothing relieves stress better than a meaningful connection to another person. Working with pets and other animals has also been shown to improve mood and reduce stress and anxiety.

Volunteering combats depression. Volunteering keeps you in regular contact with others and helps you develop a solid support system, which in turn protects you against depression.

Volunteering makes you happy. By measuring hormones and brain activity, researchers have discovered that being helpful to others delivers immense pleasure. Human beings are hard-wired to give to others. The more we give, the happier we feel.

Volunteering increases self-confidence. You are doing good for others and the community, which provides a natural sense of accomplishment. Your role as a volunteer can also give you a sense of pride and identity. And the better you feel about yourself, the more likely you are to have a positive view of your life and future goals.

Volunteering provides a sense of purpose. Older adults, especially those who have retired or lost a spouse, can find new meaning and direction in their lives by helping others. Whatever your age or life situation, volunteering can help take your mind off your own worries, keep you mentally stimulated, and add more zest to your life.

Volunteering helps you stay physically healthy. Studies have found that those who volunteer have a lower mortality rate than those who do not. Older volunteers tend to walk more, find it easier to cope with everyday tasks, are less likely to develop high blood pressure, and have better thinking skills. Volunteering can also lessen symptoms of chronic pain and reduce the risk of heart disease.

I have limited mobility-can I still volunteer?

People with disabilities or chronic health conditions can still benefit greatly from volunteering. In fact, research has shown that adults with disabilities or health conditions ranging from hearing and vision loss to heart disease, diabetes or digestive disorders all show improvement after volunteering.

Whether due to a disability, a lack of transportation, or time constraints, many people choose to volunteer their time via phone or computer. In today's digital age, many organizations need help with writing, graphic design, email, and other web-based tasks. Some organizations may require you to attend an initial training session or periodical meetings while others can be conducted completely remotely. In any volunteer situation, make sure that you are getting enough social contact, and that the organization is available to support you should you have questions.

Benefit 3: Volunteering can advance your career

If you're considering a new career, volunteering can help you get experience in your area of interest and meet people in the field. Even if you're not planning on changing careers, volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice important skills used in the workplace, such as teamwork, communication, problem solving, project planning, task management, and organization. You might feel more comfortable stretching your wings at work once you've honed these skills in a volunteer position first.

Teaching you valuable job skills

Just because volunteer work is unpaid does not mean the skills you learn are basic. Many volunteering opportunities provide extensive training. For example, you could become an experienced crisis counselor while volunteering for a women's shelter or a knowledgeable art historian while donating your time as a museum docent.

Volunteering can also help you build upon skills you already have and use them to benefit the greater community. For instance, if you hold a successful sales position, you can raise awareness for your favorite cause as a volunteer advocate, while further developing and improving your public speaking, communication, and marketing skills.

Gaining career experience

Volunteering offers you the chance to try out a new career without making a long-term commitment. It is also a great way to gain experience in a new field. In some fields, you can volunteer directly at an organization that does the kind of work you're interested in. For example, if you're interested in nursing, you could volunteer at a hospital or a nursing home.

Your volunteer work might also expose you to professional organizations or internships that could benefit your career.

When it comes to volunteering, passion and positivity are the only requirements

While learning new skills can be beneficial to many, it's not a requirement for a fulfilling volunteer experience. Bear in mind that the most valuable assets you can bring to any volunteer effort are compassion, an open mind, a willingness to pitch in wherever needed, and a positive attitude.

Benefit 4: Volunteering brings fun and fulfillment to your life

Volunteering is a fun and easy way to explore your interests and passions. Doing volunteer work you find meaningful and interesting can be a relaxing, energizing escape from your day-to-day routine of work, school, or family commitments. Volunteering also provides you with renewed creativity, motivation, and vision that can carry over into your personal and professional life.

Many people volunteer in order to make time for hobbies outside of work as well. For instance, if you have a desk job and long to spend time outdoors, you might consider volunteering to help plant a community garden, walk dogs for an animal shelter, or help out at a children's camp.

Consider your goals and interests

You will have a richer and more enjoyable volunteering experience if you first take some time to identify your goals and interests. Think about why you want to volunteer. What would you enjoy doing? The opportunities that match both your goals and your interests are most likely to be fun and fulfilling.

Tips for getting started

First, ask yourself if there is something specific you want to do.

For example, do I want...

...to improve the neighborhood where I live

...to meet people who are different than me

...to try something new

...to do something with my spare time

...to see a different way of life and new places

...to have a go at the type of work I might want as a full-time job

...to do more with my interests and hobbies

...to share something I'm good at

The best way to volunteer is to find a match with your personality and interests. Having answers to these questions will help you narrow down your search.

Source: World Volunteer Web

How to find the right volunteer opportunity

There are numerous volunteer opportunities available. The key is to find a position that you would enjoy and are capable of doing. It's also important to make sure that your commitment matches the organization's needs. Ask yourself the following:

Would you like to work with adults, children, animals, or remotely from home?

Do you prefer to work alone or as part of a team?

Are you better behind the scenes or do you prefer to take a more visible role?

How much time are you willing to commit?

What skills can you bring to a volunteer job?

What causes are important to you?

Consider several volunteer possibilities

Don't limit yourself to just one organization or one specific type of job. Sometimes an opportunity looks great on paper, but the reality is quite different. Try to visit different organizations and get a feel for what they are like and if you click with other staff and volunteers.

Where to find volunteer opportunities

Community theaters, museums, and monuments

Libraries or senior centers

Service organizations such as Lions Clubs or Rotary Clubs

Local animal shelters, rescue organizations, or wildlife centers

Youth organizations, sports teams, and after-school programs

Historical restorations, national parks, and conservation organizations

Places of worship such as churches or synagogues

Online databases such as those contained in the Resources section below

How much time should you volunteer?

Volunteering doesn't have to take over your life to be beneficial. In fact, research shows that just two to three hours per week, or about 100 hours a year, can confer the most benefits-to both you and your chosen cause. The important thing is to volunteer only the amount of time that feels comfortable to you. Volunteering should feel like a fun and rewarding hobby, not another chore on your to-do list.

Getting the most out of volunteering

You're donating your valuable time, so it's important that you enjoy and benefit from your volunteering. To make sure that your volunteer position is a good fit:

Ask questions. You want to make sure that the experience is right for your skills, your goals, and the time you want to spend. Sample questions for your volunteer coordinator might address your time commitment, if there's any training involved, who you will be working with, and what to do if you have questions during your experience.

Make sure you know what's expected. You should be comfortable with the organization and understand the time commitment. Consider starting small so that you don't over commit yourself at first. Give yourself some flexibility to change your focus if needed.

Don't be afraid to make a change. Don't force yourself into a bad fit or feel compelled to stick with a volunteer role you dislike. Talk to the organization about changing your focus or look for a different organization that's a better fit.

If volunteering overseas, choose carefully. Some volunteer programs abroad can cause more harm than good if they take much-needed paying jobs away from local workers. Look for volunteer opportunities with reputable organizations.

Enjoy yourself. The best volunteer experiences benefit both the volunteer and the organization. If you're not enjoying yourself, ask yourself why. Is it the tasks you're performing? The people you're working with? Or are you uncomfortable simply because the situation is new and unfamiliar? Pinpointing what's bothering you can help you decide how to proceed.

Where to find volunteer opportunities

VolunteerMatch - Find opportunities that match your volunteer interests, from location to type of work. (VolunteerMatch)

Idealist - Find volunteer opportunities in your local area or internationally. (Idealist)

National and Community Service - Federal organization offering volunteer positions across the U.S. (National Service)

Volunteer - Directory of environmental volunteer opportunities. (Volunteer.gov)

U.S. Peace Corps - Offers volunteer opportunities overseas and includes a 50 Plus division. (Peace Corps)

American Red Cross - Volunteer in any of the Red Cross's key service areas. (Red Cross)

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Volunteering and its Surprising Benefits

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With busy lives, it can be hard to find time to volunteer. However, the benefits of volunteering can be enormous. Volunteering offers vital help to people in need, worthwhile causes, and the community, but the benefits can be even greater for you, the volunteer.

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This article summarizes the importance's of lakes and the fun of them. There are millions of lakes around the world containing all sorts of wild life, and is always an amazing place for gatherings in the summer/spring.

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A lake is a body of water that is surrounded by land. There are millions of lakes in the world. They are found on every continent and in every kind of environment-in mountains and deserts, on plains, and near seashores.

Lakes vary greatly in size. Some measure only a few square meters and are small enough to fit in your backyard. Such small lakes are often referred to as ponds. Other lakes are so big that they are called seas. The Caspian Sea, in Europe and Asia, is the world's largest lake, with an area of more than 370,000 square kilometers (143,000 square miles).

Lakes also vary greatly in depth. The world's deepest lake is Lake Baikal, in Russia. Its bottom is nearly 2 kilometers (more than 1 mile) below the surface in places. Although Lake Baikal covers less than half the surface area of Lake Superior-one of North America's Great Lakes-it is about four times deeper and holds nearly as much water as all five of the Great Lakes combined. Other lakes are so shallow that a person could easily wade across them.

Lakes exist at many different elevations. One of the highest is Lake Titicaca, in the Andes Mountains between Bolivia and Peru. It is about 3,810 meters (12,500 feet) above sea level. The lowest lake is the Dead Sea, between Israel and Jordan. It is more than 395 meters (1,300 feet) below sea level.

The water in lakes comes from rain, snow, melting ice, streams, and groundwater seepage. Most lakes contain freshwater.

All lakes are either open or closed. If water leaves a lake by a river or other outlet, it is said to be open. All freshwater lakes are open. If water only leaves a lake by evaporation, the lake is closed. Closed lakes usually become saline, or salty. This is because as the water evaporates, it leaves behind solids-mostly salts. The Great Salt Lake, in the U.S. state of Utah, is the largest saline lake in North America. Its water is saltier than the ocean. Surrounding the Great Salt Lake are salt flats, areas where the lake has evaporated, leaving only stretches of white salt.

How Lakes Are Formed

All lakes fill bowl-shaped depressions in the Earth's surface, called basins. Lake basins are formed in several ways.

Many lakes, especially those in the Northern Hemisphere, were formed by glaciers that covered large areas of land during the most recent ice age, about 18,000 years ago.

The huge masses of ice carved out great pits and scrubbed the land as they moved slowly along. When the glaciers melted, water filled those depressions, forming lakes. Glaciers also carved deep valleys and deposited large quantities of earth, pebbles, and boulders as they melted. These materials sometimes formed dams that trapped water and created more lakes.

Many areas of North America and Europe are dotted with glacial lakes. The U.S. state of Minnesota is nicknamed "The Land of 10,000 Lakes" because of the number of glacial lakes. Many lakes in North America, including the Great Lakes, were created primarily by glaciers.

Some lake basins form where plate tectonics changed the Earth's crust, making it buckle and fold or break apart. When the crust breaks, deep cracks, called faults, may form. These faults make natural basins that may fill with water from rainfall or from streams flowing in the basin. When these movements occur near the ocean, part of the ocean may be trapped by a new block of land thrust up from below the Earth's surface. The Caspian Sea was formed this way. Lake Baikal was also formed by the movement of tectonic plates.

Many lakes form as a result of volcanoes. After a volcano becomes inactive, its crater may fill with rain or melted snow. Sometimes the top of a volcano is blown off or collapses during an eruption, leaving a depression called a caldera. It, too, may fill with rainwater and become a lake. Crater Lake, in the U.S. state of Oregon, one of the deepest lakes in the world, was created when ancient Mount Mazama's volcanic cone collapsed.

Not all lakes are created by basins filling with water. Some lakes are formed by rivers. Mature rivers often wind back and forth across a plain in wide loops called meanders. During periods of flooding, a swollen, rushing river may create a shortcut and bypass a meander, leaving a body of standing water. This type of small lake is called an oxbow lake, because its shape resembles the U-shaped frame that fits over an ox's neck when it is harnessed to pull a wagon or a plow.

Lakes may also be created by landslides or mudslides that send soil, rock, or mud sliding down hills and mountains. The debris piles up in natural dams that can block the flow of a stream, forming a lake.

Dams that beavers build out of tree branches can plug up rivers or streams and make large ponds or marshes.

People make lakes by digging basins or by damming rivers or springs. These artificial lakes can become reservoirs, storing water for irrigation, hygiene, and industrial use. Artificial lakes also provide recreational use for boating, swimming, or fishing.

Artificial lakes can provide electricity through hydroelectric power plants at the dam. Lake Mead, in the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada, was formed when the Hoover Dam was built during the Great Depression. The dam was built to control the unpredictable Colorado River and provides electricity to the western United States.

Chemical and Physical Aspects of Lakes

Temperature, light, and wind are three of the main factors that affect the physical characteristics of a lake. Temperature and light vary from lake to lake. Depth, plant growth, dissolved materials, time of day, season, and latitude can all affect light's ability to pass through the lake's water.

Light and wind affect the temperature in lakes. Sunlight warms the water, and wind cools it down. Most lakes go through a process called thermal stratification. Thermal stratification refers to a lake's three main layers, each with a different temperature range. A lake's shallowest layer is the epilimnion. Its middle layer is the metalimnion, or thermocline. The deepest layer is the hypolimnion.

The most important chemicals in a lake are nitrogen and phosphorus. These chemicals allow nutrient-rich plants and algae to grow. Other organisms feed off these plants and algae, creating a complex, healthy ecosystem.

The chemistry of a lake is affected by biological, geological, and human processes. The balance of nutrients may be altered by biological phenomena such as "algal blooms," when algae reproduces so rapidly it prevents any nutrients from reaching below the lake's surface. Natural processes such as the eruption of a nearby volcano can alter the chemical aspect of a lake by introducing new gases or minerals. Pollution, such as the introduction of toxic chemicals from industry or agriculture, can also affect a lake's chemistry.

The amount of oxygen and the pH level can also affect a lake's chemistry. A lake must have a healthy amount of oxygen to sustain life. Lakes that do not have enough oxygen to sustain life are abiotic.

The pH level is a chemical property of all substances. A substance's pH level indicates whether it is an acid or a base. Substances with a pH of less than 7 are acidic; substances with a pH greater than 7 are basic. Lakes have different pH levels, with life adapting to different chemical environments. Lake Tanganyika, one of the African Great Lakes, has an extremely high pH. It is full of dissolved minerals. Fish such as cichlids thrive in Lake Tanganyika. Tilapia, a variety of cichlid, can also thrive in lakes with very low pH.

The Life Cycle of Lakes

Once formed, lakes do not stay the same. Like people, they go through different life stages-youth, maturity, old age, and death. All lakes, even the largest, slowly disappear as their basins fill with sediment and plant material. The natural aging of a lake happens very slowly, over the course of hundreds and even thousands of years. But with human influence, it can take only decades.

A lake's plants and algae slowly die. The warm, shallow water of the upper layer of the lake causes plants and algae to decompose, and eventually they sink to the basin. Dust and mineral deposits on the bottom of the lake combine with the plants to form sediment. Rain washes soil and pebbles into the basin. The remains of fish and other animals pile up on the lake's bottom. The lake becomes smaller, starting at the edges and working toward the middle. Eventually, the lake becomes a marsh, bog, or swamp. At this point, the drying-up process slows down dramatically; limnologists, people who study lakes and ponds, aren't sure why. Eventually, the lake becomes dry land.

Dry lake beds are a perfect place to find and study fossils. Archaeologists often excavate ancient lake beds, such as Fossil Butte in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The remains of organisms, from single-celled bacteria to dinosaurs, were preserved over time as sediment on the lake bed built up around and on top of them. In fact, some scientists believe the first living organisms on Earth developed in lakes.

Lake Classification

There are three basic ways that limnologists classify lakes: how many nutrients lakes have, how their water mixes, and what kinds of fish live in them.

When lakes are classified by the amount of nutrients they have, limnologists are using the trophic system. Generally, the clearer the water in the lake, the fewer nutrients it has. Lakes that are very nutrient-rich are cloudy and hard to see through; this includes lakes that are unhealthy because they have too many nutrients. Lakes need to have a balance of nutrients.

Lakes can also be classified by how the water mixes, or turns over from top (epilimnion) to bottom (hypolimnion). This is called lake turnover. Water in some lakes, mostly shallow ones, mixes all year long. These lakes have very little lake turnover.

Deep lakes experience lake turnover on a large scale. The middle layer, the thermocline, mixes and turns over throughout the year. It turns over due to climate, nutrient variations, and geologic activity such as earthquakes. However, major lake turnover happens during the fall and spring, when the lake's cold and warm waters mix and readjust. Most lakes that experience lake turnover are dimictic lakes, meaning their waters mix twice a year, usually in fall and spring.

Lake turnover changes with the seasons. During the summer, the epilimnion, or surface layer, is the warmest. It is heated by the sun. The deepest layer, the hypolimnion, is the coldest. The sun's radiation does not reach this cold, dark layer.

During the fall, the warm surface water begins to cool. As water cools, it becomes more dense, causing it to sink. This cold, dense water sinks to the bottom of the lake. It forces the water of the hypolimnion to rise.

During the winter, the epilimnion is coldest because it is exposed to wind, snow, and low air temperatures. The hypolimnion is the warmest. It is insulated by the earth. This is why there is ice on lakes during the winter, while fish swim in slightly warmer, liquid water beneath.

During the spring, the lake turns over again. The cold surface water sinks to the bottom, forcing the warmer, less dense water upward.

The final way to classify lakes is by the kinds of fish they have. This helps people in the fishing industry identify what kinds of fish they might be able to catch in that lake. For example, calling a lake a cold-water lake tells a fisherman that he can probably expect to find trout, a cold-water fish. A lake that has thick, muddy sediment is more likely to have catfish.

There are other ways of classifying a lake, such as by whether it is closed or fed by a river or stream. States also divide lakes into ones that are available for public use and ones that are not. Many people refer to lakes by size.

How Animals and Plants Use Lakes

Lakes are important in preserving wildlife. They serve as migration stops and breeding grounds for many birds and as refuges for a wide variety of other animals. They provide homes for a diversity of organisms, from microscopic plants and animals to fish that may weigh hundreds of kilograms. The largest fish found in lakes is the sturgeon, which can grow to 6 meters (20 feet) and weigh more than 680 kilograms (1,500 pounds).

Plants growing along the lakeshore may include mosses, ferns, reeds, rushes, and cattails. Small animals such as snails, shrimp, crayfish, worms, frogs, and dragonflies live among the plants and lay their eggs on them both above and below the waterline. Farther from the shore, floating plants such as water lilies and water hyacinths often thrive. They have air-filled bladders, or sacs, that help keep them afloat. These plants shelter small fish that dart in and out under their leaves. Waterbugs, beetles, and spiders glide and skitter across the surface or just below it. Small islands, floating plants, or fallen logs provide sunny spots for turtles to warm themselves.

Other animals live near the lake, such as bats and semi-aquatic animals, such as mink, salamanders, beavers, and turtles. Semi-aquatic animals need both water and land to survive, so both the lake and the shore are important to them.

Many kinds of water birds live on lakes or gather there to breed and raise their young. Ducks are the most common lake birds. Others include swans, geese, loons, kingfishers, herons, and bald eagles.

Many people think of fish when they think of lakes. Some of the most common fish found in lakes are tiny shiners, sunfish, perch, bass, crappie, muskie, walleye, perch, lake trout, pike, eels, catfish, salmon, and sturgeon. Many of these provide food for people.

How People Use Lakes

Lakes are an important part of the water cycle; they are where all the water in an area collects. Water filters down through the watershed, which is all the streams and rivers that flow into a specific lake.

Lakes are valuable resources for people in a variety of ways. Through the centuries, lakes have provided routes for travel and trade. The Great Lakes of North America, for example, are major inland routes for ships carrying grain and raw materials such as iron ore and coal.

Farmers use lake water to irrigate crops. The effect of very large lakes on climate also helps farmers. Because water does not heat or cool as rapidly as land does, winds blowing from lakes help keep the climate more even. This is the "lake effect." The city of Chicago, in the U.S. state of Illinois, benefits from the lake effect. Chicago sits on the shore of Lake Michigan. When the western part of Illinois is snowing, Chicago often remains slightly warmer.

The lake effect can help farmers. In autumn, lakes blow warmer air over the land, helping the season last longer so farmers can continue to grow their crops. In spring, cool lake winds help plants not to grow too soon and avoid the danger of early-spring frosts, which can kill the young crops.

Lakes supply many communities with water. Artificial lakes are used to store water for times of drought. Lakes formed by dams also provide hydroelectric energy. The water is channeled from the lake to drive generators that produce electricity.

Because they are often very beautiful, lakes are popular recreation and vacation spots. People seek out their sparkling waters to enjoy boating, swimming, water-skiing, fishing, sailing, and, in winter, ice skating, ice boating, and ice fishing. Many public parks are built near lakes, allowing people to picnic, camp, hike, bike, and enjoy the wildlife and scenery the lake provides.

For some people, lakes are permanent homes. For example, indigenous people called the Uros have lived on Lake Titicaca in the Andes Mountains for centuries. The lake supplies almost everything the Uros need. They catch fish from the lake and hunt water birds.

The Uros also use the reeds that grow in Lake Titicaca to build floating "islands" to live on. The islands are about 2 meters (6.5 feet) thick. On them, the Uros build reed houses and make reed sleeping mats, baskets, fishing boats, and sails. They also eat the roots and the celery-like stalks of the reeds.

Lake Health: Blue-Green Algae

Although lakes naturally age and die, people have sped up the process by polluting the water. A major problem that threatens many lakes is blue-green algae. Blue-green algae is sometimes referred to as "pond scum" and can be blue-green, blue, green, reddish-purple, or brown. It stays on the surface of the water and forms a sort of mat. When the conditions are just right, the algae multiplies quickly. This is called an algal bloom and is harmful to lakes, animals, plants, and people.

Blue-green algae is different from true algae because it is not eaten by other organisms. True algae is an important part of the food web because it supplies energy for tiny animals, which are then eaten by fish, which are then eaten by other fish, birds, animals, or people.

Blue-green algae, also called cyanobacteria, is not a part of the food web. It uses up important nutrients without contributing to the lake ecosystem. Instead, the algal bloom chokes up a lake and uses up the oxygen that fish and other living things depend on for survival. Plants die more quickly, sinking to the bottom and filling up the lake basin. Blue-green algae also can become so dense that it prevents light from penetrating the water, changing the chemistry and affecting species living below the surface.

When an algal bloom happens, water becomes contaminated. The toxic water can kill animals and make humans sick. Blue-green algae is not a new problem. Scientists have found evidence of it from hundreds of years ago. The problem has increased, though, as humans pollute lakes.

Eutrophication is when a lake gets too many nutrients, causing blue-green algae growth. How do the excess nutrients get into lakes? Sewage from towns and cities causes explosive growth of blue-green algae, and waste from factories can wash into the lakes and pollute them. Phosphorus-based fertilizers from farms, golf courses, parks, and even neighborhood lawns can wash into lakes and pollute them. The phosphorus seeps into the ground and eventually reaches the lake. Phosphorus is an important nutrient for a lake, but too much of it is not a good thing because it encourages blue-green algae.

