Paris Tourism In The Wake Of Terrorist Attacks

The world is a pretty big place to stay rooted in one place during your lifetime. They say it is better to have seen a place once than read or hear about it for a thousand times. And yes, how aptly said. Those who give in to their wanderlust know pretty well the exhilarating feeling that traveling gives them. However, money is a big issue especially for those who can barely survive in their day-to-day lives. You spend money in everything you do and the expenses double or triple when you travel somewhere far away. Traveling to great historical locations, or even checking out a great venue is indeed a gift to be thankful for that only a few get to enjoy.

There is another problem that has shaken travelers more often now over the past decade. The problem with terrorism is growing and even major cities in progressive nations like Europe aren’t safe from terrorist attacks. If you regularly watch the news, you probably have seen for yourself many of these breaking news stories that involve bombings and intentional attacks against innocent civilians. For instance, Paris has witnessed its fair share of terrorist attacks over the past few years and there have always been casualties. As a result, tourism in France has been down in the dumps for a while but it seems that the tide has turned and the Parisians are back to business once more.

High-kicking dancers are enthralling full houses again at the Moulin Rouge and art lovers are swarming the Louvre as Paris enjoys a tourism revival after plummeting numbers brought on by terror attacks.

Tourists are increasingly refusing to give in to fear of being caught up in a jihadist attack such as the November 2015 bloodbath in the French capital and flocking in droves once more.

In a rebound that began at the end of 2016, Paris saw a record 2.6 million foreign arrivals in the first four months of this year — a 19 percent increase over the same period in 2016.

Top Moulin Rouge official Jean-Victor Clerico shakes his head as he looks back at the “black year” of 2016, when the cavernous hall was only three-quarters full on an average night.

(Via: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/917714/paris-tourism-alive-and-kicking-again-after-terror-doldrums)

Paris may have suffered its losses, lives have been lost, and the citizens scared for a while but all these do not stop them from rebuilding the country. Despite the constant threat of terrorism and more widespread attacks happening in various parts of the globe, Paris tourism is picking up and the city streets are filling up with people once more. Threats of terrorism are but a shadow of the distant past although the Parisians seem to be extra careful now after embracing that the threats of terrorism continue to linger indefinitely.

Tourism to Paris seems to be on the mend after a spate of terrorist attacks. Travel experts estimate that the total number of visitors to the "City of Lights" in 2017 will be 89 million. That's quite an astonishing rebound considering only 14.5 million foreigners decided to visit Paris in 2016.

Of course, the main reason people stopped visiting the French capital had to do with the horrific string of jihadist attacks. At the start of 2015, radical Islamists killed twelve cartoonists working at Charlie Hebdo. In November of the same year, ISIS suicide bombers targeted cafés, the Bataclan theatre, and the Stade de France. 130 people were killed and another 368 were injured in these attacks, the worst on French soil since World War II.

Staff working at popular tourist sites like the Moulin Rouge called 2016 the "black year" for tourism. Not only was Paris still reeling from the shock of these attacks, it also suffered flooding rain and violent political protests. Then, in July of 2016, there was yet another bloody terrorist attack in the southern city of Nice. This attack, in which the Tunisian driver rammed a truck into pedestrians, killed 86 people and wounded 458 others.

(Via: http://frenchtribune.com/teneur/25533-defiance-terrorists-more-tourists-head-paris-2017)

The influx of tourists once more to hotspot areas like Paris, France (that is like a magnet to terrorism as of late) just goes to show that the public has adjusted to the constant threats of terrorism today. Considering that violence fills the news daily, terrorism seems normal now and it won’t stop people from exploring other parts of the world out of fear of these random attacks. The public acknowledges all the changes and dangers in the world, which is why they are extra vigilant than ever when indulging in their wanderlust. Your lifetime isn’t enough to explore all the wonders of this world, so get out of your comfort zone and see famous attractions in the world like the Eiffel Tower of Paris, France and see them for yourself even just once in your life.

The article Paris Tourism In The Wake Of Terrorist Attacks See more on: https://ipaction.org

source https://ipaction.org/blog/paris-tourism-in-the-wake-of-terrorist-attacks/

The Evolution Of Biologic Drugs

Humans have various needs in their daily lives – the right to food and shelter are among the most basic of human needs. After all, survival instincts are innate in all of us and the human body can only function well without food and water for a limited period of time. Then, there are other secondary needs also requiring our attention. Our health, for instance, needs as much tender loving care from us if want to live a long quality life for all the years of our lives.

There’s a catch, though. The more our technology progresses, the more complex diseases and ailments that affect humans have become. These microbes also evolve and have even rendered some antibiotics useless as they have grown resistant to the drug’s therapeutic effects. In a way, it has contributed to the rising costs of medicine and health care but there is also another reason why drugs keep getting more expensive through the years – medical/scientific research. More extensive and expensive researches and studies are done in various parts of the globe for various issues that mankind faces. Those that pertain to health are the most costly and require the most effort too.

