From first grade through graduation, we all study history. We study how America became a country, the president’s names (usually by rhythmic song), and how the entire human race survived from the beginning of documented time. As children on field trips, we were one of the 850 million people that visited American museums each year. As we progressed from first grade history to more advanced subjects, we realized that there is something special that connects us to our ancestors. With our developed knowledge we started to connect the dots between people that seemed so far away and ourselves. Congratulations if you are one of the lucky ones that can see the beauty behind all of the mistakes and successes of the people that shaped our world into an amazing, technologically advanced piece of art. Once you realize that life is an ever winding spool of thread, you will be able to see history in everything you do. If you have made studying and admiring history into a passion, you may ask yourself how you can deepen your connection to the past. Well, instead of letting you wonder, I will give you some helpful advice so that you may take delight in all that this world has to offer.
Buy one of a kind, valuable memorabilia.
The most exciting thing that someone can do is buy some sort of personalized, one of a kind memorabilia that no one else owns but you. For instance, there are few places that you can go to find historical autographs for sale. If you are looking for a deep connection between you and the past, you will definitely be able to find it by viewing old, handwritten documents that help you better understand history. Not only is it nice to look at and admire but it is a great way to dissect what may have been going through the mind of the person who wrote it. Having a document may help you truly bring a person back to life as you uncover the meaning and purpose for these records in world history. Not only is this an amazing thing to own for yourself but it is also something very unique to pass down to generations after you, it is something that can be cherished, all because you took an effort to preserve history for your family.
Find out how your family directly connects to important people that shaped our world.
Another great way to connect yourself with history is by finding out how your direct ancestors played a role in making it. There are many great search engines that you can find online to help you discover your ancestors. As you discover your forefathers, you can start connecting the little things between past events that played a big role on the present. You may even find out that you were a direct decent from one of our many amazing world leaders. The exciting part is that once you begin searching, there is really no telling what you’ll find!
Take a class at a college, just for fun.
Another enjoyable way to bring history to life is by taking a college course just for fun. Most people dread taking general education classes but when you decide to take it just for your own personal knowledge, you begin to appreciate it more. Since most professors normally encounter students who don’t show an interest in their class, you may even be able to develop a personal relationship with your professor. You may be able to debate history, get more information than is taught in the class and you will finally be able to talk to someone that has as much enthusiasm about the past that you do. You will be surprised at how much knowledge you can gain from a college professor. It will be like having your own personal history book to talk to at any given point and time. Not only will you learn a lot but usually each professor has a specialty in which they teach. Once you figure out what class interests you and which era or country you find the most interesting, you will be able to find a professor that shares the same interest easily.
Take an educational trip to visit historic sites.
Another unique way to connect with the past is by taking an educational trip to a known historic site. Everything is historic and important in its own way, but there is something very interesting about learning and visibly seeing the places where important events occurred. You can travel across the world or you can just drive up the street. Start where you live so you can see how your hometown made an impact on the world. From there begin to travel to places that you find the most interesting. The great part about this is you can use the steps listed above to help you research your destination before you go. Maybe you will want to find a place that your family was directly connected to. Maybe you will find a place that a formal document was signed in which you own. Maybe you will want to find a place that your college professor talks highly of. Wherever you go, you are bound to have a fantastic time exploring the different cultures while you appreciate the history behind it.
China is continuing pro-globalization efforts despite global policy changes, notably in the White House. Let’s look at what China has done to improve its global ties politically and economically over the past few years and it’s positioning for continued growth and domination in the years to come.
China’s Expanding African Influence
China has made significant inroads into Africa both in terms of trade and influence. For example, China’s import export bank gave over 62 billion dollars in loans to African nations between 2001 and 2010, 20% more than the World Bank did.
Around 22 billion dollars has been invested in Africa by China in natural resource extraction, power generation and infrastructure, with products like copper, oil and agricultural exports going back to China. The biggest investments have been in Angola, Sudan, Nigeria and South Africa. China is projected to become the biggest trading partner with Africa with an estimated 1.7 trillion in trade in 2030. It was 166 billion dollars in 2014. The relationship mirrors prior colonial patterns where Africa exports raw materials and receives mostly manufactured goods in exchange.
Online MBA learning resources help you to learn both the history of trade and development and the trends that are affecting international business today.
