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__label__wiki	0.993555	0.993555	Stern gets SIRIUS Authors: Drew Haugen After the announcement of his switch from FM radio to SIRIUS satellite radio on Oct. 6, 2004, the floodgates of wealth and unrestricted speech have been opened for renowned radio jockey and "King of All Media," Howard Stern. In the months following the acquisition of Howard Stern's show, SIRIUS stock, traded as SIRI on NASDAQ, nearly doubled. This was good news for Stern. As part of his five-year contract, he is set to make $500 million which extends until 2010, including 34.4 million shares of SIRIUS stock awarded to him and his agent, Don Buchwald. The majority of the SIRIUS shares (31.25 million or about $190 million worth) went to Stern. His agent retained a healthy portion of SIRIUS stock (3.125 million shares) worth about $19 million at current prices. On Wednesday, SIRIUS stock closed at $6.75 a share on the NASDAQ stock market. After Stern's announcement to move from his Phoenix radio station, KZON-FM 101.5, owned by CBS Radio, to the digital waves of SIRIUS, fans and SIRIUS employees rejoiced at the monumental deal. "I think it's probably one of the most brilliant business moves radio has ever seen," said Jason Hill, sophomore business administration major. "He has so many die-hard fans that will follow him anywhere, and with his publicity and this subscription-based radio he has effectively advertised more for SIRIUS than SIRIUS has." SIRIUS leadership felt similarly about the company's new golden boy. "The launch of Howard's show on SIRIUS has raised the public awareness of SIRIUS and, in general, that of satellite radio," said Patrick Reilly, spokesperson for SIRUS Satellite Radio. "The arrival of Howard has also helped us draw many new subscribers. Howard's show is also drawing advertisers that heretofore had never used SIRIUS. "When we announced Howard's plan to come to SIRIUS back in fall 2004, we had about 700,000 subscribers. At the end of 2005, a week before he began his first show with SIRIUS, our number of paid subscribers had reached 3.3 million." Reilly added. Stern, who is renowned for his "shock-jock" on-air style, filling shows with strippers, perverse topics and lewd language, will now have free reign without the oversight of his longtime enemy, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). "We are a pay service and thus not regulated by the FCC on issues of content," Reilly said. Because SIRIUS satellite radio is a subscriber-driven radio network, its shows can be broadcast unedited and commercial-free. Thus, Stern will no longer be subject to the FCC indecency restrictions that have plagued his DJ style for his entire career. "The guy, since he started, has felt censorship shouldn't apply, and this is a move he's earned." Hill said. According SIRIUS' Web site, Howard Stern is the No. 1 national radio host among males 18 to 49 years of age and ranks No. 1 in many of the 46 major markets where his show is broadcast, including New York and Los Angeles. "It has been my dream to have the top-rated show in radio since I was five years old," Stern said at a November press conference. "SIRIUS – the future of radio – will take this dream to a whole new level as I bring my fans my show my way. It will be the best radio they will ever hear." Drew Haugen can be reached at regional@collegian.com	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line281
__label__cc	0.607746	0.392254	While a vast majority of the U.S. Armed Forces are fighting the war in Iraq, preparing to be deployed to Iraq or just returning from Iraq, North Korea has explicitly stated that its nuclear arms program is up and running and is preparing for a pre-emptive strike against the United States. U.S. intelligence officials have known about North Korea’s nuclear ambitions for years, but instead of taking its own pre-emptive action to deter a strike or compromise with the communist nation, the U.S. government ignored the emerging threat. Now, North Korea government officials threaten that the United States needs to cooperate with them on nuclear issues like they did with India. However, our government has shown no desire to negotiate or even recognize the severity of North Korea’s nuclear program. We think it would be wise for the United States government to recognize the imminent threat that lies in North Korea and make steps to either deter or negotiate with the nation. We already know they have the capabilities to launch a nuclear strike upon our nation and feel that it is irresponsible for our government to ignore that threat while focusing our military on Iraq. The United States sent troops into Iraq without definitive evidence. What would stop the government from launching an attack on North Korea? It’s time to question the decisions that are being made in Washington in the name of national security. If it’s such a priority, when will the government take the threat of North Korea seriously?	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line282
__label__wiki	0.5877	0.5877	Team’s loss outweighs individual success Authors: Amanda Schank While it may appear that the swimming and diving team has hit a wall in its season, the coach will tell you another story. On Saturday, the team traveled to Las Vegas to compete against UNLV and UC-Santa Barbara. CSU lost to both teams, with final scores of 127-108 against UNLV and 174-67 against UCSB. While four straight losses have not been a boost for morale, Head Coach John Mattos has been impressed with the team’s efforts. “We swam really hard and dove extremely well and just came out on the short end of it,” said Mattos. “I don’t think it will affect our ability to keep our heads high, swim with pride and get ready for the championships.” Three divers dominated the competition, as juniors Elyse Hall and Karin Knudson and freshman Nikki Kelley garnered the top three spots in the three-meter diving, respectively. They saw similar success in the one meter diving event, with Kelley and Hall securing first and second place and Knudson placing fourth. “(The divers) have been very consistent,” Mattos said. “That kind of consistency should be able to help us out (in the championships.)” On the swimming side, senior co-captain Brette Winegarner grabbed the Rams’ only first place finish in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 57.84. She went on to place second in the 200-yard backstroke, continuing a run of firsts and seconds that she’s seen in recent competitions. “Brette is finally starting to understand that she has a lot of talent,” Mattos said of Winegarner’s consistently fast swims. “She has a great feel for the water.which lends itself to wins, and I’d like to see that carried on a long time into the future this year.” Saturday’s match-up with UCSB was CSU’s first competition against the Big West team in more than four years. Prior to the meet, Mattos said the team’s “primary concern” would be conference opponent UNLV. The conference loss gives the Rams a tie for fourth in the Mountain West Conference standings with UNLV. The team is now 6-4 overall and 4-3 in conference. While the Rams pay attention to the standings, Winegarner said they are no indication of how the conference championship will play out. “Dual meets matter throughout the season, but when you get to conference it’s a whole different meet,” Winegarner said. “At this point, we’re trying not to get discouraged by the standings.because you never know what people can pull out at conference. “It’s a whole different game out there.” The team has one chance remaining to improve its conference record before the MWC championships at the end of February. The Rams compete against border rival Wyoming (No. 3 in MWC) at 5 p.m. on Friday in their final home meet of the season. Swimming and diving beat reporter Amanda Schank can be reached at sports@collegian.com. Utah 7-0 BYU 5-0 Wyo. 4-2 CSU 4-3 UNLV 4-3 TCU 3-4 UNM 2-4 SDSU 1-7 AFA 0-7	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line283
__label__wiki	0.609292	0.609292	Things To Do(current) Extremes Sanatorium Leisure Nature Festivals Events Arts & Museums Historical Places Architecture Culture Regions Visas Transfers Accommodation Map National Cuisine National Drinks Restaurants Pubs Lounge Bars National Cuisine National Drinks ENG РУС ՀԱՅ Alaverdi The town of Alaverdi is in the northeastern part of Armenia in Lori region. It is located on the slopes of the Debed River Gorge and on the Sanahin Plateau. The town is located at an altitude of 1000 meters above sea level and is surrounded by high mountains and green forests. It is an industrial and important trade centre in the North of Armenia. The history of Alaverdi During the medieval period, the area around the present-day Alaverdi was known as "Manasgomer" or "Manits Gom". The area was inhabited in the 2nd millennium BC, therefore it is rich with historical monuments. In the 8th-6th centuries B.C. the region was part of the Urartu Kingdom. Later the region became part of the Gugark province of Greater Armenia. With the establishment of Haghpat and Sanahin Monasteries in the 10th century, the region became a prominent centre of Armenian culture, theology and science. In the 19th century, Lori was adjoined to the Russian Empire. Nearly a quarter of the entire Russsian copper was being mined in this area and a new settlement for the smelter workers was founded and named Manes after the French engineer who directed the project. In 1935 Manes was renamed Alaverdi and gained the status of an urban-type settlement. Sights of Alaverdi The Monastery of Sanahin is located in the southern part of the town on the Sanahin plateau. It is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The monastery includes Saint Astvatsatsin and Saint Savior churches with their courtyards, as well as Saint Grigor and Saint Harutyun chapels, a lyceum, writing house, bell-tower, and the ancestral mausoleums of Kyurikyan’s Zakarian’s. The first church of the complex Saint Astvatsatsin was built in the 10th century. Near the town is the 10th-century Haghpat monastery complex also included in the World Heritage List, 6th-century church of Odzun, Kobayr monastery of 1171, Horomayr church of 5th-6th centuries, Kayan fortress of 1233, Sanahin Bridge of the 7th century, 10th Century Akhtala Monastery and Fortress. So this place is really worth visiting to discover the cultural and historical heritage of Armenia. Today the town has a theatre operating since 1932, a cultural palace, a large public library, a music academy named after Romanos Melikian, an Academy of Fine Arts and the branch of Yerevan Northern University of Alaverdi. In 1987 the National Gallery of Armenia opened its branch here. Haghpat Monastery Haghpat is medieval monastery complex located in Haghpat town Lori Region. Haghpat monastery was built in 10th century. Haghpat was eminent spiritual and cultural center of Armenia. About Us / Contacts Payment / Cancellation policy	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line286
__label__wiki	0.65963	0.65963	Free Genealogy » Missouri » Biography of Hon. Winfield Scott Pope Biography of Hon. Winfield Scott Pope Leave a Comment / Missouri, North Carolina For many years Winfield Scott Pope was rated as one of the most highly respected residents and most prominent attorneys of Jefferson City. As lawyer and lawmaker he left the impress of his individuality upon the history of city and state when he was called to his final rest at the age of seventy-four years. He always held to the highest standards and ethics of the profession, his success being attributable at all times to his marked capability and merit. The story of his professional rise and progress is an interesting one. He was born in Davidson county, North Carolina, July 20, 1847, his birthplace being a farm near Thomasville. His parents, Thomas and Mary Ann (Hale) Pope, were also natives of the Old North state, where their ancestors had lived for several generations. His grandfather in the paternal line was a noted Baptist preacher of North Carolina, while his great-grandfather Pope was a native of England and on coming to America landed at Nantucket, Rhode Island, but gradually made his way southward into Virginia. W infield S. Pope of this review was a descendant of George Whitefield Pope, who was a famous Baptist preacher at the time of the Revolutionary war, and of James Pope, a cousin of Alexander Pope. George Whitefield Pope was a very outspoken man who before the colonies entered upon armed conflict with England was condemned to be shot for treason because of his utterances against the British government. He strongly advocated American independence and it was because of this that he was condemned. However, he escaped and thus managed to save his life. The Hale and the Hunt families, from whom Mr. Pope was descended in the maternal line, came of Quaker ancestry. The great-grandfather of Mrs. Mary Ann (Hale) Pope was the noted Nathan Hunt, the Quaker preacher who was famed in this country and in England as one of the eminent divines of his faith. He established or founded the first industrial school in the United States, located at New Garden, Guilford county, North Carolina. This step was made possible by Joseph Gurney, a wealthy banker of London, England, and a great friend of Mr. Hunt, to whom Gurney gave five thousand pounds with which to start the school-a large amount in those days. Hon. Joseph G. Cannon, congressman from Illinois and dean of the house of representatives at Washington, was named in honor of Gurney, Mr. Cannon’s father having been physician of that pioneer industrial school. The names of both Hunt and Gurney were held in great esteem among the Quakers and for a long time one of these names was used in all Quaker families of good standing in naming their children. W. S. Pope was descended from two most distinguished ministers of pioneer times Nathan Hunt, Quaker, and George Whitefield Pope, Baptist. Thomas Pope, father of W. S. Pope, was a farmer who took an active part in all public matters and for many years was magistrate of his county. As such he was the officer in command of all town and county matters and head of the court. In his youthful days W. S. Pope attended the Davidson Academy and afterward became a student in the Hillsboro Military Academy at Hillsboro, North Carolina, situated thirty-nine miles west of Raleigh, where he was a cadet during the Civil war period. When hostilities were over he started for Missouri and was in sight of Sherman’s army. He traveled by rail to Rolla, Missouri, and afterward across the country to Marshfield, Webster county, where many former residents of North Carolina were located. It was this that induced him to take up his abode in that part of the state. He was then but nineteen years of age. He taught school there for the first six months of his residence in Missouri and while teaching he devoted his leisure hours to the study of law, just as he did throughout his entire life, thus keeping in close touch with legal principles and the development of the legal science. In February, 1867, he was admitted to the bar by the circuit court at Marshfield when but nineteen years of age. He entered upon the general practice of law at Hartville, Wright county, Missouri, and was elected to the legislature from that county in 1872, so that in early manhood he took helpful part not only in interpreting but also in framing the laws of the state. Following the expiration of his term of office in 1875 he removed to Jefferson City, where he entered upon the general practice of law. Here again the recognition of his ability secured for him election to the general assembly, in which he served for two terms-in 1897 and again in 1899-as member from Cole county. He was likewise a member of the commission that made the revision of the Missouri statutes in 1899. He always continued in general practice but following the trend of the times specialized to some extent. Following the Civil war he gave his attention in considerable measure to the matter of collecting on defaulted bonds and debts of war. He always practiced in both the state and federal courts and his ability was widely acknowledged, for he proved himself capable of handling many intricate and involved legal problems. He built up a large practice not only in Cole but in every county in his judicial circuit. He was active in pioneer times when lawyers went from county to county on horseback and under most trying conditions. His extensive practice brought to him a most gratifying measure of success and gained him a wide acquaintance that made him one of the well known men of Missouri. When he passed away Congressman D. W. Shackleford, in the midst of his remarks at the funeral of Winfield Scott Pope, said in part as follows: “No lawyer ever more keenly appreciated than did Mr. Pope that his profession is one of the members of the body politic, whose primary function is the promotion and protection of the public weal. True, he prospered at his profession. That was but an incident. The ox that treadeth out the corn is not to be muzzled, yet the primary and supreme duty of the ox is to tread out the corn. Few men have ever been more active and energetic in the practice of the profession than was Mr. Pope, and be it said to his memory that none ever more conscientiously observed its obligations and its ethics. He came to the bar a few years before the adoption of the constitution of 1875 and was active in the practice during the formative period following its adoption. He devoted his ability, his learning and his untiring energies in concert with other talented lawyers of the state in the development of that splendid system of jurisprudence which is the pride of our people. On several occasions I have heard him say that only at work in the performance of duty can happiness be found and that he hoped Providence would permit him to die with his harness on. This was granted to him. After a long, busy, useful life during which he never shirked a duty and never complained at the weight of any task his spirit has gone back to the God who sent it.” Mr. Pope was married twice. On Christmas day of 1869, in North Carolina, his first marriage was celebrated. but his wife lived for only a few months. His second marriage occurred in Jefferson City, June 19, 1873, when Lucy Miller became his wife. Her people were pioneer settlers of Missouri, the families moving from Kentucky to this state at an early date. Her father was Hon. George W. Miller, who was judge of the circuit court of Cole county for a quarter of a century prior to his death. Mrs. Pope passed away February 27, 1910. By her marriage she had become the mother of three daughters. Mary Louise, the wife of Horace B. Church, Jr., of Jefferson City, and the mother of two children, Elizabeth Kennedy and Mary Louise; Lucy Winfield, the wife of A. L. Hawkins, who is with the Graham Paper Company of St. Louis and has one child, Scott Pope Hawkins; and Miller Chappell, who married F. M. Cockrell, a son of United States Senator Cockrell. Her death occurred in October, 1919. It has been said that fortunate is the man who has back o1 him an ancestry honorable and distinguished and happy is he if his lines of life are cast in harmony therewith. In person, in talents and in character W. S. Pope was a worthy scion of his race and made for himself a distinguished position among the men of eminence and of learning in Missouri by reason of his legislative service and the prominence which he gained as a representative of the Jefferson City bar. All recognized his pronounced ability and for many years he occupied a foremost position in the ranks of the legal profession in Missouri. To know him was to esteem and honor him, for in every relation of life he measured up to the highest standards of manhood and citizenship. Pope, Biography, Civil War, Cole County MO, Davidson County NC, Hartville Missouri, Hillsborough North Carolina, Jefferson City Missouri, Marshfield Missouri, Orange County NC, Webster County MO, Wright County MO, Stevens, Walter B. Centennial History of Missouri (The Center State) One Hundred Years In The Union 1820-1921 Vol 2. St. Louis-Chicago: The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company. 1921.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line288
__label__wiki	0.711004	0.711004	Responses to SSWs Climatological seasonal variations of the solar tides Review statement Research article 07 May 2019 Research article \| 07 May 2019 Mesospheric semidiurnal tides and near-12 h waves through jointly analyzing observations of five specular meteor radars from three longitudinal sectors at boreal midlatitudes Mesospheric semidiurnal tides and near-12 h waves through jointly analyzing observations of five specular meteor radars from three longitudinal sectors at boreal midlatitudes Mesospheric semidiurnal tides and near-12 h waves through jointly analyzing observations of five... Maosheng He and Jorge Luis Chau Maosheng He and Jorge Luis Chau Maosheng He and Jorge Luis Chau Maosheng He and Jorge Luis Chau Leibniz-Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Rostock University, Kühlungsborn, Germany Correspondence: Maosheng He (he@iap-kborn.de) Received: 20 Dec 2018 – Discussion started: 04 Feb 2019 – Revised: 02 Apr 2019 – Accepted: 18 Apr 2019 – Published: 07 May 2019 In the last decades, mesospheric tides have been intensively investigated with observations from both ground-based radars and satellites. Single-site radar observations provide continuous measurements at fixed locations without horizontal information, whereas single-spacecraft missions typically provide global coverage with limited temporal coverage at a given location. In this work, by combining 8 years (2009–2016) of mesospheric winds collected by five specular meteor radars from three different longitudinal sectors at boreal midlatitudes (49±8.5∘ N), we develop an approach to investigate the most intense global-scale oscillation, namely at the period T=12±0.5 h. Six waves are resolved: the semidiurnal westward-traveling tidal modes with zonal wave numbers 1, 2, and 3 (SW1, SW2, SW3), the lunar semidiurnal tide M2, and the upper and lower sidebands (USB and LSB) of the 16 d wave nonlinear modulation on SW2. The temporal variations of the waves are studied statistically with a special focus on their responses to sudden stratospheric warming events (SSWs) and on their climatological seasonal variations. In response to SSWs, USB, LSB, and M2 enhance, while SW2 decreases. However, SW1 and SW3 do not respond noticeably to SSWs, contrary to the broadly reported enhancements in the literature. The USB, LSB, and SW2 responses could be explained in terms of energy exchange through the nonlinear modulation, while LSB and USB might previously have been misinterpreted as SW1 and SW3, respectively. Besides, we find that LSB and M2 enhancements depend on the SSW classification with respect to the associated split or displacement of the polar vortex. In the case of seasonal variations, our results are qualitatively consistent with previous studies and show a moderate correlation with an empirical tidal model derived from satellite observations. Article (PDF, 5205 KB) How to cite. He, M. and Chau, J. L.: Mesospheric semidiurnal tides and near-12 h waves through jointly analyzing observations of five specular meteor radars from three longitudinal sectors at boreal midlatitudes, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 5993–6006, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-5993-2019, 2019. 1 Introduction The availability of observations limits the advancement of studies on the mesosphere–lower-thermosphere (MLT). In situ MLT observations are available, e.g., through rockets, only on campaign bases, whereas remote detection allows MLT to be monitored perennially and continuously. Two most common approaches of the remote detection are ground-based radars with all-weather applicability and satellite-based optical instruments with good mobility. Both continuous ground- and space-based observations have been used to investigate the global-scale MLT waves. Most of these studies were based on single-point analysis techniques and therefore were subject to inherent spatiotemporal ambiguities (following Paschmann and Daly, 1998, here “point” refers to a geometric element, either stationary or moving, has no extension in the space). Ground-based observations from single radars could yield high-frequency-resolved spectra of MLT parameters but cannot resolve the global-scale structure (e.g., Azeem et al., 2000). On the other hand, space-based sensors, typically on-board slowly precessing polar satellites (e.g., Oberheide et al., 2002), collect data with global coverage but with limited temporal coverage for given locations. They are capable of determining the horizontal scales, which, however, cannot distinguish instantaneous temporal variations from spatial variations. The obtained frequency spectra are usually Doppler shifted at limited resolution (e.g., Salby, 1982a, b) under the assumption that the tides are static. To overcome the spatiotemporal ambiguity, specular meteor radars (SMRs) or medium-frequency radars from multi-longitudinal sectors had been combined to resolve the horizontal scale of MLT waves at polar latitudes tentatively. A typical procedure is a least square regression (LSR) fitting of longitudinal harmonic functions with preassigned wave number to observations from different longitude sectors (e.g., Murphy, 2003). The LSR procedure was used to decompose the most significant global-scale periodicity, namely the 12 h tidal oscillation, into the migrating mode, SW2 (SWm represents westward-traveling semidiurnal tidal modes with zonal wave number m), and nonmigrating modes, SW1 and SW3 (mostly at polar latitudes, e.g., Murphy, 2003; Murphy et al., 2006, 2009; Baumgaertner et al., 2006; Manson et al., 2009). However, as sketched in Fig. 1, such decomposition is complicated by the existence of other waves in the vicinity of 12 h with wave numbers identical to those of solar tides. These include the semidiurnal lunar tide (M2) and the lower and upper sidebands (LSB and USB) of the nonlinear modulation of the 16 d planetary wave on SW2. Sharing similar periods and same wave numbers with the tides, these waves are suspected to have contaminated the interpretation of previous studies. Specifically, LSB and USB might have been detected at low-frequency resolutions and misinterpreted as SW1 and SW3 (cf. He et al., 2018a, b), respectively. Additionally, the M2 estimations might have been contaminated by LSB in spectral studies using the single-site observational technique (as explained in He et al., 2017) or by the power leakage from SW2 in low-frequency-resolved spectral analyses (cf. Sect. 5.1 in He et al., 2018b). Figure 1Distribution of near-12 h waves in the frequency and zonal wave number space (adapted from He et al., 2018a). In the current study, the colors red, green, and blue represent waves with zonal wave numbers m=1, 2, and 3. The main purpose of the current study is to develop an approach to unambiguously separate all six waves sketched in Fig. 1 using observations of five SMRs at latitudes near 49∘ N between 2009 and 2016. Below, Sect. 2 introduces the six waves and the approach. The results are shown in Sect. 3 and used to investigate the six waves statistically, in particular their responses to sudden stratospheric warming events (SSWs) and their seasonal variations (Sects. 4 and 5). Note that, in the current study, we use the term “responses to SSWs” to refer to the behaviors associated with SSW, which does not imply causative relations between the behaviors and the phenomenon suggested literally by the term “SSWs”, namely the sudden increase in the temperature. 2 Data analysis For the current study, we collect the mesospheric wind observations of SMRs at 49±8.5∘ N from three longitudinal sectors, namely east Asia, Europe, and America. As shown in Figure 2, these SMRs are located at Juliusruh (12∘ E, 55∘ N, available since 2007), Collm (13∘ E, 51∘ N, since 2004), Beijing (116∘ E, 40∘ N, since 2009), Mohe (123∘ E, 54∘ N, since 2012), and Tavistock (81∘ W, 43∘ N, since 2002). The radar system at Tavistock is officially known as the Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar (CMOR, e.g., Jones et al., 2005). For details of the radars, e.g., working frequency, power, and configuration of antennas, readers are referred to Liu et al. (2016, 2017), Yu et al. (2013), Singer et al. (2013), Jacobi (2012), and Jones et al. (2005). Figure 2Distribution of five SMRs used in the current study. The numbers following the location names present the earliest available years of the corresponding observations. The current study uses hourly zonal wind derived at a vertical resolution of 2 km according to the algorithm introduced by Hocking et al. (2001) and Stober et al. (2012). For each SMR, we filter oscillations in the wind at periods 11.6±0.1, 12.0±0.1, and 12.4±0.1 h, through high-frequency-resolved wavelet spectral analysis. For each period, we decompose the potential waves with different wave numbers by jointly analyzing the spectral coherency between the SMRs. 2.1 Decomposition approach A Morlet wavelet analysis is applied to the zonal wind at a given altitude for each SMR, resulting in spectra W̃(f,t)n, where f, t, and n=1,2,…,5 represent the frequency, time, and an index of SMRs. W̃(f,t)n corresponds to the phasor representation used (e.g., Murphy, 2002; Baumgaertner et al., 2006). We attribute the coherence among W̃(f,t)n to waves traveling in the longitudinal direction with zonal wave number mk, (k=1,2,…,K) and complex amplitude ãk. At given f and t, we fit ãk from W̃(f,t)n following Eq. (5) in He et al. (2018a). (1)W̃1,W̃2,…,W̃5′=Ẽ5×KãK×1 Here, the kth entry of ãk is defined as ãk, and the entry of Ẽ in the kth row and nth column is defined as Ẽn,k:=ei2πmkλn, representing the phase of kth wave detected by the nth SMR at longitude λn. When K<=5, Eq. (1) allows ã to be estimated with preassigned mk, as demonstrated in Fig. 4 in He et al. (2018a). Since our five SMRs are mainly from three distinct longitudinal sectors, our implementation entails K≤3. Although two of the five radars provide redundant information as they are in the same longitude sector as other SMRs, we use all five for a broader temporal coverage and higher statistical significance. We assign m following Fig. 1 for reasons detailed in Sect. 2.2. Note that in estimating ã, we assume that the meridional variation of all waves is negligible among the SMRs. To test this assumption, we ran the climatological tidal model of the thermosphere (CTMT, Oberheide et al., 2011) derived from TIDI and SABER. Semidiurnal components in the zonal wind at 50∘ N are highly correlated with those at 40∘ N: the correlation coefficients associated with SW2 and SW1 are 0.94 and 0.99 (not shown here). For the latitude dependence of the semidiurnal tide and its seasonal variation, readers are referred to Yu et al. (2015) and Oberheide et al. (2011), for example. In principle, ã could be estimated through the LSR or a short-time Fourier transform (STFT) within a sliding window (e.g., Murphy, 2003; Baumgaertner et al., 2006). Using a Gaussian window with the proper width, the LSR or STFT might even yield results identical to ours. The width of the window, ΔT, proportionally determines the time resolution σt∝ΔT, which is coupled with the frequency resolution σf according to the Fabor's uncertainty principle σtσf≥14π. The resolution in our wavelet analysis is determined by the Morlet factor as specified in Sect. 2.2. 2.2 Targeting waves and assignment of zonal wave number Tides are characterized by oscillations at periods which are integral fractions of a solar or lunar day. In the atmosphere, the solar tides are primarily forced by daily variation in the absorption of sunlight (Chapman and Lindzen, 1970). At a period of 12 h, the migrating component SW2 is known to be the dominant tide (e.g., Pancheva and Mukhtarov, 2012), while the nonmigrating components, SW1 and SW3, are also frequently reported (e.g., Angelats I Coll and Forbes, 2002; Manson et al., 2009). At the latitude for our study (49∘ N), SW1 and SW3 are expected to be more intensive than other semidiurnal nonmigrating tides on climatological averages (not shown here) according to the tidal model (cf. Oberheide et al., 2011). These solar tides, according to the classic tidal theory (Chapman and Lindzen, 1970), have amplitudes ∼20 times larger than those of lunar gravitationally forced tides. Despite these theoretical predictions, oscillations at 12.4 h have been clearly detected in the upper atmosphere and ionosphere and explained as the lunar tide M2, particularly around SSWs (e.g., Stening, 2011; Fejer et al., 2011; Chau et al., 2015). The occurrence of M2 was also confirmed by a wave number identification using a dual-SMR network (m=2 at 12.4 h during SSW 2013, cf. He et al., 2018b). The significant M2 tide was attributed to the lunar forcing resonance due to a shift of a local maximum (namely the Pekeris peak) in the atmospheric frequency response, which is supported by a comparison in a numerical experiment using GSWM driven by two specifications of a climatological-mean background atmosphere and that during SSWs (Forbes and Zhang, 2012). In addition to the M2, also oscillating at the period 12.4 h is a westward-traveling structure with zonal wave number m=1, namely the lower sideband (LSB) of the modulation of the 16 d planetary wave (PW) on SW2 tide (as explicitly detected and explained in He et al., 2018a). LSB's m and f are determined by their parent waves according to the nonlinear interaction resonance conditions Ψ̃LSB=Ψ̃SW2Ψ̃PW*. Here, Ψ̃•:=ei2π(f•t+m•λ) represents the phase of a wave • (e.g., He et al., 2017). The 16 d PW is a normal wave, and its intrinsic period of 12.5 d is determined by the resonant properties of the atmosphere (e.g., Ahlquist, 1982; Longuet-Higgins, 1968; Madden, 2007; Salby, 1984). Having been Doppler shifted by the prevailing eastward wind during winter, the PW is observed at a period up to 20 d, with an average of 16 d (for the climatology of the 16 d PW, cf. Luo et al., 2002; Day and Mitchell, 2010). The corresponding LSB occurs in the frequency range of fLSB=(2-1/12.5,2-1/20)d-, associated with LSB at TLSB=12.4±0.1 h. Similarly to LSB, an upper sideband (USB), at TUSB=11.6±0.1 h and m=3, might also be excited by the modulation, following the resonance conditions Ψ̃USB=Ψ̃SW2Ψ̃PW (as explicitly detected in He et al., 2018a). To include the periods of most potential LSB and USB, in our wavelet analysis (cf. Grossmann et al., 1990), we set the Morlet factor to 128 so that the passed frequency band corresponds to 12.4±0.1, 11.6±0.1 h, and 12.0±0.1 h. These period bands are narrow enough to prevent power leakage or aliasing between each other. As sketched in Fig. 1, the abovementioned six waves occupy three near-12 h periods associated with three zonal wave numbers. When implementing Eq. (1) to quantify the waves, we assume that in comparison with the mentioned waves, other potential waves are negligible at each of the periods. Specifically, we assume that at T=12.0±0.1 h the most important waves are tides SW1, SW2, and SW3 (m1=1, m2=2 and m3=3); at T=12.4±0.1 h M2 and LSB are dominant (m1=1 and m2=2); and at T=11.6±0.1 h only the USB (m1=3) exists. With these assignments of m and according to Eq. (1), we repeat the estimation of ã on the grids of date t and altitude h at each of the three periods, resulting in the amplitudes for all six waves, ã•(h,t), where • represents LSB, M2, the USB, SW1, SW2, or SW3. The corresponding amplitude \|ã•(h,t)\| is displayed in Fig. 3. Figure 3(a) The amplitude of the lower sideband (LSB) of the nonlinear modulation of the 16 d wave on the semidiurnal tide SW2 as a function of time and altitude. (b–f) The same plots as (a) but for the lunar tide M2, the upper sideband (USB), and the solar tides, SW1, SW2, and SW3. (g) The altitude averages of panels (a), (b), and (c) (LSB, M2, and USB), and (h) those of panels (a), (b), and (c) (SW1, SW2, and SW3). In each panel, the solid white vertical lines display the first day of each year, and the dashed magenta lines display PVWs. In (f), the cyan line on the bottom illustrates the interval from 2012 to 2016 in which all decomposition is based on five SMRs, whereas the yellow line represents that MSR observations are not available at Mohe. In (a)–(c), the magenta plus symbols illustrate the maximum amplitude in each 30 d window following each PVW. 3 Results In Fig. 3, the decomposition is based on observations from five SMRs between 2012 and 2016, whereas before 2012 only four SMRs are available (Mohe SMR started operation in 2012). The different SMR combinations are designated by the yellow and cyan lines at the bottom of Fig. 3f. Using the four SMRs, we also produced the results between 2012 and 2016, which are highly consistent with the results from the five SMRs: the corresponding correlation coefficients are 0.92, 0.96, 0.93, 0.95, 0.98, and 0.95 for the six components. In Fig. 3a–c, the horizontal yellow line around January 2013 shows that the amplitudes are quantitatively consistent with the recent estimation using only the two SMRs at Juliusruh and Mohe: the components m=1, 2, and 3 maximize at roughly 4, 8, and 8 m s−1 in both Fig. 3a–c here and Fig. 4 in He et al. (2018b). The correlation and consistency suggest that the decomposition is not sensitive to the absence of one SMR between 2009 and 2011. The temporal variations in Fig. 3a–f share some similarities. First, in Fig. 3a–c LSB, USB, and M2 are often enhanced noticeably in the month following the vertical dashed magenta lines which indicate the polar vortex weakening (PVW, cf. Zhang and Forbes, 2014) as a reference of SSWs in the current study. Second, as shown in Fig. 3d–f, SW1, SW2, and SW3 are characterized by repeating annual patterns, as separated by the calendar year indicated by the solid white lines. For a statistical study on the SSW responses and the seasonal variations, we average the amplitudes of the six components with respect to the time since the PVW epoch and day of year (DoY), respectively, following the composite analysis approach (CA, e.g., Chau et al., 2015). CA is also known as a superposed epoch analysis, SEA, in geophysics and solar physics (e.g., Chree, 1914). The PVW and calendar results are shown in Fig. 4 and discussed in Sects. 4 and 5. Figure 4(a) Composite analysis of LSB from Fig. 3a with respect to the occurrence of PVWs, namely the dashed magenta lines in Fig. 3a. (b–f) Same plots as (a) but for M2, USB, SW1, SW2, and SW3 from Fig. 3b–f. (g–l) Same plots as (a)–(f) but with respect to the start of the calendar years, namely the white lines in Fig. 3. 4 Responses to SSWs As the most radical manifestation of stratosphere–troposphere coupling, SSWs impact the upper atmosphere in broad altitude and latitude ranges (e.g., Goncharenko and Zhang, 2008; Goncharenko et al., 2013). One type of impact is the broadly reported enhancements of various waves at periods near 12 h, including M2, SW1, SW3, LSB and USB (e.g., Chau et al., 2015; Angelats I Coll and Forbes, 2002; Liu et al., 2010, and references therein). Recently, He et al. (2017) argued that there might not be SW1 and SW3 enhancements during SSWs and instead suggested that the reported enhancements are just misinterpreted signatures of LSB and USB at low-frequency resolution. These arguments about SW1 and SW3 were supported observationally by two case studies (He et al., 2018a, b, respectively). Here, we extend this earlier interpretation statistically in Sect. 4.1 and investigate their year-to-year variability in Sect. 4.2. The current section observationally links the secondary waves, LSB and USB, with SSWs through the interaction between SW2 and the 16 d PW. Such a link entails two more associations, one among SW2, the PW and the secondary waves and the other between PW and SSWs. Both associations were established through single-radar analysis approaches. Triple co-occurrence and triple coherence among the PW, SW2, and the secondary waves during SSWs were reported in case studies (e.g., He et al., 2017), and the PW amplifications during SSWs were also reported, e.g., by Pancheva et al. (2008). While the current work only investigates the near-12 h waves using multi-radar analysis approaches, in a future work we will investigate the associations using the same approach. 4.1 Multi-year average The SSW CA results in Fig. 4a–f suggest that, among the six components, only three, namely LSB, M2, and USB, exhibit a sharp maximum immediately following PVW, whereas the others, namely SW1, SW2, and SW3, do not: their intensities largely decrease from 40 d before PVW to 50 d after. The enhancements of LSB, USB, and M2 around SSWs are consistent with existing studies, both statistical studies with single-radar approaches (e.g., Chau et al., 2015) and case studies (e.g., He et al., 2017). However, our finding that SW1 and SW3 do not show enhanced intensity during SSWs are at variance with most existing studies (e.g., Liu et al., 2010; Pedatella and Forbes, 2010; Pedatella et al., 2012; Pedatella and Liu, 2013; Wu and Nozawa, 2015). LSB and USB enhancements associated with nonenhancing SW1 and SW3 support the hypothesis that LSB and USB were detected at low-frequency resolution and misinterpreted as SW1 and SW3, respectively (He et al., 2017). In a case study on SSW 2009, evidence for the SW1 misinterpretation was extracted with an intercontinental-scale dual-SMR network extending along 80∘ N (He et al., 2018a), while in another case study on SSW 2013, similar evidence was identified for the SW3 misinterpretation with a similar network at 54∘ N (He et al., 2018b). Here, we report the first multi-year statistical evidence. Besides the responses of LSB and USB, supporting the hypothesis is the decreasing SW2 at PVW (note that the color is scaled for SW2 amplitude in a range broader than those of others). The declining SW2 feeds the LSB and USB enhancements: SW2 provides 100 % and 97 % of the energy of the LSB and USB, respectively, according to the Manley–Rowe relations detailed in He et al. (2017). 4.2 Year-to-year variability during SSW Although LSB, USB, and M2 composite behaviors look similar to each other in Fig. 4a–c, their patterns show remarkably different year-to-year variability as shown in Fig. 3a–c. To investigate the year-to-year variability, we conduct a CA similar to \|ã\| displayed in Fig. 4a–f but for the complex amplitude ã. In contrast to the \|ã\| in Fig. 4a–c, where all three components maximize during SSW, in \|ã\| (not shown here) only M2 maximizes, whereas LSB and USB do not. Determined by the phases of both SW2 and the PW at SSWs, ã of LSB and USB exhibit more randomness than that of M2, the phase of which is determined only by the M2 phase at SSW. The consistency between \|ã\| and \|ã\| of M2 might be attributed either to a potential association between SSW and a particular lunar phase (as suggested by, e.g., Fejer et al., 2010) or simply to the limited sampling number of M2 enhancement events during SSWs (see Fig. 3b). To explore possible relationships between the enhancements of different waves, we search, in Fig. 3a–c, the maximum amplitude in a 30 d wide window following each PVW, as a measure of the intensity of the corresponding enhancements. The maxima are marked as magenta plus symbols in Fig. 3. A clear association is found between the LSB and M2 enhancements. As illustrated in Fig. 5, the seven events are clustered mainly into three groups. In the case of other combinations, i.e., USB vs. M2, or LSB vs. USB, we have not found any noticeable relationship. This result suggests that LSB and USB are independent of each other during SSWs. The lack of coupling between the sidebands has been discussed in detail in Sect. 4.5 in He et al. (2017). Figure 5Scatterplots of the maximum amplitudes of LSB and M2 during SSWs, read from Fig. 3. The size of the cross is proportional to the PVW strength defined by Zhang et al. (2014). The magenta circles cluster the PVWs into three main groups according to the SSW classification according to the associated polar vortex split or displacement. We further investigate three clusters in Fig. 5 according to a classification of associated major SSWs (cf. Seviour et al., 2016; Esler and Matthewman, 2011): vortex-split or displacement marked by solid and unfilled black circles, respectively. Clearly, three clusters circled in the magenta lines in Fig. 5 are associated with the SSW classification: (a) the strongest LSB and intermediate M2 occur in vortex-displacement events, (b) the intermediate LSB and strongest M2 occur in vortex-split events, and (c) the weakest M2 and weakest LSB occur mostly in nonmajor SSW events. Here, nonmajor SSW events refer to the minor and final SSWs (cf. Butler et al., 2015, 2017; Limpasuvan et al., 2005). The only exception in this classification is the 2015 event. The association between the SSW classification and M2 strength is consistent with the conclusion drawn from more SSW events using equatorial magnetic field observations (e.g., Siddiqui et al., 2018). Here, our multi-SMR-jointed analysis allows us to separate LSB and M2 components that share the same period. Our results imply that LSB has contaminated previous M2 estimations based on single-site observations, particularly during vortex-displacement SSWs. The association between the vortex displacement SSW and M2 implies an alternative explanation for the LSB signatures at T=12.4 h with m=1. Although it has never been proposed in existing literature, the LSB signature might be, according to the resonant condition, a secondary wave of the nonlinear interaction between stationary PW with zonal wave number 1 structure (sPW1) and M2. Although our analysis is not sufficient to exclude the possibility of the sPW1–M2 interaction, evidence from case studies was reported to only support the PW–SW2 interaction, including the triple co-occurrence and triple coherency of the three involved waves, and the accompany or occurrence of the USB (e.g., He et al., 2017). On the contrary, against the sPW1–M2 interaction is the fact that the LSB signature was observed without co-occurrence of significant M2 (e.g., He et al., 2018b). Accordingly, throughout the current work, we explain the LSB signature as a secondary wave of the PW–SW2 interaction. 5 Climatological seasonal variations of the solar tides In the current section, we change our focus to the seasonal climatology of the identified six waves. Similar to Fig. 4a–f showing the SSW CA with respect to PVW, Fig. 4g–l display the CA results with respect to the start of the calendar year. Figure 4g–l exhibit similarities with Fig. 4a–f, e.g., similar vertical and temporal extensions of the primary peaks. The similarities are not surprising since the time epochs are close to each other: PVWs always occurred in winter near the start of the new year. In comparison with the SSW CA results, in the calendar CA the primary peaks of LSB, USB, and M2 (Fig. 4g–i) are slightly smeared out. In contrast, the peaks of the solar tides (SW1, SW2, and SW3 in Fig. 4j, k, and l) have not been smeared out in the calendar CA, the peaks of SW2 and SW3 are even sharper and stronger. These results suggest that the temporal variations of LSB, USB, and M2 are characterized more by their responses to SSWs than by their seasonal variations, whereas those of the solar tides are characterized more by the seasonal variations. Figure 6(a) Vertical average amplitudes of SW1, SW2, and SW3 scattered as a function of date. (b, c, d) Scatterplot between the vertical average amplitudes of SW2 vs. SW1, SW2 vs. SW3, and SW1 vs. SW3. In each panel, each point corresponds to a 5 d interval in Fig. 3; and the solid colored line represents the multi-year average. 5.1 Comparison to previous studies In the amplitude plots shown in Figs. 4j–l and 3d–f the vertical variations are characterized by larger amplitudes at higher altitudes. MLT waves are often excited in and propagated from the stratosphere or troposphere. The upward propagating waves amplify exponentially with increasing altitude as the air density decreases and then eventually dissipate. Such a simple vertical structure is associated with the fact that in Fig. 3 the temporal variations, both enhancements and weakenings, typically extend into broad altitude ranges. We vertically average the amplitudes shown in Fig. 3d–f for an one-dimensional representation, and display the average as a function of the DoY in Fig. 6a. The averaged components are shown as a scatterplot in Fig. 6b, c, and d, against each other, i.e., for SW1 vs. SW2, SW3 vs. SW2, and SW3 vs. SW1. The most salient feature of the scatters is that SW2 is almost always the dominant component, except in late October when SW3 is comparable to SW2. The scatters are further averaged seasonally displayed as the solid red, green, and blue lines, summarizing the main seasonal variations of SW1, SW2, and SW3. SW2 is characterized by two comparable peaks in September and in December and steep decreases in September–October and March–April (DoY 250–300 and 0–80), which is consistent with the seasonal variation of the 12.0 h harmonic amplitude (S2) observed from single-radar analyses (as used in, e.g., Conte et al., 2018), although the SW1 and SW3 are not negligible in comparison with SW2. SW1 is characterized by a single peak appearing in winter and a minimum in summer, which are largely consistent with thermospheric seasonal variation of SW1 at 50∘ N according to CHAMP observations (Fig. 12, in Oberheide et al., 2011). SW3 is characterized by two peaks in earlier May and October (around DoY 130 and 280). Similar annual dual peaks of SW3 were observed from SABER measurements (Fig. 2.7 in Hartwell, 1994) and also obtained at 50∘ N at 88 km altitude from the 3 years (2006–2008) of simulated data from the Canadian Middle Atmosphere Model Data Assimilation System (Figs. 6b and 10c in Xu et al., 2012). Interestingly, in Fig. 6a, d, the relative importance of SW1 and SW3 switches around early April and November (DoY 90 and 310): in summer SW3 is stronger than SW1, but SW1 is stronger in winter. These seasonal variations might be associated with the climatology of the background mean wind (e.g., Laskar et al., 2016; Conte et al., 2017). Figure 7(a–c) Same plots as Figs. 4j, k, and l but for complex amplitude \|ã\| of SW1, SW2, and SW3, with their phases shown in (d)–(f). (g–l) Similar plots to (a)–(f) but according to the climatological tidal model of the thermosphere (CTMT) derived from SABER and TIDI observations (Oberheide et al., 2011). In comparison with some previous studies, the amplitudes in Fig. 3 appear to be weaker (e.g., Jacobi, 2012) for at least three potential reasons. First, based on single-site observations, most existing studies did not separate waves with different wave numbers but had to explain the total oscillations at 12 or 12.4 h as approximations of SW2 or M2 (e.g., Chau et al., 2015). Second, most existing studies used windowing functions much narrower than ours, resulting in broader passbands and capturing more energy (e.g., Chau et al., 2015; Forbes and Zhang, 2012). Third, some studies present the amplitude of total wind including both zonal and meridional (e.g., Chau et al., 2015; Conte et al., 2017), while here we focus only on the zonal component. For a quantitative comparison, in the next section, we present a comparison with an independent empirical tidal model, CTMT. Figure 8Scatterplots of SW1, SW2, and SW3 shown in Fig. 4a–f against those shown in Fig. 4g–l. Each cross in panels (a), (b), and (c) represents the real or imaginary part of 1 pixel in Fig. 7g, h, and i. 5.2 A comparison with an empirical model Figure 7a–f present a composite analysis in the same manner as in Fig. 4j–l but for the amplitude of complex average, \|ã\|. The similarities between Figs. 4j–l and 7a–c indicate that the phases of solar tides are consistent from year to year. For an independent quantitative comparison, we present the seasonal variation of the solar tides according to CTMT (Oberheide et al., 2011), in Fig. 7g–l. The CTMT results exhibit some consistency with our results, especially on SW2. SW2 in Fig. 7h maximizes during August–September and December–January, and in between these periods there is a minimum. The vertical gradient is steeper during the August–September maximum than during December–January. These features are similar to those in Fig. 7b. However, in the CTMT results, the maxima, or the minimum can hardly be observed (Fig. 7h). These morphological discrepancies might arise from the low temporal resolution of the model. The effective resolution is about 2 months, during which the satellite observations used for the model cover the whole local time once. In contrast, the September maximum and the minimum are narrower than 2 months; therefore they might be smeared out. In the case of phase, our result in Fig. 7e also exhibits similarities to the CTMT results in Fig. 7k. Figure 9The bias of our tidal estimation due to the existence of neglected 12 h tides (including SE3, SE2, SE1, S0, and SW4) predicted by CTMT (Oberheide et al., 2011). SW3 is compared in Fig. 7c, f, i, and l, from which similarities in both amplitude and phase occur mainly in fall. Although SW3 in the CTMT results also exhibits a second maximum, it occurs during February–March, up to 2 months before the second annual peak in early May from our results (see Figs. 7c and 6a). This difference might be associated with the seasonally uneven sampling of observations used for the model: the satellite takes 2 months to cover all local time sectors. In the case of SW1, major discrepancies are found in both amplitudes and phases. For instance, the December maximum in our results (Fig. 7a) could not be found in the CTMT (Fig. 7g). These qualitative findings are supported quantitatively by Fig. 8a, b, and c, where the in-phase and quadrature components of our estimations vs. the model are shown as scatterplots for SW1, SW2, and SW3. The highest correlation coefficient is observed in SW2. Since the temporal and vertical resolutions of our results are higher than the CTMT, we smear our results down to the resolutions of CTMT and calculate the correlation coefficients again, yielding correlations coefficients slightly higher than those in Fig. 8 by up to 0.01 (not shown). The correlations are not high overall, reflecting mainly the different assumptions used by the two approaches. Our approaches assume that the meridian tidal variation among our SMRs is negligible, whereas CTMT, as well as any other tidal analyses using single-satellite approaches, assumes the tides are static in the data-binning window. Evaluating these assumptions comparatively entails an independent model with high resolutions in both time and space. Besides, our results might be contaminated by the neglected tides, which is quantified in the next section, whereas the CTMT tidal components might be contaminated by aliasing from waves with similar periods, e.g., the secondary waves and M2. 5.3 Bias of our estimation due to the existence of neglected solar tidal components For estimating the solar tides and as explained in Sect. 2.2, in our approach we assume that our targeting components, i.e., SW1, SW2, and SW3, are the dominant components at 12.0 h. This assumption might be too strong given that other neglected semidiurnal tidal components have also been reported (e.g., Oberheide et al., 2011; He et al., 2011). The current section quantifies the bias due to the existence of other neglected components according to CTMT. Arrange Eq. (1) into two parts, namely the targeting components with amplitudes ã3×1tar and the neglected components with ã(K-3)×1neg: W̃1,W̃2,…,W̃5′=Ẽ5×KãK×1:=Ẽ5×3tarã3×1tar(2)+Ẽ5×(K-3)negã(K-3)×1neg. Multiply (Ẽ5×3tar)-1:=(Ẽ5×3tar)TẼ5×3tar-1(Ẽ5×3tar)T, resulting in (Ẽ5×3tar)-1W̃1,W̃2,…,W̃5′=ã3×1tar+(Ẽ5×3tar)-1(3)Ẽ5×(K-3)negã(K-3)×1neg. Here, the term on the left is the estimated amplitude of the targeting components, while the first term on the right is the corresponding real amplitude. Therefore, their difference, i.e., the second term on the right, corresponds to the bias due to the neglected tidal components. According to CTMT, we estimate the bias and display its absolute value in Fig. 9. Contributing to the bias are semidiurnal components SE3, SE2, SE1, S0, and SW4. Overall, the bias is below 2 m s−1 but above 90 km in summer, which suggests our main conclusions in previous sections are not affected by our assumption that SW1, SW2, and SW3 are the dominant components. Actually, when determined by the configuration of the SMRs, the matrices of both (Ẽ5×3tar)-1 and (Ẽ5×3tar)-1Ẽ5×(K-3)neg are very well conditioned (with condition numbers of 1.6 and 2.4), suggesting our estimations are not sensitively affected by the errors in both the wavelet spectra and the neglected semidiurnal components. Our comparison from the previous section has stressed the additional information that our results bring, specifically, those on SW1 and SW3. In future efforts, we plan to add more ground-based observations and try to combine them with satellite-based wind and temperature observations (cf. Zhou et al., 2018) to improve our understanding of mesospheric tides. Although the current work focuses on the near-12 h waves at midlatitudes, our joint data set analysis approach could be extended to other periods, e.g., diurnal or terdiurnal tides. 6 Conclusions By combining mesospheric zonal wind observations collected by five midlatitude SMRs from three longitudinal sectors, we develop an approach to statistically investigate six waves at periods close to 12 h, namely three solar tides (SW1, SW2, and SW3), two sidebands of nonlinear modulation of 16 d wave on SW2 (LSB and USB), and a lunar tide (M2). We first filter the observation from each SMR into three narrow frequency bands through a high-frequency-resolved wavelet analysis. Then, in each of the three bands, wavelet spectra from all SMRs are combined to fit the potential waves. The results suggest that the temporal variations of the waves are characterized by responses to SSWs (enhancements of LSB, USB, and M2, and a decrease in SW2) and climatological seasonal variations of the solar tides. Our main results are as follows: Contrary to most extensive previous literature, our results suggest that SW1 and SW3 do not statistically enhance during SSWs. The LSB and USB enhancements have been misinterpreted as SW1 and SW3 signatures, respectively. Meanwhile, the enhancements are associated with a decrease in SW2, which could be explained in terms of the energy exchange through the nonlinear interaction. Both enhancements of LSB and M2 depend on the SSW classification with respect to the polar vortex split or displacement. M2 enhancement is stronger during vortex split SSWs than that during the vortex displacement, whereas LSB is the other way around. Overall, M2 is stronger than LSB, except during the vortex-displacement SSW when they are comparable, implicating that LSB might contaminate the existing M2 estimations based on single-site observations. The seasonal variations of solar tides are in reasonable agreement with existing observational studies: SW2 is the dominant component, which maximizes around September and December followed by two minima; SW1 maximizes in winter, and SW3 maximizes in fall and spring. In October, when SW3 is at its annual maximum and SW2 is at a minimum, their strengths are comparable to each other. These results suggest that the 12.0 h harmonic amplitude from single-radar analyses is dominated by SW2 for most of the seasons except in October. Data availability. Our main results, namely the complex amplitudes of the six waves as a function of time and altitude, are shared at ftp://ftp.iap-kborn.de/data-in-publications/HeACP2018/ (last access: 19 December 2018). The SMR data from Mohe and Beijing are provided by BNOSE (Beijing National Observatory of Space Environment), IGGCAS (Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences) through the Data Center for Geophysics, National Earth System Science Data Sharing Infrastructure (http://wdc.geophys.cn, last access: 3 March 2017). The model CTMT (Climatological Tidal Model of the Thermosphere) is available at http://globaldynamics.sites.clemson.edu/articles/ctmt.html (last access: 28 September 2018). Author contributions. The conceptualization was done by MH and JLC, the methodology was formulated by MH, the software was developed by MH, the original draft was written by MH, the manuscript was reviewed and edited by MH and JLC, and funding was acquired by JLC. Competing interests. The authors appreciate the suggestions from Weixing Wan of jointly analyzing SMR observations from different longitudinal sectors, the discussions with Peter Hoffman on the tidal climatologies, and the discussions with Nick Pedatella and Jens Oberheider on the error estimation. We thank Guozhu Li for operating the SMRs at Mohe and Beijing, Christoph Jacobi for the data from Collm SMR, and Peter Brown for the CMOR SMR data. We are also grateful to Gunter Stober for processing the hourly wind from SMRs. This study is partially supported by the WATILA project (SAW-2-15-IAP-5 383) and by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under SPP 1788 (DynamicEarth) project CH 1482/1-1 (DYNAMITE). The publication of this article was funded by the Open Access Fund of the Leibniz Association. Review statement. This paper was edited by Thomas von Clarmann and reviewed by two anonymous referees. Ahlquist, J. E.: Normal-Mode Global Rossby Waves. Theory and Observations, J. 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M., Jacobi, C., and Drummond, J. R.: Mesospheric wind diurnal tides within the Canadian Middle Atmosphere Model Data Assimilation System, J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phys., 74, 24–43, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jastp.2011.09.003, 2012. a Yu, Y., Wan, W., Ning, B., Liu, L., Wang, Z., Hu, L., and Ren, Z.: Tidal wind mapping from observations of a meteor radar chain in December 2011, J. Geophys. Res.-Space, 118, 2321–2332, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JA017976, 2013. a Yu, Y., Wan, W., Ren, Z., Xiong, B., Zhang, Y., Hu, L., Ning, B., and Liu, L.: Seasonal variations of MLT tides revealed by a meteor radar chain based on Hough mode decomposition, J. Geophys. Res.-Space, 120, 7030–7048, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JA021276, 2015. a Zhang, J. T., Forbes, J. M., Zhang, C. H., Doornbos, E., and Bruinsma, S. L.: Lunar tide contribution to thermosphere weather, Sp. Weather, 12, 538–551, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014SW001079, 2014. a Zhang, X. and Forbes, J. M.: Lunar tide in the thermosphere and weakening of the northern polar vortex, Geophys. Res. Lett., 41, 8201–8207, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014GL062103, 2014. a Zhou, X., Wan, W., Yu, Y., Ning, B., Hu, L., and Yue, X.: New Approach to Estimate Tidal Climatology From Ground- and Space-Based Observations, J. Geophys. Res.-Space, 123, 5087–5101, https://doi.org/10.1029/2017JA024967, 2018. a We propose an approach to resolve waves with multiple spatial scales at a given frequency using ground-based detectors from few longitudinal sectors. The approach is used to investigate near-12 h waves. Results suggest that broadly reported enhancements of two solar nonmigrating tides during sudden stratospheric warming events are just low-frequency-resolved signatures of two neighboring waves. The tides do not enhance. We propose an approach to resolve waves with multiple spatial scales at a given frequency using...	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line289
__label__cc	0.629725	0.370275	Novels into film Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1957. Call No: 753.4 BLU Author: Bluestone, George Place: Baltimore Publisher: Johns Hopkins Press PhysDes: 237 p. : illus. ; 23 cm Subject: ADAPTATIONS; ADAPTATIONS. BRONTE SISTERS; PHOTOGRAPHY AND THE CINEMA; INFORMER, THE (US, John Ford, 1935); WUTHERING HEIGHTS (US, William Wyler, 1939); GRAPES OF WRATH, THE (US, John Ford, 1940); PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (US, Robert Z. Leonard, 1940); OX-BOW INCIDENT, THE (US, William Wellman, 1943); MADAME BOVARY (US, Vincente Minnelli, 1949) Summary: "First published in 1957, this work of film theory analyzes the process - "the mysterious alchemy" - by which novels are transformed into films. Beginning with a discussion of the aesthetic limits of both the novel and the film, George Bluestone goes on to offer close readings of six films based on novels of serious literary merit - The Informer, Wuthering Heights, The Grapes of Wrath, Pride and Prejudice, The Ox-Bow Incident, and Madame Bovary - focusing on the additions, deletions, and other changes made by the filmmakers in adapting the source material for the screen. Based on both in-depth research into film archives and libraries and on interviews with the screenwriters, directors, and producers who worked on these films, Novels into Film concludes that because the novel lends itself to states of consciousness and the film to observed reality, the adaptation of one from the other produces a new and wholly autonomous art form."--BOOK JACKET. Notes: Includes bibliographies LON: 57008449; 637427 Contents: Ch. 1. The Limits of the Novel and the Limits of the Film -- Ch. 2. The Informer -- Ch. 3. Wuthering Heights -- Ch. 4. Pride and Prejudice -- Ch. 5. The Grapes of Wrath -- Ch. 6. The Ox-Bow Incident -- Ch. 7. Madame Bovary. Old collection Our modern art : the movies / by Ernest Callenbach Chicago IL: Centre for the Study of Liberal Education for Adults, 1955. Call No: F53 CAL Author: Callenbach, Ernest Place: Chicago IL Publisher: Centre for the Study of Liberal Education for Adults PhysDes: 116 p. ; 22 cm. Subject: CRITICISM; FILM STUDY AND RESEARCH; TEACHING MATERIALS; OX-BOW INCIDENT, THE (US, William Wellman, 1943) Notes: Includes bibliographic references. Reel justice : the courtroom goes to the movies / Paul Bergman and Michael Asimow Kansas City: Andrews and McMeel, c1996. Call No: 734.4 BER Author: Bergman, Paul, 1943; Asimow, Michael Place: Kansas City Publisher: Andrews and McMeel PhysDes: xix, 338 p. : ill. ; 23 cm Subject: TRIALS IN FILMS; ACCUSED, THE (US, Jonathan Kaplan, 1988); EVIL ANGELS (AT, Fred Schepisi, 1988); INHERIT THE WIND (US, Stanley Kramer, 1960); MAN FOR ALL SEASONS, A (US, Fred Zinnemann, 1966); ONION FIELD, THE (US, Harold Becker, 1979); REVERSAL OF FORTUNE (US, Barbet Schroeder, 1990); THIN BLUE LINE, THE (US, Errol Morris, 1988); BILLY BUDD (UK, Peter Ustinov, 1962); BREAKER MORANT (AT, Bruce Beresford, 1980); CAINE MUTINY, THE (US, Edward Dmytryk, 1954); FEW GOOD MEN, A (US, Rob Reiner, 1992); PATHS OF GLORY (US, Stanley Kubrick, 1957); ADAM'S RIB (US, George Cukor, 1949); [MISTER] MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN (US, Frank Capra, 1936); MY COUSIN VINNY (US, Jonathan Lynn, 1992); ...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (US, Norman Jewison, 1979); COMPULSION (US, Richard Fleischer, 1959); IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER (IE/UK/US, Jim Sheridan, 1993); LIFE OF EMILE ZOLA, THE (US, William Dieterle, 1937); PHILADELPHIA (US, Jonathan Demme, 1993); SOMMERSBY (US, Jon Amiel, 1993); TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (US, Robert Mulligan, 1962); YOUNG MR. LINCOLN (US, John Ford, 1939); MUSIC BOX (US, Constantin Costa-Gavras, 1989); PARADINE CASE, THE (US, Alfred Hitchcock, 1947); BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT (US, Fritz Lang, 1956); BOOMERANG (US, Elia Kazan, 1947); PRESUMED INNOCENT (US, Alan J. Pakula, 1990); THEY WON'T FORGET (US, Mervyn LeRoy, 1937); WRONG MAN, THE (US, Jim McBride, 1993); ANATOMY OF A MURDER (US, Otto Preminger, 1959); M (G, Fritz Lang, 1931); STAR CHAMBER, THE (US, Peter Hyams, 1983); SUSPECT (US, Peter Yates, 1987); TRIAL BY JURY (US, Heywood Gould, 1994); [TWELVE] 12 ANGRY MEN (US, Sidney Lumet, 1956); CLASS ACTION (US, Michael Apted, 1991); LOSING ISAIAH (US, Stephen Gyllenhaal, 1995); MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (US, Les Mayfield, 1994); NUTS (US, Martin Ritt, 1987); VERDICT, THE (US, Sidney Lumet, 1982); WHOSE LIFE IS IT, ANYWAY? (US, John Badham, 1981); ALL THAT MONEY CAN BUY (US, William Dieterle, 1941); BLOOD OATH (AT, Stephen Wallace, 1990); HOUR OF THE PIG, THE (FR/UK, Leslie Megahey, 1993); YOUNG PHILADELPHIANS, THE (US, Vincent Sherman, 1959); LIBEL (UK, Anthony Asquith, 1959); KRAMER VS. KRAMER (US, Robert Benton, 1979); OX-BOW INCIDENT, THE (US, William Wellman, 1943); ON TRIAL (US, Terry Morse, 1939); I WANT TO LIVE! (US, Robert Wise, 1958); JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG (US, Stanley Kramer, 1961); LET HIM HAVE IT (UK, Peter Medak, 1991); [TEN] 10 RILLINGTON PLACE (UK, Richard Fleischer, 1971); COURT-MARTIAL OF BILLY MITCHELL, THE (US, Otto Preminger, 1955); BANANAS (US, Woody Allen, 1971); MURDER IN THE FIRST (US, Marco Rocco, 1995); TRIAL (US, Mark Robson, 1955); GUILTY AS SIN (US, Sidney Lumet, 1993); JAGGED EDGE (US, Richard Marquand, 1985); LETTER, THE (US, William Wyler, 1940); KNOCK ON ANY DOOR (US, Nicholas Ray, 1949); WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (US, Billy Wilder, 1957); ACT OF MURDER, AN (US, Michael Gordon, 1948); FURY (US, Fritz Lang, 1936); I CONFESS (US, Alfred Hitchcock, 1953); PLACE IN THE SUN, A (US, George Stevens, 1951); THEY WON'T BELIEVE ME (US, Irving Pichel, 1947) ISBN: 0836210352 (pbk.)	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line292
__label__wiki	0.560687	0.560687	Police Body-Worn Camera and Dashboard Camera Footage and Release Policy Pursuant to Executive Order No. 147, the New York State Attorney General serves as special prosecutor in incidents where a law enforcement officer causes the death of an unarmed civilian, or where there is a significant question as to whether the civilian was armed and dangerous. These cases are handled by the Attorney General's Special Investigations and Prosecutions Unit (SIPU). While SIPU's primary objective is to fairly and thoroughly investigate these incidents, it also seeks to provide transparency to the public and to strengthen the public's trust in these matters. As detailed below, to further increase transparency, Attorney General James issued a directive that body-worn camera and dashboard camera footage obtained in the course of a SIPU investigation into a matter over which SIPU has jurisdiction will be released to the public. Investigation into the death of Daniel Prude Investigation into the death of Troy Hodge Investigation into the death of Susan Harrington Police Body-Worn and Dashboard Camera Video Release Policy SIPU will release body-worn camera and dashboard camera footage obtained during an investigation over which we have jurisdiction in a timely manner, when permissible by law. SIPU will not wait until the completion of an investigation to release the footage. The footage may be redacted or withheld, as appropriate, to, among other things: Ensure privacy (interiors of residences or other private spaces; location of domestic violence programs or shelters; intimate images; images of an individual receiving medical attention; images of documents containing personal identifying information); Comply with federal, state, or local laws; Protect confidential sources or witnesses; Protect a person's right to a fair trial; Protect the identities of victims of sex crimes and domestic violence; Protect the privacy, life or safety of any person; Avoid undue trauma due to explicit or graphic content; and Protect the identities of minors. Prior to releasing any camera footage, SIPU will give at least 24 hours' notice, when possible, to the following parties: A known family member or next of kin of the deceased; Legal counsel for the family or next of kin; The police department that is involved in the incident; and/or Any other known entities investigating the incident. The release of this footage is not an expression of any opinion as to the guilt or innocence of any party in a criminal matter or any opinion as to how or whether any individual may be charged with a crime.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line293
__label__cc	0.686851	0.313149	Blog Veille & Actus La salle de presse Retour à la salle de presse Microwave Vision http://www.mvg-world.com/fr Suivre l'actualité de Microwave Vision Increase in Half-year Results for Microwave Vision in 2013 – Revenue: +13% \| Operating profit for the period: +4% Microwave Vision (Paris: ALMIC) has posted half-year revenues of 23.55 million EUR as at 30 June 2013, compared with 20.77 million EUR a year earlier, representing an increase of 13%. The half-year operating profit for the period is also up, standing at 0.72 million EUR against 0.69 million EUR in the first half of 2012 (+4%), with an operating margin of 3.1%. Robust growth and an operating profit for the period, up by 4% Microwave Vision Group continuing the positive trend shown in the first quarter 2013 announces a 13% increase in its half-year revenues compared to the same period in 2012. In the first half of the year, the company continued to successfully manage its project costs (purchases and payroll), enabling it to post a 4% increase in its operating profit for the period, 3.1% of revenues. Only the net profit and the Group share of net profit have reduced slightly, due to the impact of the borrowing fees for the loan taken out in 2012 to expand the Group and to the variation in exchange rates on the cost of financial debt. The company anticipates increased profitability in the second half of the year, when the level of activity is generally higher. Since the beginning of the year, business momentum has been very strong in North America, which has taken the lead from Asia, accounting for 36% of business (34% in Asia and 30% in Europe). This level of progress is remarkable, considering that last year the USA generated no more than 30% of the Group’s revenues. Orders from the American Aerospace and Defense sector have boosted this momentum, generating 56% of the revenues for the first half of the year. The Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Business Unit has also gained a significant amount of ground, now representing 12% of the half-year revenue against 6% in 2012. This trend is even more marked when we consider the orders placed with this Business Unit: 21% of global orders during the first six months of the year, compared with 16% of orders last year. It should be noted that Microwave Vision made major investments in this sector in 2012, with the purchase of Rainford EMC. In the first half of the year, the Group brought the activities of its German branch into line with Group standards regarding the use of standardized products for the design, construction and installation of customized systems. Positive effects on the activity and profitability of the Group are expected as from 2014. Working towards the 2013 goal: profitable growth Orders have significantly increased,with a rise of 57% in the first half of the year compared to the first half of 2012. The Group is anticipating that business momentum will remain strong for the AMS (Antenna Measurement Systems) and EMC Business Units in the United States, Asia and India, which will also be boosted by the launch of new products. The half-year revenues, combined with the significant development of the EMC Business Unit and the increased number of orders, have enabled the Group to remain confident that they will reach their growth and profitability targets in 2013. The original source-language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version. Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross-referenced with the source-language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect. #AEROSPACE #defense #FINANCIAL RESULTS #HIGH TECHNOLOGY Imprimer le communiqué NeptuLinkby MVG sur le Nautic,… Après une première année d’existence, NeptuLinkby MVG, est présent sur le rendez-vous des passionnés du nautisme. Solution destinée aux professionnels et au grand public, NeptuLinkby MVG permet une connexion permanente... MVG de retour sur Le… La deuxième liaison 2015 du voilier breton « la Biche » a achevé son parcours pour transporter 15 tonnes de marchandises entre Lorient, Yeu, Bordeaux, Royan, Paimbœuf, Nantes, Douarnenez et... NeptuLink by MVG adopté par… Avec NeptuLink by MVG, MVG satisfait à toute l’étendue des besoins de connexion à l’Internet Haut Débit en zone côtière. Les professionnels sont nombreux à y voir un changement qualitatif... Voir tous les communiqués de Microwave Vision Recevez nos plaquettes ! Un conseil, un devis ? On vous répond ! Souhaitez-vous vous inscrire à notre newsletter mensuelle ?	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line294
__label__wiki	0.976458	0.976458	Gonzo Texas musician Jerry Jeff Walker dead at 78 By Charlie Haldeman AUSTIN, Texas (KTRK) -- Jerry Jeff Walker, the vagabonding gonzo musician known as one of the founding fathers of modern Texas country music, has died after a years-long fight against throat cancer, according to the Austin American Statesman. While Walker was familiar to Texans as the purveyor of the Lukenbach sound, he was known wider as the writer of the 1968 song, "Mr. Bojangles," a tune he penned after meeting a homeless street performer while in a New Orleans jail cell for public intoxication. RIP #JerryJeffWalker, a country music legend and friend of #RODEOHOUSTON. Jerry performed on the Rodeo stage back in 2003. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.❤️ pic.twitter.com/ieOtM4YIos — RODEOHOUSTON (@RODEOHOUSTON) October 24, 2020 He was born Ronald Clyde Crosby in Oneonta, New York, on March 16, 1942 and began playing music in the area as a teen. He left home to roam the country in the 1960s and spent time in New York City's Greenwich Village, New Orleans and Key West, Florida, before migrating and settling in the Austin area in 1971, a region he became most widely associated with, as the live music capital began to earn its reputation. He recorded mainstream country music albums for MCA and Elektra before setting out on his own independent label, Tried & True Music, according to his biography. The label and business enterprise was managed by his wife, Susan. Known for tunes like his own "Gettin' By," "Sangria Wine," and Ray Wylie Hubbard's "Up Against The Wall, Redneck Mother," Walker followed up with ballads like "Mr. Bojangles," and Gary P. Nunn's "London Homesick Blues." Larry Winters, host of 'Spare Change' on community radio station KPFT 90.1FM, reminisces about the legacy of Jerry Jeff Walker and his relationships with Houston singer-songwriters In 2018, Austin American Statesman writer Peter Blackstock said Walker may have written more about the country's social scene in the 1970s than he was given credit for. "Jerry Jeff Walker, the notorious rowdy raconteur who left a thousand beer-drinkin', hard-partyin' imitators at honky-tonk roadhouses all across Texas in his wake, penning songs of social consciousness? It's not really all that far-fetched, as it turns out," Blackstock wrote. While Walker was known for songs, his associations with other musicians may have been as epic as his repertoire. He was credited with giving singer-songwriter Guy Clark his big break by recording "L.A. Freeway," and "That Old Time Feeling," Blackstock wrote. Parrotheads everywhere may have Jerry Jeff to thank for Jimmy Buffett's long-time association with Key West and the Margaritaville sound. Buffett recently recalled how his association with Walker led to his relocation to the Keys. "Jerry Jeff was kind enough to take me in and let me stay and live with him for a while," Buffett said. "I worked part-time in an auto repair garage, working on his car and then, when the car got fixed, we drove to Key West." Michael Martin Murphy and Gary P. Nunn also went on to successful solo careers of their own after their time in Walker's Lost Gonzo Band. The Wittliff Collections at Texas State University acquired Walker's early recordings, including song demos made in Houston in 1965. Walker was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2017, but continued to work on songs and projects throughout his battle against the illness. He's survived by his wife, Susan, his son, Django, and his daughter, Jessie Jane. Jerry Jeff Walker was 78 years old. Singer-songwriter Todd Snider's remembers Jerry Jeff Walker as the pair left a Santa Fe, New Mexico, bar from the book "I Never Met a Story I Didn't Like: Mostly True Tall Tales." Follow Charlie Haldeman on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram. arts & entertainmenttexas newsentertainmenttexasmusic newsobituary2015 philadelphia mayoral electionmemorial Houston Congresswoman gives insight into Impeachment preparation Biden's student loan debt plan is 'blessing,' Houstonian says	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line296
__label__wiki	0.948009	0.948009	President Trump strikes a softer tone in Reno after bombastic Phoenix rally The difference in audience members could be the reason. By MEGHAN KENEALLY Donald Trump shifts tone, asking for love and unity at a conference in Reno This comes after a campaign rally in Phoenix yesterday where the president let loose with a free-wheeling mix of policy, defiance and spite. Joshua Roberts/Reuters — -- President Donald Trump's tone at today’s speech at the National Convention of the American Legion in Reno, Nevada struck a softer tone than his bombastic speech in Phoenix on Tuesday night. "There is no country like the United States of America. We have no division too deep for us to heal, and there is no enemy too strong for us to overcome. Because in America, we never lose faith. We never forget who we are and we never stop striving for a better future. Together, we cannot fail," he said. Much of the difference in attitude may be explained by the two very different audiences he was speaking to over the past 24 hours. Tuesday night's event was a campaign rally where he was speaking to his base of fervent supporters inside; outside, thousands gathered to protest the president’s appearance. By contrast, today's speech in Reno was to a veterans service organization. "We are here to draw inspiration from you as we seek to renew the bonds of loyalty that bind us together as one people and one nation," Trump said today. "For generations now, the American legion has taught our young people the principles of Americanism. You emphasize the need to preserve the nation's cultural, moral, and patriotic values. You encourage the observation of patriotic holidays. You stress the need to enforce our laws, including our immigration laws. You teach the responsibilities of citizenship and the importance of the pledge of allegiance," he said. At one point, he did reference "history and culture," a phrase he has used since the violent and deadly protests over the removal of a confederate statue in Charlottesville earlier this month. In today's speech, Trump did not specifically mention Charlottesville or ties to confederate statues. "You teach young Americans to have pride in our history so that they will have confidence in our future. History and culture, so important," he said today. During Tuesday night's speech he struck a different tone, suggesting that some people want to remove statues of "America's great leaders," like former Presidents George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt. "They're trying to take away our culture, our history and our weak leaders," he said in Phoenix.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line297
__label__wiki	0.891605	0.891605	Rise of the Tomb Raider to Put Greater Emphasis on Puzzles If you were one of the old school fans of Lara Croft hoping for more tombs in the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot, don't worry, Rise of the Tomb Raider is going to have all sorts of puzzle-filled dangers for you to explore. In an interview with Game Informer, Noah Hughes, the Creative Director of Rise of the Tomb Raider, spoke about how Lara Croft's next adventure would put a much larger emphasis on tombs and puzzles, which is likely to help cater to fans of the original PS-One series. Hughes is aware that a lot of critics of the 2013 reboot were hoping for larger tombs, more exploration and elaborate puzzles that would span multiple rooms and levels. Luckily, Hughes' team is making this sequel with the classic Tomb Raider titles in mind: Puzzles are an important part of the "Tomb" formula I think. So we're excited to have more tombs in the game, featuring more puzzles in the game. You'll still see a spectrum of difficulty in puzzles, so some of the secret tombs are larger and in some cases might have more difficult puzzles, but you're still going to find the full spectrum and we try to place them in the game in a ramped sort of way. But we really do celebrate puzzle design as a unique facet of our gameplay formula and we take that as a challenge - not just create the fiction of a tomb's space but really to deliver on the people's sense of using their wits, resourcefulness and smarts to suss out how they really are going to unlock these secrets. And so we're pushing that quite a bit. We still take an approach of leveraging real world systems, like physics and things like that. We had very much a focus on cause and effect in the world. You're not going to find a ton of arbitrary "logic" puzzles, but you will find a lot more ancient-themed puzzle spaces that really ask the player to leverage their sense of how the world works and physics and things like that. So you get a combination of our 2013 reboot aesthetics infused with a lot more of that nostalgic scale [in regards to the original Tomb Raider titles] and ancient space. Hughes mentions that it's all about the payoff of finally solving a puzzle, even if you have to scratch your head and think for a minute, and finally running through those opened doors to see the big payoff. "I think puzzles are hard to tune. You may find half of the audience just getting it very quickly and others not. The challenge is making sure there aren't a large number of people that are confused about a particular puzzle but also providing a challenge for those who want challenge," Hughes added. "Things like combat often scale a little better, so a difficult mode for combat can create two different experiences from the same combat setup. But puzzles, you have to get that 'AHA!' moment or not." Rise of the Tomb Raider is expected to debut in Q4 2015 for Xbox One and Xbox 360. Since Microsoft's console exclusivity for Tomb Raider is time-based, we are likely to see Rise of the Tomb Raider on PlayStation consoles (hopefully) sometime in 2016. RISE OF THE TOMB RAIDER DETAILS UNEARTHED Filed Under: Crystal Dynamics, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One Categories: Action Games, News	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line299
__label__wiki	0.966791	0.966791	Mobutu Sese Seko, 66, Longtime Dictator of Zaire By HOWARD W. FRENCH From Lowly Informer to All-Powerful Warrior Independence Fever Heats Big Ambitions Strongman's Coup Gets Wink From Washington Bankrupting a Country in Pursuit of Grandeur As Powers Dimmed, a Death Foretold obutu Sese Seko, Zaire's longtime dictator and the last of a generation of Cold War rulers who grew fabulously rich by providing a bulwark against communism, died in exile Sunday in Rabat, Morocco, after a long battle with prostate cancer. He was 66. Having held Zaire together for 31 years, Mobutu was chased from power in May after a seven-month rebellion led by a lifelong opponent, Laurent Desire Kabila. Throughout his rule, Mobutu swore that he would never be known as a former president, but only as the late president. In another characteristic boast, he often said that before him there was no Zaire, and that his country would not survive him either. If Kabila's army of footsoldiers put a lie to Mobutu's first claim, history ironically proved the second boast true. Hours after Mobutu's own mutinous army fired on the cargo plane that he had used to flee the country from his opulent palace in his native village, Gbadolite, the victorious rebel leader proclaimed himself president. In his first official act, Kabila renamed the country the Congo, restoring the name used by Belgian colonists and changed by Mobutu in 1971. Mobutu's panicked flight into exile was merely the beginning of a humiliating end for a man whose almost constant presence at the front and center of the African political stage had turned him into one of the world's most vainglorious leaders. France, Mobutu's close ally until the bitter end refused to give him asylum. Similarly, Togo, a West African state ruled by another longtime dictator, Gnassingbe Eyadema, asked Mobutu and his large entourage of family and aides to leave the country just days after the exiled leader landed there. Finally, Morocco, another ally, took Mobutu in. For most of his four months there, the longtime dictator's failing health kept him confined to hospitals. After seizing power in a 1965 coup, Mobutu formed one of the continent's archetypal one-party states, tolerating no dissent and encouraging a strong personality cult. The chosen symbols of his power became a trademark leopard-skin cap and wooden walking stick, carved with the figure of an eagle at the top. Under the banner of an ideology dubbed "authenticity," and later simply known as Mobutuism, he sought to legitimize his rule by reawakening pride in values supposedly unique to Africans, all the while enhancing his own power as the country's undisputed chief. He built his political longevity on three pillars: violence, cunning, and the use of state funds to buy off enemies. His systematic looting of the national treasury and major industries gave birth to the term "kleptocracy" to describe a reign of official corruption that reputedly made him one world's wealthiest heads of state. Bernard Kouchner, a minister in the government of former France President Francois Mitterrand, referring to Mobutu's wealth, estimated by some to be as great as $5 billion, once described the African leader as "a walking bank vault with a leopard-skin cap." Mobutu's rapid rise from obscurity, beginning at the outset of his country's chaotic independence from Belgium, was also due in no small part to the help of Washington and other Western powers who saw in him a valuable ally against instability and Communist encroachment in Central Africa. Playing this strategic card to the hilt, Mobutu allowed his huge country, which borders nine other African nations, to be used as a staging ground for supporting Western client states and anti-Communist guerrilla movements throughout the region, most notably next door in oil-rich Angola. By the same token, Mobutu was able repeatedly to call on his Western allies to help put down the rebellions that have almost continuously marked his country's history after independence. Mobutu's aid in the effort to contain Soviet influence in Africa, and his country's status as a repository of immense mineral wealth earned the Zairian leader direct contacts -- unmatched by any other leader of black Africa -- with every American president from Dwight Eisenhower to George Bush. Only late in the Bush administration did Washington officially begin to shun Mobutu, denying him visas to visit the United States, and encouraging him to organize free national elections. Mobutu had managed to outlast a stern generation of famously wealthy, rightist dictators who ruled over much of the developing world throughout the Cold War, from the Duvaliers of Haiti to Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines. But by the 1990s, with much of Africa and the rest of the world swept up in a new spirit of democratic politics, Mobutu's traditional Western backers had begun to see him as an embarrassing dinosaur. uring his long public life, Mobutu rose from being a lowly colonial police informer, journalist and army sergeant to become chief of staff of his country's armed forces, military dictator and ultimately president. He changed his name from Joseph Desire Mobutu to Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu waza Banga, which, according to most translations means "the all-powerful warrior who, because of his endurance and inflexible will to win, will go from conquest to conquest leaving fire in his wake. According to an alternate translation, the name meant: the rooster that watches over all the hens. Likewise, the name Congo was changed to Zaire, an old Portuguese corruption of a local name for the country's greatest river. Similarly, as all European-derived place names were replaced with African names, the capital, Leopoldville, was renamed Kinshasa. For over two decades, Mobutu's drive for "authenticity" meant that Zairians were forbidden from using Christian names, bleaching their skin and straightening their hair, or even playing most kinds of foreign music on the radio. Rather than employing the terms Mr. or Mrs., Zairians were enjoined to address each other as "Citizen." And in the place of the Western business suit, Mobutu imposed his own creation, a two-piece outfit of pants and a tunic, patterned after the so-called Mao suits worn in China. These clothes, designed to be worn with a foulard at the neck, were dubbed "abacost," a contraction of "a bas le costume," or down with the suit. Initially, Mobutu's ideology also contained a strong component of economic nationalism, and in 1973, the government began taking over foreign-owned industries and plantations, particularly Belgian ones. The distribution of these assets among the president's closest domestic allies instantly created a class of nouveaux riches, but within two years had nearly brought the once prosperous economy to a crash, forcing Mobutu to reverse direction. For Mobutu, by far the most important aspect of his ideology was its attempt to legitimize his absolute rule by reference to supposedly traditional African political values. According to Mobutu and his regime's enforcers, Africa's ancestral culture was incompatible with Western-style democracy, and called instead for an all-powerful and unifying chief whose wealth and prestige were the best gauges by which the governed could measure their own fortunes. For a time, as long as Mobutu was heavily courted by Western powers, and prices for Zaire's immense supplies of copper, cobalt and diamonds remained high, this strategy seemed to succeed brilliantly, leading several African presidents to copy features of his style of rule. But the Zairian leader was the most extreme, amassing one of the world's largest private fortunes, a process that continued even after his country's economy had begun a prolonged nose dive. Mobutu, who collected luxurious mansions around the world, enjoyed traveling on extended vacations and going on lavish shopping trips to destinations like Disneyworld or Paris with large numbers of relatives and courtiers in specially chartered Boeing 747 and Concorde jets. At home, he converted his northern village of Gbadolite into a gaudy, white marble retreat that was often called the "Versailles of the Jungle," but in fact was modeled after the Belgian monarchy's Laeken Palace. Over time, this extravagance earned the country's self-styled "redeemer" unflattering comparisons with King Leopold II of Belgium, whose wanton exploitation of the Congo -- not as a colony, but as his own private royal property -- became a subject of Joseph Conrad's 1902 novel, "The Heart of Darkness." obutu was born on Oct. 14, 1930, in the northern town of Lisala in what was then the Belgian Congo. Born out of wedlock to a traditional chief of the Ngbaka ethnic group and Mama Marie Madeleine Yemo, Mobutu was adopted in his infancy by Alberic Gbemani, a cook for local Belgian missionaries who had married his mother. The young Mobutu was tutored in French and other subjects by Belgian missionaries who later helped him secure a place in missionary schools in Leopoldville and Coquilhatville, now known as Lisala. In 1950, Mobutu, who was then 20, joined the colonial army, known as the Force Publique, working as a journalist and rising in the space of six years to the rank of sergeant, which for an African of that era was a considerable achievement. Leaving active duty in 1956, Mobutu went to work as a columnist for the Leopoldville newspaper, L'Avenir, drawing him close to the embryonic pre-independence political scene of the capital. In 1959, he was sent by the colonial administration to Brussels for fellowships at the Institute of Journalism and the Institute of Social Studies. During his stay in Belgium, Mobutu was able to attend the Brussels Roundtable Conference on Congo Independence and is widely believed to have funneled information to Belgian intelligence on behind-the-scenes discussions between Congolese participants. Mobutu returned to Leopoldville just in time for the pro-independence riots that swept the capital and dramatically accelerated Belgium's timetable for handing over power to its African subjects. Suddenly, a transition that had been measured in decades, and which seemed mostly theoretical to many Belgians, was prepared in the space of a few months. At independence in 1960, Mobutu was called on by the new prime minister, Patrice Lumumba, to serve as his army chief of staff. Lumumba, a left-leaning, fiery African nationalist had shocked the Belgian delegation, led by King Baudouin, in his independence day speech by bluntly decrying the brutality and humiliation suffered by Africans at the hands of Europeans. The speech's biggest surprise, however, was Lumumba's announcement of the revocation of the Belgian officer corps that commanded the Force Publique, a 25,000-member corps that had hitherto included no African officers. The measure would prove fateful in many ways, almost immediately thrusting the country into a period of turbulence and repeated secession attempts, abetted by an embittered Brussels. It also placed Mobutu near the center of a political stage that he would dominate for nearly four decades. Mobutu's political savvy seemed to recommend him for the job of chief of staff of the armed forces, but it would not be long before the new military chief would betray the man who had appointed him. n Sept. 14, 1960, Mobutu, by then a colonel, "suspended" the country's political institutions, effectively, if temporarily, seizing power. The move came as the Congo was in the throes of a civil war with the copper-rich province of Katanga, now called Shaba, seeking to break away from the newborn country, and with Lumumba and the president, Joseph Kasavubu, locked in an irreconcilable power struggle. U.N. Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold, died in a mysterious airplane crash in 1961 as he attempted to fly into Katanga to settle the crisis. Mobutu is widely believed to have been strongly encouraged by Washington, acting through the Central Intelligence Agency in the waning days of the Eisenhower administration. His action prevented Lumumba from making good on an invitation to the Soviet Union to help put down the Katangese secession. Continuing its support once Mobutu took over, Washington is known to have repeatedly supplied him with cash to pay his soldiers, and an American-piloted jet for travel around the country. To avoid arrest or assassination, Lumumba sought refuge at the U.N. mission in Leopoldville, which for over two months was surrounded by Mobutu's soldiers. Lumumba escaped from the capital on Nov. 27, 1960, in a bid to reach his loyalists in the northeastern city of Stanleyville, now Kisangani, but was quickly captured. The deposed prime minister was tortured by Mobutu's agents before being flown to Katanga to be handed over to secessionist leader, Moise Tshombe, Lumumba's sworn enemy. Lumumba was killed in mysterious circumstances, and his body was never found. Mobutu formally restored power to civilian authorities in 1961, but continued working closely with the CIA in its efforts to help put down rebellions in eastern, central and southern regions of the country. On Nov. 24, 1965, Mobutu, now a lieutenant general, seized power again, but this time, with no intention of relinquishing it. The coup, one of the first military takeovers in Africa, came after U.S. financed mercenaries and other covert assistance had largely succeeded in suppressing the regional rebellions. The pretext for the coup was renewed squabbling between President Kasavubu and the country's prime minister, Tshombe. Like Lumumba before him, Tshombe, who went into exile after Mobutu's coup, was killed under mysterious circumstances while being detained in an Algerian jail. ack in control, Mobutu abolished party politics and for the next several years worked gradually at establishing his own uncontested authority. A year after his coup, Mobutu founded the Popular Movement of the Revolution, or MPR, the country's sole party whose membership was to become obligatory for all Zairians. By 1971, when he organized his first national elections, Mobutu's group had, in effect, become a state within a state. Mobutu ran unopposed in the presidential election, in which a green ballot paper symbolizing "progress" was to be used by voters supporting the incumbent. A red ballot paper, symbolizing "chaos" was, in theory, intended for those who did not wish to see Mobutu elected. After the voting, the government announced that only 157 voters had opposed the president. With his carefully engineered election, Mobutu had reached the height of his powers and now virtually ruled as an absolute monarch. Under the latest version of a constitution that he had repeatedly tinkered with, the president was declared "the embodiment of the nation," and his decisions were placed "outside the scope of the various articles of the constitution that limit, to a certain degree, the powers of the president." Seated comfortably in power, Mobutu introduced his "authenticity" policy, adopted the tile of marshal, and launched a series of major projects intended to transform Zaire into an economic powerhouse in Central Africa. Instead, Mobutu's policies, from the nationalization of foreign businesses to the pursuit of huge prestige projects, nearly bankrupted the country. The largest of the projects, the Inga Dam, which alone was slated to produce one-third of the world's hydroelectric energy, and the construction of an 1,100-mile high tension power grid to the copper-producing Shaba region, proved to be disastrous. The launching of bids for these grandiose public works projects caused Mobutu to be courted anew by Western capitals and their countries' largest construction firms and banks. But the debt crisis brought on by costly borrowing and the collapse of world copper prices ultimately thwarted those projects. Other bold strokes by Mobutu would also backfire, contributing to the slow, but irrevocable decline in his power. In 1975, Mobutu again consolidated his links with Washington by cooperating with the CIA in the launching of an assault on the Angolan capital, Luanda. The incursion of the Zairian army was aimed at helping a pro-Western guerrilla force, the National Front for the Liberation of Angola, seize the capital on the eve on independence from Portugal. Instead, Cuban support enabled a rival group, the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, to halt the march and rout the troops from Mobutu's most prestigious military unit, the Kamanyola Brigade, sent to assist the attack. Mobutu's clear taking of sides in the Angolan conflict would return to haunt him less than two years later, when Zairian opponents were allowed to use Angolan territory to attack the copper-rich Shaba province. obutu spent most of the 1980s wrestling with increasingly intractable economic problems brought on by the country's heavy debt, and exacerbated by the fall in copper prices and the regime's own constant theft of national resources. Zaire entered into a period of steep national decline. For years, Mobutu's only answers to the country's problems seemed to be continual reshuffling of government ministers and printing of virtually worthless new money to pay salaries. By the end of the decade, with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the demise of communism in most of the world, Mobutu had been stripped of any residual strategic importance. In 1990, when a democratization movement swept much of Africa, Mobutu responded at home by ordering a massacre of students at the University of Lubumbashi, in the country's far south. As word of the killings spread abroad, Belgium, Zaire's largest source of foreign aid, cut off assistance, demanding democratic reforms. Soon, the United States and France also joined in. In April 1990, Mobutu announced the opening of the country to multiparty politics, and conceded to the organization of a "national conference," which sought to limit his powers sharply, eventually imposing a prime minister chosen from the opposition, Etienne Tshisekedi wa Mulumba, and calling for national elections. Mobutu responded to the dwindling of his powers and his growing unpopularity by taking up residence on a luxury yacht, the Kamanyola, moored on the Zaire River, under heavy guard, at the edge of Kinshasa. Later, he left the capital altogether, moving to his palace in Gbadolite, nearly 1,000 miles to the north, forcing members of the government in Kinshasa to shuttle back and forth to conduct business with him. After appearing willing to bow to the decisions of the national conference, however, Mobutu did everything he could to frustrate the body, including printing huge amounts of money to buy off the votes of its participants, and ordering attacks by army hit squads on his opponents. In September 1991, after heavy rioting in the capital, he bowed to opposition demands that he name Tshisekedi, his longest-standing opponent, as prime minister. Mobutu dismissed Tshisekdi only 12 days later, after the new prime minister attempted to establish his government's control over the Central Bank. Rioting again erupted in the capital in January 1993, when Mobutu's introduction of new bank notes to cope with triple digit inflation angered soldiers. The renewed rioting, in which the French ambassador to Zaire was killed in his office, again sharply raised international pressure on Mobutu to carry out democratic reforms. Mobutu's dwindling powers received a boost in 1994 when neighboring Rwanda exploded in a genocidal civil war that led to the massacre of over half a million people, mostly from the Tutsi minority, and sent over a million Hutu refugees streaming into Zaire. The Zairian leader's granting of permission to France to intervene in the Rwandan crisis eased Mobutu's international isolation, as did his country's taking in large numbers of refugees. But Mobutu's perceived support for exiled Hutu militia members, who mounted repeated attacks on Rwanda from Zaire, ultimately proved costly. In October 1996, a newly formed Zairian militia, backed by Rwanda, routed government forces in a string of eastern Zairian cities, creating the most serious threat to Zaire's cohesion in years, at a time when Mobutu was already gravely ill with cancer and under treatment in Switzerland. Returning belatedly to face a crisis that was swallowing up his country, Mobutu included the complaint in virtually every public statement that he had been "stabbed in the back" by his neighbors. But for the swelling coalition of countries that brought Mobutu down and placed Kabila in power, the tables were merely being turned on a man who had spent his career playing kingmaker.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line300
__label__wiki	0.900586	0.900586	ASCSU debates legislative liaison Authors: Stephanie Lindberg The Wednesday night senate meeting for the Associated Students of CSU included discussion on a resolution to support the use of student fees to hire a legislative liaison. A legislative liaison would represent the students of CSU at the session meetings of the Colorado State General Assembly. Currently, there is some opposition to the idea on the side of the administration, but the senators sponsoring the bill felt confident that the new resolution would be approved. Jason Jordan, a freshman agricultural business and animal science major, says while he can see both sides of the issue, including the administration’s concern, it is a good resolution. “I do think it is important for student voices to be heard,” said Jordan, a senator for the College of Agriculture. “I think it deems serious consideration.” The senate has already allotted a certain amount of student funds to be used to contract a liaison. They are still looking at several different candidates. Once one is selected the contract will have to be approved by the senate, according to David Bower, the president of ASCSU. Courtney Cage, a senator for the College of Natural Sciences, approves of the efforts to gain students professional representation. “I think it’s an excellent idea,” said Cage, a sophomore biology student. Justin Moninger, a senator for the College of Engineering and a writer of the resolution said he feels it’s important for students to have the representation. “You do have a voice as an individual, but a stronger voice collectively,” Moninger said.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line301
__label__wiki	0.524838	0.524838	Hudson and McConaughey Give Us The “How To” On Love Authors: Eric Todd Patton There is a certain formula that romantic comedies follow and eventually it gets so monotonous that one romantic comedy is indistinguishable from the next. But every once in a while, there is one that makes the venture to the predictable end entertaining and actually humorous; this is one of them. “How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days” stars Matthew McConaughey (“U-571”) and Kate Hudson (“Almost Famous”) as a pair of modern-day star-crossed lovers. Andie Anderson (Hudson) writes for a girl magazine but dreams of writing for a more credible source. Ben Barry (McConaughey) is an ambitious advertising executive that wishes to land a gig with the diamond market. But what stands in their way? Bosses that do not believe they are capable of achieving anything outside of their comfortable niche. So to prove themselves, they each tackle assignments their bosses use to test their abilities. Andie must lose a guy in 10 days and write a “How To” on it, while Ben must find a girl and make her fall in love with him to prove that he can sell himself to anyone. Do you see catastrophe? Well, you do not have to be Miss Cleo to predict the outcome of this one. The appeal of this film is that we get what seems to be, almost, a romantic comedy for guys. Men may be scared to admit it, but while Anderson was supposed to be satirizing the behavior of a girl in a relationship, we know that girls act unpredictably and some times irrationally in relationships. Most often they do not even realize it. And that is humorous for me to watch. The supporting cast added to the success of this story. Adam Goldberg (“Saving Private Ryan”) plays Ben’s best friend and business partner, Tony. This guy is hilarious. He played Chandler’s psychotic roommate Eddy on TV’s “Friends,” and every time I see him in a movie, he delivers. The downfall in the supporting cast was the women. Bebe Neuwirth (TV’s “Cheers”) is annoying; Shalom Harlow and Michael Michele playing competing ad executives are absolutely terrible. Those two give the worst performances I have seen in romantic comedies. I enjoy McConaughey. I have liked just about everything he has been in and he seems to bring romantic comedies down to reality with a very down-home attitude. Hudson is one of the most adorable faces in film. I fell in love with her in “Almost Famous” and she does a brilliant job at playing a girl trying to lose a guy. I would have been out of that relationship so fast if any girl acted the way she did. Overall, this sticks to the basic formula of romantic comedy. However, I laughed more than I thought I would, making this film accomplish what these types rarely do. So I cannot give this a low grade because of the humor; more importantly I cannot give this a low grade because of Hudson, so I will give this a B-. Not low, not high. Starring: Kate Hudson, Matthew McConaughey, Adam Goldberg and Bebe Neuwirth. Directed By: Donald Petrie What You Need To Know: better than recent romantic comedies but still formulaic.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line302
__label__wiki	0.935881	0.935881	Fall fashion takes students to the streets of Manhatten Authors: Desiree Belmarez Slouching in his chair with his arms crossed, Jeremy Gatz-Miller did not know what to expect. The simplistic stage with intricately placed fabric and tiled dance floor had Gatz-Miller, a freshman history major, questioning the type of fashion show he was going to see. "I have never been to one of these things before," Gatz-Miller said. "It looks like it is going to be very interesting to say the least." The second annual Student Affiliates of the International Textile and Apparel Association fall fashion show, dubbed "Autumn in New York," showcased the work of students studying design and merchandising. The Associated Students of Interior Design stage arranged the stage and entertainment was provided by DJ Downunder and the Hip-Hop Culture Club. "It is a fun way to bring friends and local talent all together to marvel at the creativity," said Erika Martinez, public relations officer for SITAA. With that, the lights dimmed and the audience was whisked away to Brooklyn where they stop at the first of two places. Audience members observe street dancing by the Hip-Hop Culture Club, and after a brief performance, continue on their journey to their intended destination, the famous 5th Avenue. There the audience is part of an elite group of spectators watching top designers unveil their work. Wearing her self-designed pant suit titled Harvest Moonbeam, sophomore apparel and design major, Kaitlyn Thomas struts on stage, head cocked high. She gracefully makes her way to the end of the stage, makes a crisp turn, and fox-trots back. Thomas introduced the audience to her work by providing them with six sample pieces from her line. Like every top designer, Thomas has a story. It began with a needle and thread when she was 4 years old. Her mother taught her quilting and instantaneously Thomas became enamored with the trade. "I have always loved sewing and my interest in fashion just made designing clothes a logical career," Thomas said. The fashion show lasted approximately one hour and showcased the work of 10 other students. The audience, including Gatz-Miller was impressed. "The models, dancers, and clothes were really cool," he said. "I would definitely come back."	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line303
__label__wiki	0.918247	0.918247	Was Hiddleston banned from taking Swift to Comic Con? July 25, 2016 DF Balita Entertainment Tom Hiddleston did not bring his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, to the Comic Con The British actor was at the Comic Con to promote his new movie Kong: Skull Island Hiddleston wanted to bring Swift but bosses ‘banned’ her, fearing a Hiddleswift ‘circus’ Why did Tom Hiddleston not bring his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, at the Comic Con? In an article written by Charlotte Wareing of Mirror, it was disclosed that the British actor was at Comic Con to promote his new movie Kong: Skull Island but Swift was not with him. Reportedly, the actor wanted to bring his new love to the event but the bosses “banned” the singer as they “feared” a Hiddleswift “circus”. The “Hiddleswift fairytale” began on June 14, when the two were first sighted by The Sun canoodling on the beach in Rhode Island. The couple held hands while walking along the sand hugging, kissing and taking selfies. The photos sparked headlines. To note, her relationship with her ex had just ended that time. During the Comic Con, on the other hand, the focus was still on Taylor despite her absence; with Tom speaking out about claims that the romance could damage his career. The actor insisted it wasn’t the case, though. “I don’t know, it comes down to being authentic. Everything you do you have to make sure you truly believe in it and as long as you know that, it doesn’t matter what anyone else says about it,” he said. “The nature of being a public figure is that everyone will have an opinion about anything you do, and as long as you know why you’ve done something and you’ve committed to it with authenticity then you’re OK,” he added. Watch the report about Tom Hiddleston and Taylor Swift’s relationship: Mirror, Daily Mail, YouTube Matt Damon trains in Filipino martial art ‘kali’ for upcoming film ‘Jason Bourne’ China mulls sending cruise ships to West Philippine Sea	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line306
__label__wiki	0.628929	0.628929	https://alphauniverseglobal.media.zestyio.com/Alpha-Universe-AP-Imagery-8.be110857376e1c1dc5afaa178864837f.jpeg (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool) Sony α9 II. Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 1/1250-sec., f/10, ISO 500 The Power Of Imagery: Why Photojournalism Matters Author Alpha Universe The art of photojournalism captures an instant that enables us to relate to one another like nothing else. That imagery has real power – it transcends language and creates understanding. That’s why photojournalists, like those from the Associated Press, are so important. They use imagery to tell a complete story from an instant in time and give the viewer an important glimpse at a wider world. See some of the photos capturing the headlines in America over the last several weeks by photojournalists from the Associated Press. The AP continues to get out in the world to capture the moments making headlines. Earlier in the year they announced their switch to the Sony Alpha system, and they’ve been using Sony Alpha cameras and lenses to shed light on the backstories in America. Here we take a look at some of the photos #ShotOnSony that have captured the country’s attention over the past weeks, all taken by photojournalists from the AP. A man wearing a face mask walks past advertising for a private clinic in Barcelona, Spain 8/31/2020. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti). Sony α9 II. Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/8000-sec., f/5, ISO 50. A motorcyclist is silhouetted against the setting sun. Shawnee, Kan. 9/20/2020. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) Sony α9 II. Sony 600mm f/4 G Master + 2X Teleconverter. 1/2500-sec., f/11, ISO 1250 People attend the March on Washington on the 57th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech, Washington, DC, 8/28/2020. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster). Sony α9 II. Sony 24mm f/1.4 G Master. 1/800-sec., f/4, ISO 100 A couple wearing masks as a precaution against the spread of the new coronavirus walk on the Malecon seawall at sunset in Havana, Cuba, 8/31/2020. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) Sony α7R IV. 1/800-sec., f/8, ISO 400 A child in a Supergirl costume pays respects as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg lies in repose, Washington, DC, 9/23/2020. