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Robotics: The future of surgery
The most advanced robotic surgical technology is here. Introducing the SSM Robotic Surgery Institute at SSM DePaul Health Center
The SSM Robotic Surgery Institute offers the region’s most comprehensive robotic-assisted surgical program. A wider range of specially trained surgeons work with our Institute to perform the most innovative, minimally invasive surgical procedures to treat mitral valve heart problems, prostate cancer and various other forms of cancer, and kidney and gynecological conditions.
Precision surgery with smaller incisions, less pain and quicker healing
Advanced robotic technology now allows surgeons to perform traditionally “open” surgeries through tiny incisions. In addition, robotic-assisted surgery takes the concept of minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery and improves on that technique. Instead of using handheld, restrictive instruments, surgeons use robotic technology that mimics their movement, while providing more precision and greater range.
Many surgical procedures performed today using standard open or laparoscopic techniques may be performed more quickly, easily and safely through robotic-assisted surgery. Patients experience less pain, fewer infections and complications, a shorter hospital stay and a faster recovery.
Blending surgeon skill with state-of-the-art computer accuracy
The SSM Robotic Surgery Institute at DePaul Health Center is powered by the latest da Vinci Surgical System, the state-of-the-art in robotic technology. The da Vinci System enables our surgeons to perform such conventional, but complex, surgeries as hysterectomy, prostatectomy, mitral valve repair, and kidney procedures through tiny incisions and with greater accuracy than ever before.
Performing traditional surgeries in such an unconventional, minimally invasive way benefits both the patient and surgeon. The robotic system translates the surgeon’s hand motions into precise movements of micro-instruments within the surgical site. The surgeon is naturally and comfortably seated at a console a few feet away from the patient. The system robotically replicates the surgeon’s hand movements in real-time, giving greater range of motion through advanced reticulated instrumentation.
More procedures in more disciplines
You can count on one hand the St. Louis-area medical centers where da Vinci system technology is now available. And most of these hospitals limit the technology to one or two procedures.
The SSM Robotic Surgery Institute at DePaul Health Center opens up your treatment possibilities. Our highly skilled and specially trained surgeons perform a wider variety of minimally invasive procedures than any other robotic surgery program in St. Louis. These innovative procedures include:
- Mitral valve (heart) repair surgery
- Gynecological surgery, including hysterectomy
- Gynecological cancer treatments, including cervical, endometrial (uterine) and ovarian
- Prostate surgery, including radical prostatectomy
- Kidney surgery, including nephrectomy and partial nephrectomy
- Pyeloplasty, surgical reconstruction of the renal pelvis
For a referral to a physician who performs minimally invasive procedures with the SSM Robotic Surgery Institute, call 1-886-SSM-DOCS. | <urn:uuid:251e12e4-6c23-4bb7-9866-7c07dee8b8cd> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.ssmhealth.com/roboticsurgery/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280128.70/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00387-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909035 | 644 | 2.0625 | 2 |
Joe Rinaudo, President of Rinaudo’s Reproductions, has
a passion for antique phonographs, hand crank motion picture projectors,
and mechanical musical instruments.
Among these, his most prized possession is the American Fotoplayer.
So what is an American Fotoplayer ???
The fotoplayer (“foto” from photoplay and “player” from player piano) is a
wonderful contraption that was built to provide music and sound effects
for silent movies. These machines appeared around 1912 and were used in
medium sized theaters. Fotoplayers were in expensive to operate because
you didn’t have to be a musician to play them as they were also playable
by way of player piano rolls.
The fotoplayer used a fascinating combination of piano, organ pipes,
drums, and various sound effects designed to narrate the action of any
Pedals, levers, switches, buttons, and pull cords were all used to turn on
the xylophone, beat a drum, ring a bell, create the sound of thunder, or
chirp like a bird.
When sound films came into being in the late 1920’s, the fotoplayer became
Of the thousands of American fotoplayers made during their heyday, sadly
less than 50 survive, and of those only 12 are known to be in playing
This machine was originally built in 1926 in Van Nuys Calif. and shipped
to a theater in Saskatchewan Canada. It was meticulously restored by Mr.
Rinaudo in 1976. | <urn:uuid:e987c7fe-1618-4215-8ebf-3f5fbc9fa4de> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://www.rinaudosreproductions.com/antique-photoplayer.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570913.16/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809064307-20220809094307-00078.warc.gz | en | 0.968599 | 350 | 2.015625 | 2 |
21 апреля 2009 | Автор: Admin | Рубрика: English литература » Словари и энциклопедии на английском языке | Комментариев: 0
Michael Fullan “Fundamental Change: International Handbook of Educational Change"
Springer | 2005-09-01 | ISBN: 1402032927 | 369 pages | PDF | 21,9 MB
The chapters in this volume are divided into three broad categories: (1) those dealing with macro educational change at the societal level (2) those relating to large scale initiatives based on particular reform strategies (3) those pertaining to fundamental transformations of professional development strategies, indeed to fundamental reform in the profession of teaching itself.
There has been a growing dissatisfaction over the past two decades about the slow pace of educational reform. Whatever successes that have been obtained have been confined to individual schools what succeeded here and there. Missing was any sense that educational change could be accomplished on a large scale sustained basis.
The chapters in this book attempt to push forward on the agenda of fundamental change.
This volume (part of 4 volumes) is the third section in the International Handbook of Educational Change.
The volumes are a state-of-the-art collection of the most important ideas and evidence of educational change. The volumes bring together some of the most influential thinkers and writers on educational change. It deals with issues like educational innovation, reform, restructuring, culture-building, inspection, school-review, and change management. School leaders, system administration, teacher leaders, consultants, facilitators, educational researchers, staff developers and change agents of all kinds will find these volumes an indispensable resource for guiding them to both classic and cutting-edge understandings of educational change, no other work provides as comprehensive coverage of the field of educational change.
--- Want to thank - download from my links ---
--- No mirrors, please --- | <urn:uuid:90539235-e73f-4e0c-a164-5f68fd8f5a5b> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://www.knigka.su/english/dictionaries_and_encyclopedias/95643-Fundamental_Change_International_Handbook_of_Educational_Change.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988719843.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183839-00292-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.854672 | 452 | 2.09375 | 2 |
Forty-percent of a population is a lot. Imagine a street filled with people—European people. Perhaps they are standing in line waiting for their free health care. Four out of ten of those poor souls suffer debilitating torments of the mind. Grab just five—of any age, toddlers included—and two of them will have brain damage of some kind or another.
That is the conclusion of H.U. Wittchen and more than a dozen co-authors of “The size and burden of mental disorders and other disorders of the brain in Europe 2010,” published in the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology.
The actual percentage of those deranged (in whole or part) is 38.2%, which translates to “164.8 million persons affected.” European persons, that is: plus those in “Switzerland, Iceland and Norway.” That’s a sizable army of the touched.
What’s worse is that the same institution ran the same numbers just six years earlier (2005) and found only 27.4% were three eggs short of a dozen. What a jump! If this alarming trend continues—and why shouldn’t it?—by 2017 half of Europe will be certifiable.
Luckily, much—but not all—of the increase was due to the authors discovering new ways to define “mental illness.” They were able to add “14 new disorders also covering childhood/adolescence as well as the elderly.”
What’s wrong with these folks?
The most frequent disorders are anxiety disorders (14.0%), insomnia (7.0%), major depression (6.9%), somatoform (6.3%), alcohol and drug dependence (> 4%), ADHD (5%) in the young, and dementia (1-30%, depending on age).
Yes, the occasional sleepless night is now a mental disorder. As are “panic disorder,” epilepsy, agoraphobia, “cannabis dependence,” and multiple sclerosis. Because it’s better safe than sorry, toss in “hyperkinetic disorders/ADHD” and “conduct disorder.” Oh, yes, headache, too. All this adds up. Betcha didn’t know that “13% of global disease is due to disorders of the brain, surpassing both cardiovascular diseases and cancer.”
It’s still worse again, because the authors conclude, “In every year over a third of the total EU population suffers from mental disorders. The true size of ‘disorders of the brain’ including neurological disorders is even considerably larger.”
Also, “less than one third of all cases receive any treatment, suggesting a considerable level of unmet needs.” Needs must be met, musn’t they? “Concerted priority action is needed at all levels, including substantially increased funding for…” well, for people like our authors.
Look closer at the 2005 study. This only included folks who were between 18 and 65 “for most diagnoses”, yet that study’s authors were able to conclude that over 1 in 4 were mentally ill. Of all European adults, 1 in 4 needed treatment.
And it wasn’t just 1 in 4, but at any point in time it was 1 in 4. This year you might be sane, a proud member of the untouched 3, but next year it’s tag-you’re-it and fit for the straightjacket. This means the fraction of people who are defined as mentally ill at some point in their lives creeps up to 1, meaning everybody slips a nut at least once, a nut that needs reaming out by a government bureaucracy.
How do the author’s discover that, for example, 2.3% or 10.1 million Europeans were inflicted with social phobia? They made the number up. Yes, but they called it an “expert based best guess.” To form this guess, they looked into what various journals reported on social phobia—a disorder diagnosable without error, I suppose—and saw that papers were reporting incidence rates from between 0.6 to 7.9%. From this range, they guessed 2.3%.
Hold on a moment: somebody out there is reporting that 7.9% of a population suffers from social phobia? Good grief!
Similarly shocking upper ranges were found for alcohol dependence (9.3%), major depression (10.1%), somatoform disorders (panic attacks, etc.; 11%), insomnia (12%), and post-traumatic stress disorder (6.7%). Taken separately, these indicate that Europe is one frightening place.
Except for drunks and druggies and ADHD-like things where the ratio reverses, the authors also concluded that women slip over the edge at nearly twice the rate of men. The biggest differences were in agoraphobia (fear of shopping on the Agora? women?; 3.1 times more women than men), PTSD (3.4 times), and anorexia and bulimia (up to 8 times more).
The authors didn’t track everything that can go wrong with the brain. The lists of disorders “evidently do not reflect the full range of mental disorders that should have been considered.” Thus they can claim.
The high prevalence of neurological disorders provides proof that our 38% estimate is at best a conservative, lower bound estimate for disorders of the brain.
They do not even bother to imply, they directly state, the true rate of mental illness “is almost certainly even considerably larger.”
The only possible solution the authors can imagine is for the government to take money from its citizens and to hand it over to them so that they can study the problem.
Update: See this post, too. | <urn:uuid:abe93763-213f-4789-afb2-9f9f8c5e7137> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.wmbriggs.com/post/4333/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571234.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20220811042804-20220811072804-00070.warc.gz | en | 0.952027 | 1,232 | 2.25 | 2 |
Here’s a glimpse into parenting in a post-cash economy: Your kid loses a tooth, leaves it under her pillow for the tooth fairy and falls blissfully asleep. You, the tooth fairy’s surrogate, grab a your wallet and suddenly realize you don’t even remember what dollars smell like. You end up running down to the all-night pharmacy and buying gum with your card so you can get cash, then begging the cashier for singles.
Then, more often than not, your kid walks around with a rolled-up dollar in her Snow White purse and loses it in the street right after she throws a fit at the fact that gum now costs more than a dollar.
We live in an increasingly cashless society. Teaching literal-minded tots about money is pretty difficult when you don’t have that very physical representation of legal tender to roll up and carry around. We used to see dollars go out, change come back. They see a card beep and beg to push the green button. Money may as well be magic.
A New Zealand bank with a long history of kid-friendly bank efforts, ASB, has developed a possible remedy for this dough disconnect: A smart piggybank. It’s actually an elephantbank, but the concept is the same: Rather than dropping coins into the slot of a porcelain animal, parents direct tooth-fairy money, birthday bonuses and weekly allowances electronically, via an app, from their personal bank accounts into the child’s account, displayed on the elephant’s tummy.
It’s essentially a high-tech passbook. Kids watch their accounts grow; to access their nest eggs, they go to the bank and make a cash withdrawal, then run to Walgreens for a My Little Pony before the bills can get lost.
Cute, but will it work? Brett Graff, editor of TheHomeEconomist.com, says it’s a good tool if you follow through. “Money is magic,” she says, “and not just to kids. It only has value because we’ve decided, collectively, that it’s valuable. You can look at an electronic app, and it’s probably even more real than a pile of cash because you see the numbers go up.”
We are, she agrees, increasingly living in a cashless society, but following through on money management — physical money or electronic — is what’s key. Have your child handle the money when she decides what to spend it on; follow the three-buckets rule, in which you spend a third, save a third and give a third to charity; talk about the costs of things that you put in the shopping cart, even as you count the boxes of mac and cheese. The elephantbank itself won’t demystify money.
Right now, this particular product is only available in New Zealand, though the developer hopes at some point to bring it stateside. There are a few similar products on the market. Porkfolio, for instance, connects to the Wink app and keeps a running tally of physical coins dropped into it. A Kickstarter hopeful, Ernit, calls itself a digital piggybank that allows a kid to set a goal, then connects to credit cards, banks or bitcoin wallets via an app to accept money toward that goal.
We’ll see which one actually hits the U.S. market first. For now, take my advice: Stop by the bank for some crisp new singles and stow them in your jewelry box. You never know when one of those little stinkers is going to lose a tooth.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net. | <urn:uuid:747944f2-a091-4a21-a460-ecff757f8d9b> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.vox.com/2015/9/30/11619078/heres-the-smart-piggybank-you-may-or-may-not-have-been-waiting-for | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571745.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812170436-20220812200436-00475.warc.gz | en | 0.941032 | 772 | 1.859375 | 2 |
Imagine losing a loved one or a friend in a car accident caused by someone else who was texting/surfing while driving. Imagine being severely injured by such a driver — and losing all of your life savings to medical bills you never expected you’d have to pay that resulted from someone else’s irresponsibility and selfishness.
That’s what happened to people interviewed for this powerful video segment (see video embedded at top of this entry) on Rock Center with Brian Williams about the texting/surfing while driving epidemic. Its an epidemic that’s killing thousands of people and injuring hundreds of thousands every year in the United States.
Sadly, this epidemic isn’t going to go away any time soon thanks to the fact that change is going to require, as NBC reporter Kate Snow notes at the end, a “change in culture” — meaning a sea change such that texting/surfing drivers who kill and/or injure others are given the same hard sentences that drunk drivers get.
I hope this happens sooner rather than later so that fewer people end up dying due to a growing problem — deaths by car accident are again on their way up after a long period of decline in the U.S. It’s a serious problem that one day could very easily take my life — or yours. | <urn:uuid:43d98690-f1ce-443e-a448-c5cc0afc67a0> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://solarchargeddriving.com/2013/01/26/texting-and-driving-like-playing-russian-roulette/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573193.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818094131-20220818124131-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.964582 | 272 | 1.765625 | 2 |
NEW YORK—The field of psychology was brought to an immediate halt this week as disillusioned and weary practitioners of the discipline reportedly concluded that the mind could never possibly hope to study itself.
Abandoning more than a century of clinical research, theoretical developments, and observational studies, psychologists worldwide announced that their entire professional lives had been utterly worthless, as the human brain could never comprehend its own workings, let alone understand its own understanding.
“We’ve spent years trying to discern how the mind functions, but today I am forced to admit that this so-called research was nothing more than a fool’s errand—and that we people of learning were the greatest fools of all,” said American Psychological Association president Nadine Kaslow at a press conference Thursday, flanked by leading figures from all major psychology subfields. “Can the eye watch itself? Can a book read its own pages? No. It’s now clear to us that despite all the painstakingly conducted studies and all the data we have meticulously gathered since the late 19th century, we have, in essence, been nothing more than the snake that devours its own tail.”
“All that we thought we understood was merely a mirage crafted by the very unfathomable minds we once so stubbornly insisted we could know,” added Kaslow, before declaring the APA, with its 134,000 members and 54 academic divisions, forever disbanded.
In the wake of the development, sources confirmed that thousands of researchers at top academic institutions had resigned from their posts effective immediately and had been seen packing decades’ worth of academic journals—as well as seminal works such as Sigmund Freud’s The Interpretation Of Dreams, Jean Piaget’s The Psychology Of Intelligence, and Alfred Adler’s Understanding Human Nature—into boxes that will be placed in storage indefinitely or disposed of at nearby landfills.
According to reports from one prominent university, visitors to the psychology department found the chair’s office locked, but with a note on the door that simply read, “It was all an illusion.”
Over the past few days, researchers across the psychology spectrum have reportedly discontinued their experiments and returned their funding to its original sources, stating that further investigations had been rendered irrelevant by the completely unreliable and fatally subjective nature of the human mind.
“If only we could step outside these imperfect intellects for but one moment and observe our mental functions as they truly are,” said clinical psychologist Deborah Yamada, who explained that the discipline was inherently and fatally corrupted by the inescapable reality that the examiner and the examined are one and the same. “And yet, when we honestly appraise the human condition, what can the mind truly know that is not a mere waking dream?”
“And even that dream, can it genuinely be said to exist? For is not the moment I grasp the limits of my consciousness the very moment it becomes unknowable?” Yamada continued. “More to the point: What is this ‘I’ that supposedly speaks in the first place? And why do I—whatever that may be—so childishly cling to it?”
Reached for comment, many from the now-dissolved psychology community told reporters that they hoped to redirect their efforts toward other sciences such as physics, chemistry, and geology, fields they hoped would be untainted by the “inescapable enigma” of consciousness.
“If I can no longer study myself, then so be it: I will pursue that which is concrete and measurable,” said Harvard University experimental psychologist Steven Pinker, holding up a quartz crystal before his eyes. “Look at it: Irrefutable. Solid. So unlike the elusive mind.”
“Only this I can truly know,” Pinker added. “That is, if I can know anything at all.” | <urn:uuid:8d930dd2-d0b6-4eb3-bfd4-ea5b88b71632> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.theonion.com/article/psychology-comes-to-halt-as-weary-researchers-say--36586 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560281353.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095121-00062-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969677 | 822 | 1.984375 | 2 |
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INSPECTION OF WELDING IN LIGHT OF NDT OVERVIEW AND APPRECIATION
This NDT training course covers A basic appreciation of the main NDT methods (Visual Inspection, Magnetic Particle Testing, Penetrant Testing, Radiographic Testing, Ultrasonic Testing and Eddy Current Testing); choice of method in relation to materials, defect type, position and weld geometry; materials sorting methods, proprietary instruments; surface methods; visual Inspection, magnetic particle and penetrant inspection and eddy current testing; methods for internal examination, X-and gamma-radiography, ultrasonic flaw detection.
To appreciate to the available methods, to explain the basic principles of these methods, to identify the advantages and disadvantages of these both in applications and defects detections
What is NDT / NDE
Standards, specifications & requirements
Advantage and disadvantages (limitations) for each method
Equipments, consumables, Testing techniques,
Testing procedures, written instructions, testing reports
NDT personnel certification scheme
Quality assurance and Quality control.
*The educational programs of TÜV AUSTRIA ACADEMY are exempt from VAT, according to Law 2859/2000, article 22 par. 1. | <urn:uuid:7ac09a5c-752a-433a-9ab2-bf79674090da> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://tuvaustria.academy/event/inspection-of-welding-in-light-of-ndt-overview-and-appreciation/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00276.warc.gz | en | 0.837801 | 274 | 2.359375 | 2 |
The affects of not reading: Hating characters, being bored, feeling stupid
|Collections||ANU Research Publications|
|Source:||Arts and Humanities in Higher Education|
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Items in Open Research are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated. | <urn:uuid:8f6cc6f3-4416-4a55-bfad-71fad7fb842a> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/handle/1885/59801 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572215.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815235954-20220816025954-00672.warc.gz | en | 0.734262 | 125 | 1.515625 | 2 |
A time of waiting for "the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ" is the way the new translation of the Roman Missal puts it. Sounds great, but what does this really mean? "Blessed hope" for what, exactly? And what will the coming of Christ mean THIS year? If these words are to have any meaning beyond being part of a new liturgical ritual, it seems to me we have to make them truly incarnate, to "flesh them out" a bit.
I've been doing a lot of praying and reflecting about life this Advent, trying to figure some things out. The older I get the more comfort I find in the words of St. Peter on Pentecost. The people of Jerusalem, hearing the apostles speaking in tongues under the influence of the Holy Spirit, think that they are instead under the influence of new wine. "But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: 'Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
"In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams."
So, this reflection is nothing more than an old man dreaming a dream.
When I was a young man, I was strongly influenced -- as I've written about before -- by the visions and dreams of the bishops of the Second Vatican Council. Some of those men were young and were seeing visions; others were old and dreaming dreams. Now I'm an old man, and I've seen some of those early visions become reality, but so much more still remains a dream.
What do I see in my dream?
It begins with a nightmare. There are people living on the streets, under overpasses, in dark alleys. They are dirty, smelly, with runny noses and open sores. Many of them are drunk on booze or drugs, and this is a violent nightmare, with people attacking each other for money or food, people selling themselves to earn money. They are in a downward spiral, without hope, joy or reason for either.
The nightmare continues. There are people who have been ostracized, cut off from family and friends because of things they've done in the past, or because of relationships they're in, or because they're "different" or hard to handle in "acceptable" circles of society. There are young people who feel isolated and abandoned because they have realized that they are homosexual and they are pushed into suicide out of overwhelming depression and a sense of permanent and total exclusion.
The nightmare grows. Old people, people who were once vital and ran through life with creativity, passion and generosity, now shunted aside because they are no longer able to contribute anything to anyone. They are dried up, used up, and kicked to the curb of life. Sick and dying people, whose fear of death is often faced with courage and strength, are also forgotten or relegated to the sidelines as if association with them might lead a healthy person to fear their own vulnerability.
The nightmare includes the treatment of the stranger, or people who speak different languages or who look at life and the world through eyes different from others. The nightmare recalls an incident at a "Catholic" parish in the Midwest in which a bilingual program on pastoral planning was being held. As signs in English and Spanish were being placed around the room, several Catholic gentlemen came forward and told the presenter to "put the American signs on this side of the room." When the presenter said, "You mean, you want the English signs on this side of the room?" the men -- those good "Catholic" men -- repeated, "You heard what we said, you put the AMERICAN signs on this side of the room."
The nightmare? So many people, all cut off, isolated and alone. Where can they find hope, joy and a reason for living?
The dream? The catholic -- truly universal -- people of God! Every person who is cut off from everything and everyone else, is WELCOMED by the catholic people of God. In a very real sense, the catholic people of God is the home for the homeless, the family for those who have been disowned and rejected by others, are the ones for whom this church is designed. In the ancient catholic people of God, they were often the ones cut off and persecuted by society and those in charge, often to their deaths. But the ancient catholic people of God rejoiced that they were a people called by God (an "ekklesia theou"), a people without church buildings or temples. What united them and gave them hope and joy was their common faith that God had called them to be a people for each other, PRECISELY because they were cut off from everyone else.
The dream? At Midnight Mass this year, that the doors will open and everyone -- absolutely everyone -- will walk in to applause, laughter and joy-filled welcome. Those dirty, smelly children of God who are living under the overpass, those depressed and lonely gay teenagers who are walking on the brink of despair, those people who look and sound different from others, and even those who find themselves here without legal status -- all of them will pour through those doors and into the welcoming arms of this catholic people of God and find a true home and the love that has so often been denied them by society. "If society has rejected you, we welcome you" is the mission statement of the catholic people of God. And to the bishop who once remarked that the song "All are Welcome" was incorrect, and that all people are NOT welcome at Catholic Mass, I say, "Sorry, bishop, but you are wrong. In the Catholic Church, in the authentic catholic people of God, all are indeed welcome in this place."
I know. Right now we have many Catholics who don't even like to reach out and take someone else's hand at the greeting of peace before communion. Those folks are really not going to like my dream, since not only do I hope that they will shake someone else's hand, but actually, beginning at Midnight Mass this Christmas, I'm hoping that they will open their arms and embrace tightly that dirty, smelly homeless man who's been living in a cardboard box down the street from the church. In fact, it is precisely to those who have been excluded by everyone else that Christ is coming into the world.
My dream is really quite simple. Christ willingly emptied himself completely into human nature. We either believe that or we don't. Human nature is the common denominator here. If Christ is to be found there, then we are to be found there. The "Church" isn't a place for those who have successfully navigated life. It's a haven for all those who admit their sinfulness, their brokenness, their need for others and for God.
And then I wake up.
What do I have to do to make the dream a reality? | <urn:uuid:fc158fe8-6e8b-43fe-8154-9d3a013abd16> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://pilgrimsfootsteps.blogspot.com/2011/12/old-mans-advent-dream-for-christmas.html?showComment=1324123512585 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280292.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00342-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980022 | 1,511 | 1.664063 | 2 |
(1) Contrary to Strauss's claim that Aquinas takes the side of revelation against reason and thus denies the classic teaching of natural right, West argues that Aquinas understands the conflict between reason and revelation, and that he adapts the teaching of classic natural right to the circumstances of medieval Christianity.
From the very beginning of the section of the Summa Theologica on faith, Aquinas draws a sharp contrast between faith as belief in things unseen and reason or science as demonstrative knowledge of things seen (II-II, q. 1, aa. 4-5). This corresponds closely to Strauss's account of the reason-revelation debate. Scientific knowledge comes from what human beings can see and know by natural reason and natural experience. By contrast, matters of faith depend on the authority of scripture, on what we hear from others rather than what we can see for ourselves.
Aquinas declares: "The reasons employed by holy men to prove things that are of faith are not demonstrations; they are either persuasive arguments showing that what is proposed to our faith is not impossible, or else they are proofs drawn from the principles of faith, i.e., from the authority of sacred scripture" (II-II, q. 1, a. 5, ad 2).
That Aquinas understands natural law as depending on human reason but not divine revelation should be clear from the famous passage in which he lays out the levels of the natural inclinations of human beings that are naturally apprehended by reason as being good (I-II, q. 94, a. 2). In this passage, there are no Biblical citations or appeals to divine revelation. There are four kinds of natural inclinations--self-preservation, the sexual generation and rearing of offspring, living in society, and knowing the truth about God. The natural inclination to know the truth about God supports the natural law precept to "shun ignorance." Even here there is no reference to revelation, thus suggesting that this could be the purely philosophic quest to ascend to the first causes of all things through natural reason alone, which would move towards "the highest cause of the whole universe, namely God" (I, q. 1, a. 6). As guided by natural law, human beings answer the question of what God is by natural reason alone.
West sees Aquinas as arguing that God creates two independent paths to guide human beings--natural law as the path of human nature and natural reason and divine law as the path of divine revelation and supernatural faith. By separating these two paths, Aquinas can separate human law and government from the authority of the Church. Human law is derived only from natural law, not divine law. Human law is concerned with religion only in so far as religion promotes the moral order of society (I-II, q. 91, a. 3; q. 98, a. 1; q. 99, a. 3). Priests serve the common good of the people by praying to God for the people, but princes serve the common good by governing the people (I-II, q. 95, a. 4). The clergy have the authority to interfere in secular politics only to prevent tyrants from commanding their subjects to perform idolatrous rituals (I-II, q. 96, a. 4; II-II, q. 60, a. 6, ad 3). Thus, Aquinas argues for a qualified separation of church and state.
It might seem that the natural law is a positive divine law in so far as the natural law is said to be part of the eternal law of God. But West argues that Aquinas identifies the eternal law as the unchanging mind of God--the reason or principle of divine providence--as manifest in the eternal order of nature. Consequently, human beings obey divine providence by obeying the order of nature (I-II, q. 93, a. 5).
West asks (p. 87): "Was Aquinas living 'in a community governed by divine law,' merely pretending to believe in that law, when in fact he was adjusting natural right 'to the belief in the existence of divinely revealed law'? Was he pretending to be a political theologian while in fact being a political philosopher? Was the great saint nothing more than a philosopher dressed up in priestly robes?" West suggests the answer in each case is yes. One must consider the possibility that "in the end Aquinas covertly but firmly took the side of reason over revelation" (86).
To see this, however, we must see that Aquinas is engaging in secret writing--that the exoteric teaching for most readers who see only the surface of the writing differs from the esoteric teaching for the few readers who see beneath the surface. Following the lead of Strauss's Persecution and the Art of Writing, West argues that Aquinas had to worry about being persecuted for his Aristotelianism, which was a fact of life at the University of Paris, and he had learned from Moses Maimonides the importance of secret writing in such circumstances.
In fact, Aquinas says in the Prologue to the Summa Theologica that this is book for instructing beginners who need "milk to drink, not meat." Moreover, he argues--like Maimonides--that sacred scripture uses metaphorical language to hide the truth from vulgar readers while revealing it to the few thoughtful readers (ST I, q. 1, a. 9; q. 68, a. 3; I-II, q. 98, a. 3, ad 2; II-II, q. 40, a. 3).
Moreover, when Aquinas examines sacred doctrines, he always tries to interpret them in such way as to render them rationally comprehensible to natural reason, which suggests that human reason is the standard by which divine revelation is to be judged. In those cases where Aquinas cannot interpret a doctrine as reasonable--as, for example, with the doctrine of original sin or the belief in miracles--he contradicts himself in ways that point to the problem, and he indicates that he must answer "according to the Catholic faith," and thus suggests that he cannot openly question the Church's authority (I-II, q. 81, aa. 1-3; II-II, q. 154, a. 2, ad 2; q. 104, a. 4, ad 2; Summa Contra Gentiles, bk. 3, chs. 100-101).
(2) To Strauss's second objection--that Aquinas's natural law is inflexible and thus leaves no room for prudence--West replies that Aquinas actually allows for flexibility and prudence. In applying general principles to the contingent circumstances of action, practical reason must have a wide latitude for judgment (I-II, q. 94, aa. 4-6). Although Aquinas does say that the general principles of natural law are unchangeable, these general principles are very few, and they seem to be reducible to the vague idea that "good is to be done and promoted, and evil is to be avoided," which seems to correspond to Aristotle's teaching that all human actions aim at the good (I-II, q. 94, a. 2).
Moreover, even with respect to the apparently fixed principles of the Decalogue--such as the prohibitions against lying and stealing--Aquinas allows for variation in exceptional circumstances where public safety or individual need require it (II-II, q. 66, a. 7; q. 110, aa. 1-4). "Necessity knows no law" (I-II, q. 96, a. 6).
West also argues that the flexibility of Aquinas's natural law teaching extends even to divorce and birth control. Aquinas indicates that while divorce in the Old Testament was "against the principle of a sacrament," it was not against nature (I-II, q. 102, a. 5, ad 3). Marriage as a sacrament of the Church is a matter of divine revelation, and this does not allow for divorce. But marriage as rooted in natural inclinations might allow for divorce in exceptional circumstances.
Aquinas teaches that "against the good of man is every emission of semen in such a way that generation cannot follow" (Summa Contra Gentiles, bk. 3, ch. 122). The Catholic Church has interpreted this to prohibit any form of birth control other than "Natural Family Planning" (NFP). But West argues that this does not follow from Aquinas's standard, because no method of birth control is so completely effective that "generation cannot follow." In fact, NFP is actually more effective than most other forms of birth control in preventing conception.
Furthermore, West argues, in the circumstances of the modern Western world, where the death of infants and children has become rare, birth control actually promotes the ends of family life, because it allows parents to insure that they not have more children than they can possibly rear and educate.
West concludes that the Catholic Church's condemnation of artificial birth control cannot be supported by Thomistic natural law.
(3) West denies Strauss's assertion that Aquinas sees a "basic harmony between natural right and civil society." In fact, Aquinas clearly states that there is a disproportion between natural law and civil society. "Human law does not prohibit everything that is forbidden by the natural law." This must be so because
Human law is framed for a number of human beings, the majority of whom are not perfect in virtue. Wherefore human laws do not forbid all vices, form which the virtuous abstain, but only the more grievous vices, from which it is possible for the majority to abstain; and chiefly those that are to the hurt of others, without the prohibition of which human society could not be maintained: thus human law prohibits murder, theft, and such like. (I-II, q. 96, a. 2)
West sees this as pointing towards the modern Hobbesian and Lockean teaching that government should be largely limited to protecting life, liberty, and property.
(4) Contrary to Strauss's claim that Aquinas's doctrine of synderesis or conscience is an unreasonable conclusion from his belief in divine revelation, West argues that conscience for Aquinas is nothing but the human mind's grasping of the natural inclinations as good. First the mind must apprehend these natural inclinations as setting the ends of action, then prudence judges the best means for achieving these ends (I, q. 79; II-II, q. 47, a. 6).
Moreover, it is not true, as Strauss says, that this teaches the universal promulgation of natural law equally to all human beings. Some human beings are more prudent than others, and thus human judgment is fallible (I-II, q. 94, a. 4; II-II, q. 47, a. 5). | <urn:uuid:e7c8746c-fdf3-4f91-9037-0914eb937928> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://darwinianconservatism.blogspot.com/2011/07/straussian-critique-and-defense-of_09.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560281424.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095121-00327-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934928 | 2,234 | 2.453125 | 2 |
In a shrinking economy, retirement seems impossible. However, if you are concerned about financial security in your retirement years, you should take retirement financial planning seriously. Planning for financial retirement is the first step towards ensuring that the lifestyle you dream of retiring has a better chance of becoming a reality.
No matter how old or young you are, there is never the wrong time to think about a financial retirement plan and take advantage of retirement plan services. The sooner you start, the better off you will become. You're likely to have a bigger nest in retirement if you start saving at age 30 instead of 60. As you invest more years, your investment has a better chance of recovering from a fall or stall.
The longer your money is invested, the better your chances of securing the future. By planning your retirement needs, you will determine what you need to do to secure your future and will be better able to handle most of the problems that can confuse you and cost you financially.
The first consideration for your retirement plan is where and for how long your investment money will go. As a basic strategy, you should invest some of your money in short-term, medium-term, and long-term investments. The type of investment is usually determined by your time horizon. In general, the more time you have before you have to sell an investment for the money, the riskier it will be.
If your time horizon is five years or more, which is considered a long-term investment, you can choose an investment that will be valued over time. Growth stocks and real estate are good long-term investments if you have years before you retire. Volatile stocks or CDs are considered short-term investments, investments that are held for one year or less and have to be revalued several times a year. | <urn:uuid:7dc9169f-ee71-4f70-9393-fe5fd1629e78> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.nevermore2009.com/get-retirement-plan-services/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570921.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809094531-20220809124531-00271.warc.gz | en | 0.965725 | 364 | 2.125 | 2 |
Who can resist the thought of some crispy, streaming french fries and burgers? It seems like it is nearly impossible, right? It sounds incredibly delicious and tempting. While majority of the people may think that it is perfectly alright and harmless to eat fast food sometimes, it might just not be.
If you are an avid fast-food lover, it is only fair for you to be made aware about what exactly it does to your health. This article will walk you through the long-term effects of fast food on your body:
Infographic by – Kimberly Snyder | <urn:uuid:5c22343a-b66b-499c-9e10-0c7e8d29ec34> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://graphicspedia.net/what-fast-food-meals-do-yo-you-infographic/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571190.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810131127-20220810161127-00072.warc.gz | en | 0.976214 | 113 | 2 | 2 |
Oakland-based Lexx Valdez is a graphic designer who typically does work for music and non-profit organizations. She believes that through the power of design you can change the world—or, at least, your small part of it. We caught up with Lexx after she took part in Manifest Justice, a week-long art exhibition in Los Angles to create a call to action for social upheaval, to talk education, community, and how design helps make a message stick.
When did you first design and what were your early projects either before or during design school?
My first "official" design was for the The Nature Conservancy of California in the early '90s. They had a t-shirt contest when I was in 4th grade and my drawing of a duck was chosen for the design. I won a Field Guide to Birds of North America book and a t-shirt. Soon after, there was a contest for a shirt design for our school mascot (a bobcat) and I won that, too! I began to see the rewards of practice and dedication, so in 6th grade I joined our art club and began working on my first murals in my small town of Guadalupe, CA, where I was inspired by the works of Chicana artist, Judith Baca.
In high school I was heavily into Hip Hop and graffiti. I went by RIC ("Rich In Culture") and MFSTO ("Manifesto"—Manifest Justice, full circle!) to throw the dudes off. Later, after discovering "Lady Pink," who embraced being a girl in a boy's club, I added in "Lady" to MFSTO. From 16 to 23, I had a tough couple of years but also helped raise my nephews while my brother worked and my sister-in-law went to school. This allowed me to bond with my nephews and really learn the value of co-parenting.
When I finally made it up to San Francisco for design school, my mind was blown at all the technology I had to catch up on. I was often the only Xicana in my class, which made me feel really lonely and a bit intimidated. I gravitated to culture mags like Swindle, Wax Poetics, and Mass Appeal, to remind me that there were others out there like me.
In 2006, I saw an ad for a women's streetwear brand call Mama Clothing. I saw them post a call for interns in 2006 and they took me on. I would later be brought on as a lead graphic designer and art director. Streetwear was really my introduction to commercial design. It was exciting to see my work on products like t-shirts and featured on sites around the world. Mama Clothing would later evolve into a Women's lifestyle magazine called M.I.S.S. and later Missomni Media. I was the art director and editor for that working with over 20 interns from around the world.
If design school and streetwear design was not enough, I also took on a contract job around this time with Health Initiatives For Youth (HIFY), where I collaborated with community youth in designing a Spanish translation of their Young Women's Survival Guide, La Guia de Salud La M.U.J.E.R. (Mujeres Unidas Juntas En Resistencia).
You have a history of working with youth-based initiatives including HIFY; Beats Rhymes and Life; and through that Transitional Age Youth. Was working with these types of organizations an intentional move or was it something you fell into and become more and more immersed with?
From 8th grade on, I became interested and invested in movement work and was a leader in our high school chapters of Adelante Mujer and MEXA. I attended conferences and assisted in organizing on college campuses such as Cal Poly [and] SLO. During this time, I was involved in a program called Upward Bound where I met my long time mentor, Tomas Alvarez. He was studying communication at Cal Poly and he really encouraged me to use my voice through art.
Fast-forward to 2004: It's my first semester at the Academy of Arts in San Francisco and I reconnect with Tomas, who was getting his Masters in Social Work at Smith College. He was going to present his thesis on a "Hip Hop Therapy" model he named Beats Rhymes and Life (BRL) and called on me to do the logo.
BRL was brought to the Bay Area as a therapeutic program that would ground the lives and world views of resilient young men. The results were promising. Participants in the pilot Hip Hop Therapy group reported improved mood and self-esteem, as well as a reduction in many at-risk behaviors. The young men also noted that Hip Hop Therapy changed their attitudes about mental health in general by reducing the stigma associated with receiving services.
In 2011, BRL became a 501c3 nonprofit organization, and in 2014, we celebrated our 10 year anniversary. Partnering with BRL really allowed me to approach my design work as a therapeutic activity for myself and my clients.
Working with youth organizations has been inspired by all the amazing activities I was a part of as a youth. I was lucky enough to learn the value of mental health early on. I credit these youth organizations for helping me build on my power and propelling my thoughts, ideas, and art to new heights. I can only hope to do the same for the youth I encounter.
You also run the Betti Ono Gallery in Oakland. What do you look for when deciding to showcase another artist? What stands out to you?
Running Betti Ono is a team effort, led by Anyka Barber, our founding director and curator. Anyka selects the artists and exhibitions, and sets the creative vision for the space. In my role as gallery manager, we work closely together to manage the space, produce the shows, exhibitions and programs.
Betti Ono is an experimentally minded arts, culture and community space that features work by emerging and established artists at the local, national, and international level in monthly displays of multidisciplinary arts, performance and media exhibitions, and other events. Our work is centered around elevating the work of marginalized people: women, people of color, immigrants and LGBTIQ communities.
What compelled you to participate in the Manifest Justice exhibition back in April? What issues that it represents resonate the deepest within you?
It's been a complete honor to be a participant in the Manifest Justice Exhibit. I was compelled to participate because, truthfully, this is my idea of a dream exhibit. A cultural gathering of art and conversations by artists and community. As artists, using our vision and voice to remind others and ourselves of our power. To really sit with solutions for community change and transformation. To pull communities out of the margins and into the foreground.
In what ways has the power of design been able to help spread the messages these groups have, especially with interacting with and engaging the younger demographic?
I've worked with marginalize communities in the Bay Area for a little over 10 years now, mainly TAY (Transitional Age Youth ages 16-24) of color in Oakland and neighboring cities and the QTIPOC community in Oakland and San Francisco.
I've recently shifted my work to draw attention to trans and queer issues while working on community collaborations such as a digital mural project with Galeria De La Raza, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and El/La ParaTransLatinas in San Francisco [see above]. It's heartbreaking that so much of the world still sees people that identify as Trans and even Queer as anything less than sacred beings.
In indigenous communities around the world, third gender persons were only ever seen as sacred. Colonization destroyed a lot of queer cultural practices, and has sent generations of people into hiding. I believe that it is our duty to support each other in bravely stepping out of the shadows to be our true selves.
One of my works in the Manifest Justice Exhibit is from a project called "Stories of Queer Diaspora." [See below.] SOQD was an event curated by Erika Vivianna Céspedes, held in the Bay Area. The digital collage is of my dear friend Layel who has taught me a lot about QTIPOC, non-binary, and third gendered issues. The photos were taken by Paulina McFarland for a magazine feature on queer visibility. I took two photos and designed this image to represent Layel as a sacred warrior, fighting and navigating against the norm, with strength and tenderness.
What places do you draw your inspiration from? In what ways does your community, other artists you admire, and so on have an impact on your work?
I draw inspiration from my ancestors. From those who came before me. From my family, my partner, from youth and elders in my community and from myths and symbols in everyday life. I have made a commitment to sustainability and educating others on what this means and looks like. Grace Lee Boggs reminds me to Re-Imagine. Alice Walker reminds me to honor the comings and goings of love. From Langston Hughes, I've adopted the motto, "Dig & be dug." I take that one literally by going to thrift stores, estate sales and swap meets and digging through relics of the past and also by digging for knowledge of self and cultivating that in others.
Through the work that you have done, what positive changes have you seen either within or outside of your community? In what ways, artists or not, can others be involved to help bring about change?
I believe in collective growth through a transformative and sustainable creative process.
One example of how I've done that is through my flyer and poster work with the music community. Around 2007, I started to see a lot of people ordering 4x6 club flyers by the thousands that were not very aesthetically pleasing. They would end up on the floor or in the trash. I thought, if I create thoughtful and researched art that people will want to keep, not only will the promoters take pride in handing out the flyers but a lot less would end up in the trash and more would end up in the hands of their target audience. To this day, I get people telling me they still have a flyer or two from years ago on their fridge or inspiration board, and hearing that really reminds me that this has been effective.
I explain our interaction with good design as mind body awareness: Stop, Look, Listen, & Share. Did the art make you stop? Did it make you look at the details? Listen to your heart? What is it saying to you? Are you compelled to share? I believe change happens with a series of questions, not so much answers. So I encourage others to ask me more questions beyond what's been asked here.
Written by Jordan Blakeman
Artwork by Lexx Valdez | <urn:uuid:20e7c16d-7afa-42f9-895f-8f0d12e345f4> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.theroguemag.com/features/art/lexx-valdez | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560281162.88/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095121-00538-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979191 | 2,253 | 1.578125 | 2 |
In the world, everything is energy. Without energy, we cannot do anything in this world. There is a lot of energy involved in every sector. E.g., Electrical, mechanical, nuclear thermal, etc., from these, every power has rated its manner and own condition. Power is a simple thing. It converts from one form to another easily. Reliant Energy Plans are different in all fields, and the new rates are set when they are compared with previous energy rates accordingly. Most of the areas have reliant energy plans. It is assured to satisfy future energy rates. Energy rates are for domestic expenditures, and it plays a vital role in industrial competitiveness and consumption patterns. In the commodity market, final consumers are affected by end-user prices and policy decisions. The analyst and the policymakers are more important for increasing energy rates. Most countries have their prize in the energy field market, and they monitor the energy from time to time. A highly encrypted standard of data with 100% transparency and documentation is followed by the IEA globally.
Contribution of Energy
In OECD member countries, energy prices and taxes are implemented for the quarter of each year. Most of the NON-OCED countries have high-quality data on endues price from the world energy price database. To enhances the database, and the 20-20 edition includes more new countries and 80 new sectors across the world. In this database sub, national transport fuel prices are for some country’s consumer price is for all countries. This database is extended to dedicated taxation that contains a detailed breakdown, and it covers seven categories of taxes across all sectors and products to 50 countries. If we discuss energy rates, we will go to all industries and all energy fields to discuss one area related to energy rates. Each family will have different levels of usage of energy rates. So, this offers suitable energy plans which suit one’s, own family. The most form of energy that fluctuates from time to time is electrical energy, which cannot be maintained at the same level among the fixed market and industrials norms. So these fixed-rate plans will be able to provide the energy plans which are the same as the different ones. So with these fixed plans, one can take advantage of the best customer services, so even though there may be changing prices, we will benefit from fixed costs, which helps us save money easily. The portal helps to provide all kinds of information that is required and helps you to choose the best one. So even when there is a sudden change in the rates, it will not affect us. While running through a list of previous bills and energy used resources, we can analyze the areas that used the maximum power and choose the best one. The range of household energies may differ based on the locality or the appliances we use daily or the energy consumption rates; all these changes will help analyze the use of the energy consumptions and identify the right one. We also provide maximum solutions to identify and manage the energy needs you face in your day to life. | <urn:uuid:3c3d61c7-f6b8-448d-ab7d-1b2ce407d505> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.hartsellechamber.org/nature-of-energy-rates/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573667.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819100644-20220819130644-00069.warc.gz | en | 0.948576 | 610 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Wearables started when?
The buzz technology of the past 18 months has been Wearables which is short for Wearable Technology. So when exactly did Wearable Technology begin? Like most overnight successes, it started a long time ago. Below is an infographic from http://www.visualcapitalist.com/the-history-of-wearable-technology/ that is an excellent overview of the topic, with some notable exceptions I will address after you peruse it. I selected it because it covers right up to this moment.
They got eyeglasses right but missed the other most successful wearable device of all time, the wristwatch. The first true wristwatch was made for the Queen of Naples in 1810 although arm watches date back to 1571. Neither were widely used because the mechanisms were prone to jamming and sensitive to ingress and so needed to be protected. So pocket watches and pendant watches dominated the scene. It wasn’t until the 1880s that artillery officers found it awkward to hold the watch and do their aiming and started strapping them to their wrists. This gave them visibility of the time when they needed without occupying one of their hands. The trend took off and by the early 1900s watch designs were modified to suit attachment to the wrist via a strap using lugs on the case. The age of the wristwatch was upon us.
So by this period, eye glasses if you needed them, and wristwatches or pocket watches, were widely adopted.
Wearable Computing Devices
So when were the first Wearable Computing devices? If you paid careful attention to the infographic, you might have noticed the Abacus Ring. Dated in the early 1600s this was definitely a computing device, just not an electronic one. It was a great aid to merchants of the day.
The first wearable electronics computing device to be widely sold was the Casio Calculator Watch which was released in the mid-1970s. Take up of portable music players and headsets were a bigger trend kicked off by the Sony Walkman at the end of that same decade.
It wasn’t until Bluetooth headsets emerged in the early 2000s that we had another mass adoption of Wearable Technology followed by the explosion of MP3 players and Apple’s massively successful iPod range.
Sports trackers start emerging from 2006 but it isn’t until Fitbit finally got their product into production that they really take off from 2009 onward. Fitbit almost didn’t make it commercially because the technology was really hard to make work and even harder to make. Today they have 70% of the activity tracker market but there are a plenty of new players now they have proven the market potential.
And wearable computers got a huge lift with the Google Glass project kicking off in 2012. It raised a plethora of issues, not the least of which was privacy. Although the product was discontinued by Google in January 2015, it took the debate on augmented reality and its issues forward.
The Year of the Wearable
Which brings us to 2014: declared the “Year of the Wearable”. Samsung’s Galaxy Gear wrist communications device from late 2013 had finally eclipsed Dick Tracey and the wrist communicator of the 1930s cartoon series. The explosion of product offerings has continued into 2015 with the much anticipated Apple Watch now released. And a whole new host of communications support accessories. Another growth area is pet management. As the technology gets more accessible to smaller companies we can expect this to continue covering the full range of possible options including:
- Augmented reality
- Medical monitoring and health support
- Activity and lifestyle management
- Pet management
- Home automation
- Communications and communications support
- Computing devices of all types
There really isn’t an end to where this can go. It is up to companies to deliver real value to end users in order to define the bounds of what makes commercial sense. The technology is still hard to do but as more products get to market, more companies learn the techniques needed to be successful at super low power worn devices and the whole application area continues to progress.
Successful Endeavours specialise in Electronics Design and Embedded Software Development, focusing on products that are intended to be Made In Australia. Ray Keefe has developed market leading electronics products in Australia for more than 30 years. This post is Copyright © 2016 Successful Endeavours Pty Ltd. | <urn:uuid:02be3c6a-0c33-467d-9aeb-11184d290e9f> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://blog.successful.com.au/wearables-a-history/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.971155 | 900 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Broken Top is an extinct, glacially eroded stratovolcano 20 miles (32 km) west of Bend in central Oregon. It is part of the extensive Cascade Range and southeast of the Three Sisters peaks within the Three Sisters Wilderness in the Willamette National Forest. It last erupted roughly 100,000 years ago with a volcanic crater of 0.8 km located at 9,000 feet altitude.
Permits for entry are distributed free from Memorial Day (31 May) to Halloween (31 October).
Stand-up paddle boarders enjoy the normally frozen glacial lake of Broken Top during the summer months once the water temperature drops to 34ºF and the lake unfreezes. | <urn:uuid:57d47ea6-312f-4f57-bedf-4436b8faa560> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.openwaterpedia.com/index.php?title=Broken_Top&printable=yes | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571056.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809155137-20220809185137-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.908686 | 143 | 2.09375 | 2 |
My worm bins are full of fruit flies. What should I do?
— Invaded in Idaho
There are few things you can do. You need to make sure the food on top is covered with bedding which seems to keep the flies away from the bin, make sure to check them out every night before you go to sleep. You can also buy fly paper. It is inexpensive and non toxic. Just keep in mind, the flies will be gone over the winter. It is a seasonal annoyance that won’t last too long. Don’t let that deter you from the wonders of the worms.
I have had wigglers in my cone-shaped compost container for about 5 years in our home which crawled all the way to the roof, so we’ve decided to replace it. They survived all 5 winters and all 5 summers – up to now. The 90+ temperatures and my forgetting to add water has apparently reduced live worms to zero – the composter actually steamed this summer! My question is this: How much heat (or cold) will the eggs withstand? Assuming that the worm eggs remain within the worm castings in the compost barrel, will they hatch out in a new, ideal environment? Assuming the eggs are viable, how long will it take for me to see new worms?
— Steamy in Sisters
Steam coming from any bin is not a good sign. Sure we humans like the occasional dip in the hot tub, or lounge in a sauna, but Red Wigglers prefer their moderately cool and moist environment.
I have found that my Super Composting Red Wiggler egg/cocoons have withstood both cold and warm temperatures – however, even with Super Composting powers, Red Wigglers will not survive when exposed to prolonged spans of extreme temperatures – especially heat. Interestingly enough, last winter a friend of mine had her Wonder Worman worm bin freeze solid (Not recommended). When Spring came and the bedding thawed, she had worms! Her Red Wiggler eggs/cocoons went into a dormant state and the warmer temperatures provided the ideal environment for them to hatch. It takes approximately 30 days for the worms to emerge from the cocoons.
I need to harvest my castings. What happens if I get some worms in my flower beds?
— Wigglers in Roses
Red Wigglers will survive in flower beds and the soil. They will feed off the decaying material on the surface of the soil. If the weather drops below 40, they will burrow deeper into the soil. They are very hardy creatures.
When should I remove the insulation around my outdoor worm bins?
— Warming Up in Warm Springs
Keep track of the weather in your area. If the forecast calls for warmer nights (above 30) for a week or so, then it would be a good time to remove the insulation. Weather does change often in Central Oregon, especially the early part of spring, so a good time would be mid May.
I am beginning to notice fruit flies. What should I do?
— Fruity in Florence
Fruit flies are more of a nuisance to humans than they are to the worms. In the past, I have tacked fly paper to the inside of the bin. I bought these at my local hardware store. This season, I have a moist sheets of newspaper that layers the top of the bedding. This seems to keep some out. I have also left a thin layer of hay on some bins. That seems to help too.
Can I feed my worms used tea bags?
— Loose Leaf in Lancaster
Sure, I have and they’ve eaten them. I just made sure I removed the staple that connects the tag. They also love to eat coffee grounds and filters.
Can I feed my worms shrimp shells?
— Shelly by the Seashore
I have never feed shrimp shells to my worms so I am not quite sure. If you would like to experiment, start an “experimental bin”. I would just make sure the shells are free of any remaining shrimp and any seasoning. There may be some odor if the meat is left on and the worms may not like the seasoning. If anyone has tried this, please let me know.
Thanks to those that have replied to this question. I do enjoy hearing from others, reading your e-mails, and sharing our knowledge on Red Wigglers.
The response from others who have thrown them in their bins is – Yes you can! Some believe the worms eat them or they are possibly just broken down over time.
How come “This poop don’t stink”?
— Fresh Breeze in Brothers
Think of the castings, the poop from the worms, like soil. Soil has a distinct earthy smell and that is due to it’s content. Soil is made up of decaying organic matter along with broken rock particles. Worm castings are the end product of the digestion of decaying matter. | <urn:uuid:7650c8ee-3063-49e6-9e93-0b9685ca3b68> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://wonderworman.com/ask-wonder-worman/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573163.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818033705-20220818063705-00066.warc.gz | en | 0.957464 | 1,070 | 2.5 | 2 |
Traces the development of Estes Park as a mountain resort community, from the time of its first recorded discovery by Joel Estes in 1859 to the establishment of Rocky Mountain National Park in 1915. This book also explores the conquest of Longs Peak and the first explorations of other high and remote places.
- Limba : Engleza
- Data Publicarii : 01 Feb 2005
- Format : Paperback
- Numar pagini : 316
- ISBN : 9780870818011 | <urn:uuid:7b817144-fa3a-48bf-9759-ceadc27c78f7> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.okian.ro/this-blue-hollow-9780870818011.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280504.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00139-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.801137 | 103 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Offers any kind of considered building cost-free electrical power at the home as well as place of work actually spring to mind? You might or even might not possess study something regarding permanent magnetic energy machines — in either case, what you should certainly uncover in the following paragraphs will help you to realize a great deal regarding all of them. The actual power generator items function complete instructions as well as recommendations that permit you to setup the electrical generator by yourself correct right from the start, from minimum expenses. The advisable thing is you do not need any kind of earlier operating encounter as well as knowledge of magnetics due to the fact all things is going to be supplied for you. Just about all you need to perform is merely feel the simple as well as straight-forward methods that are supplied for you.
You’ll be wondering the reason why you need to obtain a permanent magnetic electrical generator. The actual answers tend to be fairly easy — permanent magnetic power machines possess lots of strengths over other forms associated with green energy; for example photo voltaic technologies, blowing wind electrical power, geothermal together with hydroelectric power. Just one component which makes permanent magnetic power machines have a placement on top from the other forms of one’s resources is actually these people are not depending on climate conditions or even any kind of outside element that will have an effect about the additional resources related to electrical power a good deal. Normally, the reduced costs tend to be another advantage that must not be used gently. Solar energy, blowing wind as well as other types of natural power harnessing options are often too costly for individuals to cover — but whenever you select a permanent magnetic energy device such as Magniwork, you will observe that it’s not just a far better replacement for additional electrical power options, however additionally, you will uncover that it’s a smaller amount costly, much more sophisticated plus much more easy to use instead of nearly all services and products obtainable that declare to provide comparable results.
Magniwork’s designers took into accounts that it’s definitely not ideal for individuals to reverse in order to candle lights in addition to grilling with charcoal with regard to satisfying the main needs of energy in your own home; even though this is actually the point which a few so-called “energy preserving gurus” possess attempted in order to recommend. Because of this the actual Magniwork gadget is actually impartial associated with any type of gas or even 3rd party elements to complete it is exercise. The objective of the merchandise would be to battle in addition to extend the actual time everyone knows regarding — once the planet’s all-natural essential oil supplies diminish as well as provide disaster overall earth.
Until now, this particular Magniworks evaluation offers looked over a number of key elements from the electrical generator. However, exactly how may the machine function? Since you may understand, as soon as magnets tend to be in-line in a particular method, they are able to produce possibly a stylish pressure or perhaps a repugnant pressure. Placing this easy, this really is precisely what the particular Magniwork electrical generator would depend upon. The actual power generator produces much more energy in comparison with exactly what this utilizes — which extra power is the personal to maintain for free. | <urn:uuid:e326e362-dfc2-47a3-bc80-bd532c97bb12> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.mamamusthaveit.com/a-good-in-depth-magniworks-evaluation/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573744.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819161440-20220819191440-00473.warc.gz | en | 0.949239 | 666 | 1.859375 | 2 |
"If you float it, they will come.Pirates Off Silicon Valley! 133 Startups to Live on This Rogue Boat [PICS]
That’s the lesson of Blueseed, a brave new utopia for startups that will be anchored in international waters, 12 miles off the coast of the San Francisco peninsula — aka Silicon Valley — sometime in the second half of 2013. The company calls its floating campus the “Googleplex of the sea.”
Blueseed is funded by Peter Thiel, the billionaire co-founder of PayPal and early investor in Facebook. Famous for his libertarian views, Thiel is eager to create more havens for startups that are free from all government regulation — indeed, from all laws. (To that end, he has also pledged $1.25 million to the Seasteading Institute.)"
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
Pirates Off Silicon Valley! 133 Startups to Live on This Rogue Boat [Mashable]
Strange days indeed | <urn:uuid:13163c2e-73a2-411f-a9f7-41e3a8db2084> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://pbokelly.blogspot.com/2012/05/pirates-off-silicon-valley-133-startups.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280791.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00355-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.897471 | 202 | 1.640625 | 2 |
In conversation with Annetje Ottow and Hester Bijl: ‘Decide what you want, and go for it’
What can we learn from female colleagues who are the first to hold top positions within the university? On International Women’s Day, President of the Executive Board Annetje Ottow and Rector Magnificus Hester Bijl talked with a group of university staff from all levels within the organisation, and shared examples of challenges in their careers and how they handled them.
Ottow and Bijl were able to give several examples of situations that they as women came up against in their careers. Ottow worked for a firm of lawyers and Bijl at the TU Delft. As one of the few women in their environments, they each stood out, which was at times an advantage. On the other hand, they both also experienced that nobody thought of them when a position opened up as partner or manager. ‘It wasn’t deliberate,’ Bijl said. ‘But they simply didn’t think of me because all the managers were men. That’s why it’s important to let people know what you want.’ ‘The people around you can’t just see it in your face,’ Ottow added. ‘Decide what you want, and go for it.’
Bijl also faced some challenges. There were times when she felt unsure of herself because she compared herself with other people whom she felt were particularly good at their jobs. ‘I compared myself with my professor, because he was fantastic at practising science. And in terms of leadership, I looked up to a manager that I thought was really good. But there came a time when I realised that maybe I am the best at a combination of the two.’ That made it easier for her to take on the position of Rector Magnificus.
'Follow your own path and don’t think you have to do the same as others.’
Ottow faced a very different challenge. After the birth of her son she became ill, and she was unable to carry on with her busy job as partner in a law office. ‘My father always said you have to have a plan B. For me that was writing a PhD dissertation. Finding a different route in your life helps you become more independent. Follow your own path, and don’t think you have to do the same as others.’
Her plan B meant that Ottow had to prove herself again. Because she came from a law office to the university, she was often accused of being ‘practical’ rather than ‘academic’. So she sought out those people who did believe in her. ‘Find your buddies,’ she advised the audience. They were in complete agreement. Praise each other,’ someone in the room commented. ‘Tell one another how good you are.’
After the plenary session, the meeting participants talked in small groups about their careers at the university, their personal experiences and approach, and exchanged thoughts on issues such as leadership and career, taking care of yourself and empowerment. Many issues were raised where the women felt there was room for improvement: bias in language use, the combination of an academic career and having children, and the lack of women as managers within the university. ‘We aren’t there yet,’ Bijl concluded.
After two years of working online, this was a unique moment to meet and connect with one another. If you are interested in the work of women’s networks at the university, you can get in touch with one of the networks (see right-hand side of this page). If you have a question about diversity and inclusiveness, please contact the D&I Expertise Ofice.
Text: Dagmar Aarts
Photos: Lina De Ros Rios Torres | <urn:uuid:6de8b4fc-1441-4976-817b-b1f5ba180e31> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.staff.universiteitleiden.nl/news/2022/03/in-conversation-with-annetje-ottow-and-hester-bijl-decide-what-you-want-and-go-for-it?cf=administration-and-central-services | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573533.87/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818215509-20220819005509-00277.warc.gz | en | 0.984042 | 833 | 1.507813 | 2 |
A couple new papers review the factors that play a role in determining an individual’s epigenotype and the role of said epigenotype in the aetiology of autism spectrum disorders.
We still do not understand the rules governing the establishment and maintenance of the epigenotype at any particular locus. The underlying DNA sequence itself and the sequence at unlinked loci (modifier loci) are certainly involved. Recent support for the existence of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance in mammals suggests that the epigenetic state of the locus in the previous generation may also play a role. Over the next decade, many of these processes will be better understood, heralding a greater capacity for us to correlate measurable molecular marks with phenotype and providing the opportunity for improved diagnosis and presymptomatic healthcare.
Here’s a question that’s been bothering me: how could one demonstrate the extent of epigenetic inheritance in humans? Any “easy” look at heritability is confounded by genetic effects. Here’s my experiment: I’d need a number of genetically identical sperm with different epigenetic profiles and a number of genetically identical eggs with different epigenetic profiles (and assume I know these genome-wide profiles). I make me a bunch of twins, and determine their genome-wide epigenetic profile at some stage of development. Any correlation between the epigenetics of the children and the epigenetics of the parents would be most parsimoniously explained by epigenetic inheritance. This is probably both technically and ethically impossible, so is there any other way? | <urn:uuid:8a65fb8b-a1ff-4420-bb08-cc905108f687> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.gnxp.com/new/2006/09/24/epigenetics-is-the-new-genetics/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560282140.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095122-00124-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922403 | 318 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Penny Newman is executive director and founder of the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice (CCAEJ), which serves Riverside and San Bernardino counties. She began her fight for environmental justice with the battle of the Stringfellow Acid Pits, California's worst toxic waste site. This 25-year battle of a small town against the pollution from the Stringfellow site is recounted in her book, "Remembering Stringfellow." Ms. Newman has received numerous awards during her 27 years as an environmental activist, including Jurupa's "Citizen of the Year." She was nominated as a 2005 California Senate "Woman of the Year" by Sen. Nell Soto, D-Pomona. Newman has also appeared on numerous television shows such as the "Remembering Your Spirit" segment of the Oprah Winfrey show. She was the subject of an HBO documentary, "Toxic Time Bomb." | <urn:uuid:1ca746c8-f99f-4ce4-a9c1-a8be80a4a73c> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.centerforhealthjournalism.org/resources/sources/penny-newman | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560279410.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095119-00165-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975134 | 183 | 1.820313 | 2 |
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Unformatted text preview: o be different from the central city. If everyone in the metropolitan area could look at their public sector investment as a
whole, the effects of urban sprawl would come to a screeching halt as we realized how much extra money we're spending in most cities on
infrastructure that is being duplicated on the edge of the city. Lack of Choice of Housing Types Because the effects of urban sprawl include
duplicating more and more the most popular floor plan from the last development, we are left with fewer choices ultimately. One of the effects of
urban sprawl that I find really distasteful is the homogenous nature of the housing stock we're leaving for our children. Of course lack of housing
choice can be alleviated in suburbs more than 30 or so years old. The process of housing renovation in the urban core and older suburbs leads
necessarily to creative problem-solving as developers attempt to meet current market demands in a multiplicity of ways. The housing shells
themselves provide more variety than today's developments, which tend toward similarity and mass production. Renovation str...
View Full Document | <urn:uuid:c84c295c-36e1-4128-98fc-dd7ab90e17e4> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | https://www.coursehero.com/file/8515702/Chicago-a-town-of-less-than-a-thou-sand-people-in-the-1830s/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280310.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00180-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948578 | 249 | 2.109375 | 2 |
One in five Indians exposed to novel coronavirus: sero-survey #GS3 #SnT
Nearly one in five Indians had been infected by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus until December 2020, the third round of the serological survey by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has found. This is roughly a three-fold increase since August and a 30-fold increase since May, when previous rounds of the survey were conducted.
Vaccines are necessary and there can be no complacency with regards to masks, social distancing and hand hygiene.
