Green Walls: Benefits in the Contemporary City

Green Walls: Benefits in the Contemporary City INTRODUCTION Green wall and its necessity The living, organic systems characterized by green walls, are integrated with the inorganic and lifeless structures are dominating modern architecture and holds the promise of a new type of living architecture. Green walls are generally walls that are part of the Building covered with vegetation. They are like vertical garden mostly formed with creeper system on the exterior wall with the roots on the ground or with free standing vertically framed wall with different native plants grown on the surface. They are also termed as bio walls or living walls since they act as natural air-conditioner as they purifies and cools the ambient air to a large extent creating a healthy environment. The deepest threat of global warming is the rapid urbanization and deforestation. There is a considerable increase of co2 emission and heat transfer. This impact is extreme in the urban condition where the vegetation/ greenery are sparse. Also in the urban conditions mostly all the buildings are glazed and air-conditioned with out any ways of neither thermal insulation, nor are they shaded with thick surrounding landscape. This is basically due to the space constraints and optimization. In such challenging cases Green wall is the best alternative which acts as a good shading device against heat gain and energy losses, pollution etc. Hence, Green walls are must in urban conditions. Economic and Environmental benefits of Green walls The economic and environmental benefits are many. They result in substantial energy savings, extension of building life, CO2 capture, acoustics and Aesthetics. Energy Conservation: Vegetation on walls can assist in cooling buildings in summer and insulating them in winter. Reduction of thermal loading to buildings results lower heating and cooling costs which in turn lowers carbon emissions. Jacklyn Johnston and John Newton (2004) Health: These climbing plants on green walls filter out dust and other pollutants. Jacklyn Johnston and John Newton (2004) Reduction of heat island effect results in less reflected heat. Air purification: plants filter pollution especially when used inside buildings. Noise attenuation: It acts as sound barrier resulting in quieter buildings and streets. Green walls can collect over 30kgs per m2 of rainwater. Increased urban biomass. Jacklyn Johnston and John Newton (2004) clears the fact that There is a widespread belief that plants are inimical to built structures, ripping out mortar and prising apart joints with their roots. The evidence suggests that these problems have been greatly exaggerated, except where decay has already set in and then plants can indeed accelerate the process of deterioration. There is little evidence that plants damage walls. In fact in most of the cases the exact opposite is true, with plants covering the wall helps in protecting the wall from harmful elements, solar radiation which in turn reduces the thermic tensions within the structure. Indigenous sustainable elements and their benefits Indigenous sustainable elements are the simple elements which are locally available and considered as waste or least prioritized. For example, the coconut shells in the country like India which are available in abundance are just disposed or burnt to ashes even though they have high thermal coefficient and suitability for insulation/ acoustics. Similarly, materials like Clay, Bamboo, Jungle/ Pine/Rubber wood, Cork etc carry untarnishing effect in the field of sustainable Architecture when used appropriately. Apart from their interesting characteristic they are also economic. RESEARCH QUESTION/OBJECTIVE: Does green wall need to be green? The realistic objective of this research is to create more enjoyable greener cities which in turn bring numerous benefits to the surrounding environment. In the almost all the Urban locations of the world where the CO2 emission is extremely high due to various factors have hardly any good vegetation to control environmental pollution. Unfortunately, in such locations the concept of sustainability like Green wall gets relegated to the second spot due to construction and maintenance cost. The idea is to address to these areas and also to enhance the benefits of Green walls with some medicinal value. This needs to be achieved by identifying native herbal plants and also, to study and innovate in the area of low cost indigenous elements like coconut shells, bamboo, cane, Jute, cork, ect as construction materials to supplement to sustainable design. LITERATURE REVIEW: Green walls are slowly gaining value and are considered valuable for cooling the Urban space than green roofs in countries like Japan. But the green wall is still new to countries like India and china. Jacklyn Johnston and John Newton (2004) states that This is a great pity, because even in those cities relatively well endowed with greenspace many areas can justifiably be regarded as deserts in biological terms. Nigel Dunnett and Noel Kingsbury (2004) Green wall is widely practiced in Europe and it is quite common in France and Germany to see house covered in Virginia creeper or vines which are influenced by Mediterranean climate. Jacklyn Johnston and John Newton (2004) states that We need appropriate development which incorporates an ecological approach to building and landscape. This means that the land lost in the construction of buildings and roads should be replaced with a layer of plants on the hard surfaces. By this way green skin can be strategically added to create a new net work of vegetation linking roofs, courtyards, walls and open spaces. Different types of green walls There are two different types: Green facades and Living walls Green faà §ades: are wall systems where plants cover supporting structures rooted at the base of the structure. Supporting structure can either be a existing wall or built as freestanding structures. Living walls: (also called bio walls or vertical gardens) composed of pre-vegetated modular panels that are fixed to a structural wall or freestanding frame. Modular panels comprises of polypropylene plastic containers, geotextiles, irrigation system, growing medium and vegetation. Living walls can be installed on the exterior of a building in full sun, shade, and interior of a building. They grow well in both tropical and temperate climate. Due to huge variety of plants used, living walls require more intensive maintenance than green facades like regular watering, adding nutrients and fertilizers. Different types of green faà §ade support