The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. You probably love your down puffy jacket. The higher the grade of down, the more efficient the insulation. The process usually involves scalding the birds bodies in hot water for one to three minutes so the feathers are easier to pull out. It was audacious and addresses a practice that we -- and every brand in the USA that we work with -- abhor," said a spokesperson for Down Decor. | Vegan Trove, Heres what it takes to make your down coat ethical this winter Quartz, Types of Pillows: The Definitive Guide | Hullo, 10 Things You Should Know About Free-Range Turkeys, 10 Things You Should Know About Animal Testing, Gentle Worlds Founder chats with the Creator of Plant Powered Dog. The below images show the key difference between stitch through baffles and box wall baffles: The stitch-through baffle is by far the most common baffle construction on the market. RDS certification ensures that the down and feathers come from animals that have not been subject to any unnecessary harm. Electrical box extension on a box on top of a wall only to satisfy box fill volume requirements. Where Does the Expression "Hands Down" Come From? Down is designed to help keep waterfowl warm, but it is now commonly used and promoted as a natural stuffing for warm clothing and bedding* for humans instead. *** Large numbers of cows, mainly from India, are used solely for their skin. English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. More Italian Words Commonly Used in English. She added that the group would prefer businesses instead offer clothing and bedding that use synthetic alternatives to down. While some people may think that using our fellow animals evolutionary adaptations (tough skin, warm feathers and fur) for our own benefit is the price of our nomadic wanderings, we strongly disagree. What does chill out mean? These of course are added to by the potential for torn skin, hanging wings (posture change) and death during live plucking., (see: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/1886.pdf ). If Gina would . Appalled by the practices and prodded into action by groups like Four Paws, two of the biggest U.S. gear manufacturers have spearheaded initiatives to prevent the mistreatment of the waterfowl used in their supply chains. It seems like if your work has been cut for you, it should make job easier, but we dont use the expression that way. 2 : to begin to live a quiet and steady life by getting a regular job, getting married, etc. At the very least, they are "indirectly supporting the cruelty of live-plucking," he asserted. How Quickly Can You Complete a 60-Question Vocab Quiz? Rigaud; in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, Eng. It does not store any personal data. Thus, if someone is behaving in a manner that we find inappropriate, we read them the riot act, intending to get the unruly person to stop what theyre doing. As meaningful as something like It suggests that instead of some birds being live plucked (and then killed) and others having their feathers only plucked after they have been killed (as if that would make it any better!) In a telecommunications network or computer network, 'downstream' refers to data sent from a network service provider to a customer. Whats Wrong With Wool Down, the undercoating of waterfowl including geese, ducks and swans, is the light, fluffy filaments that grow from a central quill point, making a structure that captures air and gives it insulating ability. European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Parma, Italy (http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/1886.pdf ) The size of the down cluster is dependent upon several different factors species, region, and whether it comes from an industrial or collector based supply chain. Meaning: To refuse to acknowledge a known truth. Without the stronger external contour feathers down would be next to useless, contour feathers create a highly water-resistant and wind-resistant layer to protect the layer of down from the elements. Down plumes are structurally fragile and not particularly waterproof. In "download", where does the "down" direction come from? After their chest is stripped of feathers, the birds are simply tossed to the floor where they struggle to stumble away, some with freshly sewn skin. most birds are probably live plucked many times before they are killed for their flesh or organs and then their down feathers are taken from them again and for the final time after death. We're really optimistic about what's to come I wish everyone could experience your kindness. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Its somewhat comparable to the leather industry, where leather is the secondary profit opportunity after meat. Vocabulary Quiz. In this section, well look into the facts and explore some of the things companies are doing to ensure they are not supporting the most controversial practices. ", Gentle World 2023. Ducks and geese are not raised solely for their feathers and down though. In the EFSA study mentioned above, they admitted that bones may be broken or dislocated during the gathering process and some birds suffocate. Down syndrome is a genetic condition that occurs when there is an extra copy of a specific chromosome: chromosome 21. The industry is starting to move that way, but remains very cautious," she said, noting that trade and competitive issues stop people from naming suppliers because companies worry their customers might bypass them and go straight to their source. Force-feeding is a practice used in the production of specialty food foie gras. Gentle World is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) educational organization, helping to build a more peaceful society by educating the public about the reasons for being vegan, the benefits of vegan living, and how to go about making the transition. Scientific Opinion on the practice of harvesting (collecting) feathers from live geese for down production. EFSA Panel on Animal Health and Welfare (AHAW). Microdown jackets are ideal for outdoor enthusiasts who remain active for long periods of time and layer well underneath a waterproof. ), Gathering feathers from live geese [or ducks] is defined as removing feathers that are ripe due to the phenomenon of molting and would refer to using a brushing or combing action to remove feathers or down which are ready to fall out., Scientific Opinion on the practice of harvesting (collecting) feathers from live geese for down production. Example: Im not even worried about the interview. If something is run of the mill, its average, ordinary, nothing special. