Positive Money research in the news
PositiveMoney
Dear Kofi,
This is exciting. A couple of weeks ago we launched our long-awaited research paper, “Escaping growth Dependency” at an event in parliament alongside MPs and famous economists such as Kate Raworth, author of Doughnut Economics. [1] It helped us get some fantastic news coverage in articles written by Positive Money executive director, Fran Boait:
“The UK's misguided obsession with GDP is driving us all into debt” - The Independent
“Unless We Kick Our Addiction to Growth, We’re Heading Towards A Debt-Fuelled Dystopia” - The Huffington Post
The headlines might seem gloomy, but our message is a hopeful one. One article finishes: “Economic growth itself was only introduced as a priority in the second half of the twentieth century. Just as ideas and the systems they produce have been changed before, we too have the power to change them again.”
Together we know we have the ideas and solutions we need to create a fairer better economic system. And we know that our power comes from - not just our ideas - but the number of us willing to spread and support our vision of a fairer economic system. Every time each of us convinces another person to sing from our hymn sheet, our power builds a little more.
So if you are excited by the Positive Money movement - by our research, campaigns and events - please will you share the message below with 5 friends or family who you think could be persuaded to join our movement now? You can copy and paste it into an email, Facebook message or text message (and feel free to change it into your own words!):
Hi, I’m a supporter of the Positive Money campaign. We’re a people-powered movement to reform the money and banking system so that we can have a fairer, more democratic and more sustainable economy.
There are lots of important campaigns we can choose to support. But this one is all about changing the root causes of many of the things that are important to me and to our society: our housing crisis, soaring inequality, protecting our environment, an unstable economy.
Slowly but surely, Positive Money is leading the charge for a fairer and better money and banking system. Just last week they launched some groundbreaking research in an event in parliament with high-profile economists, journalists and MPs there.
The more of us who join this movement - simply by signing up to their campaign online as a starting point - the closer we’ll get to changing things for good.
Please will you consider joining me and signing up to Positive Money’s fortnightly newsletter? You can sign up and read more about the great events, research and activity Positive Money supporters have been up to recently, here: http://positivemoney.org/blog
Thanks,
Last week’s launch event of the Escaping Growth Dependency paper brought together journalists, MPs, economists and activists. It was fantastic to have so many people in a room hearing how reforming the monetary system could prevent our dependence on unsustainable growth. And we’re pleased to announce you can now watch a video of the event here.
But before you do, please take a minute to share the message above with 5 friends. Because the more of us who are willing to spread our message, the more powerful we’ll be. And when hundreds of us do it at the same time, the ripple effect can be huge - that is the wonderful magic of people power.
Thanks for being involved,
Rachel, Sophie, Fran and the rest of the Positive Money team
PS: You can see a summary and a link to the full paper here.
Notes:
[1] http://positivemoney.org/2018/02/escaping-growth-dependency-launch-parliament-video/
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Thursday, 1 February 2018
Partners in Excellence Blog/David Brock: Sales VP Tenure Shrunk To 19 Months
Partners in Excellence Blog
Sales VP Tenure Shrunk To 19 Months
Posted: 31 Jan 2018 10:45 PM PST
I read a fascinating post from Chris Orlob, filled with interesting data on sales performance.
The headline is, over the past 7 years, average VP of Sales tenure has shrunk from 26 months (Chris calls that healthy, I think it is unhealthy) to 19 months, which we both agree is tragic.
He couples it to another downward trend, % of reps attaining quota is now roughly 50%.
There’s other research that shows slightly different data, but every survey I see has over all sales performance declining.
We are on this death spiral of continuing bad performance, with no end in sight. The bottom line is this results in billions of wasted spending and 10’s of billions of lost opportunity.
It’s easy to see how we get to a place like this. The scenario goes something like this:
1. Hire a new VP of Sales, presumably because the prior VP of Sales wasn’t getting the results.
2. It takes 60-90 days for the new VP to figure out what’s broken and what actions should be taken.
3. Now we talk about the change management timing. Say it’s simple, I need to put in new systems, or maybe training, or maybe some program. It takes time to make these decisions and get things in place. Let’s say, very optimistically, it’s 3 months. So the VP is 5-6 months into the job.
4. It takes time for the sales people to learn the new skills, new systems, new programs, so there is an “onboarding” or change management time period for the sales person to be fully productive on these new things. Let’s say that’s another 3 months. So the VP is 8-9 months into the job.
5. Unless you have a very short prospecting/sales cycle, we now have to go through several sales cycles to see consistent and sustainable improvement. Let’s say the cycle is 3 months. At the first cycle, we see some improvement, probably need to make some changes and adjustments. The VP is 11-12 months into the job.
6. The second cycle is 3 months, again, some improvement but not enough, also some tuning to get the results we want. The VP is 14-15 months into the job.
Remember, all this is very optimistic timing and assumes everything is working like clockwork.
7. Executive management is getting impatient, “We expected to see results, we, we aren’t seeing it fast enough, what’s been happening the past year!” Behind the scenes, executive management is looking for the replacement, just in case.
8. VP of Sales gets worried, naturally, ups the tempo, may rethink a little bit and redirect. Some time delay, we go through another sales cycle, we’re now in the 18 or so month time frame.
9 VP of Sales has run out of runway, a new VP is brought, we go back to 1, we do not collect $200 and we go through the same death spiral again.
First, this amount of change never happens this fast! Perhaps there is some chance in a very small organization, but then you have the challenge of finding people that have the experience base to do this. The larger the organization, the longer and more difficult it takes.
Second, everyone in the organization is hunkering down. They see managers come and go, they know this one will pass, so they aren’t all in. Which creates a bigger challenge for the VP of Sales.
If the VP of Sales realizes people aren’t all in, they look for people who are. Now we are into the recruiting, hiring, onboading, getting to know the territory—-whoops, time’s up.
So is it any surprise that sales performance figures are declining? Is it any surprise the VP longevity is declining? And I suspect voluntary attrition is increasing, which further aggravates the problem.
We are on a performance death spiral that wastes talent, resources, money, opportunity.
To change this, change has to start at the top!
Executive management and management at all levels need to stop this!
First, we need to recognize and commit to talent trumps everything. Hiring the best person available is wrong, taking the time to know what your Ideal person is and searching for that person is critical. Too often, we have commoditized talent and it is something that cannot be commoditized. If we have the wrong people, if we are unable to retain the right people, we will never succeed. Again, this is not just for top management, but this applies to everyone in the organization.
Second, we have to be realistic about time. The larger, more complex the organization, the more time it will take. We have to understand the leading indicators of success, to recognize we are on the right track, to find errors and correct them early. But we have to commit to the people we bring on board, being realistic about time to success.
Third, we have to have a culture of accountability. We have to have a culture committed to performance and not to excuses.
Fourth, we must execute, execute, execute.
Fifth, we must constantly learn and improve. None of this is trivial or easy. If it were, we wouldn’t be where we are. We will make mistakes along the way
Sixth, we must execute, execute, execute.
There is no magic. There is no “easy” button. There is no technology that will solve our problems. This is tough work and if you sign up for the job–whether CEO, VP of Sales, Sales Manager, Sales Person, you have to commit to the work.
Copyright © 2018 Partners In EXCELLENCE. Titan Theme by The Theme Foundry.
Sales VP Tenure Shrunk To 19 Months
Posted: 31 Jan 2018 10:45 PM PST
I read a fascinating post from Chris Orlob, filled with interesting data on sales performance.
The headline is, over the past 7 years, average VP of Sales tenure has shrunk from 26 months (Chris calls that healthy, I think it is unhealthy) to 19 months, which we both agree is tragic.
He couples it to another downward trend, % of reps attaining quota is now roughly 50%.
There’s other research that shows slightly different data, but every survey I see has over all sales performance declining.
We are on this death spiral of continuing bad performance, with no end in sight. The bottom line is this results in billions of wasted spending and 10’s of billions of lost opportunity.
It’s easy to see how we get to a place like this. The scenario goes something like this:
1. Hire a new VP of Sales, presumably because the prior VP of Sales wasn’t getting the results.
2. It takes 60-90 days for the new VP to figure out what’s broken and what actions should be taken.
3. Now we talk about the change management timing. Say it’s simple, I need to put in new systems, or maybe training, or maybe some program. It takes time to make these decisions and get things in place. Let’s say, very optimistically, it’s 3 months. So the VP is 5-6 months into the job.
4. It takes time for the sales people to learn the new skills, new systems, new programs, so there is an “onboarding” or change management time period for the sales person to be fully productive on these new things. Let’s say that’s another 3 months. So the VP is 8-9 months into the job.
5. Unless you have a very short prospecting/sales cycle, we now have to go through several sales cycles to see consistent and sustainable improvement. Let’s say the cycle is 3 months. At the first cycle, we see some improvement, probably need to make some changes and adjustments. The VP is 11-12 months into the job.
6. The second cycle is 3 months, again, some improvement but not enough, also some tuning to get the results we want. The VP is 14-15 months into the job.
Remember, all this is very optimistic timing and assumes everything is working like clockwork.
7. Executive management is getting impatient, “We expected to see results, we, we aren’t seeing it fast enough, what’s been happening the past year!” Behind the scenes, executive management is looking for the replacement, just in case.
8. VP of Sales gets worried, naturally, ups the tempo, may rethink a little bit and redirect. Some time delay, we go through another sales cycle, we’re now in the 18 or so month time frame.
9 VP of Sales has run out of runway, a new VP is brought, we go back to 1, we do not collect $200 and we go through the same death spiral again.
First, this amount of change never happens this fast! Perhaps there is some chance in a very small organization, but then you have the challenge of finding people that have the experience base to do this. The larger the organization, the longer and more difficult it takes.
Second, everyone in the organization is hunkering down. They see managers come and go, they know this one will pass, so they aren’t all in. Which creates a bigger challenge for the VP of Sales.
If the VP of Sales realizes people aren’t all in, they look for people who are. Now we are into the recruiting, hiring, onboading, getting to know the territory—-whoops, time’s up.
So is it any surprise that sales performance figures are declining? Is it any surprise the VP longevity is declining? And I suspect voluntary attrition is increasing, which further aggravates the problem.
We are on a performance death spiral that wastes talent, resources, money, opportunity.
To change this, change has to start at the top!
Executive management and management at all levels need to stop this!
