Category Archives: Embryology

Marquee magic where the crepe jasmine grew – Mid-day

Aao, aao, aao" the husky chant reaches me from the auditorium door briefly ajar for an usher exiting. Other employees of Maratha Mandir solicitously assure I will soon meet the theatre's executive director, Manoj Desai. Meanwhile, I'm fascinated to explore the various foyer levels of a theatre with decidedly more distinguished interiors than its bland facade.

Unravelling inside, the matinee to beat all matinees ticketed averaging an affordable 20 bucks, flashes the pigeon feeding scene of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, in its unprecedented 25th year. It was an impromptu sequence. Reporting on Aditya Chopra's set ahead of Amrish Puri, SRK started to scatter grain for the birds. Puri came, adding the gravelly "Aao". An earlier Chopra family link here was BR Chopra's Sadhna, inaugurating Maratha Mandir in 1958.

The theatre hugs a corner address, unrecognisably once among Bombay's poshest. Maratha Mandir Marg was Club Road and Club Back Road was subsequently marked by the YMCA. Skirting Lamington Road to Morland Road (present site of the Mumbai Bagh protests), it embraced the wide north flank of elite Byculla Club, the city's first residential club in 1834.

Manoj Desai, executive director of Maratha Mandir theatre, in the Belgian glass-panelled interior of the 1958-built cinema that creates history this year, screening Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge for 25 consecutive years since its release. The interiors are resplendent with the Art Deco ceiling and wall flourishes along the grand staircase.

"Indians were prohibited in numerous British clubs. Foremost were the Byculla Club and Yacht Club," writes Advocate Abhinav Chandrachud in An Independent, Colonial Judiciary: A History of the Bombay High Court During the British Raj: 1862-1947. Those discriminatory clubs were classist and sexist too"The Yacht was a social Mecca, membership to it for a European meant he had socially arrived. The Byculla Club was for men only, useful when 'a man wanted to get away from his wife'."

Rejecting racial segregation, two rival clubs were established for Indians and Europeans. "Founded at the turn of the 20th century by Chief Justice Lawrence Jenkins, with others, the Orient Club was the oldest such in India," Chandrachud continues. "Willingdon Sports Club was set up towards the end of the First World War by the Governor of Bombay, Lord Willingdon because he had a direct mandate from the Secretary of State to do away with the 'damning racial exclusiveness' of European clubs in Bombay."

Sir Stanley Reed recounted how, following the introduction of electricity in town, Byculla Club members "fought against the barbarism of fans in the dining room and when you sat, in came a hamaal with the traditional fan on a six-foot pole, swaying it to and fro behind you at meals." The vast premises eventually closed after World War II.

Mehroo Golvala, nee Khambatta, in her Pedder Road home. The 1930s resident of Club Road has vivid memories of the lush garden of their Shirin Villa home. The bungalow once belonged to timber merchants. Pics/ Atul Kamble

"Our initial 1930s years were inseparable from Byculla Club," recalls Mehroo Golvala, nee Khambatta. "It occupied a sprawling block with its own stables and hosted grand dance balls. We walked casually to its grounds for games of 7 Tiles and I Spy." The green canopy thickened with the road's raintrees, palms and ashokas. In her Number 10, Club Road garden grew honeysuckle vines and colourful cannas. On a pretty profusion of crepe jasmine flowers crawled caterpillars that kids caught and cared for in boxes with lid holes allowing air, till they transformed to butterflies set free. Trees hung heavy with mangoes, drumsticks, papayas, elaichi bananas. And methi so tender tasting that, plucked fresh to form a base layered over with fried eggs, resulted in "the best 'bhaji per eedu' for miles". The Parsi penchant for eggs over veggies is a standard culinary delight.

The Khambattas of Shirin Villa had memorable musician neighbours in Hetty and Wilfred Fernandes in Meher Villa from 1954. Hetty's internationally renowned pianist daughter, Marialena, writes from the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna: "Byculla Club was extremely colonial, stately on a street with hardly any traffic. It stared down on the street habitants, almost artificial for us children starved for noise, laughter, spontaneous fun.

A stained glass window with the family crest initials of the Colahs who lived at 8, Club Road. From their balcony they clearly saw the Bombay Central Station clock across open maidan stretches and could hear the zoo animals of Rani Baug

"My mother had a voice not only beautifully inspiring but capable of soothing the disturbed. According to her, I played piano before I spoke. She encouraged me to keep up my talent, to the irritation of my siblings who preferred cricket on Club Cross Road where the Seventh Day Adventist Church still stands. It was even more British than the British, with daily evening ceremonial service, perfectly harmonious choir and representative congregation. In a mixture of mischief and cheap thrill, we peeped through our barricaded windows and front gate, with lights off, so they couldn't see us. Thanks to mom's friendliness, an American Adventist family sold us the first marimba (a percussion instrument of wooden panels on metal pipes, hit with mallets held in both hands) seen in India."