structures The two primary types are Modular trellis systems: Panels which are rigid and lightweight are installed vertically as wall-mounted or freestanding. They can also be used on tall buildings along side with intermediate planters. Modular trellis systems are essential where the physical growth of climbing plants is restricted. Freestanding structures: are rigid panels such as green columns or canopy forms that can be placed on either on building walls where either the space is limited or load is restricted. The panels can also be used as shading devices for a open parking area. Cable and rope wire systems: this system consist high-tensile steel cables, wire trellises, spacers, and additional equipment. Vertical and horizontal wires are connected through cross clamps to form a trellis system of desired sizes and patterns. Stainless steel wire-rope net is supported on flexible or rigid frames to cover large areas. Best plant types to use for green walls Jacklyn Johnston and John Newton (2004) Considering the relationship between the types of plant used and the aspect of the walls where they will grow is also a very important aspect. Deciduous plants are the most suitable on the south side of a building. In the summer their dense foliage shields the building from sunlight and creates cooling effect. In winter leaves are shed, allowing sunlight to reach the surface of the wall so helping to warm the interior of the building. Similarly on a west-facing wall it is sensible to use evergreens to protect the building from rain and provide a cushion of air to help insulation. North facing walls are best for supporting native herbs and wider ranges of plants. East walls may fall into either category. Plants used on exterior building walls are exposed to harsher climactic surroundings than those of indoors. Hence for building that intend to reach great heights, more hardy species of plants should be selected. Similarly, for less plant friendly climates, climbers that are tolerant for wind and heat should be selected. Nigel Dunnett and Noel Kingsbury (2004) On wooden walls and other structures, species with very heavy growth or a thick branching habit should be avoided, as the structure may not be able to support the weight. Plant selection will have major impact on the design of the supporting system. For instance, a denser and faster growing plant will require a larger space between supports than less aggressive plant species. The density of plant life further impacts the underlying structure. Greater the leaf surface area, the more impact rain will have on the weight of the system. Green wall installation and maintenance Jacklyn Johnston and John Newton (2004) Small herbaceous species are able to grow on walls by taking root in the substance of the wall itself. But other species are naturally adapted to climbing up and over obstacles such as rock faces, trees and shrubs. Some kind of support structure is essential for these plants to grow successfully. For example, climbers such as hops support themselves by spiralling upwards around an object. They will require timber battens, trellis work, steel cables or plastic ropes. Although some creeper can cling directly onto walls by their roots, they require a rough surface to enable them to do so. Rambling plants such as bramble and climbing rose need wide-meshed grid structures to which they can be attached. A 50x50cm latticework of treated timber mounted on wooden posts (or an equivalent structure using cables, rope or netting) will provide an adequate support for a range of species. Whenever possible it is sensible to leave little gap between the faà § ade of the building and the supporting structure to maximise the effects of summer cooling and winter insulation. The structures help in distributing the weight of the plants across the supporting structure and wall. In cable and rope wire systems, anchors and turnbuckles have to be installed at the end of each cable for tightening and adjustments as and when required. Jacklyn Johnston and John Newton (2004) Polypropylene cladding tiles incorporates waterproof membranes and their own irrigation system. Plants could be established on these and then hung on the outside of a building. Depending on species, climbing plants generally require a good supply of water and occasional pruning. Supporting structures require less maintenance, with only occasional monitoring of the supporting structure. Jacklyn Johnston and John Newton (2004) For climbing plants the ground should be prepared just like for any tree or shrub by creating a pit and adding in some compost to the top 30cm.Pre-grown panels for living walls needs 6-12 months for plants to grow prior to delivery and installation. The panels are grown horizontally until it is shipped to the site after which it can be mounted vertically. Climbing plants should be selected that do not provide a food source for unwanted pests and insects. Excessive growth or dead wood should be removed periodically and standing water should be avoided. LEED points for using green walls LEED has several credits for green walls when used in buildings. Sustainable Sites Credit 7.1: Landscape Design that Reduces Urban Heat Islands (1 point). Solar reflectance of a building is greatly reduced by exterior green walls, thus reducing the urban heat island effect. Water Efficiency Credits 1.1, 1.2: Water Efficient Landscaping (1 to 2 points). Harvested stormwater can be used for watering the plants of the green walls. Usage only collected, recycled, or nonpotable water may also add on to this credit. Water Efficiency Credit 2: Innovative Wastewater Technologies (1 point). Green walls can act as a medium for utilizing wastewater treatment. Energy and Atmosphere Credit 1: Optimize Energy Performance (1 to 10 points). Buildings mechanical systems usage can be reduced greatly by green walls which acts as additional insulation for the structure and also provides natural cooling. Innovation in Design Credits 1-4: Innovation in Design (1 to 4 points). Green walls can contribute to innovative wastewater management or ventilation systems. KNOWLEDGES AND GAPS What is the awareness on Green walls in the countries like India? Green Building Movement in India Catalysts and Course India is witnessing incredible growth in infrastructure and construction sector. The construction industry in India happens to be one of the largest economic activities. As this sector is growing speedily, preserving the environment poses lot of challenges and at the same time presents opportunities. The construction sector therefore needs to contribute towards environmental