First, we need to recognize and commit to talent trumps everything. Hiring the best person available is wrong, taking the time to know what your Ideal person is and searching for that person is critical. Too often, we have commoditized talent and it is something that cannot be commoditized. If we have the wrong people, if we are unable to retain the right people, we will never succeed. Again, this is not just for top management, but this applies to everyone in the organization.
Second, we have to be realistic about time. The larger, more complex the organization, the more time it will take. We have to understand the leading indicators of success, to recognize we are on the right track, to find errors and correct them early. But we have to commit to the people we bring on board, being realistic about time to success.
Third, we have to have a culture of accountability. We have to have a culture committed to performance and not to excuses.
Fourth, we must execute, execute, execute.
Fifth, we must constantly learn and improve. None of this is trivial or easy. If it were, we wouldn’t be where we are. We will make mistakes along the way
Sixth, we must execute, execute, execute.
There is no magic. There is no “easy” button. There is no technology that will solve our problems. This is tough work and if you sign up for the job–whether CEO, VP of Sales, Sales Manager, Sales Person, you have to commit to the work.
Copyright © 2018 Partners In EXCELLENCE. Titan Theme by The Theme Foundry.
Africa Energy Forum to be hosted in Mauritius for 20th anniversary celebrations
The 20th Africa Energy Forum (AEF) is to be hosted in Mauritius from 19-22 June 2018, coming to Africa for the first and only time as a celebration of its 20 year history
LONDON, United Kingdom, February 1, 2018/ -- The annual Africa Energy Forum (www.Africa-Energy-Forum.com) will celebrate its 20th birthday by inviting the international energy community to Mauritius for the four day conference and private exhibition. Two hotels will be reserved for the duration of the conference with the AEF Village to be purposely built on the grounds of a football pitch in the South West of the island.
The decision to move the Forum to Mauritius from its usual location in Europe came about to celebrate the achievements of the AEF community on ‘home turf.’ Strategically located in the Indian Ocean, Mauritius is ideally located for doing business in Africa, as well as being internationally recognised for its governance framework, ease of doing business and investor-friendly environment.
The theme for this year’s Forum is ‘Reflections on the last 20 years.’ Key figures who have shaped Africa’s energy sector will be invited back to share their knowledge, experiences and future forecasts with attendees.
The World Bank and University of California, Berkeley will collaborate with organisers EnergyNet (www.EnergyNet.com) to record an action plan during the conference with objectives for the next 20 years, to lay the foundations for future generations of energy users in Africa.
Agenda highlights include the Ministerial Opening Ceremony with the overarching theme ‘Building a Coherent Strategy for the Next 20 Years,’ country focus sessions exploring the unique energy environments of countries across the continent, Africa’s Gas to Power Future - An Update on Current Projects, and an in depth look at the success rate of initiatives and tools developed by the likes of Power Africa, KfW & IFC over the last 2 decades.
Awards of Recognition are to be presented to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the sector over the 20 years in the ‘Africa Energy Forum Hall of Fame.’
AEF welcomed almost 2,000 participants to Denmark in 2017 from 77 countries - 33 of those being African. A number of deals took place including announcements from USTDA, World Bank and InfraCo Africa.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of EnergyNet Ltd..
View multimedia content
For more information about the Africa Energy Forum:
Contact: Amy Offord - Marketing Manager
Event dates: 19-22 June 2018
Event location: Paradis & Dinarobin Beachcomber Hotels, Mauritius
Organisers: EnergyNet, part of Clarion Events Ltd
Email: AEF@EnergyNet.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 7384 8068
Visit: www.Africa-Energy-Forum.com
SOURCE
EnergyNet Ltd.
LONDON, United Kingdom, February 1, 2018/ -- The annual Africa Energy Forum (www.Africa-Energy-Forum.com) will celebrate its 20th birthday by inviting the international energy community to Mauritius for the four day conference and private exhibition. Two hotels will be reserved for the duration of the conference with the AEF Village to be purposely built on the grounds of a football pitch in the South West of the island.
The decision to move the Forum to Mauritius from its usual location in Europe came about to celebrate the achievements of the AEF community on ‘home turf.’ Strategically located in the Indian Ocean, Mauritius is ideally located for doing business in Africa, as well as being internationally recognised for its governance framework, ease of doing business and investor-friendly environment.
The theme for this year’s Forum is ‘Reflections on the last 20 years.’ Key figures who have shaped Africa’s energy sector will be invited back to share their knowledge, experiences and future forecasts with attendees.
The World Bank and University of California, Berkeley will collaborate with organisers EnergyNet (www.EnergyNet.com) to record an action plan during the conference with objectives for the next 20 years, to lay the foundations for future generations of energy users in Africa.
Agenda highlights include the Ministerial Opening Ceremony with the overarching theme ‘Building a Coherent Strategy for the Next 20 Years,’ country focus sessions exploring the unique energy environments of countries across the continent, Africa’s Gas to Power Future - An Update on Current Projects, and an in depth look at the success rate of initiatives and tools developed by the likes of Power Africa, KfW & IFC over the last 2 decades.
Awards of Recognition are to be presented to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the sector over the 20 years in the ‘Africa Energy Forum Hall of Fame.’
AEF welcomed almost 2,000 participants to Denmark in 2017 from 77 countries - 33 of those being African. A number of deals took place including announcements from USTDA, World Bank and InfraCo Africa.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of EnergyNet Ltd..
View multimedia content
For more information about the Africa Energy Forum:
Contact: Amy Offord - Marketing Manager
Event dates: 19-22 June 2018
Event location: Paradis & Dinarobin Beachcomber Hotels, Mauritius
Organisers: EnergyNet, part of Clarion Events Ltd
Email: AEF@EnergyNet.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 7384 8068
Visit: www.Africa-Energy-Forum.com
SOURCE
EnergyNet Ltd.
To Ensure Economic Development We Need Local Democracy At The Grassroots Level - Not More Regions To Be Looted By Our Vampire-Elites
There is no question that many of those agitating for the creation of new regions are sincere in the ends they seek - and genuinely believe it will speed up economic development in the areas they hail from.
Unfortunately, the plain truth is that the most effective way to speed up economic development across Ghana, is to bring democracy to the doorsteps of people at the grassroots level - by electing chief executives and assembly members of metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies nationwide on a party basis: as is done at the national level.
The question is: Why, when electing DCEs and assembly members will make them focus on being responsive to the needs and concerns of local people, are members of our mostly-sly rent-seeking political class so determined to create yet more regions - and provide opportunities for another layer of high-level corruption and sundry avenues for white-collar crimes to be added to our byzantine system? Hmm, Oman Ghana, eyeasem o.
To understand the dangerous path some - a number with hidden tribal-supremacist agendas of their own - want our homeland Ghana to embark on, we must go back to the days of the struggle for independence in the Gold Coast.
It is no accident that the most vociferous of the advocates for the creation of new regions are Chiefs and their lackeys in the worlds of politics and journalism in our country. Chiefs, by definition, are tribal-supremacists - and their palaces (all of them bar none veritable nests of vipers) remain the bastions of tribalism in today's Ghana.
It was the same during the struggle for independence: The dream of the descendants of the pre-colonial ruling elites was to replace the Gold Coast colony with an independent federal state consisting of the pre-colonial tribal states - which they would permanently dominate.
The ordinary people at that time roundly rejected that vision in the elections of 1951, 1954 and 1956 - refusing to become the slaves of a ruling elite who were the beneficiaries of inherited privelege: and consistently voted for Nkrumah's bold and modern vision of a unitary African state that would be a meritocratic-democracy in which there would be social mobility and in which universal adult suffrage would ensure that the masses could elect the nation's leaders at all material times.
The ordinary Ghanaians of today must not allow themselves to be deceived into voting for the creation of more regions and unravel the cohesion of our country - when the solution to economic development at the local level is simply to bring democracy to local people: by electing DCEs and assemblymen and women in free and fair elections in which candidates of all the political parties and independent candidates can participate.
In a nation in which wealthy and powerful thieves-in-high-places dominate society and ruthlessly exploit Mother Ghana, what we need to ensure economic development at the grassroots level, is local democracy - not the creation of yet more regions to be looted by our selfish and greedy vampire-elites. Haaba.
Unfortunately, the plain truth is that the most effective way to speed up economic development across Ghana, is to bring democracy to the doorsteps of people at the grassroots level - by electing chief executives and assembly members of metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies nationwide on a party basis: as is done at the national level.
The question is: Why, when electing DCEs and assembly members will make them focus on being responsive to the needs and concerns of local people, are members of our mostly-sly rent-seeking political class so determined to create yet more regions - and provide opportunities for another layer of high-level corruption and sundry avenues for white-collar crimes to be added to our byzantine system? Hmm, Oman Ghana, eyeasem o.
To understand the dangerous path some - a number with hidden tribal-supremacist agendas of their own - want our homeland Ghana to embark on, we must go back to the days of the struggle for independence in the Gold Coast.
It is no accident that the most vociferous of the advocates for the creation of new regions are Chiefs and their lackeys in the worlds of politics and journalism in our country. Chiefs, by definition, are tribal-supremacists - and their palaces (all of them bar none veritable nests of vipers) remain the bastions of tribalism in today's Ghana.
It was the same during the struggle for independence: The dream of the descendants of the pre-colonial ruling elites was to replace the Gold Coast colony with an independent federal state consisting of the pre-colonial tribal states - which they would permanently dominate.
The ordinary people at that time roundly rejected that vision in the elections of 1951, 1954 and 1956 - refusing to become the slaves of a ruling elite who were the beneficiaries of inherited privelege: and consistently voted for Nkrumah's bold and modern vision of a unitary African state that would be a meritocratic-democracy in which there would be social mobility and in which universal adult suffrage would ensure that the masses could elect the nation's leaders at all material times.
The ordinary Ghanaians of today must not allow themselves to be deceived into voting for the creation of more regions and unravel the cohesion of our country - when the solution to economic development at the local level is simply to bring democracy to local people: by electing DCEs and assemblymen and women in free and fair elections in which candidates of all the political parties and independent candidates can participate.
In a nation in which wealthy and powerful thieves-in-high-places dominate society and ruthlessly exploit Mother Ghana, what we need to ensure economic development at the grassroots level, is local democracy - not the creation of yet more regions to be looted by our selfish and greedy vampire-elites. Haaba.
The Conversation/David Bressoud: Why colleges must change how they teach calculus
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Why colleges must change how they teach calculus
January 31, 2018 1.42pm SAST
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David Bressoud
DeWitt Wallace Professor of Mathematics and Director of the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences, Macalester College
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David Bressoud receives funding from the National Science Foundation to study calculus instruction in the United States and serves as an advisor to the APLU SEMINAL Project. He is Director of the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences that works to coordinate the activities of the professional societies in mathematics including the Mathematical Association of America and the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges.