That became the entertaining highlight at their parties, Marialena remembers"Mom at the piano, me on the marimba, our guests singing loud. People dropped by, joining the community singing in different languages. My mother put us all in the mood and accompanied everything, so great was her ear. My sister Joanne and I sang with her as a trio known as Wilf's Wonderful Women. Dad was Wilfred. A major part of my life, Club Road holds a special place in my heart."

A friend of Marialena's brother Andrew in their schoolboy days, executive search consultant Ramgopal Rao spent his childhood in the iconic RBI Staff Colony across the road. The Raos shifted into the horseshoe-shaped complex's new "M" Block four summers after 1954, when, at the initiative of Sir CD Deshmukh, the first Indian RBI Governor, these quarters rose with the best amenities. "The society was fantastically self-contained, with a medical dispensary, provision store, Irani stall selling cakes and a basement badminton court where the likes of Nandu Natekar came to play," says Rao. The colony was conceived in a utilitarian, civic-minded manner. For instance, chutes from the topmost floors slid garbage smoothly into wheelbarrows waiting below."

A painting of the landmark Byculla Nursing Home, made famous by Dr Stanislaus Patrao. Signed by the artist Trivedi, it wonderfully captures the precincts peace and quiet. The Patraos were actually able to see the Trombay gas flares and even flames, so unobstructed were the views all around.

A lane-off landmark is Dr Stanislaus Patrao's now dilapidated Byculla Nursing Home, shuttered 15 years ago. The good doctor, Grant Medical College's sole student holding a triple graduate qualification in Medicine and Surgery, was awarded the degree in the Department of Anatomy and Embryology, a First Class with Distinction. Purchasing the property in the 1940s, he shifted his hospital in 1955 from Morland Road to this largely wooden structure with jack arched roofs crowning 18-feet-high ceilings. Once the King's Lodge hotel, the layout was well suited for a hospital, the central lobby and rooms with attached bathrooms on either side, a garage and workers' rooms at the rear.

Where the road behind this nursing homeSouter Street (Meghraj Sethi Marg)forks, Motlibai Street on the left brings me to Terrace View. Stepping into Soraya and Fabia Postel's penthouse Airbnb atop Noon Baker Apartments reveals uncommon charm. The sprightly mother and daughter lead me to the patio commanding a spectacular east-facing panorama of Baby Garden, Gloria Church and gleaming white Hasnabad dargah, considered the city's Taj Mahal. The Postels' location lets travellers connect within minutes to the bus depot and three stations of Bombay Central, Mahalaxmi and Byculla. "Throwing open our home has been life-changing and given me economic independence," says Soraya. "I have it in me to be welcoming. My parents would always greet me with the warmest smiles at our door."

Not resisting smoked mince samosas from an aromatic kitchen, I bask in the women's effervescent hospitality. A single mother and French teacher, Soraya is as passionate about taking guests on unusual customised "experiences". This week, her Supermen of the City tour has guided a group to understand the vital contribution of ragpickers, cleaners and washermen.

A late 1980s photograph of pianist Marialena Fernandes (in red) with her mother Hetty and sister Joanne, the famous singing trio of Meher Villa, 14 Club Road. Pic courtesy Marialena Fernandes

Desis and foreigners post a flood of reviews: "Ending an incredible 80-day journey throughout Indiathis oasis is the best lodging of my entire trip" and "I was nervous finding my correct train. They actually walked me to the platform and came aboard to make sure." Touched by them driving her to a mango vendor when she mentioned her mother loves the fruit, a Baltimorean looks forward "to be back to my new home in Mumbai".

Passing by a young swain softly murmur the achingly romantic "Palat ke dekhegi" dialogue, I finally enter Manoj Desai's office, crammed with jubilee trophies that celebrated blockbuster hits including Kabhi Kabhie, Mr India, Amir Garib and Coolie. Desai, also executive director of Bandra's G7 Multiplex, reels off real-life dramatic moments. Dilip Kumar rode a horse to K Asif's glittering premiere of Mughal-e-Azam at Maratha Mandir on August 5, 1960. Madhubala shone, vision-like, in a palanquin. The print arrived on festooned elephants.