The overall prevalence in the population was 21.5%, which averaged over India’s population indicated that about 270 million may have been exposed to the virus. India has so far confirmed a little over 10 million infections — or 27 cases to each confirmed case of infection.
Experts have previously noted that serosurveys don’t capture the extent of the spread, and other modelling studies have shown that as much as 50% of the population may have been exposed. In the previous survey, only 5.2% of those sampled in rural areas showed antibodies. It has jumped to 19% in the latest survey.
There was a sharp rise across urban and non-urban slum areas, too. In urban slums, it was 31%, nearly twice as much as the previous survey findings of 16%. In “urban non slums” the prevalence this time was 26% compared with 9% in the second survey.
About 19.9% of adults sampled in the 18-44 years age group had SARS-CoV-2 antibodies as did 25% of children/teenagers (10-17 years), and 23% in those over 45 years.
Benefit of the News– Related to study about Novel coronavirus.
For affluent, EPF is not nest egg but goose that lays golden eggs #GS3 #Economy
More than 1.23 lakh “high net worth individuals” (HNIs) deposited more than Rs. 62,500 crore into their Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) accounts in 2018-19 alone, and the largest EPF account has a staggering Rs. 103 crore balance, defending the Budget move to tax the income on employees’ PF contributions over Rs. 2.5 lakh a year.
Since any tax exemption is provided through taxpayers’ money, it was unfair to allow a small group of HNIs to misuse a welfare facility and earn wrongfully tax-free income as assured interest return, stressing that the step was intended to enforce the principle of equity among contributors.
Of an estimated 4.5 crore EPF accounts, the source said about 0.27% members had an average corpus of Rs. 5.92 crore and so were earning over Rs. 50 lakh a year as “tax-free assured interest”.
Mandatory for staff
EPF accounts are mandatory for employees earning up to Rs. 15,000 a month in firms with over 20 workers, with 12% of the basic pay and dearness allowance deducted as employees’ contribution and another 12% remitted by the employer.
The government had capped the contributions by employers into employee welfare schemes like the EPF or the National Pension Scheme or a superannuation plan, at Rs. 7.5 lakh a year, in last year’s Budget.
Benefit of the News– About EPF account
CM launches ‘Switch Delhi’ campaign to promote EV policy #GS3 #SnT
To promote the use of electric vehicles in the Capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched a ‘Switch Delhi’ campaign to educate people about the benefits of electric vehicles (EV) and urge them to make a switch.
Delhi has to turn its EV adoption movement into a mass movement to form a collective commitment to decrease pollution by purchasing EVs. The campaign aims at informing, encouraging, and motivating each and every person in Delhi to switch from polluting vehicles to zero-emission electric vehicles.
He also said that all hired government department cars will go electric within the next six months. The Delhi government has rolled out the highest incentives on the purchase of EVs among all States. He added that road tax and registration fees as also been made completely free and that tenders have been issued to develop 100 public charging stations spread across the city.
Benefit of the News– About new initiative Switch Delhi
HAL planning to export light combat aircraft #GS3 #Defence
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) is actively looking for exports of the Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA) with countries in South East Asia and West Asia showing interest in buying it. Each LCA MK1A jet would cost Rs. 306 crore.
Giving a break-up of the Rs. 48,000-crore deal for 83 LCAs for the IAF, As far as the order is concerned, if you remove the tax part of it, it’s worth about Rs. 36,000 crore, out of which close to Rs. 6,000 crore directly goes to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), and as we are supplying ground support equipment and other things, another Rs. 3,000 crore is expected to go towards Indian partners.”
Further, Rs. 2,200 crore is the exchange rate variation while the Customs and taxes came to around Rs. 7,000 crore, together making around Rs. 9,000 crore. Also, Rs. 11,000 crore would be used for ground support equipment, spares and training aids and manuals.
The cost of each LCA-MK1A was Rs. 309 crore and the trainer Rs. 280 crore which, Mr. Madhavan said, was a very competitive price. The indigenous content of the aircraft was about 52%. HAL was looking at ways to increase it to 65%. It would be offering the same version that was in service with the IAF to friendly foreign countries and at the same price.
At Aero India, HAL received the Request For Proposal (RFP) from the IAF for the basic trainer aircraft HTT-40. The RFP is for 70 aircraft with additional clause for 38 more. The certification will be given against the requirements and production will take place at HAL’s two manufacturing units at Bengaluru and Nasik.
HAL also announced an ambitious futuristic project for the development of an unmanned fighter jet, which would be controlled by a manned aircraft called ‘manned–unmanned’ teaming and be able to strike deep inside the enemy territory called Combat Air Teaming System (CATS).
It would consist of CATS Hunter, CATS Warrior and Alpha-S, all of which are unmanned systems and would be controlled by a manned mother aircraft, a fighter jet, being customised around a LCA and Jaguar aircraft.
The CATS warrior would be armed and be able to strike deep inside the enemy territory, while the mothership would be in the Indian territory. It would be powered by the HAL engine that was powering pilotless target aircraft Lakshya .
Benefit of the News-About HAL proposals
India ready to supply weapon systems to Indian Ocean nations #GS2 #IR
Stating that “we have already seen the negative impact of conflicting claims in some maritime areas of the world”, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made a strong pitch for collaboration among countries in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) while offering to supply a range of weapon systems to them and also helping to build capacities of partner countries.
We must, therefore, ensure that the maritime expanse of the Indian Ocean is peaceful and is optimally harnessed for the benefit of all nations in the region. Together, we have demonstrated our mutual respect for a rules-based order, setting an example of how abiding with international law will enable harnessing the global commons for the good of all.
Calling the recent order of 83 LCA Tejas jets to the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) as a milestone in indigenisation of defence manufacturing capabilities, Mr. Singh said India is ready to supply various types of missile systems, Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), helicopters, multi-purpose light transport aircraft, warship and patrol vessels, artillery gun systems, tanks, radars, military vehicles, electronic warfare systems and other weapons systems to the IOR countries.
We have also taken the initiative to develop a comprehensive maritime domain awareness picture in the IOR, which has resulted in the signing of technical agreements for sharing of ‘White Shipping Information’ with many countries.”
Stating that India had been the first responder during natural disasters, Mr. Singh said the country had always been ready to share expertise and capacity with all IOR countries for coordination in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
Benefit of the News– India relation with IOR countries.
Health is not just about COVID-19 #GS3 #SnT
India’s health expenditure programme is not just about COVID-19, just like spending after the 2004 tsunami could not have focused only on disaster management, launching a strong defence against the criticism of the allocation for the health sector in the 2021-22 Budget.
Responding to critiques citing a 137% hike in allocations for health and well-being by including spending on water and sanitation, Mr. Somanathan said even the World Health Organisation stressed that water and sanitation were crucial for basic healthcare.
“In a normal year, India doesn’t suffer from COVID-19. It suffers from diarrhoea, malaria and dengue, with diarrhoeal diseases accounting for most of our child deaths. Lack of sewerage, stagnant water, non-disposal of solid and liquid waste, and absence of clean water are very major problems in Indian health in a non-pandemic year,” he said.
Our health expenditure programme is not a COVID-19 expenditure programme; the COVID-19 part is the Rs. 35,000 crore provided for vaccines. We are building health infrastructure for the future, not for 2020. In 2004, we had the tsunami, but you have not had a tsunami since. If you planned all your budgets on preventing a tsunami, everything that you would have spent since 2004 would have been wasted,” he said.
The 137% hike mentioned in the Budget speech was also not an “apples vs mangoes” comparison, as it included last year’s water and sanitation spending, along with healthcare expenditure, he pointed out.
While the Rs. 71,000 crore allocation for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare was 10% higher than 2020-21, Mr. Somanathan said taking the Rs. 35,000 crore for the vaccine into account, it reflected a 56% hike.
Moreover, Rs. 13,192 crore had been granted to the States and local bodies for health on the 15th Finance Commission’s recommendation.
There is also a provision for the Ministry of Ayush, which is up 40%, health research is up 25%, and drinking water is up 200%. It is not correct to assume that only doctors, nurses and medicines are health. So I would submit that this is not a fair criticism,” he said.
The Rs. 35,000 crore allocation for vaccines could cover as many as 50 crore people at an estimated cost of Rs. 700 a person for administering both doses, but no decision had been made on the funding mechanism for vaccines beyond the three crore health workers in the first phase (whose cost the Centre is footing).
“Hypothetically, if the whole cost was covered, it will vaccinate 50 crore out of a population of 130 crore. That would take us to 53 crore vaccinations, and it is possible we may have reached herd immunity, or maybe we would not. That is why the Finance Minister said we are committed to providing more if it is required,” Mr. Somanathan said.
Benefit of the News– Criticism about Health Budget news
Maternal welfare scheme beneficiaries cross 1.75 crore #GS3 #SnT
The government’s maternity benefit scheme, or Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, has crossed 1.75 crore eligible women till financial year 2020.
A total sum of Rs. 5,931.95 crore was paid to 1.75 crore eligible beneficiaries between financial year 2018 and 2020. Apart from that, Rs. 2,063.70 crore was disbursed in the current fiscal to 65.12 lakh women, Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani informed the Rajya Sabha.
Disaggregated data on how many of these were unique beneficiaries, and how many were those receiving different instalments of the scheme was not provided. According to the government’s initial estimate, it aimed to reach 51.7 lakh women per year through the scheme.
Under PMMVY, pregnant women and lactating mothers receive Rs. 5,000 on the birth of their first child in three instalments, after fulfilling certain conditionalities. The direct benefit cash transfer is to help expectant mothers meet enhanced nutritional requirements as well as to partially compensate them for wage loss during their pregnancy.
Benefit of the News– About PMMVY
India strikes cautious note on developments in Myanmar #GS2 #IR
India struck a cautious note on the developments in Myanmar saying it continues to monitor the situation. Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Anurag Srivastava during the weekly press briefing highlighted regional developments including Sri Lanka’s cancellation of the East Container Terminal (ECT) pact with Japan and India and reminded Colombo to adhere to international commitments for “mutually beneficial proposition”.
India and Myanmar are neighbours with close cultural and people-to-people ties, bolstered by trade, economic, security and defence-related exchanges. We are therefore monitoring the developments closely. We are also engaged on the issue as a member of the U.N. Security Council.
India had earlier expressed “deep concern” after the February 1 military takeover was first reported from Myanmar and asked for maintenance of the “rule of law and the democratic process”.
Reiterating the concern on the East Container Terminal pact, he said High Commissioner Gopal Baglay is in talks with the government of Sri Lanka. “We sincerely believe that the development of infrastructure in Sri Lanka, in areas such as ports and energy, with foreign investment from India and Japan will be mutually beneficial proposition.
Benefit of the News– Recent Events for India- Myanmar relations.
Farm exports defy overall trend in 2020, see 9.8 per cent growth #GS3 #Economy
India’s overall merchandise exports have fallen 15.5% year-on-year during April-December. But the same period has seen its farm exports register 9.8% growth – thanks to agricultural production being relatively unaffected by the Covid-19-induced lockdown and a steep surge in global commodity prices.
Commerce Ministry data shows the country’s export of all goods during April-December 2020 at $201.30 billion, down from the $238.27 billion for April-December 2019. In contrast, exports of agri-commodities have risen from $26.34 billion to $28.91 billion for this period.
And with imports simultaneously contracting 5.5%, the agricultural trade surplus has widened from $9.57 billion in April-December 2019 to $13.07 billion in April-December 2020 (see table).
The increase in agri exports largely courtesy favourable world prices. The United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization, on Thursday, released its latest Food Price Index (FPI) for January. That number, at 113.3 points (base year: 2014-2016=100), was the highest since the 116.4 of July 2014. Between May 2020 and January 2021, the FPI has soared from a 48-month-low to a 78-month-high!
International prices rising – due to steady normalisation of demand with most countries unlocking their economies after May and, at the same time, restoration of supply chains post-Covid not keeping pace – has made exports of many farm products from India competitive. That includes non-basmati rice, sugar, oilseed meals, cotton and even wheat and other cereals (mainly maize). In fact, the country was a significant exporter of wheat and maize last in 2013-14.
Amid the farm protests, the Commerce Ministry data have two bright spots. The first is bumper crops, aided by good rains and extended winter. The second is global agri-commodity prices rising to a six-and-a-half year high, making exports competitive and imports costlier. Both should help boost farm realisations and incomes.
The current export revival is equally a result of dry weather conditions in major producing countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Ukraine, Thailand and Vietnam. Russia (world’s largest wheat exporter) and Argentina (No. 1 in soyabean meal and No. 3 in maize) have even announced temporary suspension or taxes on grain shipments in response to high domestic food inflation.
Global prices have also been buoyed by Chinese stockpiling. The latter had stepped up imports of everything – from maize, wheat, soyabean and barely to sugar and milk powder – to build strategic food reserves amid geopolitical tensions.
India, on the other hand, hasn’t faced serious weather issues; both 2019 and 2020 recorded surplus monsoon rainfall along with timely onset of winter. Farmers harvested a bumper rabi crop during April-June, enabled by the government exempting agriculture-related activities from lockdown restrictions. They look set to repeat the performance in the coming season as well, on the back of fully recharged groundwater tables and low temperatures conducive for high yields of wheat, mustard, chickpea and lentils. That should also help exports – notwithstanding the ongoing farm protests against the Centre’s recent agricultural reform laws.
The country experienced a sustained farm export boom during the previous United Progressive Alliance regime. Between 2003-04 and 2013-14, these zoomed from a mere $7.53 billion to $43.25 billion, basically rising on a bull run in global commodity prices.
With a collapse of that boom, just about when the new Narendra Modi government took over, exports nosedived to $32.81 billion in 2015-16. They recovered somewhat to $39.20 by 2018-19, before falling again to $35.60 billion in 2019-20.
The current revival, if it sustains, can help prop up crop prices when the next rabi harvest is due from March. And that may be politically useful in a context of farm unrest.
Benefit of the News– About Agricultural exports.
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“Call me garbage.”
The other day, I was having dinner with my family when the subject of Amy Chua’s new book, “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” (Penguin Press; $25.95), came up. My twelve-year-old twins had been read an excerpt from the book by their teacher, a well-known provocateur. He had been sent a link to the excerpt by another teacher, who had received it from her sister, who had been e-mailed it by a friend, and, well, you get the point. The excerpt, which had appeared in the Wall Street Journal under the headline “WHY CHINESE MOTHERS ARE SUPERIOR,” was, and still is, an Internet sensation—as one blogger put it, the “Andromeda Strain of viral memes.” Within days, more than five thousand comments had been posted, and “Tiger Mother” vaulted to No. 4 on Amazon’s list of best-sellers. Chua appeared on NPR’s “All Things Considered” and on NBC’s “Nightly News” and “Today” show. Her book was the topic of two columns in last week’s Sunday Times, and, under the racially neutral headline “IS EXTREME PARENTING EFFECTIVE?,” the subject of a formal debate on the paper’s Web site.
Thanks to this media blitz, the basic outlines of “Tiger Mother”’s story are by now familiar. Chua, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, is a Yale Law School professor. She is married to another Yale law professor and has two daughters, whom she drives relentlessly. Chua’s rules for the girls include: no sleepovers, no playdates, no grade lower than an A on report cards, no choosing your own extracurricular activities, and no ranking lower than No. 1 in any subject. (An exception to this last directive is made for gym and drama.)
In Chua’s binary world, there are just two kinds of mother. There are “Chinese mothers,” who, she allows, do not necessarily have to be Chinese. “I’m using the term ‘Chinese mothers’ loosely,” she writes. Then, there are “Western” mothers. Western mothers think they are being strict when they insist that their children practice their instruments for half an hour a day. For Chinese mothers, “the first hour is the easy part.” Chua chooses the instruments that her daughters will play—piano for the older one, Sophia; violin for the younger, Lulu—and stands over them as they practice for three, four, sometimes five hours at a stretch. The least the girls are expected to do is make it to Carnegie Hall. Amazingly enough, Sophia does. Chua’s daughters are so successful—once, it’s true, Sophia came in second on a multiplication test (to a Korean boy), but Chua made sure this never happened again—that they confirm her thesis: Western mothers are losers. I’m using the term “losers” loosely.
Chua has said that one of the points of the book is “making fun of myself,” but plainly what she was hoping for was to outrage. Whole chapters of “Tiger Mother”—admittedly, many chapters are only four or five pages long—are given over to incidents like that of the rejected smiley face.
“I don’t want this,” she tells Lulu, throwing back at her a handmade birthday card. “I want a better one.”
In another chapter, Chua threatens to take Lulu’s doll house to the Salvation Army and, when that doesn’t work, to deny her lunch, dinner, and birthday parties for “two, three, four years” because she cannot master a piece called “The Little White Donkey.” The kid is seven years old. In a third chapter, Chua tells Sophia she is “garbage.” Chua’s own father has called her “garbage,” and she finds it a highly effective parenting technique. Chua relates this at a dinner party, and one of the guests supposedly gets so upset that she breaks down in tears. The hostess tries to patch things up by suggesting that Chua is speaking figuratively.
“You didn’t actually call Sophia garbage,” the hostess offers.
“Yes, I did,” Chua says.
When the dinner-party episode was read in class, my sons found it hilarious, which is why they were taunting me. “Call me garbage,” one of the twins said again. “I dare you.”
“O.K.,” I said, trying, for once, to be a good mother. “You’re garbage.”
If Chua’s tale has any significance—and it may not—it is as an allegory. Chua refers to herself as a Tiger because according to the Chinese zodiac she was born in the Year of the Tiger. Tiger people are “powerful, authoritative, and magnetic,” she informs us, just as tigers that walk on four legs inspire “fear and respect.” The “tiger economies” of Asia aren’t mentioned in the book, but they growl menacingly in the background.
It’s just about impossible to pick up a newspaper these days—though who actually picks up a newspaper anymore?—without finding a story about the rise of the East. The headlines are variations on a theme: “SOLAR PANEL MAKER MOVES WORK TO CHINA”; “CHINA DRAWING HIGH-TECH RESEARCH FROM U.S.”; “IBM CUTTING 5,000 SERVICE JOBS; MOVING WORK TO INDIA.” What began as an outflow of manufacturing jobs has spread way beyond car parts and electronics to include information technology, legal advice, even journalism. (This piece could have been written much more cost-effectively by a team in Bangalore and, who knows, maybe next month it will be.)
On our good days, we tell ourselves that our kids will be all right. The new, global economy, we observe, puts a premium on flexibility and creativity. And who is better prepared for such a future than little Abby (or Zachary), downloading her wacky videos onto YouTube while she texts her friends, messes with Photoshop, and listens to her iPod?
“Yes, you can brute-force any kid to learn to play the piano—just precisely like his or her billion neighbors” is how one of the comments on the Wall Street Journal ’s Web site put it. “But you’ll never get a Jimi Hendrix that way.”
On our bad days, we wonder whether this way of thinking is, as Chua might say, garbage. Last month, the results of the most recent Programme for International Student Assessment, or PISA, tests were announced. It was the first time that Chinese students had participated, and children from Shanghai ranked first in every single area. Students from the United States, meanwhile, came in seventeenth in reading, twenty-third in science, and an especially demoralizing thirty-first in math. This last ranking put American kids not just behind the Chinese, the Koreans, and the Singaporeans but also after the French, the Austrians, the Hungarians, the Slovenians, the Estonians, and the Poles.
“I know skeptics will want to argue with the results, but we consider them to be accurate and reliable,” Arne Duncan, the U.S. Secretary of Education, told the Times. “The United States came in twenty-third or twenty-fourth in most subjects. We can quibble, or we can face the brutal truth that we’re being out-educated.”
Why is this? How is it that the richest country in the world can’t teach kids to read or to multiply fractions? Taken as a parable, Chua’s cartoonish narrative about browbeating her daughters acquires a certain disquieting force. Americans have been told always to encourage their kids. This, the theory goes, will improve their self-esteem, and this, in turn, will help them learn.
After a generation or so of applying this theory, we have the results. Just about the only category in which American students outperform the competition is self-regard. Researchers at the Brookings Institution, in one of their frequent studies of education policy, compared students’ assessments of their abilities in math with their scores on a standardized test. Nearly forty per cent of American eighth graders agreed “a lot” with the statement “I usually do well in mathematics,” even though only seven per cent of American students actually got enough correct answers on the test to qualify as advanced. Among Singaporean students, eighteen per cent said they usually did well in math; forty-four per cent qualified as advanced. As the Brookings researchers pointed out, even the least self-confident Singaporean students, on average, outscored the most self-confident Americans. You can say it’s sad that kids in Singapore are so beaten down that they can’t appreciate their own accomplishments. But you’ve got to give them this: at least they get the math right.
Our problems as a country cannot, of course, be reduced to our problems as educators or as parents. Nonetheless, there is an uncomfortable analogy. For some time now, the U.S. has, in effect, been drawing crappy, smiley-face birthday cards and calling them wonderful. It’s made us feel a bit better about ourselves without improving the basic situation. As the cover story on China’s ascent in this month’s Foreign Policy sums things up: “American Decline: This Time It’s Real.”
It’s hard to believe that Chua’s book would be causing quite as much stir without the geopolitical subtext. (Picture the reaction to a similar tale told by a Hungarian or an Austrian über-mom.) At the same time, lots of people have clearly taken “Tiger Mother” personally.
Of the zillions of comments that have been posted on the Web, many of the most passionate are from scandalized “Western” mothers and fathers, or, as one blogger dubbed them, “Manatee dads.” Some have gone as far as to suggest that Chua be arrested for child abuse. At least as emotional are the posts from Asians and Asian-Americans.
“Parents like Amy Chua are the reason why Asian-Americans like me are in therapy,” Betty Ming Liu, who teaches journalism at N.Y.U., wrote on her blog.
“What’s even more damning is her perpetuation of the media stereotypes of Asian-Americans,” Frank Chi, a political consultant, wrote in the Boston Globe’s opinion blog.
“Having lived through a version of the Chinese Parenting Experience, and having been surrounded since birth with hundreds of CPE graduates, I couldn’t not say something,” a contributor to the Web site Shanghaiist wrote after the Wall Street Journal excerpt appeared. “The article actually made me feel physically ill.”
Chua’s response to some of the unkind things said about her—she has reported getting death threats—has been to backpedal. “RETREAT OF THE ‘TIGER MOTHER’ “ was the headline of one Times article. (It, too, quickly jumped to the top of the paper’s “most e-mailed” list.) Chua has said that it was not her plan to write a parenting manual: “My actual book is not a how-to guide.” Somehow or other, her publisher seems to be among those who missed this. The back cover spells out, in black and red type, “How to Be a Tiger Mother.”
According to Chua, her “actual book” is a memoir. Memoir is, or at least is supposed to be, a demanding genre. It requires that the author not just narrate his or her life but reflect on it. By her own description, Chua is not a probing person. Of her years studying at Harvard Law School, she writes:
I didn’t care about the rights of criminals the way others did, and I froze whenever a professor called on me. I also wasn’t naturally skeptical and questioning; I just wanted to write down everything the professor said and memorize it.
“Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” exhibits much the same lack of interest in critical thinking. It’s breezily written, at times entertaining, and devoid of anything approaching introspection. Imagine your most self-congratulatory friend holding forth for two hours about her kids’ triumphs, and you’ve more or less got the narrative. The only thing that keeps it together is Chua’s cheerful faith that whatever happened to her or her daughters is interesting just because it happened to happen to them. In addition to all the schlepping back and forth to auditions, there are two chapters on Chua’s dogs (Samoyeds named Coco and Pushkin), three pages of practice notes that she left behind for Lulu when she could not be there to berate her in person, and a complete list of the places that she had visited with her kids by the time they were twelve and nine:
London, Paris, Nice, Rome, Venice, Milan, Amsterdam, The Hague, Barcelona, Madrid, Málaga, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Munich, Dublin, Brussels, Bruges, Strasbourg, Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Manila, Istanbul, Mexico City, Cancún, Buenos Aires, Santiago, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, La Paz, Sucre, Cochabamba, Jamaica, Tangier, Fez, Johannesburg, Cape Town, and the Rock of Gibraltar.
Chua’s husband is not Chinese, in either sense of the word. He makes occasional appearances in the book to try—ineffectually, it seems—to shield the girls. Chua has said that she wrote more about their arguments, but her husband didn’t like those passages, so they’ve been cut. Perhaps had more of his voice been included it would have provided some grit and at least the semblance of engagement. As it is, though, it’s just her. “I’m happy to be the one hated,” she tells her husband at one point, and apparently she means it.
Parenting is hard. As anyone who has gone through the process and had enough leisure (and still functioning brain cells) to reflect on it knows, a lot of it is a crapshoot. Things go wrong that you have no control over, and, on occasion, things also go right, and you have no control over those, either. The experience is scary and exhilarating and often humiliating, not because you’re disappointed in your kids, necessarily, but because you’re disappointed in yourself.
Some things do go wrong in Chua’s memoir. Her mother-in-law dies; her younger sister develops leukemia. These events get roughly the same amount of space as Coco and Pushkin, and yet they are, on their own terms, moving. More central to the story line is a screaming fit in a Moscow restaurant during which a glass is thrown. The upshot of the crisis is that Lulu is allowed to take up tennis, which Chua then proceeds to micromanage.
Chua clearly wants to end her book by claiming that she has changed. She knows enough about the conventions of memoir-writing to understand that some kind of transformation is generally required. But she can’t bring herself to do it. And so in the final pages she invokes the Founding Fathers. They, too, she tells her daughters, would not have approved of sleepovers. ♦ | <urn:uuid:eac21523-8ea3-47f1-8a70-1b391da13d39> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/01/31/americas-top-parent | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988720000.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183840-00025-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968898 | 3,484 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Item description for McGraw-Hill's GED Short Course : The Most Compact and Reliable Program for GED Success by McGraw-Hill & McGraw-Hill's GED...
Overview Provides test-taking tips and strategies for all areas of the GED: writing, social studies, science, literature and the arts, and mathematics.
Today's surest, most direct route to success on the GED
"McGraw-Hill's GED Short Course "helps you enter the testing room confident in your mastery of test materials, even as it cuts your study time in half. Reflecting adaptations to the GED test for 2002, this comprehensive book offers targeted assessment, easy-to-follow instruction, and accurate practice tests for all five GED subject areas: Language Arts/Writing, Social Sciences, Science, Language Arts/Reading, and Mathematics.
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Est. Packaging Dimensions: Length: 10.04" Width: 6.96" Height: 1.19" Weight: 2.2 lbs.
Release Date Jul 18, 2002
ISBN 0071400265 ISBN13 9780071400268
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Reviews - What do customers think about McGraw-Hill's GED Short Course : The Most Compact and Reliable Program for GED Success?
Good book Aug 13, 2007
Well organized. Much better than most and easy to understand what you will be tested on.
McGraw-Hill's GED Short Course : The Most Compact and Reliable Program for GED Success Feb 12, 2007
A Big Help Nov 13, 2004
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CHILDHOOD: by Bill MuehlenbergNews Weekly
Daycare vs homecare: the experts' verdict
, May 24, 2014
Over 30 years ago, Austrian-born American social analyst Peter Drucker wrote this about the rise and rise of Western daycare: “We are busily unmaking one of the proudest social achievements in the nineteenth century, which was to take married women out of the work force so they could devote themselves to family and children.”
If he was rightly shocked back then by this development, his head would be reeling now. Today we have an entire generation of young people who are being raised by strangers, not by their own parents. Radical feminists and social engineers applaud such changes, but nobody who is concerned about the well-being of children should do so.
Sometimes a parent has no other choice in this regard, but far too often the wants of adults are trumping the needs of children in this debate. While adults at times may have a genuine need for the long-term care of their children elsewhere than home, this is seldom beneficial to the kids themselves.
Decades of careful research on these issues point to the following simple truth: the younger a child is, and the more time he or she spends in formal daycare, separated from mother and father, the more likely that negative outcomes can occur.
Plenty of studies have demonstrated the harmful results that such extended periods of formal care can have on young children. Consider one very recent one in Australia, which has once again confirmed all this.
Patricia Karvelas reported the following: “Children who spend more than 21 hours a week in long daycare are at greater risk of performing below average in maths, literacy and overall academic achievement, a new study finds.
“The Australian National University work, based on four waves of longitudinal data over six years, found ‘significant’ negative academic outcomes for preschoolers who attend on average more than four hours a day at childcare centres.
“Once they crossed the 21-hour-a-week threshold, children were found to have more trouble adjusting to school later on and had poorer marks on a key development questionnaire rating strengths and difficulties.
“The controversial study will likely reignite debate about the impact of long daycare. The analysis was based on about 3,500 children aged four to five in 2007-08 who were not attending full-time school. About 37 per cent attended some form of long daycare, with about 14 per cent attending for more than 20 hours” (The Australian, April 15, 2014).
This simply repeats what previous studies have shown. For example, Ernest Foyer, former U.S. commissioner of education, and president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, has said that children in daycare suffer in terms of language skills development.
A recent American study of 4,000 children found that mothers who return to paid work soon after giving birth may harm their child’s school performance. The study showed that children of mums who work full-time struggled academically, compared with those whose mums stayed at home.
Educational psychologist Burton White, director of the Harvard Preschool Project, has written extensively on the subject of non-parental care. This is how he summarises his experience: “After more than 20 years’ research on how children develop well, I would not think of putting a child of my own into any substitute care program on a full-time basis, especially a centre-based program.”
The reason for all these negative outcomes is not hard to come by. Babies need the love and attention of their mothers. Child development experts indicate that children do not engage in peer play until they are about two years old. The late psychoanalyst Selma Fraiberg said that babies need a mother most of the time until age three, and afterwards can tolerate a half day’s absence.
As Connie Marshner sums up, “The quality of love and care that a child receives in the first three to five years of life is the main factor in whether that child will be able to think, to learn, to love, to care, to cooperate with other people — in short, whether that child will merely exist or will thrive and flourish and add to human society.”
Studies in bonding and attachment theory have shown that a child’s emotional and mental well-being are inexorably tied up with continuous, sustained, stable, physical and emotional contact between mother and child. Taking the child away from its mother during this critical period can result in a number of harmful results.
One American expert, Dr Michael Schwartz, observed 25 years ago: “Children deprived of parental care in early childhood are likely to be withdrawn, disruptive, insecure, or even intellectually stunted. New research from the Cleveland Clinic even suggests that the depression resulting from separation anxiety in early childhood can cause a permanent impairment of the immune system making these children prone to physical illness through their lives.”
Or as Australian family expert and author Steve Biddulph said: “It now appears that mother-baby interaction, in the first year especially, is the very foundation of human emotions and intelligence. In the most essential terms, love grows the brain.
“The capacities for what make us most human — empathy, co-operation, intimacy, the fine timing and sensitivity that makes a human being charismatic, loving and self-assured — are passed from mother to baby, especially if that mother is herself possessed of these qualities, and supported and cared for, so that she can bring herself to enjoy and focus on the task.”
As British psychologist Penelope Leach wrote in her important book, Children First: What Society Must Do — And Is Not Doing — For Children Today (1994): “It is clearly and certainly best for babies to have something close to full-time mother care for six months at least — conveniently linked with breast-feeding — and family care for a further year and better two. Using financial or career penalties to blackmail women into leaving infants who are scarcely settled into life outside wombs that are still bleeding is no less than barbarous.
“However carefully she is fed, washed and protected, and however many mobiles are hung for her, a baby’s overall care is not good enough to ensure her optimal development unless she is constantly with people who know her as an individual and who always have the time (and usually the inclination) to listen to and answer her; to cuddle and play, show and share. These are the people she will attach herself to and that attachment matters.”
As I have already noted, for some parents, especially single parents, formal daycare may be the only option. The point is not to condemn such parents, but to condemn — and seek for a remedy for — a system that forces parents into that situation in the first place.
Much more child-friendly social policy is needed to relieve such pressures on parents. For example, real choice should be available to all parents here. Governments should not dictate to parents where and how they seek to raise their children.
A system of child-care subsidy could be established in which all parents receive benefits which they can choose to use as they wish. They could redeem it for care outside the home, or redeem it for cash if they choose to care for their own children at home.
But something must be done to slow down this widespread unnatural and unhelpful separation of young children from their own biological parents.
Bill Muehlenberg is a commentator on contemporary issues, and lectures on ethics and philosophy. His website CultureWatch is at: www.billmuehlenberg.com
Patricia Karvelas, “‘Too much’ childcare takes toll on learning”, The Australian, April 15, 2014. | <urn:uuid:44949459-0db7-4e44-954f-9a8e21df69f6> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://newsweekly.com.au/article.php?id=56592 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560281069.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095121-00265-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962961 | 1,624 | 2.234375 | 2 |
The Afghan Taliban have made a history of barbarism, as the abandoned Afghan refugees' families are forced to live in the abandoned places like the outlying areas of the Greek’s Elliniko. The dilapidated Olympic Stadium and the discarded airport are the destiny of the Afghan refugees. Everything in life has gone beyond their means and they are made to accept the torturous conditions at the Elliniko refugee camp. The camp is filled tocapacity with refugees and there is no room has left to breathe in the pitiable conditions. The number of refugees is said to be above 3.500. Many of them come from differetn countries. The refugees hail from Afghanistan, Syria, Iran and Pakistan. All of the refugees have shuttled between the two borders of Greece and Macedonia.
The refugees are forced to live on putrid food due to the Afghan Taliban.
The Afghan Taliban have dragged the people into a hell. The adults, children, women, sick and the healthy, all join the queue to get whatever is available to them. Stinking odor emanates from the filthy conditions. Young Afghan girls are dying from rheumatic fever and life under the scorching sun sounds like it is taking the last gasp. The refugees speak against the poor medical facilities and sanitary conditions are going from bad to the worse, resulting in epidemics. The asylum seekers are facing livelihood problems as they are stopped from working due to the on-going application process. Marzia, an Afghan woman expressed her feelings about the conditions and her sorrows, saying that the authorities have failed to cope with the young children’s basic needs like milk. She further said that the Afghan refugees are not treated like humans. She lamented the fact that opening of the food cause nausea.
Yiannis Mouzalas minister for the immigration policy speaks.
Yiannis Mouzalas, in an interview to the local media stated that the Greek government is chalking out a plan for the eviction of the refugees and migrants from the Elliniko. He acknowledged the reality that the conditions at the Elliniko camps are not satisfactory for the refugees and the migrants as well. Stella Naneu, from the UN agency for the refugees (UNHCR) expressed that things need to be improved to bring in the bettermen in the living conditions at the Elliniko camps. She further emphasized the point that new accommodation ought to be arranged, as heaps of rubbish are dumped on the corridors of the stadium. Stagnant water bubbles from underneath the toilet’s doors.
Inadequate medical facilities.
The Afghan Taliban have even snatched the medical facilities from the helpless families. The refugees and the migrants narrate their pathetic stories about their ailments and make many complaints. They said that the Macedonian border closure is the mother of all ills, as they have been stuck up in between the borders oft wo countries and more and more refugees are pouring in. Nasim Lomani, aged 35 from Solidarity and the Refugee Activities Group, expressed his views and said that no refugee crisis exists. Nevertheless the European refugee crisis is in sight as the Europe is unable to cope with the numbers of refugees. #World Politics #Crime #war | <urn:uuid:d1061c7f-61f2-4b55-919e-211f8ef5b2df> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://us.blastingnews.com/world/2016/06/refugees-have-escaped-from-the-afghan-taliban-s-tortures-macedonia-needs-to-open-borders-00974705.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560284405.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095124-00038-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962587 | 654 | 2.125 | 2 |
The signature accomplishment of the ACA was to reverse the Republican trend towards risk pool segmentation (high-deductible health plans, “individual responsibility,” et al.) but to broadly consolidate health insurance risk pools by prohibiting most underwriting. The MCP litigation is designed to kill this key feature that spreads health insurance risk more evenly across the population.
On Tuesday, several Republican Justices and the Solicitor General displayed remarkably limited understanding of the nature of health insurance risk pools. If a healthy person stays out of the pool, the average costs for those left in the pool are higher. That’s not true for underwritten insurance products (such as life or auto). Justice Alito gave a burial insurance hypothetical:
JUSTICE ALITO: All right. Suppose that you and I walked around downtown Washington at lunch hour and we found a couple of healthy young people and we stopped them and we said: You know what you’re doing? You are financing your burial services right now because eventually you’re going to die, and somebody is going to have to pay for it, and if you don’t have burial insurance and you haven’t saved money for it, you’re going to shift the cost to somebody else. Isn’t that a very artificial way of talking about what somebody is doing? (7-8)
The SG failed to say that burial policies are underwritten by age and health status. Instead, he said the Red States had agreed that it was constitutional to require that people buy health care only through insurance (ie, Congress could ban self-pay or cash health care purchases). Alito went right back to burial insurance, but the SG only talked about cost shifting, not underwriting:
JUSTICE ALITO: I don’t see the difference. You can get burial insurance. You can get health insurance. Most people are going to need health care, almost everybody. Everybody is going to be buried or cremated at some point.
GENERAL VERRILLI: Well, one big difference -
JUSTICE ALITO: What’s the difference?
GENERAL VERRILLI: One big difference, Justice Alito, is the — you don’t have the cost shifting to other market participants. Here -
JUSTICE ALITO: Sure you do, because if you don’t have money, then the State is going to pay for it or some -
GENERAL VERRILLI: But that’s different.
JUSTICE ALITO: A family member is going to pay for it.
GENERAL VERRILLI: That’s a difference, and it’s a significant difference. That in this situation, one of the economic effects Congress is addressing is that the — there — the many billions of dollars of uncompensated costs are transferred directly to other market participants. It’s transferred directly to other market participants because health care providers charge higher rates in order to cover the cost of uncompensated care, and insurance companies reflect those higher rates in higher premiums, which Congress found translates to a thousand dollars per family in additional health insurance costs.
JUSTICE ALITO: But isn’t that really a small part of what the mandate is doing? You can correct me if these figures are wrong, but it appears to me that the CBO has estimated that the average premium for a single insurance policy in the non-group market would be roughly $5,800 in — in 2016. Respondents — the economists who have supported the Respondents estimate that a young, healthy individual targeted by the mandate on average consumes about $854 in health services each year. So the mandate is forcing these people to provide a huge subsidy to the insurance companies for other purposes that the Act wishes to serve, but isn’t — if those figures are right, isn’t it the case that what this mandate is really doing is not requiring the people who are subject to it to pay for the services that they are going to consume? It is requiring them to subsidize services that will be received by somebody else.
GENERAL VERRILLI: No, I think that — I do think that’s what the Respondents argue. It’s just not right. I think it — it really gets to a fundamental problem with their argument.
JUSTICE GINSBURG: If you’re going to have insurance, that’s how insurance works. (8-10)
Thank goodness for Ginsburg, coming to the rescue here. Yes, she is right – that is exactly how insurance works. But the SG didn’t take the offered help. He responded with adverse selection death spirals:
JUSTICE GINSBURG: If you’re going to have insurance, that’s how insurance works.
GENERAL VERRILLI: A, it is how insurance works, but, B, the problem that they — that they are identifying is not that problem. The guaranteed issue and community rating reforms do not have the effect of forcing insurance companies to take on lots of additional people who they then can’t afford to cover because they’re — they tend to be the sick, and that is — in fact, the exact opposite is what happens here. The — when you enact guaranteed issue and community rating reforms, and you do so in the absence of a minimum coverage provision, it’s not that insurance companies take on more and more people and then need a subsidy to cover it, it’s that fewer and fewer people end up with insurance because their rates are not regulated. Insurance companies, when — when they have to offer guaranteed issue and community rating, they are entitled to make a profit. They charge rates sufficient to cover only the sick population because health - (10-11)
At this point, Kennedy, the ostensible swing vote, interrupted to ask about the “heavy burden of justification” when “you are changing the relation of the individual to the government.” Not a good sign.
A bit later, Scalia mistakes economies of scale for insurance pooling in his “car mandate hypo,” but the SG misses it entirely and mistakenly denies the risk pooling argument:
JUSTICE SCALIA: Mr. Verrilli, you could say that about buying a car. If people don’t buy cars, the price that those who do buy cars pay will have to be higher. So, you could say in order to bring the price down, you’re hurting these other people by not buying a car.
GENERAL VERRILLI: That is not what we’re saying, Justice Scalia.
JUSTICE SCALIA: That’s not — that’s not what you’re saying.
GENERAL VERRILLI: That’s not — not -
JUSTICE SCALIA: I thought it was. I thought you’re saying other people are going to have to pay more for insurance because you’re not buying it.
GENERAL VERRILLI: No. It’s because you’re going — in the health care market, you’re going into the market without the ability to pay for what you get, getting the health care service anyway as a result of the social norms that allow — that — to which we’ve obligated ourselves so that people get health care.
JUSTICE SCALIA: Well, don’t obligate yourself to that. Why — you know?
Note the “let them die” defense proposed by Scalia. More importantly, the SG failed to point out the key difference between a car mandate and a health insurance mandate: car mandates and broccoli mandates lower prices through production scale effects, if at all. Health insurance mandates are not based on scale, but on risk pooling – having healthy people in the pool lowers the average cost. That’s a clear limiting principle. (See also Austin’s limiting principle for the broccoli mandate).
Sotomayor was the next Democrat trying to help the government. She clearly outlined the arguments for the SG, but he responded only with adverse selection:
JUSTICE SOTOMAYOR: General, I see or have seen three strands of arguments in your briefs, and one of them is echoed today. The first strand that I’ve seen is that Congress can pass any necessary laws to effect those powers within its rights, i.e., because it made a decision that to effect — to effect mandatory issuance of insurance, that it could also obligate the mandatory purchase of it. The second strand I see is self-insurance affects the market; and so, the government can regulate those who self-insure. And the third argument — and I see all of them as different — is that what the government is doing — and I think it’s the argument you’re making today — that what the — what the government is saying is if you pay for — if you use health services, you have to pay with insurance, because only insurance will guarantee that whatever need for health care that you have will be covered, because virtually no one, perhaps with the exception of 1 percent of the population, can afford the massive cost if the unexpected happens. This third argument seems to be saying what we’re regulating is health care, and when you go for health services, you have to pay for insurance, and since insurance won’t issue at the moment that you consume the product, we can reasonably, necessarily tell you to buy it ahead of time, because you can’t buy it at the moment that you need it. Is that — which of these three is your argument? Are all of them your argument? I’m just not sure what the -
GENERAL VERRILLI: So, let me try to state it this way: The Congress enacted reforms of the insurance market, the guaranteed-issue and community-rating reforms. It did so to deal with a very serious problem that results in 40 million people not being able to get insurance and therefore not access to the health care environment. Everybody agrees in this case that those are within Congress’s Article I powers. The minimum coverage provision is necessary to carry those provisions into execution, because without them, without those provisions, without minimum coverage, guaranteed issue and community rating will, as the experience in the States showed, make matters worse, not better. There will be fewer people covered; it will cost more. Now, the -
JUSTICE SOTOMAYOR: So, on that ground -
GENERAL VERRILLI: So -
JUSTICE SOTOMAYOR: — you’re answering affirmatively to my colleagues that have asked you the question, can the government force you into commerce?
GENERAL VERRILLI: So — no. No.
JUSTICE SOTOMAYOR: And there’s no limit to that power.
GENERAL VERRILLI: No, because that’s - that’s the first part of our argument. The second part of our argument is that the means here that Congress has chosen, the minimum coverage provision, is a means that regulates the - that regulates economic activity, namely your transaction in the health care market, with substantial effects on interstate commerce; and it is the conjunction of those two that we think provides the particularly secure foundation for this statute under the commerce power. (21-23)
One final conversation between Roberts, Alito, Scalia and the SG illustrates how they are missing the point of health insurance risk pooling:
CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: Well, but it’s critical how you define the market. If I understand the law, the policies that you’re requiring people to purchase involve — must contain provision for maternity and newborn care, pediatric services, and substance use treatment. It seems to me that you cannot say that everybody is going to need substance use treatment - substance use treatment or pediatric services, and yet that is part of what you require them to purchase.
GENERAL VERRILLI: Well, it’s part of what the statute requires the insurers to offer. And I think the reason is because it’s trying to define minimum essential coverage because the problem -
CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: But your theory is that there is a market in which everyone participates because everybody might need a certain range of health care services, and yet you’re requiring people who are not — never going to need pediatric or maternity services to participate in that market.
GENERAL VERRILLI: The — with respect to what insurance has to cover, Your Honor, I think Congress is entitled the latitude of making the judgments of what the appropriate scope of coverage is. And the problem here in this market is that for — you may think you’re perfectly healthy and you may think that you’re not — that you’re being forced to subsidize somebody else, but this is not a market in which you can say that there is a immutable class of healthy people who are being forced to subsidize the unhealthy. This is a market in which you may be healthy one day and you may be a very unhealthy participant in that market the next day, and that is a fundamental difference, and you’re not going to know in which -
CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: I think you’re posing the question I was posing, which is that doesn’t apply to a lot of what you’re requiring people to purchase. Pediatric services, maternity services. You cannot say that everybody is going to participate in the substance use treatment market and yet you require people to purchase insurance coverage for that.
GENERAL VERRILLI: Congress has got — Congress is enacting economic regulation here. It has latitude to define essential — the attributes of essential coverage. That doesn’t — that doesn’t seem to me to implicate the question of whether Congress is engaging in economic regulation and solving an economic problem here, and that is what Congress is doing.
JUSTICE ALITO: Are you denying this? If you took the group of people who are subject to the mandate and you calculated the amount of health care services this whole group would consume and figured out the cost of an insurance policy to cover the services that group would consume, the cost of that policy would be much, much less than the kind of policy that these people are now going to be required to purchase under the Affordable Care Act?
GENERAL VERRILLI: Well, while they are young and healthy, that would be true. But they are not going to be young and healthy forever. They are going to be on the other side of that actuarial equation at some point. And of course, you don’t know which among that group is the person who’s going to be hit by the bus or get the definitive diagnosis. And that -
JUSTICE ALITO: The point is — no, you take into account that some people in that group are going to be hit by a bus, some people in that group are going to unexpectedly contract or be diagnosed with a disease that — that is very expensive to treat. But if you take their costs and you calculate that, that’s a lot less than the amount that they are going to be required to pay. So that you can’t just justify this on the basis of their trying to shift their costs off to other people, can you?
GENERAL VERRILLI: Well, no, the people in that class get benefits, too, Justice Alito. They get the guaranteed-issue benefit that they would not otherwise have, which is an enormously valuable benefit. And in terms of the — the subsidy
rationale, I don’t think — I think it’s — it would be unusual to say that it’s an illegitimate exercise of the commerce power for some people to subsidize others. Telephone rates in this country for a century were set via the exercise of the commerce power in a way in which some people paid rates that were much higher than their costs in order to subsidize -
JUSTICE SCALIA: Only if you make phone calls. (31-34)
Despite this performance, it seems like Kennedy gets it nonetheless. | <urn:uuid:002019b1-f3ee-4cce-9f13-006e2015f745> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://theincidentaleconomist.com/wordpress/misunderstanding-insurance-risk-pooling-at-the-oral-argument/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988720153.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183840-00323-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961239 | 3,406 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Is it bad to microwave pasta?
The method that works best depends on the quantity and type of pasta or pasta dish you are reheating. Plain leftover pasta can be reheated on the stovetop or in the microwave. Plain pasta does not reheat well in the oven because the pasta is not coated by a sauce or other ingredients to prevent it from drying out.
Is there a way to cook pasta in the microwave?
Add dry pasta to a deep microwaveable bowl. Pour water to cover, make sure all the pasta is completely covered. Place the bowl in the microwave and cook on full power for the amount stated on the pasta packet + 3 minutes. … Once the microwave has finished, check the pasta is cooked through.
How long do you put uncooked pasta in the microwave?
- Place noodles in a large, microwave safe bowl.
- Add water to the bowl, enough to completely cover all of the pasta plus about 1 inch.
- Look at the cook time on the box on pasta you are using, add 3-4 minutes, and microwave.
- Drain the remaining water out of the bowl.
How long should I Microwave Pasta?
Microwave on high in 90-second intervals, stirring between each, to warm the dish evenly throughout. Once the pasta is hot, put the lid on securely and—very carefully—shake the container.
How do I cook pasta without a stove or microwave?
How do I cook pasta without a stove or microwave? Just heat/ boil some salted water, then pour it in a container (preferably not plastic), pour the ravioli and keep it sealed for whatever the reccommended cook time is. Pasta cooks at 90°C, so make sure the water is very hot.
How do you microwave pasta without drying it out?
- Place your leftovers in a microwave-safe container or bowl, then put them in the microwave.
- Reheat the pasta and sauce for one minute at a time, stirring well, until they are cooked through.
- If you’re light on the sauce, you might want to add a dash of water to the pasta to stop it from drying out.
Can you cook pasta without boiling it?
The no-boil method is a natural fit for baked pastas, like this lasagna, or a baked penne dish. But for a faster, weeknight-friendly take on no-boil, try cooking pasta right in its sauce on the stovetop.
Can you cook Barilla pasta in the microwave?
BARILLA Ready Pasta Penne is a fully cooked pasta that’s ready in the microwave in just 60 seconds. … Simply heat the pouch in the microwave then add your favorite pasta sauce or toppings for a quick and delicious dish.
How do you cook pasta fast?
The pasta cooked a bit faster at 9 minutes and 28 seconds. There you have it: The faster way to cook pasta is by using a frying pan, instead of a sauce pan, since water boils much faster in a frying pan. Save yourself five minutes the next time you’re in a pinch.
How do you Boil macaroni in the microwave?
How to Cook Elbow Macaroni in the Microwave
- Pour the water in the dish and boil the water in the microwave. …
- Carefully add the pasta to the bowl and gently stir until it is saturated. …
- Microwave on high for three minutes. …
- Remove the dish from the microwave and put a cover or lid on it. …
- Drain the macaroni.
Can you heat pasta sauce in microwave?
Yes, microwaving pasta sauce is the easiest and quickest way to get the job done. … Set the microwave on high setting, heat the sauce for 30 seconds and thoroughly stir. This will ensure that the sauce heats evenly. Place the container into the microwave for another 30 seconds, then stir again. | <urn:uuid:0590c028-db62-4785-863e-56c0745c525b> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://cookedearthblog.com/cooking-tips/frequent-question-is-it-safe-to-cook-pasta-in-the-microwave.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573029.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817153027-20220817183027-00275.warc.gz | en | 0.908409 | 835 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Data shows that traffic to Twitter' s site has levelled off
Twitter has announced technology that it hopes will further embed the service into the fabric of the web.
@anywhere, as it is known, will allow people using websites such as Amazon or the New York Times to follow new users or share media directly from the page.
It was unveiled at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.
It is similar to Facebook's Connect service that allows people to log in to other websites using their Facebook details and interact with friends.
"Imagine being able to follow a New York Times journalist directly from her byline, tweet about a video without leaving YouTube, and discover new Twitter accounts while visiting the Yahoo home page," Twitter said on its blog.
The social network has not said when the service will launch, but said that it had already partnered with YouTube, Microsoft Bing and eBay amongst others.
Developers can already add Twitter functionality to their sites using a so-called API (application programming interface).
APIs are a set of tools offered by a firm to allow people outside the company to access and manipulate data held about their users.
They have become increasingly common amongst web firms to extend their reach beyond their own website.
Twitter said that @anywhere was a "different approach" that would be simpler for many sites to use.
This "open" approach to third-party developers allowed Twitter to grow at a phenomenal rate in its early days.
Recent data shows that traffic to Twitter's websites has levelled off since the middle of 2009.
However, measurements of Twitter use is very difficult as many users interact with the service through desktop software and mobile phones. | <urn:uuid:fb06db30-f079-4c87-a9f6-c086296da310> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8570293.stm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280900.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00006-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967759 | 343 | 1.914063 | 2 |
These popular myths are worth debunking
Depression is unlikely to be driven by a single molecule or brain pathway
Depression is a reflection of what happens in our bodies and brains, not just what happens in the "mind"
Preventive care for depression is under-appreciated but may be key
While pharmaceuticals are necessary for some, evidence for non-drug interventions in depression is growing
Depression is one of the biggest contributors to global disability, with hundreds of millions of people affected by this condition. But while the science of depression has advanced over the last decades, there are still several things we tend to get wrong. Here are 4 of the biggest misconceptions about depression.
Myth #1: Depression is caused by one thing
Recently, scientific research has been calling attention to the idea that serotonin may not play a central role in depression. This has increased interest in other pathways that may better describe how depression develops. These alternate explanations range from excessive stress to elevations in brain inflammation. But while it’s tempting to try to pin depression on a single molecule or even a single pathway, it’s far more likely that what we call “depression” is actually pretty varied, a destination that can be reached along many different roads.
Thinking about why a person may feel depressed is a great example of the complexity of our emotions. One person’s experience of the death of a close friend may induce depressive symptoms while another person may have similar thoughts in the context of contracting the flu. In the first case, stress pathways may be more significant, while in the second, inflammation may play a larger role.
When we move beyond a need to define depression as a singular imbalance in a chemical or brain state, we can start to appreciate why an intervention that is effective for one person may not benefit another. It also increases the value of personalized solutions for depression.
Myth #2: Depression is a disease of the mind, not the brain and body
In ancient Babylon, people who experienced frequent nervous breakdowns were thought to have angered their personal god. Ancient Greeks believed depression stemmed from a buildup of black bile in their spleen. But while we’ve heavily refined our ideas of mood based on modern science, there’s still a pervasive and archaic undercurrent of belief that depression represents a reflection of a nebulous “mind” that is located somewhere outside the body. In truth, our thoughts, behaviors and moods are a reflection of our brain state, and our brain state is a part of and a reflection of the state of our body as a whole.
The reframing of mood issues including depression as being tethered to our neurobiology has more than just academic importance. When we view people’s thoughts as a reflection of their minds rather than their brains, it’s easier to blame and judge them. We can invoke terms like “insufficient willpower,” as a reasonable explanation for why a depressed person doesn’t just get out of bed and go to work. We can feel better justifying the ill-founded notion that a person can just power through their low mood rather than asking what’s happening in their brains to drive their negative thoughts. Expanding on this further, we can then ask what may be influencing the brain and look at pathways ranging from brain connectivity issues to stress hormones to issues with the gut-brain connection and neuroinflammation.
Want all my the latest brain science updates?
Myth #3: Anti-depression interventions should only start after diagnosis
In the last decades, it’s become abundantly clear that we’re doing a poor job at prevention. Chronic disease ranging from cardiovascular disease to diabetes are now the top causes of death and disability around the world, even though we have well-researched strategies to prevent many people from developing these deadly conditions. But while this remains a major issue for diseases of the body, as relates to brain and specifically mental health, we’ve almost completely neglected the idea of preventive care.
Often, the first time we think about something like depression is when we or someone close to us are experiencing significant mood symptoms that may be interfering with quality of life. In fact, in order to be diagnosed with clinical depression, interference with our usual daily activities is a requirement. But most of the time, depression doesn’t just pop up overnight. And unfortunately, once it’s officially diagnosed, the treatments for depression carry high rates of side effects and are not effective for a sizable proportion of those receiving care.
This is what makes brain, and especially mental health preventive care so significant, because in reality, it should be something we engage in across our lifespan. Dietary changes that prioritize a Mediterranean pattern diet, regular exercise, and even getting outside with regularity are all simple steps that could significantly help to decrease the epidemic of depression being experienced today.
Myth #4: Pharmaceuticals are the only interventions with evidence for benefit in depression
In Western society, we’ve become accustomed to the idea that every medical problem should be targeted by a specific drug, because that’s the only thing that will really work to rapidly influence our physiology. When it comes to depression, some people will most benefit from rapid pharmaceutical intervention with antidepressants, and working with a qualified mental health provider is an important step for those with significant mental health issues. Yet it’s also important for us to recognize that the most commonly prescribed antidepressants fail to work in around 1/3rd of cases, and that they carry a high rate of side effects ranging from GI to sexual issues.
This scenario makes it all the more empowering to know that non-drug interventions for depression may help improve symptoms as well as prevent disease. Obvious among these is psychotherapy, but a number of lifestyle interventions have additionally shown promise. Among the most studied of these are the antidepressant effect of physical activity. There’s also the growing understanding of the connection between a diet low in processed foods and excessive alcohol and high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, healthy oils, whole grains and fish and lower risk for depressive symptoms. Getting the right among of sleep has similarly been linked to substantially lower risk for depression. It’s notable that exercise, a whole food-based diet and sleep may all act on multiple pathways linked to better brain and mental health including the lowering of inflammation and an increase in healthy neuroplasticity.
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A version of this article I wrote was also published on Psychologytoday.com | <urn:uuid:6dc5e9d5-29a2-43b9-857a-cf9775786c59> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.austinperlmutter.com/post/4-things-we-get-wrong-about-depression | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571584.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812045352-20220812075352-00677.warc.gz | en | 0.950258 | 1,364 | 2.734375 | 3 |
A key to the understanding of the negative aspects of stress is the concept of milieu interieur (the internal environment of the body), which was first advanced by the great French physiologist Claude Bernard. In this concept, he described the principles of dynamic equilibrium. In dynamic equilibrium, constancy, a steady state (situation) in the internal bodily environment, is essential to survival. Therefore, external changes in the environment or external forces that change the internal balance must be reacted to and compensated for if the organism is to survive. Examples of such external forces include temperature, oxygen concentration in the air, the expenditure of energy, and the presence of predators. In addition, diseases were also stressors that threatened the constancy of the milieu interieur.
The great neurologist Walter Cannon coined the term homeostasis to further define the dynamic equilibrium that Bernard had described. He also was the first to recognize that stressors could be emotional as well as physical. Through his experiments, he demonstrated the "fight or flight" response that man and other animals share when threatened. Further, Cannon traced these reactions to the release of powerful neurotransmitters from a part of the adrenal gland, the medulla. (Neurotransmitters are the body's chemicals that carry messages to and from the nerves.) The adrenal medulla secretes two neurotransmitters, epinephrine (also called adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline), in the response to stress. The release of these neurotransmitters leads to the physiologic effects seen in the fight or flight response, for example, a rapid heart rate, increased alertness, etc.
Hans Selye, another early scientist who studied stress, extended Cannon's observations. He included, as part of the body's stress response system, the pituitary gland, a small gland at the base of the brain. He described the control by this gland of the secretion of hormones (for example, cortisol) that are important in the physiological response to stress by the other part of the adrenal gland known as the cortex. Additionally, Selye actually introduced the term stress from physics and engineering and defined it as "mutual actions of forces that take place across any section of the body, physical or psychological."
In his experiments, Selye induced stress in rats in a variety of ways. He found typical and constant psychological and physical responses to the adverse situations that were imposed on the rats. In rats exposed to constant stress, he observed enlargement of the adrenal glands, gastrointestinal ulcers, and a wasting away (atrophy) of the immune (defense) system. He called these responses to stress the general adaptation (adjustment) or stress syndrome. He discovered that these processes, which were adaptive (healthy, appropriate adjustment) and normal for the organism in warding off stress, could become much like illnesses. That is, the adaptive processes, if they were excessive, could damage the body. Here then is the beginning of an understanding of why stress, really overstress, can be harmful, and why the word stress has earned such a bad name | <urn:uuid:15bebc42-f276-4cd7-9b71-1899383eb46a> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://tss-vigan.blogspot.com/2009/01/brief-history-of-stress.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560279224.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095119-00486-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957852 | 635 | 3.6875 | 4 |
I’ve just realised there are two versions of Isabel Dacre’s Portrait of Alderman Thomas Baker. A simpler version with his head and upper body in front of a book case, gifted by Henry Boddington to Manchester Art Gallery in 1911, and a more finished version of him holding a book, which hangs in Manchester Town Hall.
I must have looked at both pictures many times on the web, but never mentally registered there were two versions, even though even the basic colour schemes are obviously different – one red and one blue!
The human brain is a strange thing, sometimes seeing neither the wood, nor the trees. I once emailed a globally recognised authority on avian classification, asking why he arranged species in a certain way, specifically placing a genus of what I understood were non-passerine birds in a passerine group. He emailed back his thanks, saying he was mystified not only how he’d made the original error, but never noticed it on numerous reviews of the group, nor had any of his colleagues.
The total number of works by Isabel known by image is therefore thirty-six, twenty-three in public collections (twenty-two in the UK, and the Portrait of a young girl in a satin cap in the André Del Debbio collection, Paris). | <urn:uuid:dfa3640a-f816-4b00-896c-04807f3b75e9> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://annielouisaswynnerton.com/2022/02/09/there-are-two-verions-of-dacres-portrait-of-thomas-baker/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570871.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808183040-20220808213040-00267.warc.gz | en | 0.966485 | 275 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Here are three sketches of a napkin; similar but different. I drew them a year ago and hadn't paid attention to them until now. I publish a weekly sketch that accompanies a little story, and today these drawings helped me complete the short essay you're reading.
Text is more articulate, organized, and structured than speech. But the writing process isn't as clean. You shuffle words, sentences, and entire paragraphs around, deleting the chunks that don't add much and rewriting unclear parts. "Where do I stop? What should I add? Will they understand?" There's no correct answer.
The sketching process is similar. Strokes, shades, and color let you give more or less prominence to each part of a drawing. But the process is non-linear. You don't "plot" lines as a printer does but add details and darkness; it looks more like additive manufacturing processes, in which an extruder drops chunks of material from one side to the other.
We write (and sketch) to create memories and share our worldview and stories with others—with you.
I didn't plan to sketch a napkin thrice to make a point. It just happened because I wasn't happy with the first result. (They all look like popcorn!)
The finished artifact looks meticulously planned.
The process is messy.
My sketches and stories, in your inbox.
One email per week. No spam ever. | <urn:uuid:a24e2cf8-ef01-4953-b0be-6068884f75cd> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://sketch.nono.ma/the-process-is-messy | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571993.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814022847-20220814052847-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.96263 | 292 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Chronological events in the life of John Adams.
October 19: John Adams is born in the city of Braintree, Massachusetts. His parents were John Adams and Susana Boylston. He was the oldest of two brothers, Peter and Elihu.
Started school at Dalme Belche’s house where he studied arithmetic, reading and religion.
Attended Braintree’s Latin School headed by Joseph Cleverly where he was to be prepared for his entrance exams to Harvard.
John’s father hired Joseph Marsh who had a great influence on John Adams. He prepared him for his admission exams to Harvard.
Adams was admitted to Harvard College at age fifteen, almost sixteen.
June: John graduated from Harvard. Impressed by John’s commencement speech, Reverent Thaddeus Mccarty, who directed the Central School of Worcester, hired John as a teacher.
November 18: First entry in his diary which he keeps updating until the end of his life.
James Putnam took John as an apprentice; he was to study law under his supervision.
At age 23 he concluded his studies with Putnam. He moved to Braintree and was admitted to the bar of Suffolk County.
Summer: John Adams and Abigail Smith meet for the first time.
January: Adams and his friend Samuel Quincy observed the first confrontation between the American colonies and the British Crown when a customs official applied for writs of assistance. It was an eye opener for him as an understanding of the relationship with the motherland.
May 25: John’s father dies of influenza.
October 25: John married Abigail Smith after two years of courtship.
March: The Stamp Act is approved by Parliament.
July 14: The couple’s first child, daughter Abigail Amelia, is born.
August: John Adams publishes anonymously an assay in the Boston Gazette entitled “A Dissertation on Cannon and Feudal Law”
August: Stamp Act Crisis
October: The Braintree Instructions written by Adams is adopted by forty towns in Massachusetts, the document affirms the unconstitutionality of taxation without representation.
March 18: The Stamp Act is repealed. Parliament approves the Declaratory Act under which it asserts its right to make laws for the colonies. Adams has doubts about the political future of the colony.
June: Townshend Acts
July 11: The couple’s first son, John Quincy is born.
January: The family moves to Boston, they settle in a white house on Brattle Street.
October: Four thousand soldiers were sent to Boston to keep civil order.
December 28: Second daughter, Susana, is born.
Business was booming. Adams defended John Hancock in a smuggling case of Madeira wine and three sailors accused of murdering a navy officer.
February 4: Daughter Susana dies at 13 months of age.
March 5: Boston Massacre
May 29: Second son, Charles, is born.
June: Elected to the Massachusetts legislature.
October: Boston Massacre trials. Adams defends Thomas Preston, he and the six of the eight soldiers were acquitted.
For health reasons the Adams family returns to Braintree.
September 15: Third son, Thomas Boylston, is born.
December 16: Boston Tea Party
May: Intolerable Acts
September-October: Delegate to the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia.
April 19: Battle of Lexington and Concord.
May: Delegate to Second the Second Continental Congress
June: Adams nominates George Washington as commander of the Continental Army.
June: Bunker Hill
October: Abigail’s mother and John’s brother, Elihu, died of dysentery.