Conventional medicines are stitched together by chemists in large factories using other chemicals as building blocks. Their molecular structures are well defined and relatively simple. Aspirin, for example, contains just 21 atoms (nine carbons, eight hydrogens and four oxygens) bonded together to form a particular shape. A single aspirin tablet – even kid-sized – contains trillions of copies of the drug molecule.

Biologic drugs are a different story. This class of medication is not synthesized chemically – instead they are harvested directly from biology, as their name suggests. Most modern biologics are assembled inside vats – or bioreactors – that house genetically engineered microbes or mammalian cell cultures. Efforts are underway to make them in plants.

Biologic drugs can be whole cells, alive or dead. They can be the biomolecules produced by cells, like antibodies, which are normally secreted by our immune system’s B cells. Or they can be some of the internal components of cells, like enzymes.

(Via: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/biologics-the-pricey-drugs-transforming-medicine/)

As most conventional medicines are no longer that effective in treating a list of diseases and ailments that keep on getting longer each day, looking for alternative solutions should be done now while we still have time. Biologic drugs are unlike your regular OTC or prescription drug since you can’t really tell what’s in them. They often come in liquid preparations and are among the fastest rising drug categories in America.

Biologic drugs can be whole cells, alive or dead. They can be the biomolecules produced by cells, like antibodies, which are normally secreted by our immune system's B cells. Or they can be some of the internal components of cells, like enzymes.

Biologics are typically much larger molecules than those found in conventional pharmaceuticals, and in many cases their exact composition is unknown (or even unknowable). You're unlikely to find biologic drugs in tablet form – they tend to be delicate molecules that are happiest in liquid solution.

While biologics are one of the fastest-growing drug categories in the U.S., they aren't exactly new. The Biologics Control Act, passed in 1902, was the first law aimed at ensuring the safety of some of the earliest biologics – vaccines. Congress was moved to pass the law after a contaminated batch of diphtheria shots left 13 children dead. Jim, the horse from which the diphtheria antitoxin had been extracted, had contracted tetanus.

(Via: https://www.usnews.com/news/healthcare-of-tomorrow/articles/2017-07-25/biologics-the-drugs-that-are-transforming-medicine)

This multi-million dollar industry is perhaps the future of modern medicine. The drugs that we take to combat sickness should also keep up with the health needs of the times. Even if we think it’s a novel concept, the truth is that the field of biologics has been in use for thousands of years. It is founded on the body’s processes right down to the cellular level. Vaccines are a fine example of biologics at work. And expect to see more advances in this field to help humans deal with the issues we are having right now involving our health and well-being.

The blog article The Evolution Of Biologic Drugs Find more on: IPacBlog

source https://ipaction.org/blog/the-evolution-of-biologic-drugs/

Making Money Out Of Technology

The modern world is ruled by technology. It is a no-brainer fact that even school kids understand very well. It’s such a lucrative market with billions of people owning tech gadgets like smartphones, laptops, computers, and other household and communication appliances that come at a hefty price, so you can always be sure there is a demand for it. Most big businesses nowadays are related to technology like Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Samsung, etc. They have been shaping society over the past few decades and they sure have made lots of money all this time despite being involved in a handful of controversies over time.

But despite the big profits these companies are making, there are undeniable losses too. Not all their gimmicks click to people and they often have to incur millions of losses on a few business risks they have taken. The drop in tech shares in the market as of late is a testament to how unstable the technology industry is and any small changes can have big implications on these businesses and millions more who rely on their products and services in their daily lives.

U.S. stocks are mixed Monday as Facebook and other technology companies open the week with losses. Media companies are rising following a report that Charter Communications might be bought by a Japanese technology company, and cable network companies Scripps Networks and Discovery Communications agreed to combine. Banks are also trading higher.

KEEPING SCORE: The Standard & Poor's 500 index added 2 points, or 0.1 percent, to 2,474 as of 3:30 p.m. Eastern time. The Dow Jones industrial average continued to build on its record highs. It gained 89 points, or 0.4 percent, to 21,917. The Nasdaq composite lost 19 points, or 0.3 percent, to 6,355. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks dipped 2 points, or 0.1 percent, to 1,427. A majority of the stocks on the New York Stock Exchange rose.

WHAT'S ON? TV: Charter Communications climbed after Bloomberg reported that Japanese conglomerate SoftBank is considering buying the cable TV provider. The report Sunday said that SoftBank initially wanted to combine Charter with Sprint, but after Charter rejected that idea, the technology company may buy Charter outright. 