How can blue-green algae be prevented or reduced? At home, people can help by using phosphorus-free fertilizer and by fertilizing only where it's needed. Preventing lawn clippings and leaves from washing into the gutter and maintaining a buffer of native plants help filter water and stop debris from washing away. Making sure septic systems don't have leaks, safely disposing of household chemicals (like paint), and minimizing activities that erode soil also help prevent the spread of blue-green algae.

Controlling phosphorous and chemicals from factories and farms is much more complicated. Citizens need to work with businesses and elected leaders to help reduce the amount of runoff and water pollution.

Lake Health: Invasive Species

When a plant or animal species is moved to a location where it's not originally from, the species is called an exotic species. When that species harms the natural balance in an ecosystem, the species is called invasive. Invasive species can harm life in a lake by competing for the same resources that native species do. When introduced to new food sources, invasive species multiply quickly, crowding out the helpful native species until there are more invasive than native species.

Invasive species can change the natural habitat of the lake and are known as biological pollutants when this happens. Once non-native species have been introduced into a lake, they are almost impossible to get rid of.

How do invasive species invade in the first place? Non-native plants and animals are almost always introduced by people. As people use waterways more frequently, they may inadvertently move organisms from one area to another.

Plants such as Eurasian watermilfoil, an invasive aquatic plant in the U.S., may cling to boats, clothing, pets, equipment, and vehicles. Small animals such as the spiny water flea can travel unnoticed by hopping onto a kayak or other recreational equipment.

Species are also carried by large ships bringing goods from one country to another. These ships take in ballast water, which helps stabilize the ship as it crosses the ocean. When the ship reaches its destination, it releases the ballast water. The water may be full of non-native species accidentally captured as the ship took on ballast.

The most famous invasive species in lakes is probably the zebra mussel, a small mollusk native to the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in Europe and Asia. In the late 1980s, zebra mussels were found in several of North America's Great Lakes. Since then, zebra mussels have spread to lakes from the U.S. state of Louisiana to the Canadian province of Quebec. Zebra mussels devastate native plants and animals. Some scientists say they carry a type of disease that is deadly to birds that eat the mussels. Zebra mussels multiply so quickly that they clog pipes. This harms machinery at industrial plants that use water, including hydroelectric dams and water filtration plants. Ships, docks, anchors, and buoys have also been destroyed by the invasive zebra mussel.

Communities have worked to reduce the impact of invasive species. Many states have laws prohibiting the sale or transport of non-native species. People are encouraged to inspect their boats and other equipment for wildlife. Boaters should remove plants, animals, and mud before leaving the water-access area. They should also drain any water from their boat. Rinsing boats, equipment, and even people can help reduce the transfer of harmful species. People should also get rid of leftover bait and report any species they see that look like they might not be native. These steps can make a big difference in keeping the habitat of a lake healthy.

Lake Health: Acid Rain

Another major threat to lakes today is acid rain. Some acid is natural, even in pure rain. This slightly toxic chemical slowly weathers rocks and soil. Acid rain, however, is caused by human activities and is harmful. It is caused by toxic gases from factories, coal-fired power plants, vehicle exhaust, and home furnaces.

Nitrogen and sulfur, the main ingredients of acid rain, rise in the air and may be carried hundreds of kilometers by wind. When these gases mix with the moisture in clouds, they form strong acids, which kill fish, plants, and other organisms when the acids fall as rain or snow on lakes. Acid rain can also affect humans, causing asthma and bronchitis, and damaging lung tissue. Methylmercury, a toxic form of mercury, has been linked to acid rain. Eating fish containing high levels of this mercury is particularly harmful for pregnant women, the elderly, and children.

Lakes and soil can neutralize normal levels of acid, but acid rain is too strong for lakes to combat. Eventually, acid rain leaves lakes sterile and lifeless. There are many lakes today in the United States, Canada, and parts of Europe dead or drying up because of acid rain.

Some steps have been taken to curb acid rain. The Clean Air Act was passed by the United States Congress in 1990. It required all utility companies to reduce the amount of toxic emissions by 40 percent by the year 2000. At home, people can help the problem by replacing old furnaces, turning off electronics when they're not being used, and using fans or opening windows in the summer instead of air conditioning. Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and energy-efficient vehicles also help reduce the amount of pollution going into the air.

Lakes are among the most valuable and most beautiful of the Earth's resources. Most experts agree that lakes must be kept clean and free from pollution if they are to continue to provide the many benefits that we receive from them today.

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A lake is a body of water that is surrounded by land. There are millions of lakes in the world. They are found on every continent and in every kind of environment-in mountains and deserts, on plains, and near seashores. Lakes vary greatly in size.

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This article summarizes the most used tech brands in the world. Apple is the most popular, and this is because of their wide variety of products and prices.

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According to statistics, the technology industry makes up 35% of the total market. And it's steadily growing: the growth rate was 5.3% for 2022. There are more than 500 thousand tech companies alone in the United States, over 6,600 of which are in Silicon Valley.

Almost each and every company -no matter which industry they're originally in- depends on technology companies in one way or another. It might be hardware, software, online services/tools, cybersecurity solutions...

And my friends, this means money.

For this article, I went through Forbes The Global 2000, the annual ranking of public companies based upon 4 metrics (sales, assets, profits, and market value).
Before we start, here is a fun fact about how old the tech companies on the list are:

Apple: 47 (April 1, 1976)

Alphabet: 8 (October 2, 2015)

Microsoft: 48 (April 4, 1975)

Amazon: 29 (July 5, 1994)

Samsung Group: 85 (March 1, 1938)

Tencent Holding: 25 (November 11, 1998)

Meta Platforms: 19 (February, 2004)

Cisco Systems: 39 (December 10, 1984)

Oracle Corporation: 46 (June 16, 1977)

Broadcom: 62 (1961)

SAP: 51 (April 1, 1972)

Accenture: 34 (1989)

Salesforce: 24 (February, 1999)

Adobe: 41 (December, 1982)

Intuit: 40 (1983)

Capgemini: 56 (October 1, 1967)

VMware: 25 (1998)

Uber Technologies Inc.: 14 (March, 2009)

Shopify: 17 (2006)

Zoom Video Communications: 12 (2011)

Synopsys: 37 (1986)

Atlassian: 21 (2002)

Here are the biggest tech companies of 2023 👇

#1: Apple

Another tech giant on our list is Apple, which is not very surprising.

Specialized in electronics, software and online services, Apple's annual revenue was $365.817B last year, in 2021.

The company was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne in 1976. Since then, Apple has been producing various tech devices, from computers to wearables.

Apple was one of the most popular tech companies in the industry when I was a little kid, it still is, and it doesn't seem like this will change in the near future.

#2: Alphabet Inc.

Alphabet is a multinational conglomerate company, with $257.637B annual revenue for 2021.

After the restructuring Google went through in 2015, Alphabet Inc. was founded, and it became the parent company of Google businesses.

The company also invests in various start-ups and companies of different sizes in the tech industry: smart home projects, self-driving cars, cloud-gaming systems, and more.

#3: Microsoft

Founded by Bill Gates and Paul Ellen in 1975, Microsoft is another tech giant rising from the United States.

It produces consumer electronics and computer software, as well as offers related solutions.

One of Microsoft's best products, MS Office, has become an indispensable part of our lives. Spreadsheets, presentations, meeting notes... You are ready for any meeting, any time with Office tools. You can check our post to learn how to use Onenote.

➡️ Also; LinkedIn, Skype, and GitHub can be listed among the company's subsidiaries.

#4: Amazon

Amazon, one of the most valuable companies in the world, was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos.

Initially an online marketplace, the company started to produce its own technological devices and offer cloud services over time.

As well as ranking as the world's 6th largest company in Forbes' list, it's listed among the top 25 tech and IT companies to work for -a.k.a. best workplaces!

#5: Samsung Group

Popular Products: Phones, televisions, and other tech devices

Market Value: $367.26B

Employee Size: +320,000 (source)

Founded in 1969 in South Korea, Samsung Electronics operates through business divisions, as they manufacture and sell a wide range of electronics and software.

These are Consumer Electronics, IT & Mobile Communications, and Device Solutions.

Samsung Electronics does not only manufacture TVs, phones, and wearables; it also has smart home and digital health initiatives.

#6: Tencent Holdings

Tencent Holdings is a Chinese technology conglomerate company that was founded 23 years ago. It's the first Asian tech company that crossed the $500B mark.

Among its services, there are web portals, e-commerce platforms, payment systems, social networks, and mobile games.

The holding group also owns Tencent Music and Tencent Games, the largest company in the video game industry.

Tencent's most popular communication tool WeChat has over 1.2 billion monthly active users. And its sibling app, QQ, has 564 million monthly active users.

The company also provides marketing solutions and cloud services. "Tencent is dedicated to being a digital assistant" they say. Through their digital services and technologies, they aim to help every industry.

Launched by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004 to connect Harvard students with one another, Facebook was an instant hit. In 2 years, it became open to public use. In 2010, more than 400 million people were using it monthly.

In 2021, Facebook Inc. changed its name to Meta Platforms to emphasize its orientation to the metaverse. Virtual/augmented reality is the future, and Meta claims to help people exist there.

In addition to their own products focusing on Metaverse and Web3, such as and Meta Portal, the company acquired many subsidiaries, including Novi Financial, Hot Studio, and WhatsApp.

#8: Cisco Systems

Born out of the difficulties of a husband and wife working at Stanford to communicate within the organization, Cisco Systems is almost 40 years old today.

Headquartered in San Jose, Silicon Valley, Cisco is an IT and networking company specializing in routers, switches, and cybersecurity.

The cybersecurity unit is the most valuable -and the fastest growing- part of the company. Last quarter, it grew its revenue by 14%, according to company data.

With Cisco SecureX; you can detect, respond, and quickly recover from cyber attacks. It's an integrated platform that can be used across various products, which means you can secure your apps, users, endpoints, and network from a single platform.

➡️ A fun fact about the company name: Cisco stands for San Francisco, and the vertical lines on the logo represent the Golden Gate Bridge 🌉

#9: Oracle Corporation

Oracle is an American computer software company. It was founded in 1977, in California, but the corporate headquarters are in Austin, Texas now.

They have more than 400,000 customers across the world, including FedEx, Xerox, and Siemens Healthineers, as they provide specific solutions for different industries.

You can manage your restaurant, modernize your finances, secure network infrastructure solutions, connect HR ( Human Resources) /product management/ marketing, and increase client satisfaction.

Oracle holds developer events regularly. From machine learning to image recognition, specialists exchange ideas. You can check out old events' recordings and register for the upcoming ones from here.

#10: Broadcom Inc.

Yeah, software companies are worth the whole world, and hardware companies can be worth a lot too. But companies who provide both? They're totally different gems 💎

Broadcom has a diverse product portfolio, including both semiconductor and infrastructure software solutions.

With their innovative vision and collaboration, they achieved excellence more than once.

1. Introduced the first commercially available LED dot matrix display.

2. Produced the first cable modem that enabled cable TV providers to offer Internet connectivity.

3. Delivered the first high-speed digital optocouplers for use in hybrid and electric vehicles.

4. Introduced embedded fiber-optic solutions for IBM.

5. Introduced the first 5G radio switch.

#11: SAP

SAP is a leading software company that focuses on business management solutions such as data processing and information flow.

It was founded in 1972 in Weinheim, Germany.

When they released SAP R/2 and SAP R/3 software, they set a global standard in terms of enterprise resource planning (ERP). Now they have SAP S/4HANA, the latest version of ERP software. It makes use of in-memory computing; therefore, it enables tremendous amounts of data to be processed fast and smoothly.

SAP software gathers and centralizes data, normally which would be collected and analyzed separately by each department/team. It helps to have a better view and interpretation of collected data while increasing productivity -and ultimately, profits.

ERP software includes tools and programs suitable for all teams: HR, sales, marketing, product...

And SAP has different solutions for companies of different sizes. A big corporate or a small company, doesn't matter, you can get help from them!

⚠️ For other business management tools, let's take you here.

#12: Accenture

It's not easy to be recognized as a successful company by business magazines and get featured. But if there's anything harder, it is to be recognized and loved by those who got featured there.

Accenture has been working with 89 of Fortune 100 companies.

It's also listed as one of the best workplaces for innovative people by Fast Company.

Now, who is this Accenture? Let's have a close look at their services 👀

They provide a wide range of services. From AI and cloud services to services for marketing needs, security needs, data & analytics...

Furthermore, Accenture helps customers understand the metaverse and shape their business plans in a way that will fit into the future. With a deep understanding of the industry and the future that awaits it, they accompany customers in their metaverse journey.

"While we are at the early days of the metaverse, it will advance very quickly. If companies don't act now, they'll find themselves operating in worlds designed by, and for, someone else."

- PAUL DAUGHERTY, Group Chief Executive - Technology & Chief Technology Officer

P.S. Accenture leads a national tech apprenticeship program. You can read more about it here.

#13: Salesforce

Salesforce is the world's #1 customer relationship management (CRM) platform. Founded in 1999, in California, it became one of the major tech companies shortly.

It acquired several companies including Slack, Heroku, and Tableou Software.

Customer 360, Salesforce's original product, is a platform that integrates all the data and information about your company into one place. Sales team, customer Support, marketing people, product engineers... All teams, one workspace.

You can integrate different apps with Customer 360 for sales/marketing purposes, data analysis, etc. - and actually - the more you integrate the better results you get.

🙋 Don't forget to check the best Salesforce alternatives!

#14: Adobe

Founded in 1982, Adobe is an American software company that provides marketing and document management solutions as well as creative tools. The corporate headquarters are in San Jose, Silicon Valley.

The company offer services in 3 main categories:

1. Creative Cloud: tools for design and editing, such as, , and Illustrator.

2. Experience Cloud: services for marketing and customer experience, such as manager screens, marketing optimization, real-time CDP, and analytics.

3. Document Cloud: tools for editing documents, such as Adobe Acrobat and.

#15: Intuit

Intuit is a software company that is specialized in finance.

Along with their own products, QuickBooks, TurboTax, and Mint, the company owns time management and scheduling app, , and Credit Karma, which was another finance company but now is a brand of Intuit.

Let's see what you can do with their products 🤔
QuickBooks:
✔️ Keep track of your income and expenses

✔️ Complete your payments

✔️ Organize your taxes

#16: Capgemini

Capgemini is a French-American IT services & consulting company. Corporate headquarters are in Paris, France.

They offer companies various solutions such as business transformation, cybersecurity, and enterprise management.

Also, they are aware of the fact that industry needs differ. Capgemini follows each industry closely and offers recommendations based on their needs.

From healthcare to media, insurance to travel, banking to automotive, and even aerospace and defense! You can trust them.

#17: VMware

Founded in 1998, in Palo Alto, California, VMware is a cloud computing company.

It provides multi-cloud services for all apps. But what is multi-cloud?

Hybrid has became the new normal for most of us. No, I'm not talking about half-time office half-time home-office shifts. I'm talking about online workspaces, clouds. 73% of enterprises work with two -or more- cloud accounts. Even though the wide use of cloud-based platforms and the digital transformation is good news, they might bring possible security risks and productivity problems.

That is where VMware comes into play:

➡️ It connects and secures data across data centers and clouds.

➡️ It leverages infrastructure to protect apps.

➡️ It does not only protect your apps, but also help you improve and modernize them.

➡️ And finally, it improves the work experience of your employees. Anyone can work from anywhere from now on!

#18: Uber Technologies Inc.

Uber, one of the companies with a high-tech employment rate, is mobility as a service company. It was founded in 2009 and quickly grew to be one of the most successful start-ups of the last decade.

You can mainly do two things with Uber:

- You can meet your transportation needs

- Or you can order from your favorite restaurants and get delivery with Uber

Also, you can work as a Uber driver or a delivery person.

👉 Plus, as the largest mobility as a service platform in the world, the company is aware of its responsibilities towards the environment. They will have become a full electric, zero-emission platform by the end of 2040.

#19: Shopify

Shopify, which emerged shortly after as a solution when its founders could not find an e-commerce platform that meets their needs for their own commerce ventures, is now helping millions of businesses worldwide.

You can start your business, sell your products, plan your marketing campaigns, and manage your finances from only one platform.

But it doesn't end with creating a page on Shopify. You need to be on good terms with your customers, which means, you need to welcome them.

🏃‍♀️ Take a look at how to onboard your Shopify customers successfully.

Also, here you can find more about onboarding tools.

#20: Zoom Video Communications

I believe almost all of us have used, or at least heard about Zoom once in our lives, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

We held our meetings, classes, movie nights...

But the company was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in San Jose, Silicon Valley.

You can connect your hybrid workforce or get closer to your users and organize informative webinars. Zoom can be easily integrated with almost all industries. Healthcare, education, finance, software... If you work with people, or, target people, then you're good to go.

#21: Synopsys

Synopsys is an electronic design and software company that mainly focuses on silicon design and software security. Since it was founded, it has acquired a number of software and semiconductor companies such as Black Duck, Cigital, and eSilicon.

If there is anything smart, you're likely to see Synopsys too.

➡️ It's the world's #1 electronic design automation service

➡️ It has the broadest silicon IP portfolio

➡️ And it's one of the leading companies when it comes to app security

#22: Atlassian

Atlassian is an Australian software company that produces tools mainly for software developers, project teams, and managers. It was founded in 2002 and in 20 years, it could manage to be among The Global 2000.

Jira, the #1 software development tool, is basically a tool for project tracking and team collaboration. With special templates, you can choose what you want to focus on, and then start working.

Although they might seem fundamentally similar, Trello and Jira differ in their target audience. While Jira has special pre-determined settings/templates for coders, Trello addresses other teams (marketing, sales, product, etc.) and individuals.

Whether you're a CEO of Silicon Valley or a student, you can tailor Trello according to your needs, and start planning.

Other tech companies that deserved to be on the list but couldn't make it:

Conclusion

There are thousands of tech companies, providing different solutions and services.

In this article, I've collected the biggest ones according to Forbes' data. I wanted to focus mostly on the software and IT companies while leaving most of the hardware-producing companies out of the list. So, sorry if you couldn't see a company that should have been on the list.

All the companies on the list are public companies, which means they're open to the stock exchange. You can check their status from Wall Street Journal or any other news platform.

Finally, this list is just an interpretation of the research done by Forbes, not investment advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the #1 tech company?

With a $2.3 trillion market value, Apple Inc. dominates the tech industry.

What company owns Apple?

Apple is a public company, which means shareholders own it. But institutional shareholders such as Vanguard, Blackrock, and Berkshire Hathaway hold more than 57% of the shares.

What is the richest company in the world?

By market capitalization, Apple Inc. is the world's biggest -and richest- company.

What companies are in the technology field?

Here is a list of the companies that are in the technology field:

Samsung Group: (Market Capitalization: 399.13 trillion KRW): A South Korean multinational conglomerate that produces a wide range of consumer electronics from smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches to monitors and televisions, as well as home appliances, such as refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, and cooking appliances.

Oracle Corporation: (Market Capitalization: 234.22 billion USD): An American multinational computer technology corporation that develops enterprise software products, including database management systems and cloud services. Oracle is also the developer of some of the most popular software in the market, such as and . It's currently the world's 36th most valuable company.

Accenture: (Market Capitalization: 171.02 billion USD): A multinational (Irish-American) professional services company that provides consulting and outsourcing services to various industries. Among the many services they offer, there are data analysis, automation, digital engineering, and supply chain management.

Salesforce: (Market Capitalization: 178.72 billion USD): An American cloud-based software company that provides customer relationship management (CRM) solutions. Currently, with the lots of features and integrations with other tool they offer, Salesforce is the most popular CRM tool in the market.

Adobe: (Market Capitalization: 154.91 billion USD): An American multinational computer software company that specializes in digital media creation and editing software. Some of the most popular products of the company can be listed as follows: Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Acrobat Pro, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, etc. As of March 2023, the world's most valuable 100 companies (65th).

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World's 22 Biggest Tech Companies of 2023

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Tech companies are innovating the world and improving our lives with the experiences they offer. Here are the 22 biggest technology-based companies in 2023.

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The most read book in the world is the bible with "Quotations from the Works of Mao Tse-tung in second and the harry potter series in third

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Given all the hype surrounding E.L. James's " Fifty Shades Of Grey," you might think that's the most popular book in the world. But you'd be wrong.

The most read book in the world is the Bible.

Writer James Chapman created a list of the most read books in the world based on the number of copies each book sold over the last 50 years.

He found that the Bible far outsold any other book, with a whopping 3.9 billion copies sold over the last 50 years. " Quotations from the Works of Mao Tse-tung" came in second with 820 million copies sold, and " Harry Potter" came in third with 400 million copies sold.

Designer Jared Fanning created an infographic (below) on the most read books in the world, based on Chapman's research.

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The 10 Most Read Books In The World [Infographic]

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Given all the hype surrounding E.L. James's " Fifty Shades Of Grey," you might think that's the most popular book in the world. But you'd be wrong. The most read book in the world is the Bible.

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With the recent advancements in ai technology such as chat gpt many jobs may be at stake or even replaced. Experts say in the next 20 years many white collar jobs may be replaced by Ai since they are more productive and cost efficient for these huge companies

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300 million jobs could be affected by latest advancements in AI, says Goldman Sachs | CNN Business

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As many as 300 million full-time jobs around the world could be automated in some way by the newest wave of artificial intelligence that has spawned platforms like ChatGPT, according to Goldman Sachs economists.

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Virtual learning can be very pleasing for some students, but when it comes to learning, it can be very difficult. Only learning has affected many kids and students and have made them prone to being distracted very easily.

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Highlights

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First detailed study on both teacher's and learner's view on online class in India.

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Analysis starts from huddles in setting up online classes at home to future aspects.

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Evaluation includes attentiveness, knowledge transfer, and comfort during the class.

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The study covers all low to high-level stakeholders of teaching and learning group.

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Emphasizing more investment in technology and basic infrastructure development.

Abstract

Coronavirus outbreak mediated pandemic impacted most of the sectors globally. This includes the academic world that consists of millions of enrolled learners and active teachers who previously had regular classes in their institutions, and due to the pandemic, got stuck at the home. To continue the education process, the online class was introduced in most of the countries, including India. In this mode, both teaching and learning happen through electronic devices which are relatively new to the entire teaching-learning community. This study aimed to understand how online classes had fared for the teachers and students in India. Besides, it tried to understand the users' experience and the unique set of challenges that this mode of education brings.