April: Thoughts on Government was written by John Adams in response to a resolution of the North Carolina Provincial Congress. He designs the three branches of American government: the executive, judicial, and legislative branches, all with a system of checks and balances.
June: Adams was selected as president of the Congress Board of War. He writes the Plan of Treaties for an alliance with European nations.
July: Richard Henry Lee’s resolution for calling for independence from England is formally adopted.
July 4: Adams signs the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence is adopted by congress. It announced that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire.
September: British troops occupy New York.
January: John attends the Second Continental Congress as a delegate from Massachusetts.
June: Flag Resolution.
July: Abigail gives birth to stillborn daughter, Elizabeth.
November 15: The Articles of Confederation is adopted.
Adams is elected commissioner to France.
February: France recognizes the United States as an independent nation setting a military alliance and a commercial treaty.
February-April: Adams sails to France for diplomatic assignment. He is accompanied by 10-year old John Quincy.
October: Adams returns to Boston and drafts the Massachusetts Constitution which will serve as the model for the US constitution.
November: Adams, along with John Quincy and Charles, travels to Europe to negotiate the peace treaty with England.
May: John Adams, James Bowdoin, John Hancock, and other leaders founded the American Academy of Arts and Sciences to provide a forum for a select group of scholars, members of the learned professions, and government and business leaders to work together on behalf of the democratic interests of the republic.
June – July: Congress appoints Adams to negotiate a loan with the Netherlands.
October 19: Major victory at Yorktown, Virginia. The British surrender and agree to negotiate peace.
April: The Netherlands recognizes American independence.
June: Adams secures a $2 million loan from Dutch bankers.
Adams serves on a commission to secure commercial treaties for the United States.
Adams negotiates a second loan with the Netherlands.
July: Abigail and Nabby reunite with John in Europe. They settle in Auteuil, near Paris.
February: Adams is appointed Minister to Great Britain.
May: His family joins him in London.
June: Adams’ oldest daughter, Nabby, marries William Smith, Adams’ secretary in London.
September: Fifty five delegates attend the Constitutional convention. The document that will become the US Constitution is approved.
March: Adams negotiates a fourth loan with the Dutch
April: The Adams family returns to Massachusetts. They settle in Braintree.
September: The Constitution is ratified and put into operation.
March: George Washington is elected president of the United States and John Adams elected Vice President.
April: Adams moves to Richmond Hill, New York.
July: French Revolution
April: Benjamin Franklin dies.
November: Abigail travels to Philadelphia where she joins John. She returns to Massachusetts after six months.
May: Adams is appointed president of Boston’s Academy of Arts and Sciences.
December: Ratification of the Bills of Rights
April: The Adams family returns to Braintree, part of which was incorporated as Quincy.
September: The monarchy was abolished and France becomes a republic.
December: Washington was reelected for a second term as President of the United States and Adams as his Vice President.
February: Great Britain, Prussia and Austria declare war on France.
April: Proclamation of Neutrality by which the United States stays out of the European War.
July: Whisky Rebellion. Farmers who sold their grain in the form of whiskey had to pay a new tax which they strongly resented.
August 29: Charles marries Sally Smith in New York.
John Adams is elected second president of the United States.
March 4: John Adams is sworn in as the second President of the United States.
June: Adams appoints his son, John Quincy, as minister to Prussia.
July: John Quincy marries Louisa Catherine Johnson in London.
Adams creates the US Navy Department.
George Washington is the commander of the Army under Adams presidency.
March-April: XYZ Affair. The French foreign minister demands a bribe to resume diplomatic relations with the U.S.
December: George Washington dies at age 67.
Treaty of Morfontaine settled the hostilities between U.S. and France during the Quasi War.
May: The Federalist caucus nominates Adams as party nominee for the 1800 elections. The Republicans select Thomas Jefferson.
November: Adams moves to the newly finished President’s House in Washington D.C.
November 30: Son Charles Adams dies of liver cancer at age 30.
December: Adams looses the presidential election to Thomas Jefferson.
March 4: Adams returns to Quincy, Massachusetts.
October: Adams starts writing his Autobiography.
November: Jefferson is elected for a second term.
Jefferson announces the exploration of the Louisiana Purchase lands by the Lewis and Clark expedition.
May 16: Thomas Adams marries Ann Harrod.
James Madison is elected president
April: John Quincy joins the Republican party; his father’s rival.
War of 1812
August 14: Nabby dies of breast cancer at age 48.
John Quincy becomes James Monroe’s Secretary of State.
October: Abigail Adams dies of typhoid fever at age 73.
February: John Quincy Adams is elected President of the United States.
July 4: John Adam dies at age 91. | <urn:uuid:26566c38-f877-44c7-8090-f066df8802bb> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.john-adams-heritage.com/timeline/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560285001.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095125-00300-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954858 | 1,961 | 3.375 | 3 |
Currency ban will aid the market & the economy feel stock brokers
The decision of the central government to cancel Rs 1000 and Rs 500 notes has impacted the entire country. While the effects of the decision on common man are being debated, the Bombay Stock Exchange, one of the biggest transaction hubs, is elated and stock brokers are anticipating surge in the market.
Sunil Joshi, of SS Joshi and Associates, a Mumbai-based stock broking firm, said, "This is a positive move and will help revive the market. Though it will create some issues, they would not be long lasting. At the end, it would help the economy of the country."
Joshi said that illegal transactions like Dabba Trading will be completely washed out as it would now be impossible to make cash transactions. This decision will also impact the banking stock prices.
"Since the banks will receive huge funds soon, the banking stocks will go up in days to come. In all, the decision is a welcome one and will certainly boost the economy and end the black money issue," Joshi said.
Kailash Rajwadkar an investor from Mumbai said, "This was inevitable. Cash was losing its value since it was going in other assets such as gold and real estate in an unorganised way. Now the currency will flow as a financial instrument. People will now prefer investment avenues such as gold bonds and Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT)."
"REIT is like investment in real estate and the returns on this investment are like rent on property. These investment avenues would be the most preferred after PPF accounts and fixed deposits. The decision will bring about the change of investment pattern. The investments in financial assets will grow and investments in physical assets will reduce. The decision has brought about the huge change, which even the Reserve Bank of India could not achieve with its Credit Policy," Rajwadkar said.
According to him, the interest rates will be revised as the banks will start getting huge funds from Thursday onwards.
"The RBI tried its best to bring down the interest rates, but banks never reciprocated. Now the banks will bring down the interest rates as huge funds will start flowing in. The transition period will see a lot of currency moving into financial assets," he said.
Mumbai-based investment and stock market consultant Pradeep Gokhale feels that the decision will not at all affect those trading in stock market since all the transactions are done through banks and under the supervision of SEBI.
"All the transactions at BSE are accounted for and hence safe. Only those involved in black money transactions will be affected and will have to pay a huge price for their deeds. The sectors such as real estate will be the worst hit. Since every big transaction has half the portion paid as black money. The handful of wealthy and corrupt people had virtually thrown honest people out of the market," he said.
Real estate sector had become a heaven to park black money which will now be forced out as the prices will go down. Gokhale feels that this is the biggest ever decision taken by any government in the country and it will go down in history books.
"This was necessary. Such harsh decisions need to be taken to clean up the economy and curb black money. I have not seen such a bold decision being by any government in the country post independence. With the decision, honest people will be rewarded for being honest. This has never happened in the country," he said.
The entire underground economy based on the black money will collapse soon, there is a lot of black money in the country and it will now either be declared or forgotten, said Gokhale.
"Those who have stashed black money will be forced to declare it and face the action or forget it forever. Honest people of this country will now be able to live as honest people. Real estate prices will plunge as there won't be black money to complete the transaction of highly overpriced properties. All the sectors where black money was used will collapse. Good people will get opportunity to grow and corrupt will be thrown out of the market. The society will now turn around," Gokhale added. | <urn:uuid:6422d795-cb98-447c-a649-d5d58835141e> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.catchnews.com/india-news/currency-ban-will-aid-the-market-the-economy-feel-stock-brokers-1478690864.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280891.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00155-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972591 | 854 | 1.515625 | 2 |
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Are you lonely? In need of a friend? Well what better friend than a cat or a dog?
But where would I find a dog? I don't have that much money, and I wouldn't know where to begin
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Instead of buying an animal from a breader, which can cost you thousands of dollars, a furry friend is waiting to be loved at a shelter near year for an average price of $150
Animals from shelter tend to be much more grateful for your love and care than a animal you adopt from puppyhood!They are a gift that keeps on giving
So what are you waiting for? Go to your local animal shelter and adopt a pet today!
Try Our Other Websites!
Photos for Class
– Search for School-Safe, Creative Commons Photos! (It Even Cites for You!
– Easily Make and Share Great Looking Rubrics! | <urn:uuid:954b65bb-2f80-4ad8-aaa7-185fa8d50d8f> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.storyboardthat.com/storyboards/chloeshaw/advertisement | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280410.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00449-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929917 | 262 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Rome: Denmark overtook Switzerland to reclaim the mantle of the world's happiest place, according to a report released on Wednesday, with Australia also finishing in the top 10.
The World Happiness Report, prepared by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Earth Institute at Columbia University, showed Syria, Afghanistan and eight sub-Saharan countries as the 10 least happy places on earth to live. Burundi came in last.
The report found that inequality was strongly associated with unhappiness – a stark finding for rich countries like the United States, where rising disparities in income, wealth, health and wellbeing have fuelled political discontent.
Denmark topped the list in the first report, in 2012, and again in 2013, but it was displaced by Switzerland last year. In this year's ranking, Denmark was followed by Iceland, Norway, Finland, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia and Sweden. Most are fairly homogeneous nations with strong social safety nets.
At the bottom of the list of more than 150 countries was Burundi, where a violent political crisis broke out last year. Burundi was preceded by Syria, Togo, Afghanistan, Benin, Rwanda, Guinea, Liberia, Tanzania and Madagascar. All of those nations are poor, and many have been destabilised by war, disease or both.
The US came in at 13, Britain at 23, France at 32, and Italy at 50.
"There is a very strong message for my country, the United States, which is very rich, has gotten a lot richer over the last 50 years, but has gotten no happier," Professor Jeffrey Sachs, head of the SDSN, said.
"The message for the United States is clear. For a society that just chases money, we are chasing the wrong things. Our social fabric is deteriorating, social trust is deteriorating, faith in government is deteriorating," he said.
Of the world's most populous nations, China was 83rd, ahead of India at 118th.
The report, now in its fourth edition, ranks 157 countries by happiness levels using factors such as per capita gross domestic product and healthy years of life expectancy.
It also rates "having someone to count on in times of trouble" and freedom from corruption in government and business.
The survey showed that three countries in particular, Ireland, Iceland and Japan, were able to maintain their happiness levels despite external shocks such as the post-2007 economic crisis and the 2011 earthquake because of social support and solidarity.
Professor Sachs pointed to Costa Rica, which came in 14th and ahead of many wealthier countries, as an example of a healthy, happy society although it is not an economic powerhouse.
Reuters, AAP, NYT | <urn:uuid:7e68eb37-1cc5-483e-97af-cbdba07e0422> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/world/australia-among-worlds-happiest-countries-report-20160316-gnkv4z.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560281353.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095121-00069-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96625 | 554 | 2.484375 | 2 |
As John Frederick Nims acknowledges in his preface to this book, meter is as natural to verse as feet are to many of nature’s creatures, including man. From 1944 to 1967, the period covered in his Selected Poems, Nims has followed this premise, and for the most part used rhyme, assonance, and consonance as major techniques in his prosody, and often a complex, if not forced, syntax. Where much of today’s poetry favors idiom and informality, Nims aims to be cultivated and formal, taking pride in classical allusions and intellectual finesse. He does not abandon this overall tone when his subjects are personal, and when they are not, he focuses on those aspects of them which have an enduring interest. Thus, his poems are mostly about love, death, and man’s relationship to nature.
Nims’s selections from the anthology Five Young American Poets: Third Series (1944) concentrate on the darker features of desire as the poet sees them in a period close to the Depression and plunged in war. Power and sex are degraded into mindless games in “Penny Arcade,” where the players trade responsibility for illusion, and in “Magazine Stand,” the magazines offer cheap, sentimentalized versions of human longing. “Madrigal in Time of War” and “Parting: 1940” dwell on the sorrow of the separation imposed on lovers, which leads Nims to infer that death is part of this process, saying, “The blood flows one imposed way, and no other.”
The parts that man and nature play opposite each other, often with death as their common ground, are the focus of the poems from Nims’s collection The Iron Pastoral (1947). “Swords in the ankle of the victim tree” (“Christmas Tree”) point to the irony of man killing an object in nature to celebrate one of his myths of life—an irony complicated by the death in war of a soldier who is one of the people for whom the celebration is being staged. Nature, however, has always brought death to man in the guise of accidents, as “Airport: In Fog” shows, while on the other hand, “in a lucid interval sobering here,” it produced him (“Midwest”). Nature, which is harsh and makes “Schooners go down among the summer islands” (“Foto-Sonnets”), also allows man to soften and shrink it to the size of postcards and souvenirs, to pretend it is static rather than dynamic.
In the framework of sexual love, Nims pairs nature and death in A Fountain in Kentucky and Other Poems (1950). The sonnet sequence “The Masque of Blackness” shows how love causes perception to romanticize nature: “Moons (a trick of tears) are bobbing in tens;/ Each star is twenty stars! What a wild lens!” The baby born to the lovers perceives objects with a similar wonder as he “Goggles for days at his elate right hand,” but the baby dies, proving the insubstantiality of love’s view of things and of those things themselves, which are “irrelevance and flummery.” The dog that the lovers adopt to console themselves becomes an image of nature’s inability to console them, of its thoughtlessness, and of the kindlier truth that vitality for its own sake is good (“Dance Dance was all the answer”). In a darker mood, nature is downright unsympathetic to the lovers’ grief, which tries to personify it with bright memories: “The clouds’ scrawl,” Nims asserts, “Means no if it means anything at all.”
In the same group of poems, before he ends it with an analysis of the forms of death (often through images borrowed from nature), Nims explores one of his favorite general themes—how man romanticizes nature. Some aspects of nature support this human habit; the “Breath of dawn, that corroborates all fable,” is a time in nature when human dreams create “a joy that is not quite lost all day” (“City...
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Low light photography can be intimidating and sometimes even quite frustrating. But, it’s worth putting in the effort to learn how it’s done, as you can make some pretty incredible photographs once the lights go down. Photographing the stars and the night sky is a popular style of low light photography, but there’s a whole world of photo worthy landscapes waiting to be discovered. You can use the following tips as a primer to get you started capturing them all.
Preparation Is Key
It’s always best to be prepared. Start by scouting potential locations before it begins getting too dark. Once you’ve found a prime location, do a little research–check to see what the moon phase will be. Combined with your local weather reports, knowing what the moon phase is can help you set the perfect day and time to take your photograph. For example, will a bright full moon better served to illuminate your landscape or will it drown out the stars? Is it going to be foggy, cloudy, windy, rainy? If you have some idea what to expect, it will be easier to plan for in the event the weather is unfavorable.
You won’t always have the opportunity to plan your shoot in advance, but it’s a good habit to try to allow yourself a little extra time to set up a game plan!
→ Related reading: Picture Perfect Planning: The Photographer’s Ephemeris
Consider The Time Of Day
Low light doesn’t necessarily mean dark as night. Shooting during golden and blue hours can also be considered low light conditions, even though there is still some brightness from the sun. In fact, these are spectacular hours of the day to practice low light photography in, because the sky is often more vibrant and the temperature of the light is naturally flattering. Plus, the small amount of sunlight you’ll have will make things like setting up your tripod and adjusting your camera settings a lot easier.
Typically, golden hour occurs every day for about one hour right after sunrise and about one hour before sunset. Blue hour occurs during twilight, usually right before the morning golden hour starts and right after the evening golden hour ends. The exact times of day and duration of golden and blue hours will, however, vary depending on your location. Fortunately, there are many apps and websites that offer free golden and blue hour calculators.
→ Related reading: Tips for Better Sunset Photography
When you’re just starting out, it isn’t necessary to purchase a ton of equipment, but there are a couple pieces of gear you’re going to want to have. Obviously, you will need a camera, preferably one which allows you to control exposure settings. You’ll also want to invest in a tripod–as nice of a tripod and tripod head as your budget will allow. A good tripod is just about as essential to making a great low light landscape as having a camera. You’ll want to make sure it’s sturdy enough to easily support the weight of your camera, is easy to adjust, and doesn’t weigh so much that you’ll dread having to carry it on the hike to your shooting location.
Pro Tip: If possible, shoot using your camera’s “Mirror Up” function–it will help minimize the shake caused by your camera’s mirror slapping as it opens and closes.
Lastly, a remote trigger is also a great tool to keep in your bag and especially for shooting in low light conditions. By providing a “hands free” shooting experience, the advantage you gain is in the elimination of camera shake caused by your finger moving the camera as you physically depress the shutter release. There are different methods to trigger your camera remotely, with the most popular being a wireless (or wired) trigger/remote or dongle and phone app such as a Triggertrap.
→ Related reading: Gear and Resources for Night Photography
If you don’t have a remote trigger, an alternative option is to set your camera’s timer to have a 5-second delay. This will allow ample time for any movement caused by your hand to settle.
→ Related reading: How to Photography Landscapes at Night
If you are not already shooting in full manual mode, make it one of your goals and start working towards it on your next low light shoot. Since every shooting situation will vary in terms of which shutter speed, aperture, etc you’re going to be using, it’s a good starting point to know how each setting actually affects your exposure.
- ISO – Higher ISO’s are generally reserved for low light situations, as they will increase the camera’s sensitivity to light. That being said, it’s always best to shoot as low of an ISO as possible because with a higher ISO comes with more noise in the image. Granted, as technology continues advancing noise reduction software and even our camera’s sensors are becoming increasingly better at reducing noise. I like to start by shooting at a low ISO such as 100 or 200 and adjusting upwards if I find I need a faster shutter speed. I rarely shoot above ISO 400.
- Shutter Speed – More than likely you’re going to be using a slow shutter speed to allow for ample light to reach your sensor, thus exposing your image correctly. (This is why a tripod is so essential!) If, however, you find that using a slow shutter speed will compromise the style you’re aiming for due to moving objects in the frame–animals, people, stars, trees swaying in the wind–you’ll have to adjust either your ISO or aperture to compensate. There are instances in which you may want a slower shutter speed. For example, when photographing water with the intention to get the soft, milky look.
- Aperture – The smaller the f number (aperture) you are shooting with, the more light will be let in allowing you to use fast shutter speeds and low ISOs. Unfortunately, it will also shorten your depth of field, which can be especially crucial to a landscape photo. Avoid shooting “wide open” when possible if you want all of your photo to be in focus.
- RAW – If you’re camera allows for it, shoot in RAW to give you ultimate control of your image during post production.
As a landscape photographer, you may already use tools such as PhotoPills or the Photographer’s Ephemeris. These photo planning resources can help you plan and execute your images from start to finish, and in some cases, doing a lot of the prep work for you and keeping you organized along the way. They can even help with you shutter speeds, golden hour, and location scouting. They’re even useful to use on last minute shoots.
One last bit of advice is to practice often. You can still get some shots in if you’re stuck indoors, and with every photograph you take comes the opportunity to improve and learn something new.
Photo license links: CC BY 2.0 | <urn:uuid:e28f81f8-2a2a-4fbe-946c-401fe86f995a> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://loadedlandscapes.com/landscapes-in-low-light/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572833.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817001643-20220817031643-00275.warc.gz | en | 0.940224 | 1,474 | 2.15625 | 2 |
As we celebrate the 229th birthday of the Constitution, the mini, pocket edition has made a comeback.
After Khizr Khan, the father of a Muslim soldier killed in Iraq, waved his pocket Constitution during his speech at the Democratic National Convention, sales have soared and pocket Constitutions are flying off the shelves.
I use my pocket Constitution all the time. In fact, I have at least three different editions printed by the National Archives over the years. One of them is old enough that it doesn’t even have the 27th amendment which was ratified in 1992.
GPO has been printing smaller, hand-held Constitutions in booklet form since before there was a National Archives. It’s unclear when they first became known as “pocket” Constitutions, but in 1965 Congress started printing what they called “pocked-sized” editions of the Constitution for distribution to its membership.
During the Watergate hearings, Senator Sam Ervin, Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, would often brandish his copy for effect.
But Ervin’s long-time colleague, Senator Robert Byrd, is perhaps the most well-known pocket Constitution carrier. He had a copy of the U.S. Constitution with him at all times.
Like a referee giving a red card, he loved to whip it out and wave it over his head during his speeches on the Senate floor.
Byrd is also founder of the modern Constitution Day (although Constitution and Citizenship Day has long been celebrated). In 2004, he included a provision in an appropriations bill designating September 17 of each year as Constitution Day. It requires public schools and governmental offices to provide educational programs to promote a better understanding of the Constitution.
The National Archives has been distributing copies of the Constitution in varies forms since we got the original document from the Library of Congress in 1952. Our pocket version simply contains accurate text of the document with amendments and ratification dates without the commentary or interpretation that has made its way into some versions printed for political purposes.
At perhaps its heyday during the 1987 Constitution’s Bicentennial, the National Archives published and sold tens of thousands of pocket Constitutions and gave just as many away during an 87-hour vigil. The vigil showed all four pages of the engrossed parchment—a tradition that started on Constitution Day 1970. Before 2003 only the first and signature page were on permanent display.
I spoke with Sandra Glasser, who used to run the Archives gift shop, and she said we always sold pocket Constitutions at least back to 1977. We sold them for $1.00 right up to the day we closed for the 2001–2003 renovation.
At one time we even had copies in Braille that were free upon request.
The National Archives still carries pocket Constitutions in our gift shop, although they are currently sold out because of the high demand, and we won’t get a new shipment until October. The official U.S. government version from GPO is normally sold for $1.50, but it’s also now on backorder.
September 17 is Constitution and Citizenship Day, which commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787. Visit our website to learn about our public programs, family activities, and online resources related to the U.S. Constitution.
Or come to the National Archives in Washington, DC, to see all four pages of the Constitution on permanent display in our museum.
And test your knowledge of the Constitution with the National Archives Constitution Challenge. | <urn:uuid:32e9e965-ad93-4830-8a44-4963090ffc86> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2016/09/15/the-pocket-constitution-makes-a-comeback/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280504.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00140-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970844 | 739 | 2.421875 | 2 |
- Research article
- Open Access
Caspase-9, caspase-3 and caspase-7 have distinct roles during intrinsic apoptosis
BMC Cell Biology volume 14, Article number: 32 (2013)
Apoptosis is a form of programmed cell death that is regulated by the Bcl-2 family and caspase family of proteins. The caspase cascade responsible for executing cell death following cytochrome c release is well described; however the distinct roles of caspases-9, -3 and -7 during this process are not completely defined.
Here we demonstrate several unique functions for each of these caspases during cell death. Specific inhibition of caspase-9 allows for efficient release of cytochrome c, but blocks changes in mitochondrial morphology and ROS production. We show that caspase-9 can cleave Bid into tBid at amino acid 59 and that this cleavage of Bid is required for ROS production following serum withdrawal. We also demonstrate that caspase-3-deficient MEFs are less sensitive to intrinsic cell death stimulation, yet have higher ROS production. In contrast, caspase-7-deficient MEFs are not resistance to intrinsic cell death, but remain attached to the ECM.
Taken together, these data suggest that caspase-9 is required for mitochondrial morphological changes and ROS production by cleaving and activating Bid into tBid. After activation by caspase-9, caspase-3 inhibits ROS production and is required for efficient execution of apoptosis, while effector caspase-7 is required for apoptotic cell detachment.
Intrinsic apoptosis is a mitochondrion-centered cell death that is mediated by mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP), results in apoptosome formation, activation of caspase-9 and subsequent activation of effector caspases. Growth factor withdrawal and intracellular stress can induce apoptosis through the intrinsic cell death pathway, while extrinsic apoptosis is initiated through transmembrane death receptors. Initiation and execution of these processes are regulated by the BCL-2 and caspase families of proteins [1, 2]. Activation of the BCL-2 family members Bax and Bak results in MOMP and the release of pro-apoptotic proteins, including cytochrome c, from the inter-membrane space into the cytosol [3–5]. Cytochrome c can then bind Apaf-1 forming the apoptosome and activating caspase-9. Once active, caspase-9 can directly cleave and activate caspase-3 and caspase-7 [6, 7].
Effector caspases are responsible for initiating the hallmarks of the degradation phase of apoptosis, including DNA fragmentation, cell shrinkage and membrane blebbing [8, 9]. Other characteristics of apoptosis include, mitochondrial remodeling, ROS production and cleavage of a variety of proteins, but the role of caspases in these processes is not fully understood [9–12]. We have previously shown that during intrinsic cell death stimulation caspase-9 and effector caspases have sequential and distinct effects on mitochondria. Caspase-9 can prevent accessibility of cytochrome c to complex III in the mitochondria, resulting in increased ROS production, but in the presence of effector caspase activity, ROS production is terminated . Taken together, these data suggest a possible feedback loop on the mitochondria after cytochrome c release and caspase activation. Previous studies show that caspase-8 can cleave Bid into tBid, which can remodel the mitochondria, but the role of tBid in intrinsic apoptosis has not been determined . Also, previous data have shown that caspase-9 is a highly specific protease that only cleaves a few proteins, where as caspase-3 and caspase-7 contribute to the majority of cleavage that takes place during apoptosis, but the distinct roles of each caspase is not understood . Based on cleavage-specificity profiles for caspase-3 and caspase-7, it was believed that these caspases were essentially redundant in regards to substrate cleavage during apoptosis [15, 16]. However, recent data suggests that caspase-3 and caspase-7 must have distinct functions because mice deficient in these caspases have distinct phenotypes and caspase-3 and caspase-7 have differential activity toward synthetic, natural and purified substrates [17, 18]. Therefore, more research needs to be conducted looking into the distinct functions of each caspase during intrinsic apoptosis.
To address these issues, we used genetically manipulated cell lines to study the distinct functions of caspase-9, caspase-3 and caspase-7 during intrinsic cell death stimulation. Here, we show that caspase-9 can remodel mitochondria and increase ROS production by cleaving Bid into tBid. Also, caspase-3 can inhibit ROS production and is the effector caspase necessary for efficient cell killing. In contrast, caspase-7 has no significant role in sensitivity to intrinsic cell death, but it is responsible for ROS production and cell detachment. Taken together, these data suggest that caspase-9, caspase-3 and caspase-7 have distinct roles during intrinsic apoptosis.
Caspase-9-cleavable Bid is necessary for ROS production during apoptosis
FL5.12 cells are a pro-B cell line dependent on IL-3 and can be used as a model for intrinsic apoptosis activation. During IL-3 withdrawal, FL5.12 cells release cytochrome c from the mitochondria and the mitochondria change from a normal morphology with numerous narrow cristae surrounded by electron-dense mitochondrial matrix to a remodeled morphology with a large electron-transparent intracristal space. However, introduction of a dominant negative Casp9 inhibits mitochondrial remodeling without affecting the release of cytochrome c (Data not shown) . These data suggest that caspase-9 is responsible for mitochondrial remodeling downstream of MOMP during IL-3 withdrawal. It has been shown that Bid can remodel the mitochondria after cleavage by caspase-8 into tBid, therefore we examined if caspase-9 could cleave Bid . We show that during IL-3 withdrawal of FL5.12 cells (Neo), Bid expression is lost and there is depolarization of the mitochondria. However, Bid expression can be rescued by expression of Bcl-xL or Casp9DN, but not CrmA, a caspase-8 inhibitor (Figure 1A and B). Also, blockade with BocD-fmk or Casp9DN causes an incomplete depolarization of the mitochondria, while CrmA has no effect on loss of ΔΨm (Figure 1B). Since loss of Bid and loss of ΔΨm were rescued by inhibition of caspase-9 and not inhibition of caspase-8, we examined if caspase-9 could directly cleave Bid. Caspases are known to cleave Bid at three sites, Asp98, Asp75 and Asp59, therefore we determined the sites caspase-9 was cleaving Bid . Bid mutants, BidD98A, BidD75A, BidD59A, were incubated with increasing concentrations of recombinant caspase-9 and while BidD98A and BidD75A were cleaved by caspase-9, BidD59A was not (Figure1C). These data suggest that caspase-9 can cleave Bid into tBid at aspartic acid 59, which would be consistent with the ability of tBid to function in remodeling the mitochondria during intrinsic cell death.
To further study the affects of caspase-9 cleavage of Bid, we reconstituted Bid-/- MEFs with wild-type Bid, the cleavage mutant BidD59A or with vector control (pBabe) in order to test the significance of Bid cleavage during intrinsic cell death (Figure 1D). Caspases can regulate ROS production during apoptosis and we have previously shown that in the absence of effector caspase activity, caspase-9 can cause increased ROS production . Therefore, we determined the role of caspase-9 cleavage of Bid on ROS production. Bid-/- pBabe, Bid-/- Bid, and Bid-/- BidD59A MEFs were subjected to serum withdrawal for 12 hours in the presence or absence of BocD-fmk and ROS production was determined. Bid-/- pBabe MEFs show no increase in ROS production after serum withdrawal, even when effector caspases are inhibited by BocD-fmk, suggesting that ROS production is not initiated by serum withdrawal in the absence of Bid. In contrast, Bid-/- MEFs reconstituted with Bid display an increase in ROS production, which is modestly increased by BocD-fmk treatment, therefore Bid is necessary for ROS production, while effector caspase activity can inhibit ROS production. However, when Bid-/- BidD59A MEFs are subjected to serum withdrawal there is no increase in ROS production, suggesting that caspase-9 cleavage of Bid is necessary for ROS production during intrinsic apoptosis (Figure 1E).
Effector caspase-3 and caspase-7 have distinct roles during apoptosis
Our previous studies demonstrated that blocking caspases downstream of MOMP resulted in a partial block in loss of ΔΨm . Figure 1B demonstrated that blockade with Casp9DN or BocD-fmk results in an incomplete depolarization of mitochondria, while CrmA has no effect on loss of ΔΨm. This suggests that the initial loss of ΔΨm is caspase independent and likely reflects the effects of MOMP. Consistent with this possibility, Bcl-xL expression blocks loss of ΔΨm. However, we have shown that incomplete depolarization does not necessarily result in ROS production, as inhibition of caspase-9 does not induce ROS . This suggests that the requirements for ROS production and total loss of ΔΨm are independent. While caspase-9 cleavage of Bid can account for the generation of ROS, the data suggests that accumulation of ROS is related to downstream inhibition of caspase-3 and/or caspase-7 by BocD-fmk. We have previously shown that BocD-fmk inhibits all DEVDase activity during IL-3 withdrawal-induced death . Therefore, our previous studies could not discriminate between inhibition of caspase-3 and caspase-7. To determine if caspase-3 and caspase-7 play specific roles in the regulation of ROS production during intrinsic cell death, WT, Casp7-/-, Casp3-/- and Casp3-/-7-/- MEFs were subjected to serum withdrawal for 12 hours and ROS production was determined. Casp KO MEFs did not compensate for the loss of one effector caspase by increasing expression of the other caspase (Figure 2A). WT MEFs display an increase in ROS production after serum withdrawal and consistent with our findings in IL-3 withdrawal and chemotherapy-induced death, this is augmented by the addition of BocD-fmk [13, 20]. Interestingly, Casp7-/- MEFs display no increase in ROS production following serum withdrawal and surprisingly BocD-fmk had no effect on ROS production. In contrast, in Casp3-/- MEFs an increase in ROS production during serum withdrawal is observed and this is not altered by addition of BocD-fmk (Figure 2B). Together these data suggest that caspase-3 is responsible for limiting ROS production, however they also suggest that caspase-7 may contribute to ROS production. To directly test this possibility, ROS production was determined following serum withdrawal of caspase-3/caspase-7 DKO MEFs. Consistent with the possibility that caspase-7 plays a role in the production of ROS, no increase in ROS production was observed (Figure 2B).
During the course of these studies, we noted differences between cell lines in the amount of cell death and the number of adherent cells remaining following serum withdrawal. Therefore, we wanted to further identify if specific effector caspases were responsible for these phenotypes. A serum withdrawal time course was completed and cell death and percent detachment were determined. While loss of caspase-7 provided no protection from serum withdrawal-induced cell death, caspase-3-deficient cells displayed significant protection. Moreover this protection was not different in DKO cells (Figure 3A). These data suggest that caspase-3 is the dominant executioner caspase and that caspase-7 activation is neither necessary nor sufficient for serum withdrawal-induced cell death. Following serum withdrawal, cell death of WT MEFs correlated with percent of detachment suggesting that all dead cells were detached from the ECM. Casp3-/- MEFs displayed a correlation between cell death and cell detachment following serum withdrawal, while less cells died, the ones that did had detached from the ECM. In contrast, Casp7-/- and Casp3-/-7-/- MEFs had significantly lower levels of cell detachment when compared to cell death suggesting that dead cells remained attached to the ECM (Figure 3B). To examine the morphology of dead cells that remained attached to the ECM, we performed a 48-hour serum withdrawal on Casp7−/− MEFs and determined changes in actin organization and DNA by fluorescent microscopy. In complete medium all Casp7−/− MEFs display numerous distinct actin stress fibers and actin rich cell protrusions with a large round nuclei. However, after serum starvation some attached cells display morphological changes consistent with apoptosis, including cell rounding, membrane blebbing, and condensed and fragmented nuclei (Figure 3C). Taken together, these data indicate that caspase-7 is responsible for cell detachment during intrinsic cell death.
Since these MEFs were developed in the absence caspase-3 or caspase-7, we wanted to determine that the cell death and detachment effects were a direct consequence of the absence of the caspase and not due to changes in the development of the MEFs. In order to test these possibilities, we introduced caspase-3 (C3) and caspase-7 (C7) into the caspase-3-deficient MEFs or caspase-7-deficient MEFs, respectively and determined if the reconstituted MEFs revert to a WT phenotype. Caspase-deficient cell lines that stably express C3 or C7 were made by retroviral transduction and selected with puromycin, pBabe-puro was used as an empty vector control. C3 and C7 expression was determined by western blot and C3 expression levels are comparable to endogenous level in WT MEFs, while C7 is expressed at much higher levels (Figure 4A). We found that Casp3−/− MEFs reconstituted with C3 died at the same rate as WT MEFs during a serum withdrawal time course (Figure 4B). Also, in Casp7−/− MEFs reconstituted with C7 the percent of cell death correlated with the percent of cell detachment, suggesting that in the presence of C7 all dead cells detached from the ECM (Figure 4C). Taken together, these data indicate that caspase-3 is the dominant executioner caspase and caspase-7 regulates cell detachment during intrinsic cell death.
While the caspase proteolytic cascade that executes intrinsic apoptosis following cytochrome c release is well described, the distinct roles of each caspase during this process are less understood. It has been shown that these caspases have effects on the mitochondria and on upstream events of intrinsic apoptosis, even though they are thought to act downstream of cytochrome c release. Caspase-9 has been shown to uncouple the mitochondria and increase ROS production, while cells deficient in caspase-3 or caspase-7 show a delay in the mitochondrial events of intrinsic apoptosis [13, 17, 20]. Caspase-3 and caspase-7 have been shown to have differential activity toward multiple substrates, including Bid, XIAP and gelsolin, which suggests a non-redundant role for these related caspases . Taken together, these data suggest that caspase-9, caspase-3 and caspase-7 have distinct roles during apoptosis and that there may be a feedback loop on the mitochondria as well as additional upstream functions.
We used IL-3 withdrawal-induced apoptosis and a Casp9DN to study the roles of caspase-9 during intrinsic apoptosis. We found that caspase-9 is necessary to remodel the mitochondria during intrinsic apoptosis and the ability of Casp9DN to inhibit mitochondrial remodeling while having no effect on cytochrome c release demonstrates that these events do not have to be linked. Previous studies have demonstrated a role for tBid in the remodeling of mitochondria . However, cleavage of Bid to tBid prior to MOMP does not occur in most forms of intrinsic cell death, including growth factor withdrawal. This is confirmed in this report as Bcl-xL blocks cytochrome c release (Data not shown) as well as Bid cleavage (Figure 1) during IL-3 withdrawal. Therefore, if Bid is involved in the mitochondrial remodeling observed during IL-3 withdrawal-induced cell death it would have to be cleaved by a caspase activated after MOMP. Since caspase-8 and caspase-9 cleave caspase-3 at the same site, we reasoned that caspase-9 could cleave Bid at the same site as caspase-8 and result in tBid generation post MOMP . Our data indicate that caspase-9 can cleave Bid at Asp59 and suggest that Bid is cleaved in a caspase-9 dependent manner following IL-3 withdrawal of FL5.12 cells. Unfortunately, limitations in the ability to detect endogenously generated tBid prevent us from formally demonstrating this. However, we found that Bid-deficient MEFs display decreased ROS production and that introduction of wild-type, but not cleavage-defective Bid (BidD59A), could restore the ROS production associated with serum withdrawal. Additionally, in the presence of BocD-fmk, ROS increased in the reconstituted cells. Taken together, these data strongly implicate tBid in mitochondrial dysfunction that occurs after MOMP and based on the work of Scorrano and colleagues, tBid is creating a favorable condition for ROS production through mitochondrial remodeling .
While caspase-9 cleavage of Bid appears to initiate ROS production following cytochrome c release, an effector caspase can extinguish ROS through complete depolarization of the inner mitochondrial membrane. However, the specific effector caspase required for depolarization is not known. Therefore, we used serum withdrawal-induced cell death in Casp KO MEFs to study the distinct effects of caspase-3 and caspase-7 on mitochondrial function during intrinsic apoptosis. Our results show that caspase-3 is decreasing ROS production, while caspase-7 may be required for ROS accumulation. Normally, the mitochondria maintain a membrane potential (ΔΨm) and shuttle electrons across the ETC with minimal ROS production, which can occur at complex III . During apoptosis stimulation, there is a loss of cytochrome c from the mitochondria, which is needed to transfer electrons from complex III to IV, resulting in loss of electrons from the ETC and ROS production . If import of substrates to the ETC is stopped by loss of ΔΨm, or electron transport through complex III is blocked, ROS production is diminished . Therefore, after cytochrome c release and caspase-9 activation, caspase-3 is needed to inhibit electron transport through the ETC and/or lower ΔΨm in order to decrease ROS production. This indicates that caspase-9 generation of tBid and remodeling of the mitochondria may represent the ‘point of no return’ in apoptosis and that caspase-3 assures that this does not result in loss of integrity of the apoptotic cell.
Here, we demonstrate that MEFs deficient in caspase-7 die at the same rate as WT MEFs, while caspase-3-deficient MEFs have a delay in cell death during serum withdrawal. The data suggests that caspase-3 is the dominant executioner caspase, while caspase-7 may have other roles, which is in agreement with data on substrate specificity . Consistent with this model, reintroduction of caspase-3 into caspase-3-deficient MEFs resulted in cell lines with expression levels similar to endogenous expression. In contrast, cells could tolerate significantly higher levels of caspase-7 upon reintroduction. Thus it is unlikely that caspase-7 functions primarily to kill cells. We show that caspase-7 functions to detach cells from the ECM, which may suggest that caspase-7 functions to aid in the removal of apoptotic cells. In vivo, apoptotic cells can have a profound effect on the microenvironment and it is necessary to regulate these processes and efficiently remove dead cells . Caspase-7 may contribute to this removal process by hastening the detachment of cells from the ECM. Caspases are known to cleave a variety of actin and cytoskeleton components, but the specific components important for detachment and cleaved by caspase-7 are yet to be determined. Interestingly, an early report demonstrated that FAK is an apoptotic substrate that is preferentially cleaved by caspase-7. However, this study was performed in non-adherent cells, therefore it is difficult to fully appreciate the significance of these data . The current studies shed new light on this finding.
Taken together, our data suggest distinct roles for caspase-9, caspase-3 and caspase-7 during intrinsic apoptosis (Figure 5). Caspase-9 is activated post cytochrome c release and functions to activate effector caspases and Bid in order to remodel the mitochondria. This would assure that cells that have an active apoptosome will still die in the absence of effector caspases. However, cell death is more efficient in the presence of caspase-3, which is the primary executioner of apoptotic death. In contrast, while caspase-7 plays no role in the sensitivity to intrinsic apoptosis, it can cause an accumulation of ROS production and functions to detach cells from the ECM. This is consistent with caspase-7 primarily playing a supportive role in the execution phase of apoptosis. We have found that each caspase has a distinct role in apoptosis, which suggests that the caspases involved in the proteolytic cascade post cytochrome c release must work together to effectively and efficiently execute all aspects of apoptosis.
FL5.12 cells are a murine pro-B cell line that is IL-3 dependent and were cultured and transfected as previously described [20, 24]. Mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) were cultured in Dulbecco’s Modification of Eagle’s Medium (Cellgro) supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS, Cellgro), 1% non-essential amino acids (Cellgro), 1 mM sodium pyruvate (Cellgro), 55 μM 2-Mercaptoethanol (Gibco), 2 mM L-glutamate (Cellgro) and 100 U/ml Penicillin-Streptomycin (Cellgro) at 37°C in a humid 5% CO2 incubator. When indicated, BocD-fmk was used at a concentration of 100 μM. MEFs were infected with retrovirus generated by transfecting the ΦNX-Ecotropic cell line (Nolan lab, Stanford University) with a plasmid (pBabe-puro, pBabe-Bid or pBabe-BidD59A) using Lipofectamine (Invitrogen) .
ΦNX-Ecotropic packaging cell lines (Nolan lab, Stanford University) were transfected with pBabe-puro, Casp3 pBabe-puro or Casp7 pBabe-puro using Lipofectamine (Invitrogen). Target MEFs were seeded in 6-well plates and allowed to grow for 24 hours and then infected with viral supernatants at 24, 28, and 32 hours using Polybrene Infection / Transfection Reagent (Millipore). After 24 hours viral supernatants were removed from the target cells and replaced with fresh medium for 24-72 hours and then they were selected with 2.5 μg/ml puromycin (Sigma).
Cell death induction and analysis
IL-3 withdrawal-induced cell death in FL5.12 cells was conducted as previously described . For serum withdrawal-induced apoptosis, medium was aspirated from MEFs, they were washed with PBS and serum-free medium was added for indicated time points. Cell death was assayed by Annexin V-FITC and propidium iodide and analyzed on a FACSCanto flow cytometer (BD Biosciences). Percent detachment was determined by separating non-adherent and adherent cells and counting on a hemocytometer. Significance was determined by t-test using Prism software.
Microscopy and mitochondrial assays
Fluorescent-confocal microscopy for actin and DNA was conducted by fixing cells as previously described and staining with phalloidin (Cell Signaling) for 20 min and mounting the coverslips with Prolong Gold with DAPI (Molecular Probes) . Mitochondrial membrane potential and ROS production were assayed as previously described [13, 20].
Caspase-9 cleavage of bid
Bid mutants (BidD98A, BidD75A, and BidD59A) were created by site directed mutagenesis. In vitro translated Bid, BidD98A, BidD75A, or BidD59A was exposed to 0, 5, 10 Units of recombinant caspase-9 for 90 min at 37°C and Bid cleavage was assessed by western blot.
Western blotting was performed as previously described . Primary antibodies: mouse anti-Bid (Stanley Korsmeyer), rabbit anti-caspase-3 (Cell Signaling), rabbit anti-caspase-7 (Cell Signaling), and rabbit anti-Actin (Sigma). Secondary antibodies: horseradish peroxidase-conjugated sheep anti-mouse and horseradish peroxidase-conjugated donkey anti-rabbit (Amersham). Proteins were detected by chemiluminescence (Amersham).
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The authors thank Richard Flavell and Stan Korsmeyer for providing MEFs, Stan Korsmeyer for the Bid antibody and Jen McCafferty-Cepero for critical review of the manuscript. The work was funded through NIH grants R01 GM65813 (LHB), R01 CA127910 (LHB), F31 GM20435 (EC). Additional support was provided by the Georgia Cancer Coalition and the TJ Martell Foundation (LHB).
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
MB designed and performed experiments and prepared the manuscript. LRM designed and performed experiments. RLDG performed experiments. EC designed and performed experiments. LHB oversaw project, designed experiments and prepared the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Brentnall, M., Rodriguez-Menocal, L., De Guevara, R.L. et al. Caspase-9, caspase-3 and caspase-7 have distinct roles during intrinsic apoptosis. BMC Cell Biol 14, 32 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2121-14-32
- Intrinsic apoptosis
- Cell detachment | <urn:uuid:067bb08c-1ac7-4717-b52d-215ab994b5cb> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://bmcmolcellbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2121-14-32 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573399.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818185216-20220818215216-00071.warc.gz | en | 0.896196 | 8,082 | 2.03125 | 2 |
Raised bed gardening is really the way to go, particularly if your native soil is terrible with clay, rock, or sand. With raised beds, you control the quality of your soil, leading to healthier plants and a better harvest. The only problem is that filling those raised beds with high-quality soil can be pretty expensive — but as a gardener, you know that everything starts with healthy soil, and you don’t want to cheap out, right?
Fortunately, there’s good news for both the conscientious gardener and the budget-strapped homeowner. When you have raised beds that are 18” – 24” deep, you can layer the material in your raised beds, conserving the top 12” for your more expensive, high-quality soil. Here’s how.
How to Layer
All of your layering materials need to be organic and toxin/petroleum free. Over time, the base layers will decompose, but remember how deep your layers are when digging and turning soil so as not to disrupt your course, raw material.
1. Wood: Lay a thin layer of small twigs, branches, or bark at the bottom of your raised bed. You can also add other materials like newspaper and manure at this first step.
2. Less expensive soil: Add in a less expensive soil or loam, old potting soil, or native soil mixed with inexpensive soil. Don’t add any soil that has weeds in it, potting soil that is moldy or has a pest infestation, or the like. In this layer, you can also add in some leaf mold, compost from your pile, and grass clippings.
3. High-quality soil: Most raised bed plants need 6-12” of good quality soil, so I aim for that depth when I add the “good stuff.” Fill your bed to within an inch under the top edge of the bed — I actually fill mine right to the top, as soil has a way of settling down after watering in.
Note: If you have an existing bed with old soil in it, you can “top” it off with higher quality organic raised bed soil. This is particularly true if your old soil has settled a number of inches down and you not only need better quality but more depth.
Other Cost-Cutting Strategies
• Use 100% high-quality soil in your smaller or shallower beds. If your bed is a 4 x 4 or 12” deep or less, fill it with the best soil you can get.
• Buy bulk at a landscape supply yard, which can save you more than 50% of your budget.
• If you opt to buy in bulk, arrange to pick it up yourself if you have a truck. You’ll save on delivery, which can be $100 – $150. In addition, some landscape supply yards have a minimum purchase of several yards, and you may only need one. | <urn:uuid:164b1c4d-b81e-46f0-a020-e3b51923b885> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://kellogggarden.com/blog/raised-beds/layering-soil-for-an-inexpensive-raised-garden-bed/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572833.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817001643-20220817031643-00271.warc.gz | en | 0.944791 | 614 | 2.34375 | 2 |
Construct a “consumption biography” of a friend or family member. Make a list and/or photograph his or her most favorite possessions and see if you or others can describe this person’s personality just from the information provided by this catalog.
Answer to relevant Questions1. Describe the level of consumer involvement with personal care products in general. How might the Dove brand be different? 2. Describe what terminal values are involved in the Campaign for Real Beauty? Do they tie into the ...Why does a pioneering brand have a memory advantage over follower brands? Devise a “product jingle memory test.” Compile a list of brands that are or have been associated with memorable jingles, such as Chiquita Banana or Alka-Seltzer. Read this list to friends, and see how many jingles are ...1. Compare the brand personality of Zipcar to that of Avis or Hertz. 2. How would you describe the psychographic profile of a typical Zipster? Zipcar rents cars by the hour. The company has established a brand culture that ...What is a halo effect, and why does it happen?
Post your question | <urn:uuid:72bb05d4-88ad-499e-93d1-9b22bcba1906> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.solutioninn.com/construct-a-consumption-biography-of-a-friend-or-family-member | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560282140.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095122-00136-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93374 | 244 | 2.015625 | 2 |
Apple’s earnings and revenue growth in mobile have been awe-inspiring to witness. From zero presence three years ago, Apple is now the most profitable cell phone maker in the world.
Apple’s success in this compressed period has helped it become an enormous buyer of components. In fact iSuppli projects that next year Apple will become the second-largest semiconductor buyer worldwide and may edge out HP in 2012 to become the world’s largest.
Though this scale presents Apple with enormous bargaining power, it also begs the question: Should Apple own its own wireless chip development?
This week’s rumors that Intel is about to acquire Infineon’s wireless chip business to make a run at the smartphone market bring this question front and center. Infineon is Apple’s sole supplier for cellular basebands, the core chipsets used in mobile phones to handle voice and data communications.
Based on Apple’s deep relationship with Infineon, and its famed secrecy around M&A, it is a pretty safe bet that Steve Jobs is analyzing the implications of a deal.
Vertical Integration is Back In Vogue:
We are re-entering a period where companies are integrating vertically instead of horizontally. This is happening at an incredible pace at companies like Cisco and Oracle. Even Microsoft recently hinted at creating its own chips, by obtaining an architectural license for ARM processors.
There are even precedents in the mobile phone market—both Nokia and Ericsson successfully managed cellular chip teams up until 2007 before spinning them off in a quest to move up the services stack.
The fact is that despite Apple’s success with the A4, it trails nearly all other large hardware companies in chip development, including Cisco, Sony, and IBM.
Synergies Between Infineon and Apple are Significant:
In addition to having supplied every cellular baseband chip that Apple has ever bought, Infineon is one of only four companies with an ARM architectural license (Qualcomm, Marvell, and now Microsoft are the other three). This allows Infineon to extend ARM’s basic capabilities, and is clearly synergistic with the charter of PA Semi and Intrinsity, which were acquired by Apple for their respective ARM expertise.
But below the surface, the rationale for Apple owning wireless technology runs even deeper.
Because Apple primarily sells just one hardware version per year, it’s infinitely easier for it to match devices with features. Nokia got rid of its chip business because it was impossible to produce different variants of chips for hundreds of handsets.
In this way, it’s Apple’s minimalistic approach to hardware that makes it the perfect candidate for vertical integration at the wireless level, as R&D can be narrowly focused. For example, if Apple’s not going to release a 4G handset in 2011, they don’t need to worry about cramming in pre-release versions of LTE / 3GPP. Or if they are strategically planning around short range wireless micro-payments, they can begin to integrate NFC technology now.
This edge could conceivably help Apple out-innovate larger competitors like Qualcomm who must produce more generic chips which cater to the needs of the broader market.
Lastly, since Infineon is only the fourth largest 3G baseband provider, there are fewer OEM customer relationships to phase out following the acquisition (LG and Nokia are its next biggest customers and wouldn’t be happy buying from Apple, so would turn elsewhere for subsequent designs). But precisely because Infineon is a smaller player, this issue of buying into the supply-chain is entirely manageable.
Apple could also learn better practices in RF design from Infineon, clearly a weak spot per the recent antenna issues.
Financially, It Makes Sense:
Apple can do no wrong right now with Wall Street. That’s why 2010 is an ideal time for “risky M&A” in the wireless space. With its stock at an all-time high and with over $40 billion in cash, Apple can afford to strategically spend capital on expanding into wireless chip development.
Infineon’s wireless group did $1.2 billion in sales last year, and comparable transactions suggest a premium of about 1.5x sales, or a $2 billion dollar price-tag.
Let’s compare this to the ridiculous rumor in April that Apple was going to buy ARM, the maker of semiconductor IP that goes into all of the world’s cell phones. At that time I outlined why buying ARM for more than $5 billion made zero sense. Clearly acquiring Infineon for around $2 billion absolutely does make sense.
And here’s the real crux: If Infineon is acquired by Intel or Samsung, Apple won’t ever be able to obtain wireless technology at this price again. Every other chip vendor supplying cellular basebands is enormous and diversified across industries (Qualcomm, ST-Ericsson, MediaTek, Broadcom).
Not Owning Wireless Is Dangerous For Apple:
Aside from the synergies and advantages to owning wireless chip development, you can bet Steve Jobs is thinking about the risks of not doing so.
In the future, handset OEMs will buy “package solutions”, consisting of application processors (e.g. Apple’s A4, which give mobile phones computing power for handling software and applications), integrated connectivity chipsets (GPS, Wi-Fi, FM, Bluetooth, NFC), and multifunction radios—all from one vendor. Qualcomm is nearly there today, and Intel wants to combine Infineon with its Atom processors to get there.
This poses a threat to Apple, since Qualcomm and Intel will start to integrate portions of digital interface logic into their application processors in proprietary ways in an effort to promote bundled solutions. This will marginalize Apple’s ability to marry merchant wireless chipsets with subsequent variations of its A4 application processor.
And it’s why vertically integrating “half-way” is a dangerous journey for Apple as mobile innovation accelerates and integration levels skyrocket. The truth is Apple is a different company today than before it entered the mobile world. Picking up Infineon would give Apple all the necessary pieces listed above to completely control its future as a mobile device company.
And if Apple misses out, it will likely never get another chance to acquire the wireless technology necessary to do so because the entire mobile component value-chain is consolidating and the remaining players are giants.
Which is exactly why Intel is rumored to be salivating so much at the prospect of snapping up Infineon for itself. Intel has big ambitions in mobile and understands why it can’t let this one get away. The only real question is whether Apple wants to get into a bidding war with Intel.
Contributor Steve Cheney is an entrepreneur and formerly an engineer & programmer specializing in web and mobile technologies. | <urn:uuid:36cf1f62-69da-4054-bcee-2ed62ab765af> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://techcrunch.com/2010/07/30/why-apple-should-buy-infineon-to-own-mobile-and-screw-intel/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00275.warc.gz | en | 0.932439 | 1,441 | 1.929688 | 2 |
Life Is a Highway: Art and American Car Culture
Essays by Robin Reisenfeld and Eleanor Heartney
Foreword by Brian P. Kennedy, Edward Drummond and Florence Scott Libbey Director
Accompanying the major exhibition Life Is a Highway: Art and American Car Culture (June 15–September 15, 2019 at the Toledo Museum of Art), this catalogue is an inclusive, historical overview of the inventiveness and variety of artistic imagery inspired by the automobile as an evolving symbol of American identity. Curator Robin Reisenfeld analyzes how artists spanning the 20th century have examined the mythic status of the car across social, cultural, aesthetic, environmental, and industrial dimensions with images that both celebrate and critique its legacy. Eleanor Heartney looks at contemporary global artists using automobile culture to address issues of identity, gender, politics, and technology.
The book includes an illustrated checklist, bibliography, and index.
12 x 10 ˝ inches. 120 pages. ISBN 978-0-935172-59-1. Published by the Toledo Museum of Art. | <urn:uuid:bf083b91-4034-4978-8692-d5e1ebf2ec20> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.tmastore.org/030487.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572870.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817062258-20220817092258-00666.warc.gz | en | 0.867147 | 225 | 1.757813 | 2 |
by Alan Winfield - August 14, 2015
Imagine, if you will, the scene: Moses, standing in the plains of Moab, addressing about 600,000 Israelites, and their families. (Exodus 12:37). After a 40 year sojourn across the desert, he is going to lead them into the Promised Land. The entire book of Deuteronomy (which, in Greek, means the second telling of the law) purportedly consists of a series of three dissertations by Moses, given before the conquest of Canaan.
Tonight’s Parsha, Re’eh, is the longest portion of this discourse and instructs us of many of the rules by which we live, laying out several of the principles dictating how we should behave. It includes rules of the sanctuary, kashrut, laws of mourning, and several others. But for me the most significant part of the Parsha is its preamble, “Look, this day I bring before you blessing and curse; blessing if you obey the commandments of the Lord…….and curse if you…….turn away from the path that I enjoin upon you.” Look, I give you a life full of possibilities. Pay attention to them. All choices matter. Every single decision you make, even if seemingly inconsequential, can be a blessing or a curse.
Read more: Drash for Re'eh 5775
by Alan Herman - August 7, 2015
In Eikev, Moses continues his encouragement and instructions to the Israelites as they journey towards the Promised Land.
The Israelites are promised that they will be blessed in many ways if they obey the commandments they have been given.
They are instructed not to fear battle with their enemies. Moses reminds them of what was done to the Pharaoh and to Egypt.
They are told to remember the many tests and miracles presented to them during their forty years in the desert. Moses describes the beauty
and prominent attributes of the Land of Israel, "a good land, a land with streams and springs, and fountains issuing from plain and hill; a land of wheat
and barley, of vines and figs and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey."
Read more: Drash for Eikev 5775 | <urn:uuid:3e60451b-8b3e-4814-a0c2-a1f258d8f182> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.templeemanueltucson.org/worship/shabbat/drash-program | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280587.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00559-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9512 | 475 | 2.1875 | 2 |
It is easy to marvel which foods are healthiest. Selling Skilled is a digital market and on-line promoting largest multi vendor wordpress theme 2016 3a WordPress theme with 7 demos.Posted on Might 19 2016 by Marisa Tracie in Weblog Enterprise Development WordPress Inside the present day we live in social media market we now have gone from paper flyers to on-line advertisements and contained within the final word yr on-line product gross sales have skyrocketed due to the social media promoting out there to.
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Individuals who love freshly ground black pepper shouldn’t panic when they learn this text. Advertising Skilled is a digital market and on-line selling greatest multi vendor wordpress theme 2016 3a WordPress theme with 7 demos.Posted on Might 19 2016 by Marisa Tracie in Weblog Enterprise Enchancment WordPress In the meanwhile we stay social media selling in social media market rangkaian we now have gone from paper flyers to on-line advertisements and all by the use of the ultimate phrase yr on-line product sales have skyrocketed on account of social media promoting obtainable to.
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The topic of food is a wondrous matter for debate and discussion, since food is relevant to all of us. Individuals eat food for a lot of completely different reasons: dietary, emotional and even social. School school college students eager about pursuing this discipline have diversified alternate options accessible to them, along with scores of accredited on-line packages, which could be effectively-recognized for providing great, versatile accounting education. Salisbury steak appears to be giving remarkably good outcomes as a food regimen for individuals troubled with weak or disordered digestion, however who require the supporting energy of animal food.
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If you’re a mum or dad, you know that getting your finicky kid to eat is like attempting to push a bolder up a mountain of molasses. It’s little query that the Net and the social media are highly efficient instruments for mobilization of people. Food is eaten and sometimes loved by means of the sense of style , the perception of taste from consuming and drinking. The fact that food insecurity can coexist with weight problems — and in reality correlate with it — highlights the importance of creating wholesome and nutritious food inexpensive for all.
The Arawaks are … Read More
Perhaps you’ve a garden and have a number of leftover vegetables you do not know what to do with, or maybe you would love soups for the winter however don’t wish to go to the expense of buying them. However, not all soups contain meat either. To paraphrase the food writer M.F.Okay. Fisher, there’s a slippery slope from water to soup. So soups are additionally a low-fats dietary choice. Return it to the pot, add the cream, and modify the soup for seasoning and consistency. Also some soups might be served cold which is nice on sizzling summer season days, … Read More
Nikki is a veteran educator, librarian, Educational Technology Facilitator and ISTE Librarians Group President Elect. Promoting Skilled is a digital market and on-line selling most interesting multi vendor wordpress theme 2016 3a WordPress theme with 7 demos.Posted on Might 19 2016 by Marisa Tracie in Weblog Business Enchancment WordPress Proper now we reside social media selling in social media market we now have gone from paper flyers to on-line commercials and inside the ultimate yr on-line gross sales have skyrocketed due to the social media promoting accessible to. Together with the migration to Google servers , quite a few new … Read More
Each country has its conventional trademark soup, be it Vichyssoise (the French chefs can duke it out as to who created it), Asian Pho, Russian borscht or all-American rooster noodle. Bear in mind, there are not any actually good ‘fast’ soup recipes as a result of any actually good soup needs time during preparation for taste to completely develop. But what makes it even better is its superpower: You can lighten the soup as you like with water or add richness by mixing in coconut milk and dietary yeast. Alternatively, you should purchase vegetable inventory or vegetable broth; just just … Read More
This excellent, ancient recipe from Provence excites large passion and curiosity. A classic American recipe , this beef soup could be made simply in your sluggish cooker and can preserve your entire household warm and comfy. High within the Heber Valley of the Wasatch Mountains, Bear Creek began in some fairly easy nation kitchens, utilizing do-it-yourself recipes and solely the finest substances to create hearty soups and dishes that won raves. 2. Add other root vegetables reminiscent of parsnips and rutabagas if you want to use them up. Do not use potatoes, as a result of they’ll disintegrate over the … Read More | <urn:uuid:a645597b-2f3a-4a7d-9c09-918876c21110> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://bebepizza.com/tag/cooking | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571056.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809155137-20220809185137-00667.warc.gz | en | 0.927759 | 1,053 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Estimated death toll soars as path of destruction leaves many parts of Philippines inaccessible to government and aid officials
Kate Hodal in Manila, and agencies
At least 10,000 people are thought to have died in the central Philippine province of Leyte after Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest storms ever to make landfall, lashed the area, swallowing coastal towns, a senior police official said early on Sunday morning.
About 70-80% of the buildings in the area in the path of Haiyan in Leyte province was destroyed, said chief superintendent Elmer Soria. "We had a meeting last night with the governor and the other officials. The governor said based on their estimate, 10,000 died," he said.
Tacloban city administrator Tecson Lim said that the death toll in that city alone "could go up to 10,000". Tacloban is the provincial capital of Leyte, with a population of more than 200,000. The Philippine Red Cross said in Tacloban bodies had been found "piled up around the roads" and in churches. Between 300 and 400 bodies had been recovered, Lim said.
On Samar island, which faces Tacloban, Leo Dacaynos of the provincial disaster office told Associated Press on Sunday 300 people were confirmed dead in Basey town and another 2,000 were missing.
He said the storm surge caused sea waters to rise 20 feet when the typhoon hit. There were still towns on Samar that had not been reached, he said, and appealed for food and water. Power was knocked out and there was no mobile signal, making communication possible only by radio.
Many corpses hung on tree branches, buildings and sidewalks, Associated Press reported.
Read the rest here: http://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2013/nov/09/super-typhoon-haiyan-philippines-destruction-in-pictures#/?picture=422066277&index=1 | <urn:uuid:02afed4d-d01b-49bb-b927-bc4b8c968b22> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://krestaintheafternoon.blogspot.com/2013/11/typhoon-haiyan-at-least-10000-reported.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280763.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00518-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966478 | 412 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Freedom to Choose
Operational guidelines followed by professionals would not have allowed a circling approach into the weather, terrain and lighting conditions this pilot attempted.
Flying under Part 91 gives us an incredible amount of aviation freedom. Yet, it is this relative freedom from heavy regulation which is largely responsible for General Aviation's safety record, a safety record which seemingly can't be improved beyond a certain point, and frankly a record which is not all that great. No, flying little airplanes is not as safe as flying the airlines. Nor is it as safe as Part 91 corporate flight departments, or Part 135 charter operators, or even the military. However, as little airplane pilots, we can stack the deck in our favor.
We do have a choice. We can either use Part 91, to its full legal limits, as our personal operations manual, or we can learn from our safer brethren and voluntarily curtail some of our Part 91 freedom in trade for a safer flight experience.
Experienced and Current
The 61 year old private and instrument rated pilot was certainly current and one has to assume he had a reasonable level of proficiency based on his recent flight experience and his make and model time. Moreover, considering the aircraft he was flying, the insurance company would likely have required he attend a formal type specific training program at least once per year.
Of the 1,738 hours of total time in his logbook, 1,098 were in the make and model aircraft, an EADS Socata TBM-700. The new aircraft was nicely equipped with a G1000 glass cockpit, including data-link weather and a capable autopilot. His time in the make and model also put the pilot well beyond those risky first 100 or so hours when a pilot is learning a new aircraft. In addition, the pilot had logged 86 hours in actual IMC and 98 hours of simulated instrument experience. During the 90 days before the accident the pilot had flown 41 hours, and during the previous 30 days he added seven hours to his logbook, although the NTSB report is somewhat vague on whether his recent flight experience occurred in TBM-700.
However, when compared to other pilots with a similar number of flight hours, this pilot was light in one area of operation, night flight -- where he had only 40 hours. Typical pilots average 10 percent of their total time in night conditions, so the accident pilot was well below the average in this aspect.
Night and Snow
On a Sunday afternoon the pilot began planning for a trip from San Carlos Airport (KSQL), in California, to Truckee-Tahoe Airport (KTRK) in Truckee, California. The 169 nm trip would be short, less than an hour in duration at typical TBM-700 speeds.