(Via: http://www.beloitdailynews.com/article/20170731/AP/307319931)

The struggle is real even among big tech brands that have dominated the world for decades now. Google, Facebook, and Amazon all incurred losses and nobody can tell yet whether how things will fare over the next few days, weeks, or months. The thing is that almost all businesses also rely on most of these tech companies in running their own businesses. Hence, everyone is affected because the delivery of these goods and services are interrelated and can have an impact to how we a certain business or brands all fare in the real world.

Technology companies missed out. Facebook returned some of its gains from last week, when it posted strong second-quarter results, and reports of higher expenses continued to affect Amazon’s shares. Banks rose, with HSBC climbing after it disclosed its own earnings.

About half of the companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 have reported their second-quarter results, and this week, Apple and other companies will join the fray. Steve Wood, chief market strategist for Russell Investments, said he expects strong earnings for U.S. companies, but he thinks stock markets in other regions will do better.

“The earnings cycle and the economic cycle are earlier stage and the central bank of Europe is going to be providing liquidity over the next year,” he said. “It’s been an eight-and-a-half-year bull market in the U.S. and eight-plus-year economic expansion.”

(Via: http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/ap_news/business/technology-companies-take-stocks-lower-despite-media-rally/article_28a8e04a-5c25-54e4-b4de-c39e8a91d0cb.html)

Running a business is a risk an entrepreneur wholeheartedly takes because you won’t have a shot at success if you don’t make an effort to try despite the risks involved. While it is non-negotiable to use technology in running a business, it does not always have to be the best or the latest in the market, what’s important is that you are using the right tech tools that can elevate your business to the next level. You can actually save more money in automating certain business process rather than having it done manually, which is why any rise or fall in the tech industry is the business of everybody.

Making Money Out Of Technology was first seen on IPacBlog

source https://ipaction.org/blog/making-money-out-of-technology/

Why The Children Need To Be Exposed To The Arts

Adults today can only fondly reminisce their childhood years of day-long frolic under the sun and countless hours playing outdoors and getting dirty and all. Kids today don’t lead a life as active as most adults once did. They are exposed to a digital world overruled by technology. Kids won’t have a hard time navigating a smartphone or any tech gadget, unlike most adults. Meanwhile, they lack the psychomotor skills to engage in active play and usually don’t spend as much time playing outdoors than kids before did.

One more thing children today miss out on is the opportunity to really dabble in the arts despite the abundance of art materials, supplies, and opportunities. They can even get inspiration from the web but still, they’d rather spend all their free time glued to their smartphones and tinkering with all those apps that were unheard of in the past. Indeed, a lot has changed and in a way, new opportunities open up to children but they also miss out on others that are actually better for their health and well-being.

As much evidence will support, drawing has significant developmental benefits for young children. It gives them space to represent what they think—territory within which they can exaggerate what is important to them or express ideas they are not yet able to verbalize. Through art, children are able to describe and reveal their notions about themselves, the world, and their place in it.

The role of drawing in enhancing childhood development has been acknowledged since art education first became a part of public-school curricula in the Commonwealth states in 1870.  A wealth of research has shown a strong link between the scribbles of preschoolers and their early stages of written language and reading. Drawing also helps prepare children for success in other subject areas, including explaining and communicating mathematical reasoning, which assists in their comprehension and communication of math concepts.

More generally, extensive evidence suggests that exposure to art in school has long-term academic and social benefits for kids, especially those who are economically disadvantaged. A 2012 study by the United States’ National Endowment for the Arts, for example, found that low-income eighth-graders who had lots of exposure to the arts were more likely than their peers with less exposure to earn higher grades and attend college.

(Via: https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/07/the-diminishing-role-of-art-in-childrens-lives/532674/)

The arts depict the state of the times. Even way before, famous painters were known to get inspiration for their drawings from the events that took place in their surroundings. It is why to learn history, you simply just have to take a peek at artworks created around that time and you can picture out what happened back then. If kids now don’t get a chance to explore their creativity, then what does that mean to a future that is devoid of beautiful and captivating artworks that depict the era they once lived in?

Drawing allows us to test and play with feelings and ideas. It nurtures the verbal skills of reading, writing and speaking.

Drawing is a means of closely observing the world around us, recording what we observe and using that as the basis for further enquiry. It can be an important player in our internal dialogue as we work through conceptual challenges.

Drawing is a learned skill; we improve with instruction. Yet we shy away from drawing instruction for children. There is a misplaced fear that we will stifle creativity if we step in with drawing instruction.

But the reality is that most children simply give up on drawing because they receive no instruction.