China's Growing Influence in Asia
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor running from Gwadar in Pakistan to Xinjiang in China is supported by a 46 billion dollar agreement. This is just one case of China developing land-based trade routes and production facilities in Asia. China is building a new silk road through Central Asia to give it non-maritime trade routes to Europe and a new “maritime silk road” through Pakistan to reduce reliance on traditional sea lanes.
Japan is wary of China’s literal construction of islands to bolster claims to territorial waters and shipping lanes. Yet it entered a Yuan-Renminbi trading pact several years ago that lets the two nations trade directly instead of using American dollars as an intermediary currency. This pact was partially a hedge against American currency inflation and partially a step to improving trade between the two often hostile nations. China has also shifted from devaluing its currency to maximize exports to the U.S. to improve its trade volume with the rest of Asia. If you get an MBA online, you will better understand the economic factors behind currency valuations and government policies that partially determine the value of currency.
China has been expanding its influence globally for a number of years both to gain stronger dominance in key regions and improve its trade relationships with parts of the world the West has neglected. China is working most actively in Central Asia and southern Asia to dominate its part of the world and gain multiple trade routes with current major trading partners in the West. China has long set its trade policies to what was in China’s best interest, though it is criticizing the U.S. for finally doing the same. U.S. – Chinese trade is not likely to change dramatically, but China has already positioned itself to be less reliant on U.S. imports for its continued economic growth.
A lot of column inches (and pixels) have been dedicated to the different methods businesses can use to reduce their carbon footprints and practice more sustainable ethics. By now we all know about going paperless, having a water dispenser instead of bringing in bottles, etc. We’ve heard endless amounts of information about LED bulbs and low flow toilets. These are the simple things. But what about the harder stuff?
This is where businesses really have the chance to make a difference in their environmental impact. If you are a business owner who also owns the structures and property on which that business operates (sorry renters and lessees, there isn’t a whole lot you can do without risking violating your lease agreement), here are some of the steps you can take to dramatically reduce your carbon footprint and make your company more sustainable.
Upgrade Your Plumbing
Unless you’re building a structure from scratch--which allows you to make every single decision about every single material used during construction--you’re likely dealing with some old and potentially code-breaking pipes. While most structures switched out their lead-based pipes for PVC and steel a long time ago, there are still better and more environmentally friendly options out there--especially for companies that engage in industrial work.
Advancements have been made in industrial wear tech to fit important materials with a chromium carbide overlay. This overlay is designed to withstand massive amounts of abrasion and stress without a reduction in performance. It helps piping and other fittings to last longer without leaching materials into the surrounding environment via corrosion or breakage.
Repurposing Roofs
There are a couple of ways that you can put your roof to work for your business and for the environment. Installing solar paneling is one very popular option. Converting your existing roof into a green roof is another.
One of the reasons that solar power hasn’t had as much success as we’d hoped is we haven’t figured out yet how to make the panels required to harvest the sun’s energy small. Sure we’ve made them slightly smaller, but the fact remains: if you want to be able to see any difference in your power consumption and actually reduce your dependence on the municipal power grid, you’re going to need some big panels that take up a good amount of space. This is where your roof comes in: installing the panels on your roof allows you to harvest the sun’s power without having to purchase additional lot space or convert what might be much needed free range land into an individual solar farm.
Green roofs are another way to use your roof to improve your company’s sustainability and environmental friendliness. A green roof, or living roof, is one that is covered in vegetation (that is planted on a waterproof overlay for your building). Some green roofs have drainage and irrigation built into them. Some even have small shallow ponds for processing greywater. These roofs help lower the temperature of areas both urban and industrial, reduce companies’ dependence on municipal water supplies, provide habitats for wildlife, help insulate their underlying buildings and improve the views of those who work around you. Advancements have been made to keep the weight of these roofs to a minimum and the maintenance required to keep them functional is about the same as what you would do to a standard yard or garden.
Work With Green Companies
Whether or not we want to admit it, the business world is a symbiotic one. No company operates completely independently. It buys supplies from somewhere--paper, electronics, etc. One fantastic way to help spread “green business” is to work only with those companies whose practices are sustainable and environmentally friendly. For example, there is a company in New York called Evocative that uses mushrooms to create organic and completely biodegradable packing materials (to use in place of styrofoam or air pillows). You can have your specific packing materials custom designed to meet your exact specifications and they’ll keep until they are tossed outside--the materials don’t break down until they are exposed to sunlight and other living organisms (like the bacteria found in soil, plant materials, etc).