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The Conversation is funded by Barclays Africa and seven universities, including the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Rhodes University and the Universities of Cape Town, Johannesburg, Kwa-Zulu Natal, Pretoria, and South Africa. It is hosted by the Universities of the Witwatersrand and Western Cape, the African Population and Health Research Centre and the Nigerian Academy of Science. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is a Strategic Partner. more
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Many college students who take calculus fail to earn a C or better. Could ‘active learning’ help turn things around? pixabay
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Math departments fail too many calculus students and do not adequately prepare those they pass.
That is the message heard from engineering colleges across the country. Calculus has often been viewed as a tool for screening who should be allowed into engineering programs. But it appears to be failing in that regard, too. That is, it is preventing students who should be proceeding from going on, and it is letting students through who do not have the mathematical preparation that they need.
Each fall, according to forthcoming data expected to be published here this spring, more than 300,000 students enroll in first-semester calculus in colleges and universities throughout the U.S. Most of those students are aiming for a degree in engineering, physics, chemistry, computer science or the biological sciences. About a quarter of them will fail to earn the C or higher needed to continue. Many more are so discouraged by their experience that they abandon their career plans.
While some blame may rest with inadequate preparation, most colleges and universities try to place students so that only those who are prepared are allowed into calculus. In fact, most of these students have already passed calculus while in high school. Comparing data from student intended majors when they enter college to the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded each year, we lose 45 percent of the students who want to be engineers. For instance, 184,000 entered in 2011 with the intention of majoring in engineering, but only 98,000 graduated with this major in 2015. Similarly, we lose almost 35 percent of those heading into the biological sciences (167,000 entered in 2011, but only 110,000 graduated in 2015), and 30 percent of those pursuing physics or chemistry (43,000 entered in 2011, but just 30,000 graduated in 2015).
At the same time that a new National Science Board report indicates that China is overtaking the United States in research and development, we are bleeding large numbers of potential researchers. Calculus is one of the chief barriers to their progress. We don’t have measures of the fraction, but both the “Engage to Excel” report from the President’s Council of Advisors for Science and Technology and the work of Elaine Seymour and Nancy Hewitt criticize the nature of mathematics instruction as a primary reason for leaving STEM fields.
An ‘active learning’ approach
We now know that much of the problem rests with an outdated mode of instruction, a lecture format in which students are reduced to scribes. This may have worked in an earlier age when calculus was for a small elite group that excelled in mathematics. Today, professions that require calculus make up 5 percent of the workforce, a proportion that is growing at a rate that is 50 percent higher than overall job growth. We can no longer afford to ignore what we know about how to improve the student experience, both inside and outside the classroom.
There are a variety of approaches that are known to promote active engagement with mathematics, helping students to understand and be able to use their mathematical knowledge outside of their math class. They generally go under the name “active learning.” One such technique is to challenge students with a question that uses the knowledge they have, but in an unfamiliar way. One classic example is the following, which can be used to spur discussion. The question is not novel, but using questions like this to force students to use their knowledge within a classroom setting is one example of active learning.
Imagine that there is a rope around the equator of the Earth. Add a 20-meter segment of rope to it. The new rope is held in a circular shape centered about the Earth. Then the following can walk beneath the rope without touching it:
a) an amoeba
b) an ant
c) I (the student)
d) all of the above
(The answer is (d), according to this paper from the GoodQuestions Project at Cornell University.)
Another example is to require students to read the relevant section of their textbook or watch a video before class, answer questions about the material to ensure they have done the assignment, and then describe their own questions and uncertainties. These can be great launch points for classroom interaction.
Efforts to change
Active learning does not mean ban all lectures. A lecture is still the most effective means for conveying a great deal of information in a short amount of time. But the most useful lectures come in short bursts when students are primed with a need and desire to know the information. A lecture is a poor substitute for giving students the time they need to discover the answers themselves.
The presidents of the professional societies in the mathematical sciences have endorsed these methods of teaching. Yet despite clear evidence that they greatly improve student learning, science and mathematics faculty have been slow to adopt them. Part of this is reluctance on the part of faculty to diverge from what worked for them. But a greater obstacle is that faculty need both departmental encouragement and a supportive network if they are to make the transition to more effective teaching.
Several organizations are working to build these networks. One of the most recent examples is a $3 million five-year project funded by the National Science Foundation. It is called SEMINAL, an acronym for Student Engagement in Mathematics Through an Institutional Network for Active Learning. Through this initiative, 12 public universities, led by San Diego State University, the University of Colorado-Boulder and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will work together to show how active learning can be implemented and supported in mathematics classes from precalculus through higher forms of calculus.
The days when we could afford to teach mathematics as an elite subject, that has often disadvantaged women and students from underrepresented minority groups, are long gone. According to the federal Digest of Education Statistics, women earn 57 percent of all bachelor’s degrees but only 20 percent of engineering degrees, 38 percent of degrees in the physical sciences, and 43 percent in the mathematical science. African-Americans earn over 10 percent of all bachelor’s degrees, but only 4 percent of engineering degrees and 5 percent of degrees in the physical or mathematical sciences.
While active learning approaches help all students, they have been shown to be most effective for the students who are at the greatest risk of failing to earn a satisfactory grade or dropping out of the sequence of courses needed for their intended career. The demographics of those entering the workforce are changing, and we can no longer afford to ignore traditionally underrepresented groups of students. White students, which were 73 percent of all high school graduates in 1995, will account for less than 50 percent by 2025. Black students will comprise 14 percent and Hispanic students 27 percent of these graduates. If the United States is to maintain its preeminence in science and technology, it will require a skilled workforce whose racial and ethnic makeup reflects the diversity of this country. This workforce needs sophisticated mathematical skills, increasingly including a working knowledge of calculus.
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6 Comments
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ReplaceTheGOP
logged in via Twitter
How about we do some simple math… Universities are a BUSINESS. Businesses need MONEY. Opening the flood gates equals more volume. So, if the were to cancel the 45% washouts in their first year, that’s A LOT OF MONEY! #HackCollege
15 hours ago
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Carl Landsness
Carl Landsness is a Friend of The Conversation
logged in via Google
A sensitive issue for me… having excelled in calculus (years ago)… but disappointed in it applications in engineering (because of computers and competition)… plus seeing so much engineering used to dominate and destroy life (vs. serve and nurture in fulfilling and empowering ways).
14 hours ago
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Why colleges must change how they teach calculus
January 31, 2018 1.42pm SAST
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David Bressoud
DeWitt Wallace Professor of Mathematics and Director of the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences, Macalester College
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David Bressoud receives funding from the National Science Foundation to study calculus instruction in the United States and serves as an advisor to the APLU SEMINAL Project. He is Director of the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences that works to coordinate the activities of the professional societies in mathematics including the Mathematical Association of America and the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges.
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Many college students who take calculus fail to earn a C or better. Could ‘active learning’ help turn things around? pixabay
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Math departments fail too many calculus students and do not adequately prepare those they pass.
That is the message heard from engineering colleges across the country. Calculus has often been viewed as a tool for screening who should be allowed into engineering programs. But it appears to be failing in that regard, too. That is, it is preventing students who should be proceeding from going on, and it is letting students through who do not have the mathematical preparation that they need.
Each fall, according to forthcoming data expected to be published here this spring, more than 300,000 students enroll in first-semester calculus in colleges and universities throughout the U.S. Most of those students are aiming for a degree in engineering, physics, chemistry, computer science or the biological sciences. About a quarter of them will fail to earn the C or higher needed to continue. Many more are so discouraged by their experience that they abandon their career plans.
While some blame may rest with inadequate preparation, most colleges and universities try to place students so that only those who are prepared are allowed into calculus. In fact, most of these students have already passed calculus while in high school. Comparing data from student intended majors when they enter college to the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded each year, we lose 45 percent of the students who want to be engineers. For instance, 184,000 entered in 2011 with the intention of majoring in engineering, but only 98,000 graduated with this major in 2015. Similarly, we lose almost 35 percent of those heading into the biological sciences (167,000 entered in 2011, but only 110,000 graduated in 2015), and 30 percent of those pursuing physics or chemistry (43,000 entered in 2011, but just 30,000 graduated in 2015).
At the same time that a new National Science Board report indicates that China is overtaking the United States in research and development, we are bleeding large numbers of potential researchers. Calculus is one of the chief barriers to their progress. We don’t have measures of the fraction, but both the “Engage to Excel” report from the President’s Council of Advisors for Science and Technology and the work of Elaine Seymour and Nancy Hewitt criticize the nature of mathematics instruction as a primary reason for leaving STEM fields.
An ‘active learning’ approach
We now know that much of the problem rests with an outdated mode of instruction, a lecture format in which students are reduced to scribes. This may have worked in an earlier age when calculus was for a small elite group that excelled in mathematics. Today, professions that require calculus make up 5 percent of the workforce, a proportion that is growing at a rate that is 50 percent higher than overall job growth. We can no longer afford to ignore what we know about how to improve the student experience, both inside and outside the classroom.
There are a variety of approaches that are known to promote active engagement with mathematics, helping students to understand and be able to use their mathematical knowledge outside of their math class. They generally go under the name “active learning.” One such technique is to challenge students with a question that uses the knowledge they have, but in an unfamiliar way. One classic example is the following, which can be used to spur discussion. The question is not novel, but using questions like this to force students to use their knowledge within a classroom setting is one example of active learning.
Imagine that there is a rope around the equator of the Earth. Add a 20-meter segment of rope to it. The new rope is held in a circular shape centered about the Earth. Then the following can walk beneath the rope without touching it:
a) an amoeba
b) an ant
c) I (the student)
d) all of the above
(The answer is (d), according to this paper from the GoodQuestions Project at Cornell University.)
Another example is to require students to read the relevant section of their textbook or watch a video before class, answer questions about the material to ensure they have done the assignment, and then describe their own questions and uncertainties. These can be great launch points for classroom interaction.
Efforts to change
Active learning does not mean ban all lectures. A lecture is still the most effective means for conveying a great deal of information in a short amount of time. But the most useful lectures come in short bursts when students are primed with a need and desire to know the information. A lecture is a poor substitute for giving students the time they need to discover the answers themselves.
