Last month, the New York Times Magazine published an in-depth look at the increasing flooding problems faced by New Jersey’s coastal cities and towns and said that the sea level has risen 18 inches in the past century, which is twice as fast as the global average, with incidences of nuisance flooding (which is associated with high tides) more than doubling in the past 20 years.
This followed closely on the heels of the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which found that global warming is accelerating, and “unless there are immediate, rapid and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, limiting warming to close to 1.5°C or even 2°C will be beyond reach.” The window of opportunity for decisive action is closing, as the long life of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere means that a certain amount of further warming is already baked into the system. Upon publication of a special report in 2018, IPCC co-chair Debra Roberts said ominously, “The next few years are probably the most important in our history.”
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The B.L. England plant is seen in this file photo. Andrew Mills/The Star-Ledger
Communities across New Jersey are suffering from respiratory diseases and other health impacts because of dangerously high levels of air pollution. Most of our counties have failing levels of ozone and particulate matter, both of which are emitted in large amounts by diesel trucks. This pollution increases the incidence of asthma, heart disease, heart attacks, cancers, chronic lung diseases, and premature deaths, with a disproportionate impact on communities of color. One out of every four children in Newark has asthma, a rate three times the national average. Trenton has four times more asthma-related emergency room visits than the state average.
There is a critical need for improving air quality and meeting our climate targets in New Jersey. Not only does diesel pollution directly impact the health of our communities, but it also contributes to climate-related impacts. Extreme heat can lead to heat-related illness or make existing health conditions worse. Storms and sea-level rise lead to flooding, impacting some of our most vulnerable communities.
In 2016, my doctor, Kelly Baek, a no-nonsense reproductive endocrinologist in L.A., gave it to me straight: “Your best chance for a healthy baby would be surrogacy.”
I had been through an adenomyosis diagnosis and more miscarriages than I could confidently count, and all I could do was nod. I was not ready to do that. I wanted the experience of being pregnant. To watch my body expand and shift to accommodate this miracle inside me. I also wanted the experience of being publicly pregnant. I would shake off the distrust society has for women who, for whatever reason—by choice or by nature—do not have babies. I had paid the cost of that for years, and I wanted something for it.
I held out for a year after Dr. Baek suggested surrogacy and instead chose to endure more IVF cycles and losses. Everyone comes to the decision differently. Near the end of that year—that hopeful and hopeless year—I had a new plan to take Lupron, which basically quiets the adenomyosis. Dr. Baek told me I would have a 30% chance of bringing a baby to term. But the side effects of Lupron can be intense: you’re basically throwing your body into early menopause and you can break bones very easily.
It was something my husband said that changed my mind. I told him I wanted to try the drug. Dwayne was quiet, then said, “You’ve done enough.”
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In an excerpt from her new book, ‘You Got Something Stronger?’ Gabrielle Union, pictured in 2017, opens up about the questions that still linger after her daughter’s birth via surrogate.
Learning is a life-long process. Yet if you’re someone who always loves learning or wants to pick up a new, specific skill, then cost might be a problem.
However, there are lots of free websites out there that can teach you a range of skills for free.
Aarhus is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately 187 kilometers (116 mi) northwest of Copenhagen.
The largest city in Jutland, Aarhus anchors the Central Denmark Region and the statistical region Landsdel Østjylland (LØ) (Lit. Province East Jutland). The LØ is the second most populous statistical region in Denmark with an estimated population of 903,974 (as of 1 January 2021). Aarhus Municipality defines the greater Aarhus area as itself and 8 adjacent municipalities totaling 952,824 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2021) which is roughly analogous to the municipal and commercial collaboration Business Region Aarhus. The city proper, with an estimated population of 282,910 inhabitants (as of 2021), ranks as the 2nd-largest city in Denmark.