Four separate questionnaires were created for school students, school teachers, college students, and college professors. The questions inquired about various aspects of online classes such as setting up online education at home, knowledge transfer, comfort, evaluation, and future aspects. The questionnaires were circulated electronically as google forms. The responses were received from the teachers (school teachers and college professors considering all courses) and learners (school and college students considering all courses) of various educational institutions across the country. The data was compiled and the results were discussed in two ways, firstly, the perspectives of teaching versus the learning group and secondly, school versus college groups on online versus regular classes. Though online training/distance education is practiced for a long time, the research on the mentioned aspects was limited. This study is the first of its kind which reflects the merits and demerits of the new-normal online education from home in the compiled voice of teachers and learners group in India. The study addresses the participant's compliments and grievances of online education compared to regular classes. This further enlightens how to improve the technologies to make them use more efficiently. Besides, this study gives a proper framework to modify or create educational policies, laws, and schemes to obtain equal access to resources for all.

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Effect of pandemic based online education on teaching and learning system

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Coronavirus outbreak mediated pandemic impacted most of the sectors globally. This includes the academic world that consists of millions of enrolled l...

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Americans' challenges with medical bills

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Americans' challenges with medical bills

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America is one lf the best country for basic anything, but the medical cost is with out a dout one of the bigger issue that we face everyday. Almost half of U.S's population say they have a hard time affording the bill. We need to do something about the cost or else it's going to be a big problem.

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For many years, KFF polling has found that the high cost of health care is a burden on U.S. families, and that health care costs factor into decisions about insurance coverage and care seeking. These costs and the prospect of unexpected medical bills also rank as the top financial worries for adults and their families, and recent polling shows that lowering out-of-pocket health care costs is by and large the public's top health care priority. Health care affordability is also one of the top issues that voters want to hear presidential candidates talk about during the 2024 election. This data note summarizes recent KFF polling on the public's experiences with health care costs. Main takeaways include:

About half of U.S. adults say it is difficult to afford health care costs, and one in four say they or a family member in their household had problems paying for health care in the past 12 months. Younger adults, those with lower incomes, adults in fair or poor health, and the uninsured are particularly likely to report problems affording health care in the past year.

The cost of health care can lead some to put off needed care. One in four adults say that in the past 12 months they have skipped or postponed getting health care they needed because of the cost. Notably six in ten uninsured adults (61%) say they went without needed care because of the cost.

The cost of prescription drugs prevents some people from filling prescriptions. About one in five adults (21%) say they have not filled a prescription because of the cost while a similar share say they have instead opted for over-the-counter alternatives. About one in ten adults say they have cut pills in half or skipped doses of medicine in the last year because of the cost.

Those who are covered by health insurance are not immune to the burden of health care costs. About half (48%) of insured adults worry about affording their monthly health insurance premium and large shares of adults with employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) and those with Marketplace coverage rate their insurance as "fair" or "poor" when it comes to their monthly premium and to out-of-pocket costs to see a doctor.

Health care debt is a burden for a large share of Americans. About four in ten adults (41%) report having debt due to medical or dental bills including debts owed to credit cards, collections agencies, family and friends, banks, and other lenders to pay for their health care costs, with disproportionate shares of Black and Hispanic adults, women, parents, those with low incomes, and uninsured adults saying they have health care debt.

Notable shares of adults still say they are worried about affording medical costs such as unexpected bills, the cost of health care services (including out-of-pocket costs not covered by insurance, such as co-pays and deductibles), prescription drug costs, and long-term care services for themselves or a family member. About three in four adults say they are either "very" or "somewhat worried" about being able to afford unexpected medical bills (74%) or the cost of health care services (73%) for themselves and their families. Additionally, about half of adults would be unable to pay an unexpected medical bill of $500 in full without going into debt.

Difficulty Affording Medical Costs

Many U.S. adults have trouble affording health care costs. While lower income and uninsured adults are the most likely to report this, those with health insurance and those with higher incomes are not immune to the high cost of medical care. About half of U.S. adults say that it is very or somewhat difficult for them to afford their health care costs (47%). Among those under age 65, uninsured adults are much more likely to say affording health care costs is difficult (85%) compared to those with health insurance coverage (47%). Additionally, at least six in ten Black adults (60%) and Hispanic adults (65%) report difficulty affording health care costs compared to about four in ten White adults (39%). Adults in households with annual incomes under $40,000 are more than three times as likely as adults in households with incomes over $90,000 to say it is difficult to afford their health care costs (69% v. 21%). (Source: KFF Health Care Debt Survey: Feb.-Mar. 2022)

When asked specifically about problems paying for health care in the past year, one in four adults say they or a family member in their household had problems paying for care, including three in ten adults under age 50 and those with lower household incomes (under $40,000). Affording health care is particularly a problem for those who may need it the most as one-third of adults who describe their physical health as "fair" or "poor" say they or a family member had problems paying for health care in the past 12 months. Among uninsured adults, half (49%) say they or a family member in their household had problems paying for health care, including 51% of uninsured adults who say they are in fair or poor health.

The cost of care can also lead some adults to skip or delay seeking services. One-quarter of adults say that in the past 12 months, they have skipped or postponed getting health care they needed because of the cost. The cost of care can also have disproportionate impacts among different groups of people; for instance, women are more likely than men to say they have skipped or postponed getting health care they needed because of the cost (28% vs. 21%). Adults ages 65 and older, most of whom are eligible for health care coverage through Medicare, are much less likely than younger age groups to say they have not gotten health care they needed because of cost.

One in four immigrant adults (22%) say they have skipped or postponed care in the past year, rising to about a third (36%) among those who are uninsured. Seven in ten (69%) of immigrant adults who skipped or postponed care (15% of all immigrant adults) said they did so due to cost or lack of health coverage. (Source: The 2023 KFF/LA Times Survey of Immigrants: Apr.-June 2023)

Six in ten uninsured adults (61%) say they have skipped or postponed getting health care they needed due to cost. Health insurance, however, does not offer ironclad protection as one in five adults with insurance (21%) still report not getting health care they needed due to cost.

KFF health polling from March 2022 also looked at the specific types of care adults are most likely to report putting off and found that dental services are the most common type of medical care that people report delaying or skipping, with 35% of adults saying they have put it off in the past year due to cost. This is followed by vision services (25%), visits to a doctor's offices (24%), mental health care (18%), hospital services (14%), and hearing services, including hearing aids (10%). (Source: KFF Health Tracking Poll: March 2022)

A 2022 KFF report found that people who already have debt due to medical or dental care are disproportionately likely to put off or skip medical care. Half (51%) of adults currently experiencing debt due to medical or dental bills say in the past year, cost has been a probititor to getting the medical test or treatment that was recommended by a doctor. (Source: KFF Health Care Debt Survey: Feb.-Mar. 2022)

Prescription Drug Costs

For many U.S. adults, prescription drugs are a component of their routine care. More than one in four (28%) adults say it is either "somewhat" or "very difficult" for them to afford to pay for prescription drugs. Affording prescription drugs is particularly difficult for adults who take four or more prescription medications (37%) and those in households with annual incomes under $40,000 (40%). Black and Hispanic adults are also more likely than White adults to say it is difficult for them to afford to pay for prescription drugs. (Source: KFF Health Tracking Poll: July 2023)

The high cost of prescription drugs also leads some people to cut back on their medications in various ways. About one in five adults (21%) say in the past 12 months they have not filled a prescription because of the cost. A similar share (21%) say they have taken an over-the-counter drug instead of getting a prescription filled - rising to about one third of Hispanic adults (32%) and more than one in four adults (27%) with annual household incomes under $40,000. About one in ten adults say that in the past 12 months they have cut pills in half or skipped doses of medicine due to cost. (Source: KFF Health Tracking Poll: July 2023)

Health Insurance Cost Ratings

Overall, most insured adults rate their health insurance as "excellent" or "good" when it comes to the amount they have to pay out-of-pocket for their prescriptions (61%), the amount they have to pay out-of-pocket to see a doctor (53%), and the amount they pay monthly for insurance (54%). However, at least three in ten rate their insurance as "fair" or "poor" on each of these metrics, and affordability ratings vary depending on the type of coverage people have.

Adults who have private insurance through employer-sponsored insurance or Marketplace coverage are more likely than those with Medicare or Medicaid to rate their insurance negatively when it comes to their monthly premium, the amount they have to pay out of pocket to see a doctor, and their prescription co-pays. About one in four adults with Medicare give negative ratings to the amount they have to pay each month for insurance and to their out-of-pocket prescription costs, while about one in five give their insurance a negative rating when it comes to their out-of-pocket costs to see a doctor.

Medicaid enrollees are less likely than those with other coverage types to give their insurance negative ratings on these affordability measures (Medicaid does not charge monthly premiums in most states, and copays for covered services, where applied, are required to be nominal.) (Source: KFF Survey of Consumer Experiences with Health Insurance)

Health Care Debt

In June 2022, KFF released an analysis of the KFF Health Care Debt Survey, a companion report to the investigative journalism project on health care debt conducted by KFF Health News and NPR, Diagnosis Debt. This project found that health care debt is a wide-reaching problem in the United States and that 41% of U.S. adults currently have some type of debt due to medical or dental bills from their own or someone else's care, including about a quarter of adults (24%) who say they have medical or dental bills that are past due or that they are unable to pay, and one in five (21%) who have bills they are paying off over time directly to a provider. One in six (17%) report debt owed to a bank, collection agency, or other lender from loans taken out to pay for medical or dental bills, while similar shares say they have health care debt from bills they put on a credit card and are paying off over time (17%). One in ten report debt owed to a family member or friend from money they borrowed to pay off medical or dental bills.

While four in ten U.S. adults have some type of health care debt, disproportionate shares of lower income adults, the uninsured, Black and Hispanic adults, women, and parents report current debt due to medical or dental bills.

Vulnerabilities and Worries About Health Care and Long-Term Care Costs

A February 2024 KFF Health Tracking Poll shows unexpected medical bills and the cost of health care services are at the top of the list of people's financial worries, with about three-quarters of the public - and similar shares of insured adults younger than 65 - saying they are at least somewhat worried about affording unexpected medical bills (74%) or the cost of health care services (73%) for themselves and their families. Just over half (55%) of the public say they are "very" or "somewhat worried" about being able to afford their prescription drug costs, while about half (48%) of insured adults say they are worried about affording their monthly health insurance premium.

Worries about health care costs pervade among a majority of adults regardless of their financial situation. Among adults who report difficulty affording their monthly bills, more than eight in ten say they are worried about the cost of health care services (86%) or unexpected medical bills (83%). Among those who report being just able to afford their bills, about eight in ten say they are worried about being able to afford unexpected medical bills (84%) or health care services (83%). And even among adults who say they can afford their bills with money left over, six in ten nonetheless say they are "very" or "somewhat worried" about being able to afford unexpected medical bills (62%) or the cost of health care services (60%) for themselves and their family. (Source: KFF Health Tracking Poll: February 2024)

Many U.S. adults may be one unexpected medical bill from falling into debt. About half of U.S. adults say they would not be able to pay an unexpected medical bill that came to $500 out of pocket. This includes one in five (19%) who would not be able to pay it at all, 5% who would borrow the money from a bank, payday lender, friends or family to cover the cost, and one in five (21%) who would incur credit card debt in order to pay the bill. Women, those with lower household incomes, Black and Hispanic adults are more likely than their counterparts to say they would be unable to afford this type of bill. (Source: KFF Health Care Debt Survey: Feb.-Mar. 2022)

Among older adults, the costs of long-term care and support services are also a concern. Almost six in ten (57%) adults 65 and older say they are at least "somewhat anxious" about affording the cost of a nursing home or assisted living facility if they needed it, and half say they feel anxious about being able to afford support services such as paid nurses or aides. These concerns also loom large among those between the ages of 50 and 64, with more than seven in ten saying they feel anxious about affording residential care (73%) and care from paid nurses or aides (72%) if they were to need these services. See The Affordability of Long-Term Care and Support Services: Findings from a KFF Survey for a deeper dive into concerns about the affordability of nursing homes and support services.

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Americans' Challenges with Health Care Costs | KFF

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This data note reviews our recent polling data that finds that Americans struggle to afford many aspects of health care, including disproportionate shares of uninsured adults, Black and Hispanic adults and those with lower incomes.

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Water sorts is a very common way to spend your time out on the lake, but there are many risks involved including injuries. This article will help you research which kinds of sports are the most dangerous and what injuries have occured from water sports.

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July 18, 2019

It's summertime in Chicago (finally!) and many of us are flocking to area lakes and rivers to enjoy water sports, like waterskiing, tubing and wakeboarding.

But, a recent study shows that overall, water sports injuries have a similar in-hospital mortality rate as motor vehicle collisions. And, water sport injuries are more likely to result in penetrating trauma and more likely to require surgical intervention.

A second study shows that tubing, a seemingly harmless activity that involves someone in an inflatable tube being pulled by a motor boat, can be just as dangerous as other water sports like water skiing and wakeboarding.

Most common injuries

Wakeboarding-and tubing-related injuries most often affect the head and neck, while waterskiing injuries cause strain or sprain to the knees, shoulders and ankles. High-speed sports such as jet skiing, surfing and kiteboarding have potential for impact with a board and can cause concussions and fractures.

Wakeboarders are most likely to injure their head and neck, including sustaining a concussion. A wakeboarder can "catch an edge," throwing him hard into the water, and slamming his head. ACL injuries and ankle sprains are very common in wakeboarding.

The most common waterskiing injuries include hamstring strains, ankle sprains, ankle fractures, osteochondral lesions of the talus, and Achilles tendon ruptures. The skier's ankles are bound to the skis, so the impact of a fall can place a lot of pressure on the ankle as the skis go in one direction and the skier's body the other direction.

Who gets injured?

Research has demonstrated that injuries are not necessarily related to inexperience. Studies have shown that musculoskeletal injuries from water sports don't just occur in our novice participants, but advanced and professional competitors sustain similar injuries.

Prevention tips

Dr. Brian Cole, who last month sustained a hamstring tear while wakesurfing himself, has tips for water sport lovers:

Stay hydrated: The musculoskeletal system, specifically your muscles, work best when they are hydrated. Dehydration leads to muscle cramping, strains or tears. For vigorous water sport activity, a combination of water and electrolyte beverages is best.

Stretch: Treat water sports like any other and warm up before taking the plunge. Stretching increases your range of motion and prevents injury and muscle strains. This is especially important given the high incidence of hamstring strains.

Water safety: Wear a life jacket whenever you're on or in the water. Even the best swimmers and athletes can become fatigued. Most people know that a life jacket is required when riding in a boat or on a jet ski, but the U.S. Coast Guard has determined that stand up paddle board riders now require life jackets.

Know your limits: Like all sports, waterskiing, wakeboarding, kite boarding and surfing all take practice. Take it slow and increase the intensity at a steady pace.

Wear a helmet: Depending on the sport, wear a helmet to avoid head injury. It's always better to be safe and protect yourself against head injuries and concussions.

Take a break: If you have an injury or a muscle strain, back off the intensity or stop entirely so that your injury has time to heal.

Keep safety in mind this summer-and have fun on the water!

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Tips for Preventing Water Sports Injuries

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July 18, 2019 It's summertime in Chicago (finally!) and many of us are flocking to area lakes and rivers to enjoy water sports, like waterskiing, tubing and wakeboarding. But, a recent study shows that overall, water sports injuries have a similar in-hospital mortality rate as motor vehicle collisions.

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The First Successful Open-Heart Surgery; Daniel Hale Williams

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The First Successful Open-Heart Surgery; Daniel Hale Williams

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Daniel Hale Williams, one of the first African American Surgeons, performed the first successful open-heart surgery in 1893. He also made one of the first interracial hospitals and nursing programs, expanding African American opportunities in the medical field.

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"A people who don't make provision for their own sick and suffering are not worthy of civilization."
-Daniel Hale Williams

The son of a barber, Daniel Hale Williams founded the first black-owned hospital in America, and performed the world's first successful heart surgery, in 1893. Williams was born in 1858 in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, the fifth of seven children. After his father died, his mother, Sara Price Williams, moved the family several times. Young Daniel started as a shoemaker, but quickly knew he wanted more education. He completed secondary school in Wisconsin. At age 20, Williams became an apprentice to a former surgeon general for Wisconsin. Williams studied medicine at Chicago Medical College.

After his internship, he went into private practice in an integrated neighborhood on Chicago's south side. He soon began teaching anatomy at Chicago Medical College and served as surgeon to the City Railway Company. In 1889, the governor of Illinois appointed him to the state's board of health.

Determined that Chicago should have a hospital where both black and white doctors could study and where black nurses could receive training, Williams rallied for a hospital open to all races. After months of hard work, he opened Provident Hospital and Training School for Nurses on May 4, 1891, the country's first interracial hospital and nursing school.

One hot summer night in 1893, a young Chicagoan named James Cornish was stabbed in the chest and rushed to Provident. When Cornish started to go into shock, Williams suspected a deeper wound near the heart. He asked six doctors (four white, two black) to observe while he operated. In a cramped operating room with crude anesthesia, Williams inspected the wound between two ribs, exposing the breastbone. He cut the rib cartilage and created a small trapdoor to the heart.

Underneath, he found a damaged left internal mammary artery and sutured it. Then, inspecting the pericardium (the sac around the heart) he saw that the knife had left a gash near the right coronary artery. With the heart beating and transfusion impossible, Williams rinsed the wound with salt solution, held the edges of the palpitating wound with forceps, and sewed them together. Just 51 days after his apparently lethal wound, James Cornish walked out of the hospital. He lived for over 20 years after the surgery. The landmark operation was hailed in the press.

In 1894, Dr. Williams became chief surgeon of Freedmen's Hospital in Washington, D.C., the most prestigious medical post available to African Americans then. There, he made improvements that reduced the hospital's mortality rate. In 1895, he helped to organize the National Medical Association for black professionals, who were barred from the American Medical Association. Williams returned to Chicago, and continued as a surgeon. In 1913, he became the first African American to be inducted into the American College of Surgeons.

As a sign of the esteem of the black medical community, until this day, a "code blue" at the Howard University Hospital emergency room is called a "Dr. Dan." In words that could later be said of Vivien Thomas, a colleague wrote, "His greatest pride was that directly or indirectly, he had a hand in the making of most of the outstanding Negro surgeons of the current generation."

Dr. Williams died in 1931. The Daniel Hale Williams Medical Reading Club in Washington, D.C., commemorates his achievements.

Click the link to learn more and view interactive presentation on black medical pioneers.

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Daniel Hale Williams and the First Successful Heart Surgery

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"A people who don't make provision for their own sick and suffering are not worthy of civilization." -Daniel Hale Williams

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Perfectionism is usually defined as the need to be or appear to be perfect, or even to believe that it's possible to achieve perfection. Some people may see it in a positive way other than a flaw.

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Perfectionism is often seen as a positive trait that increases your chances of success, but it can lead to self-defeating thoughts or behaviors that make it harder to achieve goals. It may also cause stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. People who strive for perfection out of feelings of inadequacy or failure may find it helpful to speak with a therapist; this can often help people manage excessive self-criticism.

What Is Perfectionism?

Perfectionism is often defined as the need to be or appear to be perfect, or even to believe that it's possible to achieve perfection. It is typically viewed as a positive trait rather than a flaw. People may use the term "healthy perfectionism" to describe or justify perfectionistic behavior.

Perfectionism is not the same thing as striving to be your best. Perfection is not about healthy achievement and growth.

Brené Brown, a writer and research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, distinguishes between perfectionism and healthy behavior. She says, "Perfectionism is not the same thing as striving to be your best. Perfection is not about healthy achievement and growth." She explains that perfectionism is used by many people as a shield to protect against the pain of blame, judgment, or shame.

Signs You Might Be a Perfectionist

Most people engage in perfectionism from time to time or in certain areas of life. People who are nearly full-time perfectionists may feel the need to achieve perfection constantly. They might also:

Not be able to perform a task unless they know they can do it perfectly.

View the end product as the most important part of any undertaking. As a result, they may focus less on the process of learning or completing a task to the best of their ability.

Not see a task as finished until the result is perfect according to their standards.

Procrastinate. People with perfectionism may not want to begin a task until they know they can do it perfectly.

Take an excessive amount of time to complete a task that does not typically take others long to complete.

Examples of Perfectionistic Behavior

Most people want to achieve success, but working hard to reach your goals does not always indicate perfectionistic behavior. People who are perfectionists typically believe that nothing they do is worthwhile unless it is perfect. Instead of being proud of their progress, learning, or hard work, they might constantly compare their work to the work of others or fixate on achieving flawless output.

Even when people with perfectionistic traits get their desired results, they may still be unsatisfied. They may feel that if they truly were perfect, they would not have had to work so hard to achieve their goals.

Some examples of perfectionism include:

Spending 30 minutes writing and rewriting a two-sentence email.

Believing that missing two points on a test is a sign of failure.

Difficulty being happy for others who are successful.

Holding oneself to the standards of others' accomplishments or comparing oneself unfavorably and unrealistically to others.

Skipping class or avoiding a chore because it is pointless to make an effort unless perfection can be achieved.

Focusing on the end product rather than the process of learning.

Avoiding playing a game or trying a new activity with friends for fear of being shown up as less than perfect.

Types of Perfectionism

A few distinct types of perfectionism are thought to exist. While these types share similar behaviors, their motives and outcomes often differ.

Domains of Perfectionism

Perfectionism can impact many areas of a person's life, and these areas are often referred to as domains. Sometimes, perfectionism affects only one domain, while other times, it impacts multiple domains. Below are some areas of life perfectionism can affect.

In the workplace or at school: People who are perfectionists in school or at work may take longer than others to complete a task. They may also avoid starting a task they do not feel confident in. This is often due to a desire to complete the task perfectly.

Intimate relationships or friendships: Perfectionism can cause people to place their unrealistic standards on their loved ones, bringing extra stress and pressure into the relationship.

Physical activity: Sports and athletics often encourage or exacerbate perfectionism. In individual sports, such as gymnastics or track, perfectionism may be especially prevalent, since the athlete is often competing against oneself.

Environment or surroundings: This may include the need for one's house or yard to be immaculate at all times. It can cause an individual to spend large amounts of time and energy keeping their immediate surroundings tidy or in line with their aesthetic standards.

Hygiene and health: Ironically, this type of perfectionism may cause health issues. For instance, someone may stop brushing their teeth because they failed to do so once. This type of perfectionism may also lead to eating disorders like orthorexia nervosa, in which individuals feel compelled to stick to a rigidly healthy diet.

How one speaks or writes: When a person is perfectionistic about how they speak or write, the quality of their speech or writing may decrease. It may cause them to speak very little or to avoid writing for fear of making a mistake.

Physical appearance: This type of perfectionism can cause someone to worry excessively about their personal grooming or style. They may take hours choosing what to wear or how to style their hair. Perfectionism surrounding physical appearance can also lead to eating disorders or exercise addiction.

What Causes Perfectionism?

Many factors can contribute to whether perfectionism develops. A few include:

Frequent fear of disapproval from others or feelings of insecurity and inadequacy.

Mental health issues like anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). While a correlation between OCD and perfectionism has been found to exist, not all people with perfectionism have OCD, and not all people with OCD are perfectionists.