The presidents of the professional societies in the mathematical sciences have endorsed these methods of teaching. Yet despite clear evidence that they greatly improve student learning, science and mathematics faculty have been slow to adopt them. Part of this is reluctance on the part of faculty to diverge from what worked for them. But a greater obstacle is that faculty need both departmental encouragement and a supportive network if they are to make the transition to more effective teaching.
Several organizations are working to build these networks. One of the most recent examples is a $3 million five-year project funded by the National Science Foundation. It is called SEMINAL, an acronym for Student Engagement in Mathematics Through an Institutional Network for Active Learning. Through this initiative, 12 public universities, led by San Diego State University, the University of Colorado-Boulder and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will work together to show how active learning can be implemented and supported in mathematics classes from precalculus through higher forms of calculus.
The days when we could afford to teach mathematics as an elite subject, that has often disadvantaged women and students from underrepresented minority groups, are long gone. According to the federal Digest of Education Statistics, women earn 57 percent of all bachelor’s degrees but only 20 percent of engineering degrees, 38 percent of degrees in the physical sciences, and 43 percent in the mathematical science. African-Americans earn over 10 percent of all bachelor’s degrees, but only 4 percent of engineering degrees and 5 percent of degrees in the physical or mathematical sciences.
While active learning approaches help all students, they have been shown to be most effective for the students who are at the greatest risk of failing to earn a satisfactory grade or dropping out of the sequence of courses needed for their intended career. The demographics of those entering the workforce are changing, and we can no longer afford to ignore traditionally underrepresented groups of students. White students, which were 73 percent of all high school graduates in 1995, will account for less than 50 percent by 2025. Black students will comprise 14 percent and Hispanic students 27 percent of these graduates. If the United States is to maintain its preeminence in science and technology, it will require a skilled workforce whose racial and ethnic makeup reflects the diversity of this country. This workforce needs sophisticated mathematical skills, increasingly including a working knowledge of calculus.
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ReplaceTheGOP
logged in via Twitter
How about we do some simple math… Universities are a BUSINESS. Businesses need MONEY. Opening the flood gates equals more volume. So, if the were to cancel the 45% washouts in their first year, that’s A LOT OF MONEY! #HackCollege
15 hours ago
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Carl Landsness
Carl Landsness is a Friend of The Conversation
logged in via Google
A sensitive issue for me… having excelled in calculus (years ago)… but disappointed in it applications in engineering (because of computers and competition)… plus seeing so much engineering used to dominate and destroy life (vs. serve and nurture in fulfilling and empowering ways).
14 hours ago
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RenewEconomy/Giles Parkinson: Powershop signs huge deal for solar, wind projects – “stunned” by low prices
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Powershop signs huge deal for solar, wind projects – “stunned” by low prices
By Giles Parkinson on 1 February 2018
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The ambitious renewable energy-focused power retailer Powershop Australia has signed a huge deal for the output of a 200MW solar farm and two big wind farms, after being “stunned” by the low prices offered after it went to market for proposals last year.
Powershop, owned by New Zealand’s biggest utility Meridian Energy, will also buy three hydro power plants in NSW as part of its plans to more than double its customer numbers and meet their needs with 100 per cent renewable energy.
The deal will enable Victoria’s biggest solar project, the 200MW Kiamal Solar Farm near Ouyen, to be built by Total Eren, the first investment in Australia from a joint venture that combines the French oil giant and a renewable energy developer.
Powershop will also take the output from the 54MW Salt Creek wind farm, currently under construction near Woorndoo, around 250km west of Melbourne, and part of the output from CWP’s 135MW Crudine Ridge wind farm, to be built south of Mudgee in NSW.
Powershop CEO Ed McManus said his company was stunned by the results of a request for proposals (RFP) that it began some six months ago.
“We have gotten an overwhelming response from the market,” McManus told RenewEconomy. “I can’t disclose the price but I am happy to tell you that prices we are getting these PPAs at is well below wholesale price of energy.
“There are many non believers out there … but we were surprised at the prices we saw for wind, and shocked at the prices we saw for solar.”
Asked if the prices for these new projects matched recent PPAs such as the sub $55/MWh obtained by Origin Energy for the 530MW Stockyard Hill wind farm in Victoria, and reports of below $70/MWh for solar projects, McManus said:
“We saw prices that were at or around what had been reported in the media as one-offs,” he said. “If you said two and a half years ago that this is where solar will be, we would not have believed it.”
Powershop had been seeking around 300GWh of wind and solar capacity when it started its tender process, but because of the low prices it has signed up for nearly 800GWh. The PPAs last until 2030.
That will require Powershop to more than double its current retail base of just over 100,000 customers (up more than 10 per cent over the year), but McManus says the prospect of cheaper prices from these contracts should help that.
“Over the next year we will get new renewable energy generation that is priced under the market,” he said. “We will prove to people that renewables is the cheapest form of generation, because we will be able to pass on corresponding lower prices to customers.”
Powershop also seized an opportunity to buy three hydro power stations – Hume, Burrinjuck and Keepit – in NSW from another New Zealand company Trustpower.
Together they total more than 100MW of capacity, although McManus said that they will not be strictly “dispatchable” because their output is dictated by irrigation needs and environmental flows.
“Powershop’s steady growth is proof that Australians have a strong desire to support a green energy company,” McManus said in a statement.
“Our business model has always been based on having a balanced portfolio of generation and retail. Powershop’s growth has created the need for us to make this move in the market. As Powershop continues to grow, we will invest in more renewable energy generation.
“Additionally, the opportunity to acquire hydro assets in Australia is extremely rare and having a balanced portfolio of wind, solar and hydro allows us to more effectively manage risk in the market.”
He said Meridian and Powershop would continue to monitor new technology, such as pumped hydro, batteries and thermal solar, “so that we can ensure we have a diverse range of technologies and generation.”
Powershop had previously sourced its renewable energy generation from two wind farms – Mt Mercer in Victoria and Mt Millar in South Australia – but said it would add more sources as it grew its customer numbers. “We have delivered on that promise,” McManus said.
In a separate statement, CWP said the PPA with Powershop meant that the Crude Ridge project could begin construction in April 2018.
It will comprise 37 wind turbine generators, and got approval despite some local opposition.
CWP’s Ed Mounsey said the project is set to provide regional benefits by contributing over $160,000 per annum to Community Enhancement Funds established with Mid-western and Bathurst Regional Councils, as well as upgrades to over 20 km of local Council roads.”
A total of 19 host landowners will benefit from rental income throughout the life of the project and neighbour agreements will help distribute funds to others in the local community. 75 full-time equivalent jobs are expected to be created during construction.
ANZ has been selected as financial advisor on the deal with Norton Rose Fulbright performing the legal advisor role. Construction consortium details are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
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Powershop signs huge deal for solar, wind projects – “stunned” by low prices
By Giles Parkinson on 1 February 2018
Print Friendly, PDF & Email
The ambitious renewable energy-focused power retailer Powershop Australia has signed a huge deal for the output of a 200MW solar farm and two big wind farms, after being “stunned” by the low prices offered after it went to market for proposals last year.
Powershop, owned by New Zealand’s biggest utility Meridian Energy, will also buy three hydro power plants in NSW as part of its plans to more than double its customer numbers and meet their needs with 100 per cent renewable energy.
The deal will enable Victoria’s biggest solar project, the 200MW Kiamal Solar Farm near Ouyen, to be built by Total Eren, the first investment in Australia from a joint venture that combines the French oil giant and a renewable energy developer.
Powershop will also take the output from the 54MW Salt Creek wind farm, currently under construction near Woorndoo, around 250km west of Melbourne, and part of the output from CWP’s 135MW Crudine Ridge wind farm, to be built south of Mudgee in NSW.
Powershop CEO Ed McManus said his company was stunned by the results of a request for proposals (RFP) that it began some six months ago.
“We have gotten an overwhelming response from the market,” McManus told RenewEconomy. “I can’t disclose the price but I am happy to tell you that prices we are getting these PPAs at is well below wholesale price of energy.
“There are many non believers out there … but we were surprised at the prices we saw for wind, and shocked at the prices we saw for solar.”
Asked if the prices for these new projects matched recent PPAs such as the sub $55/MWh obtained by Origin Energy for the 530MW Stockyard Hill wind farm in Victoria, and reports of below $70/MWh for solar projects, McManus said:
“We saw prices that were at or around what had been reported in the media as one-offs,” he said. “If you said two and a half years ago that this is where solar will be, we would not have believed it.”
Powershop had been seeking around 300GWh of wind and solar capacity when it started its tender process, but because of the low prices it has signed up for nearly 800GWh. The PPAs last until 2030.
That will require Powershop to more than double its current retail base of just over 100,000 customers (up more than 10 per cent over the year), but McManus says the prospect of cheaper prices from these contracts should help that.
“Over the next year we will get new renewable energy generation that is priced under the market,” he said. “We will prove to people that renewables is the cheapest form of generation, because we will be able to pass on corresponding lower prices to customers.”
Powershop also seized an opportunity to buy three hydro power stations – Hume, Burrinjuck and Keepit – in NSW from another New Zealand company Trustpower.
Together they total more than 100MW of capacity, although McManus said that they will not be strictly “dispatchable” because their output is dictated by irrigation needs and environmental flows.
“Powershop’s steady growth is proof that Australians have a strong desire to support a green energy company,” McManus said in a statement.
“Our business model has always been based on having a balanced portfolio of generation and retail. Powershop’s growth has created the need for us to make this move in the market. As Powershop continues to grow, we will invest in more renewable energy generation.
“Additionally, the opportunity to acquire hydro assets in Australia is extremely rare and having a balanced portfolio of wind, solar and hydro allows us to more effectively manage risk in the market.”
He said Meridian and Powershop would continue to monitor new technology, such as pumped hydro, batteries and thermal solar, “so that we can ensure we have a diverse range of technologies and generation.”
Powershop had previously sourced its renewable energy generation from two wind farms – Mt Mercer in Victoria and Mt Millar in South Australia – but said it would add more sources as it grew its customer numbers. “We have delivered on that promise,” McManus said.
In a separate statement, CWP said the PPA with Powershop meant that the Crude Ridge project could begin construction in April 2018.
It will comprise 37 wind turbine generators, and got approval despite some local opposition.
CWP’s Ed Mounsey said the project is set to provide regional benefits by contributing over $160,000 per annum to Community Enhancement Funds established with Mid-western and Bathurst Regional Councils, as well as upgrades to over 20 km of local Council roads.”