Soraya Postel with her daughter Fabia on the sprawling terrace of the cosy Airbnb they run on neighbouring Motlibai Street. Pic/ Bipin Kokate

"Paying cheap prices, labourers from the area are able to relax for three hours with air-conditioned comfort and clean toilets," reasons Desai. "People make plans around DDLJ. Passengers boarding evening trains to Gujarat schedule time to catch our 11.30-2.30 show. Couples who dated here return bringing their children to watch the same. This phenomenon is like no other anywhere."

Imbibing much lively movie lore, I ready to leave. It's the hour of Tapsee Pannu acing the nuanced Thappad. But the craze for one film alone seems seeped into the very walls of this hall. "Come fall in love", the tagline invites. I hail a cab. Whose driver promptly asks, "Kitni baar dekha hain yeh picture aapne?"

Author-publisher Meher Marfatia writes fortnightly on everything that makes her love Mumbai and adore Bombay. Reach her at meher.marfatia@mid-day.com/www.mehermarfatia.com

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Marquee magic where the crepe jasmine grew - Mid-day

Connecting with NC Cooperative Extension – Gaston Gazette

What is NC Cooperative Extension?

We are more than cows and corn.

NC Cooperative Extension is Randolphs Countys link to the two land-grant universities in North Carolina (NC State and NC A&T). Land-grant universities have three parts to their mission: education, research and extension. NC Cooperative Extension extends research-based knowledge to all North Carolinians, helping them transform science into everyday solutions that improve their lives and grow our state.

Why Cooperative Extension?

Essential to extensions mission to grow the state is our collaboration with the US Department of Agricultures National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA), NC State University, NC A&T State University and local (county) governments across the state. This strategic partnership and cooperation are why it is called Cooperative Extension.

Statewide, our funding is 14% federal, 36% state, 25% county and 25% other (grants, contracts donations etc). It is truly a cooperative effort to offer our services to North Carolina residents.

History of success: Then and now

In 1909, information was shared through a Boys Corn Club (the beginnings of 4-H) in Ashokie, NC, that adding nutrients to your cornfield by spreading manure could increase the corn yield. A young boy took that information when the average yield was 18 bushels per acre and increased his yield to 196 bushels per acre in two years. NC Cooperative Extension is still researching ways to increase farm productivity as the worlds population increases and with its demand for food.

Currently, agriculture is North Carolinas largest industry, generating $91.8 billion annually while employing roughly 17 percent of the states workforce. Ours is the third most diverse agriculture economy in the country, with more than 80 commercial crops and a large animal agriculture presence.

Another example from the early 1900s happened through Girls Canning Clubs. Young girls were taught food preservation. These girls sold their canned food in the wintertime to earn money. NC Cooperative Extension is still teaching life skills that build capacity in people. n 2019, 47,041 North Carolina consumers increased their knowledge of safe home food handling, preservation or preparation practices.

The Randolph County Center is fully staffed and offers services in all the NC Cooperative Extension program areas.

Adam Lawing is the Livestock Agent. Did you know that Randolph County has more beef cows and goats than any other county in North Carolina? Adam is a great resource for our Randolph County producers.

Blake Szilvay is the Field Crops/Forestry Agent. Blake helps producers identify pests and diseases in crops. He is a licensed drone pilot and uses that technology to help farmers. Blake has also brought forestry programming back to Randolph County to help woodland owners improve management practices. Over 50% of Randolph County is forested, and in 2016, those forested acres provided $4.6 million through harvests.

Ben Grandon is the Horticulture Agent. In 2019, Ben conducted 226 on-site consultations with homeowners. He helps with gardening questions, landscaping and lawn issues, and many more. Ben also leads the Randolph County Master Gardener Volunteer educational group. After Bens training, a Master Gardener Volunteer can provide research-based information about gardening and environmental stewardship to individuals. This years Master Gardener Training Course begins in April.

Jeannie Leonard is the Family and Consumer Sciences Agent. Jeannie can teach food preservation and cooking skills. Recently, her Cooking Under Pressure (Instant Pot) classes have been popular. Her next class is on March 26. Jeannie also works with Randolph County businesses and organizations when they want to offer their employees wellness programs. Jeannie provides training on healthy recipes and cooking tips on location or here at the office.

Allison Walker is the 4-H Agent. Allison is passionate about Randolph County youth. Currently, she is working with 60+ classrooms on the Embryology Project. Allison provides 1 dozen eggs and incubators to each classroom so the teachers can teach the provided embryology curriculum. The second graders learn firsthand about chick development and get to see the chicks emerge from their shells. 4-H is a great youth development program open to all youth, not just farm kids.

Jody Terry is the 4-H Program Assistant. Jody spends many days in afterschool programming. She helps children through character education, healthy lifestyle choices or STEM education. She is gearing up for Bike Safety Week where she helps teach bike safety to the fourth graders. Jody has worked with thousands of children in Randolph County through the years and still remains committed and passionate about 4-H programming for the children.

