One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.
-Carl Sagan
We are only poor if we have nothing to give from within ourselves.
Don had longed to go to a big meeting for a long time. He had prepared in front of the mirror talking to and admiring himself. After two months he felt strong and proceeded to the meeting. Then someone called him an idiot, Don started crying and ran home to his friend, the mirror
I, like most people, have gone through difficult times in life, no money, business failures, no job, no work and emotional stress! During those times, I tried to hold my head high believing life would change for the better, eventually.
PLEASE NEVER GIVE UP!
LIFE WILL GET BETTER.
PROMISE!!
Photo: Ronald Tagra
In a stunning agricultural breakthrough, Chinese researchers have stated that they have developed a system for growing rice in saltwater. It’s a revolutionary breakthrough that could help feed over 200 million people and boost China’s rice production by 20 percent.
In the spring over 200 types of rice were planted in a coastal town in eastern China. The researchers flooded the area with diluted sea water to see which varieties could thrive in the environment and were stunned by the results. “The test results were way above our expectations,” said Liu Shiping, professor of agriculture at Yangzhou University
For decades researchers have been attempting to produce commercially viable rice in water with high saline levels. Lead researcher Yuan Longping, who is known as the “godfather of rice” in China, has been developing hybrid rice varieties since the 1970s, when it became apparent that China was due for a population boom. Over the years he has created hybrids that now account for 20% of the rice varieties on the market.
With rice as a staple of the Chinese diet, yet huge swathes of land unviable due to high saline levels, this is a promising sign for a new way to feed the growing population. Growing rice varieties with saline tolerance will open up new areas of cultivation within the country and hopefully incentivize farmers to plant more rice.
There are some varieties of wild rice that tolerate salinity, but they typically produce a low yield of about 1.12 to 2.24 US tons per acre (1.125 to 2.25 tonnes per hectare). Instead, this new rice yielded between 2.9 and 4 US tons per acre (6.5 and 9.3 tonnes per hectare) during the experiment.
“If a farmer tries to grow some types of saline-tolerant rice now, he or she most likely will get 1,322 pounds per acre (1,500 kilograms per hectare). That is just not profitable and not even worth the effort,” said Yuan. “Farmers will have enough incentive to grow the rice if we double the yield.”
And though the rice is pricey—costing about 8 times more than traditional varieties—it’s already making its way into kitchens across China. The distributor estimates that it’s already sold 6.6 US tons (6 tonnes), and prices are expected to drop as commercialization continues. The “seawater” rice also has some built-in benefits. It’s naturally higher in calcium and fewer pesticides are needed, as less insects tolerate the salty conditions.
Best of all, it tastes good. “My boyfriend said it was like the braised rice he had back in his village. It is very good,” a local told the South China Morning Post.
h/t: [IFL Science!]
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The post Chinese Scientists Develop Saltwater Rice That Could Feed Over 200 Million People appeared first on My Modern Met.
Portrait of the night owl.
No, an illuminated manuscript is not a book that lights up, but rather a visual way of articulating letters and inserting imagery into text. Especially popular during the medieval period, religious texts were the primary recipients of decorative borders and letters tinged with gold and silver. However, increasingly over time, secular texts were also illuminated and now one of the most intriguing illuminated manuscripts, The Aberdeen Bestiary, has been digitized for close examination.
Created around 1200—and once owned by Henry VIII—The Aberdeen Bestiary is one of many of its genre, which was especially popular during the Middle Ages. Given how closely man worked in conjunction with animals, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that such a text would exist. Bestiaries, which originated in the Ancient World, are manuscripts that contain flora and fauna, typically giving a moral tale next to each entry.
Often used as a teaching tool, bestiaries reflected the Christian belief that the everything in the world is touched by God and has its own special meaning. So what makes The Aberdeen Bestiary so particular? For one, its lavish illuminations in gold are extraordinary, as most bestiaries were not illuminated. It begins with the creation story from the book of Genesis and then moves into descriptions of animals such as a lion, panther, and elephant. Not the typical animals an average medieval citizen living in Europe would encounter, but describing local species was not the aim of this manuscript, which was used for moral teaching.
The Creation of Birds and Fishes.
Everything from dogs and eagles to trees and humans are described among the pages of The Aberdeen Bestiary, which for all its lavishness, was never finished. In fact, the new high-resolution images taken by the University of Aberdeen show that the manuscript is most likely the work of many scribes, who wrote annotations and corrections in the margins. It’s thought that the manuscript was meant for a wide audience, but was picked up by the king’s scouts as they rummaged through a dissolved monastic library for treasures.
Now, The Aberdeen Bestiary has returned to its original intent, with the university releasing incredibly detailed scans online. Each page is accompanied by a transcription and translation from the original Latin, as well as commentary from researchers. A fascinating glimpse at the artistry of these craftsmen and the belief system of medieval Europe, it’s well worth flipping through the manuscript’s pages.
Eagles fishing and plunging into the rejuvenating spring.
The leopard
The dragon strangles an elephant.
Dog dropping his meat after seeing his reflection and dogs licking their wounds with their healing tongues.
h/t: [Open Culture, Hyperallergic]
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The post Medieval Illuminated Manuscript Exploring the Majesty of Animals Digitized and Placed Online appeared first on My Modern Met.
Joe had managed a successful company for 25 years and during those years the company had grown substantially. When asked what his secret was in management and human relations he replied “I deal with every person in such a way that we can meet again knowing that our last encounter was an enjoyable one. To me, nobody is below me and nobody is above me. My consciousness is my guide. I have to live with myself every minute of the day. If I’m not at peace with myself how can I possibly make others feel comfortable around me? I’m not into fancy terminology, I try to keep things simple. If my heart is at ease at the end of each day I may have succeeded that one day. Then I try again tomorrow. This my life and I like it!” @signordal
Joe had managed a successful company for 25 years and during those years the company had grown substantially. When asked what his secret was in management and human relations he replied “I deal with every person in such a way that we can meet again knowing that our last encounter was an enjoyable one. To me, nobody is below me and nobody is above me, except, of course, my consciousness. I have to live with myself every minute of the day. If I’m not at peace with myself how can I possibly make others feel comfortable around me? I’m not into sales, accounting or fancy terminology. When my heart is at ease at the end of the day I may have succeeded that one day. Then I try again tomorrow. This my life and I love it!” @signordal
Sig Nordal 