A total of 19 host landowners will benefit from rental income throughout the life of the project and neighbour agreements will help distribute funds to others in the local community. 75 full-time equivalent jobs are expected to be created during construction.
ANZ has been selected as financial advisor on the deal with Norton Rose Fulbright performing the legal advisor role. Construction consortium details are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
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RenewEconomy/Sophie Vorrath: Arizona mulls biggest storage mandate as it aims for 80% renewables
RenewEconomy
Arizona mulls biggest storage mandate as it aims for 80% renewables
By Sophie Vorrath on 1 February 2018
Print Friendly, PDF & Email
As US president Donald Trump throws his support behind “beautiful clean coal,” the American state of Arizona – a Republican Party stronghold – is poised to take the lead on energy storage in the country as it tosses up whether to impose an 80 per cent clean energy target by 2050.
The proposed clean energy overhaul, called the Energy Modernisation Plan, would require an impressive 3GW energy storage to be installed by 2030, meaning it would overtake California and New York for the biggest storage mandate in the country.
The proposal was put forward on Tuesday by the Arizona Corporation Commission’s Andrew Tobin as a way to both de-carbonise the state’s power supply, and to meet its peak power demand in a cheaper and cleaner fashion.
The plan calls for the state’s investor-owned utilities to source 80 per cent of their electricity from a mix of renewable and nuclear energy by 2050 and deploy 3,000MW of energy storage by 2030, along with reforms to boost energy efficiency, electric vehicles and biomass.
And the plan’s proposed “Clean Peak Standard” would require utilities to deliver an increasing portion of their renewable energy during peak electricity demand hours, thus encouraging the deployment of energy storage capacity.
As Greentech Media reports, the ambitious proposal would “leapfrog” Arizona ahead of California and New York, “which have dominated the grid modernisation discussion so far,” both with 50 per cent by 2030 renewable energy targets, and storage targets of 1,300MW and 1,500MW respectively.
It also demonstrates a similar state vs federal government divide as we have seen play out in Australia, with states leading on the shift to decentralised, renewable energy, while conservative national leaders cling desperately to coal and other centralised fossil fuel generation sources.
“We’re not trying to get on the train; we’re trying to be the engine in the train,” Tobin told Greentech Media. “This is Western people doing things and setting lofty goals and reaching them.”
But as well as shifting the state’s focus to renewable energy and storage, a major aim of the plan would also be to shift the focus away from gas generation, which, according to UtilityDive, Arizona utilities have been doubling down on.
“What this plan is saying is we aren’t going to build our future on natural gas — the backbone of the system over the next 40 to 60 years will not be gas,” said Lon Huber, a consultant who worked to craft the original Residential Utility Consumer Office RUCO) proposal.
If approved, Huber said, the plan would make Arizona “the first state to attempt to modernise its renewable portfolio standard to reflect the recent advances in energy technologies.”
The Clean Peak element of the plan is particularly interesting. According to UtilityDive, regulators would base this on how much electricity from renewables each utility delivers during peak demand hours today.
Utilities would then have to “incrementally increase that baseline figure 1.5 per cent per year on average until 2030,” according to Tobin’s plan.
As Greentech Media notes, “that will, in all likelihood, require energy storage to make renewable power plants dispatchable on command.”
Interestingly, the proposal also suggests a pointed policy name change from “Renewable Energy Standard and Tariff” to “Clean Resource Energy Standard and Tariff” – a change the designers said would “allow for the development of broader diversified energy policies relating to clean energy resources, energy storage and energy efficiency,” and not just renewables.
This might excite nuclear energy proponents – indeed, Tobin’s plan expressly recognises the potential role nuclear energy could play in Arizona’s future low-carbon grid.
But in a state known for its excellent solar resource – and Tucson Electric’s record-breaking solar PPA result of $US0.03/kWh last year – the focus is expected to be on solar and battery storage.
“The overhaul would help Arizona harness its uniquely low-priced solar resource, deliver it at peak times, and do it through long-term contracts that eliminate fuel price risk for consumers,” said GTM, paraphrasing Huber.
“The whole idea is, who doesn’t love solar? And if solar doesn’t have a place in Arizona, where does it have a place?” Tobin said.
Although as Greentech Media notes, the biggest beneficiary of the plan – if it should be legislated – might be the storage industry, “which would receive long-desired market recognition for holding clean power for use at times of high grid demand.”
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Arizona mulls biggest storage mandate as it aims for 80% renewables
By Sophie Vorrath on 1 February 2018
Print Friendly, PDF & Email
As US president Donald Trump throws his support behind “beautiful clean coal,” the American state of Arizona – a Republican Party stronghold – is poised to take the lead on energy storage in the country as it tosses up whether to impose an 80 per cent clean energy target by 2050.
The proposed clean energy overhaul, called the Energy Modernisation Plan, would require an impressive 3GW energy storage to be installed by 2030, meaning it would overtake California and New York for the biggest storage mandate in the country.
The proposal was put forward on Tuesday by the Arizona Corporation Commission’s Andrew Tobin as a way to both de-carbonise the state’s power supply, and to meet its peak power demand in a cheaper and cleaner fashion.
The plan calls for the state’s investor-owned utilities to source 80 per cent of their electricity from a mix of renewable and nuclear energy by 2050 and deploy 3,000MW of energy storage by 2030, along with reforms to boost energy efficiency, electric vehicles and biomass.
And the plan’s proposed “Clean Peak Standard” would require utilities to deliver an increasing portion of their renewable energy during peak electricity demand hours, thus encouraging the deployment of energy storage capacity.
As Greentech Media reports, the ambitious proposal would “leapfrog” Arizona ahead of California and New York, “which have dominated the grid modernisation discussion so far,” both with 50 per cent by 2030 renewable energy targets, and storage targets of 1,300MW and 1,500MW respectively.
It also demonstrates a similar state vs federal government divide as we have seen play out in Australia, with states leading on the shift to decentralised, renewable energy, while conservative national leaders cling desperately to coal and other centralised fossil fuel generation sources.
“We’re not trying to get on the train; we’re trying to be the engine in the train,” Tobin told Greentech Media. “This is Western people doing things and setting lofty goals and reaching them.”
But as well as shifting the state’s focus to renewable energy and storage, a major aim of the plan would also be to shift the focus away from gas generation, which, according to UtilityDive, Arizona utilities have been doubling down on.
“What this plan is saying is we aren’t going to build our future on natural gas — the backbone of the system over the next 40 to 60 years will not be gas,” said Lon Huber, a consultant who worked to craft the original Residential Utility Consumer Office RUCO) proposal.
If approved, Huber said, the plan would make Arizona “the first state to attempt to modernise its renewable portfolio standard to reflect the recent advances in energy technologies.”
The Clean Peak element of the plan is particularly interesting. According to UtilityDive, regulators would base this on how much electricity from renewables each utility delivers during peak demand hours today.
Utilities would then have to “incrementally increase that baseline figure 1.5 per cent per year on average until 2030,” according to Tobin’s plan.
As Greentech Media notes, “that will, in all likelihood, require energy storage to make renewable power plants dispatchable on command.”
Interestingly, the proposal also suggests a pointed policy name change from “Renewable Energy Standard and Tariff” to “Clean Resource Energy Standard and Tariff” – a change the designers said would “allow for the development of broader diversified energy policies relating to clean energy resources, energy storage and energy efficiency,” and not just renewables.
This might excite nuclear energy proponents – indeed, Tobin’s plan expressly recognises the potential role nuclear energy could play in Arizona’s future low-carbon grid.
But in a state known for its excellent solar resource – and Tucson Electric’s record-breaking solar PPA result of $US0.03/kWh last year – the focus is expected to be on solar and battery storage.
“The overhaul would help Arizona harness its uniquely low-priced solar resource, deliver it at peak times, and do it through long-term contracts that eliminate fuel price risk for consumers,” said GTM, paraphrasing Huber.
“The whole idea is, who doesn’t love solar? And if solar doesn’t have a place in Arizona, where does it have a place?” Tobin said.
Although as Greentech Media notes, the biggest beneficiary of the plan – if it should be legislated – might be the storage industry, “which would receive long-desired market recognition for holding clean power for use at times of high grid demand.”
inShare
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Investopedia/Justin Kuepper : Amazon Hits New Highs After Revealing Health Care Plans
Investopedia
Amazon Hits New Highs After Revealing Health Care Plans
By Justin Kuepper | January 31, 2018 — 10:02 AM EST
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AMZN
Amazon.com Inc
1,450.89
+0.91%
JPM
JPMorgan Chase & Co
115.67
+0.49%
BRKA
Berkshire Hathaway Inc
323,375.05
+0.12%
View Watchlist
Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) shares reached new all-time highs on Tuesday after the e-commerce giant announced that it would launch a health care company with JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK-A, BRK-B). While the initiative remains in the planning stages, the idea is for the member companies to leverage scale and expertise, as well as tech solutions, to provide affordable and transparent healthcare to their U.S. employees.
Even prior to the health care announcement, analysts have remained bullish on Amazon's potential over the long term. Morgan Stanley analysts increased their price target to $1,400 per share, citing Amazon's ad opportunity and higher-margin business models. Shortly after, Citi analysts reiterated their Buy rating and increased their price target from $1,400 to $1,600, calling the stock a "top pick" due to its ad opportunity and underappreciated potential. (See also: Amazon Near Big Pullback After 20% Gain: Piper Jaffray.)
Technical chart showing the performance of Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) stock
From a technical standpoint, the stock extended its breakout to all-time highs and neared its upper trendline resistance. The relative strength index (RSI) moved further into overbought territory at 88.65, but the moving average convergence divergence (MACD) accelerated its bullish uptrend. These dynamics suggest that the stock could see some near-term consolidation, but that the overall trend remains bullish.
Traders should watch for some consolidation between $1,350 and $1,450 over the coming sessions given the lofty RSI reading. If the stock breaks down from $1,350, traders should watch for a move down to trendline support and the 50-day moving average at around $1,220.00, although a breakout from $1,450 appears more likely given the strong MACD momentum. Analysts are also likely to give their thoughts soon following the health care announcement. (For more, see: Facebook, Amazon and Alphabet Q4 Earnings Preview: Canaccord.)
Chart courtesy of StockCharts.com. The author holds no position in the stock(s) mentioned except through passively managed index funds.
