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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/59799 | This section showcase some of my projects as ELA teacher. English Second Language Programs (ESL) are designed to teach Academic Language Skills to English Language Learners in order to achieve successfully their academic goals. Academic language has specific communication requirements. ESL programs are focused on developing English Learner students’ listening, speaking, reading, and writing English Proficiency. Mastering academic English is a long process which can take several years to achieve.
To learn more about the projects, use the site navigation or click on the direct links provided bellow:
ESL infographic-4 |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/59804 | PostGIS (pronounced post-jis) is a spatial database extender for PostgreSQL that adds support for geometry types and geospatial functions such as point, line, and polygons.
Install PostgreSQL
Before we can install PostGIS we must first install PostgreSQL. We'll use brew to install PostgreSQL, open Terminal and run the following command:
brew install postgres
You should see output like:
Install PostGIS
We'll also use brew to install PostGIS, open Terminal and run the following command:
brew install postgis
You should see output like:
Start PostgreSQL
Before we start PostgreSQL let's set the PGDATA environment variable, add the following line to your ~/.bash_profile (or if you don't want to maintain two separate config files for login and non-login shells, put your common settings in ~/.bashrc and make sure you source it from your ~/.bash_profile):
export PGDATA=/usr/local/var/postgres
Load the changes into your current shell:
source ~/.bash_profile
Now, we can start PostgreSQL by using the pg_ctl command line utility:
pg_ctl start
Let’s check if PostgreSQL is running:
pg_ctl status
You should see output like:
Create a Database
Brew initialises the PostgreSQL cluster during installation so we can jump right in and create a new database:
createdb postgis_test
Now, we can connect to the new database by using the psql command line utility:
psql postgis_test
You should see output like:
To enable PostGIS, run the following command:
You should see output like:
The best way to learn PostGIS is to try it, start by checking the version:
SELECT postgis_full_version();
You should see output that includes the version of PostGIS, as well as the versions of the supporting GEOS, PROJ, GDAL, LIBXML and LIBJSON libraries:
POSTGIS="2.1.7 r13414"
GEOS="3.4.2-CAPI-1.8.2 r3921"
PROJ="Rel. 4.9.1, 04 March 2015"
GDAL="GDAL 1.11.2, released 2015/02/10"
Then, take a look at the PostgreSQL & PostGIS Cheat Sheet on GitHub.
To quit psql, type the following command:
When you have finished, don't forget to stop PostgreSQL:
pg_ctl stop |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/59809 | Quip Blog
Quip for Salesforce Summer '19 Release is here!
By Arnab Bose
In February, we launched Quip for Salesforce, a collection of new integrations that boost the productivity of sales and service teams inside CRM. Quip for Salesforce allows Salesforce teams to embed Quip's collaborative documents, spreadsheets, slides, and chat threads within Salesforce objects and records. Overnight, real-time collaboration for processes that typically lived outside of Salesforce — like deal win plans, executive briefs, and case swarms — became available and standardized inside the #1 CRM.
Now that it's ☀️summer, we've upgraded the experience for both admins and teams by combining these integrations with the power of the Salesforce Lightning platform. If you're already a Salesforce and Quip Admin, all of the functionality described in this blog is available in your sandbox environment right now. Everything will become available in your production environment the week of June 17.
Admins: Bring more automation to document templates
When it comes to Quip for Salesforce, admins are like coaches who just want to set their players up for success. With the right parameters, they can set the team up to play fast, loose, and disciplined and win the hearts and minds of their customers. In the Summer '19 release we've made major improvements to help your teams go, go, go.
1. Process Builder and Flow Builder for Quip
Deliver templated solutions to your teams with clicks (not code) using the Process Builder and Flow Builder. Include collaborative documents in your automated processes and deploy customized docs that auto-fill with relevant Salesforce metadata so your teams can go faster within the standards set by you, the admin.
For example, an admin can automate the creation of a templated Deal Win Plan document when a rep moves an opportunity to a new stage in the deal process. Quip templates even have mail merge fields that automatically bring in data from the associated Salesforce fields into your Quip document. This document is then also embedded in the opportunity record, resulting in less admin work for reps and consistent sales processes for the sales manager.
Read the release notes, and check out this sample process to learn how to combine Quip and Process Builder.
2. Setup and User Management Enhancements
Setting up the Salesforce-Quip integration just got a lot easier. Admins have three new capabilities to connect both platforms faster:
1. Bulk provisioning Quip users based on the users inside Salesforce
2. Adding any Salesforce user to a document or @mentioning them in Quip (even if they haven't signed up for Quip yet
3. Setting up Quip faster by having Files Connect automatically enabled in your org.
Want to learn more? Read the release notes.
3. Autofill tokens work in live apps
If you love Quip, then Live Apps are likely a part of your most important documents. Kanban boards, Progress bars, and Polls are what turn a document into a seriously useful piece of work. Now, when you use autofill tokens in templates inside Salesforce, they will automatically pull Salesforce field data into the rich text fields of any Live Apps so your teams don't have to do any manual data transfer themselves.
4. Customizable Quip Document component title
Customize the Quip Document Lightning Component to better reflect the purpose of the document. Instead of every component titled Quip Document, change it to Account Plan, Win Plan, Case Swarm, or Executive Brief to better articulate what the document is at a glance.
Teams: Work faster together for your customers
1. Quip Notifications Lightning Component
Get updates from Quip without ever leaving your Salesforce record or custom Lightning page. Simply embed the Quip Notifications Lightning component and you'll never miss a thing. Before this change, Quip signals and notifications could only be received in Quip or by email. Now, users can receive Quip notifications and quickly open relevant Quip docs in a modal inside Salesforce so users don't have to jump screens.
The Quip Notifications Lightning component requires an admin to enable it for the organization anywhere in the Lightning platform – records, homepages, or the utility bar for persistent access. This powerful component will help teams who live and breath Quip for Salesforce work together faster to help their customers.
2. Automatic initialization of the Salesforce Record Live App
The Salesforce Record Live App lets users pull live Salesforce data directly into Quip documents. Your whole team will see the most up-to-date data on the record, at any time, from any device. Even better, you can update back to Salesforce right from your Quip doc. That makes it easier than ever to combine your Salesforce data with your collaborative documents in Quip. And yes — as of today, this Live App includes out-of-the-box support for custom objects and fields.
Now, when a document template that includes the Salesforce Record Live App is activated from a Salesforce record, it will automatically populate the Live App with the data from the record.
Try Quip for Salesforce today
If you're already a Salesforce and Quip Admin, all of the functionality above is available in your sandbox environment today. All the instructions you need are here. It will be available in your production environment on June 17th.
If you don't have Quip yet or haven't connected it to Salesforce, start a free a trial and then integrate Quip with Salesforce. The instructions are here.
You can always contact one of our Quip for Salesforce experts here. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/59811 | Sunday, October 30, 2016
Have I posted this before?
One less thing taking up space
in my life, in my mind
One less object to care for
or suffer guilt for its neglect
The last one gone at last
with a wave and a check
and a sigh of relief
My thing becomes his thing
The baton and burden of ownership
passes to another
leaving a hole filled with freedom
Saturday, October 29, 2016
It's a regular thing now
Every late afternoon/early evening, two horses mosey through. This time I went out with my short lens. I was able to get within twenty feet or so. And, as you can see, I circled around and got the Rolling Steel Tent in the shot.
Clouds, mountains, etc.
Friday, October 28, 2016
Power hog
I've been editing some videos for a friend. That requires a lot of computing power, the processor working as fast as it can almost constantly. That sucks up electricity from my big storage batteries. The computer also powers the old-school external hard drive (spinning platter rather than solid state memory) that holds all the digitized video and related files. That means more power consumption. I need to keep the laptop plugged in all the time I'm working.
Meanwhile, there's the fridge doing its power consuming thing. I've turned up the thermostat a little. (Well, not actually "turned" up. You push buttons. But "pushed up the thermostat" doesn't make much sense, does it?)
We're creeping toward winter (yuck, winter), so there's less daylight for my solar panels. On top of that, we've had some overcast days, further reducing the amount of light available to charge the batteries. I've had to keep an eye on the charge monitor.
But today the sky is clearing, so I'm soaking up solar like a sun worshipper. O, Lord Sol, blessed be your glorious plasma orb and its nuclear fusion that gives us light and life! Shine on! Shine on! Banish the clouds that hide your gleaming countenance.
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
The wild horses came by at dusk
Sometimes I just need to do it the right way
There's the occasional mildly annoying, but not critical, problem with the Rolling steel Tent. I keep putting off repairs, because fixing the problems are really low priorities.
One example is the weatherstripping on the back door opening. The section along the top would droop down, and I'd just push it back into place. And then do it again a few days later. Then again. And again... The voice of reason in my head said, "Just fix it and be done with it." The slacker in my head finally agreed and got off his ass.
This is too neat to be me
I got proper weatherstripping adhesive, followed the instructions, didn't whine, and now it's fixed. I can't even pull the weatherstripping down.
Then there was the problem with the sun visor. The prong thing on the end of the visor had broken off when it was in the possession of the original owner. He'd done a rather clever repair. He'd found a tiny screwdriver with a handle exactly the same diameter as the broken prong. He shoved the screwdriver blade into the visor and, ta-da, fixed. But a few weeks ago, the screwdriver handle broke from the blade, allowing the visor to flop around.
I checked the prices of a replacement visor. New, used, salvage yards, eBay... They're shockingly expensive. So I'd have to think of an alternative. And I did.
I got out my epoxy putty, prepared a grape-sized ball of it, stuck it to the former screwdriver handle, and shoved it into the visor.
Allow a few hours for the epoxy putty to dry and cure, and I'm back in business.
I wonder what low level annoyance will next rise high enough in my consciousness for slacker me to deal with.
Hey, man, can I get a jump?
Everyone should have jumper cables in their vehicle. Because you can't depend on others having them. And because someday you might get to be a hero for someone who kept meaning to get cables but never got around to it.
My cables came in a handy zippered bag. Great idea. No more tangled mess. Hurray for human advancement! So, where in the Rolling Steel Tent could I keep my jumper cables? Hmmmmm... Then I had an ah-ha moment.
Look at that space above the battery—the very battery I would use the jumper cables on. Would that space be large enough for the cables?
Why, yes it is. It's almost as if the bag was custom made to fit. Thank you General Motors. But would having the cables there cause a problem of some kind? After thousands of miles, I'm happy to report no. Best of all, when the guy at Doheny State Beach campground had a dead battery from his family of seven charging and recharging their phones and tablets, I didn't need to dig around in the van for the cables. Presto! Right there where I needed them.
More about you
The people running the Internet know everything about everything, including what I post on this blog. So Facebook fed me a link to a collection of TED talks related to Saturday's post about the self. It's some interesting stuff. Here's the link. I hope you have enough data allowance to watch them all.
It wasn't all rain
Here in Pahrump, at a mere 2,700 feet, we had two days of rain. Meanwhile, up on Charleston Peak (11,900 feet) it was snowing. Yeah, summer's over.
Monday, October 24, 2016
Lumen lust
Sometimes there's nothing to do on long winter nights around the campfire except compare flashlights. It's pretty much a guy thing, like comparing certain other cylindrical objects we hold dear.
"Look at mine. Five-hundred lumens."
"That's nothing. Mine is 850 lumens."
Then I whip out my foot long Bushnell. "Twelve-hundred eye-scorching lumens, amigos." There's awed, envy-laden silence.
Well, the lumen war keeps escalating. Now there's a flashlight bright enough and hot enough to start fires or use as a stove. A guy needs to have one, or he'll be considered laughably impotent.
Saturday, October 22, 2016
Finding and facing the self
Living the nomadic life gives us a degree of freedom most of us have never had before. The fences of society are down and the gates are open. When others try to tell us how we should live, think and behave, we can give them the finger and move on.
Ah, but the big question is how do you live, think and behave when no one is telling you how, when you can't lay it off on society's pressures and restrictions? Do you like who you are when you're free to be you? Are you happy? Content?
The old saying is, no matter where you go, there you are. Well, there you are. Much of the crap of life has been stripped away, left behind. You're pretty much down to the essential you. What do you think of yourself? Of your self?
I hope it's great. Sincerely. I'd like everyone to be at peace with who they are. I'd like that to be the case even if they aren't nomads, rebels, hermits. Taking the Taoist view, you can't be happy unless you're following your own path through life to your own goals, to your own niche. And you can't know what your path is until you know yourself.
Not only is the unexamined life not worth living, it can create a pile of mistakes and despair. It can mean colliding with your self, and running from your self. It can mean no peace, no matter how deep in the boonies you hide.
I don't want to be another of those people telling you what to be. I'm just offering up something to contemplate. Or not. You're free to do whatever you want with my ideas.
A van, another van, a load of laundry, and the question man
It was laundry day. Woo-hoo. The plus side: clean clothes, including new jeans (shorts weather is on its way out). The minus side: killing time while the machines do their wet, soapy work.
I was reclined in the Rolling Steel Tent, thinking deep thoughts (deep for me, anyway) when the owner of the Ford Transit I was parked next to popped his head in the door and started asking questions about my setup. Okay, no problem.
The thing was, he had an odd hitch in his speech that made him difficult to follow. I became uncomfortable. But then I realized, hey, he can't help it. It might make life harder for him. It might make it tough to make friends. It might even affect his ability to find employment. My discomfort was nothing in comparison. So I chilled as best I could.
The bigger issue, though, was that he'd ask questions then keep talking while I tried to answer. It was like he had all this stuff that needed to get out of his head. It was annoying, but, again, I realized he probably couldn't help it, that he probably had some misfiring circuits in his brain.
I thought our conversation was finished, but then he appeared at the back door with more questions and tangental monologue. I had to chuckle. But he soon bid me a good day, got in his van and left.
I went back to thinking my deep thoughts, including how I should be patient and non-judgmental with people whose problems are greater than mine. I thought about the lessons I learned from my encounter with the question man. I thought about how fortunate I am. I thought about how the load of laundry was probably done.
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Desert life
That's the brakes, man
Shortly after I bought the van that would become the Rolling Steel Tent, I was driving down a mountain pass at about 50 miles per hour. Whenever I'd apply the brakes, the front wheels would shimmy. Violently. I thought it was an alignment problem. I went to a tires-brakes-alignment place in Rapid City, South Dakota, to have the problem diagnosed.
"Your rotors are warped," they said.
"Oh," I said.
"We can replace them or true them."
Truing is when they put the rotors on a lathe and trim them until they're flat again. It's a temporary fix. It makes the rotors slightly thinner, which isn't the best thing. It also means the rotors heat up faster. Heat is what causes warping. and since the rotors are thinner, they warp more easily. I opted for truing, though, because I wanted to save money.
Everything was fine with the brakes until the past few months. When I was in Colorado, going down a lot of steep grades, the rotors would heat up and warp a little. But after driving a while without any heavy brake use, it felt like the rotors cooled back to being flat. There was no pulsing in the brake pedal, no shimmy.
Even so, I talked to Forrest, my mechanic buddy, about replacing the rotors while I was helping to build his cabins.
"Oh, that's easy. Just order them online and I'll install them."
But I never got around to it. After all, the brakes were working fine.
Then, a week ago, as I was coming down the eastern side of Tioga Pass, with its 8% grade, the brakes started to warp very badly. Even though I was in second gear. Even though I'd apply the brakes only in short bursts. The next day, after the brakes had cooled, I could still feel a light pulsing in the pedal. Okay. It was really time to replace the rotors.
When I got the flat and decided to replace all the tires, I had them replace the rotors, too. And the brake pads. Maybe the flat was nature's way of saying, "Replace the rotors now!"
Above is one of the old rotors. Those shiny spots are bulges in the metal and shouldn't be there. Below is the new rotor peeking out from behind the wheel (a wheel wrapped in new rubber). The fine crosshatching helps break in the new pads. Then in it wears off and the rotor becomes smooth.
Almost makes me want to go out and do some hard braking
After they had everything installed, the tire shop also checked the alignment.
"Perfect," they reported.
So now I'm all set to go. And stop.
Monday, October 17, 2016
Feeling deflated
Ah, that feeling one gets when discovering a flat tire. A flat that you drove on for a while without noticing because the ground was lumpy. A flat that can't simply be patched because the sidewalls are all buggered up. The third flat in three years. Sort of a holiday tradition. I don't know which holiday. Halloween seems appropriate this time. Boo!
The puncture
The buggered sidewall
The spare in place
I suspect the hole was made by some bit of trash left in the desert by human trash.
Now, here's a challenge for GM engineers. Completely flatten a rear time on an Express or Savana, then try to get the spare out from under the van. No fair jacking up the van first, because it would dangerous to get under there with only the factory-supplied scissor jack. Oh, and you're on rocky ground. And it's about 55 degrees. (Not cold, but not pleasant.) Having fun yet?
Luckily, this flat happened just outside a city with several tire buying options. And with friends to watch me change the tire while offering their condolences. That's the proper way to do things like this.
Sunday, October 16, 2016
On the outskirts of Pahrump
The desert can look bland or even ugly most of the day, but when the sun is setting or rising, it can be beautiful.
I'm camped a couple of hundred yards from Debra and Robert. Far enough for privacy, close enough for a short stroll. Bob and Carolyn will arrive sometime in the next couple of days.
There have been howling winds, which happened the last time Debra and I were within walking distance of each other. It might not be coincidence. But the air should calm down by tomorrow.
Feeling abandoned
A few miles before Beatty, Nevada, I saw the sign for Rhyolite. It flipped the I've-Heard-of-That-Somewhere-Before switch in my brain. Then I saw crumbling buildings on the hillside and remembered it was a ghost town. I made the turn.
"Ghost town" usually evokes something from the 1800s, something like a movie set from a western. But Rhyolite is a boom-to-bust mining town from the early 20th century. It had electricity, plumbing and other trappings of modernity. And its important buildings were made of brick, stone and concrete. Now it looks more like a war-ravaged city than a place where a lawman and a gunslinger would face off in the street at high noon.
There's a cautionary tale in many ghost towns about plans and dreams and riches, and how quickly the luck can run out. Rhyolite's lesson was set in stone.
The long way there
I've driven from Lone Pine to Death Valley and on to Pahrump NV twice before. This was the route:
Okay, been there, done that. So this time, in the name of seeing something new, I decided to take a longer route by way of Beatty NV. Like this:
Hey, what's fourteen extra minutes, more or less, when you're on an adventure?
So I'm driving along, a little past Stovepipe Wells, when I see the sign for Beatty. And Scotty's Castle.
There were also signs saying Scotty's Castle was closed. No problem, I wasn't interested in that anyway.
There's this thing that large-brained people who study human behavior call target fixation. Wikipedia describes it thusly:
Target fixation is an attentional phenomenon observed in humans in which an individual becomes so focused on an observed object (be it a target or hazard) that they inadvertently increase their risk of colliding with the object… In such cases, the observer may fixate so intently on the target that they steer in the direction of their gaze…
There's a related phenomenon I call Old Guy Not Really Paying Attention. You see, shortly after making that left toward Beatty/Scotty's Castle, there's a sign indicating a right turn toward Beatty.
It's a small sign and not currently in as good a shape as when the Google Street View car came through. But that was only part of the situation. There's also a rest area just past the junction where a group of vehicles was stopped. I fixated on them and shot right past the turn. If someone had asked me whether I'd seen the turn, I would have answered, "What turn?"
Besides, not having looked at the map in a year or two, in my mind, one passed Scotty's Castle on the way to Beatty. So on I went, la-de-da-de-da, down a road that looked like this:
About forty miles later I arrived at a closed ranger station and the locked gate/barricade to Scotty's castle. Oh. It's not just that Scotty's Castle is closed, the road past it and onward to Nevada is closed. Ah-ha. So I got out the atlas to see where I was and where I should be. Oh, I missed the turn back there.
So I turned around and drove the forty miles back to the junction. My little detour/adventure looked like this:
No big tragedy, just some more gasoline burned and a butt that was more tired. And now I know what that part of Death Valley looks like. And Beatty. And Amagosa Valley, home of the World's Largest Firecracker.
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Off again
So long, Mount Whitney
This morning I leave Lone Pine and head off across Death Valley to meet up with friends in Nevada.
Although I was born in Washington, DC, I consider myself a Californian. I moved here after college. It's the place where I truly grew up, where I became an adult, where I became myself. The twenty years I lived here were some of the best and certainly the most important and meaningful of my life.
Sometimes I'll meet people who turn up their noses at California. "Ew, why would you want to go there?" It might be crowded and expensive, but it's my home.
Thursday, October 13, 2016
The typical egg carton is just a little long for my refrigerator. It has to go in on a slope, which isn't always possible if other things are taking up room. So as I use up eggs, I cut down the carton, like this:
Then it fits easily, like this:
Sometimes I just start off cutting the carton in half as soon as I get it. I'm happiest, though, when the store has eggs in half dozens.
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Mouse in the house
The Rolling Steel Tent makes noises as its various materials and contents cool for the night. Clicks, pops, pings, sighs, moans, mumbled complaints about the state of the world... But last night there were also the rustlings and scratchings of a critter. And the smell of mouse.
I tried making louder noises myself to scare it away. But the mouse kept coming back. So I got up and turned on some lights to figure out where it was. Yup, in the trash can.
Now, I don't mind a mouse eating a few morsels of my scraps and then moving on. But this one kept scurrying into the gap between the dashboard and engine cover. I didn't want it homesteading in there. Or developing a taste for wiring.
So when it was deep in the trash can, I plopped my Benchmark Atlas for California across the opening. It was just large enough to seal it closed. Then I took the trash can outside and freed the mouse, which promptly ran under the van. No sooner had I put the trash can back in its place than the mouse was back. What, five, six seconds to make its way through an opening (probably the heater ducts) to the dashboard? (Maybe that's why it's called a dashboard.)
After I grabbed my phone to get a picture (remember back when that phrase would make no sense?) we started a game of cat and mouse. Or man and mouse. It kept dashing in and out of the trash, in and out of the dashboard. But my patience won and I finally trapped the critter again. But rather than take it outside, I put a heavy weight on top of the atlas and went back to bed. "Eat to your heart's content, mouse."
After sunup I took the weight, the atlas, the trashcan and the mouse outside. Once free, it ran for the closest cover, which was the van. Of course. So this adventure isn't over yet.
The devil was not there
As I was driving from Mono Lake to Lone Pine, I saw the sign for Devils Post Pile National Monument. Sure, why not?
And there was a nice lake along the way.
Monday, October 10, 2016
Rock on
It's a little early in the season for those who come to Lone Pine, California, wanting to escape cold weather. So there were far more campsite choices along Movie Road in the Alabama Hills. I drove around until I found a spot nestled among the rocks. It's like my own little canyon.
The irony of coming to Lone Pine after complaining about the traffic in Yosemite is that Highway 395 was shut down for the Lone Pine Film Festival parade. Do I have a knack for timing, or what? Traffic was backed up for a couple of miles because too many people wanted to get a glimpse of the parade before turning down the detour.
Guys in western costumes firing blanks, people in cars trying to see what's going on
Once I made it to Alabama Hills, I discovered signs posted all over the place. At first I thought they were for areas that had been closed to camping. But they were information markers for the various spots used in movies filmed there. Frames from the movies were matched up with the rock formations. The signs were part of the film festival.
Maybe a half century from now, someone will use my photos to find the actual spot the famous Rolling Steel Tent once camped. Or not. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/59822 | • Platinum Pass Platinum Pass
• Full Conference Pass Full Conference Pass
• Full Conference One-Day Pass Full Conference One-Day Pass
Date: Wednesday, November 20th
Time: 11:00am - 12:45pm
Venue: Mezzanine Meeting Room M1
Abstract: Developing an AR application can be intimidating for people who are new to immersive technologies. This course aims to help enthusiasts, designers, developers, and creators in general to embark on a journey of crafting their first AR mobile app with ARCore SDK (introduced by Google), and familiarize them with the tech capabilities of today’s mobile AR. Specifically, the course focuses on creating an app that showcases how to create and manipulate objects, as the most basic building block of AR applications. Unity, 3D modeling and coding knowledge are always helpful but not required, as we will provide a resource package for attendees to grab and use. NOTE: If you plan on attending and participating in this course, please read and follow to install the requisite software prior to the course. Click here for instructions
Speaker(s) Bio: |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/59870 | Oct 06
Continuing through the Book of Acts - chapter 9. We continue discussing not only Paul's seeing the Lord in a vision resulting in his salvation and transformation. but the other times Paul testified about the vision. We also discuss Yeshua's Bat Kol (pronounced Baht Kohl - the audible voice of the Lord) times when the audible voice of the Lord was heard. This is a rare circumstance that can only be done at the Lord's will and timing, not by man, it will glorify the Lord not man, and will always line up with scripture. Even today, a few unsaved Jews and Arabs have received a Bat Kol, resulting in their immediate salvation and transformation.
Digital Giving is now available on our podcast page - seedofabraham.podbean.com - or on our website - www.seedofabraham.org - Look for the donations link on the page to go to the correct page.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/59892 | Browsing by Researcher/Guide Kalamani, S
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3-Nov-2014Treatment of downtrodden women in select works of Mahasweta DeviGrace, Priyadarsini AppaduraiKalamani, S |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/59912 | I have just uploaded to Kindle a new, revised and updated e-version of Dead Man Provenance (, the magazine story first published in The Paris Review, which formed the basis of my book, The Poet & The Murderer. It tells the story of a forged Emily Dickinson poem that […]
Dead Man Provenance/Journey to Ki |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/59913 | Ace Attorney
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Ace Attorney, known as Gyakuten Saiban (逆転裁判, lit. "Turnabout Trial") in Japan, is a video game series made by Capcom, with games released on the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 3DS. The series is a visual novel style courtroom drama where a rookie defense attorney must get their falsely accused client a not guilty verdict and find the true culprit.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/59914 | From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Ali and Hamza in single combat at the Battle of Badr, from Siyer-i Nabi, circa 1594
Jihad is an Arabic word meaning "to struggle". Muslims (believers in Islam) use this word to talk about defending the faith and protecting their family and nation, as well as defending innocent people. It can also mean fighting with yourself to become a better person. It is an official part of Shi'a Islam, but it is not an official part of Sunni Islam, though some call it the sixth pillar of Islam. In some cases, there have been 'Jihads' that have self immolated themselves, in order to get into heaven. There are suicide bombers, who blow themselves up, because they think that it is right and that they are cleaning the world's filth. This is, however, wrong in Islam. It is a major sin to commit suicide or homicide. Killing another human being in Islam is the equivalent of killing all of humanity. On the contrary, saving another human being's life is the equivalent of saving all of humanity. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/59948 | "Beauty and the Beast" (1946)
July 2011
Beauty and the BeastClassic Cocteau with an Unexpected Opera on Criterion Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 6
Format: Blu-ray
Overall Enjoyment
Picture Quality
Sound Quality
Among film connoisseurs, Jean Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast is regarded as a masterpiece of fantasy film. Its timeless story is simple and direct, with great tenderness and slightly subdued passion. In the Cocteau-directed version, based on the story by Mme Leprince de Beaumont, Beast (Jean Marais) is a sympathetic character. His eyes seem to emerge from the amazing makeup to beg for help, and his gravelly voice betrays pain and longing. Belle (Josette Day) is a strong woman who resists her feelings for Beast until it's almost too late for him. The famous fantasy effects, from the outstretched bodiless arms holding candelabras to light the hall of Beast’s chateau to the living statues (which must have inspired parts of the Disney animated version), all seem to be extensions of reality rather than entities from a different world.
I've always been impressed with Criterion black-and-white transfers. Beauty and the Beast is one of their oldest catalog items; you can tell by the early catalog number of 6. I believe this version is the third time around, and the results are certainly fine. If they pale in comparison to Criterion’s The Third Man or The Seventh Seal, you can't really blame Criterion, especially after viewing the short featurette on restoration that's in the extras section. Cocteau made Beauty and the Beast in 1946, so there were simply no pristine prints available. The one that Criterion used for its Blu-ray comes from a 1995 restoration of the film. Almost all of the noise, video, and audio have been removed, but the contrast isn't as high as it might be and the focus occasionally shifts so that the picture, though never really soft, isn't always sharp. What we're left with is a final product that's very good but hardly cutting edge.
There are plentiful extras including two commentaries, one by film historian Arthur Knight and one by writer and cultural historian Sir Christopher Frayling. There's a 1995 featurette, "Screening at the Majestic," which contains interviews of the still-living cast and crew members. There's a section devoted to an interview with Henri Alekan, the film's cinematographer, and as usual the disc comes with a handsome booklet featuring interesting essays (one by Cocteau himself) and a complete listing of the cast and anyone who participated in the Blu-ray release.
The most intriguing extra for me was an opera by Philip Glass that was not only inspired by the film but also created to be synched with it. Criterion presents the opera as an extra soundtrack (with a DTS-HD Master Audio surround soundtrack). If you select it, Glass's opera replaces the original soundtrack. I assumed I'd hate this feature, but after experiencing it I've decided it's not bad at all. The singing and sound are both excellent, and for the most part the opera is perfectly synched to the images onscreen so you can use the same English subtitles as you would when viewing the movie with the original soundtrack. The notes by Philip Glass disclose that there have been many successful live performances where the movie is screened and the "soundtrack" is supplied by live musicians.
I'd probably sill watch the original if I wanted to see Beauty and the Beast, but it’s good to know that Criterion continues to produce challenging extras. The overall effect of this Blu-ray is close to excellent at times. If you've never seen it, treat yourself.
Be sure to watch for: Don't miss the still-frame section in the extras. All the shots are good, but the still of Beast against a black background and the three French posters at the end are breathtaking. I wish the movie itself always had the spot-on contrast of these stills.
. . . Rad Bennett
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/59963 | Divided we Stand
Leslie Stainton: Editor
Rhonda M. DeLong:
Director of Marketing and Communications
Terri Weinstein Mellow:
Senior Media Strategist
Design: Don Hammond
Technical Direction: Patty Bradley, Web Administrator
Photography: Peter Smith (unless otherwise indicated)
All graphics and text protected by copyright, 2012.
Send inquiries and requests for print copies of the magazine to [email protected]
You can also comment online for each article. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/59983 | Based on my reading on time-varying survival analysis, I am encountering two different and conflicting sets of advice with regards to time-varying covariates and interpolation.
1. The first advice is to avoid basing covariates on future events, which may introduce bias. As example, suppose a subject has two lab measurements 25 at time 0 and 50 at time 2; using counting process notation, the subject would be entered as two time intervals A and B: A. (0,2] 25 died = 0, and B. (2,5] 50 died = 1. Under one interpolation of the values the subject would have 37.5 for A. Based on the above advice, bias (perhaps small?) may be introduced as the value 37.5 is based on a future event.
2. The second advice is to go ahead and interpolate, and there are some creative methods such as joint mixed models which seem to do this.
Which advice to take? If it depends, on what situations would it be appropriate to prefer one of the other?
• $\begingroup$ This question has no correct answer. You have two lab measurements at the two ends of a time period. You want to derive the lab measurement in the middle of the interval. There are infinite number of methods to derived it. So if you select A method, I can say you are wrong and you should select B. $\endgroup$ – user158565 Aug 12 '19 at 19:30
• $\begingroup$ Can you assume that the time varying process is varying slowly? That is not an unreasonable assumption, and it is the first thing a physicist would check. Essentially nothing can be said about a rapidly varying process with only 2 time points. So, under the condition that the process varies slowly, the two points (with naive priors) center expectations, so the interpolation is equivalently centered. Many conditions for a weak conclusion. But, if that’s all you got, that’s all you can say! $\endgroup$ – Peter Leopold Aug 13 '19 at 13:16
• $\begingroup$ @user158565 I think the second part of this question does have a right answer. The first step is clearly outlining the assumptions that either approach takes. The key in any particular problem is assessing whether or not those assumptions are reasonable. This assumption will likely require expert knowledge of the scientific context. Examples that illustrate situations where the assumptions required for interpolation are unreasonable could be helpful in establishing the general principles that one needs to consider in deciding between the two approaches in any given situation. $\endgroup$ – jsk Aug 15 '19 at 23:02
• $\begingroup$ @user158565 This part is answerable: "what situations would it be appropriate to prefer one or the other?" $\endgroup$ – jsk Aug 15 '19 at 23:04
• $\begingroup$ @PeterLeopold Indeed, I think that you are correct that it will depend on the reasonable of the assumptions. The key though is not just assumptions about the time-varying nature of the process, but the connection between the process and the survival probability. $\endgroup$ – jsk Aug 15 '19 at 23:07
Your Answer
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/59984 | My understanding is that if you (1) have a sufficiently large test dataset, and (2) your models have the same likelihood (noise assumption), then you should compare/select the model likelihood (or log-likelihood) on the test data, unadjusted by AIC/BIC/DIC/etc.
Is there any justification for adjusting your likelihood for the test (or cross-validation) dataset for model selection? What is the best practice when such test dataset is available?
• $\begingroup$ What do you mean by "adjusting model likelihood by AIC"? AIC is a measure (derived from likelihood) that has a different purpose and different domain than hypothesis testing. $\endgroup$ – January Sep 24 '13 at 13:18
• $\begingroup$ @January please enlighten me. Isn't AIC used for selecting the number of parameters, which is a form of nested model selection? $\endgroup$ – Memming Sep 24 '13 at 13:37
• $\begingroup$ Yes, AIC is used for model comparison (nested, not nested, overlapping...). It is an alternative to model selection with hypothesis testing. However, I still do not understand how do you adjust model likelihood (or test data) by AIC (this is not a criticism, I think it is either confusion or my lack of knowledge). $\endgroup$ – January Sep 24 '13 at 14:25
• $\begingroup$ @January Perhaps I'm not using the right language here. I see AIC as penalizing the log-likelihood by the number of parameters. That's why I said "adjust". Feel free to edit the question for clarification. $\endgroup$ – Memming Sep 24 '13 at 14:45
• $\begingroup$ Hmmm, maybe, though I'm still quite unsure on what you are asking. Maybe you could come up with an example? $\endgroup$ – January Sep 24 '13 at 18:09
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60013 | Remember tab positions when switching viewports
Abhishek Rastogi 9 years ago 0
When switching from a split view to a single view, or a quad view, have the tabs remember which group they belonged to... When you have 3 tabs on the right, and 4 on the left, and you need the screen space for a second, you switch to a single pane mode, they all get grouped together... When you switch back, the tabs all stay clumped in one group... :-( |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60014 | [Mac OS X] Double click filename in titlebar to change filename (and move file)
blag 4 jaar geleden bijgewerkt 4 jaar geleden 0
If you've ever needed to move a file you've had opened in an editor, this is the flow:
1. Close file in Sublime
2. Move file in file browser or terminal
3. Open file from new location in Sublime
Most Apple apps on Mac have a nifty feature where double clicking on the filename in the titlebar will pop up a menu that let's you move and rename the current file.
Here's an example from the built-in Preview app:
This cuts down on the number of steps it takes to rename a file, down to one:
1. Double click filename in titlebar, edit name and location
I find it pretty useful in Preview, and I think it would be a great addition to Sublime (on OS X). |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60028 | Pairing your Bluetooth Low Energy Heart Rate Monitor – iOS
View for Android
Fitdigits is compatible with the Polar H7 and a bevy of other Bluetooth Low Energy (aka BLE / Bluetooth 4.0) sensors, including the Zephyr HXM and Wahoo Blue HRM and hundreds more.
When it comes to Heart Rate Monitors (HRMs), it is essential to make a gentle first contact; do not make any sudden movements as to scare it. There are many different types, they all react a little differently. There is the chest strap, and electrode-based type, which is a great, accurate solution that can last for a long, long time but also has it’s comfort and use drawbacks. That is the traditional HRM.
There are optical solutions such as the Scosche Rhythm + which sits on the arm, the Mio line of wrist based, or the new opticals now coming out in earbuds, bike helmets and sweatbands. Seems if you can see blood, there will be a way to get heart rate from it!
That said, many of the cheap daily activity monitors that claim also to have Heart Rate support, are not compatible because they are not to BLE/Bluetooth Smart specifications or, like Fitbit, decided to keep the HR proprietary thus they did not build the ability for others to pair for HR.