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. WEVE BEEN PIONEERS OF THE VEGAN MOVEMENT FOR OVER 40 YEARS. The phrase is found in a book on card-playing by noted magician John Scarne in 1949. Most acids dissolve other metals much more quickly than gold, so using acid on a metallic substance became a way for gold prospectors to see if it contained gold. The soap box then became a metaphor for spontaneous speech making or getting on a roll about a favorite topic. "We applaud PETA's work. It began as a superstition. Thats where external audits and certification come in, of which there are two leading independent authorities the Responsible Down Standard (RDS) and the Global Traceable Down Standard (Global TDS). Feathers are the outer covering of the bird; they make it possible for the animal to fly, and they contain quills. Nelson then, holding the telescope to his blind eye, pretended not to see the signalmaking a sly comment to a fellow officer about reserving the right to use his blind eye every now and again. You see it with superlatives: the most, the best, the funniest, the worst, the loudest, the weirdest hands down. As a result, box-wall baffles are largely reserved for garments designed for the very coldest environments such as Himalayan peaks and the Arctic. https://www.britannica.com/list/7-everyday-english-idioms-and-where-they-come-from. For Researchers and Health Care Providers, https://www.ndss.org/Down-Syndrome/What-Is-Down-Syndrome/, http://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/GARD/QnASelected.aspx?diseaseID=10247, Director's Corner: Fostering Inclusion in Down Syndrome Research, Release: Alzheimers progression in Down syndrome appears similar to other genetic, early onset forms of the disease, National Child & Maternal Health Education Program. Still, due to PETA's concerns, the company has commissioned another independent audit, using a different firm. When putting the down in the baffles theres a balancing act to achieve optimum warmth: The term Down-proof is used to refer to a fabrics ability to stop feathers from escaping through the fabric. "They [PETA] want to know the names of everybody in everybody's supply chains. This type of jackets offers less warmth than a larger baffle jacket would as it holds less down and has more stitches. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". We asked linguistics expert Arika Okrent, author of Highly Irregular and In the Land of Invented Languages, to weigh in. without a form of containment gravity would eventually cause the down to accumulate at the bottom of the jacket. The Supreme Court's decision on student loan cancellation does not change programs that help public servants and low-income or disabled borrowers. Where does the phrase "Job Lot" come from? So how can you guarantee that the down jacket you buy does not use down from force-fed or live-plucked poultry? Down syndrome is caused by a random error in cell division that results in the presence of an extra copy of chromosome 21. Origin: This idiom is believed to be nautical in nature. Can you take a spellcasting class without having at least a 10 in the casting attribute? Down feathers also have much more flexible barbs and relatively longer barbules. Therefore, the true test of the success of a pudding dish is in how it tastes, not any ornamentation or appearance. Just spill the beans! 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. When the skin rips during this process, it is sewn up with a straight needle (no analgesic or sterilization used) and the bird is left to recover before the next harvest of feathers.. While the term gathering sounds nicer, in most operations hundreds of birds have their feathers collected at one time. Too much down results in the air pockets being compressed which also allows heat to escape. Geese are bigger birds so produce larger down plumes and only the largest down plumes can achieve such a high fill power rating. Thus, it could be said that this game is coming down to the wire, because it's difficult to tell who will . These down products are exported throughout the world and sold to consumers who don't understand the complexity of the supply chain," said Anne Kellogg, PETA's manager of corporate affairs. Down is gathered as a by-product of the meat industry, and as a result of this, down is sourced from regions where duck and goose are popular meats, such as Asia. Tom Wolfes The Right Stuff brought the expression into wider use. Nelson, however, was convinced that he could prevail if they pushed onward. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. The down supply chain has come under a lot of scrutinies over the years for cruel practices, such as force-feeding and live-plucking. Usually when one cell divides in two, pairs of chromosomes are split so that one of the pair goes to one cell, and the other from the pair goes to the other cell. In practice, this ensures that the down and feathers are collected as a by-product of the meat industry and that there has been no live-plucking or force-feeding. Down feathers are found on the majority of a birds body and have a loose fluffy structure that allows them to interlock with each other, this interlocking structure creates a continuous layer that traps tiny pockets of air that insulate the birds from heat loss. Kathleen Lohnes was an editorial intern at Encyclopaedia Britannica in 2017 and 2018. Searching Google books, there is a use of the term from 1904, and becomes more commonly found by the 1930's. What causes Down syndrome? While Patagonias standard is a bit stricter, both have the same goal: to source down only from birds that have never been live-plucked or force-fed. Live-plucking refers to the practice of plucking feathers from a bird whilst it is still alive. Market data provided by ICE Data Services. Down feathers interlock with one another to create a continuous layer directly next to a birds skin. This inter-connected layer of down traps air in tiny pockets between the barbules and is an incredibly effective insulator as it limits loss through both convection and conduction. This is an absolutely excellent resource. Both programs have been in the works for a few years. For more than a century, the idiom, commonly figurative, has been to hold the fort -- that is, to retain possession of a place against all threat of contention. Those who have taken to saying hold down the fort would never say hold down an odd idea of forts. Why is that? The Science of Down Average Mass of a single down plume Down feathers grow beneath