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Amazon Hits New Highs After Revealing Health Care Plans
By Justin Kuepper | January 31, 2018 — 10:02 AM EST
Share
Add To Watchlist
AMZN
Amazon.com Inc
1,450.89
+0.91%
JPM
JPMorgan Chase & Co
115.67
+0.49%
BRKA
Berkshire Hathaway Inc
323,375.05
+0.12%
View Watchlist
Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) shares reached new all-time highs on Tuesday after the e-commerce giant announced that it would launch a health care company with JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK-A, BRK-B). While the initiative remains in the planning stages, the idea is for the member companies to leverage scale and expertise, as well as tech solutions, to provide affordable and transparent healthcare to their U.S. employees.
Even prior to the health care announcement, analysts have remained bullish on Amazon's potential over the long term. Morgan Stanley analysts increased their price target to $1,400 per share, citing Amazon's ad opportunity and higher-margin business models. Shortly after, Citi analysts reiterated their Buy rating and increased their price target from $1,400 to $1,600, calling the stock a "top pick" due to its ad opportunity and underappreciated potential. (See also: Amazon Near Big Pullback After 20% Gain: Piper Jaffray.)
Technical chart showing the performance of Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) stock
From a technical standpoint, the stock extended its breakout to all-time highs and neared its upper trendline resistance. The relative strength index (RSI) moved further into overbought territory at 88.65, but the moving average convergence divergence (MACD) accelerated its bullish uptrend. These dynamics suggest that the stock could see some near-term consolidation, but that the overall trend remains bullish.
Traders should watch for some consolidation between $1,350 and $1,450 over the coming sessions given the lofty RSI reading. If the stock breaks down from $1,350, traders should watch for a move down to trendline support and the 50-day moving average at around $1,220.00, although a breakout from $1,450 appears more likely given the strong MACD momentum. Analysts are also likely to give their thoughts soon following the health care announcement. (For more, see: Facebook, Amazon and Alphabet Q4 Earnings Preview: Canaccord.)
Chart courtesy of StockCharts.com. The author holds no position in the stock(s) mentioned except through passively managed index funds.
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Dr. Mercola: Top Tips to Boost Your Immunity
Top Tips to Boost Your Immunity
February 01, 2018 • 1,029 views
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A healthy immune system can counteract sources of stress in your body, including pathogens that can make you sick, so eating foods with certain vitamins, such as A, B and C, as well as minerals will help optimize your ability to fight off illness, as will optimizing your vitamin D level
While your body is gaining the benefits of optimal nutrition, there are also foods you want to avoid — beginning with sugar — because they compromise your immune system and weaken your gut health
B vitamins are good for boosting your immunity, and they’re especially effective when you combine foods containing them so they can all work together for maximum effect
To keep your immune system functioning at its best, some of the most effective strategies include avoiding sugar, sleeping well, minimizing stress and including fiber and probiotics in your meal regimens
By Dr. Mercola
While many people may find themselves succumbing to the common cold and other respiratory illnesses that are so prevalent in the winter, there are several things you can do (and not do) to help keep yourself in top form. Some may not even seem to be an important part of staying healthy, but they are.
When it comes to averting sickness, even while all-around you people might be coughing, sneezing and blowing their noses, successfully running the gauntlet of flu season may be simply a matter of keeping your immune system boosted by applying a few key health strategies. Besides going to school and work, times your immune system might be especially compromised include when you travel or are sleep deprived or stressed out. These are times you want to make sure your immune system is at its best.
Nutrition may be the most vital component in maintaining — or gaining — a healthy immune system. It makes all the difference in the way your body fights off germs, but just as importantly, plays an important role in more minute functions like helping tissues repair and rebuild themselves and how your body reclaims flagging energy.
Foods (and the Nutrients Therein) to Boost Your Immune System
Not just vitamins and minerals, but proteins like collagen and free radical-fighting antioxidants can be introduced to your body through the foods you eat, and play vital roles in helping to keep your body functioning at its best. As the Chicago Tribune observes:
“Collagen and its amino acids are essential to healing because they build tissues such as skin, muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, blood vessels, bones and more. Antioxidants remove the harmful free radicals from the bloodstream that can impair the immune system, and vitamins and minerals play specialized roles in healing.”1
In the same way that cross training can keep your body fit and toned by working groups of different muscles, eating a variety of foods will target and work toward healing and restoring many different areas of your body, from your brain to your gut to your immune system. Protein found in lean meats, bone broth, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds help your body repair tissue and fight infection. Studies show that amino acids in protein, such as arginine and glutamine, increase your body’s ability to heal and decrease inflammation.2
Vitamins and Minerals to the Immune System Rescue
Eating foods chock-full of vitamins is an excellent way to strengthen your immune system to stay healthy all season:
Vitamin A boosts immunity, lowers your risk of infection and supports wound healing through collagen strength. Snack on carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, dark leafy greens, cantaloupe, wild-caught Alaskan salmon, organic pastured eggs and grass fed beef.
Vitamin D plays a big part in immune health and can be found in limited quantities in raw grass fed milk, wild-caught Alaskan salmon and organic pastured eggs, but the ideal way to optimize your levels is via sunshine
Some of the most vitamin C-rich foods include citrus fruits, from tangerines to limes, along with leafy greens, bell peppers and broccoli. Berries are another great source, and they all provide this and other potent antioxidants, which support your immune response and help to rebuild collagen.
Vitamin K1, important for healthy blood clotting, is abundant in dark leafy green vegetables. Vitamin K2 refers to a collection of bacterial menaquinones (MKs) that are found in a variety of different foods, namely animal foods and fermented foods. MK-4 is most abundant in animal foods while you can find MK-7, MK-8 and MK-9 in fermented foods.
Important for collagen production, zinc is another protective antioxidant that helps create and activate your immune system’s white blood cells and is essential in the enzymatic reactions needed for wound healing. Zinc-containing foods include grass fed red meat (optimal amounts per day range from 5 to 7 ounces), pastured, organic chicken, spinach, nuts and pumpkin seeds.
Selenium is another powerful antioxidant for immune system protection, found in Brazil nuts and organic, grass fed beef, turkey and chicken. In addition, as important as any food you eat, drinking adequate water is vital for flushing food through your system, flushing toxins and keeping your body hydrated. Many turn to so-called “sports drinks” for hydrating while working out, but clear, pure water is the ideal beverage.
Immune-Strengthening Vitamins: ‘B’ Is for Boost
B vitamins may constitute a long list, but each one is important for different reasons. Other “B’s” for boosting your immunity are especially effective when you combine the foods containing them so they can all work together for maximum effect. These include vitamin B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid) and B7 (biotin).
B12, also known as cobalamin, is a powerful cold- and flu-fighting nutrient in your system, as is vitamin B6, another important, germ-combating vitamin that naturally benefits and strengthens your immune system and even protects against the damaging effects of air pollution.
Vitamin B9 and folic acid help repair tissues and aid in cell metabolism and immune support. They’re found in dark leafy greens, wild-caught, cold water fish like herring, mackerel, sardines, anchovies and wild-caught Alaskan salmon, and pastured, organic chicken. Nutritional yeast and other foods fortified with B12 present one way vegetarians (or anyone else, for that matter) can augment their B12 intake through their diet. Raw, organic grass fed milk, yogurt and cheese are additional options with naturally high B12 content.
Optimizing Your Gut Health With Probiotics
The health benefits derived from probiotics are rooted in balancing your intestinal bacteria. One of the easiest and quickest ways to do that is by eating fermented vegetables, which have long been a mainstay in many ancient cultures. However, it’s only been in recent decades that this method of optimizing gut health has reemerged.
The traditional method for preparing fermented vegetables is very much like it was thousands of years ago. Fermenting helps introduce friendly bacteria to your system and is one of the best ways to optimize your immune system, about 80 percent of which resides in your gastrointestinal tract. It’s not an overstatement to say it’s a key line of defense against pathogens, as well as an aid in the production of antibodies.
Aside from fermented vegetables, one of the most healthful fermented foods is kefir, an enzyme-rich food full of friendly microorganisms that help balance your microbiome as well as strengthen your immune defenses. Other beneficial fermented foods include natto, kimchi, pickles, sauerkraut, miso, tempeh and raw grass fed yogurt, but make sure you watch out for added sugar in most commercial varieties.
The fact that including probiotics in your diet has been shown to reduce incidences of psoriasis, colitis, allergies and many other diseases and conditions is a testament to their effectiveness in protecting your immune system. In addition, pregnant women who take probiotics help reduce their child’s risk of developing allergies.3
Fiber to Optimize Digestion and ‘Up’ Your Immunity
Not only does fiber help balance your gut microbiome, it, too, helps improve your immune system, as resistant starches act as prebiotics to feed healthy bacteria in your gut. As a result, it promotes bowel movements and keeps waste moving smoothly through your colon, while at the same time benefiting your heart health and controlling your blood sugar.
There are two types of fiber: soluble, which easily dissolves in water and becomes gel-like, and insoluble, which doesn’t dissolve but stays basically intact as it moves through your colon; both types are important for digestion.
Eating a fiber-rich diet, which in turn may improve the microbial diversity in your gut, may be linked to better responses during immunotherapy cancer treatment.4 In fact, your gut microbiome more directly influences your health and disease than previously thought. The fact is, your diet can make or break not just the ecosystem in which your gut bacteria reside, but your mental health as well.
And it’s not just the food you eat but all kinds of other factors, including the chemicals and pollution you’re exposed to, and all of it can alter the composition of gut bacteria and thereby influence your immune system health. As the Belfast Telegraph notes, “Want to avoid winter flu? Start eating with your gut in mind. Studies have found that having a healthy microbiome is important in fostering a strong immune system and keeping us healthy.”5
Getting Your Z’s: Not Optional for Optimal Immunity
Sleep is something that kids may resist, but as adults start the “adulting” that comes with jobs, growing families and paying the mortgage, sleep is something that can all too often go by the wayside. Studies show that not getting the sleep you need — for most people eight hours is the minimum for functioning at your best — can compromise your health in ways you may not have considered.
In fact, several nights in a row with less than restful, adequate sleep puts your body at greater risk for illness. Some of the ways lack of sleep manifests itself in disease include:
Dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease
Diabetes, which is true even for children6
Increased cardiovascular disease, especially for African-Americans7
Higher incidence of depression and anxiety8
Increased risk of obesity
Another study notes that cutting just one hour of sleep a night increases the expression of genes associated with inflammation, immune excitability, diabetes, cancer risk and stress.9 Consistently sleeping less than six hours a night increases your risk for numerous psychological and physical effects. The upshot is, lack of sleep quickly decreases your immune function, leaving your system wide-open for environmental influences, including viruses like colds and flu, that you would feel much better off if you avoided.