Contact us by calling 336-318-6000 or visiting https://randolph.ces.ncsu.edu/

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Connecting with NC Cooperative Extension - Gaston Gazette

‘Child whisperer’: Mary Mello’s teaching legacy revered | Local News – Barre Montpelier Times Argus

MONTPELIER Mary Mello will say farewell to Union Elementary School after 50 years of teaching at the end of the school year.

Its very, very good work (in kindergarten) at the beginning, when they come in, theyre so full of enthusiasm, they think they know it all and they cant wait to learn more, and thats a wonderful setting for a teacher, Mello said. Your big job is to keep that going. You dont want them to lose that incredible curiosity about the world and the thrill for them when they learn something.

Born in 1946, Mello grew up in Boston and received a bachelors degree in English from Northeastern University in 1969 and a masters in education from Johnson State College in 1980.

Mello first started teaching in the 1969-1970 school year at a private school in Boston before moving to Vermont in 1972, when she started at UES, teaching first and second grades, and then in kindergarten from 1983 onward, where Mello said she found her calling.

Mello said when dealing with children with attention deficits or lack of focus, she would adopt a more individualistic approach to teaching and learning.

With young children, youre going to do less work with large groups and more work with small groups, so individualizing is a very natural part of what youre doing in kindergarten, Mello said. You would have to know your children pretty well to group them.

Even in math, were doing more small-group work, and we have set up for them to work independently when working with small groups, so you can take every child when they come in as far as they can go, she added.

Mello said she focused on teaching children to read to help them develop other academic skills later on.

If they can become excited and engaged about reading, I make sure that I keep that going, Mello said.

Milestones in education for Mello include a 1975 law that said special-education students should not be isolated from mainstream learning.

Ive seen things evolve over time ... with special education, which required that all students receive an education in the least-restrictive environment, Mello said. That meant that all children could be included in a public-school education.

Now, we find ways to support children so they can feel included and at home here, no matter what cognitive, physical difficulties, challenges they had. Vermont was a good pioneer in that, the idea that all children belong here and its our job to make sure we understand any challenges theyre dealing with, she added.

Mello also noted changes, over the years, in racial and ethnic diversity in the school system.

National Life is bringing in a lot of families from overseas, so our children are getting to know people they wouldnt have known until they were adults, Mello said. Weve had a lot of families from India, but Ive also taught children from Russia, Nicaragua, and two years ago, there were seven different languages spoken in my classroom such as Japanese, Russian, Hispanic, Indian (and) American Indian. It really does add a lot to the richness of the education of these children.

Mello said the school systems English language-learner teachers encourage children and families to preserve their lingual and cultural origins, and UES encourages children of different nationalities to participate in presentations about their family backgrounds, bring in flags of their home countries, and bring national dishes to potluck dinners with families to share with others.

You want to make every child know that theyre welcome and that they belong here, but you also dont want them to lose the things they have from having that special background, too, Mello said.

Another milestone for Mello was teaching the grandchild of a child she once taught.

It was only once, but that was a milestone when I had the grandson of one of the children I first taught, Mello said. I taught his grand aunt, and then a couple of years later, I had his grandfather and then I had his mother, and then two years ago, I had him, she said.

It seems like Im participating in something that teachers must have done a lot when you had the old one-roomed schoolhouses, that the school was the center of the community, and Miss whoever, she had your mother, she had your father, Mello added.

Fellow teacher Dena Cody has worked for 11 years with Mello on the kindergarten team at UES.

Mary has inspired me her dedication to the children and families in Montpelier is unwavering, Cody said. I always think of her as the child whisperer. She just has a way of working with children that helps them to grow and learn.

I always meet people and tell them I work at Union and Im a kindergarten teacher, and they always say, Is my teacher still there, Mrs. Mello? Just the other day, I was at the orthodontist and the dental hygienist said, Mary was my teacher, and this woman is so successful and happy and had such great things to say about her.

Cody recalled how Mello would teach an embryology class in kindergarten.

Ive only known her 11 years, and every year, shes hatched in every single class, Cody said. In the spring, shes always hatching chicks.

Cody also noted Mello has always maintained a rigorous professional development regimen through her years as a teacher.

She never stopped learning, she kept up with her studies ... best practices in math, best practices in literacy, best practices in science, Cody said. She always wanted to do what was best for kids, so if (that) meant a course, she took it. Thats an inspiration in itself. She herself is always learning.

Cody said Mello would also care for other students in the school.