Working with companies like Evocative, in addition to helping reduce your own company’s emissions, helps build these companies up and improves their visibility. The more businesses we have that offer eco-friendly and sustainable tools, the less everybody will depend upon mining and other environmentally damaging supplies.
Going green isn’t just about making small changes, though those do help. It is about making the biggest changes you can. These changes have a domino-like effect and encourage your colleagues and competitors to make similar changes themselves. And that is the best case scenario for everyone.
If you are the owner of a business that is just starting out, then you know the struggles of ensuring that you are making every single cent that comes out of your pocket will count. There are a ton of things you will have to shell out cash for, and one of these things may have to be the dreaded in-person meetings and conventions. The average cost of airfare these days is not exactly friendly on the wallet, pocket, or bank account, either. According to data outlined in an article by Airlines for America, the average cost for a domestic flight per passenger was around $363.98, excluding the reservation fee and bag fee. What more would you have to spend on an international flight these days, not to mention the need for decent board and lodging?
With that in mind, when should you bother booking a flight to another city, town, country, or even continent? When should you just convince the other person to talk about the subject over a nice cup of virtual coffee—that is, by starting up a video conference with you on a reliable web meeting software? In this article, we will give you a few reasons why you may want to hold off on buying any airfare and hotel room accommodations for certain discussions that you have to participate in.
Book a Flight for That Meet-Up If…
You Want to Have a Better Idea of How a Person Interacts with You.
An article written by Caroline McMillan for the website The Muse notes that there are often subtle body movements you make that could affect how other people see you as a person. You can easily look a person up and down and make your own assessments about their personality from head to toe if you were able to see them in person.
On the other hand, if you rely on a video call, then you will not be able to see the person’s entire body language from the waist down. In most online meetings, you only ever get to see a person from the shoulders up, depending on how they have decided to angle their camera. What if they are actually tapping their foot impatiently because they want you to stop talking already? What if they have their legs crossed because they really do not feel comfortable around you? What if they are actually just lounging around in their underwear because they cannot find any reason why they should take the extra effort of putting on some decent pair of pants? There is a lot that you will not get to see that could tell you volumes about a person’s attitude toward you, so sometimes, it can pay to shell out some cash, especially if you are going to try to seal the deal with a new client or a new business partner.
Do Not Get on a Plane If…
You Need a Really Quick Response to an Urgent Question That You Have
Do you need a super quick reply to a very urgent problem? In cases like this, it will be so much easier for you to relay your message via a quick live chat, a video call, or even by leaving somebody an e-mail if it really cannot be helped. Whether you are in a pinch or want to conduct these types of calls regularly, video conferencing in business can be done over reliable platforms such as BlueJeans. It is super easy to pick up and use, which means less time wasted on troubleshooting any errors.
Are you hoping to meet up to discuss some rather in-depth plans, instead of resolving a potential crisis? Even then, e-mail, chat, or even video calls can still do a better job than all the effort it would take to pack your bags and fly overseas. All you need to do is to make a note of what you absolutely have to tackle in your discussion, and then figure out an action plan by working together on a solution.
In Conclusion: Do You Want a Complete Picture or Do You Just Need a Speedy Response?
Though web conferencing software does allow you to see the other person, you will only get to see them from the waist up, which is sometimes not enough to give you a complete picture of how they are feeling about your conversation. For example, you will not be able to see if they are crossing their legs, which may imply that they are getting impatient or that they are closing themselves off from you. You will also not be able to see whether or not they bothered to put on a respectable pair of pants that day, either. For all that you know, they might actually be wearing their favorite pair of worn-out and cute pajamas.
The meetings industry continues to thrive which may be good for the economy but creates new challenges for the planner. According to the annual Amex report, meeting spend is rising globally, led by the Asia Pacific region with a 2.1 expected increase, followed by a 1.9 percent rise in North America (2016). What does this mean to planners?
Sourcing venues and hotels in a rising market can create unique challenges. While technology tools may assist planners with the process; they only scratch the surface when it comes to choosing the right venue. Based on a full set of criteria which typically includes location, cost, look and feel, amenities, contractual terms, dates, to name a few, putting together the options in a meaningful way can be daunting. Moreover, as each market encompasses different dynamics how does the planner know they are getting the best venue/value proposition?