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool) Sony α9 II. Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 1/1250-sec., f/10, ISO 500 Fresno County Sheriff's Deputy Jeffery Shipman, left, stands along California State Highway 168 as the Creek Fire burns in the near vicinity, Shaver Lake, Calif. 9/6/2020. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) Sony α9 II. Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master. 6-secs., f/5.6, ISO 160 People gather at the Supreme Court on the morning after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. 9/19/2020 Washington, DC. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Sony α9 II. Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/320-sec., f/5.6, ISO 250 A man walks in the Reflecting Pool during the March on Washington, Friday Aug. 28, 2020, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, on the 57th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech. 8/28/20. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Sony α9 II. Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/640-sec., f/6.3, ISO 100. Join or Log In to Download Did you like what you just read? Take a minute and share this story with your friends. Products featured in this article FE 24mm F1.4 GM Why The Associated Press Just Switched To Sony The Associated Press To Equip All Visual Journalists Globally With Sony Cameras & Lenses The Enduring Power Of Photography In Unprecedented Times	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line309
__label__wiki	0.905097	0.905097	Report: Doomsday is in ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’, and so is this Batman villain Ever since Jesse Eisenberg was cast as Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, fans have wondered if another villain would appear as well. Doomsday has been heavily rumored and now Badass Digest is confirming that he’s in the movie. But the site also reports that a Batman villain will have a cameo. Badass Digest says that KGBeast, a Batman villain introduced in 1988’s classic “Ten Nights of the Beast” storyline, will have a small role in the movie. Batman News can confirm this report. Sources told me early last month that the name Anatoli Knyazev (KGBeast’s alter ego) was on a trailer in Chicago. They were filming in a subway and Callan Mulvey was spotted dressed in black with a tattoo on the back of his neck, doing things that a bad guy would do. It’s possible that Callan Mulvey is KGBeast in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but that’s just speculation based on all of the information that I received. And here’s where things get really interesting, a small easter egg that some may not want to know about before they see the movie… Badass Digest says that while the Joker won’t appear in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, his name will be mentioned. Apparently Superman already knows all about the Joker. Between this news and yesterday’s official casting announcement for Suicide Squad, Warner Bros. is really opening up their DC universe. Let me know what you think of this news in the comments below. SOURCE: Badass Digest	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line313
__label__wiki	0.895483	0.895483	Warner Bros. and IMAX partner for ‘Justice League’ and ‘Aquaman’ VR experiences LAS VEGAS, March 28, 2017 — IMAX Corporation and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment today announced a new virtual reality co-financing and production agreement to develop and release three premium, interactive VR experiences based on some of Warner Bros. Pictures’ most highly anticipated upcoming blockbuster films, including Justice League, Aquaman and a third experience that has yet to be announced. The companies plan to launch one experience each year – beginning with Justice League VR in late 2017 – with all to receive an exclusive window in IMAX VR centres before being made available to other VR platforms, including in-home and mobile offerings. “It’s fitting that with IMAX and Warner Bros.’ shared history of launching Hollywood movies in IMAX theatres, today we’re entering into our first studio deal to bring original VR content to the multiplex,” said IMAX Corp. CEO Richard L. Gelfond. “A key component of our vision for VR is to help usher in the first wave of high-end blockbuster-based content. Justice League and Aquaman feature some of the most beloved characters on the planet, providing iconic properties to launch this effort. This type of premium content will introduce audiences to virtual reality in standalone and multiplex-based IMAX VR centres as well as other platforms.” “We are excited to be partnering with IMAX to develop and deliver premium VR experiences, and believe that capitalizing on Justice League and Aquaman characters from our well-known DC properties will broaden the appeal of this fast growing technology,” said Ron Sanders, President, Warner Bros. Worldwide Home Entertainment Distribution. “Using content and characters from these upcoming films and incorporating creative direction from some of Hollywood’s most innovative filmmakers will help us to bring a groundbreaking experience to audiences and consumers who are hungry for a cutting-edge virtual reality experience.” IMAX launched its flagship pilot IMAX VR Centre in Los Angeles in January, which is off to a strong start, and is set to open at least five additional centres in New York City, California, the UK and Shanghai in the coming few months. IMAX plans to use these pilot locations to test several factors including the overall customer experience, pricing models and the types of content featured. If successful, the intent is to roll out the concept globally to select multiplexes as well as commercial locations such as shopping centers and tourist destinations. The IMAX VR Fund, which was announced at the end of 2016, brings together leaders from the media, entertainment and technology sectors to aid in the creation of high quality VR content that can be leveraged across the burgeoning VR industry. The Fund will help finance the creation of roughly 25 interactive VR content experiences over the next three years – targeting premium, event-style productions with its Hollywood studio and filmmaker partners that complement IMAX’s film slate, as well as gaming publishers and other leading content developers. Investors include IMAX, IMAX China, Acer, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), China Media Capital, The Raine Group, Studio City and WPP. IMAX VR is a mind-shattering VR experience in a location-based, state-of-the-art Experience Centre. The IMAX VR Experience features a unique combination of premium technology and world-class content that lets users see, feel, move and play in new worlds in a powerfully immersive and realistic way, much like IMAX® theatres offer moviegoers a differentiated and best-in-class film experience. With groundbreaking VR headset technology, 360-degree sound and sophisticated room tracking, players will be instantly transported into new virtual worlds that are more realistic than anything imaginable. The centres, which will be located in multiplexes, malls and other commercial and standalone destinations, employ a new modular design – proprietary to IMAX – that consists of several “pods” to allow multiple players to enjoy interactive, exciting, moveable VR experiences. The pods, which are designed to optimize user mobility and interaction in virtual environments, can be adapted for specific content experiences – whether single- or multi-player.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line314
__label__wiki	0.797355	0.797355	BestOfDate.com Home Fictional Dates Upcoming Events November 21st, 1998, fell on a Saturday. It was day 325 of 1998. The decade was the 1990s. 22 years, 1 months and 25 days have passed since November 21st, 1998. Events that occurred on November 21st, 1998: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is released. Songs that were on top of the music singles charts in the USA and the United Kingdom on November 21st, 1998: United States: Doo Wop - Lauryn Hill United Kingdom: Believe - Cher Movie Box Office What movie was on top of the box office? The movie "Rugrats Movie" was at the top of the box office on this date. Take Me Back! The date is November 21st, 1998 and it's a Saturday. Anyone born today will have the star sign Scorpio. Currently, people are enjoying their weekend. In America, Thanksgiven Day of 1998 is just around the corner. It's November, so the evenings are getting darker and the days are getting colder. In America, the song Doo Wop by Lauryn Hill is on top of the singles charts. Over in the UK, Believe by Cher is the number one hit song. Bill Clinton is currently the President of the United States and the movie Rugrats Movie is at the top of the Box Office. In the United Kingdom, Tony Blair is the current Prime Minister. It's 1998, so radio stations are being dominated by the likes of Brandy, Monica, Aerosmith, R. Kelly, K-Ci & JoJo, Céline Dion, All Saints, Steps and Will Smith. A musical subgenre called "Nu metal" is beginning to take off, aided by the success of bands such as Korn. US President Bill Clinton is being impeached for lying under oath and obstruction of justice. The Furby craze has started, with over 1.8 million units being sold throughout the Christmas season. People are watching popular TV shows such as "Home Improvement", "Star Trek: Voyager", "Oz" and "Becker". Meanwhile, gamers are playing titles such as "Tenchu: Stealth Assassins", "StarCraft", "Metal Gear Solid" and "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time". Children and teenagers are currently watching television shows such as "Dexter's Laboratory", "In the House", "Blue's Clues" and "Arthur". If you're a kid or a teenager, then you're probably playing with toys such as "Sylvanian Families", "Jenga", "Tamagotchi" and "Game Boy Color". News Topics, Fads & Culture Trending news stories and fads that were prevalent throughout this time period. These are news stories and events that would have been in the media on November 21st, 1998. Late 1990s Fashion Popular clothing items included pleather pants, high-waisted miniskirts and halter tops. Metallic clothing became more common. Cargo pants and other military-inspired clothing also started to become more popular. Preppy looks became widespread amongst young men, as brands such as Old Navy and Abercrombie & Fitch became more and more favoured. The rave scene also inspired the comeback of more colours. "Shakespeare in Love" won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1998. Who were the best football players in 1998? In 1998, the best soccer players were Zinedine Zidane, Davor Šuker, Ronaldo, Michael Owen, Rivaldo, Gabriel Batistuta, Lilian Thuram, Edgar Davids, Dennis Bergkamp, Marcel Desailly and Frank de Boer. American model and television host Jenny McCarthy is listed as FHM's sexiest model in 1998. 1998 in movies. Movies released in 1998 included Armageddon, Saving Private Ryan, Godzilla, There's Something About Mary, A Bug's Life, Deep Impact, Mulan, Dr. Dolittle, Shakespeare in Love, Lethal Weapon 4, Blade, American History X and The Waterboy. Bill Clinton & Ken Starr US President Bill Clinton and Ken Starr, the lawyer who published the Starr Report, are both named as the Time Person of the Year in 1998. Who were the best NBA players in 1998? In 1998, the best NBA players were Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Gary Payton, Tim Duncan, Karl Malone, Grant Hill, Vin Baker, David Robinson, Tim Hardaway, Rod Strickland, Scottie Pippen, Glen Rice, Reggie Miller, Mitch Richmond and Dikembe Mutombo. 1998 in music. Popular music artists in 1998 included Usher, Céline Dion, K-Ci & JoJo, Next, Shania Twain, Backstreet Boys, Mariah Carey, Brandy, Monica, Sarah McLachlan, Jennifer Paige, Aerosmith, 98 Degrees, Deborah Cox, Britney Spears and All Saints. Celine Dion - "My Heart Will Go On" "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion would go on to win a Grammy for 1998's Record of the Year. A musical subgenre called "Nu metal" is beginning to rise in popularity. Popular bands such as Korn are pioneering the new sound. In August of 1998, Korn release their album "Follow the Leader", which peaks at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Impeachment of Bill Clinton. During this time, the impeachment of U.S. President Bill Clinton was taking place. Clinton stood accused of lying under oath and obstruction of justice. The impeachment proceedings were initiated on the 8th of October, 1998. They formally began on the 19th of December, 1998. On the 12th of February, 1999, Clinton was acquitted on both counts. Furby Craze The Furby craze begins when Tiger Electronics releases its talking hamster-like robot. During the holiday season of 1998, 1.8 million units were sold, as the toy was considered a must-have for Christmas. Basic facts and information about this date: This date fell on a weekend. Week Number: This date occurred during Week 47 of 1998. Leap Year: 1998 was NOT a leap year. Age: Anyone born on November 21st, 1998, will be 22 years of age. People born in 1998 belong to the "Generation Z" generation. Unix Timestamp: The Unix Timestamp for this date is 911606400. Around This Time... Notable events that occurred around November 21st, 1998: October 27th, 1998: Rapper Jay-Z releases his single "Hard Knock Life". October 28th, 1998: John Terry makes his debut for Chelsea. October 30th, 1998: American History X (1998) is released. November 4th, 1998: Cali Cartel leader Hélmer Herrera (Pacho) is murdered in prison. November 6th, 1998: The movie The Waterboy (1998) is released. November 6th, 1998: Steps release their version of the song Tragedy. November 9th, 1998: The Vengaboys release their hit song "We Like to Party". November 12th, 1998: Soccer: Roy Evans resigns as manager of Liverpool. November 14th, 1998: NBA star Dennis Rodman and model Carmen Electra are married. November 15th, 1998: Wrestling: The Rock wins his first WWF Championship by defeating Mankind at Survivor Series. November 16th, 1998: Wrestling: WWF: The Corporation is formed. November 17th, 1998: The video game "Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus" is released for the PlayStation and Microsoft Windows. November 18th, 1998: The Game Boy Color is released in North America. November 20th, 1998: Enemy of the State (1998) is released. November 23rd, 1998: NBA star Dennis Rodman files a petition of annulment 9 days after getting married to model Carmen Electra. November 25th, 1998: The animated movie A Bug's Life (1998) is released. November 29th, 1998: Football: Steven Gerrard makes his debut for Liverpool. December 1st, 1998: The song "Chocolate Salty Balls" is released. December 5th, 1998: 8-year-old Derrick Engebretson goes missing from Rocky Point in Oregon. . December 6th, 1998: Hugo Chavez is elected as the President of Venezuela. December 9th, 1998: Boxing legend Archie Moore passes away from heart failure at the age of 81. December 12th, 1998: Irish politics: The Labour Party and the Democratic Left merge together. December 15th, 1998: The song "That Don't Impress Me Much" is released by country music singer Shania Twain. December 18th, 1998: The animated movie The Prince of Egypt (1998) is released. December 19th, 1998: United States President Bill Clinton is impeached. December 21st, 1998: The RPG game Baldur's Gate is released. Horoscopes & Birthstone Information Zodiac & Birthstone information: Zodiac Sign (Astrology): Anyone born on November 21st, 1998, will have the star sign Scorpio. However, if you are going by the new star sign system (2020), then the sign for this date is actually Libra. Zodiac Element: Water. Chinese Zodiac Animal: In the Chinese Zodiac, 1998 was the year of the Tiger (Yang Fire). Native American Zodiac: November 21st, 1998 falls under the Snake. Birthstone: Anyone born during the month of November will have the birthstones Topaz and Citrine. TV shows that you might have been watching around this time. The Powerpuff Girls - Cartoon about a group of sisters with superpowers. Becker - TV show about a grumpy doctor called Dr. John Becker. Charmed - TV series about a group of sisters that are witches. Will & Grace - TV series. The King of Queens - Comedy TV show starring Kevin James. The Wild Thornberrys - Cartoon series about a family called the Thornberrys. That '70s Show - Comedy TV show about a group of friends living in the 1970s. Sex and the City - A group of friends "explore" Manhattan's dating scene. Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place - TV show about two graduate students called Berg and Pete. CatDog - Animated show about conjoined siblings - a cat and a dog. Dawson's Creek - American teen drama. Ally McBeal - TV show about an attorney called Ally McBeal. Starring Calista Flockhart. 1998 - Kid's TV Children's and Teen TV shows that would have been airing on this date in 1998. The Wild Thornberrys USA High The Angry Beavers Moesha Hang Time Sister, Sister The Nanny Tales from the Cryptkeeper 1998 - Toys & Games Toys and games that would have been popular on this date in 1998: Spice Girls dolls The Pokémon Trading Card Game Bop It Super Soaker (water gun) Popular video games that you might have been playing around this time. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Released on the Nintendo 64. Half-Life - Sci-fi first person shooter game developed by Valve Corporation. Pokémon Red and Blue - Game Boy game. Spyro the Dragon - Platform video game. Metal Gear Solid - Stealth game that was released on the PlayStation. Starring Solid Snake. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six - Tactical shooter game. StarCraft - RTS game. World Cup 98 - Soccer game developed by EA Sports. 1080° Snowboarding - Snowboard racing game. Tenchu: Stealth Assassins - Stealth game that was released on the PlayStation. Resident Evil 2 - The second game in the series. Starring Leon and Claire as they traverse the Zombie-filled streets of Raccoon City. Age of Empires - History-based RTS game by Ensemble Studios. Celebrities and historical figures that were born on the 21st of November: November 21st, 1694: Voltaire: French philosopher. November 21st, 1985: Carly Rae Jepsen: Singer. Weather information for November 21st, 1998: Dublin, Ireland: It was 13.3 degrees Celsius. It rained a bit (mist or a shower or two). It was a windy day. It was a cloudy day. New York, USA: Temperature: 36.1 degrees Fahrenheit. 2.28 degrees Celsius. Fog was reported. Precipitation: 0cm. London, England: Temperature: 3.22 degrees Celsius. Who was the US President on November 21st, 1998? Bill Clinton was the President of the United States. UK Prime Minister Who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on November 21st, 1998? Tony Blair was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Irish Taoiseach Who was the Taoiseach (prime minister) of Ireland on this date? Bertie Ahern was the Taoiseach of Ireland. Conception Dates Interesting facts about conception dates. A baby that was born on November 21st, 1998 was probably conceived around the 11th of February, 1998. (Rough Estimate). The due date for a baby that was conceived on November 21st, 1998 is the 31st of August, 1999. (Rough Estimate). How old was I? Enter your date of birth below to find out how old you were on November 21st, 1998. Calculate My Age Looking for some nostalgia? Here are some Youtube videos relating to November 21st, 1998. Please note that videos are automatically selected by Youtube and that results may vary! Click on the "Load Next Video" button to view the next video in the search playlist. In many cases, you'll find episodes of old TV shows, documentaries, music videos and soap dramas. NB: If a video is blank, click on the button above to view the next one... Time Difference & Statistics Here are some fun statistics about November 21st, 1998. 8,092 days have passed since this date. 699,148,800 seconds have passed since the November 21st, 1998. If you were born on this day, your heart has beated approximately 815,673,600 times. Since November 21st, 1998, earth has travelled approximately 360,760,780,800 miles through space. If you were born on this day, your eyes have blinked approximately 116,524,800 times. If you were born on this day, you have taken approximately 60,126,797 steps. That's about 26,723 miles! Since this date, 8,389,786 meteors have entered the earth's atmosphere! Random Dates A list of random dates that you might be interested in: 2nd of June, 1987 21st of April, 1994 20th of November, 1998 22nd of November, 1998 Six Weeks Ago	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line317
__label__cc	0.518455	0.481545	Article 50(1)(a) – Courts competent to issue the European Account Preservation Order Article 50(1)(b) – Authority designated as competent to obtain account information Article 50(1)(c) – Methods of obtaining account information Article 50(1)(d) – Courts with which an appeal against refusal to issue the European Account Preservation Order may be lodged Article 50(1)(e) – Authorities designated as competent to receive, transmit and serve the European Account Preservation Order and other documents Article 50(1)(f) – Authority competent to enforce the European Account Preservation Order Article 50(1)(g) – Extent to which joint and nominee accounts can be preserved Article 50(1)(h) – Rules applicable to amounts exempt from seizure Article 50(1)(i) – Fees, if charged by the banks, for the implementation of equivalent national orders or for providing account information, and information on the party liable to pay those fees Article 50(1)(j) – The scale of fees or other set of rules setting out the applicable fees charged by any authority or other body involved in the processing or enforcement of the Preservation Order Article 50(1)(k) – Ranking, if any, of equivalent national orders Article 50(1)(l) – Courts or enforcement authority competent to grant a remedy Article 50(1)(m) – Courts with which an appeal is to be lodged and the time-limit, if any, for lodging the appeal Article 50(1)(n) – Court fees Article 50(1)(o) – Languages accepted for translations of the documents Find information per region Czech Republiccz Denmarkdk Germanyde Irelandie Greeceel Croatiahr Italyit Latvialv Lithuanialt Luxembourglu Hungaryhu Slovakiask Finlandfi Swedense Under Article 1 of Article I^8 of Government Emergency Order No 119/2006 on certain measures necessary to implement certain Community Regulations from the date of Romania’s accession to the European Union, approved as amended by Law No 191/2007, as amended, in the case of authentic instruments an application for precautionary attachment must be made to the court having jurisdiction in the proceedings of first instance (Article 945(1) of the Code of Civil Procedure). The decision on the application, the enforcement of the measure and the annulment or lifting of the attachment are carried out in accordance with the provisions set out in Articles 954 – 959. These provisions (Article 971(1) of the Code of Civil Procedure apply accordingly to authentic instruments. Pursuant to Articles 94 and 95 of the Code of Civil Procedure, the courts with jurisdiction for proceedings of first instance are: District Courts for claims which can be expressed in terms of money, up to and including RON 200 000 and Tribunals. The list of District Courts is published on the Atlas site in the section ‘Serving documents’. The list of Tribunals is published on the Atlas site in the section ‘Judgments in civil and commercial matters -Brussels I Regulation’. Under Article 2 of Article I^8 of Government Emergency Order No 119/2006 on certain measures necessary to implement certain Community Regulations from the date of Romania’s accession to the European Union, approved as amended by Law No 191/2007, as amended, the Romanian National Union of Judicial Enforcement Officers (UNEJ) is the authority competent to obtain account information under Article 14 of Regulation (EU) No 655/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council. The method is that provided for in Article 14(5)(b) of the Regulation. The Romanian National Union of Judicial Enforcement Officers has access to an IT system made available, in accordance with the law, free of charge by the Ministry of Public Finance. Under Article 1(2) of Article I^8 of Government Emergency Order No 119/2006 on certain measures necessary to implement certain Community Regulations from the date of Romania’s accession to the European Union, approved as amended by Law No 191/2007, as amended, in application of Article 21 of Regulation (EU) No 655/2014, in the event of a refusal to issue a Preservation Order, the decision rejecting the application for a European Account Preservation Order may be appealed against before the court above the court which handed down the decision. Under Article 623 of the Code of Civil Procedure, compulsory enforcement of any enforcement order, with the exception of those concerning revenue owed to the consolidated general budget or the budget of the European Union or of the European Atomic Energy Community, is carried out only by judicial enforcement officers, even if specific laws stipulate otherwise. The decision on the application, the enforcement of the measure and the annulment or lifting of the attachment will be carried out in accordance with the provisions set out in Articles 954 – 959, which apply correspondingly (Article 971(1) of the Code of Civil Procedure). The precautionary attachment measure is carried out by a judicial enforcement officer, in accordance with this Code’s rules on enforcement, which apply correspondingly, without any authorisation or permission to this effect being required (Article 955(1) of the Code of Civil Procedure). Under Article 652(1)(b) of the Code of Civil Procedure, unless otherwise provided for by law, court judgments and other enforceable titles are enforced by the enforcement officer serving the area of jurisdiction of the court of appeal, in the case of the seizure of movable assets and direct enforcement against movable property, the enforcement officer serving the area of jurisdiction of the court of appeal covering the location of the domicile or registered office of the debtor, or serving the area of jurisdiction of the court of appeal covering the location of the assets; if the debtor’s domicile or registered office is located abroad, any judicial enforcement officer is competent. Under Article 652(2) and (4) of the Code of Civil Procedure, if seizable movable assets are located within the areas of jurisdiction of several courts of appeal, any of the judicial enforcement officers attached to one of those courts has enforcement competence, including in relation to the seizable assets in the areas of jurisdiction of the other courts of appeal. If the judicial enforcement officer initially empowered by the creditor finds that there are no seizable assets and income within his/her territorial jurisdiction, the creditor may request the court of enforcement to continue enforcement using another judicial enforcement officer, with the provisions of Article 653(4) applying accordingly. Under Article 7(b), (c) and e) of Law No 188/2000 on judicial enforcement officers, the officer: serves judicial and extrajudicial documents; serves procedural documents; carries out precautionary measures ordered by the court. Under Article 623 of the Code of Civil Procedure, enforcement of any enforcement order, with the exception of those relating to revenue owed to the consolidated general budget or the budget of the European Union or of the European Atomic Energy Community, is carried out only by a judicial enforcement officer, even if specific laws stipulate otherwise. The decision on the application, the enforcement of the measure and the annulment or lifting of the attachment will be carried out in accordance with the provisions set out in Articles 954 – 959, which apply correspondingly (Article 971(1) of the Code of Civil Procedure). The precautionary attachment measure is carried out by the judicial enforcement officer, in accordance with this Code’s rules on enforcement, which apply correspondingly, without any authorisation or permission to this effect being required (Article 955(1) of the Code of Civil Procedure). As soon as he or she receives the application for enforcement, the enforcement officer, by issuing a decision, arranges for the registration of the application and the opening of the enforcement file or, as the case may be, issues a reasoned refusal to initiate enforcement proceedings. The decision is notified immediately to the creditor. If the enforcement officer refuses to open enforcement proceedings, the creditor can lodge a complaint, within 15 days from the date of service of the decision, with the court of enforcement (Article 665 of the Code of Civil Procedure). Pursuant to Article 7(e) of Law No 188/2000 on judicial enforcement officers, the judicial enforcement officer will carry out precautionary measures ordered by the court. Judgments that are provisionally enforced with a security being deposited will not be enforced before the security deposit is lodged (Article 678 of the Code of Civil Procedure). Anyone who is held personally liable shall bear such liability with all his or her movable or immovable assets, present and future. They shall serve as a joint security for his or her creditors. Non-seizable assets shall not serve as such a security. Creditors whose claims arose in connection with a certain division of property authorised by law must first seek enforcement against the assets making up that estate. If these are not sufficient to satisfy the claims, enforcement can also be sought against other assets of the debtor. Assets that are the subject of a legally authorised division of property assigned to the exercise of a profession may be pursued only by creditors whose claims arose in connection with the profession concerned. These creditors will not be able to pursue other assets of the debtor. (Article 2324 of the Code of Civil Procedure) If he or she considers that it is in the interest of enforcement, the judicial enforcement officer will request the debtor, in accordance with the law, to provide written explanations regarding the latter’s income and assets, including common property held in shared or joint ownership against which enforcement can be carried out, and to indicate the location thereof, and may also, with a view to persuading the debtor to fulfil the obligation voluntarily, point out the consequences in the event of continuation of enforcement proceedings. At all events, the debtor will be informed of the estimated cost of enforcement. (Article 627(2) of the Code of Civil Procedure) The debtor is obliged, subject to the sanctions provided for in Article 188(2) to declare, at the request of the judicial enforcement officer, all movable and immovable assets, including common property held in shared or joint ownership, indicating the location thereof, as well all current or regular income. (Article 647(2) of the Code of Civil Procedure) The division of common property assets held in shared or joint ownership may also be ruled on, at the request of the party concerned, within the framework of the objection-to-enforcement proceedings. (Article 712(4) of the Code of Civil Procedure) If, through an objection to enforcement, the party concerned has applied for the division of assets held as common property, the court will rule on their division in accordance with the law. (Article 720(2) of the Code of Civil Procedure) Movable assets that are the subject of an authorised division of assets assigned to the exercise of a profession may be pursued only by creditors whose claims have arisen in connection with the exercise of the profession concerned. If assets are not assigned to an individual pool of business assets but nevertheless serve the exercise of an occupation or profession of a debtor who is a natural person, they may be subject to enforcement only if there are no other seizable assets, and then only for maintenance obligations or other privileged claims on movable assets. If the debtor is engaged in agriculture such business assets shall not be subject to enforcement to the extent they are required for the continuation of agricultural activity: agricultural inventories, including working animals, feed for those animals and seed for cultivation, except where such assets are pledged as security or they are the subject of a privileged claim. (Article 728 of the Code of Civil Procedure) For enforcement against nominee accounts (held by a third party on behalf of the debtor or by a debtor on behalf of a third party), certain rules of principle exist as regards representation and nomination with representation, as specified below. Article 1295 of the Code of Civil Procedure stipulates that the power of representation may derive from the law, from a legal act or from a court judgment, as the case may be. Under Article 1296 of the Code of Civil Procedure, a contract concluded by a representative, within the limits of power of attorney, on behalf of the party represented produces effects directly between the represented party and the other contractual party. Under Article 2021 of the Code of Civil Procedure, in the absence of any agreement to the contrary, a nominee who has fulfilled the mandate bears no liability vis-a-vis the nominator with regard to the discharge of the obligations entered into by the persons/entities with whom/which a contract has been concluded, except if their insolvency was or should have been known to the nominee on the date of the conclusion of the contract with those persons/entities. Under Article 1309(1) of the Code of Civil Procedure, a contract concluded by a person/entity who is acting as a representative but who does not have power of attorney or exceeds the powers conferred shall not produce effects between the represented party and third parties. Under Article 1311 of the Code of Civil Procedure, in the cases provided for in Article 1309, the party on whose behalf the contract was concluded may ratify it observing legal formalities for its valid conclusion; the contracting third party may, by notification, grant a reasonable period of time for ratification, after which the contract can no longer be ratified. Under Article 1309(2) of the Code of Civil Procedure, however, if through their behaviour the representative has caused the contracting third party to reasonably believe that the representative has the power to represent and is acting within the powers conferred, the representative can no longer invoke vis-a-vis the contracting third party a lack of power to represent. Under Article 1310 of the Code of Civil Procedure, any person or entity concluding a contract as a representative without being empowered to do so, or in so doing exceeds the limits of the powers conferred, bears liability for any damage caused to a contracting third party who believed in good faith that the conclusion of the contract had been valid. Under Article 1297 of the Code of Civil Procedure, a contract concluded by a representative acting within the powers conferred but where the contracting third party is not and could not have been aware that the representative was acting in such capacity is binding only upon the representative and the third party, unless otherwise provided for by law; however, if a representative, when entering into a contract with a third party on behalf of an enterprise and within the limits of the powers conferred, claims to be the owner of that enterprise and the third party subsequently discovers the identity of the real owner, then the third party may also exercise vis-a-vis the real owner the rights acquired vis-a-vis the representative. Article 729 Limits on enforcement against monetary income under the Code of Civil Procedure. (1) Enforcement can be carried out against wages or salaries and other regular income, pensions granted under social security schemes, and other amounts paid regularly to the debtor as a means of subsistence: a) up to half of net monthly income in the case of amounts owed by way of maintenance obligation or child allowance; b) up to a third of net monthly income in the case of any other debts. (2) If several enforcement orders apply to the same amounts, total enforcement cannot exceed half of the debtor’s net monthly income, irrespective of the nature of the claims, unless otherwise provided for by law. (3) Where wages or any other amounts regularly paid to the debtor as a means of subsistence are lower than the minimum wage paid in the economy, enforcement can be carried out against them only in respect of the amount by which they exceed half of that minimum wage. (4) Benefits for temporary incapacity to work, compensation granted on the basis of any legal provisions to employees for termination of an individual contract of employment, and amounts due to the unemployed, in accordance with the law, can be subject to enforcement only for amounts owed by way of maintenance obligation and compensation for damages caused by death or personal injury, unless otherwise provided for by law. (5) Enforcement against the benefit entitlements referred to in paragraph (4) is permissible up to half their amount. (6) Amounts withheld in accordance with the provisions set out in paragraphs (1) - (4) shall be released or distributed in accordance with Article 864 et seq. (7) State allowances, child benefit, support for looking after sick children, maternity allowance, death benefit, State study grants, daily subsistence allowances, and any other such special‑purpose allowances established by law cannot be the subject of enforcement for any kind of debt. Article 970 Subjects of attachment orders under the Code of Civil Procedure Attachment orders may be placed on amounts of money, securities or other seizable intangible movable assets owed to the debtor by a third party or which the latter will owe to the debtor in the future on the basis of existing legal relationships, subject to the conditions laid down in Article 953. Article 631(1) of the Code of Civil Procedure. Enforcement can be initiated against any natural person or legal person under public or private law, except for those who, in accordance with the law, enjoy immunity from enforcement. Article 781(2) and (5) of the Code of Civil Procedure. In the case of attachment of sums of money in bank accounts, both the credit balance of those accounts and future payments into them can be subject to attachment, within the limits set out in Article 729, if applicable. Not subject to enforcement are: a) amounts intended for special purposes provided for by the law, and over which the debtor has no right of disposal; b) amounts representing non-reimbursable funding or financing from national or international institutions or organisations for certain programmes or projects; c) amounts relating to future salary entitlements, over a period of three months from the date of the establishment of the attachment. Where several attachment orders have been placed on the same account, the three-month period during which payments relating to future salary entitlements can be made is calculated only once, from the date on which the first attachment is established. Not applicable (is not the case). On the basis both of contractual relations between banks and clients and of specific banking legislation, the implementation of preservation measures affecting clients’ accounts is a transaction for which banks charge an attachment fee (both for precautionary measures and enforcement measures against the accounts of clients). The fee is set when the attachment is established, but in the case of account preservation transactions (the subject of the Regulation) the fee is in practice not collected from the client. The reason for this is that actual collection of the fee takes place when amounts of money are released to the courts/tax authorities, i.e. at the time of transfer of seized amounts. However, the purpose of the Regulation is to preserve the amount and not to effect its payment. The purpose of the Regulation is not enforceable attachment. As a result, in the case of precautionary measures (such as a European Account Preservation Order) where no “final step” (of release) actually takes place, just the preservation operation carried out by the bank following receipt of documentation from a body that has ordered that the measure in question be taken, the fee is not, in practice, collected from the client. For notification and service of procedural documents, judicial enforcement officers charge minimum fees of RON 20 and maximum fees of RON 400 (see point 1 of Annex I to Order No 2550/C/14.11.2006 of the Minster for Justice approving the minimum and maximum fees for services provided by judicial enforcement officers). For enforcement of preservation orders, judicial enforcement officers charge minimum fees of RON 100 and maximum fees of RON 1 200 for debtors who are natural persons and RON 2 200 for debtors who are legal entities (see point 10 of Annex I to Order No 2550/C/14.11.2006 of the Minster for Justice approving the minimum and maximum fees for services provided by judicial enforcement officers). The fees charged by judicial enforcement officers are published on the website of the Union of Judicial Enforcement Officers in the section ‘Legislative Framework’, Orders, Order No 2550 of 14 November 2006 approving minimum and maximum fees for services provided by judicial enforcement officers.https://www.executori.ro/CadruLegislativ.aspx . The fees are charged for services provided by judicial enforcement officers in Romania. For judicial stamp duties, see the information provided at (n). Under ordinary law, no ranking exists between precautionary attachments, but between claims whose preservation is sought, depending on their type. Article 865 General preference ranking of claims under the Code of Civil Procedure (1) Where enforcement has been initiated by several creditors or where, before the release or distribution of the amount resulting from enforcement, other creditors have also filed their enforceable titles, the judicial enforcement officer will proceed with distribution according to the following order of preference, unless otherwise provided for by law: a) claims representing legal costs, for preservation measures or enforcement, for the conservation of assets whose price is being distributed, any other costs incurred in the common interest of the creditors, as well as claims arising against the debtor in respect of expenditure incurred in fulfilling the conditions or formalities provided for by law for acquisition of title to the asset awarded and its entry in the public register; b) funeral expenses of the debtor, depending on particular circumstances; c) claims representing salaries and other equivalent debts, pensions, amounts due to unemployed persons, in accordance with the law, support for maintenance and care of children, maternity, temporary incapacity to work, prevention of disease, restoration or strengthening of health, death benefit, granted under social security schemes, as well as claims representing the obligation to pay damages for death, injury to bodily integrity or health; d) claims resulting from the legal obligation to provide for maintenance, child allowances or the obligation to pay other regular amounts intended as a means of subsistence; e) tax claims arising from taxes, fees, contributions and other amounts established by law, owed to the State budget, the budget of State social security schemes, local budgets or budgets of special funds; f) claims deriving from loans granted by the State: g) compensation claimed for the repair of damage inflicted on public property by illegal acts; h) claims arising from bank loans, deliveries of products, provision of services or performance of works, as well as from rents or leases; i) claims in the form of fines payable to the State budget or to local budgets; j) other claims. (2) The provisions concerning legal subrogation remain applicable to the benefit of any party paying any of the claims referred to in paragraph (1). (3) Where claims are in the same preference category, unless the law provides otherwise, the amount obtained will be shared out among the claimants in proportion to each claim. Article 866 Declaration of claims of the State (1) Within 15 days of the commencement of enforcement proceedings, in accordance with the law, any creditor may request the State or local administrative bodies to declare any privileged claims they may have. Such a request will be recorded in the public registers only if proof is provided of notification having been made to the local tax authorities. (2) Within 30 days of the notification, the State or the local administrative body concerned must declare and register the amount of its claim. (3) Failure to comply with the obligation referred to in paragraph (1) will result in the loss of preference over creditors who requested the declaration. Article 867 Ranking of secured claims If there are creditors who hold rights of pledge, mortgage rights or other preserved preference rights in respect of the asset sold, under the conditions provided for by law, when the amount resulting from the sale of the asset is distributed their claims will be paid before those referred to in Article 865(1)(c). Article 868 Ranking of ancillary claims Interest and penalties or other claims ancillary to the principal claim will follow the ranking of the latter. Under Article 1(3) and (4) of Article I^8 of Government Emergency Order No 119/2006 on certain measures necessary to implement certain Community Regulations from the date of Romania’s accession to the European Union, approved as amended by Law No 191/2007, as amended, the remedy provided for in Article 33(1) of Regulation (EU) No 655/2014 falls within the jurisdiction of the court above the court that handed down the decision granting the application for a European Account Preservation Order. The remedies against enforcement of the account preservation order provided for in Article 34 of Regulation No 655/2014 fall within the jurisdiction of the court of enforcement. Under Article 1(5) of Article I^8 of Government Emergency Order No 119/2006 on certain measures necessary to implement certain Community Regulations from the date of Romania’s accession to the European Union, approved as amended by Law No 191/2007, as amended, the appeals provided for in Article 37 of Regulation (EU) No 655/2014 fall within the jurisdiction of the court above the court referred to in paragraphs (3) or (4) of this Article, i.e. of the court above the court referred to in Article 35 of the same Regulation; appeals must be filed within 30 days of delivery of the judgment, except where the law provides otherwise. Under Article 11(1)(b) of Government Emergency Order No 80/2013 on judicial stamp duties, as amended, the fees charged for the various applications are as follows: for applications relating to precautionary measures - RON 100; for applications concerning the imposition of precautionary measures in respect of ships or aircraft – RON 1 000; for applications for a European Account Preservation Order, formulated in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 655/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 establishing a European Account Preservation Order procedure to facilitate cross-border debt recovery in civil and commercial matters - RON 100. Romania does not accept any language other than Romanian (Article 128(1) of the Constitution and Article 14(1) of Law No 304/2004 on judicial organisation, republished, as amended). Use the form below to share your comments and feedback on our new website Declaration of consent: I understand that any personal data provided via this form will be processed by the management team of the European e-Justice Portal. I also understand that such personal data may also be transferred to the national public authorities competent to deal with my inquiry. * If you want to leave feedback later, please use the link at the bottom of each page.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line318
__label__cc	0.559933	0.440067	Home / Painting / 'Woodpecker' by David McClure, RSA RSW RGI (circa 1980s - 1990s) 'Woodpecker' by David McClure, RSA RSW RGI (circa 1980s - 1990s) 'Woodpecker', oil on board, by David McClure, RSA RSW RGI, (circa 1980s - 1990s). Woodpeckers come in many varieties, they are mostly boldly-patterned, sharing features such as a chisel-like bill, round head, long tongue, stiff tail and two toes facing forwards and two back to give a better grip on rounded branches. This is a wonderful depiction of a stunningly-coloured bird which contrasts with a delicate background of pale coral pink complemented by purple flowers and white blossoms. The bird rests on a slight cane of bamboo and pecks on another. The crossing of the two canes gives form and balance to the composition as do the contrasting colours. Wonderful. The work is in very good vintage condition and is signed: 'D. McClure' in the lower lefthand corner and on the rear of the work. The original, beautiful glazed frame has been retained with linen slip and is in fair condition with characterful blemishes in the form of nicks, scratches and scrapes. Please see accompanying photos. Upon request a video of the work will be provided. The gallery holds another similar work by the same artist and would ideally be acquired as a pair. About the Artist: David McClure, RSA RSW RGI (1926-1998), was a Scottish artist and lecturer. He is most well known for his paintings of still-lifes, interiors, figures and family portraits as well as his landscape and townscape paintings of Scotland, Italy, Sicily and Spain where he lived and travelled throughout his life. In 1952 McClure was awarded the Andrew Grant Scholarship facilitating his travelling in France, Spain and Italy. There he concentrated on landscape and townscape scenes with some still life painting. The rest of his professional life was spent in Dundee where he lived with his family and taught from 1958 at Jordanstone College of Art (now part of the University of Dundee). David McClure's paintings are held by a number of public and private collections across the UK and internationally. H 40 cm / 15.7" W 35.5 cm / 14" H 24.1 cm / 9.5" W 19.1 cm / 7.5"	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line319
__label__wiki	0.684256	0.684256	PAUL SELECTS TIMOTHY 16 Paul went on to Derbe and Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy,h the son of a believing Jewish woman,i but his father was a Greek. 2 The brothers and sisters at Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him.j 3 Paul wanted Timothy to go with him; so he took him and circumcisedk him because of the Jews who were in those places, since they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they traveled through the towns, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem for the people to observe.l 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.m EVANGELIZATION OF EUROPE 6 They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia; they had been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.n 7 When they came to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesuso did not allow them. 8 Passing by Mysia they went down to Troas.p 9 During the night Paul had a vision in which a Macedonian man was standing and pleading with him, “Cross over to Macedonia and help us!”q 10 Afterr he had seen the vision, we immediately made efforts to set out for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. LYDIA’S CONVERSION 11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, the next day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi,s a Roman colony and a leading city of the district of Macedonia. We stayed in that city for several days. 13 On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate by the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and spoke to the women gathered there. 14 A God-fearing woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to respond to what Paul was saying.t 15 After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.”u And she persuaded us. PAUL AND SILAS IN PRISON 16 Once, as we were on our way to prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit by which she predicted the future.v She made a large profit for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 As she followed Paul and us she cried out, “These men, who are proclaiming to youD a way of salvation, are the servants of the Most High God.” 18 She did this for many days. Paul was greatly annoyed. Turning to the spirit, he said, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out right away.w 19 When her owners realized that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silasx and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities. 20 Bringing them before the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are seriously disturbing our city. They are Jews 21 and are promoting customs that are not legal for us as Romans to adopt or practice.”y 22 The crowd joined in the attack against them, and the chief magistrates stripped off their clothes and ordered them to be beaten with rods.z 23 After they had severely flogged them, they threw them in jail, ordering the jailer to guard them carefully. 24 Receiving such an order, he put them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks.a A MIDNIGHT DELIVERANCE 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the jail were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains came loose.b 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison standing open, he drew his sword and was going to kill himself, since he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul called out in a loud voice, “Don’t harm yourself, because we’re all here!” 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He escorted them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”c 31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”d 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him along with everyone in his house. 33 He took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. Right away he and all his family were baptized. 34 He brought them into his house, set a meal before them, and rejoiced because he had come to believe in God with his entire household.e AN OFFICIAL APOLOGY 35 When daylight came, the chief magistrates sent the police to say, “Release those men.” 36 The jailer reported these words to Paul: “The magistrates have sent orders for you to be released. So come out now and go in peace.”f 37 But Paul said to them, “They beat us in public without a trial, although we are Roman citizens, and threw us in jail. And now are they going to send us away secretly? Certainly not! On the contrary, let them come themselves and escort us out.”g 38 The police reported these words to the magistrates. They were afraid when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. 39 So they came to appease them, and escorting them from prison, they urged them to leave town. 40 After leaving the jail, they came to Lydia’s house, where they saw and encouraged the brothers and sisters, and departed.h About Christian Standard Bible The Christian Standard Bible (CSB) is a highly trustworthy, faithful translation that is proven to be the optimal blend of accuracy and readability. It’s as literal to the original as possible without sacrificing clarity. The CSB is poised to become the translation that pastors rely on and Bible readers turn to again and again to read and to share with others. The CSB is an original translation: more than 100 scholars from 17 denominations translated directly from the best available Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic source texts into English. Its source texts are the standard used by scholars and seminaries today. The CSB is trustworthy: the conservative, evangelical scholars of the CSB affirm the authority of Scripture as the inerrant Word of God and seek the highest level of faithfulness to the original and accuracy in their translation. These scholars and LifeWay, the non-profit ministry that stewards the CSB, also champion the Bible against cultural trends that would compromise its truths. The CSB is clear: it is as literal a translation of the ancient source texts as possible, but, in the many places throughout Scripture where a word-for-word rendering might obscure the meaning for a modern audience, it uses a more dynamic translation. In all cases, the intent is to convey the original meaning of God’s Word as faithfully and as clearly as possible. Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers. CSB UltraThin Reference Bible Copyright © 2020 by Holman Bible Publishers. The text of the Christian Standard Bible may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic, or audio) up to and inclusive of one-thousand (1,000) verses without the written permission of the publisher, provided that the verses quoted do not account for more than 50 percent of the work in which they are quoted, and provided that a complete book of the Bible is not quoted. Requests for permission are to be directed to and approved in writing by Holman Bible Publishers, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, Tennessee 37234. When the Christian Standard Bible is quoted, one of the following credit lines must appear on the copyright page or title page of the work: Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2020 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2020 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line321
__label__wiki	0.680291	0.680291	Bioethics Blogs It’s More Than Just Bathrooms – Ethical Considerations for Prepubescent Transgender Children By Andrew Hawkins Social media and television have brought newfound visibility to the distinctive issues faced by transgender youth. The TLC show “I Am Jazz” documents the life of Jazz Jennings, a transgender teenage girl living in South Florida, who was diagnosed with gender dysphoria at the age of four—the youngest publically disclosed case of gender identity dysphoria (GID).[i] Her parents have supported her gender transition by addressing her with female pronouns and changing her name, dressing her in female clothing and enrolling her in activities that supported her gender identity. Jazz has received medical services that have enabled the development of alternative physical characteristics that include the use of pubertal endocrine blockers and cross-sex hormones. Her story is a foray into the ethical considerations associated with treatment and gender reassignment of prepubescent transgender children. Professional opinion in regard to hormonal treatments and gender reassignment surgery has changed drastically since the publication of the Standards of Care (SOC) for transsexual people in 1980 by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH).[ii]In particular, gender reassignment surgery for adults has been widely accepted and as of May 30, 2014 is an included service for Medicare recipients.[iii] According to Jack Drescher and Jack Pula, this is largely due to the relative persistence of GID in adults once a diagnosis has been made. [iv] However, children who present with GID are not necessarily fixed in their gender identity. As noted in the latest Standards of Care, only 6 to 23 percent of boys and 12 to 27 percent of girls display persistence of GID into adulthood. Read more at www.voicesinbioethics.net	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line322
__label__wiki	0.922217	0.922217	Plane of the Week: Boeing B-29 Superfortresses By Kayleigh DeMace on Apr 7th 2017 When you think of Boeing, you might think of large commercial jets, like the retiring 747, rather than their strategic bomber. But the Boeing B-29 Superfortress played an important role in the U.S. forces during WWII and the Korean War. On April 7, 1945, the Superfortress made the first fighter escort mission against Japan. Today marks the 72nd anniversary of that mission. The Superfortress was one of the largest aircraft used in WWII, and was one of the most expensive weapons that U.S. developed during the war. The naming of this aircraft (Superfortress) was meant to reflect and continue the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress legacy. This design introduced a few new innovations to fighter planes including pressurized cabins, two wheels, and a computer-controlled firing system. The U.S. Army Air Corps requested that a pressurized long-range bomber be developed in 1938. In 1939, after Charles Lindbergh suggested the production of a new bomber to counter Nazi production, the Air Corps issued a formal specification for the -superbomber.- The first B-29 was flown in 1944 and was developed from a Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter-the same plane that was used for the development of the Super Guppy Turbine. Producing this aircraft was no easy feat. Four main-assembly factories were involved in the production. A total of 3,970 aircraft were produced; each costing just over $639,000 to produce. Production ceased in 1946. War and Post-War Operations It was designed to fill the high-altitude strategic bomber role, but it performed extremely well in low-altitude nighttime bombing missions. One of its last missions during World War II was the atomic bomb attacks on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Superfortress was one of the few WWII-era bombers to remain in service after the war. Some were used as flying television transmitters for the Stratovision, the airborne television transmission company. They were also used for in-flight refueling purposes, rescue duty, and even for weather reconnaissance. The last B-29 squadron retired from service in 1960. Today, many B-29s are on display and only two have been restored to flying status. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_B-29_Superfortress http://www.boeing.com/history/products/b-29-superfortress.page http://www.skytamer.com/April.html http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/very-long-range-p-51-mustang-missions-to-japan-taxed-pilots/ #Plane Of The Week #boeing b-29 #boeing b-29 superfortress #Boeing B-29 Superfortresses WWII #Superfortress #World War II Fighter planes #World War II planes #World War II strategic bombers #WWII fighter planes #WWII strategic bombers #Kayleigh DeMace	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line323
__label__wiki	0.513463	0.513463	The most advanced bots are powered by artificial intelligence, helping it to understand complex requests, personalize responses, and improve interactions over time. This technology is still in its infancy, so most bots follow a set of rules programmed by a human via a bot-building platform. It's as simple as ordering a list of if-then statements and writing canned responses, often without needing to know a line of code. In one particularly striking example of how this rather limited bot has made a major impact, U-Report sent a poll to users in Liberia about whether teachers were coercing students into sex in exchange for better grades. Approximately 86% of the 13,000 Liberian children U-Report polled responded that their teachers were engaged in this despicable practice, which resulted in a collaborative project between UNICEF and Liberia’s Minister of Education to put an end to it. In other words, bots solve the thing we loathed about apps in the first place. You don't have to download something you'll never use again. It's been said most people stick to five apps. Those holy grail spots? They're increasingly being claimed by messaging apps. Today, messaging apps have over 5 billion monthly active users, and for the first time, people are using them more than social networks. If the success of WeChat in China is any sign, these utility bots are the future. Without ever leaving the messaging app, users can hail a taxi, video chat a friend, order food at a restaurant, and book their next vacation. In fact, WeChat has become so ingrained in society that a business would be considered obsolete without an integration. People who divide their time between China and the West complain that leaving this world behind is akin to stepping back in time.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line331
__label__cc	0.693839	0.306161	Poised to Kill Bound to Die Blog: Briefcase and Gun I Hate It When That Happens, or The Depopulation of Cabot Cove 2 Oct, 2017 by Brian Lutterman Possibly the two unluckiest people in the known universe were the characters played by Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers in a 1980’s television show called Hart to Hart. This insufferably cute couple, an industrialist and his wife, had the misfortune of stumbling onto a murder, extortion attempt, kidnapping, or other […] BRIAN’S NEW MINNESOTA STORY I’m pleased to announce that a short story I’ve written has been selected for publication in a new anthology entitled Minnesota Not So Nice: 18 Tales of Bad Behavior, which has been published by the Twin Cities chapter of the Sisters in Crime organization. My story, entitled The A to Z Solution, is not a Pen Wilkinson story, but I think you’ll find it just as suspenseful. Minnesota readers should find it particularly enjoyable, but my fans from across the country will get a kick out of crime, Minnesota-style. THE PIONEER PRESS DOES IT AGAIN! Check out the fantastic review of Deadfall by Books Editor Mary Ann Grossman in the St. Paul Pioneer Press here! Get my updates and exclusive bonus materials No spam ever - unsubscribe at any time	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line332
__label__wiki	0.964692	0.964692	British soldiers ‘got away with murder’ in Iraq, as government sent unqualified officers to investigate war crimes – report The British government had no interest in prosecuting its soldiers’ war crimes in Iraq and sent untrained investigators to make sure accused troops went free, a group of veterans told South Africa’s Daily Maverick. Nadhem Abdullah was 18 years old when British paratroopers raided his village of al-Ferkah, Iraq, in 2003. Abdullah was collared by the soldiers and beaten, allegedly with fists, rifle butts and helmets, until he was bloodied and dead. Two years later, seven soldiers with the 3rd Battalion (‘3 Para’) of the Parachute Regiment stood trial in London for the killing, and were acquitted. The judge accused the prosecution’s Iraqi witnesses of exaggerating their stories of abuse, but found that the initial government investigation into the killing made “serious omissions,” which virtually guaranteed that the soldiers would walk. “There is no doubt the investigation in this case has been inadequate,” the judge concluded. The investigation, a group of former military investigators told the Daily Maverick this week, was “inadequate” by choice. When the Royal Military Police’s Special Investigations Branch (SIB) was sent to Iraq in 2003 to investigate complaints against British forces there, the least qualified officers were chosen to head investigations that called for much more experienced leaders, the former SIB officials said. “They sent the wrong people… and to this day I don’t know why,” one source said. “The more I think about it, the more mad it becomes.” Had more senior investigators been sent, the source said that one would “absolutely 100 percent” have seen more prosecutions coming out of Iraq, instead of the four publicly disclosed cases that actually saw court martial. “You look at the amount of people who were prosecuted,” the source said. “Virtually none. You know, how many people got away with murder?” These concerns were echoed by RMP head Brigadier C.A. Findlay, who wrote after the 3 Para acquittal that “investigational failures” were at least partly responsible for the verdict. The SIB team in Iraq should never have been led by a captain, he wrote, adding that from that point onward a major would take charge. “Jesus Christ, does it really take someone that intelligent to work that out,” a former officer told the Daily Maverick, commenting on the document. “We’re going to a theatre of war, investigating death. Maybe we should have sent someone who was qualified.” Findlay identified at least 78 “serious criminal investigations” that were dumped on the desks of these untrained investigators. In one case, a group of soldiers accused of torturing and killing 20 Iraqi captives were cleared of any wrongdoing, after SIB investigators failed to properly interview witnesses or collect forensic evidence. When the captain in charge of the investigation requested help from her seniors, a major arrived more than two months later and stayed for only three days. When the captain was eventually relieved, she handed more than 50 unfinished cases – including the torture investigation – to the next SIB commander. These cases would go unfinished for several years. As well as ensuring an unworkable backlog, the former SIB officers contacted by the Daily Maverick believe that inexperienced officers were deliberately chosen, as they would be more easily influenced by military brass. Zahir Zaher was shot dead by British soldiers at a checkpoint outside Basra in 2003. He had been throwing stones at the Brits, but he was shot multiple times and finished off with shots from close range as he lay on the ground. A British soldier was also killed by friendly fire in the incident, the UK’s first casualty in Iraq. Again, there was insufficient evidence to prosecute the soldiers. Furthermore, an SIB source claims that the captain investigating the incident was explicitly told by her superiors not to gather this evidence. “It’s an unfortunate incident in war and that’s how you’re going to deal with it,” the captain was allegedly told by the UK headquarters in Iraq. Many of the unfinished cases would eventually be handled by the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT), set up in 2010 to investigate the backlog that had accumulated over the previous seven years. While the initial failures of the RMP and SIB to properly investigate these cases opened the British government up to a slew of human rights lawsuits, several cases were investigated by officers and promptly dismissed without reports from these units, and no British soldier was ever prosecuted under IHAT. IHAT was shut down in 2017, with a detective on the team telling BBC’s ‘Panorama’ that “The Ministry of Defence had no intention of prosecuting any soldier of whatever rank he was unless it was absolutely necessary and they couldn’t wriggle their way out of it.” Based on the testimony of the Daily Maverick’s sources, that attitude was endemic throughout the chain of command. Rule No. 1: Never lose money; rule No. 2: Don’t forget rule No. 1.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line333
__label__cc	0.501789	0.498211	Support for the Voice Within When Jason Burrow was announced as a Connor Faculty Fellow at the University of Arkansas, he felt deeply appreciated for his work as an assistant professor in the Department of Theatre. “I knew my work could be impactful,” Burrow said. “Receiving this support meant they trusted me to know what I needed to be even more successful.” Sandra and Bob Connor of Little Rock established the Connor Endowed Faculty Fellowship in 2004 to provide essential faculty development opportunities to rising experts in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. Since its inception, the Connors’ endowment has enabled Fulbright College to recognize 158 Connor Fellows, many of whom are now leaders in their departments, serving in administrative capacities or in prominent teaching and research positions. Burrow was named a Connor Fellow in 2018 and used his stipend to attend the LoVetri Institute for Somatic Voicework™ at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio. He describes the institute’s namesake, Jeanie LoVetri, as a pioneer of voice pedagogy for modern musical styles, and her method proved beneficial, allowing Burrow to combine singing instruction with voice science. The institute included a three-level certification course, as well as practice sessions with fellow teachers, and the knowledge Burrow gained is already being put to use for the betterment of his students. “This experience gave me added confidence and security in my teaching,” Burrow said. “I can now hear a student’s voice, hear what they need and fix it. It allows me to provide a remedy for something you can’t see. “Theatre is much like an apprenticeship program. I have a responsibility to help my students get a job, which is what they will all eventually need. My students already have a clearer understanding of the path they need to take to succeed after graduation and become employable.” Burrow joined the University of Arkansas in 2015 from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, New Studio on Broadway. He said he loves teaching because it’s different every day, and he never gets bored. “You really do learn from your students,” he said. “In the process of teaching, we all learn how to be better humans.” Attract Talented Faculty To attract – and retain – key faculty, it is important to invest in them, especially in the form of endowed chairs or fellowships. Scholarships often entice students to come to the University of Arkansas, and endowed faculty positions are incentives for faculty to join the university. In addition to chairs and fellowships, faculty support endowments are another excellent way to ensure our faculty members have the resources needed for success. Endowments like the Connor Faculty Fellowship provide essential faculty development opportunities to rising academic experts in their fields. Jason Burrow Give Now to Support Faculty Other Faculty Stories An Investment in Innovation » Support for the Voice Within » Building Opportunities » Life on Mars » A Journey Funded by Philanthropy » Campaign Impact 1 University of Arkansas	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line335
__label__wiki	0.657521	0.657521	In the Spotlight: Weber Shandwick Honored at PRWeek U.S. Awards Agency, Awards Weber Shandwick, one of the world’s leading global communications and engagement firms with offices in Washington, DC, and Baltimore, was named 2017 Large Agency of the Year and PR Agency of the Year at the PRWeek U.S. Awards. According to a release, Dr. Leslie Gaines-Ross, Weber Shandwick’s chief reputation strategist, “was recognized as Outstanding Agency Professional, celebrated for her industry-leading thought leadership and expertise in corporate reputation. The firm was also honored across multiple campaign categories for its work with client partners.” The PRWeek U.S. Awards, continued the release, “celebrate the very best corporate, agency, nonprofit, and education teams, and the work they produced in 2016. PRWeek pointed to several driving factors in presenting Weber Shandwick with these top honors, including the firm’s strong global growth, exceptional client work and the agency’s expanded role on key integrated accounts to lead not only PR, but also creative, social, digital and strategy. One PRWeek judge stated that the firm “leads the way across the board for excellence in the evolving world of PR.”” Gaines-Ross, named Outstanding Agency Professional, is one of the world’s most widely recognized experts on how organizations build, enhance and protect their reputations. The scope of her cutting-edge research captures the multidimensional challenges that executives and companies face as business environments transform. Recent thought leadership reports have identified a wide range of trends, from the rise of CEO activism to the implications that artificial intelligence could have on marketing and communications in the years ahead. PRWeek judges noted that Leslie “helps elevate the industry to a new seat at the table.” The PRWeek Agency of the Year honors are among several recognitions earned by the agency in the past year, including being designated an Advertising Age Agency A-List Standout in 2017, The Holmes Report’s 2016 Digital Agency of the Year, as well as being the most awarded PR Firm at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in 2016. PRWeekWeber Shandwick WRC-TV Leads Other D.C. Stations on Instagram and Twitter Digital Revenues for U.S. Radio Stations Increased in 2016, According to New BIA/Kelsey Martha Boudreau, AARP’s EVP, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer, to be Inducted into the PRWeek Hall of Fame on Dec. 9 BGE Wins “Campaign of the Year” at AMA Baltimore’s Marketing Excellence Awards	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line337
__label__cc	0.563006	0.436994	Ep. 18: Time’s Running Out on TikTok; Plus, This Ain’t Your Dad’s SatComms—But Does It Live Up to the Hype? Posted by Angelique Medina on August 10th, 2020 Watch on YouTube – The Internet Report – Ep. 18: Aug 3 – Aug 9, 2020 This is the Internet Report, where we uncover what’s working and what’s breaking on the Internet—and why. On this week’s episode, Mike sat down with our guest, Ray Hunter, a senior network consultant at Globis in the Netherlands, to talk about traditional SatComms, how it differs from newer satellite technology, and what effect the mass deployment of Low Earth Orbital (LEO) satellites will have on networks and service delivery. We also discuss a recent move by the US to ban financial transactions between TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, and US citizens, effectively removing financial incentives to serve users in the United States. While not an outright ban, it does raise questions about how an outright ban could even be enforced, and what that means for the broader conversation around Internet sovereignty. Listen on Transistor – The Internet Report – Ep. 18: Aug 3 – Aug 9, 2020 This is The Internet Report, where we uncover what’s working and what’s breaking on the Internet and why. This week, I’m joined by my colleague, Mike Hicks. He’s coming to us from Perth, Australia. So welcome Mike. Mike Hicks: Thanks very much. It’s great to be here. So on this episode, we’re going to talk a lot about SatComms, and we also have a great guest on the show that Mike interviewed, and that’s going to be really interesting to listen to, so make sure you stay tuned for that. But, first up, we wanted to address some of the major headlines, and one of them had to do with TikTok, and the U.S. Government’s announcement that they were effectively going to remove financial incentives for TikTok to continue to operate in the U.S. because it’s going to, in 45 days, ban financial transactions between TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance and U.S. citizens. So when that does take effect, that’s really going to remove any reason for them to continue to operate. While it’s not outright banning them, because they’re not going to be able to, for example, have any transactions where they’re paid for advertising, for example, from U.S. companies, then there really wouldn’t be any reason for them to continue to stay here. Well, not in it for the good of the people essentially. That’s right, that’s right. But let’s say for the sake of argument that the application itself or the service itself was banned. In terms of how the U.S. government would do that. We can look at other instances in which, for example, a website or an application maybe is infringing on the trademarking or intellectual property, or it’s been found to have illegal content on it, or there was fraud involved. There are a number of things that the authorities can do in the US in order to shut down a site. One of the things they can do is they can go to the DNS registrar or the domain registrar for the domain, like in this case TikTok, and basically say, “Hey, you need to revoke that domain.” Or they could go to their U.S. vendors, like their CDN provider or whoever’s hosting them or their DNS hosting provider, like Akamai, for example, serves their content and go about it that way. There really wouldn’t be an incentive to do it from a network standpoint. Yeah, everything is technically feasible, but it becomes how much effort you put in to achieve that. Right. Exactly, and even say if they really wanted to go rogue, and they wanted to serve the application outside of the U.S., and U.S. users wanted to go and access the application, if they have to, especially because we were talking about video, if they’re not connecting, if U.S. users are not connecting to the application in the U.S., so they’re going, let’s say to Europe, or to another part of the world to connect to the application, then their performance isn’t going to be very good. It’s not going to be a very enjoyable experience, and for that reason again, you’re probably not going to need to take any further action in order to prevent US users from using the service. Yeah, exactly. It’s got to be that user experience. In the early days, everybody started setting up these little server’s oil rigs and the independent domains, but you lose that whole CDN aspect. So everything’s not close, so I’m making these huge journeys, everything looks like I’m in Perth trying to get out to get some decent network connectivity. So yeah, it becomes not worth it, exactly right. Exactly, and preventing users from reaching a particular service, like for example, what they do in China. There are basically three major service providers in China and heavily regulated versus thousands in the United States, and they all have their own ways of operating their networks. So while it’s technically theoretical to do things like IP address blacklisting or intercepting DNS queries, it’s not foolproof, and it’s not really feasible or practical at the scale that would be required. Yeah, exactly. And ultimately what comes back to the main thing, take away the revenue source or that becomes unnecessary. Exactly. All right. Okay, so moving past the technical possibilities or feasibility with a ban like this. We were talking a few weeks ago about the SpaceX’s Starlink supposedly low-latency, low-orbit satellite system that is currently wanting to bid for the FCC’s high-speed rural connectivity project that they have going on in the U.S., and you had talked to someone who had previously, he’s been in the networking industry for over 20 years, and you worked with him in SatComms at the European Space Agency. Yeah, that’s right. Ray Hunter was talking to that. So we were having this conversation, and we will cover all of this there, but one of the things that came out was that we were talking specifically about the styling staff and the low-latency aspect. And it’s totally feasible to do this. Everybody can have a low-latency link, we can do it between point A and point B very quick. We can have small packets, we can get this fast lead there. But one of the points where Ray brought up was that’s irrelevant, everything you talk about from low-latency has got to come from the application, ultimately, for the end-user experience. So it starts getting into all those aspects. So it’s interesting, and there’s other things that start to impact us as well when we start to get into this wireless SatComms, whether it be geostationary, whether it be microwave links, which is a form of that type of connectivity. And we’ve started to have other out outside influences. So, whereas, we’re dealing with an ISP, a backhoe can dig up a fiber link and cut that connection across the net, it is extreme. It does happen, but it’s extreme there, whereas we’re impacted by things like the weather when we start talking about the satellite connections and the environment, the sea and whatever takes in place there. Exactly, and I know you guys are going to get into a little bit the differences between traditional satellites and the Starlink constellation satellites and how it’s different in terms of your relationship to the satellite itself, but one of the things that we were looking at earlier was an example where there was satellite connectivity between two stations over a body of water. So there was a body of water between them, and just how weather-sensitive this method of transport is because we could see that there was significant attenuation of the signal on this regular basis. So it was something like every seven hours because of the tide going in and out. So we look here, we can see, for example, you had this instance here where, so on the two points on the far left and the far right are basically where the satellite stations were. So the satellite dish, is that right? Yeah, that’s right. The two endpoints across from there, just to get to that, there’s a reason, and we have to do this situation because there’s no other way to get there. There are no submarine cables. There’s no other way, so it’s actually not a long distance. It seems ridiculous to send it up into the air and back again, but it’s just the only way to actually achieve that connectivity. So essentially, ground stations at either end of a connection. Mm Hmm. And so then, what we’re seeing is that on the top, there’s this, you can see these little pyramids here, and they’re representative of these, and they’re spaced the same length of time apart, and we’ll get this 9% packet loss on the regular, and then it will just go away. Exactly, and you can tie those directly in with the title patent, and there’s other aspects that come in because this is effectively or is coming across the body of water. And as you mentioned, that the attenuation pulls down. It has its impact on the radio waves, which is essentially what we’re talking about here. And then, even if we start to get choppy water, it can start to change these things. So you can have different patterns that can come across from there. And so, you can lose signal during the winter months where the weather’s really choppy, you’ve got a two-meter swell occurring because starts have a dramatic impact, of course, from those. So what they do in those instances, they say, you’ve got this new regular pattern. You can predict around it. So you just build the applications to sort that. You effectively start to have almost a little CDN where a lot of the information sits on site, and we just go out for updates. You can sort of shift those patterns. So the application is suited to meet the network’s requirements across from there, which is a lot of what Ray talks about when we start to get into the satellite communications. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. It’s really down to the application provider to tune their application in such a way so that it’s optimized for transport over something like SatComms for example. So not really something that’s necessarily controllable by the operator of the satellites than some. So that’s an interesting bit about it because of course, you can claim low latency, but from the standpoint of how is the application performing. To a large degree, that might be somewhat out of your control unless you’re of course working with application providers, and they’re incentivized to optimize their application to go over this type of communication network. Exactly. I mean, what you have to do is, whereas this might be part of my communications, so I need to understand what could be the characteristics of this. And exactly as you say, adapt my application to suit that. Because ultimately, as much as we want to love to think as a network is the key part, the end-user experience is the one that’s going to be the key driver in all of this and exactly right. The incense size to actually use that from an application delivery point of view, what’s in it for me to deliver that? That’s right. So why don’t you tell us what’s up next with your interview with Ray? Yeah, thanks. So I sat down with Ray Hunter. Ray Hunter is a network solutions consultant at Globis based out of the Netherlands. He’s got over 20 years experience in networking staff, and as Angela mentioned, I worked with him at the European Space Agency, where we played around with a lot of SatComms to try and optimize, deliver the application to control things like payloads on the shuttles, as well as delivering applications to scientists around the world, that come across from there. Very interesting chap, both English natives. So you might actually need subtitles underneath it, but no, it’s a very good. Great, okay, well, let’s take a listen. Well, I’m joined by a Ray Hunter. Ray is a network consultant with Globis, and he’s got a lot of experience in terms of building networks and then specifically in looking at SatComms. So what we want to talk to you today, Ray, about the SatComms, some of the new emerging technologies and just really to understand how they’re going to fit in, in terms of living applications. Ray Hunter: So let’s start off. So satellite networks really come in all manner of shapes and sizes. It’s a multitude of techniques and technologies used to transmit the information. What do you consider a major driver for the usage? Up until now, the SatComms have been relatively limited in niche cases where we haven’t had any coverage from traditional wired or wireless Internet services. And the go-to model we’ve had has been to use a secure overlay over an insecure underlay transport network, so we would be using a standard Internet over copper, or over fiber, and then the SatComm area would be used to for the niche case where there wasn’t any coverage at all, but due to new technologies, such as SD-WAN, there’s the opportunity to combine these insecure links and these variable availability links in a manner that allows you to create an end-to-end solution of other path that’s more reliable than the individual links themselves. So I think that’s where we’re going to go is a smart path selection is going to help us to combine a lot of this technology into a single solution. So, where we were talking about these hard to reach places, we’re talking really geographically dispersed. Is it a competing technology of a 4G or 5G type of aspect, or there is no coverage there, and this is the only way to get data in from a SatComms perspective? I think it’s very dependent on the actual geography we’re talking about because in some areas, there just isn’t any 4G or 5G, and we’re also seeing that from the political perspective, there’s actually some consumer pushback for 5G because as you know, the higher frequency you use in the radio, the lower the reach. So you actually need more towers for similar coverage, and there is pushback, “not in my backyard,” for the amount of towers that are getting deployed. So there is opportunity there depending on how the pricing and the availability of these competing technologies roll out for other solutions. The traditional would be where you have a very diverse population where it’s actually too expensive to roll out the number of towers required to cover 4G or 5G. If you look at the United States compared to Europe, in Europe, you have very, very dense coverage for Wifi, and also for 3G, 4G and 5G coming up. Whereas, the pricing of these technologies in the US is really an order of magnitude higher. Yeah. Okay. So price obviously becomes a consideration from there as well as the coverage type of stuff. If we’re talking around some of the new systems we saw, the satellites. We touched on the LEO stuff, the low earth orbital satellites around from there. Did they give any benefits over that we would have from a traditional—when we’re thinking back in time and when you and I were talking, it was a lot of geostationary types of satellites. Now, we’re starting to see these distribution of a Low Earth Orbital stuff from there. Is there a difference in any of the perception of those systems or the expected outcome from those? You’re definitely battling a perception issue from history. In the geostationary situation, you had two very big problems was the latency because the salt lakes are physically far away and the speed of light restrictions effects fixed latency. And the other one was asymmetry. Was that because of the way the bandwidths were licensed and the size of the dish you are allowed to deploy, the bandwidth in one direction was very different to the bandwidth available in the other direction. And that limited their use in some applications because it assumed that you were broadcasting data from a central point to multiple endpoints. Whereas, a lot of people are actually working precisely the other way around. They are very dispersed sources of data like telemetry that they want to concentrate in a central area, and the other thing about the geostationary of course, is that you’ve only got one satellite typically. And when you hit the Equinox, the sun goes in front of that dish, and you lose your connection for several minutes. I’ve certainly come across that situation on an oil platform where someone starts shouting at you and say, “Fix the link.” I say, “Give me 10 minutes.” You come back, and the link’s working and you’re a genius because you fixed it because the sun’s moved. That’s excellent, so just to qualify that, I guess the geostationary, they sit around 35,000 kilometers and then the LEO’s sitting around, anything from 200 to 1200 kilometers. Yeah, and that’s a huge difference in terms of the speed alone. Yeah, absolutely. And then, the other difference, as you said, the fact from a geostationary, we’re looking at a single satellite that goes with the Earth’s orbit, and then the LEO stuff is a constellation. So we’ve got lots of little, they’re probably all the same size. We have a mesh of satellites around from there, but they essentially stay in place, and them the Earth turns. And then, we do handoffs between each one. And that’s another good point that says that the latency for LEO is understood, and that it’s going to be a lot less, so the path may be shorter, but I don’t think what’s very well understood is how the handoffs going to work when you’ve got multiple satellites in view, and where the constellations are incomplete because these guys are still launching the constellations or where users are located at high latitudes where the satellites may not pass as frequently overhead. Right, okay. I think they get impacted by where the conditions are, so space weather and whatever up from those that impact it. What about down on a Terra Firma type of position, is there considerations around as well? Oh, certainly. I’ve come across simple microwave links where it rains and the path bends and the microwave link no longer works over a very long hop, and you have similar of these frequencies, you have similar effects. I’ve also worked on systems that rely on the weather using tropospheric scatter to bend the radio with clouds. So this absolutely has an effect. And similarly, you have very, very physical effects that someone puts a crane in front of your dish, and well, of course, someone can dig up your fiber, but you also have line of sight issues as well with issues. Yeah, I had a similar one with the microwave. There was a tidal basin, and it was, as the tide dropped, it dragged the signal down, so I fully understand that, so yeah, interesting. So we’ve got, obviously, these idiosyncrasies or these conditions that we have to take in terms of the actual satellite delivery itself, but there’s obviously things you can do that treat that from a delivery perspective. What would you recommend or what do you think or when you’re tackling a satellite network or network enclosed satellite coverage, what do you do in terms of tuning that from a performance perspective to get the most out of it. We also fixed things such as the latency, or in some cases, the LEO, unknown latency, but is there anything else you can do or recommend when you start to tune this from a delivery perspective? I think you have to look very much at the data you’re transmitting. So there’s definitely potential for exploiting synergies with upcoming technologies like SD-WAN, where the technology points between number of differing paths with differing statistics. And then, it chooses the correct path for that particular piece of data based on how the links are behaving at that moment. So in traditional routing networks, you either had the link was up or the link was down, and then you routed based on that situation network. Now, we’re looking much more at how the path is selected based on the needs of the data itself. So you’ve got upcoming solutions, which combines a number of IPv6 connections together to form a tunnel. And you have other situation, where the programmer, instead of having to worry about all the individual links, just talks to the tunnel. But I think there’s a lot of scope for improvement and a new technology there because the programmers themselves are not used to dealing with this complexity. Programmers generally deal with the socket interface, which hasn’t changed for many, many years. And that does not yet reflect these new technologies of the underlying links. And also the programmers themselves are just not used to dealing with the problems that are below. So even one optimizer that can do things like local TCP arc and have application-aware, handoff to avoid the latency issues. I think there’s still a lot of development to be done there. So it’s a combination we’re looking at. So we’re saying the developers essentially are looking at, like you said, just consider the next hop to be the interface coming out from the server or the application from that perspective. But if they can combine that intelligence with stuff we’ve got, you mentioned the mobile IPv6 and the Shim stuff as well. Those are obviously intelligence or intelligence within the network itself. So you’re saying it’s a combination of the two to give the best delivery mechanism. Yeah. So there’s a very much an ongoing debate of whether we need an intelligent network or whether we need intelligent end devices. So the experience of the intelligent network has been very much colored, if you like, by the experience of X25 and those technologies from the past, which were incredibly reliable, you put your packet in there, and it came out at the other end and no questions asked, but the price wasn’t right. And now, we have a shift more towards with the experience of mobile phones whereby the network is considered dumb and the end device has all of these different radios available to it. It does wireless, sometimes wired. It has 3G, 4G, 5G, whatever you want, potentially satellite as well in the future. And then the device itself has to work out the path, and I think we’re going to come to some middle ground where there will be some technologies emerge that allow the network to provide some smart solutions, but there will also be some requirement on the end devices themselves on path selection. Cool. That’s interesting. So this combination, like you say, don’t think about it with a mobile phone, but you can walk from one area to other. It just picks a handoff up and changes. If I’m in the office here or the house, it switches to the Wifi. If I go outside, it picks up 4G seamlessly without me knowing, but it’s a combination you’re saying. You say that in the future. Absolutely, and it’s very application dependent because, to be honest, if my mobile phone doesn’t work overnight for eight hours and no one’s trying to call me, it’s not a problem, but if it drops for one second and my call drops when I’m on a call, sales call with a really important person, then I care about that. So it’s going to be very application dependent of what we’re trying to solve in terms of the solution where we deploy will be very linked to the use case that we’re trying to solve at the end of the day. Yeah, that’s interesting. So that brings us back, I guess, to the satellites because a lot of these new vendors who are starting to push the LEO stuff out there, from a marketing perspective, they’re talking about low latency. Essentially, what you’re saying there is that latency isn’t the thing. Well, it is a thing. It’s very important, but it’s going to depend on the application, the use case and what it is we want to achieve as a user. Absolutely, and they’re marketing this latency because that’s something they can do compared to geostationary. And they’ve got to win that battle of perception as you stated earlier, that they need to remove this idea that SatComms is high latency. So I can understand why they’re doing that, but it’s not from a user perspective. It’s not the be-all and the end-all. Yeah, absolutely. So essentially what we’re saying is we’ve got to work with every technology. We’ve got to be able to do what’s best for my location on top of my application, and what it is I want to achieve. I’m talking to a CEO, I need my call to go through from talking to you and me chatting. It doesn’t really matter so much. So, yeah. Okay. So that’s very interesting. And that will also change over time because the devices have become much more mobile, and it used to be that devices were just plugged in the wall, and that was it. But now the mobile device is moving with you all over the place. We’ve got wearable tech coming up. We’ve got Internet things which are placed in vineyards to monitor crops. So the Internet really is exploding and developing at this time. It’s certainly a very dynamic time in the industry. Yeah. And then, on top of that, I guess in those, back to about the intelligent path selection aspect, those are going to be dynamic and changing all the time, depending on what’s going on. So it’s important to understand those parts through there, and then does the characteristics match this, so yeah, I can see this need for this merging of minds as it were, the intelligence in the application or the end device combined with my networks to do almost intent-based networking to understand what’s happening in delivery and a quick path. Yep. Absolutely. Cool. Well, thanks very much, Ray, that’s been a really interesting. It’s great to talk to you, and thanks very much for your time. No, you’re welcome. That was a great interview, really interesting topic. What stood out to you in terms of having had a chance to reflect back on your discussion with him? Was there anything that we didn’t discuss earlier that was either surprising to you or you thought was particularly interesting? Yeah, I thought what was an interesting point was if we go back to the history of the satellites. They were put in because that was all we could get connectivity to. In fact, when I first came to Australia, the only way I could get connectivity into my house was for a satellite connectivity, but we’ve changed that over the age, and they’ve not dropped out of fashion, but just liked around there, but with the advancement of these Low Earth Orbital stuff, we’re starting to see this change now where it’s becoming, yes, it’s the best option for bang-for-buck, but it is also changing the usage of the satellites, where once they were expensive, and they were this last resort, they’re now starting to be thought of more and more, and if you take that rural type of scenario, where we’ve got, you mentioned around the FCC funding aspect from there, there’s no need to actually go and put sort of a whole bunch of 5G towers up there. It becomes cost-prohibitive. So this low, the LEO stuff, becomes really useful, but it also then we start to consider things like the Internet of Things and this mobile connectivity. This is the best way to connect these systems up. So I guess an interesting point for me was just moving into the mainstream, and the application owners themselves, and as well as the onus on them to deliver over it, has to be aware that these are going to be part of their delivery system and have to understand the characteristics of how the applications are going to perform across those types of links because it may well be their last-mile solution they need to satisfy. And as we said, meet that end-user experience. Yeah, that’s a really great point. So maybe something they need to get ahead of now. All right. Well, that’s our show. Thanks for joining us this week, Mike, don’t forget to subscribe. And for those of you who do subscribe, we have a free t-shirt that can pick up, just simply send a note to InternetReport@thousandeyes.com, and you can also drop in comments or suggestions or questions to that email address as well. So take care, and you can also find us and some of the videos from our event that we had a couple of weeks ago at our YouTube channel. So until next week, have a great week.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line341
__label__wiki	0.580424	0.580424	Home News Rise to Challenge and Reach New Heights Rise to Challenge and Reach New Heights By: Kati Machtley Early in the morning on March 16, 2018, there was a traffic jam on Route 7 at the entrance of Bryant University. Over 1100 women and some men were arriving to attend the sold-out 2018 Women’s Summit. This was the 21st Women’s Summit that was held at Bryant. The entire Bryant University community pitched in to make this Women’s Summit a success. Everyone including faculty, staff, and students worked together. This resulted in a day of educational enrichment for all who attended. Many thanks to all! Women’s Summit Director, Kati Machtley, and the Co-chairs of the Women’s Summit met over the past 10 months to create another great conference. The co-chairs are, Mary Moroney, Betty Powers, Annette Cerilli, Sheila Guay, Laura Hayward, Laura Kohl, and Elisabetta Misuraca. They along with the Women’s Summit Program Committee, the Women’s Summit Logistics Committee, additional faculty, staff, student volunteers, AV staff, facilities, grounds, and public safety all worked in harmony to launch another great Women Summit. The mission of the Women’s Summit is to empower women professionally, personally, and financially. This year we had four amazing keynote speakers who did just that with their presentations. In addition to these four keynote speakers, there were 24 different breakouts, sessions to choose from throughout the day presented by experts in their fields. You can see the full listing of these empowering sessions and the biographies of the speakers by going to the Women’s Summit website at wsummit.bryant.edu. Our first keynote speaker, Jennifer Hyman, Co-Founder and CEO of Rent the Runway kicked off the day. Her inspiring Opening Keynote address revealed how she and her friend created their nearly 1-billion-dollar company because of both innovative and disruptive thinking by introducing clothing rental via technology as a utility in women’s lives. Jody Urquhart, the Power Plenary speaker, is a motivational speaker spreading the message of the importance of fun and meaningful work. Jody is the author of All Work & No Say… Ho Hum, Another Day. Nely Galan, a self-made media mogul and the former President of Entertainment for Telemundo, was the first Latina to head a major television network. A Cuban immigrant who achieved success on her own terms, Galan now teaches women of all ages and backgrounds to become entrepreneurs. She wrote SELF MADE: Becoming Empowered, Self-Reliant, and Rich in Every Way, a 2016 New York Times Bestseller. Our Closing Keynote speaker was Brigid Schulte is Founding Director of The Good Life Initiative at the nonpartisan think tank, New America, and serves as Director of the Better Life Lab, working to transform policy, practice, and culture so that people and families can live their best lives at work and at home. Schulte is the author of the New York Times bestseller Overwhelmed: How to Work, Love and Play When No One Has the Time. When the co-chairs and I met early this past summer to create a theme for the 21st Women’s summit we felt then that the challenges that we as women faced were greater than ever before. We came up with the theme Rise to the Challenge and Reach New Heights! Through the summer there were many natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes and fires that made us appreciate the necessities that we often take for granted, and the many first responders who rose to the challenge to help those in need. Our theme of “Rise to the Challenge continued to be appropriate as time went on. This past year has seen unprecedented movement and vocalization from women on issues that have long been ignored. The movie Wonder Woman, directed by a woman was a box office hit while the Fearless Girl appeared on Wall Street. The statue of the Fearless Girl is a symbol of the campaign to appoint more women to corporate boards. This campaign with the symbol of the Fearless Girl sponsored by State Street Bank has pushed more than 150 companies to add women to their previously all-male boards. This month on International Women’s Day another statue of the Fearless Girl was unveiled in Oslo, Norway. In the early fall, the painful experiences that women often encounter in their careers came under public scrutiny when revelations about harassment surfaced in Hollywood first, then at Uber, Fox news and major television networks. It continued when we learned that this misconduct spread through startup and venture capital communities and other organizations including the Olympics where young gymnasts were assaulted by a trusted physician. This sexual misconduct resulted in a resurgence of the #Me Too movement. Scores of people rallied in support of those affected, while perpetrators faced the consequences of their actions. Through the year, highly visible women in Hollywood gained strength from each other and brought a lot of these issues to the forefront on national television. As we watched the Golden Globe Awards we saw and heard of the solidarity of women actors, writers, producers, and directors. Time’s Up Pins were visible on the actors who all wore black. That night actor Reese Witherspoon said, “Time’s Up on discrimination, harassment, and abuse in the workplace.” I would add that Time’s Up for unequal pay for women. At the Grammy Awards the women actors carried white flowers, and at the Oscars, the talk was of moving ahead to a new phase of #Me Too and Time’s UP. This new phase, according to Tarana Burke, founder of the #Me Too Movement is to do the work required to give those affected people the resources they need to deal with these injustices. At the end of the Oscars Frances McDormand, the Actor who received the Oscar for Best Actress asked all the women actors in the audience to stand up for gender pay equity. Throughout the year senseless acts of violence in Las Vegas, London, New York and Florida shook us to the core. Now a new movement #Never Again has been created by none other than the High School Students, and parents In Parkland Florida who are so deeply affected by these shootings. They too are rising to the challenges that they face. They organized a national March on Washington with 500,000 people which just took place this past March 24. Now is the time when women are more united than ever and are gaining strength from banding together. Not everyone is a feminist, but most are united against harassment, discrimination, abuse, and violence. As you can see it has been a challenging year, but women and men at Bryant and at the Women’s Summit are rising to the many challenges we face to reach new heights. Previous articleMillions March for Gun Reform Next articleProvost Sulmasy Shares Vision of Bryant’s Future	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line346
__label__cc	0.520051	0.479949	Is James Wong Howe Sexy? Bunnybun’s Classic Movie Blog is proud to participate in the 31 Days of Oscar Blogathon hosted by Paula’s Cinema Club, Outspoken and Freckled and Once Upon A Screen I once told a gentleman that one of my fantasies is to produce a biopic on 3rd generation American actress Anna May Wong, or cinematographer James Wong Howe, both whom I consider important American figures of Asian heritage. An Asian-American upon introduction is usually assumed a “new” immigrant, the perpetual foreigner although their history goes back to the 1760s with the Filipino Manila Men and the first wave of Chinese in the 1820s. Biopics on Anna May Wong and James Wong Howe would show that an American of Asian heritage is not necessarily a new immigrant. While fewer in number in the early half of the 20th century, they still made significant contributions in early film, a career choice seldom associated with Asian-Americans. The man replied, “It won’t work. Asians don’t sell. Maybe Anna May Wong could because she’s sexy. James Wong Howe doesn’t have sex. He’s not interesting. You need sex.” I suppose the The Theory of Everything and The Iron Lady were made for the sex icons, Stephen Hawking and Margaret Thatcher Like Stephen Hawking and Margaret Thatcher, Wong also married. In 1937, he and the author Sanora Babb married in Paris but the marriage was unrecognized in California due to miscegenation laws. Howe’s studio contract had a “moral’s clause” prohibiting him from acknowledging the marriage. He and Babb lived in separate apartments in the same building. They finally married in California when the law was overturned in 1948 James Wong Howe was nominated 10 times for an Academy Award in cinematography. He won twice for The Rose Tattoo (1955) and Hud (1963). The other nominated films are Algiers (1938), Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940), King’s Row (1942), The North Star (1943), Air Force (1943), The Old Man and the Sea (1958), Seconds (1966) and Funny Lady (1975). Other notable pictures include The Thin Man (1934), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), Come Back Little Sheba (1952), Sweet Smell of Success (1957), and my favorite of his, The Prisoner of Zenda (1937), starring my favorite film blonde, Madeleine Carroll. At age five, he moved from China to Washington State. His first teacher in public school quit to avoid teaching a “Chinaman” The 2nd teacher changed his name to James Wong Howe as it was easier for her. His first job in Hollywood was delivering still pictures for a photographer named Raymond Stagg. Howe quipped he carried a bag with “Stagg Photos” printed on it. Afterwards he got a job keeping film and cameras clean. One day he was asked to hold the slate for a movie Cecil D Mille was making with Gloria Swanson. Thus began a career as a camera assistant. His career took off a couple of years later after he bought a still camera. One day he saw Mary Miles Minter whom Howe described as having beautiful blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes. He asked to take her photo. She liked the results and asked if he could make her look the same in movies. He replied he could. He was then promoted chief cameraman for Mary Miles Minter, however he found out she liked his photos because they made her blue eyes look dark. Back then blue went white. He had no clue how he did it until he saw black velvet in the studio. The reflection on the velvet darkened blue eyes so they wouldn’t look washed out. Word spread at Hollywood parties that Mary Miles Minter had an “Oriental cameraman who hides behind black velvet and makes her blue eyes dark. “ Blue-eyed actors then wanted him as a cameraman. His leading ladies and gentlemen would later include Myrna Loy, Hedy Lamarr, Rita Hayworth, Kim Novak, Cary Grant, Burt Lancaster, Paul Newman and Rock Hudson. Black and white photography was his preference finding it more challenging. Color he found restrictive although he was nominated for the color films, The Old Man and The Sea (1958) and Funny Lady (1975). He believed a good story was the key to a film and he as the cinematographer was subservient to it. Howe was an innovator and experimenter but liked simplicity. He didn’t want photography to get in the way of the story and acting. I had the fortune to see Patricia Neal introduce a screening of the b&w film Hud at the Rialto Theatre in Atlanta Georgia. Honestly I only went for Neal. A film that takes place in the hot, dusty, and hard desolate Texas landscape would hardly ever interest me. I’m all about lush vegetation and bodies of water. Yet James Wong Howe made it a beautiful film. Director Martin Ritt was unsure it was a cameraman’s picture because they weren’t in a beautiful location. Howe found it challenging but liked the script and had faith the photography would feed off the good script. He wanted hard sunlight with dark shadows. The traditional thought was expose for the shadow, let highlight take care of itself but he did the reverse. He exposed for the highlight so black was blacker. He wanted a clean sky with no clouds. He used filters to wash out clouds. He spent his whole adult life from 17 until a year before he died making movies. His career stretched from the silents to the “New Hollywood” of the late 60s and 70s. A big screen narrative feature would be my dream but even a TV movie could be a start. With all his accomplishments and success, I find him sexy. What do you think? Would a James Wong Howe biopic on the big or small screen be interesting? Category : Cinematographer, Classic film, James Wong Howe, Patricia Neal Tags : Cinematographer, James Wong Howe, Patricia Neal ← RIP Lizabeth Scott née Emma Matzo (1922-2015) Latina Movita (1916 or 1921-2015) → 9 thoughts on “Is James Wong Howe Sexy?” Pingback: 31 Days of Oscar Blogathon 2015 \| Once upon a screen… Pingback: Week 3 of the 31 DAYS OF OSCAR Blogathon: CRAFTS – Outspoken and Freckled Silver Screenings on February 17, 2015 at 11:36 am said: I knew nothing about James Wong Howe before I read your post. Thanks for featuring him on your site and sharing your insights & research. You’ve prompted me to do more research on this remarkable man. 🙂 bunnybuntales on February 17, 2015 at 1:57 pm said: Thank you Silver Screenings. He worked with Madeleine Carroll. Always good to start with that angle. 😀 nitrateglow on February 18, 2015 at 10:53 pm said: This man definitely needs a biopic; he had an interesting life and career! bunnybuntales on February 19, 2015 at 12:38 am said: Yay! I’m so glad you thing so! Patricia Nolan-Hall (@CaftanWoman) on February 19, 2015 at 12:29 am said: James Wong Howe was the first cinematographer I became aware of. This was at my late father’s urging. He was a fan and would always point out the movie we were watching was shot by James Wong Howe. He always said the name with a certain amount of awe. Same here. He was the first cinematographer I became aware of. I still don’t know many but I keep learning. Thank you for sharing and your father had good taste. girlsdofilm on February 22, 2015 at 3:32 am said: It’s a yes from me! Always so devastated to discover how limited Howe’s reach is, he really deserves to be more well known. Perhaps you should get a Kickstarter campaign in progress? 