Having a parent who exhibits perfectionistic behavior or expresses disapproval when their children's efforts do not result in perfection. Some parents may encourage their child to succeed in every area or push perfection on them to an extent that can be considered abusive.

An insecure early attachment. People who had a troubled attachment with parents when they were young may experience difficulty self-soothing as adults. They may have trouble accepting a good outcome as good if it's not perfect.

People with a history of high achievement sometimes feel overwhelming pressure to live up to their previous achievements. This often leads them to engage in perfectionistic behavior. Children who are frequently praised for their accomplishments may feel pressure to keep achieving as they age, which can also cause perfectionistic tendencies.

If you feel you may have traits of perfectionism that cause you daily distress, know that perfectionistic behavior and habits can be changed. It is possible to learn healthier attitudes about your goals and standards with the help of a trusted, compassionate therapist.
References:

1. Flett, G. L., Heisel, M. J., & Hewitt, P. L. (2014). The destructiveness of perfectionism revisited: Implications for the assessment of suicide risk and the prevention of suicide. Review of General Psychology, 18(3), 156-172. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/gpr0000011

2. Hasse, A. M., Prapavessis, H., & Owens, R. G. (2013, June 24). Domain-specificity in perfectionism: Variations across domains of life. Personality and Individual Differences, 55(2013), 711-715. Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.719.5924&rep=rep1&type=pdf

3. Rettner, R. (2010, July 11). The dark side of perfectionism revealed. Retrieved from http://www.livescience.com/6724-dark-side-perfectionism-revealed.html

4. Scutti, S. (2014, September 26). Perfectionists, especially doctors, architects, and lawyers, are at higher risk of suicide. Retrieved from http://www.medicaldaily.com/perfectionists-especially-doctors-architects-and-lawyers-are-higher-risk-suicide-305256

5. Szymanski, J. (2011, October 3). Perfectionism: Healthy or hurtful? Retrieved from http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/10/is_perfectionism_helping_or_hu.html

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Perfectionism is often seen as a positive trait that increases your chances of success, but it can lead to self-defeating thoughts or behaviors that make it harder to achieve goals. It may also cause stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues.

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The Menendez brothers, Lyle and Erik, killed their parents after years of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse.

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Why the Menendez Brothers Killed Their Parents

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Lyle and Erik Menendez cited emotional and sexual abuse, among other reasons, for the gruesome 1989 murders of their father and mother.

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people with higher psychological well-beings, are more likley to live happier and healthier lives. they will also probably enjoy their life more than someone who has a low psychological well-being.

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The phrase "psychological well-being" is used to describe an individual's emotional health and overall functioning. The author of a study published in Applied Psychology: Health and Well‒Being describes psychological well-being as "the combination of feeling good and functioning effectively."﻿﻿

Researchers also have found that the absence of distress doesn't necessarily indicate a person has high psychological well-being. High psychological well-being is about feeling happy and doing well. People with high psychological well-being report feeling capable, happy, well-supported, and satisfied with life.

Why Your Psychological Well-Being Matters

Studies have discovered that people with higher psychological well-being are more likely to live healthier and longer lives. They are also more likely to enjoy a better quality of life.﻿﻿ Better psychological well-being also is associated with fewer social problems.

For instance, research has found that people with high psychological well-being are less likely to engage in criminal activity or abuse drugs and alcohol. In addition, positive psychological well-being tends to predict higher earnings and more prosocial behavior, such as volunteering.

If you're looking to improve your psychological well-being, there are several things you can do to feel and function better. Here's an overview of four things you an do to improve your overall sense of well-being.

Creating Purpose

Living a life with meaning and purpose is key to improving your psychological well-being.﻿﻿ Your purpose doesn't necessarily have to involve changing the world or finding a career devoted to helping others though.

Instead, you might make it your purpose to be kind every day. Or, your purpose might involve making the world better by encouraging others to take care of the environment or adopt pets from the shelter. Maybe your purpose is being an advocate for those who are hurting like bullied students, the homeless, or victims of abuse.

If you feel like your life lacks purpose, don't worry. There are many ways you can find purpose in life and build a life that has more meaning. Begin by thinking about the legacy you would like to leave behind. Write down how you'd like to be remembered at the end of your life, or think about the impact you want to leave on the planet. Then, establish some objectives that can help you reach those goals.

Positive Thinking

Thinking positively also improves your psychological well-being. In turn, as your psychological well-being improves, it becomes easier to think positively and feel good overall. Fortunately, you can begin creating that positive cycle with a few simple strategies. Here's an overview of the ways you can increase the positivity in your life.

Write About a Better Future

Take a few minutes and write down all the good things that could happen to you in the future. Imagine how you could be spending your time and who you would be spending it with if you were living your best life.

You also may want to devise a plan on how you can make that happen. Make small, measurable goals that will help you achieve that better future. Then, put a plan into place. When you're working toward a better future-even if the steps are really small-it gives you a sense of purpose and something to look forward to.

Recall Positive Life Events

Spend time thinking about some of the best memories of your life. Whether it's a family vacation you went on 10 years ago or an award you won at work two years ago, recalling the happiest times in your life can bring more positivity to your mindset.

Recognizing the good things that have happened to you over time-the people you have built memories with or the good times that you have experienced-is an important part of improving your well-being. They serve as reminders of the fullness life has to offer, especially when circumstances may be pulling you down.

Perform Acts of Kindness

Doing nice things for other people reminds you that you have the power to make a difference in the world. Giving to others also helps you think more positively and feel happier. Helping a neighbor in need, volunteering for a community activity, or raising money for a charity are just a few simple ways to improve your psychological well-being.

Also, look for ways to be kind to others in your everyday life. Doing so benefits you in a number of ways. In fact, researchers indicate that individual acts of kindness releases both endorphins and oxytocin-the feel good hormones-as well as creates new neural connections.

Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness, which means staying in the moment, has been linked to a multitude of benefits, ranging from increased happiness to better resilience.﻿﻿ Although mindfulness is a skill that takes practice and dedication, over time you can get better at learning how to be present and in the moment. Doing so has a number of benefits too.

For instance, studies suggest that mindfulness helps people manage stress, cope with serious illnesses, and reduce anxiety and depression. In fact, people who practice mindfulness are better able to relax, have improved self-esteem, and possess more enthusiasm over life.﻿﻿

What's more studies have found a link between mindfulness meditation and changes in the parts of the brain responsible for memory, learning, and emotion. This discovery is not surprising because mindfulness requires you to pay attention to your thoughts, your actions, and your body.﻿﻿

Express Gratitude

Whether you send letters to people telling them how much you appreciate them or you write about the things you feel thankful for in a journal, expressing your gratitude will keep you focused on all the good things in life. You can even express gratitude on social media.

Learning to be grateful in everything you do will become a way of life. You'll discover you can be thankful for little things like the beauty of sunset as well as the big things like a new job or a visit from friend. Finding things to be thankful for everyday is a simple but effective way to boost your psychological well-being.

Identify Your Strengths

Feeling capable and confident is important. One of the best ways to accomplish this task is to remind yourself of the things you're good at or the character strengths you possess. Try reflecting on your past achievements and the qualities that helped you succeed.

Write down these things as a reminder of what you have to offer the world. And, if there's an area that you feel needs improvement, don't be afraid to list that too. Working on improving yourself is a great way to impact your overall well-being.

Practice Forgiveness

Letting go of past hurt and anger is key to good psychological well-being. Forgiving someone doesn't mean you have to allow that person to hurt you again. Instead, forgiveness is about releasing yourself of the anger that's holding you back and keeping you bound to that person.

Forgiving another person frees you to put your energy into more positive things rather than ruminating on past hurts and offenses. If the person who wounded you is still a threat to your overall well-being, it also may help to erect some boundaries to safeguard yourself from further unnecessary pain.

Fostering Relationships

Studies show that loneliness takes a serious toll on your emotional and physical health.﻿﻿ In fact, one study found that being lonely was as lethal as smoking 15 cigarettes per day. Just being around people, however, isn't the solution. Instead, it's important to form deep connections with other people.

While contact over social media can be a good way to keep in touch when you can't visit a friend in person, there's no real substitute for the benefits of face-to-face contact. Have coffee with a friend, eat dinner with your family, and call a loved one just to chat.

Strong social support also is important to staying psychologically healthy. If you lack a support system, take steps to meet more people. Join community activities, get acquainted with your neighbors, or reach out to old friends.

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A Word From Verywell

Psychological well-being is a key part of feeling happy and being able to function day-to-day. It's easier than you may think to develop healthy habits that can foster your emotional health.

Start small and try practicing one or two strategies to maximize your psychological well-being, such as writing down a few of your strengths or happy memories. Over time, you will see the effects that these practices have on your positivity and overall mental health.

By Amy Morin, LCSW, Editor-in-Chief
Amy Morin, LCSW, is the Editor-in-Chief of Verywell Mind. She's also a licensed clinical social worker, psychotherapist, and international bestselling author. Her books, including "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do," have been translated into more than 40 languages. Her TEDx talk, "The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong," is one of the most viewed talks of all time.

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Simple Ways to Improve Your Psychological Well-Being

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The phrase "psychological well-being" is used to describe an individual's emotional health and overall functioning. The author of a study published in Applied Psychology: Health and Well‒Being describes psychological well-being as "the combination of feeling good and functioning effectively."﻿﻿ Researchers also have found that the absence of distress doesn't necessarily indicate a person has high psychological well-being.

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A big question among us is, what drives people to kill? There are many reasons, but some of the most deranged serial killers simply kill for fun.

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Many serial killings seem to be completely devoid of meaning or motivation on the part of the criminal. In actuality, however, there is great diversity in the needs and desires of serial killers that lead them to extinguish the lives of others. Sometimes, the act or process of murder can be an end in itself for them.

One aspect of popularly held beliefs and media stereotypes that often holds true is that most serial killers derive great satisfaction from the act of killing. The gratification they receive from the act of murder differentiates them from one-time murderers who kill incidentally-that is, to help commit or conceal another crime. Stated differently, serial killers have a chronic and overwhelming need to commit murder that distinguishes them from those who kill one time because it serves other criminal interests.

It may seem to be counterintuitive on the surface but many serial killers are actually insecure individuals who are compelled to kill due to a morbid fear of rejection. In many cases, the fear of rejection seems to result from having been abandoned by their mother in early childhood.

Infamous serial killers who were rejected or abandoned by their birth mothers include David Berkowitz, Ted Bundy and Joel Rifkin. Some serial killers such as Edmund Kemper are tormented, abused and even tortured by their birth mothers.

A neophyte serial killer who was traumatized as a child will seek to avoid painful relationships with other human beings as an adult. He will particularly seek to avoid painful relationships with those he desires or covets. Such fear of rejection may compel a fledgling serial killer to want to eliminate any objects of his affections. He may come to believe that by destroying the person he desires prior to entering into a relationship with them, he can eliminate the frightening possibility of being abandoned, humiliated or otherwise hurt by someone he loves, as he was in childhood.

As explained by the FBI in a 2005 report on serial homicide, a serial killer selects victims based on availability, vulnerability and desirability (1).

Availability is primarily determined by the lifestyle of the victim or circumstances in which he/she is involved that may provide the offender access for an attack. For example, a single female who regularly spends her evenings alone at home is available for a break-in attack by a serial predator.

Vulnerability is defined as the extent to which the victim is at-risk or susceptible to attack by the offender. A single female walking down the street at night is less vulnerable to attack if she is accompanied by a large dog.

Desirability is highly subjective and is described as the attractiveness or appeal of the victim to the offender. Victim desirability involves numerous factors related to the motivation of the offender and may include characteristics such as race, ethnicity, gender, age, body type or other specific criteria established by the serial killer.

At a symposium on serial homicide in 2005, the FBI and other experts in criminology and forensic psychology had an in-depth discussion about the motivations of serial killers. The attendees made a number of observations and recommendations for serial homicide investigations that are related to the motivations of the killer.

As presented by the FBI in Serial Murder: Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives for Investigators, the specific observations made by attendees at the symposium are outlined below (1).

The motive can be very difficult to determine in a serial murder investigation.

A serial murderer can have multiple motives for committing his/her crimes.

A serial killer's motive(s) can evolve both within a single murder and throughout the series of murders.

The classification of motivations should be limited to observable behavior and conditions at the scenes of the murders.

Even if a motive can be identified, it may not be helpful in identifying a serial murderer.

Utilizing investigative resources to discern the motive instead of identifying the offender can derail or bog down an investigation.

Investigators should not necessarily equate a serial murderer's motivation(s) with the level of injury.

Finally, regardless of the specific motive(s), most serial killers commit their crimes because they want to. The exception to this would be those few serial killers suffering from a severe mental illness for whom no coherent motive exists.

The attendees of the 2005 FBI symposium on serial murder suggested that broad, non-inclusive categories of motivation be utilized as guidelines for criminal investigation. They argued that such categories can assist law enforcement authorities in narrowing the pool of suspects in a serial homicide case. The attendees at the symposium identified seven general categories of motivation to be used as guidelines for investigative purposes.

The categories are not intended to be a complete measure of serial offenders, nor are they intended to comprise a theory of their motivation. As concisely reported by the FBI in 2005, they are listed below.

Anger is a powerful motivation in which the offender displays rage or hostility toward either a certain subgroup of the population such as the homeless or society as a whole.

Criminal enterprise is a motivation in which the offender benefits in status or monetary reward by committing murder that is drug, gang or organized crime-related. For example, murder may be perpetrated by a drug gang in order to eliminate its competition.

Financial gain is a motivation in which the offender benefits monetarily from killing that is not drug, gang or organized crime-related. A few examples of these types of crimes are comfort/gain killings, robbery-homicide or multiple killings involving insurance or welfare fraud.

Ideology is a motivation to commit murder in order to further the goals and ideas of a specific individual or group. Examples of these include terrorist groups or an individual(s) who attacks a specific racial, gender or ethnic group out of sheer hatred for the group.

Power/thrill is a motivation in which the offender feels empowered and/or exhilarated when he kills his victims. The act of killing is an end in itself.

Psychosis is a rare situation in which the offender is suffering from a severe mental illness and is killing specifically because of that illness. The condition may include auditory and/or visual hallucinations and paranoid, grandiose or bizarre delusions.

Sexually-based is a motivation driven by the sexual needs or desires of the offender. There may or may not be evidence of sexual contact present at the crime scene.

It is important to remember that regardless of the specific motive(s), serial killers are compelled to commit murder-that is, they do it because they want to and need to.
Dr. Scott Bonn is a criminologist, professor, and media expert.

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Understanding What Drives Serial Killers

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Many serial killings seem to be completely devoid of meaning or motivation on the part of the criminal. In actuality, however, there is great diversity in the needs and desires of serial killers that lead them to extinguish the lives of others. Sometimes, the act or process of murder can be an end in itself for them.

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It's literally just a list of the top 10 bands based on money

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Each of these best-selling bands has managed to sell more than 100 million records globally. There are a lot of factors you can consider when talking about the greatest bands of all time, most of them will be subjective. But even though an art form, the music business is first and foremost: A business. No statistic is therefore more important for objectively figuring out the top bands in history than the sales stats.

The following ranking hence lists the Top 10 Best-Selling Bands of All Time, based on the certified number of records (including digital downloads) each band managed to sell all around the world.
Note: This ranking lists the best-selling top bands of all time. Click here to see the Ranking for the Top 10 Best-selling solo music artists of all time.

(as of March 2020) The 10 Best-Selling Bands in history, based on certified worldwide record sales (both albums and singles, including digital downloads).

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Top 10 Best-Selling Bands of All Time - All Top Everything

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Each of these best-selling bands has managed to sell more than 100 million records globally. There are a lot of factors you can consider when talking about the greatest bands of all time, most of them will be subjective. But even though an art form, the music business is first and foremost: A business.

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The Nature Conservancy is working to keep Edwards Aquifer clean, seeing as it provides drinking water for over 2 million Central Texans.

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Places We Protect

Texas

BARTON CREEK HABITAT PRESERVE This preserve protects open space in one of the fastest growing parts of the state. © Pierce Ingram

Barton Creek Habitat Preserve provides habitat for migratory songbirds and protects water quality in the Barton Creek watershed.

Overview

Description

Nestled within southwest Travis County, The Nature Conservancy's (TNC) Barton Creek Habitat Preserve is a step off the beaten path, encompassing more than 4,000 acres of pristine natural landscape and four miles of Barton Creek frontage. These waters flow through the preserve and end approximately 16 miles later at iconic Barton Springs, replenishing the Edwards Aquifer -the primary source of drinking water for two million Central Texans-along the way. Additionally, the preserve's limestone canyons and tree-lined hills provide habitat for an incredible diversity of Texas species; in fact, the preserve was originally acquired through the Endangered Species Act to protect two migratory songbirds: the federally endangered golden-cheeked warbler and the black-capped vireo. Sitting just a few miles from downtown Austin, this natural gem feels an entire world away.

Access

Limited Access

Visitation is by appointment only outside of scheduled events/volunteer opportunities

Location

Austin, Texas

Highlights Hiking, bird-watching, wildlife viewing, volunteer opportunities

Size

4,050 acres

Explore our work in Texas

FEEDING OUR SWIMMING SPOTS Barton Creek is one of the principal sources of water for Barton Springs. © Jacqueline Ferrato

Barton Creek Habitat Preserve was originally purchased in 1994 to prevent encroaching development, the pace of which has steadily grown in this region with Austin projected to reach nearly three million residents by 2030. As part of the larger Balcones Canyonlands Preserve system, Barton Creek Habitat Preserve is an important link within a network of protected lands in the Texas Hill Country.

Roughly 2,500 of the preserve's 4,050 total acres provide mature oak and juniper forest habitat for the endangered golden-cheeked warbler, the only bird species to nest exclusively in Central Texas. Additionally, portions of Barton Creek Habitat Preserve provide habitat for the black-capped vireo and other grassland bird species. While the black-capped vireo is no longer endangered, sightings in this region are rare-predominately due to lack of habitat, which TNC is working to restore on the preserve.

Finally, as the tranquil waters of Barton Creek flow through the preserve, they help to supply drinking water to Central Texans, recharge the Edwards Aquifer and protect the endangered Barton Springs salamander. As the Austin metro area continues to grow, prosper and develop at an unparalleled clip, Barton Creek Habitat Preserve remains critical for protecting water quality, conserving natural habitat and safeguarding Texas' unique array of wildlife.

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Photos from Barton Creek Habitat Preserve

Discover the diverse plant life and wildlife at this Central Texas preserve on the edge of Austin.

PROTECTING CRITICAL HABITAT Golden-cheeked warblers only nest in the Ashe-juniper and oak woodlands of Central Texas. © Rich Kostecke

Established in 1994 with funding from the Endangered Species Act, the Barton Creek Habitat Preserve is managed through restoration efforts, invasive species removal and prescribed fire. Other notable species found here include rare plants like the Heller's False-Gromwell and Gravelbar Brickellbush, the Guadalupe Bass, which is endemic to the Edwards Plateau, and wildlife ranging from deer, coyotes, bobcats, foxes and porcupines to lizards, snakes and many species of birds.

Working with the community-especially as this region continues to grow-is an important part of our efforts on the preserve, which is frequently used for research projects in collaboration with universities, school groups, Boy/Girl Scouts, local youth programs and other partners. Recent projects include studies on pollinators, invasive species and monarch butterflies. Public visitation is limited to scheduled volunteer workdays and conservation-oriented groups; the preserve maintains a thriving outreach program for volunteers, researchers and nature lovers.

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Resources

Access

Visitation is limited to volunteer workdays and various special events throughout the calendar year. An appointment is needed for visits outside of these organized events. For more information, contact preserve manager Brandon Crawford (bcrawford@TNC.ORG).

Maps

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Places We Protect Texas Barton Creek Habitat Preserve provides habitat for migratory songbirds and protects water quality in the Barton Creek watershed. Nestled within southwest Travis County, The Nature Conservancy's (TNC) Barton Creek Habitat Preserve is a step off the beaten path, encompassing more than 4,000 acres of pristine natural landscape and four miles of Barton Creek frontage.

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Why gas prices are surging this month | CNN Business

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WHO fact sheet on mental health covering risks and protective factors, promotion and prevention, care and treatment, and WHO’s work in this area.

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Inflation has drastically increased over the past few years not just in Austin, but in the entirety of the United States. If this path continues, many American citizens will not be able to afford basic needs and the economy will fall into a depression.

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Inflation is the rise in prices of goods and services over a period, which has both positive and negative effects for consumers and the economy. It occurs when prices of goods and services rise over a certain period, resulting in a fall in consumer buying power. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) measures the rise, which is typically conveyed as an annual percentage compared to the year prior. Some amount of inflation, around 2%, is good for the economy since it spurs spending.

But in June 2022, inflation reached a near 41-year high, according to the BLS, which makes it more expensive for people to purchase the things they need to live. This spike in inflation was caused by many things: The COVID-19 pandemic, disruptions in the global supply chain, government stimulus checks, low interest rates, and later, the Russian invasion of Ukraine which led to sanctions on Russian fuel and shortages of Ukrainian exports like grain.

15 Effects of inflation

Economists use a variety of indices to measure inflation 's causes and effects. That includes the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which tracks the change in the prices of around 80,000 goods and services; the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), which measures the price of goods at the wholesale level before they reach consumers; and the Producer Price Index (PPI), which tracks the price of goods and services before they reach retail. Inflation has an effect on the overall economy as well as individual consumers.

Effects of inflation on the economy

The government and the Federal Reserve (the Fed) try to keep inflation in balance because of the effects it has on the overall economy.

These are some of the positive effects of inflation on the economy:

1. Economic growth. More money in the economy can increase the overall demand for goods and services, leading to an increase in production and overall economic growth.

2. More consumer spending. Consumers often spend more in times of inflation, anticipating higher prices ahead. When people anticipate rises, they buy more today, which is one reason the Federal Reserve sets a target of 2% for inflation. When prices fall, during deflation, people may put off spending in the hopes that prices will drop further. This leads to a contraction of the economy.

3. Higher wages. When prices rise, workers may demand bigger paychecks to keep up with the rising costs. Higher wages may, in turn, lead to more spending, which spurs the economy.

4. Assets increase in value. When inflation happens, the price of home construction rises and home prices generally increase. When this happens, homeowners benefit from the increased value.

5. Easier loan repayment. In an inflationary environment, those who owe debts can pay down loans with money that is worth less than the money they borrowed.

Some of the negative effects of inflation on the economy include:

6. Higher prices for basic goods. With inflation, it costs more to keep the same standard of living. If the value of a dollar drops, and wage increases don't keep up with rising prices, consumers lose purchasing power. Consumers feel the pinch at the grocery store and at the pump. Overall, inflation rose 9.1% in the 12 months ended June 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The indexes for gasoline, food, and shelter all increased, and energy prices rose 41.6% from a year earlier. Consumers experienced the biggest price hikes in categories such as cereals and bakery products (13.8%) and dairy (13.5%).