responsibility. Green wall concepts are at emerging stage in India primarily due to high initial cost and lack of a native product to address the same. But still it offers great potential which asks for greater understanding and evolving an indigenous product by Indian Architects/ Landscape designers. How cost conscious developed countries are and how it is important? Most of the developed countries are focused on the technology of future and the art of modern architecture plays vital role where the value of simple indigenous elements gets neglected. In that case, even in the name of modernization most of the developing countries are also getting inspired by the developed countries. Cost effective design always carries value at the time of crisis and recession. It also speaks its untouched charm as they are formed mostly with natural elements. INNOVATION: An Indian based Agriculturalist who tried organic farming elunkathir pannai with the protection of bio fence created with the native herbals and plants. The result proved to be astonishing and achieved good yield. The interesting secrete behind it is, all the air born pests are filtered and killed by naturally available herbal predators. This inspires and even strengthens the concept of Green walls for the urban spaces also. And that is one of my initiative and part of the research using native herbals to achieve medicinal benefits. Sustainability is largely being practised in various fields. But in most of the cases they are not cost effective. The other part of my innovation is to adapt low cost sustainable design with simple indigenous elements like Coconut shell, Clay plaster, Cork, Bamboo, Jungle/pine wood etc. at appropriate areas. DATA AND INFORMATION TO BE COLLECTED: Details of Green wall construction/installation Supports and frames Plants species for indoor and out door Irrigation system details Lighting details Maintenance Samples How to collect data and How to analyse it? Already gathering information from the service providers of various places on green wall construction and maintenance aspects. In the process of getting associated with a Horticulturalist/ Agriculturalist to get details on the plants species and their behaviour. Apart from the above, I have collected sufficient literature to move forward. Also, analysis of each element will be carried out through models and tools by collecting all the required samples from the mentioned resources. PLANNING The concept of green wall has to be incorporated in design and the same will be detailed and fine-tuned towards the research topic as a study model. As part of innovative design the usage of indigenous sustainable elements will also be adopted. Characteristics of the indigenous elements available in the developing countries like India are enormous. Will plan them appropriately in design specification based on their characteristics and also, complying with ergonomic standards. POSSIBLE OUTCOME Considering all the urban spaces which are completely responsible for the curse Global warming on this mother earth, as a responsible Architect would work towards through my dissertation to manifest and prove Green walls and other simple indigenous materials as affordable solution for all the Urban conditions and justify the usage of green wall for a space which is non-Air-conditioned. The other issue which is threatening the world is the recession which also calls for innovative cost effective practise in the construction and specification. Initiative to achieve the same with cost effective indigenous materials is a challenge yet it will be proven possible. It is always better to plan and protect, rather than repent and repair Bibliography: Property World- August 2009 The Hindu-Elunkathirpannai- Arunachlam-Thursday,2008 The Architects Journal, Building Library Starting with Plants-Dougherty, David Green walls Austrialia Pvt ltd. www.greenscreen.com http://www.greenscreen.com/home.html http://www.bdcnetwork.com/article/379033-6_Things_You_Need_to_Know_About_Green_Walls.php Green Building Movement in India Catalysts and Course Was the League of Nations a Success or Failure? Was the League of Nations a Success or Failure? In what ways was the League of Nations a predecessor to the UN? Was the League successful in its goal of protecting minorities throughout Europe in the wake of WWI? While the League of Nations was created after the end of World War One to prevent war from ever breaking out again, a few years later World War Two broke out shocking the world with its lack of response to defuse the situation. Though many people only discuss the epic failure of the League of Nations it is important to realize that the League of Nations was semi-successful in its goal of protecting minorities throughout Europe after World War One and was a predecessor to the United Nations. To understand the League of Nations it is important to go over the reasons why it was created and its organizational structure. Based on President Woodrow Wilsons, 1918 address to the United States Congress, where he spoke of his desire to create a world dedicated to justice and fair dealing(Wilson 1918) which later became the Fourteen Points program. This program included explicit references to the rights to self-determination and statehoods for nations seeking freedom (Wilson 1918). The League of Nations was created after the end of World War One to prevent war from ever breaking out again. After the turmoil, the Versailles Treaty in 1919 established the League of Nations to bring stability to the world. The world was horrified by the slaughter that had taken place in what was meant to be in the civilized part of the world. The only way to avoid having such atrocities to repeat, a need for an international body whose sole purpose was to maintain world peace and sort out internation al dilemmas when and if they ever occurred again was needed (Clapham 2007). Other than the United States, who was too busy with the root of isolationism, support for the League of Nations was strong. The League of Nations was to be based in Geneva, Switzerland as it was a neutral county and had not been involved in World War One. With its establishment the League of Nations and its Covenant, addressed the rights of minorities, workers rights, right of women and children, refugees and slavery (Freeman 2005). Also according to the League of Nations Covenant there were three things that could be done to resolve a dispute. One way it states to resolve this dispute is to have the states in the dispute sit and discuss their problems in an orderly fashion in the Leagues Assembly, which is similar to a parliament or