After the accident, the pilot stated he received a weather briefing for the route of flight and for the destination. In addition to weather conditions, the briefing noted Runway 19 at Truckee-Tahoe Airport was closed. The pilot then said he continued monitoring the weather until departure. The weather at Truckee had been varying all day. Snow was falling and conditions fluctuated between marginal VFR to low IFR. The pilot filed an IFR flight plan to depart at 16:10 local time with a planned cruise altitude of 17,000 feet and a true airspeed of 262 knots.
Truckee-Tahoe Airport's elevation is 5,900 feet MSL, but that is low compared to some of the surrounding terrain with elevations soaring well above 9,500 feet MSL. That nearby terrain is responsible for Truckee-Tahoe Airport only having two non-precision approaches available -- the VOR/DME RNAV or GPS A approach with circling minimums 2,300 feet above the airport and visibility requirements of 1 1/4 miles; and the GPS RWY 19 approach with a straight in MDA and/or circling minimums 1,500 feet above the airport also with visibility requirements of 1 1/4 miles.
Departure and Arrival
Just prior to departure, at 16:30 local, the pilot obtained an update on the Truckee-Tahoe Airport weather. The visibility was greater than 7 miles, the sky was overcast at 2,000 feet, the winds were calm, and runway 19 was still closed. If there would be any chance of making it in, this flight would require the GPS RWY 19 approach, circle to land. The TBM departed and the sun set eight minutes later.
During the flight the pilot continued to monitor the destination weather. Thirty minutes into the flight the destination METAR said light snow was falling, and the visibility had increased to 10 miles, but now there were few clouds at 900 feet, a broken layer at 2,000 feet and an overcast layer existed at 5,500. The winds were still relatively calm, out of the west at three knots and the temperature and dewpoint spread was two degrees Celsius.
The aircraft was cleared for the GPS RWY 19 approach via the Mustang VOR transition. If the pilot had alternate plans, none were noted in his conversation with investigators or in the NTSB report. As they passed over the airport on the outbound leg of the approach, the pilot's passenger reported seeing the airport below, but since the pilot didn't see it he continued with the instrument approach procedure.
At about this time, Truckee-Tahoe Airport's METAR noted dropping weather conditions. The winds had shifted, they were out of the east at four knots, the lowest layer of clouds was now scattered at 500 feet and the broker layer was at 1,500 feet, but more significant was the visibility, it had dropped to 3/4 of a mile in light snow.
This reported drop in visibility may not have been known to the pilot. During an interview with investigators, the pilot mentioned his last AWOS report noted seven miles visibility. Ceilings at the time were between 1,500 and 2,400 feet. In snow shower conditions the visibility can go from good to horrendously low in no time flat. Further, the snow shower conditions can be extremely localized, sometimes only affecting an area as small as a few hundred feet across.
Running Out of Options
When the aircraft reached the missed approach point, the pilot saw the runway environment and must have believed he was in VFR conditions and could remain in those conditions. The pilot promptly cancelled IFR and elected to proceed visually with his circle to land procedure. In these variable conditions canceling IFR may not have been the safest choice.
As the pilot entered a left VFR downwind for runway 28 he discovered that the first part of his intended runway was covered in fog. Rather than re-establish contact with a controller for an IFR clearance to somewhere, the pilot elected to land long just beyond the fog. The pilot figured there was at least 5,000 feet of runway remaining. More than likely this impromptu maneuver had never been practiced or thoroughly thought through by the pilot. Just prior to touch down the pilot noticed he was too high and too fast for the runway remaining and he began a go-around procedure. The pilot reported to investigators that he "was totally focused outside the plane because of the clouds and mountains, but had no horizon reference in the dark." The aircraft stalled wings level into trees, terrain and snow. Fortunately the pilot and his passenger only sustained minor injuries.
Technically Advanced Aircraft
The cockpit equipment which is currently available to General Aviation pilots far surpasses what is in many airline, corporate and military cockpits. You would think this additional situational awareness and autopilot assistance would make everything safer, but sadly the numbers don't bear that out, and many regulators are clamoring for more regulation including a rating to fly these technically advanced aircraft.
We are at a crossroads in Part 91 General Aviation. We can take it upon ourselves to voluntarily raise our personal standards, our personal operations manual and minimums, so to speak -- to set our standards beyond the minimums of Part 91 in order to make GA flying safer. Or, we may have to accept the regulations which will surely follow after each notable accident we create.
Manage your risk, and borrow from the professionals who fly and train everyday. The operation manuals and regulations those professionals are required to follow would not have allowed a circling approach into the weather, terrain and lighting conditions this pilot encountered, much less a spur-of-the-moment midfield landing attempt.
We currently have the freedom to choose the aviation safety path we wish to follow. Let's choose wisely, so our Part 91 General Aviation freedom isn't regulated away.
Armand Vilches is a commercial pilot, instructor and FAASTeam member who lives in Brentwood, TN. He brings an extensive background in risk management and insurance to aviation and flight instruction. This article first appeared in the December 2012 issue of IFR Refresher magazine. | <urn:uuid:39069572-668e-434a-82e5-9049b40583d5> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.avweb.com/news/features/gps_pilot_approach_airport_runway_ifr_208788-1.html?type=pf | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560282140.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095122-00131-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972961 | 1,826 | 1.757813 | 2 |
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Cooperation with UNICEF
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We are committed to running a responsible and sustainable business Ensuring that our products are produced under responsible conditions stands at the core of this commitment, and in fulfilment of our ambition, we expect our partners – suppliers, subcontractors, agents, and other business partners – to operate responsibly and act with integrity, fairness and responsibility in all aspects of their business | <urn:uuid:3aaf0527-8670-490d-9c9d-ca6194d19aeb> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.bloomingville.com/en/we-care | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570879.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809003642-20220809033642-00666.warc.gz | en | 0.948331 | 195 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Asher Cohen’s birth and first few months of life hinted at nothing out of the ordinary. He ate great, slept well and prompted little concern for first-time mom, Cate.
Then, when he was 3 months old, something strange happened. During a bath, Asher bent backward and stayed there, stiff, in a banana shape. His right eye appeared to have a tic of some sort and wasn’t focused on his mom. His left eye remained on Mrs. Cohen.
“Then he was fine,” the Northeast Side woman said, as she and her husband, Tobe, recalled the first signs of trouble for their now 4- year-old son.
He continued to have similar episodes, and doctors looked for evidence of disease in his brain or bone marrow. Finding nothing, they told the Cohens their son must have epilepsy.
Every 10 days to two weeks, Asher would have an episode; when he was 8 months old, doctors determined they were not seizures.
Without any answers, the Cohens hoped for the best. When their son crawled, he would sometimes drag his arm and struggle to balance. When he was 15 months old, he still wouldn’t let go of furniture and other props and walk on his own.
Eventually, a physical therapist mentioned a disease called “alternating hemiplegia of childhood,” or AHC. An estimated 1 in 1 million babies is born with it. Besides paralysis, patients have neurological and developmental problems.
When Asher was 2, a specialist in Chicago confirmed the diagnosis.
About 30 million Americans have rare diseases, those that affect fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S. at any given time, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders. Because so few people have the diseases, researchers have often struggled to find conclusive explanations, and pharmaceutical companies have had limited incentive to push for discovering drugs to treat them.
With broader genetic knowledge, some mysteries are being unraveled, offering explanations and, in some cases, the promise of new treatments.
“We estimate that about 80 percent of rare disorders have a genetic cause,” said Marsha Lanes, a genetic counselor with the rare-disorders group. Finding those genetic links is crucial to advancing research, she said.
And “if there’s a reason, some kind of underlying explanation for why this has occurred, that’s very satisfying for people, even if it doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a drug,” Lanes said.
The Cohens and other parents worked through the AHC Foundation to secure a 2010 Pepsi Refresh grant to finish genetic sequencing in about 100 children with AHC. Results of the study appeared in the journal Nature Genetics this past summer.
Researchers at Duke University in Durham, N.C., and the University of Utah in Salt Lake City found a common mutation in at least 74 percent of the children.
Asher wasn’t one of the kids with the mutation. But the Cohens now know that the gene affected in most of the children regulates sodium and potassium, both of which have a role in how the body creates electrical impulses. That’s far closer to an explanation than they were a year ago.
“Even if he doesn’t have the mutation, it’s something related to it,” Mr. Cohen said.
Nobody knows how the genetic mutation leads to the symptoms of the disease, but its identification will spur more research, said AHC expert Dr. Kenneth Silver, a pediatric neurologist at the University of Chicago and Comer Children’s Hospital.
The Cohens hope the knowledge helps researchers understand whether this rare disease is in some ways like a more-common disease, one that has proven treatments.
“Nobody is going to develop a drug for 1,000 kids, but you can start asking what else is out there that impacts the sodium and potassium pumps,” Mr. Cohen said. “It opens up all these pathways. That’s the exciting part.”
And identification of a mutation is likely to lead to more diagnoses, to more parents who are getting answers and supporting one another, Mrs. Cohen said. “It’s a lonely place, to be Googling for answers. You feel very alone.”
Asher is doing well now. He’s in a preschool class that includes children with other developmental disorders and goes to physical therapy, occupational therapy and horseback-riding therapy.
The episodes of paralysis still happen about every two weeks, and some are painful and longer-lasting.
Still, his mother said, “Ninety percent of his life has been wonderful.” | <urn:uuid:f6491c67-01aa-4443-bdfd-5152461402c3> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/12/10/genetics-provide-hope-for-rare-diseases.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988718866.34/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183838-00004-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96853 | 983 | 2.375 | 2 |
Minyak Berat Rentang rantai karbon dari C31 sampai C40 Trayek didih dari 130 sampai 300 C Peruntukan : Minyak pelumas, lilin, umpan proses petrokimia Residu Rentang rantai karbon diatas C40 Trayek didih diatas 300°C Peruntukan : Bahan bakar boiler (mesin pembangkit uap panas), aspal, bahan pelapis anti bocor.
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How to calculate the steam produced (kg) in a boiler - Quora | <urn:uuid:2900e1e7-26bb-4300-ae0d-665259ecde60> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://grandparadise.in/blog.php?page=691.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571745.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812170436-20220812200436-00469.warc.gz | en | 0.711819 | 1,275 | 1.734375 | 2 |
As the smell of suntan lotion starts to dwindle, stores have trouble keeping futons, pens and pencils on the shelves and college campuses start to once again fill with life. All signs that the new school year is finally here! If you’ve made the decision to study in the US this year, then spent months preparing for your great journey, you’re about to finally reap the fruit of your hard-earned labor.
Although being an international student is an exciting experience that can be life-altering it can also be a scary step. The good news is that the more you research and prepare for your time as an international student, the less unpredictable and scary it will be!
We have a number of tips, tricks and resources for international students studying in the US and although it’s difficult to pick just a few- I have. Below are some of the most helpful tips that you need to have as you explore the world of being an international student. Read, watch and gather as much information as possible from the resources in this 2014 back to school guide.
First thing is first, before we get into resources, you will need general tips on what to expect. Take a few moments to see what all international students need to do, and what you should not do as an international student. Preparing to be an international student should be treated like a marathon, not a sprint, and these are two warm-up videos you’ll want to start with.
If you’re still trying to pack and looking for some good advice when it comes to what you need to bring, here are some tips on what to include in your bag and what to buy once you arrive. It’s inevitable that everything you need for the year will not fit in your bags- this will help you decide what to pack.
Whether you’re searching for your initial flight to the US or pre-semester travel deals, do your research and compare to find the best deals.
Buying textbooks is about as fun as spending money on going to the doctor or getting your car fixed- it’s not exciting but needs to be done. Although you will need to buy textbooks, you can avoid spending a fortune, see how.
One of the most exciting days: move-in day! See how to survive this day!
More than likely your dorm room will be much smaller and not quite as cool as you had imagined. Although you can’t change the measurements, you can put your personal touch on the room! Since buying furniture and decorations doesn’t quite make sense for an international student (especially if you’re in the US for only a semester or year) see if renting furniture is a good option for you.
Lastly, let’s take a look at look at the US “way of life.” See what to expect when it comes to everyday cultural norms, transportation, social life and safety. Also, realize that culture shock is very common for international students to experience. Know what it is and know how to handle it when it does occur so you can jump over the culture shock hurdle (this can take days or months) and start enjoying your time in the US!
We will have new tips for you as international student throughout the year make sure you sign up for our news feed! | <urn:uuid:f4c431c6-6f39-4bb7-aeb7-90eebf2eee26> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://blog.internationalstudent.com/2014/08/your-2014-back-to-school-guide/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560279169.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095119-00211-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959935 | 691 | 1.695313 | 2 |
AS THE COOLER months of the year approach, it’s important to ensure that your garden is ready to withstand any obstacle Mother Nature may throw at it. Here at Doty Farm and Garden Supply, Inc., we are dedicated to helping your plants, lawns, and trees get the protection they need.
It’s time to plant winter vegetable gardens and hardy annuals. Prepare beds properly (peat, manure, and bone meal) and feed lightly, but frequently. Dust or spray every week or two with a combination fungicide and insecticide. The next important tip is to fertilize your fruit trees, shade trees, and woody shrubs with a good balanced fertilizer containing minor elements. This helps winter survival and has them strong and ready to go in the spring.
The final valuable piece of advice is to fertilize lawns for strong root systems and quick takeoff next spring. Watch lawns for signs of fungus or mole crickets, chinch bugs, or worms. Use turf fungicide for fungus and Turf Ranger or Bifenthrin for the mole crickets, chinch bugs, or worms. At Doty’s, you’re always welcome to bring in a soil sample and we will analyze it for you. Just make sure that your sample is dry.
Stick with these essential tips and you’ll ensure that the job of protecting your valuable plants, lawns, and trees is done right the first time.
column by WILLIAM “BILL” DOTY
BIO: William R. “Bill” Doty is owner of Doty Farm and Garden Supply Inc., founded in Winter Haven in 1954. Bill graduated from Winter Haven High School and Florida State University. Growing up, he learned valuable lessons in listening and asking questions and was a student of the family business. Bill shares his knowledge with his customers daily and with our readers monthly. | <urn:uuid:105cb3c0-2c4c-4f33-8c02-3d181e376ec8> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://centralfloridaagnews.com/lawn-and-garden-management-for-october/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571210.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810191850-20220810221850-00465.warc.gz | en | 0.943324 | 396 | 2.484375 | 2 |
Retirement planning is a very popular issue in the financial press–and sellers of financial products, particularly annuities, are nearly in frenzy as the first baby boomers enter their golden years. A recent e-mail solicitation captures this mood:
“Join the annuity machine and profit from the massive baby boomer rollover market.”
|Free Forbes report: “Slam-Dunk Investing For Income and Capital Gains.”|
I spent several days cranking numbers to either confirm or expose as false the pitch that income annuities provide considerable value to retirees. My conclusion is that the annuity machine does appear to be a valuable retirement asset for retirees willing to exchange principal for guaranteed lifetime income. In this article, I focus on a male aged 65, but the same principles apply for the ages 55 to 70 and for females.
Income annuities exchange a single sum of money for a guaranteed stream of income over a time period. Income can be guaranteed for a specified period, usually 10 years, or income can be guaranteed until death. How do the different income streams compare? For a 65-year-old male, the difference between the 10-year guarantee and life only is about 3.5%. That is, a single payment of $1 million will yield lifetime-only annual income of around $80,000, compared with $77,200 for a 10-year certain feature. There is about a 7% or 8% chance that a healthy 65-year-old male will die within 10 years, so either approach is logical.
How do the rates compare to straight fixed-income investments? The embedded yields for life-only income annuities (measured to life expectancy) appear to be around 5.5% to 6%. This compares with yields for Treasuries of 4.5% to 4.75%, and 3.7% to 4.5% for AAA tax-exempt bonds, depending on maturities.
If a retiree chose to invest in bonds and withdrew a combination of income and principal, the dollars available (taking taxes into account) each year would fall considerably below the income available from an annuity of the same initial investment if the individual lives to life expectancy and beyond. Indeed, trying to match annuity income would cause principal to run out before life expectancy using the rates noted above.
Even if bond yields were equivalent to the embedded yields in income annuities, the annuities would have the advantage because the logic of acquiring one is to have lifetime income that can’t otherwise be assured.
All of the income payments from annuities funded with qualified retirement plan monies are subject to income taxes. When non-qualified funds are used, only a portion of income is taxable. For a male aged 65, 35% to 40% of the income is taxable, and 60% to 65% is considered a recovery of principal from the single sum paid into the annuity. However, after recovering all of the cost basis, income payments become fully taxable. Typically, this will take around 20 years for a 65-year-old male.
The embedded rate of an annuity is, of course, a function of the interest rate environment at the time an annuity is purchased. Once you buy the annuity, you are locked into that embedded rate. And if interest rates rise later, you can’t take advantage of higher rates.
So what affect do changing interest rates have on annuities?
I tested the effect that increasing interest rates have on income annuities with 5.5% to 6% embedded interest rates. One scenario has a retiree purchasing shorter-term Treasuries at first and then longer-term Treasuries instead of an income annuity. In this scenario, in the first three years this retiree earns 4.5%, then 6% for three years and 9% thereafter.
As in my example, investing in short-maturity bonds until rates take a decided upturn, and then going long, will leave you with about $200,000 of principal through the end of your life expectancy period. But this principal is gone if you live three years later than life expectancy. So in this instance, lifetime income is not covered.
The only scenario that provides a retiree with lifetime income that is equivalent to an income annuity, with the retention of principal, is if the long-term bond rate is high enough to match the after-tax annuity income. There is no reason to expect this to occur.
A retiree caught between the dual objectives of guaranteed lifetime income and leaving estate assets to children could delay retirement a few years to accumulate more of a nest egg, take a part-time job during the early years of retirement, or readjust retirement income downward to match bond yields while retaining principal.
If there are no health problems, it is likely a no-load provider like Vanguard, which offers such funds as Vanguard Midcap Growth (amex: VOT) and Vanguard High Dividend Yield Index ETF (amex: VYM), will have very competitive income. If you have health problems, your income annuity must be underwritten to take into account your health. You need to take responsibility for raising this matter, since annuity companies would prefer to ignore it.
Less healthy annuitants can receive an age “rate-up” that will increase annual income because of a shorter life expectancy. For example, a 65-year-old male with relatively modest health problems might be age-rated to 70, with income increased from around $80,000 to $86,050. More significant health problems will result in greater rate-ups.
Judgment is needed to determine when health is poor enough to make an income annuity a bad choice because life expectancy is so short. I am a bit suspicious that medical underwriting for income annuities will be sensitive enough to fully protect those in poor health. My suggestion in this situation is to apply to multiple sources for both an income annuity and life insurance, because life insurance underwriting is very sensitive to poor health. This may give you better information.
The financial strength of the insurance company being considered for an income annuity should be considered. Overly aggressive pricing could be a solvency problem. Unfortunately, predicting which companies may get into trouble hasn’t been very accurate because the cause of insolvency is often new and not well understood by the rating services until the problem has become apparent.
A prudent course would be to stick with the major companies that have stellar financial ratings.
Retirees whose income equals or exceeds what they want to spend annually without using an income annuity should avoid them. But in making this determination, it is probably unwise to calculate income from investments with volatile results, including years of big losses, by taking the arithmetic average. Especially avoid using variable annuity schemes that illustrate funds being withdrawn at, say, an 8% rate, with the principal going up at an average rate of 12%. Monte Carlo testing using appropriate levels of volatility show that relying on arithmetic average investment returns for the production of retirement income has a high probability of failure, leading to retirement disasters.
Income or immediate annuities are ideal for retirees wishing to maximize their lifetime income in exchange for giving up their–and their heirs’–principal.
Send comments and questions to email@example.com. | <urn:uuid:ea824b72-42d7-4811-9974-91aec60d7932> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.forbes.com/2007/05/09/annuities-retirement-vanguard-pf-estates-in_pk_0509money_inl.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280730.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00251-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952418 | 1,529 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Drainage In Epsom, Surrey
Solve any plumbing problem with Epsom’s leading family business. Big or minor, we’ve got the solution.
What We Do
Pure Plumbing Solutions are registered boiler installers and gas fitters with a great reputation in the Epsom area.
- Colour video inspections
- Hydro jetting
- Main line stoppages
- Drain stoppages
- Roof drains
- Clean out installations
Most people don’t think much about unplugging the sink, stepping out of the shower, or flushing the toilet. But ultimately, every one of these basic, essential activities requires the background process of drainage. There are a number of things that can go wrong with drains. We at Pure Plumbing Solutions have run the gamut of problems, and resolved every one. This includes repair and maintenance on commercial businesses, residential properties and school facilities. We utilise the latest and most effective equipment on the market to detect the cause of the problem and to ensure that your drains channel freely.
- Colour video inspections A colour video inspection entails using a camera to attain video capturing of the inside of your drain. This will enable us to identify the exact obstruction or source of concern. The most likely cause of the problem is a broken pipe or invading tree roots.
- Hydro jetting Hydro jetting is a process used to rid drains and sewage systems of blockages. It utilises a high-speed blast of water to cleanse the internal pipework and free room for steady flow. Signs you may require hydro jetting include detecting strong odours or discovering pools of water in range of pipework.
- Main line stoppages This is when the main sewer line connecting your plumbing to the municipal sewer system or a septic tank becomes clogged. It is considered a plumbing emergency, as extensive damages can occur when the water leaks back up through the drains. Not only is this dirty, secondhand water a disgusting sight, but it is also laden in harmful bacteria, and could cause severe water damage.
- Drain stoppages A stoppage in drains can be caused by any number of reasons. Recurring problems with a clogged drain could be an indication of an infiltrating tree root. We’ll be able to determine the specific cause of your problem, and provide the work necessary to resolve it.
- Roof drains Roof drains are designed to transport stormwater from the roof of a building to the drainage sewer or a retaining area. If you encounter a blocked or leaking roof drain, or simply need a new roof drain installed, we’d be more than happy to assist.
- Clean out installations Drains can easily become congested with debris, or infiltrated by root growth. Excessive build-up could require costly equipment and serious digging. Why not prevent the issue altogether? If you’ve experienced blockage in the past, or would simply like to avoid blockage in the future, an effective cleanout system could save you money in the long-term.
Bathroom, Kitchen and WC Plumbing
“Really great! Agreed a time and turned up when he said and gave us the great advice on what was required to fix the our leak. Will definitely use Pure Plumbing Solutions again.” | <urn:uuid:1fd5c2b0-4a84-4e81-907c-ca50751eec24> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://pureplumbingsolutions.co.uk/services/drainage/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570767.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808061828-20220808091828-00478.warc.gz | en | 0.920805 | 685 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Is Ashoka the empire Asoka ruled?
Good question. Ashoka and Asoka are the same. In your book, the Mourya ruler’s name is spelled Asoka. It is also spelled (more commonly) Ashoka, so I wrote both. Sorry if you got confused. Did you like the video clips?
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Singapore, October 10-12, 2013
Mr. Martin: room 3126 | <urn:uuid:fd43a8e8-38e6-40da-9dee-f949f4dca8b5> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | https://martinhumanities.com/2014/03/24/ashoka-the-maurya-empire/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560284411.66/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095124-00456-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.871633 | 212 | 2.0625 | 2 |
Online Student Organizations
Student organizations at Missional University meet at the online Student Center. There each organization has a dedicated office with video conference capabilities and collaborative tools that enable students to participate fully in online organizations.
With an already busy schedule, why carve out more precious time to get involved with a club? Clubs can be vital to your college experience and they can help you grow and learn skills that will be valuable beyond college. Professional development, leadership opportunities, and engagement are just a few reasons why you should consider getting involved.
Professional Development. The organized structure of a club offers special professional development opportunities. Sometimes, being a member of a club will provide you with opportunities to explore professional organizations relative to your field of interest, you might even get discounted rates to a conference or workshop. The National Association of Nonprofit Professionals (NANPP); The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA); or the APC – Association of Professional Chaplains are examples of professional organizations, that could correspond with a club, and expose students to unique development opportunities.
Leadership Opportunities. Club participation in and of itself demonstrates leadership tendencies. It indicates you are willing to serve as a valuable part of a team. In addition, all clubs need officers to serve in leadership capacities. Serving as a club officer can provide valuable experience in real-world leadership skills like managing budgets, running meetings and planning events.
Engagement. Being actively engaged with your university and its community is vital to your success and your satisfaction as a student. Student clubs connect students to each other, to the university experience, and to global communities. Whether your club is performing a community service or has coordinated a social gathering, these are valuable ways to balance your education.
There is no doubt that getting involved in clubs and organizations adds to your college experience and helps to develop leadership skills. At Missional University, students have the exciting opportunity to initiate inaugural clubs and organizations that could live on for years.
Students can propose a new club or organization for consideration to the university’s Provost. Clubs must be in alignment with the University Ethos Statement and must have a faculty /staff sponsor to serve as an advisor. Clubs can be developed for many reasons. For example, they can be academically aligned, service-oriented, or fellowship focused. | <urn:uuid:19c02479-8745-4079-b46a-6df5d19eec4c> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://missional.university/students/student-organizations/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570692.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20220807181008-20220807211008-00670.warc.gz | en | 0.95461 | 470 | 1.601563 | 2 |
- Purchase the complete Expat Arrivals Qatar Guide (PDF)
Expats moving to Qatar face myriad challenges, but navigating the emirate’s system of education needn’t be one of them. Most expats send their children to one of the many private international schools in the country, and the biggest headache is often having to choose one from among the sheer variety of these.
Parents should research potential schools and apply as soon as possible. To help with this, the official website of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education provides a list of schools.
Public schools in Qatar
Education in Qatar follows a system of distinct levels. After preschool, primary school ranges from grades one to six, preparatory school from grades seven to nine and secondary school from grades 10 to 12. Basic education for adults aged 18 and older is also available. For secondary school, there is a choice between general education and specialised schools for specific interests, including banking, business administration, and science and technology.
State schools are generally excellent, as Qatar continues to invest in its education to improve the knowledge, skills and ultimately the lives of its citizens.
Though public schools are free for Qatari nationals, schools have their own policies when it comes to admitting non-Qatari students.
International schools in Qatar
Even though the government puts a lot of effort into ensuring high standards at local schools, most expat children attend private international schools in Qatar due to restrictions and language barriers at public schools.
There are many options, with schools following various curricula, including the International Baccalaureate (IB), British, American and Indian systems. These schools must meet the standards of the Qatar National School Accreditation system.
Education can be a significant expense, so expats working in Qatar should try to negotiate school fees into their contract or ensure that they budget carefully. Fees such as tuition and registration fees, uniforms and excursions can add up quickly, and most fees are expected to be paid upfront at the beginning of the school year.
Enrolment requires long-term planning as waiting lists are often long and application fees high – and often non-refundable. An application form and previous school documents are usually among the acquired documents. Some schools also require a letter of recommendation, on-site entrance exams and occasionally even interviews.
Nurseries in Qatar
Qatar recognises the importance of early childhood education and there are many kindergartens, both public and private. Private ones may be attached to larger international schools.
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education emphasises that kindergarten should encourage children to be active, creative and able to question, criticise and have their own personalities. Young children can explore basic numeracy and science, but the focus on their physical development and creative expression is paramount.
Expats needn’t worry about a language barrier in Qatari nurseries – young kids pick up new languages easily and the curriculum offers communication in both Arabic and English. All nurseries, both public and private, offer top-quality educational and play materials, as well as experienced teachers.
Special-needs education in Qatar
Empowering persons with disabilities is one of Qatar’s top priorities, and this includes quality special-needs education integrated with mainstream classrooms wherever possible.
Public and private schools provide support for students with learning, physical or developmental disabilities as well as those with behavioural, emotional and communication disorders, including students with autism and intellectual disabilities.
Schools must tailor services to each student. Curricula may be adapted to meet appropriate educational goals, and specialised materials and technology are employed to aid in the learning process. Specialists, alongside teaching staff, are responsible for providing optimal support to children and their parents.
Though schools are becoming increasingly integrated, there are specialised schools that specifically cater to students with disabilities and still provide a comprehensive education programme. Specialised schools include Al-Hidaya schools for students with intellectual disabilities and separate schools for students with hearing impairments.
Homeschooling in Qatar
Homeschooling is an option for residents in Qatar. Doha Home Educators (DHE) has been pivotal in creating an organised network for homeschoolers in Doha and regularly organises classroom lessons, activities and events. Parents who choose this alternative to mainstream schooling in Qatar will find an active community of expats who can be reached online and through social media groups.
Given the vague homeschooling regulations for expats in Qatar, DHE advises parents to follow the regulations of their home country.
Tutors in Qatar
Tutoring in Qatar, like elsewhere around the world, is a popular industry. There are many online platforms to find tutors for a wide spectrum of subjects and curricula – some tutors may focus on IB or IGCSE and A-Levels, while others use the Qatari curriculum. TeacherOn and MyPrivateTutor are among the commonly used online platforms. | <urn:uuid:2538d385-bf26-428a-8fe7-74184ccdd571> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://santafe.expatarrivals.com/middle-east/qatar/education-and-schools-qatar | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573104.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817183340-20220817213340-00468.warc.gz | en | 0.959192 | 1,009 | 1.75 | 2 |
John Ralston Saul: The Images of A Fair Country
Click to play:
Recorded: Wednesday October 28, 2009
17th Annual McCready Lecture
In his latest book, A Fair Country: Telling Truths about Canada, John Ralston Saul argues that Canada is a Métis nation, heavily influenced and shaped by aboriginal ideas. Egalitarianism, a proper balance between individual and group, and a penchant for negotiation over violence are all aboriginal values that Canada absorbed. Ralston Saul argues that it is critical that we recognize these aspects of Canada in order to rethink its future. His talk explores these issues and develops them in the context of the Art Gallery of Ontario’s reinstalled collection of Canadian Art.
Award-winning essayist and novelist, John Ralston Saul has had a growing impact on political and economic thought in many countries. Declared a “prophet” by TIME magazine, he is included in the prestigious Utne Reader’s list of the world’s 100 leading thinkers and visionaries. His works have been translated into more than a dozen languages. | <urn:uuid:219a1153-b559-49e5-8e35-f45705dbaa16> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.ago.net/john-ralston-saul-the-images-of-a-fair-country | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280763.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00513-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951056 | 232 | 2.875 | 3 |
Over at First Things, I’m writing about Terry Pratchett, Sin, Chesterton and Assisted Suicide and referencing one of Julie Davis’ favorite exchanges his great book, Carpe Jugulum
Having announced several years ago that he is dealing with early-onset dementia, Terry Pratchett, the celebrated author of scores of fantasy titles, most notably the marvelously wise and entertaining Disc World series, has—despite rumors to the contrary—staunchly maintained his atheist’s stance. Last year he declared that, having compared Genesis to Darwin, he found the latter to be by far the more interesting story and, taken all-in-all, he would “rather be a rising ape than a fallen angel.”[…]
For all of Patchett’s puckish posturing, though, his characters have a knack for plumbing surprising depths. His book, Carpe Jugulum, gives us an excellent definition of sin in this exchange between the Omnian priest, Mightily Oats, and the rather contemplative witch, Granny Weatherwax:
“It’s not as simple as that. It’s not a black and white issue. There are so many shades of gray.”
“There’s no grays, only white that’s got grubby. I’m surprised you don’t know that. And sin, young man, is when you treat people as things. Including yourself. That’s what sin is.”
The piece is not easy to excerpt, but Chesterton — whom Pratchett publicly admires — must show up, and so I hope you’ll go read the whole thing. | <urn:uuid:8530b75f-feca-4f67-8c67-df0c3ee27911> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://www.patheos.com/blogs/theanchoress/2011/09/06/pratchett-chesterton-granny-the-grubby-white/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988717963.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183837-00374-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936089 | 360 | 1.84375 | 2 |
I think all American Presidents have either been Christians or perhaps non-religious freethinkers. John Kennedy broke the “no Catholics” barrier and Richard Nixon was a Quaker.
It’s almost a done deal that Mitt Romney will be the Republican nominee in 2012, and I don’t think we ever had a Mormon in that spot before. There was a major firestorm over Barack Obama (who is a Christian) by detractors trying to paint him as a Muslim. While Democrats in the main are not religious fundamentalists, I still expect to see Romney’s religion on the table, perhaps more from Christian conservatives who hold that marriage is a union of “one man and one woman,” while Romney’s grandfather was a polygamist (Mormons call it “plural marriage”). Obama detractors did everything they could to make him appear strange and “other” and you can imagine what will be directed against the up-until-now little-known Mormons.
I’m a veteran of the Mormon Wars. I don’t mean the conflict between Mormon Utah and the US Government in 1857-8, but a group of “flame wars” on the talk.religion.misc newsgroup on USENET a decade or so ago. I learned a lot about Mormons in that process, and little about myself at the same time. What I expect to see is revival of conspiracy theories about the LDS (the official name of the Mormon Church is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). They have some secret rituals and borrow practices from Freemasonry, which itself is the subject of myriad conspiracy theories. The LDS are said to hold vast wealth, and wield considerable power in Utah behind the scenes. The First President of the LDS can, according to them, speak inerrantly1. Would Romney be bound to follow the Church instead of the Constitution (substitute “Pope” for questions actually raised about John Kennedy)? The anti-Mormon literature, for example Mormonism: Shadow or Reality by the Tanners has a wealth of dirt a detractor can use.
Personally, I’m not concerned about Romney’s religion. As for the question of whether Mormons are Christian, I would answer in two ways:
I would describe a “normative Christian” as one who agrees with the content of the Nicene Creed. Mormons do not believe in the central doctrine of normative Christians, the Trinity. Mormons have a plurality of gods, of which Jesus and Jehovah are two. So, Mormons are not normative Christians.
They do, however, believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that the Bible (when correctly translated) is the Word of God, so that qualifies them as Christians of some sort (they also believe that the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price are equally inspired). Words like “sect,” “cult,” and “denomination” are thrown about for polemic purposes and I choose not to use them here. Whatever it is, Mormonism is special because it is a religion (like Christian Science) that rose in modern times. The historical sources add depth to a story that is only told by partisan sources for ancient religions.
1I don’t think this is a real concern. Mormons believe that they may all receive “revelations” from God. The revelations come to appropriate individuals according to their station in life, so some Brigham on the street would not receive a revelation about the church as a whole; only the First President would get those. Presumably, the First President would not receive a revelation about what the US Government should do either. Also, to be considered inerrant doctrine, the First President’s revelation has to be confirmed by another council. An example of such a revelation was when it was revealed to First President Wilford Woodruff that Mormons should no longer enter into plural marriages. | <urn:uuid:2a5c43e1-bda3-41b6-bb7e-0fe2ca3a1980> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.blogordie.com/2012/05/is-mitt-romney-a-christian/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560282202.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095122-00552-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963818 | 821 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Wi-Fi hot spots in airports, restaurants, cafes and even downtown locations have turned Internet access into an always-on, ubiquitous experience. Unfortunately, that also means always-on, ubiquitous security risks.
Connecting to a hot spot can be an open invitation to danger. Hot spots are public, open networks that practically invite hacking and snooping. They use unencrypted, insecure connections, but most people treat them as if they are secure private networks.
This could allow anyone nearby to capture your packets and snoop on everything you do when online, including stealing passwords and private information. In addition, it could also allow an intruder to break into your PC without your knowledge.
But there's plenty you can do to keep yourself safe -- and I'll show you how to do that in this article. If you follow these tips, you'll be able to make secure connections at any hot spot.
Disable ad hoc mode
Little-known fact: You don't need a hot spot or wireless router in order to create or connect to a wireless network. You can also create one using ad hoc mode, in which you directly connect wirelessly to another nearby PC. If your PC is set to run in ad hoc mode, someone nearby could establish an ad hoc connection to your PC without you knowing about it. They could then possibly wreak havoc on your system and steal files and personal information.
The fix is simple: Turn off ad hoc mode. Normally it's not enabled, but it's possible that it's turned on without your knowledge. To turn it off in Windows XP:
- Right-click the wireless icon in the System Tray.
- Choose Status.
- Click Properties
- Select the Wireless Networks tab.
- Select your current network connection.
- Click Properties, then click the Association tab.
- Uncheck the box next to "This is a computer-to-computer (ad hoc) network."
- Click OK, and keep clicking OK until the dialog boxes disappear.
Turn off file sharing
Depending on the network you use at work or at home, you may use file sharing to make it easier to share files, folders and resources. That's great for when you're on a secure network. But when you're at a hot spot, it's like hanging out a sign saying, "Come on in; take whatever you want."
So make sure that you turn off file sharing before you connect to a hot spot. To turn it off in Windows XP, run Windows Explorer, right-click on the drives or folders you share, choose the Sharing and Security tab, and uncheck the box next to "Share this folder on the network."
If you're a Windows Vista user, it's even easier to turn off file sharing. When you connect to a hot spot, designate it as Public. When you do that, Windows Vista automatically turns off file sharing. You can also turn off file sharing manually. Choose Control Panel-->Set up file sharing, click "File sharing," select "Turn off file sharing," and click Apply. Then click "Password protected sharing," select "Turn off password protected file sharing," and click Apply. | <urn:uuid:35f4ed65-0244-40c8-970e-1adbe2665271> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/175255/wireless_hot_spot_protection/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560281331.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095121-00216-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932018 | 646 | 2.609375 | 3 |
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BY ANTHONY J. FEJFAR, B.A., J.D., ESQ., COIF
Various Essays in Critical Thomism
Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif
© Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar
ISBN # 978-0-557-03703-2
Publisher: Lulu Press
Various Essays in Critical Thomism
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. A Meditative Prayer 2. Athesim and Metaphysics 3. Being, Kundalini Syndrome and Manic Depression 4. Body, Mind, Spirit and the Greek and Biblical Worlds 5. Body, Mind, Spirit 6. Charity and Karma 7 The Social Democratic Party 9. Critical Thomism and Phenomenology 10. Critical Thomism Deconstruction and Reconstruction 11. Disinformation and the Dangers of NLP 12. Druid Time 13. Druid Being 14. Gift Giving and 15. God the Father and the Mission of Jesus Christ
16. Guardianship Liability 17. Jesus the Logos of God 18. Jesus, the Scribes and the Adulterous Woman
19. An Inductive Proof for God’s Existence II 20. Angelic Substance 21. Why Property is not a Reified Concept 22. Being Defined 23. Critical Thomism and Scientific Method 24. Critical Thomism and the Liberal Good of Order 25. Contractual and Economic Purpose 26. Critical Philosophy and Burden of Proof 27. Druid Lore 28. Equity and Thomism 29. Equity Jurisdiction 30. GATT, Unfair Trade Practices and Substantive Due Process 31. Why the Liberal Scale of Values is not Egoistic 32. God, Being, and Quantum Physics 33. God the Father and the Mission of Jesus Christ 34. Heaven 35. Individual Relativism and Cultural Relativism 36. Law and Economics 37. Legal Ethics, the Model Code and the Model Rules 38. Why the International Sons of Liberty Supports the Rule of Law 39. Levels 4,5,and 6 Consciousness 40. Levels of Consciousness and Brahman 41. Levels of Consciousness and Levels of Reality
42. Levels of Consciousness and Levels of Reality II 43.Liberty and Self Transcendence 44. Matter and Substance 45. Mindfullness Mediatation 46. Modern Magic and Legal Competence 47. Natural Law and Jurisprudence 48. Nervous Breakdown and Near Death Experience 49. Neuro-Hermeneutic Programming 50. Objective Being and Subjective Being 51. Objectivity 52. Orthodox Christian Gnosis 53. Parallel Earths 54. Peak Experiences and Mundane Experiences 55. Philosophy, Manic Depression, and Psychiatry 56. Plato and God the Creator 57. Why Logical Positivism is Dumb 58. Prayer 59. Property Law and Metaphysics 60. Psychic Schizophrenia 61. Purgatory 62. Raising Responsible Children 63. Rational Self Interest 64. Real Authority
65. Real Republicanism 66. Reification 67. Reification and Psychiatry 68. Satan and Schizophrenia 69. Self-Transcendence 70. Sin and Grace, Bad Karma and Good Karma 71. Sin and Specific Intent 72. Spiritual Direction 73. Star Wars, God, and Metaphysics 74. Status Crimes 75. Substance, Form, and Substantial Form 76. Substantial Form and Essence 77. Substantive Due Process and Environmental Regulation 78. Sustaining the Economy 79. Symbolic Logic and Logical Positivism 80. Talking with God 81. The Art of Being 82. The Choice 83. The Dao of Politics 84. The Parable of the Sower 85. The Schizophrenic Tea Drinker 86. The Social Contract 87. The Story of the Two Sister, Martha and Mary
88. The Allegory of the Crucifixtion of Jesus Christ 89. The Parable of the Goose that Laid the Golden Egg 90. The Allegory of the Opus Dei CEO 91. Jesus and the story Abraham and Isaac 92. Jesus and the story of Jacob and Esau 93. The Astral Plane 94. The Bible and Metaphysics 95. The Blind Convention 96. The Butcher of Prague 97. The Core of Jesuit Spirituality 98. The Cross and Coping with Depression 99. The End of the World 100. The Fiduciary Duty of a Guardian to a Ward 101. The Gradeschool Classics 102. The Higher Self 103. The Individual Good not the Common Good 104. The International Sons of Liberty and the Transcendental Precepts 105. The Jungian Collective Unconscious and the Platonic Forms 106. The Legal Doctrine of Patrimony 107. The Legal Doctrine of Primogeniture 108. The Lemmings an Allegorical Tale 109. The Level of Experience 110. The Material World
111. The Matrix and Multidimensional Reality 112. The Metaphysics of Property 113. The Objective God 114. The Parable of the Fig Tree 115. The Parable of the Talents 116. The Path of Power 117. The Phenomenology of Visionary Experience 118. The Philosophy of Being 119. The Psychic Church 120. The Purpose of Economic Activity is to Produce Individual Liberty 121. The Schizophrenic Priest 122. The Seal of Confession and Lawyer Client Confidentiality 123. The Sermon 124. The Sermon on the Mount 125. The Silent God 126. The Silent God and the Inner Self 127. The Story of Cain, Abel, and Seth 128. The Story of Seth and Jesus Christ 129. The Tool 130. The Traditional Common Law and the Modern Common Law 131. The True Story of Beowulf 132. The Truly Worthwhile and The Good 133. The Vows of the Jesuit Order
134. The Zen Dojo and Zen as a Martial Art 135. Time and The Universe 136. Trashing Logical Positivism 137. Tree Farming 138. Unified Quantum Field Theory and Science 139. Unitary Reality and the End of the World 140. Why Communism doesn’t Work 141. Why Law is not Politics
Chapter 1 A Meditative Prayer By Anthony J. Fejfar © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar
Here is a Prayer that I meditate with: THE LORD MY GOD IS MY GUIDE, MY HELP, AND MY SALVATION, IN HIM DO I TRUST. If you use the above prayer as a mantra for meditation it can really help you spiritually. Thanks, Tony Fejfar
Chapter 2 Atheism and Metaphysics By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Atheism really isn’t neutral about God, Agnosticism is. While atheists typically profess only to not believe in God, it is my experience that they go one step further and hate God as well as people who believe in God. Thus, as a Theist, I find Atheism to be an unattractive position. But, there is an alternative, what I call Aatheism. I invite all Atheists to consider becoming Aatheists instead. Aatheists typically follow the philosopher and metaphysician Plato as their guide. Instead of believing in God, an Aatheist believes in the Good, that is, the Individual Good, following individual autonomy, rational self-interest, self-actualization, and self-transcendence. Aatheists also believe in the immortality of the Soul because of the Myth of Ur, found in Plato’s Republic. Finally, more than anything else, Aatheists believe in the Metaphysical Quiddity of Being. Being is an Unrestricted Pure Act of Understanding, also known as Form of Form. For many, Being replaces God. Being is impersonal not personal. Being is Universal. Being can be Intuited and Felt spiritually. For the Atheist, then, making to move to Aatheism might be an attractive alternative.
Chapter 3 Being, Kundalini Syndrome, and Manic Depression By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Manic Depression or Bipolar Disorder is a mental illness which typically manifests with symptoms of “consolation” or “spiritual high” on the one hand, or “desolation” or “spiritual low” on the other hand. Manic depression can also be accompanied by what is conventionally perceived as psychosis. There is no real explanation as to what the underlying cause of Manic depression, other than to say that the brain chemistry of the patient is affected, typically seen in the dopamine or seratonin levels found in the brain. I take the position that the real cause of Manic depression is the emergence or irruption of Kundalini, spiritual energy in the mind/brain. In Eastern Spriituality it is understood that there are two basic types of spiritual energy that the body uses. Typically, a person starts out with “Being” energy in the brain and Kundalini, or psychosexual spiritual energy in the lower energy centers of the body centering around the pelvic area. When a person prays or meditates enough, the lower Kundalini energy is released and moves up the spinal energy centers until the mind/ brain is reached. At this point the Kundalini energy typically overwhelms the Being energy and mania is
produced. When the level of Kundalini energy in the mind/ brain goes down, then depression is produced. Eastern writers state that the presence of Kundalini energy in the mind can cause visions, out of body experience, psychic abilities, etc. Such phenomena in the west is oftern diagnosed by naïve psychiatrists as psychosis. The solution to the problem of Manic depression or Kundalini Syndrome is the integration of Being energy with Kundalini energy, finding a new homeostasis or dynamic balance. When Being integrates Kundalini a steady state of Being energy is produced and an accompanying sense of well being. The highs and lows are eliminated. The accompanying spiritual gifts, may however, remain.
Chapter 4 Body, Mind, Spirit, in the Greek and Biblical Worlds By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Plato and Aristotle both wrote about the different levels of the human mind, or human consciousness. What is perhaps just as interesting is that one can do an analysis of the lives and philosophies of Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates, and see that their lives parallel the levels of Body, Mind, and Spirit:
Body Mind Soul Mind Wisdom/Spirit Mind
Aristotle Plato Socrates
Aristotle in many ways was a level one thinker. Much of his philosophy involved convention. Aristotle chose the Common Good over the Good. The saving grace for Aristotle is that he apparently was able to think in conceptual terms using his Body Mind and the metaphysics of substantial form. Substantial form is what enabled Aristotle to be a philosopher, not just a ditch digger. Plato in many ways was a level two thinker. Plato was an idealist. As an idealist, Plato spoke of the World of the Forms which structured reality. Plato chose the Good, not the apparently conventional Common Good.
Finally, Socrates was a level three thinker. Socrates used Wisdom to question the commonly held conventions and beliefs of his society. thinker. He questioned authority. Interestingly, in the Bible, there are three other persons who fit the categories of Body, Mind, Spirit.. In the Book of Genesis, Adam and Eve had three sons: Wisdom Mind Soul Mind Body Mind Seth Abel Cain Socrates was a critical
Cain acted out of the base emotions of hatred, anger, and envy in his murder of his brother Abel. Cain clearly had a mind which was an undeveloped Body Mind. Abel, on the other hand, had a Soul Mind. Abel was an idealist, that is, was pure of heart, but still, as some idealist are, was somewhat naïve. Abel could not prevent his own murder from taking place. Finally, there was Seth, who had a Wisdom Mind. Seth’s Wisdom Mind was an integration of both the Body Mind and the Soul Mind, but transcended both. Seth was wise enough not to be murdered by his brother Cain. Idealists, like Abel, cannot use evil in any way, it simply corrupts them. Wise Men, like Seth, can use evil to combat evil, and can use evil to achieve the Good.
Chapter 5 Body, Mind, Spirit By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar The first psychologists and psychiatrists were Plato and Aristotle. Both Plato and Aristotle recognized that there are at least three level to one’s Mind. They are: 3. 2. 1. The Spirit or Wisdom Mind, Self, Reflection, Judgment, Reason The Soul or Analytic Mind, Ego The Body or Emotional Mind, Base Emotions, concrete operations, selfish ego Since the time of Plato and Aristotle, thousands of years ago, nothing has changed. Many people only use the Body Mind to think. These are level one thinkers who are selfishly egoistic. Their base emotions cloud their thinking. They are not logical and they are not reasonable. logical positivists. Some other people use the second level, or Soul Mind to think. This is the analytic mind. These people are very good at categorizing, and comparing and contrasting. They are rational but not reasonable These people are analytic Egoists. Philosophically, they are idealists. Finally, some people use the Spirit Mind or Wisdom Mind to think. These people are reasonable and reflective. They integrate level one and two thinking, but transcend it. They use their Higher Self for decision making not the Ego or selfish ego. Philosophically, these people are hedonists or rigid
These reasonable people have the ability to compare different theories generated at level two, and intuitively judge which theory is more adequate. Philosopically, these people are Critical Thomists. Level three, Critical Thomist thinking is better than level two or level one thinking. Level three thinking takes the best of the lower levels and leaves the negatives behind.
Chapter 6 Charity and Karma By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar It has been argued that Charitable giving is irrational and should not be done. I, on the other hand, argue the it is rational to be Charitable. You see, the Natural Law system is constructed in such a way that we are encouraged to help those in need. When we help those in need, we acquire Good Karma. Good Karma may help us a bit in our current lives, but it is primarily intended to help us in our future lives. You see, the way reincarnation works, after a particular point in time, is that you can only get a good reincarnational slot on Earth if you have enough Good Karma to get it. You see, Good Karma attracts Good Karma and Bad Karma attracts Bad Karma. Therefore, if you want to be born into a life with nice, successful parents and a good childhood, you need to have Good Karma to get such a reincarnational slot. Now, Satanist will tell you that you will do better if you never give money to charity or do anything to help others. They say you should just be selfish. This is wrong. In fact, the way the system is set up is that a person gets Good Karma for giving to Charity and for helping others. In fact, there is a multiplier effect. For every “unit” of charity that you give, you get a multiplier of ten fold in return. So, if you give ten
dollars to charity, in the Natural Law system you get one hundred dollars credit in Good Karma. As I said before, this may or may not have a big impact on you current life, but it will have a huge impact on you future lives. The wise person gives money to charity
when he or she can, and spends time helping others. This is called enlightened rational self interest. Finally, one might object that certain people are poor and handicapped and therefore cannot give to charity or help others. In fact, such people can spend their time in prayer and receive Good Karma for this. The Monastic life is not a selfish life, in part, because the Monks in the monasteries pray for others. This prayer has an enormous impact metaphysically, but also in the Quantum Field. This has been proven in studies where persons practicing Mediation moved into poor crime ridden neighborhoods and the result was that the crime rate was cut in half. Prayer counts.
Chapter 7 Classical Logical Positivism not Stupid Logical Positivism By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar
Stupid Logical Positivism is a flatland epistemology based on sense experience that doesn’t work. Human being think on at least three levels, not just the level of sense experience, and this has been known for thousands of years since the time of Plato and Aristotle in ancient Greece, thousands of years before Christ. Classical Logical Positivism is grounded in the notion set forth by Plato and Aristotle that there are at least three level to the human mind. They are: 3. The Intuitive Intellectual Wisdom or Spirit Mind. 2. 1. The Analytic or Soul Mind. The sensory or Body Mind.
This Classical form of Logical Positivism is expressed very well in the Cognitional Structure put forth by Jesuit Philosopher, Bernard Lonergan.
3. Level of Intuitive Judgment or Reflection 2. Level of Analytic Understanding 1. Level of Sense Experience
Wisdom Mind Soul Mind Body Mind
Lonergan’s three level Cognitional Structure is the only Logical Positivism that works. Only Lonergan’s Cognitional Structure can account for the use of the scientific
method and logic. Lonergan’s Cognitional Structure can even accommodate Spirituality. Mundane, one level, Logical Positivism is absurd and stupid. It cannot
leve deal with the problem of optical sensory illusions, let alone the complexities of Quantum Physics. We must end the stupidity of mundane, flatland, one level, Logical Positivism and adopt the Lonerganian approach of Classical Logical Positivism.
Chapter 8 The Social Democratic Party By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar I argue that the real Social Democratic Party in this world was founded in the year 1776 by a group of colonial dissidents who were tired of irrational governmental political and economic policy and who wanted not only Freedom, but a better life. I
argue that the real Constitution was, and is, the American Declaration of Independence where it is stated that we are all given irrevocable Natural Rights by God, which include, but are not limited to the Natural Rights of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. The Natural Right to Life means that the Life principle of Equity must be respected. “To each according to his or her need.” This Natural Right to Life includes unborn children, born children, and the mentally ill, not just rich, and politically powerful adults. The Natural Right to Life also means that there should be no Death Penalty for any crime. The Natural Right to Liberty means that with the Principle of Proportionality means that each of us must be given Equal Rights before the Law. Each of us has a Natural Right of Liberty. This requires that all Laws and governmental policies be reasonable. It also means that we are each entitled to both Procedural and Substantive Due Process of Law. We are to be free of irrational governmental legislation, judge made law, and governmental policies.
Finally, we each have a Natural Right to Pursue our own Happiness. This means that we each have a right to maximize Value. This is best done by choosing the Liberal Scale of Values of: Autonomy, Rational Self Interest, Self Actualization, and Self Transcendence. This is how we achieve True Happiness. As Aristotle tells us, the true end of a human being is Happiness.. The United States Constitution should be interpreted as incorporating by reference the Declaration of Independence and the Natural Rights contained therein. In fact the signature clause of the United States Constitution explicitly refers to the Declaration of Independence by referencing its signing date of July 4, 1776.
Chapter 9 Critical Thomism and Phenomenology By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Critical Thomism asserts that reality is best known through the trifold process of experience, understanding, judgment and reflection. One might conclude that Critical Thomism is totally incompatible with Phenomenology, but this is not the case. As Husserl, the Father of Phenomenology points out, the idea of phenomenology is to start with experience and let the experience, as much as possible, stand for itself. This is done through the use of the Epoche. The use of the Epoche “brackets” preconceptions as much as possible in order the the “body” which is under observation to manifest to the knower. It is possible for the Critical Thomist, then, to simply go to the first level, the level of experience, and then institute the Epoche, and let the thing or body, speak for itself. In using the Epoche, the knower must allow his or her mind to go into a trance state, where one regresses to the point that language and linguistic meaning, as much as possible, is bracketed, or not used. This enables the artist or the scientist to see the thing under observation in a fresh, new, way. Seen this way, there is no real contradiction between In fact, Phenomenology enables the
being a Critical Thomist, and a Phenomenologist.
knower to “bracket” uncritical assumptions, such as those made by naïve, logical positivists.
Chapter 10 Critical Thomist Deconstruction and Reconstruction A Tract Book Essay By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif Critical Thomist philosophy can be used to deconstruct ideas or social institutions or even technology. For the Critical Thomist deconstruction begins with the
idea that a big part of our world is the world of real meaning. Meaning shapes and even constitutes reality as some level. Thus, it makes sense that the Critical Thomist would be able critique or deconstruct meaning in order to determine whether that meaning represent the Truly Worthwhile, or The Good. Recall, that The Good, is the Individual Good which shapes the Liberal Order. The Value and Goals underlying the Individual Good begin as follows: 1. Individual Autonomy 2. Individual Rational Self Interest 3. Individual Self Transcendece 4. Gift Giving These Goals could of course be supplemented with the Goals of : 5 6 7 Life Liberty Pursuit of Happiness
With the foregoing Goals and Values as a starting point, other Goals and Values can be added which are consistent with the foregoing and which help to structure the
deconstructive critique. Once the deconstructive critique has been engaged in, then one must return to the Goals and Values, above, in order to objectively or authentically subjectively ground the reconstructive process. In order for the Good to be achieved, typically, reconstruction always follows deconstruction. This is accomplished through the use of the Transcendental Precepts: Be Attentive, Be Intelligent, Be Reasonable, Be Responsible, Be Loving. The Transcendental Precepts, then, could also be added as additional Goals or Values. 1. Individual Autonomy 4. Individual Rational Self Interest 5. Individual Self Transcendence a. b. c. d. e. f. Be Attentive Be Intelligent Be Reasonable Be Responsible Be Loving Be Compassionate
4. Gift Giving 5 8 9 Life Liberty Pursuit of Happiness
The foregoing, then, shows that Critical Thomism can be used as a postmodern deconstructionist philosophy, without the negative side effects that one finds with Derrida.
Chapter 11 Disinformation and the Dangers of Neuro-linguistic Programming By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J..D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar I am a student of Neuro-linguistic Programming or NLP. I have never been to an NLP seminar and am not a certified master, nevertheless I have read most of the books on NLP and have a good understanding of the subject matter. The one thing I do know about NLP is that it is dangerous. NLP is dangerous because it gives the NLP practitioner the power to put another person in a hypnotic trance state and make compulsory suggestions to that person regarding beliefs or actions. If NLP is to be used
at all it must be used ethically. In that regard, I suggest that if the NLP practitioner uses the Ethical Matrix that I have developed, then he or she will be able to use NLP ethically. Unfortunately, however, some choose the opposite approach. A classic NLP technique is to begin a communication with a “lead” of truthful information, establish rapport or credibility as an authority with that information, and go to the “hook” which is information which may not be true, but which the NLP practitioner wants you to believe. When the NLP practitioner is an expert in Disinformation, such as certain espionage agents such of the old Russian Soviet KGB, are probably trained in, NLP can be a very dangerous weapon to the common good. The following is an example of an NLP Disinformation strategy. Your KGB Disinformation assignment is to make your audience believe that the Popes of the Roman Catholic Church during the renaissance period were responsible for murdering
over 75 million Jews in Russia. Here is how you convince your audience that this incorrect statement is true. First the lead. “The Medici and Borgia Popes of the Italian
Renaissance were responsible for the production of many great works of religious art in Rome.” Now the hook. “It is unfortunate, however, that these Popes were also responsible for a progrom in Russia where over 75 million Russian Jews were murdered.” Now, to the ordinary reader of the foregoing, you have been placed in hypnotic trance state where the suggestion that renaissance Popes were responsible for the murder of 75 million Jews in Russia, seems not only plausible, but believable. Think to yourself, right now, were renaissance Popes responsible for the murder of 75 million Jews? If the answer to this seems to be yes, then you are the unwitting victim of Disinformation and NLP. You have been NLPed. The only way to really get out of NLP hypnosis it to transcend the level at which you have been hypnotized. If you are a Critical Thomist, you probably read the NLP Disinformation at level 2, the level of Understanding. If one can shift one’s mind to formal operations at level 4 or hermeneutics at level 5, then it is possible to transcend and beat the NLP and recognize that the Disinformation given you was, as a whole, false. If you are not a Critical Thomist, to correct the problem you will probably have to placed in a deep trance state by a hypnotherapist and deprogrammed.
Druid Time A Poem By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Long Ago was Druid Time, Ancient Magick Wisdom’s Rhyme World Primeval Magick Earth New Beginnings New Birth By Elocutions They knew Ancient Wisdom Forest Dew They knew of Christ And Martyrs wound Vowing Wisdom Ancient Boon Cross they knew From time of olde Wisdom’s secret Christ’s Gold They knew Plato Channeled true Ancient knowledge Future’s Brew The God of Being
Was their Friend Real Understanding Knowledge Send Bread and Wine Sacrifice Pure No murder Intentions Sure
Chapter 13 Druid Being A Poem By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Druid Being from time of Olde. Ancient Money Pagan Gold. Ancient Understanding Wiseman’s Stone God of Wisdom Granite Cold. Philosopher’s Stone Power Real Olden Times Druid Seal. Magick Gray Moderate True Flowing Fountain Mystic Brew. Two Edged Sword From Time of Olde Devil’s Dearth Goodness Told. Tales of Good Worthwhile True Forest Dark Mountain Dew Being Intuition Knowledge Real Curvelinear Understanding Druid’s Seal.
Chapter 14 Gift Giving and the Critical Thomist Scale of Values By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Previously, I have discussed the Critical Thomist Scale of Values. That Scale of Values has the following priority: Highest 1. My individual autonomy 2. My enlightened rational self interest 3. My self actualization 4. My self transcendence 5. Gift Giving In reflecting upon values one through four, it became apparent to me that it would be impossible to give someone a gift. The idea of a gift is that you give a present to someone with no expectation of any return on their part. This is the pure idea of a gift. Giving a gift is in a sense an irrational act based upon love, when one considers a gift in the pure sense. While it may not be rational to give someone a gift, I argue that it is reasonable. Rccall our earlier definition of reason as 90 % logic and 10 % love. It is also apparent that one should never be forced to give a gift to another. Giving a gift should be a voluntary act. One can of course also consider any charitable giving in the pure sense as a type of gift.
Chapter 15 God the Father and the Mission of Jesus Christ By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar In the Christian Gospels, God the Father is portrayed as sending his Son, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to Earth to perform the mission of redeeming mankind from Original Sin, and spreading the Good News of the Gospel of Liberation. From a modern point of view, some might object and argue that God the Father should not have sent His Son to be crucified, but instead should have come Himself. I argue that the mission of Jesus Christ can only really be understood in the context of a royalist point of view. Western Civilization is based upon modified Patriarchy. In an extreme patriarchal culture it is apparent that an authoritarian Father would simply murder his son to prevent the son from trying to take control of the Father’s Kingdom, when the son was old enough to rule. Instead, in Western Civilization, feudal culture developed the office of a Prince who would rule only after the death of his Father. This is primogeniture. Inheritance of the eldest son. Given the foregoing, I argue that God the Father, as Emperor, send his Son, as King, on a mission. This is exactly the kind of mission that an earthly King might send his son, a Prince. Recall, that God the Father, of course knew that Jesus would resurrect from the dead and return to life. So, just as a Father King would send his son, the Prince, off to fight a war, or win a crusade prior to his becoming King, so too, God the Father
sent Jesus off to bring victory over death by reason of the Cross. Jesus was a victor on the Cross, he conquered sin and death, and brought about a new reality. Thus, I conclude that it was appropriate that God the Father send His Son, Jesus Christ, in His place to conquer sin and death on Earth and redeem mankind.
Chapter 16 Guardianship Liability By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Although it is rare for an adult, mentally ill person to have a guardian, the topic deserves jurisprudential analysis. Until proven otherwise, I argue that an adult mentally ill person with a guardian should be treated the same as a 20 year old minor. In other words, unless proven differently, with a due process proceeding involving a person examination of the ward, a mentally ill adult should be treated in roughly the same way as a junior in college. Many mentally ill persons can understand a simple contract, balance a check book, understand what means to own property, and own property. Virtually all mentally ill persons value their own freedom of expression and freedom of religion. I argue that a mentally ill person has all the same constitutional and legal rights as a “normal” person, with additional rights in equity. It follows, therefore, that if a guardian attempts to force an adult ward to adopt particular religious beliefs or practices, that this is an infringement upon the constitutional rights of the ward. Similarly, if a guardian attempts to stop a ward from writing or saying nondefamatory speech, that this is also an infringement upon the constitutional rights of the ward. This is particularly true of political speech. Obviously, a guardian cannot tell a ward how to vote, and cannot vote in place of the ward.
Since a guardianship is a creature of state statutory law, it is clear that any acts of a guardian become “state action” “under the color of state law” for purposes of federal law. If ward’s religious freedom is infringed upon by a guardian, clearly there would be a cause of action for damages against the guardian by the ward under 42 United States Code, section 1983, and the guardian could be convicted of a federal crime under 18 United States Code, section 242. Similarly, if a ward’s freedom of speech is infringed upon by a guardian, once again an action could be brought under section 1983 for damages, and a prosecution brought under section 242 for the guardian’s imprisonment.
Chapter 17 Jesus, the Logos of God By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Jesus Christ, also known as Jesus of Nazareth, is the Logos of God. God the Father is an Unrestricted Pure Act of Understanding, and Being, and God the Son, Jesus Christ, as Logos, is Reason, and God the Holy Spirit is Substance, that is, Truth and Love. We know Jesus is the Logos because of the Gospel of John. Unfortunately, the modern translation of the Bible uses the term “Word” of God, for Jesus, rather than the “Logos” of God, which is the original Greek term. It is clear from the Gospel of John that Jesus is God, begotten outside of SpaceTime, not just a human Prophet. In John’s Gospel, the Evangelist says of Jesus, referring to John the Baptist, “The one who comes after me ranks ahead of me, for he was before me.” This seeming paradox simply means that Jesus Exists in his Primary Form outside of linear Space-Time. Although in temporal terms Jesus comes after John the Baptist, in metaphysical terms, he comes before John, outside of Space-Time. Thus, in the Prologue to John’s Gospel, it is stated: In the beginning was the Logos, the Logos was in God’s presence, And the Logos was God. [The Logos] was present to God in the Beginning , Through [The Logos] all things came into being, And apart from him, nothing came to be.
Thus, it should be noted that the real nature of the universe is not the material universe as some would have it, but instead the universe of being. Jesus, the Logos, brings all things into “being” not into materiality. This is of course a reflection of the Being of God the Father.