She goes above and beyond for every kid in her class, and even in my class she looks after all of them, Cody said. Its not just her class. Shell peek out and see someone who needs help and is always there to help. Im really going to miss her, and its hard for me to even say. I wish she would stay. I dont want her to leave.

Mello taught Montpelier parent Emma Bay-Hansen and her brother, and her daughter.

Mary Mello was my kindergarten teacher 37 years ago in 1983, Bay-Hansen said. I was thrilled to learn that she would become my daughters kindergarten teacher a few years ago.

Mrs. Mello is the type of teacher that children fall in love with. My daughter goes back to visit her all the time. She is an incredible educator. Her patience, calming energy and depth of experience give her this magical quality a surreal, perfect version of what you dream a kindergarten teacher to be. We will all remember Mrs. Mello as one of the greatest teachers Montpelier has ever known, she added.

Mello said shes retiring to allow a younger generation to succeed her.

I think people tend to leave teaching sooner because they know they have to be very active, Mello said. I didnt want to get to the point where someone said, You cant do this anymore. I wanted to leave before then.

Mello plans to continue writing for The Bridge, and will volunteer to teach early literacy in a pre-school class at The Family Center in Montpelier. She also plans to spend more time with her grandchildren.

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'Child whisperer': Mary Mello's teaching legacy revered | Local News - Barre Montpelier Times Argus

Artist airs the taboo topic of infertility – Canadian Jewish News

Its not immediately evident how showcases of donated syringes, medication schedules and infant-sized sheepskin slippers tie-in with a living room setting, but the message soon hits home.

The domestic space makes real the humanity of women who have used the mostly clinical contents of the cases during their failed attempts to have a baby.

The set-up of seating and showcases in Galerie de lUQAM at the Universit du Qubec Montral until March 21 is Heidi Barkuns master of fine arts exhibition. Inspired by her battle with infertility, it also takes in the struggles of 27 other women.

The title of the installation is the embittered and falsely cheerful, uppercase exhortation LETS GET YOU PREGNANT!

The idea to put out a call for participation came from strength in numbers. It also came from the fact that I was looking for community that I couldnt find at the time I was going through IVF (in vitro fertilization), Barkun says.

The criteria for participants were that they had to have experienced IVF failure and that they had not become a mother at the time of the interview with the artist.

Barkun herself underwent five rounds of IVF and two inseminations, over a period of four years, with no results. She and her husband went into debt after exhausting the available government funding.

Barkun says she stressed her body with mega doses of hormones, injections, pills, painful procedures and the emotional ups and downs that came with every failure to conceive.

We just couldnt do it anymore. We needed our lives back, she says. Its a very common experience and yet few women talk about it. Its a taboo subject yet the global success rate of IVF is estimated at only 27 per cent, according to ESHRE (the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology).

The objects in the cases are the only witnesses to treatments that, in the end, had no tangible results.

In her artistic practice, Barkun has always focussed on her personal experiences, whether as a sufferer of Crohns disease or as a woman unable to conceive a child.

In 2015, for her Unnamed series, she sewed fragments of baby clothes into a textile piece. In 2016, for her Artefacts of a Contemporary Fertility Ritual installation, she assembled her own meds left over from unsuccessful treatments.

LETS GET YOU PREGNANT! is probably the most communicative of her works on this theme.

It started with the recorded conversations I had with each woman, Barkun says. I then created a virtual conversation between the women by editing them together. This is playing over three sets of speakers in the gallery. Then, hopefully, we can have a larger conversation with visitors.

Also vital to these conversations is that viewers come to challenge a society that diminishes the value of childless women, a society that demeans what it means to be a woman if youre not a mother and the role of such women in society.

READ: POTTER ALREADY PREPARING FOR SUMMER SEASON

Barkun will host a discussion tea on March 21 in the living room section of her installation modelled on a consciousness-raising group. Visitors will make themselves comfortable on armchairs belonging to her late grandmother.

The living room niche is made even more intimate by flowered drapery provided by her supportive parents, Ted and Sheila Barkun, and her brother Stan, who tailored them at their family home furnishings business.

The homey seating area throws into even sharper contrast the sterility of the showcase displays of dehumanizing treatments.

Farther afield, Barkun has shown her art at conferences and congresses in Vienna and New York, where she discussed the roots of its angst. But its not all gloom.

Yes, the artwork talks about failure and mourning but it also talks about resilience and liberation, and about new ways of happiness, Barkun says. A lot of the women are saying theyve found themselves again.

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Artist airs the taboo topic of infertility - Canadian Jewish News

Learning lessons from the farm – Gaston Gazette

Second grade students at Township Three Elementary School were able to witness the life cycle of a chick beginning when the babies began developing in the eggs up until they made their big debut.