the current United Nations parliament. If there is an aggressor then the League would and can verbally warn the aggressor nation. If nothing came from the Assemblys decision then the League of Nations could propose to introduce economic sanctions against the aggressor nation (Covenant 1919). The logic behind this action was to financially aggravate the aggressor country so th ey would follow and give into the League of Nations and their requirements. The League of Nations could order other League Members to not trade with an aggressor nation and if this failed as well then militarily force would be used to put the aggressor nation into place. The only problem with this concept was that the League of Nations did not have a military force that they could use and no member of the new League of Nations was required to provide any military help under the terms of joining which is different from the current United Nations where if joined with the United Nations military help is a requirement. This lead to the League not being able to carry out any of its threats. Due to the atrocities and severe depletion of many major armies it was hard for even first world nations such as Great Britain and France to provide military strength to help the League of Nations. Another weakness that the League of Nations had was the lack of support from the founding fathers country; the United States. Though Woodrow Wilson came up with the the foundation of the League of Nations with his Fourteen Points speech, he refused to join the League of Nations as the United States was fulling its desire for isolation. This was a serious blow to the prestige of the League. A few other problems with the League of Nations was that Germany was not allowed to join because it had started World War One, according to the Versailles treaty. This was a great low point for both the League of Nations and Germany, as they both could not help each other out again other aggressor nations such as Russia and Japan. Russia was not allowed to join because in 1917 there was a communist government that created fear in western Europe. This also created a hole in the League of Nations because this depleted them of another potential military power to help keep order in the world. Though the weaknesses were mentioned earlier in the paper is it important to remember the successes that the League of Nations also had. The League aimed to promote international cooperation in economic and social affairs. Under the League of Nations the council was active in the protection of workers rights. Their goal of fair and humane conditions of labor for all men, women and children (Covenant 1919) became the central focus of the International Labor Organization (ILO) which still continues to be one of the United Nations specialized agencies (Clapham 2007). Workers rights were to be recognized and protected even though they were in place by governments for their own state interests rather than individual interests. Some governments feared their population would turn communist and thus recognized workers rights. The League of Nations was also successful in setting up a commission on slavery and adopted the 1926 Slavery convention, putting an end to slavery. They also developed conventions on the traffic of women and children (Clapham 2007) A few of the League of Nations decisions protected the rights of minorities in Europe while it was in existence. In the Aaland Islands, 1921, near Finland and Sweden, most of the islanders wanted to be governed by Sweden even though traditionally it had always been governed by Finland. Neither Sweden nor Finland could come to a decision as to who owned the islands and in 1921 they asked the League to adjudicate. The Leagues decision was that they should remain with Finland but that no weapons should ever be kept there. Both countries accepted the decision and it remains in force to this day. Though the minorities did not get as they wanted they were given the opportunity to speak up to the League and help make a decision peacefully. The face that the decision is still in force today is a wonderful concept. Though the League of Nations was a political failure it established a groundwork for the current United Nations and its strong commitment to Human Rights. Turkey (1923) The League failed to stop a bloody war in Turkey (see League failures) but it did respond to the humanitarian crisis caused by this war. 1,400,000 refugees had been created by this war with 80% of them being women and children. Typhoid and cholera were rampant. The League sent doctors from the Health Organisation to check the spread of disease and it spent  £10 million on building farms, homes etc for the refugees. Money was also invested in seeds, wells and digging tools and by 1926, work was found for 600,000 people. A member of the League called this work the greatest work of mercy which mankind has undertaken. Greece and Bulgaria (1925) Both these nations have a common border. In 1925, sentries patrolling this border fired on one another and a Greek soldier was killed. The Greek army invaded Bulgaria as a result. The Bulgarians asked the League for help and the League ordered both armies to stop fighting and that the Greeks should pull out of Bulgaria. The League then sent experts to the area and decided that Greece was to blame and fined her  £45,000. Both nations accepted the decision. The failures of the League of Nations Article 11 of the Leagues Covenant stated: Any war of threat of war is a matter of concern to the whole League and the League shall take action that may safe guard peace. Therefore, any conflict between nations which ended in war and the victor of one over the other must be considered a League failure. Italy (1919) In 1919, Italian nationalists, angered that the Big Three had, in their opinion, broken promises to Italy at the Treaty of Versailles, captured the small port of Fiume. This port had been given to Yugoslavia by the Treaty of Versailles. For 15 months, Fiume was governed by an Italian nationalist called dAnnunzio. The newly created League did nothing. The situation was solved by the Italian government who could not accept that dAnnunzio was seemingly more popular than they were so they bombarded the port of Fiume and enforced a surrender. In all this the League played no part despite the fact that it had just been set up with the specific task of maintaining peace. Teschen (1919) Teschen was a small town between Poland and Czechoslovakia. Its main importance was that it had valuable coal mines there which both the Poles and the Czechs wanted. As both were newly created nations, both wanted