Sugar: Just As Bad for You Now as It Ever Was
If you were looking for a food to eat that would compromise your health in numerous ways and absolutely ruin your health, sugar in its many forms — and there are several, thanks to ever-changing food manufacturing gimmicks and money-making strategies — would win the prize. Not only is sugar identified as a carcinogen,10 it’s also contributing to the ever-increasing rates of chronic disease in the U.S. and throughout the world.
In the last century, sugar has become a daily habit that happens to coincide with increasing rates of obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other chronic illnesses. One of the most insidious ways sugar works in your body is to damage both mitochondrial function and energy production, which triggers cell mutations that are then fed by continued sugar consumption.
What’s amazing is the number of ways sugar can show up, depending on the labels, in the foods you buy at the grocery store, including fruit juices, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), evaporated cane juice, pancake syrup and cane juice, just to name a few, and the sugar industry has been manipulating the data for decades for the purpose of increasing profits.
To keep your immune system functioning at its best, one of the most effective strategies is to avoid sugar, pure and simple. It’s hard to do, though certainly doable, even if you know you’re suffering from a bad case of sweet tooth; research indicates that sugar impacts the function of dopamine in your brain, the neurotransmitter that triggers your reward system, in the same way narcotics affect your brain, and may trigger a strong addictive response.11
More Tips for Keeping Your Immune System in Tip-Top Shape
Whether your body is in recovery mode or you want to stave off the bug-of-the-month that might be going around at work or school, there are a few more options to prepare your system to fight back. One way to pack vitamins, minerals and other powerful nutrients into your day is to pack your blender or food processor with the makings for a super smoothie, making use of ingredients like spinach and other dark, leafy greens, carrots, berries like raspberries and strawberries, and even pumpkin seeds and Brazil nuts.
For a different (and more decadent) flavor, try going the chocolate route for your smoothie, but stick with dark chocolate with the lowest sugar content you can find for the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects courtesy of beneficial compounds such as epicatechin and resveratrol, known for being neuroprotective. Cacao also benefits your brain, nervous system, heart and blood vessels while helping to combat diabetes and other inflammation-related conditions.
Eating locally grown foods that are in season is better nutritionally because foods that are picked at peak ripeness and placed on shelves quickly retain the optimal amount of nutrients compared to foods shipped from long distances. These foods are also sometimes injected or sprayed with chemicals to either slow down or speed up the ripening process or otherwise make them appear fresher. Fruits that are “in season” in winter include oranges, kiwifruit, cactus pear, dates, cherimoya, mandarins, red currants and passion fruit.
Vegetables have their own season in which they grow best and offer the highest nutritional profile, and in winter this includes sweet potatoes, leeks, turnips, Brussels sprouts, kale, Belgian endive and winter squash varieties. Last, but certainly not least, keeping stress out of your life, at least to the highest degree possible, will go a long way toward preparing yourself to live disease- and even flu-free. As Rediff.com12 maintains, there are several ways you can help protect your immunity:
Avoid processed foods, as they make you vulnerable to developing chronic conditions
Avoid excessive alcohol, which can impede the functioning of immune cells
Avoid obesity, as it can affect the ability of white blood cells to multiply, produce antibodies and prevent inflammation
Include activity, especially if you know you’re not getting enough; as little as 20 minutes of walking five days a week can increase your immune system function
Avoid taking unnecessary medications, as even nonprescription drugs, antibiotics and cold and fever fighting medications may weaken your immune system
Additionally:
“Chronic stress can make you more susceptible to colds and the flu, as well as more serious health problems like heart disease, diabetes and other diseases. By practicing stress-reducing activities like yoga, meditation and laughter, you can keep your body from going into chronic stress mode.”13
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Special Alert: The Alarming Reason Some People Die From the Flu
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While influenza can indeed be deadly in rare cases, these deaths are typically the result of secondary infections, not the flu virus itself
Research has highlighted the link between influenza and severe sepsis (blood poisoning). Symptoms of sepsis can mimic the flu, and are often overlooked. Without prompt treatment, the condition can be deadly
Use of intravenous vitamin C, hydrocortisone and thiamine has been shown to reduce sepsis mortality nearly fivefold, from 40 to 8.5 percent
Optimizing your vitamin D level is far more potent a preventive strategy than getting a seasonal flu vaccine. People with significant vitamin D deficiency may reduce their risk of respiratory infections such as influenza by 50 percent
People with higher vitamin D levels may also benefit from additional vitamin D, reducing their risk of flu by 10 percent, which equals the effectiveness of the seasonal flu vaccine, including this year’s vaccine
By Dr. Mercola
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the 2017-2018 flu season appears particularly virulent. Influenza activity increased significantly in December, with influenza A(H3N2) viruses predominating, and in a December 27 notice, the agency noted that “In the past, A(H3N2) virus-predominant influenza seasons have been associated with more hospitalizations and deaths in persons aged 65 years and older and young children …”1
While influenza can indeed be deadly in rare cases, what most health experts fail to tell you is that these deaths are typically the result of secondary infections, not the flu virus itself. Importantly, research has highlighted the link between influenza and severe sepsis — a progressive disease process initiated by an aggressive, dysfunctional immune response to an infection in the bloodstream (which is why it's sometimes referred to as blood poisoning).
Symptoms of sepsis are often overlooked, even by health professionals, and without prompt treatment, the condition can be deadly. Unfortunately, conventional treatments often fail, and most hospitals have yet to embrace the use of intravenous (IV) vitamin C, hydrocortisone and thiamine,2 which has been shown to reduce sepsis mortality from 40 to a mere 8.5 percent.3,4
How Influenza May Cause Lethal Sepsis
According to researchers, “Severe sepsis is traditionally associated with bacterial diseases … However, viruses are becoming a growing cause of severe sepsis worldwide.” As noted in the video above, some sepsis symptoms also resemble influenza, which can lead to tragedy. The video offers guidelines on how to tell the difference between the two.
Sepsis, without doubt, requires immediate medical attention, whereas most people will successfully recover from the flu with a few days to a week of bedrest and fluids. Just how influenza can lead to sepsis is a somewhat complex affair, described as follows:5
“Regardless of the etiologic agent, the inflammatory response is highly interconnected with infection. In the initial response to an infection, severe sepsis is characterized by a pro-inflammatory state, while a progression to an anti-inflammatory state develops and favors secondary infections …
In the predominant pro-inflammatory state, Th1 cells activated by microorganisms increase transcription of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interferon-γ (INF-γ), and interleukin-2 (IL-2).
[C]ytokines … released from endothelial cells and subsequently from macrophages can induce lymphocyte activation and infiltration at the sites of infection and will exert direct antiviral effects. Subsequently, with the shift toward an anti-inflammatory state, activated Th2 cells secrete interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-10 (IL-10).
In certain situations, T cells can become anergic, failing to proliferate and produce cytokines. Type I IFN has a potent anti-influenza virus activity; it induces transcription of several interferon stimulated genes, which in turn restrict viral replication. However, influenza virus developed several mechanisms to evade IFN response …
Viral infections such as the influenza virus can also trigger deregulation of the innate immune system with excessive cytokines release and potential harmful consequences. An abnormal immune response to influenza can lead to endothelial damage … deregulation of coagulation, and the consequent alteration of microvascular permeability, tissue edema, and shock.”
Signs and Symptoms of Sepsis
Common signs and symptoms of sepsis to watch out for include:6
A high fever
Inability to keep fluids down
Rapid heartbeat; rapid, shallow breathing and/or shortness of breath
Lethargy and/or confusion
Slurred speech, often resembling intoxication
Should a few or all of these be present, seek immediate medical attention to rule out sepsis. Also inform the medical staff that you suspect sepsis, as time is of the essence when it comes to treatment. As noted in the featured video, hydration is of utmost importance, as much of the damage caused by sepsis begins with fluid loss.
Preventive Strategies That Can Reduce Your Chances of Influenza, Sepsis and Other Secondary Infections
Your immune system is your first-line defense against all types of infections, be they bacterial or viral, so the most effective way to avoid coming down with the flu is to bolster your immune function. While conventional health authorities claim getting an annual flu shot is the best way to ward off influenza, the medical literature actually suggests vitamin D optimization may be a far more effective strategy, and the evidence for this goes back at least a decade.
Dr. John Cannell, founder of the Vitamin D Council, was one of the first to introduce the idea that vitamin D deficiency may actually be a causative factor in influenza. His hypothesis7 was initially published in the journal Epidemiology and Infection in 2006.8 It was subsequently followed up with another study published in the Virology Journal in 2008.9
The following year, a large, nationally representative study10 confirmed that people with the lowest vitamin D levels indeed reported having significantly more colds or cases of the flu.
Since then, a number of studies have come to similar conclusions. Most recently, a scientific review11,12 published last year concluded that vitamin D supplementation boosts immunity and cuts rates of cold and flu. In all, 25 randomized controlled trials were included in the review, involving nearly 11,000 individuals from more than a dozen countries. People with significant vitamin D deficiency (blood levels below 10 ng/mL), taking a vitamin D supplement reduced their risk of respiratory infections such as influenza by 50 percent.
People with higher vitamin D levels also benefited, although not as greatly. Overall, they reduced their risk by about 10 percent, which the researchers stated was about equal to the effect of flu vaccines. Coincidentally, 10 percent is the effectiveness rate of this year’s flu vaccine.13 The take-home message here is that vitamin D supplementation far exceeds the flu vaccine in terms of effectiveness, and the more deficient you are, the greater its protective effects.
Aside from vitamin D, loading up on vitamins B1 and C may go a long way toward keeping you healthy through the flu season and beyond. Influenza has also been successfully treated with high-dose vitamin C.14 Taking zinc lozenges at the first sign of a cold or flu can also be helpful.
Zinc boosts immune function and plays a vital role in activating your body’s T cells (white blood cells tasked with destroying infected cells). If you fall victim to frequent bacterial infections or colds, your body might be trying to tell you it needs more zinc.
Be Aware of This Life-Saving IV Protocol
If you or a loved one succumbs to sepsis, whether caused by influenza or some other infection, please remember that a protocol of IV vitamin C with hydrocortisone and thiamine (vitamin B1) can be lifesaving.15 So, urge your doctor to use it. Chances are, they might not even be aware of it.
This sepsis treatment protocol was developed Dr. Paul Marik, a critical care doctor at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in East Virginia, and clinical use has proven it to be remarkably effective for the treatment of sepsis, reducing mortality nearly fivefold.