😉 Leave a Reply to bunnybuntales Cancel reply	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line349
__label__wiki	0.706915	0.706915	An interview with Irismar Reis de Oliveira, Section Editor for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy Irismar Reis de Oliveira1 How did you first become interested in psychotherapy? My decision to become a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst dates back to the early 1970s, a few years before I entered medical school at the age of 21. At that time, I had read all the books written by psychoanalysts Karen Horney and Erich Fromm. However, my interest in psychological literature had started during adolescence, when I was lucky enough to be introduced to Arthur Harry Chapman, an American psychiatrist who used to write psychotherapy books, and who decided to migrate to my hometown, Vitória da Conquista, in Brazil. Thus, just out of adolescence, I had the privilege of discussing with a renowned American scholar about my intention of enrolling in medical school and becoming a psychiatrist and psychotherapist. His work (e.g., [1, 2]) relied clearly on the ideas of Harry Stack Sullivan, the founder of the interpersonal movement in psychotherapy. Also importantly, I was exposed to autogenic training–a relaxation technique developed by the German psychiatrist Johannes Schultz–as a client in the late 1960s, when I was still a teenager. However, during my medical course, I lost interest in psychiatry and, at its conclusion, I applied for a residency in cardiology, after which I had a 2-year clinical practice working in this specialty. At that time, I also joined the Department of Pharmacology at the Federal University of Bahia, in Salvador, Brazil, as an assistant professor. Unfortunately (today I would say fortunately), cardiology did not fulfill my professional and personal expectations, and the original idea of becoming a psychoanalyst came to mind again. So, I registered at a psychoanalysis-training institute and started personal analysis, having read most of Freud’s books at that time. My psychoanalysis training would continue in 1983, in Paris, where I completed a 4-year residency in psychiatry. Initially and simultaneously with my psychiatric training at Sainte-Anne Hospital in Paris, I resumed personal analysis and followed a psychoanalysis university course during which I was trained in Lacanian psychoanalysis for 2 years. So, both personal analysis and psychoanalysis training in Brazil and in France summed up 5 years, after which, still living in Paris, I decided to focus on clinical psychiatry and psychopharmacology. In 1987, I received certification as a specialist in psychiatry from the Faculté de Médicine Cochin Port Royal, University of Paris V. Returning to Brazil in 1988, I resumed teaching and started research activities at the Department of Pharmacology, at Federal University of Bahia, where I would remain until 1996. In 1995, I had received a Ph.D. in neuropsychopharmacology, and in 1996 I joined the Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health at the same university, as an associate professor. In 1998, I rediscovered psychotherapy and registered for the first extramural cognitive therapy course by the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research (now the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy) being held in Brazil. The year 2000 was a turning point in my professional life because I: (1) received a certification in cognitive therapy from the Beck Institute, in Philadelphia; (2) joined the Academy of Cognitive Therapy (http://www.academyofct.org) as a founding fellow; (3) became full professor of psychiatry at the Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Federal University of Bahia; and (4) became head of the psychiatry service at the university hospital. I was gradually shifting clinical practice, teaching, and research interests from an exclusive biological and psychopharmacological focus to an integrative focus linking psychopharmacology and psychotherapy [3]. A multicenter randomized clinical trial (RCT) of topiramate and cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) in the treatment of binge-eating disorder was the first result of this shift [4]. I did not realize at the time that I was also going in the direction of the already existing psychotherapy integration movement. Why is it an exciting time to be involved in psychotherapy in particular? In about a century and a half, since Freud developed psychoanalysis, there has been an explosion of different modalities of psychotherapies, enumerated as 551 by Kazdin [5], and this number is expanding. Despite this large number, and perhaps as a reaction to the long-lasting hegemony of psychoanalysis, there was a decline in the attention given to psychotherapy, at least by psychiatrists, and a great increase of psychopharmacology dominance was observed, stimulated by the discoveries in biological psychiatry and psychopharmacology, as well as the influence of the pharmaceutical industry. Unfortunately, however, although safer than the older drugs, the new drugs put onto the market since the 1990s did not completely fulfill the initial promises, and psychiatric drug treatment remained an unmet need. Furthermore, there seems to be a plateau or even a decrease in the development of new drugs in the last few years, and this might be a possible explanation for the rediscovery of the power of psychotherapy [6]. This rediscovery has also been supported by the growing number of well-designed studies not only showing that psychotherapy works, but that it works as well as, and sometimes to a greater degree and longer, than drugs in certain clinically relevant psychiatric conditions, like depression, anxiety, marital dissatisfaction, substance abuse, health problems and sexual dysfunction, as demonstrated by numerous RCTs [7]. It also seems to be more enduring both in clinical trials and in real world studies [8]. What does the future hold for psychotherapy research and what do you think are its limitations? Referring to the future of psychotherapy research calls for some reflections on its past and present. Historically, psychoanalysis was the “first force,” and was followed by behaviorism (second force) as a reaction to the “unscientific” nature of psychoanalysis theory and lack of connection to observable phenomena. Some prominent behaviorists, however, would later expand their models to incorporate cognitions, as proposed by Albert Ellis, Aaron Beck and others, and which emphasized the importance of mental representation of the stimuli as central elements to psychopathology. The third force emerged after World War II and was referred to as the humanistic and experiential approaches because these theoretical approaches were based on the humanistic philosophers. Humanistic and experiential treatments were mainly represented by person-centered therapy developed by Carl Rogers, and Gestalt therapy developed by Frederick Perls. There have also been the fourth (feminist and multicultural theories) and the fifth (post-modern and constructivist theories) forces [8]. Importantly, the approaches encompassed by each force continued to evolve, resulting in multiple spinoffs. Thus, it is not surprising that the huge number of approaches originated from the above-mentioned forces in psychotherapy called for the need for assessing the efficacy of such treatments, and gave rise to the “empirically validated treatments” project [9], which reduced the number of validated psychotherapies to the fewer than 50 which demonstrated superiority over some type of placebo by at least two RCTs. The word “validated” was later replaced with “supported,” becoming “empirically supported treatments” (EST). Another movement derived from medicine, namely evidence-based practice (EBP), was adopted by psychologists (APA Presidential Task Force on Evidence-Based Practice, [10]) who defined EBP as “the integration of the best available research with clinical expertise in the context of patient characteristics, culture, and preferences,” and endorsed the multiple types of evidence that contribute to effective practice in psychology, such as efficacy, effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit, epidemiology and treatment utilization [8]. Another consequence of the huge number of single-school psychotherapy approaches was a movement that started in the 1970s and gave rise to what came to be known as the psychotherapy integration movement, which encompassed common factors (an aspect of psychotherapy that is present in most, if not all, approaches to treatment), theoretical integration (synthesis of two or more theories into a single conceptualization), technical integration (use of techniques drawn from several different therapeutic approaches), and assimilative integration (one theoretical position is accompanied by a willingness to incorporate techniques from other therapeutic approaches) [11, 12]. Thus, my understanding is that what the future holds for psychotherapy research is the challenge of answering or clarifying many questions still incompletely explored, some of which are: How does psychotherapy work? Are some psychotherapies more effective than others? What is the role of theory in psychotherapy? Is psychotherapy integration a solution for the complexities of the field? Some of these questions are approached in the books of the Theories of Psychotherapy Series, organized by Carlson and Englar-Carlson [12]. For those interested in knowing more, I suggest you read The basics of psychotherapy: An introduction to theory and practice[8], followed by Psychotherapy integration[11], before going to each individual psychotherapy theory. Limitations to psychotherapy integration, in my opinion, may be more in excessive reliance of psychotherapists on their theoretical allegiances and their unwillingness to talk to those from other theories than those from inside the field itself. What challenges and developments can we expect to see in the next few years in psychotherapy, and how can research contribute to meeting these challenges? I will approach this topic citing my own research, Trial-Based Therapy (TBT) [6], as an example of assimilative psychotherapy integration [13]. In this kind of integration, various techniques from different theoretical origins are incorporated within the context of understanding provided by the home theoretical approach [11]. TBT relies on CBT as the organizing theory and adds technical interventions drawn from several other approaches. Among them are gestalt, experiential, acceptance and commitment therapy, compassion-focused therapy, metacognitive therapy, mindfulness, and Mitchell’s [14] two-person relational model. Furthermore, by adding literature, TBT relies on the work of Franz Kafka, The Trial, and some of its techniques incorporate a law metaphor, by which the patient expresses multiple internal characters (e.g., prosecutor, defense attorney, witnesses, jurors, etc.) to challenge his/her core beliefs conceptualized as self-accusations [15]. As TBT is a 3-level, 3-phase, structured step-by-step approach, and its conceptualization involves a cyclic interactional mechanism in which each component in each level influences the other, this approach is flexible enough to allow the therapist to adapt the treatment to the individual’s needs and characteristics. What topics are currently trending within the field of psychotherapy? Stahl’s [16] conceptualization of psychotherapies as epigenetic “drugs” is very attractive. It further strengthens the idea that psychotherapy and drugs have a common underlying mechanism of change. According to Stahl, learning and environmental experiences, such as psychotherapy, change brain circuits, as do drugs. Thus, both psychotherapy and psychopharmacology can be clinically effective for treating psychiatric disorders, and their combination can be therapeutically synergistic. Psychotherapy and many other forms of learning might induce epigenetic changes in brain circuits that would enhance the efficiency of information processing in malfunctioning neurons to improve symptoms in psychiatric disorders, just like drugs. Epigenetics might be a trend in psychotherapy research. Another trend in psychotherapy research is further evaluating the efficacy, as well as consolidating the new generation of psychotherapy approaches, both in the psychodynamic and CBT umbrellas, relative to the more traditional approaches. Examples of new psychodynamic approaches are short-term anxiety-regulating psychotherapy [17], brief relational therapy [18] and time-limited dynamic psychotherapy [19], and examples of CBT approaches are acceptance and commitment therapy [20], dialectical behavioral therapy [21], metacognitive therapy [22], mindfulness-based cognitive therapy [23] and compassion-focused therapy [24]. Are there any particular papers you would like to see submitted to your section? Papers addressing psychotherapy integration, psychotherapy-psychopharmacology integration, and mechanisms of change in psychotherapy might be interesting ones. What advantage do you think BMC Psychology has over other journals? First and foremost, BMC is a highly regarded editorial group, publishes multiple journals in many different areas, and as such, will make BMC Psychology one of the most important sources of high quality research in a broad range of disciplines in psychology. This and being an open access journal make it a very advantageous source of publication in psychology. Do you think psychotherapy would benefit from an open access journal, such as BMC Psychology? Open access to knowledge is a trend in science with which I agree and adhere to, as demonstrated by my open access cognitive therapy book recently published [25]. As far as I know, there are few open access psychology journals relative to other fields. As you know BMC Psychology will operate an open peer review process. How important do you think this is to the field? Peer review is the only way to assure quality and credibility of publications. However, Mahoney [26] called attention to confirmatory bias, defined as the tendency to emphasize and believe experiences that support one’s views and to ignore or discount those which do not. After interviewing 75 reviewers to referee manuscripts which described identical experimental procedures, but which reported positive, negative, mixed, or no results, it was concluded that reviewers were strongly biased against manuscripts reporting results contrary to their theoretical perspective. BMC Psychology is committed to an open and integrative work, as demonstrated by the distinct orientations of the section and associated editors list. What made you interested in joining BMC Psychology? Although I am a psychiatrist, and have been publishing mainly in psychopharmacology and biological psychiatry, I also have been teaching psychotherapy for at least 10 years. More than 90% of my psychotherapy workshops attendants in Brazil and in Europe are psychologists (contrasting with the USA, whose attendants are predominantly psychiatrists). Joining BMC Psychology as a psychotherapy section editor presented to me as a great opportunity to expand communication with scholars in the field of psychotherapy all over the world. Irismar Reis de Oliveira, MD, PhD, is a Professor of Psychiatry in the Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Federal University of Bahia, Brazil. He is the Section Editor for the Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy section for BMC Psychology. In this interview we find out a little more about Professor Reis de Oliveira and the key issues in the field of psychotherapy research. Chapman AH: Harry stack Sullivan: His life and his work. 1976, New York: Putnam Chapman AH: The treatment techniques of Harry Stack Sullivan. 1976, New Jersey: Aronson De-Oliveira IR: Meet our board members. CNS Spectrums. 2013, 18 (1): 61-63. 10.1017/S1092852912000958. Claudino AM, de-Oliveira IR, Appolinario JC, Cordás TA, Duchesne M, Sichieri R, Bacaltchuk J: Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of topiramate plus cognitive-behavior therapy in binge-eating disorder. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2007, 68: 1324-1332. 10.4088/JCP.v68n0901. Kazdin AE: Psychotherapy for children and adolescents: Directions for research and practice. 2000, New York: Oxford University Press De-Oliveira IR: Trial-based therapy (TBT): a new cognitive-behavior therapy approach. Integrating psychotherapy and psychopharmacology: Clinician’s handbook. Edited by: De-Oliveira IR, Schwartz T, Stahl SM, Moore B. 2013, New York: Routledge, in press Chambless DL, Baker MJ, Baucom DH, Beutler LE, Calhoun KS, Daiuto A: Update on empirically validated therapies, II. Clinical Psychologist. 1998, 51: 3-16. Wampold BE: The basics of psychotherapy: An introduction to theory and practice. 2010, Washington D. C.: American Psychological Association Task Force on the Promotion of Psychological Procedures.: Training in and dissemination of empirically validated psychological treatments. Clinical Psychologist. 1995, 48: 3-23. American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Evidence-Based Practice: Evidence-based practice in psychology. American Psychologist. 2006, 61: 271-285. Stricker G: Psychotherapy integration. 2010, Washington D. C.: American Psychological Association Carlson J, Englar-Carlson M: Series preface. The basics of psychotherapy: an introduction to theory and practice. Edited by: Wampold BE. 2010, Washington D. C: American Psychological Association Messer SB: A critical examination of belief structures in interpretive and eclectic psychotherapy. Handbook of psychotherapy integration. Edited by: Narcross JC, Goldfried MR. 1992, New York: Basic Books Mitchell S: Relational concepts in psychoanalysis. 1988, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press De-Oliveira IR: Kafka’s trial dilemma: proposal of a practical solution to Joseph K’.s unknown accusation. Medical Hypotheses. 2011, 77: 5-6. 10.1016/j.mehy.2011.03.010. Stahl SM: Psychotherapy as an epigenetic ‘drug’: psychiatric therapeutics target symptoms linked to malfunctioning brain circuits with psychotherapy as well as with drugs. Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics. 2012, 37: 249-253. 10.1111/j.1365-2710.2011.01301.x. McCullough Vaillant L: Changing character: Short-term anxiety-regulating psychotherapy for restructuring defenses, affects, and attachment. 1997, New York: Basic Books Safran JD, Muran JC: Negotiating the therapeutic alliance: A relational treatment guide. 2000, New York: Guilford Press Levenson H: Time-limited dynamic psychotherapy: A guide to clinical practice. 1995, New York: Basic Books Hayes SC, Strosahl KD, Wilson KG: Acceptance and commitment therapy: An experiential approach to behavior change. 1999, New York: Guilford Press Linehan M: Cognitive-behavioral treatment of borderline personality disorder. 1993, New York: Guilford Press Wells A: Metacognitive therapy for anxiety and depression. 2009, New York: Guilford Press Segal ZV, Williams JMG, Teasdale JD: Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression: A new approach to preventing relapse. 2002, New York: Guilford Press Guilbert P: Compassion focused therapy. 2010, New York: Routledge De-Oliveira IR: Use of the trial-based thought record to change negative core beliefs. Standard and innovative strategies in cognitive behavior therapy. Edited by: De-Oliveira . 2012, Rijeka, Croatia: InTech, free access at http://www.intechopen.com/books/standard-and-innovative-strategies-in-cognitive-behavior-therapy Mahoney MJ: Publication prejudices: An experimental study of confirmatory bias in the peer review system. Cognitive Therapy and Research. 1977, 1: 161-175. 10.1007/BF01173636. Departamento de Neurociências e Saúde Mental, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil Irismar Reis de Oliveira Correspondence to Irismar Reis de Oliveira. Irismar Reis de Oliveira is a Section Editor on BMC Psychology. Irismar Reis de Oliveira wrote and approved the final text. de Oliveira, I.R. An interview with Irismar Reis de Oliveira, Section Editor for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy. BMC Psychol 1, 4 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1186/2050-7283-1-4 Clinical psychology and psychotherapy	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line351
__label__wiki	0.892216	0.892216	House impeaches Trump a second time; timeline for Senate trial unknown A subdued Trump highlights immigration policies at border Federal court continues hold on Arkansas laws restricting abortion Amid discussion to end death penalty, three executions halted Harbaugh parents know one son’s team will win, another will lose in Super Bowl By George P. Matysek Jr. • Catholic News Service • Posted January 30, 2013 BALTIMORE (CNS) — When the Baltimore Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers on Thanksgiving night in 2011 — and John Harbaugh beat younger brother, Jim, in the first NFL matchup of coaching brothers — Jack Harbaugh peeked into the Ravens’ locker room after the game. Jack Harbaugh, John and Jim’s father, was impressed by how ecstatic everyone was. There was nothing but celebration and smiling faces. “I thought to myself, we really aren’t needed here,” Jack Harbaugh recalled, speaking to local and national media during a Jan. 24 conference call. He walked across the hallway at the Baltimore football stadium. The mood in the San Francisco locker room was quiet and somber, he said. “I found Jim all by himself,” said Jack Harbaugh, a former college football coach. “No one was around him. That’s where we were needed.” For Jack Harbaugh and his wife, Jackie, the upcoming rematch between their coaching sons at the Feb. 3 Super Bowl in New Orleans is likely to be another excruciating study in contrasts. Someone will win and someone will lose. “It was the agony of defeat and the thrill of victory (a year ago),” Jack told The Catholic Review, newspaper of the Baltimore Archdiocese, in a telephone interview. “I’m not looking forward to that next Sunday,” he added. Jackie Harbaugh, John and Jim’s mother, remembered how John ran to find his brother after the Thanksgiving game — hugging him and giving him words of encouragement. “It was just the epitome of how everyone in our family feels about each other,” she said. “We always try to raise one another up.” Jack and Jackie, who raised their family in the Catholic faith and sent their children to Catholic schools, all said they will remain neutral at the Super Bowl. Younger sister, Joani Crean, also won’t take sides. Despite several questions inviting him to compare his sons, Jack refused to go there. “To make a comparison demeans,” he said. “They both have a love and passion for their families. They have a love and passion for their work. They enjoy being around the team. They enjoy being around their coaches. They really enjoy the fan base. They enjoy connecting with the people that have made this game so great.” Jack credited his wife for the way his sons turned out in life. “The rock of our family is Jackie,” he said. “She did all the heavy lifting. In our career, a 43-year coaching career, we moved 17 times and she was the one that sold the house, bought the house, enrolled the kids in school, took the kids out of school. She was the one.” While some in the media have dubbed this year’s big game the “Harbowl” and the “Super-Baugh,” Jack prefers to think of it as the “Lombardi Game,” while his wife refers to it simply as the “Super Bowl.” “We are excited that they’ve brought their teams to the pinnacle of sports,” Jackie said. “The Super Bowl is the ultimate accomplishment,” Jackie said. “It’s the ultimate for them and for their teams and for all of the extended football family and all of the teams who have participated in this great game.” Matysek is assistant managing editor of The Catholic Review, newspaper of the Baltimore Archdiocese. PREVIOUS: Musial recalled as a man who made ‘nobodies’ feel like ‘somebodies’ NEXT: Experts, activists address effects of 40 years of legal abortion	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line354
__label__cc	0.642692	0.357308	Home Outlook UK Oil, Gas Output Rises for First Time in 15 Years UK Oil, Gas Output Rises for First Time in 15 Years Britain’s oil and gas output rose in 2015 for the first time since the turn of the millennium, industry body Oil & Gas UK said on Monday, reversing a declining trend but coming as oil prices are trading at a seven-year low. The industry group, which represents oil producers active in the North Sea such as BP, Shell or ExxonMobil , expects British oil and gas production to have risen 7-8 percent, much higher than a 3-4 percent increase it predicted in September. Britain’s oil and gas output has more than halved in the past 15 years due to easy-to-reach resources running low and a lack of investment in new areas. But a renewed push to explore new areas of the North Sea over the past four years has meant new fields started up in 2015, including Taqa’s Cladhan oil field in resource-rich waters near the Shetland Islands, and boosted output year on year. “The industry-wide focus on improving production efficiency coupled with investments of more than 50 billion pounds over the last four years to bring new fields on stream across the last twelve months is paying off and yielding a better result,” said Oil and Gas UK chief executive Deirdre Michie in a statement. Final production figures, released by the government, were not yet available but Oil and Gas UK said it had based its estimate on data for the first 10 months of 2015 and average production assumptions for November and December. Britain is estimated to have another 200 billion pounds ($295.38 billion) worth of oil and gas trapped in the North Sea and to tap these resources the government has issued a series of tax incentives and tasked a new regulator with helping companies squeeze as much as possible out of the ground. The rise in oil and gas production comes as a global supply glut has lead to a crash in oil prices to the lowest level in seven years. Major oil producers active across the world ramped up crude output in 2015 as investments in new technologies brought new fields on stream. While many new fields in the North Sea were approved at a time when oil was trading globally at more than $100 a barrel, operators are currently facing prices of around $38 a barrel. Michie warned that many more North Sea oil and gas workers will lose their jobs this year as companies continue to rein in costs. ($1 = 0.6771 pounds) Previous articleUnderwater Welder Career Next articleSubsea UK Awards Finalists Unveiled OTC 2016: BP Says Oil Price Not Lower Forever Marine Industry Looks To Cruise Ships, Wind Farms To Weather Oil Slump Canada’s Ever-Shrinking Oil Industry Braces for More Job Cuts	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line357
__label__wiki	0.524771	0.524771	How do you test an instrument destined for an icy planetoid far from Earth? Erin Pettit takes it to rather unearthly places. If you were plucked from your home and placed into a remote glacial landscape, say, Alaska or the Greenland ice sheet, you might think you were on another planet. CEOAS glaciologist Erin Pettit is part of a team that is treating these otherworldly places as exactly that. In an exciting NASA-funded partnership with planetary scientists and engineers from all over the country, Pettit is using glacial landscapes in Alaska and Greenland as “planetary analog sites” to test an instrument that could be deployed in the first mission to land on Europa, the icy moon of Jupiter. Europa is of particular interest to scientists because underneath its icy shell is a vast ocean containing more water than all of Earth’s oceans combined. The presence of water could mean the presence of life. NASA first plans an orbital spacecraft mission to the moon sometime this decade with a craft dubbed the Europa Clipper, followed by the lander mission later. siios_1400x1050.jpg The SIIOS team deploys the instrument in Greenland. Photo by Suz Detweiler “Studying Europa is in some ways not that different than studying the Earth,” Pettit says. “I like to think of geophysics as examining Christmas presents. The presents are sitting under the tree and you can shake them or sniff them to try to guess what’s inside without opening the box. That’s what we do on planets, including our own – we know what’s going on by observing the planet from the surface, and we have to come up with creative ways to figure out what’s going on inside.” Pettit and her colleagues believe the best way to determine what’s inside the box called Europa is by using a special seismometer that they developed, called the Seismometer to Investigate Ice and Ocean Structure, or SIIOS. Seismometers are commonly used in geophysical studies of the Earth to measure movements caused by earthquakes and volcanoes. On Europa or other icy planetary bodies, SIIOS could be used to measure “icequakes” as the planet’s surface cracks, and the resulting data can then be used to determine the thickness and structure of Europa’s icy shell, as well as other aspects of the moon’s internal structure. How on Earth do you start to design and test an instrument meant to be deployed on another planet? It will travel more than 390 million miles through space and arrive on Europa mounted on a lander the size of your kitchen table. Instead of being buried in the ground, as Earth seismometers usually are, this one will need to stay on the lander. On Earth, seismometers need to be carefully adjusted to be parallel or perpendicular to the force of gravity, but this one will have to function wherever and however it lands. It will be exposed to crazily cold temperatures and bombarded by radiation, as Europa has no protective atmosphere. And it will have to dispatch the data it collects back to Earth over a connection speed the equivalent of a dial-up modem. The scientific team has no idea what to expect in terms of data return, so interpretation will be a challenge as well. Instead of an array of sensors, as is usually deployed on Earth, “We’ll have one seismometer and no idea what the sources will look like,” Pettit says. “It could be hissing from a geyser, it could be big earthquake-like sounds from fracturing ice, or if the ice surface is softer, we might not get much signal at all.” The SIIOS team started with a rugged seismometer developed for use on Earth by a Texas-based company called Silicon Audio. The SIIOS team has been working with engineers from the company to adapt it for deployment in the far reaches of space. Their sensor uses lasers to take seismic measurements, which helps compensate if the instrument is tilted with respect to the gravitational field, and it is also already fairly resistant to the effects of radiation. The team first put SIIOS through its paces in 2017 at the Gulkana Glacier in Alaska. They deployed an array of reliable seismometers that had regularly been used in Earth science applications before, and compared the readings from those instruments with readings taken with the Europa-designed instrument. The team simulated geological noise by hitting a metal plate with a sledgehammer and watched to see how the instruments would respond (the instruments also recorded actual earthquakes that took place from Mexico to New Zealand during their field campaign). They experimented with a method of compressing data by turning it into jpeg files – “A picture is worth a thousand words,” as Pettit says. SIIOS rose to the challenge in Alaska, returning data comparable to the regular instruments, but the team knew they needed to push their instrument harder. The following year the team took SIIOS to a site on the Greenland ice sheet, where the temperature was colder than Alaska and a subglacial lake could better simulate Europa’s ocean under the ice. Again, SIIOS performed admirably, and while the team learned a lot, they encountered an unexpected challenge: snow. It might seem like snow is a given in a glacial landscape, but in recent years climate change has minimized snow at the site. “We estimated we’d have a meter of snow melt at our sites but instead we ended up getting two meters of snowfall. The snow covered our solar panels and reduced our power, but we did get a good dataset,” Pettit said. The team does not yet know if SIIOS will be chosen for inclusion in the Europa lander. Pettit believes that at least one other team is working on a seismometer concept, and of course NASA has the final say as to which instruments will be included. The team will continue testing and refining while awaiting a decision. Pettit, for one, is happy that SIIOS testing also allows her to continue to explore distant sites on her favorite planet: Earth. Posted November 3, 2020 by Nancy Steinberg See more feature stories	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line358
__label__cc	0.545417	0.454583	Schuh Residence 1026 N. State Street Submitted by tessden98 on Wed, 2014-11-12 11:59 Mathias Schuh was born in Prussia about 1804. By the 1860s, he had settled in Chicago with his wife Margaret and their three daughters. In 1864, the Schuhs lived at 187 Wells Street (now 710 N. Wells Street). Three years later, they resided at 314 N. State Street (now 1026 N. State Street). Mathias and Margaret then moved to the home of their daughter, Anna and son-in-law, Edward Six, at 248 N. Clark Street (now 813 N. Clark Street). Mathias Schuh died in 1872 and was buried at St. Boniface Cemetery in Chicago. Margaret died four years later and was buried with Mathias. For further details, contact the Chicago Genealogical Society. Mathias Schuh is Pioneer Ancestor number 297. CGS Pioneers Chicago Genealogical Society prefire	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line359
__label__cc	0.703869	0.296131	Experience. Integrity. Results. About Chudleigh Law Daniel W. Chudleigh is the founder of Chudleigh Law P.C. and focuses his legal practice to personal injury, civil litigation, estate planning, and business law. Mr. Chudleigh holds a J.D./M.B.A. from Chapman University and is licensed to practice law in the state and federal courts of both California and Utah. Prior to founding Chudleigh Law, Mr. Chudleigh worked for a civil litigation firm in Orange County, CA where he gained significant experience in complex business litigation, contracts, personal injury, and real estate transactions. Prior to working in the private sector, Mr. Chudleigh worked as a law clerk for the Honorable Dee V. Benson at the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah. As a judicial law clerk, Mr. Chudleigh worked on a variety of federal cases involving business disputes, real estate, employment, patent, tax, constitutional, and criminal law. During his judicial clerkship, Mr. Chudleigh assisted Judge Benson while he sat by designation on the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, in Washington, D.C. Mr. Chudleigh obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Utah. In 2011, he received his Juris Doctorate and Masters of Business Administration degrees from Chapman University. While at Chapman Law, Mr. Chudleigh gained experience through internships at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, the U.S. District Court, and the Orange County District Attorney’s office. Through a legal clinic, he volunteered his time to mediate civil disputes at the Superior Court of California. Mr. Chudleigh received multiple awards for his performances in investment banking and investment research competitions, and an international mediation competition in London, England. Mr. Chudleigh lives in Laguna Beach, CA with his wife and four children. He is an avid surfer, skier, cyclist, runner, and is fluent in Portuguese. Daniel W. Chudleigh Email - Dan@ChudleighLaw.com State Bar of Utah U.S. District Court for the Central District of California U.S. District Court for the District of Utah J.D. – Chapman University Business School: M.B.A. – Chapman University B.S. – University of Utah LEGAL AWARDS The BEST! I could not have asked for a better attorney. Mr. Chudleigh’s support, professionalism and determination got me through a year of litigation. Every step along the way, he was always very quick to respond, made himself available during times that most would consider after hours and always patient in explaining the status and details/developments of my case. Everything is settled now and I could not thank him enough and I will always refer my friends and family to him. Cathy W. Dana Point Resident My two sessions with Dan couldn’t have gone better. He is knowledgeable, efficient and thorough. I would recommend Chudleigh Law highly. Orange County Resident Dan was great to work with. He is extremely knowledgeable and professional. Dan is easy to talk with and even easier to work with. He responded to my call right away and knew quickly how to help me with a very stressful situation. He promised to help me along the way and made the process manageable and understandable. I would highly recommend Dan Chudleigh to friends and family or anyone looking for solid legal help. I am appreciative of all he did for me. I hired Daniel to assist my grandmother with her estate planning needs. He was very thorough, knowledgeable and easy to work with. After drafting all of the estate documents, he met with my grandmother and went over the documents with her to ensure she had peace of mind and was okay with everything. The extra time, attention, and detail he dedicated to assisting my grandmother is greatly appreciated. I would highly recommend him to anyone else in need of an estate attorney. Free Consultation. No Pressure. Talk to an attorney today. Upload a file or image concerning your case. CHUDLEIGH LAW P.C. 410 Broadway St # 170 E-mail: info@ChudleighLaw.com 2372 Morse Ave., Ste. 234	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line361
__label__wiki	0.991044	0.991044	Twitter told to ensure no meddling with polls Another member of the committee told ET that Twitter’s “low compliance rate” was flagged during the meeting. Raghav Ohri NEW DELHI: New Delhi: A parliamentary panel asked Twitter to engage more actively with the Election Commission and respond to fake news and inflammatory posts in “real time” as the country heads into a general election. It also told the social media giant to ensure there is no foreign interference that could influence voters, said people with direct knowledge of the matter. This could take place through advertising or fake news as observed in the 2016 US elections. “The committee members unanimously issued strict instructions (to Twitter) that no international interference should be allowed in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections,” a senior member of the committee told ET on condition of anonymity. “They have been asked to ensure that the integrity of their platform is not violated so that there can be free and fair elections.” The panel also said that Twitter can’t choose to suppress certain opinions, which is significant in the context of reports that a Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman has accused the platform of bias. “It was sternly conveyed that no sort of bias should be applied by Twitter by selectively throttling news feed of a section of individuals,” said the person cited above. Another panel member said that Twitter was asked to engage with and adhere to the directives of the Election Commission on fake news, inflammatory posts etc.“Twitter has been asked to resolve such issues in real time, so that no misinformation occurs,” he said. Another member of the committee told ET that Twitter’s “low compliance rate” was flagged during the meeting. “As per data made available by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Twitter’s compliance rate, in acting against those creating a negative atmosphere online against the Indian security forces and threatening the national security, is close to 60%. The current compliance rate is unsatisfactory and needs to be improved significantly,” he said. “It is imperative that Twitter responds promptly and swiftly to requests made by the Indian security agencies, especially in times of crisis.” Twitter was represented by Colin Crowell, head of global policy and philanthropy, in the absence of CEO Jack Dorsey, as had been reported by ET on February 22. The meeting lasted for over three and a half hours. The Twitter CEO wrote a “personal” letter to Anurag Thakur, chairman of the parliamentary committee, in response to the summons issued by it. The letter was read out at the beginning of the meeting. “I thank the parliamentary committee for the opportunity to present our views on such an important issue relating to safeguarding citizens’ rights online in India,” Dorsey said in his letter. Accepting Dorsey’s letter, Thakur allowed Colin Crowell to represent the company. Twitter failed to give clear answers to some questions raised by the panel, as per available information. It has been given 10 days to respond to those questions in writing. These include “whether Twitter is registered in India and whether it stands registered as a technology or media company; number of employees working for Twitter India”. The panel has also asked Twitter to “improve its grievance redressing mechanism” which a few panel members described as “slow and non- transparent”. It was conveyed to Twitter that if the redressal mechanism is made robust, allegations of bias against the platform will automatically be redressed. The committee members that ET spoke to indicated that most of the questions put to Twitter were answered. They added that Twitter representatives may be summoned again if the committee is unsatisfied with the answers. In a related development, the panel has summoned senior officials of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram on March 6. The committee will discuss issues of data privacy and safeguarding of citizen rights on social media and online news portals. In a press statement issued last week, Twitter had said that elections were a “key priority” for it. “We deeply respect the integrity of the election process and are committed to providing a service that fosters and facilitates free and open democratic debate,” the statement had cited Crowell as saying. “The 2019 Lok Sabha (elections) are a priority for the company and our dedicated cross-functional team is working to ensure the health of the public conversation is enhanced and protected at this important time.” Parliamentary Standing Committee Colin Crowell	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line363
__label__wiki	0.792333	0.792333	People v. Weeren Pacific Merchant Shipping v. Goldstene seaward boundaries to a line three geographical miles distant from its coast line, or to the international… Tidewater Marine Western, Inc. v. Bradshaw (2) Under state law, California's territorial boundaries extend three nautical miles beyond the outermost… Full title:THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. HANS H.H. WEEREN et al.… Court:Supreme Court of California Date published: Mar 24, 1980 26 Cal.3d 654 (Cal. 1980) 607 P.2d 1279 Supreme Court of California concluding that California could regulate a California-registered vessel outside its waters so long as there was no conflict with federal law Summary of this case from State v. Dupier Docket No. Crim. 21078. Appeal from Municipal Court for the Oxnard Judicial District of Ventura County, Nos. A-024647 and A-024648, Edwin M. Osborne, Judge. Cohen, England, Whitfield Osborne and Robert A. McSorley for Defendants and Appellants. George Deukmejian, Attorney General, Robert H. Philibosian, Chief Assistant Attorney General, S. Clark Moore, N. Gregory Taylor, Assistant Attorneys General, Norman H. Sokolow, Roy C. Preminger, Andrew D. Amerson, John Briscoe and Nancy A. Saggese, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent and as Amici Curiae. Edwin P. Martin, Clarence S. Hunt, Allan E. Tebbetts, Patrick J. Marley, Peter R. diDonato, Melvin B. Pearlston, Grisham, Vandenberg, Nott, Conway Cannon and Michael G. Nott as Amici Curiae on behalf of Plaintiff and Respondent. RICHARDSON, J. Defendants Hans H.H. Weeren and Steven C. Jennings appeal from the judgments of conviction of the misdemeanor violation of Fish and Game Code section 2000, which generally and in relevant part provides: "It is unlawful to take any . . . fish . . . except as provided in this code or regulations made pursuant thereto." The convictions are based on trial court findings that defendants with the use of a spotter aircraft took broadbill swordfish contrary to the regulations of the Fish and Game Department (Cal. Admin. Code, tit. 14, § 14:107, subd. (g)(2)). This regulation specifically mandates that "Broadbill swordfish may not be taken for commercial purposes except by the holder of a revocable permit issued by the department, and as herein provided. . . .(g) Methods of Take. . . .(2) Aircraft may not be used to directly assist a permittee or any person in the taking of any species of fish while operating under a swordfish permit." Both of the defendants are citizens and residents of California holding commercial fishing licenses issued by the State of California. Their 19-ton vessel, the Comanche, and the accompanying spotter aircraft, were both based in Oxnard, Ventura County, on California's southern coastline. The Comanche was licensed for commercial fishing for swordfish under Fish and Game Code sections 7880-7890. It carried an appropriate "certificate of boat registration" and boat registration number required by those statutes. However, because it also was enrolled with a "United States document number," it did not bear the California identification number contemplated by Vehicle Code sections 9840-9860. On September 28, 1977, California Fish and Game officials boarded the Comanche at a point 10 miles south-southeast of Anacapa Island in waters of the Santa Barbara Channel, situated more than 3 nautical miles from the shore of either the mainland or of any California coastal islands. The officials determined that two swordfish seized on the Comanche had been caught at that location by defendants, with the help of radio communication and directions from a spotter aircraft. The officials remained aboard while the Comanche sailed under their direction to Channel Island Harbor in Ventura County. We will affirm defendants' convictions on the ground that California, in the protection of its legitimate interests may exercise penal control over its citizens extraterritorially. Furthermore, because of previous uncertainty and the continuing importance of the issues presented, we examine successively the opposing contentions of the parties as they bear on (1) the nature and location of California's territorial waters as well as (2) the extent of California's extraterritorial penal authority. 1. California's Territorial Waters Defendants assert that because the precise location of the Comanche when she was boarded was beyond California's boundaries their convictions must fall. In resolving this issue we are aided by general principles and an examination of a series of federal and state constitutional and legislative enactments as well as United States Supreme Court interpretations thereof. (1) As a general proposition the sea boundaries of a coastal nation or state are traditionally fixed with reference to its "inland waters" and "marginal sea." The outer sea boundary is deemed to be a line which runs parallel to and seaward from the coast, and the zone of water between the land mass and that line is referred to as the "marginal sea." The landward edge of this marginal sea need not be the precise water's edge at low tide. Where the shoreline is characterized by irregular bays, inlets, and harbors and random nearby islands the waters within these irregular configurations are considered "inland waters" of the nation or state, subject to its sovereignty, dominion and control. (See Gross, The Maritime Boundaries of the States (1966) 64 Mich.L.Rev. 639, 640.) (2) In seeking to define California's seaward boundary, our first source of authority is federal. The United States Congress, alone, through its power to admit new states, may set state boundaries "as a domestic matter. Such a boundary [is] fully effective as between Nation and State . . .," regardless of contrary state claims or expectations. ( United States v. Louisiana (1960) 363 U.S. 1, 35 [4 L.Ed.2d 1025, 1049, 80 S.Ct. 961]; see United States v. California (1965) 381 U.S. 139, 157 [14 L.Ed.2d 296, 308, 85 S.Ct. 1401] ( California II.) Accordingly, when the extent of a state's territorial jurisdiction is relevant to the operation of federal law, the congressional delineation of state boundaries prevails over conflicting state assertions. The people of California have purported to describe their own boundaries both constitutionally and legislatively. Both the 1849 and 1879 Constitutions in article XXI, section 1, described the California sea boundary as extending "three English [i.e., nautical] miles" into the Pacific Ocean, running "in a northwesterly direction and following the direction of the Pacific Coast. . . . Also, including all the islands, harbors, and bays along and adjacent to the coast." (Italics added; see present art. III, § 2.) To implement the foregoing constitutional provision the Legislature in 1949 enacted Government Code section 170 which recites: "To give greater precision to the [constitutional description], it is hereby declared that the [sea] . . . boundary . . . runs and has in the past run three English nautical miles oceanward of lines drawn along the outer sides of the outermost of the islands, reefs, and rocks along and adjacent to the mainland and across intervening waters; . . ." (Italics added.) Section 171, in turn, provides that all water between the mainland and the island-encircling lines described in section 170 "are declared to be and to have been in the past inland waters of the State." (Italics added.) The current article III, section 2, of the Constitution, which was adopted in 1972 to replace the 1849-1879 description, declares that the state's boundaries "are those stated in the Constitution of 1849 as modified pursuant to statute." (Italics added.) All parties concede that the Santa Barbara Channel, including the position at which the Comanche was boarded, is "inland waters" under the current state constitutional and statutory language. Must these state declarations yield to the preeminence of federal legislative and judicial expression? In 1947, the United States Supreme Court held that the United States, rather than the coastal states, possessed all ownership rights in offshore lands and resources. ( United States v. California (1947) 332 U.S. 19 [91 L.Ed. 1889, 67 S.Ct. 1658] ( California I).) In 1953 Congress responded to California I by adopting the Submerged Lands Act (the Act). (43 U.S.C.A. § 1301 et seq.) The Act transferred to the affected individual states title to and management of all lands and resources in or under the navigable waters within their respective "boundaries." ( Id., § 1311(b)(1).) Furthermore, the "boundaries" of coastal states were therein defined as those which existed at the time of the state's admission into the Union or which were thereafter approved by Congress or established by the Act itself. In conformity with the then traditional federal view of international sea limits, the 1953 law "approved and confirmed" the "boundaries" of each coastal state as terminating three geographical (nautical) miles seaward from the coast. State claims beyond the three-mile limit were foreclosed except for the assertions by certain southern states that their previously ratified "boundaries" extended nine miles into the Gulf of Mexico. ( Id., §§ 1301(b), 1312.) The three- or nine-mile zone described in the Act is measured from the nation's "coast line," ( ibid.) which is defined as the line of ordinary low water mark where the coast "is in direct contact with the open sea," otherwise, as "the line marking the seaward limit of inland waters." ( Id., § 1301(c).) Accordingly, a state's inland waters lie entirely within its "boundaries." In 1965, in California II, supra, 381 U.S. 139, the high court again spoke definitively and specifically on the subject before us, rejecting broad-based arguments that the Santa Barbara Channel constituted inland waters of California under the Act. In holding that the statute left the definition of inland waters to the courts, free of any subjective state expectations ( id., at pp. 150-152 [14 L.Ed.2d at pp. 304-306]), the California II majority adopted, for convenience, the definition then used internationally by the executive branch of the federal government under the Convention on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone (15 U.S.T. 1606 (1964)), to which the nation is a signatory. The Convention formula, as applied by the national executive branch in foreign relations, restricts inland waters to certain geographical harbors and bays encircled by a single land mass. ( Id., at pp. 169-170 [14 L.Ed.2d at p. 315]; see Convention, art. VII.) The California II opinion also specifically disposed of contentions that the 1849 California Constitution established a "historic" boundary outside the coastal islands ratified by Congress in the Act of Admission (9 Stat. 452 (1850)) and again in the 1953 law. (381 U.S. at pp. 172-175 [14 L.Ed.2d at pp. 316-318].) Under the clear holding of California II, the state's territorial claims in Santa Barbara Channel are confined to three-mile belts seaward from the mainland and around the perimeter of each of the islands in the channel. (The Comanche was not within any of these belts when it was boarded.) Furthermore, the foregoing result is unaffected by the adoption of the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 (FCMA) (Pub. L. No. 94-265; 16 U.S.C.A. § 1801 et seq.), in which Congress asserted "exclusive" United States fishing management jurisdiction over a sea zone beyond state "boundaries" and extending 200 miles seaward from our nation's coastline. ( Id., §§ 1811, 1812.) The several states retain jurisdiction over fishing within their "boundaries," but may not "directly or indirectly" regulate fishing outside those "boundaries," except in certain circumstances. ( Id., § 1856(a).) Under the FCMA, the precise location of state "boundaries" for purposes of that law is of central importance "as between Nation and State." (3) We are unable to accept the People's argument that the effect of California II is limited solely to issues involving land title which are governed by the Act and that the high court's holding, accordingly, is therefore inapplicable to California's political and penal jurisdiction over adjacent seas. Fairly read, California II established the state's "boundaries" for all purposes, political and proprietary, "as between Nation and State." Accordingly, these "boundaries" are those "boundaries" referred to in the FCMA as the limits of state territorial jurisdiction over fishing, and our reasons for so concluding are several. First, the legislative history of the Act indicates a congressional assumption that it was transferring title to undersea resources within the states' political boundaries. This history is carefully traced by the high tribunal in United States v. Louisiana, supra, 363 U.S. 1. Under long standing case law, the states assumed before 1947 that they owned the natural resources within their territorial waters. (E.g., The Abby Dodge (1912) 223 U.S. 166, 173-175 [56 L.Ed. 390, 392-393, 32 S.Ct. 310]; Manchester v. Massachusetts (1891) 139 U.S. 240, 264 [35 L.Ed. 159, 166-167, 11 S.Ct. 559]; Pollard's Lessee v. Hagan et al. (1845) 44 U.S. (3 How.) 212, 228-229 [11 L.Ed. 565, 573].) California I severely undercut these expectations in holding that ownership of marginal sea resources was an attribute of federal, not state, sovereignty, regardless of the states' seaward boundaries for political purposes. ( 332 U.S. 19, 35-36 [91 L.Ed. 1889, 1897-1898]; see Louisiana, supra, 363 U.S. 1, 17 [4 L.Ed.2d 1025, 1038].) The holding was somewhat tempered a year later, however, when the Supreme Court confirmed that the states retained jurisdiction to exercise their police power in the three-mile belt of "territorial waters." ( Toomer v. Witsell (1948) 334 U.S. 385, 393 [92 L.Ed. 1460, 1469-1470, 68 S.Ct. 1157].) California I triggered immediate congressional attempts to restore to the states ownership rights in the marginal sea. Virtually all of the "quitclaim" bills introduced after California I framed the grant of title with reference to state "boundaries." "This framework was employed because the sponsors understood this Court to have established, prior to the California decision, a rule of state ownership itself defined in terms of state territorial boundaries. . . ." ( Louisiana, supra, 363 U.S. at pp. 19-20 [4 L.Ed.2d at p. 1040], italics added.) The need for specific "boundary" terminology was the subject of spirited congressional debate prior to adoption of the Act. Because many states had no expressly defined sea boundaries, either by direct congressional action, or under state Constitutions ratified by Congress at the time of admission, it was therefore urged that submerged proprietary rights should not depend on proof of state boundaries, and that a quitclaim statute should not refer to them. The executive branch, on the other hand, stressed the effect of the California I holding that political boundaries, even if they included the marginal sea, did not carry land or resource ownership rights. ( Id., at pp. 22-24 [91 L.Ed. at pp. 1890-1891].) These differing views were resolved by a two-step approach. The Act first definitely established the states' minimum seaward "boundaries," without prejudice to subsequent and greater state claims based on prior congressional ratification or approval. (43 U.S.C.A. §§ 1301(b), 1312.) It then tied the statutory grant of title to the "boundaries" thus established. ( Id., § 1311; Louisiana, supra, 363 U.S. at pp. 21-24 [4 L.Ed.2d at pp. 1040-1042].) Implicit in this approach was the principle that each state had a single, fixed seaward boundary for all domestic purposes, political and proprietary. (See Gross, supra, 64 Mich.L.Rev. 639, 642, 665, 670; but see Alexander, The Law of the Sea (1967) p. 238.) The People's narrow reading of California II must be rejected for a second reason. The California II court, within a context which is broader than the Act, rejected the precise argument of the People before us. As here, the state claimed in California II that its original Constitution, ratified by Congress in the Act of Admission, had established an "historic" boundary beyond the coastal islands. The high court, however, found that the state constitutional language was ambiguous, and that California's interpretation was actually contradicted by the statutory boundary descriptions for certain of the state's coastal counties. (381 U.S. at p. 174 [14 L.Ed.2d at pp. 317-318].) Under these circumstances, in the high court's view the Legislature's unilateral effort, after the event as it were, to clarify the early constitutional description by statute could add no force to the People's claim. Finally, the relationship of the term "boundaries" in the Act and in FCMA becomes clear when the two enactments are read together. The 1953 law granted the states, within their "boundaries," not only title to lands beneath sea waters, but "the right and power to manage, administer, lease, develop, and use" the resources " within such lands and waters" where not in conflict with federal regulation. (43 U.S.C.A. §§ 1311(a)(2), 1314(a).) Specifically, for our purposes, the high court has subsequently interpreted the quoted language as giving the states a concurrent right, using their police power, to control the taking of free-swimming fish within their territories. ( Douglas v. Seacoast Products, Inc. (1977) 431 U.S. 265, 283-285 [52 L.Ed.2d 304, 318-320, 97 S.Ct. 1740].) The FCMA, on the other hand, asserts almost exclusive federal control over offshore fisheries insofar as compatible with the states' rights. By providing that it shall not be construed as "extending or diminishing" a state's authority "within its boundaries," the FCMA leaves, unimpaired, the states with such fishery rights which they either acquired under the Act, or otherwise possessed. FCMA makes clear, however, that, for most purposes, such rights do not extend beyond those "boundaries." (16 U.S.C.A. § 1856(a).) We think it clear that the congressional intent was that the term "boundaries," as used in the 1953 Act and in the 1976 FCMA, should bear the same meaning and receive similar interpretation. Our conclusion that California II necessarily defined the state's inland waters for all national purposes conforms with prior federal decisions, which have consistently held or assumed that, for purposes of federal law, California's territorial claims in the coastal channels and straits are limited to three-mile belts off the mainland shore and surrounding the coastal islands. ( Wilmington Transp. Co. v. Cal. R.R. Comm. (1915) 236 U.S. 151, 152 [59 L.Ed. 508, 509, 35 S.Ct. 276] [Santa Catalina Channel is the "high seas" for purposes of federal economic regulation]; Hooker v. Raytheon Company (S.D.Cal. 1962) 212 F. Supp. 687, 693-694 [Santa Barbara Channel is the "high seas" under federal Death on the High Seas Act, despite the provisions of Gov. Code, §§ 170-171].) Such consistent interpretation of California II also reduces confusion in a complex area by establishing a uniform, precise boundary for all domestic federal purposes. (Cf., California II, 381 U.S. at p. 165 [14 L.Ed.2d at pp. 312-313]; Gross, supra, 64 Mich.L. Rev. 639, 670.) The People argue that we have previously extended California's inland waters for purposes of criminal jurisdiction beyond those set by California II. People v. Stralla (1939) 14 Cal.2d 617 [ 96 P.2d 941], is cited for the proposition, contrary to California II, that Santa Monica Bay is entirely within California territory for purposes of enforcement of the state's gambling laws. (Pp. 632-633; compare California II, 381 U.S. at pp. 173-175 [14 L.Ed.2d at pp. 317-318].) In Stralla, however, no conflict between state and federal or international law was presented. Indeed, the United States there appeared as amicus curiae in support of California's efforts to end offshore gambling. (14 Cal.2d at p. 619.) Here, consistent with the high court's conclusion in California II, we determine only that Santa Barbara Channel is outside California's boundaries for purposes of federal law, and that California's boundaries are those which are established under the Act as interpreted in California II. The channel is thereby excluded from California's boundaries. It follows that when defendants committed the acts for which they were convicted, they were not within California's inland waters. To the limited extent with which it conflicts with these conclusions we disapprove People v. Foretich (1970) 14 Cal.App.3d Supp. 6 [92 Cal.Rptr. 481]. 2. Extraterritorial Regulation Under Federal Law (4) We agree with the People's assertion that federal law does not prohibit California's assertion of penal jurisdiction over defendants even though at the time of their commission of the charged offenses they acted outside of California's territorial limits as defined for federal purposes. The United States Supreme Court has held that in matters affecting its legitimate interests a state may regulate the conduct of its citizens upon the high seas where no conflict with federal law is presented. ( Skiriotes v. Florida (1941) 313 U.S. 69, 77 [85 L.Ed. 1193, 1200, 61 S.Ct. 924].) More specifically, the court recognized that a state's interests in preserving nearby fisheries is sufficiently strong to permit such extraterritorial enforcement of its laws enacted for that purpose. ( Skiriotes, supra, at p. 75 [85 L.Ed. at p. 1199]; Felton v. Hodges (5th Cir. 1967) 374 F.2d 337, 339; State v. Bundrant (Alaska 1976) 546 P.2d 530, 550-554; see United States v. Alaska (1975) 422 U.S. 184, 198-199 [45 L.Ed.2d 109, 121-122, 95 S.Ct. 2240].) It seems obvious that by adoption and enforcement of its control regulations California seeks to prevent the depletion of a very valuable natural resource. Fish swim. By their very nature they move freely across those arbitrary boundaries which are enacted by governmental entities for official purposes. The commercial and recreational value of California's fisheries are self-evident and are developed, both quantitatively and in their financial aspects, in the record before us. We have no difficulty in discerning in the preservation of its valuable fish population the requisite state interest for extraterritorial enforcement. Furthermore, the state laws here at issue present no conflict with federal swordfish policies because no federal rules in that field have as yet been promulgated under the FCMA. The record in this case is favorable to the penal reach of California law. Consistent with the Skiriotes rationale we observe that defendants are California citizens and residents. Both the Comanche and the spotter aircraft were based in California. California facilities were intended for use in both the landing and selling of their catch. California's interest in defendants' activities was both real and continuing. (5a) Defendants assert, however, that their convictions are invalid because the FCMA expressly forbids extraterritorial fishing regulation by a state, except in cases where the fishing vessel is "registered under the laws of such State." (16 U.S.C.A. § 1856(a).) Was the Comanche so "registered"? (6) Both federal and state governments provide various means of identifying and classifying those craft which move in the nation's navigable waters. Under federal law all domestic vessels over five net tons are subject to federal classification. "Registration" is an ancient term of art under the federal scheme, reserved solely for ships which are engaged in foreign trade. (46 U.S.C.A. § 11 et seq.) Those vessels which are engaged in commercial fishing from United States ports, on the other hand, must be "licensed" if over five net tons, and both "licensed" and "enrolled" if over twenty net tons. ( Id., §§ 251-263; 46 C.F.R. §§ 67.01-1, 67.01-5, 67.01-11, 67.01-13, 67.07-13.) All boats so "documented" are assigned an official number. ( Id., § 67.11-1.) The term "enrollment" evidences the national character of the vessel enabling it to procure a license. The "license," in turn, limits the commercial use to which the craft may be put in order to prevent evasion of federal revenue laws. ( Douglas v. Seacoast Products, Inc., supra, 431 U.S. 265, 272-273 [52 L.Ed.2d 304, 311-312]; Anderson v. Pacific Coast S.S. Co. (1912) 225 U.S. 187, 199 [56 L.Ed. 1047, 1053, 32 S.Ct. 626].) Possession of a federal fishing license, however, does not preclude the nondiscriminatory state regulation of the licensed vessel's fishing activities. ( Douglas, supra, at p. 277 [52 L.Ed.2d at p. 315]; Manchester v. Massachusetts, supra, 139 U.S. 240, 265 [35 L.Ed. 159, 167]; Smith v. State of Maryland (1855) 59 U.S. (18 How.) 71, 74 [15 L.Ed. 269, 270-271].) (7) California provides two means of vessel classification and numbering; an identification number (CF number), and a "certificate of boat registration" with "registration plates." (Fish G. Code, §§ 7880, 7887.) Such "registration," renewable annually upon payment of a fee (Fish G. Code, § 7890), constitutes a state license to use the boat for commercial fishing of a specified kind. (5b) Defendants urge that because the Comanche carried United States documentation, and therefore bore no CF number, it cannot be deemed "registered" in California for purposes of the FCMA. We disagree. In our view, the Comanche's California "registration" for commercial swordfishing purposes permitted California to regulate such activities on the high seas. In our view, a contrary interpretation would render FCMA's express recognition of state extraterritorial jurisdiction (16 U.S.C.A. § 1856(a)) virtually meaningless, limiting such jurisdiction to pleasure boats and those few commercial fishing vessels lighter than five net tons. We also find significance in the fact that, because the federal government has developed no swordfish regulations, the exclusion of any such state regulation would create the danger of wholly unregulated exploitation of that species in coastal waters and on the high seas, thus resulting in the possibility of substantial or, indeed, total depletion of an important natural resource. Had Congress intended by its successive enactments such a drastic curtailment of the states' Skiriotes jurisdiction, it would have said so. On the contrary, though undoubtedly aware of various state fishing "registration" schemes such as California's, Congress avoided all reference to the long established terms of art in the federal documentation laws, and premised continued state jurisdiction on the undefined and generic concept of local "registration." As previously noted, the Comanche was licensed for commercial swordfishing. We think our broader interpretation of the term "registration" in FCMA prevents the anomalous result which would follow if the state's extraterritorial jurisdiction over commercial fishing was preserved as to those boats in which the state had asserted only a limited identification and record-keeping interest, but was precluded as to vessels like the Comanche which it has specifically licensed to engage in the activity of swordfishing. From the foregoing we conclude that section 1856(a), fairly read, is intended to permit a state to regulate and control the fishing of its citizens in adjacent waters, when not in conflict with federal law, when there exists a legitimate and demonstrable state interest served by the regulation, and when the fishing is from vessels which are regulated by it and operated from ports under its authority. (See Fidell, Enforcement of the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976: The Policeman's Lot (1977) 52 Wn.L.Rev. 513, 593-597, and fn. 467; cf., Northwest Trollers Ass'n. v. Moos (1977) 89 Wn.2d 1 [ 568 P.2d 793, 795].) We conclude that federal law does not preclude application of California's fishing laws to defendants' activities. 3. Territorial Limits of California Law (8) Relying on People v. Buffum (1953) 40 Cal.2d 709 [ 256 P.2d 317], defendants argue that, apart from any federal conflict, their conduct is not punishable in California as a matter of traditional state law because, standing independently, the violations occurred beyond California territory. However, it is well established that unless the Legislature provides otherwise, those defendants are punishable in California ". . . who commit, in whole or in part, any crime within . . ." California. (Pen. Code, § 27, subd. 1.) Similarly, Penal Code section 778a provides, "Whenever a person, with intent to commit a crime, does any act within this state in execution or part execution of such intent, which culminates in the commission of a crime, either within or without this state, such person is punishable for such crime in this state in the same manner as if the same had been committed entirely within this state." Defendants contend that any of their acts which occurred within California were mere preparations and did not constitute technical attempts to violate fishing regulations. (40 Cal.2d at p. 718.) Buffum is inapplicable. The completed violations in the case before us occurred well within the state boundaries as defined by our state Constitution and statutes. (Cal. Const., art. III, § 2; Gov. Code, §§ 170-171, all supra.) These are the limits to which the Legislature implicitly intended to extend California's criminal laws, including Fish and Game Code section 2000. As we have observed, California's territorial boundaries and, therefore, the extent of its criminal jurisdiction are restricted when they conflict with federal and international law. The factual record before us presents no such conflict. The judgments of conviction are affirmed. Bird, C.J., Tobriner, J., Clark, J., Manuel, J., and Newman, J., concurred. MOSK, J. I concur. Since title to submerged lands in the waters of Santa Barbara Channel was settled in the United States by five votes of the Supreme Court in United States v. California (1965) 381 U.S. 139 [14 L.Ed.2d 296, 85 S.Ct. 1401], I am under compulsion to accept the result. Chief Justice Warren, who had been Governor of California, and Justice Clark, who had been Attorney General of the United States, did not participate. I find it difficult to believe, however, that Congress did not intend, when it enacted the Submerged Lands Act, to recognize the respective coastal states' original boundaries. As Justice Black observed in the dissent for himself and Justice Douglas ( id., p. 188 [14 L.Ed.2d, p. 326]), during congressional deliberations on the measure the term "historic State boundaries" was used 813 times, "original boundaries" 121 times and "traditional" boundaries 114 times. A cursory examination of appendices A and C to Justice Black's dissent (following p. 213 [14 L.Ed.2d, p. 340]) should convince any objective viewer that the waters within a line from Point Conception to Point Loma are inland waters of California surrounding California territory: San Miguel Island, Santa Rosa Island, Santa Cruz Island, Anacapa Island, Santa Barbara Island, San Nicolas Island, Santa Catalina Island and San Clemente Island. Rather than to disapprove People v. Foretich (1970) 14 Cal.App. 3d Supp. 6 [92 Cal.Rptr. 481], as the majority do here, I am impressed by its rationale that the high court in California II merely defined the limits of a grant of real estate in the Submerged Lands Act and did not clearly intend to alter the political boundaries of the State of California ( id., p. 13). (Also see Alabama v. Texas (1954) 347 U.S. 272 [98 L.Ed. 689, 74 S.Ct. 481].) And as the Foretich court pointed out, the high court referred to by name and did not disapprove People v. Stralla (1939) 14 Cal.2d 617 [ 96 P.2d 941], in which this state's jurisdiction over waters of Santa Monica Bay, from Point Vicente to Point Dume and extending as much as 10 miles from the shoreline, was upheld. Application of the headland-to-headland principle was also approved as to San Francisco Bay in 34 Ops.Cal.Atty.Gen. 260 (1959). The majority reach the correct conclusion as to the application of California's police power to the waters of Santa Barbara Channel. It is my hope, however, that an opportunity will arise for the State of California to appear again before the Supreme Court on an issue involving its title to submerged lands and political sovereignty over waters from headland to headland within the several bays and channels along our coastline. The high court's more recent deference to states' rights might result next time in a clearer recognition of the traditional coastal boundary of California. Appellants' petition for a rehearing was denied May 14, 1980. upholding statute which prohibited the taking of swordfish with the assistance of a spotter aircraft in the EEZ where state facilities were to be used for the landing and processing and prohibition furthered federal interest of conservation Summary of this case from City of Charleston v. a Fisherman's Best, Inc. In Weeren, we considered the applicability of California's criminal laws in the territory beyond California's federal law boundaries but within its state law boundaries. Summary of this case from Tidewater Marine Western, Inc. v. Bradshaw	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line366
__label__cc	0.640176	0.359824	The Jam SessionThe Jam Session North American Auto Show in Detroit Canceled for Second Year (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images) There was hope that with the new year we would see the return of major events throughout the state, but it looks like one of the biggest won’t happen. For a second year the North American International Auto Show in Detroit has had to cancel amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The announcement was made on Monday by the NAIAS that this years event would not go on as planned. Last year the event had switched to summer dates after decades of being held in the winter. This year the event was scheduled to be held in September before the cancellation was announced. Although the typical event has been canceled, officials revealed a “bridge to the future” with an auto-centric event called Motor Bella. Motor Bella will be held from September 21-26, 2021, at the M1 Concourse in Pontiac, Michigan. “The pandemic has caused changes in our society and world in ways not previously imagined, and we all should be looking for new and highly creative ways of doing business,” said Executive Director Rod Alberts. “This new event captures that creative spirit. It will provide new mobility experiences and increasingly innovative approaches to tapping into the industry and its products.” Those attending can expect a multi-sensory experience at the new event. Plans call for the event to offer 1.6 million square feet of dynamic vehicle and technology display space including terrain ideal for showcasing off-roading capabilities. "This all-outdoor venue, with adrenaline-pumping track activities and a full complement of OEM and technology exhibits, is going to offer the sights, sounds and even the smell of all that the new world of mobility has to offer,” Alberts stated. The planned dates for the 2021 Motor Bella are: Press Preview, Tuesday, Sept. 21 AutoMobili-D, Tuesday, Sept. 21 through a half-day Thursday, Sept. 23 Industry Preview, Wednesday, Sept. 22 and a half-day Thursday, Sept. 23 Public Show, Thursday, Sept. 23 through Sunday, Sept. 26 There has been no official word on the NAIAS plans for 2022. CHECK IT OUT: Virtual Michigan Car Show Filed Under: Auto Show, coronavirus COVID-19, detroit, NAIAS, North American International Auto Show Categories: Events, Michigan News	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line367
__label__wiki	0.944627	0.944627	Nick Saban Tua Tagovailoa Jalen Hurts Trey Sermon Creed Humphrey Kenneth Murray Lincoln Riley Sports FBS College Football Playoff College football Football College sports Oklahoma Big 12 Alabama Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts enjoying final college season By CLIFF BRUNT - Dec. 24, 2019 09:33 AM EST NCAA college football player and Heisman Trophy finalist, Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts talks to the media during a news conference before the start of the Heisman Trophy ceremony, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Jason Szenes) NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Almost begrudgingly, Jalen Hurts is having some fun. His Oklahoma teammates and coaches have defended their quarterback when asked about Hurts seemingly aloof personality, saying there’s more to one of college football’s most successful players in recent years. Hurts has let loose on a few occasions, revealing another side of the Alabama transfer. “I told Jalen before he came here that if he did come here, that one of my goals was going to be for him to be able to enjoy it and have fun with it,” Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said. “I think that's an important part of this game. (I) have had guys like him before that take it so seriously. And he does have fun — he has more fun with it than probably you guys see on the outside.” It’s understandable given his path why Hurts remains so focused. he knows how quickly things can change. He was Alabama’s starting quarterback for two seasons before Tua Tagovailoa replaced him at halftime of the national championship game following the 2017 season. Tagovailoa rallied the Tide to victory against Georgia and got the starting job the next year. Hurts stayed at Alabama instead of transferring and in ironic twist of fate, he endeared himself to Alabama fans by rallying the Tide past none other than Georgia in the Southeastern Conference championship game after Tagovailoa was injured. After graduating from Alabama, Hurts transferred to Oklahoma — where he is having a memorable run. He was the Heisman Trophy runner-up and has led the Sooners to the College Football Playoff. He has passed for 3,634 yards and 32 touchdowns and rushed for 1,255 yards and 18 touchdowns. He'll play in the College Football Playoff for the fourth time when Oklahoma faces top-ranked LSU on Saturday in a national semifinal. “It’s unprecedented,” Hurts said. “My situation is unprecedented. That’s the best way I can say it. That’s the best way I’ve been saying it.” He allowed himself to relax a bit after the Sooners rallied from 25 points down to beat Baylor in the regular season — albeit just momentarily. “Well, it's something you want to try to soak in,” he said. “The greatest comeback in school history. Something that we wanted to enjoy. But now, that great comeback is not going to win us the game this week. We completely understand that, and I think we have the right focus going into it this week, playing TCU, as far as that. We're just ready to attack practice and get better.” If it was up to Hurts, he’d probably never talk about any of it. He prefers to “keep the main thing the main thing,” as he sometimes says. “The ‘main thing’ is going out there and attacking every single day, every opportunity we have to get better,” he said. “Attacking and trying to improve. Taking big steps. That’s the main thing.” Certainly, he’s a far cry from Baker Mayfield’s enormous personality. Hurts calls praise “rat poison,” something he carried from playing for coach Nick Saban at Alabama. “I really enjoy that from him,” Oklahoma center Creed Humphrey said. “I’m kind of the same way. I don’t really pay attention to statistics. It’s all about doing your job to the best of your ability on every play. That’s his attitude toward everything. I love it.” Hurts definitely has a different approach than some of his peers. When asked about the rivalry with Texas the week of the game, he quipped, “Everybody’s a rival.” When asked if he did anything fun while he was in New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony, he said, “Got some cheesecake.” Running back Trey Sermon once called Hurts an “old head” who listens to old-school music and makes jokes his uncle would make. Even as Hurts presents himself as stoic, he has occasionally shown a desire to be more animated. In Oklahoma's spring game, he took a photo with his teammates in an end zone celebration — something he said he wouldn’t have done at Alabama. “He can certainly loosen up, laughs and jokes and has fun,” Riley said. “There’s certainly that side to him as well. As you can see, he’s about business. That’s certainly his mentality. It’s not that he can’t loosen up, smile and have fun because he can. He’s very driven. He’s a very focused guy.” Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray said Hurts' teammates see more of that person than the outside world. “Business is business, and when it comes down to improving on things and comes down to trying to be the best, you have to take those things serious, but I think he's just like us on the team,” Murray said. “He's a guy that we're able to clown around with and joke around with. “We also understand there's a time and place for everything and so when it's time to handle business, we've got to handle business.” Hurts probably knows that as well as anyone in the playoffs. More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and http://www.twitter.com/AP_Top25	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line372
__label__wiki	0.899335	0.899335	President Obama’s Department of Injustice By Alec Karakatsanis, HLS J.D. ’08 WASHINGTON — LAST month, President Obama used his clemency power to reduce the sentences of 46 federal prisoners locked up on drug-related charges. But for the last six years, his administration has worked repeatedly behind the scenes to ensure that tens of thousands of poor people — disproportionately minorities — languish in federal prison on sentences declared by the courts, and even the president himself, to be illegal and unjustifiable. The case of Ezell Gilbert is emblematic of this injustice. In March 1997, he was sentenced to 24 years and four months in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute more than 50 grams of crack cocaine. Because of mandatory sentencing laws, Mr. Gilbert was automatically sentenced to a quarter-century in prison, though even the judge who sentenced him admitted that this was too harsh. Continue reading the full story here. Filed Under: In the News	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line377
__label__cc	0.706753	0.293247	New York’s Making It Easier for Makers to Start Selling from Their Home Kitchens Via Edible Brooklyn By: Lisa Held What do the founders of Early Bird Granola, Pilot Kombucha, and Hungry Bird Eats have in common? They started baking oats, fermenting tea and rolling crackers at home before turning their kitchen habits into food businesses. It’s a story that’s so common it’s become a trope: Cool Brooklynite makes innovative food for friends. Friends urge him or her to sell said food. Food becomes top seller at Whole Foods. However, there are many factors that influence how successful makers are at moving through that timeline, and a new report from Harvard Law School’s Food Law and Policy Clinic digs into one that doesn’t get a lot of attention: state laws that regulate the sale of small-batch foods made outside commercial kitchens. “Cottage Food Laws in the United States” provides a comprehensive overview of how states create legislation and regulations related to cottage foods, common elements from state to state (like which foods are allowed and sales limits) and recommendations to strengthen laws. It’s an important resource for makers in Brooklyn (and across the country) who are just starting out and may find it difficult to navigate issues like which foods they can make and where they can sell. The team at food incubator Pilotworks, for example, said that it was common for students in its Launchpad program to experiment with production and sales from home kitchens before moving into a production facility like theirs, and that helping makers understand regulations is a critical role they fill. “We have to be deeply knowledgeable about federal, state and local regulations and how they apply to all types of food companies, large and small.” In terms of findings (and especially given Brooklyn’s reputation as a maker mecca), how did New York’s cottage food law stack up against others across the country? Emily Broad Leib, director of the Food Law and Policy Clinic and one of the authors of the report, said that New York’s law is generally supportive of cottage food producers and has eliminated most big barriers. “For example, New York is one of only a dozen states that allows for some wholesale sales of cottage food products, and one of 17 states that explicitly allow for online sales, which 13 states explicitly prohibit. It is also more permissive than many states by not setting an annual gross sales limit,” she said. “Further, New York meets one of our most important recommendations to provide easy-to-follow guidance, so cottage food producers are able to take advantage of the exemptions and know where to find relevant information.” (That information is available through the Department of Agriculture.) The one area that the state could improve upon, Broad Leib said, is expanding the kinds of cottage foods that are allowed, since they are restricted to a specific list. State laws tend to allow for what they consider low-risk foods (like baked goods, jam and shelf-stable sauces) in terms of food safety concerns, since these small-batch businesses are often not required to adhere to the food safety regulations of bigger companies. (High-risk foods include dairy, meat, fish, eggs and so forth that require time and temperature controls to prevent the growth of microorganisms and the production of toxins.) Another big finding from the report is that, nationwide, more states are introducing cottage food laws. Every state except New Jersey now has one, compared to 42 states in 2013, and a few states (like Wyoming) have introduced new “food freedom” laws that essentially allow almost any foods to be sold to an “informed consumer.” “Many states that allowed some cottage foods in 2013 have also broadened their laws to allow more types of sales,” Broad Leib added. The authors of the report see this shift as overwhelmingly positive and write that making it easier for small-batch food producers to get started supports local food economies. Evidence on the impacts of the laws, however, is basically nonexistent, and Broad Leib sees it as an area ripe for research. “What we do know is that there is a lot of consumer interest in purchasing food from their neighbors and from within their own communities, whether or not this food follows safety regulations, and that there are many producers interested in using cottage food production as an avenue to start a small business, or at least to test out their markets before building a more traditional food business,” she said. “To the extent that cottage food laws allow these new market opportunities to take place without any costs to the state, they bring a lot of benefit.” In other words, other states likely want in on the Brooklyn maker phenomenon, too. Filed Under: In the News, Legal & Policy Work Tagged With: Emily Broad Leib, Food Law and Policy Clinic	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line378
__label__wiki	0.716573	0.716573	February 9, 2015 by Combined Maritime Forces Officers from CMF and Indian warships discuss counter-piracy mission at sea The delegation from JS Harusame was warmly welcomed by the crew of INS Teg Officers from the Japanese Ship (JS) Harusame, currently assigned to the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) counter-piracy task force CTF-151, took the opportunity to meet their counterparts on Indian Naval Ship (INS) Teg when both ships were alongside in Salalah, Oman, recently. Following a high level of piracy attacks off the coast of Somalia, CMF established CTF-151 in 2009 to work with other international coalitions such as NATO and the EU Naval Force to deter, disrupt and thwart piracy operations. Later, other nations began to deploy ships independent of these umbrella organisations, including India. Opportunities such as this meeting offer a chance to share best practice and ensure that the international community can work together as effectively as possible to defeat piracy. Captain Masatoshi Kashihara, commander of the 20th Deployment of the Surface Force for Piracy Enforcement, and Commander Kunio Aoki, JS Harusame’s Commanding Officer, led the delegation from the Japanese ship and were warmly welcomed onboard. The officers from JS Harusame made the most of this opportunity, exchanging information about maritime security issues in the Gulf of Aden and enhancing the close relationship that already exists between naval personnel contributing to the international counter-piracy mission. The officers were delighted to be given a tour of the ship by Captain A Y Tardesai, Commanding Officer of INS Teg, before having a series of informal discussions. The officers from JS Harusame were given a tour of the INS Teg Captian Kashihara said: “It was a great opportunity to deepen our mutual understanding and close cooperation with the crew of INS Teg, which makes eminent sense considering that we are engaged on very similar missions with the shared aim of defeating piracy in the region.” The officers held discussions about the counter-piracy mission Rear Admiral Pakorn Wanich from the Royal Thai Navy and Commander of CTF-151 said: “It was very fortunate that the crew of a CTF-151 warship were able to meet with their Indian counterparts. As we are already aware, cooperation among counter piracy units at all level of command is always needed so we can achieve our counter piracy objective. The meeting between the two warships was very beneficial and we will undoubtedly see ever-closer cooperation, ultimately resulting in the success of our counter piracy efforts going forward.” Previous articleCMF and EU Naval Force counter-piracy ships meet at seaNext article CMF helps enhance maritime security in the Indian Ocean during Exercise Cutlass Express 2015 Combined Maritime Forces(http://cmf24.wordpress.com) CMF is a unique multi-national collective of 33 like-minded nations, dedicated to promoting security and free flow of commerce across 3.2 million square miles of international waters in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Somali Basin, the Indian Ocean and the Gulf. CMF’s main focus areas are disrupting terrorism, preventing piracy, reducing illegal activities, and promoting a safe maritime environment for all.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line379
__label__wiki	0.687057	0.687057	Geoff Johns: Bringing Aquaman Into Batman V Superman Is "Massive" By Russ Burlingame - September 6, 2017 05:34 am EDT With a lot of characters rumored to make appearances in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, one of the first DC superheroes to be confirmed was Aquaman. Set to be played by Jason Momoa, the sea king has often been the butt of jokes both in- and outside of comic book circles, but in recent years, DC Entertainment Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns took him to new heights in an acclaimed and best-selling run that helped re-establish the character as one of DC's premiere heroes. When we caught up with Johns last night at the Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice premiere, we asked him how big it was for him to finally see a big-screen Aquaman. "It’s massive," Johns enthused. "Jason [Momoa] and I were talking about Aquaman and I love that people underestimate the character. I feel like hopefully we’ll be able to share the love that we have as readers of the character because the jokes about him are fun, but he’s got so much depth to him, no pun intended. It’s really great to see him finally on the big screen." Fans will get their first look at Jason Momoa's Aquaman later this week, when Batman V Superman hits theaters. Fearing the actions of a god-like Super Hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs. And with Batman and Superman at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it’s ever known before. WandaVision Opening Teases Classic Marvel Comic, Jessica Jones Character WWE's Bayley Disses WandaVision on SmackDown Xbox Series X: One of the Console's Best Features May Be a Big Problem	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line380
__label__cc	0.712969	0.287031	Community Energy in the North West - Sector Survey 2018 Electricity North West will play a key role in the delivery of a future energy system in the North West of England. One of the ways they are leading the North West to zero carbon is to help people and businesses across the region to generate their own energy. Community Energy England, with support from Scene worked with Electricity North West to learn more about people and diversity within the community energy sector, the impacts and benefits of energy projects, the motivations and challenges faced and the future of the community energy sector. Community Energy Regional Research - The South, South East & London We partnered with Community Energy South and UK Power Networks, with support from Community Energy East and Community Energy London to conduct a survey of Community Energy groups in London and the East, South, South East of England to understand more about their needs and aspirations from industry and future energy networks. Community Energy England and Community Energy Wales launch the second State of the Sector Report 2018. This report builds upon the landmark report first launched in 2017. Thanks to Scene Connect for preparing the report on behalf of Community Energy England and Community Energy Wales. Proudly sponsored by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Electricity North West, Northern Powergrid and Westmill Solar Co-operative. Executive summary of the State of the Sector Report 2018. Thanks to Scene for consulting and to the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Electricity North West, Northern Powergrid and Westmill Solar Co-operative for sponsoring this report. Infographics booklet from the State of the Sector Report 2018. Thanks to Scene for consulting and to the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Electricity North West, Northern Powergrid and Westmill Solar Co-operative for sponsoring this report.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line382
__label__cc	0.608193	0.391807	Max Blacker Max is in his first season a Crewe Park coming from his hometown of Scotch Plains, New Jersey. This young keeper has proven himself with some super performances for the First team. A fantastic attitude to the game and his team mates, he has a bright future ahead of him. He has already won silverware... Eamonn Browne ‘Bean’ as he is affectionately known has been with the club for 3 years now. A real club man he is a positive spirit around the club and has been consistent in his goalkeeping performances over the years. He has an Amateur League 1B Title under his belt as well as MUFL Reserve Division 2... Nathan Kerr This young keeper is definitely one for the future but has put in some stunning performances already in a Crewe shirt. He grew up at Carnmoney FDC and has played a few games for the First team at a very tender age. We look forward to see him continuing his development at Crewe Park.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line386
__label__wiki	0.709623	0.709623	All about Clyde van Putten By Edition On Monday, April 9th, 2018 Knops responds to Van Putten warning THE HAGUE - Dutch State Secretary of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Raymond Knops seems unimpressed by the warning of dismissed Member of the St. Eustatius Island Council Clyde van Putten of the Progressive More... By Edition On Wednesday, February 7th, 2018 Van Putten wants UN peacekeepers to assist Statia against Dutch ‘state sponsored terror’ ORANJESTAD - Island Councilman Clyde van Putten has filed a request for assistance to the Permanent Conference of Political Parties of Latin America and the Caribbean (COPPAL) in the matter between the island and More... By Edition On Monday, November 6th, 2017 Update: Knops accepts decision OM in Van Putten case WILLEMSTAD - The Undersecretary of Kingdom Relations, Raymond Knops accepts the decision not to prosecute the member of the St. Eustatius Island Council Clyde van Putten. He reports that in response to questions More... By Edition On Wednesday, November 1st, 2017 No criminal investigation against Van Putten WILLEMSTAD - The Public Prosecutor's Office (OM) BES will not conduct criminal investigations in response to statements by the politician of Sint Eustatius, Clyde van Putten, on Curaçao on October 9, 2017. This More... By Edition On Wednesday, October 18th, 2017 Sint Eustatius politician apologizes for death threats ORANJESTAD - Politician Clyde van Putten of St. Eustatius has apologized for the earlier death threats he made to Dutch soldiers. On the local radio, Van Putten said his previous comments were dismissive and that More... Statian youth: “Clyde van Putten does not speak on behalf of Statia” ORANJESTAD - The 18-year-old Statian Lenaria Brown has launched a petition against Clyde van Putten's statements. The political leader of PLP in St. Eustatius (Statia) said during a KFO meeting in Curaçao: “When More... By Edition On Friday, October 13th, 2017 Declaration Prime Minister of Curaçao on statements Mr. Van Putten WILLEMSTAD - Prime Minister Eugene Rhuggenaath gave the following declaration relating to the comments made by Mr. Clyde van Putten, member of the Island Council of St. Eustatius on October 9, 2017. “I lament More... Politician from St. Eustatius: “We will kill Dutch soldiers” WILLEMSTAD - A Caribbean politician seriously threatened Dutch soldiers. Clyde van Putten, party leader of the PLP on the Dutch island of Sint Eustatius, said in a speech that they would kill and burn the soldiers More...	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line387
__label__wiki	0.581616	0.581616	Dr Samantha Walker Director, Research & Policy and Deputy Chief Executive, Asthma UK Dr Samantha Walker is Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director for Research & Policy at Asthma UK, a patient charity and research funder based in London. She is responsible for leading the Research & Policy Directorate to advance knowledge about asthma and secure policy and practice changes to improve the lives of the 5.4 million people in the UK who have asthma. She holds an honorary lectureship (non-clinical) in the Division of Community Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh and has published extensively on asthma and allergy for over 25 years in high impact research journals including papers on the mechanisms of allergic inflammation, the impact of allergen immunotherapy on clinical and immunological outcomes and the impact and management of allergic rhinitis including a seminal paper linking hayfever to poor exam performance in teenagers. She is the architect of Asthma UK’s pioneering research strategy (2011-16) which describes investment along a pipeline of basic, translational and applied science in order to speed up innovation and get new medicines to people with asthma more quickly, and is the Co-ordinator of an ambitious EU-funded project to drive investment in asthma research in Europe (www.earip.eu). Funded under the European Commission Framework Programme 7, the European Asthma Research and Innovation Partnership (EARIP) has brought together researchers, industry representatives, patient groups and policy-makers and produced a comprehensive analysis of asthma research, including basic biology, new treatments, health and care systems, self-management and diagnostic tools, which are summarised in a ‘roadmap’ to drive investment based on unmet need in asthma.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line393
__label__wiki	0.889309	0.889309	New Johnson Controls Hall Of Fame Village logo will be a powerful symbol of the first-ever sports and entertainment “smart city” Controls, HVAC, Press Releases Controls, HVAC, JohnsonControls Symbol representing partnership between Johnson Controls and the Pro Football Hall Of Fame unveiled CANTON, Ohio, Aug. 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — The new symbol of “The Most Inspiring Place on Earth!” unveiled today, represents an important milestone in the development of Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Village, the first-ever sports and entertainment “Smart City.” Representing a landmark partnership, the Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Village logo, which was revealed during a special ceremony this morning, contains elements from both the Johnson Controls and Pro Football Hall of Fame brands. Not only does the logo stand for shared values, it is a constant reminder of the powerful brand identities of both The Pro Football Hall of Fame and Johnson Controls which are joined to inspire excellence in Canton and everywhere. By celebrating the greats who have played the game, the logo bearing the Hall of Fame’s iconic rotunda not only honors the past, it represents a bold nod to the future. The future is a nearly $800 million “smart city” which will provide world-class experiences enabled by products and services powered by Johnson Controls. The company will demonstrate its state-of-art solutions for making cities smarter and more comfortable in a real-world mixed-use setting including a Hall of Fame hotel, Player Care Center, The Center of EXCELLENCE, retail and restaurants. “At its core, the partnership is based on the shared values of commitment, integrity, courage, respect and excellence, and the mission to inspire excellence everywhere. This dynamic logo will be a powerful reminder how special Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Village will be and how it will impact the lives of others,” said David Baker, president and CEO of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The naming rights partnership for Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Village is a unique, unprecedented opportunity at the intersection of sports marketing, new business development and brand growth. “The Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Village logo makes a strong statement connecting our brand to a great institution like the Pro Football Hall of Fame, one that shares our values of honoring the past, driving innovation and celebrating excellence,” said Kim Metcalf-Kupres, vice president and chief marketing officer, Johnson Controls. Johnson Controls, a global diversified technology and multi-industrial leader, entered a historic naming rights deal with Hall of Fame Village, LLC (a partnership between Industrial Realty Group and the Pro Football Hall of Fame) in November 2016. The agreement also included a professional services contract to provide products, services and solutions to be used within Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Village. The logo was revealed during an event that also included the dedication of the spectacular new Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, site of tonight’s Hall of Fame Game. The Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals will play in the preseason classic that kicks off the 2017 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week Powered by Johnson Controls. Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, a world-class sports and entertainment complex, is one of ten main components of the Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Village. The completion of Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Village coincides with the NFL’s 100th season and Centennial celebration in 2020. ABOUT JOHNSON CONTROLS Johnson Controls is a global diversified technology and multi-industrial leader serving a wide range of customers in more than 150 countries. Our 120,000 employees create intelligent buildings, efficient energy solutions, integrated infrastructure and next generation transportation systems that work seamlessly together to deliver on the promise of smart cities and communities. Our commitment to sustainability dates back to our roots in 1885, with the invention of the first electric room thermostat. We are committed to helping our customers win and creating greater value for all of our stakeholders through strategic focus on our buildings and energy growth platforms. For additional information, please visit http://www.johnsoncontrols.com or follow us @johnsoncontrols on Twitter. ABOUT THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME Located in Canton, Ohio, the birthplace of the National Football League, the Pro Football Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit institution with the Mission to Honor the Heroes of the Game, Preserve its History, Promote its Values, & Celebrate Excellence EVERYWHERE. Hundreds of thousands of fans from across the globe travel to Canton annually to experience “The Most Inspiring Place on Earth!” that chronicles America’s most popular sport. Construction on Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Village, a $700 million development project that includes nine main components, is under way in Canton to transform the Hall of Fame’s campus. For more information about the Pro Football Hall of Fame, please visit ProFootballHOF.com; @ProFootballHOF on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube. ABOUT INDUSTRIAL REALTY GROUP, LLC IRG is a nationwide real estate development and investment firm specializing in the acquisition, development and management of commercial and industrial real estate throughout the United States. IRG, through its affiliated partnerships and limited liability companies, is among the country’s largest owners of commercial and industrial properties, operating a portfolio of more than 150 properties in 28 states with approximately 100 million square feet of rentable space. IRG is nationally recognized as a leading force behind the adaptive reuse of commercial and industrial real estate, solving some of America’s most difficult real estate challenges. Learn more at www.industrialrealtygroup.com or find us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter & YouTube. The new Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Village logo was unveiled Aug. 3 in Canton, Ohio. The symbol represents the partnership between Johnson Controls and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. SOURCE: Johnson Controls Make-A-Wish® Sponsor, Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning, Reveals Wish to Local Seven-Year-Old Johnson Controls partners with East Central Alberta Catholic Schools for more than $1M of district-wide infrastructure upgrades Ingersoll Rand Acquires Agilis Energy LLC Honeywell To Provide Cryogenic Gas Processing Plant To Cardinal Midstream III, LLC FLIR Announces New TRMS Digital Multimeter with Temperature Measurement	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line395
__label__cc	0.647486	0.352514	TECNALIA presents innovative mobile robots which are autonomous and polyvalent TECNALIA Technological Corporation has introduced innovative robots at Euskotren’s station in Atxuri (Bilbao) and which are mobile, multifunctional, collaborative, autonomous and polyvalent, suitable for a wide range of work from street cleaning and rubbish collection to accompanying elderly people. This new generation of robots is part of the European DUSTBOT research project under the remit of the VI European Framework Programme and in which TECNALIA is participating. These latest generation robots are suitable for the monitoring of large spaces (open and closed), as guides for persons in large shopping areas (indicating to them where a particular shop or product is within a shopping centre), for accompanying elderly people or those with certain disabilities (both at home and outside), thanks to their functions of orientation, navigation, communications with others or tele-assistance centres, etc. They can also be used as guides in teaching spaces (museums, visitor centres), and for transport, storage and transport and goods deliveries, besides the cleaning of both open and closed surfaces which have either difficult or easy access. This last function is the one which was recently the object of a public demonstration in the Bilbao rail station of Atxuri. DUSTBOT has collaborative, multifunctional and autonomous robots that are capable of operating in partially destructured environments/situations based on information provided by a map. The robots can also facilitate working in large areas, stations, airports and other types of public buildings, without being any obstacle for the activity of these places, given its reduced size, and without being a danger for members of the public, thanks to the novel system for the detection and avoidance of obstacles. The rail station of the Euskotren company in the Bilbao neighbourhood of Atxuri was chosen for the public presentation of these devices. The demonstration of two robot models was undertaken: the DustCart and the DustClean. The DustCart robot, measuring 1.45 metres high and 70 Kg in weight, has a humanoid form and is designed to interact with the user and for the collection of low demand waste. The DustClean robot, in the form of a small vehicle and measuring 96 cm high and 250 Kg in weight, cleans streets of dirt and dust. Moreover, both control the quality of air in real time. "These robots are the solution for cleaning areas of difficult access and for the collection of rubbish at the very front door of, above all, persons who have mobility problems when moving the rubbish to the communal waste containers", stated Mr Iñaki Inzunza, Director of the Business Unit at the Tecnalia Technological Corporation. Leading the Locating, Navigation and Obstacle Avoidance work package within this European project, TECNALIA has also actively worked on the planning algorithms and correction of trajectories. As the Director of the Project, Ms Mercedes Ferros explained, "combining infrared sensors, ultrasound and a laser scanner, the perimeter of the robot is controlled and thus its trajectory corrected if necessary". This sensor technology of infrared sensors, ultrasound and a laser scanner was applied to detect obstacles, GPRS and ultrasound sensors for locating and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3) and carbon monoxide (CO) sensors to control the quality of air. To communicate with the robots, wireless systems were used between the sensors and the various modules (quality of air, locating, navigation, obstacle avoidance) that communicate using CAN with the supervisor PC in each robot. And for communications between the robots themselves and with the Intelligent Ambience nucleus, a WLAN network via ad-hoc mode and bluetooth connection were employed. Participating in the DUSTBOT project, initiated in December 2006, apart from TECNALIA, is the Scuola Superiore Sant’ Anna (Italy), RoboTech srl (Italy), Midra (Italy), Synapsis (Italy), Örebro University (Sweden), HW Communication Ltd (United Kingdom), the Lucerne School of Engineering and Architecture (Switzerland) and the Haute Ecole d’ingénieur et de Gestion Vaud (Switzerland). Elhuyar Foundation Zelai Haundi, 3,Osinalde industrialdea 20170 Usurbil Permalink: https://cordis.europa.eu/article/id/113771-tecnalia-presents-innovative-mobile-robots-which-are-autonomous-and-polyvalent	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line397
__label__wiki	0.876071	0.876071	How COVID-19 complicated an already complex abortion access issue in the South LAFAYETTE, La. – In a part of the country where the rules about who can access abortion care vary dramatically from state to state, the COVID-19 pandemic has sewn another layer of confusion. While a majority of Americans were under stay-at-home orders in April, Quita Tinsley was seeing patients travel to Atlanta from all over the South seeking abortion care. Tinsley is the co-director of Access Reproductive Care-Southeast, an abortion fund that provides financial and logistical help to low-income women seeking abortion care. Starting in late March, legal battles ensued in Texas, Tennessee, and Louisiana, among five other states, over access to a service that medical professionals and reproductive rights advocates agree is an essential component to women’s reproductive healthcare. By April, all states had issued public health emergencies requiring the mandatory closure of schools, non-essential businesses, and the postponement of elective and non-emergency medical and surgical procedures to ensure that scarce personal protective equipment would not be diverted from hospitals during the emergency. However, in eight states, these executive orders did not make an exception for abortion services. Confusion mounted for women in states where it wasn’t immediately clear whether this procedure would even be an option during the pandemic. “Texas was a day by day and week by week situation where the executive orders were changing constantly,” said Tinsley of ARC Southeast. But as the pandemic continues impacting communities across the region, uncertainty over the availability of abortion services in the long run continues, according to Mia Raven, the deputy director of the Yellowhammer Fund. The fund provides financial support for low-income women seeking abortion care and emergency contraception in Alabama, Mississippi and the Florida panhandle. “We have had people coming over here from Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, overloading clinics, because they have no idea if they walk into a clinic in the morning if their state is going to come in with another rule,” Raven said. “It creates a whole load of people who are leaving their house who should not be leaving their houses.” Women in the South often travel for abortions Under typical circumstances in the South, it’s not unusual for Tinsley to work with women who have to travel out of state. ARC-Southeast provides support to women in six southern states including Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Florida. The South has some of the most restrictive laws on abortions in the country. Last year, 25 states, mostly in the South and Midwest, passed laws prohibiting abortions depending on the stage of the pregnancy. Alabama enacted a total ban on abortion at any gestational stage. Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Ohio banned abortion after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, which is at about six weeks of pregnancy, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health research and policy organization. Lawsuits challenging these laws have been filed in all of these states except for Louisiana and the bans are currently not in effect. In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp said in previous comments that the ban was meant to “protect the innocent” and “champion the vulnerable. The three abortion clinics in Alabama remained open after the American Civil Liberties Union sued the state for not exempting abortion providers from the state’s order. As of May, the policy is not in effect. An analysis of states that have issued orders conducted by the Guttmacher Institute showed how much farther people would have to travel to obtain access to abortion care. Even under ordinary circumstances, advocates say that the burden of travel comes with added costs such as finding child care, travel accommodations and safe transportation. Travel would have increased exponentially, especially for people living in clusters of states that had issued these orders. In Texas for example travel distances would have increased from 12 miles to 447 miles, according to the analysis. Louisiana would have seen an increase from 41 to 189 miles and in Tennessee travel distances on average would have grown from 26 miles to 208 miles for most people. “Even without a pandemic people in Louisiana often have to travel to Texas, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, even Georgia to get abortion care. Each state has its own laws and regulations,” said Steffani Bangel, the executive director of the New Orleans Abortion Fund, a non-profit providing financing and logistical support for low-income women who need help paying for abortion services. Pandemic creating uncertainty Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order on March 22 requiring licensed healthcare facilities and providers to postpone non-essential and non-emergency medical procedures, including both surgical and medical abortions, which involves taking a pill. Three weeks later the order was challenged in a lawsuit filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights. The order was blocked and put into effect eight times throughout April as the case bounced between federal district court and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Texas ultimately agreed to allow abortion care to fully resume on April 22. Dr. Daniel Grossman, the director of Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health with the University of California in San Francisco, has been studying the impact of such delays. “Without access to safe facility-based abortion care, some patients may choose unsafe methods and would have to show up to the emergency room further burdening the health care system," he said. The restrictions led dozens of women to travel out of state from Texas to access care in neighboring states, according to data from Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast. Dr. Bhavik Kumar, the medical director of the Planned Parenthood clinic in Houston, said the clinic had to stop providing service halfway through the day. Patients were offered the option to reschedule or to try seeking care in neighboring states. “This was happening in the midst of a pandemic where we are telling people not to travel except for anything essential,” Kumar said, adding that it creates another level of challenges for those who have lost employment. “There is a lot of uncertainty around the pandemic. As a physician who takes care of these people every day, I worry that some governments are going to take advantage to try and make this more and more inaccessible,” he said. A 'feeling of deep discouragement' Louisiana experienced one of the earliest and largest outbreaks of COVID-19 in the South, reporting a spike of cases starting in New Orleans on March 9. The state health department ordered a postponement on all medical and surgical ‘non-emergency’ procedures as well as in-person health visits for 30 days starting on March 21. The order did not make an exception for abortion clinics. Louisiana attorney general Jeff Landry defended the order, saying that it would ensure scarce protective equipment would be reserved for health workers in hospitals. The Hope Clinic, one of three abortion clinics in Louisiana, sued the state after the order was issued. An agreement was eventually reached on May 1 ensuring continued access to abortion in the state throughout the pandemic. MORE:Casting aside precedents, Supreme Court moves toward abortion rights With states continuing to reopen at different stages, advocates are remaining vigilant to ensure continued access to reproductive healthcare throughout the pandemic. “These restrictions are being passed down within an existing framework of restrictions,” Bangel said. “There’s this feeling of deep discouragement in their ability to access healthcare they know is stigmatized.” Follow Maria Clark on Twitter @MariaPClark1. Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/05/15/coronavirus-abortion-bans-complicated-access-texas-louisiana-alabama-tennessee/5201372002/	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line399
__label__cc	0.523501	0.476499	Home →Inquest Findings→Inquest Findings 2018→Heesters, Augustinus Clemens Antonius Inquest into the Death of Augustinus Clemens Antonius HEESTERS Delivered on: 12 October 2018 Delivered at: Perth Finding of: Deputy State Coroner Vicker Recommendations: N/A Orders/Rules: N/A Suppression Order: N/A Summary: The deceased at the time of his death was a sentenced prisoner located at Fiona Stanley Hospital following a procedure to insert a stent into his right coronary artery on 14 October 2016. Initially the deceased appeared to be recovering well, but then developed ventricular tachycardia and arrested. He was revived, but remained unstable before declining further intervention. The deceased was 70 years of age. The deceased had a long history of ischaemic heart disease with two prior myocardial infarctions. His medical history recorded lumbar back pain, cuff tear repair surgery to the right shoulder, skin cancer, bipolar affective disorder, hyperlipidemia, gastro-oesophageal respiratory disease, right inguinal hernia and depression. He was prescribed multiple medications for his various ailments. Indications were the deceased was not always compliant with his medication. The deceased was sentenced on 1 March 2016 to a term of imprisonment of 1 year and 6 months. On 7 April 2016 he was transferred to the Bunbury Regional Prison at his request where he remained a sentenced prisoner until 6 October 2016. On 5 October 2016 a nurse was called to the deceased’s unit at to assess the deceased. The nurse immediately called an ambulance. The deceased was transferred to Bunbury Regional Hospital. The deceased was assessed, stabilised and transferred to Fiona Stanley Hospital via the Royal Flying Doctor Service for further management. At Fiona Stanley Hospital the deceased was admitted to the coronary care unit. On the morning of 10 October 2016 the deceased’s oxygen saturations were noted to be dropping and his blood pressure remained low. He showed signs of pulmonary oedema and his diuretic was increased. On 12 October 2016 his MRI showed his heart showed severe systolic dysfunction. A repeat angiogram on 14 October 2016 inserted a stent into the RCA and the deceased appeared to recover after the procedure. Later that evening he developed VT and arrested. As a result of the deceased required increasing amounts of support, but declined further resuscitation. The deceased had a telephone discussion with his partner as he deteriorated and he passed away in the morning of 15 October 2016. The Coroner concluded the deceased’s supervision, treatment and care while in custody to have been of a good standard. Catch Words: Death in Custody : Care Plans : Natural Causes.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line400
__label__wiki	0.981469	0.981469	Home > UNM Law > Journals > Natural Resources Journal > Vol. 6 (1966) > Iss. 2 The Pro and Con of Interjecting Plaintiff Insurance Companies in Jury Trial Cases: An Isolated Jury Project Case Study Dale W. Broeder Dale W. Broeder, The Pro and Con of Interjecting Plaintiff Insurance Companies in Jury Trial Cases: An Isolated Jury Project Case Study, 6 Nat. Resources J. 269 (1966). Available at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/nrj/vol6/iss2/8 Energy and Utilities Law Commons, Environmental Law Commons, Land Use Law Commons, Natural Law Commons, Natural Resources Law Commons, Oil, Gas, and Mineral Law Commons, Water Law Commons NRJ Archive Home NRJ Website Home UNMSOL Journals UNMSOL Home Receive Email Notices All Issues Vol. 60, Iss. 1 Vol. 59, Iss. 2 Vol. 59, Iss. 1 Vol. 58, Iss. 2 Vol. 58, Iss. 1 Vol. 57, Iss. 2 Vol. 57, Iss. 1 Vol. 56, Iss. 2 Vol. 56, Iss. 1 Vol. 55, Iss. 2 Vol. 55, Iss. 1 Vol. 54, Iss. 2 Vol. 54, Iss. 1 Vol. 53, Iss. 2 Vol. 53, Iss. 1 Vol. 52, Iss. 2 Vol. 52, Iss. 1 Vol. 51, Iss. 2 Vol. 51, Iss. 1 Vol. 50, Iss. 3 Vol. 50, Iss. 2 Vol. 50, Iss. 1 Vol. 49, Iss. 3 Vol. 49, Iss. 2 Vol. 49, Iss. 1 Vol. 48, Iss. 4 Vol. 48, Iss. 3 Vol. 48, Iss. 2 Vol. 48, Iss. 1 Vol. 47, Iss. 4 Vol. 47, Iss. 3 Vol. 47, Iss. 2 Vol. 47, Iss. 1 Vol. 46, Iss. 4 Vol. 46, Iss. 3 Vol. 46, Iss. 2 Vol. 46, Iss. 1 Vol. 45, Iss. 4 Vol. 45, Iss. 3 Vol. 45, Iss. 2 Vol. 45, Iss. 1 Vol. 44, Iss. 4 Vol. 44, Iss. 3 Vol. 44, Iss. 2 Vol. 44, Iss. 1 Vol. 43, Iss. 4 Vol. 43, Iss. 3 Vol. 43, Iss. 2 Vol. 43, Iss. 1 Vol. 42, Iss. 4 Vol. 42, Iss. 3 Vol. 42, Iss. 2 Vol. 42, Iss. 1 Vol. 41, Iss. 4 Vol. 41, Iss. 3 Vol. 41, Iss. 2 Vol. 41, Iss. 1 Vol. 40, Iss. 4 Vol. 40, Iss. 3 Vol. 40, Iss. 2 Vol. 40, Iss. 1 Vol. 39, Iss. 4 Vol. 39, Iss. 3 Vol. 39, Iss. 2 Vol. 39, Iss. 1 Vol. 38, Iss. 4 Vol. 38, Iss. 3 Vol. 38, Iss. 2 Vol. 38, Iss. 1 Vol. 37, Iss. 4 Vol. 37, Iss. 3 Vol. 37, Iss. 2 Vol. 37, Iss. 1 Vol. 36, Iss. 4 Vol. 36, Iss. 3 Vol. 36, Iss. 2 Vol. 36, Iss. 1 Vol. 35, Iss. 4 Vol. 35, Iss. 3 Vol. 35, Iss. 2 Vol. 35, Iss. 1 Vol. 34, Iss. 4 Vol. 34, Iss. 3 Vol. 34, Iss. 2 Vol. 34, Iss. 1 Vol. 33, Iss. 4 Vol. 33, Iss. 3 Vol. 33, Iss. 2 Vol. 33, Iss. 1 Vol. 32, Iss. 4 Vol. 32, Iss. 3 Vol. 32, Iss. 2 Vol. 32, Iss. 1 Vol. 31, Iss. 4 Vol. 31, Iss. 3 Vol. 31, Iss. 2 Vol. 31, Iss. 1 Vol. 30, Iss. 4 Vol. 30, Iss. 3 Vol. 30, Iss. 2 Vol. 30, Iss. 1 Vol. 29, Iss. 4 Vol. 29, Iss. 3 Vol. 29, Iss. 2 Vol. 29, Iss. 1 Vol. 28, Iss. 4 Vol. 28, Iss. 3 Vol. 28, Iss. 2 Vol. 28, Iss. 1 Vol. 27, Iss. 4 Vol. 27, Iss. 3 Vol. 27, Iss. 2 Vol. 27, Iss. 1 Vol. 26, Iss. 4 Vol. 26, Iss. 3 Vol. 26, Iss. 2 Vol. 26, Iss. 1 Vol. 25, Iss. 6 Vol. 25, Iss. 5 Vol. 25, Iss. 4 Vol. 25, Iss. 3 Vol. 25, Iss. 2 Vol. 25, Iss. 1 Vol. 24, Iss. 4 Vol. 24, Iss. 3 Vol. 24, Iss. 2 Vol. 24, Iss. 1 Vol. 23, Iss. 4 Vol. 23, Iss. 3 Vol. 23, Iss. 2 Vol. 23, Iss. 1 Vol. 22, Iss. 4 Vol. 22, Iss. 3 Vol. 22, Iss. 2 Vol. 22, Iss. 1 Vol. 21, Iss. 4 Vol. 21, Iss. 3 Vol. 21, Iss. 2 Vol. 21, Iss. 1 Vol. 20, Iss. 4 Vol. 20, Iss. 3 Vol. 20, Iss. 2 Vol. 20, Iss. 1 Vol. 19, Iss. 4 Vol. 19, Iss. 3 Vol. 19, Iss. 2 Vol. 19, Iss. 1 Vol. 18, Iss. 4 Vol. 18, Iss. 3 Vol. 18, Iss. 2 Vol. 18, Iss. 1 Vol. 17, Iss. 4 Vol. 17, Iss. 3 Vol. 17, Iss. 2 Vol. 17, Iss. 1 Vol. 16, Iss. 4 Vol. 16, Iss. 3 Vol. 16, Iss. 2 Vol. 16, Iss. 1 Vol. 15, Iss. 4 Vol. 15, Iss. 3 Vol. 15, Iss. 2 Vol. 15, Iss. 1 Vol. 14, Iss. 4 Vol. 14, Iss. 3 Vol. 14, Iss. 2 Vol. 14, Iss. 1 Vol. 13, Iss. 4 Vol. 13, Iss. 3 Vol. 13, Iss. 2 Vol. 13, Iss. 1 Vol. 12, Iss. 4 Vol. 12, Iss. 3 Vol. 12, Iss. 2 Vol. 12, Iss. 1 Vol. 11, Iss. 4 Vol. 11, Iss. 3 Vol. 11, Iss. 2 Vol. 11, Iss. 1 Vol. 10, Iss. 4 Vol. 10, Iss. 3 Vol. 10, Iss. 2 Vol. 10, Iss. 1 Vol. 9, Iss. 4 Vol. 9, Iss. 3 Vol. 9, Iss. 2 Vol. 9, Iss. 1 Vol. 8, Iss. 4 Vol. 8, Iss. 3 Vol. 8, Iss. 2 Vol. 8, Iss. 1 Vol. 7, Iss. 4 Vol. 7, Iss. 3 Vol. 7, Iss. 2 Vol. 7, Iss. 1 Vol. 6, Iss. 4 Vol. 6, Iss. 3 Vol. 6, Iss. 2 Vol. 6, Iss. 1 Vol. 5, Iss. 2 Vol. 5, Iss. 1 Vol. 4, Iss. 3 Vol. 4, Iss. 2 Vol. 4, Iss. 1 Vol. 3, Iss. 3 Vol. 3, Iss. 2 Vol. 3, Iss. 1 Vol. 2, Iss. 3 Vol. 2, Iss. 2 Vol. 2, Iss. 1 Vol. 1, Iss. 2 Vol. 1, Iss. 1 This journal is licensed under Creative Commons	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line407
__label__wiki	0.681962	0.681962	Yesterday Was a Big Day for Puerto Rico. You Probably Missed It. Questions about the storm and debt wracked island were absent from the Democrats’ debate. AJ Vicens Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo/AP Hours before a dozen Democrats vying to be the next president of the United States took the debate stage in Ohio, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a key case involving Puerto Rico. At stake was the unelected fiscal control board set up by Congress in 2016 to oversee the island’s finances and find a way out from under $120 billion in debt. While the case was brought by a hedge fund that argued the board’s appointment was unconstitutional, the debate touched on some of the most important matters facing Puerto Rico, including how its colonial status shapes debt restructuring and the openly racist legal precedents shaping its law. Ahead of the debate, the Power 4 Puerto Rico coalition launched a website aiming to hold 2020 Democratic candidates to account for their Puerto Rico policies—or lack thereof. “Merely criticizing Trump will not cut it.” “For too long, presidential candidates of both parties have ignored the light of the people of Puerto Rico,” Federico A. de Jesús, senior advisor to group said in a statement accompanying the site’s launch. “At a time when President Trump has targeted our community with insults and going as far as illegally withholding disaster relief funds duly approved by Congress, merely criticizing Trump will not cut it.” Despite the coalition’s efforts, and the day’s arguments before the high court, Puerto Rico was once again neglected by the moderators, as it has been through all the 2020 debates. The island has come up just a handful of times at the events, but only when candidates have gone out of their way to mention it. Julian Castro has done so twice, including during the first debate in June, in response to a question about climate mitigation, and again in July, when he hailed protesters who forced Puerto Rico’s governor from power. In the September debate, Andrew Yang criticized the federal reconstruction efforts on the island, and in last night’s debate, Sen. Elizabeth Warren mentioned a visit she made. While the crowded Democratic debates have limited discussions on a host of subjects, leaving each candidate only a matter of minutes to try and connect with voters, the lack of focus on the island has prevented airing a number of issues critical to the nearly 3 million American citizens who live there, and their many relations elsewhere in the U.S. Along with yesterday’s Supreme Court hearing, and the persistent financial issues, Puerto Rico is the place where millions lived through one of the deadliest natural disasters in US history just two years ago, where local and national corruption recently spurred hundreds of thousands of people to take to the streets, and where, just hours before the debate, Gov. Wanda Vázquez called an emergency meeting in response to a mass shooting that left six people dead in an apartment complex, just one of a spate of recent brazen killings. While Puerto Rico’s voters will participate in a late March Democratic primary, the bulk of delegates selected by voters to pick the party’s nominee will already have been selected. And Puerto Ricans can’t vote in the November 2020 presidential election unless they live on the mainland. It’s not hard to understand why the island’s issues can be pushed aside. “On the day Puerto Rican advocacy groups called out Democratic candidates for their lack of interest in Puerto Rico, once again I am not surprised that the island gets ignored,” Julio Ricardo Varela, founder of Latino Rebels and co-host of the “In The Thick” political podcast, told Mother Jones. “It’s as if Democrats don’t really care to have an actual debate about colonialism, debt, austerity, and political status.” How American Colonialism Put Puerto Rico in Crisis As Puerto Rico’s Governor Steps Down, a Protest Organizer Is Determined to Not Let “The People’s Fire Burn Out.” Justin Agrelo How a Change of Color for the Puerto Rican Flag Became a Symbol of Resistance	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line411
__label__cc	0.559043	0.440957	Statewide Automated Fuel Dispensing and Management System As a result of a new partnership and outstanding example of cooperation between State government and private enterprise, DGS has taken refueling services into the 21st Century, providing state of the art technology and increasing the Statewide network to over 100 refueling sites at the end of fiscal year 2012. Thus far, the State of Maryland Automated Fuel Dispensing and Management System has dispensed over 202 million gallons of fuel and has saved the taxpayers of Maryland over 9.1 million dollars to date. In addition, the State has upgraded the fuel management equipment, software and computer system on a “pay as you go” basis for a few pennies of the cost of each gallon of fuel used. When the conversion of the system is complete, every State owned vehicles will be within quick and easy access to a refueling station no matter where in the State the driver is traveling. The system is environmentally friendly. Included are monitoring devices which test for tank leakage and product quality. All facilities are equipped with state of the art vapor recovery hoses and venting pipes. Reporting for vehicle card maintenance, drivers, approval of invoices is as easy as a click on a computer screen. And, in compliance with the Federal Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, alternative clean burning fuels continue to be used in the system. The Department of General Services is pleased to implement the new Automated Fuel Management System to State drivers. The continuing success of the program is important to all of us and we look forward to a more streamlined, paperless process that will guarantee an unqualified success in efficiency and increased savings. If you have questions or if you would like to acquire more information, please contact Kathryn Wilson, Department of General Services at (410) 767-0587. Fuel Management Information Fuel Management Home Map of Refueling Locations Daily Fuel Prices How to get a Red Card and PIN Refueling Instructions (for Authorized Users Only) Site List Fleet Manager's Handbook List of Agency Fleet Managers Alternative Fuel Sites E85 Ethanol Fuel Map of Alternative Fuel Stations Alternative Fuel Site List	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line412
__label__wiki	0.907136	0.907136	Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) is the award winning drama film adaptation of the novel of the same name, produced by (a.o.) Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment. The original score and songs were composed and conducted by John Williams (the Star Wars & Indiana Jones trilogies, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and many more). The album won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, BAFTA Award for Best Film Music and the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media. It was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score. Directed by Rob Marshall, the film stars Zhang Ziyi and Ken Watanabe, amongst others. The story revolves around a young girl who is sold by her family to an okiya, a geisha house. Her new family then sends her off to school to become a geisha. The story focuses on her struggle as a geisha to find love, while in the process making a lot of enemies. The film was nominated for and won numerous awards, including nominations for six Academy Awards, and eventually won three: Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. Memoirs Of A Geisha / O.S.T. (Gate) [Limited Edition] [180 Gram] Artist: John Williams / Yo-Yo Ma Gate Ltd Ogv Wht New: Not currently available 1. Sayuri's Theme 2. The Journey to the Hanamachi 3. Going to School 4. Brush on Silk 5. Chiyo's Prayer 6. Becoming a Geisha 7. Finding Satsu 8. The Chairman's Waltz 9. The Rooftops of the Hanamachi 10. The Garden Meeting 11. Dr. Crab's Prize 12. Destiny's Path 13. A New Name... a New Life 14. The Fire Scene and the Coming of War 15. As the Water 16. Confluence 17. A Dream Discarded 18. Sayuri's Theme and End Credits 19. Etch	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line414
__label__cc	0.721186	0.278814	Home > East Africa > Faculty of Health Sciences > Medical College > Pathology > 47 Pathology, East Africa Malaria diagnosis and treatment practices following introduction of rapid diagnostic tests in Kibaha District, Coast Region, Tanzania M. Mubi, Karolinska Institutet D. Kakoko, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences B. Ngasala, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences Zul Premji, Aga Khan UniversityFollow S. Peterson, Karolinska Institutet A. Bjorkman, Karolinska Institutet A. Martensson, Karolinska Institutet Pathology (East Africa) Background: The success of the universal parasite-based malaria testing policy for fever patients attending primary health care (PHC) facilities in Tanzania will depend highly on health workers' perceptions and practices. The aim of this study was, therefore, to assess the present use of malaria diagnostics (rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) and microscopy), prescription behaviour and factors affecting adherence to test results at PHC facilities in Kibaha District, Coast Region, Tanzania. Methods: Exit interviews were conducted with fever patients at PHC facilities and information on diagnostic test performed and treatment prescribed were recorded. Interviews with prescribers to assess their understanding, perceptions and practices related to RDTs were conducted, and health facility inventory performed to assess availability of staff, diagnostics and anti-malarial drugs. Results: The survey was undertaken at ten governmental PHC facilities, eight of which had functional diagnostics. Twenty health workers were interviewed and 195 exit interviews were conducted with patients at the PHC facilities. Of the 168 patients seen at facilities with available diagnostics, 105 (63%) were tested for malaria, 31 (30%) of whom tested positive. Anti-malarial drugs were prescribed to all patients with positive test results, 14% of patients with negative results and 28% of patients not tested for malaria. Antibiotics were more likely to be prescribed to patients with negative test results compared to patients with positive results (81 vs 39%, p < 0.01) and among non-tested compared to those tested for malaria (84 vs 69%, p = 0.01). Stock-outs of RDTs and staff shortage accounted for the low testing rate, and health worker perceptions were the main reason for non-adherence to test results. Conclusions: Anti-malarial prescription to patients with negative test results and those not tested is still practiced in Tanzania despite the universal malaria testing policy of fever patients. The use of malaria diagnostics was also associated with higher prescription of antibiotics among patients with negative results. Strategies to address health system factors and health worker perceptions associated with these practices are needed. © 2013 Mubi et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. Mubi, M., Kakoko, D., Ngasala, B., Premji, Z., Peterson, S., Bjorkman, A., Martensson, A. (2013). Malaria diagnosis and treatment practices following introduction of rapid diagnostic tests in Kibaha District, Coast Region, Tanzania. Malaria Journal, 12(1), 1475-2875. Available at: https://ecommons.aku.edu/eastafrica_fhs_mc_pathol/47 Pathology Commons	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line415
__label__wiki	0.819372	0.819372	ROMAN ART THIEVES On the wall of a now dilapidated house in the centre of the Sicilian town of Enna, there is a remarkable commemorative plaque. A carefully inscribed slab of marble, put up by the local council in 1960, reads: ‘On this very spot stood the house in which Marcus Tullius Cicero lodged, the defender of Enna and the whole of Sicily against that plunderer of temples, Caius Licinius Verres, Roman governor of the island. The city of Enna, still mindful of his services twenty centuries later, erected this memorial’. Leaving aside the elements of fantasy (we have no idea at all where Cicero lodged when he visited Enna), it is vivid testimony to the enduring power of a Roman court case of 70 BC and to the memory of Cicero as defender of the province of Sicily against the depredations of its rogue governor. Cicero was then an up-and-coming politician, keen to make a name for himself. So he had taken on the case of a group of Sicilians, who wanted to charge their governor with ‘extortion’. It was a risky strategy. Verres was much better connected than Cicero, and it was anyway hard to secure a conviction for extortion in the provinces. Roman governors expected to come home considerably richer from their overseas postings, and juries at Rome (in 70 BC composed entirely of senators) almost inevitably saw it from the governor’s side. For a prosecution to be successful, there had to be evidence of really outrageous crime and/or some overriding political advantage in delivering a guilty verdict. But Cicero, playing the combined role of prosecuting counsel and amateur detective, went off to Sicily and gathered together witnesses and detailed documentary evidence of Verres’ misdemeanours. His case for the prosecution is laid out in the surviving speeches ‘Against Verres’. 6. A shadow of its former glory? The spot in Enna where Cicero is supposed to have lodged while investigating the case against Verres. These document Verres’ lifetime of crime. One speech concentrates on his fiddling of the corn supply; another exposes his profiteering when he was overseeing building work on the temple of Castor in the Roman Forum (he tried to extract a vast payment from the contractor on the grounds that the columns were not quite vertical). But the most lurid and memorable parts of Cicero’s denunciation concern Verres’ reign of terror in Sicily. The fate of Gavius from the Sicilian town of Consa, who was flogged, tortured and crucified for being a spy, despite the fact that he was a Roman citizen and so legally protected from such treatment, has remained a powerful political symbol. Gavius died with the words ‘Civis Romanus sum’ (‘I am a Roman citizen’) on his lips – a slogan that was later adopted by Lord Palmerston when he sent a gunboat in support of the British citizen Don Pacifico, who in 1847 had been attacked by an anti-Semitic crowd in Athens. It was famously wheeled out again in 1963 by John F. Kennedy in Berlin: ‘Two thousandyears ago the proudest boast was “civis Romanus sum”. Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is “ich bin ein Berliner”’. Kennedy, presumably, did not know what happened to Gavius. Another whole speech, and the focus of Margaret Miles’s Art as Plunder, is devoted to detailing Verres’ expropriation of the famous artworks of the province. As the commemoration in Enna hints, some of this came from sacred temples. In fact, his worst theft, according to Cicero, was of various venerable images, including a venerable cult statue of Ceres: ‘this very Ceres, the most ancient and sacred of all, the fountain-head of all the cults of the goddess among all races and peoples, was stolen by Gaius Verres from her own temple and home’. But private property was not safe from his thieving hands. Gaius Heius, a ‘successful businessman’ of Messana, kept some rare masterpieces (including statues by Praxiteles, Polykleitos and Myron) in a shrine in his house. Verres soon forced him to sell them for a ridiculously low price. In general, for anyone in Sicily with valuables at home, the governor was a dangerous dinner guest. He was likely to leave with your gold and silver, your dinner service, or your rare Corinthian bronze, in his carriage. These speeches against Verres are the only speeches for the prosecution to survive from the ancient Roman courtroom (speaking for the defence was usually seen as the more honourable trade). They now amount to six separate speeches (plus one from a preliminary hearing), or almost a quarter of all Cicero’s oratory that has come down to us. It looks as if it must have been a long case – but it was not. Verres decided to scarper after listening to the evidence presented in the very first speech (a move which has usually been taken as an admission of guilt). He spent the rest of his days in exile in Marseilles, apparently still in possession of his art collection; almost thirty years later he was put to death on the order of Mark Antony, because he refused to hand over to Antony his favourite Corinthian bronzes – or so the suspiciously apposite anecdote, recounted by the elder Pliny, has it. After his flight from Rome Verres was condemned in absentia, and Cicero circulated a no doubt highly embellished version of the one speech he had actually delivered, and the five that had remained unused. Not only did these turn out to be a success in the Roman classroom and in the training of young orators; they also established the conflict between Cicero and Verres as an exemplary story of right versus might, and the cause of justice triumphing over violence and corruption. And so it still rings true in Enna. The facts of the case are not, of course, so simple. As always, we only have Cicero’s side of it. No one would seriously suggest that Verres was an entirely innocent victim of some vendetta on the part of Cicero and the Sicilians. But it is hard to know if he was very much worse in his conduct than other Roman governors at the time; and it is also hard to know how far the case was fired by Cicero’s own eagerness to make a name. Recent studies have exposed many of the tactical obfuscations in Cicero’s account of Verres’ abuse of the corn supply. Besides, although his flight after Cicero’s first speech in the courtroom may be an indication of Verres’ guilt, innocent (or relatively innocent) men may also take to their heels. Sometimes they have just had enough. Miles has no serious doubts that Verres was more or less guilty as charged. But in her study of his plundering of works of art, she does tease out some of the complexities that underlie Cicero’s invective. In broad terms, we can detect a development in the ancient world from the idea of art as essentially a public or religious medium to the idea of art as the object of private collecting and connoisseurship. The late second and early first century BC in Italy was a particularly loaded moment in that transition, as the Romans came increasingly in contact with the artistic traditions of the Greek world, and works of art flowed to Rome from the eastern Mediterranean as the prize of conquest. Intensely debated were the role of Greek art within the ‘native’ traditions of Roman culture, the legitimacy of the private ownership of luxury arts, and how far it was appropriate for an elite Roman to fashion himself as a ‘lover of art’. Within these debates, almost anyone was a potential target. Gaius Mummius, who destroyed the city of Corinth in 146 BC, was ridiculed for being ignorant about art. One hostile anecdote tells how, when the treasures of Corinth were being loaded on to ships to be transported back to Rome, Mummius warned the sailors that if they damaged anything they would have to replace it. Yet to be passionately keen on Greek art could be presented as equally culpable – as Cicero makes clear in his attack on Verres. It was not just his crimes in acquiring all these statues and antiques that could be held against the accused, but his cupidity itself, his desire for art. Cicero, meanwhile, when discussing the famous statues owned by Heius of Messana, affects not even to be able to remember who exactly those renowned artists were (‘… the sculptor, who was he? Who did they say he was? Ah yes, thank you, Polykleitos …’). Whether this was an attempt to distance himself from Verres’ artistic passions, or (as Miles less plausibly suggests) an attempt to make fun of Verres’ own ‘pretensions to connoisseurship’, it illustrates the perils for Romans of engaging – or refusing to engage – with art and its acquisition. But there are other, bigger dilemmas at issue that Miles does not always pick up. For a start, the contested boundary between the cultured patron and the obsessive, rapacious collector is an almost universal one. This is nicely illustrated in Carole Paul’s account of the display of the Borghese collection of paintings and antiquities in eighteenth-century Rome. In discussing the formation of the collection she devotes a short section to the seventeenth-century Scipione Borghese – a ‘distinguished … patron of the arts’, ‘a great Maecenas’. It is only in the next paragraph that we learn that ‘Scipione was also a remarkable – and ruthless – collector, who would stoop to confiscation and theft to obtain paintings, and even had artists imprisoned when they displeased him’. Same person, same habits: it all depended which side of Scipione’s patronage you were on. We can find very similar ambiguities in ancient Rome. In the fourth book of his poetry collection, the Silvae, published in the mid-90s AD, Statius praises one Novius Vindex, a connoisseur of art who has recently acquired a statuette of Hercules by Lysippos, once owned by Alexander the Great. Miles stresses how different the tone of this poem is from Cicero’s treatment of Verres’ art collecting. ‘Unlike Verres’, she observes, ‘Vindex collects art honestly … not to further his ambitions and public career’. For her, there is ‘an antithetical difference in character between the two men’, and a chronological difference too. One hundred and seventy years after the Verrine case, there was now a positive role for the private collector in Rome. So there may have been, but surely more to the point is that we know of Verres from his enemy and Novius Vindex from his friend. If Verres had had a tame poet, he too would presumably have praised his cultured patron to the skies. Even more crucially, the transfer, removal, or theft of art objects is almost always more complicated than any simple model of plunderer and victim suggests. This is certainly the case with Heius’ collection of masterpieces, which he lost to Verres. How, we must ask, did a Sicilian ‘businessman’ acquire statues by Praxiteles, Polykleitos and Myron? Cicero stresses that they were inherited ‘from his ancestors’; but that assertion, on its own, deflects rather than answers the question. The little we know of Heius suggests that he had been in business on the island of Delos, a major commercial centre of the Mediterranean and capital of the ancient slave trade. It is possible, though in my view unlikely, that he was ‘an art dealer’ of some kind. More probably, these fine statues were acquired with the profits from the ancient traffic in people. It could even be that the circumstances in which Heius acquired his prize works of art were not so very different from those in which Verres acquired his. It was also the case that Verres bought rather than simply stole these famous statues. True, Cicero emphasises that the price was absurdly low – and, even if money did change hands, a coerced sale was coercion nonetheless, another version of theft. But inevitably the precise circumstances of the transfer of ownership are impossible to reconstruct now. (Just as it is impossible to know, in Paul’s account, quite how willingly Camillo Borghese sold some of his collection to Napoleon; the pieces were not restored to him, with the other confiscated works of Italian art, after Napoleon’s defeat.) Simply because the vendor later complains that he was forced into the deal does not necessarily mean that he was not a willing partner to the transaction at the time. We tend now to imagine that most of the ‘original’ Greek works of art that ended up in Rome were the result of plunder and exploitation. Some of them certainly were. Triumphal processions in Rome were sometimes full of plundered masterpieces, the fruits of Roman victory. But, unless you take the extreme position that any trade whatsoever between the imperial power and its conquered territories was always coercive, there must have been some occasions on which the Greeks were happy to sell, or were even the leading partners in the transaction. The temple of Apollo Sosianus in Rome was refitted at the end of the first century BC, with antique sculpture that had once adorned an early fifth-century temple in Greece newly installed in its pediment. (The surviving fragments, now in the Centrale Montemartini Museum in Rome, leave no doubt whatsoever as to the date and general provenance – though most suggestions as to where exactly the stuff came from are no more than guesses.) This may have been the result of brute Roman rapacity. But it may have been a more collusive deal than that. It may even have been a deal driven by the original Greek proprietors, trying to make a profit out of some old sculpture they intended to replace anyway, and the Romans were gullible enough to buy. On a more domestic scale, how, in Pompeii, did the terracotta frieze that originally decorated some temple in the city end up built into the garden wall of the rich ‘House of the Golden Bracelet’? We can guess how Cicero would have excoriated the owner for using sacred sculpture to adorn his private property, Verres-style. And maybe Cicero would have been right. But maybe the owner was encouraged to buy them, at a high price, by the temple authorities. Or maybe he rescued them from the ancient equivalent of a skip. The old idea of cultural plunder as ‘rape’ is more useful here than we might imagine. Just as few sexual rapes are violent attacks in dark alleys by unknown assailants, so in practice relatively few arguments about cultural property start from an invading army removing art treasures at the point of a gun. In any case, those are the easy ones to solve. Most rapes are some version of date-rape, where the issues turn on intention, (mis)understanding, competing memories and the fuzzy boundary between coercion, acquiescence and agreement. It is very hard to establish guilt or innocence; hence, in part, the very low rate of conviction. From Verres to Lord Elgin and beyond, disputes about cultural plunder normally follow the date-rape model. (Who gave permission? Did the owner really agree? And so on.) That is why they have proved so intractable to resolve. Miles is keen to follow the themes of Cicero’s attack on Verres through to modern debates on cultural property. She is particularly taken with Cicero’s emphasis on the conduct of Scipio Aemilianus after the fall of Carthage in 146 BC. Under Scipio’s aegis, those works of art which the Carthaginians had plundered from Sicily were sent back to their original homes in an unprecedented gesture of artistic repatriation – and a striking contrast to Mummius who, in the same year, was having all the masterpieces of Corinth sent off to Rome. Scipio’s motives have been debated. Was this the virtuous act of a man of culture? Or a self-interested attempt to secure Sicilian support? And how far is Cicero’s repeated stress on this action connected to the presence of one of Scipio’s descendants on the jury? But Miles is mostly concerned to link this act of repatriation with the decision, centuries later, to send many of the works of art seized by Napoleon back to their original home (the campaign of repatriation in which Camillo Borghese lost out, because his pieces had technically been purchased rather than plundered). The unlikely hero of the last part of the book is the Duke of Wellington, who was instrumental in getting Napoleon’s artistic plunder returned to Italy and elsewhere (despite the fact that there were many in England who had rather hoped to see the Laocoön and other prize pieces decorating an English museum). This was an important challenge to the traditional doctrine that art was a legitimate spoil of war – heralding the modern idea that cultural property is a ‘special category that should be protected’. Yet again it is more complicated than Miles appears to acknowledge. The most important point is that repatriation never restores the status quo ante: it is always another stage in the moving history of the art object. It is well known that the return of the Elgin Marbles would not restore them to the place from which they had been removed, but to the quite different context of a new museum. Less well known are some of the radical consequences of the repatriation of Napoleon’s booty. True, many of the masterpieces were sent back to their country of origin, but they did not always go back to their original homes. The losers in the process included not only the Borghese family, but also the little churches of Italy, which did not in fact recover their beloved altarpieces. For these were usually ‘returned’ to the increasingly important Italian museum collections, such as the Accademia in Venice, or the Vatican in Rome. This act of repatriation was, in other words, a major step in turning them from sacred to museum objects. We may try to regulate the movement of cultural property, but – licit or illicit – we cannot stop it. Nor would we wish to entirely (the idea of a world in which art was destined to stay in the place in which it was made is a terrible nightmare). One thing is certain: criminal prosecutions in this area tend to have a symbolic rather than practical importance, as the people of ancient Sicily found. Cicero may have won his case. In modern Enna the citizens may have decided to honour the man who defended their ancestors so stalwartly against the depredations of their governor. But the fact was that they did not get their statues back. Verres enjoyed them until his death. Review of Margaret M. Miles, Art as Plunder: The ancient origins of debate about cultural property (Cambridge University Press, 2008); Carole Paul, The Borghese Collections and the Display of Art in the Age of the Grand Tour (Ashgate, 2008)	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line420
__label__wiki	0.73728	0.73728	Veeva: Fiscal 3Q Earnings Snapshot world news yahoo news Tuesday 01st December 2020 09:41 PM The Electoral College is only getting worse The Electoral College is a political abomination. As I have written before, rather than protecting the influence of small states, it grants overwhelming power to a handful of states that randomly happen to have a close partisan balance, which are mostly fairly large. Worse, it allows popular vote losers to win — which has happened twice in the last 20 years. Indeed, theoretically a candidate could lose the popular vote four to one and still win the electoral vote.Moreover, since 2012 the divergence between the Electoral College and the popular vote has been steadily growing. As I'll show below, while Joe Biden won a clear victory in the popular vote, he just barely squeaked through in the Electoral College. This idiotic anachronism must be destroyed.Let's take a look at this over the last two decades. One way to examine this question is to look at the most "efficient" way that losing candidates could have won the Electoral College. In other words, if we add up the state totals for previous elections going back to 2000, how might the losers have won by flipping the least number of votes?Using data from U.S. Elections Atlas, and 2020 data from the The New York Times (including a rough extrapolation assuming Biden wins 80 percent of the mail-in votes that haven't been counted yet in New York state), I calculated how the popular vote losers could have won the Electoral College — or lost, in the case of George W. Bush in 2000 and Donald Trump in 2016.In 2000, of course, Bush officially "won" Florida by 537 votes, and therefore the presidency with 271 electoral votes, while Al Gore won the popular vote by about 550,000. (In reality, Gore probably would have won a fair recount in Florida if it hadn't been stopped by a conservative Supreme Court on nakedly partisan grounds, but I'm going to ignore that for the time being since it doesn't matter for this particular argument.) That means a flip of just 269 votes in one state from one candidate to the other would have changed the result. In 2004, Bush won re-election with a margin of about three million votes, and 286 electoral votes. John Kerry famously could have won if he had just flipped Ohio, where the margin was just 118,601 votes. However, it would have been slightly more efficient in vote terms to flip New Mexico, Iowa, Nevada, and Alaska, with a cumulative margin of 117,411. That means a flip of just 58,706 votes would have given Kerry the presidency.In 2008, Barack Obama steamrolled John McCain with a popular vote margin of over 9.5 million, and 365 electoral votes. But it would have taken relatively few vote changes to overturn even that landslide result. Obama won Florida, Colorado, Iowa, Rhode Island, Maine, New Mexico, Nevada, Vermont, Delaware, New Hampshire, Indiana, and North Carolina by a cumulative margin of just 1.436 million votes — therefore flipping just 718,138 would have given McCain an additional 97 electoral votes and victory. Similarly in 2012, Mitt Romney could have won by taking the nine closest states in terms of total votes, requiring only 384,188 flips. Then in 2016, Trump of course squeaked out an Electoral College victory with tiny margins in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania — just 38,868 flips would have given Clinton the win.That finally brings me to 2020. Biden won the popular vote easily, with a margin maybe in the neighborhood of 6.9 million or so (depending on what happens in New York.) But it would have taken just 33,139 flips in Arizona, Georgia, and Wisconsin to deliver a Trump second term.Bringing this all together: If we plot these minimum vote flips to change the Electoral College result as a percentage of the popular vote margin, we can get a sense of how badly it diverges from the principle of one person, one vote:Courtesy: U.S. Elections AtlasWhat this shows is that the Electoral College is routinely on the edge of handing the popular vote loser the presidency even when it doesn't happen — and it seems to be getting worse. In 2008 and 2012, it would have taken a flip of 7.5 percent and 11 percent of the popular vote margin (still not great), but in 2016, flipping just 1.3 percent of the margin would change the result. The 2020 election, meanwhile, is the worst result since 2000 — though Biden did win, a flip of a mere 0.48 percent of the popular vote margin (or something like 0.02 percent of the total vote) would have let Trump win. Moreover, while the 2008 flipping scenario outlined above relies on implausible large percentage swings in small states like Vermont, Biden's victory depended on razor-thin margins in three swing states.All this speaks for itself. But before Republicans get too smug about cooking up justifications for the Electoral College because it happens to help them at the moment, consider that in 2004, flipping just 1.9 percent of the popular vote margin would have delivered the presidency to the Democrat even though Bush got three million more votes. Because the Electoral College's rules are so goofy and arbitrary, it is very easy to imagine demographic trends handing the Dems a near-automatic victory every time — if Texas went solidly blue, for instance. It would be better and fairer for everyone if the presidency simply went to the candidate that got the most votes.More stories from theweek.com Americans are choosing death over deprivation Our parents warned us the internet would break our brains. It broke theirs instead. GOP Sen. Josh Hawley tries to explain how Democrats are both 'Marxists' and 'corporatists' all right reserved for yahoo news Tags Trump yahoo news Saturday 16th January 2021 01:39 AM Joshua Jackson and wife Jodie Turner-Smith go for a stroll in Soho with their ... RT @WenleiMa: The very oozy The Stand is really more of a “can-watch” and ... news.com.au Saturday 16th January 2021 02:44 AM	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line425
__label__wiki	0.692138	0.692138	> Chemical Engineering > IEL/ISL student prepares for engineering career in Germany IEL/ISL student prepares for engineering career in Germany Matthew Baldwin is just a couple of months away from earning a dual degree in chemical engineering and German. As a TU student, he has studied abroad, completed an internship with a multi-national corporation and achieved fluency in a second language. Learn more about the International Engineering and Language program. With graduation on the horizon, Baldwin already has accepted a job at the Wisconsin-based pulp and paper company Neenah Paper. He plans to participate in a training program that requires residency in Germany for two months at a time. “It is possible I will work with operators who have only a very basic knowledge of English, so it is very good to have German to fall back on,” he said. Baldwin’s preparation for an international career is due in part to the German he began learning in high school, but he elevated his cultural education at TU. He chose to major in chemical engineering because it fit best with his interests in math and science, but Baldwin also recognized an opportunity to continue studying a second language. “It was easy to go abroad and stay on track with my engineering degree and that evolved into a plan of why not get both degrees?” he said. For almost a year, Baldwin studied in Germany, primarily in the cities of Frieburg and Siegen, taking courses in math, science and humanities. His remaining free time was spent traveling, making friends with local students and immersing himself in the culture and language. Baldwin said he looks forward to exploring new areas of Europe and Germany, meeting his work colleagues and connecting with the locals when he returns later this year as a Neenah employee. “That’s really the test of how well you understand the culture and language, how well you can make friends — when you’re dropped into a new area on your own,” he said. Baldwin is a pioneer of TU’s new international engineering/science and language program that offers students a rare opportunity to earn a bachelor of science degree in an engineering or science discipline along with a bachelor of arts degree in a foreign language. The program is completed in five years and includes one year of classes and internship experience abroad. “Your ability as an engineer to speak a second language in another country is critical,” Baldwin said. “The program offers the chance to get practice in-depth engineering language that you may use in a future job.” Whether or not students are interested in a global career, Baldwin said the IEL/ISL degree is an option all should consider. The program is designed in a way that allows students to customize their degree plan based on interests and abilities. Deemed one of the most rewarding aspects of his time at TU, Baldwin said he would recommend the degree to anyone. “Multi-national companies will value your international education more than you might think even when the job doesn’t explicitly say it,” he said. “Companies never know what their future plans are, and it’s always good to have a robust set of skills that involves foreign language and culture experience.” Chemical Engineering, Engineering and Natural Sciences, Featured	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line427
__label__wiki	0.729595	0.729595	HOLLYWOOD BLOCKBUSTER MEN IN BLACK 3 “SUITS” INDIAN BOX OFFICE Published by Hemant Sanganee on May 31, 2012 More in Films: Nishant Singh Malkhani stepped behind the camera for LAC Dec 8, 2020 Films Division showcases “Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar” on his 64th Death Anniversary on 6th December, 2020 Dec 5, 2020 Akshay Kumar shares a picture with Sara Ali Khan from #AtrangiRe Dec 4, 2020 ~ Takes a first weekend gross of 12.8 crore ~ It was a “Back in Time” moment for fans of the Men in Black franchise. Men in Black 3 has taken in an extremely healthy 12.8 crore at the Indian box office in its first weekend of release. The film released with 695 prints and in 3D, 2D and IMAX formats. The Men in Black franchise continues to be so strong in India as well as around the world, with older fans welcoming the new film after a decade since the last. The new film has brought in a fresh young audience that is appreciating the unique humour and action of the franchise. Sunday performed almost as well as Saturday despite the IPL finals which says a lot for the positive word of mouth being generated by the film. This is expected to carry it into a very strong second week as well. Men in Black 3 kick starts a very exciting summer for Sony Pictures which also includes a fresh reboot of the Spider-Man franchise The Amazing Spider-Man (in 3D on 29 June) starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans and India’s own Irrfan, and then a remake of the 1991 blockbuster Total Recall with Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel (worldwide 3rd August).	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line429
__label__wiki	0.88186	0.88186	5G coronavirus conspiracy theories rife in UK Image credit: REUTERS/Hannah McKay Published Wednesday, April 22, 2020 An Ofcom survey suggests that unfounded conspiracy theories linking the coronavirus pandemic with the rollout of 5G technology has become the most common false information seen by Britons. The telecoms regulator, which is closely monitoring how people in the UK are getting news and other information about the pandemic via a weekly survey of around 2,000 people, found that over half of Britons remembered seeing false claims about the wireless technology in the last week of the lockdown. In April, conspiracy theorists who believe that 5G technology is causing or aggravating the coronavirus pandemic began attacking mobile masts (including masts which do not provide a 5G signal) and telecommunications engineers. At least 20 arson attacks targeting mobile masts were recorded over the four-day Easter weekend alone, including an attack on a mast serving Birmingham’s NHS Nightingale hospital which is dedicated to treating Covid-19 patients. The attacks on engineers and infrastructure have sparked sharp rebukes from industry figures and politicians, who demanded that social media platforms should take responsibility for clamping down on the spread of these conspiracy theories. Ofcom found that exposure to conspiracy theories linking 5G with the novel coronavirus has increased from 0 per cent in the first week of monitoring to around 50 per cent in the third week. In more positive news, other disinformation related to Covid-19 appears to be reaching fewer people. Exposure to false information, such as that Covid-19 can be combatted by gargling with salt water, drinking more water, or drinking lemon juice, has fallen. Overall, those who have seen false information about coronavirus is at 50 per cent: a small increase from 46 per cent in the first week. This may be due to mainstream media outlets debunking widely-spread false claims as part of their reporting of the pandemic. People aged 16-24 were most likely to have seen this false information (59 per cent), while people aged 65 and above are increasingly likely to see false information (rising from 33 per cent in the first week to 46 per cent in the third week). There also appears to be a slight increase in the number of people using fact-checking sites, increasing from 10 per cent in the first week to 15 per cent in the third week. Ofcom is prioritising cases relating to false claims relating to coronavirus in an effort to stop the spread of damaging misinformation and disinformation. The unfounded story linking 5G with coronavirus became impossible for authorities to ignore when broadcaster Eamonn Holmes made comments implying support for the conspiracy theory on ITV’s This Morning. The conspiracy theory has been catapulted to widespread prominence by influential figures explicitly or implicitly supporting it, including television presenter Amanda Holden, American actors Woody Harrelson and Jack Cusack, and athlete Novak Djokovic. There is no evidence to suggest that 5G could be more harmful than ordinary sunlight, with the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection basing its safety guidelines on more than two decades of research which have hinted at no risk whatsoever to public health. Covid-19 outbreaks also have no correlation with 5G rollouts, with countries such as Iran having high infection rates despite having no 5G service. Royal Mail slows service in many areas to cope with pressure from Covid-19 Heathrow passenger numbers fell by 70 per cent in 2020	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line431
__label__cc	0.673168	0.326832	7-Year Old Body Found By Searchers Cambridge, OH – Authorities confirm that searchers have found the body of a poor little 7 year old boy, who fell from a boat. Afton Taylor, from North Canton, was reported missing late Sunday evening while boating with his family at the Salt Fork State Park. His body was found a little after 9 am Monday morning in a no-wake zone at the Salt Fork Marina. The search went on from around 5:30 pm to midnight, and they resumed Monday morning. Agencies who assisted in the search of Afton were the Department of Natural Resources, State Highway Patrol, several fire departments and the Guernsey Sheriff’s Office. Afton Taylor was the son of a North Canton Firefighter. Ear Kandy Radio would like to send our condolences to the family. Such a horrific accident could literally happen to anyone. Prayers to the family and a big thank you to all the parties involved, helping to find Afton.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line432
__label__cc	0.55354	0.44646	Home / Structure of County Government / Forms of County Government / City-County Consolidation / Metropolitan Government Charters The metropolitan form of government combines the powers of a county with those of cities generally. T.C.A. § 7-2-108. Therefore, a metropolitan government can exercise more powers than a county charter government and can exercise these powers throughout the county, with some limitation regarding smaller municipalities within the county that retain their charters. Key features of a metropolitan government include the following: A general services district for the entire county; An urban services district; Possible special service districts; A unified school system; Wide discretion on allocation of duties among officials, including those of constitutional officers, as determined by the charter; The size of the legislative body (metro council) is determined in the charter; The existence, nature and extent of the executive and/or administrative offices are determined in the charter; Optional control over and consolidation of utility districts; and Full ordinance powers. Although the metropolitan government may not act in contravention of general law, the wide powers granted to the metropolitan government by the legislature means that this form of government comes closest to "home rule" as is permitted under our current law. The process to form a metropolitan government begins with the selection of a charter commission. A charter commission may be created by one of three methods. The most commonly used method is one in which the charter commission is created by a majority vote on a resolution approved by the governing bodies of both the most populous city (or, in certain circumstances, the county seat) and the county. A second method is by private act of the General Assembly. The third method is by petition signed by qualified voters in the county in a number equaling at least 10 percent of the votes cast in the county for governor in the last gubernatorial election. The commission members are either appointed by the county mayor and the mayor of the county's major city or elected by the voters as determined by the resolution or petition, if those methods are used, or by resolution if the petition does not specify a method of selecting charter members. If a private act is used, the private act determines the method of selection. If the resolution method is used, the county mayor appoints 10 members and the mayor of the most populous city appoints five members to a 15-member charter commission. The charter must contain provisions for general services and urban services districts, for a metropolitan council and election of members to terms of office, for the selection of administrative and executive officers, for an education department, and for other administrative departments. Smaller (less populous) cities within the county may retain their charters if their governing bodies choose not to send representatives to the charter commission to write an appendix to the charter for inclusion of the smaller cities. Several cities and counties have formed charter commissions and voted on consolidation under the metropolitan government statutes, but only Nashville-Davidson County, Lynchburg-Moore County and Hartsville-Trousdale County have adopted a consolidated form of government as of this writing. One obvious difficulty in adopting a metropolitan form of government is the requirement that the metropolitan government charter receive a majority of the referendum votes both within the city and outside the city that is to consolidate with the county. The Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) has produced an excellent publication entitled Forming a Metropolitan Government. ‹ City-County Consolidation up Unification Government Charters ›	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line433
__label__cc	0.652699	0.347301	THE ORBELI TRIAD By Yaroslav RENKAS, Cand. Sc. (Hist.) Inscribed in letters of gold into the annals of Russian history are many famous dynasties remembered for their priceless contributions to the progress and prosperity of this nation. Ringing the bell with almost each one of us today are the names of the three Botkins brothers (a writer, a painter and a therapist), of the Danilevskys brothers (a biochemist, a physiologist and a sociologist), of the two Kovalevskys brothers (one-the founding father of comparative embryology, physiology, and the founder of evolutionary paleontology) and of the Vavilovs (a geneticist and a physicist)... A prominent place in this list belongs to the Orbeli dynasty and its two prominent sons-academicians Leon and Iosif Orbeli and Professor Ruben Orbeli - whose scholarly achievements in their respective fields received international recognition. Their life stories are traced in a recently published monograph (N. Grigoryan. Science Dynasty of the Orbeli. - NAUKA, 2002.-522 pp. with illustrations), which has caught the eye of both-the scientific community and the general public. The central idea of the author is to demonstrate the fact that serving spiritual values in general and science in particular has been the creed of the Orbeli family since the start of the 12th century. Since then this family tradition has been passed on from generation to generation. Thus, the grandfather of the future three great scientists-an archpriest in the Armenian Church-left many writings on church history. Their father- a man with excellent university education-is remembered as a theorist and practitioner of jurisprudence. Their uncle, a leading neuropathologist in Tbilisi-was the author of many studies on psychiatry and ethnography, a participant of many congresses of Russian natural scientists and physicians. And the Orbeli were well known not only in their native Transcaucasian region, but also in St. Petersburg. Six generations of the family have resided in the nor ... Читать далее Полная версия: http://libmonster.ru/m/articles/view/THE-ORBELI-TRIAD DIPLOMAT, POET, SAVANT Коммуникативно-тематический словарь : по роману А. С. Пушкина «Евгений Онегин» libmonster http://elibrary.com.ua/blogs/entry/THE-ORBELI-TRIAD	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line434
__label__wiki	0.61033	0.61033	Report maps EV CO2 output across U.S. The California-based Union of Concerned Scientists analysed CO2 emissions for charging an electric vehicle and compared it to those of an average hybrid or conventional petrol-powered alternative. Their report divided the United States into ‘Good’, ‘Better’ and ‘Best’ regions, depending on the carbon intensity of the electricity. This showed 45% of Americans live in the ‘Best’ regions, where using an electric vehicle will offer lower CO2 emissions than a 50mpg (60.5mpg-imp), a 46% reduction compared to an average conventionally-powered car at 27mpg. Strong hybrid markets, such as New York and California, performed even better, with CO2 output equivalent to an 80mpg (96.0mpg-imp) vehicle, while Alaska was the most energy-efficient place to use an EV at equivalent to 112mpg (134.5mpg-imp). Of the remainder, 37% live in ‘Better’ regions where EVs can offer equivalent to between 41 and 50mpg (49.2-60.05mpg-imp), while the final 18% in ‘Good’ areas would see an average of between 31 and 40mpg (37.2-48.0mpg-imp). Even drivers in the highest-emitting region, the Rocky Mountains, would match the CO2 output of a 33mpg (39.6mpg-imp) car. The report also pointed out that while coal accounts for 45% of energy generation at the moment, 29 states and the District of Columbia are in the process of retiring coal powered plants for renewable alternatives. Drivers can also expect to save between $750 and $1,200 (£472-756) compared to an average American petrol car, according to its findings. Don Anair, the report’s author and senior engineer for UCS’s Clean Vehicles Program, commented: ‘This report shows drivers should feel confident that owning an electric vehicle is a good choice for reducing global warming pollution, cutting fuel costs, and slashing oil consumption. The good news is that as the nation’s electric grids get cleaner, consumers who buy an EV today can expect to see their car’s emissions go down over the lifetime of the vehicle.’ Previous: Sussex Wildlife Trust takes delivery of MINI E for month-long trial Next: Kangoo Z.E. reaches production milestone	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line437
__label__wiki	0.557029	0.557029	Legal Advisories all OGE Legal Advisories Home \| Legal Advisories \| Education Advisories Program Management Advisories All Advisories The Legal Advisories page contains the DAEOgrams on substantive ethics issues published by OGE from 1992 to 2010, the Advisory Opinions published by OGE from 1979 to 2010, and the Legal Advisories, which OGE began publishing in 2011. On occasion, OGE will add notes to past guidance documents when that guidance is updated or superseded by law, regulation, or subsequent OGE guidance. 2020 \| 2019 \| 2018 \| 2017 \| 2016 \| 2015 \| 2014 \| 2013 \| 2012 \| 2011 \| 2010 \| 2009 \| 2008 \| 2007 \| 2006 \| 2005 \| 2004 \| 2003 \| 2002 \| 2001 \| 2000 \| 1999 \| 1998 \| 1997 \| 1996 \| 1995 \| 1994 \| 1993 \| 1992 \| 1991 \| 1990 \| 1989 \| 1988 \| 1987 \| 1986 \| 1985 \| 1984 \| 1983 \| 1982 \| 1981 \| 1980 \| 1979 \| all Search Advisories Citation --Select-- 18 U.S.C. § 201 18 U.S.C. § 202 18 U.S.C. § 203 18 U.S.C. § 205 18 U.S.C. § 207 18 U.S.C. § 208 18 U.S.C. § 209 5 C.F.R. Part 2600 5 C.F.R. Part 2601 5 C.F.R. Part 2604 5 C.F.R. Part 2606 5 C.F.R. Part 2608 5 C.F.R. Part 2610 5 C.F.R. Part 2634 5 C.F.R. Part 2635 5 C.F.R. Part 2635, Subpart A 5 C.F.R. Part 2635, Subpart B 5 C.F.R. Part 2635, Subpart C 5 C.F.R. Part 2635, Subpart D 5 C.F.R. Part 2635, Subpart E 5 C.F.R. Part 2635, Subpart F 5 C.F.R. Part 2635, Subpart G 5 C.F.R. Part 2635, Subpart H 5 C.F.R. Part 2636 5 C.F.R. Part 2637 5 C.F.R. Part 2638 5 C.F.R. Part 2640 5 C.F.R. Part 2641 5 U.S.C. app. 4 §§ 101-111 5 U.S.C. app. 4 §§ 401-408 5 U.S.C. app. 4 §§ 501-505 Year --Select-- 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 LA-16-12: Publication of the Final Rule Revising Subpart B of the Standards of Conduct, Gifts from Outside Sources This Legal Advisory discusses the recent amendments to the provisions of the Standards of Ethical Conduct that govern gifts from outside sources, found at 5 C.F.R. 2635, Subpart B, and highlights the major substantive changes set forth in the final rule. LA-16-11: Presidential Inaugural Events This Legal Advisory reminds agencies of the ethical requirements relevant to a Federal employee during the inauguration celebration, particularly those requirements regarding gifts. LA-16-10: Interpretive Guidance on the STOCK Act This Legal Advisory provides interpretive guidance on the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act (STOCK Act) as it applies to the President, the Vice President, and certain executive branch employees. LA-16-09: New Job Aid: Overview of Education Requirements under the Revised 5 C.F.R. Part 2638, Subpart C This Legal Advisory announces a new job aid to help ethics officials familiarize themselves with the new government ethics education requirements under the revised 5 C.F.R. part 2638. LA-16-08: Introduction to the Primary Post-Government Employment Restrictions Applicable to Former Executive Branch Employees This Legal Advisory provides a plain language discussion for agency ethics officials, departing employees, and former employees on the post-Government employment restrictions, particularly those found in certain provisions of the primary post-Government employment statute applicable to former employees of the executive branch, 18 U.S.C. § 207. [The guidance in this advisory was modified in 2017 by legal advisories LA-17-02 and LA-17-03.] LA-16-07: Technical Modification of 5 C.F.R. part 2640 This Legal Advisory describes a technical regulatory modification to the definition of "employee" found in 5 CFR part 2640. LA-16-06: Publication of the Final Rule Revising Subpart F of the Standards of Conduct, Seeking Other Employment This Legal Advisory discusses the recent amendments to the provisions of the Standards of Ethical Conduct that govern seeking other employment found at 5 C.F.R. 2635, Subpart F. In addition, this Legal Advisory highlights two principal changes set forth in the final rule, which OGE published in the Federal Register on July 26, 2016. LA-16-05: 2015 Conflict of Interest Prosecution Survey OGE has completed its annual survey of prosecutions involving the conflict of interest criminal statutes and other related statutes for the period January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015. LA-16-04: Inflationary Adjustments to Ethics in Government Act Civil Monetary Penalties This Legal Advisory announces increases in five civil monetary penalties related to the executive branch ethics program. OGE recently issued an interim final regulation establishing these inflationary adjustments, pursuant to a recent legislative enactment. LA-16-03: Supreme Court Decision in McDonnell v. United States This Legal Advisory responds to the Supreme Court’s recent holding in McDonnell v. United States. The Legal Advisory emphasizes that the Supreme Court’s ruling does not affect the scope of the gift prohibitions found at 5 U.S.C. § 7353 and 5 C.F.R. § 2635.202(a), or any OGE interpretation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 202-209. LA-16-02: Annual Update of 18 U.S.C. § 207(c) Component Designations In this Legal Advisory, OGE asks each agency to forward to OGE its annual letter stating whether its components that are currently designated should remain designated for purposes of 18 U.S.C. § 207(c). Any request to modify the existing list of components should be submitted in accordance with regulatory procedures. LA-16-01: Effect of Pay Adjustments on Ethics Provisions for Calendar Year 2016 This Legal Advisory clarifies the 2016 thresholds for: (1) determining which senior employees are subject to the post-employment restrictions; (2) implementing the outside employment and outside earned income restrictions for certain covered noncareer employees; and (3) identifying which officers and employees must file public financial disclosure reports. Open Government \| International Resources \| Media Resources \| Forms Library \| Guidance Documents \| Contact Us	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line439
__label__cc	0.531323	0.468677	ICICI Prudential To Open IPO From September 19 In a series of disclosures, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance is all set to open its Initial Public Offering (IPO) on September 19, 2016, for worth Rs. 5,000 crores. With ICICI entering the financial market, this particular IPO will be the first of its kind and biggest in India, for nearly 6 years. The respective company had filed the prospectus with Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on 18th July thus seeking it further on 2nd September. It is a venture between India’s ICICI Band UK’s Prudential Corporation Holdings along with PremjiInvest as well as Singapore’s Temasek. The IPO will hold almost 1,81,34,105 equity shares in its proposed reservations which are mere 10% of the total offering from the shareholders. Prudential won’t dilute its shares in the IPO wherein the Bank is ready to sell 12.65% stakes in the insurer. Most probably the IPO would be Rs. 5000 crores worth and earlier it had hit the capital market so as to generate Rs. 15,000 crores in 2010 through State-run firms. In November 2015, the insurance company sold its 6% shares to Temasek and PremjiInvest thus receiving an offloaded share price at Rs. 1,950 crores having a valuation of Rs. 32,500 crores on behalf of the insurer. As of now, ICICI Bank possesses 68% shares in the Insurance company in comparison to Prudential which holds 28% shares, in total. The public offering would be compromised up to 18,13,41,058 equity shares that of ICICI Prudential, subsequently representing 12.65% equity share capital for cash with the help of an offer by the Bank. ICICI Bank during a BSE filing revealed that the offer will open for subscription on September 19 and shall close on September 21. We wish to inform you that the price band has been fixed between Rs. 300 to Rs. 334 per equity share. The stakes in ICICI Prudential have been distributed as such, the Bank holds 68% stakes, Prudential holds 26%, PremjiInvest holds 4%, and Temasek holds 2% stakes, all in all. By the end of March this year, total assets under the management of ICICI Prudential stood at Rs. 1,039.39 billion. The company started its operations in 2001 thus By the end of March this year, total assets under the management of ICICI Prudential stood at Rs. 1,039.39 billion. The company started its operations in 2001 thus to become one of the biggest financial institutions in the nation. TagsICICI BankICICI Prudential Life InsuranceIPO Previous article Chicago Fire Season 5: Dawson and Casey to be Witnessed Getting Back Together? Next article Amitabh Bachchan will be Hosting Savdhaan India More By FabNewz 2016 More In Finance In a series of disclosures, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance is all set to open its Initial… Japanese Messaging App “LINE” Opens IPO Raising $1.1billion Japan- based numero uno messaging app “Line” raised almost $1.1 billion opened in Initial … BJP MP Babul Supriyo Heckled by TMC While Entering the Polling Booth The third phase of the West Bengal elections of State Legislative Assembly has been very b… Government Tries To Convince Opposition For GST Bill Goods and Service Tax (GST) being the top most urgency for the central government emphasiz… Samsung Galaxy C Series is About to Launch in China Rumour are that next month,Samsung was going to launchGalaxy C smartphone in China. Now we… Why Would I Need a Pre-Settlement Loan? If you are facing a lawsuit, chances are that your finances are dwindling. You probably ar… Debt Diversion – 4 Tips To Help You Avoid Debt If You’ve Lost Your Job It’s an economic nightmare out there, for everyone. If you’ve lost your job and the bills … Top Tags Box office collection Xiaomi Ranveer Singh India Alia Bhatt Hrithik Roshan Akshay Kumar iPhone 7 Narendra Modi Business Salman Khan Apple Shah Rukh Khan Real Madrid Samsung	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line440
__label__wiki	0.726445	0.726445	Celebrate Left Handers Day on August 13th View content in gallery By Neil, Facty StaffUpdated: Jul 13, 2020 If you’re left-handed, or you know someone who is, you may be interested to know that August 13th marks Left Handers Day, an unofficial international holiday since 1976. The day is a fun way to celebrate the gift of being left-handed. While left-dominant people make up just a small percentage of the world's population, there is both an interesting history and science behind left-handed people worth learning more about. How many people are left-handed? Globally, around 10 percent of the population are lefties, with slightly more men than women having a dominant left side. Recent studies have suggested the proportion of left-handed people is increasing. This may be due to growing social acceptability: historically, left-handed people have been forced to learn to write with their right hand due to cultural and societal pressures. However, with fewer people being forced to write with their right hand, the number of left-handed people appears to be growing. skynesher / Getty Images Brain hemispheres and handedness The brain is incredibly complex but put simply, each side of the body is controlled by the opposite side of the brain. In right-handed people, the left hemisphere of the brain is dominant, meaning that the right side of their bodies tends to be stronger, with greater dexterity. In left-handed people, it works the other way around: the right hemisphere of the brain is dominant, so the left side of the body tends to be stronger and its movements more accurate. MediaProduction / Getty Images Genetic links to handedness For a long time, it was believed that babies were born ambidextrous, meaning they are both left- and right-handed. However, there is new evidence suggesting babies in the womb may prefer to use one hand over another, and that there could be a genetic component to handedness. Regardless, most babies use both hands equally up until about 18 months, at which time most will start to show a preference. By about four years old, most of us have settled on using one hand or the other. track5 / Getty Images Cultural differences on the perception of left-handedness The Incas had a positive view of left-handed people, believing they possessed special healing powers. However, in some Asian and African cultures, being left-handed is not seen as favorably, partly due to its connection with personal hygiene tasks, and it is common for left-handed people to have to learn to become right-handed. Forced conversion was also common across the English-speaking world and Europe until the late 20th century. Jeffrey Coolidge / Getty Images Historical perceptions of left-handedness The Christian belief that being at God's right side is the utmost honorable position led to left-handed people being shunned or even persecuted. Subtle stigma still persists in some European languages. For example, the French word "gauche," which means "left," became a synonym for "clumsy" in English. Compare this to "adroit," which means "right" in French but can also mean "skilled" in English. Similarly, the Latin for left, "sinistra," has given us the English word "sinister," but "dexter," the Latin word for "right," is the root of the English word "dexterity." Wachiwit / Getty Images Does hand dominance determine how creative you are? Generally, the left hemisphere of the brain is thought to control logic and speech, whereas the right side of the brain is said to be responsible for holistic thought and creativity. This has led to some assumptions about right-handed people being more eloquent and logical, and left-handed people being more intuitive and creative. However, research has found that most people use both sides of the brain together during activities, as the two hemispheres are strongly connected through central bundles of nerve fibers. One large study has shown that this is even more true of left-handed people, meaning that they may turn out to have the edge when it comes to verbal and language skills. RapidEye / Getty Images Barriers faced by left-handed people Even in enlightened times, it can be a struggle being left-handed in a right-handed world. Everyday objects like scissors and can openers can prove tricky to master, as can musical instruments. When you think about it, even the way we write across the page from left to right favors those who are right-handed, as they don’t tend to smudge the ink as they go. In recent decades, manufacturers have jumped to fill this gap in the market, and it’s now possible to buy a wide selection of lefty-friendly utensils in specialist stores. Dann Tardif / Getty Images Lefties in the Arts Being left-hand has long been associated with unique artistic talent, with recent examples including Lady Gaga and legendary Beatles musician Paul McCartney. Artists Leonardo Da Vinci and Paul Klee were also lefties. Guitarists Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain were also left-handed, though they learned to play and typically used right-handed guitars. Famous left-handed athletes Being left-handed can be a real advantage when playing many different sports: an estimated 25 percent of major league baseball players are southpaws. Many world-class tennis players like Rafael Nadal and Martina Navratilova are also lefties. The theory is that the condition may give these players an advantage by confusing opponents trying to predict the direction of the ball. kali9 / Getty Images Famous left-handers in science and technology Although math, science, and technology are traditionally seen as areas where "logical" right-handed people have an advantage, it turns out the creative flair so often harnessed by lefties can help them to stand out from the crowd in this field, too. Famous left-handed individuals in this area include Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, and Alan Turing. Southpaw techie Bill Gates has also helped revolutionize our world. Popular Now on Facty This site offers information designed for educational purposes only. The information on this Website is not intended to be comprehensive, nor does it constitute advice or our recommendation in any way. We attempt to ensure that the content is current and accurate but we do not guarantee its currency and accuracy. You should carry out your own research and/or seek your own advice before acting or relying on any of the information on this Website. Do you want to advertise on Facty.com? Let’s talk about this! Contact us! advertise@facty.com About Facty GET HEALTH ALERTS THAT MATTER Receive updates on the latest news and alerts straight to your inbox. © 2021 Assembly Technologies Inc. All rights reserved.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line441
__label__cc	0.670015	0.329985	Ovelia Transtoto Their Story Charles Jeffrey Loverboy Their Story Molly Goddard Their Story With a BA and MA in Fashion Knitwear from Central St Martins, Molly Goddard specialises in traditional hand-craft techniques such as hand pleating, smocking and crocheting. Her collections are sold at some of the world’s most prestigious stockists including Dover Street Market, Trading Museum Comme des Garcons, I.T, Browns, Boon the Shop and Club 21. In 2016 Molly won the British Emerging Talent award at the Fashion Awards. In July 2017, Molly presented a new interpretation of her archive collections at the Victoria & Albert Museum. Shown alongside were new pieces that formed an experimental pre-collection. The project was particularly resonant with the brand as the V&A is such a huge source of inspiration for Molly – the set, styling and world created for the show focused on this connection. The show was the first to take place in the V&A’s brand new 1,100 sq/m Sainsbury Gallery. “The team and I are really excited to be part of the CFE Accelerate programme to develop the business and work with a range of mentors.“ Molly Goddard Website https://mollygoddard.com/Email studio@mollygoddard.com	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line442
__label__wiki	0.616079	0.616079	Budget 2015: UK To Regulate Cryptocurrencies Global trends, Government activities March 18, 2015 February 8, 2020 WIRED UK: The government has announced its intention to apply anti-money laundering regulation to digital currency exchanges in the UK. It is hoped that regulation will not only prevent criminal use of digital currencies, such as Bitcoin, but support innovation. Regulation would be intended to ensure the environment was ready to allow digital currencies to flourish, while at the same time discouraging those who wanted to use digital currencies for illicit reasons. Ideally the environment would allow for the fast, efficient and secure transfer of ownership of anything of value over the internet. It could guarantee that a secure and permanent record is made of what had taken place, without the need for a third party to oversee the process. The announcement was made in a document titled Banking for the 21st Century released with the 2015 Budget. Also announced was a £10m research initiative that will bring together the Alan Turing Institute and Digital Catapult councils to address opportunities and challenges for digital currency. “Digital currency technology makes it possible to transfer the ownership of anything of value over the internet quickly, efficiently and securely,” said Universities, Science and Cities Minister Greg Clark. “This new £10 million research initiative gives the UK an excellent opportunity to become the world leader in developing the potential benefits of this technology, and the uses it could have in the wider economy.” The government has also committed to working with the British Standards Institution and the digital currency industry to develop voluntary standards for consumer protection. The hope is that the technology can be adopted by banks and non-banking providers in order that they will be able to compete in the market, either by introducing new products, or by delivering existing products more efficiently. The Bank of England has already stated its intentions to undertake its own research into a central bank-run digital currency system. According to the document, the government wants to put the UK “at the forefront of the development of digital currencies” in order to “make it the location of choice for digital currency and related tech firms”. Bitcoin-based company CoinJar is namechecked as an example of the kind of talent the UK has already attracted in this field. The hope is that consumers and the wider economy will benefit as a result of more digital currencies being based in the UK. bitcoin Cryptocurrencies UK Facebook Introduces Free Friend-To-Friend Payments Through Messages WeChat Now Has 500 Million Monthly Active Users Singapore government invests $8.9m to support blockchain research	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line445
__label__cc	0.733216	0.266784	Be the first to know about our job openings. Help us to match your profile by telling us a bit more about yourself. Get a personal contact. Already connected? Log in. Marketing and Sales Product Development Regulatory Supply and production All What suits you best? I have read the Privacy Policy and confirm that Flow Neuroscience store my personal details to be able to contact me for job opportunities. Did you mean @ Privacy policy for recruitment using Teamtailor The service for handling recruitments and simplifying the hiring process (the "Service") is powered by Teamtailor on behalf of Flow Neuroscience ("Controller" “we” “us” etc.). It is important that the persons using the Service ("Users”) feel safe with, and are informed about, how we handle User's personal data in the recruitment process. We strive to maintain the highest possible standard regarding the protection of personal data. We process, manage, use, and protect User's Personal Data in accordance with this Privacy Policy ("Privacy Policy"). We are the controller in accordance with current privacy legislations. The Users’ personal data is processed with the purpose of managing and facilitating recruitment of employees to our business. 2. Collection of personal data We are responsible for the processing of the personal data that the Users contributes to the Service, or for the personal data that we in other ways collects with regards to the Service. When and how we collect personal data We collect personal data about Users from Users when Users; make an application through the Service or otherwise, adding personal data about themselves either personally or by using a third-party source such as Facebook or LinkedIn; and use the Service to connect with our staff, adding personal data about themselves either personally or by using a third-party source such as Facebook or LinkedIn. provides identifiable data in the chat (provided through the website that uses the Service) and such data is of relevance to the application procedure; We collect data from third parties, such as Facebook, Linkedin and through other public sources. This is referred to as “Sourcing” and be manually performed by our employees or automatically in the Service. In some cases, existing employees can make recommendations about potential applicants. Such employees will add personal data about such potential applicants. In the cases where this is made, the potential applicant is considered a User in the context of this Privacy Policy and will be informed about the processing. The types of personal data collected and processed The categories of personal data that can be collected through the Service can be used to identify natural persons from names, e-mails, pictures and videos, information from Facebook and LinkedIn-accounts, answers to questions asked through the recruiting, titles, education and other information that the User or others have provided through the Service. Only data that is relevant for the recruitment process is collected and processed. Purpose and lawfulness of processing The purpose of the collecting and processing of personal data is to manage recruiting. The lawfulness of the processing of personal data is our legitimate interest to simplify and facilitate recruitment. Personal data that is processed with the purpose of aggregated analysis or market research is always made unidentifiable. Such personal data cannot be used to identify a certain User. Thus, such data is not considered personal data. The consent of the data subject The User consents to the processing of its personal data with the purpose of Controller’s handling recruiting. The User consents that personal data is collected through the Service, when Users; make an application through the Service, adding personal data about themselves either personally or by using a third-party source as Facebook or LinkedIn, and that Controller may use external sourcing-tools to add additional information; and when they use the Service to connect to Controller’s recruitment department, adding personal data about themselves either personally or by using a third-party source such as Facebook or LinkedIn. The User also consents to the Controller collecting publically available information about the User and compiles them for use in recruitment purposes. The User consents to the personal data being collected in accordance with the above a) and b) will be processed according to the below sections Storage and transfer and How long the personal data will be processed. The User has the right to withdraw his or her consent at any time, by contacting Controller using the contact details listed under 9. Using this right may however, mean that the User can not apply for a specific job or otherwise use the Service. Storage and transfers The personal data collected through the Service is stored and processed inside the EU/EEA, such third country that is considered by the European Commission to have an adequate level of protection, or processed by such suppliers that have entered into such binding agreements that fully complies with the lawfulness of third country transfers (as Privacy Shield) or to other supplies where the adequate safeguards are in order to protect the rights of the data subjects whose data is transferred. To obtain documentation regarding such adequate safeguards, contact us using the Contact details listed in 10. How long the personal data will be processed If a User does not object, in writing, to the processing of their personal data, the personal data will be stored and processed by us as long as we deem it necessary with regards to the purposes stated above. Note that an applicant (User) may be interesting for future recruitment and for this purpose we may store Users’ Personal Data until they are no longer of value as potential recruitments. If you as a User wish not to have your Personal Data processed for this purpose (future recruitment) please contact us using the contact details in paragraph 10. 3. Users’ rights Users have the right to request information about the personal data that is processed by us, by notifying in writing, us using the contact details below under paragraph 10 below. Users have the right to one (1) copy of the processed personal data which belongs to them without any charge. For further demanded copies, Controller has a right to charge a reasonable fee on the basis of the administrative costs for such demand. Users have the right to, if necessary, rectification of inaccurate personal data concerning that User, via a written request, using the contact details in paragraph 10 below. The User has the right to demand deletion or restriction of processing, and the right to object to processing based on legitimate interest under certain circumstances. The User has the right to revoke any consent to processing that has been given by the User to Controller. Using this right may however, mean that the User can not apply for a specific job or otherwise use the Service. The User has under certain circumstances a right to data portability, which means a right to get the personal data and transfer these to another controller as long as this does not negatively affect the rights and freedoms of others. User has the right to lodge a complaint to the supervisory authority regarding the processing of personal data relating to him or her, if the User considers that the processing of personal data infringes the legal framework of privacy law. We prioritize the personal integrity and therefore works actively so that the personal data of the Users are processed with utmost care. We take the measures that can be reasonably expected to the make sure that the personal data of Users and others are processed safely and in accordance to this Privacy Policy and the GDPR-regulation. However, transfers of information over the internet and mobile networks can never occur without any risk, so all transfers are made on the own risk of the person transferring the data. It is important that Users also take responsibility to ensure that their data is protected. It is the responsibility of the User that their login information is kept secret. 5. Transfer of personal data to third party We will not sell or otherwise transfer Users’ personal data to third parties. We may transfer Users’ Personal Data to; our contractors and sub-contractors, acting as our Processors and Sub-Processors in accordance with our instructions, for the provision of the Service; authorities or legal advisors in case criminal or improper behaviour is suspected; and authorities, legal advisors or other actors, if required by us according to law or authority’s injunction. We will only transfer Users’ personal data to third parties that we have confidence in. We carefully choose partners to ensure that the User’s personal data is processed in accordance to current privacy legislations. We cooperate with the following categories of processors of personal data; Teamtailor, who supplies the Service, server and hosting companies, e-mail reference companies, video processing companies, information-sourcing companies, analytical service companies and other companies with regards to suppling the Service. 6. Aggregated data (non-identifiable personal data) We may share aggregated data to third parties. The aggregated data has in such instances been compiled from information that has been collected through the Service and can, for example, consist of statistics of internet traffic or the geological location for the use of the Service. The aggregated data does not contain any information that can be used to identify individual persons and is thus not personal data. When Users use the Service, information about the usage may be stored as cookies. Cookies are passive text files that are stored in the internet browser on the User’s device, such as computer, mobile phone or tablet, when using the Service. We use cookies to improve the User’s usage of the Service and to gather information about, for example, statistics about the usage of the Service. This is done to secure, maintain and improve the Service. The information that is collected through the cookies can in some instances be personal data and is, in such instances, regulated by our Cookie Policy. Users can at any time disable the use of cookies by changing the local settings in their devices. Disabling of cookies can affect the experience of the Service, for example disabling some functions in the Service. We have the right to, at any time, make changes or additions to the Privacy Policy. The latest version of the Privacy Policy will always be available through the Service. A new version is considered communicated to the Users when the User has either received an email informing the User of the new version (using the e-mail stated by the User in connection to the use of the Service) or when the User is otherwise informed of the new Privacy Policy. For questions, further information about our handling of personal data or for contact with us in other matters, please use the below stated contact details; Flow Neuroscience erik@flowneuroscience.com Please check your email inbox In order to log in to Connect you need to confirm the email we just sent you. Made with by Teamtailor	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line450
__label__wiki	0.547315	0.547315	What we know about the ugly SARS-CoV-2 virus is that it is among a group of coronaviruses that causes diseases in animals and birds, and respiratory tract infections in humans. These infections tend to be mild, but in rarer forms such as the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) they can be fatal. The current outbreak declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) is caused by SARS-CoV-2 which has a close genetic similarity to bat coronaviruses and are thought to have been its likely origin. The wild tornado in the body: how the infection starts and kills COVID-19 seems to be spread in a similar way to cold and flu bugs; through droplets being left on surfaces after a person coughs or sneezes, which are then touched by other people and spread further. The Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2 / CoVID-19) is currently killing thousands of people every hour globally and clinicians and pathologists are still trying to fully understand how it inflicts such damage as it tears through the human body. Although it well know that the lungs are ground zero (i.e. the main point of impact), the virus can extend to many other organs including the heart and blood vessels, kidneys, guts and brain. « Its ferocity is breathtaking and humbling », said Krumholz a cardiologist from Yale university. The infection begins when an infected subject expels virus-laden droplets and another person inhales them, the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus then enters the nose and throat and finds a comfortable home in the lining of the nose according to scientists from the Wellcome Sanger Institute. This region is lined with cell-surface receptor known as ACE2 (i.e. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) which are present throughout the body to help regulate blood pressure but it also marks tissues vulnerable to infection. The virus requires this receptor to enter a cell, and once inside it hijacks the cell’s machinery, multiplies itself and takes over new cells. During the period where the virus is multiplying itself, an infected person may shed copious amounts of it, especially during the first week. There may not be any symptoms at this point, or the victim may develop a fever, dry cough, sore throat, loss of smell and taste, or head and body aches. If the immune system does not destroy the virus at this early stage, then it moves down the windpipe and starts to wreck havoc in the lungs where it can become deadly. The thinner, distant branches of the lungs respiratory tree end in tiny air sacs called alveoli [alveolus (single], each lined by a single layer of cells that are also rich in ACE2 receptors, the very same receptors that allows the virus to penetrate. When we are in good health oxygen crosses the alveoli into the capillaries, which are tiny blood vessels that lie beside the air sacs (alveoli), this oxygen is then transported to the other regions of our body. But, when the immune system is stressed and fighting ardently against the virus, the battle disrupts the oxygen transfer. The front-line white blood cells release inflammatory molecules called chemokines, which in turn create more immune cells that target and destroy virus-infected cells. When these infected cells are destroyed by the chemokines, they leave a stew of fluid and dead cells – pus – behind. This process is the scenario that takes places in pneumonia and the corresponding symptoms are: coughing; fever; and fast, shallow breathing. In some cases, we find COVID-19 patients who recover, sometimes simply with oxygen breathed in through nasal prongs. However, in other unfortunate scenarios, patients often deteriorate suddenly to develop a condition referred to as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), where they struggle to breathe as the oxygen levels in their blood falls abruptly. On x-rays and computed tomography scans, the lungs of these patients are shown to be riddled with white opacities where instead healthy dark space [i.e. air] should be. These cases end up on ventilators and many die. Autopsies have shown their alveoli (air sacs) stuffed with fluid, white blood cells, mucus and the detritus of destroyed lung cells. Image: The cross section shows immune cells crowding an inflamed alveolus (air sac) whose walls break down during attack by the virus causing reduced oxygen intake – patients cough, experience rising fever and breathing becomes difficult / Source: Wadman (2020) Some clinicians are suspecting the driving force that leads to severely ill patients’ downhill trajectory and death to be a disastrous overreaction of their own body’s immune system, a reaction referred to as a « cytokine storm« , which viral infections are known to trigger. Cytokines are chemical signaling molecules that guide a healthy immune response, however, in a cytokine storm, the level of cytokines rise beyond the level of what is needed, and hence this excessive rush [i.e. storm] of immune cells also start to attack and destroy healthy tissues – these individuals’ blood vessels leak, blood pressure drops, blood clots form, and catastrophic organ failure can follow. Some studies (Chen et al., 2020) have demonstrated elevated levels of these inflammation-inducing cytokines (Huang et al., 2020) in the blood of hospitalised COVID-19 patients. Jamie Garfield, a pulmonologist who treats COVID-19 patients at the Temple University Hospital argues that the real morbidity and mortality of this disease is probably driven by this out of proportion inflammatory response of the human immune system to the virus. However, other medical professionals are not convinced. “There seems to have been a quick move to associate COVID-19 with these hyperinflammatory states. I haven’t really seen convincing data that that is the case,” said Joseph Levitt, a pulmonary critical care physician at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Levitt is also worried that efforts to develop several drugs to dampen the cytokine response could actually cause harm by suppressing the immune response that our body needs to fight off the virus. We find different views among the academic community on this new virus. Others are viewing it from a completely different perspective, and are focusing on the heart and blood vessels, that they believe is playing a significant role in the rapid deterioration of some patients. Tearing the heart All the classic symptoms of a heart attack was observed in a 53-year-old Italian woman in Brescia along with signs in her electrocardiogram and high levels of blood marker suggesting damaged cardiac muscles. Further tests revealed cardiac swelling and scarring, and a left-ventricle – which is usually the powerhouse chamber of a human heart – so weak that only one-third of the normal amount of blood could be pumped. When doctors injected dye in her coronary arteries to look for what they believed to be a blockage that is usually associated with heart attacks, they found nothing. The next test carried out revealed that the culprit was in fact COVID-19. It is still a mystery to academics how the virus attacks the heart and blood vessels but many preprints and scientific papers attest that such damage is common. A JAMA cardiology paper observed damages to the heart in nearly 20% of COVID-19 patients (Shi et al., 2020) out of 416 hospitalised patients in Wuhan, China. Another Wuhan study revealed that 44% of 36 patients admitted in ICU had arrhythmias, i.e. irregular heart beats (Wang et al., 2020). What has been discovered, is that the disruption extends to blood itself. Among 184 COVID-19 patients in a Dutch ICU, 38% had blood that clotted abnormally, and about one-third already had clots (Klok et al., 2020). Blood clots are very dangerous since they can break apart and end up landing in the lungs, blocking vital arteries – a condition known as pulmonary embolism, which has killed many COVID-19 patients. Blood clots from arteries can also end up in the brain, causing stroke. Many COVID-19 patients have dramatically high levels of D-dimer, a byproduct of blood clots. Hence, it is very likely that blood clots have a major role in the disease severity and mortality with the COVID-19 pandemic. Infection may also lead to the constriction of blood vessels. There are reports emerging of ischemia [i.e. an inadequate blood supply to an organ or part of the body, especially the heart muscles] in the fingers and toes – reduction in blood flow can cause swollen, painful digits and eventually tissue death. Blood vessels carry oxygen to various parts of our body, and when they become constricted problems will logically arise. In the lungs, the constriction of blood vessels may explain the reports of a very perplexing phenomenon seen in patients with pneumonia caused by COVID-19: some patients although having extremely low blood-oxygen levels are not gasping for breath. Since we are still uncovering the depths of the virus, one explanation may be that at some stages of the disease, the virus modifies the delicate balance of hormones that regulate blood pressure and constricts the blood vessels going to the lungs. Logically, constricted blood vessels will lead to oxygen uptake being impeded – this may be the cause of low blood-oxygen levels rather than clogged alveoli (air sacks) as explained above. It is very important to take note that if COVID-19 targets blood vessels, it may explain why patients with pre-existing damage to those vessels, such as those with diabetes and high blood pressure, face a higher risk of serious disease. The recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on hospitalised patients in 14 US states found that bout one-third had chronic lung disease and nearly as many had diabetes and half had pre-existing high blood pressure (Garg et al., 2020). It has also been observed that there is a very low number of cases suffering from asthma and other respiratory diseases. The risk factors seem to be vascular: diabetes, obesity, age and hypertension. Academics are still in the dark regarding the causes of cardiovascular damage. Since the lining of the heart and blood vessels are rich in ACE2 receptors just like in the nose and the alveoli, it is possible that the virus may be directly targeting and attacking them. Another possibility for cardiovascular damage could be the lack of oxygen caused by a combination of factors: lack of oxygen, chaos in the lungs and damages to blood vessels. A cytokine storm unleashed by the immune system itself could also be responsible for damages to the heart as it does for other organs. COVID-19 is a new virus and the academic community do not have all the answers to these questions: who is most vulnerable? Why some patients are hardly affected while others are hit so severely? Why does it develop so rapidly and why it is so hard for some patients to recover? Destruction in multiple zones While there is worldwide tension regarding the shortage of ventilators for failing lungs, less attention has been given to dialysis machines. Jennifer Frontera, a neurologist from New York University’s Langone Medical Center who has treated thousands of COVID-19 patients pointed out that if patients are not dying from lung failure, they are dying from renal failure. Hence, her hospital is developing dialysis protocols with different machines to support additional patients. As usual, the ACE2 receptors, a favoured penetrating site for the virus, is abundantly present in kidneys. Going by a preprint, 27% of 85 hospitalised patients in Wuhan had kidney failure (Li et al., 2020). Another report read 59% of nearly 200 hospitalised COVID-19 patients in China’s Hubei and Sichuan provinces had protein in their urine (Diao et al., 2020), and 44% had blood clot; both suggest that kidney damage took place. Patients with acute kidney injury (AKI), were more than five times as likely to die as COVID-19 patients without it, the same Chinese preprint reported. “The lung is the primary battle zone. But a fraction of the virus possibly attacks the kidney. And as on the real battlefield, if two places are being attacked at the same time, each place gets worse,” says Hongbo Jia, a neuroscientist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’s Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology and a co-author of that study. The electron micrographs from the autopsies of kidneys revealed viral particles (Diao et al., 2020), suggesting a direct viral attack. However, the kidney injury may also be a collateral damage caused by ventilators – that heighten the risk of kidney damage – as do some antiviral compounds such as remdesivir [which is being used experimentally in COVID-19 patients]. The immune system’s cytokine storms may also severely reduce blood flow to the kidney and often causing fatal damage. Diabetes can also increase the chances of kidney injury. Hence people with chronic kidney diseases are at a higher risk for acute kidney injury. Combo hits to the brain Another range of symptoms in COVID-19 patients focus on the brain and the central nervous systems (Mao et al., 2020). Frontera says that neurologists are required to assess 5% to 10% of coronavirus patients at her hospital and believes that it may be a gross underestimate of the number of patients whose brains are struggling since many are sedated and on ventilators. Patients have suffered from brain inflammation, encephalitis (Moriguchi et al., 2020), with seizures and with a sympathetic storm [i.e. a hyper reaction of the sympathetic nervous system that causes seizure-like symptoms and is mostly observed after a traumatic brain injury]. Some COVID-19 patients even lose consciousness for a short amount of time while others suffer strokes. The loss of the sense of smell has also been widely reported. Frontera and others are asking themselves whether in some cases, infection depresses the brain stem reflex that senses oxygen starvation; this may provide an explanation to why despite dangerously low blood oxygen levels, patients are not gasping for air. The former coronavirus behind the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic – a cousin of COVID-19 – could infiltrate neurons and at times caused encephalitis. Since ACE2 receptors are present in the neural cortex and brain stem, the virus could interact with those receptors and penetrate the brain. In a case study in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, a team of academics from Japan found traces of COVID-19 traces in the cerebrospinal fluid of a patient who developed meningitis and encephalitis, insinuating that COVID-19 can penetrate the central nervous system. Image: Tissue damage in the brain (milky white areas shown by the arrows) as a result of encephalitis developed by a 58-year-old woman infected with COVID-19 / Source: (Poyiadji et al., 2020) However, other factors could also be damaging the brain, such as a cytokine storm triggered by patients’ immune system itself, leading to swelling, and the blood’s exaggerated tendency to clot could trigger strokes. The collection of neurological data from care patients received is ongoing at a worldwide consortium that now include 50 centers in order to identify the prevalence of neurological complications in hospitalised COVID-19 patients and document how they fare. Image: Neurocritical Care Society (NCS) The aim of course is to better understand the virus’ impact on the nervous system, including the brain. Sherry Chou, a neurologist speculates about an invasion route for the virus: through the nose, then upward through the olfactory bulb which connects to the brain, which may explain the loss of smell. To the gut Diarrhea with blood, vomiting and abdominal pain was reported in early March 2020 from a 71-year-old woman from Michigan who returned from a Nile river cruise. Doctors suspected the common stomach bug, e.g. Salmonella. However, after she developed a cough, nasal swabs revealed that she was positive for COVID-19. Gastrointestinal (GI) infection was diagnosed after a stool sample was positive for viral RNA and an endoscopy revealed signs of colon injury according to a paper in The American Journal of Gastroenterology (AJG) (Click to see). This case adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that like the SARS, COVID-19 can infect the lining of the lower digestive tract where, once again, the ACE2 receptors needed for the virus to enter are abundant. As many as 53% of sampled patients’ stool samples have shown to contain viral RNA. The virus’ protein shell was also found in gastric, duodenal and rectal cells in biopsies by a Chinese team who reported it in a paper in Gastroenterology (Xiao et al., 2020). “I think it probably does replicate in the gastrointestinal tract,” said Mary Estes, a virologist at Baylor College of Medicine. Up to 50% of patients, making up about 20% across studies experience diarrhea. Gastrointestinal Infection (GI) however is not on the CDC’s list of COVID-19 symptoms which could lead to some COVID-19 cases to go undetected. The co-editor of Gastroenterology, Douglas Corley of Kaiser Permanente, Northern California said: “If you mainly have fever and diarrhea, you won’t be tested for COVID.” So, can COVID-19 be passed on through feces? We do not know if the stool contains active, intact, infectious virus or simply RNA and proteins, there is no evidence to date. Based on experiments with SARS and with the virus that causes Middle East respiratory syndrome, a cousin of COVID-19, the risk from fecal transmission is probably low. Finally, the virus also affects the eyes as one-third of hospitalised patients develop conjunctivitis – reddish, watery eyes – although it is not clear if the virus directly attacks the eyes (Wu et al., 2020). Some other reports have also suggested liver damage since more than 50% of COVID-19 (Zhang, Shi and Wang, 2020) patients hospitalised in two Chinese centers had elevated levels of enzymes (Fan et al., 2020) which suggest injury to the liver or bile ducts. However, many experts reportedly told Science that direct viral hits are unlikely, stating that other events in a failing body, like drugs or an immune system overdrive, are more likely driving the liver damage. It is important to note that these findings are just the beginning, and it will take years of serious research to fully understand COVID-19 along with the range of cardiovascular and immune effects it might trigger. We can only hope to find a way to stop this ugly virus in its track through the combined efforts of planet Earth’s scientific force and medical geniuses. At present, whilst COVID-19 appears to be more contagious than SARS or MERS, the fatality rate is relatively low (around 3%) when compared with MERS (34%) and SARS (10%), with early data suggesting the elderly and those with underlying health conditions are at a higher risk. In France, if Mentonians are concerned about coronavirus, it is in fact mainly for their elders. « Menton is a town of old people. If the epidemic spreads, they’ll all be dropping like flies. It’s going to be no man’s land, » said Denis, arm in arm with his 88-year-old mother. « I’m not afraid for myself: I know the virus won’t kill me. But I’ve told my mother, ‘you’re not going out of the house any more,’ » explained Véronique, in her fifties, as she folded a tablecloth from her shop in the centre of town. Putain ce virus de merde qui nous rend tous fous, il nous empêche aussi de rire… avec l’obligation de reporter tous les spectacles. Si tu retrouves le patient zéro, préviens moi j’aurai 2 mots à lui dire … — BIGARD LE VRAI DE VRAI !!! (@JM_Bigard) March 11, 2020 By advocating the use of chloroquine to treat people suffering from Covid-19, the brave maverick, Professor Didier Raoult became the target of criticism in a very short time. Raoult did, however, receive some support, notably from Jean-Marie Bigard, who recounted one of his telephone conversations with the much-scorned professor. « We talked about how he thanked me for supporting him (…) And then he said something funny to me, saying: ‘All the time I was thinking about this story, I only thought about one thing, and that was your sketch about the bat,’ » the comedian said. Furthermore, even if it is not a miracle cure, a range of other medical professionals claim to have successfully treated a range of COVID-19 sufferers with hydroxychloroquine, while some studies have shown its ability to inhibit the virus in vitro. Image: Didier Raoult au micro d’Apolline de Malherbe While research is focusing on treatments and vaccines, Didier Sicard a professor from Sorbonne University also a specialist in infectious diseases who has a long experience in scientific work on the HIV, argued that researchers should go back on the field and inquire on the animal origin of the epidemic. Professor Sicard noted that the abrupt transformation of primary forests has brought humans closer to bats and hence a reservoir of viruses that has not yet been closely studied. While China has only recently, on the 24th of February 2020, immediately and completely banned all traffic and consumption of wild animals, conscious of its dietary culture of eating practically anything that moves, it is important to note that such a legislation exists since 2003 without it being strictly respected by Beijing. Hence, Professor Sicard reasonably argues for an international health court. The former Chair of the Advisory Committee on Ethics from 1999 to 2008 emphasizes the extent to which, in this epidemic, the issue of contact is paramount – everyone must behave like a model. Image: Femme consultant son médecin / Woman consulting her doctor Source: AFP – B. BOISSONNET Sicard also points out that the starting point of this pandemic is an open market in Wuhan where wild animals, snakes, bats, pangolins, preserved in wicker crates, accumulate. In China, these animals are bought for the Rat Festival and are quite expensive and considered as food of choice. In this wild meat market, these animals are obviously touched and handled by the vendors throughout the day, skinned, while they are stained with urine; ticks and mosquitoes also make a kind of cloud around these poor animals by the thousands. These conditions have meant that a few infected animals have inevitably infected other animals within a few days. One can hypothesize that a vendor injured himself or touched contaminated urine before putting his hand to his face. Here we go! What strikes Sicard is the indifference at the starting point of this ugly virus. As if society was only interested in the point of arrival: the vaccine, the treatments, the resuscitation. But for this not to happen again, the starting point should be considered vital. And it’s impressive to see how it’s being neglected. The indifference to wildlife markets around the world is dramatic. It is said that these markets bring in as much money as the drug market. In Mexico, there is such a traffic that customs officers even find pangolins in suitcases. Image: Un pangolin sauvé au Mexique par la Wildlife Alliance / A pangolin being rescued in Mexico by the Wildlife Alliance Chart: Estimated number of Asian pangolins in international trade between 1977 and 2012 as reported to CITES, and estimated number of pangolins in illegal trade in Asia between July 2000 and 2013. Illegal trade is based on seizures made in or trade recorded in Cambodia, China, Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan (P.R. China), Thailand and Vietnam. Source: CITES trade database (UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK), and for illegal trade, various sources / Source: (Challender, Harrop and MacMillan, 2015) Jean-Christophe Ruffin, a doctor, diplomat and writer from the Académie Française said: “Now is not the time to burden anyone and sue, it will come. But they’ll have to be done. We’ll have to learn from this. This proves one thing: when we get out of this terrible crisis, as infectious disease specialists say, there will be others. And we can’t be in a situation like that again.” « It is of course not the first time that animals are at the origin of sanitary crises, in fact they are responsible for the majority of epidemic crises: HIV, H5N1 avian flu, Ebola. These viral diseases always come from a reservoir of animal viruses », Sicard pointed out, and there’s almost no interest in them. It’s the same with dengue fever. “I have a very close relationship with Laos, and when the disease appears, the local people there say, ‘We have to control the mosquitoes’. But in reality, it is during the dry season, when there are only larvae, that a policy of exterminating mosquito larvae should be implemented. But nobody does it because people say ‘oh, there are no mosquitoes, why do you want us to use insecticides? And the Pasteur Institute of Laos is sputtering in vain, asking local people to make the effort before the disease bursts”, Sicard explained to France Culture, saying “It is exactly like the work that’s left to be done on the bats. They are themselves carriers of about 30 coronaviruses! We need to do some work on these animals. » Image: Pangolin sauvé des mains d’un trafiquant local, Uganda. 