to make their respective economies as strong as possible and the acquisition of rich coal mines would certainly help in this respect. In January 1919, Polish and Czech troops fought in the streets of Teschen. Many died. The League was called on to help and decided that the bulk of the town should go to Poland while Czechoslovakia should have one of Teschens suburbs. This suburb contained the most valuable coal mines and the Poles refused to accept this decision. Though no more wholesale violence took place, the two countries continued to argue over the issue for the next twenty years. Vilna (1920) Many years before 1920, Vilna had been taken over by Russia. Historically, Vilna had been the capital of Lithuania when the state had existed in the Middle Ages. After World War One, Lithuania had been re-established and Vilna seemed the natural choice for its capital. However, by 1920, 30% of the population was from Poland with Lithuanians only making up 2% of the citys population. In 1920, the Poles seized Vilna. Lithuania asked for League help but the Poles could not be persuaded to leave the city. Vilna stayed in Polish hands until the outbreak of World War Two. The use of force by the Poles had won. War between Russia and Poland (1920 to 1921) In 1920, Poland invaded land held by the Russians. The Poles quickly overwhelmed the Russian army and made a swift advance into Russia. By 1921, the Russians had no choice but to sign the Treaty of Riga which handed over to Poland nearly 80,000 square kilometres of Russian land. This one treaty all but doubled the size of Poland. What did the League do about this violation of another country by Poland? The answer is simple nothing. Russia by 1919 was communist and this plague from the East was greatly feared by the West. In fact, Britain, France and America sent troops to attack Russia after the League had been set up. Winston Churchill, the British War Minister, stated openly that the plan was to strangle Communist Russia at birth. Once again, to outsiders, it seemed as if League members were selecting which countries were acceptable and ones which were not. The Allied invasion of Russia was a failure and it only served to make Communist Russia even more antagonistic to the West. The invasion of the Ruhr (1923) The Treaty of Versailles had ordered Weimar Germany to pay reparations for war damages. These could either be paid in money or in kind (goods to the value of a set amount) In 1922, the Germans failed to pay an installment. They claimed that they simply could not rather than did not want to. The Allies refused to accept this and the anti-German feeling at this time was still strong. Both the French and the Belgiums believed that some form of strong action was needed to teach Germany a lesson. In 1923, contrary to League rules, the French and the Belgiums invaded the Ruhr Germanys most important industrial zone. Within Europe, France was seen as a senior League member like Britain and the anti-German feeling that was felt throughout Europe allowed both France and Belgium to break their own rules as were introduced by the League. Here were two League members clearly breaking League rules and nothing was done about it. For the League to enforce its will, it needed the support of its major backers in Europe, Britain and France. Yet France was one of the invaders and Britain was a major supporter of her. To other nations, it seemed that if you wanted to break League rules, you could. Few countries criticised what France and Belgium did. But the example they set for others in future years was obvious. The League clearly failed on this occasion, primarily because it was seen to be involved in breaking its own rules. Italy and Albania (1923) The border between Italy and Albania was far from clear and the Treaty of Versailles had never really addressed this issue. It was a constant source of irritation between both nations. In 1923, a mixed nationality survey team was sent out to settle the issue. Whilst travelling to the disputed area, the Italian section of the survey team, became separated from the main party. The five Italians were shot by gunmen who had been in hiding. Italy accused Greece of planning the whole incident and demanded payment of a large fine. Greece refused to pay up. In response, the Italians sent its navy to the Greek island of Corfu and bombarded the coastline. Greece appealed to the League for help but Italy, lead by Benito Mussolini, persuaded the League via the Conference of Ambassadors, to fine Greece 50 million lire. To follow up this success, Mussolini invited the Yugoslavian government to discuss ownership of Fiume. The Treaty of Versailles had given Fiume to Yugoslavia but with the evidence of a bombarded Corfu, the Yugoslavs handed over the port to Italy with little argument The social successes of the League of Nations At a social level the League did have success and most of this is easily forgotten with its failure at a political level. Many of the groups that work for the United Nations now, grew out of what was established by the League. Teams were sent to the Third World to dig fresh water wells, the Health Organisation started a campaign to wipe out leprosy. This idea of wiping out from the world a disease was taken up by the United Nations with its smallpox campaign. Work was done in the Third World to improve the status of women there and child slave labour was also targeted. Drug addiction and drug smuggling were also attacked. These problems are still with us in the C21st so it would be wrong to criticise the League for failing to eradicate them. If we cannot do this now, the League had a far more difficult task then with more limited resources. The greatest success the League had involving these social issues, was simply informing the world at large that these problems did exist and that they should be tackled. No organisation had done this before the League. These social problems may have continued but the fact that they were now being actively investigated by the League and were then taken onboard by the United Nations must be viewed as a success. In order to promote international cooperation and to achieve international peace and security by the acceptance of obligations not to resort to war, by the prescription of open, just and honourable relations between nations, by the firm establishment of the understandings of international law as the actual rule of conduct among Governments, and by the maintenance of justice and a scrupulous respect for all treaty obligations in the dealings of organised peoples with one another, Agree to this Covenant of the League of Nations.