The kids helped turn the eggs to ensure they developed properly and monitored them in the classroom for three weeks as they stayed warm in a special incubator provided as part of the 4-H Embryology Program.

A celebration was held once the chicks hatched and the children did a chicken dance, made a clucking cup and had a chick birthday party.

Charlie Godfrey, 4-H Youth Development Agent for Cleveland County, said the goal of the embryology in the classroom project is to teach students the stages of development and growth in chickens from fertilized egg through full development and hatching.

He said the program has been in place for many years and is one of the staple school programs completed every year.

Its one of our flagship or main projects, he said. It's well established.

Godfrey said it gives the students direct, hands-on experience with living things and their life cycles.

The classrooms are provided with a curriculum notebook, incubator, brooder box and other necessary supplies and are given assistance throughout the project.

Godfrey said the program focuses on second grade because it aligns with the grades life cycles curriculum.

Case Farms provides the eggs, and they are then distributed around to the local elementary schools. The program was recently completed at Township Three, Washington, Bethware and Pinnacle Classical Academy.

Godfrey said they bring the equipment back to the extension office, get it cleaned up and ready for the next round of schools.

He said they are preparing to kick off the chick program at Springmore, Boiling Springs, Casar and Union elementary schools.

It takes approximately 21 days for the eggs to incubate and hatch.

Once the chicks emerge from their eggs, the kids usually have a couple of days to observe and hold them. The chicks are kept in a special box with a heat lamp and food. Then the students get to celebrate the end of the project with a birthday party, and Godfrey and one of the members from Greene Family Farms answers questions.

Typically teachers hold a birthday party for the babies in their classroom as a end of project celebration.

Godfrey and Sherri Greene from Green Family Farms were available at Township Three to answer any questions the kids might have, and then Greene took the chicks back to the farm to raise.

The kids have all kinds of questions, Godrey said. We want the kids to know where they go from here. She takes them and raises them all.

Kids asked how to tell the difference between boy and girl chicks, their lifespan and what kind of chickens they were.

Godfrey said they get the whole trajectory of the life of a chick from egg to farm.

For most of the kids, and even many of the teachers, it is the first time they get to witness a chick hatching.

If other teachers are interested in offering this project at their schools, they can contact Charlie Godfrey with Cleveland County 4-H at charlie_godfrey@ncsu.edu or call 704-482-4365.

Rebecca Sitzes can be reached at 704-669-3339 or rsitzes@shelbystar.com

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Learning lessons from the farm - Gaston Gazette

Transgendered Man Fights To Not Be "Mother" On Baby’s Birth Certificate – BabyGaga

When someone decides to come out as a transgendered person, with the rare exception, there is fear and anxiety as to how friends and family are going to treat them once the truth has come to light. Every person's journey is different and some may have a very supportive core group of people surrounding them or perhaps have to take the journey on their own.

Regardless of the reaction received, many people who have come out report a weight being lifted off of their shoulders and a sense of relief, as they are going to be able to start their authentic life without any sort of incorrect label defining who they are. For some, this includes everything from surgery and taking hormones to make the outer shell match what the inside feels like. For others, they simply want to do nothing more than change their appearance and name.

RELATED: Transgender Man Loses Legal Fight To Be Recognized As Father Of Baby He Birthed

For Freddy McConnell, who gave birth to his child earlier this year, the fight has been uphill ever since hospital staff designated McConnell as the "mother" of the baby.

McConnell is fighting a September 2019 decision made by the High Court in which it was decided by the president of the court's Family Division that because McConnell physically birthed a baby, something that only a mother can do, McConnell has to be listed as the mother on the baby's birth certificate.

McConnell started the process of matching how he felt on the inside to reflect how he looked on the outside back in 2013. At that time, between hormones and an augmentation to the chest, McConnell began to feel more masculine and gain confidence in who he was. During that time, however, McConnell decided that he wanted to have a child and put any further surgeries on hold. He also stopped hormones so that intrauterine insemination could be performed, as McConnell wanted to carry his child himself.

RELATED: Former Soldier & Actor Face Hurdles As Transgender Parents

The procedure that McConnell underwent is governed by the Human Fertilization and Embryology Act of 2008, which by definition is used to assist "women to carry children," according toThe Guardian.As a result of this definition as well as the fact that the deciding judge claimed that "mother" is not a gendered term, the Court made the ultimate decision that McConnell being listed as his baby's mother on the birth certificate was the correct parental designation.

McConnell is not alone with what he feels is the incorrect label on a child's birth certificate in the UK. If he is successful in his quest to be identified as his baby's father on the birth certificate, it could open doors for many who are dealing with a situation similar to his.