Chapter 18 Jesus. the Scribes and the Adulterous Woman By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar In the Christian Gospel of John, Chapter 8, Jesus is described by John, the Evangelist as encountering an adulterous woman brought to him by the Jewish LawyerScribes. Under Mosaic Law, the penalty for adultery was being stoned to death. The Scribes asked Jesus what punishment the woman should receive. Jesus, instead of speaking, bends over and draws a circle in the dirt with his finger. But the Scribes kept pestering him for an answer. Jesus said, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first one to throw a stone at her.” John, Ch. 8, v. 7. Then, Jesus used his finger to make a cross inside the circle. This symbol, The Holy Cross, was the sign of the House of Caesar, also the Druid Cross. Jesus was reminding the
Scribes that Roman Law applied, and that adultery was not a crime under Roman Law. The Scribes saw this, and saw that they were being accused of Treason against Rome, and walked away.
Chapter 19 An Inductive Proof for God’s Existence II By Anthony J. Fejfar, J.D., B.A., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar I am presenting an interesting proof for God’s existence. I am going to use basic Quantum Physics to construct my proof. One of the aspect of Quantum Physics is Quantum Indeterminacy. The physicist Heisenberg set forth a scientific theory which states that with respect to any subatomic particle the speed of the particle and the location of the particle cannot be known at the same time. One experiment using one type of measuring device shows speed but not location, while another shows location but not speed. Thus, it is argued that the meaning framework that a person bring to the “Quantum Field” physically affects the reality of the Quantum Field itself. Thus, Quantum Physicists argue that objectivity is only possible it there exists a “Universal Observer” who can see all possible “meanings” of a Quantum Event at the same time. Now, I would like to argue that God is omniscient in the sense that Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa argued, that is God is omniscient because God has an infinite number of views of everything in existence (including all Quantum Events) Thus, if one can place oneself in a place where the person is “One with God”, then contrary to assertions of atheists and logical positivists, the person becomes more Objective not less. This is of course the view of Thomism.
Now, a corollary to all of this is that the foregoing implicitly suggests that there is an inductive proof for God’s existence. The proof is as follows: 1. Many persons experience themselves or others as being objective thinkers. 2. Quantum Physics states that objectivity can only exist if there is someone who is a “Universal Observer. 3. Therefore a Universal Observer must exist. 4. The Universal Observer is the Omniscient God.
Chapter 20 Angelic Substance By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Some have argued that Substance does not exist or in the alternative is evil. I argue that Substance exists and functions at the Angelic level of reality, and is ordered toward the Good. In the Excursion by Saint Thomas Aquinas, St. Thomas specifically
states that Angels are Angelic Substances who know God and reality directly. Thomas Aquinas, The Excursion, Q. 50, A2. The Angels know God and reality through direct Act of Intuition. Since the Angels know God, Angels are ordered towards the Good as is Substance. Therefore, Substance is not evil.
Q. 50, A2.
Chapter 21 Why Property is not a Reified Concept By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Some argue, wrongly, that Property is a Reified Concept. In so doing, these persons use the outdated concept of reification involving a definition regarding misplaced concreteness. This definition is incoherent because, given this definition, reification itself is a reified concept. The definition of reification that I use defines a reified concept as one which is inappropriately realified, that is, inappropriately made real based upon no real referent or an illogical or irrational definition. Given this definition, let us consider Property as a
concept. Property is based upon possession. Title to Property is based upon a continuous right of possession that can be transferred. Property is also based upon the notion of an Estate in Land. An Estate is a meaningful concept which is essentially metaphysical. An Estate is not the land itself, but rather represents a legal interest in land. Given Lonergan’s notion of the World Mediated by Meaning, it is clear that metaphysical concepts can be real and therefore not reified.
Being Defined By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Bernard Lonergan in his work, defines Being as an “Unrestricted Act of Understanding.” I argue that Being operates and can be defined on at least three levela: 3. Being 2. Being 1. Being Reason Judgment Substantial Form Form Substance
The foregoing can be put with more elaboration as follows: 3. Being at Level 3 is an Unrestricted Act of Judgment or and Unrestricted Act of Substantial Form. 2. Being at Level 2 is an Unrestricted Act of Understanding
or an Unrestricted Act of Form. 1. Being at Level 1 is an Unrestricted Act of Experience or
Critical Thomism and Scientific Method By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar In his book Insight, Bernard Lonergan describes the Scientific Method as follows: 1. Observation of the Data 2. Insight into Data
3. Formulation of insights into a Theory 4. Verification of the Formulated Theory (Insight 79). However, in his Essay Cognitional Structure Bernard Lonergan states
that we know reality through the following: 1. Experience 2. Understanding 3. Judgment and Reflection It is apparent that both of the above describe the same process using different languange. The also parallels Plato and Aristotle and their discussion of 1. Body Senses 2. Soul Mind 3. Spirit Wisdom
Fianally, it should be noted that there is no reason that experience cannot include mystical experience, intuitive experience, and spiritual experience.
Chapter 24 Critical Thomism and the Liberal Good of Order By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar In his book “Insight” Bernard Lonergan asserts that the purpose of the political specialization of common sense is the Good of Order. (p. 213) But, at the same time Lonergan also states that The Cosmopolis, or Critical Moral Culture also affects the political order. (p.230). Given, this I think it is more accurate to say that the end or purpose of the political specialization of common sense is the Liberal Good of Order which has as its’ guiding principle, the Critical Thomist notion of the Individual Good.
Chapter 25 Contractual and Economic Purpose By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Some would argue that the purpose of a contract, or of economic activity in general, is profit maximization. I, on the other hand, would argue that the purpose of contract and economic activity is the enhancement of autonomy. Consider the following allegory. A Magic Jinn appears to a man named Sam, and offers him two choices for the rest of his life. “Sam, you can have a nice 5 bedroom house, two cars, three children, a loving wife and a dog, as well as a job which is fulfilling and which pays a salary of $500,000 per year. You can pretty much come and go as you please. On the other hand you can have a chest full of Gold Bullion in the amount of One Billion Dollars which is placed in your possession in your prison cell where you are spending life in prison. Which would you choose?” Now, one persuing rational self interest, I would argue would choose the house, family, and the ability to come and go as one pleases rather than a prison cell with $5 Billion Dollars in gold in it. I argue that the rational choice, the economically efficient choice is to choose the autonomy of the house, job, and family, over the profit maximization and prison option. Autonomy, then is the underlying purpose of economic activity, not profit maximization. .
Chapter 26 Critical Philosophy and Burden of Proof By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar In Law, the Burden of Proof is on the Plaintiff to prove his or her case in a civil case, by the Preponderance of the Evidence. I argue that the same Burden of Proof must be applied in Philosophy. Once a Philosopher has stated a position, that position must be presumed valid until disproven by another Philosopher. A Philosopher disproves the philosophy of another by either attacking the factual basis on which the philosophy is based, or, by arguing that the philosophical position taken is not logical. If the philosopher putting forth the position has made certain assumptions, or has defined terms in a certain way, then the philosopher attaching those assumptions or definitions has the burden of proving that they are invalid. The foregoing is consistent with modern science where a scientist puts forth a particular theory to explain the data, and opposing scientists have the burden of proving the theory wrong. One cannot place the burden of proof on the defendant to prove the negative, that is, that there is no flaw in the original philosophers position.
Druid Lore A Poem By Anthony J. Fejfar © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar
Gray Granite Old Nine Days Old Gray Granite Warm On the Farm Sacrifice the Mass Power at Last Druid Priest Now In the Dao Catholic Tradition Manumission Justice Keep Spirituality Deep Moon is Gray In the Fray Forest Deep In the Keep Oak Tree Tall Evil’s fall Wisdom soon Death to Croon Matriarchy Damned Win the Land
Chapter 28 Equity and Thomism By Antlhony J:.Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar In the Summa Theologica, Part 2 of Part 2, Question 120, Article I, Thomas Aquinas asserts that Equity or Epikeia is a virtue. Additionally, in Article II, Thomas Aquinas asserts that Equity is an aspect of Justice which is subjective. I agree that Equity is a virtue and an aspect of Justice, and I assert that Equity is based upon Wisdom. Wisdom is associated with the goddess Minerva (feminine wisdom) and the god Pan (male wisdom). While law is based upon Reason, Equity is not. Equity is based upon the arational intuition which is Wisdom. We know all sorts information by intuiting Being, an Unrestricted Act of Understanding.
Chapter 29 Equity Jurisdiction By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Some lawyers are not happy that Equity exists. What they do not seem to understand is that Law is not rational without Equity. Equity takes into account and solves those problems which cannot be adequately dealt with at Law. But, it is also true to say, while Law has its Equity, Equity also has its law. There are Equitable Maxims which can be used as legal precedent in arguing Equity cases. The first Equity Maxim is that “Equity is, as Equity does.” What this means is that those who recognize or do Equity are entitled to Equity. Those who reject Equity, in general, or for others, are denied Equity, as a general matter. If a litigant fails the foregoing test, then the Court sitting in Equity can only hear the case by reason of the “Grace of the Chancellor.” What this means is that the Court sitting in Equity can choose to hear a case “subjectively” as a matter of discretion, not right. Once a Court has decided to hear a case in Equity, the next hurdle is the Equitable Maxim, “Equity acts only when there is no adequate remedy at Law.” This means that, as a general rule, a Court sitting in Equity will only hear a case when the case cannot be resolved at Law. But, what if there seems to be an extreme injustice even when there is a remedy at Law? In this case, another Equitable Maxim comes into play, “Equity abhors an Injustice at Law.” Thus, if the legal resolution of the problem seems to be grossly unjust as a matter of Natural Law, then the Court can still hear the case in Equity. As I
have argued previously, the rational approach to Natural Law follows the Natural Law Principles of: Reciprocity, Utility, Proportionality, and Equity. A Court should also not hear a case in Equity where the plaintiff has “unclean hands” in Equity. Where the plaintiff has engaged in inequitable conduct, him or herself, then he or she is denied equitable relied. When a court takes a case in Equity the case can often be decided using the Natural Law Principles of Reciprocity, Utility, Proportionality, and Equity. Often, if the case comes down to an Equitable decision, as such, the Court will have to “Balance the Equities,” that is, the Court must balance to contravailing needs of the parties to the action.
GATT, Unfair Trade Practices and Substantive Due Process By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar GATT, which is the international treaty known as the “General Agreement on Tariff’s and Trade,” prohibits irrational restraints on trade in the areas of the sale of goods, and the service industry, that is employment. GATT requires that irrational or
unreasonable restraints on trade be abolished. Thus, it is clear that GATT requires and both private industry policies as well as governmental regulations be rationally related to a legitimate business or governmental interest. Additionally, since GATT prohibits irrational or unfair restraints on trade, it is clear that the notion of unfair restraints on trade also includes the idea that businesses cannot engage in unfair trade practices such a fraud. It should also be noted that the underlying purposes of GATT is to promote individual autonomy, and the production of a good profit in the short, medium, and long term, and is not designed to promote short term profit maximization. It is also well to keep in mind that GATT contains a “Public Health, Safety, and Welfare exception.” This means that GAAT does not prevent the state from engaging in reasonable business or professional regulation under its police powers. Once again, although such regulation is permitted as an exception to GATT, it must be rational or reasonable, and rationally related to a legitimate governmental interest.
Why the Liberal Scale of Values is not Egoistic
By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Please recall that under the Utility function of the Ethical Matrix, and under the general notion of Morality with Critical Thomist philosophy, there is a scale of values which determines one’s morality. I have argued that the only rational scale of values is the Liberal Scale of Values, which is as follows: 1. Individual Autonomy 2. Individual Rational Self Interest
3. Individual Self Actualization 4. Individual Self Transcendence Now, looking at the above Scale of Values, one might conclude that, at least with, values one through three, the scale is basically egoistic. This is not the case. This is because the longer, more complete statement of Liberal Values involves the use of the notion of Reciprocity, found in the Ethical Matrix. While I still choose my own individual autonomy first, for example, I also recognize and respect the autonomy of all others. This entails the notion of Proportionality found in the Ethical Matrix. Proportionality requires that there be a scheme or system or rules which protects my autonomy, and reciprocally and equally by proportionality, also protects the autonomy of
all others. The Liberal Scale of Values, then, requires Equality before the Law in order to protect my individual values. The longer, more complete form of the Scale of Values is as follows: 1. Individual Autonomy, and reciprocally the Individual Autonomy of all others. 2. Individual Rational Self Interest, and reciprocally, the Individual Rational Self Interest of all others. 3. Individual Self Actualization, and reciprocally, the Individual Self Actualization of all others.\ 4. Individual Self Transcendence, and reciprocally, the Individual Self Transcendence of all others. Thus, the Liberal Scale of Values promotes reciprocal and proportional equality before the law, protecting both my own autonomy, etc., as well as that of all others. As argued previously, this is consistent with Kant’s Categorical Imperative of Universality.
Chapter 32 God, Being, and Quantum Physics By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Previously, I have argued that Being is the Metaphysical Quiddity most associated with God. I have not taken a position as to which came first God or Being. In this
Essay I would like to explore the possibility of how Being first came into existence. Classical Philosophy posits that God has the Divine attribute of Omniscience. Omniscience is defined at a Complete and Total, Immediate Understanding of Everything. Being, on the other hand is the Basis for Objectivity. However, Quantum
Physics tells us that the physical attributes of the Quantum Field are based upon the subjective understanding or meaning of an observer. This would seem to suggest that Objectivity is impossible. I disagree. Previously, I have written several refutations of Ockham’s Razor. Since Ockham’s Razor is now dead, we can now discuss God and Metaphysics in relation to science in general, and Quantum Physics in particular. I have also trashed the Critical
Legal Studies concept of Refication, as well as Logical Positivism. Once again, this opens the door for us to discuss God and Metaphysics in relation to Quantum Physics. I argue that the God of Omniscience is the Primary Observer of the Quantum Field, and that what happens when God Observes the Quantum Field is that we get the manifestation of Being which is Objective instead of the Quantum Field which is subjective. That is the argument.
Chapter 33 God the Father and the Mission of Jesus Christ A Tract Book Essay By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar In the Christian Gospels, God the Father is portrayed as sending his Son, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to Earth to perform the mission of redeeming mankind from Original Sin, and spreading the Good News of the Gospel of Liberation. From a modern point of view, some might object and argue that God the Father should not have sent His Son to be crucified, but instead should have come Himself. I argue that the mission of Jesus Christ can only really be understood in the context of a royalist point of view. Western Civilization is based upon modified Patriarchy. In an extreme patriarchal culture it is apparent that an authoritarian Father would simply murder his son to prevent the son from trying to take control of the Father’s Kingdom, when the son was old enough to rule. Instead, in Western Civilization, feudal culture developed the office of a Prince who would rule only after the death of his Father. This is primogeniture. Inheritance of the eldest son. Given the foregoing, I argue that God the Father, as Emperor, send his Son, as King, on a mission. This is exactly the kind of mission that an earthly King might send his son, a Prince. Recall, that God the Father, of course knew that Jesus would resurrect from the dead and return to life. So, just as a Father King would send his son, the Prince,
off to fight a war, or win a crusade prior to his becoming King, so too, God the Father sent Jesus off to bring victory over death by reason of the Cross. Jesus was a victor on the Cross, he conquered sin and death, and brought about a new reality. Thus, I conclude that it was appropriate that God the Father send His Son, Jesus Christ, in His place to conquer sin and death on Earth and redeem mankind.
Chapter 34 Heaven By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Previously, I have asserted that all we have is Purgatory, after Death. I also asserted, however, that Purgatory exists on multiple levels. Here is how it works:
Traquility Heaven Self Actualization Heaven Educational Heaven Purgatory Spirit World Purgatory Prison World Purgatory Hell
Reincarnation on Earth Typically, when one dies on Earth, or ends one’s cycle in Self Actualization Heaven, one spends a long period of time in Tranquility Heaven, which is a place of wonderful rest and sleep. This occurs outside of Space Time, even in Purgatory, so no real time is lost. Purgatory Prison World and Purgatory Hell is for those who have chosen evil as their end, and who refuse to repent or do penance for their crimes. If after one’s last cycle on Earth, one does not have the right spiritual equipment to do well in Heaven or Earth, one spends time in the Purgatory Spirit World, learning
spiritual lessons and acquiring spiritual gifts. When one reincarnates in Heaven, one typically starts over at an early age in Educational Heaven, and stays there until approximately age 29. For adoptive parents in Educational Heaven, typically, the
biggest lesson is how to unconditionally love and appropriately raise your children. After one has graduated from Educational Heaven, one is moved on to Self Actualization Heaven where one works on one or more Self Actualization Projects. At approximately, age 95, one passes over from Self Actualization Heaven to Tranquility Heaven and the cycle either repeats itself, or one reincarnates on Earth for a Challenge Life for which much credit is given.
Individual Relativism and Cultural Relativism By Anthony J. Fejfar B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Some have argued that the nature of ethics and reality is cultural relativism. I, on the other hand, argue that the better approach is individual relativism. Cultural relativism is absurd. There is no normative culture and it is simply an arbitrary imposition to force a particular cultural stance down anyone else’s throat. One can also argue that there really is no particular culture at all. Perhaps every notion of culture is simply a reified concept which has no real referent. What is the culture that one might choose, male? Female? White? Black? South Chicago?, North Omaha? Mexico? USA? Trojan (USC or ancient)? Cornhusker?, Nittany Lions? Ireland? Prague? Moscow? Potsdam? Detroit? Pittsburgh? Rome? The list of possibilities are virtually endless. The better choice is to choose individual relativism based upon individual Experience, Understanding, Judgment, and Reflection (Lonergan). This move is much more compelling than cultural relativism and potentially leads to authentically subjective results. This parallels a better understanding of the scientific method than logical positivism. If Derrida and cultural diversity is dead, cultural relativism is DOA dead on arrival.
Chapter 36 Law and Economics By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Some Law and Economic theorists argue that the purpose of law is to promote economic efficiency. I argue that economic efficiency is simply another word for the
idea of Utility, and that Utility should be broadly defined as “maximization of Value.” The whole purpose of an economy is to produce goods and services by maximizing Value. Value represents both tangible and intangible goods and services.\ I argue that for a rational person, one’s highest value, that which has the greatest utility, is one’s own autonomy and rational self interest. Additionally, it is rational to choose liberty as a value where reciprocally one values not only one’s own autonomy and rational self interest, but also the autonomy and rational self interest of others as long as it does not conflict with my own. This reciprocal notion of liberty is accomplished through the notion of equality before the law. Thus, I argue that laws which produce equality before the law are in fact economically efficient as long as they are reasonable. If the market produces authentic liberty without legal regulation, then the law should not bar that liberty from taking place. Therefore, it makes sense that the First Amendment right of Freedom of Speech is largely unregulated because the “market” of free speech produces liberty. On the other hand, it makes sense that criminal laws prevent theft, whether corporate or
otherwise, because this denies one equality before the law, and of course denies one’s liberty to use his or her property as he or she chooses.
Chapter 37 Legal Ethics: The Model Code and the Model Rules By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar In the United States some jurisdictions still have the Old Model Code, while most have the Model Rules or some variation thereof. I would like to take a few minutes and explore why the two are different. The Old Model Code is based upon morality. It smacks of conventional morality which has been criticized by Developmental Psychologists as irrational. Half of the Model Code is Ethical Considerations which are supposed to be voluntary in nature, but are sometimes wrongly applied to discipline lawyers. This is wrong. The Model Rules on the other hand are based upon Ethics. Morality is wrongly, and typically based upon some uncritical authority, while Ethics are based upon principled reasoning. The Model Rules have two ethical principles that underly their application, namely, Responsibility and Autonomy. In his book the “Responsible Self,” Neihbor tells us that responsibility is a valued and good ethic. One is required to be responsible for oneself and for others. This is a conservative principle. On the other hand, Autonomy is found in developmental psychology and in John Rawl’s Book, “A Theory of Justice.” Autonomy is based upon the principle of Free Will. The Model Rules are a great improvement over the Model Code and should be supported.
Chapter 38 Why the International Sons of Liberty Support The Rule of Law And Constitutional Democracy By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar As I have noted before, the International Sons of Liberty has as its highest values, the following: 1. Individual Autonomy 2. Individual Rational Self Interest 3. Individual Self Actualization
4. Individual Self Transcendence
Now, you might be wondering at this point what the International Sons of Liberty has to say about government. Well, when you take the above values into account it is clear that the International Sons of Liberty supports Equality before the Rule of Law, and Constitutional Democracy. Now, as political philosopher John Rawls has pointed out, a “rational and autonomous” person will choose Constitutional Democracy and the Rule of Law as the ideal form of government in order to protect one’s own automony, rational self interest, self actualization, and self transcendence. Autonomy, rational self interest, and self actualization require that I have sufficient personal Liberty to be myself in terms of my own autonomy, my own rational self interest, and my own self actualization. In other words, I need individual rights so that I have the “space” to be myself. Finally, self
transcendence requires that I have religious freedom. All of this requires the Rule of Law and Constitutional Democracy.
Chapter 39 Levels 4, 5, and 6 Consciousness A Tract Book Essay By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Previously, I have argued that Levels 1, 2, and 3 of Consciousness exist, and now, I am discussing levels 4, 5, and 6. Level 4 is the level of Formal Operations. It is
a Being level as well. At 4 we intend Objectivity by intending Being. At 4, we have Formal Operations so that we can consider alternatives and plan. Level 4 is also necessary for reciprocal thinking found in the Ethical Matrix. One cannot think using reciprocity without having the use of Formal Operations. The Imagination of Formal Operations thinking allows one to distanciate and role play with one’s mind. At 4, using my imagination I can imagine being a different person in a hypothetical situation. The Level 4 imagination is a very powerful cognitive tool. Level 5 consciousness involves Creativity and Hermeneutics. Level 5 creativity involves the ability to be artistic as an author, or painter, or photographer. Creativity allows one to have creative insights which blow away existing paradigms. Creativity is creativity ex nihilo, that is, creativity from nothingness. Such creativity is irrational and beautiful. Creativity ex nihilo supports Freewill. Level 5 consciousness also involves Hermeneutics. Hermeneutics is the discipline which creates and analyzes meaning. Level 5 persons find meaning. They are existentialists. Such existentialism begins at Level 4, but finds a home at Level 5.
Existentialists find or create their own meaning, instead of looking to an authority for their meaning. Level 5 thinking also involves dialectical thinking. Level 5 persons can hold two principles which appear to be opposites, in juxtaposition, and find that they have a creative balance. Daoism cannot be understood, for example, with dialectical thinking. The philosopher most responsible for dialectical thinking is Hegel, who said that History unfolds in a dialectic of Thesis, Anti-thesis, and then Synthesis. Level 6 Consciousness involves Intuition. While some find psychic abilities at Level 6, I argue that one is better off finding Intuition at Level 6. Level 6 is the first level which is clearly outside of space-time. Thus, it makes sense that at this stage, at the earliest stage possible, that we begin to Intuit Being. Recall, that Being is an Unrestricted Act of Understanding. By Intuiting Being we begin to get transcendent information from outside of space-time. By Intuiting Being, we get a feel for the “big picture.” By Intuiting Being, we can fill in the cracks of missing understanding or knowledge which can supplement the mundane knowledge that we already have. Finally, highly developed Intuition can function like psychic abilities, providing the Intuitionist with clairvoyance and clairaudience. Thus, Intuition can allow one to “remote view” internally as well as “channel chat” with others. Intuition is a Natural Gift of the Holy Spirit. Saint Augustine called this gift Divine Illumination. THE END
Chapter 40 Levels of Consciousness and Brahman By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Previously, I have argued that Stages of Consciousness or Reality exist. Those are: Body Soul Spirit Objective Spirit Creativity Intuition Higher Love Body Mind Analytic Mind Wisdom Mind Objective Mind Creative Mind Intuitive Mind Higher Love Mind Experience Understanding Judgment and Reflection Objectivity and Formal Operations Creativity and Hermeneutics Intuits Being Love of Intellect and Compassion
In his Book, “The Visionary Window,” Amit Goswami describes the levels of reality associated with the Eastern concept of Brahman, or Reality: Annamya Pranamaya Manomaya Vijanamaya Anandamaya physical mind or reality vital or emotional mind mental mind theme or meaning mind Blissfull
In comparing the foregoing levels of consciousness it appears that they parallel one another. This is consistent with Ken Wilber’s idea of the Perennial
Philosophy of Perennial Consciousness. The general pattern is that mind goes from being more dense and mundane to higher levels which are more subtle and ethereal.
Chapter 41 Levels of Consciousness and Levels of Reality By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Previously, I have asserted that, following Plato and Aristotle, there are three basic levels of consciousness, Body-mind, Analytic-mind, Intellectual-mind. These can also be described as the levels of Body, Mind, and Spirit. In this Essay, I am also asserting that there are three levels of reality, and, that they correspond to the levels of mind or consciousness. The levels of reality are: Highest: 3. Substance 2. Matter 3. Materiality The foregoing levels of reality correspond to the levels of consciousness: Highest: 3. Substance 2. Matter 1. Materiality Spirit Soul Body Intellect Analytic Mind Body Mind and Emotions
The foregoing levels also have corresponding questions and level of inquiry which parallel: Highest: 3. Substance 2. Matter 1. Materiality Spirit Intellect Why? Metaphysics Science Concrete Operations
Soul Analytic Mind How? Body Body Mind What?
Chapter 42 Levels of Consciousness and Levels of Reality II By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Previously, I have asserted that, following Plato and Aristotle, there are three basic levels of consciousness, Body-mind, Analytic-mind, Intellectual-mind. These can also be described as the levels of Body, Mind, and Spirit. In this Essay, I am also asserting that there are three levels of reality, and, that they correspond to the levels of mind or consciousness. The levels of reality are: Highest: 3. Substance 4. Matter 5. Materiality The foregoing levels of reality correspond to the levels of consciousness: Highest: 3. Substance 2. Matter 1. Materiality Spirit Soul Body Intellect Analytic Mind Body Mind and Emotions
The foregoing levels also have corresponding questions and level of inquiry which parallel: Highest: 3. Substance 2. Matter 1. Materiality Spirit Intellect Why? Metaphysics Science Concrete Operations
Soul Analytic Mind How? Body Body Mind What?
Now, after one reaches Level 4, the Levels of Reality become mental or spiritual and the categories of Reality and Consciousness merge:
Highest: 12. Liberty 11. Wisdom 10. Being 9. Unconditional Parental Love 8. Logos or Reason 7. Higher Love of Intellect and Compassion 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Intuition Creativity and Hermenutics Form Formal Operations Intellect Spirit Substance Analytic Mind Soul Matter Body Mind Physical Body Materiality
The foregoing levels to some degree parallel the levels found in the work of Transpersonal Psychologist, Ken Wilber, and the Perennial Philosophy.
Chapter 43 Liberty and Self Transcendence By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Political Theorist, John Locke, argues that there is a difference between License and Liberty. While Locke’s elaboration on the distinction between the two concepts is flawed, the basic distinction still holds true. License is based upon base selfishness and the base emotions of greed, avarice, objectifying lust, selfish-controlling love, etc. Liberty, on the other hand, is based upon following the Transcendental Precepts and the Ethical Matrix. Recall, that the Transcendental Precepts involve being: Attentive Intelligent Reasonable Responsible Loving Compassionate The transcendental precepts automatically lead the person to Liberty or Authentic Freedom.
Additionally, the Ethical Matrix uses the following Natural Law Principles: Reciprocity Utility Proportionality Equity Recall, that Reciprocity means treating another as you would wish to be treated in similar circumstances. Utility, means maximizing Value, by ordering one’s morality in accordance with a rational scale of values. Proportionality means that a one to one ratio represents perfect proportionality. Proportionality is the basis for equality before the Law. Finally, there is Equity. Equity makes an equitable exception from a general rule or law, based upon need. Equity favors the one in need. Thus, it is clear that Liberty involves Self Transcendence and Ethics, while License involves the base emotions.
Chapter 44 Matter and Substance By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar When I was a kid growing up, in gradeschool we had a gradeschool science class where we were told that the Earth and the Universe were made of Matter. They really didn’t define Matter for us in class, but Wikipedia, the Online Encyclopedia defines Matter as “the substance of which material objects are composed.” Put another way, Matter is Material Substance. The reason I point this out is that some persons doubt the existence of Substance as a metaphysical quiddity. In fact, Substance is analogous to and closely related to the commonly held scientific concept of Matter. Matter is that of which all that is material is composed, while Substance is that of which all that is real is composed. The commonly held scientific belief in Matter proves the existence of Substance by analogy.
Minfullness Meditation By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D. © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar As one who is a practitioner of Catholic Spirituality, the option of engaging in Minfullness Meditation becomes apparent. The goal of Minfullness Meditation is Awareness. As Jesuit Philosopher Bernard Lonergan states, awareness of the world around you in an important part of Knowing. In order to begin Mindfullness Meditation one must first start with one’s own imagination and mind. One must become aware of what is going on in one’s own mind. In order to do this one must first start becoming aware of one’s own thoughts. When this happens, one begins to realize that one’s mind is full of random thoughts. The Disciplined Mind does not really have random thoughts clouding the intellect anymore. As one becomes aware of one’s random thoughts, one’s own imagination starts to engage the mind and starts to block out random thoughts leaving a Mind which has clarity of thought. When one has clarity of thought one’s mind begins to be cleared of stray thoughts leaving thought as such without content. Here the unconscious mind takes over and one’s mind begins to be transformed by the Holy Spirit.
Chapter 46 Modern Magic and Legal Competence
By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D. Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar I used to live in the Surface World, like most people, but then I decided to take a spiritual journey. I decided that after reading the philosophy of Bernard Lonergan that I would need to undergo a conversion experience whereby my reality was one which was not one of absolute 100% certainty like it seemed to be for most people, but instead I would find a world in which reality topped out with 99.999999999% statistical probability in the real world, not 100% certainty. I took this inward journey and it happened. I only think probabilistically now, and inductively. When I think deductively, I am faking it. Ironically, enough, what I am
doing with my mind is very consistent with the findings of Modern Quantum Physics. Quantum Physics, following Heisenberg’s Indeterminacy Principle, asserts that there is not absolute knowledge, but only relative or probabilistic knowledge. When I do logic, which one typically assumes is being done at 100%, I really only do it at, 99.9999999999% real probability in the real world. The results that I get are rational and scientific, but they tend not to be the same results that persons who are rigidly analytic get. My reason is really Practical Reason, with no theoretical reason. Interestingly, in law and forensic psychiatry it is assumed that every normal person has a uniform, certain, 100% true intent, to do things, some of which may be
considered crimes. If this is true, then it is impossible for me, and other like me to form criminal, specific intent. Thus, I am permanently, judicially incompetent to stand trial at the time of trial and at the time of the offense. This is because I can only form intent probabilistically, with my highest level of intent being. 99.9999999999% in the real world, not 100% in the illusory surface world. Since I am entitled to Due Process of law, and since I cannot be tried in accordance with Due Process of Law, I have Judicial Immunity from prosecution. Finally, I am competent to own property, and contract, because I understand the jurisprudential basis for owning property and contracting. Ownership of property is based either upon possession or Seisin, that is title. The ability to contract simply means that I understand what is being bought or sold, the price, and that this constitutes sufficient consideration to form a contract. Obviously, I understand all three. Additionally, I am competent to practice law. Law is profession which is not based upon absolute certainty, and never has been. The standard for malpractice is that I do a reasonable job, not some hypothetical perfect job. Also, the best a lawyer can ever say about the law is with the use of a professional opinion which is probabilistic in nature. Lawyers who say the law is a certain way with absolute certainty in their minds, and tell the absolute judgment to their clients, are often found guilty of malpractice. Finally, based on Quantum Physics, it is apparent that the real nature of reality is probabilistic. This is based upon scientific fact. The false, illusory, surface world which people construct together, is a mass hallucination which passes for reality. Ironically, enough it takes magic, or magical thinking to believe and live in this 100%
certain surface world, even though this same modern surface world rejects as psychotic a belief in magic. The modern world is an incoherent concept.
Chapter 47 Natural Law and the Constitution By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar I have argued previously that in the world of Reason, Natural Rights are based upon Natural Law. One such right is Freedom of Speech, and its corollary, Academic
Freedom. The problem is that I hypothesize that there is also an older, less rational Natural Law that still is at work in our Society. This Ancient Natural Law is not based upon Reason, but instead upon conventional authority. Objectively, what it means to be a Thomist, is that one follows the work of Saint Thomas Aquinas which is in turn based upon the classical philosophy of Plato and Aristotle. This is Reason based Natural Law. Some fundamentalist take a different position, however. They argue that Natural Law is based upon authority, and, that a Thomist is one who treats the conventional teaching of a particular Pope in the Roman Catholic Church as normative Natural Law. These two Natural Law systems are antithetical to one another. Reason and conventional authority are often opposites, and, this is especially true in the area of Freedom of Speech. Enlightenment Natural Law protects the Natural Right of Freedom
of Speech. This is protected both by the Liberty provision in the American Declaration of Independence, as well as the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Enlightenment Natural Law sees innovation a new ideas as a good and positive occurrence which deserves protection.
Natural Law based upon conventional authority, on the other hand, takes the opposite view. Conventional Natural Law protects the status quo and opposes the development of any new ideas. New ideas are considered bad. The author who comes up with new ideas, which in any sense “rock the boat,” is considered a subversive. Thus, Conventional Natural punishes authors who come up with something new. This is called Penury. Various organizations such as the mafia, the Klu Klux Clan, the Nazi Party, and the Communist Party all act to penure a “prophet” or an author who comes up with a new social idea which transforms society for the better. If these organizations cannot get the job done by themselves, then state, local, and federal government is used to penure an author. Penury for an author is typically punished by one year in prison, on a psychiatric ward, in house arrest, or internment, or sequestrement. If the author survives penury,
then his or her ideas become accepted and incorporated into the conventional system. The author is now a part of the system, and as long as the author does not come up with any more earth shattering new ideas, he or she is safe from penury. Obviously, from the point of view of the American Constitution, a penury proceeding against an author is a violation of that author’s First Amendment Freedom of Speech right. Organizational or governmental action implementing the penury of an author is punishable under 42 U.S.C. section 1983 for civil damages and under 18 U.S.C. section 242 for a criminal penalty. If penury is allowed it should be done in the least pejorative manner, such as house arrest or internment or sequestrement, with the cost of the confinement being paid
for by the government. I hope penury can be done away with, but if it can’t, then it should only be applied in its mildest form.
Chapter 48 Nervous Breakdown and Near Death Experience By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar For some reason, some people have Nervous Breakdowns. They are perfectly normal, and then all of a sudden they can’t cope, can’t face life, can’t function. Psychology has not been able to present us with an adequate explanation of why Nervous Breakdowns occur. Using Transpersonal Psychology, I am proposing an explanation for why Nervous Breakdowns occur. In the Movie, Flyboys, the flier, Jensen, from Lincoln, Nebraska, is perfectly normal and is doing well as a World War I fighter pilot, flying for the French against the Germans. In one of his first combat experiences, Jensen receives a minor machine gun bullet wound to his neck. The next night Jensen “goes into shock” and has what appears to be a Nervous Breakdown. After watching the movie a number of times, I argue that Jensen was the victim of a “Near Death Experience.” Following Plato and Aristotle, there are at least three Most people do their
levels of Mind, the Body Mind, the Soul Mind, and , Spirit Mind.
analytic thinking out of their Soul Mind. I argue that Jensen, and others like him, had a Near Death Experience where part of his Soul left his body and went to the “Other Side,” to the Spirit World or Purgatory. Jensen was left trying to be an adult using only his Emotional Body Mind, which just wasn’t capable of getting the job done.
At the end of the Movie, Jensen recovers, with no real explanation as to why. I argue that Jensen’s Soul Mind returned to his body, or was replaced by another Soul Mind. The latter occurrence is referred to in the literature as a “Walk in” Soul. Thus, I argue that the only real cure for a Nervous Breakdown involves Transpersonal Therapy where the Soul or a Soul is brought back into the body, so that an adult Soul Mind is present.
Chapter 49 Neuro-Hermeneutic Programming
By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Neuro-hermeneutic programming is a hybrid of Neuro-linguistic programming as developed by Bandler and Grinder, and my Critical Thomist Jurisprudence. Neuro means “neurological” while hermeneutic stands for “meaning.” While Bandler and Grinder’s original work in neuro-linguistic programming is valuable, it is not enough. Bandler and Grinder used a relativist ethic in their programming and were not really concerned with meaning. I argue, for example that a person can be neuro-hermeneutically programming so that his or her mind is structured by the Critical Thomist notion of “Substantial Form,” and that this has a real effect upon the mind. Substantial Form stabilizes the mind and
makes it more reasonable. Of course other uses of neuro-hermeneutic programming can be developed. For example, the Ethical Matrix, an ethical decision making tool can be programmed in a person’s mind so that person is more ethical. I will try and write some further essays later with other examples of neuro-hermeneutic programming.
Chapter 50 Objective Being and Subjective Being By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Previously, I have argued for the existence of Objective Being which manifests as a result of the Omniscient God observing the Quantum Field. Without retracting that argument, I would also like to argue that another type of Being also exists, that is, Authentically Subjective Being. The two are very close, but not the same. I argue that Objective Being exists at level 4, while Authentically Subjective Being exists at level 5. Authentically Subjective Being manifests where God uses Virtual Omniscience to observe the Quantum Field. This produces Actual Being or Authentically Subjective Being. This is the level of Actuality. This is the existential level of consciousness, par excellence.
Chapter 51 Objectivity By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar There are two ways to look at Objectivity, one is Subjective and personal, and the other is Objective and impersonal. In a world of relativism, it is often argued that objectivity does not exist. This is particularly true when one considers the implications of Heisenberg’s Indeterminacy Principle, based on Quantum Physics. I argue, however, that Objectivity still exists, and this can be demonstrated either ontologically/objectively, or existentially/subjectively. From an ontological point of view, we begin with the metaphysical quiddity of Being. The existence of Being is proven primarily through an analogical argument which shows that if the Quantum Field exists and can be proven to exist, outside of space-time, then Being, by analogy, can also be proven to exist outside of space-time. Being is defined as an Unrestricted Act of Understanding. Being uses the
Absolute Relationality of Substance, which transcends relativism, together with Form of Form, in order to provide an immediate, complete grasp of all that is real. Being is virtually linear and perpetual. Objectivity exists for human being to the extent that they intend Being in their cognitive operations. Contrary to the view of scientific materialism, Being is the source of Objectivity, metaphysically, not materiality. As eastern philosophers have pointed
out, all that materiality leads to is illusion. This is the ontological/objective argument for Objectivity. A second argument for Objectivity is the existential/subjective approach. Here it is argued that if we work to develop more authentic ways of knowing, and then apply those results, cumulatively, then eventually we will develop an epistemology based upon authentic subjectivity as a basis for Objectivity. Thus, we start with the Lonerganian Trancendental Precepts, Be Attentive, Be Intelligent, Be Reasonable, Be Responsible, Be Loving. It is argued that if one were to commit to the above, existential process, then
one would find transcendence in one’s knowing and would develop a form of objectivity known as authentic subjectivity. Finally, it should be noted that in terms of the Levels of Consciousness or Levels of Reality, Objectivity takes place at a different level than authentic subjectivity. Authentic subjectivity is a level 3 probabalistic function, while objectivity is a level 4 virtually unconditioned function which intends Being, using Formal Operations (Piaget). Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1 Being Substance Matter Materiality Formal Operations Reason Objectivity Authentic Self
Authentic Subjectivity Spirit-Intellect Soul Material Body
Analytic Understanding Experience Body Mind
Chapter 52 Orthodox Christian Gnosis By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Orthodox Christian Gnosis is based upon the idea that redemption of the individual soul comes primarily through individual prayer, meditation, and reflection. Although not rejecting the notion that human beings can sin, Christian Gnosticism takes the position that the root of the problem of sin is spiritual ignorance which can only be cured by Gnosis or Divine Knowledge or Wisdom. Orthodox Christian Gnosis starts with the Creation Myth of Genesis in the Bible. Here we see that prior to Fall of Humanity as shown by the Fall of Adam and Eve, there was a sort of Daoist perfection present where the world was, as it should be. Although evil, in some sense was present, it was not handicapping humanity the way that it does now. This world and universe of perfection became flawed when Adam and Eve Fell into a world and consciousness of Conventional Evil. A warped Natural Law of Conventional “Good” became normative, and the real Wisdom which was present was seemingly lost to humankind. In today’s terms we can see that the World we live in is a Flawed Creation. Although the World was created Good by God, the Fall of Satan, and the later Fall of Adam and Eve acted to change the World of perfection into a Flawed Creation. Although this new World was not Evil, as such, nevertheless it is and was flawed.
This Flawed World was redeemed by the Salvific Act of Jesus Christ of coming to Earth and giving us Gnosis, or Divine Knowledge or Wisdom. Jesus brings us the Wisdom of Sophia, The Holy Spirit of Divine Wisdom. Although Satanic power rules much of the Earth, and the Good sometimes seems helpless to combat such Evil, Divine Wisdom is present as a Gift of the Spirit so that we can do battle with Evil. Wisdom is a very subtle reality which can hide in the very Evil that it combats, bringing instead, The Good. Wisdom transforms Evil into Good. Wisdom brings the Wiseman the Good Life.
Parallel Earths By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Quantum Physics postulates the idea of parallel universes. In the Seth Books, by Jane Robert, the Sage, Seth, asserts that the nature of reality is probabilistic. In other words, statistical probability inheres in Reality itself by reason of Natural Law. This means that there are probabilistic or parallel Earths. I have used the analogy before for parallel Earths that the Earth is metaphorically surrounded by a ring of bread slices. This ring is like the ring that surrounds the planet Saturn. This ring around the Earth symbolizes the probabilistic or multidimensional nature of the Earth. So, for example, if I were to take out one “slice” of the Earth, probabilistically, I might find Jane Jones getting up in the morning and drinking a glass of orange juice in a blue cup. Next, I put this “slice” of multidimensional reality back and pull out the slice next to it. In this parallel slice of Earth, everything is the same, except that Jane is drinking her juice with a red cup. Ten slices over and Jane forgot to turn on her alarm clock the night before and she is still asleep in bed, not up and getting juice at all. Now, in addition to the more mundane idea of drinking juice, or turning on an alarm clock, we make other choices as well, which can be described as metaphysical. Some people choose to have their only reality be atheistic materialism at level one. When enough people do this, this creates a probable parallel Earth which is materialistic in nature. Others choose metaphysical realities at the lower levels such as: The
Individual Good, Matter, Being, etc. Such persons also create probable parallel Earths which are substantially different than those found by atheistic materialism. Keep in mind that these parallel Earths interface with each other to some degree, unless their probability relatively to each other is so low that they cannot interact at all. As Seth puts it, Consciousness is the building block of Reality. Such Consciousness is what the realists have always referred to as Substance. When our Consciousness becomes deeply embedded symbolic meaning, then it is very difficult for our conscious mind to override these deeper, structuring, unconscious reality programs. Thus, the Nature of Reality is both Ideal (Consciousness) and Real (Embedded Consciousness).
Peak Experiencers and Mundane Experiencers A Tract Book Essay By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar In his book, “Religions, Values, and Peak-Experiences,” Psychologist Abraham Maslow distinguishes those persons who have genuine spiritual experience, from the mundane, who do not. In his studies, Maslow, at first thought that only a small percentage of the persons he studied would have peak spiritual experiences, but he soon found the opposite to be true. Most of the persons that he interviewed, even some atheists, had peak spiritual experiences. Maslow found that these two categories of people, the intuitive, spiritual people and the sensate, mundane people, are polar opposites. Maslow also found that the differences also played out in other areas. Spiritual people have spiritual experiences and also have higher values. Mundane people do not have spiritual experiences and denigrate higher values. In philosophy, spiritual people tend to be Critical Thomists, while mundane people tend to be logical positivists. The same is true is psychology, psychiatry, and other professions. No matter how discredited a position logical positivism is, the mundane cling to it like a drowning person clinging to a life preserver which is not boyant enough to keep the person above water level.
Peal spiritual experiencers, according to Maslow, tend to have the following attributes: 1. Reality is experienced as having a Higher Unity. 2. An ethical attitude of non-judgmentalism. 3. Being Cognition characterized by a broader, higher, more Objective view of Reality. 4. Transcends the selfish ego in favor of the Higher Self. 5. Find Higher Meaning in Life. 6. Find Intrinsic Value is some experiences. 7. Experience time as a Flow, not just linear. 8. The World is seen as Good. 9. Compassion. 10. Have Being Values, such as valuing the intellectual-spiritual life. 11. Attentiveness. 12. Do not fear Death. 13. Dialectical thinking where opposites are reconciled. 14. Lack of Fear. 15. Transvaluation of Values. 16. Higher, Heavenly point of view. 17. Developes the Higher, Real, Self. 18. Creative, having free will. 19. Ego is transformed into the Transcendental Ego. 20. Higher Love.
21. Becomes Authentically Subjective. 22. Active Inactivity. 23. Feel Lucky and Graced. 24. Transcends the pride/humility dichotomy and is appropriately assertive. 25. Finds Higher Unity in the Good things of life. Thus, it is apparent that there is a set of characteristics which can be attributed to those who have peak, spiritual experiences, and these characteristics tend to be the same as those found in the philosophy of Critical Thomism. Thus, there is empirical support for the existence of the Critical Thomist position. Logical positivism is once again discredited.
Philosophy, Manic Depression, and Psychiatry By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar A psychiatrist once told me that “philosophizing” or doing philosophy is a sign of mania or manic depression. In other words, his position was that philosophy is a sign of mental illness. This is of course absurd. The arrogance of psychiatry is beyond belief. Not only does psychiatry reject the validity of theology and spirituality, it also rejects wisdom or reason itself as being mentally ill. Clearly, as it is being practiced now, psychiatry is an irrational profession. One of the important disciplines of philosophy is that of logic. Logic is the very basis for reason and rationality. How psychiatry could possibly reject logic or reason itself and still claim to be a rational discipline is a mystery to me. Without logic there is no science. Without science there can be no psychiatry, but only voodoo psychiatry. Another important discipline of philosophy is Ethics. Ethics argues that some conduct is good or praiseworthy and that other conduct is evil or blameworthy. In rejecting philosophy, psychiatry is rejecting ethics. No wonder psychiatry still commits blatantly unethical human rights violations by giving patients lobotomies and electroshock therapy. No wonder psychiatry has been accused of being the modern day inquisition, responsible for unconstitutionally dealing with political dissidents in our culture.
Finally, philosophy is the basis of phronesis or practical wisdom. A profession cannot be practiced without practical wisdom. Psychiatry cannot be practiced without practical wisdom. Without philosophy, psychiatry commits malpractice. So, in the end, if psychiatry wishes to have any legitimacy at all, it must no longer treat philosophy as mania or manic depression.
Chapter 56 Plato and God the Creator By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar It is typically understood that the Philosopher Plato was a Pagan philosopher who supported The Good. While this is true, it is equally true that Plato was a Pagan Theist. Plato believed in God the Creator whom he denominated The Demiurge, or Divine Artisan. Plato’s God was the God who creatively took the susbstance or chaos of the universe, and added form to it, to create the material universe. Plato’s God did not
create the universe ex nihilo, form nothing, but rather from chaos. This idea of God creating the Earth or Universe from chaos is also found in the Christian Biblical account of the Book of Genesis. In Genesis, God creates or forms the world out of a preexisting chaos of described as a “formless wasteland.” Once again, God the Creator is not primarily a God of authority, but instead is a God who is ordered towards the Individual Good. God the Creator supports the
Individual Good of each person, by supporting that person’s autonomy, rational self interest, self-acualization, and sefl-transcendence. The Individual Good is not the conventional good and is not conventional morality. enforces a Liberal Order. God the Creator supports and
Chapter 57 Why Logical Positivism is Dumb By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar The general idea behind Logical Positivism is that reality is best known through rigorous inferences from sense experience. The idea is that sense experience gives us a very complete accurate picture of what is going on. This is false. In his book, “Psychology of Consciousness,” Robert Ornstein points out that the human mind edits out a significant amount of “sense data” from ever reaching the conscious mind. For example, it may be that the human ear can hear sounds, such as a dog whistle, although this information is edited out and never reaches the conscious mind. Sense impression is inaccurate in other ways as well. For example, if a person places a bag of ice on one’s hand for several minutes, then the temperature of warm water running on one’s hand will fell different than normal. Alternatively, if one places a very warm wet washcloth on one’s hand and then runs cool water over the hand, the temperature of the hand will feel different than normal
Chapter 58 Prayer By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar I started Praying when I was a kid. I suppose my parents taught me how when I was in preschool, I don’t remember. I have always found Prayer to be of great personal benefit to myself and others. One thing that I intuitively know is that God answers every Prayer. This is literally true. Now, it may be that the answer that I get from God is not one that I expect, or perhaps even like, nevertheless God has answered my Prayer. There is scientific evidence which supports the notion of Prayer. Dr. Larry Dossey, in his book cites Prayer studies done in California with Heart Surgery patients which shows that in a double blind scientific experiment, those who were Prayed for by a Prayer group did better in terms of recovery than those who were not Prayed for. There are also studies which show that talking to plants increased the health of the plants “Prayed” for. Finally, Quantum Physics argues that the Quantum Field affects reality and is in turn affected by meaning. Thus, Prayers which reach the Quantum Field, affect reality. Perhaps if God is hard to get ahold of one should direct one’s Prayer to the Quantum Field, or God in the Quantum Field. Finally, Prayer is good because it is a very good way of getting to know God better, and in a sense, helping God to get to know you better. Knowing God is a very wonderful task to undertake in one’s Prayer life.
Chapter 59 Property Law and Metaphysics By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Critical Legal Studies argues that Property is not real. Instead, Property is simply a “reified” concept which is illusory. I, on the other hand, would argue that Property is real and so is Contract. They are both real because of Metaphysics. Classical Metaphysics argues certain metaphysical quiddities act to partially structure reality as necessary causes. structure to Law, which is as follows: Real Property is based upon Substance. Personal Property is based upon Matter. Contract is based upon Form. THE END I argue that there is a certain metaphysical
Chapter 60 Psychic Schizophrenia By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Ken Wilber and others have argued that psychic abilities really exist. There are books out at Borders and Barnes and Noble by renowned psychics such as Sylvia Browne, and George Andrews. I suspect that many ordinary people have psychic abilities, but are afraid to tell anyone about it. They are afraid of being charged criminally on bogus charges, or are afraid of being involuntarily committed to a psychiatric ward. Assuming psychic abilities exist, the question arises as to how reliable they are in giving the person good or objective information. I argue that information gained from psychic abilities is about as reliable as sense experience. So, for example, if a salesman comes to my door in the outer world of sense experience, one would be skeptical as to how reliable the information is that he gives you. Door to door salesmen have a reputation of stretching the truth or even lying. So, if one started to “channel chat” with a psychic salesman, then one would be advised to be careful that the salesman was not lying to you about his products. Additionally, what we typically don’t think about is that in the outer world of sense experience there are crooks and charlatans who pretend to be other people in order to gain a political or a financial advantage. Typically, this is done over the telephone so that it is more difficult to identify the crook. In the same way, we can hypothesize that
there are crooks and charlatans with psychic abilities who impersonate authority figures, whether religious or political, in order to gain a political or financial advantage. For
example, a psychic crook might “channel chat” with a novice psychic, telling the more inexperienced person that he is God and that the novice should give all his money to the poor, in the name of some person or organization. The psychic crook then keeps the money for himself. How does the novice psychic avoid being ripped off or given false information to his detriment? I have asserted previously that there are at least three levels of consciousness and reality: 3. 2. 1. Judgment and Reflection Spirit Understanding Soul Experience Body Mind
Now, if the novice psychic takes in psychic information at level 2, on the level of understanding, or at level 3 on the level of Wisdom, the result is a type of schizophrenia where the psychic information is carried to the core of the mind without any evaluation. It is taken as literally true. This is a bad idea. It is a type of schizophrenia. Instead of the foregoing, the mature psychic takes in the psychic information on the first level, the level of experience. That information is then processed at level two on the level of understanding and then evaluated at level 3 on the level of judgment and reflection. In this way that mind is able to form a probability judgment regarding the accuracy of the psychic information relative to all the other knowledge and experience of the person.
Judgment and Reflection
Evaluation ot truth of psychic information
analysis and categorization of psychic information
input of psychic information
Finally, it should be noted that some people can “remote view” or have psychic clairvoyance. In such a situation the person must be careful that what he or she is internally seeing is not a product of his or her imagination, and is not something that is seen in a “parallel universe.” experience. Such information can be less reliable than sense
Chapter 61 Purgatory By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Some people think that they will go to Heaven when they die. Others think that there is no life after death. I argue that the Spirit World on the other side is Purgatory. What is Purgatory? Purgatory is a place for intellectual and spiritual growth. Purgatory is a place where I reflect on my last life and then seek to grow. For spiritual people, Purgatory is a piece of cake. They love it. It is almost like Heaven for them. For non-spiritual people whether religious or atheist, Purgatory can be Hell. These people tend to see reality in terms of superficial appearances, not reality in depth. Many are hypocrites. They say one thing, and do another. For most people, Purgatory involves going to school. They are required to study lessons which help them to develop spiritually and intellectually. This is hard for many because they follow the idea set forth by Ronald Reagan that the intellectual life is not worth living.
Chapter 62 Raising Responsible Children By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Some parents think that to get your kid to be responsible you must tell him or her what to do and then follow through and make sure that they do it. I, on the other hand, argue that to really get you kid to be responsible you must teach him or her how to make responsible decisions and how to negotiate. Consider the following example: Parent, Tony, has eaten breakfast and is ready for a full day on Saturday. Now, Tony could simply go off and do his own thing, but instead he goes up to his son Josh, and says, “Josh, what would you like to do today?” Tony does this in order to get Josh to have an opportunity for personal decisionmaking, rather than simply telling him what to do. Josh, replies, “I would like to go to the Target store and look a toys.” Dad, says, “Alright, how about if we go to Target first, and then go over to the bookstore to see if they have anything new?” Josh says, “Oh, alright. That would be ok.” And so off they go. When they get to Target, Josh looks around in the toy section and wants to get an $8.00 toy. Josh asks Dad to buy it for him. Dad says, “ Well, you have $100 in your allowance bank, would you like to buy the toy?” Josh says, “OK,” and then Dad give him $10.00 from his allowance bank “account” and lets Josh go through the check out and buy the toy. Next they go to the bookstore.
The two guys spend some time looking around the bookstore and Josh finds a book on airplanes that he likes, and Dad finds a book of Quantum Physics and Spirituality, that he likes, and Dad buys the books for them. Dad sees buying books as a necessity for Josh and himself, so he pays for it. THE END
Rational Self Interest By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Previously, I have argued for a Liberal Scale of Values which involve: Autonomy, Rational Self Interest, Self Actualization, and Self Transcendence. However, I have also argued that the Common Good should be an aspect of a Liberal Scale of Values. So, following John Rawls, I argue that one should pursue Enlightened Rational Self Interest, rather than mere Rational Self Interest. Enlightened Rational Self Interest means that Rational Self Interest must be tempered by the Common Good. Thus, it is in one’s Rational Self Interest to following the Rules of the Game of Constitutional Democracy and Social Responsitibility.
Chapter 64 Real Authority By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Some persons, wrongly, take the position that all persons should be obedient to authority. In fact, one is only required to be obedient to reasonable authority. Recall that Reason is 70 Logic, 20% Intuition, and 10% Love. Authority by itself is based upon base love, and the other base emotions and is idolatrous and evil.
Chapter 65 Real Republicanism By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Many of the Republicans that one sees now are simply shadows in relation to the bygone era of 19th Century Republicanism. This older version of Republicanism is remarkably different that the Reagan type, superficial Republicanism that many seem to hold dear. Nineteenth Century Republicanism was grounded in an Ethic of Responsibility: Responsibility for Self and Responsibility for Other. As Philosopher Richard Niebuhr tells us, the Ethic of Responsibility is a unique ethic. The responsible person knows that he has a duty to be responsible individually, and societally. The Republican Ethic of Responsibility is a political ethic, not a religious one. While government may be necessary for certain purposes, the Responsible Republican knows that he must reach out and be responsible, helping others, without waiting for government to act. The Responsible Republican believes in Social Responsibility of Business. The Responsible Republican knows that corporate
resources must be used to promote The Good, not just profit maximization. This is a philosophical Ethic based upon Classical Greek Philosophy. So, I argue that the Republican Party took a wrong turn with Ronald Reagan. If George W. Bush is indeed a Reagan Rupublican, then that is a shame. A Real Republican is a Responsibility Republican.
Chapter 66 Reification
By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Previously, I have argued that Reification is a false concept. However, I have also argued that it is possible that the concept could be reformulated. Currently, reification is typically defined as “treating an abstract concept as if it is really concrete.” I would argue on the other hand that you could define reification as “treating some abstract concepts as if they are really real when they are not.” Here are two examples.
First, an abstract concept is illusory when there is no real definition of the concept. For example, I have heard that some people criticize others on the basis that they are engaging in “theosphany.” The problem with this is that “theosphany” is not defined in the dictionary. When a concept is not adequately defined, it is illusory and reified when used. Similarly, certain concepts are logically contradictory, and I would consider them
to be reified as well. Finally, I would note that the idea that reification as to do with the lack of a “concrete” referent is absurd. This is just another way of dressing up another aspect of the absurd philosophy of logical positivism and atheistic materialism. THE END
Chapter 67 Reification and Psychiatry By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Reification, is the idea that one can inauthentically take an abstract concept and then treat it as if it is real or concrete. While I have previously argued that there is a major conceptual problem with reification, I would like to put that argument on the back burner and try a different approach. In the past, Reification has been used to critique such concepts as liberty, justice, law, etc., However, Reification has not, to my knowledge been used in the area of psychiatry. I would like to argue that the major diagnostic categories for psychiatry are
in fact reified concepts and therefore invalid. Thus, I argue that schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder are all reified concepts and therefore invalid. Let us consider bipolar disorder, for example. First, psychiatry comes up with the label “Bipolar Disorder,” gives that label a particular definition, and then pronounces the disorder to be real or concrete. In fact, Bipolar disorder is simply made up. Bipolar disorder is a reified concept. It is an empty abstraction which psychiatry treats as being real, when it is not. Bipolar disorder is simply a social construct. This is also true of schizophrenia and schizo-affective disorder.
Chapter 68 Satan and Schizophrenia By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Previously, I have described the problem that psychiatry makes ridiculous assumptions regarding reality. Psychiatry uses a totally antiquated philosophy of science which ignores the fact that phenomenology allows us to consider spiritual experience as valid, is some sense. Phenomenology insists that we consider the phenomenon itself, as itself, without interposing arbitrary labels such as “delusional,” or “psychotic.” This reminds me of a story that was told me by a psychiatric patient. The person told me that while in the hospital, he woke up in the middle of the night and saw an archangel in white and Satan in black, arguing over his soul. I think the guy had tried to commit suicide, but had recovered. Now, if we consider human history as a whole, it is clear that there is a recurrent theme of angels fighting for lost souls. Their enemy is Satan who wants to put such persons in Hell. In fact, I would go so far as to say that this situation of a confrontation between the powers of Good and Evil over the Soul of an attempted suicide is embedded in the Jungian “Collective Unconsious” as an “Archetypal” pattern. The favored course of treatment for a person in such a situation is to try to get him to see that suicide doesn’t really accomplish anything. As a number of New Age authors have written, when a person commits suicide, that person typically has precisely the same problems on the “Other Side”, after bodily death. The person should have been
helped to interpret his “Vision” or experience in a theological manner, showing him, for example that God cares about him so much that he had an Archangel going to battle for the guy against Satan. Instead of the foregoing course of treatment, the guy in question was diagnosed by a psychiatrist as having severe hallucinations and schizophrenia. The possibility that a genuine spiritual Vision might have taken place is heresy to logical positivist psychiatry. Psychiatry is unscientific, and acts as an atheistic inquisition in violation of federal statutes and the United States Constitution. If psychiatry is to survive it must use an expansive form of phenomenology or Critical Thomism for its epistemology and philosophy of science, not logical positivism and atheistic materialism. Many psychiatrists should be in federal prison right now for violating 18 U.S.C. section 242.
Chapter 69 Self-Transcendence By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Law Professor, Steven Winter, has argued that self-transcendence does not exist, that it is a myth. I argue that self-transcendence is real. In his book, “The Farther Reaches of Human Nature,” Psychologist, Abraham Maslow discusses how selftranscendence exists, and functions, in a number of different ways. First, Maslow argues that self-transcendence exists when one uses Being-values and Being-cognition to go beyond the sensate body mind, and body ego, to find the Transcendent Higher Self, which depth psychologist Carl Jung describes in his work. It is clear that the Self is in a sense the Transcendental Ego, which is, the Ego ordered toward transcendence. Maslow also argues that one can transcend linear, ordinary time. Thus, ala Bergson, one can experience time as a flow, or as an absolute, not just a linear, sequential ordering. Maslow also argues that one can transcend one’s culture by using Being-values and Being-cognition. Remember, Being, as Lonergan tells us, is an “Unrestricted Pure Act of Understanding” which transcends space-time. Being takes us to transcendent values which transcend mere mundane culture. Thus, Being suggests the Being-values of Individual Autonomy, Individual Rational Self Interest, Individual Self-actualization,
and finally, Individual Self-transcendence. These values transcend culture and are perennial in nature. Maslow also points out that one can transcend pain and suffering using Beingvalues and Being-cognition. One who has been unjustly imprisoned, for example, can transcend the four walls of the prison and place one’s mind on another plane, metaphysically. In this sense, one transcends Space. Another example of transcending pain and suffering is the athlete who goes beyond the point of individual endurance, transcends mere mundane pain, and keeps training. The basketball player who does wind sprints after practice is self-transcending. Thus, it is clear that Professor Winter is wrong. Transcendence does exist using Being-values and Being-cognition.
Chapter 70 Sin and Grace: Bad Karma and Good Karma By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar When I was a kid growing up we really didn’t talk about Karma, much, maybe, not at all. What we heard about from the Pulpit and in the classroom were the notions of Sin and Grace. I would like to argue that the notion of Sin is analogous to Bad Karma, and the notion of Grace, is analogous to Good Karma. Sin or Bad Karma means that you have violated either Divine Law or Natural Law. If Human Law happens to coincide with either Divine Law or Natural Law, then a violation of that Law would be a Sin or Bad Karma, as well. What is Sin? Well, put another way, Sin occurs when a person engages in unreasonable conduct. Law is supposed to be based upon Reason. Now, some might say that Sin occurs when a person violates some edict found in the Bible. While this may be true, it is only true because the Bible is a reflection of Divine Law or Natural Law. Grace or Good Karma means that you are doing the right thing for the sake of The Good. You obey Divine Law and Natural Law because it is ordered toward The Good. While one might argue that Grace comes from God, it is also true, as theologian Matthew Fox tells us, the Natural Grace exists as well. I suppose Natural Grace comes from the Spirit or the Christic being embedded in reality in a very real and deep way. As Saint Paul says, the wages of Sin is Death. Grace, on the other hand, is not only its own reward, but also rewards us with a Life of Happiness. The same is true of
Bad Karma and Good Karma. The wages of Bad Karma is that bad things will sooner or later start to happen to you. The wages of Good Karma is that good things will sooner or later start to happen to you. Sometimes we invest our Good Karma in others, such as Family Members who do not have very Good Karma, and then we run low on Good Karma, with the result that some bad things then happen to us. One must find the balance between helping others by giving them some of our Good Karma, and on the other hand, retaining enough Good Karma so that we can live Good lives without harm. Catholics tend to invest in their families because part of their vocation in life is seen as helping family members to get at least to Purgatory, maybe even Heaven. Finding balance in the way of Karma is important.
Chapter 71 Sin and Speicific Intent By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar One might say that Sin is sort of like a crime. Typically, Sin is thought of as a violation of Divine Law, or Natural Law, or God’s Law. To the exent that Sin is analogous to a crime, it is worth noting that there are certain requirements for a crime at the common law, and that one might say that the same requirements must be applied in an analysis of a particular Sin. At the common law, in order for a crime to be present there must be both Actus Reus and Specific Intent. Actus Reus means that here must in fact be a physical act which takes place. Although in the Gospel, Jesus says that we are liable for Sin in the case of bad thoughts, I would like to argue that for purposes of Canon Law, the common law requirement of Actus Reus should be required before a Sin is found. People are capable of doing all sorts of things in their imaginations, but then think better of it, and refuse to do the act out loud. In this case, the common law, representing church tradition, should overrule scripture and require Actus Reus.. At the common law, the second requirement for a crime to be present is Specific Intent. A person must knowingly intend the elements of the crime. In fact, some courts hold that crimes which are simply malum prohibitum rather than malum en se, are not actionable. This means that crimes must be a violation of Natural Law, or the person cannot be held accountable for violating the crime in the absence of specific
knowledge of the criminal law in question.