According to Smartmeetings.com; these are the top reasons planners choose an event space:
1. Location
A venue in a convenient location can be the difference between a large turnout and an event that flops. If the event is hosting people from out of town, consider a venue near an airport or hotels. Events should be easy and enjoyable for guests, not a hassle.
2. Cost
Before planning any event, it’s crucial to sit down and plan a budget you can stick to. Pay attention to the cost of the venue so that you can ensure you have enough money for food, equipments, decorations, and other expenses for the event. While we all want to book the most glamorous venue, it’s sometimes necessary to compromise and be flexible.
3. Look & feel
While it’s fairly easy to manipulate a space with decorations, there are some things that can’t be changed such as the architecture and overall atmosphere of the venue. Whether you’re planning a social event or a corporate meeting, the venue needs to be able to define the experience your guests have. By choosing the right venue with the right atmosphere, you’ll be more likely to create an unforgettable experience for your guests.
4. Capacity and Availability
How many attendees are you expecting for the event? This would include things like space/room capacity (including lobby and exhibitor space if you are planning a meeting or convention); load in/out amenities; and technical capabilities.
It is always better to have several day / time options in mind (or at least be flexible with the date and time of the event) before start reviewing venues options so you are not immediately limit the number of the venues you can consider.
5. Amenities
Aside from how the venue looks, consider what the venue offers. Is it a one stop shop for all your event planning needs? Consider if the venue has a kitchen and catering staff, seating, a setup/clean up crew, and AV capabilities. These are just a few of the services you should be asking about when choosing a venue.
With all of these factors to consider, how does a planner ensure they are getting the best options in a market? Having sourced programs in over 750 destinations in 150 countries; now is a GREAT time to let Global Cynergies be your advocate and your consultant for your next meeting, anywhere in the world; at no cost to you. With over 100 experienced professionals in 21 countries we are poised to help you save time and money! Let us earn your trust and your business one meeting at a time!
About Global Cynergies
Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, Global Cynergies is a hotel and venue selection company comprised of more than 100 industry professionals located in 21 countries. Global Cynergies offers the best solutions in sourcing hotel rooms and meeting space for local, regional, and global meetings at no cost to their clients. For more information, visit www.globalcynergies.com
For further enquiries, please contact:
Elna Vogel
Account Manager, Worldwide Hotel & Venue Selection Specialist
Global Cynergies, LLC
Phone: +1 936-697-3181
Email: evogel@globalcynergies.com
Supervising employees is equal parts art and science. The science involves the process of ensuring that tasks are completed, working time is logged, and skills are sharpened. The art is more about understanding the people, knowing what motivates and inspires them.
Both aspects of the role as a human resource worker are challenging, but the science, in particular, is reasonably easy to manage. Today's workforce isn't always situated in rows of cubicles or a long stream of workers along an assembly line. They are mobile, off-site, or even home-based, and they require all the same supervision that in-house employees require.
The challenge here is obvious. How do we maintain contact with far-flung workers who must maintain a high level of productivity and efficiency with a low level of company interaction?
Fortunately, the same communication and Cloud technology that permits those workers to operate from elsewhere can also make sure that they are properly monitored without intrusive or time-consuming constant contact from management.
The use of software and phone apps by HR departments is helping companies maintain the best of both worlds. They get all the access of employees who are at headquarters or other company locations, yet they have the freedom to put them wherever it's most effective to do so.
Such systems are successful for several key reasons. The value of these monitoring systems is clear from these benefits that they provide for companies of all sizes.
Equal Monitoring
It can be very destructive to an employee's morale if he or she feels singled out by management for closer monitoring or heavier supervision. With an automated system, everyone is overseen equally.
This is much easier for the supervisor as well. His or her time is used more efficiently because employees are kept in electronic view at all times. There's no wondering who stepped out for a break, who has been called elsewhere to help, or who is off sick. Everything is right there at the supervisor's fingertips.
Expected Oversight
Nothing creates accountability quite like the expectation of being checked on. There is a misperception that supervisors must be present all day, every day to prevent inappropriate use of time. That's a myth.
The only thing that's necessary to keep employees accountable is the expectation that a supervisor will be in contact. If a worker is aware that his or her supervisor could pop up on video conference, telephone, text, or email at any given moment, he or she will be more conscientious about punctuality, attendance, and staying on task.