7. Savings depreciate. Those who live on fixed incomes, such as retired people, see the value of their savings depreciate when there is high inflation. (The Social Security Administration, however, does make cost of living adjustments to benefits.)

8. Lower global demand. A higher inflation rate can make a country's exports more expensive. As a result, its trade partners may seek other sources for their goods.

9. Economic uncertainty. High inflation could lead to people cutting back on spending and investing, which has the opposite effect of mild inflation on economic expansion. This can result in deflation and a potential contraction of the overall economy.

‍ 10. Disproportionately affects lower-income people. Those who earn less spend a higher percentage of their income on necessities like food and gas, are therefore more affected by price rises in goods. They are also less likely to own assets, whose values increase during inflation.

Effects on investors

When inflation begins to rise, the Fed often increases interest rates to make it more expensive to borrow money in an attempt to take some money out of circulation. In other words, inflation is usually followed by rising rates.

Some investments, such as assets with fixed cash flows, lose value in this circumstance because they don't increase their payouts to keep pace with inflation. But holding assets in which investors can raise fees on (such as raising rents on property they own) can benefit those investors. Here are five effects of inflation for investors.

11. Decline in the value of savings. Savings accounts can lose value if the rate of inflation outpaces the interest rate on the account. For instance, if a person has $200 in an account that pays a 1.5% interest rate, they will have $203 in their account at the end of the year. If inflation is at 6%, that person would need $212 to have the same buying power as at the beginning of the year.

12. Lower returns from bonds and other fixed income investments. Most bonds and other fixed income securities make fixed interest payments, which remain the same until maturity. That means that their value at maturity can be diminished if inflation rates rise above the interest rates they pay out.

13. Stock volatility. Inflation causes economic uncertainty andcan cause volatility in the stock market. The price of stocks might be expected to rise along with the prices of consumer goods, since one might expect a company's revenues to increase along with inflation. However, this is not always true, and the increase in volatility plus an erosion of investor confidence can take a toll on stock prices.

14. Benefits real estate owners. Homeowners and property owners with fixed-rate mortgages can benefit from inflation because they are paying their mortgage payments with dollars that are worth less than those they borrowed. Homeowners who rent out their property can also increase rents during times of inflation-thereby profiting from it. In a climate of rising inflation and home prices, rents typically go up.

15. A rise in the value of commodities. During inflation, the demand for goods and services increases, and the price of the elements used to produce those goods also rises. Commodities, or consumer products such as wheat and corn, oil and gas, and cotton, usually perform well during inflation for this reason. Commodity-related equities are a way for investors to hedge against inflation.

The bottom line

The Fed considers a 2% inflation rate to be ideal for a steadily expanding economy. That's because a bit of inflation encourages spending in anticipation of rising prices, which can lead to higher wages and growth in the economy.

But inflation can also degrade the value of people's savings, fixed income investment returns, and can lead to a decrease in global competition for a country. It also disproportionately affects lower income consumers, since they spend a higher percentage of their income on consumer necessities and are less likely to own homes.

At Titan, we are value investors: we aim to manage our portfolios with a steady focus on fundamentals and an eye on massive long-term growth potential. Investing with Titan is easy, transparent, and effective. Get started today.

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15 Positive and Negative Effects of Inflation

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Inflation is the rise in prices of goods and services over a period, which has both positive and negative effects for consumers and the economy. It occurs when prices of goods and services rise over a certain period, resulting in a fall in consumer buying power. The U.S.

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Inflation now is a bigger problem than ever with prices on everyday items increasing in cost. With people already suffering from poverty, this is just escalating it even more.

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BACK TO BASICS COMPILATION

Inflation measures how much more expensive a set of goods and services has become over a certain period, usually a year

It may be one of the most familiar words in economics. Inflation has plunged countries into long periods of instability. Central bankers often aspire to be known as "inflation hawks." Politicians have won elections with promises to combat inflation, only to lose power after failing to do so. Inflation was even declared Public Enemy No. 1 in the United States-by President Gerald Ford in 1974. What, then, is inflation, and why is it so important?

Inflation is the rate of increase in prices over a given period of time. Inflation is typically a broad measure, such as the overall increase in prices or the increase in the cost of living in a country. But it can also be more narrowly calculated-for certain goods, such as food, or for services, such as a haircut, for example. Whatever the context, inflation represents how much more expensive the relevant set of goods and/or services has become over a certain period, most commonly a year.

Measuring inflation

Consumers' cost of living depends on the prices of many goods and services and the share of each in the household budget. To measure the average consumer's cost of living, government agencies conduct household surveys to identify a basket of commonly purchased items and track over time the cost of purchasing this basket. (Housing expenses, including rent and mortgages, constitute the largest component of the consumer basket in the United States.) The cost of this basket at a given time expressed relative to a base year is the consumer price index (CPI), and the percentage change in the CPI over a certain period is consumer price inflation, the most widely used measure of inflation. (For example, if the base year CPI is 100 and the current CPI is 110, inflation is 10 percent over the period.)

Core consumer inflation focuses on the underlying and persistent trends in inflation by excluding prices set by the government and the more volatile prices of products, such as food and energy, most affected by seasonal factors or temporary supply conditions. Core inflation is also watched closely by policymakers. Calculation of an overall inflation rate-for a country, say, and not just for consumers-requires an index with broader coverage, such as the GDP deflator.

The CPI basket is mostly kept constant over time for consistency, but is tweaked occasionally to reflect changing consumption patterns-for example, to include new hi-tech goods and to replace items no longer widely purchased. Because it shows how, on average, prices change over time for everything produced in an economy, the contents of the GDP deflator vary each year and are more current than the mostly fixed CPI basket. On the other hand, the deflator includes nonconsumer items (such as military spending) and is therefore not a good measure of the cost of living.

The good and the bad

To the extent that households' nominal income, which they receive in current money, does not increase as much as prices, they are worse off, because they can afford to purchase less. In other words, their purchasing power or real -inflation-adjusted-income falls. Real income is a proxy for the standard of living. When real incomes are rising, so is the standard of living, and vice versa.

In reality, prices change at different paces. Some, such as the prices of traded commodities, change every day; others, such as wages established by contracts, take longer to adjust (or are "sticky," in economic parlance). In an inflationary environment, unevenly rising prices inevitably reduce the purchasing power of some consumers, and this erosion of real income is the single biggest cost of inflation.

Inflation can also distort purchasing power over time for recipients and payers of fixed interest rates. Take pensioners who receive a fixed 5 percent yearly increase to their pension. If inflation is higher than 5 percent, a pensioner's purchasing power falls. On the other hand, a borrower who pays a fixed-rate mortgage of 5 percent would benefit from 5 percent inflation, because the real interest rate (the nominal rate minus the inflation rate) would be zero; servicing this debt would be even easier if inflation were higher, as long as the borrower's income keeps up with inflation. The lender's real income, of course, suffers. To the extent that inflation is not factored into nominal interest rates, some gain and some lose purchasing power.

Indeed, many countries have grappled with high inflation-and in some cases hyperinflation, 1,000 percent or more a year. In 2008, Zimbabwe experienced one of the worst cases of hyperinflation ever, with estimated annual inflation at one point of 500 billion percent. Such high levels of inflation have been disastrous, and countries have had to take difficult and painful policy measures to bring inflation back to reasonable levels, sometimes by giving up their national currency, as Zimbabwe has.

Although high inflation hurts an economy, deflation, or falling prices, is not desirable either. When prices are falling, consumers delay making purchases if they can, anticipating lower prices in the future. For the economy this means less economic activity, less income generated by producers, and lower economic growth. Japan is one country with a long period of nearly no economic growth, largely because of deflation. Preventing deflation during the global financial crisis that began in 2007 was one of the reasons the US Federal Reserve and other central banks around the world kept interest rates low for a prolonged period and have instituted other monetary policies to ensure financial systems have plenty of liquidity.

Most economists now believe that low, stable, and-most important-predictable inflation is good for an economy. If inflation is low and predictable, it is easier to capture it in price-adjustment contracts and interest rates, reducing its distortionary impact. Moreover, knowing that prices will be slightly higher in the future gives consumers an incentive to make purchases sooner, which boosts economic activity. Many central bankers have made their primary policy objective maintaining low and stable inflation, a policy called inflation targeting.

What creates inflation?

Long-lasting episodes of high inflation are often the result of lax monetary policy. If the money supply grows too big relative to the size of an economy, the unit value of the currency diminishes; in other words, its purchasing power falls and prices rise. This relationship between the money supply and the size of the economy is called the quantity theory of money and is one of the oldest hypotheses in economics.

Pressures on the supply or demand side of the economy can also be inflationary. Supply shocks that disrupt production, such as natural disasters, or raise production costs, such as high oil prices, can reduce overall supply and lead to "cost-push" inflation, in which the impetus for price increases comes from a disruption to supply. The food and fuel inflation of 2008 was such a case for the global economy-sharply rising food and fuel prices were transmitted from country to country by trade. Conversely, demand shocks, such as a stock market rally, or expansionary policies, such as when a central bank lowers interest rates or a government raises spending, can temporarily boost overall demand and economic growth. If, however, this increase in demand exceeds an economy's production capacity, the resulting strain on resources is reflected in "demand-pull" inflation. Policymakers must find the right balance between boosting demand and growth when needed without overstimulating the economy and causing inflation.

Expectations also play a key role in determining inflation. If people or firms anticipate higher prices, they build these expectations into wage negotiations and contractual price adjustments (such as automatic rent increases). This behavior partly determines the next period's inflation; once the contracts are exercised and wages or prices rise as agreed, expectations become self-fulfilling. And to the extent that people base their expectations on the recent past, inflation would follow similar patterns over time, resulting in inflation inertia.

How policymakers deal with inflation

The right set of disinflationary policies, those aimed at reducing inflation, depends on the causes of inflation. If the economy has overheated, central banks-if they are committed to ensuring price stability-can implement contractionary policies that rein in aggregate demand, usually by raising interest rates. Some central bankers have chosen, with varying degrees of success, to impose monetary discipline by fixing the exchange rate-tying the value of its currency to that of another currency, and thereby its monetary policy to that of another country. However, when inflation is driven by global rather than domestic developments, such policies may not help. In 2008, when inflation rose across the globe on the back of high food and fuel prices, many countries allowed the high global prices to pass through to the domestic economy. In some cases the government may directly set prices (as some did in 2008 to prevent high food and fuel prices from passing through). Such administrative price-setting measures usually result in the government's accrual of large subsidy bills to compensate producers for lost income.

Central bankers are increasingly relying on their ability to influence inflation expectations as an inflation-reduction tool. Policymakers announce their intention to keep economic activity low temporarily to bring down inflation, hoping to influence expectations and contracts' built-in inflation component. The more credibility central banks have, the greater the influence of their pronouncements on inflation expectations.

Ceyda Oner is a deputy division chief in the IMF's Finance Department.

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Inflation measures how much more expensive a set of goods and services has become over a certain period, usually a year

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how you feel affects your daily activities and how you go on with your day, even if you don't realize it. your reaction and attitudes may vary throughout the day, making people worried and you can easily ruin relationships on accident.

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Your Healthiest Self
How you feel can affect your ability to carry out everyday activities, your relationships, and your overall mental health. How you react to your experiences and feelings can change over time. Emotional wellness is the ability to successfully handle life's stresses and adapt to change and difficult times. Flip each card below for checklists on how to improve your health in each area. Click on the images to read articles about each topic. You can also print the checklists separately or all together to share with others or as a reminder to yourself.
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6 strategies for improving your emotional health

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Expressing what you feel can help your day to day motivation, attention, and your overall well being, expressing them is very important to your mental health.

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Emotions affect more than you may realize - motivation, learning, decision making, connection, and so much more.

There are many times, often during periods of great challenges, that emotions can feel more like a burden than a blessing.

But emotions can be powerful.

They can help you survive, grow, and connect with others. And they can guide your decisions, behaviors, and motivations.

As babies, emotions are how you learn to communicate, even before you can talk.

While intense emotions can feel like a lot, without them, life can feel bland, muted, and empty. Emotions are an integral part of being human.

Emotions don't always get the reputation that they deserve.

When you do show emotions, some people may see it as a sign of weakness. When you show too much emotion, people may criticize you for being "too emotional."

But emotions can play a role in many aspects of life including:

growth and development

survival

higher levels of awareness

attention

motivation

learning and memory

decision making and problem solving

guiding behaviors

connection and attachment to others

overall well-being

"Emotions matter because they typically dictate what will come next from us," says Chelsea Viñas, licensed marriage and family therapist, owner of Therapize, a virtual private practice working with women in leadership on impostor syndrome, perfectionism, and trauma.

"How you feel about an event will usually lead to your behavior," Viñas adds.

You can think about a time when you felt burned out and disappointed versus one where you felt excited and happy. Your entire day - including your behaviors, how you felt physically and mentally, and your attention - could all be affected by your emotions.

What does the research say about the importance of emotions?

A small 2014 study suggested that emotions can influence how we think, make decisions, and solve problems, especially with thinking tasks.

In a 2021 research review, researchers explained how emotions are a way humans evolved to address problems in a constantly changing world. They helped us develop abilities to find food, water, shelter, sexual mates, support, and stay safe from dangers.

Emotions may also strongly affect our attention and memory, according to a 2017 review. When we have strong emotions or emotional events, we will often pay attention in more detail and remember things more clearly, for longer. This could be why traumatic events stick with us so vividly.

Even negative emotions matter. They've helped us survive as a species by focusing our attention on danger and readying the body for a response. Fear urges us to fight or flee, anger tells us to attack, and guilt may teach us to learn from our mistakes.

While no one wants to be sad or angry, negative emotions are still important. They're also at the core of many mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety, so it's crucial to address and regulate them.

You will always feel emotions, even if you don't understand them, address them, or accept them. But it helps when you do.

In cultures or societies where people are told that being "too emotional" is a bad thing, it can be difficult to express what you're feeling.

Viñas says that people also often judge their own emotions: I shouldn't be crying. I can't believe this still bothers me.

"When you're able to recognize your emotion for what it is - a piece of information at that moment in time in your life - then you can begin to move forward," she explains.

Repressing emotions can also negatively affect your mental well-being, not to mention your relationships, communication skills, stress levels, and more.

"We're wired for connection, and to not express ourselves is going against our biology," Viñas says.

Giving yourself permission to feel - really feel - is an incredibly powerful thing. And it can help you get better at regulating and accepting your emotions.

What happens when you don't accept your emotions?

"When we don't accept our emotions it could lead to long-term pain, making decisions that aren't necessarily in our best interest, or externalizing negative feelings," Viñas says.

When you don't accept your emotions, it can make it harder to even accept yourself.

A suggested that when people practice acceptance, they have better psychological well-being. When you accept things as they are, you're less likely to react first and think later. This may lead to you experiencing less negative emotions overall when you're stressed.

Viñas says that not accepting your emotions does have one "positive": You stay in your comfort zone. "[But] there is no room for growth, love, or healing without accepting your emotions as they are," she says.

When you start to accept your emotions, you may just start to feel more at peace and in control.

Getting in touch with your emotions can help with emotional regulation. Regulating your emotions involves being able to recognize, manage, and respond to emotions as they come.

"Learning how your emotions impact you and then being able to regulate them can increase self-esteem [and] confidence, and lead to a more fulfilling life," according to Viñas.

She offers five tips for getting in touch with your emotions:

Write out your feelings

You can journal or just jot it down on your phone, but Viñas recommends taking a moment to write down the emotion - negative, positive, or somewhere in between - and why it affected you.

"This way, you can learn more about yourself and express yourself to others with ease," she says.

Check-in with your mental health daily

Writing what you're feeling can be part of a daily mental health check-in, which can help you understand yourself and what you're feeling better.

You can start checking in with yourself by simply making a habit of asking yourself: How am I doing today?

And if you're not doing well? Viñas says to "be curious about that emotion instead of judging it."

Beating yourself up about feeling sad or angry may only set the stage for you to feel bad for the rest of the day.

Lean in and accept your emotions

"If you're feeling sad, allow yourself to cry instead of holding back tears," Viñas says. "If you're feeling happy, smile and let others know. The sooner you acknowledge the feeling, the sooner you can move through it."

Shift negative thoughts and emotions

"The way we think leads to how we will feel, and ultimately, how we will act," Viñas says.

You can't wave a magic wand and change your negative thoughts to positive ones, but you can take steps to recognize, acknowledge, and move on from negative narratives.

One of those steps is changing what information you're surrounding yourself with.

"If we fill our mind up with poor thoughts, it can impact how we feel and then how we will treat ourselves and others," she says. She recommends checking out podcasts, books, and YouTube videos that have positive messages or you can relate to in some way.

"This can help increase our ability to feel better about ourselves," she adds.

Reach out when needed

"Although everyone responds differently to difficult events, it ultimately becomes unsustainable to withhold everything you are feeling," Viñas says. "When we begin talking about our feelings to others, we develop a sense of emotional intimacy."

She adds that emotional intimacy can also decrease loneliness and lower negative feelings in general because you're able to vent them.

If you're in a relationship, she says that expressing your feelings can give you the opportunity for closeness. "However, to withhold your feelings could mean creating distance, assumptions, and lead to negative feelings," she says.

Talking with a mental health professional can really help you get in touch with your emotions - especially if you're finding this difficult on your own or with friends or family members.

"This can be extremely insightful for you to investigate where your feelings are coming from in a personalized way with a professional who cares," Viñas says.

If you need help finding a therapist, Psych Central has a guide for that.

A 2018 study found that when people believe their emotions are out of their control, this belief could actually act as a contributing factor to depression.

Viñas adds that when we don't care for our mental health, it can lead to a lot of physical health concerns, too.

If you feel like you have no control over your emotions, it's OK to reach out for support. A mental health professional can offer you a safe space to talk about your emotions and why they're making you feel so out of control.

Emotions are a part of being human and one way our body can communicate with us.

"Our bodies have a fascinating way of letting us know its boundaries if we're brave enough to listen," Viñas says.

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Emotions affect more than you may realize - motivation, learning, decision making, connection, and so much more. There are many times, often during periods of great challenges, that emotions can feel more like a burden than a blessing. But emotions can be powerful. They can help you survive, grow, and connect with others.

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Hospitals have to pay lots of money to keep their hospital functional and up to date. There are many different categories that need constant funding.

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Introduction

For over two years since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, America's hospitals and health systems have been on the front lines caring for patients, comforting families and protecting communities.

With over 80 million cases, nearly 1 million deaths, and over 4.6 million hospitalizations, the pandemic has taken a significant toll on hospitals and health systems and placed enormous strain on the nation's health care workforce. During this unprecedented public health crisis, hospitals and health systems have confronted many challenges, including historic volume and revenue losses, as well as skyrocketing expenses ( See Figure #1).

Hospitals and health systems have been nimble in responding to surges in COVID-19 cases throughout the pandemic by expanding treatment capacity, hiring staff to meet demand, acquiring and maintaining adequate supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect patients and staff and ensuring that critical services and programs remain available to the patients and communities they serve. However, these and other factors have led to billions of dollars in losses over the last two years for hospitals, and over 33% of hospitals are operating on negative margins.

The most recent surges triggered by the delta and omicron variants have added even more pressure to hospitals. During these surges, hospitals saw the number of COVID-19 infected patients rise while other patient volumes fell, and patient acuity increased. This drove up expenses and added significant financial pressure for hospitals. Moreover, hospitals did not receive any government assistance through the COVID-19 Provider Relief Fund (PRF) to help mitigate rising expenses and lost revenues during the delta and omicron surges. This is despite the fact that more than half of COVID-19 hospitalizations have occurred since July 1, 2021, during these two most recent COVID-19 surges.

At the same time, patient acuity has increased, as measured by how long patients need to stay in the hospital. The increase in acuity is a result of the complexity of COVID-19 care, as well as treatment for patients who may have put off care during the pandemic. The average length of a patient stay increased 9.9% by the end of 2021 compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

As hospitals treat sicker patients requiring more intensive treatment, they also must ensure that sufficient staffing levels are available to care for these patients, and must acquire the necessary expensive drugs and medical supplies to provide high-quality care. As a result, overall hospital expenses have experienced considerable growth.

Data from Kaufman Hall, a consulting firm that tracks hospital financial metrics, shows that by the end of 2021, total hospital expenses were up 11% compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019. Even after accounting for changes in volume that occurred during the pandemic, hospital expenses per patient increased significantly from pre-pandemic levels across every category. ( See Figure #1)

The pandemic has strained hospitals' and health systems' finances. Many hospitals operate on razorthin margins, so even slight increases in expenses can have dramatic negative effects on operating margins, which can jeopardize their ability to care for patients. These expense increases have been more challenging to withstand in light of rising inflation and growth in input prices. In fact, despite modest growth in revenues compared to pre-pandemic levels, median hospital operating margins were down 3.8% by the end of 2021 compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to Kaufman Hall. Further exacerbating the problem for hospitals are Medicare sequestration cuts and payment increases that are well below increases in costs. For example, an analysis by PINC found that for fiscal year 2022, hospitals received a 2.4% increase in their Medicare inpatient payment rate, while hospital labor rates increased 6.5%.

These levels of increased expenses and declines in operating margins are not sustainable. This report highlights key pressures currently facing hospitals and health systems, including:

1. Workforce and contract labor expenses

2. Drug expenses

3. Medical supply and PPE expenses

4. Rising economy-wide inflation

Each of these issues separately presents significant challenges to the hospital field. Taken together, they represent conditions that would be potentially catastrophic for most organizations, institutions and industries. However, the fact that the nation's hospitals and health systems continue to serve on the front lines of the ongoing pandemic is a testament to their resiliency and steadfast commitment to their mission to serve patients and communities around the country.

Hospitals and health systems are the cornerstones of their communities. Their patients depend on them for access to care 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Hospitals are often the largest employers in their community, and large purchasers of local services and goods. Additional support is needed to help ensure hospitals have the adequate resources to care for their communities.

I. Workforce and Contract Labor Expenses

The hospital workforce is central to the care process and often the largest expense for hospitals. It is no surprise then that even before the pandemic, labor costs - which include costs associated with recruiting and retaining employed staff, benefits and incentives - accounted for more than 50% of hospitals' total expenses. Therefore, even a slight increase in these costs can have significant impacts on a hospital's total expenses and operating margins.

As the pandemic has persisted for over two years, the toll on the health care workforce has been immense. A recent survey of health care workers found that approximately half of respondents felt "burned out" and nearly a quarter of respondents said they anticipated leaving the health care field.

This has been mirrored by a significant and sustained decline in hospital employment, down approximately 100,000 employees from pre-pandemic levels. At the height of the omicron surge, approximately 1,400 hospitals or 30% of all U.S. hospitals reporting data to the government, indicated that they anticipated a critical staffing shortage within the week. This high percentage of hospitals reporting a critical staffing shortage stayed relatively consistent throughout the delta and omicron surges.