In my judgment, Canon Law should follow
the common law in this case. In order for there to be a Sin, there person must have knowledge and specific intent to commit the Sin, unless the Sin is a violation of Natural Law, in which case specific intent to commit the elements of the crime need only be proved.
Chapter 72 Spiritual Direction By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Spiritual Direction is a discipline which can be contrasted with Counseling. In Counseling the Counselor talks to the client and gives the client advice. In Jesuit Spiritual Direction, on the other hand, the role of the Spiritual Director is often passive. The idea is that the Director listens to the information given to him or her by the directee, and does not intervene with commentary unless absolutely necessary. Some “pure”
Spiritual Directors simply refuse to say anything at all during the session. I would like to argue for a third approach, which is Socratic Spiritual Direction. In Socratic Spiritual Direction the Director guides the conversation by asking questions of the directee. For example, consider the following session: Director: So what has been going on in your spiritual life? Directee: Well, I have been praying a lot. Director: Good, how have you been praying? Directee: Well, I have been meditating with the prayer, “God is my Guide” Director: Alright, how did that make you feel? Directee: Well, good. I mean it felt comforting and I could really feel God’s presence in me after awhile. Director: Good, how was God present to you?
Well, God does feel like a Guide to me. I mean, intuitively, I really feel that God is present to me and guiding me.
Is God guiding you any place in particular? Well, yes, I started thinking a lot about my job. I am a nurse and sometimes it’s pretty tiring. I started wondering if there was some way that I could really help others more.
That definitely sounds like guidance from the Spirit. (and so on)
In the above approach, the Director interacts, but other than short generally affirming comments, the Director really does not comment at length, or do an analysis, instead the Director processes the information and then asks questions to guide the directee to a fuller awareness of his or her spiritual life.
Chapter 73 Star Wars, God, and Metaphysics By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Not long after the Star Wars movie first came out, I went to Sunday Mass in the very conservative Catholic Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska. At Mass, the subject of the homily by the priest was the notion of The Force, in Star Wars. The priest basically argued that The Force was God. Others have argued that the Star Wars Universe is a Daoist Universe not theistic. In this essay, I would like to explore the idea that the parish priest brought up, that is, that The Force is God. Previously I have argued that The Trinity of God unfolds as follows: God the Father God the Son Being Logos Substance
God the Holy Spirit
In trying to integrate the forgoing formulation with the Star Wars theological point of view, I propose the following explication of the Trinity of God: God the Father God the Son God the Holy Spirit The Force Being Substance
In addition to accommodating the notion of the Force, this new formulation argues that is is somewhat redundant to have both Being and Logos as attributes of God when they
both involve intellection of some sort. The argument is that it makes more sense to place Power or Force as the primary attribute of God the Father, not Being.
Chapter 74 Status Crimes By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif( © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar
Some people, think, wrongly, that it is legal and permissible to charge a person with a status crimes such as witchery, penury, or theosphany. In fact, the English
Common Law, incorporated into Magna Charta, and the 14trh Amendment of the United States Constitution requires that any crime must have as its basis, Mens Rea, and Actus Rea. Mens Reas mena specific intent, while Actus Rea means there must be some physical action. Status crimes do not involve Actus Rea and therefore are invalid and unconstitutional. Finally, it should be noted that if magic really exists and operates, one cannot be charged with a crime for using magic because it is not scientific or causal and therefore does not meet the requirements of admissibility under the Rules of Evidence.
Chapter 75 Substance, Form, and Substantial Form By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Thomas Aquainas, in the Summa Theologica discusses Substance, Form, and Substantial Form. These three concepts parallel the Lonerganian concepts of experience, understanding;, judgment and reflection. Those who are substantialist type thinkers are in pre-concrete operations (Piaget). Substantialist thinkers use substance to see if two different concepts are the same or similar. For example, a substantialist thinker might say that a Golden Delicious Apple and a Gala Apple are substantially the same. Substanitialists tend not to be able to make distinctions between words or objects. Formalist thinkers, on the other hand, tend to look at the form of a word or object and try to make formal or visual distinctions. A Formalist thinker in all likelihood would say that a Golden Delicious Apple and a Gala Apple are not the same, or in other words are distinct forms. Finally, those who use Reason, or Substantial Form, known as One using Substantial Form one
Substantial Formalists, use both substance and form.
can critically judge that in substance a Golden Delicious Apple and a Gala Apple are substantially the same, while formally distinct. In order to meet the test of Substanital
Form, the two concepts under consideration must meet the tests of both substantiality and formality. Two Gala Apples would be the same in Substantial Form.
Chapter 76 Substantial Form and Essence By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar In Classical Philosophy and Thomism, Essence is contrasted with Esse. Essence is essentially what something is, while Esse is simply that something is. It has been said that in God alone God’s Essence is Esse, that is, To Be. Now, in Critical Thomist philosophy I haven’t really referred to Essence at all, instead I use the concept or metaphysical quiddity of Substantial Form. In Critical Thomism, Essence is defined as Substantial Form. It should be noted, however, that this Essence or Substantial Form is not simply passive, it also has an active component which is Substance. Recall that Substance is Formless Form with Love. Substance is also Absolute Relationality. Additionally, Substantial Form encompasses all substantial forms. This is Aristotelian realism. This is because Substance is the Ultimate Reality Principle or Quiddity. Being is Part Substance, but mainly Form of Form. Being is primarily Ideal, when compared with Substance. Being is the basis for The True, while, Substance is the basis for the Real. Logos mediates between the two. The True and the Real have a Daoist relationship to one another and are never exactly the same. While Being is the basis for Reason, Substantial Form is the basis for Right Reason.
Chapter 77 Substantive Due Process and Governmental Regulation
By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar It has sometimes been thought that Substantive Due Process, often associated with the United States Supreme Court case of Lochner v. New York, is no longer valid. This is not true. Instead, Substantive Due Process has simply fallen into disuse as the Court has focused on Equal Protection analysis. Substantive Due Process is based upon the metaphysical notion of Substance. What this means in relation to the law is that the “Guts” of the law must be rationally related to a legitimate state interest in order to meet the requirements of Substantive Due Process. Some might argue that the rationality requirement of Substantive Due Process is such a weak standard, that it has no enforcement “teeth” at all. It is argued that it will be a rare day when a law will not meet the rational basis test. This is not true. Consider the following example. A Psychiatric Ward is regulated by State Nursing Home Regulations. Those regulations state that the patient must wear a clean set of clothes every day, and that the patient must do his or her own laundry once a week. Additionally, the Nursing Home regulations also provide that a patient cannot have more than 5 changes of clothes in his or her closet at a time. The foregoing set of regulations clearly does not meet the requirements of Substantive Due Process, as will be explicated below.
Let us assume that Bill is a patient in a Psychiatric Ward. His assigned laundry day is Monday morning. Bill has precisely 5 changes of clothes as per the regulation. Bill does his laundry on Monday morning and then puts his clean clothes in his closet. Bill then changes his clothes every day as per the regulation. See the chart below after doing the laundry: (The number next to the Clothes refers to the individual set of clothes not a total). Wearing Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sundary 1 Clothes 2 Clothes 3 Clothes 4 Clothes 5 Clothes Naked No Clothes Naked No Clothes Dirty None 1 Clothes 1,2 Clothes 1,2,3 Clothes 1,2,3,4 Clothes 1,2,3,4,5 Clothes 1,2,3,4,5 Clothes 1,2,3,4,5 Clothes None Clean in Closet 2,3,4,5 Clothes 3,4,5 Clothes 4,5 Clothes 5 Clothes None None None None 2,3,4,5 Clothes
Monday pre wash Naked no Clothes Monday post wash 1 Clothes
Now, in studying the foregoing chart it is clear that it is impossible to have clean clothes to wear all week when you doing your laundry only once a week and you have only 5 sets of clothes total. By Saturday all 5 sets of your clothes are dirty and cannot be worn and your laundry day is not until Monday, two days later. This is clearly an irrational regulation, and, governmental regulators are quite capable of making stupid mistakes like this on a regular basis. Obviously, the regulation should state that the person should have 8 sets of clothes to wear, in order to avoid running out of clothes at
the end of the week. Accordingly, it is clear that there is a place for Substantive Due Process in the law. Also keep in mind that the situation created here is a human rights and civil rights violation that could be remedied by a lawsuit in Federal District Court under 42 U.S.C. section 1983.
Sustaining the Economy By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar In Kenysian Economics one is supposed to increase the money supply during a recession to help stimulate the economy. In the United States the Federal Reserve Banks do this by making low or no interest loans to member banks. In theory, the banks then lower interest rates on loans for car and houses and this stimulates the economy. I argue that the Federal Reserve Banks should use the money for welfare spending for the poor and unemployed to benefit them and to provide a direct stimulus to the economy. If there is an inflationary period welfare money can come from tax dollars without raising tax rates. Ordinary people spend money on rent, consumer goods, groceries, and restaurants instead of the idea of money being spend for cars and houses.
Chapter 79 Symbolic Logic and Logical Positivism By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Logical Positivism has been defined as that discipline or philosophy which starts with sense experience and then only makes moves consistent with fairly rigid logical inferences. Previously, I have argued that Logical Positivism is flawed because sense experience is not a reliable indicator or reality. Here, however, I am arguing that Logical Positivism is flawed because, at present, there does not seem to be a uniform logic that is acceptable to all philosophers. Consider the following. A commonly held and know logical syllogism is the syllogism: A v B Now, when I was taught Symbolic Logic in college a long time ago, it was clear that the “ v “ sign meant that A and B were held in the disjunctive. In other words, the
meaning of “A v B” is “A or B.” Now, when we consider this syllogism it is apparent that A may be true, or, B may be true, but not both A and B together can be true. In fact there is a different syllogism for that case, and it is as follows: “A &v B” That is, “A and/or B”. Now, “A and/or B” is both a conjunction
and a disjunction simultaneously. “A or B” is simply a disjunction. Treating the two syllogisms as the same creates a problem because they do not mean the same thing. Take the following hypothetical. A and B. are running in a race. The racing committee has decided that the race should be adjudicated by the syllogism, “A or B.”
That is, either A wins or B wins.
On this approach, only one person can win the race.
However, if the other interpretation of “A v B” is used, then an illogical result occurs. If “A v B” really means “A and/or B”, then it is clear that not only could A or B win the race, but also it is clear there could be a tie with A and B both winning. I have never seen this result either in a horse race or a track and field competition. There is supposed to be just one winner. To the extent that policy makers and politicians are using the “and/or” interpretation of “A v B,” then illogical results will take place. Moreover, to the extent that the “A v B” interpretation is seen as legitimate rather than illogical, then it is clear that there is no basis for an objective logical positivism. For logical positivism to be correct, there must be only one correct symbolic logic, not two or more.
Chapter 80 Talking with God Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar There are some people who say that they talk to God, and there are others who wish they could talk with God. I argue that it is impossible for one to talk to the Real God, whether internally or externally. Instead one must intuit God or Being and use one’s imagination to communicate with God. The Real God Exists in the Real World, in a world of perfection at the highest level of statistical probability that is consistent with both the notion of Unity, and that of Eternal or Perpetual Existence. Such a World or Reality is not perfectly linear, but instead curves back in upon itself at the edges as a manifestation of Infinity and Eternity. Reality is not represented by a Straight Line, but by an Infinity Loop. Now, if a person were to find God where God was the most Real and where you as a person were the most Real, that Person, would be both You and God simultaneously, and You would be a Mystic. If such a Person were to talk to God, he or she would simply be talking with and to Himself or Herself. Because this is true, it is impossible to talk to the Real God, where God is Other, as such. Instead you can really only talk with Your Self. Now, some of us want to try talking to God anyway. We are the talkers, the listeners, the auditories. We don’t just want read about God, we want to talk to Him. So we try anyway. What we then find is a Probable God Who is more or less God. Typically, we find this God as One who is Channeling or Manifesting through another
person or being. This is an interesting God, but not the Real God, only a Probable God. The Real God, as I said before, is a Silent Inspirational God, not a talker. When we play the Game of speaking with the Probable God, we often only hear a few words from Him, and then the bias of the person Channeling God interferes, and we just get crap, rather than good conversation or information. In the psychic or spiritual world there are a thousand and one imposters all trying to make use believe that each one is God, in an attempt to manipulate us. While it is a little depressing, the safe route is to assume that God can never really talk directly to you, as such, and any such communications must be either disregarded or at least taken with a grain of salt.
Chapter 81 The Art of Being A Poem By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar “I am a Creative Artist, and Being is my Palette.”
Chapter 82 The Choice An Allegorical Tale By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar “Jill Fairview was dead. I mean, I think that she, I mean me, is dead. I am out of my body, I guess in my Soul, and I can see that my physical body is dead on the operating table in the hospital. I died of a heart attack. I can see a tunnel opening up in the space in front of me, and I am being drawn into the tunnel. I accelerate, going faster and faster until I pop out at the end of the tunnel in a Spirit World. A man with a gray beard is there to meet me. He says, hello.” “I am your guide, Socrates, and I am here to help you to choose your future.” He said. “Well, that sounds nice,” I said, “what do I do?” “Well,” said Socrates, “I have a
test for you to help you to determine your future. Listen carefully. You have two choices from here. Choice A, is that you spend one month in a single bedroom apartment, in excellent health, with very good food that you cook in your kitchen, and a full library of books relating to philosophy, theology, politics, history, novels, etc. You also have a t.v. with a DVD player and a collection of DVD movies that you would like to see that you can watch. Except in the case of an extreme emergency, you will be by yourself for time to read, pray, think, or meditate. You will be visited three times a
week for an hour, by a guide who will check into make sure you are doing all right and
chat with you a little bit. After the month is over, you will be judged autonomous and will be given a broad range of choices for your future reincarnationally on Earth.” “Choice B,” Continued Socrates, “is that you choose one year as a slave doing manual labor for an abusive master. You will be permitted to talk with the other slaves during the day, at meals, and before bed time. You will share a room with a room mate. You follow conventional morality. At the end of the ten year period you will be categorized as a slave and your future lives reincarnationally will be chosen for you as a slave in various societies on Earth.” “Jill Fairview, what is your choice?” asked
Socrates. Jill responded, making her choice. THE END
Chapter 83 The Dao of Politics By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Some people, wrongly, choose totalitarian politics when they don’t work. In fact, given the nature of reality, only Constitutional Democracy works. At its’ most Unitary, reality is slightly Aunitary in the Dao. One Daoistic relationship is the Ying and Yang of Authority and Resistance to Authority. So, one can see that authoritarian regimes never last because the resistance always forms to oppose them.
Chapter 84 The Parable of the Sower An Allegory By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Jesus told the crowd this parable: A Sower (farmer) went out to sow (plant) some wheat in his field. Some seed fell on the path and the birds ate the seed. Some seed fell on rocky ground and when the sun came out the seed was scorched. Some seed fell among the thorns and the thorns grew up and choked the wheat. Some seed fell on good soil and produced a hundred fold. Jesus then explained the parable. The each wheat plant is a person and the wheat plant represents the person and his or her Soul. With respect to the seed that fell on the path, and was eaten by the birds, this represents those persons who choose conventional morality, and who are devoured by religious demagogues and hypocrites who pretend to be religious authorities. With respect to the seed that fell on rocky ground and was scorched and withered, this represents those who choose materialism and logical positivism as their philosophy. Such persons will be scorched in Hell. With respect to the seed that fell among the thorns and later the wheat plants were choked by the thorns, this represents those who choose evil rather than good. Such persons will be strangled to death by Satan and will end up in Hell.
With respect to the seed that fell on good soil and produced one hundred fold, this represents those who choose the Individual Good and who Self-Actualize, they will be successful and end up in Self-Actualizing Heaven.
Chapter 85 The Schizophrenic Tea Drinker An Allegorical Tale By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar John Sloane was a business major at Widemount University. He just got back from a senior year abroad in Europe where he studied economics at the University of London, in England. John moved back home with his parents Sally and George Sloane and started interviewing for jobs. It was around 9:00 a.m. and John was eating some toast for breakfast at the kitchen table at home, and was drinking some tea, a habit which he picked up in England. In fact he was drinking tea with cream mixed in like they do in London. Sally and George Sloane were concerned about their son John. John was acting strangely since he got back from Europe. His parents were concerned that John had joined some strange organization or religion. Instead of eating bacon and eggs with hot chocolate for breakfast every morning, John was drinking hot tea with cream. A horrible concoction. John’s parents suspected John was mentally ill and called a psychiatrist on the phone. Sally and George Sloane told the psychiatrist, Dr. Smith, that their son John was acting in a strange manner. John wasn’t eating normally, and he was drinking some outlandish concoction of hot tea with cream. Dr. Smith agreed with Sally and George
Sloane that John was obviously schizophrenic, and had John involuntarily committed to a psychiatric ward for observation. After a year of pschiatric medication John was better. He was now eating eggs and bacon for breakfast with hot chocolate and no tea with cream. His parents were happy that the medication for schizophrenia was working. John tried to argue that he was just drinking tea and eating toast like everybody else in London, but his psychiatrist and his parents decided this was simply delusional thinking. THE END
The Social Contract By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar The Philosopher Rousseau wrote the book the “Social Contract.” In that book Rousseau argued that citizens of a country have a social contract with the government to protect their individual rights. I also argue that the social contract includes the positive
rights of food, clothing, housing, medical care, education, etc. One might say then that the Social Contract is an insurance contract with which persons contract with government to ensure a good life of human flourishing. Thus, white males are entitled to welfare along with racial minorities and women. Ideally, the welfare net would provide for volunteer jobs so that welfare to some extent becomes workfare.
Chapter 87 The Story of the two Sisters, Mary and Martha By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar In the Christian Gospels there is the story of the two sisters Mary and Martha. In the story Mary and Martha are working in the kitchen while their friends, Jesus and some of his disciples were out drinking a glass of wine in the living room. Mary came out of the kitchen and sat down by Jesus and engaged him in spiritual conversation. After awhile Martha came out and demanded that Jesus tell Mary to come back in the kitchen and help her (Martha). Jesus replied to Martha that Mary had chosen the better half by
coming out and chatting with him and that Martha would have to finish her chores in the kitchen herself. Jesus then turned to his disciples and explained the situation. Mary who was a Wisewoman had Intuition and was able to finish her share of the work much earlier that Martha and her work. Martha, on the other hand, was sensate and slow, and took and unreasonably long time to get her work done. It is unfair to ask Mary to do Martha’s work, when Mary had already done her share, and Martha had not because Martha was a busybody and was slow and stupid. The End
Chapter 88 The Allegory of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Jesus of Nazareth was scourged with palm fronds and then taken to the mount of Golgotha for crucifixion. The cross was constructed with a small platform that the feet of Jesus were nailed to, and his hands were nailed to the ends of the cross bar of the Cross. Jesus endured the pain of the crucifixion for 3 hours and then told the crowd. I am the Son of God and I come down off the Cross in Liberating Action. Jesus then prayed to God the Father. A strong wind came up, dark clouds and thunder rolled in and the crowd began to be afraid. Jesus prayed again and the nails popped out of his hands and feet and Jesus levitated in front of the Cross, blessing the crowd. Jesus came to the ground and pointed his finger at Pilate and struck him dead. Jesus then turned to Ciaphas the Jewish High Priest and struck him dead. The roman officer in charge of the crucifixion said, “Truly, Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God.” Jesus then levitated into the air and flew bodily to Galilee to stay with friends.
Chapter 89 The Parable of the Goose that Laid the Golden Egg By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Jesus of Nazareth stopped and sat down on a bench under a shade tree. There was a water well close by and he lowered the bucket into the spring water and got himself a cool drink of water. Soon a young woman came along with three children. She lowered her bucket into the water and poured a cool cup of water for herself and her children. The woman, named Miriam, said to Jesus, “Aren’t you the prophet, Jesus of Nazareth?” Jesus replied, “I am.” Miriam’s eldest son, about 6 years old, named Jacob, said to Jesus, “Please, sir, could you tell us one of your wonderful stories?” “I would be happy to” said Jesus, “thanks for asking.” Jesus thought for a moment and then started
his parable. “Once upon a time, in a land far far away there was a man who was named Fat Bob. Fat Bob was a greedy sort of fellow who lived out of his base emotions. Bob was exceedingly rich because one of the gooses that he bought at market one day, was able to lay Golden Eggs instead of regular eggs. One day a trickster came up to Fat
Bob and said, ‘Fat Bob, tomarrow is Hannukah and you should cook a roast goose for dinner.” Fat Bob thought about it for a moment and then replied, “I’m not so sure about
that, maybe I should just have roast duck for dinner.” The Trickster replied, “But Fat Bob, a baked goose would be most excellent to eat don’t you think? I will even provide the wine for dinner if you cook the goose.’ Fat Bob thought about it, and got his hachet
and hacked the head off the goose and prepared it for Hannukah dinner. The next day
the Trickster came back with the bottle of wine and the two ate a dinner of cooked goose, wine and dumplings. After dinner the Trickster said to Fat Bob, “That was a truly excellent meal and now I must tell you that my name is Matthew and I am a tax collector for Caesar. You have the reputation of being a rich man, Fat Bob, so your tax with be 50 Gold Shekels.’ Fat Bob said, ‘No problem, I will now get my goose and have it lay a Golden Egg.’ Soon, however, Fat Bob discovered that he had killed the Goose that lays the Golden eggs and had eaten it for dinner with the Trickster. ‘My goose is gone, I
have no money.’ ‘You did not choose wisely,” said the trickster as he hauled Fat Bob off to jail for criminal tax evasion. THE END
Chapter 90 The Allegory of the Opus Dei CEO By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar There once was a company named General Widget Corporation that produced quality widgets. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company was Fat Bob Le Peur. Fat Bob had had reincarnated from his earlier life in the Gospel parable of the Goose that Laid the Golden Egg. Fat Bob had hired Nicholas de Rochefort as the
President of the Company. Nick de Rochefort believed in Social Responsibility of Business and thus saw the goal of the company to produce quality widgets at reasonable prices, and, also, to produce a good profit in the short, medium, and long term. In fact the company met those goals and produced a hefty profit. One day Doug Stray, and Opus Deo minion visited Fat Bob at his company office and told Fat Bob the CEO that he was losing money by not profit maximizing in the short term. Doug Stray convinced Fat Bob to pay him a one million dollar consulting
fee and also to fire Nick de Rochefort for allegedly being a communist, which of course was absurd. Doug Stray convinced Fat Bob to hire Randy Leeworth, another Opus Dei
minion, as the new President of the company. Randy Leeworth announced a move to cut expenses by firing one half of the employees and replacing them with Opus Dei sycophants at $5.00 per hour. Randy Leeworth also closed down one half of the widget
manufacturing plants and sold them off.
The the next year, General Widget Corporation reported a ten percent profit increase in the first quarter and a 50% loss in the remaining three quarters. Fat Bob was forced to filed bankruptcy and close down the company. Fat Bob ended up going on welfare and living in poverty the rest of his life. Thus, Fat Bob, although profit maximizing in the short term, only showed a corporate loss in the medium and long term destroying the business, the employees, management and the local community. Obviously, Fat Bob had once again killed the Goose that Laid the Golden Egg and ended up in misery.
Chapter 91 Jesus and the Story of Abraham and Isaac By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar One day Jesus was sitting on his favorite bench, underneath a shade tree, by a well. water. Jesus lowered the bucket into the well and poured himself a cool cup of well Soon Miriam and her three children came by. Jesus moved over so that there
was room on the bench for the small children. After Miriam and her kids had drink of water from the well, Miriam’s son Jacob asked Jesus a question, “Please Sir, could you please explain to me the Story of Abraham and Isaac, I don’t really understand it very well. I don’t see why Abraham was going to kill his son.” “Well,” said Jesus, “this will
take a little while because it is both a true story and symbolic. So, here we go. At the time of Abraham the Jews were really Samarians from Shanghai who had escapted from the Wrath of Ghengis Kahn, an immortal tyrant in China and Europe. Anyway there were two different Satanic Cults that survived from Shaghai, one was the Fathers of Leviathan and the other was the Mothers of Leviathon, one was patriarchal and the other was matriarchal. The story is complicated because God, through the Archangel Anton (Aten, Atman, Anthony) was trying to end both matriarchy and patriarchy. So,
God through the Archangel Anton let the usual situation play out. Abraham and his wife were waiting till Isaac was age 5 to see which Satanic Cult he would join. In fact, Isaac was pure of heart and refused to join either one. Abraham met with his Satanic Cult and his wife with her Witches Coven, and they both voted to Satanically sacrifice Isaac.
God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, softened the hearts of both Abraham and his wife, and the both prayed in secret that Isaac would be spared. Instead of doing the
Sacrifice in front of the Satanic Cult and Witches Coven, Abraham took Isaac with him out into the wasteland. The Archangel Anton appeared to Abraham and ordered him to destroy the members of the Satanic Cult and the Witches Coven and to spare Isaac’s life. He promised that the descendents of Abraham and his wife would be as many as the number grains of sand by the sea.” Jesus then continued, “This is why Jewish law has
abolished matriarchal and patriarchal satanic cults and instead support modified patriarchy where the oldest inherits from his father.
Jesus and the Story of Jacob and Esau By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar One day Jesus was sitting on his favorite bench, underneath a shade tree, by a well. well water. Jesus lowered the bucket into the well and poured himself a cool cup of
Soon Miriam and her three children came by. Jesus moved over so that
there was room on the bench for the small children. After Miriam and her kids had drink of water from the well, Miriam’s son Jacob asked Jesus a question, “Please Sir, could you please explain to me the Story of Jacob and Esau, I’m not sure I quite understand it.” “I would be happy to,” said Jesus. “Isaac, who was very old, was the Father of Jacob and Esau. Esau was the oldest son, while Jacob was the middle child. Esau chose evil as his binding spell while Jacob chose Wisdom. When Isaac was very old and mostly blind, he called Esau into his tent to talk with him. Isaac saw Esau and felt the hair on Esau’s back and chest. Isaac then said, “When I am ready to pass over to the other side I will call you in and feel your hair to know that it is you, and then I will give you my Father’s blessing so you will inherit everything from me.” Jacob and Esau’s mother overheard this conversation and told Jacob about it. She then sent Esau out to hunt. While Esau was gone, Isaac called for Esau thinking that he was near. In the meantime
Jacob’s mother told Jacob to tie a goat’s hair hide around his chest and back and to go get Isaac’s blessing. Jacob did this. Isaac was fooled and Jacob inherited everything.”
“Now.” Jesus said, you must understand that Jacob was an Intuitive male of the House of Seth, favored by God, while Esau was a sensate male of the House of Cain, cursed by God. This is why Jacob inherited and Esau did not.”
Chapter 93 The Astral Plane By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar The Astral Plane has been discussed in occult circles for hundreds of years or more. The Astral Plane is a Universe and World which closely parallels our Material Universe so much that some persons can shift onto the Astral Plane in a parallel universe and accomplish things that would not be possible otherwise. It has been said, for example that Jesus of Nazareth performed many of his miracles on the Astral Plane after shifting himself and his audience and followers with him onto the Astral Plane. Some people, for example, with physical ailments have to shift onto the Astral Plane to walk. Others have to shift onto the Astral Plane in order to write or do intellectual work. It is also possible to use one’s Preconscious Mind (Greeley, Kubie) in order to remote view or multilocate into the Astral Plane. You can communicate and meet with others on the Astral Plane. You can also find Astral Libraries to study in on the Astral Plane. The Astral Plane is made of Astral Matter, also known as Being Matter. Being Matter is a composition of Metaphysical Being and Metaphysical Matter. Being Matter is slightly outside of Space-Time and is metaphysical not materially physical. Finally, for those who may doubt the existence of the Astral Plane, the Astral Plane is analogous to Quantum Parallel Universes and Quantum Non-locality. Recall, also, that Ockham’s Razor and Logical Positivism have been trashed as stupid and wrong.
Chapter 94 The Bible and Metaphysics By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar In the Prologue to the Gospel of John, the Author provides a metaphysical account of Creation based upon the First Cause, The Logos (Reason), Jesus Christ: In the beginning was the Logos and the Logos was in God’s Presence, and the Logos was God. The Logos was present to God In God in the Beginning. Through the Logos all things came into being, And apart from the Logos, nothing came into being. (New American Bible paraphrased) Now, it is clear from the foregoing that Jesus Christ the Logos (Reason) is the First Cause which caused the Universe to come into existence, preceding the Big Bang.
Chapter 95 The Blind Convention An Allegorical Tale By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar The Blind Person’s Association (BPA) was holding its 10th Annual Meeting at the Hilton Hotel, in Washington, D.C. The BPA had become very politically active, of late, having studied modern psychiatry, logical positivism, and the postmodern linguistics of Derrida and Foucoult. The President of the BPA took the podium and began his speech. “My friends, we are finally beginning to understand how we the Blind have been hoodwinked. After careful consideration of postmodern sources, it is clear that the supposed visual world of “normal” Americans is a hallucination. There is no such thing as sight, only darkness.” The 10,000 BPA members in the audience chcered. The President continued, “We know that these people are hallucinating because we know from our very own sense experience that visual sight is impossible. We are the moral majority, we are the normal. We represent Conventional Morality. We must put an end to the hegemony of the psuedo visualists in society. We must do everything we can to exterminate the visualists and put them on psychiatric wards. The visualists are mentally ill with their hallucinations of a sighted world. We must put an end to their fascism and bigotry. We will go forth from this meeting and convince the visualists that they must take non-violence vows and that they must accept us on the basis of diversity,
and then we will do everything we can to get them to commit suicide, or if necessary, exterminate them. We cannot afford to keep them in psychiatric wards forever.” The Blind crowd cheered. Soon the Blind returned to their home communities and began to persecute the visuals. It took awhile, but they were determined to win, and then, the lights went out for humanity.
Chapter 96 The Butcher of Prague An Allegorical Tale By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Reinhart Heydrich, was a top officer in the Nazi German SS. He was responsible for putting together the “Final Solution” which put political dissidents and Jews in death camps. Heydrich moved to Prague, Czechoslovakia and declared himself to be the Riechsfuhrer of Prague. Along with other Nazi leaders, Heydrich participated in the Nazi eugenetics program whose goal was to built a master race, using genetics. Heydrich, along with others, donated sperm to the Nazi cause, which was frozen and taken by submarine to a Nazi stronghold in Brazil, South America. Heydrich was assassinated by a Czech, OSS commando team and the world hoped this would be last we would ever see of him. We were wrong. In 1948, in Brazil a group of Nazi scientists used Heydrich’s sperm, and artificially inseminated a blond Aryan woman, who became pregnant. Rudolph Heydrich was born in Brazil in late 1948.
After the Nazi Party in Brazil made connection with the Nazi/Communist Party in East Germany, and later the Communist Party in Cuba, Rudoloph Heydrich was trained by the KGB in disinformation techniques and terrorism, with the objective of destroying the United States of America.
Rudolph Heydrich also had another quality which was not well known. He had the soul of his Father Heinrich Heydrich, who believed in reincarnation. Rudolph Heydrich developed past life recollection of his earlier life as well as psychic abilities. He was trained to impersonate a lawyer or law professor, or law school Dean. Heydrich took the name Douglas Gray, got an LLM in law from Harvard, and started his career. With help from the KGB he soon became a law school Dean, starting a Satanic Cult whose mission was to destroy any persons who believed in God in the student body or the faculty. He also was to implement a strategy of teaching false logical positivism as a
psudeo philosophy to replace Thomism in the American Bar Association and the Association of American Law Schools. Only divine intervention was going to stop Rudolph Heydrich from succeeding in his mission to destroy America.
Chapter 97 The Core of Jesuit Spirituality By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Ignatius of Loyola, the Founder of the Jesuit Order, The Society of Jesus, summed up Jesuit spirituality best when he said, “Find God in all Things.” Now, of course this does not mean that we are to go out and try to find God in all Things by punching an innocent person in the mouth, for example, but it does mean that we are to try to find God in the Gray areas of life and existence. In other words, I might just find God Windsurfing or jumping with a parachute from an airplane, or helping a little old lady across the street. The long version of the Ignatian injunction is that we are to “Find God in all things that are ordered toward the Good, that is , the Individual Good. Ignatius was a neo-
thomist and so it only makes sense to interpret him in light of the Platonist Ideal of the Good. Remember, the Good is not the Common Good, it is the Individual Good. The Individual Good is based on each of us ordering our lives on the fundamental Liberal values of: 1. My Autonomy (my self-directedness) 2. My Rational Self Interest (my enlightened Rational Self Interest) 3. My Self-Actualization (my bringing about my meaningful projects) 4. My Self-Transcendence (compassion for myself and others) By each of us individually, and collectively following the Individual Good, we achieve the real Common Good, not just the unreflective will of the mob. In this way the
“Invisible Hand” of Rational Self Interest and the Individual Good, leads to the Greater Good for all.
Chapter 98 The Cross and Coping with Depression By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Depression hits most all of us at one time or another. There are many reasons for depression. I suppose one reason that people get depressed is that the world that they were raised to expect didn’t quite turn out that way. When I was a kid, I was taught that if you were good, and played by the rules, that you would have a successful life. Now, there are many people who say the opposite. They say that only evil people succeed. That is a shame. It is also depressing. In his books, theologian Matthew Fox says that we should do away with the cross and focus on creative love. That may work for awhile, but it does not help deal with the problems of depression and evil. The Cross is a spiritually and psychologically transformative symbol and mechanism. Jung says that the Cross is a Mandala that
channels spiritual energy. I think that Jung is correct. While it does not seem right to keep Jesus on the Cross forever, at the same time, we need the Jesus who is Transfigured by the Cross. The Christic Energy of the Cross spiritually transforms us.
Chapter 99 The End of the World By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Some people thought that the millennium would bring about the End of the World. I have even heard that some people committed suicide right before the year 2,000 in order to avoid the End of the World. I personally, don’t think that the end of
the world is coming, in fact, I don’t think that it will ever come. Instead, I think that we will have World without End, Amen. Some people are very linear. They think that the universe and the earth started at a definite time and will end at a definite time. This is a failure in imagination. In fact, the Universe, like God, is Infinite. If we were to chart the Beginning of Time and the End of Time on a graph, what we would end up with an Infinity Loop. Time folds back in upon itself at the end of time and starts again with the beginning of time.
Given that the Universe is of infinite length in time I really doubt that the end of the world is coming. In fact I think that we have World without End, Amen. Pray the following Prayer and you will begin to understand: Glory be to the Father, And to the Son, And to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the Beginning, is now, And ever shall be, World without End, Amen.
Chapter 100 The Fiduciary Duty of a Guardian to a Ward By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar The relationship of a Guardian to a Ward is the same type of fiduciary relationship that an agent owes to a principal, that a partner owes to a partner, that a real estate broker owes to a client. The clear common law rule is that the Guardian has a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of the ward, including of course the ward’s financial best interest. Additionally, it is clear that a guardian who owes a fiduciary duty to a ward must not engage in any activities which involve a conflict of interest. Thus, a guardian cannot use the ward’s money to benefit the guardian, personally, or to benefit a friend or relative of the guardian. Similarly, if a spouse is a guardian of the other spouse in a marriage situation, it is clear that the guardian cannot represent the ward’s interest in a divorce action. I have argued previously that the liberal scale of values involves first, individual autonomy, second rational self interest, third, self actualization. Therefore, a guardian has a fiduciary duty to promote the ward’s individual autonomy, the ward’s rational self interest, and the ward’s self actualization. Finally, the antiquated idea that the guardian stands in the place of the Father of the ward, and that the Father “owns” the child or ward is absurd. A parent owes a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of the child. To the extent that a guardianship is
analogous to a parent child relationship, it is clear that the relationship must be one which is ordered toward the best interests of the child and the best interests of the ward, including financial best interest.
Chapter 101 The Gradeschool Classics By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar I have read most of the Classic Novels such as The Three Musketeers, Ivanhoe, The Black Arrow, Treasure Island, etc. But I must confess that I read most of them in 6th Grade. You might ask how I did that, and I will tell you. I read those novels in the form of Classics Illustrated Comic Books, which are now available again. After reading the comics, there is also a Grade school translation of the Classics in book form, called Illustrated Classics. If you are interested in reading the classics but don’t want to wade through the originals, which are sometimes quite lengthy and difficult to read, then I suggest you or your children start with the Classics Illustrated Comics. In fact, I even suggest that
School Boards put in place a 9th Grade class, called Classical Literature, and use Classics Illustrated Comics for the class, to make it more fun. The Government should subsidize the production and purchase of Classics Illustrated Comic Books. You learn a lot about humanity, human culture, and western civilization by reading Classics Illustrated Comic Books. And its fun, too.
Chapter 102 The Higher Self By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar The Prophet and Seer, Edgar Cayce, has written about the “Higher Self.” For Christians, I argue that one should pray that one’s Higher Self, is Jesus Christ, or one’s Christ Self. This is the Higher Authentic Self, analogous to the Self that Psychologist Carl Jung has written about. The Higher Self, or Christ Self, structures a person’s Unconscious Mind. The Higher Self guides the Centered Self, and the ego. The ego is then transformed into the Transcendental Ego. The Higher Self sets goals for the Self of Ego to attain. The Higher Self can also provide information to the Self or Ego by way of elocutions, dreams, and visions. So, I suggest that you Pray that Jesus Christ is your Higher Self, and that you pray for the guidance and help of your Higher Self.
Chapter 103 The Individual Good not the Common Good In The Treatise on Law, by Thomas Aquinas, at Question 90, Article 3, Thomas Aquinas argues that the end of Law is the Common Good. He goes on to define the Common Good as the will of the people or as the will of a political person who represents the people. In defining the Common Good this way Thomas Aquinas is mistaken. The
Common Good is not some sort of Conventional or Political consensus, instead the Common Good is the Aggregate or Sum of the Individual Good found throughout society. Now, the Individual Good is the basis for society and the Common Good. The Individual Good is described in a scale values based upon Individual Autonomy, Individual Rational Self Interest, Individual Self Actualization, and Individual Self Transcendence. For most people, as matter of Individual Self Transcendence, one’s
Final End is God or Being, or The Good.
Chapter 104 The International Sons of Liberty and the Transcendental Precepts By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar As part of the Wisdom that is necessary for one to become a genuine Son of Liberty, one must learn to follow the Transcendental Precepts, as outlined by Lonergan. They are: Be Attentive Be Intelligent Be Reasonable Be Responsible Be Loving Be Compassionate One is attentive when one pays attention to what is going on. One must try to focus in on the details or get a feel for the big picture. This is being attentive. Being intelligent means means asking Who? What? Why? Where? How? How many? Being intelligent means categorizing and comparing and contrasting data and ideas. Be reasonable means having Good Judgment and being Reflective. Being responsible means choosing a liberal set of values based on autonomy and then choosing the truly worthwhile over the apparently worthwhile. Being loving means choosing to love as much as possible rather than hating. Being compassionate means having empathy for others.
Chapter 105 The Jungian Collective Unconscious and The Platonic Forms By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Some Psychiatrists assert that the Platonic Form, in the World of the Form, outside of Space-Time, are simply delusions or hallucinations. On the contrary, the Forms are not only Real, they are the basis for Reality. Depth Psychologists, Dr. Carl Jung points out in his academic work that both psychological observation as well as an analysis of philosophy, theology, and myth, throughout history, all prove the existence of the Collective or Universal Unconcious. Jung states that the Collective Unconscious contain within it, Archetypes. (See, Carl Gustav Jung, The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious.) In Platonic terms, Jung points out that the Archetypes are the Platonic Forms, and the Collective Unconscious is the World of the Forms. The Forms or Archetypes, then, act of structure not only individual consciousness, but also Reality itself. However, the Forms are not rigidly determinate like cookie cutters, instead they are vibrating probability fields of energy. This, then, is consistent with the work of biologist, Rupert Sheldrake, who says that evolution is structured by Morphogenetic Fields, or Forms.
Chapter 106 The Legal Doctrine of Patrimony By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar I have heard a rumor that some feminists, wrongly, are asserting that a wife has a right to her husband’s income under the doctrine of Patrimony. In fact, Patrimony is simply defined in Black’s Law Dictionary as the doctrine that a son inherits his Father’s property upon the Father’s death. Thus, it is clear that the doctrine mentioned first, above, is either wrong or absurd.
Chapter 107 The Legal Doctrine of Primogeniture By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar I have heard a rumor that some persons, wrongly, take the position that there is a Legal Doctrine of Primogeniture which means that one who successfully asserts the doctrine against another has a right to control that person and take all that person’s income and property from him. The foregoing interpretation of Primogeniture is either wrong or absurd. In fact, Black’s Law Dictionary states that primogeniture simply means the common law doctrine that the eldest son inherits all of hjis Father’s property upon his Father’s death. The rumored position above is wrong or absurd.
Chapter 108 The Lemmings an Allegorical Tale By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar When I was a kid going to Public School, a teacher of mine once told our class the story of the Lemmings. Now, the Lemmings were hominid creatures. Sort of the
kind of being you’d expect to find in the Cantina in Star Wars. They look like white seals, and waddled along on dry land just like seals do. The interesting thing about Lemmings is that they were very tribal, very conventional, very herd oriented. Whatever the Lemmings did at the front of the herd, the rest simply followed without any thought of doing anything else. They were all trained to follow the herd leaders, as authorities, no matter what the leaders did. One day the Lemmings were waddling along on a path, when the path ended abruptly with a drop down a steep cliff of about 150 feet. The lead lemmings got to the end of the path and without any thought, walked off the edge of the cliff and fell to their deaths. Off course the leaders were themselves trained to follow authority all their lives and so when they ended up in leadership positions they acted very irrationally. But, the story does not end here. Recall, that all the Lemmings were trained to follow conventional authority, their herd leaders. So, after the first Lemmings walked off the edge of the cliff, the next Lemmings did the same, in turn, and soon all of the Lemmings were dead at the bottom of the cliff. The moral of the story, Don’t trust conventional authority.
Chapter 109 The Level of Experience By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar I have argued previously that the Human Mind unfolds with the first three levels of Body, Mind, and Spirit. On the level of the Body Mind, that is the level of experience, we experience many emotions as well as sense experience, that is, what we can see, touch, feel, hear, smell. For some, however, level one is a much richer, fuller experience than mere sense experience. Although, I have argued that Intuition only really developes for the first time at level 6, it is apparent that such Intuition can be “downloaded” to lower levels of consciousness, once developed. So, it is possible that a type of “Ground Mysticism” can develop where the person not only had sense experience at level one, but also intuitive experience, spiritual experience, even Mystical Experience. Perhaps this is why some
people develop ideas from experience, and have experiences that others do not. For example, some people can have a peak spiritual experience in nature simply by looking at the colorful leaves in the Fall. Others can have a similar experience looking at a Mountain Peak, or a seaside Beach. looking into the eyes of a loved one. I suppose in some sense it may be that when a person “downloads” abilities or consciousness from a Higher Level of Mind, that in fact the person may only be deploying those abilities in a Quantum Field or Parallel Frame or Universe which is Some can even have a Mystical Experience by
slightly out of frame with the mundane world. This would be consistent with the biblical idea of Alternative Prophetic Consciousness which is experienced as an alternate reality. Moses, then, brought Alternative Prophetic Consciousness to the captive
Israelites, not Egyptian realism.
Chapter 110 The Material World By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Some people who call themselves Thomists, wrongly, think that the material world is full of necessary causes, so much so, that they think the material world is determined, even static. This is of course absurd. There are four primary levels of reality: 3. The Substantial Level. 2. The Matter Level. 1. .5 The Material Level. The Quantum Level
Now, the Substantial or Angelic level of Reality is completely determined by necessary causes ordered toward the Individual Good. The Matter Level is the level of Illiteration from the Substantial Level, and is structured by Logical Accident, which constiute Natural Laws which determine the Matter Reality. The Material Level is composed almost exclusively by material accident (random statistical probability) and material causes (contingent natural laws which are mere the natural “habits” of the universe. Rupert Sheldrake calls these habits, “morphgenetic fields.” The Qunatum Level is characterized by Quantum Indeterminacy or Moderate Relativism. At the Quantum Level meaning affects reality.
While it is possible for the Substantial Level (Divine Law) to partially structure the Material World as a “miracle,” and while it is also possible for the Matter based World to partially structure the Material World by reason of Natural Law, most of the material universe is structured by material accident (random statistical probability) and natural “habits” of the universe, ordinary natural law. As stated previously the material world is underdetermined not determined. Finally, there is the Quantum Level at Level .5 which manifests through meaning. The Quantum World, which is the Unitary Quantum Field, also has an effect upon the Material World.
Chapter 111 The Matrix and Multidimensional Reality By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar In the Movie, The Matrix, Neo discovers that there is a machine world which is “real,” and that the ordinary world of everyday life is simply an Illusory Matrix, an artificially generated reality. This is an interesting way of setting up reality, but I have a problem with it. In fact, Quantum Physics suggests that all of Reality is Probabalistic and Multidimensional. Even the most “unitary” world is in fact an aunitary, unitary world. Absolute unity does not exist in the real world. So, my point is this. In the Movie, the Matrix, the machine world was another “parallel world” or matrix, just as much as the ordinary world. If one had the right abilities or technology, one could cut through the machine world and find another parallel world which might be a better world. If Neo really was a “chosen one” he would be able to see through the matrix of the machine world and “frame walk” into other parallel worlds or reality frames. The machine world is no more a valid world than any other.
Chapter 112 The Metaphysics of Property By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Critical Legal Studies and Postmodern legal scholars have argued that Property is an artificial construct and should not really be given a special place in the legal curriculum or the common law. I, on the other hand, argue that Real Property is different than Personal Property, and is certainly different than Contract. Our first clue to the notion that Property is different is found in the ancient medieval custom of Enfoeffment where the Feudal Lord passes on Seisin in Real Property to a Vassal. This enfoeffement ceremony involved the Feudal Lord, literally handing the Vassal a lump of soil from the ground and handed it to the Vassal. This lump of Soil, symbolizing Seisin, involves the use of the Metaphysical Quiddity of Substance. Real Property, then, is a Substantial Interest factually, and Metaphysically. Personal Property is treated differently than Real Property under the Common Law. Personal Property is movable property. In Metaphysical terms, the Metaphysical Quiddity of Matter, best represents and is the basis for, Personal Property. The distinction between the two is found in Catholic religious life where Catholic religious were not allowed to own Real Property, but could hold an Equitable Use in Personal Property. Catholic religious could only own land, that is, Real Property, indirectly through the use of an equitable stock ownership interest in a Corporation which held title to the Real Property.
Finally, Contract is based upon the Metaphysical Quiddity of Form. The form of the Contract is that which is most important at the Common Law. Equity in Being can only intervene where there is no adequate remedy at law.
Chapter 113 The Objective God By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Dr. Deepak Chopra argues that God unfolds and manifests differently at different stages of Consciousness or Reality. At Level 3 is the Silent God of Meditation, Contemplative Prayer, and Individual Autonomy. Chopra then argues that God at level 4 is the God of Redemption whose primary attributes is Intuition. I argue, on the other hand, that the God of Level 4 is the Objective God, God the Planner. The God of Level 4 is a God of Objectivity. This God is objective by integrating the function of the Analytic View, with Higher Love. Thus, it is argued that one is more Objective when one channels or manifests the God of Objectivity, not less as some atheists argue. The God of Level 4 is also the God of Planning. The God of Levels One, Two, and to some degree Three, are Gods who respond to reality or prayer, they do not take the initiative on their own. The God of Level 4, on the other hand, is a God of Formal Operations who proactively plans. The God of Levels One, Two, and Three, is a God who responds, while the God of Level Four plans and acts using Management by Objective. The Objective God is once again a Silent God, but with some additional objective attributes.
Chapter 114 The Parable of the Fig Tree By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar In the Christian Gospels there is the story of the Fig Tree, often referred to as a parable, although Jesus and his disciples were apparently really an active part of the story. In this story, Jesus and his Disciples are walking by a Fig Tree and Jesus reached up to grab a fig to eat. There were no figs on the tree. Although it was recognized that it was not the season for figs to be harvested, Jesus nevertheless cursed the Fig Tree for being barren. Some time later, Jesus and his disciples returned past the Fig Tree and found that it had withered and died. What to make of this real life parable? Well, I argue that the Fig Tree represents Everyman and that Everyman was cursed because he had made a wrong choice existentially. You see, we all have the fundamental option of either choosing The Good or Evil. In a World characterized by relativism this may not always seem apparent, but it is true. You see, the Fig Tree, symbolizing Everyman, had chosen Evil. One suspects that Jesus was planning to perform a miracle with the Fig Tree and have it produce fruit out of season. Jesus could not do this because the Fig Tree had chosen Evil rather than the Good. This is why the Fig Tree, Everyman, was cursed, even though it was not the time for bearing fruit.
Chapter 115 The Parable of the Talents An Allegory By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar A Wizard was going on a journey and before he left he called in his apprentices and told them that he was going to give them certain talents or spiritual gifts to use while he was gone. He said that he would return in five years. To the first apprentice, the Wizard gave the talent of Intuition. To the second apprentice the Wizard gave the talent of creative writing. To the third apprentice, the Wizard gave the talent of channeling. To the fourth apprentice the Wizard gave the talent of woodworking. The Wizard then told his apprentices that he expected them to use their talents well. And then he left of his journey. While the Wizard was gone, the first apprentice used his Intuition to teach metaphysics to a group of students. The second apprentice used his creative writing to write and publish short stories with special meaning. The third apprentice used his talent of channeling to spread vile gossip and to persecute the mentally ill. The fourth apprentice used his wordworking talent to build and sell bookcases. The Wizard returned from his journey at the end of five years and called in his apprentices to give an accounting of what they had done with their talents. The Wizard rewarded the first apprentice with ten gold pieces for using his talent of Intuition to teach metaphysics. The Wizard rewarded his second apprentice with eight pieces of gold for
using his creative writing to write and publish short stories. The Wizard then turned the third apprentice into a frog for using his talent of channeling to spread vile rumors and persecute the mentally ill. Finally, the Wizard rewarded the fourth apprentice with seven pieces of gold for building and selling bookcases. Let those who can really hear this parable understand it and benefit from it.
Chapter 116 The Path of Power By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif Although I do not recommend that the reader read “A Separate Reality” by Carlos Casteneda, I would like to address one of the central themes of the book. In the book, Carlos Casteneda does a series of interviews with a Yaqui Indian Sorcerer, named Don Juan de Matus. Don Juan tells us that we should seek the Path of Power if we wish to be spiritually successful. I tried the Path of Power for awhile and it didn’t work. I found myself going back to my public school junior high education where I was taught that “Power corrupts, and Absolute Power corrupts absolutely.” Path of Power doesn’t work. I also proved to myself, logically, that the
First, if I am to have Power, I must have power of myself.
I must be autonomous. I must to my own thing, not what someone else tells me to do. The problem then is that while I choose autonomy and autonomous goals for myself, to have power in the traditional sense, I would have to have a group of obedient followers who do not what I do, but what I say. This is of course both hypocritical and lacks reciprocity. Finally, of course, if my followers try to model themselves after me, as they typically do, they will want to be autonomous too, not just obedient to authority. Now, a Power person might ignore the criticism above, but then that person would turn out to be irrational, not rational. Power players who are irrational get replaced by those who are more rational. Irrational Power player don’t last.
Another Path, is the Path of Love. Some people choose the Path of Love, deciding that Love is all. My problem with Love is that it isn’t enough. Loving people often choose not to defend themselves and end up being tortured, or martyred. The reasonable person chooses self defense, not martyrdom. The Path that I have chosen is the Path of Reason. Reason is 70% logic, 20%
Intuition and 10% love. Thus there is an affective component to Reason. The reasonable person believes in Natural Law, and Metaphysics, and Philosophy, and often, God. The reasonable person uses power instrumentally as a means, rather than as an end. The reasonable person chooses to support the well ordered Liberal society which recognizes individual rights and responsibilities. The reasonable person supports The Individual Good. Occasionally, reason does not work, and that is why the reasonable person chooses Wisdom as his or her secondary Path. Wisdom involves alinear logic, intuition, and creativity. Wisdom finds the answers that Reason cannot find.
Chapter 117 The Phenomenology of a Visionary Experience By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar One might conclude that a Visionary Experience is one which takes place “outside of the body or mind.” I would like to argue that this is not necessarily true. In fact one can argue that most visions take place “within the body and mind.” I am referring primarily to a visionary experience by a Subject in a controlled prayer setting. The Subject was reading the Bible and meditating. Soon, the Subject was in a deep trance state and his consciousness had gone “internal.” In his internal mind, the Subject found himself on a mental plane of a different dimension. This plane appeared to the Subject as if it were the Astral Plane. The Subject found himself fully awake and aware in an internal “out of body experience.” The Subject met one person while on the internal Astral Plane and communicated with her. Soon, the Subject came
out of his trance state and found himself to be back in the prayer room where he had started out. The Subject carried with him a feeling of all enveloping Love which he did not have prior to the experience. This feeling of all enveloping Love lasted for approximately one year and then faded away.
Chapter 118 The Philosophy of Being By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Some say that you really shouldn’t try to describe Being at all, that Being is Ineffable. Since others have tried, however, I suppose that I should say something. Bernard Lonergan defines Being as an “Unrestricted Act of Understanding.” In Platonist terms, Being can be described as Form of Form. The real difficulty with Being comes when we try to discuss the causal nature of Being. Some say that Being is unchanging and static. I, on the other hand, argue that
Being Vibrates. Being is best symbolized by a Vibrating Infinity Loop. A Being Mystic can feel Being. Now, Being is unchanging in a sense, but not the mundane causal sense that we experience within space and time. Being is an Unmoved Mover. Therefore, Being is both unchanging and mobile at the same time. Being Moves outside of Space and Time. Thus, I argue that it is impossible to logically, linearly, deduce any conclusions from any sort of analysis of Being. Being must be intuited using one’s Intuition. One then finds Being in one’s Insights and one’s artistic or spiritual inspiration. Being is subtle, not facile.
Chapter 119 The Psychic Church By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar In her acclaimed book, “The Gnostic Paul,” scripture scholar, Elaine Pagels describes the Psychic Church. Basically, Psychic “Christians” are those who in Jungian terms, have dominantly Sensate personality types. In other words, they live on the level of the base emotions. Now, what Pagels does not tell you is that many of these people are literally Psychics. That is, they have Psychic abilities, such as Channeling and Clairaudience and Clairvoyance, or telepathy. These Psychics are sometimes very powerful, but ignorant people because they use their Psychic abilities for political power. Many are Satantists. This, of course, makes sense, because as Pagels tells us, the Psychic believers are under the dominion of the Demiurge, or the Devil who masquerades as God. Psychics are bound by the law of the Demiurge. They are law and order people who have no sense whatsoever of the Spirit of the Law. Pagels also discusses a second type of Christian, the Pneumatic. In Jungian terms, the Pneumatic is an Intuitive personality type. Intuitives are not psychic. Intuitives develop something like psychic abilities by intuiting Being. They get information by intuiting Being, not through psychic channeling. Pagels points out that the Pneumatics, or Intuitives are the ones, who, according to St. Paul, the Apostle, are supposed to be the leaders in the Christian Churches. The
Pneumatics are level 3 thinkers who use the Wisdom or Spirit Mind to think. Pneumatics do not sin and are not bound by the law of the Demiurge or Devil. Pneumatics are spiritual people who just naturally do the right thing without even thinking about it. St. Paul tells the Pneumatics that they should obey the laws of the Demiurge, like the Psychics are required to, in order to promote harmony in the Christian Churches. Here, I disagree with St. Paul. The law of the Demiurge is a corrupt law of convention. The law of moral conformity and convention is evil. The Pneumatics must be leaders and insist that the law be based upon higher values, not the base emotions. Autonomy, Rational Self Interest, Self Actualization, and Self Transcendence all flow from higher law and higher values, not the base values of the psychic community. A Just Society is one where the Pneumatics or Intuitives are in charge, not the Psychic channelers who really do not even know how to think analytically or reflectively. Many logical positivists are level one, psychic thinkers, whose only personal thinking is done through concrete operations clouded by the base emotions of greed, selfishness, envy, gluttony, avarice, sexual excess, etc.
Chapter 120 The Purpose of Economic Activity is to Produce Individual Liberty By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Some have argued that the purpose of Economic Activity is to Maximize Profit, I argue, on the other hand that the purpose of Economic Activity is to Maximize Individual Liberty. Now, you might ask why this is so, and I will tell you why. If the purpose of
Economic Activity is to Maximize Profit, then in an ideal world all one is entitled to is a lot of money. One is not guaranteed any choice at all in terms of goods and services available and in fact one is not even guaranteed the right to spend the money. Hypothetically, if your only choice was to Maximize Profit, you could be placed in a world where you have a two room jail cell, with one room filled with money, and the other room, having you as the prisoner. You see, without Liberty, profit maximization is not a rational choice. On the other hand, if one treats the purpose of Economic Activity as Maximizing Liberty, then one could imagine a secondary principle that one would have to have some money in order to have some measure of Liberty. It does you no good to have Liberty and to be starving to death as a street person. Liberty clearly entails the idea of a
market economy where a free choice of goods and services are available. Thus, it is important to note that under GAAT, The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, any law or trade practice which restricts Liberty is an unfair trade
practice prohibited by GAAT. Thus, GAAT requires that all laws and governmental actions be reasonable, and that every person has a right to substantive and procedural due process of law. Were this not the case, then great economic inefficiency would take place.
Chapter 121 The Schizophrenic Priest An Allegorical Tale By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Father Liam Brown was a Roman Catholic Priest in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Father Brown had been a Priest for about 5 years, but it was time for him to make a move. He simply could no longer believe in Obedience to the Archbishop and he could no longer believe in Papal Infallibility. So, Father Brown
contacted the local Episcopalian Bishop and decided to switch religions and become an Episcopalian Protestant Priest. First, however, Father Brown told Roman Catholic Archbishop Richard Lee about his decision. Then, it happened. The day after Father Brown told Archbishop Lee about his decision, two EMS medical workers came to the door of the Parish Rectory where Father Brown lived and told Father Brown that he, Father Brown had been involuntarily committed to a psychiatric ward for schizophrenia. Father Brown was hauled away and put on the psychiatric ward. On his second day on the Ward, Father Brown met with Doug Gray, the psychiatrist. Father Brown asked why he had been involuntarily committed and why he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Dr. Gray replied that he, Father Brown had been diagnosed with schizophrenia for having the delusion that he was an Episcopalian Protestant Priest. Father Brown insisted that he had made an adult, mature decision to
become an Episcopalian Priest and that it was his right to do so under Freedom of Religion. Dr. Gray replied that he, Dr. Gray takes the position that mental health patients have no constitutional rights since they are mentally incompetent. Thus, Dr. Gray told Father Brown that he, Father Brown had no right of religious freedom. After 6 months on the Ward, and having been doped up on Haldol for delusional psychosis, Father Brown decided that he was really a Roman Catholic Priest after all, and was allowed to go home to the parish rectory.
Chapter 122 The Seal of Confession and Lawyer, Client Confidentiality By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Some have criticized the Christian tradition of Confession of Sins saying that the Seal of Confession which prohibits the Priest from disclosing information in any circumstances is wrong. Additionally, some Priests complain that Parents confess child abuse to a Priest in a Satanic way to destroy the Priest while the child suffers. I argue that the Seal of Confession should be changed to reflect the Lawyer Client Confidentiality current found in the Pennsylvania Model Rules of Professional Conduct. Under PA Rule l.6 anything the client says to the lawyer in the scope of the representation is Confidential and cannot be disclosed. There are, however, exceptions to the 1.6 bar on disclosure. The exceptions are as follows: 1. While generally you cannot reveal any information regarding the past, you can reveal information if the lawyer’s service are or have been used to commit a crime or a fraud. 2. You can reveal any information regarding an intended future crime or fraud. With respect to an ongoing crime or fraud, you have permission to counsel the person to Stop committing the crime or fraud and if they don’t stop, you can reveal the information under both exceptions above. Priests should be able to use both exceptions above in confession, counseling, and spiritual direction. Protestant Ministers should use the same rule.
The Sermon An Allegory By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Jesus of Nazareth addressed the crowd: “Some think that they can get away with murder. I say, ‘As you do, so it will be done unto you. If you cheat others you will be cheated. If you torture others, you will be tortured. If you murder others, you will be murdered.’ This is the law of Karma and Reciprocity. The Natural Law principle of Reciprocity is, ‘As you do, so it will be done unto you.’ Take warning, if you do not receive a penalty for violating reciprocity in this life then it will be done unto you in another life.
Chapter 124 The Sermon on the Mount An Allegory By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Jesus of Nazareth walked to the top of a small hill and began to address the crowd. He said, “Blessed are the Poor in Spirit, that is the mentally ill, they shall know God.” “Blessed are those who hunger for God, for they shall be filled.” “Blessed are those who seek Justice for they shall find Justice.” “Blessed are those who believe in Equity, for they shall find Equity.” “Blessed are those who forgive, for they shall find forgiveness.” “Blessed are those who exercise Good Judgment, for they shall be judged by Good Judgment.” Many that day were baptized by Jesus after hearing his Sermon on the Mount.
Page 125 The Silent God By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar There are some authors who assert that they “channel God,” and have a great deal to say in their books about what God is up to. My experience, on the other hand is that the real God is a Silent God. He doesn’t channel. We find out about God, The God of Being, through Reason and intuitive inspiration. We can know God the Father, the God of Being, best, through the process of Intuiting Being. Being is the Godhead. It is through Being that we know God. God It seems to me that channeling
reveals himself to us in our intuitive feeling of Being.
is an unreliable way of knowing God. For example, one author states that God says that all advanced societies are communist and that the nature of reality is extreme relativism. Both of these positions are wrong. Liberalism, tempered by equity makes an ideal society, not communism. Our world is characterized by moderate relativism not extreme relativism. Reason and logic still work in our world in spite of it being somewhat relativistic. Finally, if God exists, and He does, it also seems plausible that demonic entities also exist. It is certainly possible that demonic entities could impersonate God, and give us a lot of disinformation about the nature of reality.
Chapter 126 The Silent God and the Inner Self By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar In his book, “How to Know God,” by Dr. Deepak Chopra, Chopra argues that at the Level 3 Stage of Consciousness, there is a movement inward toward the Silent God. This inward path is taken instead of the outward path of conformity to conventional morality. Perhaps one of the most important choices a person will ever make is whether to take the inward path of the Spirit, or the outward path of conformity to the dicates of conventional society. As Chopra points out, when one takes the inward path, one begins a process of meditation or contemplation which leads to the inner silence of the True Self. The True Self is the Silent God in you, where you and God are One. Not a One of the Ego, but a One of the Self which transcends the Ego. We do not know how, exactly, but there is Power in the appropriation of the Silent Self. One’s Prayer life deepens immensely. But somehow instead of look for the God outside of me for help, I find the Silent God insidc of me, which is truly me. The conflict between what God wants and what I want dissolves in the Self of the Silent God. As Saint Paul says, It is not longer I that live, but God that lives in me. Once one has taken the inward journey and has found the Silent God, then one’s prayer life changes to silent meditation or contemplation, or, focuses on very short prayers for guidance. The God of Level 3 helps those who help themselves, Spiritually.
Finally, it should be noted that the Silent Self of Level 3 is the True Self or Jungian Self that Psychologist Carl Jung describes in this work. Once again, a technique for leaving the ego behind and find the Self is to develop the Transcendental Ego which then evolves into the Self.
Chapter 127 The Story of Cain, Abel, and Seth By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar In the Biblical Book of Genesis is the Story of Cain and Abel. This Story tells a little more. In Potency, on the other side, before their births, Cain, Abel, and Seth, each
chose to have a certain type of consciousness in their respective Souls. Cain chose to have a Sensate Soul of atheistic materialism and logical positivism, Abel chose to have a Reason based Soul Ordered toward the Good and also chose non-violence, Seth chose a Wisdom Soul with Intuition and Common Sense. Seth chose to be born first, as the oldest son in Paradaise, the Garden of Eden. Cain and Abel each chose be born on Earth after the Fall of Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve each chose Souls with Conventional Morality and Conventional Reality. Seth was
born before the Fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, without Original Sin. Seth is known as Seth Son of Adam, Son of God, Jesus Christ. After their births on Earth, Cain and Abel began to labor in the Earth. God asked each of them to make a sacrifice out of the fruits of their labors. Abel sacrificed a young lamb, for he was a sheep herder. Cain was a farmer and he was greedy and evil, so he offered a sacrifice of rotten grain with slugs and weevils in it. Cain murdered Abel by
hitting him over the head with a rock and tried to use Abel’s sacrifice for his own. God knew the Truth and had Cain branded with a M on his forehead for Murder and exiled him to a far away land.
