Natural water-retention measures, which ‘keep the rain where it falls’, have great potential to be used as part of flood-risk management plans. But their benefits for downstream urban areas can bring costs to the upstream agricultural areas where they are installed, a recent analysis explains. The researchers behind this analysis suggest that we need new and/or improved policies and institutions to oversee the trade-offs and benefits for agriculture and flood management, and a better scientific understanding of the measures’ likely impact on urban flood risk.

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance’s Chief Information & Digital Officer, Goutam Datta leveraged technology for enabling all business functions and meeting the digital demands of its employees, partners and customers amid lockdown and enabled new services to prevent any impact on business.

In theory, payment for environmental services (PES) is a market mechanism but, in practice, it depends on intervention from the state or community. This is the conclusion of a new review of case studies that indicates that PES relies on public bodies and communities to act as intermediaries in the trading of services.

New research has explored how well different governance systems can achieve desirable conservation outcomes. Results confirmed the importance of adaptive management, which relies on regular monitoring to enable 'learning through doing' to refine actions, and suggested that leadership using expert knowledge was also significant in successful governance.

The Aichi biodiversity targets, set by the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, are unlikely to be achieved by 2020, a new study suggests — despite some progress towards halting the global loss of biodiversity. The authors of the study call for policy responses to be strengthened if the ongoing loss of nature is to be stopped.

Personal care products (PCPs) are a diverse group of products, including toothpaste, shampoo, make-up and soaps. The number and use of these products has increased over recent decades, generating concern about their impact on the environment. This literature review analysed over 5 000 reports of environmental detection of 95 different chemicals from PCPs. The analysis reveals toxic levels of PCP chemicals in raw and treated wastewater, and in surface water. The researchers recommend treatment methods focusing on antimicrobials, UV filters and fragrance molecules.

New York Times

A co-ordinated medical intervention that saw a distressed Jessica Marais rushed to a Sydney hospital by ambulance last weekend raises an important question: what can be done when repeat rehab fails?

The post Pop-up hospital may be answer to future pandemic needs appeared first on The Lead SA.

How we as a community can help to support the parents and celebrate the beauty of special needs children.

These dreamy landscape photographs will have nature lovers everywhere pining, "Mother Earth, won't you be my Valentine?"

The only safe food 2-year-old Micah can eat is fresh, organic peaches. He has food-protein induced enterocolitis syndrome, or FPIES.

Climate activist Bill McKibben says now is the time for the Obama administration to stand up to the richest industry on Earth.

This grizzly bear cub thought he was just enjoying a day at the river's edge before a scallop shell ruined it.

Was the Gulf oil spill actually good for the region's economy? Maybe in the short-term—but the Gulf needs a long-term restoration economy, says Conservancy sc

Pancake was born with a skeletal deformity and has to rely on only her back legs, but it sure hasn't slowed her down.

Researchers find that more than 10 percent of patients may be taking aspirin unnecessarily, and the risks may outweigh the benefits.

A concept unveiled at a UN roundtable outlines a fully autonomous floating city.

Fair Isle, with a population of 60, is looking for someone with a sense of adventure — and a nursing certificate.

June 4 is the deadline to get accurate information to the USDA.

Newman’s Own gives all of its profits to charity, like a therapeutic residential facility that supports 250 students and 200 animals.

Some companies make DIY repair difficult (or impossible), but new laws in the U.S. and Europe may make fixing things easier.

Abandoned as a puppy because he was too obsessive, Bear the dog is now rescuing koalas.

Fireworks displays are nothing compared to the cosmic explosions and implosions that occur every moment across our universe.

Australian chef Adam Liaw creates an easy, 3-ingredient snack for an entire grammar school class for less than $10.

Tom Powell shares his idea to help the insurance sector overcome the BI problems

Today 7 May CPT is calling on the Government to provide a support package worth pound;65m each month for the coach tourism industry.

Will Your Straps Meet Your Needs? Twitter Check out this website for more. Read more. Keywords: Cam buckle, Side release buckles, Plastic strapping, Polypropylene webbing, Cam buckle, Ratchet tie down straps. Graphics: Share This Infographic

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What Every Business NEEDS to Know About Social Media SEO More information like this. Read more. Keywords: Resellers, Resell web design, Online marketing, Outsource seo, Seo ng, Seo reseller programs.

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The True Benefits of Selecting a Custom Lanyard for Your Boating Needs

So what exactly are these online audio book rental services and will you get benefit from them?. Read on and find out the answers for your questions...

Outsourcing staff is one of the best and the easiest options for your business if you want to run your business successfully. The trick in becoming successful through outsource staffing lies in selecting the best outsourcing company for your business.

The new pension law provides a surplus of tax breaks likely to affect taxpayers and retirees and includes provisions regulating charitable giving and tax deduction procedures. A list of important provisions is provided in the following article.

Some lack awareness or comfort with guaranteed income products

Sharpe's books are riveting inspirational thrillers written in honor of her daughter Kate and her husband Steve.

Creative Health Solutions LLC is pleased to announce the launch of a brand-new program called Transition to Independence: Unlocking Special Abilities.

Company head, Marcia Elder, Has Tailored Service to Business Owners, At-Home Workers & Recently Unemployed

The Warren Center can help special needs parents overcome challenges associated with traveling

The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has created an unexpected and extremely large demand for educators to provide remote learning opportunities for students who are unable to attend school, due to mass closures to prevent the spread of the virus.

Sharpe's previously published books are riveting inspirational thrillers written in honor of her daughter Kate and her husband Steve.