9 avril 2020 • Crédits : Isaak Kasamani – AFP The latter also added: « Obviously, it is not very easy: going into caves, well protected, taking vipers, pangolins, ants, looking at the viruses they harbour, this is ungrateful work and often despised by laboratories. Researchers say: ‘We prefer to work in the molecular biology laboratory with our cosmonaut hoods. Going into the jungle, bringing in mosquitoes, is dangerous. Yet, these are by far the most important routes. Moreover, we know that these epidemics will start again in the years to come repeatedly if we don’t definitively ban the traffic of wild animals. This should be criminalized as an open-air sale of cocaine. This crime should be punishable by imprisonment. I am also thinking of those battery farms for chicken or pork that are found in China. Every year they give new flu outbreaks from viruses of avian origin. Gathering animals like that is not serious. It is as if veterinary art and human medical art had nothing to do with each other. The origin of the epidemic should be the subject of a major international mobilisation.” Prof Sicard argued that we need to reconstruct the epidemiological pathway by which bats have tolerated coronaviruses for millions of years, but have also dispersed them. It contaminates other animals. Letko, M., Miazgowicz, K., McMinn, R., Seifert, S., Sola, I., Enjuanes, L., Carmody, A., van Doremalen, N. and Munster, V., 2018. Adaptive Evolution of MERS-CoV to Species Variation in DPP4. Cell Reports, 24(7), pp.1730-1737. When bats hang in caves and die, they fall to the ground. Then the snakes, vipers in particular, who love their corpses, eat them. Just like the young bats that fall down and are immediately eaten by these snakes which are therefore probably intermediate hosts for viruses. In addition, there are clouds of mosquitoes and ticks in these caves and we should try to see which insects are also possible transmitters of the virus. Another hypothesis concerns the transmission that occurs when bats go out at night to eat fruit. Bats have an almost automatic reflex; as soon as they swallow, they urinate, explained Sicard. They will therefore contaminate the fruits of these trees and the civets, which love the same fruits, hence contaminating themselves by eating them. The ants participate in the agape and the pangolins – for which the most wonderful food is ants – devour the ants and become infected in their turn. It is this whole chain of contamination that needs to be explored. Probably the most dangerous reservoirs of viruses are snakes, because they are the ones that are constantly feeding on bats, which are themselves carriers of coronaviruses. Snakes could therefore be a permanent host for these viruses, and obviously eating them is not only disgusting but dangerous. But that is exactly what we need to know and check. Researchers should therefore capture bats, but also do the same work on ants, civets, pangolins and try to understand their tolerance to the virus. It’s a bit ungrateful, but essential. Didier Sicard also elaborated on the relation between the local Eastern Asian population and the bats, saying “What struck me in Laos, where I often go, is that the primary forest is regressing because the Chinese are building stations and trains there. These trains, which cross the jungle without any health precautions, can become the vector of parasitic or viral diseases and carry them through China, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and even Singapore. The Silk Road, which the Chinese are in the process of completing, may also become the route for the spread of serious diseases. Caves are becoming more and more accessible there. As a result, humans tend to get closer to where the bats live, and bats are also a highly sought-after food source. Humans are now also building fruit tree parks close to these caves because there are no more trees due to deforestation. The inhabitants feel that they can gain territory, like in the Amazon. And so, they are building agricultural areas very close to extremely dangerous virus reservoir areas. I don’t have the answer to all these questions, but I just know that the starting point is not well known. And that it’s totally ignored. It’s being turned into folksy conference speeches. They talk about bats and the curse of the pharaohs.” Sicard also said that there must be some serious studies about the ability of bats to harbour coronaviruses, saying “but when I go to the Pasteur Institute in Laos which is run by an exceptional man, Paul Brey, this director has the fibre of a Louis Pasteur, he has been passionate for twenty years about transmission issues, but he is extremely lonely. Even the study of mosquitoes, which is fundamental to understanding the transmission of diseases in Laos, is almost abandoned. And Paul Brey keeps telling me that there are about thirty species of coronavirus in bats. So, the scientific effort is not up to the task.” Sicard added, “When the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs removes the virologist’s post at the Pasteur Institute, which is a few hundred kilometres from the Chinese border, we are finished. This happened in November 2019. We are going to try to get that post back, but it is still frightening to think that even at the very gates where viral infectious diseases come from, it is hard to put all the effort into it. The Pasteur Institute of Laos is supported very moderately by France, it is supported by the Japanese, the Americans and the Luxembourgers. France contributes to it, but it does not make it a major research tool.” The role of this Pasteur Institute according to Professor Sicard is to train local researchers, “To carry out epidemiological studies on the existing viruses chikungunya, dengue fever and now coronavirus, to be a place for high-level biological scientific studies in a remote, tropical territory, but with a high-security laboratory. To be as close as possible to where epidemics occur and to have laboratories that are up to the task. It is very difficult for relatively poor countries to have high level scientific equipment. The network of Pasteur Institutes – which exist in several countries – is a structure that the world envies. But institutes like the one in Laos need much more help than they do now. These laboratories are struggling to make ends meet and they are also having difficulty recruiting researchers. Most of them prefer to be in their laboratory at the Pasteur Institute in Paris or in a Sanofi laboratory or at Merieux, but to become an explorer in the jungle, there aren’t many people who do that. But that’s what Louis Pasteur did, he went to see the farmers in the vineyards, he went to see the shepherds and their sheep.» Traduction(EN): « Science has no homeland, because knowledge is the heritage of humanity, the torch that lights up the world. » – Louis Pasteur Science is an integral part of human culture and has played a huge part in the construction of the modern societies that humanity lives in today, and I believe the essay, “History on Western Philosophy, Religious cultures, Science, Medicine & Secularisation” gives a decent picture of where we came, where we have come and where we are going as a civilisation. « Louis Pasteur would come out of his laboratory. Just like Alexandre Yersin who was in the field in Vietnam when he discovered the plague bacillus », Sicard declared, « so, entomological research and research on transmitting animals is not up to the challenge. Of course, it exists, but it must account for perhaps 1% of research. Because what fascinates the candidates for the Nobel Prize is to find a treatment or a new virus in molecular biology and not to reconstitute the epidemiological chains. And yet the great infectious discoveries were born this way: the agent of malaria, Plasmodium, was discovered by a Frenchman, Alphonse Laveran, in the field in Tunisia. And this is fundamental research that is carried out on a scale that has been somewhat forgotten. » Is the study of animal really crucial? Sicard said: “The plague remains an exciting example. The reservoir of the plague are rats. There are populations of rats that are very resistant and that transmit the plague bacillus, but they don’t care. And then there are populations of rats that are very susceptible. All it takes is a few individuals from the susceptible rat population meeting the resistant rat population one day to get infected. The susceptible rats die. At that point, the fleas that feed on the blood of the rats, desperate not to have more live rats, will start biting humans. Reconstructing this very beginning of the chain of transmission makes it possible to act. In places where the plague is still rife, in California, Madagascar, Iran or China, when we see that a few rats start to die, that is exactly the time to intervene: it is extremely dangerous because that is when the fleas will start to want to bite humans. In plague areas, when we see hundreds of dead rats, it is a real bomb. Fortunately, the plague is a disease of the past. There must still be 4,000 or 5,000 cases of plague in the world. That is not a huge number and then the antibiotics are effective. But this is an example, to show that the animal origin is fundamental and always difficult to apprehend. It is nevertheless essential for understanding and makes it possible to put in place prevention policies. Today, if we continue to sell wild animals on a market, we are in a delirious situation. The precautionary principle must be applied.” While wild animal traffic is prohibited and there is an international convention that monitors all sales, in China this international convention is not respected, declared Sicard, adding “It is clear that if we ask each country to organise itself nationally, nothing will change. China initially put pressure on the WHO not to call it a pandemic. It tried to block it because it is a major contributor to the funding of the WHO. Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel #coronavirus (2019-nCoV) identified in #Wuhan, #China🇨🇳. pic.twitter.com/Fnl5P877VG — World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) January 14, 2020 Les plus gros contributeurs au budget de l’OMS / Source: Statista France It would therefore be important for it to be a totally independent health tribunal, like an international war crimes tribunal, with independent inspectors who verify what is happening on the ground. In Laos, in the countryside, there are many markets where wild animals are sold like chickens or rabbits. There is general indifference because it is the local culture. And culture is the most difficult thing to change in a country,” observed Didier Sicard. Indeed, rightly concluded, since culture, which is a mode of behaviour passed down by individual groups to other generations unfortunately is also sometimes constitutive of a range of atrociously bad and unproductive habits [e.g. medical, dietary, physical (health), linguistic, educational, artistic, perceptive, emotional, managerial and political patterns]. « Avant, avec mes amis, on avait peur des Chinois. Maintenant, on voit sur Twitter qu’on a peur de nous, les Italiens ! » Alicia à franceinfo Sicard also commented on what struck him on the attitude of the French population, stating, “the gap between a kind of indifferent casualness, hardly any critical look at Italy and China and the brutal discovery of the health disaster. We have gone from recklessness to extreme anxiety and both are equally toxic: recklessness creates contamination and extreme anxiety leads to irrational behaviour. The proof of this is the flight of Parisians, Lyonnais and inhabitants of large cities to their second homes. This seemed to me at first to testify to a very short-sighted vision, as if one could escape, in war, from the arrival of the German armies. And then an extraordinarily individualistic behaviour, in the wrong sense of the word: ‘Save whoever you can, I shut myself up in my countryside and then it’s too bad for the others, I protect myself’. Of course, I imagine that if you can protect the elderly and keep them safe, that’s fine. But when we see young couples or groups of friends who are now saying to each other, we’re going to go on holiday! This is all the more shocking because this epidemic is about something completely different from just saving someone. On the contrary, it’s a question of asking how each can be seen by the other as a role model.” Professor Didier Raoult also pointed out in 2009, that human civilization is still savage and prehistoric when it comes to a culture of medical hygiene because most of us do not know how to handle viruses due a lack of knowledge and social organisation, i.e. it is a pattern of behaviour that is still not firmly embedded in culture of the non-scientific majority. Raoult even pointed out 11 years ago that if a mutant respiratory virus was to appear we would be facing a considerable disaster, and here we are. Didier Raoult « On ne sait pas lutter contre la contagion d’un virus respiratoire » \| Archive INA (2009) A similar argument was also recently brought forward by Bill Gates in 2018 who suggested that a new diseases could kill 30 millions in 6 months, while his foundation published a simulation showing an epidemic spreading from China, which is coincidentally now facing a « serious situation » to deal with the accelerating deadly coronavirus epidemic that has put the world on its knees. « In the case of biological threats, that sense of urgency is lacking, » Gates said, adding that countries need to prepare for pandemics in the same serious way they prepare for war; he asserted that a small non-state actor even had the ability to construct a deadly form of smallpox in a laboratory environment. The philanthropist explained in an interview on Virtual TED Interview that if the United States enacts such a strict isolation law, positive results could be seen within the first 20 days. According to Gates, the United States was too late to react. If they had started testing people who might have had the virus as early as February, they could have escaped total isolation. « There are no half measures. It’s not right to say « keep going to restaurants and buying houses, ignore the pile of dead bodies in the corner. It’s irresponsible to tell people not to worry, » said Bill Gates, also adding that the public must, at all costs, maintain the law of isolation for as long as it is necessary to save lives and prevent the situation from becoming similar to that in Wuhan and Northern Italy. #COVID19 : en se basant sur des modèles prédictifs, des chercheurs de l’UCL ont estimé que l’ensemble des mesures de #confinement ont déjà permis de sauver plusieurs dizaines de milliers de vies en Europe / Source: Statista France In an essay written on the Oxford Martin School website at the University of Oxford Ian Goldin and co-authored by Robert Muggah, a similar orientation is suggested, i.e. for the world to become more interdependent since our world has become more connected. However, globalisation must be managed efficiently in order to fight systemic risks such as the COVID-19. We saw how the growing complexities of the global financial system was badly managed by public authorities controlled by politicians, and supposedly financial « experts », people who were supposed to have graduated from the supposed best institutions, simple parvenus turned mechanical thinkers, and what did they do? Together, as a pack of ruthless & cannibalistic great white sharks, they took the whole world into the financial crash in 2008; it is not even the first time in history and nothing tells us that they will not do it again. The full blame can be attributed to the dangerous negligence and overconfidence of this very special and particular breed. Image: Un banquier assis dans la rue / A banker sitting on the street This has led to mediocre, cheap, uncharismatic and atavistic populists politicians without any sophisticated outlook about a connected world to storm to power since the world’s political and economic « elites » were held responsible for the 2008 financial crisis. But we now see how these populists lack the sophistication to lead a new modern and interconnected world as we are living through this crucial phase in human history where civilisation is changing era. These atavistic minds who grabbed power in the US are following an ancient tradition that does not have its place anymore in our modern world, i.e. blaming foreigners for everything and turning their back to the outside world, and hence also making themselves insignificant among noble world leading societies, i.e. those who together set an example to civilisation and shape the human civilisation of the future. Une majorité de 80% des citoyens français se méfient des Etats-Unis et n’approuvent pas leur politique / Source: Le Figaro The grotesque US president, Donald Trump spurned scientific thinking about a range of serious issues such as climate change, spread fake news through petty news agencies and twitter ogres and even shunned traditional allies and international institutions such as the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Agreement, decisions that have not been met with approval by many sensible Americans; for example, Melinda Gates sees Trump’s decision as absurd, and with the evidence of infections rising fast, most extremist nationalist politicians are compelled to recognise the traumatic human and economic costs of COVID-19. Hence, it is also not surprising that in France, a literary, intellectually hungry and constantly evolving nation of voracious and sophisticated self & world-cultivating book readers & writers, Trump is viewed as one of the greatest disasters of the modern world, compared to the pigs of George Orwell’s « Animal Farm », and has even been paraded as a clown along with Macron in Nice. « Complice du pire » / Trump le clown et Macron la marionnette au carnaval de Nice, 2019 / Source: 20minutes « Do me a favor, speed it up, speed it up. », this is what the naive Trump told the National Association of Counties Legislative Conference, because the ignorant, infantile, insensitive and obese politician may believe that if he repeats it a couple of times the vaccine may suddenly appear. A vaccine takes longer to be safe and ready, and most people with some scientific foundation know this. As the American chemist, inventor, musician, professor, entrepreneur and former chancellor of the University of North Carolina, Herbert Holden Thorp wrote for ScienceMag, China has rightfully taken criticism for blocking attempts by scientists to report the truth about the coronavirus, the US under Trump and his circus have been doing the same thing. To inform Fauci and other government scientists that all public comments must be cleared with Pence is bordering on dictatorship and an assault on individual freedom and dignity. It is clearly not a time for a mediocre, disconnected, unsophisticated and atavistic American politician who does not fear ridicule by making an absolute ass of himself through his denial of evolution, climate change and the dangers of cigarette smoking to come around and tell people how to live, what to believe in and shape the public message; this is dangerous to every single person who lives in the US. It is however encouraging to see that Fauci, Francis Collins [director of the U.S. National Insitutes of Health (NIH)], and their colleagues across federal agencies have ignored these instructions and gradually spread the message, because transmission rates and death are not measurements that can be changed with Trump’s will and an extroverted presentation. The Trump administration repeatedly lied, saying that the virus spread in the US was contained, when it was very clear from genomic evidence that community spread was occurring in Washington State and beyond. This kind of distortion during such a deadly pandemic is unacceptable and contributed to the federal government’s slow response. Although the words of the Trump administration have never mattered to or registered in the brain of learned individuals, these words are now clearly a matter of life and death in the US during the pandemic. Most intellectually cultivated, smart and refined individuals do not expect politicians or mediocre gossip journalists to know much about philosophical discourse, the foundations of scientific reasoning, objectivity, statistics, to be able to read and fully understand a scientific paper, let alone understand brain physiology, the laws of evolution and gravity, p-value, logical reasoning or know what ostinato and legato are; and that is perhaps why most of the finest intellectuals remain in their league and keep their distance from street politicians and the common crowd, because they likely know that it would be like trying to communicate with non-receptive, indifferent and inanimate objects such as pebbles or truffles. Image: Truffes blanches / White truffles Hence, it is very likely that to most sensible and intellectually cultivated individuals, attempting to have a conversation with those objects would be a waste of time, neuronal activity and calorie; while also having to leave the noble realm of philosophical discourse, their library with names such as Darwin, Voltaire, Balzac, Descartes, Rousseau, Lacan, Satie and Debussy, and sometimes even their piano or violin, to then have to jump into a world of slimy reptilian characters and see weird and untrustworthy faces of brains inferior to their own trying to tell them how to live, and also having to endure mockery of the lowest, most infantile and animalistic kind from some of the vilest and most frustrated peasant-like parvenus in politics with severe inferiority complexes. So these cultured intellectuals keep quiet in the distance and focus on writing books instead. Source: Services culturels – Ambassade de France aux États-Unis / Cultural Services – French Embassy in the US As a bilingual Franco-British intellectual, in the French speaking world for me, it would be like attempting to have a sophisticated discussion about « les métaphores artistiques d’Eugène Delacroix, la structure du psychisme, la philosophie du désir, la motivation chez le sujet cartésien, l’héritage voltairien, et la dialectique Lacanienne » with « simplets » [i.e. simple minds] like Bécassine, Nabilla, Bamboula, Darmanin, Hollande, Pompili and Morano in a small village bistrot; and in the Anglo-Saxon sphere with Postman Pat, Nigel Farage, Harry Potter or Mr.Bean in an ancient and derelict pub in England, or Homer Simpson, Forest Gump, Joe Biden and Donald Trump in the US – so, what I mean and what most intellectually superior individuals understand is that it would be useless and unproductive because of the unsynchronised psyches caused by different levels of intellectual cultivation and heritage. If the majority of humans read and manage to grasp and fully understand the essay, « Psychoanalysis: History, Foundations, Legacy, Impact & Evolution », they should realise that the human psyche, its development, cultivation and construction are composed of many layers, while the essay, « The Concept of Self » would also guide individuals about self-conception and identity. After studying intellectual humility, psychologists have found that individuals with this personality trait have superior general knowledge (Krumrei-Mancuso, Haggard, LaBouff and Rowatt, 2019). Intellectual humility has consequences for learning and styles of thinking; the process of learning itself requires intellectual humility to acknowledge that one lacks a particular knowledge and hence has something to learn in order to continue evolving. In the same study in the Journal of Positive Psychology, Krumrei-Mancuso and her colleagues found that intellectual humility was associated with less claiming of knowledge that one does not have, indicating a more accurate assessment of one’s own knowledge. In the study, intellectual humility was also correlated with being more inclined to reflective thinking, and also possessing more “need for cognition” [i.e. enjoying thinking hard and problem solving], greater curiosity, and open-minded thinking. In the journal Self and Identity, the results from a study by Porter and Schumann (2017) suggest that intellectual humility can be increased in individuals through a growth mindset of intelligence; hence we could all benefit from intellectual humility in our lifetime development. The authors concluded that “teaching people a malleable view of intelligence may be one promising way to foster intellectual humility and its associated benefits.” Les métiers qui inspirent le plus (et le moins) confiance / Source: Statista France Many uncharismatic, simple-minded, grotesque and mediocre politicians need to acknowledge that their lack of knowledge, creativity and cultivation makes their ambitions of leadership impossible, and also understand that the ancient and stagnant political structure with parties and group agendas as it is nowadays can be considered as a discipline that is dead-alive and on its last leg; that hardly elicits the passionate interest of the civilised crowd anymore. The politics of parties and division is ongoing for the simple reason that civilised society has not yet implemented an organised and sophisticated concept to replace it and use it to manage our modern and interconnected human civilisation. Regarding the degraded and cheap form of politics around the world in the 21st century, people at large need to firmly understand that every time typical, plain and ignorant office workers stack enough money aside to be able to afford quitting their day job in order to join a group of politicians in a movement, it does NOT suddenly transform them into a superior authority that requires everyone to stand in line to listen to everything that comes out of their mouths; they cannot and will never win a noble and sophisticated philosophical debate by insulting and disrespecting intellect and science simply because it does not always conform to their wishes and is often against their disconnected and backward outlook, while also at times being too challenging for most of their average, limited, naive, unproductive, boring and uncreative brains. Traduction(EN): « An elite psychology theorist who deals with brain behaviour and sculpture at the granular level will not listen to the absurdities of a simple mind, even if the partners of this simple mind can pay all the advertisers in the world to publish their nonsense on toilet paper, cereal boxes, the cheap animal press to bus stops. We are above that! Every time a drugged out publisher of an obscure corner of the Internet creates a title with an image he considers degrading, it has no effect on us, none, zero; with his sweaty, sticky fingers slamming on a dirty keyboard on the 10th floor of an old building in a crowded corner of a polluted urban jungle? we are above these little defamation campaigns organized by childish politicians and the Jewish media they love so much. It cannot be anti-semitic to simply state that the majority of the press is owned, and hence controlled by Jews. My message to these people is this: « Try to grow up! Not a single intelligent person in the world is defined by your impulses… you are worse than children. People define themselves… simple….. your opinions, they’re just simple opinions as simple as your mind! » -Danny J. D’Purb pic.twitter.com/qBm0FpdMAK — JeanPhilippedeTonnac (@inthemoodfortw) May 12, 2020 So, these simple animalistic minds and parvenus in the media along with those who hold their leash in politics need to seriously understand that no matter how many rotten tomatoes they throw at the wall of reason, these bricks were built on science, philosophy and intellect, and they will NEVER go down; for example, we know for a scientific fact that alcohol consumption and smoking cause cancer, and that flesh in a state of decomposition is a breeding place for maggots, no amount of headlines, photo editing or covers will ever change those facts and convince any intellectually cultivated mind otherwise, although that does not seem to stop some cheap, corrupt and deluded media businesses and journalists from trying – Trump could be a suitable equivalent example. Image: Un alcoolique / An alcoholic We all know that some people are hired to do so, but they would make their own lives easier and less stressful by knowing the limits of rational possibility, that is, by understanding the simple logic that covering gold with manure and swine scum will never transform it into those. During the CoVID-19 pandemic, these haters of intellect and science then insist on something as serious as a vaccine that science cannot provide on demand – as if it was as simple as feeding or mass breeding pigs on a farm. As Holden Thorp also noted, for the past 4 years the obese Trump and his circus have made deep cuts in the scientific budget including cuts to funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the NIH. For their selfish political goals, the grotesque administration’s disregard for the science of the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the stalled naming of a knowledgeable director for the Office of Science and Technology Policy has caused a lot of harm over 4 years to US residents and the credibility of the US itself on the world scene. Now, with the devastation caused by CoVID-19, Trump suddenly needs the discipline he disrespected and ignored, i.e. science. Yet, to cite Thorp, « the centuries spent elucidating fundamental principles that govern the natural world—evolution, gravity, quantum mechanics—involved laying the groundwork for knowing what we can and cannot do. The ways that scientists accumulate and analyze evidence, apply inductive reasoning, and subject findings to scrutiny by peers have been proven over the years to give rise to robust knowledge. These processes are being applied to the COVID-19 crisis through international collaboration at breakneck, unprecedented speed […] the same concepts that are used to describe nature are used to create new tools. So, asking for a vaccine and distorting the science at the same time are shockingly dissonant.« The website PubPeer.com allows users to comment on scientific articles in post-publication, but also to report suspicions of breaches of scientific ethics. The site highlighted gaps in several high-profile articles, which in some cases led to retractions and accusations of scientific fraud as noted by the blog RetractionWatch.com, which analyzes retractions of scientific articles and comments on issues related to scientific integrity. PubPeer exists because of the inability of some hard empirical science to sometimes replicate its results and effectively self-correct itself. A reliable vaccine must have a strong scientific foundation and will have to be manufacturable and safe. To achieve this, it will take some time, and although the top scientists are working as fast as they can to deliver this life changing vaccine, we should not expect a miracle in time-scale [e.g. in 3 weeks]. The business executives from those giant pharmaceutical companies who see life in terms of bank notes, have every thing to gain in getting the vaccine fast but luckily for people, even they also understand that we cannot use magic to get there in a week. However, we can perhaps take a positive note from this tragedy, since a couple of years ago Trump declared his skepticism about vaccines and even tried to launch an antivaccine task, but today crippled with CoVID-19, he suddenly loves vaccines. Herbert Holden Thorp beautifully said it: « If you want something, start treating science and its principles with respect. » The Centers for Disease Control’s worst-case scenario suggests that about 160 million to 210 million Americans will be infected by December 2020; as many as 21 million will need hospitalisation and between 200,000 and 1.7 million people could die within a year. Harvard University researchers believe that 20% to 60% of the world’s population could become infected, and estimate that 14 million to 42 million people could lose their lives. Une disparité qui pose question : les hommes meurent plus du #COVID19 que les femmes malgré le fait qu’ils aient été contaminés à part à peu près égale. Dans certains pays, cette différence est particulièrement marquée / Source: Statista France As Ian Goldin also suggested, the extent to which excess mortality can be prevented depends on how quickly societies can organise itself medically and culturally to reduce new infections, isolate the sick and manage health services and resources humanly and efficiently, and also on how long relapses can be prevented and contained. La France compte rattraper son retard sur les #tests et a fait du #dépistage massif son fer de lance pour lutter contre le #covid19. Voici un état des lieux du nombre de tests réalisés par habitant dans une sélection de pays / Source: Statista France While intelligent campaigns that teach and reshape human cultures on hygienic habits to deal with viruses may help, without a reliable and effective vaccine, COVID-19 will remain as a hugely disruptive force for years, the pandemic will inflict more suffering and damage on poorer and most vulnerable communities within many countries, highlighting the risks associated with rising inequality. COVID-19 : quel est le statut des cas identifiés ? / Statista France In the US, over 60% of the adult population suffers from chronic disease, around 1 in 8 Americans live below the poverty line, and more than 75% of them live from paycheque to paycheque, and over 44 millions in the US have no health coverage at all; and to make matters even worse, they also constitute the largest culture of obesity and community of fat people on the planet. Speaking with the Conversation France, Frédéric Altare, the director of the département d’immunologie at the Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie et Immunologie Nantes-Angers confirmed that being overweight is the major comorbidity associated with severe forms of Covid-19, which require admission to resuscitation in hospital. It can be estimated that, in some places, up to 80% of these may be related to obesity and that if we take a national average, obesity certainly accounts for more than half of the proportion of people admitted to intensive care. The fact that obesity creates a bias in favour of worsening the disease is also confirmed by the outbreak of the epidemic in the United States, a culture of hot dogs and big bellies where almost 40% of the population is severely obese. Since we are on the topic of hot dogs, a review of evidence in the British Medical Journal found that all processed meats [e.g. sausages, bacon, ham, and corned beef] are highly carcinogenic, i.e. they cause cancer, those foods all now appear in the same risk group for cancer (group 1) as asbestos, cigarettes and alcohol (Kmietowicz, 2015). Le graphique présente les taux d’obésité (IMC>30kg.m-2). La moyenne des pays de l’OCDE est de 19,5% d’obèses. Les Etats-Unis, le Mexique, la Nouvelle Zélande et la Hongrie sont les pays les plus touchés avec respectivement 38,2, 32, 4, 30,7 et 30% d’obèses. Le Japon, la Corée, l’Italie et la Suisse sont les pays les moins touchés avec 3,7, 5,3, 9,8 et 10,3% d’obèses. La France est à 15,3% de taux d’obésité (donnée OCDE basée sur du déclaratif légèrement inférieure aux résultats d’ESTEBAN, basé sur des mesures) / Source: Centre de recherche et d’information nutritionnelles (Cerin) This association between obesity and severe forms was already well-known for other respiratory infections such as the avian flu. The people at higher risk are those who have passed the morbid obesity milestone. Whether an individual is overweight is assessed using the famous « body mass index« , or BMI [You can check your BMI here], which is the ratio of weight to height squared. A person with a BMI above 25 is considered to be slightly overweight. From 30, we speak of proven overweight with the onset of obesity, at 35 we begin to speak of severe obesity, and from 40 we enter into what is called « morbid » obesity. Morbid, because the people concerned are considered to be at risk of developing pathologies, mainly cardiovascular and atherosclerosis, but also type 2 diabetes, liver diseases, certain forms of cancer. The challenges to deal with the COVID-19 epidemic are also dramatic in Latin America, Africa and South Asia, where health systems are weaker and governments are less able to respond, risks caused by the failure of politicians such as Bolsonaro and Modi to take the issue seriously enough, argued Ian Goldin of Oxford University and Robert Muggah from the University of Rio de Janeiro. In poor communities where many individuals share a single room and depend on day to day work to feed themselves, social isolation will be difficult and around the world as individuals lose their income, we should expect rapidly rising homelessness and hunger. In the US, a record of 3.3 million people have already filed for unemployment benefit, and across Europe unemployment is also reaching record levels. Yet, in richer countries some safety nets exist even if they are struggling to organise themselves, but poor countries simply do not have the capacity to ensure that no-one dies of hunger. Image: Une femme sans-abri tient dans ses bras son fils de 2 ans dans l’une des villes de tentes de Seattle / A homeless woman holds her 2-year-old son at one of Seattle’s tent cities Source: Business Insider (France) All responsible and realistic governments around the world should therefore ensure that all people in need have a basic income to ensure that no-one starves as a result of this crisis. Goldin rightly observes that the COVID-19 pandemic provides a turning point in national and global affairs, it shows our interdependence and also that the general public tends to rely on governments to protect and save them and not the private sector, thus badly organised governments lead to human disasters… a song that most people are already familiar with. Going Down: Public trust in the atavistic system of electoral politics in the USA In agreement with my own suggestions, Goldin and Muggah also argue that at a time when faith in democracy is at its lowest point in decades, deteriorating economic conditions will contribute to even more political and social instability. There is already a tremendous trust gap between politicians and citizens. Some politicians are sending mixed signals and citizens are receiving conflicting messages; this reinforces their lack of trust in public authorities controlled by politicians. Due to a shortage of international leadership from the US government, cities, businesses and philanthropies are stepping up. Bill Gates delivers a speech at the fundraising day at the Sixth World Fund Conference in Lyon, France, on October 10, 2019. At the head of his foundation, Microsoft’s founder, wisely advocates international cooperation against the virus. (Photo by Nicolas Liponne/NurPhoto) With the range of serious viral infections that have blighted the world during the last decades, it was only a matter of time for others to appear; most perceptive minds probably knew, but unfortunately these minds are a minority on our planet. « What’s to stop some form of SARS showing up? » Bill Gates asked in 2014, referring to the 2002-2003 epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome, caused by another coronavirus. Next, he said, could be « SARS II. » Bill and Melinda Gates established their foundation in 2000 and have always focused on biomedical innovations against disease and ways to deliver them. In 2014, during the Ebola epidemic that killed thousands worldwide, the Foundation was active in helping to stamp out the virus. Governments should also take notice that the way a society cares for and treats its residents reveals a lot about their philosophy and their values about human life and dignity. As a modern civilisation, free high standard healthcare for all should be one of the priorities for all sophisticated and civilised societies, because people do not go to the hospital for fun, freebies or to collect free candies but end up there in situations of distress. Whether the public hospital has a homeless person, a high-earning lawyer, a student or a child at their doorstep, the quality of medical care should be at the highest standards for all, and societies who want to set an example to the world should certainly start with healthcare, because caring for the population is not spending but investing – a population in good health leads to progress at multiple levels [i.e. physical and brain development, educational achievement, psychological health, professional performance, etc]. Research and medical advancement are sectors that no government should discriminate because it ensures a healthy and progressive society. Bill Gates in 2016 met Trump in the Manhattan skyscraper where the Trump Organisation is based and wanted to discuss « science and innovation ». Gates who co-chairs Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – which is focused on infectious disease research and treatments – told Trump before he took office that he ought to make preparedness for the danger posed by viral pandemics a priority of his administration. But, of course, with Trump’s ignorance and lack of sophistication these words probably did not register on his brain who now says that « nobody could have predicted » the CoVID-19 virus » when Bill Gates did warn him. The only horribly stupid question that a scientifically illiterate Trump asked Bill Gates during that meeting was whether there’s « a difference between HIV and HPV ». Gates later recounted: « I was able to explain that those are things that are rarely confused with each other.” “I feel terrible,” Bill Gates says now. And, “I wish I had done more to call attention to the danger,” even if it is the government’s responsibility to keep itself well informed and protect its population. Gates and his charitable organisation have so far committed more than $300 million to various coronavirus relief efforts, which is about 3 times the contribution of the whole of the US to the World Health Organisation. Gates Foundation direct spending on pandemic preparedness / Source: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The point he made to Trump back then is more or less the same one he’s been stressing for years, including during a much-touted 2015 TED Talk in which he described viruses as posing the “greatest risk of global catastrophe.” “If anything kills over 10 million people over the next few decades, it’s most likely to be a highly infectious virus rather than a war,” Gates said at the time. “Not missiles, but microbes.” As of now the US is the global epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic with more than 4.5 millions cases confirmed and 87, 000 deaths according to the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 resource center, exceeding the 58,220 lives lost over nearly 2 decades in the Vietnam war. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have invested $100 million to fight the new coronavirus in China; Twenty million will go to institutions including the World Health Organization (WHO), the American and Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Health Commission in China. Twenty million will be allocated to public health authorities in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, areas that have been disproportionately affected by recent epidemics including the H1N1 pandemic in 2009. Up to $60 million will be spent on research into vaccines, treatments and diagnostic tools. Other groups such as the Wellcome Trust, Skoll, the Open Society Foundations, the UN Foundation, and Google.org are also scaling up assistance. It is clearly not the appeals to atavistic and extremist nationalism and closed borders that will trigger solutions and make the most out of the complexities of our interconnected global civilisation in times of crisis where coming together as one planetary civilisation with a unified economic, scientific and medical force is key to destroying this virus and also prepare for the next epidemic; the solution is not about closing the borders or opening the borders, but to create a strong, safe, reliable and intelligent filtration system that is also flexible, reasonable and humane to people and allows movement in and out that contributes to the multi-layered forms of development of a country and civilisation as a whole (e.g. intellectual, academic, educational, linguistic, literary, artistic, cultural, scientific, medical, technological, economic, etc), through the transmission of connaissance (knowledge) and savoir-faire (know-how). If those who feel that they have the responsibility to shape our human civilisation read and fully understand the essay, “Psychological Explanations of Prejudice & Discrimination“, they should come to realise what the theory of evolution is about; scientifically there is no such thing as a « pure » race [because all human primates on earth are the product of migration, breeding and evolution]. The theory of evolution formulated by Charles Darwin revealed to mankind that there is no stable and eternal essence, and that any idea of an exceptionally pure entity that would be beyond evolution does not exist – everything on our planet is in a constant state of flux/change [so from a scientific, evolutionary and organic standpoint, racism is a totally archaic absurdity since we are all simply organic matter on a small blue planet in the vast universe being recycled, recreated and reshaped in a continuous process]. Darwin stated very clearly that he honestly thought that evolution is accepting the idea that there is no end to evolution and it goes in all directions. The French philosopher Barbara Stiegler wisely suggested that the task of creating the consent of the masses should be left in the hands of experts in psychology [i.e. those who understand the psychic structure and philosophies of how humans and societies operate, develop and evolve]. Ian Goldin and Robert Muggah agree on the idea that the spread of COVID-19 must be met with a coordinated international effort to find vaccines, mobilise medical supplies and, when the volcanic dust settles, to ensure that we never again face what could be an even deadlier disease. They write on the University of Oxford’s Oxford Martin School website : « Now is not the time for recriminations: it is the time for action. National and city governments, businesses, and ordinary citizens around the world must do everything they can to flatten the epidemic curve immediately, following the examples set by Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong, Hangzhou and Taiwan. » Bill Gates remains optimistic about the crisis, since Covid-19 will allow the world to accumulate experience and prepare for the next pandemic. The modern and forward-thinking philantropist believes that the innovation shown by countries in the northern hemisphere could be of great help to countries in the south that are likely to be affected by the virus in the coming seasons, Gates is convinced that the fight against the virus requires a more realistic count of the number of proven cases, the Microsoft founder will finance the free distribution of testing tests in his city of Seattle. For him, the coronavirus could be the epidemic of the century. In practice, as soon as the tests are available, they will be distributed on demand in Seattle. The aim is that anyone with symptoms will be able to make the diagnosis themselves, by rubbing a cotton stick into the back of their nostrils. The Foundation says it can quickly process thousands of tests every day and deliver results within 48 hours maximum. Positive screenings will be notified to the patients, as well as to public health authorities. Positive patients will then be asked to complete an online questionnaire to detail their recent travels and the people they may have been in contact with. The aim is to better monitor the epidemic and to ensure that potential patients do not travel to hospitals or doctors’ offices. “You can’t get ‘outside », said Professor Didier Sicard, who also argues for a universal attitude, which comes at a right time to educate world culture on medical hygiene, « We must not consider that we are 30 years old and in good health and that we are not going to be fooled by all this talk. » Everyone must realize that they may be unknowingly contaminating others. The epidemic has passed through people who have returned from China or Italy. Didier Sicard says: « I know the example of an Italian woman who went to Argentina. She attended a wedding and kissed everyone. This woman infected 56 people! Irresponsibility in times of epidemics does immense damage. On the contrary, we have to respect the measures. Like waiting, for example, in front of the supermarket before entering if you see that there are people. » Quelle est l’efficacité des masques de protection ? / Source: Statista France Où les masques sont déjà omniprésents: le gouvernement a annoncé que des masques seraient distribués aux Français / Source: Statista France Surgical face masks have been proven to significantly reduce the detection of influenza virus RNA in respiratory droplets and coronavirus RNA in aerosols, with a trend toward reduced detection of coronavirus RNA in respiratory droplets, hence surgical masks have the potential to prevent the transmission of human coronaviruses and influenza viruses from symptomatic individuals (Leung et al., 2020). Until antivirals and vaccines are ready, the face mask will become the indispensable and essential accessory for us all at all times, when we are outdoors or in environments frequented by others. Most popular among lay people, the cloth mask is already being widely used and it is re-usable; this accessory will be the key to ease us all out of lockdown and offer some temporary protection to us and the people around us until the vaccine and antivirals are ready. THE MASK IS NOT A MIRACLE PROTECTION, SO INDIVIDUALS MUST REMAIN VIGILANT AND NEVER LOWER THEIR GUARD and are advised to seriously take notice of where their hands and fingers are going and ensure that it does not get in contact with their face [i.e. mouth, eyes, ears], carry a hand-sanitiser with at least 60% alcohol with them at all times and use it properly, maintain a safe distance of about 1 metre minimum from all other individuals at all times, and also stay away from those who are not wearing masks as micro droplets from their breath and mouth may contaminate others. A study published in the PNAS using highly sensitive laser light scattering showed that micro droplets generated by asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19 during speech can emit thousands of oral fluid droplets per second and these can remain in the stagnant air of confined environments for up to about 15 minutes. This confirms that there is probability that normal speaking causes airborne COVID-19 virus transmission in confined environments (Stadnytskyi, Bax, Bax and Anfinrud, 2020). People should also not be ashamed about their appearance due to protective measures, nothing is enough for a deadly virus, and I would personally recommend using safety goggles that completely seal the eyes when outdoor in highly frequented public places such as shopping areas. People should also never lose their focus about the possible sources of contamination indoors, such as shoes and clothes worn outside. It may be life-saving to organise a specific routine such as leaving shoes worn outside in a corner, sanitise hands when touching them. Perhaps as soon as one gets home, instantly remove and place all clothes worn outside in a basket far from people in the house, outside in a sheltered place may be convenient for washing then disinfect oneself and shower. We must NEVER FORGET that there is a deadly virus circulating and any minor slip or even a small reflex [e.g. scratching the eyelids] can mean death. The Académie de Médecine recommends the facial mask for all. How to maintain your cloth mask Image: Scorpion of Mortal Kombat may motivate the younger generations to wear their masks and maybe even the more mature generations There are many people who do not know that the cloth mask MUST COVER THE NOSE AND THE MOUTH otherwise it would be pointless, hence it is advisable to tell any person not wearing their mask properly to do so; the mask should also not be used for more than 4 hours. Generally, the cloth mask must be washed every time that it has been used, taking into consideration that usage should not exceed 4 hours. Hence, it is obvious that every individual will need to have a few in order to rotate them during the day appropriately. The Association Française de normalisation (Afnor) also advises to wash this protection every time it is dirty or wet or badly positioned on the face. To be worn properly, the mask must cover the nose and the mouth and should not be placed in waiting position on the forehead or around the neck. The Agence Nationale de Sécurité du Médicament et des Produits de Santé (ANSM) also stated that all mask makers must give details on how to wash and disinfect their masks. Here is a list of some helpful advices for an optimal maintenance: Wash at 60 degrees celcius with your usual laundry for at least 30 minutes preferably in the machine, or if not available, by hand Dry the mask in the 2 hours that follow the washing in a dryer, or if not available, with a hair dryer At the slightest sign of wear (e.g. hole or deformation) the mask must be discarded. Here are also a few things that you MUST NOT DO: Place it in a microwave Iron it without washing it Use bleach or alcohol Dry it in open air Before the wash Before the washing process, the Afnor precisely explained in its FAQ that it is not necessary to systematically disinfect the inner tube [i.e. the area that holds the laundry] before washing your masks. However, Afnor recommends to run an empty wash if you have accidentally added a used mask with other clothes during a wash at a temperature lower than 60 degrees celcius. In this case, we must proceed, before the wash, with a cold rince of the inner tube with bleach, or run an empty wash in the machine at 60 degrees celcius or 95 degrees celcius without spin. During the wash Masks should be washed with your usual detergent at a temperature of 60°C for at least 30 minutes in the washing machine or, if this is not possible, by hand. The use of fabric softener is not recommended. It is best not to use any product other than your usual detergent, as any other product could degrade the mask fabric. Furthermore, the Afnor specifies that you can wash your masks with sheets or towels, in order to « ensure the mechanical aspect of the wash ». The Drying Process The Afnor believes that « the mask should be completely dried within the two hours that follows the washing« . Whenever possible, the mask should therefore be tumble dried after cleaning the filters. Drying in the open air is slower, but it can be an alternative, » we find on the Afnor website. Can the mask also be blown dry? The option is mentioned in a standard notice for fabric/cloth masks put online by the Direction générale des Enterprises. But Afnor does not recommend this method, because of the « poor control of the temperature level », which can lead to damage to the fabric. If you nevertheless choose this option, for lack of any other solution, it is therefore essential to pay attention to the temperature supported by the mask. The ANSM also recommends, if possible, steam ironing the mask. This can help to complete the drying process, adds the Afnor. Here again, be careful with the temperature so as not to damage the fabric or the elastics. Whichever option you choose, all layers of the mask must be completely dry. As a final step, before storing it in a clean, airtight package, visually inspect the mask. If you notice any deterioration (wear, deformation, holes, etc.), discard the mask. If Washing Is Not Possible It is not recommended to microwave the mask. Steam ironing or hair drying is not a substitute for washing either. Finally, it is absolutely not recommended to use bleach or alcohol to disinfect a mask. Not only can these two products alter the quality of the mask by degrading the fabric, but bleach is also dangerous to your health (with risks of skin irritation or respiratory problems). The Stop-postillons site, created by doctors, nevertheless gives this advice, if one cannot disinfect one’s mask right away: « keep it in an airtight box (for example a plastic box disinfected with bleach) », then « wait a week ». You can also find a simple method to make your own mask that does not require any additional material except a pair of scissors and a t-shirt. Image: Comment fabriquer votre propre masque en utilisant un t-shirt et une paire de ciseaux [Cliquez pour regarder la vidéo] / Source: stop-postillon.fr On masks, Didier Sicard declared: « …they are psychological protectors for walkers and not virological protectors. Every French person has to say to themselves: I do everything so that others can’t blame me for anything. We need an attitude where we look for the other’s gaze before our own. That alone will bring efficiency. Masks are obviously protective for doctors and caregivers in an environment where the virus circulates. But when you have people walking down the street wearing masks, it’s paradoxical. They think they’re protecting themselves from others, but there’s a huge gap between the uselessness of masks on the street and the vital usefulness of masks in hospitals. I myself was at the pharmacy on Saturday morning and I showed my doctor’s card to see if I could buy masks. The pharmacist told me there were none left. So, if I needed them to treat a patient, I wouldn’t have been able to go see him, or I might have contaminated him. We have seen too many people walking down the street wearing masks as a kind of panoply. There is a major political drama in this absence of masks.” Sicard pointed out that masks should be reserved for carers, stating: “To anyone who works around the virus. When you see cashiers at the supermarket who don’t have masks while customers have masks, there is something completely counterproductive. Those who don’t need them have got them, and those who really need them are missing them. This is directly related to individual behaviour. I would never have dared to walk down the street with a mask until the caregivers had masks. It’s something that would have frightened me. It basically shows people’s blindness and ignorance. If you walk around without meeting anyone, there is no point in wearing a mask.” Didier Sicard From an ethical standpoint, the attitude of carers who are now on the front line when they were on strike a few weeks back struck Sicard, who said: “That’s their duty. A doctor is mobilized in his inner self to do his job. Cowards don’t come at the beginning. So, it seems both admirable and normal to me. The suffering of the hospital body, I’ve been seeing it for ten or fifteen years. The number of my colleagues who have told me, you are so lucky to be retired! We suffer, it’s terrible, the hospital has become a business. And I totally agree with what they said: the hospital has been martyred. With purely economic decisions that ignored the interests of patients and doctors. The number of doctors who took early retirement should be measured by explaining that their profession no longer had any interest and that they felt they were spending their time filling in forms and boxes. There has been a real ransacking of the public hospital over the last decade. The last Minister of Health who was still really aware of his role and who respected health care workers was Xavier Bertrand. After that, it was a disaster.” Sicard also did not think that this broken health system had any repercussions today faced with the current sanitary crisis in France, adding: “All the measures that made the hospital non-functional have temporarily disappeared. The administrators are terrified in their offices and do nothing. The doctors are doing everything. They have regained all their power. There is a certain happiness for them in finding the job they always wanted to do. The administration has packed up its bags, or more precisely, it is in charge. The balance of power has been reversed: a year ago, doctors were at the orders of the administration; now, it is the administration that is at the orders of the doctors. This is a very interesting phenomenon. Doctors themselves are no longer hindered by being forced to fill the beds with patients who bring in money, which was the principle until then. Now they’re going back to their core business. Which is the fight against death. Deep down, they find the deep DNA of their craft. It’s almost a paradox: there is less distress in the medical profession now at peak activity, than there was six months ago when they were desperate and depressed because they felt that their profession had lost its meaning.” Sicard seems to rightly observe and believe that the politicians will remember this period and that civilisation is changing era: “I can give you an example for which I’ve been fighting for two years. I won’t name the hospital, but I know a woman who specializes in burn surgery. At the hospital, her department was closed and she didn’t have a position anymore. Nevertheless, she wanted to continue working with children with burns. However, her burn unit was transformed into a plastic surgery unit for buttocks and breasts. Because it brings in a lot of money. But she always tells me that if there was a fire in a school with forty or fifty burned children, we would no longer have the capacity to take them in because we consider that burns are not profitable enough and that it is better to focus on surgery for the stars. » Où perd-on foi dans le capitalisme ? / Source: Statista France « This economic vision of medicine, which has been introduced over the last ten years, is an absolute disaster, » declared the experienced medical professional This was of course a public hospital, “In the private sector, institutions do what they want. However, it is not normal for the public sector to destroy an activity that is not profitable – because burns are very expensive and bring in very little money and there is no private activity capable of dealing with them – and to dismiss it in favour of profitable activities. Basically, the public was anguished at the idea that it had to invest heavily in top-of-the-range equipment to match the private sector. The public will never have as much money as the private sector and will never be able to keep up. And by spending money on highly specialized sectors, we end up neglecting the most vulnerable people, be they the elderly, alcoholics or people in precarious situations. The public hospital has ended up forgetting its hospital function, as I have said on several occasions. Ninety per cent of doctors have been aware of this and it has been a terrible suffering for them. Just as it was for nurses and other care workers to do a job that was linked to money.” La majorité des Français pensent que le Macron banquier est inutile comme leur président / Source: Odoxa Professor Sicard believes that we have no assurance that politicians will change their views on health care, however he thinks that the French will remember and will hold them to account, saying: “President Macron had promised to stop activity-based pricing, the current system of hospital financing. Economists have been pushing the envelope, saying that we would no longer be able to measure the cost of this or that operation. And the head of state gave up. I think that after this crisis, the President of the Republic will modify this activity-based pricing. The hospital will ask to be reimbursed on what it achieves and what it considers its priority. We have to trust the hospital not to treat patients unnecessarily and fill beds as if we were at the club méditerranée. The hospital will regain its true public care function.” Image: Médecin scolaire au travail en France / School doctor at work in France In the UK, at Oxford University, researchers have been working with Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to reduce clinical research activity to allow researchers to prioritise research on COVID-19 and to support the pressing clinical needs of the NHS. The academic community will have to work together with governments, funders and healthcare providers to combat this ugly COVID-19 virus and Oxford has a long history of responding to health emergencies, e.g. during the 2014 Ebola crisis among negro communities in Africa, Oxford scientists lead the way in undertaking human vaccine studies, and Oxford’s strength in research around infectious diseases and international health, alongside its leading work in emergency vaccine development places it in a great position to contribute to better comprehension around the effective control of this horrific epidemic. Source: Oxford University Research The Oxford team has already tested a potential coronavirus vaccine successfully on several animal species. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported that over 70 vaccines are being developed globally for the Covid-19. The Oxford team will join 3 other groups of researchers, 2 in the US and 1 in China for the start of human trials. Professor Sarah Gilbert, a vaccinologist at Oxford University said she is « 80 per cent » confident it will be a success. Patrick Vallance, the UK’s chief scientific adviser said that it would be « very lucky » if a coronavirus vaccine was available widely within a year. Image: Researchers at the laboratory of British pharmatech company Exscientia at Oxford Science Park in Oxford, part of an initiative to develop coronavirus treatments. Source: Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images The Oxford group are among the most advanced viral vaccine group in the world and have been working on vaccine preparedness for several years which means that they should be able to test and evaluate Covid-19 vaccine candidates rapidly. The group have unique unique viral vector delivery and expression systems combined with diverse expertise from basic virology to vaccine production scale-up. The UK has no current vaccine manufacture however, and may have to rely on its Western European neighbours (e.g. France, Belgium and Germany) that have industrial level manufacturing capabilities. The Jenner Institute and Oxford Vaccine Group, could develop a jab that would be ready as early as September, almost a miracle in speed for such a demanding task as people are dying by the thousands every couple of hours globally. COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC Live Counter (here last updated on October 18, 2020) / Source: Worldometer (Click to see the live counter) So, we are going to need a technology that allows us to deliver billions of doses over a year. The team at the University of Oxford said that they expect to produce a million doses of their experimental vaccine as early as September; months ahead of the official 12-to-18 month timeline quoted by experts around the world. “Then we’ll move even faster from there, because it’s pretty clear that the world is going to need 100s of millions of doses ideally by the end of the year to end this pandemic and let us out of lockdown safely”, said Professor Adrian Hill, Director of the Jenner Institute, University of Oxford. Part des Français prêts à accepter des mesures de quarantaine afin d’endiguer la propagation du nouveau coronavirus (COVID-19) en France en 2020 / Source: Statista France Pourquoi la distanciation sociale est primordiale / Source: Statista France The Oxford University team’s experimental product, called « ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 », is a type of immunisation known as a recombinant viral vector vaccine and is just one of at least 70 potential Covid-19 candidate shots under development by biotech and research teams around the world. The vaccine was chosen as the most suitable vaccine technology for the virus as it can generate a strong immune response from one dose, said the team. When asked how they managed to move the usually lengthy process of vaccine approval along so quickly, Professor Sarah Gilbert, who is leading the study, said it was their ongoing research into Disease X – an as yet unknown infectious agent earmarked as a potential pandemic in the making – which allowed them to pivot so quickly to Covid-19. Traduction(EN): « I am in no doubt that we will see an unprecedented spirit of collaboration and cooperation. » – Sarah Gilbert We should be looking into creating a planetary medical organisation that is minutely planned and efficiently organised around the latest and finest technological advancements. All vaccine researchers and developers worldwide have a responsibility towards mankind to synchronise their knowledge and findings in the development of the ultimate vaccine. The World Health Organization will also have to prioritise works on the linguistic synchronisation of planet Earth’s medical worlds since this unification of the medical talents and expertise worldwide is of upmost importance for the future of mankind and civilisation. What we mean by linguistic synchronisation is that the whole medical community will need to work in one language as it will speed up development, and will also be one fundamental cornerstone towards building a united planetary civilisation, even if individuals are free to learn or study other tertiary languages if that is what they desire. It is important to emphasise that in this essay, my usage of the terms “united planetary civilisation” is very different to “globalisation”, since the latter term is vague and generally refers to labour and migratory movement and financial motives, whereas the “building of a united planetary civilisation” is about getting humans of earth to genuinely agree on values and goals, feel, understand and synchronise their lives with each other as a truly united planetary community that is helping, working and building harmoniously together at every level and not only economically. Carte montrant la différence des niveaux de littératie entre la génération plus âgée et la plus jeune / Map showing the difference in literacy levels between the older and the younger generation / Source: OurWorldinData We are after all living in pivotal times where the human civilisation is evolving at breakneck speed and changing era right before our eyes in the 21st century with a generation that has the chance of having access to the wide range of accelerated learning technologies available; the world’s societies have evolved beyond recognition from their « primitive » past, and are today interconnected and inspire and influence each other in so many ways [e.g. science, sport, medicine, cuisine, arts, literature, philosophy & education]. It is also to be noted that with all the difficulties that the delicate intellectual responsibility and duty to shape and structure the construction of a modern civilisation involve due to the lack of sophistication, open-mindedness, personality along with the persistent culture of atavism of many rigid, naive, ignorant, infantile and petty little minds, especially in the Anglo-Saxon sphere, reminding me of a comedic post about the 29 things French people love about Britain, but more particularly in the even more savage industrial and mechanical wild west of the US, as a bilingual Franco-British individual with native mastery of French and English, I have always invested my time and energy in the cause of mankind’s evolution and tried my best to act as a cultural bridge between the academic, medical, scientific, intellectual, psychological, philosophical, and psycholinguistic realms of the 2 most widely spoken languages in the so called « developed world » – that sometimes unfortunately still feels like concrete jungles through the savage behaviour, actions and reasoning of the passionless and unsophisticated creatures that are supposed to set an example, inspire, motivate, guide a civilisation and create a humane and harmonious society where « le dépassement de soi » is a realistic pursuit and where individuals can grow in multiple ways, truly « live » in the full sense of the term and not simply have a plain and meaningless existence where achievement is purposeless and devoid of sense. In our times, however, there are still many regions of the world that are linguistically « undeveloped »; where the majority cannot even master simple communication in English, let alone grasp the finesse, artistry, romanticism, emotional sensibility, humane values and depth of the psychical realm of literary French. Traduction(EN): « Can anyone tell me how a simple female monkey with electrodes, let alone a (so-called) minister of culture, can talk without dying of shame about a « learning » summer? I repeat: a learning summer. A summer, therefore, that learns. That learns what? To write French, no doubt. » / Source: Twitter (Juan Asensio) Indeed, just like many useless, cheap, uncultivated and frustrated street politicians in France, the great majority of their political counterparts in other parts of the world also fail to do so, unconsciously suffering from a lack of literature, self-cultivation, artistic exposure, self-respect and dignity combined with a constant complexe d’infériorité towards those who are wiser, smarter, nobler in spirit, more intelligent, creative, charismatic and sophisticated than them; I would recommend them to sit down and listen to the university lectures of Prof. Michel Butor [E.g. Les récits philosophiques de Balzac], it may help towards their cultural evolution, but also ease the pain on those forced to endure them, such as their wife and children. Honoré de Balzac (1799 – 1850) It is time for them to firmly understand that we still have some « adultes surdoués » as Monique de Kermadec » phrases it, or « Overmen » as Friedrich Nietzsche puts it i.e. highly talented and skilled individuals who live and exist out there, especially in the psyches of the French speaking world and heritage [e.g. Napoléon, of whom even the great German Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel himself described seeing as follows: « I have seen the Emperor », he writes « this soul of the world – getting out of the city to go on reconnaissance; it is indeed a marvellous feeling to see such an individual who, concentrated in one point of space, sitting on his horse, stretches out over the world and dominates it. »]; individuals who have the savoir-faire and creative power to manage dozens of governments worldwide, a film/video/music/media production company, a publishing house, who could also give a lesson in professional artistic photography, post-production and presentation, and even train a whole generation of original, sophisticated, witty, poetic, literary and noble writers, and not just in Oscar Wilde’s granular Oxford English, although plain and flat compared to French, but also « la langue Française de Balzac » in all its precise articulations, depth, style and literary artistry. Logically, to such individuals, running a press/publishing/media business would be a piece of cake, something achievable half-asleep with superior values, style, efficiency and impact than the mass of mediocre newspapers and their usually obese owners and political sympathisers out there; if such a direction was a career choice and goal for those gifted individuals at a particular point of their life – of course! Besides, my whole life I have questioned my own sanity because I have always felt misunderstood and different from the rest of the crowd and highly sensible and receptive to what most primates around me could not even hear, sense, feel, see, perceive or understand, and also never found anyone in the Anglo-Saxon realm with a mastery of French similar to mine, and nobody in the French realm with a mastery of English as mine, thinking that I could be fake, I then realised that linguistic discourse and speech are not fake, but are very real and alive, as Jacques Lacan also concluded. Luckily, I recently read Monique de Kermadec’s book « L’Adulte Surdoué » and found out that humanity has a minority of individuals out there in the world who also feel misunderstood and are hard to classify, because just like myself, these « weird fools » and misunderstood individuals have an IQ of above 145 [which I only recently found out myself from a small IQ test on the MENSA website that only measured up to 145, which is sufficient for me to know without an exact number since this is a statement of fact not an exercise of arrogance – delivering me from my torment to confirm that the weird ones are not us, but the mediocre majority that surrounds us and cannot follow our discourse or understand our lightning speed judgements because of their lower IQ – valuable things in nature are rare, that is why they are valuable]. Superior individuals with superior intellect will not see these cold-blooded, cannibalistic, reptilian political primates as a model to follow, as an inspiration, as a source of comfort, safety, hope or stability, as a spiritual guide or as an ultimate authority, but instead just see them as a bunch of other disconnected and divisive money-minded politicians and cold bureaucrats passing by, like the thousands of mediocrities who have lived and died before them and who have been responsible for some of the most castastrophic human disasters in history without ever being able to accept their mistakes, while also not having any major positive impact on the world, and who are at this minute rotting in a forgotten grave with maggots sliding through their bones. We could even ask ourselves whether some of them have green blood, and imagine the horror and agony it must be for any woman for whatever reason to have to wake up next to one of those reptilian primates every morning, with its mouth half open drooling on a pillow with its « haleine de boudin ». Le gouvernement a-t-il été à la hauteur de la situation ? / Source: Odoxa And to stress the point that most of the mediocre politicians nowadays cannot be trusted with the heart of the people, the historical and legendary verbal whipping from the great Napoleon himself to the evil, lying, sly, dishonest, disloyal and backstabbing politician, Talleyrand, who was plotting against the emperor with Fouché in 1834, comes to mind; looking at the untrustworthy face and straight in the eyes of the unscrupulous man, the emperor Napoléon said: « Vous êtes un voleur, un lâche, un homme sans foi. Vous ne croyez pas à Dieu ; vous avez toute votre vie manqué à tous vos devoirs, vous avez trompé, trahi tout le monde […] Tenez, Monsieur, vous n’êtes que de la merde dans un bas de soie. » Traduction(EN): « You’re a thief, a coward, a man of no faith. You do not believe in God; all your life you have failed in all your duties, you have deceived, betrayed everyone […] Here, sir, you are nothing but shit in a silk stocking. » – Napoléon (to Talleyrand, during the Council of Ministers convened at the Château des Tuileries) / Source: L’Histoire en Citations Nowadays with the adaptive and dynamic technology and skilled software engineers available, we should be creating a sophisticated planetary medical system where the latest findings, empirical studies, analysis and statistics of the medical experts of the whole world are instantly synchronised and available in one place [with instant full-access to all medical journals worldwide], while respecting the personal and non-medical details of patients by a tested and proven system of indexing that does not allow for personal details to be input but only strict medical/scientific details. It may also be useful to note that when it comes to health problems, we are all equal on our small and interconnected planet Earth, and in the essay on clinical psychology, « Learning Disabilities, Anxiety, Depression & Schizophrenia and the Effectiveness of Psychotherapy », the global statistics portray this fact. We should be focusing on specialised and highly encrypted [an encryption specially devised for this system that is 100% safe so that even if there are hacks and data breaches, the data will never be usable due to the powerful encryption] servers only accessible through highly controlled card systems, only available to the medical departments of hospitals and universities from all around the globe. Such a system would speed up development for both medical professionals and patients. For example, If a patient suffering from cervical, skin, ovarian, testicular or lung cancer in any part of the world (e.g. Rio de Janeiro, New York, Moscow, Port-Louis, Bombay, Tokyo, Alabama, Berlin, Jerusalem, Ottawa, Cape Town, Zurich, London, Grenoble or Paris) has a CT scan, that scan would be instantly uploaded and classified in the medical database on the specialised and encrypted servers and made available to all medical departments and professionals in the world connected to the system, who would then have the options to add comments or questions, with their involvements being rewarded by points. The heads of medical faculties at universities could even have the option to use these live data and cases to train medical students, and in doing do, provide a revision to the diagnosis and treatments of patients while also subjecting the cases to constructive criticism and/or new treatments being developed. Image: Étudiante en médecine en formation / Medical student in training A similar scenario could also apply for all diseases and all types of treatment that would be minutely and systematically classified while remaining intuitive to browse, sort by a range of variables and access for medical professionals; the age, blood group, weight, height, sex and other medical details only would be made available on the specialised server, not private non-medical information. Such an advanced system would not only connect the medical community, stamp out medical negligence and raise medical standards, but also provide a massive dataset from which a range of institutions could carry medical research and have a more precise conclusion from statistical tests. From the essay on clinical psychology, “Controversies that surround modern day mental health practice“, we clearly pointed out a range of different views among the medical community on a range of controversial treatments; such a system would lead to a more open-minded debate among the academic community on ethics and methods of treatments while considering individual patient characteristics across different fields of medicine and treatment. This system with a well organised database could also be used to manage a global blood bank and ensure that it is evenly distributed internationally so that even those with rare blood groups can be treated efficiently when health problems arise; Image: Un serrurier au travail / Locksmith at work for example, if the daughter of a motel owner, fried chicken and hot dog seller in Illinois happens to be of a very rare blood type and she finds herself in desperate need of it to remain alive, she could instantly have access to the rare blood which could have been collected from the other side of the globe and extracted from the veins of a locksmith in Amiens, an aborigine in New Zealand, a noodle seller in China, a dwarf circus-performer from an English village, a banker in India, an Eastern European stripper in Las Vegas, a heavy truck driver in Madagascar, a kangaroo keeper in Australia, a potato farmer in Germany, a gay bouncer and bodybuilder in Austria, an old and bald Breton who edits a low class « plouc » newspaper in Northern France, a retired, frustrated, useless and senile politician in Brazil, a peasant with a limited vocabulary and a strong « Marseillais » accent, or a globally known French writer, intellectual, philosopher and creative artist – because such an efficient and sophisticated system would allow for a systematic management of blood banks globally. Image: Don de sang / Blood donation That system would also include the profiles of medical professionals accessible between them along with a system of forums, awards, points and chats where any medical department and expert could post messages regarding the recruitment of patients for studies, the latest findings of particular medicines and treatments from the wide range of departments and specialities; and also the top articles from scientific journals made available by different departments – until we work on such a sophisticated system, humanity will continue to suffer from a lack of organisation and management. A system as sophisticated and organised as that would lead to the world being up-to-date and synchronised medically, with patients also receiving the latest treatments or having the option to travel to different parts of the world for new treatments against deadly diseases or terminal stages that are still in the trial phase and also doctors remaining focused and sharp through the latest updates in their specific fields while also giving them the ability to instantly ask questions on the forum/chat to other experts in their fields right from the operating table if they are unsure or would like some words of support or confirmation. Image: Microsoft Teams, un exemple de modèle pour une application collaborative / Confinement: le nombre d’utilisateurs quotidiens a augmenté de 12 millions en l’espace d’une semaine. Le 11 mars, Microsoft Teams comptait 32 millions d’utilisateurs quotidiens, pour ensuite voir ce chiffre passer à 44 millions le 18 mars / Source: Statista France They may even have a live camera streaming system on their foreheads or face while conducting surgery so that it can be seen by all those connected to the system in private clinics, hospitals and the medical faculties of universities worldwide. Such a system could be regulated by an independent global medical authority that would also deliver certifications to all institutions and professionals who apply for it, patients could also see a particular logo on their treatment locations to see that they are part of such a system; if this is implemented even minor hospitals in small villages will suddenly have the boost and expertise of the top medical experts behind them. This would lead to an instant rise in medical standards worldwide. Image: Une femme en France discutant avec son médecin / A woman discussing with her doctor in France In the 21st century with the affordability of powerful multi-core processors, high-definition audiovisual equipment and high speed broadband it is a scenario that is very realistic and not a far-fetch scene from one of the infantile mass produced science-fiction fantasies of the Hollywood industry. We need to apply the technological ingenuity of mankind appropriately to make the most of our lives in this world and allow our fellow humans to live more and stress less, and not simply focus all that technological prowess into creating brain numbing and absurd entertainment media and other petty devices and apps that lead humanity to a culture of mundane, mediocre, meaningless and useless social blogging and nonsense, where bored and pathetic people share photos of their sandwiches, drinks, breakfast and make-up tips with the world. From an article in the Lancet, Sarah Gilbert said: « WHO is in the process of creating a forum for everyone who is developing COVID-19 vaccines to come together and present their plans and initial findings. It is essential that we all measure immunological responses to the various vaccines in the same way, to ensure comparability and generalisability of our collective findings. Work is continuing at a very fast pace, and I am in no doubt that we will see an unprecedented spirit of collaboration and cooperation, convened by WHO, as we move towards a shared global goal of COVID-19 prevention through vaccination”. I also take the opportunity to salute all the medical teams and healthcare workers operating all over the world for the courageous task they are undertaking and also express all my gratitude and support to my local NHS GP surgery in West London who have always been there when I needed them and who are still texting their patients to show their concern and support in these difficult times affecting the entire human civilisation. « This is a snapshot of the message I received from my local GP surgery in West London on Friday, 10th of April at about midnight (UK time) even if I am out of the UK at the moment after more than 14 years without taking any holiday or leave of absence from the country. My plans to return in January with a trip to Oxford has been ruined by this ugly Coronavirus pandemic, and now all the flights have been frozen… my heart remains and will forever be in Western Europe. » -Danny D’Purb Merci Jean-Jacques Goldman 🙏🏻❤️ pic.twitter.com/vhPHR5T5Nx — Gautier CAPUÇON (@GautierCapucon) March 23, 2020 On this note, the British psychoanalytical Society have set up “With You in Mind”, a consultation in times of crisis to support NHS and social care staff who are working and are under immense pressure while being exposed to risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. Members of the Institute of Psychoanalysis, who are all mental healthcare specialists are volunteering their time to offer support sessions. These volunteers are hoping that the opportunity to talk may offer some relief and support – whether about professional or personal matters, or the situation at work, they are hoping to help in any way they possibly can. With You in Mind: Consultations in Crisis Psychoanalysts can also support reflective practice activities [they can be contacted by CLICKING HERE or if you are a member and would like to find out more, email: support@iopa.org.uk] Steps to prevent infection are vital: There are many things we can do to protect ourselves and the people we interact with. As with a cold, a flu vaccine won’t protect people from developing COVID-19. The best thing we can do at this point is to follow the same preventive measures as we would against the flu. It is widely known that individual can catch the flu when people sneeze and/or cough on them, or when they touch a dirty doorknob. We should wash our hands thoroughly especially before eating or touching the facial area and cavities and also after using the bathroom, while also avoiding others with flu-like symptoms – these are the best strategies for the time being. Déjeuner d’un employé de bureau âgé à Londres / Elderly office worker in London having lunch The following preventive actions are also recommended: Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Dry them thoroughly with an air dryer or clean towel. If soap isn’t available, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Stay at home if sick. Avoid touching nose, eyes, and mouth. Use a tissue to cover a cough or sneeze, then dispose of it in the trash. Use a household wipe or spray to disinfect doorknobs, light switches, desks, keyboards, sinks, toilets, cell phones, and other objects and surfaces that are frequently touched. It may also be important to create a household plan of action. You should talk with people who need to be included in your plan, plan ways to care for those who might be at greater risk for serious complications, get to know your neighbours, and make sure you and your family have a household plan that includes ways to care for loved ones if they get sick. This includes planning a way to separate a family member who gets sick from those who are healthy, if the need arises. Medical professionals recommend that people voluntarily wear cloth face masks in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, including grocery stores and pharmacies, especially if they live in an area of significant community-based transmission. It should be noted that the cloth mask is not meant to protect the wearer from infection. It is instead meant to slow the spread of the virus (if people who have the virus and do not know it wear masks, they help prevent transmitting it unknowingly to others). Health experts advise making face coverings at home from simple materials, and reserving surgical masks and N95 respirators for health care workers and other medical first responders. While everyone should take precautions, measures may be critical for adults over 65 years old (the risk seems to gradually increase with age starting at age 40, according to the World Health Organization) and those with chronic conditions (such as diabetes, heart disease, and lung disease). Les plus de 70 ans, principales victimes du #COVID19 pourraient être confinés plus longtemps / Source: Le Parisien People in these higher risk categories especially should stock up on household items, groceries, medications, and other supplies in case they need to stay home for an extended period of time. #Consommation : les Français se seraient-ils montrés plus raisonnables que les autres face à l’achat-panique ? On peut se poser la question au regard de cette estimation de la hausse des ventes de #papiertoilette par pays en mars / Source: Statista France Steps to follow if you become infected and fall ill: Until now, information available shows that the severity of COVID-19 infection ranges from very mild (sometimes with no reported symptoms at all) to severe to the point of requiring hospitalization. Symptoms can appear anywhere between 2 to 14 days after exposure, and may include: Getting in touch with one’s medical provider for advice in the eventuality of experiencing these symptoms, especially if you have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19 or live in an area with ongoing spread of the disease is recommended. Most people will have a mild illness and will usually be able recover at home without medical care. Seek medical attention immediately if you are at home and experience emergency warning signs, including difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion or inability to arouse, or bluish lips or face. This list is not final, so consulting your medical provider if other concerning symptoms are noticed is vital. François Sureau : « Les Français ne sont pas un troupeau de moutons ou une garderie d’enfants » To conclude, just like Goldin and Muggah, I also believe that the major Western European players, China, Japan and especially France, a world leading and cultivating nation, must set an example for history by stepping up and leading a global effort, forcing the deteriorated and unstable US government and the uncharismatic politicians controlling it into a global response, which includes accelerating vaccine trials and ensuring free distribution to the world once the ultimate vaccine and antivirals are perfected and finalised. Governments and financial institutions around the world will also need to take dramatic action toward massive investments in health, sanitation and basic income and also provide financial support to both struggling employers and employees. Potential Treatment As for potential treatments that have managed to save some lives until the vaccine is finalised, we have some studies suggesting that convalescent plasma [i.e. donated blood from people who have recovered since this donor blood has antibodies to COVID-19] lead to shorter hospital stays and lower mortality for patients who received the treatment while no severe adverse effects were observed (Chen, Xiong, Bao and Shi, 2020). It has also been shown that chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine and tocilizumab have the potential to act as a potential cure in « some » patients but they are not guaranteed to function in all cases of COVID-19. The last substance, TOCILIZUMAB has even recently shown to cure COVID-19 patients with severe underlying medical conditions; it has cured a patient who recently had a kidney transplant (Fontana, et al. 2020), and others with asthma (Schleicher, Lowman and Richards, 2020), systemic sclerosis (Distler, 2020), multiple myeloma (Zhang, et al. 2020) and sickle cell (De Luna, et al. 2020). Some doctors in France are claiming to have healed patients infected with CoVID-19 through the use of antihistamines, a well-known and easily accessible medication against seasonal allergies, and some patients are claiming that in 24 hours their symptoms disappeared [i.e. blocked nose, runny nose, aches and pains]. Although no empirical studies have been carried out yet, these French doctors are claiming that since antihistamines can reduce inflammation in its early stages it can prevent progression towards dangerous stages. Dr Hélène Rezeau-Frantz prescribed antihistamines to 18 patients who were symptomatic but untested and after a couple of hours they all started feeling better. These doctors are claiming that antihistamines carry no risk of serious adverse effects and genuinely believe that we may be on an interesting trail towards treatment and are asking for serious studies to be carried out on antihistamines. All these recent advances have been referenced below in the « Références (Études Scientifiques) » section, and academics & medical professionals are kindly urged to read, analyse and continue further research in this direction and the world can also help by spreading this information as far and wide as they can without wasting a single second. This is a very stressful and testing time for not only the academic community but also to the rest of the human population and until safe solutions are developed to counter COVID-19, as mentioned above, we cannot lower our guards or act recklessly towards this dangerous and deadly virus. Image: Skulls in the Opdas mass burial cave (for illustrative purposes only) We must NEVER FORGET that there is a deadly virus circulating and any minor slip or even a small reflex [e.g. scratching the eyelids] can mean death. We must follow the barrier moves at all times and be incredibly conscious of our every move and actions while also constantly maintaining a strict clinical hygiene. Those who are not following these protective rules are not only playing with their own life but with those of others and a good suggestion for these dangerous, irresponsible and immature people would be to imagine 288, 212 human corpses stacked in a heap in front of them and ask themselves whether they would like to be part of it, because this is the number of lives the CoVID-19 epidemic has claimed in a few months which includes many highly trained and experienced doctors. We have also heard and read some rumours in the media regarding the impact of weather and climate on the COVID-19 pandemic. What a recent study in Science (Baker et al., 2020) found is that humid climates tend to favour stronger outbreaks, however summer and sunshine will not limit the pandemic growth substantially. The only things that will give us all our life back are effective antivirals and/or a reliable vaccine. It is also understandable that many people are also eager to get back to resuming their normal lives and having been confined for so long many want to travel or go on holidays, especially confined couples. Image: Lady in red / A.Lloyd However, it is imperative to understand that as long as effective antivirals and vaccines are not finalised, this incredibly dangerous virus will be circulating among human populations. Hence, as matters currently stand the wisest behaviour for the time being is to wait and be patient while also minimising unimportant social interactions and travel and only focus on what is truly important. We should only leave the house for essential and vital reasons such as for work [if impossible to work from home] and for food provisions. Video: Une note sur le COVID 19 et la gestion de la civilisation [En Francais & in English (Starts at 13:00)] Thanking all my readers, followers and supporters for their kindness, time, loyalty and trust… I shall end this essay by emphasising on the fact that dpurb.com was launched with the firm intention to touch, inspire and motivate individuals from all walks of life that make up our human civilisation on planet Earth, from the small to the immense. Danny D’Purb Untitled Color Fire Painting by Yves Klein (c.1960)#Society #Culture #Nouveau #Realism #Art via @LearnArtHistory pic.twitter.com/5iJkWTKStj — dpurb.com (@DannyDPurb) April 10, 2016 Le Boléro de Ravel par l’Orchestre national de France en #confinement #ensembleàlamaison (FR) Vous trouverez ci-dessous une liste des principaux articles relatifs à la crise COVID-19 en cours. La liste ci-dessous sera continuellement mise à jour comme tous nos articles sur le site. Veuillez visiter ce poste périodiquement pour plus d’informations pendant que nous luttons ensemble contre cet horrible virus en tant qu’une civilisation des créatures les plus intelligentes de la Terre. (EN) Below is a list of the top articles related to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The list below will be continuously updated as all of our posts on the website. Please visit this post periodically for more information as we fight this ugly virus together as a civilisation of the smartest creatures on Earth. Références (Études Scientifiques) – Cliquez sur les liens Ahmed, S., Quadeer, A. and McKay, M., (2020). Preliminary Identification of Potential Vaccine Targets for the COVID-19 Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) Based on SARS-CoV Immunological Studies. Viruses, 12(3), p.254. Aljofan, M. and Gaipov, A., (2020). COVID-19 Treatment: The Race Against Time. Electronic Journal of General Medicine, 17(6). Amuasi, J., Walzer, C., Heymann, D., Carabin, H., Huong, L., Haines, A. and Winkler, A., (2020). Calling for a COVID-19 One Health Research Coalition. The Lancet. Asian Pacific Journal of Allergy and Immunology, (2020). Immune responses in COVID-19 and potential vaccines: Lessons learned from SARS and MERS epidemic. Baker, R., Yang, W., Vecchi, G., Metcalf, C. and Grenfell, B., (2020). Susceptible supply limits the role of climate in the early SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Science, p.eabc2535. Bennardo, F., Buffone, C. and Giudice, A., (2020). New therapeutic opportunities for COVID-19 patients with Tocilizumab: Possible correlation of interleukin-6 receptor inhibitors with osteonecrosis of the jaws. Oral Oncology, p.104659. Bergin, C., Browne, P., Murray, P., O’Dwyer, M., Conlon, N., Kane, D., Laffey, J., Ní Choitir, C., Adams, R., O’Leary, A., King, F. and Gilvarry, P., (2020). 