Pairing is very easy. Deleting a current pairing is also super easy. I would recommend, just to get comfortable with the process, the first time you pair your HRM you delete it and then repair just again. Practice makes perfect Mom always said.
iCardio Apps iRunner Apps iBiker Apps iWalker Apps
Pairing Your Heart Rate Monitor
1. Make sure the heart rate monitor is on and turned on with heart rate
1. Optical HRMs: Typically there are green flashing lights from most optical HRMs as they try and read your heart rate (check the back of your Mio or Apple Watch, etc).
2. Chest Straps: Dab water, saliva, or gel onto the underside of the electrode receivers on the strap to strengthen the electrode connection (it conducts when wet, sometimes initially there isn’t enough sweat to get it to pick up). You want to create real chemistry between you and the belt. Next, put the strap on, placing it on your bare skin on the top of your ribcage right below your chest. Make sure it is snug enough not to bounce around much during exercise. Check that the peanut (the plastic monitor part) is right-side up and properly snapped into the belt.
3. Open your Fitdigits app. Tap Menu > Sensors.
4. Turn ON the option next to Bluetooth Smart in the Heart Rate Monitors section
5. Once it has connected with the heart rate monitor you are ready to workout with your Bluetooth Heart rate monitor!
After pairing, the sensor will show in the Paired Sensors section below the Add a Sensor section. You can use the on-off switch anytime you want to not use the HRM, but you don’t want to delete the pairing (like if you forget your HRM).
Tapping on the name of the sensor will bring you to the Sensor detail page, where you can see more information on the sensor or tap Delete to delete it from there.
Deleting a Paired Sensor
1. Tap Menu > Sensors
2. Tap the name of the paired HRM
3. Tap Delete
Pairing a BLE heart rate monitor with Fitdigits apps
Pairing a BLE heart rate monitor with Fitdigits apps
HRM pairing troubleshooting tips |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60045 | Engineering News
Making decisions and taking actions require leadership tools to minimize infighting and focus the energy on action.
Stanford bioengineers show step by step how bacteria could go undercover in ways that might trick the human immune system.
Molecular minuet among drops of food coloring explained.
Analyzing what students do from moment to moment as they learn helps predict success.
Fei-Fei Li: How we're teaching computers to understand pictures
Fei-Fei Li, associate professor of computer science, talks about her efforts to solve the trickiest problems of artificial intelligence – including image recognition, learning and language processing. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60054 | What You Should Never Forget
Matt KramerUncategorizedLeave a Comment
Public Speaking forget
There are times that I’ve forgotten my roots. Unfortunately, it happens. What roots, you ask? The basic principles and fundamentals of public speaking that I labored to grasp. The ones that were necessary to shed my fear and improve as a speaker. It’s easy to get caught up in the fleeting nuances of life and forget to send … Read More |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60055 | Tabitha received a Twister game for her recent birthday (7 years old!) She enjoys a version of the game in which one person spins and the other follows instructions until, as Tabitha puts it with much delight, the cookie crumbles.
The players switch roles for the next round. No score is kept.
She wants to play a round one recent Sunday evening. I have been writing, so I have her set it up in the kitchen while I finish up.
She comes back to me with questions.
Tabitha (7 years old): Daddy! What’s six plus six plus six plus six?
Me: Wait. How many sixes?
T: Four.
Me: Twenty-four.
T: Yes! I counted them right!
Me: Huh?
She takes me into the kitchen to show me the Twister board.
T: See? One, two, three, four, five, six.
She is counting the green dots in one row.
T: Then one, two, three, four
She is counting the rows.
Me: So four sixes is 24. Nice. Can I show you something cool? It’s also six fours. See? One, two, three, four.
I am counting the dots in one column—each a different color.
Me: Then one, two, three, four, five, six.
I am counting the columns.
Me: So four sixes and six fours are the same.
T: Like the dominoes.
She is referring to a recent homework assignment in which dominoes were used to demonstrate that 6+4 is the same as 4+6, and that this is true as a general principle about addition.
So what do we learn?
Rows and columns are fun, fun, fun.
Malke Rosenfeld of Math in Your Feet reminds me regularly that children love to play in structured space. She uses blue tape on the floor for her math/dance lessons and has noticed that children love to play freely in and around the spaces created by the tape (seriously: click that link, have a read and then go buy some painter’s tape!). The same thing is true for the Twister board. It creates a structured space for Tabitha to explore at a scale that allows her to use her whole body. That’s a good time for a seven-year-old.
But children don’t always notice the rows and columns in an arrangement like the Twister board. They need to learn to notice it. This is an important step on the path to learning multiplication. The fact that our conversation began with “What is 6+6+6+6 ?” tells me that Tabitha notices the rows and the columns. She knows that the answer to 6+6+6+6 should be the same as her count. By introducing the language of “four sixes” and “six fours”, I am trying to help her notice the multiplication structure underlying her ideas.
Starting the conversation
Arrange things in rows and columns. When you do, the whole thing is called an array.
Point out arrays in the world. Count the number in each row together, and count the number of rows. Notice together whether the numbers switch if you count the number in each column and count the columns. Does eight rows of six become six columns of eight? Does this happen for all numbers?
Here are some of my favorite arrays.
2 thoughts on “Twister
1. Pingback: Wiggins question #5 | Overthinking my teaching
2. I’ve been enjoying reading your blog (catching up over summer now that I have time). Wondering what your thoughts were on calling them arrays vs matrices?
Leave a Reply
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60057 | Telling a story of climate optimism
UK researchers Andrew Simms and Peter Newell recently shared their work on rapid social transformations in the publication How did we do that? When the digital platform BBC Ideas put out a call for short documentaries on climate change, Bill and Flo reached out to Andrew and Peter to explore adapting the publication. The end result is the video Can we transform the world in 12 years?
Starting with the stark warning from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that we only have 12 years to act to keep climate change within 1.5 degrees Celsius, the video explores a series of historic examples of rapid transitions:
• The spread of railways in the 1800s, with 200 miles of track upgraded in a single weekend - inspiration for the rollout of new low carbon infrastructure.
• The New Deal as a massive government investment in response to economic crash - inspiration for a Green New Deal.
• Wartime mobilization in the UK - inspiration for collective action, even in times of danger and sacrifice.
• Apollo Program and moon landing - inspiration for harnessing brain power and creativity to accomplish the impossible.
• The 2010 volcanic eruption in Iceland that grounded flights across Europe - inspiration for how quickly people adapt to lower carbon lifestyles.
For more examples of rapid transitions, see the Rapid Transition Alliance. The video features animation of Sketchpad Studio and photos from Climate Visuals.
Project Types
Issue Areas |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60070 | Manual Chapter : About Network Access
Applies To:
Show Versions Show Versions
• 13.1.3, 13.1.1, 13.1.0
Manual Chapter
What is network access?
Network access features
Network access provides connections with the following features.
Full access from any client
Provides Windows®, Macintosh®, Linux®, and mobile apps users with access to the complete set of IP-based applications, network resources, and intranet files available, as if they were physically working on the office network.
Split tunneling of traffic
Client checking
Compression of transferred data
Compresses traffic with GZIP before it is encrypted, reducing the number of bytes transferred between the Access Policy Manager® and the client system and improving performance.
Routing table monitoring
Session inactivity detection
Automatic application start
Automatic drive mapping
Note: This feature is available only for Windows-based clients.
Connection-based ACLs
Dynamic IP address assignment
Traffic classification, prioritization, and marking
About network access traffic
Network access connection diagram
Network access flow
Network access configuration elements
A network access configuration requires:
• A network access resource
• An access profile, with an access policy that assigns:
• A network access resource
• A network access or full webtop
• A lease pool that provides internal network addresses for tunnel clients
• A connectivity profile
• A virtual server that assigns the access profile
Network access elements are summarized in the following diagram.
Network access elements
Network access elements
Additional resources and documentation for BIG-IP Access Policy Manager
You can access all of the following BIG-IP® system documentation from the AskF5™ Knowledge Base located at
Document Description
BIG-IP® Access Policy Manager®: Application Access This guide contains information for an administrator to configure application tunnels for secure, application-level TCP/IP connections from the client to the network.
BIG-IP® Access Policy Manager®: Authentication and Single-Sign On This guide contains information to help an administrator configure APM for single sign-on and for various types of authentication, such as AAA server, SAML, certificate inspection, local user database, and so on.
BIG-IP® Access Policy Manager®: Customization This guide provides information about using the APM customization tool to provide users with a personalized experience for access policy screens, and errors. An administrator can apply your organization's brand images and colors, change messages and errors for local languages, and change the layout of user pages and screens.
BIG-IP® Access Policy Manager®: Edge Client and Application Configuration This guide contains information for an administrator to configure the BIG-IP® system for browser-based access with the web client as well as for access using BIG-IP Edge Client® and BIG-IP Edge Apps. It also includes information about how to configure or obtain client packages and install them for BIG-IP Edge Client for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and Edge Client command-line interface for Linux.
BIG-IP® Access Policy Manager®: Implementations This guide contains implementations for synchronizing access policies across BIG-IP systems, hosting content on a BIG-IP system, maintaining OPSWAT libraries, configuring dynamic ACLs, web access management, and configuring an access policy for routing.
BIG-IP® Access Policy Manager®: Network Access This guide contains information for an administrator to configure APM Network Access to provide secure access to corporate applications and data using a standard web browser.
BIG-IP® Access Policy Manager®: Portal Access This guide contains information about how to configure APM Portal Access. In Portal Access, APM communicates with back-end servers, rewrites links in application web pages, and directs additional requests from clients back to APM.
BIG-IP® Access Policy Manager®: Secure Web Gateway This guide contains information to help an administrator configure Secure Web Gateway (SWG) explicit or transparent forward proxy and apply URL categorization and filtering to Internet traffic from your enterprise.
BIG-IP® Access Policy Manager®: Third-Party Integration This guide contains information about integrating third-party products with Access Policy Manager (APM®). It includes implementations for integration with VMware Horizon View, Oracle Access Manager, Citrix Web Interface site, and so on.
BIG-IP® Access Policy Manager®: Visual Policy Editor This guide contains information about how to use the visual policy editor to configure access policies.
Release notes Release notes contain information about the current software release, including a list of associated documentation, a summary of new features, enhancements, fixes, known issues, and available workarounds.
Solutions and Tech Notes Solutions are responses and resolutions to known issues. Tech Notes provide additional configuration instructions and how-to information. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60087 | You Need Five Dividend Investments That Will Be Untouchable Your Entire Life
Among the readers with whom I have had private conversations, the biggest investing regrets have generally been one of two things:
(1) Either the person invested extensively in bank stocks prior to the financial crisis of 2008-2009 that wiped out 75-95% of the value of many supposedly safe financial stocks, or:
(2) They owned some high-quality stocks that they had to sell to meet an inevitable need that crops up over the course of an investing lifetime.
It is the second point that I want to discuss.
Successful investing over the long-term, defined as regularly increasing your purchasing power over most rolling three-year periods, is quite easy. If you figure inflation is going … Read the rest of this article! |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60094 | Horror in Who: Wolves, Witches & Giants
With Hallowe’en around the corner, it’s a perfect time to look at modern fairytales: of men who turn into animals, of towering beings with towering egos, and of scary women taking to the skies on broomsticks.
In the Eleventh Doctor era, Doctor Who was said to be a fairytale. In the 1990s, comedy genius Spike Milligan and musician Ed Welch summed up fairytales as ‘wolves, witches, and giants.’ Matt Smith’s run didn’t feature these heavily – but does Doctor Who in general?
There’s a chill in the air. The wind is howling through the eaves. Let’s talk of monsters.
Witchcraft? Time Lord.
Now, Doctor Who is full of cults, right? There’s always something worshipping something else or flailing about, showing off their magical powers. But there aren’t many stories actually dealing with witchcraft itself.
The Shakespeare Code witches
The most notable, of course, is The Shakespeare Code (2008) in which the Carrionites caused the Bard all kinds of toil and trouble. It was a perfect match: Elizabethan England was obsessed with the supernatural, and Shakespeare’s work reflects this. A Midsummer Night’s Dream heavily revolves around magic; the force behind Hamlet is the apparition of the ghost of the titular character’s father; and there are accusations of witchcraft amid the brutal realism of Othello.
Macbeth is the shining example of sorcery, however, supposedly debuting in 1606, roughly seven years after the setting of The Shakespeare Code. The Three Witches that open the play immediately bring the Carrionites to mind, just as they feature in the first scene of the Gareth Roberts-penned Doctor Who. In both, they prove to be a temptation, Lilith’s looks drawing in the doomed Lute-player Wiggins, and the Three Witches’ promise of greatness enticing Macbeth.
Banquo, who meets the Witches alongside the titular character and learns about the future’s monarchy from them, describes the triptych as looking “not like th’ inhabitants o’ th’ Earth.”
Lady Macbeth is also seduced by the supernatural. Her controlling nature and addiction to power turns her into a madwoman, eventually leading to her demise; the idea of a manipulative woman with ideas above her station descending into witchcraft was prevalent in Shakespearian times.
The Carrionites get the better of all the men they meet, dispatching the Master of the Revels with ease, leaving Peter Streete to his insanity, and even besting the Doctor with a snippet of his hair. The only man who stands a chance against them is William.
We may balk at the idea now, but witchery was a very serious concern in that era. Queen Elizabeth I even issued the Witchcraft Act of 1562, stating that anyone practising sorcery resulting in the destruction of another human should “be put to death.” The public essentially blamed the supernatural world for human suffering – and the panic wasn’t confined to the UK. The most infamous example of this occurred later on that Century: in the early 1690s, the Salem Witch Trials saw the execution of 20 individuals, mostly women, throughout Massachusetts. (Indeed, Steve Lyon’s First Doctor novel, The Witch Hunters saw Susan’s horrified attitude to the injustices.)
In the Whoniverse, it could be argued that Queen Elizabeth’s concern over magic is because of the Doctor, just as Shakespeare’s eyes were opened to the otherworldly. In The Day of the Doctor¸ the Eleventh Doctor even blames the time fissure on “witchy witchcraft,” while Clara is “the wicked witch of the well.”
“You Burnt Like The Sun, But All I Require Is The Moon.”
Elizabeth wasn’t the only English monarch to be touched by the Doctor’s world in a negative way. In 2006’s Tooth and Claw, Queen Victoria is horrified with the life the Doctor and Rose lead:
“I don’t know what you are, the two of you, or where you’re from, but I know that you consort with stars and magic and think it fun. But your world is steeped in terror and blasphemy and death, and I will not allow it. You will leave these shores and you will reflect, I hope, on how you came to stray so far from all that is good, and how much longer you will survive this terrible life.”
It was not witchcraft that tortured Victoria though; instead, a man who becomes an animal. A werewolf. Well, technically, it’s more of a lupine wavelength haemovariform: ‘lupine’ coming from the latin, canis lupus, pertaining to a wolf; ‘wavelength’ likely referring to the light of the moon; ‘haemo’ alluding to blood (a disease of which supposedly turns men into wolves); and ‘variform’ meaning shapeshifter.
Therianthropy (the mythological ability of humans to change into beasts) has long been ingrained in European culture, likely dating back to the Late Stone Age. Could the savagery of the battle with Neanderthals have resulted in the blurred distinction of man from monster?
Long before Charles Darwin’s On The Origin of Species, many tribes believed there to be a link between mankind and the animal world; some thought we were descendants while others merely believed their shamans could channel the spirituality of animals. Similarly, in Tooth and Claw, the monks turn from God and instead wish to control the rage of the wolf. Essentially, it’s not the lost faith of the monks that the Russell T. Davies-penned episode details, but their worship of the supernatural and the devil, something which horrifies Queen Victoria enough to convince her that the Doctor and Rose, too, live in darker hues.
Rosemary Guiley notes, in her Encyclopaedia of Vampires, Werewolves, and Other Monsters:
“Most demonologists considered it to be an illusion, the product of insanity or disease caused by the devil. Some believed that people made actual transformations into wolves with the help of demons. Coinciding with the witch hunts were regional hysterias over wolves that ravaged the countryside, killing people and animals.”
A theme of metamorphosis is its relationship with mental illness. While in modern medicine, the delusionary clinical lycanthropy is linked with psychosis, the Doctor ponders that haemophilia is just a Victorian euphemism. The relationship between the illness and bloodlust could’ve been strengthened by the work of Greek physician, Galen, whose research dominated the profession for over 1,300 years. He chalked those with a ravenous hunger, delirium and other bestial qualities as having lycanthropy. Its core treatment was bloodletting (as part of his theory of the Four Humors: that an imbalance of either black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, or blood was the cause of illness).
Fee Fi Fo Fum
Another notable example of therianthropy is ailuranthropy, the transformation into a cat, something featured in the 1989 tale, Survival. Script Editor, Andrew Cartmel, was disappointed in the final design of the Cheetah People, believing they would’ve looked better if approached like Jessica Martin’s Mags in The Greatest Show In The Galaxy (1988-89).
She is, of course, another great example of werewolves in Doctor Who – indeed, the first on screen!
Though we see her physically transform, for much of the serial, she exhibits the melancholy Galen noted about the illness as a mental condition. It’s probable a large part of this is due to her slavery to Captain Cook, but even after his plan goes wrong and she is freed from him, fear of her animalistic instincts continue to haunt her.
She remains a sympathetic character, manipulated by events out of her control – until, that is, the Doctor convinces her she can resist her instincts.
Nonetheless, she is somewhat a plaything of the Gods of Ragnarok, and with these omnipotent beings, we find an example of giants in Doctor Who.
They’re not the traditional idea of giants but in power, they certainly tower over us. Throughout the show’s history, we see beings of great potential as confined to humanoid size, perhaps most notably Sutekh in Pyramids of Mars (1975), Enlightenment‘s Eternals, and the Destroyer in 1989’s Battlefield. Fenric, also, may be considered an extreme example of a giant: in classic folklore, they are typically thought of as chaotic, unruly creatures, so these wild beings who ruled in Dark Times fulfil that role. Despite appearing in various religions including Christianity, Hinduism and Islam, there’s usually a clear distinction between giants and Gods – in fact, the two are frequently in battle!
Rings of Akhaten 11th Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith
Nonetheless, in the Whoniverse, many enormous aliens are worshipped as Gods. The Swampies figuratively and literally looked up to the titular monster in 1978/79’s The Power of Kroll; the shape-changing Azal was a sizeable devil; and most recently, the Doctor faced up to the Old God in 2013’s The Rings of Akhaten.
There are plenty of instances where larger creatures menace the Doctor and co. – though they’re not actually giants. Many will recall ‘The One With The Giant Maggots’ (The Green Death) from their childhoods, while further examples include the minotaurs in The Horns of Nimon (1979-80) and The God Complex (2011), the biomechanoid in Dragonfire (1987), and the very imposing Fisher King from last year’s Under the Lake/ Before the Flood.
Whereas traditional ideas of giants paint them as inherently bad, Doctor Who has often strayed to The BFG notion of friendly, smarter beings or at least individuals. The moral of Galaxy 4 (1965) is to not judge a book by its cover: the Rills appear huge and fearsome, with large scales and even larger mouths, yet they are pacifists. They also seemed to value their size; in the Target novelisation of the serial, female Rills finds bigger heads attractive. Another misunderstood giant cropped up in 1979’s The Creature from the Pit. Erato was a victim, rendered mute and incapable of escaping the cavernous pits of Chloris. The eponymous 1974 Robot, too, unwittingly killed and was, after all, wronged by humanity…
Superiority Complex
That’s the thing about wolves, witches and giants: they’re all brutish reflections of us.
Just look at another notable giant, the Beast in 2007’s The Impossible Planet/ The Satan Pit. As the Doctor explains, it plays on our very basic fears. That’s what the devil does, argues Danny. Yes, or a good psychologist.
The perfect example of how imaginative and subversive Doctor Who is came very early in the show’s history, in a storyline that featured giants… sort of. Planet of Giants was a complicated production, filmed as part of the first block of stories but retained as the opener for Season 2. The audience were initially led to believe the TARDIS had landed on a planet where everything was enlarged, but we soon discover that the Doctor, Susan, Ian, and Barbara have, instead, shrunk down, meaning the other humans became the giants. With malicious intent, murder, and hints of violence, the tale ponders the role of giants subtly but effectively.
In the end, we’re the monsters. But that’s a story for another day…
(Adapted from an article originally published on Kasterborous in October 2014.) |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60106 | Here's Top 10 Popular Programming Languages used on GitHub
Open Source is the Future of the computer science world!
On Wednesday, the popular coding website GitHub shared a graph that gives a closer look at the popularity of different programming languages used on its code sharing website that lets anyone edit, store, and collaborate on software code.
Since its launch in 2008, GitHub saw various programming languages picking up momentum, as shown in the graph below.
An insight into what GitHub is…
GitHub is a web-based repository that operates on the functionality of a 'Git,' which is strictly a command-line tool.
With 10 Million users as of today, the platform has become the primary source of housing open source software that is free of cost available to the world at large.
A look at the picture of programming trends on GitHub over recent years is actually a look at how the computer world is evolving.
Top 10 Programming Languages
Here are the Top 10 Programming Languages on GitHub today:
1. JavaScript
2. Java
3. Ruby
4. PHP
5. Python
6. CSS
7. C++
8. C#
9. C
10. HTML
Yes, JavaScript programming language topped the race, followed by Java. There was a time when Java was most likely to be used by big banks and other enterprise companies that build very private stuff.
Here's Top 10 Popular Programming Languages used on GitHub
However, GitHub's data shows that Java grew more than any other programming language since 2008 and is being as a forefront of languages used to build open source software.
Java's rise is also due to growing Android popularity, as Google made Java the primary language for developing applications on Android smart devices.
Java is followed by Ruby, PHP, Python, and C#.
The rank is calculated by a GitHub project called Linguist, which listed languages by their adoption in public and private repositories, excluding forks.
However, these are the list of popular languages represented by GitHub; What, according to you, should be the most popular programming language? Let us know in the comments below.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60107 | China develops the World's Most Powerful Supercomputer without US chips
China beats its own record with the World's fastest supercomputer.
Sunway TaihuLight, a newly built supercomputer from China, now ranks as the world's most powerful machine.
During the International Supercomputer Conference in Germany on Monday, Top500 declared China's 10.65 Million-core Sunway TaihuLight as the world's fastest supercomputer. Moreover, the supercomputer is leading by a wide margin, too.
With 93 petaflops of processing power, Sunway TaihuLight is nearly three times more powerful than the world's previous fastest supercomputer, Tianhe-2, which had been the world's fastest computer for last 3 years with speeds of 33.9 petaflops per second.
That's 93 quadrillion floating point operations per second (FLOP), which means the supercomputer can perform around 93,000 trillion calculations per second, at its peak.
The Sunway TaihuLight supercomputer is installed at the National Supercomputing Centre in Wuxi.
"Sunway TaihuLight, with 10,649,600 computing cores comprising 40,960 nodes," is one of the world's most efficient systems, with "peak power consumption under load (running the HPL benchmark)" at a relatively modest 15.37 Megawatts of energy consumption.
What's the irony?
The microprocessors inside Sunway TaihuLight are 100 percent Chinese.
Sunway TaihuLight is powered entirely by Chinese processors (the 260-core ShenWei 26010) and runs on a custom Linux-based operating system.
Speaking of the TOP500 list, the National Supercomputing Centre's director, Professor Dr. Guangwen Yang said:
"As the first number one system of China that is completely based on homegrown processors, the Sunway TaihuLight system demonstrates the significant progress that China has made in the domain of designing and manufacturing large-scale computation system."
In the past, China relied heavily on American processors for its supercomputers, but the US thought that China was using the Tianhe-2, which was built with Intel cores, to run its nuclear simulations.
Due to this reason, the United States government banned Intel from exporting its powerful Xeon processors over a year ago to a number of Chinese supercomputer makers.
China is Leading the World in Supercomputing
The US decision did not halt the Chinese progress. Instead, it seems like the US policy has made an opposite effect.
For the first time since the Top500 list began, China has overtaken the United States in the amount of supercomputers being used. China has 167 computers in the top 500 while the US has 165.
"Considering that just 10 years ago, China claimed a mere 28 systems on the list, with none ranked in the top 30, the nation has come further and faster than any other country in the history of supercomputing," said the latest Top500 announcement.
Sunway TaihuLight will be used in scientific research and engineering work in fields including life science research, data analytics, advanced manufacturing and climate, weather and Earth systems modeling.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60125 | The Setting Sun
The winds weren’t blowing fast today, the sky all splashed in orange and red, was clouded with still whites.
He sat there with his shoes off, the sand pricking his feet slightly. As the waves gently splashed against the coast, he began running his hand through the sand, fisting some and then squeezing hard enough to watch it spill free from his palm. This was his favourite place, the shore… yet not his “happy place”. He would always be here when he was sad yes, but only to continue to brood.
Som stared ahead at the big globe of radiance… the sun was setting, he always tried to follow its dip but it never seemed to move when he fixed his eyes on it. He’d always known some curiosity in that queer ball of light.
His thoughts were now racing faster and louder than ever, bringing him back to the brink of the same overflowing well. He thought how lost he was, with success in pockets. Grandeur rooted deep into an emptiness, a hollow happiness, he exhaled.
Soon, the golden sheen started to blur out, as he started welling up. Everything, once again, was coming back to him. This was not the first time he was reminiscing, but every time always seemed to be worse than the last.
He recalled how he gave up everything he had, for today. How he let her go -the only one who had stood by him- blind, chasing a so-called prosperity. It all seemed so futile now, so unreal.
“Was he ever really successful?” Som sighed. On evenings like these, he realised how he wanted to meet her just once more, feel her anger, for it would claim him in some manner… “meet her” he started shivering as the sunlight mocked him. He wanted her to see his tears, sorrow.. guilt. And so, as always, he held his tears back, refusing to let the evening bear witness to them. If only he’d be granted another chance he’d know bitter peace as his cheeks would taste the forbidden saltiness. If only he’d find her once.
Eyes red, he gazed at a distance. It was as if he could actually see her; arms folded and head slightly bowed down – yes, she would always walk that way – with her dupatta covering her dark, long hair, a sound wilderness. She held it to her face, bracing herself from the winds which now had risen fast.
He blinked. Again. Was this real?
He helped himself to his feet, earning her attention. Nisha turned, mirroring his shock. They both froze. Before she realised what was happening, Nisha started walking towards him. He couldn’t. Was his heart playing games? But then he saw her, near and real. He could hear her anklet clinking as she approached him, her breath, ragged for some reason. The glistening fresh streak etched on her cheeks.
What was happening?
A still from ‘What happens in Vegas’
She was there now. There, in front of him. His love, his friend, everything he ever found in her, he could feel it emanating again from her… But there was something else too. He could not bear to see it… or look away, not this time, not again.
He waited for her to speak other than from her eyes. He wished she would scold him, shout at him and cry, accuse him. But she just stared on as another tear escaped to her wet cheeks. He raised his hand, reaching out to her. She was still, expecting nothing. He placed his palm on her head, running along the wilderness he wished to lose himself in, and gently caressed her locks. He wanted to tell her so much. What a bittersweet moment, he thought, she was finally here, with him. He could tell her, cry his heart out and apologise. Maybe even, ask her to punish him? He longed to enclasp her in his arms… and never make the mistake of letting her go again.
And then he dropped his gaze … was it guilt, was it foreboding, he would still wonder later. A wicked sparkle struck his eyes. It was hers… her hands. He fixed himself at it. The ring, shiny band and a big diamond. He’d seen many ladies with such sparkling ornaments but this one seemed to be very unusual, very taunting. The first thing he decided in the very first second on seeing this one was that he didn’t like it.
It was as if this tiny band of metal would choke him any moment. And he waited, till the reality crashed on him. His eyes burning, he tore them away and raised them up to Nisha, who had hers closed already, weeping and shaking slightly. Something must’ve burned his hands, for he jerked them back away. Everything seemed to have changed in a second. Everything seemed to have fallen apart, again and this time, faster.
She blinked out tears. He could no longer cry. He had lost her again. Now he saw it, what her orbs were shrieking out. It was distance, ruins and futility. There was no one word. He couldn’t blink. He didn’t stagger. He just stood there, like the silence following a storm…or was it the one that came in before the winds?
Nisha heaved heavily. Her eyes now dry, face streaked, she took one last glance at Som before she turned, walking away. She didn’t rush, she didn’t limp. Just stepping away, she might have disappeared. He didn’t see. He couldn’t see. His eyes still longed to let go of the pricking drops. He looked away, searching the sky.
The sun had set.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60158 | Open Tuesday at means we'll be working at the big table from 10 to 16 and you're welcome to join - no matter if you want to say hi, work on your own project, help with any of ours or are just curious.
We will be around to give you an introduction to the Center and the possibilities it can offer for you, and you will meet other people who are curious about how we can make change happen.
You can also come by to take part of the discussion and development of And if you need inspiration or logical help with your personal project, we will be ready to help to the extend possible. If you have specific questions, you can always drop a line before the meetup.
Drop by as you please.
Free for everyone. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60163 | Lua Script to Start, Unhide, and/or Auto-Arrange
I'm starting to try using HammerSpoon, which is driven by Lua, for automatically arranging my applications depending on application scenarios.
I have 3 screens, including a MacBook Pro at Retina native resolution and a Seiki 4K display. I grabbed the names of the monitors from Display Menu's menu bar menu.
I initially made the mistake of looking for "Outlook", "OneNote", and "Chrome", but all three applications require their respective company's names to be included in the application name.
Hammerspoon Lua Script - Split Windows 3x3
I've been using using Spectacle pretty heavily, but with a larger screen, I always felt like quadrants were a poor use of real estate, so I began to crack open the source code, which was pretty challenging to navigate because it's a mix of JavaScript and Objective-C reminiscent of user interface programming from ages past. So, I turned next to Hammerspoon.
Hammerspoon uses Lua as a programming interface. I was able to automate moving windows around a 3x3 grid on the current screen with 18 lines of code. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60179 | Natural Hair
A Conversation with my Hair: Protective Styling
The picture bellow is of a FULL sew-in (no hair left out) I got on 10/8/2011.
This was supposed to be the 1st style as part of my 6 month protective style challenge…
Now don’t get me wrong…this sytle is super cute!! But please remember I’ve been natural for 6 months and I LOVE MY NATURAL HAIR. I wasn’t one of those women who did a BC & kept it in braids, weaves & under wigs right after…I haven’t had any kind of extensions, since I BC’d
So when I got this sew-in in my mind I was ok this will be a good way to start my challenge. I had plenty of sew-ins before. Before I BC’d I loved a good sew-in (and I must admit this was a GOOD ASS sew-in, it was done very well…as my stylist always does)…But within a day or 2, I was FED UP!! Not with the style it self, but just the idea of not having access to not only hair, but also my scalp for at least a month. It was too much…
You know, even if I wash a sew-in, how much product would REALLY get to my natural to make sure it’s being kept up…I didn’t know, and I didn’t want to take the risk. I just wasn’t feeling it. SO, yesterday (10/13/2011, barely a week since I got my sew in), I hit my stylist up and said, HOUSTON, we have a problem!!…And this is what I went with instead…
So this morning when I woke up and looked in the mirror (after I finished tweaking my hair a bit). This is the exact conversation I had in my head w/ my hair:
Hair: Hi Reanell, How are you??? I haven’t seen you all week. Who was that girl pretending to be you for the past few days??…
Me: Who are you talking about???
Hair: You know, the girl with the short straight hair??…I didn’t like her.
Me: Really??
Hair: Nope. She made feel like an outcast. Thank you for coming back!!
Me: Your welcome I didn’t like her too much either.
Call me crazy if you want to…But even though hair can’t actually speak words, it’ll tell you when it’s just not feeling it. Lucky for me it just hit me with that emotional punch as oppose to the usually, l, “ok we are going to start shedding and drying out until you get the hint, punch”…LOL
My hair wasn’t feeling it and neither was I. One thing I’ve learned over the past 6 months is, LISTEN TO YOUR HAIR, IT DOES SPEAK TO! I went natural for a reason. And one of reasons was to learn about my hair; and sometimes to learn you just have to stop doing and just listen…
I have figured out MY own way to make it through these 6 months…and have styles in my head that I know I will be more comfortable with. Even though I know my hair won’t be completely OUT for the next 6 months, I’ve learned there are styles that can still give me some kind of access to my hair so I care for it as I see fit. For me, having a sew-in gives you NO access to your hair…Maybe I’m wrong, but either was I my hair just wasn’t feeling it and I going to listen.
Might I add, For only 6 months, my hair is beasting!! LOL |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60184 | Though many of the people who know me wouldn’t think it, I actually do have a life away from the water!
I offer blog proofreading services as well as blog maintenance services. This means that if you are posting a blog and need someone to look it over for editing and flow, that would be me! Do you have lots to say but never time to post and publish to your blog site and other social media outlets? I can do that for you!
I keep it simple: You write it, I trust you have your facts straight. I check spelling and grammar as well as links then send it back to you for questions/approval or post it for you if there are no issues. Super easy!
I will also post for you. Here’s an example: If you have a monthly article that you send out on the 20th of every month and the next 6 months are already written, all you have to do is send them to me and I’ll post them for you. Then you can relax and go on vacation and not worry about it!typo
Why is having a proofreader important? Because there are still a lot of people in the world who know the difference between “you’re” and “your” and you lose your credibility when you don’t. Also, if English is not your first language, I am more than happy to help you with editing your blog with proper English grammar. This will also boost your credibility with your readers and help you get your information across clearly. Win!
If you would like to hire me for editing, posting or any other blog or website content maintenance, please send an email to:
Thank you! |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60200 | Monthly Archives: January 2011
Anger with God over illness and death
(public domain)
By Spencer D Gear
It is not unusual to hear of people who get angry with God over the sudden death of a loved one or of a younger person diagnosed with a terminal condition. We see it on www forums like this one, “How can I not be angry at God for taking my wife away?” The best answer to this question, chosen by voters on the forum was, “You have to know that God did not take your wife away from you”. Really?
Then there is a mother who gives another perspective:
I am 69, Mum of three, grandma to 11 and great grandma to 10, but nearly 11. I have had cancer five times. In my neck, breast, face, bowel and ovary. I have experienced Radio therapy, chemotherapy, and operations.
People have asked aren’t you angry with God. The answer is no, I’m not angry with God, He has brought me through it all, I am well and look after myself. I do my best and God does the rest.
Through it all I have learnt so much.
Anger with God over tragedy comes in this story:
I just heard another story of a family’s lives being turned upside down. Their son, who was preparing to graduate from college is now fighting for his life. His illness came from out of the blue, and it leaves this Christian family devastated. They want to know why this is happening and where the God who they’ve always believed in is. Why doesn’t our all powerful, sovereign God intercede? They are angry, confused, and hurt.
How should we respond to the news that a Christian man with a young family has been diagnosed with cancer, has been through chemotherapy, and the specialist has advised that he should get his house in order as he has only a few months to live?
(Cancer image Wikipedia)
Would the words of an old song say it the way it is or do we yearn for something other?
This world is not my home
I’m just a-passing through.
My treasures are laid up
Somewhere beyond the blue.
I have become aware of this situation in recent months. Here are some details (I have changed a few of the details to protect the innocent):
• Please pray for a miracle for the healing of this man (aged in his 30s with 4 young children) who is an evangelical Christian.
• This person has contacts around the world so there could be thousands praying for his healing. Please join these people and ask God to grant healing to this man who is in the prime of his life.
• His condition is deteriorating and he is losing weight quickly. He may have only a few months to live.
• Anger with God has been expressed over this illness.
• Prayer was asked for God to perform a miracle and confound the medical profession and the logic of human wisdom.
• May God be glorified!
Prayer Shield
How should we respond as evangelical Christian believers?
The natural human reaction is to become angry with God that a person in the ‘prime of life’ with children should die in this way. Is this a godly reaction? As those who have been born-again by the Spirit of God, what should be our response?
A well-known Scripture comes to mind: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). It is godly and not glib to say that with impending death of a loved one who loves Jesus, that God is working all things, including this possible death, “according to his purpose”. God would never ever do anything unjust or contrary to his perfect will. But I’m jumping ahead of myself.
There are some fundamentals that we need to understand to get death into perspective, whether death in the womb, as children and teens, middle aged or in older age. These are some of those fundamentals: (1) the sovereignty of God in life and death; (2) the need for compassion towards the needy, and (3) the Lord who still has the ability to heal if it is according to His will.