Marik’s retrospective before-after clinical study16,17 showed that giving patients IV vitamin C with hydrocortisone and vitamin B1 for two days reduced mortality from 40 percent to 8.5 percent. Of the 50 patients treated, only four died, and all of them died from their underlying disease, not sepsis. Importantly, the treatment has no side effects and is inexpensive, readily available and simple to administer, so you really have nothing to lose by trying it.
The only contraindication is if you are glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficient (a genetic disorder).18 G6PD is an enzyme your red blood cells need to maintain membrane integrity.
High-dose IV vitamin C is a strong pro-oxidant, and giving a pro-oxidant to a G6PD-deficient individual can cause their red blood cells to rupture, which could have disastrous consequences. Fortunately, G6PC deficiency is relatively uncommon, and can be tested for. People of Mediterranean and African decent are at greater risk of being G6PC deficient. Worldwide, G6PD deficiency is thought to affect 400 million individuals, and in the U.S., an estimated 1 in 10 African-American males have it.19
This Year’s Flu Vaccine Is a Poor Match to Circulating Strains
Sadly, flu deaths are inevitably used to incite fear, and the recommended remedy is annual flu vaccination. As recently reported by lohud.com, an affiliate of the USA Today Network:20
“Doctors urged New Yorkers to get flu shots as pediatric deaths surfaced recently while a potentially record influenza season approached its peak cycle. The public-health warning comes after authorities in New York and Connecticut reported their first flu-related deaths took the lives of two children …
‘Influenza is a significant threat to public health, and we are strongly encouraging anyone who has not already gotten the flu vaccine to get one immediately,’ said Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker.”
Considering the many studies showing flu vaccines have a dismal success rate even when well-matched to circulating viral strains, the fact that vaccination continues to be touted as your first-line of defense against influenza suggests this annual campaign is more about generating conformity for profit, opposed to actually improving and protecting public health.
In January 2015, U.S. government officials admitted that, in most years, flu shots are — at best — 50 to 60 percent effective at preventing lab confirmed type A or B influenza requiring medical care.21 At the end of that same year, a CDC analysis22 revealed that, between 2005 and 2015, the influenza vaccine was actually less than 50 percent effective more than half of the time.
As mentioned, the 2017/2018 flu vaccine has an effectiveness rating of just 10 percent, due to it being poorly matched, yet the call for flu vaccination remains, while strategies that are 10 times more effective, such as vitamin D3 supplementation, are completely ignored! Many also gloss over the fact that flu deaths also occur in those who have been vaccinated. Such was the case with this 8-year-old boy in Arkansas, featured in this CNN report.
This video may not be available in all countries.
Flu Vaccine Likely Raises Your Risk of Illness
The fact that flu vaccines offer negligible protection against the flu is bad enough, but evidence suggests the vaccine may even make you more susceptible to the disease. For example, Canadian researchers found that annual flu vaccination appears to increase your risk of pandemic illness, and cause more serious bouts of illness.
Data collected from Canada and Hong Kong during 2009-2010 showed that people who received the seasonal flu vaccine in 2008 had twice the risk of getting the H1N1 “swine flu,” compared to those who had not received a flu shot.23
A well-publicized ferret study24 confirmed these results. Research25 published in 2011 also warned the seasonal flu vaccine appears to weaken children's immune systems and increases their chances of getting sick from influenza viruses not included in the vaccine. Some health experts claim flu vaccination will help you develop resistance against strains that are not included in the vaccine, but research has actually shown the complete opposite to be true.
When blood samples from healthy, unvaccinated children and children who had received an annual flu shot were compared, the former unvaccinated group had naturally built up more antibodies across a wider variety of influenza strains compared to the latter vaccinated group.26 Flu vaccines are also associated with debilitating and potentially lifelong side effects such as Guillain–Barré syndrome and chronic shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA).
But what about the claim that you might contract influenza from your flu shot? There are many anecdotal reports of people developing the worst bout of influenza they’ve ever had, following a routine flu vaccination, and indeed, a Chinese study27 published in 2012 appears to support such claims, finding that children had a 4.4 higher chance of contracting a viral upper respiratory infection following seasonal flu vaccine administration.
It’s also worth noting that double-blind, placebo controlled trials for vaccines are not done. Instead, all a vaccine trial needs to demonstrate in order for the vaccine to be licensed is an antibody response.28
Researchers have also highlighted the influence of bias in studies looking at influenza vaccine effectiveness. As noted in one 2010 study,29 ”Forgoing vaccination predicted death in those who had received vaccinations in the previous five years, but it predicted survival in patients who had never before received a vaccination. We conclude that bias is inherent in studies of influenza vaccination and death among elderly patients.”
Beware: Tamiflu Can Trigger Psychosis
Should you or your child come down with the flu and your doctor or pediatrician recommends Tamiflu,30 you should know this antiviral drug has been shown to shorten the duration of flu symptoms by less than 17 hours.31,32 It also does not reduce viral transmission and does not lower your risk of complications from the flu, such as pneumonia.33,34 Scientist have also warned that the risks far outweigh the benefits.35
These risks include convulsions, brain infections, psychosis and other neuropsychiatric problems. Tamiflu made recent headlines after a 6-year-old girl started hallucinating and attempted to jump out a second story window.36 “I don’t think the 16 hours of symptom relief from the flu is worth the possible side effects that we went through,” the girl’s father told ABC7 News.37
Indeed, a number of studies have observed that Tamiflu may cause psychiatric symptoms. Research38 published in 2015 reported the case of a 22-year-old man who “complained of mood swings, suicidal feelings, auditory hallucinations, memory deterioration and insomnia” after taking the drug. Other studies39 have found more than half of all children taking Tamiflu suffer side effects from the drug.40
Dangerous Lies Told by the CDC
Prior to the global H1N1 scare, the U.S. government stockpiled $1.5 billion of this basically useless antiviral — money that could have been spent in far better ways than merely enriching Roche’s company pockets. As noted in an article about Tamiflu by The Atlantic, “The only people helped by the proven-to-be-ineffective drug are its manufacturers.”41
A 2013 Forbes article42 also spelled out a number of flaws in the science behind Tamiflu, and how benefits were overstated. Despite all of this overwhelming evidence, the CDC to this day continues to recommend both flu vaccines and antiviral drugs like Tamiflu.43 They even continue to claim antiviral drugs “may prevent serious flu complications” — though the evidence clearly shows Tamiflu does no such thing.
The take-home message here is to do your homework, and not blindly follow public health recommendations. Also avoid falling prey to unreasonable fears. All deaths are tragic, but people die from influenza with and without flu vaccines. People also die without certain drugs, and from drugs.
Remember, optimizing your vitamin D to a level of 60 to 80 ng/mL may be one of the most effective flu prevention strategies out there. Also familiarize yourself with the signs and symptoms of sepsis, and urge your doctor to administer Marik’s IV vitamin C protocol should you or a loved one be diagnosed with sepsis. It just might save your life.
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Japan Invents Naturally Blue Chocolates Tinted In Colors Of Day & Night Skies
By Mikelle Leow, 31 Jan 2018
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Image via Village Vanguard
In 2017, the world was introduced to ruby chocolate, a naturally pink-hued variety that is now dubbed the “fourth type of chocolate” in the world. This year, Kit Kat Japan commercialized it, making it available for all by creating a candy bar from ‘Ruby’ cocoa beans.
Japanese inventors have yet again shot for the skies with new naturally tinted blue chocolates of two tones.
Launched by novelty store Village Vanguard, the chocolates are available in a couple of styles: the first resembling the complex night sky, and the second takes after the still winter atmosphere “where the air remains clear throughout.”
In place of synthetic coloring, the brand uses ‘Natural Blue Apple Jam’ sourced from Aomori prefecture to add pigment to its chocolates—though not without a few challenges, especially for the darker variety.
Since the jam is translucent, Village Vanguard explained in a press statement that it “had a hard time” coloring the chocolates a deep blue. To counter the problem, the company decided to add blue-colored herbs from Thailand. This resulted in the chocolates looking as profound as the tints they’re inspired upon.
Served in an exquisite night blue box, the two versions encase square-shaped cookies of different flavors.
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The light blue ones coat special cookies made from “carefully selected” cheese and apple chips from Aomori. According to Village Vanguard, they’re the less sweet counterpart of the two.
The darker hued ones are decorated with gold leaves and silver foil to resemble stars in the night sky. They’re wrapped around plainer and crunchier cookies.
The chocolates will debut on 14 February 2018 at the Village Vanguard site, and are priced at JP¥2,160 (US$20) per box of six cookies. Only a limited quantity will be made available.
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Japan Invents Naturally Blue Chocolates Tinted In Colors Of Day & Night Skies
By Mikelle Leow, 31 Jan 2018
Subscribe to newsletter
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Image via Village Vanguard
In 2017, the world was introduced to ruby chocolate, a naturally pink-hued variety that is now dubbed the “fourth type of chocolate” in the world. This year, Kit Kat Japan commercialized it, making it available for all by creating a candy bar from ‘Ruby’ cocoa beans.
Japanese inventors have yet again shot for the skies with new naturally tinted blue chocolates of two tones.
Launched by novelty store Village Vanguard, the chocolates are available in a couple of styles: the first resembling the complex night sky, and the second takes after the still winter atmosphere “where the air remains clear throughout.”
In place of synthetic coloring, the brand uses ‘Natural Blue Apple Jam’ sourced from Aomori prefecture to add pigment to its chocolates—though not without a few challenges, especially for the darker variety.
Since the jam is translucent, Village Vanguard explained in a press statement that it “had a hard time” coloring the chocolates a deep blue. To counter the problem, the company decided to add blue-colored herbs from Thailand. This resulted in the chocolates looking as profound as the tints they’re inspired upon.
Served in an exquisite night blue box, the two versions encase square-shaped cookies of different flavors.
Advertisement
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The light blue ones coat special cookies made from “carefully selected” cheese and apple chips from Aomori. According to Village Vanguard, they’re the less sweet counterpart of the two.
The darker hued ones are decorated with gold leaves and silver foil to resemble stars in the night sky. They’re wrapped around plainer and crunchier cookies.
The chocolates will debut on 14 February 2018 at the Village Vanguard site, and are priced at JP¥2,160 (US$20) per box of six cookies. Only a limited quantity will be made available.
Image via Village Vanguard
Image via Village Vanguard
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