stiffer exterior feathers. There are two practices in the down supply chain that are seen as unnecessarily cruel, they are live-plucking and force-feeding. As we reported last year on the skyrocketing price of down, most of the words feathers comes from China (70 percent) and Eastern Europe (25 percent), where the birds are raised for their meat. The image is more that your task is well defined and ready to be tackled, but all the difficult parts are yours to get to. The lowest FP down is widely used on the high street. It's a very price-competitive industry.". To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. Down and feathers are bought by processors for cleaning and sorting. And, if the birds are also being raised to make fois-gras, theyre usually force-fed to fatten up their livers. Simply putdown is a type of feather found on all birds, however, the down used in the apparel industry is specifically from waterfowl such as ducks and geese. Which seems to miss the point, since holding an idea differs significantly from holding a fort. Down and feather industry representatives claim that the majority of down and other feathers on the market are removed from the birds after they are are killed for their flesh or organs and thus the feathers are an inevitable by-product of the meat industry. The process of achieving something isnt important as long as the end product is good. The floor carpet is the one we use most now, so the image most people associate with this phrase is one where a servant or employee is called from plainer, carpetless room to the fancier, carpeted part of the house. Less down equals less trapped air, and more stitches create more areas for heat to escape. Force-feeding is seen by many as a cruel and inhumane process that puts the animals under unnecessary stress and pain. Down feathers are found on the majority of a birds body and have a loose fluffy structure that allows them to interlock with each other, this interlocking structure creates a continuous layer that traps tiny pockets of air that insulate the birds from heat loss. "Hold down the fort" is a variation . "I used to be a buyer in the outdoor industry, and that definitely happens. Meaning: To reprimand someone for behaving badly, with the intention of improving that persons behavior. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Is down production ethical or cruel? Down and feathers are sold to manufacturers who create the product. These figures were denied by the China Feather and Down Industrial Association (among others), but IKEA (the Swedish furniture company) independently verified this fact and promptly canceled orders from China (at the time). Origin: While many proposed origins of this phrase are disputed, it is commonly accepted that turning a blind eye comes from a comment made by British Admiral Horatio Nelson. So I added that as an answer. where the security is against the weather, not a human enemy? The earliest uses of shebang were during the Civil War era, referring to a hut, shed, or cluster of bushes where youre staying. If too many people were gathering and looking ready for trouble, an officer would let them know that if they didnt disperse, they would face punishment. ", First published on May 26, 2016 / 5:00 AM. For the most part, goose and duck feathers are a byproduct of the meat industry. Many of the farmers and processers in China and Europe are not industrialized, and thousands of farms have to be trained and audited. Flight feathers are a specific type of contour feather found only at the wings and tail, these feathers are the largest and strongest feathers that give the bird flight. In the 1920s, people said banana oil! to mean nonsense!. Supreme Court strikes down plan to forgive student loan debt; Biden vows to use alternate path Much in the way the names in the expression Tom, Dick, and Harry are used to mean some generic guys, Tom fool was the generic fool, with the added implication that he was a particularly absurd one. Put simply the higher fill power, the better the warmth to weight ratio. Down 101 The down clusters commonly used in outdoor gear will differ in size from a dime to a quarter. That's when feathers and the undercoating of geese and ducks are pulled off their skin while the waterfowl are still alive. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. A prior understanding of its usage is usually necessary. Origin: This common phrase is thought to have originated in response to game hunting in Britain. Origin: The reason for the plethora of definitions is most likely the Americanization of the old British idiom, which reads the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Whereas the British version makes at least some sense, the shortened American version is nonsensical. The communication grapevine was first mentioned in 1850s, the telegraph era. To answer these questions, we need to go back to the source. The slaughterhouse processes the birds for meat and feathers. Down feathers are found underneath the contour feathers, where they trap heat. You see it with superlatives: the most, the best, the funniest, the worst, the loudest, the . Each down plume is a three-dimensional sphere consisting of a network of filaments that branch into barbs that branch into barbules. They determine how a baby's body forms and functions as it grows during pregnancy and after birth. It also increases the bird's buoyancy. Example: My son was sick yesterday, and now Im feeling a bit under the weather. Even better, both standards are open-source, so that any company sourcing down can adopt it to improve its supply chain and the end product for consumers. Origin: This ones a bit tricky, as there is no clear-cut answer. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The PETA employee said the activist group traveled to China hoping to learn that live-plucking was being phased out, but instead it found the practice is "still something openly done. Over 90% of the worlds production of down and feathers comes from Asia. Along with our fellow animals, we have also evolved. But People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has released disturbing video taken by undercover PETA workers who visited nearly a dozen farms over a month-long period last fall in China, which produces roughly 80 percent of the world's down. PETA said it recorded phone conversations in February, March and April that illustrated links between the farms in its expos and intermediaries that supply down to Hollander Sleep Products, Down Decor and a third company that previously sold to Allied Feather & Down, or AFD.