A. The sovereignty of God in life and death
When we look at deaths through cancer, HIV, accidents, disasters, and heart disease, some people find it difficult to believe in the God of sovereign control. When we turn on the TV news and see the floods, other disasters and crime around the world, how is it possible to even consider that a benevolent, perfect Lord God is in control of the universe?
How can we talk of God’s sovereignty when we consider the atrocities of Hitler, Stalin, Mao Tse Tung, Pol Pot and Idi Amin?
clip_image002[1] clip_image004 clip_image006[1] clip_image008[1] clip_image010[1] clip_image012[1]
Hitler Stalin Mao Pol Pot killing fields Cambodia Idi Amin
God always has authority over all nations. But wait a minute! How can this be possible in light of the genocides just mentioned, the slaughter in the Sudan, and the other evil in our world? For biblical perspectives on evil and suffering, see my article, “The ‘grotesque’ God, evil & suffering“. See also “Notes on the problem of evil” by Ron Rhodes and “The polemic shot in the foot” by Ravi Zacharias.
These are the core Christian beliefs regarding governments:
However, there is this qualifier: “Peter and the other apostles replied: ‘We must obey God rather than human beings!'” (Acts 5:29). This means that when the laws of governments clash with the laws of God, we must obey God rather than human governments.
What is meant by the sovereignty of God?
“By the sovereignty of God we mean that as Creator of all things visible and invisible, God is the owner of all; that He, therefore, has an absolute right to rule over all (Matt. 20:15; Rom. 9:20, 21); and that He actually exercises this authority in the universe (Eph. 1:11)” (Thiessen 1949:173).
This sovereign authority is not based on some impulsive, arbitrary, whimsical will, but on the wise and holy counsel of God Himself.
When it comes to understanding cancer, evil and disasters in our world, we need to consider another attribute of God. It is difficult for us to grasp the content of this verse from Psalm 139:16. It makes it clear that God is in charge of the times of a person’s beginning and end of life: “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be”.
This verse gives us just a glimpse of God’s attribute of omniscience. The omniscience of God means that “He knows Himself and all other things, whether they be actual or merely possible, whether they be past, present or future, and that He knows them perfectly and from all eternity. He knows things immediately, simultaneously, exhaustively and truly. He also knows the best way to attain His desired ends” (Thiessen 1949:124).
Therefore, God has knowledge of the possible and the actual. From our human perspective, we call God’s knowledge of the future, foreknowledge. But from God’s viewpoint, “He knows all things in one simultaneous intuition” (Thiessen 1949:125).
In Psalm 139:16, we see an example of the omniscience of God. From a human view, it is God’s foreknowledge and we find it difficult to get our mind around the fact that all the days of every human being from formation in the womb to the last breath drawn, are known to God. This applies to my friend who is dying of cancer before reaching an old age. It is clear that pre-natal forming by God is indicated by the use of the language of “my body”. A person’s life begins in the womb and continues after birth until physical death and beyond – into the intermediate state. God’s omniscience sees all those days and they are written in God’s “book”. What an amazing insight into God’s attribute and of human existence!
There are verses in the New Testament that cause us to think of God’s omniscience in relation to life and death. Matthew 10:28-31 states:
The one who determines what happens in life after death is the One Lord God Almighty. We are to fear Him with a godly fear.
Psalm 116:15 reminds us: “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants”. God does not tell us that all will live to seventy[3] or eighty years (see Psalm 90:10). But he does assure us: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). The New Living Translation gives a beautiful rendition of this verse: “For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better”. For dying of cancer at a young age to be seen as “even better” than living for Christ in the here and now, one must see life and death from God’s perspective. Too much of human misery is seen humanistically rather than theistically.
Corrie Ten Boom, a Nazi prison camp survivor and worldwide missionary, wrote in a letter in 1974:
What a beautiful way to see the meaning of death and its continuing impact for the good of the relatives who remain! Until we have the mind of Christ, we will not grasp God’s perspective on life and death. Paul reminded the Corinthian church:
If Christians are still thinking naturally and not according to the Spirit of God, they will not understand how death for the believer is “even better” than living in this wicked world. The growing Christian with “the mind of Christ” discerns God’s sovereign will and omniscience in death happening at any age.
The theology of life, death and life-after-death needs to be taught in our churches, otherwise people will be shocked by cancer or sudden death that happens in youth or mid-life, rather than old age. I recommend John Piper’s message, “The death of a Spirit-filled man” for a fuller understanding of death and what follows for the believer.
God is sovereign Lord of life and death and his omniscience knows all that will happen in the future. But there is a dimension to life on earth that needs Christian understanding. See the article, “Is it wrong to get angry with God?
B. The need for compassion towards the suffering & needy
In August 2008, The World Bank estimated that “at a poverty line of $1.25 a day, the revised estimates find 1.4 billion people live at this poverty line or below”. How should Christians respond to such a desperate need?
In this article I am discussing a Christian man with a young family and wife and he has only months to live. How should local Christians respond? Ephesians 4:32 provides insight: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you”.
“Compassionate” is also used by the NET and NAB Bibles. For “compassionate”, other translations use “tender-hearted” (KJV, NASB, NLT, ESV, NRSV). What is the meaning of the Greek, eusplagchnoi that is used here? It is a rare word that “indicates a very deep feeling, ‘a yearning with the deeply felt affection of Christ Jesus'”. A tender-hearted or compassionate person has “deep feelings of love and pity” (Hendriksen 1967:223).
We should not overlook the fact that Eph. 4:32 also exhorts Christians to “be kind”, which is a “Spirit-imparted goodness of heart, the very opposite of malice or badness mentioned in verse 31″ (Hendriksen 1967:223).
This deep love of Christ for the cancer sufferer must be expressed by believers through being alongside and caring for the sufferer. How can this be spoken to the sufferer? It involves being present, speaking and praying with the person who has cancer. This may involve practical actions to help the person and family at this point of need.
A parallel passage is Colossians 3:12-13:
Remember Matthew 25: 37-40 and the link of caring for the needy and the final judgment:
The Golden Rule provides fundamental instruction: “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:41). If you or I were in need of compassion or assistance in any way, would we appreciate those who were tender-hearted towards us? Of course! Therefore, the Christian’s obligation is to be that kind of person to others. The Christian is one who must care for the needy and suffering.
Alan Redpath wrote this of Nehemiah: “You never lighten the load unless first you have felt the pressure in your own soul. You are never used of God to bring blessing until God has opened your eyes and made you see things as they are” (in Swindoll 1998:110).
Yes, we need compassion for those who are suffering physically. But what’s the part of God in healing the sick?
C. I believe that it is possible for God to heal today.
Jesus healed the sick when he was on earth, but He has returned to the Father in glory. What role has God given to Christians after Jesus’ personal departure? I am of the view that miracles, including miracles of healing, are meant to continue and I have expounded on it in this article, “Are miracles valuable?” See also Jack Deere’s article, “Were miracles meant to be temporary?
Here we have a few indications of the continuing ministry of miracles, including healing:
John 14:12 states, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father”. First Corinthians 12:9 confirms that God has given “to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit” (see also vv. 28, 30). James 5:13-16 places a healing ministry within the church:
The church needs to be taught that one of the roles of elders is to anoint the sick person with oil and “prayer offered in faith” (by the elders) will raise the sick person up if sins are confessed. The initiative is with the sick person to call for the elders for anointing and prayer.
What does it mean to say that prayer for healing is “offered in faith”? It is not prayer plus oil that leads to healing. God does bring healing in answer to prayer as is seen by the example of Hezekiah in Isaiah 38:1-6. But what is the prayer “offered in faith”? It has to deal with the faith of the sick person who called for the elders and from the elders who prayed. It is prayer that depends on the sovereign Lord. The prayer’s answer is with the Lord who heals. His sovereign will is to be obeyed. James is very clear about actions that must be done in accordance with the Lord’s will: “You ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that'” (James 4:15).
However, we must never overlook this fact that “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16). This is the Christian tight rope: Prayer to the Lord by righteous people is effective in praying for the sick, but faith of both the sick and the elders are required. Also, God’s will, unknown to those who pray, is also involved in the outcome. Nevertheless, we are called to pray for the sick.
The teaching on the prayer of faith is not a verse to support a concept that “all who are anointed with oil, prayed for by elders, will be healed by God”. See my article in opposition to “blab it and grab it” theology as taught by some extreme charismatic leaders. Evangelical, charismatic theologian, Wayne Grudem, states:
“I do not think that God gives anyone warrant to promise or ‘guarantee’ healing in this age, for his written Word makes no such guarantee, and our subjective sense of his will is always subject to some degree of uncertainty and some measure of error in this life” (1994:1067 n35).
Also note that this praying for the sick is extended beyond the role of elders. James 5:16 states: “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective”. Individual Christians are authorised to confess their sins to one another and pray for each other that a person “may be healed”.
God can and does heal, but we cannot command him to do so when we want it to happen. He is sovereign Lord and answers prayers according to His will.
D. Can we change God’s mind through prayer?
Will the praying of thousands of people for my friend’s healing make more difference than if only only a handful are praying? Can God’s mind with regard to healing a person be changed through the prayers of one or a multitude of prayers?
God does listen to righteous people when they pray, but God does not do what the righteous demand. God does whatever His righteous will determines. God’s language with Sodom & Gomorrah came in the form of a question, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” (Gen. 18:25)
The Lord God Almighty will demonstrate His justice in the life and death of all who suffer and die. God’s perfect will must be done, but it is He who decides when the last breath is drawn, whether through a still birth, dying as a child, dying in middle age, or dying at a ripe old age. A Christian friend of mine died recently at the age of 103.
E. Catch a glimpse of heaven
The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8). To the thief on the cross, Jesus gave this assurance, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Therefore, the Christian assurance is that at death he/she is ushered into the presence of the Lord which is “gain” or “even better” than life on earth (Phil. 1:21).
Therefore, why do Christians want to stay longer on the earth? It is a very human desire to remain with a spouse and children. But God has an “even better” location for the believer who dies physically, that is described as a place of “many rooms” (John 14:2).
What are the experiences of atheists, agnostics and Christian believers at death?
It is reported that Professor J.H. Huxley, the famous agnostic, as he lay dying suddenly looked up at some sight invisible to mortal eyes, and staring awhile, whispered at last, “So it is true.”
Sir Francis Newport, head of the English Infidel Club, said to those gathered around his death bed, “Do not tell me there is no God for I know there is one, and that I am in his angry presence! You need not tell me there is no hell, for I already feel my soul slipping into its fires! Wretches, cease your idle talk about there being hope for me! I know that I am lost forever.”
Dwight L. Moody, the famous Christian preacher, awakening from sleep shortly before he died had just the opposite to say: “Earth recedes. Heaven opens before me. If this is death, it is sweet! There is no valley here. God is calling me, and I must go.”
“No, no, Father,” said Moody’s son, “You are dreaming.” “I am not dreaming,” replied Moody. “I have been within the gates. I have seen the children’s faces.” His last words were, “This is my triumph; this is my coronation day! It is glorious!” (from “What if there is a heaven?“)
Shortly before he died, John Bunyan, said:
“Weep not for me, but for yourselves; I go to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will, through the mediation of His Blessed Son, receive me, though a sinner, where I hope we ere long shall meet to sing the new song and remain everlastingly happy, world without end” (in Lutzer 1997:141)
Far too much hope is placed on living in this wicked world. It is “far better” to be in the presence of the Lord at death.
God has provided means of healing in this present age through medical science (which is not covered here) and the ministry of the church. However, God does not guarantee healing in this life. He does guarantee his sovereign will for all true believers. See my article, “Should God heal all Christians who pray for healing?
The vision before the believer at death is:
Heaven’s Sounding Sweeter All The Time
Life has been so good, I can’t complain
When I’m down, God gives me strength to rise again
I get weary from the struggle of it all,
That’s when I listen, how I listen for His call
Heaven’s sounding sweeter all the time
Seems like lately, it’s always on my mind
Someday I’ll leave this world behind,
Heaven’s sounding sweeter all the time
2. Oh, it’s hard to lose a loved one to the grave
but we have the blessed hope that Jesus gave
God’s gonna wipe all the tears from our eyes
When we meet Him in that land beyond the skies
Works consulted
Grudem W. 1994. Systematic theology: An introduction to biblical doctrine. Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press / Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House.
Hendriksen, W. 1967. Ephesians, in New Testament Commentary: Expositions of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic.
Lutzer, E. W. 1997. One minute after you die: A preview of your final destination. Chicago: Moody Press.
Swindoll, C. R. 1998. Swindoll’s ultimate book of illustrations & quotes. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
Thiessen, H. C. 1949. Introductory lectures in systematic theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
[1] Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations are from The New International Version©2010, available from BibleGateway at:
[2] The NIV footnote is: “Or will; or knowledge”. The English Standard Version translates as: “And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father”.
[3] The language of older Bible translations such as the KJV was “threescore and ten” for seventy.
Whytehouse designs
Is Bible reading compulsory?
By Spencer D Gear
There’s a story in USA Today (17 January 2011) of the rate at which people are downloading a Bible to the iphone, Blackberrry, etc? See: “Okla. church’s popular Bible app takes faith to phones”. The article states:
The world’s most popular Bible program for mobile phones was developed by an Oklahoma church.
Since its introduction in 2008, 12.5 million people have downloaded the YouVersion Bible application and have spent 4 billion minutes reading the Bible with it, the designers calculate.
In an 11-day period in late December, a million people downloaded the app, which is available on iPhone, Blackberry, Android and other mobile phone platforms. Every 2.8 seconds, a new user installs the program and 12 people run it.
It ranked No. 7 in popularity last week among all 300,000 iPhone apps.
This raises the bigger issue of whether this will increase the number of people who will read the Bible. The article states that: “Studies indicate that today’s Americans are biblically less literate than past generations, and few hold a biblical world view”.
George Barna’s research has found that:
Here are the types of changes being forged by young adults:
• Less Accurate – Young adults are significantly less likely than older adults to strongly agree that the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches. Just 30% of Mosaics and 39% of Busters firmly embraced this view, compared with 46% of Boomers and 58% of Elders.
• More Universalism – Among Mosaics, a majority (56%) believes the Bible teaches the same spiritual truths as other sacred texts, which compares with 4 out of 10 Busters and Boomers, and one-third of Elders.
• Skepticism of Origins – Another generational difference is that young adults are more likely to express skepticism about the original manuscripts of the Bible than is true of older adults.
• Less Engagement – While many young adults are active users of the Bible, the pattern shows a clear generational drop-off – the younger the person, the less likely then are to read the Bible. In particular, Busters and Mosaics are less likely than average to have spent time alone in the last week praying and reading the Bible for at least 15 minutes. Interestingly, none of the four generations were particularly likely to say they aspired to read the Bible more as a means of improving their spiritual lives.
• Bible Appetite – Despite the generational decline in many Bible metrics, one departure from the typical pattern is the fact that younger adults, especially Mosaics (19%), express a slightly above-average interest in gaining additional Bible knowledge. This compares with 12% of Boomers and 9% of Elders.
For the purposes of this research, the Mosaic generation refers to adults who are currently ages 18 to 25; Busters are those ages 26 to 44; Boomers are 45 to 63; and Elders are 64-plus.
In the year 2000, these were Gallup’s findings on Bible reading habits in the USA:
Although most Americans own a Bible, use of the Bible varies significantly. In a poll taken by the Gallup Organization in October, 2000, 59% of Americans reported that they read the Bible at least occasionally. This is down from 73% in the 1980s. The percentage of Americans who read the Bible at least once a week is 37%. This is down slightly from 40% in 1990. 3 According to the Barna Research Group, those who read the Bible regularly spend about 52 minutes a week in the scriptures. 4 Barna, “The Bible,” data is from 1997.
Which gender is more faithful at reading the Bible at least weekly? The prize goes to the women. Women (42%) are more likely than men (32%) to have read the Bible in the past week. What version do people prefer? As of 1997, those who read the Bible preferred the King James Version to the New International Version by a 5 to 1 margin.
Is Bible reading an important habit to develop for Christians? Personal Bible reading would have been impossible for most Christians in the early Christian centuries, not only because of illiteracy, but also because a Bible translation was not available to the populace. What’s the call on whether Bible reading is important today, or should more emphasis be placed on solid Bible teaching?
Free Clip Art Provided by Copyright 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright (c) 2015 Spencer D. Gear. This document is free content. You can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the OpenContent License (OPL) version 1.0, or (at your option) any later version. This document last updated at Date: 20 April 2015.
But the Lord reigns forever, executing judgment from his throne. He will judge the world with justice and rule the nations with fairness…. The Lord is known for his justice” (New Living Translation, Psalm 9:7-8, 16a)
Does the Bible teach limited atonement or unlimited atonement by Christ?
(public domain)
By Spencer D Gear
It has been a theologically contentious issue since the time of the Reformation, with even some dispute going back to St. Augustine. Did Jesus die for the sins of the whole world or did he die only for the sins of the elect – the church?
One supporter of limited atonement (Dr. C. Matthew McMahon ) wrote:
The Atonement of Jesus Christ is not limited in its power to save, but in the extent to which it reaches and will save certain individuals.
Limited atonement is a theological term that has been used for centuries to define a very important aspect of the Gospel. It is a fundamental Christian doctrine which states that Jesus Christ came and died for a limited number of people. He did not die, or redeem, every individual for all of time, but for some individuals, i.e. His sheep and His church. This does not mean that the power of His death could not have saved all men if He wanted to. The power and efficacy of His death in and through one drop of His blood could have saved a million-billion worlds. That was not what God intended. The Scripture does not dabble in “possibilities.” It does, however, state that the scope of His death is limited.
R. C. Sproul (1992:175) prefers the term definite atonement to limited atonement and he states that it refers “to the question of the design of Christ’s atonement” and what God intended in sending Jesus to the cross. He explained:
Christ’s atonement does not avail for unbelievers…. Some put it this way: Christ’s atonement is sufficient for all, but efficient only for some. This, however, does not really get at the heart of the question of definite atonement…. The Reformed view holds that Christ’s atonement was designed and intended only for the elect. Christ laid down His life for His sheep and only for His sheep. Furthermore, the Atonement insured salvation for all the elect (Sproul 1992:176).
I John 2:2 would seem to be an excellent verse to establish Christ’s unlimited atonement – dying for the whole world of sinners: “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (NIV).
How does Sproul interpret this verse? He admits that “this text, more than any other, is cited as scriptural proof against definite atonement”. His view is that if this verse is taken in this sense, “it becomes a proof text for universalism”. His way of viewing the text is
“to see the contrast in it between our sins and those of the whole world. Who are the people included in the word our?…. In this text, John may merely be saying that Christ is not only a propitiation for our sins (Jewish believers) but for the elect found also throughout the whole world…. The purpose of God in Christ’s death was determined at the foundation of the world. The design was not guesswork but according to a specific plan and purpose, which God is sovereignly bring to pass. All for whom Christ died are redeemed by His sacrificial act…. The Atonement in a broad sense is offered to all; in a narrow sense, it is only offered to the elect. John’s teaching that Christ died for the sins of the whole world means that the elect are not limited to Israel but are found throughout the world” (Sproul 1992:176-177, emphasis in original).
Talk about confusion. There is not a word in context of 1 John to speak of the elect as limited to Israel. What does the Bible teach?
By contrast, Lutheran commentator, R. C. H. Lenski (1966:399-400), while preferring the term expiation to propitiation, states that the Righteous One (Jesus, from 1 John 2:1) “suffered for unrighteous ones” and this was effective regarding the whole world.
John advances the thought from sins to the whole world of sinners. Christ made expiation for our sins and thereby for all sinners. We understand [cosmos] in the light of John 3:16 and think that it includes all men [meaning people], us among them, and not only all unsaved men [i.e. people] (Lenski 1966:400).
Did John Calvin (AD 1509-1564) support limited atonement? In the early days of his writing when he was aged 26, he completed the first edition of The Institutes of the Christian Religion. In the Institutes, he wrote:
I say with Augustine, that the Lord has created those who, as he certainly foreknew, were to go to destruction, and he did so because he so willed. Why he willed it is not ours to ask, as we cannot comprehend, nor can it become us even to raise a controversy as to the justice of the divine will. Whenever we speak of it, we are speaking of the supreme standard of justice (Institutes 3.23.5).
Here Calvin affirmed that God willed the destruction of unbelievers. Calvin continues:
While this description is tied up with Calvin’s view of double predestination, it is linked with the doctrine of limited atonement in that it would be impossible for God to predestine unbelievers to eternal damnation and yet provide unlimited atonement that was available to them, unto the possibility of salvation. That is the logical connection, as I understand it.
Roger Nicole has written an article on “John Calvin’s view of the extent of the atonement”. This indicates that Calvin did not believe in limited atonement, but that it was a doctrine originated by Calvinists following Calvin.
Calvin’s first edition of The Institutes was in Latin in 1536 and this was published in a French edition in 1560.
John Calvin did progress in his thinking when he wrote his commentaries on the Bible later in life. His first commentary was on the Book of Romans in 1540 and his commentaries after 1557 were taken from stenographer’s notes taken from lectures to his students. He wrote in his commentary on John 3:16:
Thus John Calvin himself is very clear. He believed in unlimited atonement.
The following verses also affirm unlimited atonement:
John 1:29: “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.'”
Acts 2:21: “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 5:6: “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.”
1 Timothy 2:3-4: “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
1 Timothy 4:10: “We have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.”
Titus 2:11: “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.”
1 John 4:14: “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.”
Theologian, Henry C. Thiessen’s, summary of the sense in which Christ is the Saviour of the world is:
His death secured for all men a delay in the execution of the sentence against sin, space for repentance, and the common blessings of life which have been forfeited by transgression; it removed from the mind of God every obstacle to the pardon of the penitent and restoration of the sinner, except his wilful opposition to God and rejection of him; it procured for the unbeliever the powerful incentives to repentance presented in the Cross, by means of the preaching of God’s servants, and through the work of the Holy Spirit; it provided salvation for those who die in infancy, and assured its application to them; and it makes possible the final restoration of creation itself (Thiessen 1949:330).
Limited or definite atonement is clearly refuted by Scripture. Limited atonement is a false doctrine.
Works consulted
Lenski, R C H 1966. Commentary on the New Testament: The interpretation of the epistles of St. Peter, St. John, and St. Jude. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers (© 1966 Augsburg Publishing House).
Sproul, R C 1992. Essential truths of the Christian faith. Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Thiessen, H C 1949. Introductory lectures in systematic theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Copyright (c) 2011 Spencer D. Gear. This document last updated at Date: 13 October 2015.
Whytehouse designs
Mother nature or the Lord God who sent the flood waters?
imagePhoto courtesy Queensland Government (link no longer available, 5 September 2016)
See Brisbane floods, January 2011, “What a difference a metre makes” (Brisbane Times).
By Spencer D Gear
I. Introduction
Why does God allow such devastation as we have seen in Queensland with the floods of December 2010 and January 2011? By 13 January 2011,
“About 19,700 homes and 3500 business premises are expected to be flooded in Brisbane and about 3000 homes and businesses in the Ipswich area, while some 3585 people have already been evacuated”.[1]
Have you been listening to or reading the mass media to hear their views? The secular media blame it on “mother nature”. These are some media grabs that I have read:
• A Sydney newspaper stated: “ MOTHER nature has unleashed its fury in the state’s north with 18 rivers expected to break their banks by tomorrow night as the Queensland floodwaters run south”.[2]
• Another newspaper headline was, “Australian floods ‘disaster of biblical proportions'”.[3]
• Federal Opposition treasury spokesman, Joe Hockey, stated: “Australia is a rich-enough nation to be able to handle the worst of mother nature – floods, droughts, you name it, all the horrible events that occur on a regular basis at this time of year”.[4]
• Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh, on 11 January 2011 at a press conference said: “This is our darkest hour of the past fortnight…. Mother nature has unleashed something shocking out of the Toowoomba region”;
• “Mother nature has delivered something terrible in the last 48 hours but there’s more to go”, said Anna Bligh.[5]
So, who sends the rains? Is it “mother nature” or God Himself? God is very clear about this in the Scriptures. If it is God who sends this “disaster of biblical proportions”[6] (the language of the media), what is God up to and how can this come from an absolutely loving, just and good God?
These are some of the questions from both secular and Christian people. Under normal circumstances, I would choose to expound a portion of Scripture, but after so much devastation in Queensland and northern NSW, I believe it is appropriate for me to provide a Christian response to the question, “Why does God send or allow floods to devastate Qld?”
The answer is similar for: Why was there a Tsunami in 2004 in the Indian Ocean?[7] Who was responsible for the devastation of Cyclone Tracy in Darwin on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 1974?[8] What about the Brisbane floods of 1974? What about September 11, 2001 and the Muslim attacks on New York City and then Washington DC?[9]
This raises the theological issue known as theodicy, which asks: Since God is omnipotent (all-powerful), is absolutely good, and His sovereignty means that he controls everything in the created universe, how is God not the author of evil? How can evil exist in the world and allow such things as the suffering caused by the Queensland floods, cyclone Tracy, and the Indian Ocean tsunami?
These are some of the questions of theodicy. The word, theodicy, comes from two Greek words, theos (God) and dike (justice/right). It deals with the justification of the goodness and righteousness of God in the midst of evil in the world.[10]
1. Let’s establish some foundational layers:
A. First layer: We live in a violent and fearful world, but that does not mean that the Lord God is not sovereignly in control.
The Bible is very clear that God governs the entire universe, from the smallest bird to the wildest Queensland storm or tsunami. Let’s looks at a few verses from the OT and NT.
Amos 3:6: “When disaster comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it?” (NIV)[11]
Isaiah 46:9-10, “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me… I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please'”.
Matthew 8:27: Of Jesus, it was said: “The men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!'”
No person or thing, no tsunami, September 11, or the Qld floods, can ruin the nature and actions of the sovereign will of God. They may cause people to doubt God and blame mother nature, but we need to get back to the fundamentals of God Himself. “I am God, and there is no other”. Will we scoff at Him or will we bow before Him?
B. Second layer: Satan and his demons are alive and well on planet earth.
When God created the universe, Gen 1:31 states that “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good”. But by the time of Genesis 3, we find that Satan, in the form of a serpent, was tempting Eve to sin. So, from a time perspective, between the events of Gen. 1:31 and Gen. 3:1, there seems to have been a rebellion among the angels with many turning against God and becoming evil demons, doing evil.
The head of the demons, Satan (meaning “adversary), is mentioned in 1 Chron. 21:1 when “Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel”. In Job 1:6, “One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them”.
We know from various passages in the Scriptures that the work of Satan and demons is to get people to sin and they engage in destructive activity (see Gen. 1:3-6; Matt 4:1-11; John 8:44; Rev. 12:9; Ps. 106:37). In John 10:10, their actions are described by Jesus this way: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”.
Satan and his demons are alive and well on planet earth and their motives are to destroy. BUT … there’s a
C. Third layer: The evil one, Satan, is in this world but he has to get permission from God to operate.
Job 2:6-7 states: ‘The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, he [i.e. Job] is in your hands; but you must spare his life.”. So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head'”.
But it was with the permission of the sovereign Lord.
Luke 22:31 states: Jesus said, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat”. This was Satan controlled by Jesus.
There is not a single person or thing in the universe, not even raging waters coming down from Toowoomba into the Lockyer Valley and then the Brisbane River that can frustrate the sovereign will of God. Satan is a powerful enemy and does a lot of evil in this world, but Satan has to get God’s permission to operate and all of Satan’s actions are within the sovereign will of God. Satan cannot break free from the harness that God has placed on him.
Remember who caused Job’s problems. Job 2:6-7 said it was Satan who was given permission by God to punish Job. When we come to the very last chapter of Job in 42:11, we read: “All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought on him…”
Job had the trouble of Satan in this world, but God used Satan, on a leash, to bring trouble to Job. Why couldn’t Satanic actions happen to us?
D. A fourth layer is the consequence of what happened to human beings as a result of Adam & Eve’s actions in the Garden of Eden.
You know the story well from Genesis 3 of how Adam and Eve fell into sin and sin has infected the entire human race.
Original sin or original corruption is the language. The Westminster Confession of Faith, ch. 6, states it so well:
II. By this sin they fell from their original righteousness and communion, with God, and so became dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the parts and faculties of soul and body.
“Children of wrath” is a phrase used to describe the effects of Adam’s sin on all human beings. Read about it in Romans 5:12-21. This is the inheritance of every human being from the time of Adam and Eve. We inherit a sinful nature and it is passed from parent to child.
Eph. 2:3 says that we are “by nature children of wrath” (ESV). We are born separated from God and antagonistic towards God.
How is this applied to the Queensland floods?
My wife and I had a personal experience of this during the 1974 Brisbane flood. We, as sinful but redeemed human beings, were living on the banks of the Brisbane River at Graceville while I attended theological college. We were silly enough to live in our 20-feet caravan and had our car there in a flood-zone. We lost car and caravan because of our frail, sinful humanity, inherited from Adam. Call it our lack of planning, or stupidity, but it was a result of our frail, sinful humanity.
There was another example in The Australian newspaper of 13 January 2011,
POLICE were attempting to ensure the safety of thousands of homes abandoned by evacuees as reports emerged of looters using boats to rob riverside homes west of Brisbane…
The situation has prompted Premier Anna Bligh to appeal to residents to report any incidence of looting and prompted anger among some local councillors.
Ipswich councillor Paul Tully described the looters as the scum of the earth.[13]
The stealing of goods by looters is an example of the outworking of an inherited sinful nature of people in our community.
I was interacting this month with a person who has become a friend, Jim Parker, on a blog called “Christian Forums”. This is how he expressed it to me when I asked, “Why does God allow such devastation as we are seeing in Queensland with the floods of December 2010 – January 2011?”
Perhaps it would be more to the point to ask why people insist on building cities on flood plains.
San Francisco was destroyed by a massive earthquake because it is built on a major earthquake fault. So they rebuilt it on the major earthquake fault.
People build homes along the Russian River north of San Francisco. About every 5-7 years their homes are destroyed by floods. They rebuild….
People know the dangers of the places where they build cities and they choose to rebuild them after they are destroyed by “natural disasters” which, having happened once, should be sufficient data to decide to move somewhere else.
But when they don’t and another flood or earthquake just like the last one happened they ask, “Why did God allow this?”[14]
But how does what happened with Adam and Eve in Genesis 3, relate to the destructive nature of flood waters, earthquakes and tsunamis? Let’s look at some biblical teaching that may help us to process floods, cyclones and other disasters in our natural world.
Teaching no. 1: God is the sovereign Lord who sends the rain.
Do you remember Matt. 5:45? “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous”.
The rain we receive comes from the totally good, righteous and loving Creator and sovereign Lord of the universe. May I add that the lack of rain we receive is also from the sovereign Lord God.
There would be no rain unless God caused it to happen.
Teaching no. 2: Sin affects our natural world deeply.
We can see it in the tsunami, the Qld floods, cyclones, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and what the media love to call “mother nature’s” actions.
Let’s note a couple verses from the OT:
all the days of your life”.
Lev. 18:25: “Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants”.
Please note especially Rom. 8:20-22, which reads: “20For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now (ESV).
What does it mean that creation “was subjected to futility[15]” or “vanity”? “Vanity” is a rare NT word found only here and in Eph. 4:17and 2 Peter 2:18. It means, “empty, futile, vain”.[16] In Rom. 8:20, Paul writes of the whole of creation subject to vanity, futility and v. 21 says that creation is in “bondage to corruption or decay” and what an analogy in v. 22: “the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now”.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been groaning with tears welling up in my eyes as I saw cars and houses being swept away in the raging waters with people on their roofs and screaming for help. I’ve been grieved to hear of lives lost, including that of children. Talk about the whole creation groaning!
Do you remember Genesis chs. 6-9 and why God sent the flood to deluge the entire world in Noah’s time? Why did God do it? Gen. 6:11-13 states:
God said to Noah that he would never wipe out the whole human race like that again (Gen. 9:15): “I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life”.
God sends the rain, but the creation groaning with disasters like this is related to sin entering the world. How do we know? God told us.
Teaching no. 1: The sovereign Lord sends the rain;
Teaching no. 2: Sin affects our natural world deeply;
Teaching no. 3: There will be suffering in our world.
Pastor John Piper of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, MN, reminded me:
“And lest we think naively in response to these calamities, as though the cost of lives was something unusual, let’s remind ourselves of the obvious and the almost overwhelming fact that over 50,000,000 people die every year in this world. Over 6,000 ever hour. Over 100 every minute. And most of them do not die in ripe old age by sleeping peacefully away into eternity. Most die young. Most die after long struggles with pain. And millions die because of the evil of man against man.
“Sudden calamities shock us only to make more plain what is happening every hour of every day of your entire life. Thousands perish in pain and misery every day. Probably seven or eight thousand people will have died during this worship service. Some of them are screaming out in pain just now as I am speaking and as you sit there in relative comfort. If there is to be any Christian joy in this world, along with love, it will be sorrowful joy, broken-hearted joy. What person in this room, who has lived long enough, does not know that the sweetest joys, the deepest joys, are marked with tears, not laughter?”[17]
What is to be the Christian’s response to trials and suffering? I’ll mention just two:
Firstly, We are to show compassion to those in need.
Remember Matthew 25: 37-40 and the final judgment?
Secondly, for the Christian, the Book of James reminds us:
This is a sermon in itself. Let me give it to you in brief and this is a tough one to learn. But it is thoroughly biblical: If you want to experience growth in your Christian life, accept the many trials that God sends your way because this is what they do:
• They test your faith to find out what kind of stuff your Christian life is made of;
• This testing causes you to persevere in your faith; and
• When this perseverance is complete through enduring trials, you will be mature and complete in your faith, not lacking anything.
If that is what trials do to your Christian faith, why don’t you say to God, “Thank you for the trials with a purpose that you always send my way. Please send me more so that my faith will grow and I will mature”.
But let me warn you! God in his sovereign will does not warn you in advance what those trials will be. But if you are a true believer in Christ, they are always meant for your good – to cause your faith to grow up, to mature.
If you don’t believe me, you talk with those who have been tested through intense physical or emotional suffering. Talk with somebody who has been persecuted for his or her faith.
Remember Habakkuk 3:17-18:
17 Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
We will experience suffering in our world. What is to be our response? “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior”.
Let’s review:
Teaching no. 1: The sovereign Lord sends the rain;
Teaching no. 2: Sin affects our natural world deeply;
Teaching no. 4: Tragedy should cause us to re-evaluate our priorities
Calamity, whether through cyclones, floods, earthquakes or other devastation, should jolt us to rethink and change priorities. If we build in flood-prone zones near a river, losing many possessions may cause us to see the damage that a materialistic lifestyle can do. I’m reminded of that Jesus said:
If the floods in 2010-2011 in SE Queensland don’t cause people to re-evaluate their priorities in life and death, what will?
Teaching no. 5: There will be an increase in trouble and disasters as we approach the second coming of Christ.
We don’t know when this will be, but we know this from Luke 21:23-30:
“How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. For there will be disaster in the land and great anger against this people. They will be killed by the sword or sent away as captives to all the nations of the world. And Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the period of the Gentiles comes to an end.
Let me say it again, on the authority of Jesus: “So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!
Use your mind in discerning where to live.
To understand the impact of floods and cyclones, God has given us minds to discern which areas of Australia are the most prone to floods and cyclones. If we want to avoid being victims of floods and cyclones, we can choose to avoid living in those areas.
The Australian government’s, Attorney-General’s Department, Emergency Management for Schools, has compiled this graph of the most cyclone prone areas in Australia as Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland. has located this range of maps to show the flood prone areas of Brisbane and District after the January 2011 floods.
May the Lord help us to be wise in making decisions about where we live in Australia.
Disasters and God’s judgment
I received an email with the content of this blog (below) under the heading, “Japan denounced Israel exactly 1 year before earthquake and tsunami”. This blog appeared at #257:
Ron Reese from 5 Doves has discovered that ON MARCH 11TH, EXACTLY ONE YEAR AGO, JAPAN DENOUNCES ISRAEL!!!…3/0311_01.html
Exactly 1 year ago March 11, 2010…The exact day of the 9.0 earthquake in Japan hit a year later in 2011.
America lost 800,000 houses in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama.
Japan demanded that Israel not build 1,600 housing units in east Jerusalem. After the 9.0 earthquake Japan may
have to rebuild 1.6 million homes.
