Wild camping in Cumbria

Updated September 11, 2009 18:19:00

Photo: Jean Madden believes her unique product won the people’s choice award as it keeps homeless people alive.

Audio: Street Swag wins design award (ABC News)

Map: Australia

A Brisbane school teacher says she has started receiving overseas orders for her sleeping bag for the homeless, after winning an international design award.

Street Swag inventor Jean Madden was taken by surprise when her lightweight and camouflaged swag won the people’s choice INDEX award in Copenhagen, beating off finalists including Brad Pitt, who was in the running for his Hurricane Katrina Pink Project housing rebuilding program.

Ms Madden has told ABC Radio National’s By Design program her creation is more than a sleeping bag because it is made of a super-lightweight canvas with a thin, high density foam mattress. It has enough room to keep personal belongings inside.

“What makes it so successful is that it rolls down into itself to look like a bag, so it doesn’t actually look like bedding.

“That’s really important for safety, particularly for the women and the children who use our swags,” she said.

Ms Madden says it was “a pretty cool thing to win,” and was privileged to be congratulated by Crown Princess Mary of Denmark after receiving the award.

She believes her unique product won the people’s choice award as it keeps homeless people alive.

“I think what the response was why so many people voted in the world for us to win, was that it is something that is so desperately needed at the moment.

“With the world financial crisis, that [means] a world homelessness crisis.

“[It's] something that’s just so needed,” she said.

Ms Madden said over 12,000 swags have been produced for homeless Australians, by prisoners from Queensland’s Woodford Correctional Centre and Grafton in New South Wales.

“It’s going to be great revenue for correctional services as well within Australia,” she said.

Despite the large amount of swags already on the streets, Ms Madden said there has been a huge increase in homelessness, describing it as “sickening”.

“Already we have started to be approached from some of the other countries, particularly winning the INDEX award.

“So the charity started a second company, so we can start to pick up some orders from overseas, as a way of raising revenue for our Street Swags charity here in Australia,” she said.

Ms Madden said the production of the swags will continue in Australia, as the specialised canvas for the swags can only be milled in Australia.

But she says microfinance industries in Kolkata and East Timor are currently being set up to help with demand.

Posted December 02, 2011 21:06:04

A female Poliste fuscatus paper wasp. Photo: Being able to visually recognise faces makes sense living in a situation with multiple queens. (Science/AAAS)
Map: United States

Primates have a face recognition system that enables them to distinguish between individuals, and now it seems some wasps do too.

But the new study has also found wasps are likely to have evolved their ability quite separately and it may work in a different way.

Michael Sheehan, a PhD student at the University of Michigan in the USA, and his supervisor, Dr Elizabeth Tibbetts, report their discovery in the latest issue of Science.

“We know that the same area of the brain in other primates does the same thing and it’s also the same brain area in sheep”, Mr Sheehan said.

“But as far as I’m aware, our work is the first example of face recognition in an invertebrate – certainly in an insect.”

Mr Sheehan studied two closely related species of paper wasps that live in Michigan and found one could recognise faces while the other could not.

“The two species are essentially the same in all aspects – they even build nests next to each other,” he said.

“They only differ in the number of queens in a nest.”

The species that could recognise faces, Polistes fuscatus, founds nests containing multiple queens – typically three or four queens but sometimes as many as eight.

The other species, Polistes metricus, has nests with only one queen.

Being able to visually recognise faces makes sense with living in a situation with multiple queens.

“There is a linear dominance hierarchy”, Mr Sheehan said.

“The top queen does lots of reproduction and not much work. The queen at the very bottom of the hierarchy does lots of work and not much reproduction.”

He believes wasps need to be able to recognise the different queens.

The scientists already knew that the P. fuscatus wasps could recognise each other, but they wanted to know whether the wasps were using a special face recognition system to do it.
Escaping the buzz

Mr Sheehan captured wild queen wasps from nests of both species to test in an experiment.

The wasps had to crawl through a T-shaped maze in which the floor was slightly electrified, except for a ‘safe area’ in one of the arms.

When the wasps reached the junction of the maze they had to choose between left or right, not knowing which side the safe area would be on.

Rather like signs at a road junction, Mr Sheehan put a different picture of a wasp face on each arm. One face was associated with the safe area.