(Via: https://theconversation.com/what-can-we-learn-from-childrens-drawings-64527)

Children aren’t expected to create masterpieces. They are free to express what they think of and their interpretation of the world or that of a specific object or occasion as simply a means of self-expression. Not all children will turn out to be great artists but still, they need an avenue where they can express their artistic side regardless of how good they are. However, technology greatly impedes their artistry as it takes most of their time away from drawing and scribbling. It is the parent’s responsibility to indicate just how much time kids can spend in using technology and encourage them to pursue other artistic interests to enjoy a more well-rounded childhood.

Why The Children Need To Be Exposed To The Arts See more on: IPAction.org

source https://ipaction.org/blog/why-the-children-need-to-be-exposed-to-the-arts/

Appreciation For The Arts Beyond A Disability

Equality will always be the subject of many heated debates and arguments from then until now. While there are many things that divide people these days, there are still apparently some common denominators that bridge the gap between the rich and poor, gifted and not, or healthy and sickly. The arts will always be that bridge that continues to connect and inspire people of all walks of life.

Who says that you can’t appreciate the arts if you have a disability? You may be lacking in a sense or two but other senses are heightened to make up for what you don’t have. Dabbling with the arts gives differently-abled individuals a newfound freedom to express themselves without being limited by their disabilities. It also allows them to experience a sense of belongingness to the craft and other artists especially to the ones with disabilities themselves.

Being blind yet creating visual arts is just one of the many achievements made possible thanks to the work of the disability charity Open Arts.

And now as part of its 25th anniversary celebrations this year, the charity is giving everyone a chance to see the great work being produced at its art classes with a unique exhibition throughout the month in the Black Box, Belfast.

Embroidery, watercolour and action painting are just some of the techniques which will be showcased in the Three in One exhibition, featuring artwork created by people attending three weekly visual arts groups run by Open Arts.

Eileen Branagh, chief executive of Open Arts, says: “Our artists do not let their disabilities hold them back and this exhibition demonstrates that, given the right support and encouragement, there are no limits to their creativity.”

(Via: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/theatre-arts/wellbeing-and-health-how-art-has-given-us-our-lives-back-35796613.html)

Today, people with disabilities try to break out of the stigma that they can never be productive members of society by showing their potential through various artworks and artistic expressions. At times, you can never tell for yourself that such an art piece was created by a disabled person because creativity and talent aren't just for healthy people, after all.

The exhibition aims to raise awareness, challenge perceptions and reduce stigma surrounding both physical disability and mental health, whilst also addressing accessibility within the visual arts through a programme of events. Through the exhibition, organisers hope to raise awareness of the work that disabled artists can produce regardless of the limitations that society places upon them, recognising that disabled people should have the opportunity to participate fully in the arts. Curated by Arts for Health Milton Keynes in partnership with MKDAD and centre.mk, the exhibition showcases 50 works, to coincide with the MK50 celebrations.

(Via: http://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/now-you-see-me-exhibition-to-showcase-work-by-disabled-artists-1-7996688)

There is actually such a thing as a disability in the arts. Not just limited to artworks, it encompasses visual arts and theatrical performances where the stars are disabled individuals. The arts also serve as an outlet where disabled people can vent out their inner feelings or have it function as an expressive therapy. Some genius and notable people in history were surprisingly individuals with disabilities too. Take for instance Beethoven who eventually went deaf but was still able to create enduring and beautiful music despite his disability.

Off the Record was the second production in a Carriageworks project called New Normal, devised to showcase disability in the arts in 10 productions across three years. The first program, Simple Infinity, directed by Urban Theatre Projects’ Rosie Dennis, premiered last July. Next up, in September, is a collaboration between Studio A, which supports visual artists with disabilities, and Erth Visual & Physical Inc called Bird Fox Monster, billed as a “series of experiences, performances, sculpture works and installations framed around a three-course meal carefully designed to connect all five senses”.

Carriageworks received $100,000 for the project, out of the $475,000 allocated by the NSW government in 2015 for support programs that “promote social inclusion through the arts and disability sector”. Disability services minister John Ajaka announced the allocation. And therein lies one of the conundrums of this burgeoning artistic field: is it about equity and access, about therapy and education, or about art for art’s sake?

(Via: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/review/disabled-artists-seek-to-be-judged-on-their-talents/news-story/15c59887573b0e7926a60498c82e63ee)

These days, technology plays a big role in how disabled individuals further explore their artistic talents. Examples are assistive or adaptive technologies that allow the disabled to enjoy the visual arts. However, it is not always easy for them to go out of their comfort zones as not everyone in society understands their situation. But still, expressing their artistic side is a great way to gradually break out of the stigma and regain the confidence they lost when they lost their senses. You have no idea what it is like to live in their shoes, so be more appreciative of their effort in living life to the fullest despite their many physical limitations.

The blog post Appreciation For The Arts Beyond A Disability is courtesy of https://ipaction.org/blog

source https://ipaction.org/blog/appreciation-for-the-arts-beyond-a-disability/