Twins; Identical and Ferternal

Kevin Le Mr. Smith Health Period: 5 11 January 2013 Twins; Identical and Fraternal When it comes to people in the Earth twins are interesting to  see. It use  to be  a mystery of how a mother can give birth to more than one baby. In the past year there are more birth of twins, and more type of multiple births. There are some reasons for a mother to give birth to twins; the first reason is multiple eggs  are released. Another reason is one of the egg  is being released  and then splits into two. When a person thinks about a twin they think of identical twin, but there’s more there are fraternal twin (twins  born  the same day, but don’t look alike. and  there is conjoin  twin (twins  born  out conjoin. ) What is the difference between these three, there is no difference they were all born on the same day, but they have different physical appearance. Fraternal twins are still twins, but different gender one will be a boy and the other will be girl. Lastly the other difference between them and identical twins is that fraternal twins don’t share the same DNA as identical twins. To find out if a mother has a twin a mother  is recommended  to have an ultrasound.In some research it  is said  that during the beginning to the twelfth week of pregnancy there is a risk of having Vanishing Twin Syndrome. This happen when one of baby began to stop growing or neither of the baby is getting  the nutrition from  the mother, and when one of the baby born and the other is  still-born. There are some factors that increase the odd of a mother having twins. The first  reason  is advance age mother from the 30s and 40s have a high chance of having twin because their ovaries are more likely to produce more than one egg at a time.Second reason is mother who have gave birth to a child already each time she is pregnant she has a higher chance each time to have twin. Third  reason  is if she is a twin she has a good chanc e to have twins, or if one of her sibling gave birth to twin then she will have a good chance to have twin. The last  reason  is African women has the highest chance of having twin while Asian women have a low chance. When having a single baby one of the female ovaries release one egg, and then the egg joins with sperm of the male partner. Then the fertilized egg began to develop a baby.Then when having multiple babies the female ovaries release two eggs at the same time. Then a separate sperm from the male partner began to fertilize with the egg, which will produce twins. When a female is about to give birth to three or more baby the process of it is about  like  when a female giving birth to twins. When about to give birth to twins or being pregnant with one can cause risk and dangers to twins. The major risk of having one was  preterm  labor. Preterm  labor is when the baby is born three to four weeks before the baby  was assigned to  be born.If a mother is conc ern that she is having  preterm labor  there is sign. The signs are a mother is beginning to have more than five contraction hour. Also the mother began to have contraction  often, and then she is starting having cramp. Another sign is she is having an upset stomach. Lastly her vagina begins to have changes, but also she could begin to vaginal bleeding. It  is told  by doctor that the mother having multiple births that she is aware of the risk or  preterm  labor,  and  the sign of it. Another risk of having a twin is they could have twin-to-twin Transfusion Syndrome.Twin-to-twin Transfusion Syndrome is a disease of the placenta. When in pregnancy the single placenta  is shared between the two twins, during that process abnormal vessel can  have a chance  to develop, then  the connection of  the circulatory system of the twin. After, that it can develop of uneven exchange of blood flow. When that happens between the two babies one of them will give blood t o the other one which can risk of or both of the babies’ health. Lastly another risk is the twins can have  Monoamnionic Monochorionic  Twins. This disease occurs when twins  are enclosed  within a single amniotic sac.During the mother pregnancy the twins umbilical cords begins to me tangled, which result in lost of nutrients and oxygen to their body. When that happens there will be no cure, but to give birth to them. When a mother of  Monoamnionic  Monochorionic  twins she is being taking special care, and been watch for possible hospitalization. The good thing is only 1% percent of twin birth will be monoamniotic. The current survival rate for this disease is 60%. While there are risks when having multiple births for the babies, there are some that can endanger the mother’s health.Mothers that gave birth to multiple babies  have a chance  of experiencing gestational diabetes, during the stage of pregnancy. This happen, because when carrying an  ex tra  baby it  can interferes  with the mother’s body ability to process insulin. The good thing is, it  can be  controlled with a diet, but sometimes the insulin  must be  managed. This will not have an affect to the babies. Another risk is the risk for the mother to have heart problem. Recent study in Canada got sad result for mothers of multiple babies. They found out that mothers that carry two or more babies are thirteen times more likely to  have the experience  of heart failure.Not only that the risk of having a heart attack during their pregnancy stage is nearly quadruple. More research tells that the mothers can have an increase to physiological stress, explaining that each  more  baby raises the level of cardiac output. Lastly the other risk for a mother is they could have  Preeclampsia  and  PIH. When pregnant mother of multiples they could have blood pressure problem. PIH, or Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension,  is diagnosed  when the mo ther’s blood pressure is measures higher than 140 over 90. It  is recommended that a mother that is pregnant with multiple that they  should check  their blood pressure regularly.There also treatments for this some are, restricted activity, bed rest, and rarely use of medications. Severe cases can result in early delivery. While there is  PIH,  Preeclampsia  it is different. Preeclampsia  effects  in one in three moms giving birth to multiple babies. It could be treated with bed rest or medications, but the mother should closely watch because there potential risk that the mother can have kidney failure, seizures or stroke. The symptoms can usually occur after