Aarhus dates back to at least the late 8th century and is among the oldest cities in Denmark. It was founded as a harbor settlement at the mouth of the Aarhus River and quickly became a trade hub. The first Christian church was built here around the year 900 and later in the Viking Age the town was fortified with defensive ramparts. The Viking Age was turbulent and violent, also for Aros, as the town was called back then, but in spite of the difficulties, the bishopric of Aarhus grew steadily stronger and more prosperous, building several religious institutions in the town during the early Middle Ages. Trade continued to improve, although it was not until 1441 that Aarhus was granted Market town privileges, and the population of Aarhus remained relatively stable until the 19th century. The 1600s, in particular, was a difficult time for Aarhus as the town suffered from several wars and the plague, and trade was also dampened by the state in favor of the royal seat of Copenhagen. Nevertheless, Aarhus grew to become the second biggest town in Denmark during that time, and in the middle of the 1700s, the once prosperous trade growth returned. The industrial revolution became an inflection point in the 19th century, as industry drove a rapid population growth, outpacing regional rivals, and the first railway line in Jutland was built here in 1862. In 1928, the first university in Jutland was founded in Aarhus and today it is a university city and the largest center for trade, services, industry, and tourism in Jutland.
Designated as a “Sufficiency” global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network, the city’s major cultural institutions include Den Gamle By, ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum, Moesgård Museum, Kvindemuseet, Musikhuset, and Aarhus Theatre. Known as Smilets By (lit. City of Smiles) it is the Danish city with the youngest and fastest-growing demographics and home to Scandinavia’s largest university, Aarhus University. Commercially, the city is the principal container port in the country and major Danish companies are headquartered here such as Vestas, Arla Foods, Salling Group, and Jysk. Wikipedia
Growing up, Scott Sampson — the paleontologist and CEO of Science World in Vancouver, Canada — went on annual camping trips to the Rocky Mountains with his family. However, “this was not where I fell in love with nature,” he recalls in a TEDxLangleyED talk. “That happened close to home — looking for rocks in the backyard, playing kick-the-can in the neighborhood, bushwhacking in the local forest.” Sampson, who grew up in Vancouver, says, “I still remember my mother kicking me outside on a Saturday and telling me to come back in when the street lights came on. I’m pretty sure I remember hearing the door lock behind me as I walked away.”
Even though he knows it’s not possible for today’s children to have that freedom, he encourages parents to help kids fall in love with nature just like he did: through direct experience. He recommends three steps that we — along with the children in our lives — can take to connect with nature.
I am a born executive. I am obsessed with efficiency and detached from my emotions. I share similarities with Margaret Thatcher and Harrison Ford. I am among 2% of the general population, and 1% of women.
People like us are highly motivated by personal growth, and occasionally ruthless in the pursuit. We make difficult partners and parents, but good landscape architects. We are ENTJs: extroverted, intuitive, thinking, judging – also known as the executive type or, sometimes, “the Commander”.
This, over a decade ago, was my auspicious entry into the world of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Based on psychiatrist Carl Jung’s theories of personality, the assessment maintains that we are all born with a preference for extroversion or introversion, intuition or sensing, thinking or feeling, and judging or perceiving.
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The MBTI’s different permutations amount to 16 types of personality, each with innate strengths and blind spots. Photo by PeterPencil/Getty Images
Shirakawa-gō is a historic village in Gifu. Together with Gokayama in Toyama, it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on December 9, 1995.
The village is famous for its farmhouses, which are built in a unique architectural style known as gasshō (合掌). The name means “hands together” as in prayer, referring to the steep roofs that keep the snow off in the winter. Underneath the roofs, the large attic area was used to house silkworms.
Another feature that has brought fame to the village is the recent Japanese game series ‘Higurashi no Naku Koro ni’ (2002) and the anime series that followed. Although the village residents are not too altogether thrilled that an anime series depicting large levels of violence has based itself on their village, it has brought the tourists nonetheless. A number of locations from the anime series can be visited in Shirakawa; the most prevalent site being the Hachiman Shrine, the site where the shrine maiden Rika Furude met an unfortunate end and also the major shrine of the village.
Film and Writing Festival for Comedy. Showcasing best of comedy short films at the FEEDBACK Film Festival. Plus, showcasing best of comedy novels, short stories, poems, screenplays (TV, short, feature) at the festival performed by professional actors.
Renée Pollard and Bill Beren
New Skills
An image from Aarhus, Denmark
James' World 2 