The combination of employee burnout, fewer available staff, increased patient acuity and higher demand for care especially during the delta and omicron surges, has forced hospitals to turn to contract staffing firms to help address staffing shortages.

Though hospitals have long worked with contract staffing firms to bridge temporary gaps in staffing, the pandemic-driven-staffing-shortage has created an expanded reliance on contract staff, especially contract or travel registered nurses. Travel nurses are in particularly high demand because they serve a critical role in delivering care for both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients and allow the hospital to meet the demand for care, especially during pandemic surges.

According to a survey by AMN Healthcare, one of the nation's largest health care staffing agencies, 95% of health care facilities reported hiring nurse staff from contract labor firms during the pandemic. Staffing firms have increased their recruitment of contract or travel nurses, illustrating the significant growth in their demand. According to data from EMSI/Burning Glass, there has been a nearly 120% increase in job postings for contract or travel nurses from pre-pandemic levels in January 2019 to January 2022. ( See Figure #2)

Similarly, the hours worked by contract or travel nurses as a percentage of total hours worked by nurses in hospitals has grown from 3.9% in January 2019 to 23.4% in January 2022, according to data from Syntellis Performance Solutions. ( See Figure #3) In fact, a quarter of hospitals have experienced nearly a third of their total nurse hours accounted for by contract or travel nurses.

As the share of contract travel nurse hours has grown significantly compared to before the pandemic, so too have the costs of employing travel nurses compared to pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, hospitals spent a median of 4.7% of their total nurse labor expenses for contract travel nurses, which skyrocketed to a median of 38.6% in January 2022. ( See Figure #3) A quarter of hospitals - those who have had to rely disproportionately on contract travel nurses - saw their costs for contract travel nurses account for over 50% of their total nurse labor expenses. In fact, while contract travel nurses accounted for 23.4% of total nurse hours in January 2022, they accounted for nearly 40% of the labor expenses for nurses. ( See Figure #3) This difference has grown considerably compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, suggesting that the exorbitant prices charged by staffing companies are a primary driver of higher labor expenses for hospitals.

Data from Syntellis Performance Solutions show a 213% increase in hourly rates charged to hospitals by staffing companies for travel nurses in January 2022 compared to pre-pandemic levels in January 2019. This is because staffing agencies have exploited the situation by increasing the hourly rates billed to hospitals for contract travel nurses more than the hourly rates they pay to travel nurses. This is effectively the "margin" retained by the staffing agencies. During pre-pandemic levels in 2019, the average "margin" retained by staffing agencies for travel nurses was about 15%. As of January 2022, the average "margin" has grown to an astounding 62%. ( See Figure #4)

These high "margins" have fueled massive growth in the revenues and profits of health care staffing companies. Several staffing firms have reported significant growth in their revenues to as high as $1.1 billion in just the fourth quarter of 202110, tripling their revenues and net income compared to 2020 levels.11

The data indicate that the growth in labor expenses for hospitals and health systems was in large part due to the exorbitant rates charged by contract staffing firms. By the end of 2021, hospital labor expenses per patient were 19.1% higher than pre-pandemic levels, and increased to 57% at the height of the omicron surge in January 2022. A study looking at hospitals in New Jersey found that the increased labor expenses for contract staff amounted to $670 million in 2021 alone, which was more than triple what their hospitals spent in 2020. High reliance on contract or travel staff prevents hospitals and health systems from investing those costs into their existing employees, leading to low morale and high turnover, which further exacerbates the challenges hospitals and health systems have been facing.

II. Drug Expenses

Prescription drug spending in the U.S. has grown significantly since the pandemic. In 2021, drug spending (including spending in both retail and non-retail settings) increased 7.7%14, which was on top of an increase of 4.9%15 in 2020. While some of this growth can be attributed to increased utilization as patient acuity increased during the pandemic, a significant driver has been the continued increase in prices of existing drugs as well as the introduction of new products at very high prices. A study by GoodRx found that in January 2022 alone, drug companies increased the price of about 810 brand and generic drugs that they reviewed by an average of 5.1%.16 These price increases followed massive price hikes for certain drugs often used in the hospital such as Hydromorphone (107%), Mitomycin (99%), and Vasopressin (97%).17 For another example, the drug manufacturer of Humira, one of the most popular brand drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, increased the price of the drug by 21% between 2019 and 2021.18 A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that in Medicare Part B and D markets, half of all drugs in each market experienced price increases above the rate of inflation between 2019 and 2020 - in fact, a third of these drugs experienced price increases of greater than 7.5%.19 At the same time, according to a report by the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), eight drugs with unsupported U.S. drug price increases between 2019 and 2020 alone accounted for an additional $1.67 billion in drug spending, further illustrating that drug companies' decisions to raise the prices of their drugs are simply an unsustainable practice.20

As hospitals have worked to treat sicker patients during the pandemic, they have been forced to contend with sky-high prices for drugs, many of which are critical and lifesaving for their patients. For example, in 2020, 16 of the top 25 drugs by spending in Medicare Part B (hospital outpatient settings) had price increases greater than inflation - two of the top three drugs, Keytruda and Prolia - experienced price increases of 3.3% and 4.1%, respectively.

As a result of these price increases, hospital drug expenses have skyrocketed. By the end of 2021, total drug expenses were 28.2% higher than pre-pandemic levels. When taken as a share of all non-labor expenses, drug expenses have grown from approximately 8.2% in January 2019, to 9.3% in January 2021, and to 10.6% in January 2022. ( See Figure #5) Even when considering changes in volume during the pandemic, drug expenses per patient compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019 saw significant increases, with a 36.9% increase through 2021.

While continued drug price increases by drug companies have been a major driver of the growth in overall hospital drug expenses, there also are other important driving factors to consider:

Drug Treatments for COVID-19 Patients: Remdesivir, one of the primary drugs used to treat COVID-19 patients in the hospital, has become the top spend drug for most hospitals since the pandemic. This drug alone accounted for over $1 billion in sales in the fourth quarter of 2021. Priced at an average of $3,120, Remdesivir's cost was initially covered by the federal government. However, hospitals must now purchase the drug directly.

Limitation of 340B Contract Pharmacies: The 340B program allows eligible providers, including hospitals that treat many low-income patients or treat certain patient populations like children and cancer patients, to buy certain outpatient drugs at discounted prices and use those savings to provide more comprehensive services to the patients and communities they serve. Since July 2020, several of the largest drug manufacturers have denied 340B pricing to eligible hospitals through pharmacies with whom they contract, despite calls from the Department of Health and Human Services that such actions are illegal. Because of these actions, many 340B hospitals, especially rural hospitals who disproportionately rely on contract pharmacies to ensure access to drugs for their patients, have lost millions in 340B drug savings. In addition, these manufacturers have required claim-level data submissions as a condition of receiving 340B discounts, which has increased costs to deliver the data as well as staff time and expense to manage that process. The loss of 340B savings coupled with increased burden of providing detailed data to drug companies have contributed to increasing drug expenses.

Health Plans'/Pharmacy Benefit Managers' (PBMs') "White Bagging" Policies: Health plans and PBMs have engaged in a tactic that steers hospital patients to third-party specialty pharmacies to acquire medication necessary for clinician-administered treatments, known as "white-bagging." This practice disallows the hospital from procuring and managing the handling of a drug - typically drugs that are infused or injected requiring a clinician to administer in a hospital or clinic setting - used in patient care. These policies not only create serious patient safety concerns, but create delays and risks in patient care; add to administration, storage and handling costs; and create important liability issues for hospitals.

Taken together, these factors increase both drug expenses and overall hospital expenses.

III. Medical Supply and PPE Expenses

The U.S., like most countries in the world, relies on global supply chains for goods and services. This is especially true for medical supplies used at hospitals and other health care settings. Everything from the masks and gloves worn by staff to medical devices used in patient care come from a large network of global suppliers. Prior to the global pandemic, hospitals had established relationships with distributors and other vendors in the global health care supply chain to deliver goods as necessitated by demand. After the pandemic hit, many factories, distributors and other vendors shut down their operations, leaving hospitals, which were on the front lines facing surging demand, to fend for themselves. In fact, supply chain disruptions across industries, including health care, increased by 67% in 2020 alone.

As a result, hospitals turned to local suppliers and non-traditional suppliers, often paying significantly higher rates than they did prior to the pandemic. Between fall 2020 and early 2022 costs for energy, resins, cotton and most metals surged in excess of 30%; these all are critical elements in the manufacturing of medical supplies and devices used every day in hospitals. As COVID-19 cases surged, demand for hospital PPE, such as N95 masks, gloves, eye protection and surgical gowns, increased dramatically causing hospitals to invest in acquiring and maintaining reserves of these supplies. Further, downstream effects from other global events such as the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis in China, as well as domestic issues, such as labor shortages and rising fuel and transportation costs, have all contributed to drive up even higher overall medical supply expenses for hospitals in the U.S. For instance, according to the Health Industry Distributors Association, transportation times for medical supplies are 440% longer than pre-pandemic times resulting in massive delays.

Compared to 2019 levels, supply expenses for hospitals were up 15.9%30 through the end of 2021. When focusing on hospital departments involved most directly in care for COVID-19 patients − primarily hospital intensive care units (ICUs) and respiratory care departments − the increase in expenses is significantly higher. Medical supply expenses in ICUs and respiratory care departments increased 31.5% and 22.3%, respectively. Further, accounting for changes in volume during surge and non-surge periods of the pandemic, medical supply expenses per patient in ICUs and respiratory care departments were 31.8% and 25.9% higher, respectively. ( See Figure #6) These numbers help illustrate the magnitude of the impact that increases in supply costs have had on hospital finances during the pandemic.

IV. Impact of Rising Inflation

Higher economy-wide costs have serious implications for hospitals and health systems, increasing the pressures of higher labor, supply, and acquisition costs; and potentially lower consumer demand. Inflation is defined as the general increase in prices and the decrease in purchasing power. It is measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U). In April 2021, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the CPI-U had the largest 12-month increase since September 2008. The CPI-U hit 40-year highs in February 2022. Overall, consumer prices rose by a historic 8.5% on an annualized basis in March 2022 alone.

As inflation measured by consumer prices is at record highs, below are key considerations on the potential impact of higher general inflation on hospital prices:

Labor Costs and Retention: Labor costs represent a significant portion of hospital costs (typically more than 50% of hospital expenses are related to labor costs). As the cost-of-living increases, employees generally demand higher wages/total compensation packages to offset those costs. This is especially true in the health care sector, where labor demands are already high, and labor supply is low.

Supply Chain Costs: Medical supplies account for approximately 20% of hospital expenses, on average. As input/raw good costs increase due to general inflation, hospital supplies and medical device costs increase as well. Furthermore, shortages of raw materials, including those used to manufacture drugs, could stress supply chains (i.e., medical supply shortages), which may result in changes in care patterns and add further burden on staff to implement work arounds.

Capital Investment Costs: Capital investments also may be strained, especially as hospitals have already invested heavily in expanding capacity to treat patients during the pandemic (e.g., constructing spaces for testing and isolation of COVID-19 patients). One of the areas that has seen the largest increase in prices/shortages is building materials (e.g., lumber). Additionally, a historically large increase in inflation has resulted in increases in interest rates, which may hamper borrowing options and add to overall costs.

Consumer Demand: Higher inflation also may result in decreases in demand for health care services, specifically if inflation exceeds wage growth. Specifically, higher costs for necessities (food, transportation, etc.) could push down demand for health care services and, in turn, dampen hospital volumes and revenues in the long run.

Health care and hospital prices are not driving recent overall inflation increases. The BLS has cited increases in the indices for gasoline, shelter and food as the largest contributors to the seasonally adjusted all items increase. The CPI-U increased 0.8% in February on a seasonally adjusted basis, whereas the medical care index rose 0.2% in February. The index for prescription drugs rose 0.3%, but the hospital index for hospital services declined 0.1%.33

This is consistent with pre-pandemic trends. Despite persistent cost pressures, hospital prices have seen consistently modest growth in recent years. According to BLS data, hospital prices have grown an average 2.1% per year over the last decade, about half the average annual increase in health insurance premiums. ( See Figure #7) More recently, hospital prices have grown much more slowly than the overall rate of inflation. In the 12 months ending in February 2022, hospital prices increased 2.1%. In fact, even when excluding the artificially low rates paid to hospitals by Medicare and Medicaid, average annual price growth has still been below 3% in recent years.

Conclusion

While we hope that our nation is rounding the corner in the battle against COVID-19, it is clear that the pandemic is not over. During the week of April 11, there have been an average of over 33,000 cases per day and reports suggest that a new subvariant of the virus (Omicron BA.2) is now the dominant strain in the U.S. As a result, the challenges hospitals and health systems are currently facing are bound to last much longer.

As COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations are decreasing in some parts of the U.S. and increasing in others, hospitals and health systems continue to care for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients. With additional surges potentially on the horizon, the massive growth in expenses is unsustainable. Most of the nation's hospitals were operating on razor thin margins prior to the pandemic; and now, many of these hospitals are in an even more precarious financial situation. Regardless of potential new surges of COVID-19, hospitals and health systems continue to face workforce retention and recruitment challenges, supply chain disruptions and exorbitant expenses as outlined in this report.

Hospitals appreciate the support and resources that Congress has provided throughout the pandemic; however, additional support is needed now to keep hospitals strong so they can continue to provide care to patients and communities.

Sources

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5. https://premierinc.com/newsroom/blog/pinc-ai-data-cms-data-underestimates-hospital-labor-spending

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14. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35385103/

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18. https://www.goodrx.com/healthcare-access/drug-cost-and-savings/january-2021-drug-increases-recap

19. https://www.kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/prices-increased-faster-than-inflation-for-half-of-all-drugs-covered-bymedicare-in-2020/

20. https://www.kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/prices-increased-faster-than-inflation-for-half-of-all-drugs-covered-bymedicare- in-2020/

21. https://icer.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/icer_upi_2021_assessment_031522.pdf

22. https://www.kaufmanhall.com/insights/research-report/national-hospital-flash-report-january-2022

23. https://www.vizientinc.com/-/media/documents/sitecorepublishingdocuments/public/pmo322_ pharmacymarketoutlook_highlights?sc_camp=a51548e6b3f14b729860854df5b33d2e

24. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/gilead-covid-drug-takes-top-spot-us-hospitalspending-report-2022-02-01/

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27. http://www.fccoop.org/?p=10720

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29. https://www.hida.org/distribution/news/press-releases/2022/transportation-delays-persist-healthcare-supplychain.aspx

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33. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm

34. hospital prices: bureau of labor statistics, annual average ppi industry data for general medical and surgical hospitals by patient type-private insurance patients, not seasonally adjusted, series id: pcu62211a62211a

35. https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

36. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/29/health/ba2-variant-covid-cases.html

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For over two years since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, America's hospitals and health systems have been on the front lines caring for patients, comforting families and protecting communities. With over 80 million cases, nearly 1 million deaths, and over 4.6 million hospitalizations, the pandemic has taken a significant toll on hospitals and health systems and placed enormous strain on the nation's health care workforce.

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New Microchip for links 2 nobels prize-wininng technques

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New Microchip for links 2 nobels prize-wininng technques

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Scientist have develope a new microchip taht is very percise making it easier to perform surgery.

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Physicists at Delft University of Technology have built a new technology on a microchip by combining two Nobel Prize-winning techniques for the first time. This microchip could measure distances in materials at high precision, for example underwater or for medical imaging. Because the technology uses sound vibrations instead of light, it is useful for high-precision position measurements in opaque materials. The instrument could lead to new techniques to monitor the Earth's climate and human health. The work is now published in Nature Communications.
Simple and low-power technology
The microchip mainly consists of a thin ceramic sheet that is shaped like a trampoline. This trampoline is patterned with holes to enhance its interaction with lasers and has a thickness about 1000 times smaller than the thickness of a hair. As a former PhD candidate in Richard Norte's lab, Matthijs de Jong studied the small trampolines to figure out what would happen if they pointed a simple laser beam at them. The trampoline's surface started vibrating intensely. By measuring the reflected laser light from the vibrating surface, the team noticed a pattern of vibrations in the shape of a comb that they hadn't seen before. They realised that the trampoline's comb-like signature functions as a ruler for precision measurements of distance.

This new technology could be used to measure positions in materials using sound waves. What makes it special is that it doesn't need any precision hardware and is therefore easy to produce. "It only requires inserting a laser, and nothing else. There's no need for complex feedback loops or for tuning certain parameters to get our tech to operate properly. This makes it a very simple and low-power technology, that is much easier to miniaturise on a microchip," Norte says. "Once this happens, we could really put these microchip sensors anywhere, given their small size."
Unique combination
The new technology is based on two unrelated Nobel Prize-winning techniques, called optical trapping and frequency combs. Norte: "The interesting thing is that both of these concepts are typically related to light, but these fields do not have any real overlap. We have uniquely combined them to create an easy-to-use microchip technology based on sound waves. This ease of use could have significant implications for how we measure the world around us."
Overtones
When the researchers pointed a laser beam at the tiny trampoline, they realised that the forces that the laser exerted on it were creating overtone vibrations in the trampoline membranes. "These forces are called an optical trap, because they can trap particles in one spot using light. This technique won the Nobel Prize in 2018 and it allows us to manipulate even the smallest particles with extreme precision," Norte explains. "You can compare the overtones in the trampoline to particular notes of a violin. The note or frequency that the violin produces depends on where you place your finger on the string. If you touch the string only very lightly and play it with a bow, you can create overtones; a series of notes at higher frequencies. In our case, the laser acts as both the soft touch and the bow to induce overtone vibrations in the trampoline membrane."
Bridging two breakthrough fields
"Optical frequency combs are used in labs around the world for very precise measurements of time, and to measure distances," Norte says. "They are so important to measurements in general that their invention was given a Nobel Prize in 2005. We have made an acoustic version of a frequency comb, made out of sound vibrations in the membrane instead of light. Acoustic frequency combs could for instance make position measurements in opaque materials, through which vibrations can propagate better than light waves. This technology could for example be used for precision measurements underwater to monitor the Earth's climate, for medical imaging and for applications in quantum technologies."

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medical devices; medical imaging; disability; optics; medical technology; physics; earth science; sustainability; geology; information technology; computer science; educational technology

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New microchip links two Nobel Prize-winning techniques

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Physicists have built a new technology on a microchip by combining two Nobel Prize-winning techniques. This microchip could measure distances in materials at high precision, for example underwater or for medical imaging. Because the technology uses sound vibrations instead of light, it is useful for high-precision position measurements in opaque materials.

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This article summarizes how being physically fit in a sport can limit injuries and lead to success. When physically fit, you might be able to last longer without injury, and benefit.

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RELATIONSHIP OF PHYSICAL FITNESS TO ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE AND SPORTS

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• Physical fitness leads to better athletic performance, and persistent training will usually develop physical fitness. Detailed analyses of the anatomic and physiological characteristics of famous athletes show that it is possible to make fairly reliable predictions of athletic performance. Scores.…

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This article is about how different coaching styles can have different impacts on their athletes. It also talks about how an athlete should want to look up to their coach setting a positive image and experience for them.

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A coach is the kind of person who will be one of the most influential for a young athlete. There is a lot of research regarding the psychological impact a coach has on an athlete and a team's success. Various coaching styles have been shown to have either a positive or a negative effect on performance. There is even evidence showing that a coach's behavior and actions can affect the motivation of athletes. In this paper, I wanted to investigate how the different coaching styles and behaviors truly affect an athlete's and overall team success.

All coaches have their own unique coaching style and the way it is implemented will affect their athletes' performance. Marcone (2017) suggests that the impact on an athlete's motivation and performance can be extremely significant; the varying styles of coaching could either fulfill or neglect an athlete's psychological needs. Marcone (2017) explains that recent research has shown that an autonomy supportive coaching style/behavior fulfill the needs of athletes and result in a greater success overall in their improvement and performance. Similarly, Jones (2020) also investigated different coaching styles and their impact on athletes. To find the most efficient coaching styles, the leadership scale for sport and the multidimensional model for leadership was used. Jones (2020) found that youth and high school athletes prevailed most under democratic and social support coaching styles; in college athletes, it was suggested that a democratic style of coaching led to more team cohesion and freedom. Jones (2020) then suggested that an autocratic/authoritarian style of coaching was not efficient for any athletes. An autocratic style doesn't allow the freedom or autonomy that athletes need to succeed (Jones, 2020). In a similar study, Brinton et al. (2017) revealed that authoritative coaching styles were a significant predictor of autonomy and competence by the athlete. An authoritarian coaching style was a significant negative predictor of athlete autonomy levels (Brinton et al., 2017).

Mertens et al. (2018) investigated the impact of competence support provided by coaches and athlete leaders on players' competence satisfaction, intrinsic motivation, and performance and found that teams achieving higher levels of competence satisfaction and intrinsic motivation had the competence support from the coach. This study reveals the importance of support from leaders/coaches to improve team performance and it reiterates just how easy it is for coaches to influence their athletes. Coaches have the power to motivate their athletes' minds and muscles as they train to improve performance (Northcentral University, 2018). The only way to achieve this is by maintaining a positive relationship with their players and proving that they can trust and fully commit to their team.

Many athletes will continue to learn and grow with multiple coaches along the way. It is a coach's job to be one that many would call a role model as they will be impacting their athlete's lives more than they originally may think. To be a successful coach and role model, it will be important for them to consider many different coaching styles that will be most effective for their team's performance. It takes some experimenting to find the most efficient path, but the time taken will be worth it. As shown in the research above, the least effective coaching style is the authoritarian style. This style will make a coach seem controlling and strict. This has proven to cause a negative psychological impact on athletes. The athletes who experience coaches who behave in an authoritarian way cannot create the trust and positive relationships that are critical for team success. A similar authoritarian style has proven to show improvements in competence and performance, but there are still the positive connections and support that are missing for an athlete's psychological needs. Studies have shown that the most effective coaching style among all ages is the autonomy style. The autonomy coaching style is recommended because it allows for players to have freedom and support from the coach. These are the kinds of coaches who are considered role models as they provide positive psychological effects for athletes. It's important for coaches to consider their options and understand that they will be impacting many athlete's lives. This isn't the kind of job where coaches can be selfish because they need to be available to enhance and support their athletes' needs and goals.

Coaching is a difficult job. There are a lot of things that need to be considered and implemented to achieve success in a team's performance. Athletes are impacted every day by the decisions and actions put forth by their coaches. This is why it is a coach's responsibility to put the goals and needs of their athletes first and strive to provide their athletes with the tools they need to succeed.
References
Brinton, C. S., Hill, B. J., & Ward, P. J. (2017). Authoritative coach: Building youth through sport. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 35(1), 51-65. https://doi.org/10.18666/jpra-2017-v35-i1-7296

How coaches can impact athlete focus. Northcentral University. (2018, February 7). https://www.ncu.edu/blog/how-coaches-can-impact-athlete-focus#gref.