Between each trial, the safe area was moved randomly between the arms, so the wasps needed to ‘read the sign’ to make the right decision at the junction.

The P. fuscatus wasps rapidly learned which face meant safety, but the P. metricus wasps did no better than chance.

Mr Sheehan then repeated the experiment using signs consisting of simple patterns instead of faces, and also tried pictures of different caterpillars, which are the wasps’ main food source.

Both species of wasp learned to read the pattern and caterpillar signs equally well.

But for P. fuscatus, success was much better when the signs were faces.

“Their overall performance is more accurate and their rate of learning is faster [when they are using faces]“, Mr Sheehan said.

He believes this is evidence faces are being detected by a special face-processing system.
Antenna cue highlights different system

Further evidence for a special system is that the wasps cannot recognise digitally altered photos of wasps with their antennas removed.

“It’s as if the antenna cues the wasp [that it is dealing with a face]“, Mr Sheehan said.

Dr Romina Palermo of the Australian National University in Canberra says there is no real parallel to the antenna cue in human face recognition, which suggests the wasps may be using quite a different system.

“In terms of being able to understand the evolution of face recognition this work is important”, Dr Palermo said.

“The brains of humans and wasps are very different.”

She thinks it is interesting face recognition has evolved in the species where there is cooperation between queens, and she wonders which came first -cooperation or the ability to recognise faces.

“The next step is to figure out the similarities and differences between the human and wasp systems”, she says.

Mr Sheehan believes face recognition has probably evolved several times and thinks it is striking that there is such a dramatic difference in face recognition ability between two very closely related species of wasp.

• 51 comments

By Robert Earle Howells

It’s a mighty high claim to call one backpacking trip in our archetypal national park the best, but it’s hard to top this traverse of the southwest corner of Yellowstone National Park. Factor in a hot soak or two with a hike beside burbling hot springs, steaming fumaroles, streaming waterfalls, a grand finale at the park’s signature attraction and you’ve got plenty to back up the boast.

The 27-mile (43-kilometer) hike starts at the Bechler ranger station, a long haul in itself, reachable via Idaho Highway 47. It crosses expansive Bechler Meadows, where an early-season crossing would be one of America’s worst adventures—they’re underwater in June and under bug siege in July, so wait till August or September when they’re in their wide-open glory. Then comes a spectacular series of waterfalls in the cool, damp, forested embrace of Bechler Canyon—Ouzel, Colonnade, Iris—and even more cascades outside the canyon in Continental Divide country. But enough of all this cool mist—time to get into hot water.

Near the Three Rivers Junction is the redoubtable Mr. Bubble hot spring, conveniently cooled by the flow of the Ferris Fork River, so it’s an ideally tempered spot for a soak. Take the two-mile (3.2-kilometer) side hike to Shoshone Lake and camp by the park’s largest backcountry lake and find a remote geyser basin and some trailside hot springs. Then, time the exit hike to pass by one of Lone Star Geyser’s eruptions, which happen every three hours. Ironically, after three to five nights on the trail among some of the park’s most remote water features, you emerge right at Old Faithful, feeling like a prune-skinned version of Jeremiah Johnson.

Need to Know: Get more information about Yellowstone attractions at www.nps.gov/yell.

Originally published in the March/April 2009 edition of National Geographic Adventure magazine

posted by Dr. Steven Farmer
Nov 19, 2011 8:02 am

49 comments

We’re in an ever-accelerating “hurry up” culture, one in which human beings are required to make remarkable adaptations to increasingly technologically driven lifestyles and consumer-oriented pressures. This spiraling pace requires us to move so quickly that we tend to override and become desensitized to our bodily sensations and our feelings. In this anesthetized state we ironically require more stimulation- bigger, better, newer, louder, faster – just to grab and hold our attention. We become so saturated with excessive stimulation and cumulative tension that we may become numb to all but the most adrenaline producing experiences or else attempt to soothe the frayed nervous system with alcohol, drugs or ignore it with compulsive activity.

One of the unfortunate effects of being assimilated into such a system is that we become increasingly alienated from the awareness of physical sensations, so that it becomes difficult to notice the more subtle signs of stress and tension where they first manifest- in the body. When these subtle tensions are ignored, one of the more damaging cumulative effects is that the immune system is compromised. Resources typically available for the immune response are shunted into dealing with a consistently high level of activation present in the body. The potential for illness increases proportionate to the length of time these signs are ignored. It may take a physical breakdown or exhaustion to get us to slow down and allow the immune response to regenerate; sometimes this ignore-ance over a period of years can contribute to a major life-threatening illness.