God is not mocked! Pay attention America!
A more detailed comment by Ron Reese is in, ‘Ron Reese (15 March 2011) “On March 11th, exactly one year ago, Japan denounces Israel!!!
What are we to make of those who want to link Japan’s actions (sins?) against Israel with the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on 11th March 2011?
Jesus will not allow us to draw the conclusion that the Japanese, because of their response to Israel, are any more sinful than we are. This is clearly stated in Luke 13:1-5:
To paraphrase Jesus for Aussies today, based on Luke 13:1-5: There are people present today who speak about the Japanese who denounced Israel one year before the tsunami. Jesus answers these who see this as judgment against Japan: “Do you think that these Japanese are worse sinners than all Australians because they acted in this way? No, says Jesus. I tell you: but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish”.
We do not have the right to pronounce that the earthquake, tsunami and the nuclear meltdown are God’s judgment on Japan – based on Luke 13:1-5. Providing judgment is God’s job and he will do it in our time. God has told us (Luke 14) that we all are sinners who need to repent and the Japanese crisis should be a reminder that all sinners need to repent.
Conclusion: The Judo Technique
I wrap up with an illustration that I learned when I was studying Jim Kennedy’s gospel presentation Evangelism Explosion.[18] I’ve adapted it for this message:
You are in discussion with non-Christians about the floods and other disasters and you begin to say what the Bible teaches about sin, disasters and the future. A person will say something like, “I don’t believe the Bible. You’ll have to convince me some other way than referring to the Scriptures”.
Many people are devastated by this objection. What happens to them? Their attempt to share a biblical view of trials and disasters fizzles.
This need not be the case. I want to encourage you to use this objection as a springboard into the Bible’s view of suffering and of the Gospel. The Apostle Paul, when he preached in Greek cities that had no background in the Bible, appealed to the Scriptures even though the people who listened to him did not believe the Bible.
He proclaimed to them and the Holy Spirit used the proclamation to save some who then came to believe the Bible to be true. When we witness and share Christ’s view on life, our primary function is to proclaim the gospel, not defend the Bible. BUT when people object to the Bible, we DO NEED good answers to respond. And there ARE EXCELLENT answers.
The judo technique works like this. The objection, “I don’t believe the Bible,” is quite an easy one to deal with. Don’t use the approach of a boxer who meets the blow head on and tries to overwhelm the opponent with counter punches. Instead use the technique of the judo expert. The force of the opponent’s blow is used to throw the opponent.
Here’s how it works in presenting a biblical view on trials and disasters. The person who objects, “I don’t believe the Bible,” usually has some university education, or has been exposed to some course in the Bible, biblical criticism or something like that.
There is often some intellectual pride that says or infers something like this: “I used to believe those fairy tales when I was in kindy, but now I am an educated person and am far above believing those things.” It is this intellectual pride that can be used to turn this objection into an opportunity for presenting the gospel and a biblical view of disasters. I suggest this kind of dialogue with the person who objects.
“You don’t believe the Bible, John? That’s very interesting and it certainly is your privilege not to believe it, and I would fight for that right on your part. However, if the Bible is true then obviously you must accept the consequences.
“I would like to ask you a question. The main message of the Bible, which has been unquestionably the most important literary work in human history, is how a person may have eternal life. So what I would like to know is: What do you understand that the Bible teaches about how a person may have eternal life and go to heaven?”
In addition, I’d like to ask you: “What is your understanding of what the Bible states is the reason for painful personal experiences and disasters in our world?”
He may say that he does not believe in eternal life. He could say, “The Bible has a loony message about what causes disasters like floods and I don’t believe it”.
To this you could say, “I’m not asking you what you believe, but I am asking you what you understand. It would be a rather unintellectual approach to reject the world’s most important book without understanding even its main message and the reasons for disasters, would it not? What do you understand that the Bible teaches as to how a person may have eternal life and what causes disasters like floods? What is your understanding about what the Bible teaches on these subjects?”
My experience is that over 90% will respond by saying that it is by keeping the Ten Commandments or following the Golden Rule or imitating the example of Christ, doing good, or something like that. Or they’ll say that there is no answer and “mother nature” is the cause.
You might respond something like this: “That is just what I was afraid of, John. You have rejected the Bible without even understanding its main message and the causes of disasters. Your answer is not only incorrect, but it is diametrically opposite to what the Bible teaches. Now, don’t you think that the more intellectual approach would be to let me share with you what the Scriptures teach on this subject and then you can make an intelligent decision whether to reject or accept it?”
Now the tables have been turned. Instead of being superior to the Scripture and even above listening to it, he now finds himself ignorant of even its basic message and the Bible’s reasons for disasters. Now he must decide whether to listen to the message of the Scriptures or be found to be not only ignorant but also some obscure person who opposes intellectual advancement — and wants to remain in his ignorance.
This is the last thing in the world that his intellectual pride will allow him to be. So, very often he will give you permission to tell him the gospel and give biblical reasons for suffering and disasters. It is at this point that you pray with vigour that the Holy Spirit will take the gospel, which is the power of God to salvation, and use it to awaken him from the deadness because of sin.
Brothers & sisters in Christ: God is sovereign. As the creator of all things visible and invisible, He is the owner of all. He has the absolute right to rule over all, and He exercises this authority in the universe. [19] All human beings are accountable to him.
[1] Rory Callinan 2011, “Anger rises as looters plunder homes”, The Australian, 13 January 2011, available at: (Accessed 13 January 2011).
[2] “NSW towns bracing for floods”, The Daily Telegraph, 8 January 2011. Available at: (Accessed 9 January 2011).
[3] “Australian floods ‘disaster of biblical proportions'”, National Post, Gracemere, Qld., available at: (Accessed 9 January 2011).
[4] “Qld floods damage Australia’s economic performance”, Lexi Metherall and staff, ABC Southern Queensland, 5 January 2011, available at: (Accessed 9 January 2011).
[5] “Now is not time to panic”, The Courier-Mail, 11 January 2011, available at: (Accessed 12 January 2011).
[7] See “2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami”, available at: (Accessed 12 January 2011).
[8] See “Cyclone Tracy”, available at: (Accessed 12 January 2011).
[9] See “September 11 Attacks”, available at: (Accessed 12 January 2011).
[10] Some of the information in the last 2 paragraphs is based on W. Gary Crampton 1999, “A biblical theodicy”, Trinity Foundation. Available at: (Accessed 12 January 2011).
[11] Unless otherwise stated, all quotations are from the New International Version of the Bible 2010, available from at: (Accessed 12 January 2011).
[12] Available at: (Accessed 13 January 2011).
[13] Callinan, ibid.
[14] Jim Parker, Christian Fellowship Forum, The Fellowship Hall, “Why does God allow floods to devastate?” #50, 10 January 2011, available at: (Accessed 13 January 2011).
[15] mataioteti (dative).
[16] E. Tiedike 1975. mataioo, in C. Brown (ed.), The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, vol 1. Exeter: Paternoster Press, p. 552
[17] John Piper 2005, Desiring God, “Where is God? The Supremacy of Christ in an Age of Terror”, September 11, available at: (Accessed 13 January 2011).
[18] The Australian edition of Evangelism Explosion (1983) is published by Evangelism Explosion Ministries Australia, 81-83 Wentworth St, Port Kembla, NSW, 2505, pp. 84-85.
[19] Based on Henry Clarence Thiessen 1949. Introductory Lectures in Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, p. 174. See: 1 Chronicles 29:11; Psalm 115:3; Isaiah 45:9; Ezekiel 18:4; Daniel 4:35; Matthew 20:15; Romans 9:14-24; 11:36; Ephesians 1;11; 1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 4:11.
Copyright © 2011 Spencer D. Gear. This document last updated at Date: 17 June 2016.
The King James Version disagreement: Is the Greek text behind the KJV New Testament superior to that used by modern Bible translations?[1]
Erasmus, courtesy Wikipedia
By Spencer D Gear
What moves a religious person to become a born again Christian? I was raised in the liberal Methodist church in Bundaberg, Qld., Australia and went to Sunday School and church religiously. But that religion didn’t change the parents and children in our sugar cane farming household.
The change came in 1959 when my parents attended a landline Billy Graham crusade rally at the Bundaberg Showgrounds. Billy was preaching in Brisbane and his voice was booming out of the loud speaker system at the showgrounds.
My religious parents were sitting in their old Ford Prefect utility in the arena of those showgrounds (called fair grounds in the USA). After Billy’s proclamation of the Gospel, he gave the invitation to repent and to receive Jesus Christ by faith. Both of my parents got out of the Ute and moved to the podium where trained people met them for counselling to receive Christ.
On that day in May 1959, a religious household became a Christian home where Christ dwelt. Of course, my parents had to grow in their faith and they shared Christ with the three children. I was the eldest of the children and received Christ as my Lord and Saviour in the early 1960s as a teenager.
As church goers, we had used only the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. All of my Bible reading and memorisation as a new Christian was from the KJV. I deeply appreciate the foundation to my faith that was bolstered by my reading and study of the KJV.
But this was not the language that an Aussie bloke spoke with thee, thy, thou lingo. It did not communicate with me and I felt hindered when I wanted to share my faith. It conveyed the idea that Christianity was assigned to a previous historical era (anachronistic) and out of touch with the ordinary folks.
When I went to Bible College in the early 1970s, a course in bibliology caused me to investigate Bible translations further. I am grateful for three resources that have helped me understand the Greek text behind the KJV New Testament and to assess it. The information below is gleaned from these resources:
D. A. Carson 1979. The King James Version Debate: A Plea for Realism. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House.
Norman L. Geisler & William E. Nix 1986. A General Introduction to the Bible (rev. & exp.). Chicago: Moody Press.
Bruce M. Metzger 1992. The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration. New York / Oxford: Oxford University Press.
In recent decades there has been an emerging pro-KJV debate that has been promoted by organisations and people such as the Trinitarian Bible Society and Gail Riplinger. There is a recognised “King James Only” movement.
On a practical level, I experienced two recent examples of the promotion of the KJV over other translations. The first was in a local church where I preach by invitation from time to time. I preached at this church on 26 December 2010. When I sent the order of service to the elder who reads the Bible in the service, with a copy of the Old Testament and New Testament in the New International Version, I was told that only the KJV or the New King James Version was allowed for public reading in that church. However, I could use whatever translation I preferred in my preaching. I preached from the NIV. This church obviously has a policy that supports the priority of the KJV Only view.
A second example was in a response to some blogging that I did on Christian Forums. In the thread, “Do any of you believe tongues is necessary?“, one response by JEBrady was, “Jesus never said anything about speaking in tongues, to my knowledge. Most of what you can find on the subject in the NT will be in Acts 2, 8, 10, 19 and 1 Corinthians 12-14. Recommended reading for you.”.[2] My response[3] was:
“For those Pentecostal/charismatic believers who accept that Mark 16:9-20 is in the Scriptures (these are generally KJV supporters), they could say that Jesus did speak about tongues in Mark 16:17: ‘And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues’ (NIV).
“I do not support Mark 16:9-20 as being in the oldest and best manuscripts of the NT”.
Then there was this reply by Alive_Again:
“That’s the problem with the Hort-Westcott translations. They’ve eliminated scripture. The Mark scriptures in question were quoted by early church fathers. Just because it was translated from an older copy doesn’t mean it was more accurate.
It’s not surprising that the 40 odd scriptures taken from the NIV and recent versions of the Word of God take out scriptures that demonstrate how to deal effectively with the devil and one of the most important demonstrations of the Holy Spirit – speaking with “new” tongues (new to you)”[4].
Another writer, Jimoh[5], wrote: “Problem is Oz, many other scriptures are not included in those same texts… like dozens of the Psalms and half the book of Hebrews”.
In light of the above details, I find it necessary to examine some background to the Byzantine text-type, the Textus Receptus behind the KJV, and the Greek text gathered by Erasmus. Is the KJV a superior Bible version and have the modern versions been corrupted by Westcott & Hort’s ideology of Alexandrian text-type in gathering NT manuscripts?[6]
A part of page 336 of Erasmus’s Greek Testament, the first “Textus Receptus.” Shown is a portion of John 18 (courtesy
1. The first Greek text to be published was that by Dutch scholar, Desiderius Erasmus (ca. AD 1469-1536) of Rotterdam, Holland. This was published in March 1516 and there were hundreds of printing errors in it. He published it as a diglot – in two languages, Greek and his own rather sophisticated Latin.
2. To prepare his Greek text, Erasmus used several Greek MSS but there was not one of them that incorporated the entire NT.
3. None of his MSS was earlier than the tenth century.
4. Erasmus consulted only one MSS for the Book of Revelation and the last leaf was lacking, so the last six verses were omitted in that Greek MSS. So what did he do? He translated the Latin Vulgate into Greek and published that as the last 6 verses of the book of Revelation. Therefore, in the Greek of the last 6 verses of the Book of Revelation, it contains some words and phrases that have been found in no other Greek MSS.
5. In other parts of the Greek NT, Erasmus introduced words he had translated from the Vulgate. Just as one example, in Acts 9:6 are the words from the KJV, “And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” These words have been found in no other Greek MSS. It is possible that Erasmus assimilated something that paralleled Acts 22:10.
6. Erasmus’s Greek NT testament is behind the King James Version NT. Yet it is based on only half a dozen minuscule MSS and not one of them is earlier than the tenth century. Erasmus’s text was printed by a number of publishers, the most important being Robert Estienne whose surname has been Latinised as Stephanus. He issued 4 editions and the third edition of 1550 is the first critical edition of the Greek text. It was Stephanus who introduced verse numbering into the text. The second edition was the one that was used by Luther for his German Bible (Carson 1979:34).
7. Theodore Beza, the successor to John Calvin, published a Greek text in 9 editions that varied very little from that of Stephanus.
8. The KJV translators relied on Beza’s editions of 1588-1589 and 1598. (The above information has been gleaned from Carson 1979:34-37). Carson explains:
“In 1624, thirteen years after the publication of the KJV, the Elzevir brothers, Bonaventure and Abraham, published a compact Greek New Testament, the text of which was largely that of Beza. In the second edition, published in 1633, there is an advertising blurb (Metzger’s term) that says, in Latin … (“The text that you have is now received by all, in which we give nothing changed or perverted”). This is the origin of the term Textus Receptus (or TR, as it is often referred to): the Latin words “textum … receptum” have simply been put into the nominative. The TR is not the “received text” in the sense that it has been received from God as over against other Greek manuscripts. Rather, it is the “received text” in the sense that it was the standard one at the time of the Elzevirs. Nevertheless the textual basis of the TR is a small number of haphazardly collected and relatively late minuscule manuscripts. In about a dozen places its reading is attested by no known Greek manuscript witness” (1979:36).
9. Up until 1881, the TR, only with a few modifications, was the basis of all European translations. The most prominent MSS of the TR were from the Byzantine family and these were the dominant MSS for 2 centuries. It is true that Beza had access to codex Bezae, which is a Western text-type, but it had such significant differences when compared with the others, that it was not used with any significance by Beza.
10. The TR is not in total agreement with the Byzantine family of texts as the Byzantine text-type is found in several thousand witnesses, while the TR only refers to about one-hundredth of that evidence.
11. It is common for defenders of the TR and the KJV, to speak against the textual critical theories of B. F. Westcott & F. J. A. Hort. This has been happening for about a century. Westcott & Hort had available to them the newly discovered codex Sinaiticus and by 1889-1890, codex Vaticanus, along with other MSS. Westcott, Hort & Bengel presented a case for following text-types and they found that the Byzantine tradition did not go any further back than the fourth century and that it was “a conflation of earlier texts” (Carson 1979:40). Westcott & Hort considered that the Alexandrian tradition (e.g. Vaticanus and Sinaiticus) was earlier than the Byzantine text-type, which only went back to about the middle of the fourth century.
Codex Vaticanus
Two columns of the Codex Vaticanus. Click for full-size image.
(courtesy Bible Research)
12. On this basis, the earliest text-type is not that of the Byzantine TR behind the KJV, but the Alexandrian tradition which is generally accepted today as being closer to the original manuscripts. Hence the RV, ASV, RSV, NRSV, NIV, NASB, ESV, NLT and other translations since 1881 (except the NKJV) are based on the Alexandrian text-type. Carson (1979:52) is convinced from the evidence that “the Alexandrian text-type has better credentials than any other text-type now available”. Part of his assessment is:
“Not only is the Alexandrian text-type found in some biblical quotations by ante-Nicene fathers, but the text-type is also attested by some of the early version witnesses. More convincing yet, Greek papyri from the second and third centuries have shown up, none of which reflects a Byzantine text and most of which have a mixed Alexandrian / Western text. The famous papyrus p75, which dates from about A.D. 200 and is perhaps earlier, is astonishingly close to Vaticanus. This find definitely proves the early date of the Vaticanus text-type (Carson 1979:53).
13. There have been various KJV editions. The 1631 edition omitted the word “not” from the seventh of the Ten Commandments and so obtained the reputation of being called “Wicked Bible”. There was a 1717 edition printed at Oxford that has the reputation of being called the “Vinegar Bible” because the chapter heading of Luke 20 read “vinegar” instead of “vineyard” (Geisler & Nix 1986:567-568).
The 1769 revision of the KJV, which we use today, differs from the 1611 edition in about 75,000 details (Goodspeed in Geisler & Nix 1986:568). Many of these are minor changes of spelling. See: ‘Changes in the King James Version‘ from 1611 to 1769. A copy of the 1611 edition of the KJV is currently available for sale as The Bible: Authorized King James Version with Apocrypha (Oxford World’s Classics).
Concerning what Erasmus did in omitting the Trinitarian statement of 1 John 5:7-8, Bruce Metzger explains:
Erasmus replied that he [Erasmus] had not found any Greek manuscript containing these words, though he had in the meanwhile examined several others besides those on which he relied when first preparing his text. In an unguarded moment Erasmus promised that he would insert the Comma Johanneum, as it is called, in future editions if a single Greek manuscript could be found that contained the passage. At length such a copy was found–or was made to order! As it now appears, the Greek manuscripts had probably been written in Oxford about 1520 by a Franciscan friar named Froy (or Roy), who took the disputed words from the Latin Vulgate. Erasmus stood by his promise and inserted the passage in his third edition (1522), but he indicates in a lengthy footnote his suspicions that the manuscripts had been prepared expressly in order to confute him (Metzger 1992:101).
Thus, there are many good reasons for regarding the Textus Receptus behind the NT of the King James Version as not being superior to that used by the modern Greek critical text.
Jemand wrote a helpful summary in this area:
Websites that militantly defend the absurd notion that the King James Version of the Bible, and it alone, is “the preserved word of God” willfully and deliberately misrepresent the truth to make it appear that all other versions of the Bible are counterfeits of the real thing. The New Testament portion of the New King James Version (NKJV) is translated from the same Greek text that the New Testament portion of the King James Version is translated from. Here is a brief summary of the origin of that Greek text (I wrote this summary myself for use in another thread):
The first printed Greek New Testament was printed in 1514 as part of the Complutensian Polyglot which was not yet ready for publication. In 1515, publisher Johann Froben entered into a business agreement with the Dutch scholar and humanist Desiderius Erasmus in which Erasmus was to prepare for publication a Greek New Testament, the first to ever be published. Froben wanted his Greek New Testament to be on the market before the Complutensian Polyglot, so Erasmus had to very hastily put his text together. Very much to his dismay, he was not able to find a Greek manuscript that contained the entire Greek New Testament; therefore he used several manuscripts, but mostly two 12th century manuscripts from a monastic library at Basle—one of which contained the four gospels and the other the Book of Acts and the epistles. This resulted in a manuscript for publication that contained corrections between the lines and in the margins. The published work, not surprisingly, included hundreds of typographical errors, causing F. H. A. Scrivener to comment that it was, “in that respect the most faulty book I know.”
Yet other difficulties plagued Erasmus in the preparation of his Greek text of the New Testament. He had only one Greek manuscript that contained the Book of Revelation. This manuscript that Erasmus had borrowed from his friend Reuchlin was incomplete—it lacked the final leaf that had contained the last six verses—and it had other defects. It included a commentary on Revelation and in places Erasmus was not able to distinguish between the text and the commentary. Therefore, in those places where the text was either missing or in doubt, he used the Latin Vulgate and translated it into Greek to complete his Greek Text. The result was that his Greek text of Revelation includes readings that are not found in any Greek manuscript and even a word that does not exist in the Greek language, but which because of superstition are still included in the so-called Textus Receptus, proving that for some people superstition trumps manuscript evidence. And translations from the Latin Vulgate are not limited to the Book of Revelation, but are found in other parts of his Greek text of the New Testament. This is the reason why, for example, the text of Acts 9:6 in the King James Version is very different from the text in other translation that do not rely upon the mistakes of Erasmus, including all of them that are translated from the Majority Text or the Byzantine Text type.
Acts 9:6 but rise, and enter into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. (Revised Version of 1881 and similarly in every standard translation since then)
The first edition of Erasmus’ Greek text of the New Testament was published in 1516 with a second edition in 1519. The reception was mixed—the 3,300 copies sold quickly but the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford (and some others) forbade their students from reading them. A very important and historical objection to these two editions of Erasmus’ Greek text of the New Testament came from one of the editors Ximenes’ Complutensian Polyglot, Stunica. This objection was that the Greek text for the last part of 1 John 5:7 and first part of 1 John 5:8 were missing. Erasmus replied that he had never seen a manuscript of the Greek New Testament that included those words but very foolishly and very much to his regret later made the promise that he would include them in the third edition of his Greek text of the New Testament if Stunica could provide him with even one Greek manuscript in which the words were found. To the dismay of Erasmus, Stunica, a man lacking the moral fiber of which Erasmus was made, provided Erasmus with such a manuscript—a manuscript that was apparently written in Oxford in 1520 by a Franciscan friar named Froy who translated the words from the Latin Vulgate and inserted them into his Greek manuscript. Erasmus kept his word and inserted the words into the third edition of his Greek text of the New Testament which was published in 1522, but included a lengthy footnote in which he wrote that he believed that the Greek manuscript supplied to him containing those words was probably written for that very purpose. That manuscript is now known as Codex Greg. 61 and the words are known as the Comma Johanneum. The King James translation of the New Testament translates those words as “in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 8. And there are three that bear witness on earth:” During the nearly four centuries since Codex Greg. 61 was written, the Comma Johanneum has been found in only three other Greek manuscripts:
Greg. 88, a 12th century manuscript in which the Comma is found in a marginal note that was written in the 17th century
Tisch. w 110, a 16th century manuscript that is a copy of the Greek text of the New Testament in the Complutensian Polyglot
Greg. 629, a 14th century (or possibly 16th century) manuscript
Erasmus had now seen the Greek text in the Complutensian Polyglot and generously used it to revise his own Greek text, making changes to 90 passages in the Book of Revelation alone in his fourth edition of 1527. In 1535, Erasmus published his fifth and final edition in which he made only minor revisions of his Greek text.
Robert Estienne (also known by his Latin name Stephanus) published four editions of the Greek New Testament in 1546, 1549, 1550, and 1551. The Greek text in his third edition was very similar to the Greek text in the fourth and fifth editions of Erasmus. In his fourth edition, he introduced the numbering of the verses in the New Testament, the numbering system still employed (for the most part) today. The third edition, or Jean Crispin’s (sometimes spelled Crespin) much smaller reprint of it, became the textual basis for the New Testament in the Geneva Bible translated by William Whittingham and other English Protestants, the first English version to include variant readings in the margins.
Théodore de Bèze (commonly spelled Beza) published nine editions of the Greek New Testament and a tenth was published posthumously in 1611. Four of the nine included variations in the Greek text, those of 1565, 1582, 1588-89, and 1598. The editions of 1588-89 and 1598 were used to a significant extent by the translators of the New Testament portion of the King James Version, but the primary text used by the translators of the King James Version was the 1550 edition by Stephanus. The translators of the New Testament portion of the New King James Version consistently translated from the Greek text underlying the New Testament portion of the King James Version (Jemand, Bible Forums, ‘Is the NKJV corrupted?’ #106, 20 March 2009)
I know that this kind of post will not go down well with Textus Receptus and KJV Only supporters, but these matters need to be clarified.
I recommend the article by Daniel Wallace, “Why I do not think the King James Bible is the best translation available today”.
Appendix A
One of the finest histories of the Christian church is that by Kenneth Scott Latourette 1975. A History of Christianity (vol. 1, rev. edn.). New York: Harper & Row Publishers. Latourette states of Erasmus:
“He was ordained to the [Roman Catholic] priesthood…. He wished to see the Church purged of superstition through the use of intelligence and a return to the ethical teachings of Christ. He desired no break with the existing Catholic Church. He initiated no innovation in doctrine or worship…. He got out an edition of the Greek Testament [Textus Receptus] with a fresh translation into Latin” (pp. 661-62).
Appendix B
Bruce Metzger (1992:99-103) has summarised the situation:
Since Erasmus could not find a manuscript which contained the entire Greek Testament, he utilized several for various parts of the New Testament. For most of the text he relied on two rather inferior manuscripts from a monastic library at Basle, one of the Gospels … and one of the Acts and Epistles, both dating from about the twelfth century. Erasmus compared them with two or three others of the same books and entered occasional corrections for the printer in the margins or between the lines of the Greek script. For the Book of Revelation he had but one manuscript, dating from the twelfth century, which he had borrowed from his friend Reuchlin. Unfortunately, this manuscript lacked the final leaf, which had contained the last six verses of the book. For these verses, as well as a few other passages throughout the book where the Greek text of the Apocalypse and the adjoining Greek commentary with which the manuscript was supplied are so mixed up as to be almost indistinguishable, Erasmus depended upon the Latin Vulgate, translating this text into Greek. As would be expected from such a procedure, here and there in Erasmus’ self-made Greek text are readings which have never been found in any known Greek manuscript-but which are still perpetuated today in printings of the so-called Textus Receptus of the Greek New Testament.
Even in other parts of the New Testament Erasmus occasionally introduced into his Greek text material taken from the Latin Vulgate. Thus in Acts ix. 6, the question which Paul asks at the time of his conversion on the Damascus road, ‘And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?’, was frankly interpolated by Erasmus from the Latin Vulgate. This addition, which is found in no Greek manuscript at this passage (though it appears in the parallel account of Acts xxii. 10), became part of the Textus Receptus, from which the King James version was made in 1611.
The reception accorded Erasmus’ edition, the first published Greek New Testament, was mixed. On the one hand, it found many purchasers throughout Europe. Within three years a second edition was called for, and the total number of copies of the 1516 and 1519 editions amounted to 3,300. The second edition became the basis of Luther’s German translation….
Among the criticisms leveled at Erasmus one of the most serious appeared to be the charge of Stunica, one of the editors of Ximenes’ Complutensian Polyglot, that his text lacked part of the final chapter of I John, namely the Trinitarian statement concerning ‘the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth’ (I John v. 7-8, King James version). Erasmus replied that he had not found any Greek manuscript containing these words, though he had in the meanwhile examined several others besides those on which he relied when first preparing his text. In a guarded moment Erasmus promised that he would insert Comma Johanneum, as it is called, in future editions if a single Greek manuscript could be found – or was made to order! As it now appears, the Greek manuscript had probably been written in Oxford about 1520 by a Franciscan friar named Froy (or Roy), who took the disputed words from the Latin Vulgate. Erasmus stood by his promise and inserted the passage in his third edition (1522), but he indicates in a lengthy footnote his suspicions that the manuscript had been prepared expressly in order to refute him.
Among the thousands of Greek manuscripts of the New Testament examined since the time of Erasmus, only three others are known to contain this spurious passage. They are Greg. 88, a twelfth-century manuscript which has the Comma written in the margin in a seventeenth-century hand; Tisch. w 110, which is, a sixteenth-century manuscript copy of the Complutensian Polyglot Greek text; and Greg. 629, dating from the fourteenth or, as Riggenbach has argued, from the latter half of the sixteenth century. The oldest known citation of the Comma is in a fourth-century Latin treatise entitled Liber apologeticus (ch. 4), attributed either to Priscillian or to his follower, Bishop Instantius of Spain. The Comma probably originated as a piece of allegorical exegesis of the three witnesses and may have been written as a marginal gloss in a Latin manuscript of I John, when it was taken into the text of the Old Latin Bible during the fifth century. The passage does not appear in manuscripts of the Latin Vulgate before about A.D. 800….
Thus the text of Erasmus’ Greek New Testament rests upon a half-dozen miniscule [lower case script] manuscripts. The oldest and best of these manuscripts (codex I, a miniscule of the tenth century, which agrees often with the earlier uncial [upper case script] text) he used least, because he was afraid of its supposedly erratic text! Erasmus’ text is inferior in critical value to the Complutensian, yet because it was the first on the market and was available in a cheaper and more convenient form, it attained a far greater influence than its rival, which had been in preparation from 1502 to 1514….
Subsequent editors, though making a number of alterations in Erasmus’ text, essentially reproduced this debased form of the Greek Testament. Having secured an undeserved pre-eminence, what came to be called the Textus Receptus of the New Testament resisted for 400 years all scholarly efforts to displace it in favour of an earlier and more accurate text.
Works consulted
Carson, D A 1979. The King James Version Debate: A Plea for Realism. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House.
Metzger, B. M. 1992. The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption,and Restoration (third ed). New York/Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[1] By modern translations, I am referring to examples such as the New International Version, English Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, New Living Translation and the New Revised Standard Version. The New King James Version is not included because of its dependence on the Textus Receptus and the Byzantine text.
[2] #12 of the thread.
[3] I’m OzSpen, #147 of the thread.
[4] #148 of the thread.
[5] #149 of the thread.
[6] I provided some of this information in #153 and #154 of the thread.
Copyright (c) 2012 Spencer D. Gear. This document last updated at Date: 31 March 2016.
Is the Gospel of Thomas genuine or heretical?
Last page of Gospel of Thomas
(image courtesy Wikipedia)
By Spencer D Gear
Is the Gospel of Thomas, discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in December 1945, a representative sample of the writings of biblical Christianity? Is it an authentic gospel that should be considered for inclusion in the New Testament along with the four recognised Gospels? Or should it be rejected as heretical as some of the church fathers concluded (see below)?
On Christian Forums (December – January 2010-2011), there was this discussion on the Gospel of Thomas. The thread began with a post by Yoder777:
Mainstream Christians are often dismissive of Thomas as a Gnostic Gospel, without really trying to understand the history that surrounds it.
Scholars make a distinction between the Gospel of Thomas and Gnosticism. While Thomas’ focus is on restoring the nature of man as it was before the fall, Gnosticism is world-negating. Thomas is better seen in light of Jewish wisdom literature than Gnosticism.
Thomas was not universally rejected in the early church. For example, 2 Clement quotes from it. The Orthodox Christians of India and Mesopotamia trace their heritage to the Apostle Thomas. If he visited those regions, it could explain some of the Gospel’s eastern tinge.
Thomas can be a valuable resource for our spiritual lives, since it illuminates and expands on passages found in the canonical Gospels. It also goes into the deeper spiritual meaning of Jesus’ message, just as John does.
The following contain some of my (OzSpen) responses on this thread. DaLeKo (#15) wrote:
So girls aren’t in need all that grace and faith stuff to be saved, they just need to have an operation ..
114) Simon Peter said to Him, “Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy of Life.” Jesus said, “I myself shall lead her in order to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”
I responded (OzSpen #36):
You have beautifully illustrated by this quote why the Gospel of Thomas is ‘another gospel’.
Nicholas Perrin in his assessment of The Gospel of Thomas, concludes that
The Gospel of Thomas invites us to imagine a Jesus who says, ‘I am not your saviour, but the one who can put you in touch with your true self. Free yourself from your gender, your body, and any concerns you might have for the outside world. Work for it and self-realization, salvation, will be yours – in this life.’ Imagine such a Jesus? One need hardly work very hard. This is precisely the Jesus we know too well, the existential Jesus, that so many western evangelical and liberal churches already preach (Perrin 2007:139).
Originally posted by Yoder777:
What if Thomas was available in a different geographical region, isolated from Matthew and Luke? What if, like John, Thomas was written independently of Matthew and Luke?
I wrote (OzSpen #53) that the church father, Origen, writing about AD 233, mentioned that
there is passed down also the Gospel according to Thomas, the Gospel, according to Matthias, and many others.
This seems to indicate that in the early part of the third century, the Gospel of Thomas, was known in the region where Origen lived.
After this time, it was labelled as heretical. Eusebius (ca. 265-339) includes the Gospels of Thomas, Matthias, and Peter in his list of heretical writings. See Eusebius’ greatest work, Ecclesiastical History 3.25.6, where he wrote:
But we have nevertheless felt compelled to give a catalogue of these also, distinguishing those works which according to ecclesiastical tradition are true and genuine and commonly accepted, from those others which, although not canonical but disputed, are yet at the same time known to most ecclesiastical writers— we have felt compelled to give this catalogue in order that we might be able to know both these works and those that are cited by the heretics under the name of the apostles, including, for instance, such books as the Gospels of Peter, of Thomas, of Matthias, or of any others besides them, and the Acts of Andrew and John and the other apostles, which no one belonging to the succession of ecclesiastical writers has deemed worthy of mention in his writings.
The church father, Origen, lived ca. 185-254. These are his views concerning other gospels than the four canonical Gospels accepted by the church.
From Origen’s Homily on Luke (1:1), according to the Latin translation of Jerome:
That there have been written down not only the four Gospels, but a whole series from which those that we possess have been chosen and handed down to the churches, is, let it be noted, what we may learn from Luke’s preface, which runs thus: ‘For as much as many have taken in hand to compose a narrative’ . The expression ‘they have taken in hand’ involves a covert accusation of those who precipitately and without the grace of the Holy Ghost have set about the writing of the gospels.
Matthew to be sure and Mark and John as well as Luke did not ‘take in hand’ to write, but filled with the Holy Ghost have written the Gospels. ‘Many have taken in hand to compose a narrative of the events which are quite definitely familiar among us’ . The Church possesses four Gospels, heresy a great many, of which one is entitled ‘The Gospel according to the Egyptians’, and another ‘The Gospel according to the Twelve Apostles’. Basilides also has presumed to write a gospel, and to call it by his own name. ‘Many have taken in hand ‘ to write, but only four Gospels are recognized. From these the doctrines concerning the person of our Lord and Savior are to be derived. I know a certain gospel which is called ‘The Gospel according to Thomas’ and a ‘Gospel according to Matthias’, and many others have we read – lest we should in any way be considered ignorant because of those who imagine that they posses some knowledge if they are acquainted with these. Nevertheless, among all these we have approved solely what the Church has recognized, which is that only the four Gospels should be accepted (emphasis added).
The earliest mention we have of the Gospel of Thomas is from Hippolytus of Rome who was a martyr and died ca. 236. It is in, “The Refutation of all heresies. Book V”. He states:
And concerning this (nature) they hand down an explicit passage, occurring in the Gospel inscribed according to Thomas, expressing themselves thus: “He who seeks me, will find, me in children from seven years old; for there concealed, I shall in the fourteenth age be made manifest.” This, however, is not (the teaching) of Christ, but of Hippocrates, who uses these words: “A child of seven years is half of a father.” And so it is that these (heretics), placing the originative nature of the universe in causative seed, (and) having ascertained the (aphorism) of Hippocrates, that a child of seven years old is half of a father, say that in fourteen years, according to Thomas, he is manifested.
Hippolytus of Rome is said to have been a disciple of Irenaeus.
The evidence from the early church is that the Gospel of Thomas was an heretical gospel. Perrin has made his doctoral dissertation on the Gospel of Thomas available to ordinary folks (Perrin 2007). I recommend it as an excellent assessment of the origin and value of this “other gospel”. Perrin states that
the Gospel of Thomas was a Syriac text written in the last quarter of the second century by a careful editor who arranged his material largely on the basis of catchword connection. As far as his sources, Thomas drew primarily on Tatian’s Diatessaron , but also undoubtedly drew on his memory of a number of oral and written traditions. It cannot be ruled out that Thomas preserves authentic sayings of Jesus….
Our author Thomas was inspired not only by Tatian’s gospel harmony but also by Tatian’s Encratistic theology, which saw Jesus not as Saviour, but as the one who can show us how to be saved. Through abstinence and vegetarianism, the moral soul could aspire to be reunited to the divine Spirit….