Seth stayed in the Garden of Eden and transformed Satan, Lucifer the Archangel into Saint Anthony the Archangel. Seth started multilocating from the Garden of Eden and became a multidimensional immortal. Seth is the Patron Saint of Wisdom.
The Story of Seth and Jesus Christ An Allegory By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D.., Esq, Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Jesus Christ, also known as Jesus of Nazareth, is the reincarnation of Joseph, Joshua, Jacob, and Seth in the Old Testament. Seth was born without Original Sin in the Garden of Eden prior to the Fall of Adam and Eve. Seth, Son of Adam, Son of God is the Messiah and the New Adam of the Christian Gospels. In the Book of Isaiah, the Prophet Isaiah prophesized that the Messiah who would conquer Original Sin and Karma with his new Reality, would Hang from a Tree. When Abel tried reincarnating as the Messiah, multidimensionally, he was crucified. When Seth reincarnated as the Messiah, he simply had Joseph makes a rope foot swing from a tree and Jesus swung, and hung from the tree with his foot in the bottom loop and his hands holding onto (hanging from) the rope while he played at Age 5, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah without being crucified. Jesus Christ (Seth) ruled as King of Judea, under his Alternate, Augustus Caesar for 500 years.
The Tool A Wise Saying By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar “Having the right Tool is half the battle.” By Anthony J. Fejfar
The Traditional Common Law and the Modern Common Law By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar The Traditional Common Law starts with the premise of maximizing one’s autonomy and rational self interest. Thus, a regime of common law rules developes which protect and establish contract and property legal rights. The Common Law in the United States around the year 1900 is a good model for the Traditional Common Law. The Modern Common Law is the Traditional Common Law interpreted in light of Equity. While the Traditional Common Law promotes rational self interest, the Modern Common law is tilted toward those in need, that is, the poor, the mentally ill, the elderly, and racial and ethnic minorities. Law which is interpreted in light of those in need results in anti-discrimination laws, consumer protection laws, and the implied warranty of habitability in landlord tenant law. Even the abortion cases can be seen as an example of the Modern Common law favoring the mother in need. An even more radical approach to the Modern Common law would favor the unborn child in need. The End
The True Story of Beowulf By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Beowulf was a junior warrior in the Kingdom of Denmark in ancient times. Every time his fellow Vikings went off to war, they left Beowulf with the women and children to protect them. Thus, Beowulf never was able to acquire enough booty from raiding to have enough to get married and have a family of his own. Beowulf’s village was packed with Viking warriors and women a and children when trajedy struck. A magic dragon kept attacking the village and was devouring both the women and the warriors in turn. Beowulf saw his chance to move up in the village
hierarchy and volunteered to hunt down the dragon and kill it. Beowulf put on his armor and his broad sword which he had blessed by a Druid Priest to give it magic. Beowulf tracked the dragon to his lair and began his hero’s journey down the tunnel to the depths of Hell. It took Beowulf two days of travel to find the dragon’s
lair. The dragon was sleeping on a pile of treasure and was snoring loudly. The dragon woke up and saw Beowulf and asked him why he was there. Beowulf replied that he had come to hear the dragon’s wise lore. The dragon asked Beowulf why he shouldn’t kill Beowulf and eat him? Beowulf replied, “But wise dragon if you eat me you will never hear my riddle. Answer the riddle and you can eat me, fail and I get to kill you, steal your wisdom and your treasure.
The dragon replied, “I agree to this contest, give me your riddle.” Beowulf replied, “Here is my riddle. There once was two brothers who had the same mother and the same father, but who were not biologically related to each other. How can this be?” The dragon thought about it for awhile and said he didn’t know how. Beowulf then told the dragon that the answer was that the two children born of two sets of different parents and then were legally adopted by a third set of parents. The dragon agreed that this was a valid answer and Beowulf then drew his magic broadsword and hacked off the dragon’s head. Beowulf cut out the dragon’s wisdom teeth and boiled them down in pot and drank the broth, acquiring the dragon’s wisdom. Beowulf then collected the dragon’s treasure in a bag and returned to the village a hero and was elected the chief of the village.
Chapter 132 The Truly Worthwhile and The Good By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar In Bernard Lonergan’s Critical Philosophy, he argues that ethics should be ordered towards the Truly Worthwhile. The Truly Worthwhile intends Value. Value is that which is represented by a reflected upon scale of values. I, on the other hand argue that the Truly Worthwhile is simply The Good, also known as the Individual Good. It is clear that The Good is not the Common Good in the sense of some sort of collective conventional morality. The Good is the Individual Good, and the Individual Good is represented by a liberal scale of values which is ordered towards Liberty. This scale of values is as follows: 1. Individual Autonomy 2. Individual Rational Self Interest 3. Individual Self Actualization 4. Individual Self Transcendence Individual Autonomy means that I am ordered toward my own self-direction. Autonomy is a function of Free Will. Free Will is ultimately grounded in Creativity ex nihilo. Because of creativity, individual autonomy is possible. Individual Rational Self Interest means that I rationally, but subjectively choose that which interests me. I am to choose that which interests me and then I am to pursue
that goal using rational or logical means. Also, it should be noted that Individual Rational Self Interest means Enlightened Individual Rational Self Interest. This means that I am to consider, reciprocally the rational self interest of others as valid to the extent that it does not interfere with my own. The regime that sets this in place is the Rule of Law which protects my individual autonomy and my individual rational self interest, as well as that of others. Individual Self Actualization means that I existentially choose to work on projects that are meaningful to me. This might be a project at work, it might be my children, it might be an artistic or literary project, etc. It must be emphasized that this is a project
which is meaningful to me. Not something superficial. Finally, there is individual Self Transcendence. Individual Self Transcendence is based upon Higher Love. Higher love involves love of humanity, or real intellectual activity, or the altruistic or disinterested love of self and the other, that is, compassion. Compassion means that I will choose self-actualization projects which help humanity, or other persons, not just doing my own thing from an ego point of view.
Chapter 133 The Vows of the Jesuit Order By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar When I was in the Jesuit Novitiate, a long time ago, we studied the vow formula in the Jesuit Constitutions, basically it went like this: “I vow poverty, chastity, and obedience to my superior in the Society of Jesus.” outdated, and argue instead for a new vow formula. First of all let us consider the vow of poverty. I have argued that Jesus had a middle class upbringing and lifestyle, thus it makes no sense to me that a Jesuit should take a vow of poverty to emulate Christ, instead, a Jesuit should take a vow of “Simple Living” where one can own property but not in a manner suggesting conspicuous consumption. For example, as a general rule, I don’t think that Jesuits should own or drive sportscars or own or wear $5,000 custom made suits. Maybe a particular Jesuit will have to have a custom made suit because it is impossible to find his size “off the rack” at the men’s store. This would be an exception to the rule. Next, let us consider the vow of chastity. Chastity basically means that the Jesuit vows not to have sex. I, on the other hand, argue that Jesuits should take a Celibacy vow not to get married in the future. I a Jesuit has an occasional affair with a woman he loves or occasionally masturbates, I really don’t see this as that big a deal. The real problem is when one get’s married and devotes a majority of his energy to his wife and then I would like to argue that this vow is
children. If a Jesuit in his early 30’s needed to get married, his Celibacy vow could be temporarily dispensed and then reinstated after he has reached age 40. Finally, there is the notorious obedience vow. Taking a vow to a superior seems absurd. For example, a Jesuit might have a liberal superior for ten years who tells him to do one thing, and then a conservative superior for the next ten years who tells him to do the opposite. This really isn’t rational. Additionally, after the debacle of Nazi Germany, the idea of unquestioned obedience to authority is suspect. What if a superior ordered a Jesuit to murder another person, or to commit suicide? There seems to be no exception in the vow formula for refusing an illegal order. Moreover, with Vatican II, it is generally understood that the Holy Spirit not only works from the top down in the church and society, but also from the bottom up. A particular Jesuit might be better qualified to make decisions for himself than his superior. Finally, if one follows the philosophy and theology of Jesuit philosopher Bernard Lonergan, it is clear that if a Jesuit is to be authentic he must follow, or be obedient to the Transcendental Precepts, not an religious superior. The new vow formula should state, “I vow obedience to the Transcendental Precepts of; Be Attentive, Be Intelligent, Be Reasonable, Be Responsible, Be Loving, in the Society of Jesus.” So, I propose a new vow formula for Jesuits which is: “I vow Simple Living, Celibacy, and Obedience to the Transcendental Precepts of ; Be Attentive, Be Intelligent, Be Reasonable, Be Responsible, Be Loving, in the Society of Jesus.”
Chapter 134 The Zen Dojo and Zen as a Martial Art By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar I am a practitioner of Zen Meditation. As many master would tell you, the Zen that can be spoken of is not Zen, it is illusion. Nevertheless, as many masters have nevertheless tried to say something about Zen, so will I. Zen is very direct. Zen is not flow, Zen is Action. Dao is flow. Zen pushes. Zen moves. Zen makes things happen. The chief goal of Zen is clarity of mind. Clarity is required in two different instances in the beginner’s mind. One type of beginner is mundane and his or her mind is cluttered with stray thoughts. Zen teaches the mediator to silence these thoughts and achieve mindful harmony with one’s mind. Another type of beginner is a psychic novice whose mind is cluttered with channeled information. Sometimes the mind of the novice is so cluttered with psychic traffic that he or she cannot even sleep. In the Zen Dojo there is a bare room with a comfortable floor mat and a comfortable room temperature. The Zen novice begins his or her training by learning to meditate. Sometimes a novice will learn to meditate with a mantra. A good Christian mantra that I started out with is: “Your ways O Lord make known to me, teach me your paths, guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour and I wait for you all of the Day.” Another is, “Being.” Another is, “God, please guide me to Satori” (enlightenment). Another is, “Wisdom.” And so on.
The use of the mantra helps to focus one’s spiritual energy and one’s mind on the transcendent. It also acts to block out stray thoughts or channeled information. The Dojo instructer carries a stick with him which he taps on the shoulder of the novice to make sure that he or she is maintaining attention and is not falling asleep or into a deep trance state indicating channeling behaviour. As one become proficient in meditation, another Zen technique can be developed. First the initiate must learn to find his or her own mind in his or her own imagination. You must be able to visualize your own mind. You must also be able to feel your own mind. When this is done, you then need to develop an internal “block” or mental weapon which is used to force stray thoughts or channeled thoughts out of the mind. You learn to do this first by finding a thought in your mind, focus on it, be attentive to it, and then consciously follow it. Often this process will result in the thought disappearing. When this happens, you keep your mind clear and wait and see it another stray thought occurs. Then repeat the process of attention, and so forth. The last stage of Zen is that of a martial art. It is said that no one can harm you unless he or she first patterns that physical move on the Astral Plane. While Zen practitioners are to take vows of physical non-violence, and only fight physically as a matter of self-defense, this does not apply to the mental-spiritual world. Here, psychic warfare is common place. If someone enters your mind without permission, you must attack that person in your imagination or the Astral Plane, or risk extinction as a human being. A Zen Master is able to manifest and use Weapons on the Astral Plane and in the imagination.
Chapter 135 Time and the Universe By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Some astrophysicists claim that the universe will collapse and come to an end some day trillions of years from now. I, on the other hand argue that time and the universe are without beginning and without end, infinitely. Somewhere around now is the Middle of Time. Time from here flows infinitely backwards and forwards in time. There is no beginning of time and there is no end of time. There is no beginning of the universe and there is no end of the universe. If we had a time machine and could go backwards in time, time would simply unfold ahead of us infinitely in the past forever. Similarly, if we had time machine and could go forwards in time, time would simply unfold ahead of us infinitely in the future forever. Think about it.
Chapter 136 Trashing Logical Positivism By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Logical Postivism is a valid philosophy only if sense experience is a valid indicator of reality. Logical Positivism is trashed. Sense experience is not a valid indicator of reality. In his book, Psychology of Consciousness, Robert Ornstein discusses the accuracy of visual sense experience. Ornstein notes that a huge amount of visual sense experience is filtered out by something like autoconsciousness, and never reaches the conscious mind. This is also true of smelling and hearing. We know that certain animals can hear and smell sense data on bandwidths that we can’t, namely, dogs. So, when someone tries to tell you that Logical Positivism is a normative discipline, trash that person’s assertion, he is lying to you.
Chapter 137 Tree Farming By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar I don’t know about you, but I am getting tired of seeing magazine pictures of Forests that have been clear cut, so that all that is left is tree stumps and soil erosion. Why don’t the paper and lumber companies wake up and develop tree farms instead of just clear cutting? Given enough land, if it takes a tree 30 years to mature, you simply divide the forest into 30 subunits and then you clear one subunit a year only, and replant one subunit a year. This type of “crop” rotation would ensure that a large area of land was never clear cut all at once, and would also ensure that new trees would replace those already harvested. This would be both economically and environmentally sound.
Unified Quantum Field Theory and Science By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar Previously I have argued that Fejfar’s Unified Quantum Field Theory reconciles Quantum Physics with String Theory, Relativity Theory and Classical Metaphysics. It even explains Newtonian Physics and Atomism. Method works is as follows: 1. Generate Theory 2. Run Experiments to Confirm Theory 3. Judge the Theory to be correct when the experiments support the Theory. 4. Burden then shifts to other Scientists to disprove the theory logically, or experimentally. In the present case I my scientific theory is Fejfar’s Unified Quantum Field Theory. Fejfar’s Unified Quantum Field Theory argues that there is a Quantum Universe composed of Quanta Subatomic Particles which in turn manifest as other subatomic particles such as the Quark, the Electron, the Positron, the Neutron, etc., etc. My Now, the way that the Scientific
second step is to argue that all Quantum Physics experiments that been done up to this point, including the Double Slit Experiment, support Fejfar’s Unified Quantum Field
Theory Scientific Hypothesis. String Theory also support Fejfar’s Unified Quantum Field Theory as does Relativity Theory. Given the foregoing, I now am judging that Fejfar’s Unified Quantum Field Theory is a verified scientific hypothesis and therefore is scientific fact. The burden now shifts to other scientists to try to disprove the scientific fact of Fejfar’s Unified Quantum Field. No scientist has done so at this point.
Unitary Reality and the End of the World By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Some take the position that reality is aunitary, some take the position that it is unitary. I argue that both are in some sense true. The metaphysical realms of Being, Matter, and Substance are all aunitary. They are without beginning and without end. They are unitary up to the point that they are acknowledged as perpetual, and then we see that they are in fact slightly curved or aunitary. Infinity is symbolized by an infinity loop, not by a straight line. There is one place, however, where reality is unitary, and that is the material world and universe. The material world is contingent. As the Bhuddists say, it is illusory. It does not last forever, but instead has a definite beginning and a definite end. Seemingly, some of us desired to have a perfectly unitary, linear world, and so it was created. I suspect, however, that this world only lasts about one thousand years and then comes to an end. At the end of the world there is an interregnum, or chaos period, where the world goes off line and retools. This probably lasts around ten years or so, and then, the new world of unity is formed and replaces the old world which has passed away. For those of us who live in the metaphysical world of Matter, not materiality, the end of the world never comes. Instead it is “world without end, Amen.”
Why Communism Doesn’t Work By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2008 by Anthony J. Fejfar When Karl Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto, he made a mistake. Instead of using a realist philosophy such as Thomism to ground his theory, Marx used Idealist Materialism. Following Hegel’s Idealist notion of the Dialectic of Absolute
Spirit in History, Marx argued that History is based upon Idealist Dialectical Materialism. The problem with this of course is that Marx rejected Plato, the only idealist philosophy that ever works. Instead Marx butchered idealism by juxtaposing it with materialism. Since the ideal cannot be real except in Platonism where the
Immutable Platonic forms are Substantial, Marx was stuck with the idea that materialism is ideal. Everyone knows of course that the material universe is real not ideal. Thus a
material tree is not a “Reified Concept” but instead is “concrete” or real. Additionally, since Marx rejected the existence of God in his political philosophy, idealist maerialism soon came to be atheistic materialism. Athiestic materialism then supports the absurd philosophy of science of Logical Positivism which was totally destroyed by Kant and Husserl. Commmunism will never work because its’ underlying reality premises are
wrong or stupid. THE END
Chapter 141 Why Law is not Politics By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Critical Legal Studies argues that Law is Politics. I disagree. Law is an autonomous discipline, which has some political aspects, but is fundamentally its own profession, academic discipline, and area of government. Law is fundamentally based upon Values not Politics. Values means morality and ethics. The primary Liberal Values for those in the Legal Profession are Individual Autonomy, Individual Rational Self Interest, Individual Self Actualization, and Individual Self Transcendence. In terms of Ethics, the four primary Natural Law Ethical Principles are Reciprocity, Utility, Proportionality, and Equity. Politics, as such, does not involve morality and ethics the way that law does. Additionally, Case Law involves the notion of following prior judicial precedent. Politics does not. Law also relies upon Analogical reasoning and reasoning by distinguisment, Politics does not. Finally, law is not full of “reified” false concepts as Critical Legal Studies would tell us. In fact, reification is a false concept. The proof for this is as follows: “Reification is itself a reified concept and therefore invalid.” The Critical Legal Studies Project to destroy the Rule of Law has failed, the Rule of Law exists. THE END
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The Markforged Metal Additive Manufacturing Process
Note: Before reading this section, we recommend that you either have a good understanding of Fused Filament Fabrication 3D printing or read this article on the basics of the process.
The Markforged Metal X additive manufacturing process combines metal injection molding (MIM) and fused filament fabrication (FFF) technologies together into Bound Powder Extrusion. BPE provides a simple, cost effective way to create metal parts. The process closely mirrors conventional 3D printing with two extra steps -- washing and sintering.
Just like plastic printing, all metal 3D printed parts start with an STL. This solid body file can be exported from any CAD program or created with a 3D scanner. After uploading this STL to Eiger (our cloud slicing software), you can orient the part by clicking on a face to mate it to the build plate. Once you select your orientation and the metal you would like to print with, Eiger slices your part. In this process, Eiger alters your part in four ways for printing.
- Automatic scaling: To account for the uniform shrinkage in the part, Eiger automatically scales the part up by approximately 20%.
- Open cell infill: Eiger automatically generates triangular open cell infill for all parts. These parts have floors and roofs (tops and bottoms) and walls (sides) that constrain the open cell infill.
- Supports: Eiger automatically detects overhung surfaces and generates supports printed in metal underneath them. Eiger also generates a ceramic material release layer between the part and supports, allowing parts to be removed with the light tap of a hammer.
- Raft: Underneath both the part and the supports, Eiger generates a raft. This ensures that the part will not warp during printing and shrinks properly during sintering. It also has automatically generated text that identifies the printing material.
Once you slice your part, you can combine it with other like-material parts in a build. Multi-part builds are not necessary, and should only be used to optimize print times. Printing more parts increases the odds that a print will fail. That being said, builds can be an awesome tool to optimize printer bandwidth by allowing you greater control over the print time. For example, combining a part that takes 16 hours to print with one that takes 7.5 hours to print gives you a build that will take just less than a day, allowing you to easily cycle the build at the same time every day.
The Metal X prints parts layer by layer in the exact same way as conventional FFF 3D printing. It always uses two materials: a bound metal powder filament and a ceramic release material. The machine prints supports and the main part with mound metal filament. Ceramic release material is only used in the interface between the part and the support/raft, to allow for easy separation of the support/raft after sintering.
There are a few small differences between the Metal X printing process and the Markforged plastic/composite printing process.
- The chamber and print bed are heated and must be brought to temperature before operating the printer. In addition, bound metal powder filament is brittle at room temperature and must be warmed up in the heated chamber before loading.
- Bed leveling on the Metal X is fully automated. This removes the most labor intensive and failure prone aspect of most FFF printers.
- The machine uses vacuum-held disposable print sheets that are replaced after each print. These sheets improve bed adhesion and make handling the fragile printed parts easier. Removing a part from the print bed is as simple as disabling the vacuum, taking the print sheet off with the part still attached, and easily peeling the print sheet off the part.
After printing, the next step is to debind the part the Markforged Wash-1.
Washing is the simplest part of the Metal X 3D printing process. The Wash-1 is a heated debinding system that circulates Opeteon SF-79 around parts to break down the polymer binding material.The solvent dissolves most of the binder material throughout the entire part by penetrating deeper into the part as it removes more polymer. After washing, the part is in “brown part” form: more fragile than a green part, but still bound together by the last of the polymer. Wash time is automatically calculated by Eiger, and parts can be batch washed or washed sequentially -parts can be inserted and removed at different times.
Wash times depend on part size and wall thickness. It’s impossible to over-wash parts, so it’s ok to leave them in longer than their minimum time. After parts are washed, you transfer the parts into the drying bin of the Wash-1, where they are air dried to be cleared of solvent before sintering.
Sintering transforms a part from lightly bound metal powder to a full metal part. The part is heated from room temperature to around 85% the metal’s melting point in a blend of inert and mixed gas, then slowly cooled down. In the early stages of the temperature ramp, the furnace burns away the remaining binder through the tiny channels created by the washing process. As the temperature reaches its peak, the part shrinks about 17% to its final size while the ceramic supports turn from filament to dust. The machine slowly cools from its peak temperature until it’s safe to remove from the furnace.
The Markforged sintering furnace is designed to be intuitive to operate. To load parts into the machine, you place them on sintering furnace setter tray, load the tray into the Sinter-1, and seal the machine. You can sinter as many like-material parts as you can fit on the sinter tray (we recommend spacing the parts out slightly to make sure that they can shrink without touching each other). After sealing the machine, use the touchscreen to select the material to be sintered and start the run. A run takes a little more than a day (~25 hours) and varies based on the material being sintered. After sintering, parts are ready to go as soon as the process ends.
After sintering the part, you can remove it from its supports and raft. Depending on part geometry, this may require some force or hand tools. Sintered parts are fully metal and ready to use, but can also be post processed to improve mechanical properties, surface finish, or part accuracy.j
Metal X printed parts can be post processed in most of the same ways that normal metal parts can. However, there are three methods that are more common than others:
While parts are usable right out of the sintering furnace, many Metal X printed parts require heat treatment to improve strength, stiffness, elongation, and hardness. Heat treatment processes vary from metal to metal -- we recommend following the ASTM certified heat treatment strategies mentioned on our material datasheets. These heat treatments can be performed in most standard furnaces, though Markforged sintering furnaces are not currently equipped to heat treat parts. Heat treatment also allows you to “customize” the qualities of a part -- by changing the parameters of the treatment, you can optimize the same base material for different use cases.
For precise parts like molds, post machining is a critical step in hitting tight manufacturing tolerances. Markforged parts can be surface machined, though you can only remove as much material is in the floor/roof or walls of your printed part. After machining, these parts can achieve mirror finish and the tight tolerance that one would expect from a standard machined part.
Sanding or polishing printed metal parts can improve surface quality to near mirror finish. Metal X parts a, with the same constraint as post machining: you must be careful not to remove too much material in the sanding or polishing process as it risks blowing through the outer shell of the part.
The Metal X system utilizes a simple, hands off process to print metal parts. If you’d like to learn more about machine specifications and applications, visit the Metal X page. | <urn:uuid:50b34fa9-c857-43ab-adc0-aa11365fa736> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://markforged.com/jp/resources/learn/design-for-additive-manufacturing-metals/metal-additive-manufacturing-introduction/metal-additive-manufacturing-process | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570767.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808061828-20220808091828-00474.warc.gz | en | 0.915503 | 1,709 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Like the stimulus checks that came before, the new and improved child tax credit is a win for parents. It makes the benefit, once a tax credit that parents could only access when they filed their taxes, a far more generous, fully refundable credit. It’s also — and perhaps most importantly — going to be paid out partially by monthly payments, making the credit a regular stream of cash, helping parents out monthly to the tune of hundreds of dollars a month, instead of just a tax-time payout.
The IRS promised a few weeks ago that the payments would start coming in July, and that they would be periodical, but until this point, it wasn’t clear if they would be monthly, bi-monthly, and when, exactly, they’d start coming out. But now we finally know when parents can expect to receive their first payments.
First, Make Sure You Check Your Mail
The IRS said on Monday that it has begun sending letters to the 36 million families who are likely eligible for the credit, which one analysis suggested could cut child poverty in half. The letters contain information on the child tax credit including the dates of disbursement via direct deposit and paper check.
Here Are The Dates The Child Tax Credit Payments Should Hit Your Bank Accounts
- July 15
- August 13
- September 15
- October 15
- November 15
- December 15
In case you are wondering why August 13 is randomly on the list, August 15 is a Sunday, so the IRS moved the payment date that month to the closest weekday before the 15th.
As A Reminder, Here’s Who Is Eligible for the Child Tax Credit Payments
Single filers making up to $75,000 per year, heads of household making up to $112,500, and dual filers making up to $150,000 are eligible for the full benefit of $3,600 per year (for dependents under six) and $3,000 (for dependents six to 17 years old). The total amount of the benefit decreases by $50 for every $1,000 in adjusted gross income above these thresholds.
The IRS will use 2020 tax information to calculate the credit unless it has yet to be filed or processed, in which case 2019 data will be used.
One of the compromises in the American Rescue Plan Act—besides the fact that this tax credit is only guaranteed for the 2021 tax year—is that half the credit is to be paid at tax time while the other half can be sent out in monthly installments. So some simple arithmetic tells us that, given that there are six payment dates instead of the 12 in a full year, each payment will be worth up to $300 for younger kids and $250 for older kids.
Families will receive a second, personalized letter with an estimate of their monthly payment in the coming weeks. The IRS will also add two new tools to its child tax payment website: an eligibility tool to help families determine whether they qualify for Advance Child Tax Credit payments and the long-promised portal that will allow people to opt-out of the advance monthly payments. | <urn:uuid:a7ae3aa6-ab78-4bcb-868e-3ec6273247b6> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.fatherly.com/news/payment-schedule-child-tax-credit | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573163.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818033705-20220818063705-00075.warc.gz | en | 0.956748 | 642 | 1.859375 | 2 |
Key players in the Central African conflict launched a fresh round of talks in Brazzaville on Monday to end more than a year of sectarian bloodshed in the direly poor nation.
But even as negotiators huddled in Congo, fresh violence erupted in the capital Bangui with the killing of a former Seleka rebel that sparked an immediate riposte.
The three-day forum for reconciliation and political dialogue, chaired by Congo’s President Denis Sassou Nguesso, is aimed a resolving a crisis that has left thousands of civilians dead and driven more than a million people from their homes.
One of Africa’s poorest countries, CAR has been in crisis since the mainly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power in a March 2013 coup, with months of atrocities by rebels gone rogue sparking reprisal attacks by mostly Christian anti-balaka vigilantes.
The African Union-led peacekeeping force in CAR, MISCA, blamed the anti-balaka groups for the killing on Monday, saying their victim was on his way “to get breakfast” near the main hospital when he was killed.
Allies of the victim then stormed out of their nearby base camp, looting and robbing stores, firing off shots and taking a group of students captive.
“An indeterminate number of youth from the high school next to the hospital were also taken prisoner by the ex-Seleka,” a MISCA source who asked not to be named told AFP.
A father of one of the youths who tried to follow his son was stabbed and taken to the hospital for treatment, he said, adding that the area “rang out with gunfire”.
MISCA troops and European-led forces took up positions to secure the hospital near the fighting.
Monday’s violence underscores the challenge facing peace negotiators in Congo, who are aiming to produce an accord by this Wednesday.
The agreement aims to end hostilities, disarm fighters and establish a framework for political transition, paving the way for a national reconciliation council to take place in Bangui in October.
Some 170 Central African officials were expected in Brazzaville, including members of transitional President Catherine Samba Panza’s government, lawmakers, envoys from armed groups, political parties and civil society. They are backed by a contact group of some 30 countries and organisations under the mediation of Congo.
But several political and religious leaders in CAR have boycotted the talks in Brazzaville, after calling for them to be held at home.
Divisions within the Seleka and anti-balaka groups also meant they struggled to designate their negotiators for the talks.
Thierry Vircoulon, Central Africa director at the International Crisis Group, warned that the lack of fully representative envoys and the short time allocated for the talks could hamper their chance of success.
Previous peace summits held in Gabon or Chad have produced no tangible results in efforts to end the conflict.
French peacekeepers intervened in the former colony in December last year, along with a multinational force raised by the African Union, amid fears of a Rwanda-style genocide.
They are to be joined in coming months by a UN peacekeeping force of some 2,500 troops. | <urn:uuid:4df7b575-563e-49c6-9b26-1bd97e3b4b3d> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/07/violence-reduces-c-africa-peace-talks-open/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560282140.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095122-00134-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968869 | 668 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Architectural Origami: Origamizer, Freeform Origami,
Rigid Origami Simulator, cylindrical origami, thick origami
Origami, the art of folding a sheet of paper into various forms without
stretching or cutting, can be applied to structural engineering and design
purposes. The applications include the forming of a 3D surface without
assembling multiple parts and the construction of kinetic structures such as
retractable roofs, openings, temporary shelters, and space structures.
In the design process of such applied origami, it is very difficult for
the designer to control the form to fit design contexts while preserving the
necessary functionalities of the original patterns. Therefore, without
sufficient knowledge or intelligent design systems, the resulting designs
would end up in either just a mere copy and paste of an existing origami
pattern or an "origami inspired" design which is not using the properties
of origami in functional ways.
This lecture will present my recent studies on computational origami algorithms and interactive systems to enable architectural designs. The topics include the algorithm for origamizing arbitrary polyhedral surfaces, freeform variation method of different types of origami patterns, and rigid origami theory, design, and physical implementation. The proposed systems are freely available from my website (http://www.tsg.ne.jp/TT/software/): Rigid Origami Simulator, Origamizer, and Freeform Origami. These systems enable origami designs for architecture, i.e., architectural origami, as well as an origami bunny.
[No handwritten notes for this lecture.]
The software rigid origami, origamizer, and freeform origami, is available at http://www.tsg.ne.jp/TT/software/ For photos and videos, see http://www.youtube.com/tactom http://www.flickr.com/photos/tactom/
The video above should play if your web browser supports either modern Flash or HTML5 video with H.264 or WebM codec. The handwritten notes and slides should advance automatically. If you have any trouble with playback, email Erik. | <urn:uuid:36d1e275-1026-4c67-a1ec-f1077c65fef9> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://courses.csail.mit.edu/6.849/fall10/lectures/L23.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00267.warc.gz | en | 0.80598 | 469 | 2.703125 | 3 |
The proposed law co-sponsored by Clinton in 2005 prohibits flag burning under specific circumstances. It does not attempt to make flag burning illegal in general (i.e. outside of those specific circumstances). Clinton has voted against a proposed amendment to the Constitution that would allow Congress to ban flag burning in general.
In 2005, Clinton co-sponsored the Flag Protection Act of 2005, whose summary is as follows:
Flag Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the federal criminal code to revise provisions regarding desecration of the flag to prohibit: (1) destroying or damaging a U.S. flag with the primary purpose and intent to incite or produce imminent violence or a breach of the peace; (2) intentionally threatening or intimidating any person, or group of persons, by burning a U.S. flag; or (3) stealing or knowingly converting the use of a U.S. flag belonging to the United States, or belonging to another person on U.S. lands, and intentionally destroying or damaging that flag.
It seems like a reaction to ongoing efforts to pass a constitutional amendment allowing Congress to ban flag burning, a move that the co-sponsors of the 2005 act oppose and voted against. Its text notes:
the Bill of Rights is a guarantee of those freedoms and should not be amended in a manner that could be interpreted to restrict freedom, a course that is regularly resorted to by authoritarian governments which fear freedom and not by free and democratic nations
but suggests that flag burning with intent to incite violence is not protected by the Constitution (unlike flag burning as political expression, which is protected):
destruction of the flag of the United States can be intended to incite a violent response rather than make a political statement and such conduct is outside the protections afforded by the first amendment to the Constitution.
Note that the distinction between
- banning flag burning for being offensive, and
- banning flag burning when it incites violence or disturbs the peace
is an important one. The Flag Protection Act proposed in 2005 was essentially a replacement for a previous Flag Protection Act that banned flag burning in general:
Whoever knowingly mutilates, defaces, physically defiles, burns, maintains on the floor or ground, or tramples upon any flag of the United States shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.
but this was deemed unconstitutional in United States v. Eichman, 496 U.S. 310 in 1990, on the basis of their earlier (1989) decision in Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397. There, the Supreme Court noted that
an important governmental interest in regulating nonspeech can justify incidental limitations on First Amendment freedoms when speech and nonspeech elements are combined in the same course of conduct
but that in the case under consideration, this did not apply:
An interest in preventing breaches of the peace is not implicated on this record.
and further noted that
Expression may not be prohibited [p398] on the basis that an audience that takes serious offense to the expression may disturb the peace, since the Government cannot assume that every expression of a provocative idea will incite a riot, but must look to the actual circumstances surrounding the expression.
Clinton was not one of the 59 co-sponsors of a proposed amendment to the constitution that would allow Congress to ban flag burning in general:
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States authorizing Congress to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States.
and she also voted against it. The proposed amendment failed to pass by one vote. | <urn:uuid:e63e5203-b208-4683-b94d-e45340366e80> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/36123/did-hillary-clinton-propose-to-punish-flag-burners-in-2005 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572908.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817122626-20220817152626-00078.warc.gz | en | 0.935904 | 735 | 2.703125 | 3 |
When early Creole families entered mourning after the death of a loved one, they changed their behavior, their dress and even their homes.
Whereas before, mirrors may have glittered over mantels, for example, they became shrouded in black fabric and a black wreath was hung on the front door.
The idea was to put vanity aside, said Mamie Gasperecz, of the Hermann Grima Historic House, and focus on the intense feelings of losing a loved one.
“Sacred to the Memory,” the mourning exhibit presented annually in October at the Hermann Grima house museum, takes on a new dimension this year due to a new partnership between the Hermann Grima house and Save Our Cemeteries. Now through Nov. 17, it is possible to tour St. Louis No. 1 cemetery guided by an SOC docent to learn about burial rituals before continuing to the Hermann Grima house for a tour focusing on mourning traditions.
“We had talked with Save Our Cemeteries about doing a dual tour for some time, but it finally came together after an SOC volunteer alerted us a year ago that the Grima family tomb in St. Louis No. 1 had been vandalized,” Gasperecz said. “The iron gate had been removed and was leaning against the back of the tomb, and one of the urns had been broken off its pedestal.”
It was a dark day for both organizations, but it provided the impetus for the two to take steps to realize their longtime plan to partner on a mourning-themed cemetery and house tour. (The Grima family tomb has since been restored.)
“We want the cemetery and house tours to complement one another and not duplicate, so we brought all of the SOC guides here to see the house and take the tour, then our docents visited the cemetery to learn from the SOC guides,” Gasperecz said.
Tour groups meet at the Basin Street Station and are led by an SOC guide to nearby St. Louis No. 1 cemetery, the oldest New Orleans cemetery still standing.
“Guides explain burial customs and all the various tomb types,” said Lora Williams of SOC. “You could be buried in a wall vault or, if your family had means, you might have a family tomb like the Grimas did. Another option was a society tomb — you paid to join the society and it ensured you had a place to be buried and saved you the expense of building a family tomb of your own.”
Because the cemetery was established in the late 1700s, Williams said a number of important historical figures are buried there.
“The best known is Marie Laveau, but we also have the Grima family, Homer Plessy and Bernard Marigny,” Williams said. “The guides talk a little about the architectural styles of the tombs and also jazz history, as we have the Barbarin family tomb that is now available for burying New Orleans musicians.”
After about an hour in the cemetery, the SOC guide leads the group to the Hermann Grima house, dressed in full mourning attire.
“All of the black fabric used to cover mirrors and portraits had a dull finish — nothing shiny — out of respect for the dead. It wasn’t meant to be spooky but to focus emotions inward,” Gasperecz said. “Family members would wear black for an extended period of time, wives much longer than husbands, before changing to black arm bands and then lavender clothes.”
Mourning rituals and etiquette were highly regimented, due largely to the nature of the New Orleans culture in the early to mid-19th century.
“You need to think of it in the context of this being a very religious, very Catholic city back then,” Gasperecz said. “Homes were outfitted for the occasion — we even have a full set of lavender china in the house.”
Williams said that the tour of the cemetery and the house provides a well-rounded perspective on the differences between how death, burial and mourning were handled then as opposed to now.
“Think about it. There were no funeral homes back then — everyone was waked in their homes. And there were no motorcades on the Interstate — you were buried in the cemetery in your neighborhood,” she said. | <urn:uuid:5efc51a5-2a1e-4391-a7a3-282506a095cc> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/entertainment_life/home_garden/article_db994aa5-cde8-5b16-8be2-16117dbe85bd.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560281419.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095121-00484-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978582 | 923 | 2.171875 | 2 |
Joel V. Weinstock, MD, is the gastroenterology and hepatology division chief at Boston-based Tufts Medical Center.
Dr. Weinstock is also a professor at Tufts Medical Center.
He is recognized for his research on helminths, or parasitic worms, and how they can be used to relieve inflammatory bowel disease.
Dr. Weinstock also coined the term "hygiene hypothesis," which refers to the increase in IBD cases in the West that can be linked to the elimination of beneficial intestinal parasites and bacteria.
Dr. Weinstock earned his medical degree at Detroit-based Wayne State Medical School. | <urn:uuid:62dcd1d5-2247-4d82-aee0-22ab8f8b166d> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.beckersasc.com/gastroenterology-and-endoscopy/gi-leader-to-know-dr-joel-weinstock-of-tufts-medical-center.html?origin=gie&utm_source=gie | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571150.88/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810070501-20220810100501-00678.warc.gz | en | 0.959167 | 133 | 1.84375 | 2 |
With the November 26 terror strikes exposing the vulnerabilities of India's coastline, the country's armed forces are carrying out a week-long joint exercise off the Gujarat coast in which they would validate concepts to counter such threats in the future.
Defence Ministry sources told PTI in New Delhi on Thursday that the amphibious exercise would use the assets and personnel of the Army, Navy, Air Force and the Coast Guard, and practice manoeuvres and operations to prevent terrorist attacks of the Mumbai-kind.
"Considering that the Mumbai attacks took the sea route to reach their targets, we have included an operational element in the exercise to fight the menace," sources said here.
Christened TROPEX-09 (Theatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise), this effort would be one of the largest exercises involving amphibious warfare elements in the recent years.
Though such exercises are an annual affair, this year's exercise gained importance in content and magnitude in view of the Mumbai attacks, sources said.
Nearly 15,000 personnel of the armed forces would be trained in fighting "conventional as well as asymmetric" warfare, involving non-state actors, sources said. | <urn:uuid:cf5b9615-8afe-456e-b4a3-ef30b801b1f9> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/armed-forces-carry-out-week-long-joint-exercise/story-wdmjxamYEDgqgvdzA63irO.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560281331.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095121-00223-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965126 | 234 | 1.671875 | 2 |
- Development & Aid
- Economy & Trade
- Human Rights
- Global Governance
- Civil Society
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Isabelle de Grave interviews MICHELLE BACHELET, Executive Director of UN Women
- Unlocking women’s energies and allowing them to become drivers of change could fuel the motor of sustainable development.
The question is whether world leaders meeting at the Rio+20 summit in Brazil will squander or seize this tremendous opportunity to harness women’s full potential.
In an interview with U.N. correspondent Isabelle de Grave ahead of Rio+20, Michelle Bachelet, head of U.N. Women, explains the vital link between gender equality and the environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainable development.
Q: How does gender and women’s empowerment relate to sustainable development?
A: Twenty years ago, at the (first) Rio Summit, there was a unanimous agreement that sustainable development would never be realised without gender equality and that holds true today.
Gender equality and women’s empowerment are integral to the achievement of sustainable development. Gender equality is the factor which brings together the three dimensions. It determines the access that men and women have to productive resources such as land, finance, and technology, it determines the ability of individuals to take advantage of opportunities such as education and employment, and it circumscribes access to social protection and basic services.
Women farmers make up 43 percent of the agricultural labour force in developing countries and 80 percent in some parts of Africa. If women had the same access as men to agricultural resources, production would increase by 20 to 30 percent, and has the potential to reduce the number of hungry people in the world by 12 to 17 percent.
In terms of the everyday lives of women and girls, the provision of basic services, clean water, energy, housing and transportation can reduce the intense labour of women, promote dignity and enhance quality of life.
Rio+20 provides an enormous opportunity to move forward to a new development paradigm, which appreciates the integral human value of gender equality and women’s empowerment to the achievement of sustainable development.
Q: Participation and leadership is one of the key themes of the UN Women mandate. Will women’s participation in discussions held at Rio+20 be a reflection of progress in this regard?
A: We are advocating for women’s leadership and participation because we know that when you do have women discussing things and when you allow women a strong voice, this frees up space for change.
At this year’s summit there will be a high-level forum of women leaders, and a high-level event for women leaders on the subject famine. The participation of a group of female heads of state and heads of government will bring attention to the relationship between gender equality, women’s empowerment and sustainable development. In this regard we are seeing progress.
But it’s not only about participation in one particular conference that is key, it is about women’s’ participation and leadership in diverse areas, and how we are able to link this to an action plan. That action plan will be the outcome document to be agreed upon by member states at the Rio +20 summit.
Q: Debates and discussions that have taken place ahead of Rio+20 have greatly emphasised the need to streamline the development agenda, by determining the “must haves” that governments will sign up to. In this regard, what challenges do you anticipate for the promotion of gender equality, and women’s rights ahead of the summit?
A: We’ve seen very promising developments in the past few weeks of negotiations, and I’m very pleased that gender equality and women’s empowerment is reflected throughout the text to be agreed upon by member states.
There have been calls from member states to gain greater recognition of women’s rights in relation to water as well as a section on women’s health and sexual and reproductive rights. I hope these will continue and prevail so as to feature alongside women’s right to land and property.
In relation to women’s sexual and reproductive rights, there are always debates in this area. Some countries have different positions on the issue of women’s reproductive rights and health and services.
We believe you can’t isolate one part of the world’s female population. You need to include all the aspects that are essential in terms of achieving gender equality, you cannot ensure the right to participate and be an economic agent and not consider sexual and reproductive health to be important as well. We will continue working to ensure that we get out of the document the best and most comprehensive response to women’s needs.
It is also important that after Rio, when governments will be discussing a new development framework beyond 2015 and the MDGs that women are fully integrated.
I would really like to see a comprehensive sustainable development goal on gender empowerment and the inclusion of gender targets and indicators in all other goals. We believe gender equality has to be mainstreamed – taken into consideration in all areas of development – and recognised as a concrete goal in itself. | <urn:uuid:87ba1fbf-6b1d-44b1-8e3d-c515a0621008> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/06/qa-women-must-be-at-the-forefront-of-rio20-and-beyond/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560281649.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095121-00443-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942395 | 1,065 | 2.3125 | 2 |
Humanitarianism and Solidarity Cuban-Style
It has been widely recognized that Cuba has a remarkably effective health-care system for a relatively poor third world country. This fact is becoming even more widely known thanks to Michael Moore’s documentary Sicko. As a result, Cuba has health indicators comparable to its far wealthier neighbor. For example, life expectancy in Cuba is 77.5 years, in the U.S. it is 78. Cuba’s infant mortality rate is 5.3 deaths among 1,000 live births in the first year, whereas in the U.S. it is 6.9 (according to 2003 figures, the last year for which data have been compiled). In Mississippi infant mortality is 11.4 and as high as 17 among blacks, and rising. In our nation’s capital, infant mortality is 14.4 among African Americans.
Even the World Bank has had to acknowledge Cuba’s achievements in health and education. Their 2001 edition of “World Development Indicators” showed Cuba as topping virtually all other poor countries in health and education statistics. Former Bank President James Wolfensohn congratulated Cuba for doing “a great job” in providing for the social welfare of the Cuban people.
How is this possible? How has a poor country that lacks the medical technology we have, and even has difficulty getting basic equipment and medicines due to the U.S. blockade, been able to take such good care of the health of its population? The answer is doctors. Cuba has 5.3 doctors per 1,000 people—the highest ratio in the world and nearly double that of the U.S. The secret to Cuba’s success is the 60,000 dedicated physicians and other health professionals, plus a system based on the principle that health care is a right rather than a commodity for sale. Cuba provides free universal health care accessible to all of its people. Doctors live in every neighborhood where they practice comprehensive, community-based, preventative care. In every neighborhood there is an easily recognizable house where the doctor lives on the second floor, the first floor being his office. So a doctor is available, close at hand, every day and he or she (half of the nation’s doctors are women) makes house calls, too. Also, not far away, there is a polyclinic. More specialized care is provided by larger municipal hospitals.
It wasn’t always like this. After its Revolution in 1959, half of the nation’s doctors followed their affluent patients to Miami. So from the beginning the government had to make great efforts to educate new doctors. Today, there is a major medical school in every province. The country now graduates 3,500 doctors a year, far more than required for its population of 13 million.
What does Cuba do with its vast surplus of doctors? It sends them to serve abroad in poor countries. Cuba has long been generous in sharing its medical advances with third world countries. In fact, it has more doctors serving abroad than the World Health Organization. Since 1963, 100,000 doctors have served in 101 countries. Currently, Cuba has a large medical mission in South Africa, and with the Chavez government in Venezuela as well as the Morales government in Bolivia. Altogether this small country has more than 30,000 health-care professionals cooperating in 68 countries, according to the Cuban Minister of Public Health, Jose Ramon Balaguer Cabrera. In addition, Cuba is training 20,000 health-care professionals from 26 countries and carrying out special initiatives such as Operation Miracle, which has returned sight to more than a half million Latin Americans.
In fact, Cuba has emerged as a medical superpower. Even during the severe economic depression in the 1990s, Cuba devoted 9.1 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) to health. Currently, it spends 6.3 percent of its GDP.
After Hurricane Mitch devastated much of Central America in November 1998, Cuba sent medical teams to provide emergency relief. They went into the more remote areas, bringing medical care to people who had little access to a doctor even in normal times. The results were spectacular. In Guatemala the infant mortality rate dropped from 40 per 1,000 live births to 18.6—a figure directly attributable to the work of the Cubans, according to the Guatemalan ambassador to Cuba, Hugo Guzman. Similar successes have been logged in Honduras, as well as in areas of Africa.
Immediately after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, Cuba offered to send doctors to help its victims. Within hours, over 1,000 doctors with backpacks of emergency supplies were ready to fly to Houston, but the Bush administration ignored the offer. Cuba repeated the offer several times and the number of qualified and experienced physicians who volunteered grew to 1,586. This became the basis for the formation of the Henry Reeve contingent of humanitarian doctors prepared to provide assistance in disaster situations and epidemics. They have since gone to Pakistan where they were the largest medical assistance effort following its earthquake. Altogether, 2,300 medical professionals performed operations on 1.7 million patients. Today, the Henry Reeve Contingent, the first of its kind, stands ready to bring emergency medicine to a world in need of cooperation and solidarity.
But Cuba has gone beyond simply providing humanitarian relief in emergencies. Recognizing the need to do something on a more long-term basis, Havana decided to offer young people from the poorest regions of Latin America and Africa the chance to become doctors themselves. The unwritten commitment of each and every student is to return to their country and practice their skills for a period of ten years in the poorest and most needy of their communities, thereby replacing the Cuban doctors. Thus was born the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM). Opening in 1999, it is located on the western edge of Havana in a former naval base. ELAM educates young people from 29 different nations and 67 different ethnic and cultural groups to become doctors, medical technicians, and other health-care specialists. The director, Juan Caresa, told us there are currently 10,200 students. Among them are 91 low income students from the U.S., 8 of whom were among the 1,550 students who graduated this July, plus 18 new minority students from the U.S. who arrived in August.
Most of the students would have found it impossible to study medicine at home without the financial grant they obtained from Cuba. The six-year course provides everything: lodging, clothing, food, books, and a small amount of spending money. ELAM teaches values as well as techniques. Their training combines “science and a humane sensibility, science and social consciousness,” as Dr. Caresa put it. The idea is that society provides a medical education and the doctor in turn owes an obligation to give back to society. His or her knowledge is not their private property, enabling them to get rich. As Carmen Landau of Oakland, California, one of this year’s U.S. graduates, told Reuters, “Cuba offered us full scholarships to study medicine here. In exchange, we commit ourselves to go back to our communities to provide health care to underserved people.”
Cuba’s growing partnership with Venezuela has enabled it to greatly expand its humanitarian missions abroad. This is illustrated by the Operation Miracle program, initiated in July 2004 in which Cuban hospitals gave free eye surgery to poor Venezuelans who were brought there by Hugo Chavez’s government. By the fall of 2006, 290,000 Venezuelans had their sight restored. Similar surgical facilities have now been set up in other nations under the supervision of Cuban medical personnel and financed by Venezuelan oil revenue. Today, 13 ophthalmologic centers are in service in Venezuela, and similar facilities are providing services in Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, and Bolivia. Professor Lazaro Vigoa of the Instituto Cubano de Oftalmologia told us that to date over 600,000 people from 29 nations have benefited from Operation Miracle. On January 22, 2006, Cuban President Fidel Castro offered free eye surgery for 150,000 poor U.S. citizens, including air transportation and their accommodations on the island. It is unlikely the Bush administration will allow that to happen.
Reforming Medical Education
Cuba is now pioneering a new approach to medical education. Instead of starting their education in the classroom with courses in anatomy and the sciences, students are sent into the field to work with primary care physicians, later going into classes to learn the scientific underpinnings of what they have practiced. This approach was developed under the leadership of Ruben Zardoya, formerly dean of the faculty of philosophy and history at the University of Havana. In 2001 he was tapped to head up a new school of social work that trained unemployed youth to become social workers in their communities. After quickly solving the problem of youth unemployment, the school went on to train thousands of Venezuelan youth as well.
Then in 2005 Zardoya initiated the program to develop field-based medical education. He went to Cienfuegos with 900 students from Guatemala, Bolivia, and Venezuela where they turned an unused rural school into a medical school. He lived there for four months, overseeing the creation of this new program. Later the city of Holguin took on 1,500 students from Bolivia who stayed in the homes of local people. To date 60 rural schools have been renovated across the island and turned into medical schools with 450 students each.
This approach to medical pedagogy is a natural outgrowth of Cuba’s community-based health-care system. Whether at home or abroad, Cuban doctors live close to the people they serve. They become part of the community and take responsibility on a personal basis for public health and education.
Community-based medical education was the germ of what has become the Sandino Commitment, a bilateral agreement between Venezuela and Cuba announced in April 2007. This project aims to train 200,000 Latin American doctors over this decade. Like the students in ELAM, more than being trained in medicine, these doctors will be prepared with a high sense of social commitment—motivating them to care for the peoples of the region wherever they are needed, says Hugo Chavez. Venezuela is now inaugurating its own Latin American School of Medicine, similar to the one in Cuba, using the new approach to medical education. Havana’s ELAM is also incorporating their new approach into its curriculum, according to its director.
There is one other program that warrants brief mention among Cuba’s humanitarian missions. That is its innovative literacy program. Immediately after the triumph of the Revolution in 1959, Cuba embarked on a literacy campaign, sending young people into the most remote areas of the country to teach reading and writing. The success of this effort in wiping out illiteracy made the Cuban approach a model hailed by UNESCO. It laid the foundations early on for the impressive educational accomplishments of the past decades.
Now Cuba has developed a new pedagogy for teaching literacy called Yo Si Puedo (Yes, I Can). In 2006 UNESCO again awarded Cuba its literacy prize for this new method. It is currently being used in 16 countries to teach over 580,000 people how to read and write in just 7 weeks. In June I visited the school in Havana where the method was developed. The Pedagogical Institute of Latin America and the Caribbean (IPLAC) has also developed a follow up program that takes students to a ninth grade reading level. In Venezuela Yo Si Puedo has reached two million people and made the country virtually illiteracy free. There is even a project in Mexico called MECE.
Yo Si Puedo is another component in ALBA in which the countries of Latin America are helping each other cooperatively develop using their own human resources.
Cuba also has thousands of teachers serving abroad and foreign students studying on scholarship in Cuba. Cuba is reversing the brain drain from the third world. Unlike the U.S., which is attracting educated and technically trained people away from poorer countries where they are desperately needed, Cuba is contributing to the development of these capacities in the third world. In the U.S., some 50 percent of foreign students who receive doctorates remain to work in the U.S. For instance, there are more Ethiopian doctors in Chicago than in all of Ethiopia. By contrast, Cuba encourages, even requires, those whom it educates to return to their countries so they can help the under-serviced communities they come from.
The question remains: how is a relatively poor country like Cuba able to do so much? Why does it do it? There are obvious foreign policy benefits to Cuba. Its humanitarian solidarity with the poor in the global South wins popular support for Cuba. For example, after recovery from Hurricane Mitch, the Honduran government sent the Cuban doctors home. There was so much popular protest against this from rural communities who had never seen a doctor until the Cubans came, that the government had to invite them back. On the other hand, in Venezuela the doctors protested the presence of Cuban doctors who were threatening to break their monopoly over health care in the country, even though the Cuban doctors served in poor barrios where the Venezuelan doctors feared to go.
There are also important economic benefits to Cuba. While most of its services to poor countries are given free, there are also countries like China who are able to pay and do. Then, too, there are mutually beneficial exchanges with other countries under ALBA. In return for the large number of doctors and teachers Cuba sends to Venezuela, it is able to buy oil at below market prices. Both countries benefit as a result. However, this is not seen as a purely commercial agreement and no one seems to know how Cuba monetarizes the services it provides.
However, Fidel Castro did recently reveal an interesting fact when he stated in a speech “The health-care system has become the most important sector in the exchange of goods and services between our country and the rest of the world in economical terms; but despite this Cuba has not failed to offer its medical assistance completely free of charge to more than 60 third world countries lacking economic resources. That is how it has always been and how it always will be” (September 19, 2005).
Usually Cuba’s humanitarian missions are presented in terms of ideals of solidarity with the peoples of the world. For instance, at a Cuban airport you might see a huge banner proclaiming “Nuestra pais es humanidad.” This quote from Jose Marti is not just empty rhetoric. The Cuban people are very humanistic and interna- tionalistic minded. My colleague, Jualynne Dodson, who has been doing anthropological field research in Cuba for years, suggests that this comes in part from the influences of African traditions in Cuban culture. These traditions value service to others and see that we all have a responsibility to make the world a better place than we found it.
This is a far cry from the values of conquest and greed that the Spanish conquistadors brought to Cuba. Fortunately, it was not those values that shaped Cuba’s national culture. Instead, the African origins of most of its population blended with and reinforced the humanitarian strain in the European-based culture that Spaniards and others brought to the island. These values have been nurtured in a century and a half of national struggle for independence and dignity. They constitute a universal legacy vital to making a better world possible and greatly admired by all those who have come to know Cuba well.
Cliff DuRand is a research associate at the Center for Global Justice (www.globaljusticecenter.org) and professor emeritus of philosophy at Morgan State University. He leads an annual Research Network in Cuba (www. cubaconference.org). | <urn:uuid:1afab354-e907-40da-8131-9ca492fddbeb> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://zcomm.org/zmagazine/humanitarianism-and-solidarity-cuban-style-by-cliff-durand/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572833.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817001643-20220817031643-00268.warc.gz | en | 0.970066 | 3,245 | 3 | 3 |
I always using this text to learn English.
- population: 人口
- repeatedly: たびたび くりかえして
- 100 degrees Celsius: 摂氏100度
- 200,000: two hundred thousand
- lazy: だらだらする
- complain: 文句をいう
- argue 反対する 口論する
- occasionally たまに sometimes
- earn 稼ぐ
- useless 役に立たない
- typical 典型的な よくある
- improve よくなる 改善する
I am doing
I am doing: This means I am doing now, at the time of speaking. The action is not finished.
I’m in the middle of doing. I’ve started doing it and I haven’t finished yet.
If I talk “I’m reading a good book…”. But I’m not reading book now. This mean that I has started it, but has not finished it yet.
The action is not complete.
We use the continuous for temporary.
When I am engineer, and I am asleep. You say “Dai creates an application.”.
Dai is not creating now. (Dai is asleep.)
But Dai creates an application.
We use the simple for things in general or things that happen repeatedly.
We use the presents simple to say how often we do things.
We use the simple for permanent situations.
I always do and I’m always doing
- I always do (something) = I do it every time.
- I’m always doing = I do very often or too mach. | <urn:uuid:0d0d1f9f-3052-4c7e-bd43-e76d69695332> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://daipresents.com/2010/06/14/20100614/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571993.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814022847-20220814052847-00668.warc.gz | en | 0.850871 | 402 | 2.734375 | 3 |
Archives de Tag: Global Ocean Commission – Member
The ocean is currently governed by many different legal structures of varying levels of complexity, that reside within numerous local, national, European and international, European bodies, national and local sectors and institutions. This often poses challenges for effective and sustainable governance. In this session we assess how this current system is working and hear of […]
European science and innovation policy are in transition. As Horizon 2020 draws to a close, the European institutions are putting the final touches to the next budgeting cycle and the new-look program Horizon Europe. Global lines are being redrawn in the EU’s research relationships with its competitors and collaborators including the U.K., China and the U.S. […]
Dans cette période post-Covid, alors que les voyages internationaux et les grands rassemblements sont encore restreints, la 3ème édition du Forum Mondial de la Mer – Bizerte se tiendra entièrement virtuellement le 15 juillet 2020, avec une particularité de taille : un Forum immersif permettant de se déplacer dans les espaces du Forum en 3D. Ce nouveau format du Forum Mondial de la Mer […]
The European Commission presented on Tuesday (12 December) a recommendation to the Council including a long-awaited proposal for how to proceed in new trade negotiations with the countries of ACP…
THE ocean is changing — and not for the better. Well-established scientific evidence shows that it is becoming emptier, warmer, and more acidic, putting marine life under serious pressure. But there is good news: evidence also indicates that the ocean can regenerate, and the world has agreed to enable that outcome.
The ocean is changing – and not for the better. Well-established scientific evidence shows that it is becoming emptier, warmer, and more acidic, putting marine life under serious pressure. But there is good news: evidence also indicates that the ocean can regenerate, and the world has already agreed to enable that outcome. | <urn:uuid:946bd8e6-c333-4193-b0c8-9a580dcf4bdc> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://pascallamyeu.wordpress.com/tag/global-ocean-commission-member/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571284.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20220811103305-20220811133305-00467.warc.gz | en | 0.807988 | 433 | 1.648438 | 2 |
A young girl in Oaxaca cooks tortillas over the fire // © 2014 Naeyshae Ahrnberg
Though plenty of travelers are drawn to Mexico’s upscale all-inclusive resorts, notable chef-driven restaurants and modern capital city, some arrive with intentions to see something other than the contemporary offerings.
One way to gain a better understanding of Mexico is to learn about its cultures and traditions first-hand. This is possible if a traveler is willing to step away from the country’s more developed regions.
Following are four communities that welcome respectful visitors who will leave a very small footprint.
According to Kassandra Miller of Adventure Life, a tour operator out of Michigan that specializes in ecotourism, southern Mexico is the best region for experiencing a different side of Mexico, and that includes Oaxaca. Here, subsistence farmers still grow their own food to eat and trade with other farmers, and the vast majority of residents continue to follow the traditional processes of turning corn into food without the help of machines.
“In Oaxaca, you’re going to see something you won’t see in many other areas,” said Miller. “The people grow all of their corn, then they dry it by hand, grind it into masa by hand, pat out the tortillas by hand, then cook them over a comal, an implement to cook over fire. Women do this for hours every day in this area. That’s quite different than, say, a lady in Mexico City who’s likely buying tortillas from the store — and they might even be made of flour, which is not a traditional component of Mexican cuisine.”
As might be expected, travelers are not advised to simply show up solo expecting to experience the local lifestyle. Miller advises going with a tour operator that has already built trusted relationships with the community.
“I don’t think showing up on your own always goes that well,” Miller said. “Some villages want to share their traditions with outsiders, so they have local tourism programs in place. We use local guides who know the culture.”
Adventure Life offers travel agents 10 percent commission on bookings. The Oaxaca Traditions tour takes clients to multiple Zapotec villages in the area. Guests often have the chance to overnight in a local’s home, helping grind corn into masa or using local produce to put together a complete, traditional meal.
Chiapas, sandwiched between Oaxaca and the Guatemala border, is also home to traditional communities. The area hosts more visitors than Oaxaca because of the Palenque Ruins, the site of a Maya city-state in the 7th century. The well-preserved structures include fine examples of historic Mexican architecture and hieroglyphics.
Marlene Erhenberg has been leading ecotours in Mexico for 35 years, and founded the country’s first eco-adventure tourism organization. She appreciates Chiapas for the variety of groups that call the area home.
“This area is very rich in tradition, and people are very proud of their ways of life,” Erhenberg said. “In the lower part there’s jungle, and the locals grow cacao. But up in the San Cristobal Mountains, at about 6,000 feet in elevation, women dress in woolen skirts and the men wear woolen panchos, and they make traditional ceramics and textiles.”
In San Juan Chamula, travelers will find a large Tzotzil community, an indigenous Mayan group. Marlene Erhenberg Tours often visits this area as part of custom-designed trips. Agents are paid 10 percent commission. Adventure Life offers the seven-day Chiapas Maya Heartland tour, which includes visits to several Mayan villages and ruins.
Another group with Maya roots are the Raramuri people, a group originally from Chihuahua that migrated to the magnificent and vast Copper Canyon in the 16th century. Due to the nature of the geography here, getting to know Raramuri culture isn’t as easy as simply as showing up to a particular village.
“The Raramuri are classically insulated,” said Miller, of Adventure Life. “Most of them don’t live in villages, but in rocky outcroppings in the canyon. Trekking trips are the best way to get a feel for how they live. You take the railroad in, then hike deeper into the canyon for four or five days. With the help of a local guide, you will come into contact with the Raramuri.”
If hiking into the canyon is too ambitious, Miller and Erhenberg both recommend a visit to the town of Creel, where westernized Mexican culture and Raramuri culture coexist. Erhenberg often uses Creel as a pit stop before taking guests into smaller communities she’s familiar with, including Norogachi, where guests can partake in the springtime ceremonies of the Raramuri.
Much of the state of Quintana Roo is well developed, but some Maya descendants remain in the area, their lifestyle bearing the obvious influence of Western and Caribbean cultures.
“Maya descendants here have had Western development for so long that many indigenous people are now working in the service industry, so of course that changes their culture over time,” Miller said. “There is some Caribbean influence, or garifuna, as they call it, and that’s easily seen in the food. In the highlands you’ll eat corn and tortillas and vegetables, but here you’ll have more seafood, tropical fruits, coconut. If you go inland, you’ll get more of the Mayan influence.”
Once in the area, Erhenberg recommends visiting the important archaeological sites nearby, such as the Tulum ruins. She also advises that travelers spend time in the cenotes, subterranean bodies of water around which Mayans once lived, farming and making folk art. | <urn:uuid:4087e272-6beb-44a6-974d-3c2e27c43ef9> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.travelagewest.com/Travel/Mexico/Visiting-Mexico-s-Indigenous-Communities/?a=travel/mexico | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560282140.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095122-00136-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945674 | 1,267 | 1.921875 | 2 |
Fireflies are a family of beetles called the Lampyridae. These beetles are special in that most of them have bioluminescence, the ability to produce light. They are sometimes called 'lightning bugs' or 'forest stars'. There are about 2000 different species, most of which are nocturnal.
A firefly is an insect, so it has an exoskeleton and three body parts. Much like an annual cicada, they are usually soft-bodied, often with the elytra (front wings) more leathery than in other beetles.
A firefly may be brown or black with yellow and red marks.
All fireflies glow as larvae. Bioluminescence serves a different function in lampyrid larvae than it does in adults. It appears to be a warning signal to predators, since many firefly larvae contain chemicals that are distasteful or toxic.
Light in adult beetles was originally thought to be used for similar warning purposes, but its main purpose is now thought to be mate selection. Fireflies are a classic example of an organism that uses bioluminescence for sexual selection. They have evolved a variety of ways to communicate with mates in courtships: steady glows, flashing, and the use of chemical signals unrelated to photic systems.