Efficient Upkeep
Paper is now officially out of favor. There's no need for a constant stack of wasted trees to handle tasks that we can now do electronically. Submission, editing, processing, and archiving are faster, cleaner, and simpler when they are done via the computer or smartphone.
Supervising employees is just another example of that sleek performance. Logging work hours, managing employee communication, and providing information is much easier when it's done electronically, freeing up time for the real mission of the company.
The more technology takes workers away from each other, the more it can pull them back together. The wide array of programs and apps available to companies today makes it ever easier to keep a tight-knit workforce despite the miles between them.
Addiction to drugs or alcohol can be one of the most devastating things to happen in a person's life. It can destroy their relationships, ruin their finances, and end their careers and educations.
It is easy for someone who isn't addicted to think that a substance abuse problem is easy to avoid, and yet those very people often end up addicted themselves.
Why do so many people develop a potentially deadly problem that seems so preventable? It's a complex issue, one that has been addressed by the Centers for Disease Control, treatment centers, and countless addiction specialists and support groups.
What they have found often comes down to three common factors, of which certain aspects make perfect sense while others may be surprising. Let's review these in hopes that you will be able to recognize an impending problem before you or a loved one gets tangled up in substance abuse.
Coping With Stress
Perhaps the least surprising finding of those investigators has been that stress is a critical factor in spurring drug and alcohol abuse. People with family difficulties, job problems, financial issues, or other worries will often turn to drugs or alcohol to get an escape. The time that they are under the influence gives them at least a brief reprieve from the problem.
Of course, when they sober up, the initial problem is still there and may have even been compounded with others that developed while the user was impaired. This could include money wasted in purchasing substances, duties neglected in the home or at work, or problematic confrontations with family or co-workers.
There are still strong efforts to discourage this avenue of coping with stress, but there have always been people who slip through the cracks. A continued emphasis on effective means of stress relief and an overall push against any form of substance abuse will continue to help the problem.
Underlying Factors
Addiction is a highly heritable problem. There are strong genetic indications that tell us alcoholics and drug addicts have some type of predisposition to their problems, and that the tendency to abuse substances is something that they may share with their children. The balance of this factor in a child's likelihood to become addicted can be difficult to measure against the influence of being raised in an addict's home, but the genetic component clearly plays a part.
Mental illness is also a very powerful influence. The problem with this situation can stem from the person's acceptance of medication as a cure for their particular issue. For example, a bipolar person who controls the condition using medication begins to view drugs as an effective solution, so when the prescribed dosage or types cannot meet the person's needs, abuse can ensue.
Succumbing To Peer Pressure
Dating back to the early years of the US war on drugs in the 1980's, there has been a misrepresentation of the role of peer pressure in drug and alcohol abuse. In educational materials, the process was usually depicted as one young person confronting another with some type of drug and pressuring him or her directly to consume it.
The reality is very different. Peer pressure can be as simple as a workplace conversation in which a group discusses plans to visit a bar after work, causing the newest member of the staff to feel obligated to go as a means of fitting in.
It can be an athlete who sees friends succeeding by using painkillers to manage injuries, or a person who sees a relative coping with stress by taking a valium.
The point is that it isn't always a direct urging to partake. The social environment can be a primary source of the pressure, with no deliberate solicitation by other users. The problem is further exacerbated when the other user's negative impacts aren't seen by the new user, reinforcing the perception that the substance must have been safe.
With so much power to weaken a person's resolve and take away willpower, addiction is a problem best cured with prevention. Once an alcohol or drug problem takes over, it can be very difficult to overcome, and it's at that stage that the person's life can be seriously impacted.
What is marketing? If you were to ask most business owners, they’d stay along the lines of things relating to advertising such as social media, blogs, videos, commercials, print ads, and more. While these are all valuable marketing sources, the realm of marketing does not stop there. Any good marketing professional will tell you that marketing encompasses everything relating to the sale of a product or service – from the design and implementation right down to the packaging and presentation.
Product packaging is a crucial part of the marketing process. It acts as a mini advertisement that each consumer will see on the products as they browse the storefront or receive the packages in the mail. As a result, every business owner should be looking at efficient ways to improve their product packaging to drive more sales. With companies like QuickLabel providing affordable labeling solutions for your packaged products, improving your product as a means of increasing sales should not be an issue.