By so clothing Jesus in a deeply Encratistic and Hermetic guise, the Thomas community no doubt incurred the displeasure of the Edessean proto-orthodox Christians, who were on the cusp of formalizing their connection with Serapion of Antioch. While accepted by some soi-distant Christians, the Gospel of Thomas was rejected by many others, but not before attaining international status and popularity. It continued to be used predominantly among the Syrian-based Manichaeans who were sympathetic to its stripping away of the Jewish elements of Christianity (Perrin 2007:137, URL links added to the quote).
What type of Jesus is revealed in the Gospel of Thomas? Perrin’s view is that
the Gospel of Thomas invites us to imagine a Jesus who says, ‘I am not your saviour, but the one who can put you in touch with your true self. Free yourself from your gender, your body, and any concerns you might have for the outside world. Work for it and self-realization, salvation, will be yours – in this life.’ Imagine such a Jesus? One need hardly work very hard. his is precisely the Jesus we know too well, the existential Jesus that so many western evangelical and liberal churches already preach (2007:139).
This is in contrast to John Dominic Crossan’s associating the Gospel of Thomas with the authority of the apostle Thomas, known as “doubting Thomas”. Crossan wrote of Thomas, the apostle:
This is the figure here immortalized as Doubting Thomas. We know about his leadership and authority, and his competition with alternative figures such as Peter and Thomas, from the Gospel of Thomas 13 (Crossan 1994:188-189).
Crossan then quotes Thomas 13 (Crossan seems to have used his own translation):
2Simon Peter said to him, “You are like a just angel.”
3 Matthew said to him, “You are like a wise philosopher.”
6 And he took him, and withdrew, and spoke three sayings to him.
7When Thomas came back to his friends, they asked him, “What did Jesus say to you?”
In contrast to Perrin, Crossan believes the Gospel of Thomas ‘may have been composed in two major steps’, the first stage being dated to ‘the the 50s and 60s of the first century…. The second stage has many sayings special to itself, dates to the 70s and 80s of that first century’ (Crossan 1995:26-31). How could it be that two scholars arrive at radically different conclusions concerning the writing of the Gospel of Thomas. For Crossan it is in the mid-late first century while for Perrin it is written in the latter part of the second century.
Could it have something to do with their presuppositions?
Based on the evidence from the early church (e.g. Origen & Eusebius), the Gospel of Thomas is to be regarded as an heretical document, another gospel.
What is heresy?
In New Testament Greek, the term from which we get “heresy” is hairesis. Arndt & Gingrich’s Greek Lexicon states that hairesis means ‘sect, party, school’. It was used of the Sadduccees in Acts 5:17; of the Pharisees in Acts 15:5. Of the Christians in Acts 24:5. It is used of a heretical sect or those with destructive opinions in 2 Peter 2:1 (“destructive heresies” ESV).
The article on hairesis in Kittel’s Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Vol. 1, p. 182ff) states that its “usage in Acts corresponds exactly to that of Josephus and the earlier Rabbis” but the development of the Christian sense of heresy does not parallel this Rabbinic use. When the ekklesia came into being, there was no place for hairesis. They were opposed to each other. This author states that “the greater seriousness consists in the fact that hairesis affect the foundation of the church in doctrine (2 Pt. 2:1), and that they do so in such a fundamental way as to give rise to a new society alongside the ekklesia” (Kittel Vol I:183).
From the NT, we see the term, heresy, being used to mean what Paul called strange doctrines, different doctrine,
doctrines of demons, every wind of doctrine (See 1 Timothy 1:3; 4:1;6:3; Ephesians 4:14), as contrasted with sound doctrine, our doctrine, the doctrine conforming to godliness, the doctrine of God (See 1 Timothy 4:6; 6:1,3;2 Timothy 4:3; Titus 1:9; 2:1, 10).
Crossan, J D 1995. Who killed Jesus? Exposing the roots of anti-semitism in the gospel story of the death of Jesus. New York: HarperSanFrancisco.
Kittel, G (ed) 1964. Theological dictionary of the New Testament, trans. & ed. by G. W. Bromiley (vol 1). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Perrin, N 2007. Thomas, the other gospel. London: SPCK.
Copyright © 2011 Spencer D. Gear. This document last updated at Date: 28 October 2016. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60209 | DevOps Fundamental with Docker and Kubernetes Training.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60240 | § 63.2-1923
Immediate withholding from income; exception; notices required
A. Every administrative support order directing a noncustodial parent to pay child or child and spousal support shall provide for immediate income withholding from the noncustodial parent’s income as defined in § 63.2-1900 of an amount for current support plus an amount to be applied toward liquidation of arrearages, if any, unless the obligor and the Department, on behalf of the obligee, agree to a written alternative payment arrangement, or good cause is shown. Good cause shall be based upon a written determination that, and explanation by the Department of why, implementing immediate withholding would not be in the best interests of the child. The total amount withheld shall not exceed the maximum amount permitted under § 34-29.
B. The order shall include, but not be limited to, notice (i) of the amount that will be withheld, (ii) that the withholding applies to any current or subsequent period of employment, (iii) of the right to contest whether a duty of support is owed and the information specified in the administrative order is correct, (iv) that a written request to appeal the withholding shall be made to the Department within 10 days of receipt of the notice, and (v) of the actions that will be taken by the Department if an appeal is noted, which shall include the opportunity to present his objections to the administrative hearing officer at a hearing held pursuant to § 63.2-1942. Upon service of the order on the employer by first-class or certified mail, by electronic means, or by service in accordance with the provisions of § 8.01-296, 8.01-327 or 8.01-329, the employer shall deliver the order to the noncustodial parent.
C. The noncustodial parent’s employer shall be issued by first-class or certified mail or by electronic means, including facsimile transmission, an administrative order for withholding of income which shall conform to § 20-79.3. The rights and responsibilities of an employer with respect to such orders are set out in § 20-79.3.
D. Administrative orders for withholding from income shall be promptly terminated or modified by the Department when (i) the obligation to support has been satisfied and arrearages have been paid, (ii) the whereabouts of the child or child and custodial parent become unknown, or (iii) modification is appropriate because of a change in the amount of the obligation.
1988, c. 906, § 63.1-258.1; 1990, c. 896; 1991, c. 334; 1995, c. 714; 1997, cc. 648, 663; 1998, c. 727; 2002, c. 747; 2003, c. 469; 2015, c. 52; 2016, c. 29.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60241 | How to get off Yahoo! mail
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tl;dr - You can get off Yahoo! Mail (or any other “free” email provider) by connecting a POP-capable mail client (like Thunderbird), downloading all your mail, getting a new mail server/service, ensuring all important emails go to the new account, and finally deleting your account.
Believe it or not, until recently I had an active ~18 year old Yahoo! mail account. A while ago after a few hacks that Yahoo! suffered, the Mail arm was sold to a company called Oath. Verizon acquired Yahoo! for a bargain (?) a bit ago, and for a while they’ve been asking for me to accept a changed user agreement that no doubt contains very different terms from which Yahoo! Mail operated under before. The phrase is overused now, but it really is true that in the recent economy, it’s very much the case that if you’re not paying for a product you (or your data/metadata) likely are the product. With this understanding, a knowledgable consumer’s is left to conduct the analysis of whether the services being rendered are worth the data that is being mined and other factors. For me this was an account I very rarely used, and this seemed like the perfect time to shut it down quietly. I run my own mail server which I’m sending more and more crucial mail to everyday (and maybe someday if I get tired of that I’ll just use ProtonMail), so I figured I’d rather start using that. For others, the choice might not be so clear – maybe it’s an “offshore” email that you only use for specific things? Maybe you just don’t care about companies mining email data or connecting metadata or whatever else – it’s a personal choice.
Well, enough tinfoil hattery, whether or not you choose to keep an email address at Yahoo! or any other provider (I still have GMail, for example) is up to you. This article is more about the process I went through if anyone else was curious just what it would take.
Figure out your next mail provider
Obviously, before you close down your current mail account(s), you’re going to want to pick your next email provider (or if it’s you, rent the servers, etc). As I mentioned, ProtonMail seems to be a reasonably trusted community choice these days, but you can also just spend a week or two learning about setting up a Postfix server, or use off the shelf solutions like Mailu that bundle everything together for you.
If you’re going to go the self-hostted route, this is the stuff you’ll likely need to be ready to do:
• Purchase a VPS (another trust issue here if you’re worried about security – assume all VPS providers are compromised)
• Read up on Postfix
• Set up DKIM/SPF records (via opendkim it’s pretty easy), and update DNS records so other SMTP servers can at least try to trust you trust you
• Harden your email server so you don’t forward spam (also, install spamassassin)
• Harden your email server so you are less likely to get hacked (at the very least, check & close unnecessary open ports, only use key-based auth with SSH, install fail2ban)
• Test your email infrastructure (make it as repeatable as possible or maybe check it into source control)
• Ensure your emails from the new infrastructure don’t go to spam on yahoo or other email providers, maybe enlist help of friends
While normally people might not recommend this route, I think it’s actually really important – the more people we have running SMTP servers and independent email servers, the less likely the technology (and the embrace of independent operation) dies out. The spec for SMTP is actually pretty simple, so you could read through it – but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend writing your own just because of the crazy amount of corner cases that exist (and because Postfix is almost certainly good enough). I’m working on a a project called postmgr that aims to make it easier to run Postfix (by wrapping/proxying it with a parent process), but I haven’t worked on it in quite a while. Either way, the more developers out there that have messed with mail servers the better – the more innovation, competition, and wacky side projects we’ll see in the space.
For those that don’t want to run their own ProtonMail seems to be well trusted compared to their rivals on Reddit (the mentioned rival was Tutanota). In the end, you have to give some amount of trust to these companies, but that’s always the case in some way or another.
Find and start moving important accounts that rely on the address
This gets harder if you’re getting lots of emails to the account you’re trying to replace, but try to track down (usually by just checking through recent emails the really important accounts on other sites that rely on this email address. Banking/financial websites are obviously near the top of the list, maybe big organizations you’re a part of, etc.
Set up POP email (Yahoo! specific)
This section is a bit Yahoo! specific since it’s what inspired this post but it shouldn’t be too different for other sites. In my case, a yahoo forums post lead me to a Yahoo Help post which cleared up why POP wasn’t working from Thunderbird immediately – the issue was that you had to enable “insecure” access for your Yahoo! account.
Download all your email via POP
Make sure you have enough space on whichever computer you’re using, and set up a Thunderbird POP account pointing at the POP-enabled email address you’ve just set up. When you attempt to open your email address and start viewing email, your client should start downloading copies of every single email you’ve received that the server has. This is your email backup – from here you can backup the email using the options in Thunderbird itself or the import export tools plugin.
• Use Pop3 via a mail client like Thunderbird (LINK) to download all your email from Yahoo (SCRENSHOT of add account screen)
• the RETR (LINK TO SPEC) command will fail a few times, but just click “Get Messages” in Thunderbird again, and confirm that the number of messages pulled is still going (I had to start from 2006!) wil
Start the process for deleting your account (Yahoo! specific)
For me, deleting my yahoo account meant visiting the relevant Yahoo! Help page – hopefully it helps for you. and JustDeleteMe maintain direct links of how to delete your account on various sites, hopefully your mail provider is on there.
Luckily the process went pretty smoothly for me and I’m now off Yahoo! Mail (or Oath Mail?). Later this year I’ll probably see if I can replicate this process for GMail and get off free email providers for good.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60253 | Protected: Maybe Zimmerman did scream “Help”! But who begged for it?
About Victims News
Vashati holds a Bachelor & Masters degree in Social Science from Accredited Colleges. She enjoys research, writing, and forensics science.
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Current Events, Politics & Other Things
Justice for Trayvon Martin is prison for george zimmerman. It's the very least the legal system can do for this child and his parents.
We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60255 | JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GREATNESS—Victim Of Cultural Marxist Reign Of Terror?
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On Monday evening, the Journal of American Greatness (which I discussed on here) mysteriously deleted its archive of articles and posted a cryptic farewell message.
The wording of this statement is perplexing, for even though the title JAG is obviously tongue-in-cheek, and despite amusing satires by the writer who called himself Plautus, JAG was deadly serious. My guess: this Notice to Readers is meant to create plausible deniability for the authors, likely after the accusations of racism they received after defending Trump’s statements about Judge Curiel.
But the internet is forever, and someone with has created an archive from the Google cache of all of their articles, which I commend to your attention.
JAG had begun to receive Main Stream Media attention. Damon Linker at The Week had compared its intellectual defense of Trump to Heidegger’s defense of Hitler. Peggy Noonan praised JAG in her Wall Street Journal column. Sohrab Ahmari, a Wall Street Journal writer, attacked JAG in a series of tweets. It was addressed by Jonah Goldberg in the National Review, and by Fred Barnes in the Weekly Standard. The list goes on and on.
The writers at JAG had gone so far as to criticize their intellectual fathers at the Claremont Institute, and were trying to articulate a new path for Straussianism by building up a body of work around the idea of “Paleo-Straussianism.”
In short, these writers were doing something radical. They were breaking with the Conservatism Inc. intellectual consensus. And the pundit figureheads had begun to notice.
So why did they shut it down? Why, especially when they had begun to win?
The JAG principals (Decius, Plautus, Manlius Capitolinus, Cato the Elder) all wrote under pseudonyms, as do many authors on the Alternative Right. Academia is an even more dangerous environment for those who question the "gods of the city" than the private sphere.
Winning is dangerous—because it attracts attention. As Alexander Hart has pointed out, writing under a nom de guerre means that you have something to lose. When the Establishment notices you, it makes you a target.
I can only make an educated guess, but it is likely that the JAG writers felt that their identities, and therefore their livelihoods, would be threatened if they continued to carry on the fight.
If so, the demise of JAG is just another example of the intensifying Cultural Marxist Reign of Terror in America. Without knowing the particular circumstances, JAG’s principals cannot be judged for their decision to close up shop. But I hope that they—especially Decius—will continue to write, and perhaps even found a new, safer venue.
We needed JAG. It filled a gaping hole in the right-wing intellectual sphere, a bridging of the gap between classically-educated conservative academics and the Alternative Right. It made a case for Trump and Trumpism along lines that even neoconservatives could understand.
That is why they were so necessary. That is why they were so dangerous.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60282 | Hi, my name is Cecil.
Hi, my name is Cecil and I’ll be your best friend.
You can kick me, burn me, or throw from the roof.
I’ll still be yours to the end.
I’ll make you smile when you’re sad. Punch me when you’re mad.
You can rip at my arms or cover me in mud.
I always wash clean, even from blood.
I am Cecil and my eyes are bright.
My fur is soft. You can squeeze me tight.
Nothing is wrong when Cecil’s here. Goodnight.
George Beckingridge adjusts himself to life back at the manor.
Coming 2020.
Broken and disgraced. A music teacher, an artist and an old show girl form an unlikely friendship. Inside Harbour House all they have is each other.
Read Vivika Widow’s hit thriller by clicking HERE
For more on Maestro click HERE
Let us know what you think ...
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60295 | This article is about the TV Series characters. You may be looking for the Comic Series counterparts.
"When men like us follow rules and cooperate a little bit, well, the world becomes ours."
Joe to Daryl Dixon about his group's rules.[src]
The Claimers are a hostile group of survivors introduced in the episode "Claimed" of Season 4 of AMC's The Walking Dead. They served as the primary antagonistic group for the second half of Season 4.
Nothing is known about the life of Joe's group members before the zombie apocalypse. It is unknown if any of the group members knew each other before the outbreak occurred. It is possible that some or all of the members lived in or near Georgia.
At some point following the outbreak, Joe and his men gradually came together and became a violent, dangerous group of marauders in which they raided abandoned or occupied camps or homes for supplies and killed whoever got in their way or attempted to steal supplies from them. They are also implied to have committed many sexual crimes against women that they came across. In order to prevent hostilities from arising in the group, Joe established a strict set of rules that mainly involved group members claiming whatever supplies or utilities they wanted and thus those supplies and utilities would be theirs alone in order to prevent competitions and fights for resources occurring. Lying was also strictly forbidden in the group and anyone who was caught in a lie or suspected of lying would be beaten to death on Joe's orders.
The Walking Dead: Red Machete
These webisodes depict the lifestyle of the Claimers early on in the apocalypse, in which they scavenge for supplies, raid homes and campsites and kill those who get in their way or attempt to steal from them.
Season 4
The Claimers unknowingly cross paths with Rick Grimes as they raid a house where Rick, his son Carl, and Michonne had been staying. A recovering and weak Rick hides underneath a bed as the Claimers search the house. Tony and Len fight over the bed, and Rick is spotted by Tony, but Tony is choked unconscious by Len before he could say anything. Rick attempts to escape through the bathroom but runs into Lou. Rick strangles and kills Lou, taking his gun and jacket and leaves him to turn, while escaping with Carl and Michonne outside. Once Joe's group finds out that Lou was killed, they begin tracking Rick. Along the way, they find Daryl Dixon sitting on the road. After a brief confrontation, Daryl agrees to join them. Len and Daryl did not get along, which eventually led to Len being killed by the other Claimers for being dishonest.
The Claimers eventually catch Rick, Carl, and Michonne on an abandoned road. Daryl attempts to stop Joe from killing them, saying that they are good people. Joe determines that that was a lie and tells the Claimers to beat him to death. He then tells Rick that they intend to rape Michonne and Carl before killing him. Dan holds Carl down, preparing to rape him. Rick headbutts Joe and they tussle, ending up with Joe holding Rick in a bear hug. Rick bites Joe in the throat, killing him. This stuns the other Claimers, and Michonne and Daryl use this to their advantage, killing Tony, Harley, and Billy. Dan threatens Carl with a knife, then tries to surrender, but Rick brutally stabs and disembowels him as his companions look on, putting a permanent end to the Claimers.
After killing them, Rick collected most of their weapons and gear.
Killed Victims
• Lou (Zombified, Off-Screen)
• Len
• 1 unnamed man
• 2 unnamed thieves
• 1 unnamed Claimer
• Numerous counts of zombies and unnamed people
The Walking Dead Webisodes: Red Machete
TV Series
Season 4
• In Red Machete, it is revealed that before the events of "Claimed", there were four unknown men who were members of the Claimers as well. The fate of these four men is unknown, but presumably they had all died by the time the events of "Claimed" occurred.
TV Series Groups
Bank RobbersRick's GroupThe Vatos GangThe LivingMichonne's GroupThe PrisonersWoodbury ArmyTyreese Williams' GroupThe Governor's MilitiaAbraham's GroupThe ClaimersThe WolvesThe SaviorsOceansideThe ScavengersThe MilitiaCRMGeorgie's GroupMagna's GroupThe WhisperersThe HighwaymenJocelyn's GroupThe Coalition
TV Series Characters
Grimes Family JudithR.J.RickCarlLori
King County LambertPaulaShaneLeonMr. SiggardMrs. Siggard
Jones Family MorganJennyDuane
Atlanta Camp CarolDarylMoralesGlennAndreaMerleTheodoreDaleSophiaJacquiMirandaLouisElizaAmyEdJim
Nursing Home MiguelFelipeJorgeGuillermoGilbert
Jenner Family EdwinCandace
Greene Farm MaggieBethHershelPatriciaJimmyAnnetteShawnArnoldOtisJosephine
The Living NateRandallSeanTonyDave
Michonne's Group MichonneMikeTerryAndre
The Prison AxelOscarAndrewTomasBig Tiny
Woodbury JeanetteMrs. RichardsMs. McLeodPhilipCaesarShumpertMr. JacobsonMr. RichardsOwenErynKarenGregMiltonDr. StevensRowanEileenFosterBettyNoahPaulJodyRichardHaleyPennyWarrenMichaelGargulioCrowleyTimEmily
Tyreese's Group SashaTyreeseAllenBenDonna
Military Personnel WellesWilsonBradySeanFranklinCallaway
Prison Newcomers BobLizzieMikaLukeMollyJulioHenryNorisCalebDavidRyanCharlieChloePatrickZach
Chambler Family TaraLillyMeghanDavid
Martinez's Group HowardMitchAlishaPete
Ford Family AbrahamEllenA.J.Becca
Post-Prison Survivors EugeneRositaChristopher
The Claimers DanBillyHarleyTonyJoeLenLou
Terminus MartinGregTheresaGarethAlbertMikeMaryAlex
St. Sarah's Church Gabriel
Grady Memorial Hospital StevenTanakaAlvaradoAmandaBelloLicariPercyMcGinleyFrancoNoahDawnO'DonnellBobJeffriesGormanJoanGavinHanson
Alexandria Safe-Zone AaronBarbaraScottKyleNoraAlexSocorroJenWayneHeathMrs. RobinsonCherylEnidRussBobBruceTobinKent AnnaMikeyFrancineSpencerOliviaDeniseDeannaLucyRonJessieSamMayaDavidBetsyNicholasAnnieWillTommySturgessBarnesNatalieStacyMichaelJefferyRichardsHollySamanthaBobbyCharlyneO'HaraDineshDanErinAdrianParkShellyCarterPeteRegAidenEric
The Wolves OwenAphid
The Saviors NeganLauraQuanAldenGracieAliceSherryDwightAmberTanyaMarkGinaPotterJoséBrookeMelJohnMarcusJonahBrandonFrankieD.J.RichieRegina JedNorrisArat JustinSimonDukeLanceGaryReillyJaredEvanKatyKenoDerekDeanGavinGomezPaulieDukeZiaLeoYagoJoeyGuntherRudyToddDinoHuckWadeCamNelsonMaraGordonRoyDavidEmmettIsabelleJosephChrisGeorgeNeilRomanJiroMilesPrimoPaulaMichelleMollyDonnieGabeTimmyTina
Hilltop Colony BertieKalEduardoOscarMarcoEarlHershelGageBriannaAdelineRodneyTammyCasperMartinMilesHildePaulGregoryKennethStephanieCraigCrystalWesleyHarlanNeilFreddieAndyEthan
The Kingdom EzekielJerryDianneNabilaJennyWilliamHenryDanaKevinKurtAlvaroDanielColtonRichardBenjamin
Oceanside CyndieRachelBeatriceJulesKathyNatania
The Scavengers AnneTamielBrionFarronWinslow
Georgie's Group HildaMidgeGeorgie
Magna's Group MagnaLukeConnieKellyYumikoBernie
The Whisperers AlphaAdamBetaMaryLydiaDanteFrancesZionRasmusSeanHelen
Shelter Survivors CyrusAmandaLamarFrankRoseMatias
The Highwaymen AlfredMargoAlekOzzy
Jocelyn's Group WinnieP.J.GinaLinusMitchellJocelyn
Bloodsworth Island Virgil
Unknown Location LucyRufusPrincess
Miscellaneous Survivors WilhelmSiddiqMiloAmeliaEastmanSamAnaMrs. BlakeClara
Animals DogNellyShivaTabithaButtonsDukeFlameViolet
Walkers CarlaDellyJoe Sr.BillTonyNickErinDougLouiseWayneSummerHannahEddie
Start a Discussion Discussions about The Claimers
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60300 | Skeleton Infantry
They are the shades of the men of Sparta, Athens, Thebes, and Macedon. When a Necromancer plunders the coins meant for Charon, she can reanimate their remains and bind them to her will. Only by removing the skull from the body, or destroying the coins, may the warriors break their curse and return to the grave.
This hard plastic box set allows you to build up to 32 Skeleton Warriors equipped with bow, spear, sword, or pike and with options for full command.
Builds include up to: 8 bow men, 8 pikemen, 8 swordmen, 24 spearmen or many combinations.
Our Skeleton Warriors box set is compatible with the forthcoming Mythic - the fantasy version of Mortal Gods!
Sculpting: Tim Barry
Illustration: Peter Dennis
Figure Painting: Matthew Leahy and Andy Zeck
Product Code: WAACF001
Models require assembly and painting. Bases are not included. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60309 | Ever heard of a dilute calico? Now you have!
We've never seen a cat like Snickers. She's a dilute calico, which means that she's predominantly white and looks like she's played around in some paint. She needs to be the only kitty in the house, and she's definitely not shy. Very sweet little lady!
Interested? Give the Humane Society of Genesee County a call at 810-744-0511. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60314 | Syncing a calendar or documents with iCloud WebDAV? You are in good hands!
ICloud provides a web-based or webtop desktop. You can do one-way or two-way sync between your accounts in real-time. Meaning to say you can modify a document and then those changes will be immediately replicated. There is no single delay. And when we say two-way sync, this means you can change your files on both accounts. These accounts will be ensured to sync.
9 Steps for Syncing a Calendar from iCould WebDAV
1. First thing you need to do is open the Settings and tap the Calendar screen.
2. Choose the option to Add calendars from… You can find this in the Add Account section.
3. Now, set where you exactly want to sync from.
4. Sign in to your external account.
5. Since you’re using an iCloud account, enter your username and password.
6. In most cases, you will have to make an application-specific password initially if you have been enabled two-factor authentication on the iCloud account.
7. After logging in, choose the one/s you want to sync from.
8. Now, select a new color (though this is optional) and give it an altered name.
9. Lastly, click the Create Calendar.
The calendar is now created and is set to sync with … (cont’d)
WebDAV iCloud integrations work with the latest Macbooks. >> Click here now for specifications
webDAV icloud
(cont’d) … the external account of the user. You’ll be using CalDAV mac integrations for more in depth calendar syncing in the future.
Benefits of Integrating and Syncing iCloud WebDAV
The introduction of technology and online opportunities today has opened up various inventions among creative masters all around the world. Expect to get numerous valuable benefits once you integrate and sync your iCloud with WebDAV.
icloud webdav
First, what it does is to make collaboration simpler, thanks to its real-time two-way sync. It can sync notes, emails, projects, and files between multiple accounts, including
Moreover, users and most especially businesses receive a higher quality of protection against cloud service disruptions. Hence, giving you a peace of mind knowing your data will be kept in an account completely prepared for failover or restoration of file. And since you can integrate and sync all your accounts in a dominant account, all of your data will be merged.
Most of all, your information is confidential due to the advanced security protocols being implemented. With iCloud WebDAV, a high level of security is consistently maintained to backup and secure the files. Millions of files have been synced with iCloud WebDAV. So, you may be missing these massive opportunities for you!
While free, you may need to spend quite little bucks to take advantage of the services. Although, that still depends on your usage. Let’s say you are only dealing with text documents, and the limited-service is ideal for your situation. But if you have to manage multiple presentations or spreadsheets, it could be worth spending an amount to have access to the files.
It is a monthly payment, so those with limited budget can also use it. Before benefiting from iCloud WebDAV for your personal or business project, make sure you’re dealing with a trustworthy service provider.
WebDAV iCloud integrations work – but What about Other Cloud Storage?
webdav icloud macbook pro
Let’s say your company gives you a or Dropbox account to store your files. How do you get files from your iphone apps into dropbox or box. Not all apps have native integrations for these two cloud storage providers. This means that you may need to use webdav to connect to Box or another kind of DropBox WebDAV connector.
That’s where comes into play. You can use our gateway to connect ANY WebDAV enabled mac app or Apple device to Dropbox or Box without every needing to worry about a server, API connection, or other tech mumbo jumbo.
Photo Credit:
Carl Heyerdahl |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60324 | November 17th, 2011
NaNoWriMo Pep-Talk from Mary
NaNoWriMo Pep-Talk from Mary
[Mary] This is Mary Robinette Kowal with Writing Excuses. So we are on the 16th. You should have probably around 26,000 words... 27,000. In that range. I am doing NaNoWriMo this year.
The interesting thing is, I wrote Shades of Milk and Honey, which was my first published novel, as a NaNoWriMo book.
Around this point, every time I've done it, I hit the "what am I going to do next?" The fatigue begins to set in.
You have two choices right now. You can decide that you are realy going to buckle down and get through the difficult spot, or you can decide that your goal is to just get words on the page and to practice having your butt in a chair.
If you take that route, the way to up that wordcount is to start describing things. Describe them in complete, ridiculously overwrought detail.
What you're doing here, you're basically letting go. You're letting go of structure and you're saying, "I'm going to practice, this week, my description."
You may cut all of these words later. You may move them to different parts of your book, which is actually what I wound up doing with mine.
But just today, if you're fatigued and you have nothing else in your brain, sit down and describe in copious, exacting, painful detail, using as many thesaurus words as you can...
Bad writing, basically, is what I'm advising you to do right now.
Describe the room that your character is in.
Have fun! Go write. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60331 | Option Panel
From Click Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
Immediately after the fisrt software configuration the initial splash screen is shown
The software is at this point ready to scan but to set it properly, also regarding the way the files should be sent, it is advisable to continue the configuration from the Options Panel by clicking Optionbutton.PNG.
The option dialog is divided into 3 different categories:
1. General
2. Email
Check the details of every category by clicking on each link.
Dental 2 5 wiz prev.png 120px-Homebutton.png Dental 2 5 wiz next.png |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60332 | Project Definition
From Click Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
Once all configuration are ready and accepted the software goes back to the start splash screen. To start scanning click the Play icon.
The Project Definition dialog will immediately show.
The first part of the Project definition will require the user to set a Patient name and a Job Description.
After which the Teeth focus of the project need to be selected as reference for the partner that will design on the scans. <br\> Note that the teeth definition has no influence on the scanned data. <br\> To select the teeth double click on their number.
Follows the Workflow definition, in which the user needs to decide which one of the work procedure established in the Workflows Option Panel.
The last space allows the user to insert some notes to furtherly aid the partner that will design on the scans.
Here is an example of a filled in project definition form
Accept your project with Next.PNG to start scanning or cancel with Cancel.PNG.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60333 | Difference between revisions of "Projects"
From Inkscape Wiki
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Line 91: Line 91:
Provide a way to edit the page size directly on the canvas, using a
manipulator similar to a rectangle.
manipulator similar to a rectangle.
=== On-canvas tool controls ===
More tool controls could be available on-canvas right by the object
being edited. An example of this would be having some of the text
tool controls available right by where text editing is happening
akin to what GIMP provides.
=== Numeric input on the canvas ===
=== Numeric input on the canvas ===
Revision as of 23:41, 11 October 2014
This page lists proposed projects for possible funding requests. The original list is from Krzysztof Kosiński. Consider it a work-in-progress and feel free to add your own comments and project proposals.
Common build system for all platforms
Migrate the build system to Waf for all platforms. Alternatively, if there are important technical reasons why Waf is not suitable, port all necessary features to the CMake build system and remove Autotools.
SAX parser
Convert the current document parser from DOM to SAX, so that it creates our XML tree right away, instead of creating the libxml2 DOM tree, creating our tree to match it, then freeing the libxml2 tree. This should improve performance and allow more robust fixes for some problems.
Typed XML tree
Improve XML tree so that it can store some attributes in parsed, binary form. The main target of this are the data URIs used to embed images, which could be stored as binary data only. This work should be done after completing task 3 (SAX parser), as this will make it easier.
Migrate argument parsing to GOption and remove the dependency on popt
Write test cases for this bug, so that the patches can be accepted into GLib: https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=522131 If this proves hard, simply apply the patch to the devlibs. Once this is done, port argument parsing to GOption.
Remove dom/ directory
This directory contains strange code which is barely used. The only class which is actually used is the URI class.
Use a different data structure for Inkscape::Selection
Inkscape::Selection currently uses GSList as its data structure. This is suboptimal, since a very common operation is checking whether some object is selected. Change Inkscape::Selection so that its underlying structure is a boost::multi_index container which implements the same semantics as Java's LinkedHashSet.
Remove all use of GList and GSList
These GLib data structures are poorly designed (they are simple lists without sentinels, leading to blunders such as O(N) performance when appending to a doubly-linked list) and not type-safe. Replace all uses with standard C++ containers or suitable Boost containers.
Robust ID handling
Currently ID clash resolution is implemented as a giant switch over object types, listing every possible dependency. Replace this with virtual methods on objects, which provide information on what each object refers to. Improve behavior when a dependency of an object is deleted, and when IDs are changed / deleted from the XML editor.
It should be possible to change ID and have Inkscape update all references. It should also not be automatically created for all objects. Tav
Improve Icon Cache
Convert the icon cache (icon.cpp) to create the PNGs with a directory structure and index file matching the icon theme specification. Use this to get rid of customized classes InkAction, SPIcon, and so on.
GTK 3 on Windows
Rebuild the Windows devlibs so that they contain GTK3 Make the Windows port work with them, possibly sending the appropriate patches to the GTK maintainers.
this is already being worked on by Jazzy Nico: https://code.launchpad.net/~inkscape.dev/inkscape-devlibs/devlibs-gtk3
Context menu improvements
Provide actions which are actually relevant in the context menu, depending on the context of the selection. Examples of such actions include: release mask, release clipping path, put text on path, embed / extract image, unflow text, and so on.
Page size editing on the canvas
Provide a way to edit the page size directly on the canvas, using a manipulator similar to a rectangle.
On-canvas tool controls
More tool controls could be available on-canvas right by the object being edited. An example of this would be having some of the text tool controls available right by where text editing is happening akin to what GIMP provides.
Numeric input on the canvas
Right-clicking on nodes should bring up a numeric entry box which would allow you to specify its position numericaly. This could allow us to phase out some of the controls on the top bar. For dynamic offsets, the numeric entry would simply be the width of the offset
Unify document and desktop coordinates
Change the desktop coordinates to match document coordinates. Make it so that document coordinates are specified in the coordinate system of the toplevel SVG element, so that it is possible to emulate other coordinate systems using a suitable transform attribute or viewBox.
Shape manipulators
The idea here is to rewrite shape tools in the same paradigm as the node tool. Instead of storing all information about the shape in knots which differ only by their callbacks, allow to store information in a higher-level manipulator object. This would enable things like dragging the side of a rectangle and consistent outlining / update preferences for all shapes.
Improve the performance of layer visibility
Right now, toggling layer visibility causes massive changes in the display tree, because the entire toggled layer is invalidated at the XML level. This results in very bad performance for an action which should nearly instantaneous. Improve the control flow so that only the visibility of the object representing the layer is turned off, but the remainder of the display and object tree is leaved alone.
SVG Support
SVG-compliant flowed text
Move the existing flowed text XML representation into an svg:switch and provide an alternative fallback representation with SVG 1.1 text objects only.
This should be done via SVG 2 CSS text wrapping which provides a simple SVG 1.1 fallback mechanism.
Vector effects
Refactor live path effects so that their XML representation matches that of SVG 2.0 vector effects. Put them in switches, so that the output is not limited to a single path. Integrate them better with core Inkscape. For instance, instead of four actions: inset, outset, dynamic offset, linked offset, there should be only one: offset. Using it on a normal path would create a dynamic offset, while using it on a clone would create a linked offset. The same principle would apply to vector effects: creating them on a normal path would move the path to defs and replace it with the vector effect, while creating them on clones would delete the clone and create a reference to the original path.
Better support for linked SVG images
Create the document and rendering tree for linked SVG images. Use Inkscape's renderer instead of relying on the librsvg loader to avoid inconsistencies. Allow importing the linked image as a group via the context menu.
Mesh gradients, hatches, etc. See SVG2 page. Tav
Rewrite of Geom::PathVector and Geom::Path
Change PathVector to be a real object instead of a std::vector of Path, so that it can have useful methods, similar to curves.
Move the copy-on-write idiom to the PathVector object, rather than using it in the Path.
Investigate whether it is possible to store subpath data in a more compact way and make the Curve objects only convenience facades. Right now, if the path has only linear segments, every point is stored twice.
Apply the following renames to match SVG terminology:
• Path -> Subpath
• PathVector -> Path
Boolean operations and stroking
Add methods to PathVector objects:
a) Set operators (& | - ^), which perform the relevant boolean operation on the paths. Use the algorithm from CGAL or devise a new robust algorithm.
b) stroke(double line_width, LineJoin join, LineCap cap, double miter_limit), which performs the stroke-to-path operation.
c) stroke(double line_width, LineJoin join, LineCap cap, double miter_limit, std::vector<double> const &dasharray), which performs stroke-to-path with dashing.
Remove SPCurve
SPCurve is a thin wrapper around Geom::PathVector which exists for historical reasons. Its functionality should be added to PathVector, and SPCurve should be purged.