RELATED: Documentary Recounts Challenges A Trans Man Faces In Having A Baby

McConnell's journey from transitioning to a man to giving birth to his child is the subject of the documentarySeahorse: The Dad Who Gave Birth.

There currently is not a date as to when a decision on the appeal is expected.

Source:The Guardian, LGBTQ Nation, WebMD

NEXT: Utah Passes A Bill That Requires Women To Get Ultrasound Before Abortion

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Transgendered Man Fights To Not Be "Mother" On Baby's Birth Certificate - BabyGaga

Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist Job in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri – Department of the Army – LemonWire

The United States government is a massive employer, and is always looking for qualified candidates to fill a wide variety of open employment positions in locations across the country. Below youll find a Qualification Summary for an active, open job listing from the Department of the Army. The opening is for a Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri Feel free to browse this and any other job listings and reach out to us with any questions!

Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist Fort Leonard Wood, MissouriU.S. Army Medical Command, Department of the ArmyJob ID: 222868Start Date: 03/03/2020End Date: 03/16/2020

Qualification SummaryWho May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Basic Requirement for Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist: A. A Bachelors or graduate/higher level degree from a regionally accredited college/university including courses in biological science, chemistry and mathematics, AND successful completion of a Medical Laboratory Scientist/Clinical Laboratory Scientist program accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) or an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. OR B. At least a full 4-year course of study that included 12 months in a college or hospital-based medical technology program or medical technology school approved by a recognized accrediting organization. The professional medical technology curriculum may have consisted of a 1-year post- bachelors certificate program or the last 1 or 2 years of a 4-year program of study culminating in a bachelors in medical technology. OR C. A bachelors or graduate/higher level degree from an accredited college/university that included 16 semester hours (24 quarter hours) of biological science (with one semester in microbiology), 16 semester hours (24 quarter hours) of chemistry (with one semester in organic or biochemistry), one semester (one quarter) of mathematics, AND five years of full time acceptable clinical laboratory experience in Blood Banking, Chemistry, Hematology, microbiology, Immunology and Urinalysis/Body Fluids. This combination of education and experience must have provided knowledge of the theories, principles, and practices of medical technology equivalent to that provided by the full 4-year course of study described in A or B above. All science and mathematics courses must have been acceptable for credit toward meeting the requirements for a science major at an accredited college or university. Acceptable experience is responsible professional or technician experience in a hospital laboratory, health agency, industrial medical laboratory, or pharmaceutical house; or teaching, test development, or medical research program experience that provided an understanding of the methods and techniques applied in performing professional clinical laboratory work. Certification/licensure as a medical technologist (generalist) obtained through written examination by a nationally recognized credentialing agency or State licensing body is a good indication that the quality of experience is acceptable. Evaluation of Education and Experience: The four major areas of clinical laboratory science are microbiology, clinical chemistry, hematology, and immunohematology (blood banking). Qualifying course work in these areas includes bacteriology, mycology, mycobacteriology, tissue culture, virology, parasitology, endocrinology, enzymology, toxicology, urinalysis, coagulation, hemostasis, cell morphology, immunology, serology, immunoserology, immuno-deficiency, hemolysis, histocompatibility, cyto-genetics, and similar disciplines or areas of laboratory practice. Related fields include physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, cell biology, embryology, pathology, genetics, pharmacology, histology, cytology, nuclear medicine, epidemiology, biostatistics, infection control, physics, statistics, and similar areas of science where the work is directly related to the position to be filled. Exemption: You are exempt from the basic requirements above if you are a current federal employee occupying a position in the 0644 occupational series and have been continuously employed in this occupational series since September 27, 2017 or before. Note: You will be required to provide appropriate documentation to the respective Human Resources Office to validate your status. In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: Experience required: To qualify based on your work experience, your resume must describe one year of specialized experience which includes providing various verification duties in a laboratory. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09). OR Education: I have at least two and a half years (45 semester hours) of progressively higher level graduate education leading towards a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited college or university that is directly related to the work of the position. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages. Experience or graduate education must have been in (1) the general field of medical technology; (2) one of the disciplines or specialized areas of medical technology; or (3) a field directly related and applicable to medical technology or the position to be filled. AND Certification: Certification from the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), American Medical Technologist (AMT) or other board or registry deemed comparable by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (OASD(HA)) or their designee as a Medical Technologist (MT) or Medical Lab Scientist (MLS) is required.

If youd like to submit a resume or apply for this position, please contact Premier Veterans at abjobs@premierveterans.com. All are free to apply!