Jones, K. (n.d.). Coaching styles and its effect on team performance. Digital Commons @Brockport. https://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/pes_synthesis/120/.

Mertens, N., Boen, F., Vande Broek, G., Vansteenkiste, M., & Fransen, K. (2018). An experiment on the impact of coaches' and athlete leaders' competence support on athletes' motivation and performance. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 28(12), 2734-2750. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13273

Marcone, M. (n.d.). The impact of coaching styles on the motivation and performance of athletes. Digital Commons @Brockport. https://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/pes_synthesis/21/.

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Coaching Styles and Their Impact on Athletes

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A coach is the kind of person who will be one of the most influential for a young athlete. There is a lot of research regarding the psychological impact a coach has on an athlete and a team's success. Various coaching styles have been shown to have either a positive or a negative effect on performance.

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Mentality is the mind of state where you are one with yourself and have a good mindset on everything you do. This is very important in sports and can factor a lot of things in the games you play.

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Sports Psychology: Mindset Can Make or Break an Athlete

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The importance of sports psychology, which opens up career opportunities for sports med, psych, and science majors.

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This article uses student interviews and personal experience to tell incoming freshman how to survive high school.

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Introduction: How to Survive High School

Welcome everybody! Thanks for viewing! This instructable is about how to survive high school. These tips are amassed from myself, good friends, and wikiHow, so it's a little long. I hope y'all find this very helpful.

Step 8: Do Your Study Guides

Study guides are called study guides for a reason. Do them, and you'll feel more prepared for upcoming tests, and depending on your teacher, the study guide may have some questions that show up on that test. Keep your study guides after major unit tests to use for review before you start midterms, end-of-course state tests, &/or finals.

Step 9: Know How to Keyboard

Another thing that will help you is knowing how to keyboard (type using both hands w/o looking at the keyboard) before you come to high school. Knowing how to do this is a lifesaver when having to use the computer for any reason. When you have to turn in an assignment electronically at a certain time, you don't want to end up hunting and pecking with 5 mins. left on the clock!

Step 10: Find Some Good Music

Something that will help when doing homework/studying late at night is listening to music. Use something like Pandora and find some good tunes to listen to that won't bother anybody or distract you from actually doing your work. Music that is instrumental only is recommended. By the way, don't try listening to your tunes during class. Pandora will most likely be blocked by your school's filter system anyway.

Step 12: School IS Important

Believe it or not, school actually IS important, and you don't have to be a straight-A kid to take it seriously. School prepares you for that college workload and gives you knowledge that will help you in both college and in your career. Even if you aren't going to college, having a good GPA (grade point average) and extra-curricular activities looks good on a resume. These days, having a high school diploma is required for getting almost any job, much less getting a job with decent pay, so take it seriously. Don't bomb test after test just because you aren't in the mood.

Step 13: It's All About Balance

School's important, but so is a social life and relaxation. High school is really just a balancing act. You can make straight A's in all AP classes, but absolutely no extra-curricular (aka, after-school) activities doesn't look good on a college application. High school's also about making friends (maybe even life-long ones), so reserve a weekend on your calendar every now and again to have a movie night or pool party with a group of friends. You"ll be around almost the same people for 4 years, so the faster y'all get comfortable being around each other as friends, the better. Don't forget to have a day once a month or so saved as a "me" day. Do a couple of your favorite things with family or just hang around the house, be a slug, and not do anything. Relaxation is as important as school and a social life. Learning how to balance now will definitely prepare you for college, when you have to balance even more stuff.

Step 17: Be Friendly to Everyone

With cliques, gossip about who's with who, etc, who has time to worry about that? It doesn't matter anyway! The best thing to do is to just be friendly to everybody you meet. Meet lots of new people! Don't stay in your little circle of friends you made in middle school. Get into good habits like asking the person who sits next to you how their weekend was. Being friendly will put you on the track of making friends with lots of different people, and will help making friends with your coworkers a lot easier in the future. Just have confidence in yourself, and things will go fine.

Step 18: Don't Compare Yourself With Other People

When you get into high school, you'll have a lot on your mind without having to compete with the person next to you over grades or the best hair style. Things like that won't matter 5 years from now. High school is like a long endurance run or PACER test. The only person you should be competing against is yourself. Think about how you can do better than your last test grade. "Focus on what you can do to make yourself go farther, then go for it!" (another great line from wikiHow)

Step 19: Don't Procrastinate

This has been my main fault my entire scholastic career, and every time I've done it, I've regretted it. Don't make it a habit in high school at all. When big tests, projects, and essays are due at a certain time of night, you don't want to end up typing furiously and stressing a lot to get them in on time. When large amounts of reading and HUGE papers become normal for you in college, procrastinating will be your worst nightmare. Get in the habit of turning things in early and getting it done.

Step 24: Make the Weekends YOURS

After the drama of 5 days of high school, it's finally the weekend! The weekend is the time to let your hair down and completely relax. Go out with friends and have the funnest night ever!. or just chill at home and relax. Tire yourself out so that when Monday rolls around, you'll be able to buckle down once more. Just make sure that school remains your "top priority" and get any weekend homework done and out of the way so you can go have fun!

Step 25: Keep at It!

This is extremely cliche, but high school is all about making mistakes, but picking yourself up, dusting yourself off, and then going at it again and making friends along the way. Don't think that your life is over because of an occasional 75 or 70. Just make sure you study harder to make up for it. Remember to put your money where your mouth is though, and keep the promise you made to yourself about studying. Making mistakes is what makes us human, and nobody's perfect. Learn from your mistakes, and you'll go far. This applies both in school and in the real world.

Step 26: Thanks!

Thanks for viewing this for the long haul! I hope this instructable turned out to be very helpful. These steps aren't everything you need to know to succeed in life, but they are just a few. As usual, if you have any questions, ask me in the comment box below! Again, thanks for viewing, and good luck!

Special Thanks:

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How to Survive High School: Welcome everybody! Thanks for viewing! This instructable is about how to survive high school. These tips are amassed from myself, good friends, and wikiHow, so it's a little long. I hope y'all find this very helpful.

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This article mentions how volleyball is a fun sport for all humans to play and enjoy together. The basics of the game are there are 2 teams on either side of the net containing 6 people on the court. The goal is to have max 3 touches on the ball before sending it back onto the other side of the net hoping to be the last to have the ball hit the ground.

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Volleyball: Learn all about this fun sport

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The strategy, positions, rule, and terms for the game of volleyball. A fun sport.

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The precautionary steps investigators go through in order to get the most information out of a crime scene. There are many different types of evidence and new technologies that have advanced this field.

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A Brief History of Spiritual Revival and Awakening in America. 

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There have been many spiritual awakenings and revivals in America, including the Great Awakening, 2nd Great Awakening and the Great Prayer Meeting Revival. These form when a religion groups feels as though the world needs a spiritual cleanse. This article will help you learn about the ones that have happened in the U.S..

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In describing what happened in Jonathan Edward's Northampton, Mass., church in 1734, observers said, "It pleased God ..to display his free and sovereign mercy in the conversion of a great multitude of souls in a short space of time, turning them from a formal, cold and careless profession of Christianity, to the lively exercise of every Christian grace, and the powerful practice of our holy religion." [1] That's about as clear a definition as we'll ever get! During a spiritual , God supernaturally transforms believers and nonbelievers in a church, locale, region, nation or the world through sudden, intense enthusiasm for Christianity.2 People sense the presence of God powerfully; conviction, despair, contrition, repentance and prayer come easily; people thirst for God's word; many authentic conversions occur and backsliders are renewed.

Revival and awakening are, generally, synonyms. The larger the geography a revival covers, the greater the tendency to call it an awakening.

America has a deep, rich history of revivals and awakenings.

Spiritual Revival in America: A Well-Travelled Road

The Great Awakening, 1734-43. In December 1734, the first revival of historic significance broke out in Northampton, Mass., where a young Jonathan Edwards was pastor. After months of fruitless labor, he reported five or six people converted-one a young woman. He wrote, "[She] had been one of the greatest company-keepers in the whole town."3 He feared her conversion would douse the flame, but quite the opposite took place. Three hundred souls converted in six months-in a town of only 1,100 people!4 The news spread like wildfire, and similar revivals broke out in over 100 towns.5 Starting in Philadelphia in 1739, George Whitfield's dramatic preaching was like striking a match to the already-underway awakening. An estimated 80 percent of America's 900,000 Colonists personally heard Whitfield preach.6,7 He became America's first celebrity.8

The Second Great Awakening, 1800-1840. In 1800, only one in 15 of America's population of 5,300,000 belonged to an evangelical church.9 Presbyterian minister James McGready presided over strange spiritual manifestations in Logan County, Ky. The resulting camp meeting revivals drew thousands from as far away as Ohio.10,11 Rev. Gardiner Spring reported that for the next 25 years not a single month passed without news of a revival somewhere.12 In 1824, Charles Finney began a career that would eventually convert 500,000 to Christ. An unparalleled 100,000 were converted in Rochester, N.Y., in 1831 alone-causing the revival to spread to 1,500 towns.13 By 1850 the nation's population exploded fourfold to 23,000,000 people, but those connected to evangelical churches grew nearly tenfold from 7 percent to 13 percent of the population-from 350,000 to 3,000,000 church members!14

The Businessmen's Revival of 1857-1858. In 1857, the North Dutch Church in New York City hired a businessman, Jeremiah Lanphier, to be a lay missionary. He prayed, "Lord, what would you have me do?" Concerned by the anxious faces of businessmen on the streets of New York City, Lanphier decided to open the church at noon so businessmen could pray. The first meeting was set for September 23-three weeks before the Bank Panic of 1857. Six attended the first week, 20 the next, then 40, then they switched to daily meetings. Before long all the space was taken, and other churches also began to open up for businessmen's prayer meetings.15 Revivals broke out everywhere in 1857, spreading throughout the United States and world. Sometimes called The Great Prayer Meeting Revival, an estimated 1,000,000 people were added to America's church rolls, and as many as 1,000,000 of the 4,000,000 existing church members also converted.16

Patrick Morley's mission is to help men grow as disciples and disciple makers--starting at home. In 1991, he founded Man in the Mirror, which consults with churches in all 50 states to help them more effectively disciple their men. He teaches a weekly men's Bible study to 10,000 men and is the best-selling author of 20 books, including "The Man in the Mirror." Learn more at www.ManintheMirror.org and www.PatrickMorley.com.

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A Brief History of Spiritual Revival and Awakening in America

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In describing what happened in Jonathan Edward's Northampton, Mass., church in 1734, observers said, "It pleased God ..to display his free and sovereign mercy in the conversion of a great multitude of souls in a short space of time, turning them from a formal, cold and careless profession of Christianity, to the lively exercise of every Christian grace, and the powerful practice of our holy religion."

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SEAL training is extremely demanding and it is not designed to "get you in shape." You must be in excellent physical condition and pass the PST before you can be considered a SEAL candidate. For more on how to get and stay in SEAL shape, visit the Military.com Fitness Center.

The following SEAL Physical Screening Test (PST) is designed to see if you have what it takes to enter SEAL training. To pass you must be able to complete the following regimen:

* While at Recruit Training Center SEAL Candidates will transition to Boots and Long Pants for the Run portion of the PST. To remain qualified for the SEAL training Pipeline, the SEAL candidate must perform the 1 ½ mile run portion of the PST in Boots and Long Pants in 11:30 or less.

To qualify for a contract, a prospective candidate must meet the minimum requirements. It is recommended that you strive for the optimum fitness standards and beyond to better chances at BUD/S. Check out the official Navy SEAL PST Calculator to compare your scores and rank you with other prospective candidates.

For more information on academic, medical screening, and background requirements, see The Official Navy SEAL/SWCC Page at www.sealswcc.com.

The minimum standards will allow you to start training with your SEAL / SWCC mentor during your Delayed Entry Program phase. Once you reach the optimum levels, you can go to Boot Camp. Before you go to Boot Camp, your PST scores are ranked nationally and only the best PST scores (optimum range plus) fill the needed billets for that Boot Camp cycle. This program is called the Navy Spec War Draft and it creates a ranking system of the top scoring athletes that get to go to Boot Camp. This will give the SEAL / SWCC candidate more time to properly train prior to Boot Camp, or discourage him to find other employment. Recent events have made the Naval Special Warfare community very selective in who attends BUD/S.

Once you have finished Boot Camp - if you make the cut - you will attend PRE-BUDS, a 7-9 week Apprenticeship Training Division School (A-School), with immediate assignment to BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition / SEAL) training. The goal of PRE BUDS is to better prepare you for BUD/S physically after getting somewhat de-conditioned at Boot Camp.
The Navy SEAL Training Program
The Navy SEAL training program will stress you beyond your limits to make sure you're worthy to serve with the world's best fighting force. Be prepared, stay focused, make mature choices, and understand what you are volunteering for.

SEAL training prepares you for the extreme physical and mental challenges of SEAL missions. If you're up to the challenge, you'll be in incredible physical shape and possess the confidence, determination and skills needed to succeed in today's combat environment.

Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Training BUD/S is a seven-month training challenge that develops your mental and physical stamina and leadership skills. Each BUD/S phase includes timed physical condition tests, with the time requirements becoming more demanding each week. Talk with your Recruiter and discuss the entry physical requirements.

Did you know? SEALs receive military pay and allowances, plus $375/month dive pay, $300/month SDV pay, $225/month HALO (jump) pay, $110/month special duty assignment pay and various amounts per month for second-language proficiency.

BUD/S Phase Descriptions Indoctrination: Gives students an introduction to required BUD/S techniques and performances.

First Phase (Basic Conditioning): Includes continuous physical conditioning. Students also study small boat seamanship and hydrographic surveys and charts.

Second Phase (Diving): Covers SCUBA skills. Students learn open and closed circuit combat diving and how to complete long-distance underwater transit dives.

Third Phase (Land Warfare): Includes land navigation, small-unit tactics, rappelling, military land and underwater explosives, and weapons training.

Post-BUD/S Training BUD/S graduates attend several more courses before they are assigned to a team:

Basic Parachute Training Diving medicine and medical skills training in the Special Operations Medical Course (for medical personnel) Once all courses are completed, graduates are assigned to a SEAL or Special Delivery Vehicle (SDV) Team for duty.

Advanced Training Training, physical conditioning and drills are part of the SEAL lifestyle. Once you've completed the initial SEAL training, you can go even further with advanced training, which includes foreign language training, SEAL tactical communications training, Sniper, Military Free-fall Parachuting, Jump Master, Explosive Breacher, and much more.
Related Articles:
Navy SEAL / SWCC Draft Top 10 Things You Should Do Before BUD

Show Full Article

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SEAL training is extremely demanding and it is not designed to "get you in shape." You must be in excellent physical condition and pass the PST before you can be considered a SEAL candidate. For more on how to get and stay in SEAL shape, visit the Military.com Fitness Center.

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The idea of this topic is whether or not transgender people should be able to compete in the opposite gender category. Men and women have very different physical capabilities, and the conflict is whether or not this should be allowed.

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Suggested Discussion Points With Resources to Oppose Transgender Exclusion Bills

Background

In 2022, antitransgender student athletics bills were introduced in 29 states in the United States. Antitransgender sports legislation often requires that all students be on sports teams and compete in sports competitions based on their gender assigned at birth. These efforts assume that transgender girls-often framed as cisgender boys claiming to be girls-hold biological advantages in girls' sports, effectively undermining fairness in sports.

Activists posit that antitransgender athletics efforts are also motivated by anti-Blackness in that they reflect long-standing gendered racist discrimination toward Black women for being deemed "too masculine" (Clifton, 2021). Without conclusive evidence that transgender girls are "biologically male," this policy and legislation stands on antitransgender accusations that have historically and contemporarily disproportionately been used to discriminate against Black women in the U.S. and abroad.

Antitransgender sports efforts increasingly emerged following the high-profile cases of Andraya Yearwood and Terry Miller, two Black transgender high school girls competing in girls' track teams in Connecticut. Despite having previously defeated Yearwood and Miller, three White cisgender girls were plaintiffs in a February 2020 lawsuit that argued that transgender girls' participation in girls' sports competitions violates protections against gender-based discrimination under Title IX (Clifton, 2021). In April 2021, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit.

As of November 2021, 10 states have enacted antitransgender sports ban legislation: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, South Dakota (by Executive Order), Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia. However, these efforts have not been met without opposition-in addition to local and national grassroots movements, the American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal, and the Human Rights Campaign have filled lawsuits across the U.S. in opposition of antitransgender student athletics legislation.

Suggested discussion points

Transgender children vary in athletic ability, just as other youth do. There is no evidence to support claims that allowing transgender student athletes to play on the team that fits their gender identity would affect the fairness of the sport or competition (ACLU, 2020). In February 2021, the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education issued a statement supporting transgender and nonbinary students' full and equal participation in all education programs and activities, including sports (see Resources section below). The American Psychological Association took the same position in February 2020 (APA, 2020).

A person's gender identity is how each person self-defines their gender. This may or may not be consistent with the sex someone was assigned at birth (APA, 2009). Gender identity is central to how children and adolescents perceive themselves (APA 2015). Requiring transgender youth to athletically compete on teams based on their sex/gender assigned at birth is the same as banning them from athletic competition entirely (ACLU, 2020).

There is ample evidence that an opportunity for adolescents to participate in sports results in positive outcomes, such as better grades, greater homework completion, higher educational and occupational aspirations, and improved self-esteem (Darling et al., 2005; Fredericks & Eccles, 2006; Marsh & Kleitman, 2003; Nelson, & Gordon-Larsen, 2006; Ortega et al., 2008; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2008). Additionally, excluding any subset of girls from sports can encourage divisiveness and compromise group cohesion, undermining the benefits all youth deserve from team sports (ACLU, 2020). All youth should have access to the benefits of sports.

For these reasons and many others, we are asking you to oppose [bill number and name]. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions, and we look forward to working with your office on this.

Are you a psychologist or a representative of a state, provincial, or territorial psychology association who has written a letter to your state legislative representative or representatives, provided testimony at a committee hearing, or participated in direct advocacy individually or with organized community advocacy efforts? If so, would you be willing to share either copies of letters or testimony, or videos of testimony, for consideration to be added here as examples to inform and inspire others to take similar action? If so, please send via email.

Resources

National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education Supporting Transgender Youth & Their Families Amidst Trans Sports Bans

This document (PDF, 413KB) provides additional context as well as specific resources for transgender youth and their families who are distressed by discriminatory bills and looking for support and ways to take action. This is a joint project of the Trevor Project, Athlete Ally, genderspectrum, PFLAG, GLSEN, Transathelete.com, and The National Center for Transgender Equality.
TransAthlete Center for American Progress

Fair Play The Importance of Sports Participation for Transgender Youth
Human Rights Campaign: Play to Win Fact sheets from the Society for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity (Div. 44)

The Experiences of LGBT Students in School Athletics (PDF, 277KB) GLSEN's research brief

Fact Sheet: Non-Binary Gender Identities (PDF, 2.86MB)

Fact Sheet: Gender Diversity and Transgender Identity in Adolescents (PDF, 193KB)

Fact Sheet: Gender Diversity and Transgender Identity in Children (PDF, 136KB)

The World Professional Association for Transgender Health

Health Personnel Recommendations for Supporting Transgender and Gender Diverse Students in Schools (PDF, 166KB)
Key transgender and gender diversity terminology, advocacy and suggested resources, developed by the Division of School Psychology (Div.16) and the American Psychological Association
Brochure/Pamphlet (January 2015)

School-Based Risk and Protective Factors for Gender Diverse and Sexual Minority Children and Youth (PDF, 116KB)
Includes topics such as gender diversity among students, helping to support families with LGBT children and youth, risk factors and resiliency factors within schools around health and well-being of LGBT youth, and basic facts about gender diversity and sexual orientation, developed by the Division of School Psychology (Division 16) and the American Psychological Association.
Brochure/Pamphlet (January 2015)

References

American Civil Liberties Union (2020). Four myths about trans athletes, debunked. https://www.aclu.org/news/lgbtq-rights/four-myths-about-trans-athletes-debunked/

American Psychological Association. (2009). Report of the task force on gender identity and gender variance. https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/policy/gender-identity-report.pdf (PDF, 1.02MB)

American Psychological Association. (2015). Guidelines for psychological practice with transgender and gender nonconforming people. American Psychologist, 70(9), 832-864. https://www.apa.org/practice/guidelines/transgender.pdf (PDF, 461KB)

American Psychological Association. (2020). APA resolution on supporting sexual/gender diverse children and adolescents in schools. https://www.apa.org/about/policy/resolution-supporting-gender-diverse-children.pdf (PDF, 112KB)

Clifton, D. (2021). Anti-trans sports bills aren't just transphobic - they're racist, too. them. https://www.them.us/story/anti-trans-sports-bills-transphobic-racist

Darling, N., Caldwell, L. L., & Smith, R. (2005). Participation in school-based extracurricular activities and adolescent adjustment. Journal of Leisure Research, 37(1), 51-76. https:// doi.org/10.1080/00222216.2005.11950040

Fredericks, J. A., & Eccles, J. S. (2006). Is extracurricular participation associated with beneficial outcomes? Concurrent and longitudinal relations. Developmental Psychology, 42(4), 698-713. https:// doi:10.1037/0012-1649.42.4.698

Marsh, H.W. & Kleitman, S. (2003). School athletic participation: Mostly gain with little pain. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 25(2), 205-228. https:// doi.org/10.1123/jsep.25.2.205

Nelson, M. C. & Gordon-Larsen, P. (2006). Physical activity and sedentary behavior patterns are associated with selected adolescent health risk behaviors. Pediatrics, 117(4), 1281-1290. https:// doi:10.1542/peds.2005-1692

Ortega, F. B., Ruiz, J. R., Castillo, M. J., & Sjöström, M. (2008). Physical fitness in childhood and adolescence: A powerful marker of health. International Journal of Obesity, 32, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0803774

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2008). 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. https://health.gov/our-work/physical-activity/previous-guidelines/2008-physical-activity-guidelines

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Suggested Discussion Points With Resources to Oppose Transgender Exclusion Bills In 2022, antitransgender student athletics bills were introduced in 29 states in the United States. Antitransgender sports legislation often requires that all students be on sports teams and compete in sports competitions based on their gender assigned at birth.

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The most common vocal injury that can occur with overuse of the vocal chords is called Vocal Cord Strain. Typically, Vocal Cord Strain appears in people who regularly use their voices (singers, actors, teachers, public speakers, etc).

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What Is Vocal Cord Strain?

Vocal cord strain occurs when the muscles and vocal cords are injured through overuse. It can also be a side effect of laryngitis or surgery to treat cancer.

Vocal cord strain is most common among people who use their voice regularly for work or recreation. This includes singers, actors, teachers, and public speakers.

What Are the Symptoms of Strained Vocal Cords?