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Chan School of Public Health: Coronavirus (COVID-19): Press Conference with Marc Lipsitch (4 Mars 2020) RTL: Coronavirus : Trump suspend sa contribution à l’OMS, une décision « absurde », selon Melinda Gates (16 Avril 2020) Financial Times: Donald Trump has poured fuel on the flames of coronavirus (12 Mars 2020) France Culture: Pourquoi le système de santé américain n’est pas solidaire (1 Avril 2020) Le Figaro: Aux Etats-Unis, l’épidémie semble frapper démesurément les Noirs (8 Avril 2020) Le Figaro: Coronavirus : pourquoi New York est-elle si durement touchée? (13 Avril 2020) YouTube (New York Times): ‘People Are Dying’: Battling Coronavirus Inside a N.Y.C. Hospital (26 Mars 2020) BFMTV: Davantage d’Américains sont désormais morts du coronavirus qu’à la guerre du Vietnam (29 Avril 2020) L’Express: Le chômage, l’autre tragédie américaine (28 Avril 2020) Oxford University Press: Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop (24 Janvier 2020) Oxford University Press: Do Morals Matter? (23 Mars 2020) Usbek & Rica: Quand Bill Gates prédisait l’apparition d’une pandémie (17 Mars 2020) Red Action: Bill Gates avait averti en 2018 qu’une nouvelle maladie pourrait tuer 30 millions de personnes en 6 mois (27 Janvier 2020) Forbes France: Covid-19 : Pourquoi Bill Gates Reste Optimiste (1 Avril 2020) Ouest France: Bill Gates s’engage dans le développement de sept vaccins (7 Avril 2020) Oxford University Research: Covid-19 bears out the research: Music brings people together* (27 Mars 2020) Le Figaro: À réécouter : notre sélection de disques pour s’évader du confinement (19 Mars 2020) France Musique: Musique émoi de confinement 2 (3 Mai 2020) France Inter: Philo : Penser le confinement, cette « expérience commune » de Nietzsche qui constitue un peuple (25 Mars 2020) France Inter: Du plasma de patients guéris pour traiter les malades du Covid-19 : un essai clinique commence lundi (3 Avril 2020) France Culture: Didier Sicard : « Il est urgent d’enquêter sur l’origine animale de l’épidémie de Covid-19 » (27 Mars 2020) France Culture: Covid-19 : sur la piste de l’origine animale (10 Mai 2020) Oxford University / Oxford Martin School: China’s Announcement on Wildlife Trade – What’s New and What Does It Mean? (12 Mars 2020) France Bleu: Le Limousin Quentin Bontemps nous raconte le début du déconfinement à Wuhan en Chine (9 Avril 2020) France Inter: Comment la Corée du Sud a réussi, jusqu’ici, à dompter l’épidémie de coronavirus (1 Avril 2020) Oxford University Research: Digital contact tracing can slow or even stop coronavirus transmission and ease us out of lockdown (16 Avril 2020) Oxford University Research:Oxford scientist develop rapid testing technology for COVID-19 (18 Mars 2020) Oxford University Research:Coronavirus (COVID-19) Research Priorities (13 Mars 2020) Oxford University Research: First patients enrolled in new clinical trial of possible COVID-19 treatments (23 Mars 2020) Oxford University Research: Oxford COVID-19 vaccine programme opens for clinical trial recruitment (27 Mars 2020) Twitter (Didier Raoult): Nouveaux résultats de l’IHU Méditerranée Infection : 80 patients traités par une association hydroxychloroquine/azithromycine. (27 Mars 2020) Caducee: #COVID19 : Un médecin américain aurait traité avec succès plus de 500 patients avec l’hydroxychloroquine (26 Mars 2020) News 24.fr: Coronavirus UK: Un médecin décrit les symptômes comme «rien de tel que la grippe» (17 Mars 2020) Guardian: Coronavirus: UK will have Europe’s worst death toll, says study(8 Avril 2020) Guardian: UK failures over Covid-19 will increase death toll, says leading doctor, Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of the Lancet (18 Mars 2020) Financial Times: Coronavirus may have infected half of UK population – Oxford study (24 Mars 2020) University College London (UCL): COVID-19: UCL academics mobilise to provide critical advice and expert comment (16 Avril 2020) University College London (UCL): UCL, UCLH and Formula One develop life-saving breathing aids for the NHS Oxford University Research: Ventilator project given the green light by UK government to proceed next stage of testing (31 Mars 2020) Statista France: COVID-19 : quel est le statut des cas identifiés ? (24 Avril 2020) YouTube (L’Express): Coronavirus : pourquoi l’Allemagne s’en sort mieux que la France ? (10 Avril 2020) France Inter: William Dab : « Plus on retarde le travail de terrain, plus il va falloir prolonger le confinement » (11 Avril 2020) Oxford University Research: Universities into the breach (9 Avril 2020) France Culture: Jean-Christophe Rufin : « Le coronavirus méritait discussion, mais elle n’a pas eu lieu faute de moyens » (1 Avril 2020) Oxford University / Oxford Martin School: The world before this coronavirus and after cannot be the same: « Now is the time to start building the necessary bridges at home and abroad. » (30 Mars 2020) France Inter: Le confinement fait drastiquement baisser les émissions de CO2 dans le monde(mais ça ne va pas durer) (11 Avril 2020) Le Parisien: Coronavirus : le coup de gueule du président des médecins, contaminé à son tour (19 Mars 2020) Le Figaro: Masques: Macron le grand bouffon frustré souhaite «l’indépendance pleine et entière» de la France «d’ici la fin de l’année» (31 Mars 2020) Twitter (Nicolas Chung): Bonjour Twitter, je ne fais jamais ça mais nécessité fait loi : une amie médecin en hôpital en IdF cherche imprimantes 3D pour fabriquer les dispositifs d’adaptation pour les masques Decathlon. Merci pour votre aide et vos RT. (1 Avril 2020) Oxford University Research: Infectious disease experts provide evidence for a coronavirus mobile app for instant contact tracing (17 Mars 2020) Oxford University Research: Coronavirus Researchers at Oxford (18 Mars 2020) Clinical Trials Arena: Coronavirus treatment: Vaccines/drugs in the pipeline for COVID-19 (16 Avril 2020) l’Opinion: Coronavirus: l’Afrique suit la prescription de chloroquine du Pr Raoult (30 Mars 2020) Le Point: Coronavirus : une nouvelle étude de Didier Raoult sur la chloroquine (28 Mars 2020) fr: Les malades chroniques traités à la chloroquine sont-ils immunisés contre le coronavirus ? (3 Avril 2020) L’internaute: Vaccin et médicaments contre le coronavirus : le point sur les avancées (16 Avril 2020) La Libre.be: La Chine commence à tester sur les êtres humains un vaccin « efficace » contre le nouveau coronavirus, a indiqué mercredi le ministère de la Défense à Pékin. Il est développé sous la direction de l’épidémiologiste Chen Wei. Le vaccin a été approuvé après de premiers tests. Il peut désormais être testé sur les êtres humains. Le ministère de la Défense le décrit comme sûr et efficace, et a précisé que les préparations pour sa production en masse sont en cours, rapporte l’agence de presse espagnole Europa Press. (18 Mars 2020) Xinhuanews: (COVID-19) La Chine approuve trois vaccins de COVID-19 pour des essais cliniques (14 Avril 2020) UK Research and Innovation: Coronavirus: the science explained Confédération Suisse: Federal Office of Public Health FOPH: New coronavirus (14 Avril 2020) France Inter: « L’État ne va pas pouvoir continuer à soutenir l’économie à ce niveau-là pendant longtemps », selon le Medef (11 Avril 2020) France Culture: Youtube: Coronavirus : crise économique ou changement de modèle ? (12 Mars 2020) Le Figaro: Coronavirus : Cristiano Ronaldo transformerait ses hôtels en hôpitaux (15 Mars 2020) Gala: VIDEO – Didier Raoult : ce surprenant aveu fait à Jean-Marie Bigard (1 Avril 2020) Sputnik France: Un pilote de la compagnie aérienne AirAsia a quitté son avion par la fenêtre du cockpit en apprenant que plusieurs passagers pourraient être porteurs du nouveau coronavirus (23 Mars 2020) Le Figaro: Aides-soignants, caissiers, camionneurs… Les gilets jaunes sont devenus les «premiers de tranchée» (9 Avril 2020) France Bleu: Confinement : qui a gagné ou perdu le plus de population en Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes ? (9 Avril 2020) Statista France: Ces produits qu’on s’arrache en plein confinement (8 Avril 2020) Oxford University Research: The economic impact of COVID-19 (7 Avril 2020) The Conversation France: Conversation avec Frédéric Altare : l’obésité, facteur très aggravant du Covid-19 (2020) Science Media Centre: Expert reaction to Times Interview about vaccines with Prof Sarah Gilbert (11 Avril 2020) The Lancet: Sarah Gilbert: carving a path towards a COVID-19 vaccine (18 Avril 2020) The Telegraph: A vaccine for Covid-19 could be ready by the end of summer (17 Avril 2020) France Inter: Coronavirus : voici des sources fiables pour vous informer en évitant les fake news (17 Mars 2020) Le Point: Coignard – Covid-19 sur le « Charles de Gaulle » : une allégorie française (20 Avril 2020) France Bleu: Coronavirus : les dermatologues alertent sur de nouveaux symptômes cutanés (7 Avril 2020) Ouest France: Pour Anne Soupa, journaliste, théologienne et bibliste, le confinement ces dernières semaines a accentué notre inventivité sur la manière d’être présent (28 Avril 2020) Paris Match: Edgar Morin, paroles de sage (16 Avril 2020) Guardian: Priti Patel has said removing coronavirus restrictions in the UK will not be a binary choice and the government would not give a date for the end of lockdown. The home secretary added that five tests will have to be met before schools can reopen but said giving a date ‘would be irresponsible and get hopes up’, saying: « We want to prevent a second wave of this horrendous virus. To do that we have to ensure that we continue with the measures we have put in place. » (25 Avril 2020) YouTube (Telegraph): Priti Patel: « We know people are frustrated but we are not out of danger yet. It is imperative that people continue to follow the rules designed to protect their families, their friends and their loved ones; this will continue to save lives. We all want to return to living our lives as normally and as soon as safely as we can… but the 5 tests we have laid out must be met…» (25 Avril 2020) Le Figaro: Hervé Morin: «La reprise des cours aurait pu attendre septembre» (27 Avril 2020) RTL: Coronavirus : l’université d’Oxford promet un vaccin pour septembre (28 Avril 2020) RFI: Déconfinement en France: Martine Wonner (LaREM) : «Ce plan va être bancal faute de thérapeutique adaptée» (28 Avril 2020) Le Point: Déconfinement : ce qui attend les Français le 11 mai (28 Avril 2020) Le Point: Masque, visière, gants… Les coiffeurs ainsi que de nombreux commerces, sont autorisés à rouvrir en Suisse, où le déconfinement se fait en plusieurs étapes. (27 Avril 2020) Science Daily: Ultraviolet LEDs prove effective in eliminating coronavirus from surfaces and, potentially, air and water (14 Avril 2020) Emeral Insight: Only vaccines or drugs will end social distancing (29 Avril 2020) France Info: Le coronavirus vaincu par des antihistaminiques ? Certains médecins généralistes français assurent avoir guéri des patients du CoVID-19 avec des antihistaminiques. (7 Mai 2020) Le Figaro: Rebond de Coronavirus: Plusieurs quartiers de Pékin confinés (13 Juin 2020) France Inter: Karine Lacombe : “Le virus ne va pas disparaître et risque de ressurgir par clusters” (17 Juin 2020) Sciences et Avenir: Covid-19 : le tocilizumab efficace pour les patients dans un état grave (28 Avril 2020) APHP: Le tocilizumab améliore significativement le pronostic des patients avec pneumonie COVID moyenne ou sévère (27 Avril 2020) The Conversation: Until a coronavirus vaccine is ready, pneumonia vaccines may reduce deaths from COVID-19 (14 Octobre 2020) Our World in Data: Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) – Statistics and Research Mis à jour le Vendredi, 15 Janvier 2021 \| Danny D’Purb \| DPURB.com Bien que le but de la communauté de dpurb.com ait toujours été et sera toujours de se concentrer sur une culture moderne et progressiste, le progrès humain, la recherche scientifique, l’avancement philosophique et un avenir en harmonie avec notre environnement naturel, les efforts inlassables dans la recherche et la fourniture à notre précieux public des dernières et meilleures informations dans divers domaines ont malheureusement leur coût sur nos administrateurs très humains, qui malgré le temps sacrifié et le plaisir de contribuer à l’avancement de notre monde grâce aux discussions sensibles et idées novatrices, doivent gérer les contraintes qui testent même le plus fort d’esprit. Votre précieux soutien assurerait que notre travail demeure à la hauteur de ses normes et rappellerait à nos administrateurs que leurs efforts sont appréciés tout en vous permettant de ressentir une certaine fierté par notre cheminement vers une civilisation humaine éclairée. Votre soutien bénéficierait à une cause qui se concentre sur l’humanité, les générations actuelles et futures. On vous remercie encore une fois de votre temps. N’hésitez pas à nous soutenir en envisageant de faire un don. Sincèrement, L’équipe @ dpurb.com Posted in Arts & Culture, Éducation, Charité & Oeuvres Caritatives, dpurb.com, Environnement, Terre, Nature & Animaux, Médecine, Santé Physique & Nutrition, Technologie, Culture & Société Tagged Antiviral, Asthma, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, Business, Charity, Chloroquine, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Cytokine Release Syndrome, Danny D'Purb, Développement, Design, Development, Didier Raoult, Didier Sicard, dpurb.com, Earth, Environment, France, Gouvernement, Government, Health, Humanity, Hydroxychloroquine, Hyperinflammation, Infections, Innovation, Italy, Life, Medecine, Medicine, Ministère de la Santé, Ministry of Health, Monde, Myeloma, NHS, OMS, Organisation Mondiale de la Santé, Oxford, Oxford University, Philanthropie, Philanthropy, Pneumonia, Politics, Remsdesivir, Santé, Sarah Gilbert, SARS-CoV-2, Science, Severe Acute Chest Syndrome, Society, Système de Santé Universel, Technologie, Technology, Tocilizumab, UK, Universal Health System, Vaccin, Vaccine, Viral, Virus, WHO, World, World Health Organization Part I: Western Philosophy The fact that philosophy’s focus has never remained static over time makes its history very complex with the added possibility that most of the early writers may have even been philosophers before historians. The world’s main philosophical trends and traditions can however be traced with a decent amount of precision while considering that the ruling philosophy of any period is determined by the socio-cultural climate and economic context [when it was written and published]. The first Western philosophers, starting with Thales of Miletus (c.620-c.555BC), were cosmologists who made inquiries about the nature and origin of all things; what defined them particularly as a new type of thinkers was that their speculations unlike those before them were purely naturalistic and not based on or guided by myth or legend. The traditions of Western philosophy originates around the Aegean Sea and southern Italy in the 6c BC in the Greek-speaking region which saw its philosophical traditions and teachings blossom with Plato (c.428-c.348BC) and Aristotle (384-322BC), who have remained highly influential in Western thought, and who probed virtually all areas of knowledge; no distinction separated theology, philosophy and science then. As the centuries came, Christianity grew as a major religious and socio-cultural force in Europe (2-5c), and apologists such as Augustine de Hippo (354-430) started to synthesise the Christian world-view with ancient philosophy, a tradition that continued with St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) and throughout the Middle Ages. As the 16c and the 17c were the years that experienced the Scientific Revolution, the physical sciences started to assert their authority as a field of their own and grow separate from theology and philosophy. A new age of Rationalist philosophers, notably Descartes (1596-1650) started their works based on the minute analysis and interpretation of the philosophical implications of the ground-breaking new scientific discoveries and knowledge of the time. The 18c produced the empiricist school of thought of John Locke and David Hume (1711-1776) in the search for the foundations of knowledge, to conclude the turn of the century with Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) who developed a strong synthesis of rationalism and empiricism as a school of philosophy. Further, the development of positivist philosophy in the 19c was inspired and based solely on the scientific method and American pragmatism [with the competing philosophy of Utilitarianism and Marxism]. Later, the individual experienced the philosophy of existentialism based on the works of Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) and in the 20c the discipline of psychology had firmly invented itself as a field separate from philosophy [including many branches such as neuroscience, psychiatry, cognitive-behavioural, etc]. The 20c and Western Philosophy’s influence across civilisation Perhaps due to its wide use in maintaining reason among intellectuals and society, philosophy had fragmented into different precise and specific branches by the 20c [philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, philosophy of religion, philosophy of medicine…]. However at its core, the emphasis of philosophy remained on the analytics and linguistic philosophy due to the huge influence of Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951). Indian philosophy for example shares similarities with some aspects of Western philosophy in its foundations based on the development of logic from the Nyaya School, founded by Gautama (fl. 1c). The tenet of most schools were codified into short aphorisms (sutras) commented upon by later philosophers in the Southern parts of Asia, and India. More specifically the emphasis on linguistic expression and the nature of language which is believed to be similarly important as in the West, but different in theme as India’s language was greatly enhanced by the early development of linguistics or Sanskrit grammar, and the nature of knowledge and its acquisition. In modern times, Indian philosophy has seen an increasing Western influence especially from the social philosophies of utilitarian schools which inspired a number of religious and socio-cultural movements, such as the Brahmo Samaj. The 20c saw the Anglo-American linguistic philosophy form the basis of research, with added influence from European phenomenology present in the works of scholars such as KC Bhattacharya who was known for his method of “constructive interpretation” through which ancient Indian philosophical systems are studied like matters of modern philosophy. Bhattacharya was interested in the problematic of the apparently material universe that the “mind” generates and encouraged the idea of an immersive cosmopolitanism where Indian systems of philosophy were modernised through assimilation and immersion, instead of a blind imitation of Western ideas – fairly similar to the works of Arthur Schopenhauer [See: Philosophy Review: “The World as Will and Idea”, by Arthur Schopenhauer (1818)]. The trend of Western philosophy as inspiration continued to be disseminated by intellectuals in the East, and Chinese philosophy too which first made its appearance during the Zhou Dynasty (1122-256BC) later experienced Western influence in the 20c, most notably in the introduction of the leftist branch of Marxism which became China’s official political philosophy. Around the same period, a New Confucian movement rose, attempting to synthesise the traditions of the West and the East [traditional Confucian values with Western democracy and science]. As for the African continent, starting from the Middle-East and North-Africa, it may be unsurprising that Western values or philosophy had no major influence in the Islamic territories and Muslim world who had been subjugating non-Muslin civilisations with violent wars [jihad] in the name of their God. The major European incursions and hence influence in the Arab world comes from the time of Napoleon I’s invasion of Egypt (1798) which led to the promotion of Western philosophy in the area for a short time before a backlash from Islamic circles called for a religious and politically-oriented philosophy to counter foreign domination. Regarding African philosophy, it is to this day a subject of intense debates among intellectuals and cultured circles whether such a thing exists, along with the definition that ‘African philosophy’ may include: for example, many scholars associate the term to communal values, beliefs and world-views of traditional Black African oral cultures, highlighting the rich, long and sometimes violent tradition of indigenous African philosophy [stretching back in time] with tales of supernaturalism and communally-derived ethics by tribes. What seems to be a certitude is that African philosophy is unlike Western, Indian, Chinese and Arabic traditions as there is very little in terms of African philosophical traditions before the modern period. However, the logical question remains, and that is: if African philosophy are works that were created within the geographical area that constitutes Africa, then perhaps all of the writings of ancient Egyptians may quality as African, and also Christian apologists of the 4-5c period like St Augustine de Hippo. Indeed, to further the argument of logic, the whole world’s culture and societies could all be qualified as African, since it has recently been proven scientifically that all humans evolved after leaving Africa. Part II: Religious Cultures Image: The Atlantic The main driving power behind the psychological movement focused on the “Human Mind”, Sigmund Freud, was an atheist unlike Isaac Newton who was a devout Christian with complex and heterodox private beliefs The world’s cultures are generally classified into the five major religious traditions: The tradition of Buddhism which is made up of thought and practice originates in India around 2500 years ago, it was inspired by the teaching of Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama). The concept of Buddha is explained in the ‘Four Noble Truths’, which concludes by the claim of a path leading to deliverance from the universal human experience of suffering. One of its main tenet is the law of karma, which states that good and evil deeds result in the appropriate reward or punishment in life or in a succession of rebirths. Dharma day commemorates the day when Buddha made his first sermon or religious teaching after his enlightenment Dating from its earliest history, Buddhism is divided into two main traditions. Theravada Buddhism adheres to the strict and narrow of early Buddhist writings, where salvation is possible only for the few who accept the severe discipline and effort necessary to achieve it. Mahayana Buddhism is the more ‘liberal form’ and makes concession to popular piety by seemingly diluting the degree of discipline required for salvation, claiming that it is achievable for everyone instead. It introduces the doctrine of bodhisattva (or personal saviour). The spread of Buddhism lead to other schools to expand, namely Chan or Zen, Tendai, Nichiren, Pure Land and Soka Gakkai. Theravada Buddhism in South and South-East Asia While being nearly eradicated in its original birthplace, the practice of Theravada Buddhism has turned into a significant religious force in the states of Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Traditionally, it is believed that missions in the area by the emperor of India, Ashoka in the 3c BC introduced Buddhism. While the evidence lacks the consistency to be conclusive, it is assumed and believed by most that many different variations of Hindu and Buddhist traditional movements were present, scattered across South-East Asia up to the 10c. Theravada Buddhism eventually acquired more influence from the 11c to 15c as it experienced growing contacts with Sri Lanka where the movement was outward looking. In Burma (now Myanmar), Buddhist states arose and soon others followed, namely Cambodia, Laos, Java and Thailand, including the Angkor state in Cambodia and the Pagan state in Burma. During the modern period [at the exception of Thailand which was never colonised], the imperial occupation, Christian missionaries and the Western world-view challenged Theravada Buddhism [the strict version of Buddhist philosophy] in South=East Asia. Mahayana Buddhism in North and Central Asia The Mahayana which is the form of Buddhism commonly practised in China, Tibet, Mongolia, Nepal, Korea and Japan dates from about the 1c when it arose as a more liberal movement within the Buddhist movement in northern India, focussing on various forms of popular devotion. Orthodox Mahayana Buddhism and Vajrayana Buddhism (a Tantric form of Mahayana Buddhism) had been transmitted through missionaries invited from India during the 8c in Tibet. Today’s popular Tibetan Buddhism places an emphasis on the appeasement of malevolent deities, pilgrimages and the accumulation of merit. Since the Chinese invasion in 1959 and the Dalai Lama’s exile from India however, Buddhism has been repressed drastically. Chinese Buddhism China’s introduction to Buddhism from India happened in the 1c AD via the central Asian oases along the Silk Route. It had surprisingly established itself as a reasonable presence in China by the end of the Han Dynasty (AD 220). Buddhism had become so successful by the 9c that the Tang Dynasty saw it as ‘an empire within the empire’ and persecuted it in 845 after which the Chan and Pure Land Schools only remained strong, drew closer and found harmony with each other. Buddhism and other religions however was nearly subjugated by the attempts of the Marxist government of Mao Zedong (1949 onwards) when the lands of China were nationalised and Buddhist monks forced into secular employments. Since 1978, the Buddhist movement and other religions have seen a revival in China. Islam is simply Arabic for ‘submission to the will of God (Allah)’ and the name of the religion which was founded in Arabia during the 7c throughout a controversial prophet known as Muhammad. Islam relies on prophets to establish its doctrines which it believes have existed since the beginning of time, sent by God like Moses and Jesus, to provide the necessary guidance for the achievement of eternal reward; and the culmination of this succession is assumed by Muslims to be the revelation to Muhammad of the Quran, the ‘perfect Word of God’. Beliefs and traditions There are five religious duties that make up the founding pillar of Islam: The shahadah (profession of faith) is the honest recitation of the two-fold creed: ‘There is no god but God’ and ‘Muhammad is the Messenger of God’. The salat (formal prayer) must be said at fixed hours five times a day while facing towards the city of Mecca The payment of zakat (‘purification’) [a form of religious tax by the Muslim community] which is regarded as an act of worship and considered as the duty of sharing one’s wealth out of gratitude for God’s favour, according to the uses laid down in the Quran [such as subjugation of all non-Muslims, the imposition of violent and controversial Sharia law (a section of Islam as a political ideology which dictates all aspects of Muslim life with severe repercussions if transgressed), learning to adapt behaviour to protect Islam at all cost even if it means deceiving (‘Taqqiya’), etc] There is an imposition regarding fasting (saum) which has to be done during the month of Ramadan. The pilgrimage to the Mecca, known as the Haji is part of the sacred law of Islam which applies to all aspects of Muslim life, not simply religious practices. The Haji is described as the Islamic way of life and prescribes the way for a Muslim to fulfil the commands of God and reach heaven, and must be performed at least once during one’s lifetime. The cycle of festivals such as Hijra (Hegira), the start of the Islamic year, and Ramadan, the month where Muslims fast during daytime are two of the most known practices still misunderstood by mainstream media. Although all Muslims believe in the ideology of Islam and its teachings from Muhammad, two basic and distinct groups exist within Islam. The Sunnis are the majority and acknowledge the first four caliphs as Muhammad’s legitimate successors. The other group, known as the Shiites make up the largest minority movement in the Muslim world, and view the imam as the principal religious authority. A number of subsects and derivatives also exist, such as the Ismailis (one group, the Nizaris, regard the Aga Khan as their imam), while the Wahhabis, a movement focussed on reforming Islam begun in the 18c. Today Islam remains one of the fastest growing religions – probably due to the high birth rate of third world North Africa where it originates. Islam also inculcates strong adversity towards non-muslims, preaching various doctrines such as the subjugation of all non-Muslims into slaves, sexual slavery (Koran 33:50), forced conversation, childhood indoctrination, honour killings and jihad (a war in the name of Islam that guarantees salvation) along with mass migration to promote Islam – and today about 700 million Muslims exist throughout the World. Since Islam was founded their war on non-muslim civilisation has been relentless and ongoing. During the earlier centuries, the European continent was heavily attacked where Muslim warriors stole, killed, raped and took thousands of slaves from the European continent, including many women as sexual slaves. About 1 million slaves were taken from the Christian world in Europe in order to be put in the hands of the Caliph, who ordered that virgin Christian blonds were to be taken from Spain for him each year. Images: (i): Marché d’Esclaves par Jean-Leon Gerome (1886) \| (ii): Marché aux esclaves par Fabio Fabbi (1861 – 1946) ISIS, the extremist group also go by the Muslim confession of faith, with the message “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah” on their flag, and fight to re-establish the archetypal Islamic form of governance [the caliphate]. ISIS who are considered as “extremists” justify their actions through endless quotations from the Koran and Sunna [i.e. examples of Prophet Muhammad’s actions that are to be followed by Muslims]. ISIS also implement the standard Islamic response to captured enemies [convert, pay tax or die] as enshrined in the Code of Umar attributed to one of Muhammad’s sucessors as “Commander of the Faithful”; as for the beheadings of disbelieving enemies it is a practice in direct obedience to Koran 8:12: “I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieved, so strike (them) upon their necks and strike from them every fingertip.” and also Koran 47:4, where we can quote: “Therefore when ye meet the Unbelievers (in fight), strike off their heads; at length; then when you have made wide slaughter among them, carefully tie up the remaining captives”: thereafter (is the time for) either generosity or ransom; until the war lays down its burdens.” We know that ISIS fighters regularly rape women, and Muhammad had his word on rape and sexual slavery in the Koran (33:50), the two trusted sources of Islamic traditions (ahadith) Sahih Muslim and Sahih Bukhari both relate an incident where Muslim warriors were raping some captive women [whom they intended to sell for ransom] while taking care to observe “coitus interruptus” [the withdrawal of the penis before climax]. These warriors asked Muhammad whether their act was religiously lawful, and his answer was shocking in his callousness and its implications for later Muslim behaviour during war: “It does not matter if you do not do it (withdraw before climaxing), for every soul that is to be born up to the Day of Resurrection will be born.” (Sahih Muslim 33:71, see also Sahih Bukhari 34:176:2229). Indeed, when one would expect the perfect example to Muslims to be furious and command them to stop while taking the women in his protection, instead he instructs his followers to do to the women whatever they desired. Even more shocking is the fact that Muslim tradition states that the following verse of the Koran was revealed precisely to ease the qualms of Muslim warriors about having sex with enslaved captives: “Also (prohibited are) women already married, except those whom your right hands posses” (Koran 4:24). Hence, in the world of Allah, if “your right hand possesses” a woman, sex with her is totally lawful even if she is married. The Koran also guides Muslim thought on unbelievers [Kaffirs / infidels]: “are pigs” (5:60); “are asses” (74:50); “Have a disease in their hearts” (2:10); “Are hard-hearted” (39:22); “Impure of hearts” (5:41); “Are deaf” (2:171); “Are blind” (2:171); “Are unjust” (29:49); “Make mischief” (16:88); “Focus only on outward appearance” (19:73-74); “Are impure” (8:37); “Are niggardly” (4:37, 70:21); “Are the worst of men” (98:6); “Are in a state of confusion” (50:5); “Are the lowest of the low” (95:5); “The vilest of animals in Allah’s sight” (8:55); “Are dumb” (2:171, 6:35, 11:29); “Are scum” (13:17); “Are guilty” (30:12, 77:46); “Sinful liars” (45:7); “Allah despises them” (17:18); “Allah has cursed them” (2:88, 48:6); “Allah forsakes them” (32:14, 45:34). Hence, victory is unlikely to be achieved for non-muslims as long as they cannot accept the true nature and motives of Muslims guided by Islam; solutions to countering Islam will always fail if society continues to assume that all the terror is not about Islam when the expansion of Islam is clearly at the very heart of what ISIS fights for. Most Admit that the Relationship between Muslims and Westerners is Poor The constant clash with enlightened movements of the Christian West, with intellectuals such as Dr Bill Warner who initiated the movement for the study of political Islam to help break down and propagate important facts about the ideology of Islam’s political techniques in subjugating global non-Muslim societies, have started to gain major attention from the intellectual crowd [who are active on media platforms such as Twitter, a controversial platform that uses its administrative rights dictatorially, known to restrict freedom of speech, research & factual information that oppose liberal opinions, and many researchers from accessing their archived ‘tweets’ and ‘retweets’, affecting their work and research – a direct breach of Human Rights as specified by Article 10 of the Human Rights Act 1998 – and many have questioned the practice over possibilities of World War III being caused by the USA’s unethical technological monopoly over other Western nations data. Saddam Hussein was assaulted militarily by the UN after breaching human rights] Status of Women in the Quran Status of Women in the Hadith [purely based on the life, habits & actions of Muhammad] The Relative Sizes of the Trilogy Texts of Islam ESSENTIAL for EDUCATION: Dr. Bill Warner has spent years studying Islam and quantified the Islamic trilogy to open the eyes of modern civilisation and its leaders globally to the controversial traditions that make up the 3rd world religion that is Islam. It is only by sharing objective knowledge based on hard facts from the trilogy texts that the West will be able to counter [and/or ban/relocate] Islam due to it being an obsolete & dangerous religious tradition that threatens modern human civilisation & development [WATCH THE VIDEO]. Islam remains a controversial religions tradition while also being the only religion with a “manual to run a civilisation” as Dr. Bill Warner phrased it, in the Sharia [an Islamic set of doctrines in managing a civilisation – politics, culture, philosophy and economy] which at its deeper core includes the war on other civilisations through jihad, the subjugation of all non-Muslims, the destruction of all non-Islamic historical heritage, forced circumcision of both sexes and a whole set of violent and radical forms of Islamic lifestyle requirements that include violent and sometimes fatal repercussions [for ‘transgressing‘]. Repeatedly France has profoundly rejected Islam as a dangerous religious practice and culture that is incompatible with the values of French society & culture; however the obsolete system of management that is politics remains an atavistic barrier to banning Islam due to the concept of ‘political correctness’ – an invalid ideology created by the most corrupt & untrustworthy adepts of the obsolete practice of ‘politics‘ [for reasons that are now being scrutinised in the name of change]. The late Christopher Hitchens was also a prominent speaker on secularisation and particularly focused on countering the atavistic Islamisation of the West which threatens personal liberty, freedom of expression, education, innovation, development, cohesion and socio-cultural creativity due to its rigid doctrines. The amount of words allocated to Political Violence in Islam Amount of text in the Sira devoted to topic [Teaching VS Politics (Jihad, etc)] Anti-Jew text in Trilogy of Islam Amount of Text in Trilogy of Islam devoted to Jihad [war in the name of Islam] Amount of Text in Islam devoted to the Kaffir [all non-Muslims] Jihad attacks are on the rise on non-muslims Jihad wars waged against Western Classical Civilisation A Battle Map made by Dr. Bill Warner for the Study of Political Islam showing the savage wars waged on Classical Civilisation by Muslims over the centuries. Defensive battles such as ‘The Crusades’ cannot be compared to the extent & amount of Jihad wars [WATCH the Video] It is quite obvious nowadays that the majority of mediocre and pathetic politicians from the West of our generation prefer aiming for a prize for peace, and are more scared of being seen as politically incorrect than the destruction of their own people, heritage and civilisation since they dodge these questions and pretend not to see the alarming situation while refusing to relocate the excessive foreign mass every time it has piled up – a heap of incompatible and unskilled people who cannot assimilate waiting to be diplomatically relocated. From history, it seems that only the brave have had the courage to tackle those problems, but when they had done so, they were portrayed as the evil ones, when their actions simply seemed to reflect those of the defenders of Western civilisation, one built and rooted in Christian heritage and the intellectual values of the enlightenment. Evil, aggressive & violent third-world religious practices should be prohibited in non-Islamic Christian territory to protect the native population, just as pagans [Muslims, for example] forbid and persecute Christians on Islamic territory since to them it is protecting their heritage and their religious beliefs against the non-Muslim invaders (Kaffirs). Moreover Islam has never lied, everything is in the Koran, it is written in black and white that they must kill the ‘Kaffir’ [non-Muslim] and their ultimate goal is a total Islamic world, and all that their prophet Muhammad did [e.g. sexual slavery, decapitation of non-Muslims, the destruction of all other cultures and non-Muslim heritage, forced conversion (Koran 8:39) along with the use of deception to infiltrate other cultures via the Jihad technique [which can be achieved by Taqqiya, a technique for lying and deceiving all enemies of Islam (non-Muslims) in order to gain their trust and then promote the values of Islam] is sacred and should be reproduced without discussion. Les saints martyrs d’Otrante ou saints martyrs otrantins sont environ 800 habitants (le chiffre de 813 est souvent évoqué) de cette ville du Salento tués le 14 août 1480 par les Turcs conduits par Gedik Ahmed Pacha pour avoir refusé de se convertir à l’islam après la chute de leur ville. Leur canonisation a eu lieu le 12 mai 2013 place Saint-Pierre. Elle a été prononcée par le pape François. / Traduction(EN): The Otranto martyrs are about 800 inhabitants (the figure of 813 is often mentioned) of this city of Salento killed on August 14, 1480 by the Turks led by Gedik Ahmed Pasha for having refused to convert to Islam after the fall of their city. Their canonization took place on May 12, 2013 in St. Peter’s Square. It was pronounced by Pope Francis. Les 800 crânes et os des martyrs d’Otranto en exposition: Environ 800, selon les estimations, ont eu le choix entre se convertir à l’Islam ou mourir, ils ont choisi la mort. Leurs dépouilles ont été transportées à la cathédrale et placées dans la chapelle des martyrs dans une vitrine en verre derrière l’autel en souvenir de leur sacrifice. / Traduction(EN): The 800 Skulls and Bones of the Martyrs of Otranto on Display: An estimated 800, were given a choice to either covert to Islam or die, they chose death. Their remains were taken to the cathedral and placed in the Chapel of the Martyrs in a glass fronted case behind the altar as a reminder of their sacrifice Moreover Muslims who define themselves as moderate cannot do anything to help non-muslims since they too have submitted to the ideology of Islam by being muslims, whether they know it or not; muslims who call themselves “moderate” have no legitimacy to change the writings of Islam, and it is also said in the Koran that no one has the right to change the writings or to deny the orders of their prophet Muhammad who is a total and final authority for Muslims, so there is no diplomacy as such with Islam, because all diplomacy to Islam is considered as the stupidity/ignorance of their enemy [non-muslims or “Kaffirs”] to be exploited to promote Islam and dominate non-muslim civilisations through infiltration, mass migration and reproduction with women of non-Muslim civilizations to promote & expand Islam. It is important to note that all muslims abide by the very same book, the Koran, which preaches the same messages and values to all muslims. Recep Erdogan a fervent Muslim did clearly state: “The term ‘moderate Islam’ is ugly and offensive. There is no moderate Islam. Islam is Islam.” In a poem read by Erdogan, we can quote the following, “The mosques are our barracks, the domes our helmets, the minarets our bayonets, and the faithful our soldiers.” Islam remains a priority in matters of identity for most Muslims, unlike Westerners who tend to have more nationalistic feelings Diplomacy masked under the term “Political Correctness” could eventually be the downfall of non-Muslim civilisation when dealing with Islam. During the history of mankind, defending and fighting the Islamic oppressors used to be called war, now in a generation of ignorance many seem to see it as “Islamophobia”. Islam is anti-Western, anti-Christian, and against anything that is not Islamic and pro-Muslim brotherhood. Jihad vs Crusades Islam is a society of warriors and they do not hide this fact, it is the ignorance of other civilisations that they exploit globally [fairly similarly to what the Jews do, another bedouin tradition from North Africa] and those who are ignorant due to their lack of knowledge on the writings and philosophies of Islam pay the consequences violently in more ways than one. By the writings of the Koran, and by the analysis of their technique of subjugation, it is therefore almost impossible to trust Muslims, because their religious text ensures that non-Muslims cannot trust them because their words can always be lies [Taqqiya / deception to be used as a war technique as instructed in the Koran against non-muslims], and ultimately they have no power over Islamic instructions themselves because they are forced to follow the Koran’s words to the letter, and if they do not do so, they would be eligible to be murdered by the ‘Ummah’ [Muslim Brotherhood]. It is even well written in the Koran (4: 144) that Muslims should not take non-Muslims as friends because they would give their god Allah a reason to punish them, and also (Koran 3:28) that those who take non-Muslims for friends instead of Muslims will not have the protection of their god. So, ultimately Islam is a civilisation that is based on its own expansion where all blows are allowed to destroy Kaffirs (non-Muslims) and the Muslim existence is based on war and their prophet, who gives them permission to take women of other civilisation as sexual slaves because it is seen as part of the holy war to spread Islamic civilisation (9:5). The attacks of 13 November 2015 in France, claimed by the terrorist organisation Islamic State (Daech), are a series of Islamist shootings and suicide attacks perpetrated in the evening in Paris and its periphery by three separate commandos. [129 dead and 354 injured in hospital, including 94 absolute and 250 relative emergencies] The attack of 14 July 2016 in Nice is an Islamist terrorist attack on a ram truck, which took place in Nice (Alpes-Maritimes, France) on the evening of 14 July 2016 on the Promenade des Anglais. 84 deaths, 18 people in absolute vital emergency, 31 in relative emergency] To good muslims abiding by the Koran, our western politicians are very likely perceived as corrupt, ignorant and unscrupulous Kaffirs [non-muslims], i.e. ignorant primates who contribute to tear apart and shatter their own civilisation to then parade in the mainstream Jewish press who shape the opinion of the mass mediocrity of the majority by portraying these bureaucrats as the guardians of peace and diplomats who want an understanding with a civilisation [Islamic] that is not based and has no place in their text and philosophy for understanding between different religious faiths/traditions [e.g. crucifix images and symbols of Christianity are banned in many Islamic countries where many Christian houses are marked and burned by Muslims]. Mullah Krekar stated it clearly; some politicians understand but they do not really want to understand: Islam is not like Christianity, because Islam is a political movement and the Bible is not similar to the Koran which has 500 verses about politics and ruling and about its Sharia laws and justice system. Hence in Islam it is impossible to separate politics and religion, because they are one. So, we can conclude here that Islam is unique because it is a political movement and not just a religion. At its core, Islam is about the conquest [by all means possible] and the subjugation and destruction of all non-muslim civilisation and heritage, because in the end it is Islam and its ‘Ummah’ (community) that must dominate the world – this is the revelation of their text, the Koran. Hence, Islam being a bedouin warrior religious political movement and culture that has never stopped waging war on non-muslim civilisations shows that chivalry in war [specially defensively] must be revised and considered by the non-Islamic Christian West, as a necessary and noble act in the protection and expansion of our own people and civilization. Geographical management by exploring the logic of the « Organic Theory » involves prioritizing our own organisms [i.e. those who are part of, have become part of, and have the skills, attributes, values, sensibilities and sense of belonging to thrive in our environment and also contribute to the continuity and growth of our people and society]. Hence, as an act of honour, Muslims could consider relocating their whole community on islamic territory to prevent further wars and murders. Using myself as an example, if I was a burden to Western Europe because of my religious beliefs, maladaptive needs, education, intelligence, organic composition, philosophical perspectives, traditions, psycholinguistic heritage and national outlook, then I would change geographical location to one that is more suited to myself. But since, I am of 100% Franco-British heritage and would not be able to thrive in a different environment other than Western Europe, I live here and have fully assimilated, thus, the concept of « geographical management », which is simply to bring together organisms sharing similar beliefs, philosophy, culture, vision, intellect and identity for peace, harmony and mutual understanding. Muslims would certainly face less problems and stress from religious and cultural differences if they left non-muslim environments and civilisation and moved back on Islamic territory with an islamic community, because the West is a product of Christian civilisation and heritage, does not want to become Islamic and has more to lose on the long term in welcoming the followers of Muhammad with the ideology of Islam since it fragments it own people and societies due to an incompatible system of values. Former Muslim, Magdi Allam thought that Mosques are the terror factories of Islamic terrorism and that open borders must be stopped to defeat islamic terrorism; that we should stop believing in the myth of “moderate Islam”. Allam also declared that in Sousse, a Tunisian Islamic ISIS terrorist massacred 45 tourists who were sunbathing on the beach, the Tunisian government ordered the closure of 80 mosques calling them ‘terrorist hideouts’. Hence, Allam made the point that if the Muslim governments warn that mosques are ‘dens of terrorism’, we cannot behave more Islamic than the Islamists, granting blindly the mosques to the Islamic militants. He said: “It is time for our government to stop chasing the chimera of sponsoring mosques of a ‘moderate Islam,’ adding: “The truth is that there is only one Islam because there is only one Koran and one Muhammad.” Allam dismissed claims deporting terrorists reduced terror, stating the mosques would just produce replacements. “If we scratch the tip of the iceberg without undermining the iceberg, it will not save us from catastrophe. In this case, the iceberg is a ‘terror factory’ that starts from the hate preaching in mosques and sites where the Islamic holy war is promoted, the practice of brainwashing which transforms the faithful into robots of death, leads to enlistment and training to arms, and culminates in a terror attack”, Allam argued, and questioned: ““What sense does it make to raise the level of alert in our ports if we continue to have open borders that bring hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants without papers and without identification?” Campaigns against islamophobia are generally held by islamic migrants who may themselves be ignorant about the atrocities of their religion on non-muslim civilisation or simple-minded leftist movements who do not understand islamic doctrines and their history of wars against classic civilisation and have become brainwashed puppets in encouraging speech suppression techniques on constructive criticism of Islam. Islamophobia or Islamorealism? There is no such thing as Islamophobia for non-muslims but rather “Islamorealism”. Any non-muslim who is not Islamophobic yet is either ignorant [brainwashed by leftist media who are ignorant and have not studied Islamic literature], stupid or suicidal towards his own civilisation. If non-muslims read and understood the Koran, then they should all logically be Islamophobic, because there is no reason or long term benefit for a non-muslim to support or protect Islam. Islam is about war, and about the destruction all non-muslim civilisations by every possible means for a total Islamic world, that is the goal, and indeed the most guaranteed way to reach heaven according to Islam, is to die in the war for its expansion; those who die of natural causes are not ensured a place in heaven as those who die fighting the Jihad war, as we can quote on reaching heaven: “Those who kill and are killed for the sake of Allah (Sura 3:156; 9:111)” and those who “emigrate (participate in hijra) for the purpose of ‘cultural jihad’ (Sura 4:100)”. Muhammad was a ruthless murderer of non-Muslims that Islam depicts as the perfect Muslim who dedicated his life to expanding the Islamic empire that all Muslims should imitate since his every actions are perfection, i.e. “Sunna”. Jihad violence, beheadings and sexual slavery is not extreme to Islam, it is part of a bedouin-styled warrior tradition where the killing of non-muslims is commonplace and promoted as the ‘perfect’ Islamic path based on the life of Muhammad in ensuring the islamisation of the world while cleaning the world of the impure “Kaffirs” [non-muslims] and subjugate the unbelievers (Koran 9:29). We can come to this deduction from the statement of the French islamist Mohammed Merah’s mother at a family meeting after her son, in three expeditions murdered seven people: « Mon fils a mis la France à genoux. Je suis fière de ce que mon fils vient d’accomplir ! » [French for: “My son brought France to its knees. I am proud of what my son has just accomplished! »]. According to one of Mohammed Merah’s brothers Abdelghani, the radicalisation of his brothers Abdelkader and Mohammed and his sister Souad is the result of the “fertile ground” spread by his parents; his mother taught them, for example, that “Arabs were born to hate Jews”. “Whoever changes his Islamic religion, then kill him.” (Sahih Bukhari Vol 9, Book 84, Number 57) “I have been made victorious with terror.” – Prophet Muhammad (Sahih Bukhari 4.52.220) Hence, the idea that terror has no religion would have some as a bit of a surprise to a certain prophet. As Sam Harris also pointed out, “When it says in the Qu’ran (8:12), ‘Smite the necks of the infidels’, some people may read that metaphorically… nowhere in these books does God counsel a metaphorical or otherwise loose interpretation of his words.” “Quran (5:33) says that I can be crucified. Should I fear crucifixion? Or, is that phobic?” asked Bill Warner. “We must stop the stupid blindness to jihadism, which consists in saying that it has nothing to do with Islam“, declared Salman Rushdie. “Islam is not a race… islam is an ideology or simply a set of beliefs and it is not islamophobic to declare that it is incompatible with liberal democracy,” observed Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who also added, “there is a huge difference between being tolerant and tolerating intolerance.” Sharia is the supreme code of ethics [justice system] in Islam, while in the societies of the civilised world, we tend to have a constitution. But to Islam, our constitution is considered as “Jahiliyah”, which is ignorance, which means that it is not Muslim, it is not Islam, it is not Allah, it is man-made so it must be destroyed and taken down. This process of course does not happen overnight, but it is a continuous and gradual process. The Sharia does not accommodate the Kaffir (non-muslim) other than to subjugate the Kaffir; in the Sharia all non-Muslim are less than Muslims, the Kaffir is to be a “Dhimmi”, a sort of third-class citizen. When one civilisation invades another, and when the Islamic civilisation is a supremacist civilisation, it means that the land they emigrate to must become Islamicised. For example, Muslim refugees with health problems demand that the Sharia law be obeyed, and that a woman not be seen or touched by a male physician [and vice-versa]; this is the process of Sharia Law and a process of subjugating, where a civilisation is struggling against another in order to prevail. We have also spectated for the first time in history a mass movement of Muslims into non-Muslim civilisation, and it must be clearly understood that migration (hijra) is a fundamental part of Islam as it is considered as “Sunna” [sacred & perfect] since it was the path of the prophet Muhammad and thus, it is a strong example to be repeated by all good Muslims. Hijra is indispensable to Islam’s goal and central to the unrelenting war of jihad for 1400 years, a war that has laid waste to entire nations, cultures and civilisations. Since 2014, we have seen about than 2.5 million Muslim refugees being resettled in Germany and Europe [an amount that constitutes the average population of a small country, e.g. Lithuania] and this will transform Europe forever as the population breeds and expands [as Islam preaches], overtaxing the welfare economies of its wealthiest nations and altering the cultural landscape beyond recognition. We may be witnessing the demise of Europe, and are in a position where we can observe what is happening and refrain from repeating the same mistakes. As of the 21st of November 2019, a total of 2, 059, 048 (i.e. 2m+) Refugees and Migrants have been resettled into Europe / Source: UN Mediterranean sea and land arrivals According to the Koran, immigration (“hijra”) and “jihad in the cause of Allah” are two sides of the same coin, and we can quote “Those who have believed and those who have emigrated and fought in the cause of Allah – those expect the mercy of Allah” (Koran 2:281); “Indeed, those who have believed and emigrated and fought with their wealth and lives in the cause of Allah and those who gave shelter and aided – they are allies of one another” (Koran 8:72). In Islam, the main purpose of migration (hijra) is to start the Jihad war on Kaffir (non-muslim) civilisation and impose the Sharia law. Under Sharia law other religions are subjected to taxes, domination and humiliation, eventually after enough time, everyone becomes a Muslim as Islam overcrowds the environment. This may take time, even centuries but the beginning of the annihilation of our non-Muslim civilisation has begun due to the deference we pay to Islamic migration and Sharia by refusing to acknowledge the true goals of Islam – complete domination of all aspects of society. For example, in North Africa, Egypt, they were all Christians but today they are Islamic with a few Christians left who will also disappear over time too since we have a clash of civilisations. Low, or unskilled mass migration encouraged by miscalculated policies leads to an organised replacement of the Western working class population and creates competition and social instability among these classes. It also threatens to completely reshape the landscape and culture when the foreign population has a higher growth and birth rate. Western Europe is already struggling to assimilate the unskilled mass who are already here, hence the result of the continued imposition of mass immigration simply means endless systemic and social instability; it is the first time in history that we have seen such a massive shift of population from Islamic lands to what they consider as the Kaffir (non-muslim) lands of the Christian West, and this will lead to a struggle over the centuries but Islamisation must go forward if Islam is to fulfil its mission as instructed by their prophet Muhammad. The Kaffir (non-muslim) is the unbeliever, the infidel, and everything about the Kaffir is bad according to Islam and must be taken down. As we know, Jews are taught from the Talmud that non-Jews are inferior, worthless and disposable; the Koran also teaches muslim men that they are superior to the Kaffir, and that Kaffir (non-Muslim) women are worth less than cattle and Allah has permitted them to do what they please with Kaffir women, what could possibly go wrong? During the New Year’s celebrations on 31 December 2015, a wave of collective sexual assaults, robberies, and at least two cases of rape – all directed against women – are reported across Germany, mainly in Cologne, but also in Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and Austria. In Germany, in addition to Cologne, eleven cities are affected: Hamburg, Stuttgart, Bielefeld and Düsseldorf mainly. 12 of the 16 Länder [Federal States] were affected in an upwardly revised balance sheet on 24 January 2016. The number of aggressors is estimated at 1,500 in Cologne alone. The attacks are coordinated and committed by groups of 2 to 40 men, described as North African or Arab. The suspects are mainly asylum seekers and/or illegal immigrants. The number of complaints in Cologne increased steadily from 4 to 21 January, reaching 30 on Monday 4 January to 1,088 on 17 February involving more than 1,049 victims. The silence of the police and the media, the police laxity, the statements by the Mayor of Cologne blaming German women and the delay in reporting the facts by the media, especially the public service broadcasters (ARD, ZDF and others), were strongly criticised in the days that followed. Then, six weeks after the facts, the German police made an update on the investigation. In Cologne, of the 1,088 complaints filed, 470 concerned sexual assaults and 618 robberies, assaults or injuries. According to the alleged victims and Cologne police chief Wolfgang Albers, who was forced to retire on 8 January 2016, the men responsible for the attacks are “Arab or North African in appearance”, aged between 15 and 35 years, and do not speak German. The police report on the investigation of North African offenders states: “Since 2011, offenders from North African countries, particularly Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, have accounted for a significant proportion of pickpocketing in Cologne. This group is prone to violence and frequently uses weapons, such as knives or tear gas. As of the evening of 21 January 2016, the 30 suspects identified are all North African. As the investigation progresses, the German Federal Police identify 73 suspects, 18 of whom have asylum seeker status, the others being in an illegal situation. This group includes 30 Moroccans, 27 Algerians, 3 Tunisians, 1 Libyan, 1 Iranian, 4 Iraqis, 3 Syrians and 3 Germans3. Only 12 of these suspects are suspected of sexual assault. On 5 April 2016, according to a report published by the local authorities, of the 153 people suspected of having committed assaults, particularly sexual assaults during the New Year 2016, 103 are of Moroccan or Algerian nationality. 68 of them have asylum seeker status and 18 are in an illegal situation in Germany. [See: Agressions sexuelles du Nouvel An 2016 en Allemagne] So, we can ask ourselves the question whether the clueless politicians who represent non-muslims will likely encounter horrific surprises when they choose to fully welcome thousands of Muslim refugees constituted by mostly men; whom many have suggested are a muslim “army” of migrants looking for opportunities on the Western social security (free money, free housing, free education and free healthcare) and to carry their Islamic duty since they know that they will find a place in the Islamic communities that are already established across the major cities of Europe, and for the most are not refugees facing a serious humanitarian crisis since the number of males are significantly higher than women. Muslim walking with the Islamic State flag in broad daylight, Paris, France. Two of the terrorists involved in the Paris attacks entered France as “Syrian refugees”, while an Islamic State (ISIS) commander was arrested in Germany while posing as a Syrian refugee. Letters from jihadists also revealed plans to hide terrorists among refugees, and in recent times ISIS threatened to release 500 000 migrants who have sworn allegiance to Islamic State to cause chaos in Europe. It is also important to consider that the refugees crisis was ignored by neighbouring countries in the Islamic world; Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain have not offered any resettlement places to Syrian refugees when Saudi Arabia had about 100 000 air conditioned tents that could house 3 million people that are empty, but the Saudi Arabian King Salman instead offers to build 200 mosques in Germany. As we know hijra and jihad work together, there are also other forms of jihad except from the jihad of violence, we have the jihad of speech [e.g. Islam means peace], the jihad of writing [e.g. accusations of islamophobia], and the jihad of money [e.g. Saudi Arabian prince donated millions to major educational businesses such as Harvard, Yale and other core US institutions for the purpose of cultural jihad, i.e. to never criticise Islam and indirectly support the progression of Sharia]. The cultural jihad is composed of the jihads of speech, writing and money and are is much more powerful than the jihad of violence since it is what brings a civilisation closer to Sharia; and Sharia annihilates a civilisation. This graph shows how over centuries [700 years approx.] Islam grew and drowned the initial Christian population of Turkey. Note that this is a graph from facts of Islamic history and an example of one of the many societies and people Islam erased. Nowadays, muslims do not remain in Islamic territory, but migrate to Kaffir lands and involve themselves in various forms of militant political action to bring Sharia to Kaffir culture. In Islam, Migration is not as we Westerners see it since for us migration may simply mean an individual gain – a better job for instance. But for Islam, migration [known as “Hijra”] was the beginning of Muhammad’s success, since it is through hijra [migration] that he conquered so much land and spread Islam. Our calendars are maked with B.C. and A.D., but Muslim calendars are marked with HJ (in the year of Hijra). Muslim calendar does not begin with Muhammad’s birth or death, but starts with Muhammad’s hijra (migration) from Mecca to Medina [this shows the importance of migration is Islam to fight the Jihad war on Kaffir (non-muslim) civilisation]. Hijra [migration] is so important in Islam that the calendar of Muslim’s start with it; because it was hijra [migration] that led to the creation of Jihad in Medina, and it was Jihad that made Islam triumphant. If it was not for Hijra (migration), there would no Islam today; hijra turned Islam as the fastest growing religion in the world. Islam is one of the fastest growing 3rd world religions: In the next half century or so, Christianity’s long reign as the world’s largest religion may come to an end, according to a just-released report that builds on Pew Research Center’s original population growth projections for religious groups Muhammad preached islam for 13 years and converted 150 Arabs to Islam. After he migrated to Medina, he became a politician and a great jihadist (warlord) which led to every Arab in Arabia to convert to Islam and hence become muslims. As we said, the process of the Islamic conquest does not happen overnight. Islam crushed Anatolia, which is now known as Turkey in 1453, but it took centuries for all of the Sharia law to dominate Turkey and turn it completely Islamic; so it is a slow process but it is a process that has always worked. For example, the Middle-East used to be Christian, then it was conquered by Islam, the Sharia Law was implemented, the Christians became “Dhimmis” and were eliminated over a couple of centuries. Syria, Lebanon and all the nations of Northern Africa (incl. Egypt) were Christian nations before Christianity was replaced with Islam. Afghanistan was Buddhist, Iran was Zoroastrian, and Pakistan was Hindu before their civilisations and cultures were consumed by Islam as a result of jihad by hijra (migration). Hijra, Islamic Migration Those who call themselves “moderate” Muslims may seem normal to Westerners, but it is important to understand that it takes only a few to be leaders, which does not mean that every single Muslim we encounter is unfriendly or is all about Sharia Law, many may not even know what it means. However, their Imam and their leaders in the Muslim brotherhood know, and they are the people who influence the mass; the point people who drive the dialogue in the media and influence politics for migration and Islamic expansion to create “Eurabia”. Hence, although a Muslim may be friendly to non-muslims, all Muslims accept and abide by the Sharia Laws, otherwise they would not be Muslims; because Sharia is the codification of the Koran and is the path (Sunna) of their prophet Muhammad, hence if a Muslim rejects Sharia, then he is rejecting the “Sunna” of Muhammad and the Koran. Sheikh Muhammad Ayed ordered Muslims fleeing Iraq, Syria and northern Africa to show the world what a fertile culture looks like. “They have lost their fertility, so they look for fertility in their midst We will give them fertility!” the imam said during a sermon at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque. “We will breed children with them, because we shall conquer their countries – whether you like it or not, oh Germans, oh Americans, oh French, oh Italians, and all those like you. Take the refugees!” “We shall soon collect them in the name of the coming caliphate. We will say to you: These are our sons. Send them, or we will send our armies to you”, Ayed said. So, it does not seem unlikely for terrorists to exploit any refugee crisis because it is a chance that may never be repeated. This was translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute [MEMRI], a non profit organisation started in 1998 to monitor Arab media. Migration [hijra] is a tactic part of the Jihad war that Muhammad preached to Muslims, and hence it is a sacred path (Sunna) to be followed by Muslims in the Islamic conquest, i.e. the process of “hijra” [which simply means migration]. Therefore, we see that Jihad does not only exist in a violent form but also in the form of migration [and mass breeding and other political and financial ways to ease Islamisation] which also annihilates a civilisation gradually as it outnumbers the initial resident population; once Muslims are the majority, it becomes easier to impose their rules and dominate the society through various means; this can be a very slow process, starting from a small area where Islam imposes itself [e.g. Mosques and other Islamic cultural centres], but Islam has never lost its territorial gains and the growth is never ending and eventually it drowns the native population as it has done for 1400 years of migration, conquest, conversion and eventually complete take over. Marwan Muhammad, spokesperson for the Collectif Contre l’Islamophobie en France (CCIF) said: “Qui a le droit de dire que la France dans 30 ou 40 ans ne sera pas un pays musulman? Qui a le droit? Personne dans ce pays n’a le droit de nous enlever ça. Personne n’a le droit de nous nier cet esport là. De nous nier le droit d’esperer dans une société globale fidèle à l’Islam. Personne n’a le droit dans ce pays de définir pour nous ce qu’est l’identité Française.” [French for: “Who has the right to say that France in 30 or 40 years will not be a Muslim country? Who has the right? No one in this country has the right to take that away from us. No one has the right to deny us this hope. To deny us the right to hope in a global society faithful to Islam. No one in this country has the right to define for us what French identity is.“] This is a statement that shows complete indifference and even lack of concern or respect for the values and identity of the societies that allows Islam on their territory and in their societies; this shows that Islam is a supremacist movement that does not aim to and cannot assimilate. When a French muslim feels that he first belongs to his foreign religious origins he seems to indirectly suggest that the game of “secularism” and “living together” [vivre ensemble] should be over, and with veils, burkinis, religious laws and sometimes weapons Islamist groups simply send the message that they remain Muslims first and have decided to pay no attention to the culture and values of the nations that “accepted” them. We know from Islam’s history that when it migrates to another nation, that nation starts to be eaten away by a long and slow process of the Sharia, and over time [even centuries], the Kaffir (non-Muslim) nation falls as we have learned from history as the society eventually becomes Islamic since Islam is supremacist and does not aim to assimilate but to impose itself and dominate because of its Sharia laws. Mohammed Mahdi Akef, the head of the Muslim Brotherhood from 2004 to 2010 said, “I have complete faith that Islam will invade Europe and America, because Islam has logic and a mission. The jihad will lead to smashing Western Civilisation and replacing it with Islam which will dominate the world.” Most in Europe Admit that Islam is incompatible In a study conducted by the Berlin Social Centre in 2015, 73% of Muslims in France consider religious Sharia laws to be above those of the State. To reach this conclusion the people surveyed responded “YES” to the 3 questions: (i) Muslims must return towards the roots of faith; (ii) There is only one interpretation of the Koran. Every Muslim must abide to it; (iii) Religious rules are more important than the law. A wise Arab tells Muslims the truth about themselves An unconventional and smart Arab critises the Islamic world Billet Retour à Bagdad : un léger vent d’espoir après 15 ans de violences Kamal Saleem: A Muslim Cries Out to Jesus The 20th century has been seeing many intellectuals and religious scholars study the Islamic texts deeply to assess the claims made and considered as divine authority for Muslims, and also the legitimacy of Muhammad as Allah’s [God] prophet. Many questionable statements and contradictory parts can be found in islamic doctrines. On the question of man’s creation by Allah, at (96:1-2) it is said that Allah created man from blood, then water (25:54); then clay (15:26), then dust (30:20), and also from nothing (3:47). On Kaffirs: They lost their own souls, who will not believe (6:12), then (Allah) causes to stray whom He wills (16:93) [This seems to suggest that Allah could guide someone out of the rules of Islam for a higher purpose]. Does Allah command to do evil? The answer is No (7:328) and also Yes (17:16). Will intercession be possible at the Day of Judgement? We are told “No” (2:122-123, 254) and also “Yes” (20:109). On whether the slander of chaste women be forgiven, we are told yes (24:4-5) and also no (24:23). It is also said that Earth was created before heaven (2:29), then we are told the opposite, i.e. heaven created before Earth (79:27-30). Koran 3:20, we are told that if unbelievers turn reject the message leave them be, your duty is to “convey the message; then we are also told that if unbelievers reject the message fight them until all religion is “for Allah” (8:38-39). On the act of creation, we are told that it is an act of “bringing together” (41:11), but also that creation was an act of “splitting apart” (21:30). Regarding the identity of the first muslim we are told that it was Muhammad (6:14, 6:163, 39:12), then Moses (7:143) and also some Egyptians (26:51). Ibn Umar reported Allah’s messenger as saying that a non-Muslim eats in seven intestines while a Muslim eats in one intestine (Sahih Muslim vol.III, no. 5113 Chapter DCCCLXII). Abu Huraira reported Allah’s apostle saying, “People should avoid lifting their eyes towards the sky while supplicating in prayer, otherwise their eyes would be snatched away“ (Sahih Muslim vol.I, no. 863 Chapter CLXXIII). Abu Haraira: “Allah’s apostle said, if a fly fall in the vessel of any of you, let him dip all of it into the vessel and then throw it away, for in one of its wings there is disease and in the other wing there is healing” (Sahih Al-Bukhari vol. VII, no. 673). The prophet ordered them to go to the herd of camels and drink their milk and urine (Sahih Al-Bukhari vol.I no. 234). On the topic of alcohol we can also find contradictory comments. Most non-Muslims are aware that Muslims are not supposed to drink alcohol and from the Koran the case seems both open and shut. In Koran 5:90, it is said: “O you who believe! Strong drink and games of chance and idols and divine arrows are only an infamy of Satan’s handiwork. Leave it aside that you may succeed.” So, we can deduce here that alcohol is an infamy of “Satan’s handiwork”, but in the Koran 4:43, we see that Islam does not take believers to task for drinking but only say that they should not come to pray when they are drunk. In Chapter 16 of the Koran, Allah reminds people of all the blessings that he bestows on humanity. He also lists: “And from the fruit of the date-palm and the vine, ye get out wholesome drink and food: behold, in this also is a sign for those who are wise.” (Koran 16:67). It is important to consider that the “wholesome drink” here is not grape juice; the Arabic word is “sakaran” and a version of the same word is used in Koran 4:43, “sakura” to describe drunkenness; so it can be translated as “intoxicating drink” which is described as Allah’s blessing to humanity but which is also “Satan’s handiwork” – this is contradictory. To make things even more complicated, Muslims are told that they will drink wine (Satan’s handiwork?) in paradise (Koran 47:5, 83:22). If the following comments were made by myself or any other Westerner, it would be considered as completely unacceptable, we would most likely be accused of “hate speech”, be described as Islamophobic imbeciles or racists, and end up in a range of legal troubles in many parts of the so called “civilised” world, e.g.: (i) Muslims are the worst kind of animals; (ii) Be merciful to one another but hard towards Muslims; (iii) Muslims are perverse; (iv) Strike terror into the hearts of Muslims and strike off their heads and fingertips; (v) Fight the Muslims who are near you; (vi) When Muslims make mischief against you murder and crucify them. Yet, we should now ask ourselves whether these same comments if made against non-Muslims would be considered as “hate speech”, because these exact statements can be found in the Koran towards those who reject Allah and his prophet Muhammad: (i) Surely the vilest of animals in Allah’s sight are those who disbelieve (8:55); (ii) Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And those with him are hard (ruthless) against the disbelievers (Kaffirs) and merciful among themselves (48:29) [according to some theologians, the second most important teaching of Islam whic means that Muslims are to love what Allah loves, i.e. Islam and Muslims, and hate and despise what Allah hates and despises, i.e. Kaffirs; we have a dual-system here where Muslims are to be treated in one way and non-Muslims in another, hence the separation of civilisations]; (iii) And the Jews say: Ezra is the son of Allah, and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah… Allah (himself) fights against them. How perverse are they! (9:30); (iv) I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore, strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them (8:12); (v) O you who believe! Fight those of the unbelievers who are near to you and let them find in you hardness (9:123); (vi) The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and his messenger and strike to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides (5:33). As we can see, Islam has a treatment for Muslims and another for non-Muslims. When Muhammad cut off the heads of 800 Jews in Medina, to Muslims this was a great victory for Islam, to Kaffirs [i.e. non-Muslims] it was an evil act of terror. The intellectual, Bill Warner, argued that Islam wants to win the race to be the supreme people/civilisation and the non-Muslim civilisation just want to tie, and in the sports field the side who wants to tie is crushed, and unless the non-Muslim civilisation decides that it wants to win at all cost and prevail in the future it will be crushed eventually and its people will become “Dhimmis” since Islam works that way as it can be seen from its history of 1400 years of ruthless Islamic conquest. Muhammad was an incredibly successful and talented speaker, warlord and military tactician who expanded his population and empire while imposing his ideology and taught his followers [muslims] to put Islam before everything, including their own lives & to deceive if necessary to protect and propagate it. Victims of Terrorist Attacks in Western Europe since 1970 / Source: Statista Hence to be able to counter the islamisation of the West founded on Christian heritage and thought, people must know Islam, use fact-based reasoning from reliable sources [e.g. the Islamic religious texts and their history], not subjective opinions that do not affect Islam’s foundation, and also know Islam’s history of persecution and slavery, refrain from the vague and questionable concept of “political correctness” [which is simply a set of rules implemented by ignorant bureaucrats] and discuss rational solutions to defend and prioritise our civilisation and ensure its supremacy and continuity. To counter and discourage the promotion of Islamic ideology in Switzerland, many areas have implemented a ban on the “burqa” [an enveloping outer garment worn by women in some Islamic traditions to cover themselves in public, which hides the body and the face] with fines reaching up to £ 8000. The cult of Muhammad, Islam, has claimed 270 million lives in 1400 years, this is 528 people per day and about 22 people every hour, this is 9 times more than Stalin and the German Reich combined. The university professor, islamologist and historian Marie-Thérèse Urvoy denounced the pathos used to promote a “theology of peace” that denies Islam’s violent potential stating: “Violent ou modéré, le devoir de tout musulman est de faire triompher l’islam.” [French for: “Violent or moderate, the duty of every Muslim is to make Islam triumph.”] To counter Islamisation and defend our civilisation, it is important to foster debates based on critical thought and not supress them, because it is only through all points of views debated that we can work out the truth and find a solution. We could also be asking ourselves why isn’t the history of persecution of non-Muslims by Islam taught at schools on a similar level to the horrors of World War II? Hinduism does not trace its origin to a particular founder, does not have any prophets, no set creed, and no institutional structure, but instead focuses on the ‘right way of living’ (dharma) rather than a set of doctrines. It embraces a variety of religious beliefs and practices. Variations exist across different parts of India where it was founded, differences in practice can be found even from village to village in the deities worshipped, the scriptures used, and the festivals observed. Those of the Hindu faith may be either theists or non-theists, and revere one or more gods or goddesses, or none, and instead represent the ultimate in personal (e.g. Brahma) or impersonal (e.g. Brahman) terms. Over 500 million Hindus exist today. Most forms of Hinduism assume and promote the idea of reincarnation or transmigration. The process of birth and rebirth continuing for life after life is a process referred to and termed ‘samsara’. The state of rebirth (pleasant or unpleasant) is believed to be the results of karma, the law by which the consequences (good or bad) of actions reflect when life is transmigrating from one form to another which influences its character. Hindus’ ultimate spiritual goal is maksha – release from the cycle of samara. No specific text is regarded as specifically authoritative unlike any other religion, Hinduism is based on a rich and varied literature with the earliest dating from Vedic period (c.1500-c500BC), known collectively as the Veda. Later (c.500BC-AD500) the religious law books (dharma sutras and dharma shastras) surfaced; they codified the classes of society (varna) and the four stages of life (ashrama), and formed the basis of the Indian caste system. The great epics were added to these, notably the Ramayana and the Mahabharata which includes one of the most influential Hindu scriptures, the Bhagavad Gita. The concept of Hinduism is founded centrally on the caste system which is believed to have been structured since the first Aryans came to India and brought a three-tiered social structure of priests (brahmanas), warriors (Kshatriyas), and commoners (vaishyas), to which they added the serfs (shudras), the indigenous population of India which may have been hierarchically structured. The Rig Veda (10.90) gives sanction to the class system (varna), describing each class as coming from the body of the sacrificed primal person (purusha). Orthodox Hindus regard the class system which is derived from the caste system as a sacred structure in harmony with natural or cosmic law (dharma). The system of class developed into the caste (jati) system which exists today and there are thousands of castes within India based on inherited profession and concepts of purity and pollution. The upper castes are generally regarded as ritually and philosophically purer than the lower ones. While this practice was outlawed in 1951, a number of castes are still considered so ‘polluting’ that their members are known as ‘untouchables’ [too ‘polluting’ to be touched or meddled with], thus marriage between castes is forbidden and transgressors have been known to be harshly punished. Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma are the main chief gods in Hinduism, and together form the triad (the Trimurti). Many lesser deities also exist, such as the goddesses Maya and Lakshmi. It is common to most Hindus to go on pilgrimages to local and regional worship sites with an annual cycle of local, regional and all-Indian festivals. Shiva: The Almighty Shaivism is the main religious school in Hinduism and is devoted primarily to the worship of the god Shiva, who is thought to be the creator, the preserver, the transformer, the concealer and the revealer [through his blessings]. In the Smriti tradition, he is considered as one of the five primordial forms of God. Shiva is often revered in the abstract form of Shiva-Lingam, and is also represented in deep meditation, or dancing the tandava in the form of Nataraja. The theonym Shiva comes from an epithet of Rudra, the adjective Shiva “kind, lovable” euphemistically used for the god, who in the Rig-Veda also carries the epithet ghora “terrible”. Shiva is the god of destruction, illusion and ignorance. He represents destruction but the aim of it is for the creation of a new world: Shiva transforms, and leads the manifestation through the “stream of forms”. Shiva’s emblem is the lingam [phallic representation], a symbol of creation associated with yoni, a stone slab representing the female organ: the matrix of the world. By the union of lingam and yoni, the absolute unfolding un the world proves that it overcomes male-female or spiritual-material antagonism. The Lingam is often anointed with buffalo milk, cow milk or coconut milk and ghee (clarified butter) or surrounded by fruits, sweets, leaves and flowers as offerings of appeasement to Lord Shiva for all the pain he endured for humanity. The immensely powerful god is known for his unpredictable nature with a short, punitive and devastating temper in the face of evil and wrong, but he can also be incredibly affectionate, kind and generous to his worshippers, especially if they are righteous and devout. Lingam also represents the cosmos, but also the power to know the conscience as the axis of reality. No longer oriented towards the natural end of life force and incarnation, the phallus erected towards the sky represents the gathering of the energies of the yogi on the sensible plane and their conversion to a subtle level. In Brahmanic Shaivism, the fundamental phallic characters of the lingam are always found clearly, both in the legends explaining the origin of this cult and in the bodily qualities occasionally attributed to the God. As portrayed in deep meditation, he has his eyes half-closed, for he opens them when the world is created and closes them to end the universe and begin a new cycle. According to legend, Shiva and Vishnu went to a forest to fight 10 000 heretics. Furious, they sent a tiger, a snake and fierce black dwarf armed with a club. Shiva killed the tiger [he is traditionally seen sitting on a tiger’s skin], since “master of creatures”, “master of the herd” and “master of nature” [Pashupati], he tamed the snake and placed it around his neck as a collar [a symbol of control of passions] and placed his foot on the black dwarf and performed a dance developing with such power that the dwarf and heretics recognised him as their lord. Shiva dancing represents the universal and eternal soul radiating all the energy (shakti), in particular by the symbol of destructive and creative fire. This continuous dance generates the succession of days and nights, the cycle of seasons and that of birth and death. Eventually, his energy will cause the destruction of the universe, but he will then recreate it. This creative dance of the world symbolises the eternal process. Shiva and Dionysus Shiva & Dionysus According to the French orientalist, Alain Daniélou (October 4, 1956 – January 27, 1963), also known as “Shiva Sharan” (the protégé of Lord Shiva), a member of the French Institute of Indology and the French School of the Far East (1963 – 1977) and director of the International Institute of Comparative Sciences of Music in Berlin and Venice, Shiva and Dionysus lead to the worship of a common cult in Europe and maintained that we would be swept away by India. Alain Daniélou (1956 – 1963) / Source: alaindanielou.org “In India, we can revive and understand sometimes almost completely the rites and beliefs that were those of the Mediterranean world and the Middle East in antiquity.” – Alain Daniélou, Shiva and Dionysus, Fayard 1979 Daniélou opposes two types of religions (one agricultural and the other urban) based on the work of Mircea Eliade. In this logic, he argues that the cult of a naturist and phallic god, assimilated to the the bull, would be a universal model but that this belief would have been marginalised by the expansion of monotheistic urban culture. According to Daniélou always, not only the two divinities, Greek and Indian, share many myths in common, but in addition their epithets have comparable meanings. “[…] Dionysos is the Protogonos (the Firstborn) as Shiva is Prathamaja (Firstborn), the” oldest of the gods “, also called Bhaskar (Bright) or Phanes (the illuminator) in the tradition Orphic. This god who teaches the fundamental unity of things is called Shiva (benevolent) or Meilichios (benevolent). He is Nisah (Bliss), the god of Naxos or Nysa. The very name of Dionysus probably means the “god of Nysa” (the sacred mountain of Shiva) as Zagreus is the god of Mount Zagron. Shiva-Dionysus is also Bhairava (the Terrible) or Bromios (the Noisy), Rudra or Eriboas (the Howler). […] » – Alain Daniélou, Shiva and Dionysos, Fayard 1979 Like Christianity & the other major religions, Hinduism too gradually spread in influence across the globe. However, 94% of people who practice Hinduism are the native Hindi-speaking population of India Inde : Quand les Millionnaires se Font Moines Some Western religious scholars have proposed a possible connection between Christianity and its founding philosophies with the origins of Hindu dharma. Many Christian rites have similarities from Vedic literature, hence the position of some scholars [See: Western Historians believe Christianity might have roots in Hindu dharma]. Others have pointed the kernel of scientific truth in a number of rituals from Hinduism, although solid empirical evidence is lacking [See: 20 reasons why Hinduism is a very scientific religion], and how Hinduism predicted many recent scientific practices through its mythological stories, such as cloning and embryo transfer [See: What are proven scientific facts that are said in Hindu mythology?] Judaism is the religion of the Jews where the central belief in one God is the foundation. The primary source of Judaism is the Hebrew Bible, with the next important document being the Talmud, which consists of the Mishnah (the codification of the oral Torah) along with a series of rabbinical commentary. Jewish practice and thought however would be shaped by later documents, commentaries & the standard code of Jewish law and ritual (Halakhah) produced in the late Middle Ages. Communal Life Peinture: Sandrine Arbon Most Jews see themselves as members of a group whose origins lie in the patriarchal period – however varied the Jewish community may be. There is a marked preference for expressing beliefs and attitudes more through rituals that through abstract doctrine. In Jewish rituals, the family is the basic unit although the synagogue too has developed to play an important role in being a centre for community study and worship. The Sabbath, a period starting from sunset on Friday and ending at sunset on Saturday is a central part of religious observance in Judaism with a cycle every year comprising of festivals and days of fasting, the first of these being Rosh Hashanah, New Year’s Day; in the Jewish year, the holiest day is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement – others include Hanukkah and Pesach, the family festival of Passover. Rabbinic Judaism is the root of modern Judaism with a diverse historical development. Most Jews today are the descendants of either Ashkenazim or Sephardim, while many other branches of Judaism also exist. The preservation of ‘traditional’ Judaism is generally linked to the Orthodox Judaism movement of the 19c. Other branches, such as Reform Judaism attempt to interpret Judaism in the light of modern scholarship and knowledge, a process pushed further by Liberal Judaism – unlike Conservative Judaism which attempts to emphasise on the positives of ancient Jewish traditions in attempts to modify orthodoxy. Modern Controversies Waves of anti-Semitic prejudice and persecution during World War II have been regular features of Western media outlets’ [mostly Jewish owned] focus, who throughout history have clashed with the Christian influenced heritage of European civilisations, and this ongoing tension between Semitic traditions/philosophies/beliefs and Western Christian-influenced cultures was to take a turn when the rise of a form of “patriotic socialism” [neither left or right, but all encompassing] nationalism across Europe was marked by the spectacular election of the talented Adolf Hitler, who had been the leader of the National Socialist party [Nationalsozialismus later tarnished as “NAZI” by a jew known as Konrad Heiden from the Social Democratic Party of Germany (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands)] in Germany, and implemented the core ideologies of National Socialism [a focus on self-sustainability and socio-cultural and economic independence while creating a healthier – psychologically & physically – nation] with Darwinian influence on policies, along with developing the arts and a philosophy centred around science and research. Exaggeration surrounding the event known as “the holocaust” based on Communist propaganda, Global Zionist interests, along with the credulity of mediocre politicians across the globe, has today been implanted in the minds of the ignorant mass media consumer as being the “dark legacy” of Adolf Hitler when no solid evidence has ever been found of him giving any order to exterminate the jews. This exaggerated picture that the media had already been circulating to the disapproval of some leading world figures such as John Kennedy and Gandhi [Article: Quand Gandhi écrivait à son « cher ami »… Adolf Hitler], is still being reviewed by a wave of daring, talented and modern historians of whom many have questioned and challenged the credibility of the facts used for claims of gas chambers used to exterminate the Jews; revisionist have claimed that gas chambers were not present or inadequate to be used as gas chambers on most of German soil. More testimonies of camp survivors gave notes of swimming pool, orchestras, shower rooms and even a canteen, without ever mentioning gas chambers. Others explained how the media propaganda videos of mass deaths with emaciated bodies were due to the outbreak of Typhus carried by lice which was caused by low hygiene due to the Allied bombing of train tracks which restricted many cities from supplies of food, medicines & sanitation; causing the starvation and death of not only camp detainees but many German men, women and children who were scavenging the streets for food. A large amount of shower rooms in the camps on German soil were also documented as working shower rooms that were vital for hygiene and the delousing process. English historian David Irving English historian David Irving was jailed for his revision of events linked to Adolf Hitler while other ground breaking documentaries such as ‘The greatest story never told’ by Dennis Wise keep spreading lesser known facts that are never part of mainstream media to the new generation of the internet era who seek factual analysis over historical controversies, such as the 150 000 Jews who gave up their heritage and had firmly assimilated German society in Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich and served loyally against Bolshevism & Communism until the very end. One of the most shocking statement comes from the Jewish Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Ben Porat who thought that Hitler was right to hate the jews for what they “do” [i.e. cause instability through their various business ventures on the various systems of the countries they migrated to, e.g. media control to trigger tension and friction in fields that support their monetary and other interests]. The 1290 Edict of Expulsion from England, the expulsion from France in 1306 to name a few & the Chart showing all the times throughout human history that the Jews have been expelled from the locations they had migrated to. Many books over some despicable practices regarding human sacrifices have been written by a range of non-Jewish intellectuals and thinkers who opposed such vile ancient traditions. Studying the teachings of the Talmud may perhaps offer some hints why the Jews have been persecuted in so many Christian countries and hated by the Pope Innocent III himself. As in our languages Christians take their name from Christ, so in the language of the Talmud Christians are called Notsrim, from Jesus the Nazarene. But Christians are also called by the names used in the Talmud to designate all non-Jews: Abhodah Zarah, Akum, Obhde Elilim, Minim, Nokhrim, Edom, Amme Haarets, Goim, Apikorosim, Kuthrim. The Talmud is the central book of modern Judaism (that is, the one that was built after the coming of Christ). It is probably the most hateful and racist religious text ever written in the history of humanity. Anything is allowed against goyim (“non-Jewish”, in Hebrew, in the singular form, “goy”) who are lowered to the rank of beasts. Christ is insulted and his name blasphemed in the most despicable ways and the Blessed Virgin described as a prostitute. Going by the ignoble mentality transmitted by such a text, it seems to reveal the reason why Ovadia Yosef, Chief Rabbi of Israel, not long ago said: “The Goïm were born only to serve us. Without it, they have no place in the world. » In the Middle Ages, when Christian societies discovered the contents of this book with horror (thanks in particular to converted Jews, see: A List of Publicly known Jews who converted to Christianity), the text was banned and burned (especially under St. Louis). Edited versions were then published by the rabbis for the “general public”. These are still the ones that can be found behind shop windows but they do not reveal the truth about Judaism as seen from the leaders of their community. Here is a collection of some controversial extracts from the original version of the Talmud: Hilkhoth X, 2: Baptized Jews must be put to death. The jews teach that since Christians follow the teachings of that man [Jesus], whom the Jews regard as a Seducer and an Idolater, and since they worship him as God, it clearly follows that they merit the name of idolaters, in no way different from those among whom the Jews lived before the birth of Christ, and whom they taught should be exterminated by every possible means. In the same book Sanhedrin (107b) we read: « Mar said: Jesus seduced, corrupted and destroyed Israel. » The book Zohar, III, (282), tells us that Jesus died like a beast and was buried in that « dirt heap…where they throw the dead bodies of dogs and asses, and where the sons of Esau [the Christians] and of Ismael [the Turks], also Jesus and Mahommed, uncircumcized and unclean like dead dogs, are buried. »(25) In Iore Dea (81,7, Hagah) it says: « A child must not be nursed by a Nokhri, if an Israelite can be had; for the milk of the Nokhrith hardens the heart of a child and builds up an evil nature in him. » In Iore Dea (153,1, Hagah) it says: « A child must not be given to the Akum to learn manners, literature or the arts, for they will lead him to heresy. » In Zohar (1,25b) it says: « Those who do good to the Akum . . . will not rise from the dead. » Hilkhoth X, 6: We can help goyim in need, if it saves us trouble later on. In this way they explain the words of Deuteronomy (VII,2) . . . and thou shalt show no mercy unto them [Goim], as cited in the Gemarah. Rabbi S. Iarchi explains this Bible passage as follows: « Do not pay them any compliments; for it is forbidden to say: how good that Goi is. » Rabbi Bechai, explaining the text of Deuteronomy about hating idolatry, says: « The Scripture teaches us to hate idols and to call them by ignominious names. Thus, if the name of a church is Bethgalia— »house of magnificence, » it should be called Bethkaria—an insignificant house, a pigs’ house, a latrine. For this word, karia, denotes a low-down, slum place. » JESUS is ignominiously called Jeschu—which means, May his name and memory be blotted out. His proper name in Hebrew is Jeschua, which means Salvation. MARY, THE MOTHER OF JESUS, is called Charia—dung, excrement (German Dreck). In Hebrew her proper name is Miriam. CHRISTIAN SAINTS, the word for which in Hebrew is Kedoschim, are called Kededchim (cinaedos)—feminine men (Fairies). Women saints are called Kedeschoth, whores. A CHRISTIAN GIRL who works for Jews on their sabbath is called Schaw-wesschicksel, Sabbath Dirt. Eben Haezar 44, 8: Marriages between goyim and Jews are void. Since the Goim minister to Jews like beasts of burden, they belong to a Jew together with his life and all his faculties: « The life of a Goi and all his physical powers belong to a Jew. » (A. Rohl. Die Polem. p.20) It is an axiom of the Rabbis that a Jew may take anything that belongs to Christians for any reason whatsoever, even by fraud; nor can such be called robbery since it is merely taking what belongs to him. In Babha Bathra (54b) it says: « All things pertaining to the Goim are like a desert; the first person to come along and take them can claim them for his own. » In Babha Kama (113b) it says: « It is permitted to deceive a Goi. » The Babha Kama (113b) says: « The name of God is not profaned when, for example, a Jew lies to a Goi by saying: ‘I gave something to your father, but he is dead; you must return it to me,’ as long as the Goi does not know that you are lying. » (4) cf. supra, p.30, A similar text is found in Schabbuoth Hagahoth of Rabbi Ascher (6d): « If the magistrate of a city compels Jews to swear that they will not escape from the city nor take anything out of it, they may swear falsely by saying to themselves that they will not escape today, nor take anything out of the city today only. » In Zohar (I, 160a) it says: « Rabbi Jehuda said to him [Rabbi Chezkia]: ‘He is to be praised who is able to free himself from the enemies of Israel, and the just are much to be praised who get free from them and fight against them.’ Rabbi Chezkia asked, ‘How must we fight against them?’ Rabbi Jehuda said, ‘By wise counsel thou shalt war against them’ (Proverbs, ch. 24, 6). By what kind of war? The kind of war that every son of man must fight against his enemies, which Jacob used against Esau—by deceit and trickery whenever possible. They must be fought against without ceasing, until proper order be restored. Thus it is with satisfaction that I say we should free ourselves from them and rule over them. » In Choschen Ham. (425,5) it says: « If you see a heretic, who does not believe in the Torah, fall into a well in which there is a ladder, hurry at once and take it away and say to him ‘I have to go and take my son down from a roof; I will bring the ladder back to you at once’ or something else. The Kuthaei, however, who are not our enemies, who take care of the sheep of the Israelites, are not to be killed directly, but they must not be saved from death. » And in Iore Dea (158,1) it says: « The Akum who are not enemies of ours must not be killed directly, nevertheless they must not be saved from danger of death. For example, if you see one of them fall into the sea, do not pull him out unless he promises to give you money. » Lastly, the Talmud commands that Christians are to be killed without mercy. In the Abhodah Zarah (26b) it says: « Heretics, traitors and apostates are to be thrown into a well and not rescued. » And in Choschen Hamm. again (388,15) it says: « If it can be proved that someone has betrayed Israel three times, or has given the money of Israelites to the Akum, a way must be found after prudent consideration to wipe him off the face of the earth. » Even a Christian who is found studying the Law of Israel merits death. In Sanhedrin (59a) it says: « Rabbi Jochanan says: A Goi who pries into the Law is guilty to death. » In Hilkhoth Akum (X, 2) it says: « These things [supra] are intended for idolaters. But Israelites [Jews] also, who lapse from their religion and become epicureans [Christians], are to be killed, and we must persecute them to the end. For they afflict Israel and turn the people from God. » In Choschen Hamm. (425,5) it says: « Jews who become epicureans [Christians], who take to the worship of stars and planets and sin maliciously; also those who eat the flesh of wounded animals, or who dress in vain clothes, deserve the name of epicureans; likewise those who deny the Torah and the Prophets of Israel—the law is that all those should be killed; and those who have the power of life and death should have them killed; and if this cannot be done, they should be led to their death by deceptive methods. » Rabbi David Kimchi writes as follows in Obadiam: « What the Prophets foretold about the destruction of Edom in the last days was intended for Rome, as Isaiah explains (ch. 34,1): Come near, ye nations, to hear . . . For when Rome is destroyed, Israel shall be redeemed. » A JEW WHO KILLS A CHRISTIAN COMMITS NO SIN, BUT OFFERS AN ACCEPTABLE SACRIFICE TO GOD / In Sepher Or Israel (177b) it says: « Take the life of the Kliphoth and kill them, and you will please God the same as one who offers incense to Him. » And in Ialkut Simoni (245c. n. 772) it says: « Everyone who sheds the blood of the impious is as acceptable to God as he who offers a sacrifice to God. » AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE AT JERUSALEM, THE ONLY SACRIFICE NECESSARY IS THE EXTERMINATION OF CHRISTIANS In Zohar (III,227b) the Good Pastor says: « The only sacrifice required is that we remove the unclean from amongst us. » Abhodah Zarah 22a: Do not associate with the goyim; they shed blood. Rashi Erod.22 30: A goy is like a dog. The Scriptures teach us that a dog deserves more respect than a goy. Kerithuth 6b p. 78: Jews are humans, not goyim, they are animals. In Kallah (1b, p.18) it says: « She (the mother of the mamzer) said to him, ‘Swear to me.’ And Rabbi Akibha swore with his lips, but in his heart he invalidated his oath. »(4) Every Jew is therefore bound to do all he can to destroy that impious kingdom of the Edomites (Rome) which rules the whole world. Since, however, it is not always and everywhere possible to effect this extermination of Christians, the Talmud orders that they should be attacked at least indirectly, namely: by injuring them in every possible way, and by thus lessening their power, help towards their ultimate destruction. Wherever it is possible a Jew should kill Christians, and do so without mercy. Jews must spare no means in fighting the tyrants who hold them in this Fourth Captivity in order to set themselves free. They must fight Christians with astuteness and do nothing to prevent evil from happening to them: their sick must not be cared for, Christian women in childbirth must not be helped, nor must they be saved when in danger of death. Zohar I, 28b: The goyim are the children of the Genesis serpent. Yebamoth 98a: All children of goyim are animals Abhodah Zarah 35b: All daughters of unbelievers are niddah (dirty, impure) since birth. Sanhedrin 52b: Adultery is not forbidden with the wife of a goy, because Moses only forbade adultery with “the wife of your similar”, and a goy is not a Hebrew’s similar. Abhodah Zarah 4b: You can kill a goy with your own hands. Hilkhoth goy X, 1: Do not make any agreement with a goy, never show mercy to a goy. You must not have pity on the goyim because it says: “You shall not look at them with pity”. Hilkkkoth X, 1: do not save the goyim in danger of death. Orach Chaiim 57, 6a: No more compassion should be shown for goyim than for pigs, when they are sick of the intestines. Jalkut Rubeni Gadol 12b: The souls of the goyim come from impure spirits called pigs. Babha Kama 113a: Jews can lie and perjure themselves, if it is to deceive or convict a goy. Choschen Ham 26, 1: A Jew should not be prosecuted before a goy court, by a goy judge, or by non-Jewish laws. Babha Kama 113a: Unbelievers do not benefit from the law and God has made their money available to Israel. Pesachim 49b: It is permissible to behead goyim on the day of atonement for sins, even if it also falls on a Sabbath day. Rabbi Eliezer: “It is lawful to cut off the head of an idiot, a member of the people of the Earth (Pranaitis), that is, a carnal animal, a Christian, on the day of atonement for sins and even if that day falls on a Sabbath day”. His disciples replied, “Rabbi! You should rather say “sacrifice” a goy. “But he replied: “In no way! For when a sacrifice is made, it is necessary to pray to ask God to accept it, whereas it is not necessary to pray when you behead someone.” Sanhedrin 58b: If a goy hits a Jew, he must be killed, because it is like hitting God. Chagigah 15b: A Jew is always considered good, despite the sins he may commit. It is always his shell that gets dirty, never his own bottom. Zohar I, 131a: Goyim defile the world. The Jew is a superior being Chullin 91b: Jews possess the dignity that even an angel does not have. Iore Dea 151, 11: It is forbidden to give a gift to a goy, it encourages friendship. Orach Chaiim 20, 2: Goyim dress up to kill Jews. Shabbath 116a (p. 569): Jews must destroy the goyim books (New Testament). Sanhedrin 90a: Those who read the New Testament (Christians) will have no place in the world to come. THOSE WHO KILL CHRISTIANS SHALL HAVE A HIGH PLACE IN HEAVEN In Zohar (I,38b, and 39a) it says: « In the palaces of the fourth heaven are those who lamented over Sion and Jerusalem, and all those who destroyed idolatrous nations … and those who killed off people who worship idols are clothed in purple garments so that they may be recognized and honored. » JEWS MUST NEVER CEASE TO EXTERMINATE THE GOIM; THEY MUST NEVER LEAVE THEM IN PEACE AND NEVER SUBMIT TO THEM In Hilkhoth Akum (X, 1) it says: « Do not eat with idolaters, nor permit them to worship their idols; for it is written: Make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them (Deuter. ch. 7, 2). Either turn away from their idols or kill them. » Ibidem (X,7): « In places where Jews are strong, no idolater must be allowed to remain… » Now, we can ask ourselves a few simple questions here, which is “Could all the people who have banned the Jews be without any reason to do so?” and “Could people simply walk around and suddenly without any reason decide to hate Jews?” and also “If this has happened to them for so many years, is it not likely that the problem is in fact with the Jews themselves?” I believe it is best to leave the audience to answer these questions and reflect on them alone. Quite surprisingly, there were strong ancient Aryan religious & mythological warrior values and motives embedded in the mind of Heinrich Himmler (the Reichsführer of the SS), the person believed to have taken the decision to exterminate the jews, i.e. the engineer of the “Holocaust” (remember the term itself originated from human sacrifices by Jews to their god, Baal). Heinrich Himmler told his personal masseur & physician Felix Kersten that he always carried a copy of the ancient Aryan scripture, the Bhagavad Gita [See Aryan Race & Race Aryenne] with him because it relieved him of the guilt about what he was doing – he declared that he felt like the sacred warrior Arjuna, who was simply doing his duty for his people and their future without attachment to his actions [See the Documentary released in 2014: Himmler: The Decent One, which is made from a collection of letters, notes and journal entries that challenge viewers to see from the perspective of the mind of Himmler and his motivation]. We can also have a range of perspectives from the excellent documentary, Dans la tête des SS [Click here to view Part I and Click here to view Part II] which came out in 2017 and gave a voice to SS veterans to try to “understand the incomprehensible”. Hitler’s Shadow: In The Service Of The Führer However, nowadays, the mainstream mindset about World War II remains stuck on the ‘extermination of the Jews by Hitler’ for most, while no evidence has ever been found of Hitler ordering the extermination of the Jews. Global urgency is given to the Zionist movement, established by the World Zionist Organisation for the creation of a Jewish homeland, which is still pivotal in most relations between Jews and non-Jews to this day, with over 14 million Jews scattered around the world. Ultra-orthodoxes : ces Juifs français devenus religieux History of the Jews – summary from 750 BC to Israel-Palestine conflict Israel-Palestine conflict – summary from 1917 to present “Mais moi, je vous dis: Aimez vos ennemis, bénissez ceux qui vous maudissent, faites du bien à ceux qui vous haïssent, et priez pour ceux qui vous maltraitent et qui vous persécutent…” Matthieu 5:44 Traduction(EN): “But I say to you: Love your enemies and bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you…” [Matthew 5:44] “…afin que vous soyez fils de votre Père qui est dans les cieux; car il fait lever son soleil sur les méchants et sur les bons, et il fait pleuvoir sur les justes et sur les injustes.…” Traduction(EN): “…that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and he makes it rain on the just and on the unjust….” Christianity is a religion that developed out of Judaism, centred on the life of Jesus of Nazareth in Israel. Jesus is believed to be the Messiah or Christ promised by the prophets in the Old Testament, and in a unique relation to God, whose Son or ‘Word’ (Logos) he was proclaimed to be. He selected 12 men as his disciples during his life, who after his death by crucifixion and his resurrection, formed the very nucleus of the Church as a society of believers. Christians gathered together to worship God through the risen Jesus Christ, in the belief of his return to earth and to establish the ‘kingdom of God’. Despite sporadic persecution, the Christian faith saw a quick progression and spread throughout the Greek and Roman world through the witness of the 12 earliest leaders (Apostles) and their successors. In 315 Christianity was declared by Emperor Constantine as the official religion of the Roman Empire. The religion survived the Empire’s split and the ‘Dark Ages’ through the witness of groups of monks in monasteries, and made up the basis of civilisation in Europe in the Middle Ages. Christian scriptures are divided into two testaments: The Old Testament (or Hebrew Bible) is a collection of writings originally composed in Hebrew, except for sections of Daniel and Ezra which are in Aramaic. The contents depict Israelite religion from its roots to about the 2c. The New Testament, composed in Greek, is called so in Christian circles because it is believed to represent a new ‘testament’ or ‘covenant’ in the long history of God’s interactions with his people, focussing on Jesus’s ministries and the early development of the apostolic churches. Differences in doctrines and practices however have led to major divisions in the Christian Church, these are the Eastern or Othodox Churches, the Roman Catholic Church, which recognises the Bishop of Rome (the pope) as head, and the Protestant Churches stemming from the break-up with the Roman Catholic Chuch in the Reformation. The desire to convert the non-Christian world and spread Christianity through missionary movements led to the establishment of numerically strong Churches in developing economies such as Asia, Africa and South America. Image: Jim Caviezel as “the Lord Jesus Christ” in Mel Gibson’s “Passion of the Christ (2004)” [An extract from the incredible depiction of Jesus Christ’s journey can be viewed here] Romain 12:2 : Ne vous conformez pas au monde actuel, mais soyez transformés par le renouvellement de l’intelligence afin de discerner quelle est la volonté de Dieu, ce qui est bon, agréable et parfait. // Traduction(EN): Romans 12:12 : Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Part III: Science ‘Science’ derives from the Latin Scientia, ‘knowledge’, from the verb scire, ‘to know’. For many centuries ‘science’ meant knowledge and what is now termed science was formerly known as ‘natural philosophy’, similar to Newton’s work of 1687, Naturalis Philosophiae Principia Mathematica (‘The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy’). In can be argued that the word ‘science’ itself was not widely used in its general modern meaning until the 19c, and that usage came with the prestige that the scientific method and scientific observation, experimentation and development had by then acquired. The first exact science to emerge from ancient civilisations is astronomy. Astronomical purposes were the guiding force that led to studying the heavens – so that the ‘will of the gods’ may be foreknown – and in order to make a calendar [which would predict events], which had both practical and religious uses. The seven-day week for example is derived from the ancient Egyptians who although not known as excellent mathematicians, had wanted to predict the annual flooding of the Nile. Chinese records and observations provide valuable references in modern times for eclipses, comets and the positions of stars. In India and even more so in Mesopotamia, mathematics was applied in creating a more descriptive form of astronomy. The ancient Mesopotamian number system was based on 60, thus from it the system of degrees, minutes and seconds was developed. It is to be noted that in all these civilisations, the emphasis had been on observation and description, as the tendency was to explain phenomena as being ‘the nature of things’ or the ‘will of the gods’. The Greeks, who had been looking for more immediate explanations, instead relentlessly examined phenomena and the theories propounded by other earlier thinkers critically. Thales of Miletus initiated the study of geometry in the 6c BC. Thales de Miletus (c.620-c.555BC) At the similar period, Pythagoras had been discovering the mathematical relationship of the chief musical intervals, crucially relating number relationships to physically observed phenomena. Early Greek natural philosophers (today known as ‘scientists) passed on two major concepts to their successors: the universe was an ordered structure, and the ordering of it was organic not mechanical; all things had a purpose and were imbued with the propensity to develop in accordance with the purpose they were fated to serve. The main voice for such ideas to later ages was Aristotle (384-322BC), who provided a cosmology with the earth at its centre in which everything above the moon was subject to circular motion, and everything beneath it [on earth] was composed of one of the four elements: earth, air, fire or water. The whole system was believed to be set in motion by a ‘prime mover’, usually identified with God. This concept was later given a Mathematical basis by Ptolemy (c.90-168AD), an astronomer and geographer working in Alexandria, whose main work [a solar system with the earth at its centre], the Amagest, was revered until the 17c. Aristotle also taught that living creatures were divided into species organised hierarchically throughout creation and reproducing unchangingly after their own kind – an idea that remained unchallenged until the great debate on evolution in the 19c. For Aristotle, scientific investigation was a matter of observation. Experimentation, by altering natural conditions, falsified the ‘truth of things’. Archimedes (c.287-212BC) was Ancient Greek’s most famous and influential mathematician, who founded the science of hydrostatics, discovered formulae for areas and volume of spheres, cylinders and other plane and solid figures, anticipated calculus, and defined the principle of the lever. His principal contribution to scientific advancement lies perhaps in demonstrating how physical properties can be rendered in terms of mathematics and how formulae thus produced can be subjected to mathematical manipulation and the results translated back into physical terms. Archimedes Thoughtful by Domenico Fetti (1620) The pursuit of mathematical theory and pure science was not of great importance to the Romans, who preferred practical knowledge and concentrated on technology. After the fall of the Roman Empire, ancient Greek texts were preserved in monasteries. There the number system, derived from ancient Hindu sources, had given more flexibility to mathematics than was possible using Roman numerals. It was combined with an interest in astronomy and astrology, and in medicine. Aristotelian thought made an emergence in Christian West in large measure through the work of St Thomas Aquinas in the 13c. Christianity assimilated what it could from Aristotle, as Islam had done some centuries before. Scientific knowledge was still regarded as part of a total system embracing philosophy and theology: a manifestation of God’s power, which could be observed and marvelled at, but not altered. Eventually, Aristotle was proclaimed as the ultimate authority and last word in natural philosophy. His enormous prestige combined with the conservatism of academics and of the Church laid something on the progress of science for several centuries. In the later medieval era and the Renaissance period however, ancient Greek scientific thought was refined, and advances were made both in the Christian Mediterranean and in the Islamic Ottoman Empire. The European voyages of exploration and discovery stimulated much precise astronomical work, done with the intention of assisting navigation. Jewish scholars who could move between the Christian and Muslim worlds were often prominent in this work. The Scientific Revolution The Scientific Revolution of the 16c and 17c remain up until this day the most defining era in science, and it happened just after the renaissance, where the conduct of scientific enquiry in the West underwent an incredible change. Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) refuted many aspects of the already established Ptolemaic model of the solar system where the earth is at the centre of everything in astronomy – where he redefined the system with sun instead at the centre. A German mathematician, Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), who was also influenced by his work concluded that the movements of planets’ orbits around the sun are elliptical rather than circular. Galileo Galilei who is now championed by many intellectuals as the father of modern science was an Italian philosopher, mathematician and scientist in those days who improved on the telescope that had been invented in Holland, and used it to make observations that included the Milky Way and Jupiter’s satellites. Later, his further research convinced him of the truth in the new Copernican system [with the sun at the centre], but under threat from the Inquisition he recanted. In England, William Gilbert (1544-1603) established the magnetic nature of the earth and was the first to describe electricity; William Harvey (1544-1603) explained the circulation of blood; and Robert Boyle (1627-91) studied the behaviour of gases under pressure – all in the early 17c. Isaac Newton (1642-1727), who was to replace Aristotle as the leading authority in natural philosophy for the next two centuries also came from England. He established the universal law of gravitation as the key to the secrets of the universe. In 1687, he published his ground breaking work entitled Principia, which stated his three laws of motion. Alongside Gottfried Leibniz (1646-1716) he invented calculus, and he also did incredibly influential work on optics and the nature of light. Cooperation and discourse among scientists and intellectuals had been fostered by the creation of societies where meeting and discussions about their work could take place: for example, the Royal Society in London established in 1662, and the Académie des Sciences in Paris, founded in 1666. Discoveries made by various scientists were used by others in science to advance faster to new theories, leading to science obtaining more status and prestige as a driving force in society. The 18-19c The 18c Enlightenment saw its writers play a major part in bringing the scientific advances of the previous century to the wider public and further enhancing the prestige of science as a reliable driving force of civilisation. The scientific method – observation, research, even experimentation and the use of reason, unfettered by preconceptions or dogma to analyse the findings – was applied to almost all aspects of human life. Chemistry saw significant advances in the latter part of the century – notably the discovery of oxygen by Lavoisier in France, Priestley in Britain and Scheele in Sweden. The Industrial Revolution was a substantial contribution of scientific knowledge’s impact on society and a variety of minds from various fields with various intentions. The discovery of the dye, aniline led to a ‘revolution’ in the textile industry – an example of science’s usefulness to the ‘eyes of the public’, which gradually led to more public support and hence government funding. The École Polytechnique was founded in France in 1794 to propagate the benefits of scientific discovery throughout society. Elsewhere, technical institutions followed that were funded for scientific work – the new era of the professional in science had begun. Throughout the 18c, botany also advanced when Linnaeus invented his system of binomial nomenclature (1735), while ever growing interest was aroused by the great variety of new species of plants and animals being discovered by explorers, particularly by Captain Cook. The French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck’s (1749-1829) work foreshadowed Charles Darwin’s theories of evolution and made the first break with the notion of immutable species proposed by Aristotle. That particular moment in time also saw geology develop into a science: William Smith (1769-1839), ‘the father of English geology’, was drawn to investigate strata while working as an engineer on the Sommerset coal canal to eventually become the first to identify strata by the different fossils found in them. The epoch-making conclusions of Darwin’s (1809-1882) work on his theory of evolution was accepted by almost all biologists upon its publication as The Origin of Species in 1859, which however did clash with the ideologies promoted by the church. The laws of heredity that had been the work of Gregor Mendel (1822-84) was unfortunately not appreciated in his lifetime – to only later become the founding stone for genetic research. The germ theory of disease was also shaped by the contributions of the iconic French chemist, Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) who moved into biology. The germ theory of disease states that every human disease is caused by a microbe [or germ] which is specific for that disease, and one must be able to isolate this microbe from the diseased human being to cure the latter. Image: Louis Pasteur (1822 – 1895), the French chemist who is considered as one of the giants of modern medicine for his research and discoveries on vaccination, and to whom this famous quote is from: « Science has no homeland, because knowledge is the heritage of humanity, the torch that lights up the world. » Physics also evolved from tremendous advances in the 19c, as the Italian, Alessandro Volta (1745-1827) developed the current theory of electricity, and invented the electric battery and electrolysis [a study which he formulated in French and sent as a letter to the Royal Society later]. Michael Faraday (1791-1867) carried out experiments with magnetism and electricity, and enabled the building of generators and motors. James Clerk Maxwell (1831-79) proposed the field theory of electromagnetism which mathematically related the phenomena of electricity, magnetism and light. The existence of radio waves was also predicted by him, which was eventually demonstrated by Heinrich Hertz (1857-1894). Although science itself had not been of major importance in the very early stages of the Industrial Revolution in 18c Britain, technology by the end of the 19c – influenced by the works of scientists – had led to the development of most of the machines and tools that were to transform life for most of humankind in the developed world in the following century. Germany as a single nation excelled and innovated for the time between 1870 and 1914, where scientific education and applied science became major parts of the educational system, all the way up to the tertiary level. A research culture, with the ability to generate change became instilled and institutionalised to become part of German education, culture & philosophy. The Reichsadler or Emblem of the Deutsches Reich (1933–1945) with the Swastika symbol Atomic physics and relativity The theory that all matter is made up of minute and indivisible particles known as atoms was proposed by the ancient Greeks, and various early 19c scientists such as Newton, John Dalton (1766-1844), Amedeo Avogadro (1776-1856) and William Prout (1785-1850) made significant contributions in refining the concept of the atom and the molecule, and in 1869 Dmitri Mendeleyev (1834-1907) conceived the periodic table classifying the chemical properties of each known element to their atomic weight. An Atom Albert Einstein’s (1879-1955) theoretical work gave way to the development of the quantum theory in the early 20c. Einstein’s theory of relativity would incorporate Maxwell’s electromagnetic theory and Newton’s mechanics, while also predicting departures from the classical behaviour of materials at velocities approaching the speed of light. The century’s most famous formula was also provided by Einstein – E = mc 2 – to define the mass equivalence of energy. The postulation of the existence of subatomic particles, the building blocks of atoms and their nuclei, was also made after a series of experiments with ionising radiations. The large energy release created by the splitting of the atomic nucleus predicted by Einstein was demonstrated by Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937) in 1919. Force fields and their subatomic particles were studied further in the second half of the 20c through the use of large particle accelerators [up to 27km/17mi in length] with a view to forming a unified theory that would describe all forces including gravity. What the laboratory could not provide in terms of information was gained through astronomical observations which would lead to complementary information in understanding the universe on a microscopic and cosmic scale. The understanding of the atom in terms of a heavy nucleus surrounded by light electrons has led to a deeper knowledge of the chemical and electronic properties of materials and ways of modelling them. Near the end of the 20c, such advancement enabled the ‘tailor-making’ of materials, substances and devices exploited in chemical, pharmaceutical and electronic products. Genetics and beyond The study of the basic building blocks of organic life was largely influenced by the study of the atom of the 20c. Research into understanding the nature of the chemical bond and molecular structure applied in biology led to the work on DNA. Investigation by Francis Crick (1916-2004), James Watson (1928- ) and Maurice Wilkins (1916-2004) in the early 1950s revealed the famous helical structure, which has a particular structural feature in that it is composed of four types of proteins, which proved the existence of a genetic code. A surge in genetic science was the reality of the latter second half of the century, suddenly unlocking the possibility of cloning and even more controversially, ‘tailor-making’ or ‘engineering’ living beings. The pace of scientific development has definitely been progressing since the Renaissance and the ongoing Scientific Revolution started in the 16c and 17c. In the 20c, the revolution was exponential, and new information gained from research and experiment is still being used in the applied sciences and technology in the search for newer and more efficient modes of power, tools, and to meet the ever increasing demand for useful and smarter environmentally friendly materials to meet the demands of civilisation while maintaining the fragile balance of our environmental ecosystem due to excessive exploitation and fossil fuel use. The public perception of science is unfortunately only based on its practical applications in everyday life and not on the more life changing matters such as atomic physics or genetics – which are as remote from the average citizen as they have ever been. Similarly to religion, science arose out of the desire to explain the world around us. The fierce clashes between both institutions have been hard fought, although by the 20c science was crowned as the dominant orthodoxy in guiding civilisation. Yet, with the existence of uncertainty factors and the development of chaos theory, science may be less dogmatic since the Renaissance. The Scientific Revolution of the 16c & 17c: where science was established as a driving force The Scientific Revolution could be qualified by many scientists, intellectuals and historians as an era born of a thirst of development and knowledge since it started just after the Renaissance, near the end of the 15c to give birth to science as it is known today. Perhaps its lasting appeal to the world is that it helped refine intellectual thoughts and establish the basis for the founding methods of investigation still used by all fields of science today. In fact, the Scientific Revolution is the name given to change in the nature of intellectual inquiry – the way in which civilisation thought about and investigated the natural world. This wave of scientific revolution began near the end of 15c Europe, and until it was accomplished or at least under way, it could be easily argued whether any of the thinkers, intellectuals and scholars of Christian Europe could properly qualify themselves as ‘scientists’. The medieval mind set Although the middle ages lacked the sophistication of today’s society, original thinkers did exist. It may be true however to say that scholasticism – the term given to theological and philosophical thought of the period operated within a tightly structured and closed system: the universe was God’s creation where the primary truths revealing its nature and workings were only found in the Bible. As knowledge, the Bible was also supported by the writings of selected authors of immemorial and unimpeachable authority, namely Galen, Aristotle and the Church Fathers. If one wanted to establish the truth in any matter, one would first seek support from such an authority, and if support was found, the case would be closed. The desires to critically challenge while pushing the boundaries was clearly not present as many may have believed. Most attempted rather to move closer to the supposedly ‘true meanings’ of the already authoritatively established or formulated. When Bishop James Ussher as late as the 1650s tried to investigate the age of the world, his attention went no further than the Holy Scripture, and by voraciously studying Biblical chronology, concluded at a precise date for the Creation – 4004BC. The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo (part of the Sistine Chapel painted in 1508-1512) Moreover, it was also axiomatic for the times and the credibility of such a powerful voice as the church for no loose ends to be present in God’s original ‘perfect Creation.’ Although the Fall of Man had created feelings of uncertainty into the cosmos, evidence of the intended order was still arguable – there was an underling order, pattern and correspondence everywhere. Things could – in most cases – best be understood or described by analogy with another. Assuming that the one who governs the universe is God, the Sun would therefore be most powerful of all the planets circling the earth, so the king is chief ruler among men, so reason should rule over the inner life of humankind, and even more so the lion must be the king of beasts. Nowadays, it would simply not be revealing much about the lion to claim that its position on the scale of nature in the animal kingdom is equivalent to that of a king among men or the sun among the planets; in medieval times the conversation would be closed here without any space for questioning or clarifying. The Renaissance and the Reformation The process of modernising and opening up the workings of the closed system began with the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the voyages of exploration and discovery. Those living during the Renaissance had then possessed new knowledge or had new access to old sources. Many thinkers and intellectuals of the time believed themselves to be part of a movement that was making a significant break with the past to pave the way for a new era of modern knowledge. A process of secularising knowledge was started, prising it away from its basis in theology, and making the study of subjects such as science and mathematics a thing of value in its own right. In northern Europe the Reformers rejected the authority of the Church and instilled in believers the confidence to study the Word of God – and, by extension, His works – for themselves. Voyages of discovery finally made known the existence of new worlds entirely unsuspected by the ancients on earth, leading to the questioning of not only the value of geographical authorities but of other authorities as well. Copernicus, Kepler and Galileo The Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) completed his work De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium (‘On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres’). It represented the mature expression of an idea expressed earlier in a brief commentary, namely, that the sun was the centre of the universe and the earth and the other planets revolved around it. The work was published as a book in Frankfurt in 1543 by a Lutheran printer, shortly after Copernicus’s death. Copernicus’s theory, if accepted, not only destroyed the old earth-centred system devised by Ptolemy, but also made obsolete all the analogies based on that cosmology. The new model however was accepted by few, not even by the popular Tycho Brahe (1546-1601), who himself contributed hugely to astronomy during the 16c through his observations of the stars and their movements. De Revolutionibus was banned by the Roman Catholic Church and remained so until 1835 [292 years]. The Copernican theory was however accepted by Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), a German mathematician and astronomer who was Tycho Brahe’s assistant and on his death succeeded him as the imperial mathematician and court astronomer in Prague. Intensive works on planetary orbits done by Kepler helped develop the theory further and provided it with a mathematical foundation. Kepler’s findings on the laws of planetary motion, published in Astronomia Nova (‘New Astronomy’) in 1609 and Harmonice Mundi (‘The Harmony of the World’) in 1619, formed an essential foundation for the later discoveries of Isaac Newton (1642-1727). Further significant discoveries in optics, general physics and geometry was also made by Kepler. It may also be noted while considering the still fragile and transitional status of science in the 17c, that he was appointed as astrologer to Albrecht Wallenstein, the Catholic general who commanded the Thirty Years’ War. Newton too was a student of alchemy. The Copernican theory was also accepted by Johannes Kepler’s (1571-1630) older Italian contemporary, Galileo, who first took issue with Aristotle while studying in Pisa. When he was made Professor of Mathematics there in 1589, he disproved Aristotle’s theory regarding the assumption that the speed of an object’s descent is proportional to its weight – a presentation he made to his students to demonstrate the phenomenon, by releasing objects varying in weight from the Leaning Tower of Pisa. After his Aristotelian colleagues pressured him into giving up his professional chair, Galileo would make his way to Florence, by the same time he had also inferred the value of a pendulum for the exact measurement of time, created a hydrostatic balance, and written a treatise on specific gravity. From 1592 to 1610 when he was a Professor of Mathematics in Padua, Galileo modified and perfected the refracting telescope after learning of its invention in Holland in 1608 and used – a powerful tool denied to Copernicus and Tycho Brahe – to make remarkable discoveries, notably the four moons of Jupiter and the sunspots, which further confirmed his acknowledgement of the Copernican system which stated that the earth moved around the sun in an elliptical orbit, a system first formed in 1595. However Galileo’s daring conclusions at the time lead to conflicts not only with traditionalist academics, but also more seriously with the Church due to his writings when he was employed as the court mathematician in Florence in 1613. A warning from Cardinal Bellarmine in 1616 instructed the mathematician that his support of the Copernican system should be dropped as the belief in a moving Earth contradicted the Bible. After several years of excruciating silence, in 1632 he published Dialogo sopra I due massimi sistemi del mondo (‘Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems’) in which, in the context of a discussion of the cycles of tides, he concluded with supporting Copernicus’s system of the solar system. The savage religious laws of the times saw Galileo compelled to abjure his position and sentenced to indefinite imprisonment – a sentence commuted immediately to house arrest. After abjuring he is believed to have murmured ‘eppur si muove’ (‘it does move nonetheless’). What will happen in the next billion years? Will humans survive? More Progress The 16c saw major strides in all branches of science, the Belgian Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564) became one of the first scientists to dissect human cadavers. Based on his professional observations, he published De Humani Corporis Fabrica (1543, ‘On the Structure of the Human Body’), the very same year that Copernicus’s De Revolutionibus appeared. The anatomical principles of Galen were repudiated, and paved way for William Harvey’s discovery of the circulation of the blood, explained in a book in 1628. The works of Galileo however had not only had an impact on knowledge itself but on many other intellectuals such as Evangelista Torricelli (1608-47), the inventor of the barometer [a vital equipment for experimentation], and the Dutch physicist Christiaan Huygens (1629-1693), the inventor of the pendulum clock, the discoverer of the polarisation of light and the first to put forward the idea of its wave nature De Humani Corporis Fabrica by Andreas Vesalius (1543) At the similar period, the Irish experimental philosopher and chemist, Robert Boyle (1627-1691), the formulator of ‘Boyle’s Law’, was studying the characteristics of air and vacuum by means of an air pump, created in partnership with his assistant Robert Hooke (1635-1703). The anti-scholastic ‘invisible college’ meetings of Oxford intellectuals, a precursor of the Royal Society, saw Boyle play an active part – his air pump became a powerful symbol of the ‘experimental philosophy’ promoted by the Royal Society since its founding in 1660. In 1662, Robert Hooke became the Royal Society’s first curator of experiments. The Royal Society gradually provided a forum and focus for scientific discussions and a means of discussing scientific knowledge – its Philosophical Transactions became the first professional scientific journal. Together with other comparable institutions in other countries, such as the Académie des Sciences of Paris, founded in 1666, the systematisation of the scientific method and the way in which experiments and discoveries were reported were promoted. The importance of plain language in the detailed & systematic description of experiments for reproducibility was emphasised. The creation of prominent scientific associations also marked a cornerstone for the socio-cultural acceptance of science. The Scientific Revolution’s culmination is believed to lie in the work of Isaac Newton, where his early mathematical studies led to the invention – simultaneously with Gottfried Leibniz (1646-1716) – of differential calculus. While focussing on the behaviour of light and prisms, he created the first reflecting telescope, a pivotal tool to the astrologers who followed. In 1684, Newton published his theory of gravitation, and in 1687 his famous Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (‘Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy’), which stated his three laws of motion, would become the founding stone of modern physics – unchallenged until the arrival of Einstein in the early 20c. Most importantly, Newton’s universal law of gravitation not only explained the movements of the planets within the Copernican system but it even gave an explanation to such humble events as the fall of an apple from a tree. But more surprisingly, it never excluded God from the universe since all of Newton’s work was undertaken within the framework of a devout Christian, though his private beliefs were complex and heterodox. By the time of his death in 1727, the scientific method was firmly established, and the thinkers, intellectual and writers of the Enlightenment acknowledged that an era had dawned where observation, experiment and the free application of human reason were the foundation of knowledge. In fusing science with culture and spreading knowledge through various themes and outlet of the discoveries made from previous centuries, the writers of the Enlightenment helped to firmly establish the prestige that science and its affiliates and practitioners have inherited and enjoyed down to the present day. Part IV: Medicine From the earliest times of human civilisation, all societies seem to have had a certain amount of knowledge of herbal remedies and to have practised some folk medicine. Most patients in the earliest days were treated with the objective of regaining the favour of the gods or to ‘release’ the evil from the body, therefore the cause of illness was believed to be rooted in supernatural causes. In early civilisations such as in Egypt and Mesopotamia, for example, salves were used as part of medical practice which included divination to obtain a prognosis and incantation to help the sufferer. In the East, many commonly occurring diseases were documented by doctors in India and where they used some drugs still exploited by modern medicine; they also performed surgery that included skin graft. In some parts of the world, some societies banned the cutting of dead bodies due to religious beliefs and policies fused with the law. Unsurprisingly however, knowledge of physical anatomy was incredibly basic. Early Chinese society also banned the desecration of the dead and this resulted in Chinese concepts of physiology not being based on observational analysis. A developed medical tradition flourished in China however from the earliest times to the present day, with special focus placed on the pulse as means of diagnosis. In Chinese medical philosophy, the objective is to balance the yin (the negative, dark, feminine, cold, passive element) and the yang (the positive, light, masculine, warm, active element), and the pharmacopoeia for achieving this: vegetable, animal and mineral. Similarly important is the practice of acupuncture, where needles are used to alter the flow of ch’i (energy) that is believed to travel along invisible channels in the body (meridians). Anaesthesia puts the efficacy of acupuncture to the test – being its most widespread use. The sophistication of modernity in the West started to set a new course to medicine when it was partially rationalised by the Greek philosophers, since before this it was mainly an aspect of religion. Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine In ancient Greece for example, people suffering from illness would go to the god Asclepius’s temple for incubation – a sleep during which the god would visit in a dream which would then be interpreted by the priests to reveal the diagnosis or advice for the cure. Empedocles later came up with the idea that four elements exist – fire, air, earth and water, which when applied to the human body turned into blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile – which must obey certain rules to be maintained in harmonious balance. That concept was further reinforced when it was adopted by Aristotle (384-322BC) and remained a founding pillar of Western medicine until the new discoveries of the 18c. From the viewpoint of a biologist, Aristotle observed the world, performing dissections of animals and learning more of anatomy and embryology. After his death, the main learning centre in Greece became Alexandria, where principles expounded by Hippocrates (c.460-c.377BC) were upheld and obsolete ideas such as illnesses caused by the gods were rejected, instead he made and raised a new school of thought where his diagnosis and prognosis were made after careful observation and consideration. Today, Hippocrates is regarded as the ‘father of medicine’, and sections of the oath attributed to him are still used in medical schools to this present day. Galen (c.130-c201), a Greek doctor, was the next major and defining influence on Western medicine who studied at Alexandria and later went to Rome. Galen gathered up all the existing writings of Greek doctors, and emphasised on the importance of anatomy to medicine. He used apes to find out about the ways the body worked since dissection of human bodies were then illegal. Although his daring efforts were justified for medicine, his reports contained many mistakes on anatomical points which included the circulation of blood around the body, which he described instead to have ‘ebbed and flowed’. Surprisingly, the point worth noting is that although the people then were living in the early times of human history, Rome had already developed an excellent culture with high regards for public health; more strikingly perhaps is also the fact that they even had clean drinking water, hospitals and sewage disposal – which was never developed or adopted by any civilisation until the 20c. After the Roman Empire fell, the practice of medicine resided in the infirmaries of the monasteries. In the 12c century, medicine was developing as an important necessity in society from the lower to the upper end, and the first medical school was established at Salerno. Many other medical schools in Europe followed, namely: Bologna, Padua, Montpellier and Paris. Mondino dei Liucci (c.1270-1326) published the very first manual of anatomy after carrying out his own dissections in Bologna. The most major advancement in medicine however came from the Belgian Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564) who contributed through incredibly detailed sketches, descriptions and drawings published in 1543, correcting the errors of Galen. The Inquisition sentenced him to death for performing human dissections [once again an occasion where religious traditions came in the way of reason and research], however a new wave of inquisitive intellectuals had already surfaced abroad who could not be stopped. A better and more precise knowledge of anatomy led to an improvement in techniques used in surgery, and surgeons, the long considered as inferior practitioners by physicians, began to be recognised as a major part in medicine and its procedures. The huge increase in the armies of Europe in the 16c and 17c created greater demands for effective surgery in the military departments. Ambroise Paré (1510-1590) reformed surgical practice in France, sealing and stopping the cauterising of wounds, while in the United Kingdom, more collectives of medicine intellectuals were formed which later became the College of Surgeons. French nobleman and chemist Antoine Lavoisier (1743-1794) and his chemist wife Marie-Anne (1758-1826) In 1628, the theory of the circulation of blood was formulated by William Harvey’s experiments in the 17c, which was reinforced by Marcello Malpighi’s work. However, it took more than a hundred years for medicine to fully understand the purpose of circulating blood up until Antoine Lavoisier (1743-1794), a French chemist discovered oxygen which has to be transported to various parts of the human body through blood. A new approach to obstetrics was also invented at that time, along with the growth of microscopal studies, and by the end of the 18c Europe was introduced to vaccines which helped to eradicate previously deadly diseases such as smallpox in the 20c. Biologist and physician, Marcello Malpighi (1628-1694) In the 19c scientific research generated new knowledge about physiology and medicine saw refinements to aid diagnosis, such as the invention and introduction of the stethoscope and chest percussions. The field of bacteriology was also born out of the work of Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) after the latter established the germ theory of disease transmission. This had a major impact and transformed safety for all patients, for example in the field of obstetrics where women had been dying regularly from puerperal fever before it was investigated to find out that doctors were transmitting bacteria from diseased patients to healthy ones. The first use of ether as a drug in the USA in 1846 and of chloroform in Scotland in 1847 made way for another major advance in surgery when their use as anaesthetic gases opened new doors to minute, longer and more complicated surgical sessions to be initiated. The wave of cutting edge and precise research continued into the 19c with the recognition and detailed description of many conditions now available to medical education for the first time. Precautions were taken to halt the propagation of malaria and yellow fever after it was revealed that insect bites could transmit them. At around the end of the 19c, the birth of psychology as the study of the ‘mind’ was taking place with Sigmund Freud’s work [See: Psychoanalysis: History, Foundations, Legacy, Impact & Evolution], and Rontgen’s discovery of X-rays along with Pierre and Marie Curie’s radium provided new diagnostic tools to medicine. The 20c continued to flourish with progress when the haphazard discovery of bacteria-killing organism were made, most famously Alexander Fleming, the scottish Bacteriologist and Nobel prize winner who discovered Penicillin in 1928 and also served during the First World War in the Army Medical Corps. After qualifying with distinction in 1906, Fleming went straight into research at the University of London. One of the most important discoveries in medicine would eventually be made by a him in 1928 over a simple observation. Fleming observed that the mould that had accidentally developed on a set of culture dishes used to grow the staphylococci germ had also created a bacteria free circle around itself. After careful observation and research, the substance that repelled bacteria from the mould was named Penicillin. The drug would later only be developed further by two other scientists, Australian Howard Florey and Ernst Chain, a refugee from Nazi Germany [all three shared the Nobel Prize in medicine]. Although the first supplies of Penicillin were limited, by the 1940s the pharmaceutical industry had made it a top priority and it was mass produced by the American drugs industry. Bacteriologist Alexander Fleming (1881-1955) The era also spectated the growth of advanced technology and the further development of various forms of drug treatments, such as sulfonamides when they were discovered, followed by streptomycin, the first effective antibiotic against tuberculosis which was fatal until then similarly to diabetes which was also explored and treated with the discovery of insulin, thus halting its former reputation as deadly into a controllable condition – a new breed of surgeons are claiming to have found surgical methods to completely reverse the Type-2 Diabetes that affects most. Typhoid, tetanus, diphtheria, tuberculosis, measles, whooping cough and polio were mostly eradicated in the West as the 20c was marked by improved public health services, living condition and nutrition along with well devised campaigns with the sound backing of science to promote immunisation campaigns for children. The West was also freed of diseases such as rickets and scurvy as new discoveries were made on the role and importance of vitamins which also led to the mitigation of beriberi in Africa and Asia early in the century. Malaria, yellow fever and leprosy were also found to curable, and now that with all the advancement in medicine most people live longer in developed economies [at the exception of some that have mediocre policies due to their mediocre management system, e.g. politics], the chief causes of death nowadays have so far been cancer and heart disease. In 1800, no country had a life expectancy of above 40 Life Expectancy in the United Kingdom / Source: OurWorldinData.org Life Expectancy Global / Source: OurWorldinData.org Unleashing the power of genetics against cancer Source: Cambridge University In the field of cancer research, advancement in new therapies involving various techniques are now available and continuously being developed; with the most recent being the promising CRISPR, which involves using a patient’s own immune system to fight cancer, using a particular type of immune cell known as the T cell. The logic behind it explores the usual purpose of those T cells in the human body which involves surveying the body to seek out and destroy abnormal cells that have to potential to turn cancerous- detected by T cells due to the presence of strange proteins on their surface [signs that the T cell knows as ‘dangerous’]. Surprisingly cancer has evolved a cat-and-mouse game to evade T cells by developing the ability to ‘switch off’ any T cell that gets in their way, effectively blocking their healing attack. The most effective cancer therapies try to counteract this response by abnormal and cancerous cells by boosting the immune system. CRISPR: the promising new cancer treatment In 2015, a study used an older, less efficient gene engineering technique known as the ‘zinc finger’ which led to nucleases that give T cells better fighting ability against HIV – the therapy was well tolerated in a 12-person test group. A further study used reprogrammed T cells from multiple myeloma patients in the specific recognition of cancer cells which shrank the tumours initially while the T cells gradually withered and lost their ability to regenerate themselves – a common issue that new trials hope to solve in the near future. Perhaps one of the most unfortunate part of the story with CRISPR despite being a promising cell therapy is that it is often offered and used on patients with relapsing diseases. Other genes can also be ‘tweaked’ for the particular protein PD-1 with the CRISPR method that counter the problem of T cells losing their ‘intensive ability’ as these new tweaked genes help prolong the lifespan of the modified T cells while simultaneously enhancing their cancer fighting ability since the PD-1 protein sits on the surface of T-cells and helps dampen the activity of the cancer cells after an immune response [tumours found ways to hide by flipping the PD-1 switch themselves, thus drugs that block PD-1 from this immune suppression have been proven to be a promising immunotherapy cancer treatment]. Researchers are currently carrying intensive research to understand the deeper mechanics of CRISPR by removing T cells from patients of cancers that have stopped responding to normal treatments, and using a harmless virus, deliver the CRISPR machinery into the cells, and perform three gene edits on them. The first gene edit will insert a gene protein called the NY-ESO-1 receptor, a protein that equips T cells with an enhanced ability in locating, recognising and destroying cancerous cells [the NY-ESO-1 displaying tumour]. The T cells have a native trait that is unfortunately unsupportive in this process as it interferes with this process of added protein, so the second edit will be to remove these inhibitors so that the engineered protein will have more efficiency against cancer. The final and third edit gives the T cell longevity by removing the gene that allows recognition as a cancer suppressor by cancer cells that disable the PD-1 protein, thus countering its attack while remaining active due to the added guide RNAs which would tell the CRISPR’s DNA-snipping enzyme, Cas9, where exactly to cut the genome. However, since CRISPR is not always effective, not all cells will receive the genetic modification, thus making the engineered cells in the end, a mixture with various combinations of proposed changes to balance the reaction into the desired one. Only 3-4% may contain all three genetic edits. After the edits, the researchers would generally infuse all the edited cells back into patients and monitor for issues closely. One of the main concerns with CRISPR is that it may inadvertently snip other genes potentially creating new cancer genes or trigger existing ones, and these side effects are planned for monitoring by a team expected to measure the growth rate of engineered T cells and carry test for genomic abnormalities. However, the concluding outlook on CRISPR is very bright, in a pilot run carried out by using T cells from healthy donors, the researchers checked for 148 genes that could be snipped by mistake, and the only faulty cut that was detected was deemed as harmless. Another major concern is the fear of activating the body’s immune system against the engineered T cells since the enzyme Cas9 originates from bacteria and is essential for the cancer cutting process CRISPR relies on – although ways exist to prevent the immune system from destroying engineered Cas9 T cells, the possibility remains. Gene therapy trials have suffered a recent setback with the death of the young patient Jessie Gelsinger during a trial. Further investigation revealed that some of the researchers failed to disclose the side effects observed in animals and some of the investigators had financial incentive for the trial to be a success. Extra precaution is being taken by UPenn who pioneered the treatment to ensure the smooth progression of medicine in genetics. As Stanford bioethicist Dr. Mildred Cho said, “Often we have to take a leap of faith.” Cancer research and treatment on the whole has seen innovations in surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, a combination of the mentioned and the new promising method involving gene editing Cas9 based T cells with the CRISPR technique. All these together have and are increasing the prognosis for some sufferers, and in cardiology too, new treatments stunned the world, notably angiograms, open-heart surgery and heart transplants. The process of organ transplant has gradually been extended to lungs, livers and kidneys, and artificial joints for the hips and knees have also been improved. Further education on family planning has been available and constantly updated since the 1960s where methods of contraception had first been marketed to the wider public [such as the oral contraceptive pill for women]. The controversial act of abortion too with the scientific legitimacy was made safer and legalised in many developing economies and at the other end of the scale couples unable to conceive benefited of fertility drugs and in vitro fertilisation provided many with the choice of starting a family. Infant Mortality Rate by SES of Father Image: L’Origine du Monde by Gustave Courbet (1866) Births by Caesarean Section Starting Strong in Education \| Enrolment from 3 years old on the rise in OECD nations Chart showing ages at which cognitive skills peak The World’s Population by Education Level Inter-Regional Education Gaps [Urban vs Rural in share of tertiary educated workers] About one-fifth of adults globally have no formal education With the growing discoveries and nearly godly feats of medicine, public perception of the field also changed and many soon started to entertain the belief that a cure exists for every ill. Unfortunately this is not true, as many complicated diseases such as cancer continue to defy knowledge and scientific research and new diseases and complications continue to emerge such as Ebola, HIV and antibiotic resistance. The constant struggle for 3rd world economies to keep up with medical cost has also led to major culturally destructive waves of migration that have very quickly turned out to be unsustainable for most major Western economies along with the religious and socio-cultural clashes being a constant topic of debate in most educated circles and the connected alternate media alike across Europe [to counter some of the extreme liberal & atavistic views promoted by the mainstream media fuelled by ruthless & scrupulous globalists]. Global Map of Multidimensional Poverty Income & Lifespan of all Countries The economic grip of pharmaceutical companies on the world’s economy has been a central issue for many concerned scientists and intellectuals of the times constantly questioning the responsibility of funding and providing cutting edge and hygienic health services for the people; while on the other hand other controversial but vital access to organs for transplantation have caused major social debates regarding the future cultural behaviour regarding the organs of the dead and the provision of a constant supply of fresh organs for the Western economies’ major health requirements. Tweet from 3rd of September 2016 While the Western model of medicine is the most effective, researched, respected and taught on earth, other sub disciplines of medicine that many medical empiricists consider to be complete lies continue to prosper at a medium scale for a surprisingly constant demand for folk and herbal medicines. In the urban areas of non-Western societies the trend is at a larger scale since Western medicine has still not made a significant impact to the adepts of traditional practices. Medically unproven and scientifically void practices such as chiropractic, aromatherapy, auto-suggestion, homoeopathy, osteopathy and hydrotherapy still exist in the West under the classification of ‘complementary medicine’ where many of the practitioners do not require any degree or certificate to ‘practice’ [a documentary with Dr. Richard Dawkins explored this topic in the UK]. Most of those treatments that have no scientific grounding somehow all have long histories, and a chosen few such as acupuncture, have been fused into Western orthodox medical practice in countries such as the UK. Part V: Secularisation Secularisation may be defined as the process of change where authority passes from a religious source to a secular one. This may turn into an issue or a need only where religion and the religious have gained considerable power or a dominant position in society and penetrate all aspects of life, including the government. For instance, in ancient Greece and Rome, religion does not seem to have ever dominated the state. The main religious officers was shared by the same men who held political office [religion may have been seen as simply a part of national culture]. While virtue consisted of piety and observance to the gods were expected, religion was rarely a primary focus for society. Furthermore, polytheism provided flexibility to the system as new gods and goddesses would be added to the pantheon to accommodate local cults, and an individual would have the freedom to choose a deity as his or her special patron. However, prudence demanded that other divinities not be neglected, and none of this was of major concern to the state. Yet, as the petty logic of majority in many cases comes into conflict with strategy, the great monotheistic proselytising religions of Christianity and Islam saw a great rise and the situation and relationship with the state started to change. Now, as a matter of righteousness and justification as a moral authority, the state had to go with the religious beliefs that ruled most of the West. This led to the state having to ensure salvation, which became the founding pillar of ‘right religion’. Consequently, this acceptance and spread led to the increased power and influence of Christian kings who with them emerged a body of clerical men who claimed to exercise the spiritual ministry of the most almighty of beings, God, on earth. This led to large amounts of money, land and property being donated by individuals, organisations and Christian rulers to the Church in the hope of maintaining a good relationship and being protected. This also increased the overall influence of the power of the Church which however owed so much to the Crown in terms of donations and freedom that they gradually tended to act as its propagandists and servants. The term and principle of ‘Caesaropapism’ was accepted by the Church in the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, which simply proved their acceptance of subordination to an Emperor who was thought of as an ambassador of divine authority on earth. However, this claim of a supreme imperial being at the top of the religious scale soon led to conflicts with the popes of the West who were unhappy with such imposition in regards to their contribution to the works of God and soon, conflicts began between the sovereigns and the papacy over the limits and jurisdiction of royal and papal power – both, of course claiming to be guided by the divine mandate. Perhaps one of the most famous of these clashes happened between Henry II of England and his Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket. At that time the Church’s power may have been at its peak, during the pontificate of Innocent III, who claimed that the Holy Roman Emperor was subordinate to him. Later, Innocent III pushed for Emperor Otto IV to be deposed, forced Philip II of France into reinstating his divorced second wife, Ingeborg of Denmark. He also placed England under an interdict, and had King John (Lackland) excommunicated to be able to secure the office of Archbishop of Canterbury for his candidate, Stephen Langton. Those clashes of power and interest saw a decrease however, when in the following years the papacy was in dire need of royal help to defeat the Conciliar Movement – a movement in Western Europe in the 14c and 15c of the Roman Catholic Church which believed that final authority in spiritual matters resided with the Church as a company of Christians, embodied by a general church council, not solely with the Pope [a movement started by Pope Innocent III and is still used today in France]. In other civilisations in the Middle-East, such as in Islamic territory that obeyed the laws of Islam’s sharia, conflicts between the professional religious classes and the rulers tended to be avoided since Islam has no priesthood. Religion and state were unified in the pursuit of what the Quran and the life of Muhammad qualified as the ‘pursuit of Islamic righteousness’. This however includes violent subjugation of all non-Muslims, oppression of women, obsolete traditions in direct conflict with modern human rights in all modern Western nations in relation to restrictions to women and indoctrination of violent political ideologies that are connected to the political teachings of Muhammad, mostly found in the sharia. Thus, the constant links between extremist groups promoting violence and major governments in the Middle-East with Islam as the main religious faith are a constant topic among cultured circles in the West who are against islamisation. Most Muslims however are similar in many ways, even on the borders of Europe, in Turkey similar to Saudi Arabia, most adhere and believe in the same ideology that Islam and the Sharia promotes and teaches, unsurprisingly many Islamic scholars too have turned out to have very dangerous views on Islam’s war on non-Islamic civilisations and non-Muslims. The Caliph claim was made in Istanbul by the Ottoman Sultan, or supreme head of all Sunni Muslims (Sunnis). The Shia form of Islam (Shiites) was ultimately associated and identified with the Safavid Sultans in Iran. In Tibet, where Buddhism had been flourishing, monastic donations and a huge increase in the number of dedicated monks subsequently gave monastic cultural leaders who were regarded as the incarnations of the Buddha, such as the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama, ruling powers in their country. In China and Japan situations differed, as instead, religious beliefs tended to reinforce loyalty to the ruler; in China for example, Buddhism, and more particularly, Confucianism, taught civic virtues which were also taught by Buddhism and Shinto in Japan. When the payments of annates to Rome was abolished by Henry VIII of England as he denied the authority of the pope upon proclaiming himself supreme head of the Church of England (1534) to further supress the monasteries, the new King was simply carrying to extremes the true traditions of his predecessors across Europe. Divine Right Kingship, that was what Henry’s Reformation was essentially, an assertion of complete power and trust in his legitimacy as an extension of God’s ministry. It is worthy to note that Henry VIII would deal as harshly as advocates of Lutheranism as with those who supported the pope as he had no doctrinal differences with Rome, he simply believed in the King as the only vice-regent of God on earth. The Reformation and Counter-Reformation revived the influence and power of religion in the domestic and international socio-cultural debates of the Western world, and for the time, turning the concept of a purely ‘secular’ power completely unconceivable and unthinkable. Yet, as the years went by the intended and expected clashes reached unprecedented heights as a result of competition between religious factions. The wars that religion brought to humankind In the Western Christian world, the wars of religion quickly turned into a common phenomenon or justification to shed blood and die for, and they were all based on the firm religious belief that the opposing religious civilisation had no claim to existence and even more importantly should not have any jurisdiction let alone religious or cultural control over some very specific geographical points, as these were believed to have specific powers that could be manipulated for socio-cultural advantages, for example, the ‘crusade’ against the Albigenses in Southern France was simply justified as the French crown simply trying to extend its power. The movements known to most historians as ‘The Crusades’ were in fact directed against the Islamic Middle East who had been subjugating Western Europe & Christians for hundreds of years through deadly wars where many Christian women were raped, tortured and turned into sexual slaves while many Christian leaders were beheaded others forced into Islam. Religious motives in 16c and 17c even led to violence against fellow Western Christians, and as the years went wars were endless, reaching lethal genocidal levels where whole civilisations were wiped out – the remaining joining, converting to or being enslaved by the dominant [a seemingly ruthless spectacle where the cycle of evolution may have simply been the driving force among societies who were less sophisticated and more primal – or in touch with their aggressive instincts in matters of survival and conquest]. Even with all the death in the name of religion, societal events did not persuade the current societies to perceive a possible atheistic lifestyle or system; and this endured even late in the 17c. However, private and secret groups such as ‘The Family of Love’ (of whose members many were close to Philip II of Spain, a leading figure of the Counter-Reformation) had started to spread the seeds of doubts over the particular motive and purpose of having to identity state power and dogmatic religious beliefs and traditions. An Enlightened, educated and revolutionary civilisation The only faith with intellectuals who stood with reason without showing any preference for any other school of thought, particularly religious ones, were Christians of the Western world in Europe and it began in the 18c where the term secularisation could only be discussed in European-derived state systems. The practice of secularisation started by individuals who originally came from different schools of thought and were seeking to be guided by a more stable doctrine than religion or traditions. Others like Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, were dedicated Christians who disagreed with the state being the authority for moral policing or to conscience regulation [quite a perceptive stance judging the questionable reputation and credibility – in terms of morals and ethics – of practitioners of the obsolete discipline that is today still termed ‘politics’]. Even more curiously, the reasoning and avant-garde [at the time] clergy of the Church of Scotland agreed, and set their focus on the barbaric violence of the 17c religious wars as a blasphemous parody of Christianity. Furthermore, the growing movement fuelled and guided by the scientific and intellectual developments of the late 17c and the spirit of the Enlightenment remained sceptical about religion and its revelations, even Voltaire was a deist. Religious Scale by GDP per capita The UK seems bound to become secular and modern judging by its rank in the table when it comes to the importance of Religion in the people’s lives The Cult of Reason was further sponsored as a replacement for Christianity when the Jacobins under Robespierre came to power in France, suggesting that the Gregorian calendar be replaced by a revolutionary and republican one where the year 1783 would be the Year 1. As the era developed, the first ‘secular’ state in the Christian West became the federal government of the USA after 1783, a reason somehow that may have been more due to the lack of options as the foundation of the society in the states was mainly composed of immigrants deeply divided by religion where many were persecuted and faced death in the countries they were escaping from who back in those times had no peace keeping military conventions to protect or sanction the State on the grounds of human rights. Where corruption rages in the world / Source: Statista Corruption at the top was also very much present as it still is today in politics in most non-Western societies, especially in Islamic territory where many States are strictly combined with the doctrines of Islam and its violent religious law, sharia, leading to many cases of State connections to extremist terrorists operating under the guise of Islam to protect and propagate the Islamic way of life and eventually subjugate all non-Muslims[with techniques used to abuse diplomacy and the dangerous concept of ‘political correctness’ to slowly infiltrate the law and system of other Western economies to prepare and push for Islamic doctrines to be applied on Western soil]. A situation getting worse today, as obsolete politicians lack the knowledge and education to understand and cope with the techniques of Political Islam which has long been the topic of Dr. Bill Warner’s work – to protect and prevent the atavistic and dangerous Islamisation of the West. Number of Muslims entering the US exceeds 25,000 for 4 years 88% of US population growth expected to be composed of immigrants in next 50 years India is a top source & destination for world migrants with 1 in 20 migrants worldwide born there Logically, it seems obvious to most that 3rd world traditions would clash with First World values and individualism and today, many intellectuals and growing movements are beginning to support the complete separation of religious traditions and cultures through geographical relocation and diplomatic arrangement between States of various nations to work on solutions at the source and on location and completely stop the unsustainable and clearly abused systems of refugee relocation as Western societies are at their limits with major socio-cultural clashes and disruptions to First world national communities sparking major concerns over the security of women, children and the vulnerable older people faced with 3rd world migrants with a completely different school of thought, crowding many Western cities and locations where the never-ending clash of values, education, philosophy, language and culture seem to leave authorities contemplating at the only solution that may come with radical policies to preserve the socio-cultural make up and identity of their nations in the face of a destabilizing overgrowth of population from African and the 3rd world Islamic territories and the failure of Western States to adopt appropriate and if necessary tough measures to alleviate and balance the situation while securing their own systems and providing security for their people against socio-economic and cultural degradation. Population and Income Globally World GDP Density Map Low Pay Across OECD Nations Relative Poverty Rates: % of Population below Poverty threshold The 19c After the Napoleonic era at the end of the 18c, the conservative climate that followed led to the Catholic Church regaining a lot of credibility that it had lost and the identification and association of Church and State was seen by many intellectuals and movements of the Enlightenment as a bulwark against freedom and revolution. This resulted to the developing climate where bourgeois liberalism rose due to its tendency towards anticlericalism and its strong belief in a new system with a secular state with no sectarian affiliations, based on the US federal model. France saw the growing clashes over education between Church and State similar to most major Christian Western nations throughout the 19c. In 1829, the Test Act of 1673 was repealed, now not requiring holders of public office [including military officers and elected regional representatives in Parliament] to be active members of the Church of England. Eventually, reason also won in France where education became ‘compulsory, free and secular’ under the Third Republic after a series of acts passed between 1878 and 1886 with Jules Ferry as the main agitator to spearhead the change. Other economies in South America such as Mexico, with an established and influential colonial Church saw that post-independence liberal views tended to demand secularisation of the State. As the 19c century was ending, secularism and anticlericalism grew in strength and supporters in many nations of the modern world spectated a rise of different branches of “Socialist” influenced movements. For example, the late American George L. Rockwell initiated a National Socialist movement in the US, and even gave some brave speeches about Jews and Negroes at Brown University & embraced the derogatory term “NAZI” for its shock value. Although the American agitator clearly drifted far from the refined version of Adolf Hitler’s National Socialism, which initially emphasised strong moral/ethical philosophies, shared communal values at every level of society & synchronised psychosocial unity, Rockwell’s version of National Socialism seemed more appropriately adjusted to the industrialised society of America, focusing on the identity of the average hardworking American citizen and his/her relationship to the unscrupulous economic model that is at the foundation of the “Wild West”, i.e. the USA. Photo: American Workers Rockwell remains one of the only US public figures to have proposed a straightforward, practical & ethical direction in finding a harmonious solution to the Negro population problems affecting the US (which is now along with other foreign populations growing faster than the original white US population). George Lincoln Rockwell‘s vision matched that of the prominent visionary & avant-garde Black nationalist, Marcus M. Garvey, who founded the Pan-Africanism movement, the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) and the African Communities League (ACL). Marcus M. Garvey, Jr. (1887 – 1940) Garvey also founded the Black Star Line, a shipping and passenger line which promoted the return of the African people to their ancestral lands. “Garveyism” wanted all people of Black African ancestry to “redeem” the nations of Africa and for the European colonial powers to leave the African continent. Marcus Garvey’s essential ideas about Africa were stated in an editorial in “Negro World” entitled “African Fundamentalism“, where he wrote: “Our [negroes] union must know no clime, boundary, or nationality…” Unknown Painting of a Negro man Darwinism and National Socialism gave society an explanation of human rights and human history, and a model for progress where religion was not vital [but optional] and thus not a major concern. In France, the Dreyfus Affair united all the radical progressive elements and the leftist movements in French society against the then major section of the Right: the Catholic Right. The separation of Church and State finally happened in 1905. During the USSR right after the Russian Revolution, the development of socialist-inspired secularism could be seen in their secular state; however, the lack of vision, philosophy and fine management eventually led to its downfall. One of the most innovative and stunning secular changes in the Muslim world came from Turkey’s founder who believed in secular western systematisation, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who in a revolutionary wave abolished the Sultanate and in 1924 abolished the office of the Caliph, the former spiritual head of the Ottoman Empire. Ataturk continued this avant-garde wave of secular changes by closing down all religious schools in Istanbul, and removed the Minister for Religion from the cabinet. Even more confidently, among the changes the modern and westernising founder made was the repealing of the provision in Turkish constitution that made Islam the state religion. From then, deputies would cease to take oaths in the name of Allah, but instead made a secular affirmation. However today with Turkish national representatives such as Recep Erdogan, the forward-thinking, productive and modernising changes of Ataturk have all been reversed and ruined by Erdogan’s atavistic policies that are oriented towards the Islamisation of the whole system and has even been linked and found to be unresponsive towards major anti-Western Islamic Jihadists who spread terror and violence across Western societies without any disregard for children. The ignorant Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel has also played a major part in the Islamisation of Western Europe by successfully being manipulated by Islamic territories’ humanitarian departments to take in excessive numbers of Muslim refugees [by the millions] for resettlement which have mainly been healthy Muslim males with no other objectives but to find support on the welfare systems of the West while also contributing in the Islamic doctrines that promote migration [hijra] in the name of Allah for the process of Jihad [which is a process that involves multiple techniques to subjugate all non-Muslim societies to gradually allow Islam’s doctrines to take over], in the ongoing war for the Islamisation of the West. This continued clash of values makes the secularisation of Turkey by Ataturk particularly striking since Islam’s ideologies continue to control most indoctrinated minds in the vast Islamic territory that continues to promote 3rd world ideologies and show firm stance against secularisation in Muslim countries and perhaps even more shockingly, in some parts of the West where urban and uncultured low-skilled Muslim communities have amassed – a known recruiting field for many extremist Middle-East groups such as ISIS [Daech, Islamic State] and a known breeding place for rapists who in many cases justify their heinous acts as religiously valid, being the teachings of Muhammad on the treatment of non-Muslims in the Jihad war for islamic supremacy; non-muslims are deemed as spiritually ‘inferior’ beings fairly similarly to the teachings of Judaism where all non-Jews are believed to be inferior, destined to serve the Jewry and are completely disposable, perhaps more shockingly: non-Jews should even be killed. Islam’s perfect muslim, Mohammad, conquered immense territories with his troops and took many women from a range of European countries as slaves and sexual slaves. There were about 300 000 French Christian slaves in North Africa that many great historians such as Fernand Braudel hardly spoke of, although he is considered as a specialist in the history of the western Mediterranean basin. Novelists, and other false historians, when they speak of the conquest of Algeria and the establishment of protectorates in Tunisia and Morocco, no longer speak of one of its motivations, to put an end to the slavery of Europeans in these countries. [See: Guy de Rambaud’s essay, “Les esclaves français des Maures et des Turcs.”] Slavery dates from prehistoric times, and is recorded in China from the Shang Dynasty, and in Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and India, as well as among the Aztecs and Incas in pre-Columbian America. Slaves were obtained from the enslavement of peoples conquered in war. The first people to be enslaved in Europe by Islamic conquerors were “Slavs” of Eastern Europe who formed a large proportion of the slave population in the early Middle Ages [some also as a punishment for crime, through voluntary self-enslavement of individuals or families for debt or by trade], hence the word “slave” is derived from them as it comes from the Latin word “sclavus” designing the enslaved Slavic man, a term that appeared in this particular sense in 937 in a Germanic diploma, then widely used in the Genoese and Venetian notarial acts from the end of the 12th century onwards to finally establish itself in the Romanesques and Germanic languages. The etymology, even more explicit in English, reveals a historical fact that is most often ignored not only by the general public, but by the historical community itself: the slave trade at the expense of the Eastern European Slavic peoples from the 8th to 18th centuries. There was usually a constant demand for fresh supplies of slaves from the outside as the slave population became self-reproducing, specially from the Islamic Empire. Slaves were considered as a luxury consumer item, where the possession of one created the demand for more. In Ancient Greece, all but the poorest families owned at least one slave. Alexandre Skirda, an essayist and historian of Russian origin, has devoted a book to this tragic episode of European history, which fills a gap in our documentation, yet which has not aroused much public interest because it is not given the publicity it deserves. How can we be surprised by media censorship? Skirda’s book provides the general public with irrefutable facts to show that millions of whites have been reduced to servitude, and that they have been subjected to an even more severe slave trade than the Atlantic slave trade of African negroes, since it was accompanied by castration [so that they could not impregnate any Arab-Muslim women] which led to countless deaths from this barbaric act, and that they have been sold in most cases to Muslim buyers. Slaves tended to be employed in two areas: as servants in the house or in large-scale industrial or construction projects [e.g. the building of the pyramids and royal palaces of ancient Egypt]. In Ancient Greece and Rome, slaves also worked as craftsmen, agricultural labourers, oarsmen in galleys, and in some rare instances as tutors for young children. In the Domesday Book, 10 per cent of the population of England are recorded as slaves. Islam approves of slavery; Muhammad and his people indeed practiced slavery and sexual slavery it is even allowed according to the writings in the Koran (Koran 33:50). «Le Marché aux Esclaves» [The Slave Market] par le peintre orientaliste français, Gustave Boulanger (1882) These two 3rd world religions, Judaism and Islam have doctrines of behaviour towards other groups that are rooted in hate and violence because they both instill a very strong sense of “US agains THEM [outsiders]”. Hence, the early expulsion of the Jewish communities globally much before the Nazi regime or any of its founders were even born. A practice known as holocaust done in the name of the Jewish god Baal, involved sacrificing young male babies was hated by many non-Jewish intellectuals and societies throughout Western history. However, today the atavistic process that should have been inexistent or even annihilated, is ironically happening to modern societies at the verge of being completely secularised after their independence such as in the West: the process of Islamisation. Islamisation of the West, which was founded and evolved on Christian values, and famous deist intellectuals such as Voltaire who placed reason before irrational claims of God [although not denying the existence of powers that may be Godly], is happening at an alarming rate, as it is being forced into accepting millions of Muslim refugees known to be part of the process of Islamisation linked to major extremist and pro-Muslim association such as the Muslim Brotherhood [a group heavily linked with Barack Obama] who have links to the extreme left leaning seats in the United Nations. These dangerous extreme-left [not socialist] movements with religious affiliations have been finding ways to loosen the security of the West’s defence to infiltrate the ideologies of Islam through the process of cultural Jihad, which involves using techniques such as diplomacy, huge business ventures, and twisting arms with the unscrupulous use of ‘political correctness’ to further the purpose of Islam, aided by the act of Taqqiya, which is promoted by Islamic ideology to deceive, lie and act in whatever way it may be required to promote Islam and eventually subjugate non-Islamic societies. One of the most recent example of complete Islamisation is Iran in 1979 where the overthrow of Shad Muhammad Reza Pahlavi ushered in an Islamic republic. This seemingly Islamic ‘success’ in the Iranian Revolution led to Islamic Fundamentalists in other undeveloped economies such as Pakistan, Egypt and Algeria to believe in their possible future, already being part of economies where governments make concessions to religious militants as they both are supporters of the ideology of Islam. In some countries, many Islamic terrorists have justified their acts as populist alternatives to what they perceive as corrupt, dictatorial regimes that lack compassion and righteousness. Others have questioned righteousness from the perspective of Islamic ideologies that involve beheading, mass terror and other inhuman practices on non-Muslims in the name of Allah as the teachings of Muhammad, a controversial prophet who consummated a marriage to a 6-year old when the latter was nine [even the practice and promotion of what most Western minds would perceive as paedophilia has seen a near complete silence from most authorities in the west for fear of repercussions such as accusations of racism, lack of political correctness or xenophobia, all forms of speech suppression that have started to raise more voices among many people who believe that Islamisation is incompatible, dangerous and unsustainable – massive causes of systematic socio-cultural and economic degradation]. 80% of the French trust the public more than in politics L’homme Papillon (Butterfly Man) / Caricature of Jules Didier by Claude Monet (1840 – 1926) Trust in Politics in Britain Tweet from 4th of September 2016 Confidence in National Government keeps lowering in OECD nations In order to move towards a system of management that includes government to replace the obsolete concept of politics and reinstate credibility in decision making based on reason and science, balanced with the right philosophy to fit the appropriate expectations at a given time, the mainstream mind set will have to accept reason as a more fitting compass to guide a civilised society instead of religion. Although most [mentally sound individuals] should have the freedom to choose where to place their faith [religion, science, philosophy, etc], secularisation would at least ensure that the state bases its decisions on reality, logic and rationality; however the State should never forget to acknowledge the fact that religion is part of a society’s philosophical and cultural roots [e.g. Western Europe was founded on Christianity which inspired its writers and intellectuals; even if some were non religious they are undeniable products of the cultural realm of Christian thought] and is part of a society’s identity, and hence the secular State should consider religion as a matter of its own culture and identity to ensure that the mother religion is given priority over foreign ones [as most countries in the World do, for e.g. Israel and Arab States]. Social Hostilities Involving Religion The State may initiate a workable but firm control over the appropriate influx of immigrants by specific religious groups to maintain and not discriminate the national cultural identity of the foundation [religion would simply be a part of culture and not a reigning authority synthesised with most departments of the state] while adapting to changes that socio-cultural economic developments and research lead to [however careful consideration over the purpose and benefits must remain of vital importance and focus]. Opinion of the threatening wave of Islamic migrants in Europe Trend of Religious Hostilities in the Middle-East and Africa India’s predicted to have the world’s largest Muslim population by 2050 As the system of democracy still gives voices to the masses, it is also fair noting that majority votes do not decide or confirm the degree of righteousness in a particular thought or decision. In fact, majority debates in choice simply conclude the general ‘views on a specific topic’ of a particular group of human organisms from a particular geographical location on earth. In cases such as medicine, physics, chemistry and other science based studies majority votes lead to and mean nothing, in those disciplines only reason wins, with the conclusion based on logic. Certainly what a perfect secular state may include could be a decision making department that bases every decision based on the required concept that applies to it, i.e. for e.g. matters of professional disciplines could be approved by the required boards of professionals (by their field), and decisions on socio-cultural matters would benefit from public opinion, further matters of economy would be supervised by the board of economy, etc, and this may eventually lead to a system that relies on only democratic values and management, and hardly any politics [if regional representatives by area could have a better description]. The USA’s secular government has so far demonstrated to be far from perfect with major differences in opinion on a range of issues regarding military ethics during World War 2 where Eisenhower sadistically allowed thousands of Germans to die in starvation in his very own ‘death camps’, and other claims of secrecy with Churchill & Stalin in a German boycott along with the ongoing national socio-cultural conflicts with the Islamisation of the USA by the Obama regime – open promoters of Muslims and Islam in the West. The deistic Founding Fathers of the USA’s secular government would definitely be surprised at the influence of orthodox, evangelical Christianity of various kinds in the modern but over-liberal republic. Although it may if appropriate to consider the fact that secular states will somehow forever have religious roots, and while some may not be practising Christians, most of Western literature are full of biblical references. Major festivities such as Christmas have turned into a symbol of celebration and gifts for Western societies more than a religious observance, and it unites and benefits more than only Christians in many major societies of the West – especially economically for most businesses. Consumption Trends Image: Europe: obese individuals exercising to burn their accumulated excess of calories. Obesity nowadays is generally associated with a culture of big bellies. SAMSARA food sequence from Baraka & Samsara Obesity in the World / Source: OECD Secularisation in everyday life in an increasingly post-Christian Europe Nowadays most of the so called “developed” societies of the modern westernised world are entrapped in the global economy; a great section of their population have been conditioned by various influences [e.g. mainstream media] into seeing their life from a different perspective that sometimes seems mechanical, alternative ways to make rites of passage and more importantly, other doctrines imposed by politically-controlled governments and the medias to be guided by; this has gradually reduced the importance of spirituality and religious dimensions for the masses in public and private life. Munich by Harry Schiffer Major changes in Britain saw the 1836 Marriage Act which for the first time allowed marriages to be solemnised in Britain by other practices besides a religious ceremony. On 1 July 1837, six hundred district offices opened as the act came into force along with an ongoing set of necessary changes. By 1857, divorce was obtainable in the UK by other means than the Act of Parliament – although not easily and only when requested by husbands. These changes along with the liberalised attitude on legislations such as abortion has long been opposed by the Church however, especially in Catholic countries. Nowadays, the growing number of people relying less on religious associations as a guide is ever increasing, notably in developed economies with education systems evolving at an incredible speed with the Internet of Tim Berners-Lee since the early 1990s. Thus, the knowledge of science and philosophy has become more widespread, along with its application to modern culture – leading to a new orthodoxy. The triumphs of technology have also made life for the secular minds fairly comfortable and safe in the developed world; although a lot of work remains to be done at the systematic level regarding economic policies, socio-cultural and philosophical developments, beliefs and directions in some so called “Westernised” societies to counter the now dangerously increasing waves of Islamisation (See: Daniel Secomb – Muslim Immigration and the Islamic Doctrine of Hijrah) Perhaps a painful reality to most of those raised in a sophisticated science-oriented philosophical circle, or tutored with a conservative education but a liberal outlook from the West or Western derived systems, or in the ever more secular societies of France, UK, Germany and Western Europe, is that so far we are the ‘minority’ and are seen as an ‘exception’ when compared with the majority in terms of humans living on earth globally. Global Population predicted to be 11.2 billion by 2100 because of Africa’s soaring growth That may send visions of the inundation of migrants from poorly managed nations of the 3rd world Middle-East and Africa who also play a major part on the low socio-economic birth rate explosion and consequent socio-cultural burden on global humanitarian budgets expected to cause major economic and socio-cultural unrest for the West in the coming future if situations do not change. Sadly for the secular intellectuals today, is the fact that in most lesser developed societies of the world, the great religions, the smaller ones, and a series of traditional beliefs [some as illogical and ridiculous to reason or intelligence] continue to give a reason to live and subsequently meaning to the lives of many communities who are born and live in a completely different psycho-social reality fused with religious beliefs of ancient cultures [specially in the 3rd world and/or Islamic territories]. The progressive & ethical solution to deal with the alarming situation Since, engineering environmentally also applies to the human organism, maximising the potential of humans according to their best environmental (socio-cultural) fit would seem like the most globally progressive philosophy. However, engineering our planet in terms of human abilities would also side with relocating populations to alleviate their own stress caused by incompatibility in terms of culture, language, identity and skills – a process that goes in line with evolutionary logic, but also fosters a harmonious human ecosystem with less tension, thus less stress [mental health & health]. Cooperation on matters beneficial for both states could be achieved from synchronised work from respective locations [e.g. nature, environment, climate change, business, etc]. This would alleviate systems that lack stability due to massive population imbalance and socio-cultural conflicts caused majorly by uncontrolled geographical shifts and the birth rates that follow, leading to ‘organisms’ [from an objective perspective] that do not ‘identify’ with the system that they were born into, but see themselves as part of an ‘external system and its school of thought’, who mostly earn and live to promote the latter system and flood the current one with further external and incompatible organisms. Remittance (Cash) Flows Worldwide This continuous unregulated & unsustainable process of mass-migration & mass low-SES births add to the ongoing burden of socio-cultural conflict and economic degradation due to the sole motivating factor being foreign interest [mostly 3rd world & developing economies] in economic resources from Western systems while remaining ‘foreign’ and indifferent to public/civic expectations socio-culturally [due to a lack of linguistic proficiency and other low-SES complications such as quality education, linguistic acculturation, etc]. Such issues in uncontrollable amounts that reflect in most aspects of a society have shown to lead to systemic instability, fragmentation and low social-cohesion mostly linked to differences in belief systems created by heritage or indoctrination of beliefs from incompatible systems through exposure. The Root of the English language English and French are among the world’s most valued & practical languages today % of people in Europe able to hold an English conversation In Europe most believe that being able to speak the National Language is ‘crucial’ to National Identity Top Minority Languages by Country Foreign Language people consider the most useful for Personal Development 2nd Most Useful Language according to each country’s population Most Common Surnames by Country Standards of Life across OECD nations / Public Spending Cost of Living Around the Globe Once more, from an objective perspective and through the humble logic of observation, any system from any part of the world would face degradation with excessive sections of their population not focused in contributing in its protection, promotion, strength and stability – a simple matter of factual reasoning, an e.g. of such a statement would be “If an egg is released from a metre on hard floor, it will fall and break.”. With geographical engineering, it seems to simply be a matter of re-assessing and replacing ‘organic units’ with ones that are reliable in terms of stability, compatibility and long term development [experience] – a clear example of progressive innovation. A simple case of synthesising the knowledge gained from science and applying its philosophy with an understanding of human evolution to prevent further catastrophes while correcting the dangerous path of the present. LSE: Perceptions and Reality About Immigration The Destructive Waves of Immigration in One Map [Animation] Net Migration to the UK has never been higher Countries where the average number of children per woman is above a 3.5 average Europe is not convinced that growing diversity is good Most common country of origin of foreign-born population Most in Europe are concerned about security & the socio-economic repercussions of the 3rd world immigration crisis Fixing the problem at the source: record high of world’s population is displaced from their homes Organised Invasive Replacement of Western Nations: Foreign organisms are increasing at a greater rate than the original population in the USA Quelle Émotion: «Étude de trente-cinq têtes d’expression» par Louis Léopold Boilly (1825) “History has for sewers times like ours.” -Victor Hugo A New Era for Management may be near: UK & France rank low for trust in government Reflections: History and Heritage On the question of heritage like history, it still appears that the uninformed majority still misunderstand the terms. History is a written parcours of events in human legacy and its evolution, and it is to be continuously worked on and written in the present – not simply a theatrical recreation of the past to remain its prisoner – rather, we should keep following the course of the multi-faceted process of evolution. As for heritage, it is the psychological mechanism [cognitive system] embedded environmentally [with possible neuro-genetic influences] in the individual in the form of language(s), values, philosophy, speech, education, arts, behaviour and expression. Mis à jour le Dimanche, 8 Novembre 2020 \| Danny D’Purb \| DPURB.com Lenman, B. and Marsden, H. (2005). Chambers dictionary of world history. Edinburgh: Chambers. Posted in Arts & Culture, dpurb.com, Environnement, Terre, Nature & Animaux, Littérature, Philosophie & Opinions, Psychologie, Science & Santé, Technologie, Culture & Société Tagged 3rd World, Adolf Hitler, Africa, Art, Artistry, Éducation, Biology, Biopsychology, Blood, Brahe, Britain, Cancer, Chemistry, Christianity, Climate Change, Communism, Copernicus, Corruption, CRISPR, Culture, Danny J. 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__label__wiki	0.535037	0.535037	A. A schematic view of an idealized action potential illustrates its various phases as the action potential passes a point on a cell membrane. B. Actual recordings of action potentials are often distorted compared to the schematic view because of variations in electrophysiological techniques used to make the recording WikiDoc Resources for Action potential Most recent articles on Action potential Most cited articles on Action potential Review articles on Action potential Articles on Action potential in N Eng J Med, Lancet, BMJ Powerpoint slides on Action potential Images of Action potential Photos of Action potential Podcasts & MP3s on Action potential Videos on Action potential Cochrane Collaboration on Action potential Bandolier on Action potential TRIP on Action potential Ongoing Trials on Action potential at Clinical Trials.gov Trial results on Action potential Clinical Trials on Action potential at Google Guidelines / Policies / Govt US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Action potential NICE Guidance on Action potential NHS PRODIGY Guidance FDA on Action potential CDC on Action potential Books on Action potential Action potential in the news Be alerted to news on Action potential News trends on Action potential Blogs on Action potential Definitions of Action potential Patient Resources / Community Patient resources on Action potential Discussion groups on Action potential Patient Handouts on Action potential Directions to Hospitals Treating Action potential Risk calculators and risk factors for Action potential Healthcare Provider Resources Symptoms of Action potential Causes & Risk Factors for Action potential Diagnostic studies for Action potential Treatment of Action potential Continuing Medical Education (CME) CME Programs on Action potential Action potential en Espanol Action potential en Francais Action potential in the Marketplace Patents on Action potential Experimental / Informatics List of terms related to Action potential Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] 2 Underlying mechanism 2.1 Resting potential 3.2 Stimulation 3.3 Depolarization ("Rising phase") 3.4 Peak 3.5 Repolarization ("Falling phase") 3.6 Hyperpolarization ("Undershoot") 3.7 Refractory Period 4 Threshold and initiation 5 Circuit model 6 Propagation 6.1 Speed of propagation 6.2 Saltatory conduction 6.2.1 Detailed mechanism 6.2.2 Resilience to injury 6.2.3 Role in disease 7 Refractory period 8 Termination and consequences 9 Evolutionary advantage 10 Plant action potentials 11 Alternative models 13.1 General sources 13.2 Primary sources 13.3 Specific citations An action potential is a "spike" of electrical discharge that travels along the membrane of a cell. Action potentials are an essential feature of animal life, rapidly carrying information within and between tissues. They also occur in some plants. Action potentials can be created by many types of cells, but are used most extensively by the nervous system for communication between neurons and for transmitting information from neurons to other body tissues such as muscles and glands. Action potentials are not the same in all cell types and can even vary in their properties at different locations in the same cell. For example, cardiac action potentials are significantly different from the action potentials in most neurons. This article is primarily concerned with the "typical" action potential of axons. There is always a difference in electrostatic potential between the inside and outside of a cell, i.e. the cell is polarized. This membrane potential is the result of the distribution of ions across the cell membrane and the permeability of the membrane to these ions. The voltage of an inactive cell remains close to a resting potential with excess negative charge inside the cell. When the membrane of an excitable cell becomes depolarized beyond a threshold, the cell undergoes an action potential (it "fires"), often called a "spike" (see Threshold and initiation). An action potential is a rapid change of the polarity of the voltage from negative to positive and then vice versa, the entire cycle lasting on the order of milliseconds. Each cycle — and therefore each action potential — has a rising phase, a falling phase, and finally an undershoot (see Phases). In specialized muscle cells of the heart, such as cardiac pacemaker cells, a plateau phase of intermediate voltage may precede the falling phase, extending the action potential duration into hundreds of milliseconds. Action potentials are measured with the recording techniques of electrophysiology and more recently with neurochips containing EOSFETs. An oscilloscope recording the membrane potential from a single point on an axon shows each stage of the action potential as the wave passes. These phases trace an arc that resembles a distorted sine wave; its amplitude depends on whether the action potential wave has reached that point on the membrane or has passed it and if so, how long ago. The action potential does not dwell in one location of the cell's membrane, but travels along the membrane (see Propagation). It can travel along an axon for long distances, for example to carry signals from the spinal cord to the muscles of the foot. In large animals, such as giraffes and whales, the distance traveled can be many meters. After traveling the whole length of the axon, the action potential reaches a synapse, where it stimulates the release of neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters can immediately induce an action potential in the next neuron to propagate the signal, but the response is usually more complex. Both the speed and complexity of action potentials vary between different types of cells, but their amplitudes tend to be roughly the same. Within any one cell, consecutive action potentials are typically indistinguishable. Neurons are thought to transmit information by generating sequences of action potentials called "spike trains". By varying both the rate as well as the precise timing of the action potentials they generate, neurons can change the information that they transmit. Underlying mechanism The hydrophobic cell membrane prevents charged molecules from easily diffusing through it, permitting a potential difference to exist across the membrane. Resting potential Main article: Resting potential The resting potential is what would be maintained were there no action potentials, synaptic potentials, or other changes to the membrane potential. In neurons the resting potential is approximately -70 mV (the negative sign signifies excess negative charge inside the cell relative to the outside). The resting potential is mostly determined by the ion concentrations in the fluids on both sides of the cell membrane and the ion transport proteins in the cell membrane. The term resting is somewhat misleading, for the cell must constantly do work to maintain the resting potential.It takes cell more energy to maintain the resting potential as compared to transmission of nerve impulses. The establishment of this potential difference involves several factors, the most important of which are the transport of ions across the cell membrane and the selective permeability of the membrane to these ions. The active transport of potassium and sodium ions into and out of the cell, respectively, is accomplished by a number of sodium-potassium pumps scattered across the cell membrane. Each pump transports two ions of potassium into the cell for every three ions of sodium pumped out. This establishes a particular distribution of positively charged ions across the cell membrane, with more sodium present outside the cell than inside, and more potassium inside the cell than outside. In some situations, the electrogenic sodium-potassium pumps make a significant contribution to the resting membrane potential, but in most cells there are potassium leak channels that dominate the value of the resting potential. Sodium and potassium ions diffuse through open ion channels under the influence of their electrochemical gradients. At the resting potential, the net movement of sodium into the cell equals the net movement of potassium out of the cell. However, the resting cell membrane is approximately 75 times more permeable to potassium than to sodium because potassium leak channels are always open. As a result, the cell's resting membrane potential is closer to the equilibrium potential of potassium (=EK=−80 mV) than the equilibrium potential of sodium (=ENa=+60 mV). Like the resting potential, action potentials depend upon the permeability of the cell membrane to sodium and potassium ions. Transient changes in conductance for different ions cause the changes in membrane potential necessary to initiate, sustain, and terminate action potentials. The sequence of events that underlie the action potential are outlined below: At resting potential some potassium leak channels are open but the voltage-gated sodium channels are closed. Even though no net current flows, potassium, the major ion species, moves across the membrane, thus pulling the resting potential close to the K+ equilibrium potential. A local membrane depolarization caused by an excitatory stimulus causes some voltage-gated sodium channels in the neuron cell surface membrane to open, allowing sodium ions to diffuse in through the channels along their electrochemical gradient. Because they are positively charged, they begin a reversal in the potential difference across the membrane from a positive-outside to a negative-inside. Initially, the inward movement of sodium ions is also favored by the negative-inside membrane potential. Overall the ions are under the influence of the driving force, the difference between the membrane potential and the equilibrium potential of sodium. Depolarization ("Rising phase") As sodium ions enter and the membrane potential becomes less negative, more sodium channels open, causing an even greater influx of sodium ions. This is an example of positive feedback. As more sodium channels open, the sodium current dominates over the potassium leak current and the membrane potential becomes positive inside. Recent experiments on cortical neurons suggest that sodium channels open cooperatively,[1] allowing for a much faster uptake than is possible for Hodgkin-Huxley–type dynamics. By the time the membrane potential has reached a peak value of around +40 mV, time-dependent inactivation gates on the sodium channels have already started to close, reducing and finally preventing further influx of sodium ions. While this occurs, the voltage-sensitive activation gates on the voltage-gated potassium channels begin to open. Repolarization ("Falling phase") As voltage-gated potassium channels open, there is a large outward movement of potassium ions driven by the potassium concentration gradient and initially favored by the positive-inside electrical gradient. As potassium ions diffuse out, this movement of positive charge causes a reversal of the membrane potential to negative-inside and repolarization of the neuron back towards the large negative-inside resting potential. Hyperpolarization ("Undershoot") Closing of voltage-gated potassium channels is both voltage- and time-dependent. As potassium exits the cell, the resulting membrane repolarization initiates the closing of voltage-gated potassium channels. These channels do not close immediately in response to a change in membrane potential; rather, voltage-gated potassium channels (also called delayed rectifier potassium channels) have a delayed response, such that potassium continues to flow out of the cell even after the membrane has fully repolarized. Thus the membrane potential dips below the normal resting membrane potential of the cell for a brief moment; this dip of hyperpolarization is known as the undershoot. Refractory Period During the next ~ 1 msec, the Na+ and K+ Channels cannot be opened by a stimulus. The Na+/K+ Pump actively pumps Na+ out of the neuron and K+ into the neuron. This reestablishes the initial ion distribution of the resting neuron (the voltage returns to the resting potential due to leak currents, however, not due to the pump's action). The refractory period is important because it ensures unidirectional (one way) propagation of the action potential. Threshold and initiation Action potentials are triggered when an initial depolarization reaches the threshold. This threshold potential varies, but generally is about 15 millivolts more positive than the cell's resting membrane potential, occurring when the inward sodium current exceeds the outward potassium current. The net influx of positive charges carried by sodium ions depolarizes the membrane potential, leading to the further opening of voltage-gated sodium channels. These channels support greater inward current causing further depolarization, creating a positive-feedback cycle that drives the membrane potential to a very depolarized level. The action potential threshold can be shifted by changing the balance between sodium and potassium currents. For example, if some of the sodium channels are in an inactivated state, then a given level of depolarization will open fewer sodium channels and a greater depolarization will be needed to trigger an action potential. This is the basis for the refractory period (see Refractory period). Action potentials are largely dictated by the interplay between sodium and potassium ions (although there are minor contributions from other ions such as calcium and chloride), and are often modeled using hypothetical cells containing only two transmembrane ion channels (a voltage-gated sodium channel and a non-voltage-gated potassium channel). The origin of the action potential threshold may be studied using I/V curves (right) that plot currents through ion channels against the cell's membrane potential. (Note that the illustrated I/V is an "instantaneous" current voltage relationship. It represents the peak current through channels at a given voltage before any inactivation has taken place (i.e. ~ 1 ms after stepping to that voltage) for the Na current. The most positive voltages in this plot are only attainable by the cell through artificial means - i.e. voltages imposed by the voltage-clamp apparatus). A plot of current (ion flux) against voltage (transmembrane potential) illustrates the action potential threshold (red arrow) of an idealized cell. Four significant points in the I/V curve are indicated by arrows in the figure: The green arrow indicates the resting potential of the cell and also the value of the equilibrium potential for potassium (Ek). As the K+ channel is the only one open at these negative voltages, the cell will rest at Ek. The yellow arrow indicates the equilibrium potential for Na+ (ENa). In this two-ion system, ENa is the natural limit of membrane potential beyond which a cell cannot pass. Current values illustrated in this graph that exceed ENa are measured by artificially pushing the cell's voltage past its natural limit. Note however, that ENa could only be reached if the potassium current were absent. The blue arrow indicates the maximum voltage that the peak of the action potential can approach. This is the actual natural maximum membrane potential that this cell can reach. It cannot reach ENa because of the counteracting influence of the potassium current. The red arrow indicates the action potential threshold. This is where Isum becomes net-inward. Note that this is a zero-current crossing, but with a negative slope. Any such "negative slope crossing" of the zero current level in an I/V plot is an unstable point. At any voltage negative to this crossing, the current is outward and so a cell will tend to return to its resting potential. At any voltage positive of this crossing, the current is inward and will tend to depolarize the cell. This depolarization leads to more inward current, thus the sodium current become regenerative. The point at which the green line reaches its most negative value is the point where all sodium channels are open. Depolarizations beyond that point thus decrease the sodium current as the driving force decreases as the membrane potential approaches ENa. The action potential threshold is often confused with the "threshold" of sodium channel opening. This is incorrect, because sodium channels have no threshold. Instead, they open in response to depolarization in a stochastic manner. Depolarization does not so much open the channel as increases the probability of it being open. Even at hyperpolarized potentials, a sodium channel will open very occasionally. In addition, the threshold of an action potential is not the voltage at which sodium current becomes significant; it is the point where it exceeds the potassium current. Biologically in neurons, depolarization typically originates in the dendrites at synapses. In principle, however, an action potential may be initiated anywhere along a nerve fiber. In his discovery of "animal electricity," Luigi Galvani made a leg of a dead frog kick as in life by touching a sciatic nerve with his scalpel, to which he had inadvertently transferred a negative, static-electric charge, thus initiating an action potential. Circuit model Cell membranes that contain ion channels can be modeled as RC circuits to better understand the propagation of action potentials in biological membranes. In such a circuit, the resistor represents the membrane's ion channels, while the capacitor models the insulating lipid membrane. Variable resistors are used for voltage-gated ion channels, as their resistance changes with voltage. A fixed resistor represents the potassium leak channels that maintain the membrane's resting potential. The sodium and potassium gradients across the membrane are modeled as voltage sources (batteries). A. A basic RC circuit superimposed on an image of a membrane bilayer shows the relationship between the two. B. More elaborate circuits can be used to model membranes containing ion channels, such as this one containing at channels for sodium (blue) and potassium (green). In unmyelinated axons, action potentials propagate as an interaction between passively spreading membrane depolarization and voltage-gated sodium channels. When one patch of cell membrane is depolarized enough to open its voltage-gated sodium channels, sodium ions enter the cell by facilitated diffusion. Once inside, positively-charged sodium ions "nudge" adjacent ions down the axon by electrostatic repulsion (analogous to the principle behind Newton's cradle) and attract negative ions away from the adjacent membrane. As a result, a wave of positivity moves down the axon without any individual ion moving very far. Once the adjacent patch of membrane is depolarized, the voltage-gated sodium channels in that patch open, regenerating the cycle. The process repeats itself down the length of the axon, with an action potential regenerated at each segment of membrane. Propagating action potentials can be modeled by joining several RC circuits, each one representing a patch of membrane. Speed of propagation See also: Time constant and Length constant Action potentials propagate faster in axons of larger diameter, other things being equal. They typically travel from 10 – 100 m/s. The main reason is that the axial resistance of the axon lumen is lower with larger diameters, because of an increase in the ratio of cross-sectional area to membrane surface area. As the membrane surface area is the chief factor impeding action potential propagation in an unmyelinated axon, increasing this ratio is a particularly effective way of increasing conduction speed. An extreme example of an animal using axon diameter to speed action potential conduction is found in the Atlantic squid. The squid giant axon controls the muscle contraction associated with the squid's predator escape response. This axon can be more than 1 mm in diameter, and is presumably an adaptation to allow very fast activation of the escape behavior. The velocity of nerve impulses in these fibers is among the fastest in nature. Squids are notable examples of organisms with unmyelinated axons; the first tests to try to determine the mechanism by which impulses travel along axons, involving the detection of a potential difference between the inside and the surface of a neuron, were undertaken in the 1940s by Alan Hodgkin and Andrew Huxley using squid giant axons because of their relatively large axon diameter. Hodgkin and Huxley won their shares of the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work on the electrophysiology of nerve action potentials. In the autonomic nervous system in mammals, postganglionic neurons are unmyelinated. The small diameter of these axons (about 2 µ) results in a propagatory speed of approximately 1 m/s, as opposed to approximately 18 m/s in myelinated nerve fibers of comparable diameter, thus highlighting the effect of myelination on the speed of transmission of impulses. Saltatory conduction In myelinated axons, saltatory conduction is the process by which an action potential appears to jump along the length of an axon, being regenerated only at uninsulated segments (the nodes of Ranvier). Saltatory conduction increases nerve conduction velocity without having to dramatically increase axon diameter. Saltatory conduction has played an important role in the evolution of larger and more complex organisms whose nervous systems must rapidly transmit action potentials across greater distances. Without saltatory conduction, conduction velocity would need large increases in axon diameter, resulting in organisms with nervous systems too large for their bodies. Detailed mechanism The main impediment to conduction speed in unmyelinated axons is membrane capacitance. In an electric circuit, the capacitance of a capacitor can be decreased by decreasing the cross-sectional area of its plates, or by increasing the distance between plates. The nervous system uses myelin as its main strategy to decrease membrane capacitance. Myelin is an insulating sheath wrapped around axons by Schwann cells and oligodendrocytes, neuroglia that flatten their cytoplasm to form large sheets made up mostly of plasma membrane. These sheets wrap around the axon, moving the conducting plates (the intra- and extracellular fluid) farther apart to decrease membrane capacitance. The resulting insulation allows the rapid (essentially instantaneous) conduction of ions through a myelinated segment of axon, but prevents the regeneration of action potentials through those segments. Action potentials are only regenerated at the unmyelinated nodes of Ranvier which are spaced intermittently between myelinated segments. An abundance of voltage-gated sodium channels on these bare segments (up to four orders of magnitude greater than their density in unmyelinated axons[2]) allows action potentials to be efficiently regenerated at the nodes of Ranvier. As a result of myelination, the insulated portion of the axon behaves like a passive wire: it conducts action potentials rapidly because its membrane capacitance is low, and minimizes the degradation of action potentials because its membrane resistance is high. When this passively propagated signal reaches a node of Ranvier, it initiates an action potential, which subsequently travels passively to the next node where the cycle repeats. Resilience to injury The length of myelinated segments of axon is important to saltatory conduction. They should be as long as possible to maximize the length of fast passive conduction, but not so long that the decay of the passive signal is too great to reach threshold at the next node of Ranvier. In reality, myelinated segments are long enough for the passively propagated signal to travel for at least two nodes while retaining enough amplitude to fire an action potential at the second or third node. Thus, the safety factor of saltatory conduction is high, allowing transmission to bypass nodes in case of injury. Role in disease Some diseases degrade saltatory conduction and reduce the speed of action potential conductance. The most well-known of these diseases is multiple sclerosis, in which the breakdown of myelin impairs coordinated movement. Where membrane has undergone an action potential, a refractory period follows. Thus, although the passive transmission of action potentials across myelinated segments would suggest that action potentials propagate in either direction, most action potentials travel unidirectionally because the node behind the propagating action potential is refractory. This period arises primarily because of the time-dependent inactivation of sodium channels, as described by Hodgkin and Huxley in 1952. Immediately after an action potential, during the absolute refractory period, virtually all sodium channels are inactivated and thus it is impossible to fire another action potential in that segment of membrane. With time, sodium channels are reactivated in a stochastic manner. As they become available, it becomes possible to fire an action potential, albeit one with a much higher threshold. This is the relative refractory period and together with the absolute refractory period, lasts approximately five milliseconds. Termination and consequences An action potential proceeding along a membrane is prevented from reversing its direction by the refractory period, and will eventually depolarize the entire cell. When the action potential reaches an area where all the cell membrane is already depolarized or still in the refractory period, the action potential can no longer propagate. Because an action potential propagates only along contiguous membrane, another mechanism is necessary to transmit action potentials between cells. Neurons communicate with each other at a chemical synapse. Other cell types, such as cardiac muscle cells, can communicate action potentials via electrical synapses. The synapse is a very small gap between neurons that allows one-way communication. As the presynaptic neuron undergoes an action potential, voltage-sensitive calcium channels open and cause the release of neurotransmitters into the synapse. These chemical transmitters can initiate an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron, allowing communication between neurons. Some neurotransmitters inhibit action potentials, and the interaction of excitatory and inhibitory signals allows complex modulation of signals in the nervous system. Evolutionary advantage The action potential, as a method of long-distance communication, fits a particular biological need seen most readily when considering the transmission of information along a nerve axon. To move a signal from one end of an axon to the other, nature must contend with physics similar to those that govern the movement of electrical signals along a wire. Due to the resistance and capacitance of a wire, signals tend to degrade as they travel along that wire over a distance. These properties, known collectively as cable properties set the physical limits over which signals can travel. Thus, nonspiking neurons (which carry signals without action potentials) tend to be small. Proper function of the body requires that signals be delivered from one end of an axon to the other without loss. An action potential does not so much propagate along an axon, as it is newly regenerated by the membrane voltage and current at each stretch of membrane along its path. In other words, the nerve membrane recreates the action potential at its full amplitude as it travels down the axon, thus overcoming the limitations imposed by cable physics. Plant action potentials Many plants also exhibit action potentials that travel via their phloem to coordinate activity. The main difference between plant and animal action potentials is that plants primarily use potassium and calcium currents while animals typically use currents of potassium and sodium. The model of electrical signal propagation in neurons employing voltage-gated ion channels described above is accepted by almost all scientists working in the field. However there are a few observations not easily reconciled with the model: A signal traveling along a neuron is accompanied by a slight local thickening of the membrane and a force acting outwards.[3] An action potential traveling along a neuron results in a slight increase in temperature followed by a decrease in temperature;[4] electrical charges traveling through a resistor however always produce heat. One recent alternative, the soliton model, attempts to explain signals in neurons as pressure (or sound) solitons traveling along the membrane, accompanied by electrical field changes resulting from piezo-electric effects. Cardiac action potential Ventricular action potential Hyperpolarization Signals (biology) Length constant Bursting General sources Bear, M.F., B.W. Connors, and M.A. Paradiso. 2001. Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain. Baltimore: Lippincott. ISBN 0781739446 Kandel ER, Schwartz JH, Jessell TM. Principles of Neural Science, 4th ed. McGraw-Hill, New York (2000). ISBN 0-8385-7701-6 Dale Purves, et al. Neuroscience, 2nd ed. 2001. Sinauer Associates, Inc. Ion Channels Underlying Action Potentials. ISBN 0878937250 Release of Transmitters from Synaptic Vesicles Kent, M., Advanced Biology. 2000. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. Taylor, D.J., Green, N.P.O., & Stout, G.W. 2003. Biological Sciences, 3rd ed. United Kingdom : Cambridge University Press. Hodgkin AL, Huxley AF. Currents carried by sodium and potassium ions through the membrane of the giant axon of Loligo. J Physiol. 1952 Apr;116(4):449-72. PMID 14946713 Hodgkin AL, Huxley AF. The components of membrane conductance in the giant axon of Loligo. J Physiol. 1952 Apr;116(4):473-96. PMID 14946714 Hodgkin AL, Huxley AF. The dual effect of membrane potential on sodium conductance in the giant axon of Loligo. J Physiol. 1952 Apr;116(4):497 – 506. PMID 14946715 Hodgkin AL, Huxley AF. A quantitative description of membrane current and its application to conduction and excitation in nerve. J Physiol. 1952 Aug;117(4):500-44. PMID 12991237 Clay JR. Axonal excitability revisited. Prog Biophys Mol Biol. 2005 May;88(1):59 – 90. PMID 15561301 Specific citations ↑ "Unique features of action potential initiation in cortical neurons". 2006-04-20. ↑ "soma.npa.uiuc.edu/courses/bio303/Ch5b.html". ↑ Iwasa K, Tasaki I, Gibbons RC (1980). Swelling of nerve fibers associated with action potentials. Science Vol. 210. no. 4467, pp. 338 – 339 ↑ Ritchie JM, Keynes RD (1985). The production and absorption of heat associated with electrical activity in nerve and electric organ. Q Rev Biophys. 1985 Nov;18(4):451-76. Template:McGrawHillAnimation Electrochemistry of plant life, May, 2004 from Case Western Reserve University Demonstration of ion flow during action potential at Blackwell Publishing Action potential propagation in myelinated vs. unmyelinated axons at Blackwell Publishing Open-source software to simulate neuronal and cardiac action potentials at SourceForge Nernst/Goldman Equation Simulator at University of Arizona Electrophysiology and The Molecular Basis of Excitability at University of Chicago Action Potential Len Kravitz, University of New Mexico PSY 340 Brain and Behavior, 2.2a Neural Impulse (part 2) Vincent W. Hevern, Le Moyne College, Syracuse New York Action Potentials Dawn A. Tamarkin, Springfield Technical Community College, Springfield, Massechusets Action Potential Rachel McCready, Intensive Care Unit, London Health Services Centre Propagation of an Action Potential National Health Museum Resource Center, Washington DC Neurotransmission Steve Croker, University of Derby. Derby, England Neurotransmitter and neuron diagrams Edward I. Pollack, West Chester University of Pennsylvania Action Potential Conduction Encyclopædia Britannica The Action Potential John Kinnamon, University of Denver Excitable Cells John Kimball, Tufts University (retired) Resting and Action Membrane Potentials Teaching Resources Center, UC Davis. Animated tutorials Action Potential Frank Werblin, UC Berkely. Animated and interactive tutorials Action Potential Movement Through an Axon at learner.org Template:Link FA ar:كمون الفعل de:Aktionspotential ko:활동전위 it:Potenziale d'azione he:דחף עצבי ms:Potensi aksi nl:Actiepotentiaal simple:Nerve impulse sl:Akcijski potencial fi:Toimintapotentiaali sv:Aktionspotential Template:Jb1 Template:WikiDoc Sources Retrieved from "https://www.wikidoc.org/index.php?title=Action_potential&oldid=1327294" Neural coding This page was last edited 18:22, 19 July 2017 by Ahmed Younes. Based on work by wikidoc user WikiBot.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line455
__label__wiki	0.863766	0.863766	Celebrating Influential Solo Moms in ... Celebrating Influential Solo Moms in Black History Image credit: Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock.com (middle); NASA (right) Making history and inspiring us all! In her piece, “Celebrating African American Solo Moms Through the Decades,” ESME’s Rebecca Cherry writes about the contributions of Coretta Scott King, Toni Morrison, Yolanda Griffiths, and Madame C.J. Walker. In honor of Black History Month, ESME continues the discussion, celebrating other African American Solo Moms and/or daughters of Solo Moms we have featured on our site who have made their mark in history, among them civil rights activists, a mathematician, a congresswoman, and an award-winning poet. “Rosa Parks: Freedom and Equality” Parks’s famous refusal to surrender her bus seat to a white passenger in 1955 spurred the Montgomery, Alabama, boycott and other efforts to end segregation. “Myrlie Evers-Williams: ‘I Am Me’” Myrlie Evers-Williams married Medgar Evers on Christmas Eve in 1951, and the couple had three children—Darrell, Reena, and James—before Medgar was assassinated by a white supremacist. Myrlie had worked alongside her activist husband for years before his death; Medgar was the Mississippi field secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and together, the couple fought for equal rights for Mississippi’s African American citizens. “Betty Shabazz: Hope and Healing in the Face of Daunting Odds” Faith helped sustain Betty Shabazz in the wake of the assassination of her husband, el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz, or Malcolm X, on February 21, 1965. According to Shabazz’s daughter, Ilyasah, “[M]y mother refused to live her life as a victim. She possessed faith in God, self-respect, and a perspective that did not permit her to say, ‘No, I cannot do this.’” “Cathy Hughes: Promise Kept” Pregnancy “was the beginning” for entrepreneur and radio/television personality Cathy Hughes. She was 16, and her mom kicked her out of the house, but as Hughes told the Huffington Post in 2012, she looked at the birth of her son, Alfred Liggins, as “an impetus to achieve.” As she shared, “[His birth] was the reason I took my life seriously for the first time as a teenager and made a promise to myself, my son, and God that he would not become a black statistic.” “How Katherine Johnson Became a STEM Pioneer” Katherine Johnson, pioneer of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), has been breaking down barriers all her life. The brilliant mathematician became the first black woman to desegregate West Virginia University in Morgantown and overcame patronizing attitudes about women and blacks to succeed as a pioneering mathematician at NASA (or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration). She also demonstrated that a Solo Mom could help people explore outer space. “Josephine Baker: Rainbow Tribe” Josephine Baker was born poor in St. Louis. Her early life was marked by the ugly realities of racism, but when she moved to France in 1925, she gained fame as a singer, dancer, and actress in Paris’s integrated society. Her famous “banana dance” cemented a growing celebrity status, and by 1927, she was earning more than any other entertainer in Europe. “Valerie Jarrett: Best Job in the World” Formerly a senior adviser to the President of the United States and assistant to the President for Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs in the Obama administration, Valerie Jarrett is a Chicago lawyer, businesswoman, and civic leader. She’s also a Solo Mom: Jarrett and her ex-husband, William Robert Jarrett, who married in 1983 and divorced in 1988, had one child together, their daughter, Laura. “Aretha Franklin: Young Mother, Musical Prodigy” Aretha Franklin was regarded as something of a musical prodigy from an early age. By 14, she had recorded her own gospel album and joined her preacher father’s traveling revival show. She became a young mother not long after, with a second son arriving within two years. Famously reticent about her private life, especially her children, Franklin has never divulged the identity of her oldest boys’ fathers; her grandmother took in the children when Franklin was 18 so that the singer could pursue her musical career. “Barbara Lee: Dedicated to Civil and Human Rights” U.S. Representative Barbara Lee raised her sons, Tony and Craig, on her own; her stand on issues protecting the rights of the marginalized stem from her experiences as a Solo Mom in the 1970s. In 2013, Lee defended the importance of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly called food stamps, in the Huffington Post: “When I was a young, single mother, I was on public assistance. It was a bridge over troubled water, and without it, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I spent hours debating what to buy and what to skip, all the while keeping my sons in my mind. I could go without breakfast; my sons couldn’t.” “Tina Turner: Taking Care of Business” When singer Tina Turner separated from musician husband Ike Turner in 1976 because of his physical abuse and infidelity, she had no more than “36 cents and a gas station credit card,” she’s said. She also had kids: her two sons, as well as two of Ike’s boys. For Turner, breaking from Ike meant going it alone musically for the first time. To make ends meet for herself and the kids as she built a solo career, she cleaned houses and used food stamps. “Maya Angelou: Uncaged Bird” Maya Angelou—writer, poet, civil rights activist, playwright, professor, and dancer—endured the kind of childhood from which few people recover. She was raped by her mother’s boyfriend, a man named Freeman, and was mute for five years after Freeman was found beaten to death, apparently at the hands of Angelou’s uncles. The circumstances of her early life formed the basis of Angelou’s first autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Black history month Hall of Fame Perspectives	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line456
__label__cc	0.597478	0.402522	About Ayn Rand About Ayn Rand's Works Top / Ayn Rand / Ford Hall Forum / The Fascist New Frontier (Free MP3 download) The Fascist New Frontier (Free MP3 download) By Ayn Rand In this 1962 radio talk, Ayn Rand explains her view that President Kennedy’s New Frontier is most accurately described as fascistic, in that—contrary to socialism and communism, which require the abolition of private property—Kennedy’s program calls for the imposition of state controls while preserving the fiction of private ownership, as did the fascist states of twentieth century Europe. In her assessment, Rand identifies a fundamental principle that Kennedy’s program shares with those European states—the “subordination and sacrifice of the individual to the collective.” This principle, Rand argues, is the “ideological root of all statist systems, in any variation, from welfare statism to a totalitarian dictatorship”—and it is ubiquitous in the political dialogue of 1960s America. Arguing in opposition to those who held that the New Frontier was a socialist initiative, Rand offers as evidence excerpts from Kennedy’s own speeches as well as statements made by others in his administration. In this talk you will also hear Rand discuss: Why the difference between socialism and fascism is superficial but “significant psychologically” What “public-private partnership” really means The Kennedy administration’s assault on free speech and principled thinking What distinguishes America from other nations This lecture is a radio talk. A version of this talk was originally delivered at Boston’s Ford Hall Forum, America’s oldest (founded in 1908) continuously operating free public lecture series. Over the years, such luminaries as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Eleanor Roosevelt, and Henry Kissinger have appeared on its podium. An edited version of this talk is available in The Ayn Rand Column, a collection of articles by Rand. Download for free here: The Fascist New Frontier (Free MP3 download; 58 min., 41.60 MB) The description of this product was written and/or edited by ARI staff.