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Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist Job in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri - Department of the Army - LemonWire

Breakthrough technologies in infertility – The New Indian Express

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Over the years, due to several reasons, infertility has grown at an alarming pace. To help people overcome these problems and get a better pregnancy rate, Prashanth Fertility Research Centre has introduced high-end technologies to alter the condition and to give phenomenal pregnancy rates.The Embryoscope, a piece of hi-tech equipment available in only 1,200 centres across the globe, provides digital images of the embryos every 20 minutes.

This provides unprecedented detail of early embryonic development and creates an environment like that of a human body, resulting in good embryos and also helping in the selection of the best ones. This provides an increased chance of pregnancy by about five to 10 per cent and a decrease in miscarriage rate for the average patient. Embryo Glue is the latest transfer medium which is a substance used to coat embryos before transfer into the uterus. It increases the stickiness of embryos to be transferred into the uterus and therefore helps the embryos to implant with ease and fix onto the lining of the uterus.

Cytoplasmic Transfer is most beneficial for older patients whose eggs have lost the ability to function normally, as well as younger patients with unexplained infertility and recurrent implantation failure. This is the donation of healthy cytoplasm from fertile donors. Elderly women who previously had poor pregnancy outcomes with their own eggs have delivered healthy babies through this technique. It is emotionally satisfying as it is genetically their own baby.

PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) is used for endometrial rejuvenation in women with poor/thin endometrium and rejuvenating ovaries. This improves egg quality, allowing them to use their own eggs. It also helps as a rejuvenation therapy for testes, allowing them to make their own good quality sperms. The window for implantation in some patients in very narrow and lasts only for a few hours. Identifying the window of implantation is done by the genetic study of a sample from the endometrium. This personalised embryo transfer has achieved excellent pregnancy rates.

Recurrent IVF failures and miscarriages may be caused by genetic problems in the embryo. This can be identified by doing laser-assisted embryo biopsy removing one cell from a five-day embryo and sending the same for genetic analysis. Only the selected normal embryos are transferred, thus improving pregnancy rates.

Super microsurgeryPrashanth Fertility Research Centre has introduced a breakthrough technology for super microsurgery with 40X magnification under which seminiferous tubules are examined and identified. These are then sent to the embryology lab for evaluation and if they contain sperms, they are frozen. This stored sperm can be used for IVF procedures. Around 70 per cent of men who have been proved to have no sperms with earlier testicular biopsy have succeeded in becoming a father with this new technique.

For details, visit: http://www.pfrcivf.com The writer is a renowned obstetrician, gynaecologist and specialist in reproductive medicine and laparoscopic surgery at Prashanth Fertility Research Centre. She is currently the chairperson, Prashanth Multispeciality Hospital, and medical director, Prashanth Fertility Research Centre, Chennai

Worlds secondDr Geetha Haripriya delivered the worlds second intracytoplasmic sperm injectionquadruplets in2003

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Breakthrough technologies in infertility - The New Indian Express

Trans man is fighting to not be called mother on his child’s birth certificate – LGBTQ Nation

Freddy McConnellPhoto: Manuel Vazquez for "Seahorse"/Promotional image

Transgender journalist Freddy McConnell is fighting the U.K. government to be listed as the father on his childs birth certificate.

McConnell whose experience with pregnancy as a transgender man was the subject of the documentary Seahorse: The Dad Who Gave Birth is now appealing a September 2019 High Court decision by the president of the courts Family Division stating that McConnell has to be listed as the mother because hes the one who gave birth to the child.

Related:NBA player Dwyane Wades transgender daughter knew she was a girl when she was 3 years old

Though McConnell began testosterone treatments in April 2013 and had a chest reshaping surgery in 2016, he stopped hormones in order to get pregnant using a sperm donor.

According to The Guardian, the laws around McConnells pregnancy created some of his current legal dilemma. The intrauterine insemination fertility treatment McConnell used to get pregnant is governed by the Human Fertilization and Embryology Act 2008, a law that defines treatments as assisting women to carry children.

Hannah Markham, the lawyer representing McConnell, said that the deciding judge incorrectly declared that mother was not a gendered term and that McConnells giving birth was the determining issue in declaring him as the childs mother. Markham said current U.K. law fails to respect the right of transgender people to be legally recognized by their gender identity.

Being misgendered on his childs birth certificate is discrimination and exacerbates his gender dysphoria, McConnell said. Furthermore, it violates both his human rights and right to privacy since a birth certificate listing him as a mother could potentially out him as transgender, inviting intrusive questions about his personal life.

McConnells case could potentially affect an untold number of other transgender parents in the U.K. who have children under similar circumstances.

Heres the trailer for Seahorse, a title thats a reference to how male seahorses carry their species young:

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Trans man is fighting to not be called mother on his child's birth certificate - LGBTQ Nation