How Packaging Influences Purchasing Decisions
There is essentially an emotional aspect to making any purchase. While there are many emotions that can drive a purchase decision, impulse happens to be at the top of the list. Since the packaging is often the first thing that customers see (in brick and mortar locations), what they see will spark certain emotions which can be key indicators of whether or not they’ll make the purchase. A well-designed package related to the company’s brand and consumer’s needs can increase the possibility that customers will be interested in making a purchase.
There have been studies conducted to determine exactly how the brain works when customers look at various packages. In general, the studies concluded that products that are inside attractive, vibrant, and relevant packaging cause brain activity to become more intense. Whereas packaging that is dull, plain, or irrelevant can cause negative reactions in the brain, thereby evoking negative emotions.
How to Improve Your Product Packaging
In order to determine where changes are needed it becomes important for you to look at your packaging through the eyes of your customers. When you look at the package your merchandise comes in, are you engaged, interested in making the purchase, neutral, or do you get a negative vibe? Getting the opinion of your customers or staff can help you to draw more effective solutions. Once you know where the issues lie, you can begin to make the necessary changes to improve packaging and your brand. Below are some tips:
Clearly Labeled. At the very basics of packaging, you need to ensure that you’ve clearly identified the type of product and the brand name on it. Other product relevant information like the size, color, or ingredients should also be clearly labeled. A customer who has to guess “what’s in the box” will ultimately look elsewhere to get the products they need.
Provide Protection. Your packaging should provide protection for the merchandise enclosed. Whether this is in the form of Styrofoam and bubble wrap or a neat plastic storage container that they can use after purchase, you should ensure that your products are protected thoroughly. A customer who finds the merchandise to be damaged as a result of poor packaging protection will ultimately be dissatisfied with your product.
Honesty is the Best Policy. As you’re labeling your packaging to attract your target audience, be sure that everything you disclose is accurate. Labeling products with misleading or false information can ruin your reputation and decrease sales.
Convenient. No customer wants to have to fight to get their merchandise out of the packaging materials. As you’re designing your package, be sure that it's easy to access and convenient for customers. Adding handles, easy to tear seals, and so forth can go a long way in impressing customers.
Unique. Finally, your packaging needs to be unique. In other words, it needs to stand out from the competition. If your packaging, labeling, and branding look similar to other companies, you’re essentially blending in and decreasing the chances of the customer making a purchase with your brand. Finding out-of-the-box ways to make your packaging different colors or have different functionalities than that of your competition can put you ahead of the game.
There are tons of new marketing trends in China and across the globe that business owners can take advantage of. Remember, marketing goes well beyond the scope of flyers, social media, and blogs. Your product's packaging can make a significant difference in whether or not you make a sale. Therefore, evaluate your packaging and take the time to make the above mentioned improvements to help drive sales and increase brand reputation.
The next editions of International Surrealism Now will be held in United States, Mississipi at Cullis Wade Depot Art Gallery, MSU Welcome Center, it will be in January and February and in Partícula Coimbra, next February, and Multimedia Poros Museum in Condeixa-a-Nova, Portugal 2016.
The follow artists will exhibit in United States, Mississipi at Cullis Depot Gallery located above the Mississippi State University welcome center:
American : Jay Garfinkle, France Garrido, Joe A. MacGown, K.D. Matheson, Patrick McGrath Muniz, Shahla Rosa, Olga Spiegel ; Portugal: Santiago Ribeiro, Paula Rosa, Victor Lages, Francisco Urbano
International Surrealism Now is a project by the surrealist painter Santiago Ribeiro that began in 20 10 in Coimbra, when Santiago Ribeiro conceived a major exhibition organized by Bissaya Barreto Foundation. This event has been in Conímbriga celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Monographi c Museum (second most visited museum in Portugal).
The show has also been in Paris with the support of GAPP - Art Gallery Portugal Presente and Liba WS, organized once again by the Bissaya Barreto Foundation and Santiago Ribeiro, and in Madrid with the support of Yamal Din. After that it went to Dallas with the support of the American surrealist artist Shahla Rosa.
Lately it has been presented at the medieval Castle of Paço da Ega, organized by Rede de Bibliotecas and House Mayor of Condeixa-a-Nova.
From 30 countries: Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Spain, USA, Philippines, France, Holland, Indonesia, England, Iran, Iceland , Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Vietnam.