Fill out arcs functionality
For accurate path Boolean operations with elliptical arcs, allow arcs in PathVectors and support Boolean operations between arcs and between elliptical arcs and S-Basis curves. Tav
Extension system improvements
Refactor the extension API. Clean up the kludgy class hierarchy, possibly using multiple inheritance. Use GInputStream and GOutputStream as parameters instead of file paths, so that things like the clipboard can have
Renderer improvements
This is a big task which has several sub-tasks:
a) Unify the interactive and non-interactive renderers. (It would be desirable to have one codebase, but we need to investigate a little more whether this is practical.)
b) Pluggable renderers - allow writing rendering backends which use something other than Cairo, e.g, OpenGL, Skia, Mozilla Azure or GEGL.
c) OpenGL renderer - implement an OpenGL 3.x+ canvas which would render Beziers using this method: http://http.developer.nvidia.com/GPUGems3/gpugems3_ch25.html
Investigate whether this generalizes to S-basis and circular arcs. Since the described method does not handle stroking, this work depends on 5.
Also check how OpenGL path rendering is implemented in Qt, since apparently the performance there is very good. http://zrusin.blogspot.com/2011/09/nv-path-rendering.html
Box blur
Currently we always use a very accurate method to compute the Gaussian blur filter. Add an alternate method which approximates Gaussian blur using three stacked box blurs (simple averages). This is detailed in the SVG 1.1 SE specification.
SVG Connectors
Improve Inkscape's connectors, following the proposed SVG connectors spec. Tav
Web Animations
Support animation in Inkscape. Should implement the model from the Web Animations specification so that both SMIL and CSS animations are supported. Inkscape Community/Tav |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60334 |
and how to migrate your plugin documentation in this blogpost
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Deprecated: Users should migrate to https://wiki.jenkins-ci.org/display/JENKINS/Pipeline+Plugin
Plugin Information
Distribution of this plugin has been suspended due to unresolved security vulnerabilities, see below.
The current version of this plugin may not be safe to use. Please review the following warnings before use:
This plugin allows managing Jenkins jobs orchestration using a dedicated DSL, extracting the flow logic from jobs.
This plugin is designed to handle complex build workflows (aka build pipelines) as a dedicated entity in Jenkins. Without such a plugin, to manage job orchestration the user has to combine parameterized-build, join, downstream-ext and a few more plugins, polluting the job configuration. The build process is then scattered in all those jobs and very complex to maintain. Build Flow enables you to define an upper level Flow item to manage job orchestration and link up rules, using a dedicated DSL. This DSL makes the flow definition very concise and readable.
After installing the plugin, you'll get a new Entry in the job creation wizard to create a Flow. Use the DSL editor to define the flow.
The DSL defines the sequence of jobs to be built :
build( "job1" )
build( "job2" )
build( "job3" )
You can pass parameters to jobs, and get the resulting AbstractBuild when required :
b = build( "job1", param1: "foo", param2: "bar" )
build( "job2", param1: b.build.number )
Environment variables from a job can be obtained using the following, which is especially useful for getting things like the checkout revision used by the SCM plugin ('P4_CHANGELIST', 'GIT_REVISION', etc) :
def revision = b.environment.get( "GIT_REVISION" )
You can also access some pre-defined variables in the DSL :
• "build" the current flow execution
• "out" the flow build console
• "env" the flow environment, as a Map
• "params" triggered parameters
• "upstream" the upstream job, assuming the flow has been triggered as a downstream job for another job.
For example:
// output values
out.println 'Triggered Parameters Map:'
out.println params
out.println 'Build Object Properties:'
build.properties.each { out.println "$it.key -> $it.value" }
// use it in the flow
build("job1", parent_param1: params["param1"])
build("job2", parent_workspace:build.workspace)
Guard / Rescue
You may need to run a cleanup job after a job (or set of jobs) whenever they succeeded or not. The guard/rescue structure is designed for this use-case. It works mostly like a try+finally block in Java language :
guard {
build( "this_job_may_fail" )
} rescue {
build( "cleanup" )
The flow result will then be the worst of the guarded job(s) result and the rescue ones
You may also want to just ignore result of some job, that are optional for your build flow. You can use ignore block for this purpose :
ignore(FAILURE) {
build( "send_twitter_notification" )
The flow will not take care of the triggered build status if it's better than the configured result. This allows you to ignore UNSTABLE < FAILURE < ABORTED
You can ask the flow to retry a job a few times until success. This is equivalent to the retry-failed-job plugin :
retry ( 3 ) {
build( "this_job_may_fail" )
The flow is strictly sequential, but let you run a set of jobs in parallel and wait for completion. This is equivalent to the join plugin :
parallel (
// job 1, 2 and 3 will be scheduled in parallel.
{ build("job1") },
{ build("job2") },
{ build("job3") }
// job4 will be triggered after jobs 1, 2 and 3 complete
compared to join plugin, parallel can be used for more complex workflows where the parallel branches can sequentially chain multiple jobs :
parallel (
you also can "name" parallel executions, so you can later use reference to extract parameters / status :
join = parallel ([
first: { build("job1") },
second: { build("job2") },
third: { build("job3") }
// now, use results from parallel execution
param1: join.first.result.name,
param2: join.second.lastBuild.parent.name)
and this can be combined with other orchestration keywords :
parallel (
guard {
} rescue {
retry 3, {
Extension Point
Other plugins that expose themselves to the build flow can be accessed with extension.'plugin-name'
So the plugin foobar might be accessed like:
def x = extension.'my-plugin-name'
Plugins implementing extension points
(searching github for "BuildFlowDSLExtension")
Implementing Extension
Write the extension in your plugin
@Extension(optional = true)
public class MyBuildFlowDslExtension extends BuildFlowDSLExtension {
* The extensionName to use for the extension.
public static final String EXTENSION_NAME = "my-plugin-name";
public Object createExtension(String extensionName, FlowDelegate dsl) {
if (EXTENSION_NAME.equals(extensionName)) {
return new MyBuildFlowDsl(dsl);
return null;
Write the actual extension
public class MyBuildFlowDsl {
private FlowDelegate dsl;
* Standard constructor.
* @param dsl the delegate.
public MyBuildFlowDsl(FlowDelegate dsl) {
this.dsl = dsl;
* World.
public void hello() {
((PrintStream)dsl.getOut()).println("Hello World");
And more ...
future releases may introduce support for some more features and DSL syntax for advanced job orchestration.
As any Job, the Flow is executed by a trigger, and the Cause is exposed to the flow DSL. If you want to implement a build-pipeline after a commit on your scm, you can configure the flow to be triggered as the first scm-polling job is run, but you can as well use any other trigger (manual trigger, XTrigger plugin, ...) for your flow to integrate in a larger process.
Need help ?
Join jenkins-user mailing list and explain your use-case there
Work in Progress
0.20 (release Aug 04, 2016)
0.19 (release May 09, 2016)
0.14 (release Sep. 09, 2014)
• enable test-jar for plugins leveraging the extension point.
• use build.displayName in JobInvocation.toString.
0.13 (release Sep. 09, 2014)
• read DSL from a file
• fix buildgraph when using 2nd level flows.
• swap dependency with buildgraph-view.
0.12 (release May 14, 2014)
• wait for build to be finalized
• fixed-width font in DSL box
• print stack traces when parallel builds fail
• restore ability to use a workspace, as a checkbox in flow configuration (useful for SCM using workspace)
• no changes (added the compatibility warning to update center)
0.11 (released Apr. 8, 2014)
• plugin re-licensed to MIT
• build flow no longer has a workspace
• Validation of the DSL when configuring the flow
• If a build could not be scheduled show the underlying cause
• extensions can contribute to dsl help
• aborting a flow causes all jobs scheduled and started by the flow to be aborted
• retry is configurable
• misc tweaks to UI and small fixes
• add support for SimpleParameters (parameter that can be set from a String)
• mechanism to define DSL extensions
• visualization moved to build-graph-view plugin
• minor fixes
0.8 (released Feb. 11, 2013)
0.7 (released Jan. 11, 2013)
• Add support for ignore(Result)
0.6 (released November 24, 2012)
• Enable "read job" permissions for Anonymous (JENKINS-14027)
• Print errors as .. errors
• Better failed test reporting
• Use transient ref to Job/Build …
• Fix a NullPointer to render FlowCause after jenkins restart
• Use futures for synchronization plus publisher support plus console println cleanup (Pull request #14 from coreyoconnor)
• Call to Parametrized jobs correctly use their default values (Pull request #16 from dbaeli)
0.5 (released September 03, 2012)
• fixed support for publishers (JENKINS-14411)
• improved job configuration UI (dedicated section, help, prepare code mirror integration)
• improved error message
0.4 (released June 28, 2012)
• fixed cast error parsing DSL (Collections$UnmodifiableRandomAccessList' to class 'long') on some version of Jenkins
• add groovy bindings for current build as "build", console output as "out", environment variables Map as "env", and triggered parameters of current build as "params"
• fixed bug when many "Parameters" links were shown for each triggered parameter on build page
0.3 (released April 12, 2012)
• add support for hierarchical project structure (typically : cloudbees folders plugin)
0.2 (released April 9, 2012)
• changed parallel syntax to support nested flows concurrent execution
• fixed serialization issues
0.1 (released April 3, 2012)
• initial release with DSL-based job orchestration
1. Unknown User (xiaopan3322)
Excellent, But where can I find the download link? And I also can not find this plugin in "Manage Plugin" page.
2. Unknown User (gbois)
In my opinion, the best solution is to provide a solution on top of the XTrigger plugin based on input/output of an environment infrastructure.
The job to be scheduled depends on previous job outputs.
1. Unknown User (ndeloof)
Both make sense for distinct use cases. This plugin don't try to remove job dependencies, but to make the job orchestration trivial without a bunch of plugins to configure in each job.
1. Unknown User (gbois)
Yes, it depends on the context.
However, you don't provide tips about jobs granularity.
Unfortunately with this approach, I'm afraid you encourage users to increase dependencies between jobs. Therefore, it will lead to climb the number of issues about this subject such as synchronization points.
In the context of a CI process with Jenkins, the process has to be implemented by only one job (in any case, in most case).
Using XTrigger lets you delegate synchronization points with an external resource: your infrastructure environment such as a simple file or your binary repository.
1. Unknown User (ndeloof)
I know your point of view about job coupling, but I don't worry about dependencies between jobs, that's something I thing is useful (contributing DependencyGraph from the DSL is on my roadmap). The goal of this plugin is to remove flow configuration from jobs and to give a single place to look at it.
XTrigger makes sense for a large set of use cases, that's not exclusive
I don't think CI job should be implemented as a single job. Splitting in simple jobs and orchestrating them allow to parallelize and distribute the build steps on the infra for better efficiency
3. Unknown User (jimsearle)
This sounds great!
Will there be a way to specify a non-blocking job? Meaning that I want to kick of a job, but not wait for it to finish, and it's build result does not matter?
Also, a way to specify when main build can start again while other downstream jobs continue?
1. Unknown User (jimsearle)
I figured out a way to do both of these, but it still would be nice to have DSL syntax for it.
1. Unknown User (barrett)
Would you mind sharing how you did this? Either with the Build Flow Plugin or without
1. Unknown User (jimsearle)
This is my DSL:
parallel (
For the non-blocking job, I have the regress-1 use "Trigger/call builds on other projects" Build step which allows you to block or not-block and ignore build result.
Then to allow the DSL job to start before the entire process is done, the regress-done triggers the final release jobs.
1. Unknown User (barrett)
Thanks for the reply.
I ended up figuring this out. What I am trying to figure out now is how to nest parallel execution. I was hoping the following would work but it doesn't.
parallel (
{ build("TryBuildFlowPackaging")
parrallel (
{build("TryBuildFlowPostBuild") }
{ build("TryBuildFlowDeploy") }
4. Unknown User (hayafirst)
This plugin doesn't seem working with git plugin? or do I do something wrong?
1. Unknown User (ndeloof)
This plugin doesn't relate to SCM.
If you want to trigger a build from SCM change, define a job to poll your SCM and the flow as first downstream
5. Unknown User (wutzupar)
I got the following error with the simple DSL script build ("job"):
Building on master in workspace /var/lib/jenkins/jobs/Felix/workspace
FATAL: Cannot cast object 'hudson.model.Cause$UserIdCause@c6388a81' with class 'java.util.Collections$UnmodifiableRandomAccessList' to class 'long'
1. Unknown User (rmyung)
I get the same error.
2. Unknown User (ndeloof)
This issue was due to a conflict between Groovy runtime used by the plugin and the one packaged into jenkins-core
It has been fixed on master
6. Unknown User (flsobral)
I tried using parallel several times, adding and removing brackets and whitespaces, but I couldn't get it to work with more than one target.
Whenever I had more than one build inside the parallel I would get the following output:
Started by user XXXXX
Building on master in workspace XXXXXXXX
parallel {
Notifying upstream projects of job completion
Finished: SUCCESS
1. Unknown User (muruke)
I have the same issue.
I can't get it to build jobs in parallel. Would it have anything to do with the characters in the job name?
1. Unknown User (ndeloof)
please open a Jira issue, with detailled configuration (OS, JDK, Jenkins version etc)
1. Unknown User (muruke)
Created https://issues.jenkins-ci.org/browse/JENKINS-14027 - hopefully created correctly. If you need anymore information let me know.
7. Unknown User (jimsearle)
I have this DSL:
parallel (
parallel (
{ build("test-buildflow-release-1") },
{ build("test-buildflow-release-2") }
I purposely made test-buildflow-regress-3 fail, but it still ran release-1 and release-2. Is that expected? I thought it would stop on a failure. This log shows it still kicks off the 2 release jobs?
Started by user XXXX
Building on master in workspace XXXX
parallel {
Trigger job test-buildflow-regress-1
Trigger job test-buildflow-regress-2
Completed test-buildflow-regress-2 #4
Trigger job test-buildflow-regress-3
Completed test-buildflow-regress-1 #4
Completed test-buildflow-regress-3 #3
parallel {
Trigger job test-buildflow-release-1
Trigger job test-buildflow-release-2
Completed test-buildflow-release-2 #1
Completed test-buildflow-release-1 #1
Notifying upstream projects of job completion
Finished: FAILURE
1. Unknown User (ndeloof)
This is clearly unexpected.
I've added a test to check this scenario, and test pass :-/
Please open a Jira and report jenkins version you use for further investigations
1. Unknown User (damien_coraboeuf)
Using version 0.5, I still get this problem. Using the following flow:
guard {
build ("test-a")
parallel (
{ build("test-b") },
{ build("test-c") }
parallel (
{ build("test-d") },
{ build("test-e") }
} rescue {
build ("test-f")
Whenever "test-b" job fails (for example), "test-d" and "test-e" will be executed still. Is there something wrong with the syntax?
I have created the JENKINS-15900 issue to follow this problem.
1. Unknown User (ndeloof)
syntax is ok, I just have no idea why this don't behave as expected and can't reproduce
8. Unknown User (jimsearle)
It would be nice if there was an option to read the DSL from a file, like the envinject plugin allows.
9. Unknown User (vmelnyk)
How can I run job with current build parameters?
build("job", foo: $foo) does not work
1. Unknown User (ndeloof)
This is not implemented yet, will probably expose a "params" variable as a Map. Woudl you like to contribute this ? ;)
1. Unknown User (dbaeli)
Can you add a sample in the doc ? it's not clear on how to use that (If I correctly guess that it's included in 0.4).
2. Unknown User (dbaeli)
The usage for params is
build("paramJob1", PARAM_1:params["BUILD_PARAM"])
10. Unknown User (dxigua)
I tried to run a job with several parameters.
build("PMD", "root.cvs":"cvsroot", "package.cvs":"WEB/APP")
However, it seems that the plugin only recognizes the first parameter.
$ cmd.exe /C '"ant.bat -Droot.cvs=cvsroot tools.pmd.continuousIntegration ....
1. Unknown User (ndeloof)
11. Unknown User (rohanshetty)
Hello Everyone,
Is there a faclility to comment within the DSL block so that at times one of the job can be commented ???
for instance : I have 3 jobs in the sequence of BuildFlow as follows :
among the above 3 jobs, if i just want to run jobA and jobC ,
so currently i have to delete the entry of jobB and then again add it when needed.
It will be good to have an option like below :
// build("jobB")
Here after jobA directly jobC will run !!!
Hoping for a reply, suggestions always welcome !!!
12. Unknown User (andreyev)
Issue Tracking links to wrong component ('build-flow-plugin') or it was changed. Correct name is just 'build-flow'.
1. Unknown User (ndeloof)
don't know how to change this on Jira :'(
1. Unknown User (andreyev)
I guess that this block is automatically embedded here by Confluence... BTW, I see others plugin with same problem, so I guess that components name was bulk changed on JIRA... (sad)
Maybe KK could fix this, but I guess he have more priority things to do, so, what about put a tip on page's top, like that:
[Here is our issues|https://issues.jenkins-ci.org/secure/IssueNavigator.jspa?mode=hide&reset=true&jqlQuery=project+%3D+JENKINS+AND+status+in+%28Open%2C+%22In+Progress%22%2C+Reopened%29+AND+component+%3D+'build-flow']
13. Unknown User (dbaeli)
Why version 0.4 is tagged in git but not available for download in jenkins (even 1.473) ?
Is it a mistake or the version is being verified somehow ?
Thank you, this plugin looks really great.
14. Unknown User ([email protected])
Is it possible to use this plugin in Hudson version 2.2.1
I need a similar flow control and we are using hudson as a build tool.
1. Unknown User (ndeloof)
don't know, and honesty don't care. Give it a try
15. Unknown User (lesliepc16)
Thanks for this plugin. It's great. I'm wondering if there'll ever be support for a more dynamic setup. Specifically, I'd like to spawn off a dynamic number of parallel builds with dynamic parameters. Something like:
for each item in items
build ("job", param: "item")
We can do some these things using the Jenkins API but I would like to find a way to manage this within Jenkins with less code.
1. Unknown User (iknowchang)
I very hardly got an answer from source code.
Try below script. It works!!
// allows syntax like : parallel(["Kohsuke","Nicolas"].collect { name -> return { build("job1", param1:name) } })
16. Unknown User (barrett)
How may I access parameters passed to a build in another build ? I've tried pulling it out from the Abstract Build but that doesn't seem to work.
For instance I want to do :
core = build("TryBuildFlowCore", PRIMARYWORKSPACE: "foobar")
core.properties.each { out.println "$it.key -> $it.value" }
out.println 'Triggered Parameters Map:'
out.println params
out.println 'Build Object Properties:'
build.properties.each { out.println "$it.key -> $it.value" }
parallel (
This will lead to a Null Reference exception.
Edited to put code in code block.
17. Unknown User (gkelly)
Hi, apologies for asking this on the plugin page (I know you requested not to). I can't join the jenkins-users list at the moment (Can't access from work!)
Is there any way to trigger a manual step in build-flow? For example, perform a build, trigger a deployment, run integration tests against the deployed app, with the deployment needing to wait on manual approval.
For example:
Example build flow
parallel {
manual {
build("deploy-all", deploy-ip: "")
//Or manual("deploy-all", deploy-ip: "")???
build("run-integration-tests", it-env-ip: "")
I have also asked this on StackOverflow.
18. Unknown User (marten)
Is it possible to pass git commit hash to next step? My flow is "Run unit tests" > "Deploy" > "Run smoke tests". I need to deploy the correct commit. What can happen is that I'll push two commits really fast and before the unit tests finish, so the "Deploy" job will try to deploy last commit and not the commit which was tested.
1. Unknown User (skuli)
You could do something like:
Pass GIT_COMMIT sha to other jobs
git_commit = build.properties["environment"]["GIT_COMMIT"]
build( "unit-tests", GIT_COMMIT: git_commit )
build( "deploy", GIT_COMMIT: git_commit )
build( "smoke-tests", GIT_COMMIT: git_commit )
Then use the Git plugin and have the pipeline job connected to git, then GIT_COMMIT will be in the pipeline env. Then in the other jobs use GIT_COMMIT instead of the head of the branch.
19. Unknown User (kritesh)
Suppose i am running four parallel jobs and one job fails while others are still running. is there any way where Jenkins can stop all other running jobs if one job fails.
1. Unknown User (ndeloof)
this is technically possible as jenkins offer a job cancellation feature. Could maybe be an option for parallel() keyword
20. Unknown User (andreyev)
You can use an environment variable from one build into another with:
b = build( "test-bf" )
//use b.build.properties.environment to get all variables
out.println a
I guess that this should be helpful, but don't know where put it....
21. Unknown User (pacosoft2000)
I needed use a SCM polling to trigger a Build Flow; you can type a Cron expression but currently you can´t select your SCM source, and its parameters .
so I've added the next tag to the file $JENKINS_HOME/plugins/build-flow-plugin/WEB-INF/classes/com/cloudbees/plugins/flow/BuildFlow/configure-entries.jelly
and It works fine !! you can launch a new build trough the SCM trigger
I think this could be a great idea to include it in the new version.
1. Unknown User (ndeloof)
For this use case you should better have a job to get triggered by SCM and declare the flow as downstream job.
having a flow to declare scm don't make much sense as it don't access this scm to orchestrate the execution.
22. Unknown User (alex01ves)
Awesome plugin.
A very nice enhancement would be the ability to block the build if some job is running, kind of like this plugin does: https://wiki.jenkins-ci.org/display/JENKINS/Build+Blocker+Plugin
23. Unknown User (drakandar)
Upgrade van 0.4 to 0.5 causes all flow jobs to dissapear.. Why and how to prevent this?
We have like 20 flows and it would be really bad if we had to recreate them all...
1. Unknown User (ndeloof)
Due to inheritance change, jenkins can't load the job due to collection not being initialized in parent class during deserialization
You can fix this by adding to your job config.xml :
Please don't use this wiki as a bug tracker, either open ticket on issues.jenkins-ci.org, or (better) subscribe to user list and ask there
1. Unknown User (drakandar)
Fair enough, sorry for reporting the bug this way.
I'll subscribe to the user list as well :-)
Thanks for replying though! I'll pick up the manual actions ASAP.
24. Unknown User (greg)
I've opened a ticket in JIRA about Publishers not running after the flow jobs complete. There was a previous ticket which addressed a similar issue -- namely, publishers not being saved from the configure page. Well, they are being saved now -- but never run.
I've been digging for a bit and -- if I understand how the Publishers are invoked -- I believe that things should work with the current version of the plugin, but they aren't. Any insight here would be useful.
If we figure it out, we'll submit a pull request. However, someone more familiar with this could probably fix it much quicker.
1. Unknown User (greg)
And to follow up on this -- I can't see from the ticket history or the code that the plugin ever successfully supported publishers. I'd think this is a pretty major oversight, as there aren't many viable workarounds.
25. Unknown User (damien_coraboeuf)
Hi, any indication about the roadmap and the future releases?
1. Unknown User (dbaeli)
We just released one version, what would you like to have next ?
1. Unknown User (ndeloof)
Roadmap is mostly about volunteers to contribute.
My personal focus will be on making the DSL safe (using groovy-sandbox) and make visualization work
26. Unknown User (vprasad79)
Ignore does not work. Can you please help me?
ignore(FAILURE) {
build( "send_twitter_notification" )
ERROR: Failed to run DSL Script
groovy.lang.MissingMethodException: No signature of method: com.cloudbees.plugins.flow.FlowDelegate.ignore() is \
applicable for argument types: (java.lang.String, Script1$_run_closure1_closure4) values: [FAILURE, Script1$_run_closure1_closure4@3a549607]
Possible solutions: grep()
at sun.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance0(Native Method)
27. Unknown User (mrauh)
is there any way to use a for loop in a parallel( ... ) statement?
We want to start many instances of a job with a counter parameter to run in parallel.
1. Unknown User (ndeloof)
use a loop to create a closure list or map, and pass it to parallel()
28. Unknown User (fderunes)
It seems the ignore(FAILURE) when using a variable. here is my code:
I use a text parameter called tests
def tests= params["tests"].split();
ignore(FAILURE) {
if i remove the ignore(FAILURE) {} part, the script works, but unfortunately the test suite stops at the first failure and the others tests won't be executed.
Could you please help me figure this out?
29. Unknown User (linugee)
(Windows) I downloaded the source code,
import it as Eclipse project.
And run hpi:run, open web browser http://localhost:8080/.
But the job configruation page is displayed like this (I cannot attach screenshot due to secruity)
and when to run build, nothing is executed.
build trigger
- xxxx
- Build periodically
- Poll SCM
Define build flow using flow DSL (textarea)
Post-build action
Add post-build action
As compared to normal situation there is no Flow Definition section.
30. Unknown User (jazzyjayx)
I'm still seeing this issue, even though it was supposed to be fixed back in March - https://issues.jenkins-ci.org/browse/JENKINS-18003 - All build flow graphs disappear after a few hours (whether Jenkins restarts or not). Does anyone know if this is a known issue or an incompatibility with other plugins? I can't seem to find much evidence of anyone else having the same problems anymore.
• Jenkins 1.537 (Windows 2012)
• Build Flow 0.10
31. Unknown User (saran)
I found some issues for build flow plug-in.
1. For lasted version 0.10 which has dependency “buildgraph-view” plug-in I install buildgraph-view then trigged run jobs. Jobs run fine except graph did not show.
2. I downgrade to previous version 0.8 everything work fine including graph when jobs is running.
When I come back to previous jobs that finished the graph disappeared. In the case I’m not sure about how long build flow plug-in keeps the graph.
Any help would be appreciated.
1. Unknown User (ndeloof)
This wiki is not an issue tracker, please use jira and join jenkins-user mailing list
32. Unknown User (uvizhe)
Is there a way to specify where particular build should run? By providing a label or a node name.
33. Unknown User (tommy_wy)
I have a few questions and a big problem.
First my questions:
1 Is it possible to start a sub flow in the main flow like this
main flow dsl named main_flow:build ('sub_flow')
2 Can I start another job after completing the flow using a post build action like 'trigger parametrized build on other plugins'?
And after all the problem.
{retry ( 2 ){ build ("Job_Deploy_Batch_ReferenzBatch_Flow_Snap") }
{retry ( 2 ){ build ("Job_Deploy_Batch_Referenz_Flow_Snap") }
{retry ( 2 ){ build ("Job_Deploy_EJB_Referenz_Flow_Snap") }
{retry ( 2 ){ build ("Job_Deploy_Service_GenesisWlM_Flow_Snap") }
{retry ( 2 ){ build ("Job_Deploy_Service_Referenz_Flow_Snap") }
{retry ( 2 ){ build ("Job_Deploy_Web_GenesisBatchAdmin_Flow_Snap") }
Everything is all right, but at the end the job failed.
parallel {
retry (attempt 1) {
retry (attempt 1) {
Schedule job Job_Deploy_Batch_ReferenzBatch_Flow_Snap
retry (attempt 1) {
Schedule job Job_Deploy_Batch_Referenz_Flow_Snap
retry (attempt 1) {
Schedule job Job_Deploy_Service_GenesisWlM_Flow_Snap
retry (attempt 1) {
Schedule job Job_Deploy_Web_GenesisBatchAdmin_Flow_Snap
Schedule job Job_Deploy_EJB_Referenz_Flow_Snap
retry (attempt 1){ Build Job_Deploy_Batch_Referenz_Flow_Snap #8 started Build Job_Deploy_Batch_ReferenzBatch_Flow_Snap #8 started Build Job_Deploy_Service_GenesisWlM_Flow_Snap #8 started Build Job_Deploy_Web_GenesisBatchAdmin_Flow_Snap #8 started Build Job_Deploy_EJB_Referenz_Flow_Snap #8 started Job_Deploy_Batch_ReferenzBatch_Flow_Snap #8 completed }
Job_Deploy_EJB_Referenz_Flow_Snap #8 completed
Job_Deploy_Web_GenesisBatchAdmin_Flow_Snap #8 completed
Job_Deploy_Service_GenesisWlM_Flow_Snap #8 completed
Job_Deploy_Batch_Referenz_Flow_Snap #8 completed
Notifying upstream projects of job completion
Finished: FAILURE
Normally this steps should follow.
build ("Server_Restart_Portal_HEAD")
out.println 'Deploy skins and themes'
retry ( 2 ){ skins_deploy = build ("Job_Deploy_SkinsAndThemes61_Flow_Snap") }
out.println skins_deploy
I have no idea why and how this happens.
Any suggestions?
I use jenkins 1.532.1 and build flow plugin 1.480.
Thx Tommy
1. Unknown User (ndeloof)
if you have questions, JOIN THE USER-LIST
this wiki isn't a forum
1. Unknown User (tommy_wy)
Oh, not joined. Subscribing doesn't work. Mail routing error
What about the problem? Do you have any ideas, suggestions relating to my problem?
34. Unknown User (gils)
This plugin is just great. Thanks a lot.
Is there a way to use conditionals in the DSL? I want to use a Boolean parameter that'll indicate whether a certain job should or shouldn't run.
1. Unknown User (gils)
How do I join the users list?
35. Unknown User (svs57)
"build flow no longer has a workspace"
But I need workspace. I want to create file on workspace to pass results to upstream job.
Please return workspace back.
36. Unknown User (erwanncordon_sky)
Is there a work around to using custom workspace, as it doesn't appear to be available? as i'd like to archive some files for the build flow job i have created, linking them to each run of this job. (all my sub jobs use the same workspace).
37. Unknown User (erwanncordon_sky)
38. Unknown User (vivekthakur)
I am using this plugin for my project and in some projects jobs i am executing batch script using groovy( .execute() ) function and these all job are executing in Slave.
Problem: I have a Build flow job and i have written " println "cmd /c ipconfig/all".execute().text " command in flow DSL.
If i run normally then it will execute on Master and display Master PC system details.
But if i run this job on slave then its running on slave but its showing Master PC system details but it should have shown the Slave PC system details.
And i have already configured groovy on slave also.
i am facing this problem , if you have any solution then please inform me.
1. Unknown User (gils)
I'm having the same issue but you won't get your answer here as the plugin developers refuses to use this platform for plugin support.
I have tried to click on the users-list link above but got to a dead end.
1. Unknown User (vivekthakur)
Thanks Gil Shinar for your opinion,
But I understand that using this plugin we can control the jobs flow in efficient way,So in my project i am using this plugin for this purpose only.
and to come up from this current problem i go for different logic (using properties file).
39. Unknown User (chuata)
I am using "Read DSL from file" to get the DSL store in a file in local storage, but it can't seem to resolve environment variable, and just treat it as normal string.
Any workaround? Thanks.
build-flow reading DSL from file '/user/${PLATFORM_NAME}/test.groovy'
FATAL: java.io.FileNotFoundException: /user/${PLATFORM_NAME}/test.groovy (No such file or directory)
1. Unknown User (vivekthakur)
i have worked on it but in path it can't resolve Env. variables.
it always consider as a string, that's by i always give a hard coded Path.
40. Unknown User (tkaplan)
I wasted several days trying to find documentation on the dsl you are using. Why doesn't it mention anywhere in the main documentation that this is using groovy? FYI...., if you want to do more than just the very limited scope of these examples, please refer to groovy scripting. One simple example that goes beyond the scope of this documentation are running jobs via a build parameters.
41. Unknown User (jamil_nyc)
In the Basics section, it refers to "triggered parameters" (params). Are these the same parameters that can be configured from a job's configure page (under "This build is parametrized")?
1. Unknown User (jamil_nyc)
For the curious: Yes, they are the same parameters that are passed to the build and can be accessed in the Groovy DSL Script as follows:
// Will print value of myParamName
println params['myParamName']
Params is basically a dictionary or associative array.
42. Unknown User (lam2558)
Is there a way to pass in the delay for the retry?
retry ( 3, X) {
build( "this_job_may_fail" )
where X is the second?
43. Unknown User (michalvanco)
I'm using the Jenkins build flow plugin and wondering about some use-case of re-usability.
Imagine the situation you want to orchestrate multiple components the same way (following some blueprint, just some steps and variables may differ).
It's not possible to directly write this at the DSL, but you can use groovy for that and have something like the below snippet (in the real situation it's much moooore complicated):
public class CommonOrchestrator {
def delegate
def currentBuild
def params
public CommonOrchestrator(delegate, currentBuild, params) {
this.delegate = delegate
this.currentBuild = currentBuild
this.params = params
def pipe() {
protected void step1() {}
protected void step2() {
public class SpecificOrchestrator extends CommonOrchestrator {
public SpecificOrchestrator(delegate, currentBuild, params) {
super(delegate, currentBuild, params)
public void step1() {
new SpecificOrchestrator(this, build, params).pipe()
Can you please tell me if you have ever considered something like this or do you have some recommendation how to implement it using the build flow plugin?
I have tried various approaches how to use the multiple files/dependencies in the dsl or groovy file but with no extra result.
I would be really glad for any help, thank you in advance!
44. Unknown User (ad_robotics)
Build Pipeline Plugin and Delivery Pipeline Plugin don't display any upstream or downstream jobs of a build flow.
Is there a way to get this plugin to work together with these views? Is there a way to get a better visualization then with buildgraph-view?
45. Unknown User (fschroder)
What's the status of this plugin?
Is it fair to say that at this point it is mostly legacy and new implementations should check https://wiki.jenkins-ci.org/display/JENKINS/Pipeline+Plugin instead?
Is there any new development / bug fixing happening? |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60335 | This plugin submits builds to the Sun Grid Engine (SGE) batch scheduler. Both the open source version of SGE 2011.11 and the commercial Univa Grid Engine (UGE) 8.3.1 are supported.
Distribution of this plugin has been suspended due to unresolved security vulnerabilities in the prerequisite Copy-To-Slave Plugin.
This plugin adds a new type of build step Run job on SGE that submits batch jobs to SGE. The build step monitors the job status and periodically (default one minute) appends the progress to the build's Console Output. Should the build fail, errors and the exit status of the job also appear. If the job is terminated in Jenkins, it is also terminated in SGE.
Builds are submitted to SGE by a new type of cloud, SGE Cloud. The cloud is given a label like any other agent. When a job with a matching label is run, SGE Cloud submits the build to SGE.
Files can be uploaded and sent to SGE before the execution of the job and downloaded from SGE after the job finishes. Currently this feature only supports shared file systems.
An email can optionally be sent when the job finishes.
Configure SGE
In SGE, add your Jenkins master host as an SGE submit host.
Configure Jenkins
Set Environment Variables
SGE requires some environment variables. There are various other ways to add Jenkins environment variables, but the following method is one of the most dependable.
In Manage Jenkins > Configure System, add Environment Variables:
For open source SGE:
For commercial UGE:
/path/to/uge/bin/lx-amd64 or .../darwin-x64 or .../win-x86
Your cell name
Your cluster name
Environment variable troubleshooting
The SGE error message:
Unable to initialize environment because of error: cell directory "/path/to/sge/default" doesn't exist
means that SGE_CELL is undefined (it defaults to default).
Create the cloud
In Manage Jenkins > Configure System, add a new cloud of type SGE Cloud. Fill in the required information for the newly created cloud.
Set up a project to run on SGE
In a project, specify the Label that you specified in SGE Cloud.
Add a Run job on SGE build step and specify the batch job script you want to run on SGE.
Now, when Jenkins runs the project, it will run on the SGE Cloud with the matching label.
Set your script to fail on the first failure
By default, the exit status of the last command determines the success or failure of the build step. For example, the following script would be inappropriately considered a success:
ls /nonexistent # Error, exit status 2
echo "This echo command succeeds with exit status 0 despite the error on the previous line"
If you prefer that your job fail and halt upon the first nonzero exit status, use the Bash -e option. The following script will fail upon the first error:
set -e
ls /nonexistent # Error, exit status 2
echo "This is never executed because the above ls command failed."
Additional qsub options
So that you can see the qsub command that was used to submit jobs, the SGE Plugin prints the qsub command to the Jenkins job Console Output:
Submitting SGE job using the command:
"$SGE_BIN/qsub" ... # Options not shown in docs because they will undoubtedly be out-of-date
It is possible to specify additional qsub command line options within the Run job on SGE build script on lines beginning with #$. For example:
#$ -P project_name
While this might sometimes be useful, it can cause trouble if your Run job on SGE build step inadvertently contains #$. In particular, this can happen if you comment out a line that begins with $:
There is no such qsub command line option SOME_COMMAND, so you get the unhelpful message:
qsub: Unknown option
Job States
Unfinished jobs
The qstat man page describes the following job states (job status) defined in SGE. Each state is a string whose first character is most meaningful:
Naturally, qstat can only describe jobs that were actually submitted to SGE. The SGE Cloud Plugin defines an additional state for jobs it could not even submit to SGE:
Finished jobs
SGE qstat states cover only unfinished jobs, yet the SGE Cloud Plugin expects that finished jobs also have a state. Therefore the SGE Cloud Plugin uses the shell exit status as the state of the finished job:
Exit status above 128 indicates that a signal terminated the job. See Job Exit Status for an explanation of some exit statuses.