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line459
__label__wiki	0.954809	0.954809	FELLOWS UNITED KITCHEN CAFE Our internationals Arthur Numan Robbie Witschge Richard Witschge Martijn Reuser T. v Peperstraten Fellows media Dealerwebshop Our eldest and one of the most famous brothers who went far in football. Rob Witschge, born in Amsterdam on 22 August 1966. This former Dutch football international appeared for clubs like AFC Ajax, Feyenoord, AS Saint-Étienne and FC Utrecht. He usually played left-winger or left half. He played 30 international matches for the Dutch national team, in which he scored 3 times. When he was with Feyenoord, he won four national cups, the first edition of the Johan Cruyff Shield and one national championship title and he made it to the semi-finals of the Europe Cup II in 1991/92. In 1999, he wrapped up his career and began his career as a trainer. In May 2000, Witschge successfully obtained his diploma Trainer Coach I. In the season 2001-2002, Witschge was assistant trainer for HFC Haarlem. In 2004, he became assistant national coach of the Dutch national team. Together with John van ‘t Schip, he assisted national coach Marco van Basten. In the season of 2006-2007, Witschge did his internship with HFC Haarlem. Afterwards, Witschge, together with John van ‘t Schip, became assistant trainer with Ajax, under main coach Marco van Basten. Matches: 92 Goals: 13 Matches: 160 Goals: 1 Matches: ? Goals: ? copyright 2015 - FELLOWS UNITED	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line460
__label__wiki	0.971867	0.971867	An expert on both sides of the camera, Jodie Foster marks 55 years of filmmaking by Sophia Jin As part of our Tribute Series, FF2 Media celebrates the work of female filmmakers. Be sure to click on the film titles for full reviews & see where you can stream on JustWatch.com. Jodie Foster, born in 1962 in Los Angeles, California, has been in the film industry since the age of two. In 1980, Foster graduated top of her class from the College Lycée Français de Los Angeles. Her proficiency in French allowed her to act in French films and also dub herself in French versions of a lot of her English-language films. She then began studying English Literature at Yale University. She graduated in 1985 magna cum laude. In 1997, Foster was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree. Jodie Foster’s career began with a television appearance as the Coppertone girl in an advertisement in 1965. Originally, the audition was only meant for her older brother, Buddy, but since Jodie went with him and their mother Brandy to the casting call, the casting agents noticed her. This led to more advertising work, which then led to her minor appearance in Mayberry R.F.D, where her brother starred in. Following this, Foster continued to appear in advertisements and over fifty television shows. These jobs, along with her brother’s acting gigs, caused the two young children to earn money for the family in these years. In order to avoid losing an acting career, as it is difficult to transition from being a child actor to an adult actor, Foster’s mother decided Jodie should act in films with an older audience. Her first big break was Scorsese’s Taxi Driver (1976), where Foster played a child prostitute. Due to the film’s violence, Foster had to be accompanied by a social worker on set, and her older sister, Connie, stood in for her in the more sexual scenes. Foster and her co-star, Robert De Niro, worked well together and they both dedicated a lot of time rehearsing scenes. Taxi Driver was a life-changing experience for Foster, as it kick-started her acting career, and was the first time she acted someone other than herself. The film won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. During the press conference, Foster acted as the French interpreter, which impressed the French journalists. The critically acclaimed film won two BAFTAs, a David di Donatello and a National Society of Film Critics Award. Foster gained an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in this role. Taxi Driver is considered one of the greatest films in the history of the American Film Institute. LITTLE MAN TATE Foster continued to act in other films such as the 1976 Bugsy Malone, where the director Alan Parker was so impressed with the way Foster was fascinated by filmmaking, that he felt she was the only other person on set able to take over as director. Her fourth film was a Canadian-French thriller The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane. Foster won a Saturn Award for the film. Later that year, Jodie Foster became the youngest person to host Saturday Night Live until 1982. She then played in Freaky Friday (1976), her final film of that year. This movie acted as a “transitional period” when she was growing out of playing child roles. Jodie Foster gained a Golden Globe nomination due to her performance in this film. Foster’s award-winning performance of a rape survivor in The Accused (1988) was her breakthrough into adult roles. Knowing that child actors often don’t succeed as adult actors, Foster enrolled as a full-time student at Yale in 1980. During the following five years, her acting career slowed down, and her perspective on acting really changed. Where she thought it was an unintelligent profession, she then realised that acting was her passion, and there was nothing unintelligent about it. Her next successful thriller after The Accused was the well known Silence of the Lambs (1991). Foster said that playing the FBI trainee “Clarice Starling” was one of her favorite roles. Initially, director Jonathan Demme did not want to cast her in the role even though she was very enthusiastic about the film, but producers rejected that decision and so she was cast. Throughout the production, Demme’s opinion on Foster changed, and later credited her for co-defining the character. This film was so popular that year that it grossed almost $273 million and won many awards. In October of 1991, Foster debuted herself as a director in her first feature film Little Man Tate, a drama about a very smart child, a prodigy, who struggles with loneliness. Foster directed and starred as the boy’s mother, “Dede Tate”. The film’s budget was estimated to be around $10 million, and grossed $25,010,896 worldwide. It won two awards––the Jupiter Award for Best International Actress and Young Artist awards, a Special Award for Most Promising Young Newcomer. The film also got nominated for a CFCA Award for Most Promising Actor. In 1995, Jodie Foster directed her second movie, Home for the Holidays. The film is about a woman facing her family for the holidays after losing her job, making out with her soon-to-be ex-boss (which complicates things), and finding out that her daughter “Claudia” plans to spend Thanksgiving with her boyfriend. This comedy earned two nominations; GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding Film and Young Artist Award for Best Young Leading Actress – Feature Film (Claire Danes). In 2011, Jodie Foster directed and co-starred in the movie The Beaver. “Walter Black” (Mel Gibson) is troubled, struggling with depression, and sleeps all day. His wife, “Meredith” (Jodie Foster), loses hope on helping her husband. Walter finds a beaver hand puppet, which helps him talk to himself and work through his problems. The beaver shows a light at the end of a tunnel. The drama won awards such as the Young Artist Award. It also gained 12 nominations such as the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards for the Best Grownup Love Story and the CinEuphoria Awards for Best Director – International Competition. Foster’s most recent directed film is 2016’s Money Monster. The crime thriller follows the story of a financial TV host “Lee Gates” (George Clooney) and his producer “Patty” (Julia Roberts) being put in an extreme situation. An angry investor takes them and their crew hostage. Foster brings us “a gripping thriller following a high-stakes, real-time, hostage situation”, according to FF2 Media’s Editor in Chief, Jan Lisa Huttner. The movie’s budget was estimated to be around $27 million and grossed $93,282,604 worldwide. The film also gained two nominations––Globes de Cristal Awards, France, for the Best Foreign Film, and a Jupiter Award. Foster has also directed various episodes in series such as Black Mirror and Orange is the New Black. © Sophia Jin (5/18/20) FF2 Media Nicole Ackman December 18, 2020 ‘Testament’ is a beautiful example of how dance can adapt Amelie Lasker December 11, 2020 How to ‘get to The Nutcracker’ this year Julia Lasker November 17, 2020 2020 Gotham Awards: All five best picture nominations directed by Women! by Sophia Jin May 18, 2020 Sophia is currently a student of classical music. She joined FF2 Media in 2018, and loves working with everyone on the team because not only does it promote women's roles in films, it also opens her up to more works done by women. Sophia is so glad that there is a space that is full of women alike in their passion to bring more attention to females who are just as capable or even more capable than men in the industry.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line461
__label__wiki	0.832915	0.832915	Feature: How Venezuela Struck It Poor How Venezuela Struck It Poor... How Venezuela Struck It Poor The tragic — and totally avoidable — self-destruction of one of the world’s richest oil economies. By Keith Johnson ILLUSTRATIONS BY SARAH HANSON FOR FOREIGN POLICY In the spring of 1959, at a secretive meeting at a yacht club in Cairo, Venezuela’s then-minister of mines and hydrocarbons, Juan Pablo Pérez Alfonso, hatched a plan to give big oil-producing countries more control over their black gold — and a greater share of the wealth it promised to create. A year later, his scheme would be formally christened the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC. Venezuela, which sits atop what are arguably the biggest petroleum reserves in the world, was the only non-Middle Eastern country to be included — a testament to its importance to the global oil business. Venezuela was considered rich in the early 1960s: It produced more than 10 percent of the world’s crude and had a per capita GDP many times bigger than that of its neighbors Brazil and Colombia — and not far behind that of the United States. At the time, Venezuela was eager to diversify beyond just oil and avoid the so-called resource curse, a common phenomenon in which easy money from commodities such as oil and gold leads governments to neglect other productive parts of their economies. But by the 1970s, Venezuela was riding a spike in oil prices to what looked like a never-ending economic bonanza. Complemented by years of stable democracy, it seemed a model country in an otherwise often troubled region. Such success makes the sorry state of Venezuela’s oil industry today, not to mention that of the country at large, all the more surprising — and tragic. The same state that, six decades ago, dreamed up the idea of a cartel of oil exporters now must import petroleum to meet its needs. Crude production has tanked, hitting a 28-year low last fall when it dipped under 2 million barrels a day. “I don’t think we’ve ever seen a collapse of that magnitude [anywhere] without a war, without sanctions,” said Francisco Monaldi, a Latin America expert at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. The combination of plummeting oil revenues and years of government mismanagement has virtually killed off the country’s economy, sparking a humanitarian crisis that threatens to engulf the region. Venezuela has not, of course, fought a war in recent years. But the combination of plummeting oil revenues and years of government mismanagement has virtually killed off the country’s economy, sparking a humanitarian crisis that threatens to engulf the region. Caracas refuses to track inflation (or at least publish its findings), but the National Assembly calculates the annual rate to be more than 4,000 percent, and the International Monetary Fund predicts it could hit 13,000 percent this year. Given how much prices have already risen since January, the real number could be 10 times higher. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/470820393?secret_token=s-d47kP” params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /] Listen to this story and other feature stories from FP and other magazines: Download the Audm app for your iPhone. Venezuela’s murder rate, meanwhile, now surpasses that of Honduras and El Salvador, which formerly had the world’s highest levels, according to the Venezuelan Violence Observatory. Blackouts are a near-daily occurrence, and many people live without running water. According to media reports, schoolchildren and oil workers have begun passing out from hunger, and sick Venezuelans have scoured veterinary offices for medicine. Malaria, measles, and diphtheria have returned with a vengeance, and the millions of Venezuelans fleeing the country — more than 4 million, according to the International Crisis Group — are spreading the diseases across the region, as well as straining resources and goodwill. What explains the country’s precipitous decline from being one of Latin America’s richest and most stable states? Mark Green, the head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, blames President Nicolás Maduro — who, in May, won another six-year term in elections widely denounced as fraudulent — and his “delusional” policies. But while there’s no question Maduro is partially culpable, to fully understand how a country blessed with the world’s biggest oil endowment could end up so crushingly poor requires going much further back. The fuse for the bomb that is now blowing up Venezuela’s oil industry — and the country along with it — was deliberately lit and fanned by Maduro’s predecessor and mentor, the strongman Hugo Chávez, not long after he swept into power in the late 1990s. The decline and fall of Venezuela’s oil industry essentially begins with its nationalization in 1976, a time of booming crude prices and rising resource nationalism. President Carlos Andrés Pérez sought a much greater role for the state over the economy and especially wanted to use the country’s fast-growing oil wealth to turbocharge development. That year, to gain full national control over the oil fields, Caracas banished foreign oil firms and created a new, state-run oil monopoly called Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA). The moves marked the capstone to Pérez Alfonso’s decades-long dream of Venezuela grabbing full control of its destiny. It was also the logical outcome of the widely held belief that the country’s oil, discovered in 1922 on the shores of Lake Maracaibo, was national patrimony. At first, Venezuela’s state-owned oil company stood out from peers such as Petróleos Mexicanos in many ways. A large number of its executives, for example, had previously worked for foreign companies in the country and imbued the new firm with a business-oriented outlook and a high degree of professionalism. PDVSA had a lean workforce, an efficient cost structure, and a global outlook: A decade after its creation, the company acquired half of Citgo, the big U.S. refiner, and stakes in a pair of European refineries. Yet none of these assets proved much help when a global oil glut in the mid-1980s depressed prices and hammered the national economy. OPEC members struggled to prop up prices by cutting back output. By the middle of the decade, Venezuelan production had fallen below 2 million barrels a day, or about 50 percent less than during the heyday right before nationalization. When oil is cheap, it becomes very tempting for countries to pump more crude — even if that extra production ends up keeping prices low. And so, to right the reeling Venezuelan economy in the early 1990s, the government sought to reopen the oil industry to international companies. The outsiders would be especially useful in accessing Venezuela’s mother lode, the Orinoco heavy oil belt, which holds more than a trillion barrels of tarlike bitumen. Unlike regular light crude oil, which can be pumped straight out of the ground and sold as is, heavy oil is more difficult to extract and then needs to be upgraded to something resembling liquid oil before sale. Doing all that takes the kind of cash and sophisticated know-how PDVSA lacked at the time. By the mid-1990s, international firms, including Chevron and ConocoPhillips, had moved back into the country and were hard at work unlocking Venezuela’s massive heavy oil deposits. But in 1998, the price of oil collapsed again, dipping to $10 a barrel. The impact on Venezuela — which, like many oil-rich countries, had never managed to diversify its economy despite a bout of reform efforts in the 1970s — was severe, given that petroleum exports then represented about one-third of the state’s revenues. Then along came Chávez, a former army lieutenant colonel who’d served time in prison for an abortive coup attempt in 1992. He won the 1998 presidential election on the promise to reshape and restore Venezuela’s reeling economy. It’s Time for a Coup in Venezuela Only nationalists in the military can restore a legitimate constitutional democracy. Elephants in the Room \| José R. Cárdenas Don’t Blame It On the Oil Yes, Venezuela’s economy is cursed – by its political regime, not its natural resources. Javier Corrales The Curse of Chávez’s Ghost Nicolás Maduro’s Venezuela is falling apart. Can anything save its oil-starved economy? María Elena Candia Among his first targets: the technocrats at PDVSA, especially the company’s deeply knowledgeable then-chairman and CEO, Luis Giusti, who’d led the drive to reopen the country’s oil sector. “Chávez saw Giusti as a potential rival. In fact, Chávez used the slogan ‘PDVSA is part of a state within a state,’” said Juan Fernández, a former PDVSA manager who would also fall afoul of the strongman. Giusti, alarmed by Chávez’s plans for the oil company, resigned just as he took office in early 1999; he was then replaced by a revolving cast of political appointees. The departure of Giusti, who’d spent three decades in the Venezuelan oil business and had won international plaudits for overhauling and modernizing the state-run firm since taking over in 1994, would prove to be bad news for PDVSA’s fortunes. Chávez’s goal was to exert control of PDVSA and maximize its revenue, which he needed to fund his socialist agenda. But achieving the latter required cooperating with the rest of OPEC, which, as in the 1980s, wanted to cut production in order to raise prices. The problem for Chávez was that many of the PDVSA’s then-managers wanted to increaseproduction, by continuing the development of Venezuela’s technically challenging heavy oil fields. To do so, they needed to reinvest more of the company’s earnings rather than hand them all over to the government. So the managers had to go. Unfortunately for Venezuela, Chávez — like many of the people he appointed to run PDVSA — knew nothing about the business that was so central to the country’s prosperity. “He was ignorant about everything to do with oil, everything to do with geology, engineering, the economics of oil,” said Pedro Burelli, a former PDVSA board member who left the company when Chávez took power. “His was a completely encyclopedic ignorance.” “[Chávez] was ignorant about everything to do with oil, everything to do with geology, engineering, the economics of oil,” said Pedro Burelli, a former PDVSA board member who left the company when Chávez took power. “His was a completely encyclopedic ignorance.” But Chávez wasn’t the type to let that stop him. In 2001, the former paratrooper pushed through a new energy law that jacked up the royalties foreign oil firms would have to pay the government. It also mandated that PDVSA would lead all new oil exploration and production; foreign firms could only hold minority stakes in whatever partnerships they struck with the national company. In 2002, Chávez took two more steps to turn the once-proud PDVSA into his private preserve. First, he installed a new president, Gastón Parra Luzardo, a leftist economics professor who was a fierce opponent of opening the industry to more private investment. Then, in April, he went on live television to humiliate and fire a handful of PDVSA managers, replacing them with political hacks. Together, the moves sparked violent public protests, which turned into a coup attempt against Chávez. The president survived the putsch, but his popularity plummeted — especially inside PDVSA. By the end of 2002, opposition to Chávez had solidified, and big labor groups called for a national strike in hopes of pressuring him to leave office. Oil workers backed the effort, setting the stage for what would turn out to be the critical step in PDVSA’s road to ruin. During the two-month work stoppage, PDVSA’s output plummeted as field workers stopped pumping and tanker crews refused to leave port. Venezuela’s oil production fell from close to 3 million barrels a day before the strike to levels as low as 200,000 barrels a day in December 2002. Crucially for Chávez, however, the international oil companies refused to join the protest. “The multinationals kept producing during the strike,” said Monaldi of Rice University. “That is what saved him,” by blunting the economic impact of the protest. Chávez immediately fought back. During the strike, he axed scores of senior executives, including Juan Fernández, one of the organizers of the protest. In the months that followed, the pink slips kept coming, and by the time the smoke finally cleared, Chávez had fired more than 18,000 workers. With them went most of the managerial expertise and technical know-how PDVSA had managed to preserve during the earlier purges. This evisceration of the PDVSA’s human capital would prove the most damaging of Chávez’s many moves against the company. Even his own government soon realized the harm it had done. Accidents and spills began to proliferate, and in 2005, a top energy ministry official admitted privately that it would take at least 15 years to rebuild the technical skills lost by the mass firings. Another energy ministry official even asked U.S. diplomats in Caracas to help arrange training in the United States. And in the years since, the situation has only worsened. Conditions at the company (and in the economy) are now so bad that employees take home a pittance — just a handful of dollars a month — and face political pressure to support the regime. Such treatment has led to the large-scale flight of skilled workers: more than 25,000 since last year, union officials say. According to Reuters, the exodus has grown so big that some PDVSA offices have begun refusing to let their workers resign. “PDVSA was one of the best. They really knew how to operate,” said one executive at an international oil company with long experience in Venezuela. “The purge massively screwed them over, bled them of guys who knew what they were doing on so many levels. And they’ve never recovered.” While some of his underlings clearly understood the havoc he was causing, Chávez either didn’t know or didn’t care; determined to finance his ongoing socialist revolution and use cheap exports to buy friends abroad, he kept turning the screws on the oil industry. Using legally questionable methods, he started siphoning off billions of dollars in PDVSA revenue to pay for his social programs, including housing, education, clinics, and school lunches. While this strategy may have paid off politically in the short term, it was extremely dangerous: for the more cash the government took out of PDVSA, the less money the oil company had to invest in maintaining production or finding new resources. Since oil fields gradually produce less oil over time as they get tapped out, countries constantly need to dig new wells and rejuvenate shrinking reservoirs with injections of water or gas. Thanks to their geology, Venezuela’s oil fields have enormous decline rates, meaning the country needs to spend more heavily than other petrostates just to keep production steady. But as Chávez channeled more income into other areas, PDVSA was forced to mortgage the future to pay for the political present. [Maduro’s autocratic regime is going after María Corina Machado because she is fearless and incorruptible. She needs Washington’s support.] In 2005, Chávez once again turned on the foreign firms. He raised royalty rates yet again and billed the companies for billions of dollars in bogus back taxes. Then he began forcing foreign companies to cede the bulk of their operations to PDVSA, a process U.S. Embassy officials described at the time as “creeping confiscation.” Every year, “Chávez systematically did something” to the international firms, “whether raising their taxes or forcing them to sell oil for local currency,” Monaldi said. These provocations exasperated foreign executives; even officials from the China National Petroleum Corporation grumbled to U.S. officials about Caracas’s interference. ExxonMobil and Conoco threw in the towel and left. (This spring, Conoco finally won a $2 billion arbitration award against PDVSA for the expropriation of its assets.) Yet many others, such as Chevron, found Venezuela’s gargantuan potential so tempting that they accepted the punishing new terms. Despite the presence of these holdouts, Chávez’s increasingly erratic behavior further reduced the investment needed to get the heavy oil out of the ground. So did the government’s use of PDVSA’s revenue to fund social programs and to pay off Venezuela’s sovereign debts. “During the highest oil boom in history, when every other country in the world increased investment, Venezuela did not, and production kept declining,” Monaldi said. For all Chávez’s abuses and mistakes, Venezuela’s oil industry managed to stagger along for a surprisingly long time. Production held virtually steady from 2002 (just before the strike) to 2008, when global oil prices peaked at almost $150 a barrel. That year, Venezuela earned about $60 billion from oil. (These production numbers come from OPEC; the government’s own estimates are higher and viewed skeptically by the rest of the industry.) The higher prices more than made up for the slight decline in production — between 2002 and 2008, Venezuela’s output fell from 2.6 million barrels a day to 2.5 million — allowing Chávez to keep spending and masking the need for a major overhaul of the industry. But even high crude prices couldn’t hide the deeper economic dysfunctions caused by Chávez’s efforts to build what he called “21st-century socialism.” Shortages of common consumer goods became endemic. A country that was once an exporter of agricultural products had to start importing lots of government-subsidized food — another common feature of the resource curse. “In 2007, there were already intermittent shortages,” said Patrick Duddy, who served as U.S. ambassador in Caracas from 2007 to 2008 and again from 2009 to 2010. “There was, at times, no milk of any sort on the store shelves, not fresh, not powdered, not condensed — and this was when oil prices were soaring. It was startling.” Increasingly desperate, the government soon found yet another way to strip-mine PDVSA: by using whatever management expertise it had preserved to run other parts of the economy that were breaking down. By 2007, for example, PDVSA had been dragooned into producing and distributing milk; later, the firm began importing other basic foods, from cooking oil to rice and beans. The company’s work in these areas may have provided the country with some short-term relief, but it further distracted PDVSA from what should have been its core business. Caracas’s bid to nationalize the oil industry and assert its sovereign rights to the country’s black gold has all but ensured that less and less of that wealth will be left for Venezuelans. Reality finally came crashing down in the summer of 2014, about a year after Chávez died from cancer and was succeeded by Maduro. Oil prices collapsed from a high of more than $100 a barrel in the summer to less than half of that by January 2015. By the end of that year, Venezuelan oil was selling for less than $30 a barrel, even as the budget was predicated on prices of $60 a barrel. By this point, Venezuela had become nearly wholly dependent on oil revenues, which made up about 95 percent of its export earnings. Cheaper oil tipped the economy into recession in 2014 and a full-blown crisis in 2015, with GDP shrinking by almost 6 percent and inflation exploding. And because Venezuela had neglected to diversify its economy, the country was out of options. The one relative bright spot in Venezuela’s oil industry today is the superheavy Orinoco fields, jointly operated with foreign firms since the 1990s-era opening of the sector. Crude production in the Orinoco actually grew during the first half of this decade, and even now production declines have been modest. That’s a sharp contrast to steep output declines at traditional oil fields solely operated by PDVSA. But even the superheavy fields are struggling to keep production levels close to steady. Before it can export the heavy bitumen, PDVSA needs to blend it with light oil, and since at least 2010, Venezuela’s own light oil production has been falling. That forces the state energy company to spend much-needed cash importing light oil. Venezuela also imports gasoline — which it gives away to consumers for a paltry 4 cents a gallon. And it loses money when purchasers reject its cargoes of crude oil for their poor quality, an increasingly common problem. In other cases, it doesn’t even get paid: While the country now sends China 400,000-odd barrels a day, for example, Beijing considers them repayment for Caracas’s debts. Meanwhile, despite the collapse of its oil industry, Venezuela continues to buy foreign oil to ship, at a loss, to the regime’s ideological cousins in Cuba — a bitter legacy of Chávez’s plan to use Venezuela’s oil riches to buy friends in the neighborhood. [Guyana just discovered it owns enough oil to solve all its problems — and cause even bigger ones.] All these problems cost PDVSA — and Venezuela — huge amounts of cash. Selling oil at a discount, shipping it off to China (and Russia) to pay off the national debt, and subsidizing Venezuelan drivers cost the company, and the country, more than $20 billion a year, Monaldi estimated. Among other things, this massive shortfall has made it increasingly difficult for PDVSA to pay service companies such as Halliburton and Schlumberger, which help it drill for oil. Last year, the two companies wrote off more than $1.5 billion in unpaid bills owed by PDVSA. And since they’re not getting paid, they’ve slowed their work on the mature oil fields that were once Venezuela’s livelihood. That means even less light oil — which makes all the industry’s other problems even harder to solve. That toxic mix collided last year, when production suddenly collapsed by 30 percent, marking a net decline of 2 million barrels a day since Chávez launched his plan to use Venezuela’s huge oil endowment to build a socialist paradise. The oil ministry now is reportedly bracing for a further fall during the rest of this year, to as low as 1.2 million barrels a day. The only way Venezuela, which is broke and stripped of talent, can possibly fix its oil industry today is by relying more on foreign companies. Even if they were given a free hand, however, it’s not clear that international firms could turn things around anytime soon; the lack of investment in recent years hasn’t helped the health of Venezuela’s oil fields. “If you messed up the reservoir by overproducing or underinvesting, then you just can’t pick up where you left off,” the international oil company executive said. “They’ve probably done some long-term damage to the reservoirs.” But Caracas seems unwilling to even test the proposition and continues doing everything it can to alienate the very businesses it needs so badly. In April, for example, government agents arrested two Chevron executives who reportedly refused to cooperate in overbilling for oil supplies. The two were held for months while facing possible treason charges, which carry a prison sentence of up to 30 years. [Encouraging a coup in Caracas will give Russia and China a foothold in the United States’ backyard.] Real reform would require a wholesale change in the country’s economic management: getting hyperinflation under control, establishing a stable and realistic exchange rate, and building an enforceable legal framework that could offer foreign investors some semblance of predictability and protection. Of course, it’s impossible to imagine Maduro doing any of those things, especially after recently winning (or stealing) another term. And his re-election carries additional short-term risks for the tottering Venezuelan oil sector. The United States is considering additional sanctions that could limit exports of U.S. crude and refined products to Venezuela or even ban the purchase of Venezuelan crude by U.S. refineries. Either move, or both, would deal yet another body blow to an industry already on its knees. What likely can’t be put back together again is the state oil company. “There is no money in the world that can bring that back,” Burelli said. “You might be able to rebuild an oil sector full of private players but not PDVSA.” Ultimately, Caracas’s bid to nationalize the oil industry and assert its sovereign rights to the country’s black gold has all but ensured that less and less of that wealth will be left for Venezuelans. With no other vibrant economic sector, the only way to fund the government is by increasing oil production — which would require investing up to $10 billion a year for a decade, Burelli suggested — and the only way to attract that kind of investment is by offering international companies favorable terms. That means a bigger cut for them and a smaller cut for the state. As Burelli put it, “To resurrect the oil sector, somebody will have to invest in it on their terms, not our terms, and that will not generate revenue. So, what will we live off?” This article originally appeared in the July 2018 issue of Foreign Policy magazine. Keith Johnson is a senior staff writer at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @KFJ_FP Tags: Energy, hugo chavez, Oil, Venezuela, Venezuela oil	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line464
__label__wiki	0.912111	0.912111	Obituaries for Sunday, Oct. 13, 2002 Published 2:33 pm Sunday, October 13, 2002 OTHO L. DENNIS SEBASTOPOL Services for Otho L. Dennis will be held today at 2 p.m. at Milling Funeral Home Chapel with the Revs. Howell Thrash and David Bankson officiating. Burial will be in Mt. Zion Baptist Church Cemetery in Leake County. Mr. Dennis, 85, of Walnut Grove, died Friday, Oct. 11, 2002, at Lackey Hospital. He is survived by a daughter, Pam Breedlove, of Sebastopol; a sister, Allie Manus, of Lansdale, Pa.; five grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, one great-great grandchild and a number of nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Sally Kate Ellis Dennis, and two sons, Otho D. Dennis and Jimmie Dale Dennis. Pallbearers will be David Breedlove, Joe Breedlove, Josh Breedlove, Scott Breedlove, Jimmy Dennis, Brent Madden, Michael Madden, Eric Madden and Jimmy Mathis. CLAUDE "CONNIE" M. BELVIN Retired city employee and heavy equipment operator Services for Claude "Connie" M. Belvin will be held Monday at 10 a.m. at Barham Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Frankie Boyette officiating. Burial will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery. Mr. Belvin, 86, of Meridian, died Saturday, Oct. 12, 2002, at Rush Foundation Hospital. Survivors include four sons, Alan Belvin, Richard Belvin, and his wife, Deborah, and Chris Belvin, and his wife, Monica, all of Meridian, and Terry Belvin and his wife, Gail, of Baton Rouge, La.; three sisters, Leola C. Knight, Della McAllister and Janis DuFour, all of Meridian; a brother, George M. Belvin, of Meridian; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Louise O. Belvin, his parents, George H. and Hattie Campbell Belvin, a sister, Estelle Hayes, two brothers, Walter L. Belvin and Edward E. Belvin. Pallbearers will be Dan Check, Robert Trout, Mark Ward, Phillip Ward, Tom Alsobrooks and Terry Haskin. Visitation will be today from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. at the funeral home. RUBY LEE ALLDAY CRANE NEWTON Services for Ruby Lee Allday Crane will be held Monday at 11 a.m. at Liberty Baptist Church with the Revs. Marcus Moore and J.B. Costilow officiating. Burial will be in Liberty Baptist Church Cemetery. James F. Webb Funeral Home of Newton is in charge of arrangements. Mrs. Crane, 90, of Byram, died Friday, Oct. 11, 2002, at Willow Creek Nursing Home in Byram. She was a member of Liberty Baptist Church, loved sewing, cross stitching, embroidering, quilting and cooking for her family and friends. Survivors include her two daughters, Ruby Jean Hawkins, of Byram, and Emma Irene Crane Smith, of Houston, Texas; a son, William T. Crane, of Terry; three sisters, Nila Myers, of Byram, Margie Buck, of Brandon, and Lucile Mills, of Sturgis; 14 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, Thomas and Emma Lee Williams Allday, a daughter, Sherry Pierce and a son, Johnny Crane. Pallbearers will be her grandsons. Visitation will be today from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. at the funeral home and Monday from 10:30 a.m. until the time of the service at the church. CLAUDE SCOTT BAILEY Services for Claude Scott Bailey will be held Monday at 11:30 a.m. at Barham Chapel with the Rev. Jimmy Harrison officiating. Burial will be in Magnolia Cemetery. Barham Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Mr. Bailey, 96, of Meridian, died Saturday, Oct. 12, 2002, at his home. He was born Sept. 28, 1906, in Bailey and moved to Marion when he was four years old. He attended Marion and Meridian public schools and graduated from Meridian High School in 1924. After graduating from high school, Bailey was a clerk in his father's general mercantile store, the Marion post office and The Great Southern Hotel in Meridian. In 1928, he entered the finance and loan business with Morgan Plan Company, which later merged with White System of Meridian, Inc. where he served as president since 1937. He was a member of Central United Methodist Church and served as former president of the Baraca Sunday School Class. He was a member and former president of the Meridian Rotary Club, a member of the Meridian Library Board of Trustees, former director of King's Daughters and Sons Rest Home, chairman of the Mississippi Chapter DeMolay Advisory Board, an honorary life member of DeMolay Legion of Honor and also invested with the DeMolay Cross of Honor. In 1932, he was made a master mason in Marion Lodge #62. He was a member and worker in both the York Rite and Scottish Rite Bodies of Meridian, serving as head of all Scottish Rite Bodies. On Oct. 21, 1955, in Washington D.C., he was coronated an Honorary 33rd Degree Mason. In 1967, he was named by then-Sovereign Grand Commander, Luther A. Smith, to serve as his personal representative as Sovereign Grand Inspector General in Mississippi. Then he was named deputy by Supreme Council in 1973. He served as Sovereign Grand Inspector General for the state of Mississippi from 1975-1986, which includes being a part of the Supreme Council 33rd Degree Scottish Rite Masonry, Southern Jurisdiction USA. Mr. Bailey was a past Potentate of the Hamasa Shrine Temple, former-president of the Southeastern Shrine Association, former-director Meridian Court Royal Order of Jesters #147, and a member of the Red Cross of Constantine. Survivors include his wife of 69 years, Mary Pauline McRoy Bailey; a son, Claude Scott Bailey, Jr., and his wife, Kay, all of Meridian; a sister, Maybelle Baxter, of Marion; two grandchildren, Mary Katherine Bryan, and her husband, Walter, of Madison, and Claude Scott Bailey, III, and his wife Renee, of Meridian; three great-grandchildren, Ashley Katherine Bryan and Bailey Michelle Bryan, of Madison, and Shelton Scott Bailey, of Meridian. He was preceded in death by his parents, Samuel Monroe Bailey and Mabel Pigford Bailey; two brothers, Samuel Monroe Bailey, Jr., and Cecil Bernard Bailey. Memorials may be made to Hope Village for Children, 2414 23rd Ave., Meridian, MS 39301, or a favorite charity. Pallbearers will be Robert E. Parker, Walter A. Bryan, Jr., Terry W. White, Russell L. Brown, Glynn Beasely and Jim Donahue.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line467
__label__cc	0.551086	0.448914	Who Killed Malcolm X? Drug Wars Real America With Jorge Ramos Food Exposed The Traffickers Sex.Right.Now. W. Kamau Bell’s Mom Has Been Single Since 1976, and She’s Never Been Happier! unews unews The Naked Truth: Frat Power Be on the lookout for great stories from Fusion, right to your inbox. WhatsApp Copy Link http://fus.in/2hSs6jc On last night’s episode, we sat down with Janet Cheatham Bell, a scholar, author, and mom of comedian and star of CNN’s United Shades of America, W. Kamau Bell. After two marriages and one long-term relationship, she made the decision to be single for the rest of her life—and for the past 41 years, she’s had zero regrets about that choice. As a special bonus, we’re offering up a little bit more of Bell’s advice for singletons, including the benefits of being a single parent, how to figure out if the single life is right for you, and yes, how to balance the freedom of being single with a healthy sex life. SEX.RIGHT.NOW.: I think when most people think about being single for the majority of their adult life—they can’t conceive of it. Can you tell me what that experience has been like for you? JANET CHEATHAM BELL: The experience of being single for me means that I can do as I please. One of the good things about it also—and I know this will sound strange because we have so much propaganda out there about how awful it is for a woman to raise a child without a man—is that because I raised Kamau alone, I did not have to fight with his dad about how he should be raised. Because we did not agree. He did spend time with his father. He went to his father’s [house] every summer. And so he did have that experience. But the majority of his upbringing and his training and his development was on me. A lot of people talk about how compassionate Kamau is, and I think a large part of it has to do with the fact that he was not raised in a home where there was a macho man making him be macho. He was able to be himself. And his natural self is to be compassionate and to cry when he feels like crying. There was no man there to tell him, “Don’t do that. Stop! Stop! That’s not manly.” He didn’t get to hear that. If you were speaking to a young person today who can’t even fathom not being married because they’d feel like a social pariah, what would you say to them about your experience? Well, if you are concerned about what other people think of you rather than concerned about what makes you happy, then get married, you know? But if you’re concerned about having a life of your own and being true to who you are, then do what makes your heart happy rather than what you think society wants you to do. That’s what I would say to a woman who’s trying to decide whether or not to get married. ‘Cause I think for some people marriage is great. I think they thrive in it. But not everybody does. And women should not be ostracized because they decide not to get married. Now I hope they aren’t anymore. I hope that women can decide not to marry anymore and nobody cares. How did you handle not wanting to be in a committed relationship with being a sexually active woman?? It wasn’t difficult. Most men don’t want a committed relationship when they’re single. You know, they’re sort of like scared of that. Women have one night stands too just like men do. But I would date guys. I did meet a lot of men who didn’t want to get married. And so we had no problem. And I would date guys for several months at a time, and we’d have sex whenever we wanted to, and Kamau wasn’t aware of all this because I did it discreetly. And I had no desire for him to have a stepfather. So there was nobody that I got so involved with that they felt like they were in charge of Kamau, which is how I wanted it to be. So it wasn’t difficult, you know? to see local listings Content Labeling Guidelines © 2021 Fusion Media Network, LLC.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line469
__label__cc	0.525068	0.474932	Register Log In BellaOnline Forums Dreams What did you dream about last night? Re: What did you dream about last night? [Re: Lori-Dreams] #822634 05/21/13 11:35 AM Lori-Dreams OP Lori-Dreams I was in a gift/souvenir shop with my family, looking around at all the beautiful and interesting items. Displayed on a table were some photographs and drawings of my deceased little boy. I wanted them very much and couldn't decide which to choose. I showed my husband and we settled on a few. The thing is that when I looked at this beautiful pictures, my heart was very sad. I was overcome with the pain of missing him. To survive the loss of our child, my husband and I had to approach it as though he is in some heavenly daycare, waiting for us. That he is not lost to us, just awaiting our reunion... And so to dream about being in this souvenir shop, I know it reflects which mementos of him I want to keep. We try our best to think of him with joy during our waking life, but in my dreams, I still grieve... Lori Phillips Dreams editor Bellaonline.com Dreams site The Dream Collective Dreams: What are you trying to tell yourself? Twitter: @tweetdreams4u and @flutterby03 Marriage editor Bellaonline Marriage site Twitter: @BellaMarriage What did you dream about last night? Lori-Dreams 02/27/13 01:51 PM Re: What did you dream about last night? Lori-Dreams 02/27/13 01:55 PM Re: What did you dream about last night? jenniechan 02/28/13 12:04 AM Re: What did you dream about last night? Sunday 02/28/13 10:56 PM Re: What did you dream about last night? Nancy Roussy 03/01/13 11:39 PM Re: What did you dream about last night? Debbie-SpiritualityEditor 03/03/13 08:45 PM Re: What did you dream about last night? Debbie-SpiritualityEditor 03/04/13 08:08 AM Re: What did you dream about last night? Meredeth King 03/06/13 09:30 PM Re: What did you dream about last night? 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__label__wiki	0.721704	0.721704	Home Consumer Research Pot Might Impair a Woman’s Fertility: Study – Consumer Health News by globalresearchsyndicate in Consumer Research Key Trends and Opportunities \|Thai Flour Industry, Rose Brand, CHO HENG – Jumbo News Uncoated Freesheet Paper Market Entry Strategies, Countermeasures, Economic Impact And Quantum Sensors Marketing Channels To 2027 WEDNESDAY, Jan. 13, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Though using marijuana for medical or recreational reasons is legal in a growing number of U.S. states, it may come with some unexpected side effects. A new study found that women who use cannabis may be reducing their fertility. “Cannabis use has continued to climb. More and more states have legalized it in recent years,” said Sunni Mumford, an investigator at the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. “There’s an overall perception that it’s safe, but there’s really not a lot of research done on how it affects fertility.” The researchers found that study participants who used cannabis while trying to conceive were 41% less likely to succeed during each monthly cycle than those who hadn’t used cannabis during that time. About 42% of marijuana users became pregnant during the study period compared to 66% of women who didn’t use the drug. “We found that the women who used cannabis while they were trying to get pregnant, they had reduced fecundability, which basically means that it took them longer to get pregnant,” said Mumford, whose research focus is on how diet and lifestyle factors influence fertility. “And this was even though they reported having more intercourse, so it seemed like there was something more biologic going on.” The study authors said their results suggest that women trying to conceive should be cautious about cannabis use. The study asked women to self-report cannabis use, but also asked them to provide urine samples when they entered the study and after six months or after becoming pregnant. Sixty-two women in the study — about 5% — had a positive urine test, indicating pot use, or responded that they had used cannabis before conception. The data was collected from 2006 to 2012 for a broader study. It included more than 1,200 women aged 18 to 40 who had one or two prior pregnancy losses. They participated for up to six monthly menstrual cycles, while trying to become pregnant and during pregnancy if that happened while the study was underway. At enrollment, women were questioned about marijuana or hashish use in the past 12 months. Compared to the women who didn’t use cannabis, the cannabis users had higher levels of luteinizing hormone and a higher proportion of luteinizing hormone to follicle-stimulating hormone, which could have an impact on ovulation. Animal studies have shown that cannabis can affect hormone levels and potentially influence ovulation and uterine receptivity and implantation, making it potentially important for fertility, Mumford said. The study can’t prove that marijuana use impairs fertility, only that there’s an association. The population was small, and the study did not evaluate the quantity of cannabis used or in what form it was used. It also did not evaluate the women’s male partner’s cannabis use. Recent studies have shown substantial increases in cannabis use during pregnancy and in the year prior to conceiving, according to the study. Medical marijuana is legal in 36 U.S. states and recreational marijuana is legal in 15 states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. “I think [the study] highlights this gap of knowledge that surrounds a rapidly prevalent rising drug,” said Dr. Jamie Lo, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Oregon Health & Science University, in Portland. “It just highlights the fact that we need to be kind of thoughtful about marijuana when historically it hasn’t quite gotten that same stigma and concern that other illicit drugs have, such as cocaine or heroin.” The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that women who are thinking about conceiving or are pregnant or breastfeeding abstain from using marijuana, Lo said, advice that is echoed by the March of Dimes and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than half of women who use marijuana prior to pregnancy continue to use it during pregnancy, Lo said. Many don’t know they’re pregnant for several weeks after they conceive. “The first trimester is that really vulnerable time” when, as the fetus begins development, “it’s most sensitive to other exposures in the environment, including drugs,” Lo said. The study was published online Jan. 11 in Human Reproduction. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on cannabis use and pregnancy. SOURCES: Sunni Mumford, PhD, investigator, epidemiology branch, division of intramural population health research, U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Md.; Jamie Lo, MD, assistant professor, obstetrics and gynecology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Ore.; Human Reproduction, Jan. 11, 2021, online ‘Mindfulness’ on Your Mind? It Has Limits, Review Finds – Consumer Health News Ultra-low Temperature Freezers [Ultra-low Temperature (ULT) Freezers; ULT Freezers] Market Research Report 2025 (Covering USA, Europe, China, Japan, India and etc) Sales Value, Key Vendors, Brand Positioning and Key Players – VWR – KSU Printable Tags Market Entry Strategies, Countermeasures, Economic Impact And Quantum Sensors Marketing Channels To 2027 New Hope Against Diseases Marked by Progressive Scarring of Lung Tissue – Consumer Health News Gluten Feed Market Entry Strategies, Countermeasures, Economic Impact And Quantum Sensors Marketing Channels To 2027 ‘Vatican Blackout’ Trends on Twitter as Trigger-Happy Users Try to Link It with US Election Fraud Fifth Third Bank Partners with Cardtronics to Enhance Brand Visibility in Carolinas through ATM Branding Program Horowitz: Asian-American researcher fired from Michigan State administration for advancing facts about police shootings Online Brand Protection Software Market report reviews size, share, analysis, trends, growth and forecast 2025 Survey finds 40% of fashion brands have not paid suppliers \| Apparel Industry News ODU survey shows concerns among residents on contracting, spreading COVID-19 Piano Market 2020-2024 \| Inclusion of Music in Academic Curricula to Boost Growth Asbestos Glove Market Research Reports & Industry Analysis – Neptune Pine LTC/USD has broken out of an intraday chart pattern DVIDS – News – NSWCPD Engineers Honored with 2021 Black Engineer of the Year Awards Medical resources and coronavirus disease (COVID-19) mortality rate: Evidence and implications from Hubei province in China ENT Surgical Devices Market Report 2020, Size, Share, SWOT Analysis and Key Players – Olympus, B. Braun – KSU Copyright © 2020 Globalresearchsyndicate.com.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line472
__label__wiki	0.751674	0.751674	First Department Weighs In on ESI Preservation The Appellate Division, First Department, recently issued two decisions that provide critical guidance as to when electronically stored information (“ESI”) must be preserved and the legal ramifications of the failure to do so. In addition, a recent trial court decision found that an assertion that there was no additional ESI to be produced needed to be supported by an expert affidavit indicating what computer systems were searched, when the search occurred, what types of ESI was searched for, and what search was performed. Reasonably Anticipated The First Department in VOOM HD Holdings LLC v. EchoStar Satellite LLC1 held that “once a party reasonably anticipates litigation, it must suspend its routine document retention/destruction policy and put in place a litigation hold to ensure the preservation of relevant documents,” including ESI, and this is the case “whether the organization is the initiator or the target of the litigation.”2 Such “hold” must suspend a system’s automatic-deletion function, and otherwise preserve emails. The Court held that such a rule provides “litigants with sufficient certainty as to the nature of their obligations in the electronic discovery context and when those obligations are triggered.” Suspend Automatic Deletion In Voom, Defendant had not implemented a litigation hold on ESI until after litigation had actually been commenced, and the “hold” did not suspend defendant’s automatic deletion of e-mails, which automatically and permanently purged after seven days any e-mails sent and deleted by an employee from defendant’s computer servers. It was not, however, until four months after the commencement of the lawsuit, and nearly one year after defendant was on notice of anticipated litigation, that defendant suspended the automatic deletion of relevant e-mails from its servers. As a result of such failure, plaintiff moved for sanctions under the doctrine of spoliation. Plaintiff argued that defendant’s actions and communications demonstrated that it should have reasonably anticipated litigation prior to plaintiff’s commencement of the action. The motion court agreed, holding that defendant should reasonably have anticipated litigation no later than the date its corporate counsel sent plaintiff a letter containing defendant’s notice of an alleged breach of contract, a demand and an explicit reservation of rights. The First Department Division observed that the lower court properly held that: in addition to failing to preserve electronic data upon reasonable anticipation of litigation, no steps whatsoever had been taken to prevent the purging of e-mails by employees during the four-month3 period after commencement of the action. [Defendant] continued to permanently delete employee e-mails for up to four months after the commencement of the action, relying on employees to determine which documents were relevant in response to litigation, and to preserve those e-mails by moving them to separate folders. As the [motion] court put it: “[Defendant’s] purported litigation hold failed to turn off the automatic delete function and merely asked its employees — many of whom, presumably were not attorneys — to determine whether documents were potentially responsive to litigation, and to then remove each one from [defendant’s] pre-set path of destruction.” Looking To Practical Realities The motion court further noted “that even if the duty to preserve arose only upon the filing of the complaint, [defendant] still violated the duty since it had lost, at a minimum, e-mails from [a period of several days] as the result of the seven-day automatic purge policy.” The motion court also rejected defendant’s argument that since the parties were seeking to resolve the matter, “no reasonable anticipation of litigation existed.” The First Department adopted the motion court’s view that this would “ignore the practical reality that parties often engage in settlement discussions before and during litigation, but this does not vitiate the duty to preserve” and that “would allow parties to freely shred documents and purge e-mails, simply by faking a willingness to engage in settlement negotiations.” The First Department viewed the situation as where “[s]ides to a business dispute may appear, on the surface, to be attempting to work things out, while preparing frantically for litigation behind the scenes, [defendant] and amicus’s approach would encourage parties who actually anticipate litigation, but do not yet have a notice of a ‘specific claim’ to destroy their documents with impunity.” The First Department noted that “[i]n the world of electronic data, the preservation obligation is not limited simply to avoiding affirmative acts of destruction. Since computer systems generally have automatic deletion features that periodically purge electronic documents such as e-mail, it is necessary for a party facing litigation to take active steps to halt that process.” The First Department further noted that: Regardless of its nature, a hold must direct appropriate employees to preserve all relevant records, electronic or otherwise, and create a mechanism for collecting the preserved records so they might be searched by someone other than the employee. The hold should, with as much specificity as possible, describe the ESI at issue, direct that routine destruction policies such as auto-delete functions and rewriting over e-mails cease, and describe the consequences for failure to so preserve electronically stored evidence. In certain circumstances, like those here, where a party is a large company, it is insufficient, in implementing such a litigation hold, to vest total discretion in the employee to search and select what the employee deems relevant without the guidance and supervision of counsel. The First Department, rejecting the position that “‘in the absence of pending litigation’ or ‘notice of a specific claim’’ defendant should not be sanctioned for discarding items in good faith and pursuant to normal business practices,” stated that “[t]o adopt a rule requiring actual litigation or notice of a specific claim ignores the reality of how business relationships disintegrate.” The Court noted that in this case defendant’s “reliance on its employees to preserve evidence ‘does not meet the standard for a litigation hold.’” Negligence Is Sufficient The First Department held that: [a] party seeking sanctions based on the spoliation of evidence must demonstrate: (1) that the party with control over the evidence had an obligation to preserve it at the time it was destroyed; (2) that the records were destroyed with a “culpable state of mind”; and finally, (3) that the destroyed evidence was relevant to the party’s claim or defense such that the trier of fact could find that the evidence would support that claim or defense (see Zubulake, 220 FRD at 220). A “culpable state of mind” for purposes of a spoliation sanction includes ordinary negligence (id.; see also Treppel v Biovail Corp., 249 FRD 111, 121 [S.D.N.Y. 2008]). In evaluating a party’s state of mind, Zubulake and its progeny provide guidance. Failures which support a finding of gross negligence, when the duty to preserve electronic data has been triggered, include: (1) the failure to issue a written litigation hold, when appropriate; (2) the failure to identify all of the key players and to ensure that their electronic and other records are preserved; and (3) the failure to cease the deletion of e-mail (see Pension Comm. of the Univ. ofMontreal Pension Plan v Banc of Am. Sec., LLC., 685 F Supp. 2d at 471). The intentional or willful destruction of evidence is sufficient to presume relevance, as is destruction that is the result of gross negligence; when the destruction of evidence is merely negligent, however, relevance must be proven by the party seeking spoliation sanctions (id.). Rebuttable Presumption However, the First Department held that such presumption of relevance is rebuttable: [w]hen the spoliating party’s conduct is sufficiently egregious to justify a court’s imposition of a presumption of relevance and prejudice, or when the spoliating party’s conduct warrants permitting the jury to make such a presumption, the burden then shifts to the spoliating party to rebut that presumption. The spoliating party can do so, for example, by demonstrating that the innocent party had access to the evidence alleged to have been destroyed or that the evidence would not support the innocent party’s claims or defenses. If the spoliating party demonstrates to a court’s satisfaction that there could not have been any prejudice to the innocent party, then no jury instruction will be warranted, although a lesser sanction might still be required. The First Department noted that “[s]ince [defendant] acted in bad faith or with gross negligence in destroying the evidence, the relevance of the evidence is presumed and need not have been demonstrated by [plaintiff].” The Court noted that “[i]n any event, the record shows that the destroyed evidence was relevant” where certain-“e-mails— a handful only fortuitously recovered, and highly relevant — certainly permitted the inference that the unrecoverable e-mails, of which the snapshots were but a representative sampling, would have also been relevant.” Missing Evidence Critical With respect to prejudice,4 the First Department rejected defendant’s assertion that “the missing e-mails were merely cumulative of other evidence, asserting that since [plaintiff] had other means to prove its case, it could not have suffered prejudice from the destruction of e-mails that occurred” and held that such assertion “is insufficient to rebut the presumption.” Critically, “[a]lthough [plaintiff] may have other evidence to point to, the missing evidence is from a crucial time period during which [defendant] appears to have been searching for a way out of its contract. . . . Evidence from this vital time period is not entirely duplicative of other evidence.” Accordingly, the First Department affirmed the motion court’s finding that defendant’s “conduct, at a minimum, constituted gross negligence” and that “a negative, or adverse inference against [defendant] at trial was an appropriate sanction, rather than striking [defendant’s] answer, since other evidence remained available to [plaintiff], including the business records of [defendant] and the testimony of its employees, to prove [plaintiff’s] claims.” The First Department in Holme v. Global Minerals and Metals Corp.,5 also recently affirmed the grant of an adverse inference charge against defendants due to spoliation of electronic records, holding that: [d]efendants had an obligation to preserve such records because they should have foreseen that the underlying litigation might give rise to the instant enforcement action; the records were destroyed with a culpable state of mind; and they are relevant to plaintiff’s claims of fraudulent conveyances. Detailed IT Affidavit Required In Scarola Ellis LLP v. Padeh,6 after defendant advised that he possessed no additional documents, the court “directed defendant to produce an affidavit from a system administrator or other similar computer systems specialist which stated there were no responsive documents and also detailed the search methods used.” In response, defendant produced an affidavit from a computer engineer stating that he found no documents on the internal network or servers. The motion court found the affidavit to be insufficient and directed that a supplemental affidavit be provided by the computer engineer, explaining which computers and system were searched, the date of the search, what kind and type of search or additional searches if necessary were performed, whether a search was made for other types of electronically stored documents other than emails, whether a search was made for deleted content, and what the origins were of the nine emails attached as exhibits in the opposition to the motion for summary judgment. The motion court further held that such an affidavit: must document a thorough search conducted in good faith. It should include details such as where the subject records were likely to be kept, what efforts, if any, were made to preserve them, whether such records were routinely destroyed, [and] whether a search [was] conducted in every location where the records were likely to be found.7 1. 2012 WL 265833, 2012 N.Y. Slip Op. 00658 (1st Dep’t Jan. 31, 2012). 2. Id. (quoting The Sedona Conference, Commentary of Legal Holds: The Trigger and The Process, 11 Sedona Conf. J. 265, 267 (Fall 2010)). 3. Defendant took a “snaphot” of the relevant e-mail accounts four days after the action was commenced. 4. The motion court made the critical observation that vexes courts confronted with spoliation claims, and noted that defendant’s argument puts plaintiff in the “dicey position of asking it to identify [defendant’s] e-mails that no longer exist and that [plaintiff] never had the opportunity to review because they were destroyed by [defendant].” VOOM HD Holdings LLC v EchoStar Satellite LLC, Index No. 600292/08 at 31 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. Co. Nov. 8, 2010). The motion court, at *39-40 citing to Teppel v. Bioval Corp., 249 F.R.D. 111, 123 (S.D.N.Y. 2008), stated that it is “‘not incumbent upon the plaintiff to show that specific documents were lost,’” but rather, “‘[i]t would be enough to demonstrate that certain types of relevant documents existed and that they were necessarily destroyed by the operation of the autodelete function on [the defendant’s] computers or by other features of its routine document retention program.’” 5. 90 A.D.3d 423, 934 N.Y.S.2d 30 (1st Dept. 2011). 6. 33 Misc.3d 1233(A), 2011 WL 6182119 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. Co. Dec. 8, 2011). 7. Id. (quoting Henderson–Jones v. City of New York, 87 AD3d 498, 505, 928 N.Y.S.2d 536, 542 (1st Dept.2011)).	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line476
__label__cc	0.632977	0.367023	Gilbert Employment Law, P.C. Adverse Actions Federal Employment Discrimination Federal Disability Retirement LGBTQ Discrimination Wage & Hour Issues Private Sector Litigation Firm Updates Gilbert Training Group Intake Form for Federal Employees Intake Form for Federal Disability Retirement Applicants You are here: Home / Our Team / Thomas J. Gagliardo Thomas J. Gagliardo Tom Gagliardo has practiced labor and employment law in Maryland and the District of Columbia for more than 30 years, and is of counsel to Gilbert Employment Law. Immediately prior to working with the firm he was general counsel to American Federation of Government Employees Local 1923, which was then the largest local in the Federation. AFGE 1923 was the exclusive bargaining agent for more than 30,000 federal employees at agencies including the Social Security Administration, Veterans Administration Baltimore Medical Center, Centers for Medicare and Medicare and Medicaid Services, Department of Defense (including the U.S. Naval Academy and Ft. Meade), NASA Wallops Island, and U.S. Coast Guard Curtis Bay). In that role Tom represented employees in arbitration hearings and before the MSPB and EEOC. Tom has lectured at continuing legal education programs sponsored by numerous bar associations, Georgetown University School of Law, National Institute for Legal Advocacy and the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He is a past president of the Maryland Employment Lawyers Association (MELA), chair of the Maryland State Bar Labor and Employment Executive Council and executive board member of the Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association (MWELA). He was named MWELA Lawyer of the Year in 2000. He advocated successfully on behalf of MELA and MWELA to exempt compensatory damages from Maryland state income tax. Tom is member of the Maryland and District of Columbia bars and is admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Courts of Appeal for the 4, 6, 11, District of Columbia and Federal Circuits and federal district courts in Maryland and D.C. Use the link below or call us at (301) 608 – 0880 Speak with an Attorney Silver Spring Location 1100 Wayne Ave, Suite 900 Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 intake@gelawyer.com Tell Us About Your Legal Needs Use the button below to tell us about your legal matter and to schedule a consultation with one of our employment attorneys right away. Existing Clients Click Below for Online Payment Or call us at (301) 608 – 0880	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line479
__label__wiki	0.661349	0.661349	The State Opening of Parliament by Her Majesty the Queen BBC One London, 24 November 1998 10.40 The Queen drives from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster to formally open the new session of Parliament. From the throne of the House of Lords she delivers the speech written for her by the Prime Minister outlining the new Government's proposed legislation for the first session of the new Parliament. Presented by David Dimbleby. As this event is live, subsequent programmes may change Presenter: David Dimbleby Director: Neil Eccles Feedback about The State Opening of Parliament by Her Majesty the Queen, BBC One London, 10.40, 24 November 1998 Please leave this link here so we can find the programme you're referring to: http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/dd4366c2174345ca873e50361cd44402	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line482
__label__cc	0.57381	0.42619	Home » University of Pittsburgh Press Digital Editions University of Pittsburgh Press Digital Editions Out-of-print monographs published by the University of Pittsburgh Press between 1938 and 2004. Pitt Press has selected the items below for open access, including titles from the Pitt Latin American Series, Pitt Series in Russian and East European Studies, and Composition, Literacy and Culture. The majority of these titles are out-of-print, but are now available online. The University of Pittsburgh Press and the University Library System (ULS) have formed a partnership to make books published by the Press available online. By digitizing these volumes and distributing them freely on the Internet, the University of Pittsburgh Press is enabling greater access to the material previously available only as print editions. Read more... The digital representations of the monographs are made possible through the efforts of the ULS Digital Research Library, responsible for digitizing the material and supporting their full-text searchability. Copyright and Use All monographs made available through this site are copyrighted-protected by the University of Pittsburgh Press. This material is provided for scholarly, educational, and research use only. Any other use of this material, in whole or in part, including but not limited to any reproduction or redistribution by any means, other than short quotations as permitted under Fair Use, is strictly prohibited without the written permission of the University of Pittsburgh Press. University of Pittsburgh Press Digital Editions (28) + - Historic Pittsburgh Book Collection (27) + - Pittsburgh series in social and labor history (4) + - Pittsburgh series in labor history (1) + - The American forts series (1) + - Social conditions (6) + - Urban renewal (5) + - City planning (3) + - Women (3) + - Steel industry and trade (2) + - Anti-communist movements (1) + - Architecture (1) + - Attendance (1) + - Biography (1) + - Buildings, structures, etc (1) + - Campaigns (1) + - Case studies (1) + - Catholics (1) + - Church history (1) + - Communism (1) + - Community development (1) + - Congresses (1) + - Criticism and interpretation (1) + - Economic conditions (1) + - Elite (Social sciences) (1) + - Feminists (1) + - Governors (1) + - Industrialists (1) + - Industries (1) + - Internal security (1) + - International cooperation (1) + - Iron and steel workers (1) + - Journalism (1) + - Lutherans (1) + - Manuscripts, English (1) + - Monuments (1) + - Neighborhood government (1) + - New Deal, 1933-1939 (1) + - Parks (1) + - Political participation (1) + - Press (1) + - Race relations (1) + - Sculpture, American (1) + - Slovak Americans (1) + - Social surveys (1) + - Sports (1) + - Sports teams (1) + - University of Pittsburgh (21) + - University of Pittsburgh Press (7) + - Pennsylvania (23) + - Pittsburgh (23) + - Pittsburgh (Pa.) 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Pittsburgh (Pa.), Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Pittsburgh series in social and labor history Seeing Reds: federal surveillance of radicals in the Pittsburgh mill district, 1917-1921 McCormick, Charles H. (Charles Howard) , 1932- Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, United States, Pittsburgh (Pa.), Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Don't call me boss: David L. Lawrence, Pittsburgh's Renaissance mayor Weber, Michael P. Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh (Pa.) The shaping of the Point: Pittsburgh's Renaissance Park Point State Park (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Front-page Pittsburgh: two hundred years of the Post-gazette Thomas, Clarke M. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Founding families of Pittsburgh: the evolution of a regional elite, 1760-1910 Rishel, Joseph Francis , 1945- Pittsburgh in stages: two hundred years of theater Conner, Lynne. The immigrant church and community: Pittsburgh's Slovak Catholics and Lutherans, 1880-1915 Alexander, June Granatir , 1948- Pittsburgh surveyed: social science and social reform in the early twentieth century Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, United States, Pittsburgh (Pa.) Guns at the forks O'Meara, Walter. Fort Duquesne (Pa.), Fort Pitt (Pa.), United States, Pittsburgh (Pa.) The American forts series Triumphant capitalism: Henry Clay Frick and the industrial transformation of America Warren, Kenneth. United States, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh To Beijing and beyond: Pittsburgh and the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women Pittsburgh sports: stories from the steel city Twentieth-century Pittsburgh. Vol. 2 Lubove, Roy. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh (Pa.), Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh (Pa.) Women and the trades: Pittsburgh, 1907-1908 Butler, Elizabeth Beardsley. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Pittsburgh series in labor history	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line487
__label__wiki	0.940841	0.940841	HISTORY of Christian Theology Preliminary Overview Period I – The early and Medieval Church Period II – The Reformation Period III – Modern Christianity (A.D. 1768–1834) German theologian and philosopher, minister in the Reformed church, professor at the University of Berlin(A.D. 1811) Schleiermacher becomes the first professor of theology at the new University of Berlin which becomes one of the most influential universit... more (A.D. 1811–1834), and founding figure of ProtestantContrary to popular belief, the term does not refer to protest against the Roman Catholic Church. The term original refers to a formal protest lodged ... more liberalism. He was the most influential ProtestantContrary to popular belief, the term does not refer to protest against the Roman Catholic Church. The term original refers to a formal protest lodged ... more thinker of the 19th century. In response to EnlightenmentA broad term for 18th century European intellectual developments, including deism and other movements critical of orthodox Christianity, that are char... more efforts to rationalize religion, he argued that religion has its source in experience, or “the sense and taste for the infinite.” Also appears in: TIMELINES: PEOPLE (see A.D. 1768–1834) WHAT IS TRUE? Please share if you found this post informative. CLEARSTONE PUBLISHING: Amora is a sweeping action-adventure and a moving examination of spirituality and faith based on the true story of the noblewoman who inspired Justin Martyr’s petition to the Roman Senate. The story follows Leo, a stern Patrician, who finds his life turned upside down after he betrays his Christian wife and her slave to die in the arena. Meanwhile, the slave’s fiancé seeks revenge, and Leo’s crippled son struggles with the loss of his mother as he pursues a budding romance. Praise from Reviewers: "This is a powerful story that will, unquestionably, resonate with people of faith, but has enough universal appeal to find a home with crossover readers as well." "The core concept of the novel feels like Christian forgiveness on a collision course with revenge." "The ideas of vengeance and forgiveness as two sides of a coin is a really compelling underlying motif for this novel." "I loved the inexorable pull of vengeance and betrayal pulling on all the characters. Knowing that the merciless hand of fate is moving towards Leo, creates the kind of delicious tension that drives stories in this genre." "We watch these characters struggle in different ways but all of them find their way to the same place at the end. I liked seeing the tension throughout the book as these moments of fate and decision wound together." "The novel does a great job zooming out for the big picture but also being able to really focus in on intimate human details and moments with these characters." "The blending of several distinct and quite separate storylines come together very well and provide an emotionally satisfying end to the book." E-book now available for preorders. Publication date: Sept. 10, 2020 Copyright © 2020 ClearStone Publishing. All rights reserved.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line488
__label__wiki	0.511358	0.511358	October 2, 2019 October 1, 2019 ~ Hadena James On August 1, 1978 Immanuel David, 39, drove into a canyon in Utah and slipped a hose over the tailpipe of his truck and placed the other end of the hose in the cab of the truck. David was being investigated by the FBI for wire transfer fraud. He also thought he was God, the Holy Ghost, and the second coming of Jesus Christ and had started his own religious sect called the Family of David. Three days later, his wife Rebecca David(38) took their six children to a hotel in downtown Utah. They went up to a viewing balcony on the eleventh floor. Once up there, the three oldest children Rachel(15), Josh(10), and Debra(9) jumped over the railing. Then Rebecca began throwing the younger children over the edge. Joseph(8), David(6), and Rybecca(5) all screamed and fought not to fall. Once the six children were on the pavement, Rebecca David jumped to her death. Elizabeth David (who went by her middle name Rachel) survived after suffering critical injuries from her fall and spent a month in a coma. Once she was awake and capable of talking to police, investigators began to put together the events that lead to the deaths of her family on August 4, 1978. Rachel told police that her family lived an isolated life, not allowed close friends outside their religious sect. And Rebecca had never had access to any of the family’s financial accounts and with her father, Immanuel dead, the family didn’t know what they were going to do. Rebecca and the older children agreed they couldn’t live without Immanuel and decided to die to be reunited with him. Friends of the family, told investigators that Immanuel was probably mentally ill, and he had expected full subservience by Rebecca and their children. Rebecca was described as shy and quiet. And while friends were shocked over the incident, they weren’t entirely surprised by what Rachel said when she awoke from her coma. Investigators eventually labeled the murders and suicides an act of religious zealotry. There were some difficulties researching this case. It’s not uncommon for people to revise their “opinions” of people after they are dead. I could not find an “official” source for the rumors that Rebecca David might have been mentally challenged or mentally ill, but friends and family said both at different times, after the murders/suicide. Immanuel David’s legacy is that as of 2010, his religious sect was still alive with followers in Spokane, Washington and Boulder, Colorado. While Rebecca David will always be remembered as the woman who convinced her children to commit suicide and when the little ones were too young, she murdered them before killing herself. ‹ PreviousMaria Isabella Amaya – Family Annihilator Next ›Releasing in 2020 One thought on “Rebecca David” Cynshep says: Ugh how horrible!	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line490
__label__cc	0.701085	0.298915	Hard Rock Radio Live Streaming Radio Station with Hard Rock Music That Doesn't Suck Indie Band Song Submissions MAX CAVALERA: 'I Don't Think CHUCK SCHULDINER Gets Enough Credit For What He Did For Metal' On March 7, members of SOULFLY teamed up with members of TOXIC HOLOCAUST to perform a cover version of the DEATH classic “Evil Dead” at Soundbar in Orlando, Florida. The next day, SOULFLY frontman Max Cavalera spoke about the performance during an interview with That Just Happened. He said: “Just the other night, I got together with the TOXIC guys and we did a DEATH cover, of ‘Evil Dead’. And it came out just killer. I actually thought, after we got done playing, ‘Did that just happen, man? This is cool, man.’ For all the reasons — for honoring Chuck [Schuldiner, late DEATH leader] for his art. I don’t think he gets enough credit for what he did for metal. He was such an innovator, such a talent, great musician and a good guy. To sharing the metal with an opening band, like we do. We’re big fans of TOXIC, and they’re big fans of my stuff. Joel Grind said some stuff I was reading the other day. He said that a cousin of his showed him [SEPULTURA‘s] ‘Arise’, and it changed his life. That’s cool, man. It’s cool to know the stories.” He continued: “So when we played [‘Evil Dead’] — that was actually yesterday in Orlando. That was one of those [memorable moments] — ’cause it was in Florida, and Chuck‘s from Florida, and you get the whole crowd singing.” Back in 2005, Cavalera revealed that the song “Corrosion Creeps” on SOULFLY‘s “Dark Ages” album was dedicated to Schuldiner, who died on December 13, 2001 after a battle with pontine glioma, a rare type of brain tumor. Asked in a 2015 interview with Agoraphobic News if he knew Chuck, Max said: “Not personally. But we used to exchange letters and album CDs when I was living in Brazil. I sent him a copy of [SEPULTURA‘s] ‘Bestial Devastation’ back in ’85. So my name came out on DEATH‘s ‘Scream Bloody Gore’. So it was a first time Max Cavalera name was on some record. For me, it was really emotional to see that.” SOULFLY has spent the last year and a half touring in support of its latest album, “Ritual”, which was released in October 2018 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2015’s “Archangel” was produced, recorded and mixed by Josh Wilbur (KILLER BE KILLED, LAMB OF GOD, GOJIRA). Cover artwork was painted by artist Eliran Kantor (TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH, SODOM). Additional booklet art was handled by Marcelo Vasco (SLAYER, HATEBREED, KREATOR), who also handled the package design. The album features multiple guests, including Randy Blythe (LAMB OF GOD). Source: HRRL News Feed via Blabbermouth.net HRRL News Feed via Blabbermouth.net Tagged on: HRRL tom lats March 17, 2020 March 17, 2020 Rock News No Comments ← Ozzy Osbourne Producer Andrew Watt Diagnosed With Coronavirus PHIL DEMMEL Is Still 'Super Proud' Of 'Many Different Things' He Helped Create During His Time With MACHINE HEAD → Archives Select Month December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 Please follow & like us \m/ Quick Chat Calendar Of Old Posts Hits To Page Starting 09-22-15 Life Time Web Page Views Content Copyright 2015 [www.hardrockradiolive.com] Hits To Our Page Copyright © 2021 Hard Rock Radio Live. Powered by WordPress. Theme: Esteem by ThemeGrill. Are You Enjoying HRRL? Please spread the word \m/	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line492
__label__wiki	0.528751	0.528751	Ramadan Readathon Author Spotlight \| Interview With London Shah May 21, 2019 September 17, 2019 NadiaLeave a comment Salaam everyone! As part of #RamadanReadathon, I’ll be hosting a series of author interviews to spotlight new and upcoming releases from debut and established authors. I’m so excited to welcome London Shah on the blog today to talk about her debut novel The Light At The Bottom Of The World! London Shah is a British-born Muslim of Afghan descent. She has lived in Britain’s capital city for most of her life via England’s beautiful North. When she’s not busy re-imagining the past, plotting an alternate present or dreaming up a surreal future, then she’s most likely drinking copious amounts of tea, eating all the sweets and cakes, strolling through Richmond Park or along the Thames, getting lost on an evening in the city’s older, darker alleyways—preferably just after it’s rained—listening to punk rock, or losing herself in a fab SFF book or film. If she could have only one super power, it would be to breathe underwater. The Light At The Bottom Of The World is her debut novel. You can follow her on Twitter @London_Shah. ABOUT THE LIGHT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD At the end of the twenty-first century, the world has changed dramatically, but life continues one thousand feet below the ocean’s surface. In Great Britain, sea creatures swim among the ruins of Big Ben and the Tower of London, and citizens waver between fear and hope; fear of what lurks in the abyss, and hope that humanity will soon discover a way to reclaim the planet. Meanwhile, sixteen-year-old Leyla McQueen has her own problems to deal with. Her father’s been arrested, accused of taking advantage of victims of the Seasickness—a debilitating malaise that consumes people, often claiming their lives. But Leyla knows he’s innocent, and all she’s interested in is getting him back so that their lives can return to normal. When she’s picked to race in the action-packed London Submersible Marathon, Leyla gets the chance to secure his freedom; the Prime Minister promises the champion whatever their heart desires. The race takes an unexpected turn, though, and presents her with an opportunity she never wanted: Leyla must venture outside of London for the first time in her life, to find and rescue her father herself. Now, she’ll have to brave the unfathomable waters and defy a corrupt government determined to keep its secrets, all the while dealing with a secretive, hotheaded companion she never asked for in the first place. As she discovers a world drowning in lies, how much longer can Leyla hold out hope for the truth? If she fails, or falls prey to her own fears, she risks capture—or worse. And her father might be lost forever. Salaam, London! Thank you so much for joining us! To begin with, could you quickly introduce yourself and your debut novel The Light At The Bottom Of The World? LS: Walaikum Assalaam, thanks so much for having me! Well, I live in Greater London via England’s beautiful north, and have now spent most of my life here. The Light at the Bottom of the World, a YA sci-fi, is my debut novel. It releases on October 29th in sha Allah, from Disney-Hyperion. The story is set in a submerged world of the future where, due to an asteroid strike that resulted in the release of all the waters held in our planet’s deep subterranean reservoirs, humanity now resides a thousand feet below the ocean’s surface. It focuses on sixteen-year-old Leyla McQueen, and her quest to find her missing father. What are the most prominent themes within the novel? What do you hope readers will take away from Leyla’s story? LS: The most dominant theme in my debut novel is fear of change. Nostalgia is exploited to foster and drive that fear, as is fear of the other. The story also covers hope; this one, teeny tiny word that basically saves us over and over again. If readers enjoy going on this epic adventure with Leyla, and come away truly feeling that no matter how difficult things might seem, there is always hope, then I couldn’t ask for more. As you’ve already mentioned, the story takes place in the future. In what ways is it still similar to the present, and in what ways is it different? LS: Although humanity resides deep underwater, and we’re jumping decades ahead, my story world remains in many ways quite similar to our current one. Physically, there is much of this world still present in my futuristic one. Though in bad shape, so many pre-flood structures remain visible, and the former landscape is still very much discernible. The seabed is a maze of both old and new. Life goes on, and people still work and play and love and connect. Also similar are some of humanity’s less desirable traits: Any differences are still being used against us, to divide us—the way we are taught to fear the ‘other’, all so our hearts and minds can be manipulated for the benefit of those who gain from such disconnection. As for the ways in which my story world is different, there are so many. There’s only a trickle of natural light, and solar spheres on the surface light up the depths below. Local travel is only possible by way of submersibles, with submarines used for long-distance journeys. Entering and exiting buildings is obviously more time-consuming than it is now. The technology is of course advanced, and I had great fun creating what I wanted and needed. Replicating certain aspects of pre-floods life via technology was especially rewarding. The whole mood of the people is different, but I don’t want to reveal too much now! I would say that in all the ways that matter most, we remain connected to the world and people in my story. With all that being said, how exactly do you approach world-building? What has been your favourite and least favourite part of writing this particular story? LS: Oof, I approach world-building with great joy! It’s such a drug… It’s just everything. The freedom to zoom completely out of your own reality, and the power and creative release that comes with having whatever you can imagine in a whole new world! It’s a lot of hard work, but still hands-down my favourite part of the entire writing process. I had so much fun envisioning and creating everything for my debut novel—all the society, history, settings, advanced technologies, and even with language. Thinking about how language might have evolved due to setting, and how the extreme nostalgia present in my world would also determine its usage, was exciting and fun. My least favourite part has to be drafting…screams. Goodness, I just find it so utterly challenging. Facing a blank page is so unbelievably hard. Even though I always have an outline! I have no discipline at all during this phase, and become so easily distracted. With every fibre of my being, I despise drafting. And finally, if you can share with us, I’d love to know about any deleted scenes for this book. Throughout the process of drafting, did you make any significant changes to the story? LS: Hahaha. From the first few years alone, that would be a thousand pointless scenes containing a hundred unnecessary sub-plots, resulting in the most long-winded plot and excessive amount of characters ever. But over the last couple of years I’d written good, strong scenes, and moments too, that were dropped during editing in order to strengthen the structure. For example, I miss having my Leyla playing a game with her best friends, Theo and Tabby Campbell, in their Holozone—a large virtual reality room set up in their home. This particular game was Ripper’s Revels. The setting was gloomy, impoverished Victorian London streets, and you had to avoid Jack the Ripper catching and attacking you. Everything in the game is so real—the sights, characters, settings, sounds—and you’re completely swept up in that world! It was a fun scene, and experiencing Victorian London while you were actually in a virtual reality room deep underwater in 2099, spoke deeply to my contrast-loving heart. I love that! Thank you so much for joining us, London, and for taking the time to answer these questions! The Light At The Bottom Of The World will be published on October 29th 2019 by Disney-Hyperion. Pre-order the book on Amazon UK or Book Depository, and don’t forget to add it on Goodreads. Want to win a copy of The Light At The Bottom Of The World by London Shah? Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for a chance to win this book or a book of your choice from any of the authors featured during #RamadanReadathon! These books will be revealed throughout the month so keep your eyes peeled for more interviews on this blog. This giveaway is open internationally, as long as Book Depository ships to you. ENTER THE GIVEAWAY Author Spotlight \| Interview With Farah Naz Rishi Author Spotlight \| Interview With Nadine Jolie Courtney	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line495
__label__wiki	0.647752	0.647752	1/7/21: IT STALKS THE OX W/ LINDA MOULTON HOWE There is one aspect of conspiracy theory that rarely gets attention as it is considered the black sheep of Ufology and that is the MILABS conspiracy. MILAB is short for Military Abduction Theory. It is the proposal that human experimentation including human mutilation has been carried out by extraterrestrial intelligence working secretly with the Military Medical Complex. MILABs also includes the idea that alien intelligence along with our military conducts second generation experimentation and Zoonosis where human diseases have a relationship with animals. Much of this history can be found in what can be called “The Yellow Book” a book about treaties and “The Red Book,” written by the U.S. Government. It contains volumes of information we have gathered regarding our contacts with Extraterrestrial Life Forms. The first volume begins in 1947. The last volume was started in 2005. According to conspiracy theorists, these books indicate that we have made many ongoing treaties with aliens since the 1950s. In 2005, an anonymous source sent a series of emails to a UFO Discussion Group led by former U.S. Government employee, Victor Martinez. These emails detailed the existence of an Exchange Program between the U.S. Government and what were called the Ebens – alien beings from Serpo, a planet from the Zeta Reticuli Star System. The program was thus called, Project SERPO. The deal was that our government would allow for human and animal experimentation by the aliens in exchange for advanced weapons technology. There have been many people who have claimed that they have been abducted by both the military and aliens and claim that they work in collusion with each other. There are others that claim that second generation experiments on animals include the mutilations including birds, sheep, horses and cattle. On December 22nd, there was a report out of El Paso County Colorado that 30 head of cattle were found dead in a grizzly display of mutilated carcasses peppered across the rural landscape. The swath of dead cattle were found not far from Schriever Air Force Base. The animals were found off Highway 94 near North Curtis Road, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jacqueline Kirby said. There was no outward evidence that they had been injured and no sign of criminal activity. Kirby said a rural outreach deputy who responded said he’d “never seen anything like it.” Dr. John Heikkila of Choice Veterinary Service examined the animals and said that elevated levels of nitrates were found in at least one bale of hay eaten by the cattle, However the rancher, who was not identified, fed the cattle the same hay for two weeks without incident before their deaths on Dec. 22. After examining some of the photos that were leaked on the internet it looked as if some of the cattle died violently. Some of the cattle appeared to have been shredded. Some of the cows had brain tissue forced out of their nose onto the ground. with no blood coming out of the mouth. It was if the cows were squeezed or crushed — perhaps hurled form the sky to the ground. El Paso County has been notorious for sightings of strange lights and unmarked military helicopters buzzing the skies over farms in the area. Digging back into reports of the 1970’s this area of Colorado has seen ranchers sitting on their porches at night with shotguns, scanning the sky for unknown objects. Reports of cattle mutilation peaked from late 1974 through 1975, with cases popping up everywhere from South Dakota to Texas. In every example, ranchers agreed mutilations were occurring with surgical precision, flesh removed cleanly from the bone in circular patterns, and that the culprits were targeting only sex organs and soft tissue. Where they couldn’t find common ground was in what caused the deaths. From the beginning cattlemen all over the country were suspicious of a government cover up. The definite cause of death was not established in many of the cases. Many veterinary practitioners attributed the phenomenon to scavenging following death by natural causes. Although this view is widely held in the veterinary profession, it has never been documented as a concern and there were many instances where necropsies were not performed on the cows —Only to say that organs of the cattle were surgically removed by some sort of directed energy tool. Various structures, usually either genital organs or portions of the face and head, were missing in bovine found dead on the range. This phenomenon was the subject of newspaper and magazine articles, television interviews, and television programs. Ranchers who were normally rational and critical, and otherwise analytical members of the media, were thinking the irrational. They were interested in the possibility that Satanic cults were involved but many of the ranchers and the media were actually reporting that pending no other rational explanation the cattle mutilations had to have been performed by extraterrestrial visitors. Some ranchers were suspicious of the government finding a way to go in and cull the animals in order the bankrupt farmers and force them to give up their land to groups like the bureau of land management. Many would report that not only were their cattle being killed but their farmland was being buzzed by unmarked black helicopters at night and some unknown aircraft that was silent and had bright blinding lights. Again, this was highlighted as possible poof that there was an extraterrestrial element and that perhaps the FBI or the CIA was involved in the culling of the cattle. In the Summer of 2019 well into the Winter of 2020, there were reports of cattle mutilations in the state of Oregon and Utah. Authorities there are still baffled by the circumstances of the cattle mutilations. There were no wounds. No signs of a struggle. And the bulls’ genitals and tongues had been carefully removed. The killing and mutilation of the 4 and 5-year-old Hereford bulls in the prime of their productive lives spurred a multi-agency investigation in Eastern Oregon, but detectives turned up no leads and again have not settled on a cause of death. There’s no obvious reason someone would want those animal parts. They aren’t prime targets for black market sales, authorities said. Another thing to ponder is that of course the rational observation would be that predators or scavengers attack the carcass but if predatory animals can uniformly select body parts, mainly the ones used in reproduction and excretion, and then remove all the blood from the carcass leaving the remaining good meat to rot what we are seeing is a meticulous animal doing the killings. In ancient times when animals on farms would die may would see it a sign of famine and disease. The animals were seen as unclean and that the farms were cursed and that no flesh was to be consumed. This would be a portent to famine. In Old Testament writings it was common to read about how those who refused to listen to their spiritual nature would have curse brought upon them. In the book of Deuteronomy, I remember all of the curses that were predicated upon the wicked. The curse upon the people would be fewer children born, a bad harvest, and the death of the cattle. It is important to note that cows were often cited in ancient texts as being sacred. The Oxen, Cows and bulls were often looked at as divine and their movements and health were always monitored because they were also oracles of what was to come. It was known that ancient Romans would perform a religious practice that included using the entrails of cows and sheep to predict the future. This is a practice known as Haruspex. Many of the ancient Gods were often depicted as cows or bulls. The primitive people would offer sacrifices in order to save the farms – there were animal sacrifices like the sheep and the cattle and in some cases, children were sacrificed. There may have been a reason that cows were used for divination and that is because cattle are merely the four-legged canaries in the coal mine. They are the creatures we must look at for determining what is next in our biological runaway train ride into what appears to be the bio unfriendly future. 2021 is the year of the Metal OX or Bovine in the Chinese Zodiac. The year of the OX brings the weight of responsibility, reset, accomplishment and judgement. The unexplained death of Oxen or Murrain was the fifth plague of Egypt and was the indication of mass hunger. In Exodus we read “Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain.” The Fifth Plague was called the murrain of beasts. After the alleged mutilations reported in December, I was sent an e-mail that directed me to an interview that was conducted by Patrick Bet-David about the future of the cattle and meat industry. American cattle rancher Shad Sullivan from North Texas is interviewed by Bet-David about the future of the cattle and beef industry Sullivan received an email from the USDA in April 2020, stating that it would help farmers to find alternative markets for their harvests, as COVID-19 caused meat processing plants to shut down If alternative markets couldn’t be found, state veterinarians and government officials would assist with culls, or depopulation, of their herds. Due to the allowance of acquisitions and mergers, four companies — Tyson, Cargill, JBS and National Beef, which is owned by Marfrig Global Foods — control 85% of the U.S. beef supply There are now 727,906 beef farms and ranches in the U.S. In 1979, Sullivan says, there were 1.2 million to 1.3 million; he believes that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, one-third of the remaining beef farms and ranches in the U.S. may disappear after 2020 — maybe more. Sullivan says officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture are also preparing farmers to depopulate cattle that are ready to harvest due to a “bottleneck created by the effects of COVID and the logistics therein.” . Last year we reported that the World Economic Forum planned to “reset” of food and agriculture to include projects and strategic partnerships that favor genetically modified organisms, lab-made proteins and pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals as sustainable solutions to food and health issues. For example, WEF has promoted and partnered with an organization called EAT Forum. EAT Forum describes itself as a “Davos for food” that plans to “add value to business and industry” and “set the political agenda.” EAT was co-founded by Wellcome Trust, an organization established with funds from GlaxoSmithKline and which still has strategic partnerships with the drug maker and other pharmaceutical companies that are providing us with the COVID Vaccine.. In a recent investigative report, it was revealed that the developers of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine have previously undisclosed ties to the eugenics-linked Wellcome Trust. Many of the antibodies used in these Vaccines were created from genetically modified cattle. When the COVID-19 pandemic erupted, SAb Biotherapeutics, a lab in Sioux Falls, South Dakota had already completed a clinical trial with cow-generated antibodies against Middle East respiratory syndrome, which is caused by a coronavirus related to SARS-CoV-2. Before the animals start to release these antibodies into their blood, the cows received a starter immunization—a DNA vaccine based on a portion of the virus’ genome that preps their immune system. Then comes the injection that contains a piece of SARS-CoV-2’s spike protein, which serves as the virus’ passkey to cells. Much like what we are told must happen to humans – a starter inoculation and then a booster 28 days later. Wellcome Trust, MONSANTO/Bayer, and the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation are the major groups involved with vaccine development and genetically modified food stuffs including lab meats. According to Frederic Leroy, a food science and biotechnology professor at University of Brussels, The EAT network, Wellcome Trust and the Bill and Melinda gates foundation interact closely with some of the biggest imitation meat companies, including Impossible Foods and other biotech companies, which aim to replace wholesome nutritious foods with genetically modified lab creations. During the Democratic National Committee debates there were people planted in the audience asking questions about how new guidelines for the green economy would affect meat eating and what the candidates would do to curtail meat consumption. Most everyone who were behind the campaign to vilify meat eating were greatly exaggerating the studies linking meat eating to poor health. The studies vilifying the health effects of meat were based on observational epidemiology, which can’t show actual cause, only associations. Remember this was all being brought up at the end of 2019 and the reason the meat was being vilified was because of what they were calling science –and that science was all about Climate Change and the coercing of the population into following the new green deals proposed by the United Nations at the 2030 Summit. CNN decided to give it a marathon-length town hall: seven hours in which 10 top contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination shared their plans for cutting carbon emissions, dealing with potentially catastrophic weather, and saving the planet for the generations to come. The conversation turned to the discussion of whether or not a person has a right to consume a cheeseburger. While discussing red meats, dietary requirements, and beef production, it seemed they were debating whether the Democrats would uphold the right to backyard barbecues or require draconian enforcement of meat rationing to save the planet from greenhouse gasses. Asked about climate activism and her stand on the beef and cheese industries, Amy Klobuchar, went out big. “I am hopeful that we’re going to be able to [cut carbon emissions] in a way—especially when I am president—that we can continue to have hamburgers and cheese.” Kamala Harris, lest Americans think otherwise, conceded she loves cheeseburgers. She didn’t seem too proud of it—feigning her meat guilt in front of some militant climate change vegan. But she went even bigger stating if she were president she would definitely change the dietary guidelines “to reduce red meat specifically or to ban its consumption all together.” She then later stated that meat production has a detrimental impact on the environment and that there should be plans in place to curtail the consumption of meat so that it will improve the environmental impact. Over the past month, President-elect Joe Biden has announced several key Cabinet member nominations, eliciting a range of reactions from his supporters and critics. Multiple sources disclosed that Biden plans to appoint Tom Vilsack, aka “Mr. Monsanto,” as the Secretary of Agriculture. Many progressives were quick to argue that Vilsack’s ties to certain agricultural industries make him a complicated and regressive choice for this role. While serving as Obama’s agriculture secretary, Vilsack made a few controversial moves regarding genetically-modified crops; for instance, he expedited the approval process for GMOs. These decisions caused his critics to nickname him “Mr. Monsanto. As you can see there appears to be a ;ot going on behind the scenes and there are many apparent cover-ups with regard to what we eat and what pharnecuticals we put in our bodies. The issue of cattle mutilation for the sake of culling herds to create scarcity is just as important of the topic as the possibility of alien collusion. The co-conspiracy of the government using advanced technology to cull the herds—and the possibility of that technology being part of the extraterrestrial incursion is compelling –as the end result is the transhuman agenda. Again we need to revisit the idea that cattle mutilations are bad omens. They are simply a pretext for disease and scarcity and that if the aliens or some other force is taking the body parts of birds, domestic animals and cattle it is because they wish to analyze them for the possibility of a future plague. Bovine blood is also used in the bioweapons industry. Bovine blood is also used to force multiply viruses that are weaponized in labs. It is also used in many vaccines. We need to understand that cattle and other animals are exposed to all sorts of outside evils that find their way into the ecosystem. Much to the chagrin of vegan militants, the problem may be in the earth itself. Heavy metals and other contaminants end up in the soil and the watershed. It ends up in the plant life and then it is transmitted to animal life. Other animals have demonstrated that they are being exposed to all kinds of pathogens, infectious diseases, and toxic gasses. The question is where is all of this coming from? Chickens carry influenza, mosquitoes have carried viral encephalitis and crows have shown that they can carry the West Nile Virus. We can all attribute this to natural and common effect from nature and the environment but knowing the history of the military and their experimentations we may want to look at farm animals and their uses as lethal canaries in a coal mine. Like in ancient times, the aliens were busy again—they stalk the Ox and in the process wish to tamper with our DNA. PrevPrevious1/6/21: E DEPLORIBUS UNUM Next1/8/21: REICHSTAG RESET – WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU DESERVE W/ THE BLACK CONSERVATIVE PREACHERNext	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line500
__label__wiki	0.703611	0.703611	Truist Invests $10 million in Westside Future Fund – PRNewswire Truist Invests $10 million in Westside Future Fund PRNewswire CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Truist Financial Corporation (NYSE: TFC) today announced Truist Community Capital is making a commitment of $10 million to Westside Future Fund’s (WFF) Real Estate Investment Fund to provide financing for and acquisition of community development projects in Atlanta’s Westside neighborhood. WFF is committed to establishing mixed-income communities that are safe, support families, stimulate local businesses and ensure sustainability for multiple generations. To do this, WFF’s work is framed by a holistic resident retention strategy that prioritizes legacy residents’ ability to stay in their neighborhoods for generations while making housing affordable for people of mixed and fixed incomes. Truist’s investment will assist with this affordable housing initiative, as well as provide financing for a range of community development projects. “This investment to the Westside Future Fund underscores our ongoing commitment to Atlanta and our continued support of empowering the historic Westside community,” said Jenna Kelly, Truist Northern Georgia regional president. “Our purpose of inspiring and building better lives and communities aligns with the incredible work the Westside Future Fund is doing, and we look forward to seeing the progress unfold together.” The Westside neighborhoods that WFF has identified – English Avenue, Vine City, Ashview Heights, Atlanta University Center and Just Us – represent the areas of greatest need. WFF estimates that among nearly 1,600 households within this footprint, half of the residents earn less than $20,000 a year. Such depressed earnings make it virtually impossible to afford quality housing. “Investments like this one enable us to continue supporting the Westside community in a meaningful way,” said John Ahmann, president and chief executive officer of the Westside Future Fund. “Together with partners like Truist, we are helping stabilize this historic community by delivering mixed-income housing and economic development opportunities.” “Having served as chair of the Atlanta Committee for Progress when WFF was conceived, it is particularly rewarding to see the tremendous community support and leadership for this vision,” said Bill Rogers, Truist president and chief operating officer. “Truist is proud to have been there from the beginning and to lend additional support.” The investment is part of Truist’s Atlanta Investment initiative, a $300 million investment over a three–year period in the Atlanta community, made through a range of community and not-for-profit organizations. The mix of programs and grants supporting this initiative will vary each year, providing investments tailored to the diverse needs of the Atlanta community. It will include a combination of community development investments from the bank and philanthropic grants from the Truist foundation. About Truist Truist Financial Corporation is a purpose-driven financial services company committed to inspire and build better lives and communities. With 275 years of combined BB&T and SunTrust history, Truist serves approximately 10 million households with leading market share in many high-growth markets in the country. The company offers a wide range of services including retail, small business and commercial banking; asset management; capital markets; commercial real estate; corporate and institutional banking; insurance; mortgage; payments; specialized lending and wealth management. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Truist is the sixth-largest commercial bank in the U.S. with total assets of $473 billion as of December 31, 2019. Truist Bank, Member FDIC. Learn more at Truist.com. About Westside Future Fund Westside Future Fund is a nonprofit formed by Atlanta’s public, private and philanthropic partners who believe in the future of Atlanta’s Westside and are committed to helping Historic Westside neighborhoods revitalize and develop into a community Dr. King would be proud to call home. WFF serves as a “community quarterback” organization for the holistic redevelopment of English Avenue, Vine City, Ashview Heights, Atlanta University Center, Just Us and the Booker T. Washington neighborhoods. In collaboration with residents, community leaders, and a wide variety of public and private partners, WFF is driving change by focusing on four impact areas: mixed-income communities; cradle-to-career education; community health and wellness; and safety and security. Grounded in a compassionate approach to revitalization aimed at community retention, the organization is focused on creating a diverse mixed-income community, improving quality of life, and elevating and celebrating the Historic Westside’s unique history and culture. SOURCE Truist Financial Corporation Source: prnewswire.com Carbios names chief financial officer – Recycling Today Analysts Expect Nielsen Holdings PLC (NYSE:NLSN) Will Post... COVID-19 Recovery Analysis: Insurance Brokerage Market 2020...	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line506
__label__cc	0.631433	0.368567	Kehtaa Hai Dil Baar Baar (2002) Director: Rahul Dholakia; Cinematographer: Ashok Kumar (Agarwal) Summary: Ranshod Rai Patel is an egotistical and arrogant self-made Gujarati man who arrived from India and settled in the New York area years ago. He started his career cleaning latrines and dirty clothes, then moved on to working in a restaurant, saving enough money to own one, and then finally owned twelve. He became an extremely successful real-estate magnate, à la Donald Trump and was so big-headed that started calling himself THE Roger Patel. He got married to a woman named Kamla and they were soon proud parents of two lovely daughters, Namrata and Ritu. When the girls are grown, the overprotective Roger arranges a marriage for Namrata with a property owner, a professional Patel man named Prem. Ritu, a doctor, informs that she has met her soul mate also, Sunder Kapoor, who is part-Punjabi and part-Madrasi and is definitely not a Patel, nor a property owner, and not even a professional. But since Ritu likes him so much, he invites Sunder to spend seven days with his family in his palatial home. Sunder tries to impress Ritu's family, and eventually Roger allows him to marry her. Then Roger's world is turned upside down when he finds out that Sunder is married to a woman named Seema and is the stepfather to her 7-year-old son. Indiancine.ma requires JavaScript.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line509
__label__wiki	0.502116	0.502116	Listen: There Are No Dead Here: A Story of Murder and Denial in Colombia Last month, we welcomed writer, activist, and lawyer Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno to HRP for a talk about her new book, There Are No Dead Here: A Story of Murder and Denial in Colombia. As the executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, Maria is at the helm of the leading U.S. organization fighting to end the war on drugs domestically and beyond. Her new book is a narrative non-fiction account of the rise of paramilitaries in Colombia in the late 1990s. With close ties to the cocaine business, the paramilitaries carried out a violent expansion campaign committing atrocities against thousands of people. The story is told through the perspective of three characters—a fearless activist, a dogged journalist, and relentless investigators—whose lives intersect in the midst of this drug-fueled cycle of terror. This talk was co-sponsored by the Criminal Justice Policy Program, the Harvard Human Rights Journal, and HLS Advocates for Human Rights. Listen to the full audio of the talk below or on our SoundCloud:	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line510
__label__wiki	0.883674	0.883674	For David and Sharon Mason, SAIS is part of the family Image caption: David Mason first asked out his wife, Sharon, in a Russian class at SAIS Credit: David Mason By Rafael Alvarez / Published Fall 2017 It took a nudge from his Russian teacher—actually more of a push—for David Mason, SAIS '70 (Cert), '71 (MA), to ask out Sharon Wood, SAIS '70 (Cert), '71 (MA), when they were classmates at the Bologna, Italy, campus of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in 1969. It was obvious that David and Sharon, the only two students taking Russian at SAIS Europe that semester, were fond of each other. Since no one was making a move, the instructor told David to practice a Russian phrase on Sharon: Will you go on a date with me? She accepted in Russian, the date to the symphony went well, and David proposed several months later in Paris. Less than a year after that, they were married in Sharon's hometown of Pueblo, Colorado. Video credit: SAIS Alumni Their relationship almost didn't happen. "I needed that course, and they weren't going to offer it for one person," Sharon says. She knew that David was eligible for the upper-level course, so she made her pitch to him in a stairwell one day. "I saw this cute girl who wanted to take Russian," David says. "If it hadn't been for her, I would have taken Italian." After a second SAIS year in Washington, D.C., Sharon and David received their degrees on Homewood campus. During the ceremony, David was introduced as the first second-generation SAIS graduate. His father, Richard Mason, SAIS '48 (MA), graduated five years after the school was co-founded by Christian Herter, a friend of Richard's father and the former secretary of state under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. A bit of prophecy accompanied Sharon when she received her degree: Someone joked she would be the mother of the first third-generation SAIS scholar, and that did happen when daughter Dana Mason Goodson was awarded her diploma in 2013. David taught political science for three decades at Butler University. His most recent book is The End of the American Century. A devout Catholic, Sharon received a doctorate in divinity from the Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis and is ABD—all but dissertation—in Russian history. For many years she worked as a chaplain at a hospital in Indianapolis. Both retired in 2009. Along with daughters Melanie Macey (now running for the city commissioner job in Royal Oak, Michigan) and Dana, their sons-in-law, and five grandchildren, the Masons take an annual family vacation. Sharon believes their shared education and love of travel—from New Zealand to Scotland to many of the national parks in the U.S.—have kept the marriage strong for almost 50 years. "And he laughs at my jokes," says Sharon, to which David replies, "I'm an easy audience." Posted in University News, Alumni Tagged alumni More from the Fall 2017 issue	cc/2021-04/en_head_0039.json.gz/line511

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