Agim Meta / Ana Neamu / Ana Morales / Anna Plavinskaya / Andrew Baines / Asier Rico / Brigid Marlin / Bien Banez / Daila Lupo / Dan Neamu / Daniel Hanequand / Daniele Gori / Domen Lo / Edgar Invoker / Egill Ibsen / Erik Heyninck / Ettore Vigo / Farhad Jafari / France Garrido / Francisco Urbano / Gromyko Semper / Héctor Pineda / Hector Toro / Hugues Gillet / Isabel Meyrelles / Joe MacGown / Keith Wigdor / Leo Wijnhoven / Leo Plaw / Liba WS / Lubomír Štícha / Ludgero Rôlo / Lv Shang / Maciej Hoffman / Magi Calhoun / Maria Aristova / Martina Hoffmann / Mehriban Efendi / Naiker Roman / Nazareno Affonso / Nikolina Petolas / Octavian Florescu / Oleg Korolev / Olga Spiegel / Otto Rapp / Paula Rosa / Paulo Cunha, / Pedro Diaz / Philippe Pelletier / Rudolf Boelee / Santiago Ribeiro / Sergey Tyukanov / Shahla Rosa / Shoji Tanaka / Shan Zhulan / Sio Sandra / Slavko Krunic / Sônia M Barreto / Steve Smith / Stuart Grigz / Svetlana Kislyachenko / Tatomir Pitariu / Ton Haring / Victor Lages / Vu Thuong / Yamal Din / Yuri Tsvetaev / Zoran Velimanovic.
in United States:
“LUSO – American and Portuguese Surrealism of the 21st Century”
Date and time: January 21 to February 19, 2016
Gallery Reception: January 21, TBD, 5-6 p.m.
Venue: Cullis Wade Depot Art Gallery, MSU Welcome Center
Gallery Director: Lori Neuenfeldt, LNeuenfeldt@caad.msstate.edu
662-325-2973
Science maintains a never-ending process of moving forward. Biology has been no exception to this advancement, and today there are things being done that would have never been thought possible just a few years ago.
It's worth noting before we go any further that these developments would have been impossible without technological advances working in concert with the direct research. The development of sampling techniques, laboratory processes, and biorepository storage facilities have paved the way for researchers to delve into the possibilities presented in living things.
With that said, biological advances of recent decades have covered several major areas.
DNA Sequencing And Mapping
Arguably the most impactful of these has been the world of DNA research. The ability to map and compare the genes of two different organisms has had an unbelievable effect on the world. We can now identify people who are at an increased risk of certain types of diseases, possibly helping them through preventive treatments. We can trace the lineage of animals on one continent to animals on another continent. Law enforcement can acquire tiny bits of tissue from a crime scene and use it to identify a murderer or thief. The list goes on and on.
The impact of these connections goes far beyond family trees or paternity suits, of course. We can manage all kinds of health threats to both plants and animals by understanding their DNA. For example, the American chestnut tree was rendered nearly extinct by a disease outbreak decades ago. Its cousin, the Chinese chestnut, is immune. A development process has created a new, immune American chestnut that could prove valuable for timber, food, and erosion control, all thanks to DNA technology.
Stem Cells
As of now, this area has perhaps the most unexplored potential. We know a great deal about the use of these special cells for reversing genetic disorders and curing diseases long considered hopeless.
Of course, stem cell research remains very controversial. Anti-abortion groups have been concerned since the earliest days of the research with whether these developments could ever create a demand for aborted human fetuses. In time, the development of cord blood banking and other processes has helped to ease these fears, but they could always re-emerge if new opportunities steer scientists back toward the origin of these cells.
Hence, science is not the only limiting factor in the development of stem cell technology. Regulation and the court of public opinion will have a lot to say about where it goes.
Genetically-Modified Crops
Another area of considerable debate is genetic modification. This process is essentially a fast-forwarding of the development of plant breeds. What used to take years and years to create through a painstaking process of managing pollination, establishing new offspring, and repeating can now be done relatively quickly in a laboratory.
Concerns exist about whether these foods are safe to eat, and despite considerable research confirming that they are, there is reason to be alert to the risk of a narrowing of the genetic pool for crops. For example, if every farmer in the world is growing one of five or six different varieties of corn, a new disease could emerge that would attack those limited types and could have a huge impact on world harvest levels. As a result, scientists are operating storehouses of seed to maintain the genetic base for new varieties.
An ever-growing world population and the desire to keep it healthy and well-fed is driving research that has made it possible to do things no one dared dream a generation ago.