Viewing the Job Workspace
Each project has a Workspace button that you can use to view the project workspace files in your web browser. This handy feature relies on the slave that executed the job. SGE slaves are reused and if kept busy they can live a long and productive life. However, slaves left idle for an extended time are deleted. Once the slave is gone, the Workspace button will no longer work. Then the files can only be viewed using other methods like the command line.
In Jenkins > Manage Jenkins > Configure System > SGE Cloud, the Maximum idle time field controls how long idle slaves are retained. If you find that slaves disappear while you still want to view the workspace, increase Maximum idle time.
Environment Variables
Jenkins adds environment variables to the environment, and these are imported into the SGE job environment. Then SGE adds some more. There is just one variable name collision: JOB_NAME. So before SGE overwrites Jenkins' JOB_NAME, the Jenkins value is preserved in environment variable JENKINS_JOB_NAME.
Project History
LSF Cloud Plugin
sge-cloud-plugin was forked from lsf-cloud-plugin and modified to work with SGE instead of LSF.
SGE Cloud Plugin
sge-cloud-plugin is being used in industrial production at Wave Computing.
While it might be nice to integrate sge-cloud-plugin and lsf-cloud-plugin into a single Jenkins plugin, this would be difficult to test, as few organizations have all batch systems installed.
Condor Cloud Plugin (future)
From time to time people inquire about a Condor version of this plugin. To create this you would fork the SGE plugin, then replace the SGE commands it sends with Condor commands. No official Jenkins Condor Plugin has materialized, but potential candidates do turn up in a search of GitHub. Good luck. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60336 | To install click the Add extension button. That's it.
Kelly Slayton
Congratulations on this excellent venture… what a great idea!
Alexander Grigorievskiy
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Birifor language
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Native toBurkina Faso, Ghana
Native speakers
(240,000 cited 1993–2003)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3Either:
bfo – Malba Birifor (Burkina)
biv – Southern Birifor (Ghana)
Birifor is a pair of Gur languages of Burkina Faso (Northern Birifor) and Ghana (Southern Birifor). There are a few thousand speakers of both varieties, which are not mutually intelligible, in Ivory Coast.
1. ^ Malba Birifor (Burkina) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
Southern Birifor (Ghana) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
2. ^ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Birifor". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
This page was last edited on 28 April 2019, at 22:06 |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60337 | To install click the Add extension button. That's it.
Kelly Slayton
Congratulations on this excellent venture… what a great idea!
Alexander Grigorievskiy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Louis Barthou
Louis Barthou 01.jpg
59th Prime Minister of France
In office
22 March 1913 – 9 December 1913
Preceded byAristide Briand
Succeeded byGaston Doumergue
Personal details
Jean Louis Barthou
25 August 1862
Oloron-Sainte-Marie, France
Died9 October 1934(1934-10-09) (aged 72)
Marseille, France
Cause of deathGunshot wound
Political partyIndependent
Jean Louis Barthou (French pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃ lwi baʁtu]; 25 August 1862 – 9 October 1934) was a French politician of the Third Republic who served as Prime Minister of France for eight months in 1913. In social policy, Barthou's time as Prime Minister saw the introduction (in July 1913) of allowances to families with children.[1]
YouTube Encyclopedic
• 1/2
30 074
• ✪ Bac 2019 : premières réactions au lycée Barthou à Pau
• ✪ blocus louis Barthou
Early life
Louis Barthou was born on 25 August 1862 in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France.
He served as Deputy from his home constituency. He was an authority on trade union history and law.
He was Prime Minister from 22 March 1913 to 9 December 1913. In social policy, Barthou's time as prime minister saw the passage of a law in June 1913 aimed at safeguarding women workers before and after childbirth.[2]
Barthou (right) with Polish marshal Józef Piłsudski in 1934
Barthou (right) with Polish marshal Józef Piłsudski in 1934
He also held ministerial office thirteen other times. He served as Foreign Minister in 1934. He was the primary figure behind the Franco-Soviet Treaty of Mutual Assistance of 1935, though it was signed by his successor, Pierre Laval. As a national World War I hero and a recognized author, Barthou was elected to the Académie française at the end of that war.[3]
In 1934, he tried to create an Eastern Pact that would include Germany, Russia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and the Baltic states on the basis of a guarantee by France of the European borders of the Soviet Union and the eastern borders of the then Nazi Germany by the Soviet Union. He succeeded in obtaining entry of the Soviet Union into the League of Nations in September 1934.[4] In response to the withdrawal of Nazi Germany from the League in 1933, he began a program of rearmament, focusing initially on the Navy and the Air Force.[5]
Universal Newsreel's film about the assassination.
As Foreign Minister, Barthou met King Alexander I of Yugoslavia during his state visit to Marseille in October 1934. On 9 October, the King and Barthou were assassinated by Velicko Kerin, a Bulgarian revolutionary nationalist wielding a handgun.[6] A bullet struck Barthou in the arm, passing through and fatally severing an artery. He died of blood loss less than an hour later. The assassination was planned in Rome by Ante Pavelić, head of the Croatian Ustaše, in August 1934. Pavelić was assisted by Georg Percevic, a former Austro-Hungarian Armed Forces officer. France unsuccessfully requested extradition of Percevic and Pavelić.[7] This assassination ended the careers of the Bouches-du-Rhone prefect, Pierre Jouhannaud, and the director of the Surete Nationale, Jean Berthoin.[8]
A ballistic report on the bullets found in the car was made in 1935, but the results were not made available to the public until 1974. They revealed that Barthou was hit by an 8 mm Modèle 1892 revolver round commonly used in weapons carried by French police.[9] Thus he was killed during the frantic police response rather than by the assassin.
The assassination of Barthou and the King led to the Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of Terrorism concluded at Geneva by the League of Nations on 16 November 1937.[10] The Convention was signed by 25 nations, ratified only by India.[11] Barthou was granted a state funeral four days after his demise.
Barthou's ministry, 22 March 1913 – 9 December 1913
1. ^ "Land Policy Review". 1938.
2. ^ The Encyclopædia Britannica: a dictionary of arts, sciences, literature and general information, Volume 31 by Hugh Chisholm
3. ^ Power and Pleasure: Louis Barthou and the Third French Republic by Robert J. Young, McGill-Queens 1991, p. X
4. ^ The Gathering Storm by Winston Churchill, RosettaBooks, 2010, p. 95
5. ^ Alexander, Martin S. (April 2015). "French grand strategy and defence preparations". The Cambridge History of the Second World War. doi:10.1017/cho9781139855969.006. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
6. ^ Matthew Graves, 'Memory and Forgetting on the National Periphery: Marseille and the Regicide of 1934' , PORTAL Journal of Multidisciplinary International Studies, Vol. 7, No. 1, January 2010, p. 1 [1]
7. ^ The Principle of Complementarity in International Criminal Law: Origin, Development and Practice by Mohamed M. El Zeidy, BRILL, September 15, 2008, p. 41
8. ^ The Boundaries of the Republic: Migrant Rights and the Limits of Universalism in France, 1918-1940 by Mary Lewis, Stanford University Press, June 7, 2007, p. 114
9. ^ de Launay, Jacques (1974). Les grandes controverses de l'histoire contemporaine 1914-1945. Edito-Service Histoire Secrete de Notre Temps. p. 568.
10. ^ The United Nations and the Control of International Violence: A Legal and Political Analysis by John Francis Murphy, Manchester University Press ND, 1983, p.179
11. ^ Terrorism: A History by Randall Law, Polity, June 29, 2009, p. 156
Further reading
• Buffotot, Patrice. "The French high command and the Franco‐Soviet alliance 1933–1939." Journal of Strategic Studies 5.4 (1982): 546-559.
• French, G. "Louis Barthou and the German Question: 1934." Report of the Annual Meeting. Vol. 43. No. 1. 1964. online
• Roberts, Allen. The turning point: the assassination of Louis Barthou and King Alexander I of Yugoslavia (1970).
• Young, Robert J. Power and Pleasure: Louis Barthou and the Third French Republic (1991)
• Young, Robert J. "Cultural Politics and the Politics of Culture: The Case of Louis Barthou," French Historical Studies ( Fall 1991)
• Young, Robert J. "A Talent for All Seasons: The Life and Times of Louis Barthou." Queen's Quarterly== 98.4 (1991): 846-64; online.
External links
Political offices
Preceded by
Charles Jonnart
Minister of Public Works
Succeeded by
Ludovic Dupuy-Dutemps
Preceded by
Ferdinand Sarrien
Minister of the Interior
Succeeded by
Henri Brisson
Preceded by
Armand Gauthier de l'Aude (Public Works)
Georges Trouillot (Posts & Telegraphs)
Minister of Public Works, Posts and Telegraphs (France)
Succeeded by
Alexandre Millerand
Preceded by
Aristide Briand
Minister of Justice
Succeeded by
Théodore Girard
Preceded by
Aristide Briand
Minister of Justice
Succeeded by
Antony Ratier
Preceded by
Aristide Briand
President of the Council
Succeeded by
Gaston Doumergue
Preceded by
Théodore Steeg
Minister of Public Instruction
Succeeded by
René Viviani
Preceded by
Minister of State
With: Léon Bourgeois, Paul Doumer, Jean Dupuy
Succeeded by
Léon Bourgeois
Paul Doumer
Jean Dupuy
Preceded by
Alexandre Ribot
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Succeeded by
Stéphen Pichon
Preceded by
Flaminius Rabierti
Minister of War
Succeeded by
André Maginot
Preceded by
Laurent Bonnevay
Minister of Justice
Succeeded by
Maurice Colrat
Preceded by
Maurice Colrat
Minister of Justice
Succeeded by
Lucien Hubert
Preceded by
André Maginot
Minister of War
Succeeded by
André Maginot
Preceded by
Édouard Daladier
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Succeeded by
Pierre Laval
This page was last edited on 11 January 2020, at 16:38 |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60338 | To install click the Add extension button. That's it.
Kelly Slayton
Congratulations on this excellent venture… what a great idea!
Alexander Grigorievskiy
Live Statistics
English Articles
Improved in 24 Hours
Added in 24 Hours
Show all languages
Union Party (United States)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Union Party was a short-lived political party in the United States, formed in 1936 by a coalition of radio priest Father Charles Coughlin, old-age pension advocate Francis Townsend, and Gerald L. K. Smith, who had taken control of Huey Long's Share Our Wealth (SOW) movement after Long's assassination in 1935. Each of those people hoped to channel their wide followings into support for the Union Party, which proposed a populist alternative to the New Deal reforms of Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression.
The party nominated a ticket consisting of Republican Congressman William Lemke and labor attorney Thomas C. O'Brien in the 1936 presidential election. Running against Republican nominee Alf Landon, Roosevelt won a second term with over 60% of the popular vote, while Lemke won just under 2% of the popular vote. The Union Party collapsed after the 1936 elections. Lemke served as a Republican Congressman until his death in 1950, while Coughlin and Townsend receded from national politics. Smith later founded the Christian Nationalist Crusade and became a prominent proponent of Holocaust denial.
Many observers at the time felt that there was a place for a party more radical than Roosevelt and the Democrats but still non-Marxist in the political spectrum of the time.
Newton Jenkins' campaign in the 1935 Chicago mayoral election acted as an informal test-run for the fledgling movement behind the Union Party.[1][2]
Rumored political aspirations of Huey Long
Although many people expected Huey Long, the colorful Democratic senator from Louisiana, to run as a third-party candidate with his "Share Our Wealth" program as his platform, his bid was cut short when he was assassinated in September 1935.
Prior to Long's death, leading contenders for the role of the sacrificial 1936 candidate included Senators Burton K. Wheeler (D-Montana) and William E. Borah (R-Idaho), and Governor Floyd B. Olson (FL-Minnesota). After the assassination, however, the two senators lost interest in the idea (Borah ran as a Republican, garnering only a few delegates and losing the nomination to Kansas governor Alf Landon) and Olson was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer.
Problems and controversies
The Union Party suffered from a multiplicity of problems almost from the moment of its inception. A primary one was that each of the party's three principal leaders seemingly saw himself, not its presidential nominee William Lemke, as the real power figure and natural leader of the party. His charisma attracted more people than did the other candidates. Another was that each man's movement was largely held together by personality more than a truly cohesive ideology: in the case of Coughlin and Townsend their own personalities; in the case of Smith, the memory of the late Huey Long's charismatic personality. Smith himself was considered a far less charismatic figure. Some critics charged that the Union Party was in fact controlled by Father Coughlin, a former Roosevelt supporter who had broken with Roosevelt and by 1936 had become an antisemite. Smith had also turned to antisemitism, which was not consistent with the views of Long, Townsend, and Lemke, and reduced the appeal of the group among many progressives.
The Union Party attracted modest support from populists on both sides of the political spectrum who were unhappy with Roosevelt and from the remnants of earlier third parties such as the Farmer-Labor Party. Others such as The Nation magazine were wary of the new party and backed Roosevelt. Presaging more recent debates over the Reform Party, the Green Party, H. Ross Perot, and Ralph Nader, some falsely considered the party either a left-wing spoiler party which would hurt Roosevelt, or an unworkable alliance between left-wing and right-wing populists. More traditional parties on the left such as the Socialist Party denounced the Union Party.
1936 presidential nominee
William Lemke, a U.S. Congressman from North Dakota, was chosen as the party's nominee for the 1936 presidential election.
The vice-presidential nominee was Thomas C. O'Brien, a labor lawyer from Boston.
Other notable candidates
Jacob S. Coxey of Coxey's Army fame, socialist leader and frequent independent candidate for the United States Congress, ran for Congress in 1936 on the Union Party ticket in Ohio's 16th District. He received 2,384 votes or 1.6% of the vote (4th place).
The Union Party was disbanded shortly after the 1936 elections. Presidential nominee Lemke continued to serve in Congress as a Republican, and died in office while serving an eighth term. Father Coughlin announced his retirement from the airwaves immediately after the disappointing returns of the 1936 election, but returned to the air within a couple of months; upon U.S. entry into World War II, the Roman Catholic Church ordered Father Coughlin to retire from the airwaves and return to his duties as a parish priest, and he died in obscurity in 1979. Townsend, already quite elderly, saw his movement largely supplanted by the enactment of Social Security the next year and also largely became quite obscure afterwards, although he lived until 1960. Smith became even more of a radical fringe figure who eventually became an early proponent of Holocaust denial. He died in 1976.
Other namesakes
In the 1864 presidential election the Republican Party of incumbent President Abraham Lincoln ran as the "National Union Party" or "Union Party". The name was a reference to the Union faction of the American Civil War. Coughlin took the Union label for his own party, comparing the "financial slavery" of the 1930s to the "physical slavery" of the 1860s.[3]
In the 1980 presidential election, John B. Anderson's independent bid for the presidency against Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter was in many states run on the party ballot line of the "National Union Party".[4] Anderson won 6.6% of the popular vote and no electoral votes.
1. ^ "THIRD PARTY TRIES WINGS IN CHICAGO; Newton Jenkins Is Entered for Mayor Under Symbol of the American Buffalo". New York Times. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
2. ^ [ Nazi Spies and American “Patriots” By John L. Spivak]
3. ^ Kazin, Michael (29 October 1998). The Populist Persuasion: An American History. Cornell University Press. pp. 124–125.
4. ^ Pollitt, Katha, "Down for the Count", The Nation (December 16, 2000)
Events Quarterly
Further reading
• Bennett, David Harry. Demagogues in the Depression;: American radicals and the Union Party, 1932-1936. 341 pages. Rutgers University Press. 1969. ISBN 0-8135-0590-9.
• Brinkley, Alan. Voices of Protest: Huey Long, Father Coughlin, & the Great Depression. 384 pages. Vintage. 1983. ISBN 0-394-71628-0.
• Tull, C.J. Father Coughlin and the New Deal. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 0-8156-0043-7.
• Williams, T. Harry. Huey Long. 944 pages. Vintage. 1981. ISBN 0-394-74790-9.
This page was last edited on 3 December 2019, at 12:19 |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60356 | (This is a carry on from my previous question about Oxygen pooling)
I am creating a world that is made up of Oxygen - in deep caves/sink holes, and Hydrogen/Helium (possibly Methane) in the higher levels.
I would like my characters to be able to visually see the different gasses as they travel the world, through the use of goggles or a helmet.
I know we can distinguish the atmosphere and makeup of different planets by the colour. But isn't that usually based on the colour of the surface? As in - what the gas has done to the surface is what we are looking at, rather than the gas itself?
Oxygen, Helium and Hydrogen all have different absorption wavelengths in nm. e.g.
Hydrogen 433, 486, 656
Helium 447, 502, 587, 668
Oxygen 464 to 467, 559, 626, 760
Does this mean (theoretically) that you could create a filter (helmet/goggles) that could be tuned to these specific spectrum's so you could "see" the different gasses on planets?
• $\begingroup$ Well, if you used a proper frequency laser, but I don't think that is what you had in mind. $\endgroup$ – Jimmy360 Jun 17 '15 at 2:39
• $\begingroup$ Thanks @Jimmy360 do you think that would work if you looked through a frequency laser? e.g. if the laser was bounced back and forth across/inside the viewport of a helmet? $\endgroup$ – JimDiGriz Jun 17 '15 at 2:44
• $\begingroup$ No, it would have to hit the gas. $\endgroup$ – Jimmy360 Jun 17 '15 at 2:44
• $\begingroup$ Consider rephrasing the question. I believe technically this is off-topic as currently worded but the spirit of the question falls into the realm of the board. "What color would I see on a planet with XYZ atmosphere?" "Could I make goggles to distinguish the different gasses in an atmosphere?" etc. $\endgroup$ – Jim2B Jun 17 '15 at 4:06
• 1
$\begingroup$ FLIR makes a camera that can identify gasses. It could easily be incorporated in to a pair of goggles through the power of scifi magic- $\endgroup$ – Magic-Mouse Jun 17 '15 at 6:26
With some effort, yes.
This wouldn't be a filter, specifically, but a very sophisticated imaging system. I doubt we have the engineering ability to build such a thing currently, but performing realtime (60 FPS), very high resolution, pixel by pixel spectroscopy different gases could be mapped as different colors on a user's head mounted unit.
However. It wouldn't have atomic resolution, so if you're in something like Earth's atmosphere you'll just see the combination of gases right in front of your face. Making gases opaque is not a great way to view the world.
• $\begingroup$ Actually samuel, this is a thing, and it is being produced today. I don't know how much is public but the latest in the tech is pretty impressive. $\endgroup$ – Magic-Mouse Jun 17 '15 at 7:38
• $\begingroup$ @Magic-Mouse Sorry I know it's used in space and for photos. I mean making a video version that processes in real time and is head mounted. That's hard. $\endgroup$ – Samuel Jun 17 '15 at 14:28
Plausible. Look up the spectra of those gasses, as used by space probes. A sense could hace a tuned peak to be sensitive to oxygen. This might be separate from the normal visual sense, with distinct organs that have directionality but no resolution, like a pit viper does with IR. I expect it would need to be in the UV range.
The different absorbsion peaks you mention are complicated by the fact that gas is almost completely clear in visible range, so how can you tell if the air is darker?
You could handwave a differential brightness between the peak and adjecent frequency that is sensitive to very low levels. Maybe you can only see it if sighting the sun through it.
If you are looking for oxygen seeps, perhaps they use smell to detect higher than ambient concentration and gradient, to locate the source.
Also, you could detect all the other stuff that goes with the microbiome. Think about the abyssal plane: if you could not detect the hydrogen sulfide directly, you will still notice the dense fauna growing around it: enter image description here
Another idea follows from the deep sea vent analogue: the hydrogen sulfide is emitted through vents at very high temperature. Certain shrimp at the vents can sense the IR, which finds the vents which just happen to emit the gas of interest. You will have a complete package of geological effects that go with the phenomenon of oxygen seeps.
• $\begingroup$ Thanks @JDługosz - this is all great stuff. I like the idea of the creature being able to smell the difference. Didn't consider that. $\endgroup$ – JimDiGriz Jun 17 '15 at 22:11
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60378 | What is MobiDash
MobiDash is a new adware infection that uses the popularity of FaceApp to spread. Security company Kaspersky discovered the adware on July 7 when users reported that after downloading the viral FaceApp from unofficial sources the app failed to install. When users install MobiDash thinking it’s FaceApp, they are led to believe that the app was unable to install. Obvious signs of the app installed on the device disappear but a malicious module still remains and silently displays advertisements. Kaspersky has reported that at least 500 devices were infected within a 48-hour period starting July 19. MobiDash
MobiDash adware isn’t exactly the most dangerous infection by itself but because it shows the user various ads, some of which could be dangerous, it’s best to get rid of it as soon as possible. MobiDash removal manually may be difficult as it hides itself quite well. It would be best to use some kind anti-virus app to remove MobiDash.
How does MobiDash install?
FaceApp was popular back in 2017 but has recently went viral again due to its aging feature that accurately ages people in photos. Obviously scammers saw a great opportunity to make some money so they started using FaceApp’s popularity to distribute the MobiDash adware. Only users who download the app from unreliable sources are in danger of infection. If you use legitimate app stores like Google Play or the App Store, you’ll be fine.
Third-party app stores are often full of various adware and potentially dangerous apps pretending to be legitimate. Because those stores are generally not monitored for bad apps, plenty of users end up installing them. This is why it’s better to stick to legitimate app stores, which while not perfect at least try to stop the malicious apps. Despite them being a much safer option, Google Play and the App Store can sometimes miss questionable apps and allow them on the stores. This is why it’s recommended to always check the developer, reviews, etc., before installing any apps, even if they’re from legitimate sources.
What does MobiDash do?
MobiDash is adware. When users download and try to install the fake FaceApp, they are informed that the installation failed. Any obvious signs of the fake app are removed but a malicious module remains. There are reportedly 800 different module modifications that can be installed.
Once it installs onto the device, MobiDash will start displaying advertisements on your screen. Ads on your phone or tablet screen are particularly annoying because of how intrusive they are. It’s also easier to accidentally click on them, making them somewhat dangerous ads. It’s not recommended to engage with any ads that randomly show up on your screen. They could lead to phishing sites or ones hosting malware.
MobiDash removal
If you can recall downloading FaceApp from an unreliable source, and it did not install properly, you likely have MobiDash on your smartphone or tablet. It could be difficult to delete MobiDash manually as it hides itself to avoid this scenario. It may be better to use anti-virus software to uninstall MobiDash from your device.
• wipersoft
• mackeeper
• malwarebytes-logo2
Quick Menu
Step 1. Uninstall MobiDash and related programs.
Remove MobiDash from Windows 8
Delete MobiDash from Windows 8
Uninstall MobiDash from Windows 7
Uninstall MobiDash from Windows 7
Delete MobiDash from Windows XP
Remove MobiDash from Windows XP
Remove MobiDash from Mac OS X
Click Go button at the top left of the screen and select Applications. Select applications folder and look for MobiDash or any other suspicious software. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash, then right click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.
MobiDash removal from MAC OS X
Step 2. Delete MobiDash from your browsers
Terminate the unwanted extensions from Internet Explorer
1. Tap the Gear icon and go to Manage Add-ons. MobiDash IE gear
2. Pick Toolbars and Extensions and eliminate all suspicious entries (other than Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Oracle or Adobe) MobiDash IE toolbars and extensions
3. Leave the window.
Change Internet Explorer homepage if it was changed by virus:
1. Tap the gear icon (menu) on the top right corner of your browser and click Internet Options. MobiDash IE gear
2. In General Tab remove malicious URL and enter preferable domain name. Press Apply to save changes. MobiDash IE toolbars and extensions
Reset your browser
1. Click the Gear icon and move to Internet Options. MobiDash IE options
2. Open the Advanced tab and press Reset. MobiDash IE reset browser
3. Choose Delete personal settings and pick Reset one more time. MobiDash IE reset
4. Tap Close and leave your browser. MobiDash IE close
Erase MobiDash from Google Chrome
1. Access menu (top right corner of the window) and pick Settings. MobiDash Chrome menu
2. Choose Extensions. MobiDash Chrome settings
3. Eliminate the suspicious extensions from the list by clicking the Trash bin next to them. MobiDash Chrome extensions remove
4. If you are unsure which extensions to remove, you can disable them temporarily. MobiDash Chrome extensions disable
1. Press on menu icon and click Settings. MobiDash Chrome menu
3. In another window remove malicious search sites and enter the one that you want to use as your homepage. MobiDash Chrome extensions remove
MobiDash Chrome extensions disable
Reset your browser
2. Open menu and navigate to Settings. MobiDash Chrome settings more
3. Press Reset button at the end of the page. MobiDash Chrome advanced menu
4. Tap Reset button one more time in the confirmation box. MobiDash Chrome reset
Remove MobiDash from Mozilla Firefox
2. Move to Extensions and Add-ons list and uninstall all suspicious and unknown entries. MobiDash Firefox extensions
Change Mozilla Firefox homepage if it was changed by virus:
1. Tap on the menu (top right corner), choose Options. MobiDash Firefox reset confirm
2. On General tab delete malicious URL and enter preferable website or click Restore to default. MobiDash Firefox reset confirm
3. Press OK to save these changes.
Reset your browser
1. Open the menu and tap Help button. MobiDash Firefox help
2. Select Troubleshooting Information. MobiDash Firefox troubleshooting
3. Press Refresh Firefox. MobiDash Firefox reset
4. In the confirmation box, click Refresh Firefox once more. MobiDash Firefox reset confirm
Uninstall MobiDash from Safari (Mac OS X)
1. Access the menu.
2. Pick Preferences. MobiDash Safari menu
3. Go to the Extensions Tab. MobiDash Safari extensions
4. Tap the Uninstall button next to the undesirable MobiDash and get rid of all the other unknown entries as well. If you are unsure whether the extension is reliable or not, simply uncheck the Enable box in order to disable it temporarily.
5. Restart Safari.
Reset your browser
1. Tap the menu icon and choose Reset Safari. MobiDash Safari reset menu
2. Pick the options which you want to reset (often all of them are preselected) and press Reset. MobiDash Safari reset
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60381 | How to Get Nissan Codes OBD1
Step by step guide on how to retrieve troubles codes from Nissan vehicles 1995 and earlier, including code chart.
Begin with the vehicle on level ground, engine off with the emergency brake set.
Step 1 - To boot the computer in mode four make sure the key is in the "OFF" position. Next locate the mode switch on the computer which is either a small toggle or a screw style switch. The screw style switch is activated by turning the screw one way then back the other way.
Step 2 - Turn the key to the "ON" position without starting the engine, next flip the switch or turn the screw. The led light will blink one time for mode one, then two times for mode two, three times for mode three.
Step 3 - When the lights blink four times this is the mode needed to display the trouble codes, flip the switch or turn the screw back. The led light will now blink out the trouble code or codes, the computer must be in mode four to retrieve the trouble codes.
Step 4 - The first led light will blink the first digit of the code number, there will be a pause then the remaining led light will blink out the second digit of the trouble code. For example, if the first led light blinks one time, and the second led light blinked two times the code number would be 12. Some Nissan models are equipped with just one led light in this case the light will blink the first part of the code pause, then continue with the second number of the code. Once repairs have been made the computer codes can be cleared by disconnecting the negative battery terminal for three minutes and then reconnect it.
Helpful Information
A diagnostic code is helpful when troubleshooting a particular problem that has occurred. After the trouble code is defined the problem can be repaired and rechecked. Early Nissan check engine lights are not used to blink out a trouble code like on most vehicles but instead use a mode and retrieval method. Most computers are located behind the glove box, under the passengers seat or in the center console depending on year and model and is set up to work in five different modes, the first three modes of operation are used for the manufacturing and assembly process, mode four is used for trouble code output sequence and mode five is used to read oxygen sensor outputs.
Nissan Trouble Codes
Code 11 Crank angle sensor
Code 12 Mass airflow sensor
Code 13 Engine coolant temperature sensor
Code 14 Vehicle speed sensor
Code 21 No ignition reference
Code 22 Fuel pump
Code 31 Engine control unit
Code 32 EGR sensor
Code 33 Oxygen sensor
Code 34 Knock sensor
Code 35 EGR temperature sensor
Code 43 Throttle position sensor
Code 45 Injector leak
Code 51 Injector circuit
Code 54 Automatic transmission signal
Code 55 No malfunction recorded
Article published |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60386 | Sabbath, July 1st, 2006
The Epistles to the Romans
A man struggled day after day to gain the victory over his shortcomings and sins. Still, every battle there was setbacks, which greatly discouraged him. One day he received some encouraging advice, which seemed to be thesolution to his problem. It was recommended that he take a trip to Rome, where he could climb “Pilate’s staircase” and there he would find forgiveness.
With the burning desire in his heart to reach his destination, he set out on the trip; and with a heart full of hope he arrived in the famous city. As he was there something special happened. The promise from the Word of God resounded in his mind: “The just shall live by faith”. To remember and understand this wonderful message from the Letter to the Romans, was the great experience in his life. It is a message by which each of us will be enabled to maintain a constant experience with God.
The author of this letter to the Romans is the Apostle Paul. He wrote it on his third missionary journey, during his stay at Corinth. This was between the years 57 and 58 A.D. In the pages of this letter he expressed his fullness of joy in the hope-filled message of the gospel, and sent this good news to the church members in the city of Rome as well to us.It is our sincerest wish that during the second half of 2006, through the study of this letter the Lord may enable us to achieve a deeper and more intimate experience in justification by faith based on the immeasurable grace of God.
– The Brethren of the General Conference
“But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God…” 2 Corinthians 6:4.
“Gain courage from the experience of the apostle Paul. He had many trials. He was an unwearied worker, and travelled constantly, sometimes through inhospitable regions, sometimes on the water, in storm and tempest.Far harder than ours was his lot, for travelling then had not the conveniences that it has now. But Paul allowed nothing to hinder him from his work (Letter 107, 1904).” –S.D.A. Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1106.
1. During his stay in Corinth, what longing filled Paul’s heart?
Romans 1:11, 15 For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.
“During his sojourn at Corinth, Paul found time to look forward to new and wider fields of service. His contemplated journey to Rome especially occupied his thoughts.” –The Acts of the Apostles, p. 373.
2. Had Paul ever visited Rome before?
3. What three things did Paul want the Christians in Rome to know?
“Paul regarded the occasion of his formal ordination as marking the beginning of a new and important epoch in his lifework. It was from the time of this solemn ceremony, when, just before he was to depart on his first missionary journey, he was ‘separated unto the gospel of God,’ that he afterward dated the beginning of his apostleship in the Christian church. (RH, May 11, 1911)” –S.D.A. Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1067.
4. To what authority did Paul refer as the foundation of his message?
“The Bible is God’s great lesson book, His great educator. The foundation of all true science is contained in the Bible. Every branch of knowledge may be found by searching the word of God. And above all else it contains the science of all sciences, the science of salvation. The Bible is the mine of the unsearchable riches of Christ.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 107.
5. What prophetic fulfilment is revealed in the Scriptures?
Romans 1:3, 4
“Like the rejected stone, Christ in His earthly mission had borne neglect and abuse. He was ‘despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: . . . He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.’ Isa. 53:3. But the time was near when He would be glorified. By the resurrection from the dead He would be declared ‘the Son of God with power.’ Rom. 1:4. At His second coming He would be revealed as Lord of heaven and earth.” –The Desire of Ages, p. 600.
6. What is said in this letter about the church at Rome?
“…notwithstanding the opposition, twenty years after the crucifixion of Christ there was a live, earnest church in Rome. This church was strong and zealous, and the Lord worked for it. (RH, March 6, 1900)” –S.D.A. Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1063.
7. What selfless task did Paul want to settle before his visit to Rome?
Romans 15:25, 26 But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.
“All were to share in this work of imparting of their carnal things to those who ministered unto them in spiritual things. They were also taught that the widows and fatherless had a claim upon their charity. Pure and undefiled religion is defined, ‘To visit the widows and fatherless in their affliction, and to keep unspotted from the world’.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, p. 190.
• Is the work of God one of my heart’s desires?
• Am I only useful to God in coincidental opportunities?
• How do I use my talents in the support of church life? |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60430 | Data Mining and Machine Learning in Molecular Sciences I
Hachmann, J., University at Buffalo, SUNY
Ferguson, A. L., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Shukla, D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Computational approaches to correlate, analyze, and understand large and complex data sets are playing increasingly important roles in the physical, chemical, and life sciences. This session solicits submissions pertaining to methodological advances and applications of data mining and machine learning methods, with particular emphasis on data-driven modeling and property prediction, statistical inference, big data, and informatics. Topics of interest include: algorithm development, inverse engineering, chemical property prediction, genomics/proteomics/metabolomics, (virtual) high-throughput screening, rational design, accelerated simulation, biomolecular folding, reaction networks, and quantum chemistry.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60437 | Noel is a counsellor, risking his career for volunteering in an orphanage.
Nidhi is an engineering student on the surface, but deep down a broken girl in search of some unanswered questions.
Appu is a sweet little orphan, unaware of the cruelties of the world.
Despite being miles apart their stories interweave in “Aashiyana”, the orphanage. Their little journey together changes their lives in ways they never imagined.
One recurring nightmare, one unexpected phone call, one stolen diary, many lies and secrets, and a calling from the past are just the highlights. And when they depart, they are not the same anymore.
They didn’t hurt each other, it was a game of destiny. Will they ever be able to rediscover themselves and more importantly, will their paths ever cross again?
Beyond Secrets is a novel with layers of suspense and different nuances of relationships. And one question that can’t have just one answer - How long does it take for a scar to heal?
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2017 by Alka Dimri Saklani
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60467 | As far as features go, this one is a pretty teeny tiny change, but we know you, dear Android Police reader, like to check out the nitty gritty of every Android release, and that's what we're here for.
On Android O, when you pull up the app drawer in the Pixel Launcher, you may notice one change: the navigation buttons no longer float still float on top of the drawer in a translucent overlay, but they switch to dark icons and ditch the translucent bar beneath them when scrolled to the very bottom.
Left: Android O on a Pixel. Right: Android N 7.1.2 on a Nexus 5X.
So far, we've seen the change with Android O running on a Pixel phone, but we haven't yet verified that it happens with the Pixel Launcher when it's installed on Nexus phones running O as well. This might be a small tweak that will only affect Pixel devices, so do let us know if you see it happening on your Nexus phone. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60468 | If you remember back in 2014, MX Player had to take a forced step of removing support for the AC-3 codec (also known as Dolby Digital) from its app. That killed a bit of MX Player's magic: it had previously been popular as the app that could play any and every video you threw at it, no need to worry about formats and encodings, and regardless of whether or not your device's own video player could support them. After the removal, users had to download custom-built codecs and manually point the app toward them as a make-do solution to gain back AC-3 capabilities.
Finally, on March 20, the last of Dolby's patents over the AC-3 codec expired. You can read more about it on AC3FreedomDay (the page appears to be down, so we're pointing you to a cached page). And that left MX Player free to add back support into its app, which it proceeded to do swiftly.
The team announced it on the XDA forums saying that version 1.8.17 of MX Player and 1.8.16 of MX Player Pro both have it working. All you need to do is restart the app with an active internet connection and the configuration will be updated to enable AC-3 playback. All of your local videos and even streamed ones with AC-3 audio should play normally with sound. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60477 | AC Enhancing Stims
Class: All Classes
Faction: All Factions
Level: All Levels
Item Links:
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There are only 2 of them, one to boost Chemical AC and one for Radiation AC. Both are build from stuff found inside The Crypt dungeon in Broken Shores and both locks AC skill they boost for 30 min.
You will need the following items:
Pit Demon Spit and Gas Bladder are from The Crypt. An Empty Stim Unit can be bought from Pharmacy and Chemistry Bases Terminal and the Mimicking Cellular Oil from a Pharmacy and Chemistry Components Terminal.
The tradeskill process is the same for both types of stims:
+ =
Requires 525 in Chemistry Skill.