twentieth week of pregnancy, which  can be  usually found in routine check up.The symptoms are water retention, high blood pressure, proteins in the urine or the mother can began to gain more than two pounds in a week. More severe symptoms  can be  agitation or confusion, the mother begins to have mental change, nausea or vomiting, headaches, fatigue, stomach pain, or breath shortness. It is best is that the mother should contact with a doctor or caretaker if she is experiencing theses symptoms so, she could find a treatments. In the past year there have been interesting things about twins like in 1980, one in every 53 babies  born  are twins. By 2009 the number has increase to one in thirty.Another interesting thing is male twins will never  have a chance  to have twins unless their wives can the ability to produce two eggs. Also identical twins share the same DNA, but what is interesting is that they don’t share the same fingerprints. It is found that 22% of twins are born  left-handed, while it is 10% for a single baby. A mother that  before gave birth to fraternal twins has a three to four times to give birth to another set of twins. Nigeria has the highest rate of multiple births, while in China they have the lowest rate the average in one in three hu ndreds babies.Study has shown that a  woman who  is vegan has five times less likely to have twins than to a woman who eats meat. A study in Padova, Italy found out that the babies began to interact at fourteen weeks. Lastly 40% of twins invent their own language. In the past years twins were fascinated, but now they are not as much fascinated since the birth of twins has increase. Not only the birth has increase, but also there has been diseases found in twins. Identical, fraternal, and conjoin yes they are all different twin, but all three has something common.

Sometimes, you stumble into love

Love usually refers to an emotion that you â€Å"fall† into. It acts as a series of feelings that catches you off balance and can cause a great deal of pain when you come crashing to the end of that exhilarating emotional fall. However, sometimes you can accidentally stumble into love as well. You might not even know what the feeling of love is until you straighten yourself out and look closer at the person who was kind enough to catch hold of you before you hit the painful end. I happened to be one of the lucky ones who stumbled into love, unexpectedly and whole heartedly. My first love was the person who was kind enough to catch me and support me with patience while I straightened myself out and finally realized the word I was looking for to describe my feelings for him: Love. I was fifteen when I started working as a carhop at the local 50’s diner in town. My job included making colossal ice cream treats for our customers and delivering food and drinks out to their cars in the middle of the searing summer heat. It did not take long for a young girl in this atmosphere to become a popular attraction for the local male teens in the area. Especially since the restaurant I was working at was only two blocks away from a large all male high school. With constantly being barraged with their attitudes and immaturity, love or a relationship was the last thing on my mind. Friday nights of football season were the worst, the football players and fans would pack the diner with loud raucous after game activity and lewd comments. It was on one of these chaotic nights in mid-September while I was frantically making orders for my extra carhopping customers that a young man with a powder blue ’66 mustang caught me mid-fall, literally. I had a heavy tray with large sodas and several ice cream shakes carefully arranged on it and ready to be delivered to a customer waiting in their car. As I picked up the tray from the counter and went to walk out the door, my shoe caught a fold in the carpet floor mat, and I began to stumble forward. For a moment everything was a panicked blur, and then I felt myself and my tray miraculously steadied by the weight of another person. I straightened up and looked over my food items, thankful that only a little bit of ice cream had dribbled down the side of the shake glasses. Then I looked up to see who my rescuer happened to be and gazed into the brown eyes of my first love, though I did not yet know it. To my astonishment he was actually the one blushing. I said a quick thank you to him and headed out to my impatient customers. After the busy Friday night crowd began to disperse I headed over to his table and asked him if he wanted anything to eat or drink; it would be my treat for him helping me to save that order of food and possibly some of my pride. He asked if I had time to have a Coke with him before he left, so I took my dinner break and spent the next half hour talking with him. We exchanged email addresses and promised to keep in touch. Soon through email correspondences and local hang outs we became good friends. I soon learned that he, being nineteen years old, had just graduated from high school the previous year. His new plan for a career included enlisting in the U.S. Air Force. Before I knew it he was signed up and deployed for a one year tour of duty in South Korea. Read also  Summary : Love Is Never Silent But even though he was half a world away, we never missed a beat in each other’s lives. Emails or letters, and on rare occasions a short phone call, would keep us connected to the ongoing events in each other’s corner of the world. Neither of us at the time were doing very well, he was suffering culture shock and home sickness, while I struggled under the pressure of school work, career work and parents who were overprotective and had high expectations of their youngest and only daughter. While I labored away in school I began having doubts about how much of my ambition was my own and how much of that ambition was fueled by my parents. I struggled with my chosen college, chosen career field and even whether or not I wanted to attend school right away after high school graduation. My parents wanted me to go to a near by University, I wanted to go to one that was nearly halfway across the country. There were bitter fights in our home and at times it seemed like my only support came from the man stationed so far away. The only confidence I had in myself came from his encouragement at that point. Later, when he came back to the U.S., I promised to visit him after my own high school graduation. At that point it would have been two years since we had seen each other and I wanted to see him again before I got too busy as I rededicated myself to upcoming college school work. However, I had my doubts about seeing him and I could not figure out why. I had become nervous and fidgety about meeting him face to face again after so long, even though we had talked consistently on the phone for months. One night when he pressed me for an exact date and time that I would be able to visit, I told him all about my reasons for hesitating to visit. Amazingly, he laughed and sheepishly admitted he had very similar feelings of his own about the reunion. Then at the end, he blurted out those three profound words, â€Å"I love you.