Strained vocal cord symptoms may include:

Chronic hoarseness for more than two weeks (such as a raspy or breathy voice, a voice quiver, or a strained or choppy voice)

Pain or a lump in the throat when speaking

Changes in pitch

Odd sounding speech

Diagnosing Vocal Cord Strain

Voice and speech disorder physicians at the Penn Center for Voice, Speech and Swallowing rely on your medical history and a clinical exam to diagnose vocal cord strain.

In some cases, video stroboscopy may be used to differentiate between vocal cord weakness, cysts, or nodules. Video stroboscopy is a painless, outpatient procedure that uses a synchronized, flashing light to visualize vocal cord vibration. During this exam, a flexible tube (nasopharyngoscopy) equipped with a strobe light and camera is passed through your nose and positioned just above the vocal cords. Alternatively, a rigid telescope can be passed through your mouth - over the tongue - to visualize vocal cords. This light flashes on and off as your vocal cords vibrate. A microphone is placed along your neck to simultaneously detect the frequency of the vocal cords.

How to Treat a Vocal Cord Strain

The primary treatment for vocal cord strain is speech therapy. Therapy may be prescribed to strengthen naturally weak vocal cords - using special types of exercises - or to correct or perfect breathing techniques (as in the case of overuse injuries).

Our dedicated speech therapists tailor speech therapy to your unique needs. This treatment consists of exercises to strengthen the vocal cords, improve breath control during speech and protect the airway during swallowing.

Penn Programs & Services for Vocal Cord Strain

Penn Speech-Language Pathology and Rehabilitation offers evaluation, diagnosis and treatment for speech, language, cognitive, voice and swallowing disorders.

The Penn Center for Voice, Speech and Swallowing provides comprehensive treatment plans for a variety of voice disorders and speech conditions in adults.

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Vocal Cord Strain - Symptoms and Causes | Penn Medicine

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Vocal cord strain occurs when the muscles and vocal cords are injured through overuse. It can also be a side effect of laryngitis or surgery to treat cancer. Vocal cord strain is most common among people who use their voice regularly for work or recreation. This includes singers, actors, teachers, and public speakers.

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This article summarizes how important a mentality is in sports. With different mentalities come different results.

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Sports Psychology: Mindset Can Make or Break an Athlete

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The importance of sports psychology, which opens up career opportunities for sports med, psych, and science majors.

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Workers with low wages most likely get employed in industries that can be hazardous in many ways. And this can lead to poor mental health, family problems and etc.

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Millions of workers have jobs with low pay, shifting schedules, few if any benefits, and limited opportunities for advancement. The COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis undeniably impacted workers paid low wages the hardest, as millions lost jobs or income, while others continued to work in essential jobs, often at great risk to themselves and their families. Women-and especially women of color-were disproportionately likely to be employed in jobs paying low wages before the pandemic and have suffered the greatest economic impacts of the pandemic.

Workers in low-wage jobs are more likely to be employed in industries with hazardous working conditions and lax enforcement. Women and people of color are disproportionately likely to have jobs paying low wages. Despite some economic growth after the Great Recession and now facing an uncertain recovery, wages have remained low. A worker A worker being paid median wages did not earn much more in 2017 than 1979 when adjusted for inflation.

Wages for Workers in the Bottom 10th Income Percentile

In 1979, Black women in the bottom 10th percentile earned today's equivalent of $10.22/hour, in 2019, they earned only $10.35. Latina women's wages decreased from $10.22/hour in 1979 to $10.00 in 2019. Simply put, in 40 years, nothing has changed for the workers whose vital labor makes it possible for us all to flourish.

COVID-19 and Workers

At the start of the COVID- 19 pandemic, 20.5 million workers lost their job in April. During the COVID-19 recession, workers of color saw higher rates of unemployment compared to white workers. The rate of housing insecurity and food insecurity increased to 10.3 and 7.3 percent, respectively.

Part-time and Involuntary Part-time Work

Part-time workers are paid 29.3% less in wages per hour than full-time employees from similar backgrounds. In addition to low pay, part-time workers also have limited benefits and support such as health insurance, retirement, or paid leave.

Job Scheduling

Unstable schedules make it difficult for workers to arrange transportation, attend education and training programs, hold a second job, manage their budgets, obtain quality child care, and maintain a stable income.

Unpredictable scheduling can lead to:

benefit ineligibility

poor mental health

financial insecurity

In 2020, 16% of employees had a work schedule that varied based on their employer's needs. 10% of employees had a schedule that varied at their own request. Collectively, just over one-fourth of employees had a varying work schedule.

30% of workers with a schedule that varied based on their employer's needs said that they were either just getting by or finding it difficult to get by. This compares with 18% of workers with a fixed schedule or with a schedule that they control.

When compared to workers with fixed schedules, approximately, 15% of workers who had variable schedules were underemployed.

Access to Health Care Benefits
73% of the workers earning lowest wages did not have access to health care through their job.
Access to Paid and Unpaid Leave

In 2020, less than 10% of workers employed in sectors paying low wages had access to paid family leave, and less than 50% of workers had access to paid sick leave.

60% of workers paid low wages who may desperately need to take leave are not covered by or eligible for the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

More than two-thirds of low-wage private sector workers- those earning less than $10.49/hour-do not have access to paid sick days, compared with only 10% of those earning $30.61/hour or more.

Domestic Workers and COVID-19

There are over 2.2 million house cleaners, care workers, and nannies working in private homes across the country. Sadly, many of these workers were stationed on the frontlines of the pandemic, risking their heath and livelihoods with the least protections and some of the lowest pay.

A recent survey of domestic workers during the onset of the pandemic found that:

84% of workers reported they either would not be able to afford food

55% were unable to pay April's rent

77% feared being evicted

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Millions of workers have jobs with low pay, shifting schedules, few if any benefits, and limited opportunities for advancement. The COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis undeniably impacted workers paid low wages the hardest, as millions lost jobs or income, while others continued to work in essential jobs, often at great risk to themselves and their families.

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The United States defense spending is very important to our country, but spending too much could cause to much debt for the country to handle and limit money invested towards infrastructure.

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Working a low wage job can be very difficult. These wages have hardly changed in a long time and it causes many to struggle.

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Millions of workers have jobs with low pay, shifting schedules, few if any benefits, and limited opportunities for advancement. The COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis undeniably impacted workers paid low wages the hardest, as millions lost jobs or income, while others continued to work in essential jobs, often at great risk to themselves and their families. Women-and especially women of color-were disproportionately likely to be employed in jobs paying low wages before the pandemic and have suffered the greatest economic impacts of the pandemic.

Workers in low-wage jobs are more likely to be employed in industries with hazardous working conditions and lax enforcement. Women and people of color are disproportionately likely to have jobs paying low wages. Despite some economic growth after the Great Recession and now facing an uncertain recovery, wages have remained low. A worker A worker being paid median wages did not earn much more in 2017 than 1979 when adjusted for inflation.

Wages for Workers in the Bottom 10th Income Percentile

In 1979, Black women in the bottom 10th percentile earned today's equivalent of $10.22/hour, in 2019, they earned only $10.35. Latina women's wages decreased from $10.22/hour in 1979 to $10.00 in 2019. Simply put, in 40 years, nothing has changed for the workers whose vital labor makes it possible for us all to flourish.

COVID-19 and Workers

At the start of the COVID- 19 pandemic, 20.5 million workers lost their job in April. During the COVID-19 recession, workers of color saw higher rates of unemployment compared to white workers. The rate of housing insecurity and food insecurity increased to 10.3 and 7.3 percent, respectively.

Part-time and Involuntary Part-time Work

Part-time workers are paid 29.3% less in wages per hour than full-time employees from similar backgrounds. In addition to low pay, part-time workers also have limited benefits and support such as health insurance, retirement, or paid leave.

Job Scheduling

Unstable schedules make it difficult for workers to arrange transportation, attend education and training programs, hold a second job, manage their budgets, obtain quality child care, and maintain a stable income.

Unpredictable scheduling can lead to:

benefit ineligibility

poor mental health

financial insecurity

In 2020, 16% of employees had a work schedule that varied based on their employer's needs. 10% of employees had a schedule that varied at their own request. Collectively, just over one-fourth of employees had a varying work schedule.

30% of workers with a schedule that varied based on their employer's needs said that they were either just getting by or finding it difficult to get by. This compares with 18% of workers with a fixed schedule or with a schedule that they control.

When compared to workers with fixed schedules, approximately, 15% of workers who had variable schedules were underemployed.

Access to Health Care Benefits
73% of the workers earning lowest wages did not have access to health care through their job.
Access to Paid and Unpaid Leave

In 2020, less than 10% of workers employed in sectors paying low wages had access to paid family leave, and less than 50% of workers had access to paid sick leave.

60% of workers paid low wages who may desperately need to take leave are not covered by or eligible for the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

More than two-thirds of low-wage private sector workers- those earning less than $10.49/hour-do not have access to paid sick days, compared with only 10% of those earning $30.61/hour or more.

Domestic Workers and COVID-19

There are over 2.2 million house cleaners, care workers, and nannies working in private homes across the country. Sadly, many of these workers were stationed on the frontlines of the pandemic, risking their heath and livelihoods with the least protections and some of the lowest pay.

A recent survey of domestic workers during the onset of the pandemic found that:

84% of workers reported they either would not be able to afford food

55% were unable to pay April's rent

77% feared being evicted

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Millions of workers have jobs with low pay, shifting schedules, few if any benefits, and limited opportunities for advancement. The COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis undeniably impacted workers paid low wages the hardest, as millions lost jobs or income, while others continued to work in essential jobs, often at great risk to themselves and their families.

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Cybersecurity is a practice of protecting your usernames, passwords, and systems. Cyberattacks are usually at accessing or changing someone's information.

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Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting systems, networks, and programs from digital attacks. These cyberattacks are usually aimed at accessing, changing, or destroying sensitive information; extorting money from users via ransomware; or interrupting normal business processes.

Implementing effective cybersecurity measures is particularly challenging today because there are more devices than people, and attackers are becoming more innovative.

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Cybersecurity is the convergence of people, processes and technology that come together to protect organizations, individuals or networks from digital attacks.

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A technology addiction is a pretty large term to use, to describe any obssesive tech-related behavior.

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If you're the parent of a teen, you know how important digital technology is and the role that it plays in the life of today's teenagers. You'll often find them clicking, posting, or swiping, which could - understandably - make you worry that your teen has a technology addiction.

According to The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens, 2021, on average, teens ages 13-18 spent about 8.4 hours a day in 2021 using screen media (e.g., watching TV and online videos, playing video games, and viewing social media). This compares to 7.2 hours a day in 2019. The top two most common activities were watching online videos (77%) and using social media (62%).

A Pew Research Center survey found that 45% of teenagers are online almost constantly, and 60% of teens felt that spending too much time with technology is a major problem facing their generation.

So, is your teen daughter or son's technology use a minor issue or a sign of a digital addiction?

Learn more about technology addiction in teenagers and how to find help or treatment for your teen.

Technology Addiction in Teens

Technology addiction (also called Internet addiction, or Internet use disorder, among other names) is a broad term used to describe any obsessive tech-related behavior, be that gaming, online shopping, social media use, video watching, or anything else involving digital technology.

While technology addiction is not included in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, the APA recently published a book on the topic that covers the different types of digital addiction and how they affect various populations, including youths. In a press release, one of the book's editors, Petros Levounis, noted that while most people can enjoy technology's benefits with no or minimal trouble, some develop a serious addiction requiring psychiatric evaluation and treatment.

Also noteworthy is that the World Health Organization lists gaming disorder, which includes digital and video gaming, as a mental health condition in its International Classification of Diseases, 11 th Revision.

Technology vs. substance addiction

The obsessive use of technology does have similarities with substance abuse and other addictions, including activating the reward centers of the brain, and can affect the brain's white matter, such as disrupting neural pathways related to executive functioning.

However, technology addiction in teens is significantly different from drug addiction in other ways. As Matthew Cruger, a neuropsychologist and associate clinical director of the Child Mind Institute, explained, "With addiction you have a chemical that changes the way we respond, that leads us to be reliant on it for our level of functioning. That's not what's happening here. We don't develop higher levels of tolerance. We don't need more and more screen time in order to be able to function."

Effects of technology addiction

More than likely, when we say we say "tech addiction" or "digital addiction," we're really talking about teenagers' inability to do without a favorite game or their phone and the negative behaviors that can come with that.

Tech addiction doesn't have to be clinically classified as an addiction to be a serious problem, however. Along with comparing this issue to "digital cocaine," some have linked increased screen time to a rise in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), adolescent anxiety, depression and suicide risk factors.*

Clearly, there's a problem.

Signs of Technology Addiction in Teens

It's important to identify if technology is interfering negatively with your teen's daily life. Ask yourself these questions:

Does your child deny there's a problem?

Does being without a phone or Wi-Fi cause irritability or panic?

Does your teen sleep less now or has their weight fluctuated?

Have your daughter or son's grades or friendships suffered?

All of these are signs that the use of technology may be getting out of control.

Teen fighting technology addiction enjoys outdoor activities with dad.

5 Steps To Take To Treat Technology Addiction

Here are five tips to help your teen break their tech addiction:

1. Get out.

Building some technology-free diversions into the day can help. Get outside with your daughter or son and encourage them to join a club, volunteer at an animal shelter or local food bank, or create art or work with pottery. Anything that occupies their time in a constructive way and uses no technology is acceptable.

Need more ideas? Your Teen Magazine has 100 ideas for screen-free activities.

2. Get real.

One of the first signs that technology is a problem is denying it is one. So, take a brutally honest inventory of your teen's technology habits. If they're a gamer, for instance, you can set a timer and keep a journal of how often and how long your teenager plays to pinpoint a gaming addiction.

Tracking phone usage is easy; for Androids and iPhones, use the Screen Time app, included with the phone. Screen Time gives a detailed view of the time spent on the device, including what apps and websites were used and how many times the device was picked up.

There are other phone apps, extensions, and tools that can help your teen get realistic about their technology use. Explore your options and remember: The first step for addressing tech addiction is having the information needed to manage it.

3. Make a plan.

Don't have your teen rely on their willpower alone. You'll be going against the high-tech giants and the world's smartest minds, all fighting for your daughter or son's attention. Instead, make a plan.

Create a routine that adds nontechnology activities into their schedule. For example, when your teen wakes up, have them get a glass of water, open their windows, stretch, and look at the sun and sky (corny as it sounds), all before checking their phone. When they come home from school or work, have them complete tasks such as taking the dog out and making a snack. The goal is to have them do activities that don't involve technology before logging into their gaming, social media, or other digital accounts.

4. Start small.

Once your teen is aware of their average daily technology use, they can start thinking about how to reduce it. Plan to start small, such as having them take a break during mealtimes or reducing their tech use by one hour per week.

You can set limits through the Screen Time app or whatever app/tool you choose. You can also set alarms and notifications to remind them when to step away from tech and to keep them honest.

5. Recognize when to seek help.

Sometimes even with the best intentions, plans, and tools, digital addiction is too much of a challenge to conquer alone. It can also be a symptom of an underlying issue that needs to be addressed, such as ADHD, depression, low self-esteem, obsessive-compulsive disorder or unresolved trauma.

If struggles with excessive gaming, smartphone use, or social media addiction are affecting your child's health, home life, school performance, sleep, or social life, maybe it's time to talk to a professional. You can find a good therapist for teen technology addiction by using the Psychology Today search tool.

*This article is for informational purposes only and not to be considered medical advice. If you're having a mental health emergency, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for immediate support by calling, texting, or chatting 988. You can also text HOME to 741741 - the Crisis Text Line - from anywhere in the country to talk with a trained crisis counselor.

Embark is the most trusted name in teen and young adult mental health treatment. We're driven to find the help your family needs. If you're looking for support, contact us today

Related Posts

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If you're the parent of a teen, you know how important digital technology is and the role that it plays in the life of today's teenagers. You'll often find them clicking, posting, or swiping, which could - understandably - make you worry that your teen has a technology addiction.

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Add a link to your relatively reliable article.

Write a BRIEF summary of your article after you skim over it.

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With rising levels of carbon emissions and heat in Austin, Tx, the air pollution is worse now than it has been in a decade.

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Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
Texas has seen more days with unhealthy levels of smog pollution this year than it has in a decade, state data shows, as vehicle and industrial emissions react with record-high temperatures, spiking ozone concentrations.

Since the beginning of the year, Texas air monitors have recorded 43 days as of Tuesday when ozone concentrations were high enough somewhere in the state to be considered unhealthy by the Environmental Protection Agency. That's double the number of unhealthy ozone days recorded by this time last year, and it's the most in the period of January to mid-July since 2012, air monitoring data maintained by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality shows.

Ground-level ozone, a component of what's known as smog, irritates and inflames the lungs, leaving them more susceptible to infections such as the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and making it harder for people to breathe. Ozone can make lung diseases worse, prompt asthma attacks and cause or aggravate chronic bronchitis. The pollutant is especially concerning when combined with extreme heat, experts said.

"Extreme heat is often thought of in this country as an inconvenience rather than a life-threatening danger, but we know that when organ systems in the body are under stress from extreme heat, they're extremely vulnerable to other assaults from air pollution," said Vijay Limaye, an epidemiologist and senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy nonprofit.

State regulators have issued dozens of warnings this summer across the state advising people with asthma, older adults and others at risk of lung complications to stay indoors on days when smog levels are projected to be high. Those who do not have a preexisting condition should take caution as well, Limaye said, since ozone can contribute to the development of asthma and other lung conditions.

Heat makes the smog worse: On sunny, hot and stagnant days, sunlight and high temperatures accelerate reactions between volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides to form ozone. Climate change - which has increased average temperatures in Texas - has made those conditions even more common.

"We're beginning to detect this climate change signature on ozone pollution in which we have higher summertime ozone levels because it's hotter outside," Limaye said.

More than 79 million Americans live in areas that do not meet national air quality health standards for smog, according to the EPA. In Texas, at least 12 million people live in a county that doesn't meet the 2008 federal ozone standards, EPA data shows.

High levels of pollution can disproportionately harm Black and Latino children, researchers have found. One 2017 Rice University study showed that 13% of Black children in Houston have an asthma diagnosis compared with 7% of Hispanic children and 4% of white children and Asian children.

But while smog levels spike this summer, Texas politicians and regulatory agencies are fighting the federal government, hoping to block stricter regulations on the pollutant.

In March, the EPA proposed a rule that would require about two dozen states, including Texas, to cut ozone pollution from power plants and industrial sources such as natural gas pipelines and chemical manufacturers that contribute to ozone pollution in neighboring states - strengthening a regulation known as the "good neighbor" rule.

"This 'good neighbor' plan will better protect the health of Americans across the country," EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement when the rule was proposed. "Air pollution doesn't stop at the state line."

Texas politicians and state agencies have urged the EPA to withdraw its proposal. At the end of June, Attorney General Ken Paxton argued in a comment on the EPA's plan that the federal agency had overstepped its authority and that the EPA ignored how the regulations would impact electric grid reliability in Texas.

"The EPA takes on - however poorly - critical reliability issues and ignores the independent nature of the Texas electric grid," Paxton wrote, stating that it was "inappropriate" for the EPA's plan to require states to consider shifting electric generation to renewable or lower-emission sources of electricity as a strategy to reduce ozone.

The TCEQ, the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas have all opposed the federal government's plan. The agencies argue that the requirements could force power plants to switch sources from natural gas or coal to renewable energy and that such changes are outside of the EPA's authority and expertise.

The state wants the EPA to instead approve its plan for ozone, which concluded that Texas emissions were not significantly contributing to ozone pollution in neighboring states. The federal agency said earlier this year that it intends to reject Texas' plan and analysis, finding that Texas emissions did significantly affect other states.

Environmental groups argue that the EPA's good neighbor plan is necessary because Texas' emissions are spilling over into neighboring states.

"Texas is a major contributor to not just air pollution in Texas but really all around the country," said Neil Gormley, a senior attorney at the environmental nonprofit Earthjustice.

He added that he thought the EPA's proposal appropriately balanced cutting pollution and maintaining electrical reliability because it allows states to choose from a variety of methods to reduce pollution.

The EPA also recently cracked down on the Houston and Dallas regions for violating national ozone standards, seeking to list the metro regions as "severe" violators of 2008 federal ozone pollution standards. A final determination is expected in October. The two major metro regions have struggled to meet federal thresholds in recent years after decades of progress.

The Houston region has had the most days with ozone levels considered unsafe so far this year, according to TCEQ data, followed by the Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin areas.

At the same time, the EPA has also announced that it is considering redesignating parts of the Permian Basin - the West Texas and New Mexico oil field that produces more than 5 million barrels of oil per day - as not meeting federal standards on ozone pollution. Doing so would require Texas to take steps to attain lower levels of ozone in the region.

The EPA began to consider the redesignation after the environmental nonprofit group WildEarth Guardians in 2021 petitioned the EPA to take action. At the end of June, Gov. Greg Abbott sent a letter to President Joe Biden, asking him to stop the EPA from proceeding with the plan.

"This action could result in draconian regulations imposed by the EPA that would directly attack America's most prolific oil field," Abbott wrote, arguing that regulations could further increase gasoline prices. He also warned that if Biden didn't respond by late July, "Texas will take the action needed to protect the production of oil."

Renae Eze, a spokesperson for Abbott, said in a statement that Biden has not yet responded to the letter from the governor and criticized the president for "feigning concern" about gasoline prices. Eze reiterated that Texas will take "any action necessary to protect [Texas] oil production," but did not specify further what the governor would do.

In a statement, EPA spokesperson Shayla Powell said that if the agency moves forward, it will send a notification letter to the governor soliciting his input on the redesignation and potential boundaries for the area to be regulated.

Victor Flatt, an environmental law professor at the University of Houston Law Center, said he's not surprised the EPA is considering designating the Permian Basin as a nonattainment area for ozone given the recorded measurements of other pollutants like methane.

"If they've got enough evidence to have to respond [to the WildEarth Guardians petition], my instinct would be that they're going to do it," he said.

He said Texas may choose to sue over the Permian Basin designation or the good neighbor ozone plan, which will ultimately slow reductions in smog.

"The EPA never gets to do its work because it's always going to be challenged politically," Flatt said. "Some states, like Texas, will sue the EPA no matter what. And it delays things."
Disclosure: Rice University and University of Houston have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. Join us at The Texas Tribune Festival, happening Sept. 22-24 in downtown Austin, and hear from 300+ speakers shaping the future of Texas including Joe Straus, Jen Psaki, Joaquin Castro, Mayra Flores and many others. See all speakers announced to date and buy tickets.

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texas commission on environmental quality (tceq)

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Smog levels in Texas surge during heat wave, bringing worst summer air quality in a decade

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Emissions are reacting with the summer heat to create high levels of smog, hazardous air pollution that damages the lungs. But state officials are pushing back on ozone pollution controls proposed by the EPA, arguing such rules would compromise the electric grid.