Now workplaces, employees, and distributed teams who were forced to go remote can access new features for enhanced productivity and collaboration

Online Publishers LLC brings together clients and freelancers in one convenient platform to connect and help one another reach a new level of success.

Each and every day, social media tools change the way that organizations
interact with their users.

A recent report from the Center For Urban Transportation Research at University of South Florida titled Routes To New Networks: A Guide To Social Media For The Public Transportation Industry (66p. PDF) explains how these new platforms offer not only more personal one-on-one interaction than traditional media, but also represent the essence of niche marketing.

It is undeniable that social media is all the buzz. For some, utilizing new media tools may come as second nature. For others, however, entering the world of social media means taking a giant leap into the world of online communications.

One thing is certain – social media platforms are allowing a new opportunity for transportation providers to directly communicate with their target audiences. Communication is moving in this direction – with or without your organization.

The report analyzes the usefulness of and applications for social networks, written blogs, audio/video blogs, microblogs (e.g. Twitter), photo sharing, video sharing, user-generated content and mobile web content.

The report states that key points to consider when determining which tool(s) to use are:

1) Who is my target audience and what tools are they using?
2) What type of information do I want to communicate?

Content must always resonate with your audience. What can you provide that would be of value?

Earlier this year, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) published Funding The Public Transportation Needs Of An Aging Population (57p. PDF).

It explains how rapid growth in the number of older people in the United States during the coming decades will lead to greatly increased needs for expanded and enhanced public transportation services. This report:

a) identifies the range of actions that will be needed to expand mobility options for older people, including accessible public transportation services;
b) quantifies the demand for these public transportation services; and
c) estimates the funding that will be needed to provide them.

Needed actions have been identified by means of a review of the extensive literature on this
subject. The actions needed to expand mobility options for older people include:

• Enhancements to fixed-route public transportation operations and planning such as additional bus operator training, incorporating travel needs of older people in route planning and stop placement, and coordination with other agencies and transportation providers
• Enhancements to public transportation vehicles such as low-floor buses, kneeling buses, improved interior circulation, additional stanchions and grab bars, ergonomic seating designed for older riders, and accessibility features either required or encouraged by ADA like lifts and ramps, larger letters on head signs, and stop announcements
• Actions to help older people take advantage of existing services, like presenting information in ways that are easy to read and as clear as possible, information and assistance programs to connect older people with appropriate services, and outreach and training programs
• Expansion of supplementary services including flexible route and community transportation services, ADA complementary paratransit, non-ADA demand-responsive services, taxi subsidy programs, and volunteer driver programs
• Application of universal design strategies at transit facilities, bus stops, and on streets and sidewalks in the immediate vicinity of transit facilities and stops

These are the actions of greatest concern to public transportation agencies, but they are not the
only actions needed.

Other important actions include assuring supportive services to caregivers
who provide transportation, encouraging further development of unsubsidized private
transportation services, increasing the availability of accessible taxicabs, coordinating with non-emergency medical transportation provided under Medicaid and Medicare, and supporting
modifications to automobiles and roadways to increase the safety of older drivers.

Finally, we wanted to take a closer look at U.S. Parking Policies: An Overview Of Management Strategies put out by the Institute For Transportation And Development Policy in New York.

This report highlights best practices in parking management in the United States.

In the last decade, some municipalities have reconsidered poorly conceived parking policies to address a host of negative impacts resulting from private automobile use such as traffic congestion and climate change. Unchecked, these policies have proven to be a major barrier to establishing a balanced urban transportation network.

Many aspects of current parking management in the United States do not work reliably or efficiently for anyone: Motorists find themselves circling for long periods in search of a place to park; retail employees take choice parking locations away from potential customers; developers are compelled to provide more parking than the market requires; and traffic managers encounter difficulty handling traffic generated by new parking as there is often no link between parking price, supply and the amount of available road space.

Finally, the old parking paradigm doesn’t work for the environment, as hidden subsidies encourage over reliance on private car use — a major, growing contributor to global warming and air pollution.

This report identifies core sustainable parking principles and illustrates how smarter parking management can benefit consumers and businesses in time and money savings, while also leading to more livable, attractive communities.

Dr. Thomas Lee, network president of Partners HealthCare System and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

David Duncan, senior partner at Innosight and coauthor of "Build an Innovation Engine in 90 Days," explains how to organize corporate creativity.

Mihir Desai, professor at Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School, argues for re-humanizing finance. He says the practice of finance, with increasing quantification, has lost touch with its foundations. But he says finance can be principled, ethical, even life-affirming. And demonizing it or ignoring it means that the rest of us – those not in finance – risk misunderstanding it, which has all kinds of implications for how we make decisions and plan for our futures. Desai is the author of the new book, "The Wisdom of Finance: Discovering Humanity in the World of Risk and Return." He also writes about finance and the economy for hbr.org.

Caitlin Rosenthal, assistant professor of history at UC Berkeley, argues there are strong parallels between the accounting practices used by slaveholders and modern business practices. While we know slavery's economic impact on the United States, Rosenthal says we need to look closer at the details — down to accounting ledgers – to truly understand what abolitionists and slaves were up against, and how those practices still influence business and management today. She's the author of the book, "Accounting for Slavery: Masters and Management."

As more and more people participate in the digital economy, there is a need for countries to develop a framework to regulate and to get a 'fair' share of taxes from the revenues generated by such businesses.

Many of the securities laws are spread over circulars, which are vague and ever-changing. It is not clear how ordinary companies can keep track with daily changes and excessive complexity of regulations.