† It took me a minute to process the thought, and another minute to actually appreciate it, and finally the light of realization clicked on and I recognized I loved him as well. After a few moments of awkward silence while I gathered my thoughts I was able to reciprocate those words to him. Sometimes, people stumble into love quite literally. The person who catches and supports you can do such a good job of it that you barely feel yourself falling into love. In the end it is not a painful emotional crash that breaks your heart, but a crash of realization that makes you realize just what your heart was trying to tell you all along. Stumbling or falling, love has a way of catching hold of you when you least expect it. References Carmichael, J. (2006) Re: Love Interview Questions. Online email interview. Retrieved 14 July 2006. Hotmail. Hall, R. L. (2000). The Human Embrace: The Love of Philosophy and the Philosophy of Love: Kierkegaard, Cavell, Nussbaum. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press. Retrieved July 16, 2006, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=98167535

Postal Service Wants to Offer Payday Loans

Even though it loses massive quantities of it every year, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) wants to loan you money. Short-term â€Å"payday† loans are just one of the financial services the USPS has proposed offering though Post Offices in order to serve the scores of American â€Å"unbanked† individuals and families, while protecting them from predatory payday lenders and, of course, bettering its own dismal financial status. According to a report from the USPS’ inspector general, one in four U.S. households lives at least partially outside the financial mainstream -- without bank accounts or using costly services like payday lenders – and spends an average of $2,412 each year just on interest and fees for such alternative financial services. â€Å"Many of the 34 million financially underserved households — representing 68 million adults — are treading water very close to the economic edge,† wrote the inspector general. â€Å"Unexpected expenses can push them over the brink into homelessness or bankruptcy, which come with broad social and economic costs.† The inspector general estimates the USPS could bring in almost $9 billion a year by capturing just 10% of the $89 billion spent on alternative financial services in the U.S. every year. â€Å"Postal financial services may appeal to many customers who feel abandoned by major financial institutions,† states the report. â€Å"Postal organizations have an unmatched ability to reach consumers from diverse backgrounds.† As the report notes, many international postal services are already garnering significant new revenue by offering financial services. Of course, the USPS also hopes to make money by charging interest on these short-term loans, but at a far lower rate than those charged by traditional payday lenders. USPS Brand Payday Loan vs. Traditional Payday Loans The USPS inspector general suggests the Postal Service could offer short-term – payday – loans with interest rates of 28%, compared to the average interest rate of 391% charged by traditional payday lenders. For example, a person borrowing $375 from a traditional payday lender would end up having to pay back a total of about $896, including $521 in interest and fees. The same $375 borrowed from the USPS would end up costing only $423, including $48 in interest and fees. â€Å"That single loan from the Postal Service could effectively put $472 back into a consumer’s pocket, which he or she could then use on more economically productive expenses,† stated the report. â€Å"If even one-tenth of the 12 million Americans who take out a payday loan each year got this hypothetical Postal Loan instead, they could collectively save more than half a billion dollars a year in fees and interest.† In addition, says the inspector general, short-term Postal Service loans would allow the estimated 10 million unbanked U.S. households which cannot afford high-interest rate payday loans to borrow the money they need. â€Å"There is a wide range of consumers who need access to small-dollar credit, and the Postal Loan could strongly appeal to these different types of borrowers,† noted the inspector general. â€Å"For example, people whose income varies throughout the year, consumers with no other avenues to credit, families with unexpected expenses, and others.† Finally, contends the report, affordable Postal Service loans would help people break the â€Å"cycle of debt,† that forces them to borrow more money to make payments on existing loans. According to a 2104 report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, more than 80% of payday loans are either extended or followed by another loan less than two weeks later. While the â€Å"average† interest rate for traditional payday loans may be 391%, the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) has warned consumers of online payday lenders charging interest rates of 650% USPS Vows Not to Compete with Banks If you own a bank, don’t worry. The inspector general makes it perfectly clear that the USPS has no intention of becoming a bank or even competing with banks. Instead, says his report, in offering small short-term loans and other financial services, the Postal Service would â€Å"greatly complement† the services offered by banks. Correctly noting that banks are closing branches in inner city low-income and rural areas nationwide, the inspector general says the USPS would help banks â€Å"fill the gaps in their efforts to reach the underserved.† And remember, â€Å"The Postal Service also is among the most trusted companies in America, and trust is a critical element for implementing financial services,† he added. Also See: Postal Services Wants to Deliver Groceries