So what can you do? One of the keys to managing stress is creating a lifestyle that will incorporate adequate exercise, rest, proper nutrition, a strong support system and active relaxation methods – things that are sometimes difficult to do in today’s world, yet so essential to maintain a quality of life. Developing these habits supports your immune system and can help you maintain a healthy balance with mind, body and spirit.

Yet an often-overlooked aspect of stress management is enhancing your body awareness. By paying closer attention to your body’s signals, especially areas of tightness and tension, you can learn to honor those signs that say “Slow down! Rest! Get a massage! Eat! Exercise!”etc., before your body reaches critical mass. By doing so you may be practicing “Distress Prevention” rather than simply stress management.

So I propose three simple steps to incorporate on a daily basis that will alert you to what’s happening in your body and give you a better sense of what you need to do in order to reduce tension. These are: Slow Down, Breathe and Tracking Your Body’s Messages.

Slow Down

Easier said than done! Not only can the increasingly fast pace of the world these days influence your own pace, but also you may be habitually driven to maintain a vigilance just to stay ahead or even keep up. Slowing down from time to time may even trigger some anxiety, primarily due to the discrepancy between your conditioned habits of haste and the novelty of a different rhythm.

Try the following exercise once each day for the next two weeks and see what happens: For three minutes each day, make all your physical movement – walking, reaching, grasping, sitting, etc. – at about 80% of their usual speed. The purpose is to help you attune to a different pace and rhythm, allowing you to pay attention to the more subtle nuances of your body. Be sure to breathe while doing this.

Breathe

Well . . .of course you breathe or you wouldn’t be reading this! Here, however, I’m proposing a more conscious type of breathing. Most of us tend to be shallow breathers, so the intent here is to not only breathing more consciously and conscientiously, but as another means to bring your attention to your body and the physical sensations.

There are several methods of conscious breath work. One of my favorites is as follows: For just 3-4 minutes twice a day, close your eyes, and first take three deep, comfortable breaths, holding on the inhale for a short count of three, and releasing completely on the exhale. Then resume a more regular pattern of breathing, perhaps a little deeper and a little slower than you might typically breath.

As you’re breathing, when inhale say silently to yourself, “I am…” and when you exhale, “…relaxed,” until you have created a pleasant rhythm with your breathing and this simple affirmation. Doing this over a period of time attunes you to this type of breathing, and you will likely find yourself breathing more fully in other situations.

Another simple one that you can do a couple of times during the day is to close your eyes and simply count your breaths as you breath deeper and slower. Count each from one to four then repeat until you have counted a total of 12-16 breaths. Do this for about three minutes twice a day, gradually increasing the length of time. It’s also a great one on those restless nights when sleep seems a distant possibility. Try either of these some time. They really do work!

Tracking Your Body’s Messages:

Go through the first two steps in sequence and as you breathe, notice areas of tension in your body. What else are you aware of as you tune into your physical sensations? When you put your attention on these sensations, it also facilitates your intuitive processes. Are you getting any messages?

If you feel like you’re body is tight and holding onto some tension, rather than focus on your entire body, choose one of those areas, such as the shoulders, chest, stomach, and simply place your gentle attention on that area. Continue your deeper breathing, and eventually that particular area will let go and you’ll find that area will relax. When your attention is drawn to another area of your body, focus there and breathe through whatever is occurring.

Practicing these simple steps on a regular basis will cultivate a greater confidence in dealing with stress of any kind and help support the best of who you are to come forward.

Dr. Steven Farmer is a world-renowned author, teacher, shamanic practitioner, and Soul Healer. He has published several best-selling books and other products, including Earth Magic®, Earth Magic® Oracle Cards. In addition Dr. Farmer is a licensed psychotherapist, former college professor, Reiki Master, and an ordained minister in the Circle of Sacred Earth Church. For more information, visit EarthMagic.net and Dr. Steven Farmer’s Facebook page.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/catching-stress-before-it-catches-ou.html#ixzz1eKRqyZUo