Fireflies live in tropical climates in the United States, Latin America, Caribbean Island, and South East Asia. They also live east of Rocky Mountains. Fireflies like to live in damp areas and dry areas. Examples of damp areas are rain forests, streams, marshes, ponds and leaf piles. Examples of dry areas are backyards and meadows.
Most species live in marshes or near water, because there their larvae have more than enough food.
- Halfmann, Janet 1999. Fireflies. Smart Apple Media ISBN 1-887068-33-3
- Pierre Stephanie 2002. Firefly. Heinemann, Library ISBN 1-58810-173-8
|Wikispecies has information on: Lampyridae.| | <urn:uuid:7055812b-d87a-481d-8597-2cac0c8a4064> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573876.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20220820012448-20220820042448-00077.warc.gz | en | 0.893209 | 511 | 4.1875 | 4 |
Raymond Hill, FMedSCi
Imperial College London
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A new report from PhRMA (medicines in development for mental illnesses) highlights the statistic that 1 in 4 American adults suffer from some form of mental illness and that this costs the US economy more than $317 billion annually. It also points out that 200 medicines are now in clinical development for mental health indications. Sadly most of these medicines are not new but are variations or re-formulations of medicines we already use and the number of really new approaches to mental illness is very small.
A recent article in Nature1 states that 13% of the global burden of disease is attributable to mental, neurological and substance abuse disorders, surpassing both cardiovascular disease and cancer. To make matters worse, at a time when the need for drugs to treat mental health problems has never been greater, many of the larger companies in the pharmaceutical industry have been making dramatic cuts in their worldwide research investment in this area2. Part of the reason is the difficulty of developing such drugs. Companies have decided that psychiatric diseases are too complex to allow profitable drug development3. The required clinical trials depend on soft behavioral endpoints in the main and there are no established biochemical surrogate markers to inform such studies4.
The time taken to develop CNS (Central Nervous System) drugs is longer than for other therapeutic areas (phase II and III take an average of 8.1 years and some drugs have taken as long as 18 years to develop) and the rate of success is lower (only 8.2% of CNS clinical drug candidates become available for use in patients).
The drugs that we currently use did not arise from an understanding of the disease process so they do not necessarily point to where we should look next for new treatments.
These partially effective drugs that we use to treat disorders such as depression and schizophrenia were derived from inspired empirical research in the 1950s5. This theme of research lasted nearly 40 years. Although it involved much virtuoso medicinal chemistry, it did not help us understand why patients suffer from depression and what really happens in their brains to cause the disorder. There is a similar situation with the treatment of schizophrenia.
The key drugs for treating a number of severe and hitherto untreatable neuropsychiatric conditions were introduced by empirical methods. They have been of enormous benefit to more than a generation of patients but have left drug discovery scientists with a dilemma as to how they produce improved treatments without a clear understanding of disease pathophysiology. The best clues we have at present have come from the actions of drugs rather than from disease mechanisms. For example, blocking the effects of glutamate at the cation channel coupled receptor sensitive to N-methyl-D-aspartate (called the NMDA receptor for short) with agents such as phencyclidine or ketamine produces symptoms that resemble those seen in patients with schizophrenia. Agents that can modulate the actions of glutamate in the brain by acting at what are called metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) are currently being evaluated as potential treatments for schizophrenia6.
Another example is the realization that the monoamines thought to be implicated in depression have their secretion controlled by a variety of peptide neurotransmitters. Also, blockers of some neuropeptide receptors, such as the NK1 receptor at which substance P has its actions in the brain, have animal pharmacology that resembles that of known antidepressant drugs such as the SSRIs. This has led to clinical trials of NK1 antagonists as treatments for depression7. In both the examples given, early clinical studies looked promising. But, it has so far not been possible to get robust phase III clinical data that would support registering one of these drugs as an approved treatment.
It is therefore necessary to go back to basics and to try to understand the anatomical and biochemical basis of the diseases that we need to treat. Studies on post-mortem brain samples taken from patients dying with neuropsychiatric disease have been conducted for many years but have not generally been helpful. Biochemical changes found after death may not necessarily reflect the situation in life. Even when anatomical changes are examined, there is a problem in obtaining age-matched control samples that allow differentiation of age and disease related changes. Also, as little data is available on subjects who have not been treated with drugs, there is always the possibility that the changes seen are drug rather than disease-related.
However, we are now in a new research era based on advanced imaging techniques8 and genetic studies that hopefully will lead to new and better treatments. As a result the clock has been reset . Although much of the pre-existing research on antipsychotic and antidepressant drugs will not be helpful in this endeavor, we may at last be on the way to understanding the causation of these important diseases.
The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has allowed patients to serve as their own controls and in-life anatomical measurements can now be made at the time of diagnosis and then followed over many years. For example, a study on twins from families with a high risk of either schizophrenia or bipolar disease showed that decreased white matter volume and thinning of particular areas of the cerebral cortex was associated with the presence of genetic risk factors9.
It has also recently been shown that when individuals with a high genetic risk of schizophrenia use cannabis ,they are likely to show a loss of volume in a brain area called the thalamus, which may help explain why some but not all cannabis users are at risk of developing the symptoms of schizophrenia10.
The use of functional MRI (fMRI) allows relative activity of brain areas to be studied and parallel NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) spectroscopy allows some brain biochemistry parameters to be measured in-life. MRI techniques are non-invasive and can be applied to healthy control subjects with minimal ethical concerns, such that it is also possible to obtain control data from non-afflicted family members of the patients being studied.
The use of positron emission spectroscopy (PET) is generally restricted to patients as this technique involves administration of drugs or chemical probes labelled with short-lived radioactive isotopes. PET makes it possible to get a window on what is happening to specific populations of receptors and to transmitter systems in designated patients. Such studies have confirmed that there are abnormalities in the dopamine neurotransmitter systems in the brains of patients with schizophrenia but that these defects appear to be mainly presynaptic, affecting dopamine synthesis and release processes which are unaffected by current D2 receptor blocking treatments11. It is also clear that genetic association and copy number studies point to glutamate system hypofunction in schizophrenia and this is driving research, especially in the area of new animal models that can be used in drug discovery12.
However, the genetic picture remains complex. We know that although some families have a genetic makeup that gives a high risk of schizophrenia or bipolar disease, there are also sporadic cases where there is no clear genetic association. It is likely that there is a genetic factor in at least 60% of schizophrenics but environmental risk factors also play an important part13.
At present up to 1000 genes have been suggested to be involved in the aetiology of schizophrenia and this clearly does not point to an easily addressable drug discovery target! Much re-investigation of the genetics of schizophrenia is in progress using the most up-to-date techniques which allow sequencing of large regions of the genome. Hopefully new knowledge will soon emerge to help us understand what is needed to allow discovery of a new generation of drugs14. It has also been claimed that for the first time it is possible to find a biological signature for schizophrenia in serum which should assist in the early diagnosis of the disease15.
The problem remains as to where the research to discover new drugs will be conducted. In some cases when companies announced that their internal research efforts were to be terminated they revealed that they have put alternative plans in place. For example, Astra-Zeneca has retained a skeleton group to work with researchers outside the company and to license promising therapeutics from other companies and Novartis has substituted a genetics research group for the traditional CNS drug discovery effort that is being terminated. There is undoubtedly an expectation that the gap left by the big companies pulling out will be filled by a mixture of research done by academic groups and by the small biotech companies.
Although much creative early stage research is going on in this challenging arena, it is unlikely that anyone but the large pharmaceutical companies has deep enough pockets to perform the late-stage clinical trials needed to show that new therapies are effective.
Given the low rate of success in the recent past and the current risk- averse behavior of the large pharmaceutical companies, there is a possibility that exciting new agents taken to the point of first study in human subjects by academic groups or small companies will then struggle to find funding for late stage clinical trials. Although there is a certain amount of government and charity grant money available on a competitive basis to supplement venture capital funding of early stage clinical testing there is no alternative funding for expensive late-stage studies. Until this issue is resolved then the future of neuropsychiatry drug discovery and development at best remains uncertain.
- Collins et al 2011 Nature 475: 27- 30
- Abbott 2011 Nature 480: 161 – 162
- Klein et al 2011 J Clin Psychopharmacol 31: 553 – 554
- Ibrahim and Taminga 2011
- Maxwell and Eckhardt 1990
- Ibrahim and Taminga 2011; Liu et al 2012 Pharmacogenomics J 12: 246 – 254
- Ratti et al 2011 J Clin Psychopharmacol 31: 727 – 733
- Matthews 2012
- Hulshoff Pol et al 2012 Arch Gen Psychiatry 69: 349-359
- Welch et al 2011 Br J Psychiatry 199: 386 – 390
- Howes et al 2012 Arch Gen Psychiatry doi: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2012.169
- Pratt et al 2012
- Sullivan 2012 Nature Medicine 18: 210 -21)
- Pratt et al 2012 for further discussion
- Schwarz et al 2012 Molec Psychiatry 17: 494 – 502
HM Ibrahim and CA Taminga (2011) Schizophrenia: treatment targets beyond monoamine systems Ann Rev Pharmacol Toxicol 51: 189 – 209.
PM Matthews (2013) Clinical imaging in drug development in RG Hill and HP Rang (Eds) Drug Discovery and Development (2nd Edition) Churchill Livingston Elsevier pp 259 – 274.
RA Maxwell and SB Eckhardt (1990) Drug discovery: a casebook and analysis Human Press, Clifton NJ pp437
J Pratt C Winchester N Dawson and B Morris (2012) Advancing schizophrenia drug discovery: optimizing rodent models to bridge the translation gap. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 11: 560 - 579 | <urn:uuid:25a0a7cc-34e6-4ece-931d-b13f71a27540> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | https://www.dana.org/Publications/ReportOnProgress/Where_Will_New_Drugs_Come_from_to_Treat_Neuropsychiatric_Diseases/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988718426.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183838-00138-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941537 | 2,193 | 3.234375 | 3 |
There is no more important decision a board can make than naming a CEO. Yet most companies pay scant attention to the issue of succession other than a few whispered names in the hallways. The result? The hiring of an outsider who quickly gets mired in legacy and obstinacy, or an insider who knows the business but can't lead. That's why the best CEO should be both an insider and an outsider, says Harvard Business School professor Joseph L. Bower in his new book, The CEO Within: Why Inside Outsiders Are the Key to Succession Planning. "The best leaders are people from inside the company who somehow have maintained enough detachment from the local traditions, ideologies, and shibboleths that they have retained the objectivity of an outsider," Bower writes. | <urn:uuid:196782eb-45b7-4aba-8d50-0c296961e0c3> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://www.go4expert.com/news/ceos-t7324/#post20505 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988719453.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183839-00230-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96557 | 158 | 1.796875 | 2 |
KINSHASA - A high-powered group of special envoys to the troubled heart of Africa were set Monday to assess the peace process in the conflict-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, a UN statement said.
The envoys from the United Nations, African Union, European Union and United States were to meet in Kinshasa with Martin Kobler, head of the large UN mission in DRC (MONUSCO).
Their two-day visit is part of the ongoing international oversight of DRC's peace process, with a particularly focus on the east of the country, which has suffered more than two decades of strife and human rights abuses.
"The Envoys plan to meet with representatives of the government, civil society and the international community to hear first hand about the implementation of commitments to the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework and what they can do to support further progress," the MONUSCO statement said.
The experts' oversight role arises from a pact signed by 11 African countries in Addis Ababa under UN auspices on February 24, 2013.
The signatories included Rwanda and Uganda, which border on the east of the vast DRC and have both been accused by Kinshasa and the United Nations of backing ethnic Tutsi Congolese rebels, allegations they deny.
The envoys to the central African Great Lakes region are Mary Robinson for the UN, Boubacar Diarra of the AU, Koen Vervaeke of the EU and Russ Feingold of the US.
The rebel force known as the March 23 Movement (M23) launched an uprising in April 2012 and went on to seize Goma, a provincial capital of about one million people, the following November. M23 fighters left the city under strong international pressure and were defeated by the army and a UN intervention brigade a year later.
On Sunday, the special envoys called for "the total surrender of all the fighters and ranking officers" of a different rebel group active in the Kivu provinces of eastern DRC, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). Some older members of the ethnic Hutu FDLR are accused of taking part in the Rwandan genocide of 1994, when Hutu troops and militias massacred an estimated 800,000 people.
The FDLR is said to number between 1,500 and 4,000 members, according respectively to the United Nations and the Rwandan government. Its forces are accused of serious abuses against civilians in both North Kivu and South Kivu, including killings, rape, looting and theft, and the forced enlistment of child soldiers.
Under the Addis Ababa accord, the Kinshasa government undertook to introduce reforms in political, social and security policies, while the other nations pledged to give no assistance to any of the armed movements rife in the east of the DRC.
Last Friday, about 100 mainly young men from the FDLR surrendered and handed in their weapons in North Kivu after authorities gave them an ultimatum to go back to Rwanda or ask for political asylum.
Previous bids to disarm the FDLR have failed and the fighters who surrendered last week included none of a list of rebels sought for serious crimes by national and international prosecutors.
International envoys gather for peace mission in DR Congo | <urn:uuid:3008598f-3a63-4b46-9240-142f18a795d7> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1341346/international-envoys-gather-peace-mission-dr-congo | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560281419.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095121-00483-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94433 | 680 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Commerce in the Community: AmpleHarvest.org increases access to healthy foods through innovation, technology and local partnerships
Ed. Note: This post is part of the Commerce in the Community series highlighting the work of community leaders and organizations that are strengthening the middle class and providing ladders of opportunity for all Americans.
Below is an interview with Gary Oppenheimer, the Executive Director and Founder of AmpleHarvest.org. As director of a community garden in 2009, Gary learned about the wasted food in many plots and created a program called "Ample Harvest" to get the excess food to local food pantries. Realizing this as a nationwide problem, he created AmpleHarvest.org to use the Internet educate, encourage and enable millions of growers nationwide to share their ample harvest with local food pantries in all 50 states.
Question 1: Tell us about AmpleHarvest.org. What is your mission and main focus?
While more than 50 million Americans live in food insecure homes (including a quarter of all children under the age of six), more than 42 million Americans grow fruit, vegetables, herbs and nuts in home gardens - often more than they can use, preserve or give to friends. It doesn't have to be that way. Struggling to feed their families, many Americans - both those chronically economically challenged as well as those now impacted by the economic downturn - have come to rely on the more than 33,500 food pantries (also called food shelves, food closets, food cupboards or food banks in some areas) across America to help feed their families. These food pantries, relying on donated and purchased foods, almost never have fresh produce and instead rely on canned or processed produce shipped from across the country at significant cost, both economic and environmental. At the same time, millions of home and community gardeners nationwide with an abundant harvest do not know that they can share their harvest, do not know how to share their harvest and do not know where to share their harvest. AmpleHarvest.org solves that for them. AmpleHarvest.org envisions an America where millions of gardeners eliminate malnutrition and hunger in their own community. To accomplish this, AmpleHarvest.org, moving information instead of food to diminish hunger and malnutrition in America, is educating, encouraging and empowering growers to share their excess harvest with the needy in their community instead of letting it rot in the garden. Our "No Food Left Behind" goal is a healthier and, by extension, wealthier America. | <urn:uuid:16f395df-dd89-4998-b2e2-053f761cd232> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://2010-2014.commerce.gov/blog/category/2763.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988721558.87/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183841-00046-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954558 | 514 | 2.21875 | 2 |
On Wednesday, the Democratic National Committee invited activists from two prominent groups within the Black Lives Matter movement to organize and host a town hall forum on racial justice for the party’s presidential candidates.
In recent months, the movement—which began with protests in response to the August 2014 killing of black teenager Michael Brown but has since grown to political organizing nationwide—has become increasingly influential in shaping the Democratic Party’s stance on racial and criminal justice.
In August, the DNC passed a resolution declaring its support for the movement. Bernie Sanders introduced a criminal justice platform days after activists from the Black Lives Matter network, which was founded after the 2012 shooting of Trayvon Martin, interrupted him at a rally in Seattle over the summer. And members of the police-reform group Campaign Zero, which is also affiliated with the Black Lives Matter movement, introduced a well-received criminal justice policy agenda.
In one of several letters to leaders of the Black Lives Matter network and Campaign Zero, DNC Chief Executive Officer Amy K. Dacey wrote, “We believe that your organization would be an ideal host for a presidential candidate forum—where all of the Democratic candidates can showcase their ideas and policy positions that will expand opportunity for all, strengthen the middle class and address racism in America.”
The letters, which were obtained by the Washington Post, come a day after leaders of the Black Lives Matter network called on the DNC to hold an additional debate focused exclusively on racial and criminal justice. “We deserve substantive responses and policy recommendations,” Elle Hearns and two other leaders of the collective wrote in an online petition—which, just one day after it was posted, had garnered nearly 10,000 signatures.
While the DNC gave a green light to a racial-justice-themed town hall discussion, committee leaders said the organization would not add another debate to the six presidential debates already scheduled, according to the Post.
Reactions to that news from Black Lives Matter movement leaders were mixed. In her interview with the Post on Wednesday, Hearns called the town hall invitation “unsatisfactory.” Campaign Zero leader DeRay McKesson, however, indicated that he is already in talks with DNC officials to coordinate the town hall and has reached out to potential venues and corporate partners.
He has also been in touch with the Republican National Committee to explore including Republican candidates in the town hall as well. “We want to bring together all of the candidates, not focused on either political party, to have a conversation centered on race and criminal justice,” McKesson said. | <urn:uuid:46491548-e7dc-40ab-8bb8-950182569fd8> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://practice.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2015/10/democratic-national-committee-asks-black-lives-matter-activists-organize-racial-jusitce/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572161.46/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815054743-20220815084743-00477.warc.gz | en | 0.965882 | 522 | 1.585938 | 2 |
In today’s climate, it’s really important to be environmentally conscious wherever we can. Using a natural material like timber is a great opportunity to reduce our impact on the environment. In fact, choosing to build with timber frame or SIPs (structural insulated panels) can actually lower your carbon footprint.
What is Sustainability?
Sustainability simply means the ability to exist constantly. When applied to natural resources, it includes the avoidance of their unsustainable depletion, i.e., using up more than can be planted or grown. Not all natural resources are sustainable; they must be managed properly. For example, overfishing depletes fish populations faster than they can naturally reproduce, so ensuring resources are sustainable relies heavily upon considerate management.
All timber used at Potton originates from sustainable forests, where more trees are planted than cut down, whilst maintaining no damage to the surrounding environment. Our wood experiences an independent chain of custody, which means it is checked at every stage of processing, meeting the certification standards.
Furthermore, increasing demand for timber, means an increase in demand for sustainable forests. Creating value and demand for timber is one of the best ways to prevent deforestation. As it means they are not being cleared for alternative industries, such as agriculture.
To put it simply, we all know that carbon emissions are bad for the environment. Using timber based products from sustainable forests can be a good choice when comparing your building materials, because:
- Timber has the ability to take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and replace it with oxygen
- Timber can store carbon for long periods of time. As long as the wood is not burned or doesn’t rot, the carbon remains locked in.
- The carbon released through the harvesting of sustainably managed forests is offset by the replanting process. Taking further carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Embodied energy is associated with the energy required for the manufacture of different construction materials. Timber has one of the lowest embodied energy sums compared to materials such as concrete steel or aluminium. This is because timber requires minimal processing and very little energy with the curing and cutting required for timber materials.
What Does it All Mean?
Timber frame construction has one of the lowest CO2 costs of any commercial building method. Compared to steel and concrete, the methods used to produce, harvest and transport timber in sustainably managed forests are the least harmful to the environment.
At Potton all our timber products are legally sourced from well managed forests in accordance with the UK Timber Regulations. | <urn:uuid:7cc8b8e2-8726-4e67-aaec-109a677b9eb3> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.potton.co.uk/about/environmentally-friendly | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573908.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20220820043108-20220820073108-00271.warc.gz | en | 0.941349 | 529 | 3.328125 | 3 |
The Coming of the Great Master Part 1" and "The Coming of the Great Master Part 2." There's an interpretation of the allegory available if you are interested as well. Enjoy!
After coming to the Village as prophesied, the Great Master quietly and humbly did her work in all the dark, polluted places of the Village, and no more dark and polluted were the hearts of the Believers who had spent so much time and effort to prepare for her. For they were truly poorly prepared for her arrival, and even after their repentance, other issues soon came to light.
She sent them to tear down the great house that they'd built. She sent them to redistribute the food and clothing. But as they got ready to do as she'd instructed, other thoughts soon surfaced.
"Why should we tear down such a beautiful place," the man in the yellow robe said to the others. "We spent so much time to create it. It would be a waste to get rid of it. I'm sure we can find a use for it."
The other Believers agreed, and before long, the man in the yellow robe had set up his home in that space originally intended to house the master. Living there, he enjoyed the great tapestries and the multi-colored light that streamed in through the beautiful stained glass windows.
All the while the hardships in the Village--which had lessened since the coming of the great master--continued. Poverty continued. Fights and arguments proliferated, and disease and hunger were rampant. Nonetheless, the Believers felt above the needs of the Village and blamed the others for not being righteous enough to be as lucky as they.
This mentality continued to grow in the Believers' hearts and minds, and as the woman in the red robe took on the task of redistributing all the food, she soon found herself sampling more and more of the stores of cold cuts, fruits, pies, and sumptuous nuts.
"Why should I give away such good foods anyway? Surely others will get by as they always have," she thought to herself.
In the following days, she carried more and more food out in her sacks to her own home, filling her larder to overflowing. Soon she began to grow quite large, having difficulty in moving about in her daily life. But she saw no issue with this and happily gorged herself on the free sustenance.
The man in the blue robe took little interest in the house they'd built or the directions of the master. Instead, he took more and more interest in the master's body. He found himself secretly coveting being with her and wondering what it would feel like to make love to her. But any time he came near, she would ask if the Believers had done what she'd requested. He would answer, "No," and quickly leave to continue watching her from afar.
The woman in the green robe also watched the master from afar, not from sexual interest, but with jealousy. She coveted the attention the master received, and she tried to mimic the movements and words that the master used to heal and to teach. But the people with whom she tried this felt nothing. Their illnesses or misunderstandings continued. Thus, the woman became even more jealous of the master and her abilities, and the green-robed woman's heart darkened.
The man in the orange robe became angry soon after the master had given her instructions. He did not like being told what to do, so he preached against her. He told others that the master was leading them astray and that the divine wisdom she shared was nonsense. He developed a following, and soon the Village became more divided than it had ever been. Conflict and fights sparked in even the most peaceful neighborhoods, and rumors of potential wars with other towns began to circulate.
The newest Believer garbed in a brown robe believed that since he hadn't done any of the things that the other Believers had done that the master's instructions did not apply to him. So he disregarded the directions and went about his business, largely ignoring the master and her work.
Lastly, the woman in the purple robe did nothing. She let all the others do as they choose. She spent her days in idleness and partook of lazy gossiping about the problems the Village continued to experience, assuming that the others and the master were doing the work that really needed to be done.
Word of the actions and lack of actions reached the master, so she journeyed to visit each of them to peer more deeply into their hearts. First she came to the man in the yellow robe who had surrounded himself by the wealth that had originally been gathered for her.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Dear master...I...um," he stammered.
"I told you to tear this place down and give back all this wealth to the Village to continue the healing of this town. Why have you not done this?"
But he could not look at her, and his greedy heart wanted to cling onto his reasoning, unwilling to share even that little bit of himself with her.
In gazing into him, she saw this and nodded. "If you do not do as I ask, you will soon be taught a great lesson about your greed." With that, she left, and the man in the yellow robe breathed a sigh of relief.
"A great lesson, ha!" he thought. "I would be foolish to give up such wealth. What possible reason would I have for living like a pig with those others? If they aren't smart enough to gain wealth as I have, then they deserve what they get."
With those thoughts, he did nothing, and a lesson soon came to him.
Next, she went to the woman in the red robe who had become grossly obese. She had grown so fat that she could not stand unassisted and now had servants to help her lift her body through doorways.
"Look at you, dear sister. What has happened for you to go astray?" the master asked.
But the woman was so buried in her own flesh that she could barely gurgle a response.
"You must leave off this great consumption of goods before it destroys you, sweet one," the master stated and departed.
The thought of no longer eating so many sweet and wonderful foods was now more appalling to the woman in the red robe than any other threatening happenstance. So she too disregarded the master's warning and continued to gorge herself.
The master went looking for the woman in the purple robe, but could not find her in the markets or her place of work. Instead, she found her still lounging bed.
"Why have you not gotten out of bed yet? It is the middle of the afternoon," the master asked.
"Oh yes. I meant to get up soon." But soon after saying these words, she rolled back over and started to snore once more.
"Wake up!" the master shouted, startling the woman.
"Oh, well, there's no need to shout."
"Yes, there is, or I would not have done it. Sometimes, a shout is the only way to get the attention of one such as you. Your Village is unraveling. Dissension is growing, and you do nothing."
"I'm sure one of the others will do something."
"Or perhaps not. You and the others have all grown quite sick, sicker than I'd first thought. But you too will have a lesson come and visit you very soon if you do not soon take the initiative to act."
The woman in the purple robe was troubled by this, but she quickly fell back to sleep to more lazy dreams of lying in the grass and doing nothing.
The man in the blue robe was not hard to find as he'd been following her the whole time.
The master turned around, "Why are you following me?"
"I had an idea...uh...something to share."
"No you did not. You have been dreaming of my body and having me as a sexual partner. This must end. I am not here as a toy for desire and illusion. Do not confuse the image of my body with the deeper union you truly desire. These animal passions in you must be purged or else you too will soon be met with a difficult lesson."
The man in the blue robe quickly agreed outwardly, but once she was gone, he began following her again from a slightly farther distance and continued his erotic nightly dreams and fantasies about her.
Elsewhere, the woman in the green robe and the man in the orange robe had teamed together. When the master found them, they were whipping a small crowd into a frenzy.
"There! There is the heretic. False prophet, I say to you..."
"Such nonsense. Such deceitful anger and envy. You two will have the hardest lessons yet if you do not repent and see the errors of your ways." She spent even less time with them as she knew the truth. She knew that the pain of God's lessons would have to be applied directly and potently before they would see. No words from her would change that.
And they showered her with curses as she left.
Lastly, she found the newest believer. While believing that her original instruction to tear down the house and to go out with a candle doing service wasn't meant for him, he had been spending time in his neighborhood tending to the issues of his people.
"I see you are still here. You do not believe my instruction applies to you," she said.
"Well, I didn't do all that they did."
"But you have joined their cause. You call yourself a Believer. And if you cannot listen to the instruction from a messenger of God, how can you truly call yourself a Believer?"
His mouth moved wordlessly, as he saw his error.
"Now go, take a candle from that great house, and do as I say. Be of service to the other towns. Live in rags. See who will take you in. See who will feed you. See who will clothe you," the master said.
And he did this. The believer in the brown robe got his candle from the great house to illuminate his path and stepped out into the unknown to pave his path of service. He left just as the first great lesson came to visit the man in the yellow robe.
You can read the conclusion on this link: The Great Master Teaches: Part 2. The hand-drawing picture is a lovely gift from my student, Vale. | <urn:uuid:bf4f156a-26ed-469f-b077-610b6b2f4d14> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.spiritualawakeningprocess.com/2013/11/the-great-master-teaches-part-1.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560281649.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095121-00440-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987727 | 2,190 | 2.09375 | 2 |
Home - Pre-filling filtration
The Russian market of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages is now constantly supplemented with new types of products. In spite of seemingly dense saturation of the market, beverage producers continue to increase production volumes. New enterprises are being built that enter the market with new brands and active advertising policy. It becomes evident that to conquer and retain the buyer, one should constantly seek to improve one’s products.
One of the product’s quality criteria is its outward appearance. A beverage should not only be clean and contain no extraneous admixtures, but also have a crystal shine: red wines should have a beautiful ruby colour, beers should have an amber shine and vodkas should comply with the original meaning of the word, “fine water”. In the case of coloured distillery products, microbiological stability of the beverage is very important which precludes precipitation of a sediment and extends the useful life of the product. This is achieved by various methods, such as filtration through bulk filters and press-filters, settling, cold treatment, clarification, temperature treatment, etc. But the final operation is test filtration immediately before filling. At this stage, fine filter elements are used that are responsible for the final result, and the producer should properly choose a filtration system that will ensure required high quality of the product.
The specific feature of filtration of vodka, in contrast to other alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine, Whisky or tequila, consists in the fact that since vodka is produced from extremely clean alcohol and water, it mainly contains not organic particles, but contaminants that are formed in the course of carbon treatment and storage: finely dispersed carbon dust, rust and sinter from tanks and pipes. Large particles are easily seen in such clear products, whereas finely dispersed dust is invisible, but hampers the light flux and significantly affects optical transparency. When such particles penetrate into the matrix of the filter, they remain unaffected by cleaning agents and are not washed out of the filter. In other words, regeneration of filters used in filtration of vodka is ineffective. The filtration system and the filter elements should ensure maximum service life without regeneration.
Due to this specific feature of the Russian beverage, filtration systems were developed that are significantly different from standard systems in terms of increased functionality. Full automation and a special operating algorithm make it possible to achieve maximum service life of filter elements, exclude the human factor and ensure reliability of the process.
Especially for filtration of vodka, Technofilter has also developed filter elements offering increased dirt-holding capacity and, consequently, a longer service life without regenerations, while imparting to the beverage a wonderful shine.
We invite you to get acquainted with filtration equipment and filter elements on respective pages of our website. | <urn:uuid:c6b9db03-74df-49f8-ba3e-9b3a1c313d05> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://vodka-tf.com/pre-filling-filtration/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573760.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819191655-20220819221655-00667.warc.gz | en | 0.940315 | 588 | 1.945313 | 2 |
During the soggy wet afternoon, the drizzling rain kept coming. My drive around the country side was on a road surrounded by a green lush valley that seemed to stretch upward towards the sky. As the sun began to peak out from between the clouds, there was a small rainbow visible between the trees. The further I drove the more brilliant the rainbow became until it stretched across the valley from side to side. It was an amazing sight and I wondered just which end held the pot of gold?
Seeing the beautiful rainbow shining through the gray drizzly sky made me think about how fortunate we are to have such great educational programs supporting our students’ learning environment. The brilliant rainbow of programs includes many learning activities at all levels. Recently our students and parents have had the chance to enjoy some of the extended learning opportunities.
The Science Fair was amazing! Students used their knowledge of the scientific process to research a topic, perform an experiment, gather data, and present the results to their teachers, parents, community members and peers. One especially interesting experiment had some of our students making what Mr. Hamilton referred to as “Elephant’s Toothpaste.” It was an amazing mix of ingredients, topped off with hydrogen peroxide to make a foaming batch of foaming colored paste. Another fascinating experiment spotlighted the “5 Second Rule.” The students completing this experiment investigated various locations that one might drop a piece of candy or potato chip and grew various bacterial cultures from those areas.
Another ray of our science curriculum rainbow of learning activities was the elementary science night. Our students had a terrific time interacting with teachers, high school students and Principal Powell over scientific experiments and interesting activities. Mrs. Powell even let the children and their parents hold giant cockroaches! The hard work and dedication of our teaching staff resulted in an unparalleled opportunity for our students to not only learn academically, but stretch themselves and their understanding and knowledge in science.
As we work closely with the teachers in our child’s school, we find ourselves in an educational rainbow of opportunities for our children that extend far beyond fun science experiments and activities. This expanding rainbow of learning opportunities will lead our children to develop their talents in art, music, math, reading, social studies and physical education. By providing the full spectrum of learning to our children, teachers lead them to develop into the leaders of tomorrow.
The rainbow of learning opportunities available to our children in the Columbia School District through our highly qualified teachers will give our children the tenacity to become a jet pilot, the ingenuity to become an automobile designer, or the enthusiasm to become a kindergarten teacher. Each day I have the opportunity to see children learning at all different levels in our Columbia School District classrooms.
Each and every day the teachers and members of the Columbia School District family come together to provide educational activities and learning opportunities for our students to brighten our children’s day, just like the rainbow in the valley brightened my day. If you are interested in learning more about how your child could benefit from the awesome learning environment at the Columbia School District, would like a tour or to have your child shadow one of our terrific students please contact me by email at firstname.lastname@example.org or call me at 5175926641. | <urn:uuid:c7b8160a-278a-4028-a576-2ed28c6dff05> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://pamcampbellssoup.blogspot.com/2015_04_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280221.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00230-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964617 | 673 | 3.59375 | 4 |
Best Ideas at Kaleidoskoop aim to Improve the Environment
Green mindset is the common feature of the teams S-Kub and Sorter, winners of the 14th Kaleidoskoop business ideas competition. Both have a bigger goal of saving the planet and promoting environmentally friendly behavior.
Sorter, an international team of the University of Tartu, won not only the possibility to participate in the all-Estonian STARTER finals but also received the monetary award from Tartu City Government. Team Sorter is developing an application that uses the barcode to help people sort waste correctly. The idea stemmed from waste sorters’ common concern that they are often not sure what waste goes to which bin. The team has already got much feedback from potential users who say that this app should have been on the market long time ago. Among others, also waste management companies have shown interest in this app since it brings them a cleaner waste stream. The team has succeeded in involving companies in the development process who are willing to provide financial support to accelerate the launch of this product.
Anneli Ohvril, the leader of team Sorter commented on the victory, “Our bigger goal is a cleaner planet and environmental protection, and our application helps to achieve it. We are happy that our idea got the attention and the award of the city of Tartu. It shows that Tartu cares for clean environment and we have a partner to cooperate with.”
Member of the judges’ panel Alo Lilles, Head of Business Development at the Tartu City Government told that. „Sorter team has an awesome idea. Their solution helps to save our environment and it matches Tartu's values of being a more environmentally friendly and greener city. Such teams are welcome to share their thoughts with us. We will soon meet with team Sorter to think about how to successfully implement the idea and pilot it here in Tartu.
The main prize at Kaleidoskoop and tickets to Latitude59 were given to the team of Estonian Business School students S-Kub, who produce solid shampoo cubes. According to S-Kub members, their product helps to save billions of liters of water and reduce the production of plastic bottles. Today their first products are ready and they are actively preparing for sales. Team leader Cathy Vivien Vahi said, “We applied for Kaleidoskoop to test the idea and get feedback, and the win was therefore a great surprise for us. Online pitching was also a new experience. Our team is sharing the common concern that is also our slogan – save the planet from plastic”.Team S-kub presenting their idea via Zoom
The award for the best healthcare idea was given to the team SoulCare, who is developing a platform to connect help-seekers with mental health experts. The team members won tickets to the EIT Health 2021 Summit held in Sweden. A member of SoulCare, Karl Oliver Tomson said, “We are honored to receive this award. The whole STARTER programme was a great opportunity to develop the idea, get new experiences and learn”.
sTARTUp Lab gave the special prize – The Startup Owner’s Manual – to the team Where’s the Food, who is creating a contact-free ordering system for restaurants. The secondary-school students’ team SNÆKK was awarded with visitor tickets to the sTARTUp Day business festival. SNÆKK produces healthy and nutritious snacks in tubes.
The manager of sTARTUp Lab Maret Ahonen commented on the Kaleidoskoop finals, “All finalists were well prepared. We are happy for the winners, because an award from the Kaleidoskoop competition gives confidence to the teams and inspires them to work even harder to bring ideas to life. We are grateful to the judges who were sincerely interested in the teams’ work and gave them recommendations and advice.”
Event is funded by the European Social, programme Edu & Tegu and EIT Health.
Further information: Andres Vaher, Marketing and Communications Specialist, sTARTUp Lab, University of Tartu, +372 5558 7359, firstname.lastname@example.org
Ukrainian university lecturers develop entrepreneurial knowledge in the Startup Lab training programme
On Thursday, 8 June, the spring semester of the Estonian-Ukrainian cooperation project ended with an online Demo Day, where teams of Ukrainian university lecturers presented the business ideas they had developed over the previous four months.
Kaleidoskoop Finalists announced
For the first time in almost two years the student business ideas comperitionm Kaleidoskoop pre-selection was held in person again. The student teams presented their business ideas during the 3-minute pitch. The jury selected five teams that will present their ideas at the international business festival sTARTUp Day on August 26.
Mentors’ feedback helped the STARTER teams flourish
Mentor Feedback Carousel is one of the most valued parts of the STARTERtartu programme. This year it took place in Spark HUB on the 24th of March. Teams met up with experienced mentors in different fields to get vital feedback on their idea. | <urn:uuid:069e0093-b1cb-4eb8-b750-1d2cb421a11e> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://startuplab.ut.ee/news/best-ideas-at-kaleidoskoop-aim-to-improve-the-environment | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571584.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812045352-20220812075352-00676.warc.gz | en | 0.953086 | 1,092 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Vascular wilts caused by Verticillium spp. are destructive plant diseases affecting hundreds of hosts. Only a few Verticillium spp. are causal agents of vascular wilt diseases, of which V. dahliae is the most notorious pathogen, and several V. dahliae genomes are available. In contrast, V. tricorpus is mainly known as a saprophyte and causal agent of opportunistic infections. Based on a hybrid approach that combines second and third generation sequencing, a near-gapless V. tricorpus genome assembly was obtained. With comparative genomics, we sought to identify genomic features in V. dahliae that confer the ability to cause vascular wilt disease. Unexpectedly, both species encode similar effector repertoires and share a genomic structure with genes encoding secreted proteins clustered in genomic islands. Intriguingly, V. tricorpus contains significantly fewer repetitive elements and an extended spectrum of secreted carbohydrate- active enzymes when compared with V. dahliae. In conclusion, we highlight the technical advances of a hybrid sequencing and assembly approach and show that the saprophyte V. tricorpus shares many hallmark features with the pathogen V. dahliae.
Journal: Molecular plant-microbe interactions | <urn:uuid:31303d58-7bc6-41c9-93d8-9c6fab184099> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.pacb.com/publications/the-genome-of-the-saprophytic-fungus-verticillium-tricorpus-reveals-a-complex-effector-repertoire-resembling-that-of-its-pathogenic-relatives/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573172.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818063910-20220818093910-00265.warc.gz | en | 0.901603 | 290 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Definitions of farther
The word farther uses 7 letters: a, e, f, h, r, r, t
farther is playable in:
Meanings of farther
superl. - More remote; more distant than something else.
superl. - Tending to a greater distance; beyond a certain point; additional; further.
adv. - At or to a greater distance; more remotely; beyond; as, let us rest with what we have, without looking farther.
Other words with the same letter pairs
Find words containing the letter combinations found in farther. | <urn:uuid:7cc13cf3-756e-45fd-a2ba-fd0049e533e6> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.morewords.com/word/farther | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572192.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815145459-20220815175459-00066.warc.gz | en | 0.785028 | 123 | 3.03125 | 3 |
3 FTAs strongly complement Vietnam-Australia trade
With the support from 3 FTAs in effect including: CPTPP, RCEP and AANZFTA, in the first five months of 2022, Vietnam-Australia trade reached over USD 6 billion, of which exports reached USD 2,335 billion, an increase of 33%.
According to Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh, Vietnam and Australia are common members of at least three free trade agreements (FTAs), including: the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA (AANZFTA), the CPTPP Agreement and most recently the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). These 3 FTAs are strongly supporting the trade and investment of the two countries.
With the potential and reasonable complementation from the structure of the import-export business, Vietnam has risen to become the 12th largest trading partner of Australia, and vice versa, Australia is the 10th largest trading partner of Vietnam, one level higher than in 2020.
According to the General Department of Customs, in 2021, the total two-way trade turnover between Vietnam and Australia for the first time exceeded the USD 12.4 billion mark, an increase of more than 49% compared to 2020. Vietnam's exports to Australia reached more than USD 4.45 billion, an increase of more than 23% and Vietnam's import turnover from Australia reached nearly USD 8 billion, an increase of approximately 70%, compared to 2020.
Over the first five months of 2022, export turnover from Vietnam to Australia reached nearly USD 2.35 billion, an increase of 22% over the same period. In which, aquatic products increased by 53.3% over the same period; vegetables and fruits increased by 22.75%. Rice products, after strong promotions in 2021 in a number of major Australian states, continued to achieve good growth, in the context of Australia reducing rice imports from the world.
In addition, other strong industrial products of Vietnam such as iron and steel of all kinds increased by more than 478%, rubber, electric cables, computers and components also increased sharply.
In the opposite direction, Australia is becoming a supplier of raw materials for many manufacturing industries of Vietnam with essential input materials, such as coal, iron ore, metals, cotton, wheat, fodder, etc.
Accordingly, imports from Australia over 5 months reached USD 3.7 billion, an increase of 26% over the same period. Total two-way trade between the two countries over five months reached more than USD 6 billion.
Not only trade, CPTPP is a lever to increase investment between the two countries. As of the end of 2021, Australia has invested in about 550 projects in Vietnam, with a total value of only nearly USD 2 billion, making it the 19th largest FDI country in Vietnam.
Also last year, Vietnam and Australia completed the signing of the Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy, which aims to support the shared ambition of making the two countries each other's top trading partners and doubling bilateral investment.
- WB: Vietnam's 2022 GDP is estimated at 7.5% thanks to strong service recovery
- Exports of Vietnam’s goods to the EU reached USD 83 billion
- Export of timber and wood products reached nearly USD 10 billion over 7 months
- Vietnam's export turnover has exceeded USD 200 billion
- Import-export activities between Vietnam and Australia continue to maintain strong growth momentum
- Positive signs for exports to China
- The EVFTA Agreement increases the opportunity to export Vietnamese goods to the Danish market
- Exporting to CPTPP market earns USD 19.5 billion
- Export turnover of Vietnam’s goods to Japan increased by nearly 13%
- HSBC raises Vietnam growth forecast | <urn:uuid:15450562-7755-4230-bdb1-cb1281e21dec> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.agribank.com.vn/en/ve-agribank/tin-tuc/dtl?current=true&urile=wcm:path:/agbanken/ve-agribank/news/market-news/3-ftas-strongly-complement-vietnam-australia-trade | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572161.46/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815054743-20220815084743-00469.warc.gz | en | 0.93327 | 769 | 2.0625 | 2 |
As a young missionary I was assigned as a district president over a group of fifteen small, scattered islands. On one occasion I received word that a missionary was very ill on a distant island. In spite of a bad storm, a companion and I sailed to the island, where we found that the missionary was indeed very ill. Fervent prayer was followed by administration, during which the impression came very strongly to get the missionary back to the hospital on the main island. The seas were heavy, the clouds were thick, the wind was fierce, the hour was late. But the impression was strong—“Get him back now!”
No sooner had we embarked on the turbulent sea than the intensity of the storm seemed to increase sevenfold. As we approached the reef surrounding the main island, the rain slashed at our faces and tore at our eyes—eyes vainly searching for the lifesaving light that marked the only entry through the reef to our home.
Suddenly I heard the chilling sound of waves crashing against the reef! It was too close. Where was the light? Unless we hit the opening exactly, we would be smashed against the reef.
Some passengers began to whimper; others moaned and cried. Many were pleading to turn to the left or to the right. I looked at the captain, and there I saw a face free of worry as his eyes penetrated the darkness ahead. His weather-roughened lips parted, and he declared, “There is the light!”
I still could not see it, but the captain’s experienced eyes were not fooled by the fury of the storm, nor was he influenced by the passengers’ pleadings.
Soon the reef was behind us, and we were in the protected harbor. Then and only then did we see through the darkness one small light—exactly where the captain had said it was. Had we waited until we could see the light, we would have been dashed to pieces. I thank the Lord for that wonderful Polynesian captain who saved my life and the life of the sick missionary I was charged with. I am grateful for his experience. I am grateful for his wisdom, for his eyes.
There are others who, through years of experience and training and by virtue of special divine callings, can see more clearly than we can. And they can save us in serious situations—spiritual and physical—that would be upon us before we ourselves could see the way. I thank the Lord for our great prophet-leaders of today. | <urn:uuid:b5fd3e48-7139-41d2-86a8-3055a350103e> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | https://www.lds.org/friend/1986/11/there-is-the-light?lang=eng | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280221.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00228-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.989304 | 516 | 1.601563 | 2 |
August 15, 2014
t felt like an eternity went by before Congress passed a bill to fund the Highway Trust Fund through May 2015. Unfortunately, for or as long as it took, nobody ended up happy with the outcome. Congress had months to work out a long-term deal and all they could agree on is a short-term plan that ultimately solves nothing.
Below is a timeline of events that took place leading up to the patch.
It was clear early in the year that the HTF was running out much quicker than originally thought. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx warned Congress in February that the HTF would begin bouncing checks in August if a new deal wasn’t agreed upon.
“A number of commentators have expressed concern about what happens to transportation spending when the Highway Trust Fund runs out in fiscal year 2015,” Foxx said at the time. “Little do some of them know that the Highway Trust Fund is on track to bounce checks before fiscal year 2015—as soon as this August.”
States began to cut back on construction projects once it appeared the HTF could shortfall as early as July. Every day it seemed like more and more road projects were getting put on the back burner, which was causing unsafe transportation conditions.
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, was aware of the problem.
“Make no mistake – we are running out of time for action,” Boxer said. “Already states are cutting back on the construction projects they planned to go forward with this spring, and this trend will only continue to get worse as we get closer to insolvency,”
The DOT noted that the bill included the following proposals:
“Failing to act before the Highway Trust Fund runs out is unacceptable – and unaffordable,” Foxx said in a written statement. “This proposal offers the kind of job creation and certainty that the American people want and deserve.”
The bill would never through Congress.
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee unanimously approved a six-year surface transportation reauthorization bill. Dubbed the MAP-21 Reauthorization Act, the six-year bill planned to reauthorize surface transportation projects through fiscal year 2020 and was indexed for inflation.
Under the bill’s provisions, the core highway program would have received close to a $4 billion boost, from $38.44 billion in 2015 to $42.59 billion in 2020.
There weren’t enough supporters of the bill to ever pass Congress. Some people, like Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, didn’t think the bill was large enough.
“I just spent the better part of a week going to eight states, 12 cities large and small,” Foxx said, referring to his April bus tour. “And I have to tell you that America has been waiting on a bigger solution.”
With the current Highway Trust Fund quickly running dry, people started to scramble for a solution. One idea was to repeal the federal gas tax in favor of other funding options like taxing oil barrels and indexing the diesel tax to inflation and fleet fuel economy
Another plan was to cut some services offered by the U.S. Postal Service and use the savings over 10 years to make up for the fuel tax shortfall.
Both proposals were dismissed.
“We’ve got to get past the gimmicks in transportation and really get serious about trying to get a long-term strategy done,” Foxx said.
With hopes of a long-term deal, the Senate decided to delay voting on a proposed $9 billion patch that would have provided funding through December. The month of June saw other proposals as well, most of which caused for a gas tax increase. None of them were seriously considered.
July marks the month when Congress finally started to seriously look for a solution. After all, several states were found to be in dire need of highway funding. With no long-term deal in sight, the House and the Senate focused on finding a short-term solution.
In mid-July, the House passed a $10.8 billion plan to pay for the federal government’s share of road and bridge repairs through May. On July 30th the Senate would reject the House’s bill and respond with of its own. The Senate reduced the bill from $10.8 billion to $8.1 billion and sent it back to the House.
With Congress’ summer recess beginning on August 1st it was important for an agreement to be in place as soon as possible.
The next day, on July 31st, the House voted down the Senate’s revised bill and sent back its original $10.8 billion bill.
Just hours after the House turned down the Senate’s $8.1 billion bill, Congress passed the $10.8 billion bill and sent it to be signed by President Barack Obama. The bill should allow continued funding for road, highway and bridge construction through May 2015.
On Friday, August 8, President Barack Obama signed the $10.8 billion Highway Trust Fund bill passed by Congress at the end of July. The signing officially resets the timeline and gives Congress a few more months to figure out a long-term solution. | <urn:uuid:adbb9be0-36d7-4b55-91a2-6932bdd45c33> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.aggman.com/highway-trust-fund-2014-timeline-of-events/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560281450.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095121-00176-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977805 | 1,099 | 1.945313 | 2 |
Our staff continuously carry out rescues of domestic animals – as well as a variety of other animals – throughout the year. Each rescue is different; every life precious. Here are a few of our stories.
Jaque – an adolescent pit bull cross – was rescued from Mountain View informal settlement in May 2014. He was little more than a bag of bones, weighing just 10.4kgs, his skin taut over his skeleton, every bone in his fragile body visible.
In additional to being severely malnourished, he was infested with worms and had Ehrlichia (a tick-borne parasite). Jaque was in such a poorly condition that the days immediately following his rescue and admission to TEARS, were touch-and-go.
Jaque wasn’t ready to give up yet on life and fought to make a remarkable recovery. He steadily got stronger and the light returned to his eyes as he began to gain weight. Jaque finally reached 21 kilos and every inch of his body smiled. With patience and perseverance, Jaque had turned into a beautiful boy who got along well with other dogs and was always up for a game of fetch.
Jaque was soon adopted into a loving home and now lives in the lap of luxury with his new guardian, Megan. He continues to be a breed ambassador, breaking stereotypes and making friends wherever he goes.
Skye – a Siberian Husky, was rescued on Baden Powell Drive in Cape Town on 22 January 2014, in an horrific state. She was emaciated, skin hanging loosely over her bones. She was also suffering from sarcoptic mange and her skin was raw and infected, nothing more than tufts of hair covered her gaunt body in patches. Skye also had Ehrlichia – a tick-borne, bacterial infection that destroys white blood cells. Such was the advanced severity of the infection, she needed a blood transfusion to save her life.
Skye received all the love, care, food and veterinary treatment she needed to flourish while she was at TEARS. Her improvement was slow but steady, and every day was a transformation to the stunning dog she now is.
Skye – having blossomed into a fun-loving, charismatic dog – was adopted by a wonderful family who understood her breed and had another Siberian Husky called Magnum. This tenacious dog’s recovery really does prove that with the right intervention and caring, the Skye really is the limit.
In October 2015, TEARS took the decision to evacuate its kennels as a precautionary measure when riots broke out in Masiphumelele that borders our shelter. Many TEARS supporters came out that night to help staff, and a number of adoptions resulted from subsequent foster failures. Bonnie was one of those dogs. Here her guardian [to follow] tells the story of her home-coming.
“I picked Bonnie up from a foster parent following the evacuation of the kennels during the Masiphumelele riots. Bonnie’s previous foster mom had to find alternative accommodation for her as Bonnie was wreaking havoc with her dog and her foster sister, Livia.
“I brought a shy, insecure puppy home and only once I took her out of the car did I notice that her right front paw had at some point been severely mangled and subsequently reconstructed. When I put her down on the lawn she would not stop rolling on it. Everything was something new to her. Laylah, our Labrador, played babysitter for the remainder of the day. That night I found her and Coco, our eldest dog, snuggled up on the couch. It definitely was love.
“By day two, she had figured out that Diesel, her big brother, would be her best-friend. I am absolutely not exaggerating when I say that they played for two to three hours at a time, then they’d nap, wake up and play again. What astounded me was how gently Diesel (a significantly muscular and long-legged Staffie/Collie cross) played with her. It was as if he were coaxing her into realising that she was allowed to be a dog; that she was welcome, and, most importantly, could enjoy being in this place.
“By day three, Bonnie had started to climb onto my lap where I was in my office chair. I could not powder my nose without her pining at the door. But the reality loomed at the back of my mind that, sooner than later, she would have to go back and I was apprehensive about forming a bond with her because I knew that both her heart and mine would be broken when the day came to return her to TEARS.
“I nevertheless decided to ask TEARS about her history: she had been driven over by a car and her paw had to be built up again. She had been through quarantine twice; once due to protocol and once again as a friend to another pup called Hoover. Essentially, no one wanted her and it seemed as if she was just another canine in the system. But in the space of two or three days, she became so much more to us.
“Bonnie still had her milk teeth when I got her. I found myself finding things that I could help her with: her dislike of cars, her insecurity, her teeth, the fact that she loved sleeping on feet and that I happen to have two, all while watching her develop so quickly, and watching so many “firsts”: her first time being bathed in a lukewarm bath in my bathroom (where you could see that she wanted to enjoy the water but didn’t know what to do), her first lamb rib bone, cheese curl, her first trip in the back of the bakkie with her siblings (and the hierarchal fight with her three sisters and brother for the cabin window).
“All of this had happened within the space of a few days. But now Bonnie would have to be returned to TEARS on the Monday. Wednesday I e-mailed TEARS for the adoption papers despite trying to convince myself that I could not keep her; but every night she would wiggle onto the bed and either sleep on my chest (quite literally on top of me) or in my arms.
“That Monday I returned TEARS’ leash, and by Wednesday, Bonnie was officially adopted by me. I wish the story was more sensational with an epiphany or some life-changing event but the truth of the matter is that Bonnie simply integrated herself into life at home.
“The turning point came one night, after a long summer’s evening on the stoep when I got up to use the restroom and closed the door behind me. My partner, Michiel, remarked: “Ek kan sien hierdie is jou hond.” (I can see this is your dog) because she had stood against the window watching me walk inside and had begun to pine for me. I remember thinking to myself that she’s so tiny and quiet and what difference would it make whether I had one more?
“In the two months following her adoption, Bonnie learned to sit quietly and contently in a car (on my lap, of course) and began to run the house. Even Maddie, the most apprehensive of our dogs, played with her as if she had been here all along.
“Bonnie also loves the swimming pool; yapping away at any water splashed in her direction, and waiting patiently for her brother, Diesel, to fetch or dive out a ball which they then share when he swims out. She also loves chasing him around the pool; both out and in the water, although she is still building up the guts to get in herself (even though you can see she really wants to!). She also has her own personal armchair on which she has made herself at home since day one, and has a section in a cupboard in which she absolutely loves to sleep, although we have no idea why.
“Bonnie has never felt like a ‘new’ dog. She sort of pitched up, and made herself at home. She has bloomed from a dog who was scared of loud footsteps to one who challenges even the largest of Labradors. Despite it feeling like she’s just always been here, it would simply not be the same now if I were to wake up without having my toes bitten, or my ear licked.
THE RESCUER’S CREED
I shall be a believer in all that is good in man and all that is deserving in animals.
I shall plead for animals’ lives, campaign for their safety, and uphold their right to a happy life and a natural death.
I shall seek out the injured and the maimed, the unloved and the abandoned, and tend to them in their last days.
I shall renew their spirits when they are waning, bind their wounds when they bleed, cradle them when they whimper,
And comfort them when they mourn.
I shall not forget their place in the hierarchy of life, nor that we walk in each other’s paths.
I shall bear witness to the wonder they bring into our lives and to the beauty they bestow upon our souls.
I shall be near them in their hour of greatest need – a companion and a friend.
From the creatures of the earth I shall learn the fruits of compassion and undying love.
In their company I shall indeed be blessed. | <urn:uuid:25c610c1-371e-45a5-a58e-825ad363fd99> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://tears.org.za/rescues/?shared=email&msg=fail | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560279933.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095119-00122-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988221 | 1,976 | 1.640625 | 2 |
constitutional competence | cheapassignmenttutors.com
Apply principles of effective communication and information literacy.
Examine important public administration concepts and their practical relevance.
Apply research and analytical skills to assess administrative concepts and situations.
Apply principles of professionalism and ethics.
Examine the roles and interrelationships of organizations from the three sectors.
Apply management, policy, and organizational concepts and theories.
Explain constitutional principles and their importance for public administrators.
Demonstrate critical thinking by evaluating resources, investigating a situation, validating assumptions, and examining multiple perspectives.
1. Create a 1-2 page creative yet professionally formatted document/email/webpage/blog/newsletter/social media tool/other that:
o Discuss what public administrators should know and do today to comply with the key legal principle(s). For example, locate recent instances of professionals or organizations that ran afoul of these principles and the resulting legal, financial, political or other implications they experienced. Discuss what they should do to prevent and or respond to such situations.
o Recommend policies, procedures, or best practices that organizations have put in place to comply with the relevant legal obligations related to the key legal principle(s). These may be principles recommended by professional associations and government bodies or used by government and nonprofit organizations. Whenever possible, refer the reader to a specific, real world example or credible source. | <urn:uuid:e46c8d55-d7ff-4259-a2f9-0955fe19a99b> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://cheapassignmenttutors.com/constitutional-competence-cheapassignmenttutors-com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571911.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813081639-20220813111639-00466.warc.gz | en | 0.881413 | 282 | 3.234375 | 3 |
Ray Bradbury, a master of science fiction whose lyrical evocations of the future reflected both the optimism and the anxieties of his own postwar America, died on Tuesday in Los Angeles. He was 91.
His death was confirmed by his agent, Michael Congdon.
By many estimations Mr. Bradbury was the writer most responsible for bringing modern science fiction into the literary mainstream. His name would appear near the top of any list of major science-fiction writers of the 20th century, beside those of Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert A. Heinlein and the Polish author Stanislaw Lem.
In Mr. Bradbury’s lifetime more than eight million copies of his books were sold in 36 languages. They included the short-story collections “The Martian Chronicles,” “The Illustrated Man” and “The Golden Apples of the Sun,” and the novels “Fahrenheit 451” and “Something Wicked This Way Comes.”
Though none won a Pulitzer Prize, Mr. Bradbury received a Pulitzer citation in 2007 “for his distinguished, prolific and deeply influential career as an unmatched author of science fiction and fantasy.”
Mr. Bradbury sold his first story to a magazine called Super Science Stories before his 21st birthday, and by the time he was 30 he had made his reputation with “The Martian Chronicles,” a collection of thematically linked stories published in 1950.
The book celebrated the romance of space travel while condemning the social abuses that modern technology had made possible, and its impact was immediate and lasting. Critics who had dismissed science fiction as adolescent prattle praised “Chronicles” as stylishly written morality tales set in a future that seemed just around the corner.
Mr. Bradbury was hardly the first writer to represent science and technology as a mixed bag of blessings and abominations. The advent of the atomic bomb in 1945 left many Americans deeply ambivalent toward science. The same “super science” that had ended World War II now appeared to threaten the very existence of civilization. Science-fiction writers, who were accustomed to thinking about the role of science in society, had trenchant things to say about this threat.
But the audience for science fiction, published mostly in pulp magazines, was small and insignificant. Mr. Bradbury looked to a larger audience: the readers of mass-circulation magazines like Mademoiselle and The Saturday Evening Post. These readers had no patience for the technical jargon of the science fiction pulps. So he eliminated the jargon; he packaged his troubling speculations about the future in an appealing blend of cozy colloquialisms and poetic metaphors.
“The Martian Chronicles” remains perhaps Mr. Bradbury’s best-known work. It became a staple of high school and college English courses. Mr. Bradbury himself disdained formal education. He went so far as to attribute his success as a writer to his never having gone to college.
Instead, he read everything he could get his hands on, by authors including Edgar Allan Poe, Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Thomas Wolfe and Ernest Hemingway. He paid homage to them in 1971 in the autobiographical essay “How Instead of Being Educated in College, I Was Graduated From Libraries.” (Late in life he took an active role in fund-raising efforts for public libraries in Southern California.)
Mr. Bradbury referred to himself as an “idea writer,” by which he meant something quite different from erudite or scholarly. “I have fun with ideas; I play with them,” he said. ” I’m not a serious person, and I don’t like serious people. I don’t see myself as a philosopher. That’s awfully boring.”
He added, “My goal is to entertain myself and others.”
He described his method of composition as “word association,” often triggered by a favorite line of poetry.
Mr. Bradbury’s passion for books found expression in his dystopian novel “Fahrenheit 451,” published in 1953. But he drew his primary inspiration from his childhood in Illinois. He boasted that he had total recall of his earliest years, including the moment of his birth. Readers had no reason to doubt him. In his best stories and in his autobiographical novel, “Dandelion Wine” (1957), he gave voice to both the joys and fears of childhood.
As for the protagonists of his stories, no matter how far they journeyed from home, they learned that they could never escape the past.
Raymond Douglas Bradbury was born Aug. 22, 1920, in Waukegan, Ill., a small city whose Norman Rockwellesque charms he later reprised in his depiction of the fictional Green Town in “Dandelion Wine” and “Something Wicked This Way Comes,” and in the fatally alluring fantasies of the astronauts in “The Martian Chronicles.” His father, a lineman with the electric company, numbered among his ancestors one of the women tried as a witch in Salem, Mass.
An unathletic child who suffered from bad dreams, he relished the tales of the Brothers Grimm and the Oz stories of L. Frank Baum, which his mother read to him. An aunt, Neva Bradbury, took him to his first stage plays, dressed him in monster costumes for Halloween and introduced him to Poe’s stories. He discovered the science-fiction pulps and began collecting the comic-strip adventures of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. A conversation with a carnival magician named Mr. Electrico that touched on immortality gave the 12-year-old Bradbury the impetus to become a writer.
In 1934 the family moved to Los Angeles, where Mr. Bradbury became a movie buff, sneaking into theaters as often as nine times a week. Encouraged by a high school English teacher and the professional writers he met at the Los Angeles chapter of the Science Fiction League, he began a lifelong routine of turning out at least a thousand words a day on his typewriter.
His first big success came in 1947 with the short story “Homecoming,” narrated by a boy who feels like an outsider at a family reunion of witches, vampires and werewolves because he lacks supernatural powers. The story, plucked from the pile of unsolicited manuscripts at Mademoiselle by a young editor named Truman Capote, earned the 27-year-old Mr. Bradbury an O. Henry Award in 1947 as one of the best American short stories of the year.
With 26 other stories in a similar vein, “Homecoming” appeared in Mr. Bradbury’s first book, “Dark Carnival,” published by a small specialty press in 1947. That same year he married Marguerite Susan McClure, whom he had met in a Los Angeles bookstore.
Having written himself “down out of the attic,” as he later put it, Mr. Bradbury focused on science fiction. In a burst of creativity from 1946 to 1950, he produced most of the stories later collected in “The Martian Chronicles” and “The Illustrated Man” and the novella that formed the basis of “Fahrenheit 451.”
While science-fiction purists complained about Mr. Bradbury’s cavalier attitude toward scientific facts — he gave his fictional Mars an impossibly breathable atmosphere — the literary establishment waxed enthusiastic. The novelist Christopher Isherwood greeted Mr. Bradbury as “a very great and unusual talent,” and one of Mr. Bradbury’s personal heroes, Aldous Huxley, hailed him as a poet. In 1954, the National Institute of Arts and Letters honored Mr. Bradbury for “his contributions to American literature,” in particular the novel “Fahrenheit 451.”
“The Martian Chronicles” was pieced together from 26 stories, only a few of which were written with the book in mind. The patchwork narrative spans the years 1999 to 2026, depicting a series of expeditions to Mars and their aftermath. The native Martians, who can read minds, resist the early arrivals from Earth, but are finally no match for them and their advanced technology as the humans proceed to destroy the remains of an ancient civilization.
Parallels to the fate of American Indian cultures are pushed to the point of parody; the Martians are finally wiped out by an epidemic of chickenpox. When nuclear war destroys Earth, the descendants of the human colonists realize that they have become the Martians, with a second chance to create a just society.
“Fahrenheit 451,” Mr. Bradbury’s indictment of book-burning in a near-future America (the title refers to the temperature at which paper ignites), is perhaps his most successful book-length narrative. It was made into a well-received movie by François Truffaut in 1966. The cautionary tale of a so-called fireman, whose job is to start fires, “Fahrenheit 451” has been favorably compared to George Orwell’s “1984.”
As Mr. Bradbury’s reputation grew, he found new outlets for his talents. He wrote the screenplay for John Huston’s 1956 film version of “Moby-Dick,” scripts for the television series “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” and collections of poetry and plays.
In 2004, President George W. Bush and the first lady, Laura Bush, presented Mr. Bradbury with the National Medal of Arts.
While Mr. Bradbury championed the space program as an adventure that humanity dared not shirk, he was content to restrict his own adventures to the realm of imagination. He lived in the same house in Los Angeles for more than 5o years, rearing four daughters with his wife, Marguerite, who died in 2003. For many years he refused to travel by plane, preferring trains, and he never learned to drive.
He is survived by his daughters, Susan Nixon, Ramona Ostergen, Bettina Karapetian, and Alexandra Bradbury, and eight grandchildren.
Though the sedentary writing life appealed to him most, he was not reclusive. He developed a flair for public speaking, which made him a sought-after figure on the national lecture circuit. There he talked about his struggle to reconcile his mixed feelings about modern life, a theme that animated much of the fiction that won him such a large and sympathetic audience.
And he talked about the future, perhaps his favorite subject, describing how it both attracted and repelled him, leaving him with apprehension and hope. | <urn:uuid:c44b3f4d-9961-4e4a-a275-48a169721749> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://truthout.org/articles/ray-bradbury-master-of-science-fiction-dies-at-91/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570767.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808061828-20220808091828-00473.warc.gz | en | 0.977113 | 2,262 | 2.328125 | 2 |
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