+ =
Requires 450 in Chemistry Skill.
In both cases you'll end up with 10 charges.
Last updated on 02.15.2011 by Trgeorge
Information originally provided by Trgeorge. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60483 | Tuesday, 8 March 2011
Moon (2009)
Director: Duncan Jones
Star: Sam Rockwell
You know the ideas are going to start rolling when a film begins with a commercial pointing out how we've already solved the energy crisis. Lunar Industries Ltd has been farming HE3 from the dark side of the moon and shipping it back home and now feeds 75% of the energy needs on our planet. You know it's hardly going to be conventional because it's written and directed by Zowie Bowie, David's son, though he's going by his real name of Duncan Jones to presumably at least attempt to avoid that connection, as if that's ever going to work. It stars people as talented but as diverse as Kevin Spacey and Matt Berry, all backing up Sam Rockwell, hardly a minor talent himself. Its $5m budget is high for a low budget film, which it looks far too expensive to count as, but low for a Hollywood movie which it seems to have successfully competed with, both with the critics and the public, though praise has not been universal. So it's about time I saw it.
A movie this optimistic can't help but invite comparisons and initially they're entirely obvious. Rockwell plays Sam Bell, who's almost at the end of a three year work contract, which is unusual for two reasons. Firstly, he's working at a mining base on the dark side of the moon, by the name of Sarang, possibly because it means 'love' in Korean. Secondly, he's the entire human crew, which is a strange decision on the part of the company he works for but one that isn't without precedent. In fact, this is the first reason that Silent Running is the obvious initial comparison. For a while it looks a lot like Dark Star too, especially given Sam's plentiful facial hair. There are inevitable references to 2001: A Space Odyssey, not only because there's a computer called GERTY who runs the show and talks a lot like HAL but because that computer is able to lie and refuse to let Sam out of the doors following an accident. Open the pod bay doors, Hal, indeed.
The accident is the point at which we begin to ask a whole slew of questions, deeper ones than just why Sam has a table tennis table when there's nobody else there to play. He's started to experience hallucinations. He burns himself while making coffee because he sees a figure of a girl in the room with him. Then out on the surface he sees another figure, causing him to crash into one of the harvesters. He wakes up in the infirmary back on Sarang with short term memory loss, but he finds a way past GERTY to visit the scene of the crash and discovers himself, still alive in the crashed moon buggy. The film really engages here as we ask a whole bunch of questions, postulate a whole bunch of answers and wonder if we've figured out the twist a little early in the film. Obviously we're in Blade Runner territory, but is that all we have in store or is there something else to follow?
Well, the good news is that every time we think we've answered everything, more questions turn up. There's also emotional impact in the answers, which is a powerful achievement given that for the most part there are only two actors on screen, both of whom are playing Sam Bell. I should add that it isn't done with effects the way that Buster Keaton made Sherlock Jr, it's done with an actor named Robin Chalk, who looks very similar to Sam Rockwell. The bad news is that the way the film has unfolded thus far leads us to phrase our questions in terms of which classic science fiction movie they're going to patch into the story next. I was expecting a mind trip along the lines of my expectations of Solaris, one of the few classic science fiction movies I haven't seen yet (and should really get around to soon), but surprisingly I got elements of everything else instead, with 2001: A Space Odyssey being the most frequently referenced.
Where this all leaves me is a little hung in my opinion. A lot of people have raved about this film to me and it's done well as far as awards nominations go, especially in its native England. I have a lot of admiration for it, both because it's a serious science fiction film done well and because it has managed to escape its low budget origins in a way that others have not managed to do, not least GB: 2525, another low budget serious science fiction film released in 2009 that impressed me but didn't seem to reach critical mass and impress everyone else. The story unfolds well, the effects are decent without being groundbreaking, presumably courtesy of Jones's experience in turning out quality effects for little money in the commercials industry, notably using physical models instead of digital effects. The acting is excellent, Sam Rockwell dominating not merely because he's almost the only actor we see. It's a substantial part and he does it justice.
Where I had problems was mostly in the fact that there's very little, if anything, here that could be called original. Much seems to have been made of the thinking behind it, including a tale of synchronicity from a screening at NASA. In his Q&A Jones explained why the base looked like a bunker not like something that would have been transported to the moon, namely that he saw it as more likely that Lunar Industries Inc would use materials there to build things. A woman then explained, from the audience, that she was working on a substance called mooncrete comprised of lunar regolith and ice water that could be harvested from the moon's poles. I have no problem with the hard science or in acknowledging that Jones really thought his story out, but almost all of it seems to have been borrowed from other science fiction films. What is there that exists in this movie that doesn't appear in another science fiction movie? Were GERTY's emoticons it?
It got so obvious that I soon reached a point where I stopped wondering about what progressions the plot would make and started wondering which movie references were going to appear next. I even began to think about which movies hadn't been given nods thus far and so tried to imagine how they could fit in. It was a fun game, but it damaged my interpretations of the film and I don't really see that as my problem, rather one inherent in the script. Rockwell's dynamic acting really isn't enough to get past it. In fact, the very act of wondering highlighted parts of the story that were under- or not explored, not least GERTY, as capably voiced by Kevin Spacey. I was waiting for a nod to The Moon is a Harsh Mistress but perhaps that's too early for the era of influence Jones had. It never came. I was also waiting for a Planet of the Apes reference, but the film's timeframe didn't get that ambitious. The hallucinations may have ended up too Blade Runner.
Jones is apparently planning a sequel to Moon, but ultimately aims to end up with a trilogy, albeit much later in his hopefully long and versatile career. He certainly shows serious talent, as this is his first feature film. Sure, being David Bowie's son can't hurt. Having Sting's wife as a producer can't hurt. The gazillion entertainment industry contacts you probably grew up around certainly can't hurt. Yet at the end of the day, Duncan Jones had to make this film and he did exactly that. However original it is or isn't, it's a capable piece and it's a heck of a starting point for a career. Before it was only a short film called Whistle, dating back as far as 2002. After it comes Source Code, an action thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal due for release on April Fool's Day, and then an epilogue to Moon called Mute, which is currently in development. This could easily be Jones's Donnie Darko. The real question is whether Source Code will be his Southland Tales.
elvis presley said...
it appears you couldn't just sit and watch the film without having to diligently search for references to other sci-fi films and you kept expecting it to unfold and end like this film and that film. jesus christ just watch the film. no sci-film or any film in that matter is going to possess full originality as that's why these are genre films. they are influenced by one another which makes them sci-fi. and you kept name dropping and expecting that a person who has a famous father and sting's wife as producer wouldn't be able to produce a great film. this was a very snobby review and i did not find it helpful.
Hal C. F. Astell said...
Sorry you took it that way.
The only expectations I had were high ones, as a few friends whose opinions I trust had seen Moon and praised it highly. I enjoyed the film too and thought it was well shot and notable for the budget but unfortunately notably unoriginal.
I didn't set out to search for references. As I pointed out, they leapt out at me in such numbers that it became very difficult not to acknowledge them and at some point, they just took over. I point this out to deliberately highlight how this didn't help my objectivity but that's a problem inherent in the derivative story.
Science fiction has common themes, sure, just like every genre, but that doesn't prohibit originality. There are a number of modern indie science fiction films that embrace that. Check out The Man from Earth, 8th Wonderland, GB 2525, Lunopolis, The Photon Effect or It Came for Friendship But Found Food. Not all are as well made as Moon, but they're all far more original.
The spice said...
It's been some time since I saw "Moon" and I don't remember the scene where he sees a hallucination of a woman. It might be that this is another reference that you'll find once you watch Solaris.
Thank you for this post. It had very very interesting trivia! |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60497 | Arrant Pedantry
My Thesis
Why You Need an Editor
Every writer needs a good editor. It doesn’t matter how good you are, how many years of experience you have, or how meticulous you are; you simply can’t see all of your own mistakes. We all have a blind spot for our own typos and for the weaknesses in our arguments, because we know how the text should read.
Last year I started writing for Copyediting newsletter, and I’ve really appreciated having professional editors review my writing before it’s published. I’d gotten so used to blogging that it was a bit of a shock at first to see things come back covered with marks, but I quickly realized the value in having another pair or two of eyes to look things over. A good editor catches not only typos and other infelicities, but structural problems like poor transitions, unclear arguments, and weak conclusions. My pieces for the newsletter have been stronger for having been edited.
You may already be a great writer. You may even know your style manual of choice forwards and backwards. Or you could be someone with great ideas who needs some extra help translating those ideas into words. Whatever your level of expertise, you can still benefit from having a professional edit your writing. That’s what we’re here for.
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The Reason Why This Is Correct
There’s a long-running debate over whether the construction reason why is acceptable. Critics generally argue that why essentially means reason, so saying reason why is like saying reason twice. Saying something twice is redundant, and redundancy is bad; ergo, reason why is bad. This is really a rather bizarre argument. Reason is a noun; why is usually an interrogative adverb. They do cover some of the same semantic space, but not the same syntactic space. Does this really make the construction redundant? Defendants generally admit that it’s redundant, but in a harmless way. But rebutting the critics by calling it “not ungrammatical” or saying that “redundancy is not inherently bad” is a pretty weak defense. However, that defense can be strengthened with the addition of something that has been missing from the discussion: an examination of the syntactic role of why in such constructions.
Nearly every discussion on reason why that I’ve ever seen—including Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage and Garner’s Modern American Usage—leaves out this very important syntactic component. The only exceptions that I’ve seen are this post on the Grammarphobia blog and this one on Daily Writing Tips, which both mention that why is a conjunction. The writers at Grammarphobia argue that reason why is not actually redundant because of why’s syntactic role, but Mark Nichol at Daily Writing Tips seems much more confused about the issue. He says that even though reason why has been around for centuries and only came under fire in the twentieth century, he’ll continue to avoid it in his own writing “but will forgive the combination when I am editing that of others” (how magnanimous). But he doesn’t understand why reason why is okay but reason is because is not, because both why and because are conjunctions.
I won’t get into reason is because here, but suffice it to say that these are very different constructions. As I mentioned in my previous post on relative pronouns and adverbs, why functions as a relative adverb, but it appears almost exclusively after the word reason. (To be clear, all relative pronouns and adverbs can be considered conjunctions because they connect a subordinate clause—the relative clause—to a main one.) In a phrase like the reason why this is correct, why connects the relative clause this is correct to the noun it modifies, reason. Relative pronouns refer to a noun phrase, while relative adverbs refer to some kind of adverbial phrase. As with any relative clause, you can extract a main clause out of the relative clause by replacing the relative pronoun or adverb and doing a little rearranging (that’s the man who I met > I met the man), though with relative adverbs you often have to add in a function word or two: the reason why this is correct > this is correct for this reason. This is pretty obvious when you think about it. A phrase like the reason why this is correct contains another clause—this is correct. There has to be something to connect it syntactically to the rest of the phrase.
In defending the construction, Gabe Doyle at Motivated Grammar compares it to the redundancy in The person who left their wet swimsuit on my books is going to pay. This is actually a more apt comparison than Mr. Doyle realizes, because he doesn’t make the connection between the relative pronoun who and the relative adverb why. He argues that it is just as redundant as reason why (and therefore not a problem), because who means person in a sense.
But as I said above, this isn’t really redundancy. Who is a relative pronoun connecting a clause to a noun phrase. If who means the same thing as person, it’s only because that’s its job as a pronoun. Pronouns are supposed to refer to other things in the sentence, and thus they mean the same thing. Why works much the same way. Why means the same thing as reason only because it refers to it.
So what about reason that or just plain reason? Again, as I discussed in my last post on relative pronouns and adverbs, English has two systems of relativization: the wh words and that, and that is omissible except where it functions as the subject of the relative clause. Thus we have the option of saying the reason why this is correct, the reason that this is correct (though that sounds awkward in some instances), or just plain the reason this is correct (again, this is occasionally awkward). The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language also mentions the possibility the reason for which, though this also sounds awkward and stilted in most cases. But I suspect that many awkward plain reasons are the result of editorial intervention, as in this case I found in the research for my thesis: There are three preliminary reasons why the question of rationality might make a difference in the context of Leibniz’s thought.
It’s important to note, though, that there are some constructions in which why is more superfluous. As Robert Lane Greene noted on the Johnson blog, sometimes why is used after reason without a following relative clause. (Mr. Greene calls it a complement clause.) He gives the example I’m leaving your father. The reason why is that he’s a drunk. The why here doesn’t really serve a syntactic function, since it’s not introducing a clause, though the Oxford English Dictionary calls this an elliptical construction. In essence, the why is serving as a placeholder for the full relative clause: I’m leaving your father. The reason why (I’m leaving him) is that he’s a drunk. It’s not strictly necessary to delete the why here, though it is generally colloquial and may not sound right in formal writing.
But this is by no means a blanket injunction against reason why. I think the rule forbidding reason why probably arose out of simple grammatical misanalysis of this relative construction, or perhaps by broadening a ban on elliptical reason why into a ban on all instances of reason why. Whatever the reason for the ban, it’s misguided and should be laid to rest. Reason why is not only not ungrammatical or harmlessly redundant, but it’s a legitimately correct and fully grammatical construction. Just because there are other options doesn’t mean one is right and the rest are wrong.
More at Visual Thesaurus
In case you haven’t been following me on Twitter or elsewhere, I’m the newest regular contributor to Visual Thesaurus. You can see my contributor page here. My latest article, “Orwell and Singular ‘They'”, grew out of an experience I had last summer as I was writing a feature article on singular they for Copyediting. I cited George Orwell in a list of well-regarded authors who reportedly used singular they, and my copyeditor queried me on it. She wanted proof.
I did some research and made a surprising discovery: the alleged Orwell quotation in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage wasn’t really from Orwell. But if you want to know the rest, you’ll have to read the article. (It’s for subscribers only, but a subscription is only $19.95 per year.)
But if you’re not the subscribing type, don’t worry: I’ll have a new post up today or tomorrow on the oft-maligned construction reason why.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60536 | As your baby grows, his or her feeding needs and schedule will continue to shift and change.
The First Four Months
During your child's first four months of life, his or her nourishment will come exclusively from formula or breastmilk, but the amount your child needs at each feeding will change as your child grows.
While many babies used to start eating solids at 4 months, the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends waiting until your child is at least 6 months old to introduce solid foods into his or her diet.
However, some doctors and organizations still recommend starting your child on solids between 4 and 6 months of age, so it's important to talk to your child's pediatrician about what's right for your baby.
How Much and How Often Should My Child Be Eating?
In the first month, your child was most likely be eating every 1 1/2 to two hours, but by the time he or she is 4 months old, those feedings can be stretched out to three to four hours. Breastfed babies will eat slightly more often than their formula-fed counterparts because breastmilk digests quicker than formula.
At each feeding, your formula-fed baby will be eating approximately four to six ounces. Your breastfed baby, on the other hand, won't have such an exact measurement.
As your breastfed baby has grown, he or she has become a more efficient sucker, so feedings will gradually grow shorter (unless your child just wants to be comforted). Don't worry if your child is done after five minutes on each breast or after 10 minutes on one breast, your baby has probably gotten all of the nourishment he or she needs.
Should I Put My Baby on a Schedule or Feed On-Demand?
As your child grows older, this question may become more prevalent in your mind. While some parents put their child on a schedule as soon as possible, other parents wait until they're sure their baby is growing at the right pace before placing them on a schedule.
Deciding whether to feed your baby on a schedule (parent-led) or on-demand (child-led) is completely up to you. Some parents need/want their child on a rigid schedule because their sanity depends on it. Other parents believe strongly that feedings should be on-demand. Neither choice is wrong as long as the child is healthy and growing.
Is My Child Eating Enough?
If you're worried that your child isn't eating enough, there are a few cues to look for to see if your child is being adequately nourished.
• If your child is breastfed, do your breasts feel softer after each feeding?
• Does your baby seem calm and satisfied?
• Is your baby wetting at least six diapers a day?
• Is your baby continuously gaining weight?
If you answered "yes" to all or most of these questions, your baby is, most likely, getting enough to eat. But, if you're still concerned that your child isn't getting enough, talk to your pediatrician.
Sample Breastfeeding Schedule for a 4-Month-Old
Feeding 1 - 6:30 a.m.
Feeding 2 - 9:30 a.m.
Feeding 3 - 12:30 p.m.
Feeding 4 - 3:30 p.m.
Feeding 5 - 6:30 p.m.
Feeding 6 - 9:30 p.m.
Feeding 7 - 12:30 a.m.
Feeding 8 - 4:30 a.m.
Sample Formula Feeding Schedule for a 4-Month-Old
Feeding 1 - 6 a.m.
Feeding 2 - 10 a.m.
Feeding 3 - 2 p.m.
Feeding 4 - 6 p.m.
Feeding 5 - 10 p.m.
Feeding 6 - 2 a.m.
These schedules are just samples of what your child's schedule might look like. Make sure to tailor your baby's schedule to his or her needs.
Also, don't worry if your child's schedule needs to be adjusted during growth spurts. Once the growth spurt is finished, your child will readjust to his or her original schedule.
More Feeding Guide Articles
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Elizabeth Vale
Elizabeth Vale is a freelance writer and editor. Her work has been featured at The Palm Beach Post, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Rare, AOL and The Redbud Post. Although she is a proud native Texan, Elizabeth now lives in South Florida with her husband and four children. If she isn’t writing, you can find her drinking an endless glass of iced coffee, reading a book or taking a road trip with her whole family in tow.
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James D. Watson
James Dewey Watson
James D. Watson
BornApril 6 1928 (1928-04-06) (age 84)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
ResidenceU.S., UK
Fieldmolecular biologist
Academic advisor Salvador Luria
Known forDNA structure, Molecular biology
Notable prizes Nobel Prize (1962)
James Dewey Watson (born April 6, 1928) is an American molecular biologist, best known as one of the co-discoverers of the structure of DNA. Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins were awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for their discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids and its significance for information transfer in living material".[1]
Additional recommended knowledge
Early life
Watson was born in Chicago, Illinois, on April 6 1928, the son of a businessman, also named James Dewey Watson and Margaret Jean Mitchell [2]. His father was of midwestern English descent[3]. His mother's father Lauchlin Mitchell, a tailor, was from Glasgow, Scotland, and her mother, Lizzie Gleason, was the child of Irish parents from Tipperary[4]. Watson was fascinated with bird watching, a hobby he shared with his father.[5] At the age of 12, Watson starred on Quiz Kids, a popular radio show that challenged precocious youngsters to answer questions.[6] Thanks to the liberal policy of University president Robert Hutchins, he enrolled at the University of Chicago at the age of 15.[7] After reading Erwin Schrödinger's book What Is Life? in 1946, Watson changed his professional ambitions from the study of ornithology to genetics.[8] He earned his B.S. in Zoology from the University of Chicago in 1947. In his autobiography, Avoid Boring People, Watson describes the University of Chicago as an idyllic academic institution where he was instilled with the capacity for critical thought and an ethical compulsion not to suffer fools who impeded his search for truth, in contrast to his description of his later work at Harvard University.[9]
He was attracted to the work of Salvador Luria. Luria eventually shared a Nobel Prize for his work on the Luria-Delbrück experiment, which concerned the nature of genetic mutations. Luria was part of a distributed group of researchers who were making use of the viruses that infect bacteria, called bacteriophages. Luria and Max Delbrück were among the leaders of this new "Phage Group", an important movement of geneticists from experimental systems such as Drosophila towards microbial genetics. Early in 1948 Watson began his Ph.D. research in Luria's laboratory at Indiana University and that spring he got to meet Delbrück in Luria's apartment and again that summer during Watson's first trip to the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL).[10] The Phage Group was the intellectual medium within which Watson became a working scientist. Importantly, the members of the Phage Group had a sense that they were on the path to discovering the physical nature of the gene. In 1949 Watson took a course with Felix Haurowitz that included the conventional view of that time: that proteins were genes and able to replicate themselves.[11] The other major molecular component of chromosomes, DNA, was thought by many to be a "stupid tetranucleotide", serving only a structural role to support the proteins. However, even at this early time, Watson, under the influence of the Phage Group, was aware of the work of Oswald Avery which suggested that DNA was the genetic molecule. Watson's research project involved using X-rays to inactivate bacterial viruses ("phage").[12] He gained his Ph.D. in Zoology at Indiana University in 1950.
Watson then went to Copenhagen in September 1950 for a year of postdoctoral research, first heading to the laboratory of biochemist Herman Kalckar.[5] Kalckar was interested in the enzymatic synthesis of nucleic acids, and wanted to use phage as an experimental system. Watson, however, wanted to explore the structure of DNA, and his interests did not coincide with Kalckar's.[13] After working part of the year with Kalcker, Watson spent the remainder of his time in Copenhagen conducting experiments with microbial physiologist Ole Maaloe, then a member of the Phage Group.[14] The experiments, which Watson had learned of during the previous summer's Cold Spring Harbor phage conference, included the use of radioactive phosphate as a tracer to determine which molecular components of phage particles actually infect the target bacteria during viral infection.[13] The intention was to determine whether protein or DNA was the genetic material, but upon consultation with Max Delbrück,[13] they determined that their results were inconclusive and could not specifically identify the newly labeled molecules as DNA.[15] Watson never developed a constructive interaction with Kalckar, but he did accompany Kalckar to a meeting in Italy where Watson saw Maurice Wilkins talk about his X-ray diffraction data for DNA.[5] Watson was now certain that DNA had a definite molecular structure that could be solved.[16]
In 1951 the chemist Linus Pauling published his model of the protein alpha helix, a result that grew out of Pauling's relentless efforts in X-ray crystallography and molecular model building. After obtaining some results from his phage and other experimental research conducted at Indiana University, Statens seruminstitute (Denmark), Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and the California Institute of Technology, Watson now had the desire to learn to perform X-ray diffraction experiments so that he could work to determine the structure of DNA. That summer, Luria met John Kendrew and arranged for a new postdoctoral research project for Watson in England.[5]
In 1968, Watson married Elizabeth Lewis and became the Director of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Between 1970 and 1972 Watson's two sons were born and by 1974 the young family made CSHL their permanent residence.
Structure of DNA
James D. Watson
Discovery of the DNA Double Helix
James Watson in the lab.
Francis Crick
Rosalind Franklin
James Watson
Maurice Wilkins
Cavendish Laboratory
King's College London
Photo 51
In October 1951, James Watson moved to Clare College, Cambridge and started at the Cavendish Laboratory, the physics department of the University of Cambridge, with a fellowship from the National Foundation of Infantile Paralysis. Here he shared an office with Francis Crick where they found they had similar scientific interests and initiated a collaboration to discover the structure of DNA. Crick soon solved the mathematical equations that govern helical diffraction theory; Watson knew all of the key DNA results of the Phage Group.[17]
In late 1951 Crick and Watson began a series of informal exchanges with Maurice Wilkins during which some of Rosalind Franklin's findings were given to Watson and Crick by Wilkins without Franklin's permission or knowledge. In November, Watson attended a seminar by Franklin. She spoke about the X-ray diffraction data she had collected with Raymond Gosling. The data indicated that DNA was a helix of some sort. Soon after this seminar, Watson and Crick constructed an incorrect molecular model of DNA in which the phosphate backbones were on the inside of the structure. Franklin asserted that the phosphates almost certainly were on the outside, not the inside. Watson and Crick eventually came to see that she was right and used this information in their final determination of the helical structure. In 1952, the final details of the chemical structure of the DNA backbone were determined by biochemists like Alexander Todd.
During 1952, Crick and Watson had been asked not to work on making molecular models of the structure of DNA.[18] Instead, Watson's official assignment was to perform X-ray diffraction experiments on tobacco mosaic virus. Tobacco mosaic virus was the first virus to be identified (1886) and purified (1935). Since electron microscopy revealed that virus crystals form inside infected plants, it made sense to isolate this virus for study by X-ray crystallography. Early X-ray diffraction images for tobacco mosaic virus had been collected before World War II. By 1954, Watson had deduced from his X-ray diffraction images that the tobacco mosaic virus had a helical structure.[19] Despite his official assignment, the lure of solving the puzzle of DNA structure continued to tantalize Watson; with his friend Crick, he continued to think about how to determine the structure of DNA.
In April 1952, Watson's PhD research adviser, Luria, was to speak at a meeting in England. However, Luria was not allowed to travel due to cold war fears over his Marxist leanings. Watson used Luria's speaking slot to talk about his own work with radioactive DNA and the results of others in the Phage Group that indicated the genetic material of phages was DNA. It has been recorded that during this meeting Watson was discussing with others prior discoveries by other researchers such as the calculated width of the B-form DNA molecule as determined by X-ray diffraction studies. By 1952 estimates from X-ray data and electron microscopy agreed that the diameter of DNA was about 2 nanometers.
Watson and Crick benefited from two travel-related strokes of luck in 1952. First, Erwin Chargaff visited England in 1952 and inspired Watson and Crick to learn more about nucleotide biochemistry. There are four nucleobases: guanine (G), cytosine (C), adenine (A) and thymine (T) in DNA. The so-called Chargaff ratios experimental results indicated that the amount of G is equal to C and the amount of A is equal to T. Jerry Donohue explained to Watson and Crick the correct structures of the four bases. The second travel-related event was that Linus Pauling's plans to visit England were disrupted. His planned visit was canceled for political reasons and he never gained access to the King's College X-ray diffraction data for DNA until it was published in 1953.
In 1953, Crick and Watson were given permission by their lab director and Wilkins to again try to make a structural model of DNA. At this time, Crick and Watson became aware of a research progress report containing some of Franklin's findings. This report contained the data that she had previously discussed in her research seminar of November 1951. Crick and Watson continued to make use of Franklin's results in their thinking about the structure of DNA.
Watson's key contribution was in discovering the nucleotide base pairs, the key to the structure and function of DNA. This key discovery was made in the Pauling "tradition", by playing with molecular models. Since he would have to wait for the Cavendish machine shop to make tin models of the four nucleobases, Watson, on February 21, 1953 made a molecule model of each using a straight edge, an exacto knife, white cardboard and paste. These molecules are all flat in their ring structures, so Watson could slide the cardboard models around on a table and examine how they might interact and fit together. After looking at the possible arrangements of his cardboard molecule models, Watson soon realized that the larger two-ring A and G nucleobases (technically referred to as purines) could be paired with the smaller one-ring T and C nucleobases, known as pyrimidines. Watson examined the possibility of hydrogen bonds between the pairs of purines and pyrimidines. After moving the A and T molecules around on the table he sat at, he brought together the distal (relative to its five-member ring) nitrogen of the A and the correct nitrogen-based hydrogen of T. Fortunately, the A and T were lying on the table both "face up" in that they were in the orientation as they occur in DNA and Watson then noticed the possibility of the second hydrogen bond involving an oxygen atom. He quickly saw that the other pair, C's nitrogen and G's nitrogen-based hydrogen had a similar relationship and that those two molecules formed three such bonds. As the accompanying diagram indicates, all five hydrogens involved have a covalent bond to a nitrogen (which has no "double" bond) and form the weaker hydrogen bond with either a nitrogen or an oxygen that each have one double valence bond to a carbon atom.
Watson then saw that the two pairs could be superimposed on each other with similar overall structure. In particular, the hexagonal rings were equidistant and the relative orientations of the five-member rings of the "big" molecules, A and G were the same. The nitrogens with the "squiggly" lines are the ones that attach, as "ladder rungs", to the helical backbone and that these nitrogen atoms are equidistant and also superimpose in the two pairs, allowing the helical structure to be smooth. Watson sensed that too many pieces were falling into place for this to be anything but the answer. He was correct. The base pairs discovered by Watson were consistent with the biochemical data Chargaff had already published.
Nobel Prize
Watson and Crick proceeded to deduce the double helix structure of DNA which they submitted to the journal Nature and was subsequently published on April 25 1953.[20] Watson, Crick, and Wilkins were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962 for their research on the structure of nucleic acids.[1] Some regret that Franklin did not live long enough to share in the Nobel Prize.[21] Watson mentions in his autobiography, Avoid Boring People, that he was refused a $1,000 raise in salary after winning the Nobel. [9]
The Double Helix
Controversy attended the publication of the book. Harvard professor Richard Lewontin wrote that the book had "debased the currency of his [Watson's] own life", and molecular biologist Robert L. Sinsheimer described Watson's portrayal of science as a "clawing climb up a slippery slope, impeded by the authority of fools, to be made with cadged data ... with malice toward most, and charity toward none." [9] It was originally to be published by Harvard University Press, but after objections from both Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins, among others, Watson's home university where he had been a member of the biology faculty since 1955, dropped the book and it was instead published by a commercial publisher, an incident which caused some scandal. Watson's original title was to have been "Honest Jim," in part to raise the ethical questions of bypassing Franklin to gain access to her X-ray diffraction data before they were published. Watson seems to have never been particularly bothered by the way things turned out. If all that mattered was beating Pauling to the structure of DNA, then Franklin's cautious approach to analysis of the X-ray data was simply an obstacle that Watson needed to run around. Wilkins and others were there at the right time to help Watson and Crick do so.
The Double Helix changed the way the public viewed scientists and the way they work.[22] In the same way, Watson's first textbook, The Molecular Biology of the Gene, set a new standard for textbooks, particularly through the use of concept heads—brief declarative subheadings. Its style has been emulated by almost all succeeding textbooks. His next great success was Molecular Biology of the Cell, although here his role was more that of coordinator of an outstanding group of scientist-writers. His third textbook was Recombinant DNA, which used the ways in which genetic engineering has brought us so much new information about how organisms function. All the textbooks are still in print.
Genome project
In 1989, Watson's achievement and success led to his appointment as the Head of the Human Genome Project at the National Institutes of Health, a position he held until April 10, 1992.[23] Watson left the Genome Project after conflicts with the new NIH Director, Bernadine Healy. Watson was opposed to Healy's attempts to acquire patents on gene sequences, and any ownership of the "laws of nature." Two years before stepping down from the Genome Project, he had stated his opinion on this long and ongoing controversy which he saw as an illogical barrier to research; he said, "The nations of the world must see that the human genome belongs to the world's people, as opposed to its nations." He left within weeks of the 1992 announcement that the NIH would be applying for patents on brain-specific cDNAs.[24] In 1994, Watson became President of CSHL. Dr. Francis Collins took over the role as Director of the Human Genome Project. He became the second person [25] to publish his fully sequenced genome online, after it was presented to him on May 31, 2007 by 454 Life Sciences Corporation in collaboration with scientists at the Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine. "I am putting my genome sequence on line to encourage the development of an era of personalized medicine,[26] in which information contained our genomes can be used to identify and prevent disease and to create individualized medical therapies," said Watson.[27]
• Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research[28]
• Benjamin Franklin Medal for Distinguished Achievement in the Sciences[29]
• Charles A. Dana Award
• Copley Medal of the Royal Society
• Eli Lilly Award in Biochemistry
• Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences
• Gairdner Award
• Heald Award
• Honorary Knight of the British Empire
• John Collins Warren Prize of the Massachusetts General Hospital
• John J. Carty Gold Medal of the National Academy of Sciences
• Kaul Foundation Award for Excellence
• Liberty Medal[30]
• Lomonosov Medal
• Lotos Club Medal of Merit
• Mendel Medal
• National Biotechnology Venture Award
• National Medal of Science[31]
• New York Academy of Medicine Award
• Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine[32]
• Othmer Medal
• Presidential Medal of Freedom[33]
• Research Corporation Prize
• University of Chicago Alumni Medal[7]
• University College London Prize
• University Medal at SUNY Stony Brook
Harvard University, 1956-1976
Watson achieved a series of academic promotions from Assistant Professor, to Associate Professor to full Professor of Biology. He championed a switch in focus for the school from classical biology to molecular biology, stating that disciplines such as ecology, developmental biology, taxonomy, physiology, etc. had stagnated and could only progress once the underlying disciplines of molecular biology and biochemistry had elucidated their underpinnings, going so far as to discourage their study by students. [9]
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1968-2007
In a retrospective summary of Watson's accomplishments at CSHL, Laboratory President Dr. Bruce Stillman said, "Jim Watson created a research environment that is unparalleled in the world of science." It was "under his direction [that the Lab has] made major contributions to understanding the genetic basis of cancer." Generally in his roles as Director, President, and Chancellor, Watson led CSHL to its present day mission, which is "dedicat[ion] to exploring molecular biology and genetics in order to advance the understanding and ability to diagnose and treat cancers, neurological diseases, and other causes of human suffering." On October 25, 2007, Watson retired at the age of 79 from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory "after nearly 40 years of distinguished service."[34] In a statement, Watson attributed his retirement to his age, and circumstances that he could never have anticipated or desired.[35]
Allen Institute for Brain Science
Dr. Watson is now the Institute advisor for the newly-formed Allen Institute for Brain Science. The Institute, located in Seattle, Washington, was founded in 2003 by Philanthropists Paul G. Allen and Jody Allen Patton as a nonprofit corporation (501(c) (3)) and medical research organization. A multidisciplinary group of neuroscientists, molecular biologists, informaticists, engineers, mathematicians, statisticians, and computational biologists have been brought together to form the scientific core of the Allen Institute. Utilizing the mouse model system, these fields have joined together to investigate expression of 20,000 genes in the adult mouse brain and to map gene expression to a cellular level beyond neuroanatomic boundaries. The data generated from this joint effort is contained in the publicly available Allen Brain Atlas application located at Upon completion of the Allen Brain Atlas, this consortium of scientists will pursue additional questions to further our understanding of neuronal circuitry and the neuroanatomic framework that defines the functionality of the brain.
Champalimaud Foundation, 2007-Present
In January 2007, Dr. Watson accepted the invitation of Leonor Beleza, president of the Champalimaud Foundation, to become the head of the foundation's scientific council, an advisory organ. He will be in charge of selecting the remaining council members.[36]
Honorary Degrees Awarded
(arranged chronologically)
• D.Sc., University of Chicago, 1961
• D.Sc., Indiana University, 1963
• L.L.D., Notre Dame University, 1965
• D.Sc., Long Island University (C.W. Post), 1970
• D.Sc., Adelphi University, 1972
• D.Sc., Brandeis University, 1973
• D.Sc., Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1974
• D.Sc., Hofstra University, 1976
• D.Sc., Harvard University, 1978
• D.Sc., Rockefeller University, 1980
• D.Sc., Clarkson College, 1981
• D.Sc., SUNY at Farmingdale, 1983
• M.D., Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1986
• D.Sc., Rutgers University, 1988
• D.Sc., Bard College, 1991
• D.Sc., University of Stellenbosch, S. Africa, 1993
• D.Sc., Fairfield University, 1993
• D.Sc., University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, 1993
Professional & Honorary Affiliations
• American Academy of Arts and Sciences
• American Association for Cancer Research
• American Philosophical Society
• American Society of Biological Chemists
• Atheneum (London)
• Cambridge University (Honorary Fellow, Clare College)
• Danish Academy of Arts and Sciences
• National Academy of Sciences
• Oxford University (Newton-Abraham Visiting Professor)
• Royal Society (London)
• Russian Academy of Sciences
Political activism
• Nuclear proliferation and environmentalism: In 1975, on the "thirtieth anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima," Watson along with "over 2000 scientists and engineers" spoke out against nuclear proliferation to President Ford in part because of the "lack of a proven method for the ultimate disposal of radioactive waste" and because "The writers of the declaration see the proliferation of nuclear plants as a major threat to American liberties and international safety because they say safeguard procedures are inadequate to prevent terrorist theft of commercial reactor-produced plutonium."[38] In spite of this protest letter, Mr. Ford would nevertheless award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.[33]
Watson's sometimes abrasive and aggressive personality (once described by E. O. Wilson as "the most unpleasant human being I had ever met"[9]) has made him the subject of several controversies; the controversy over his book The Double Helix was merely one such example. In his autobiography, Avoid boring People, he describes his academic colleagues as "dinosaurs", "deadbeats", "fossils", "has-beens", "mediocre", and "vapid".[9]
Use of King's College results
Main article: King's College (London) DNA Controversy
An enduring controversy has been generated by Watson and Crick's use of DNA X-ray diffraction data collected by Rosalind Franklin and Raymond Gosling. The controversy arose from the fact that some of Franklin's unpublished data was used by Watson and Crick in their construction of the double helix model of DNA.[18] Franklin's experimental results provided estimates of the water content of DNA crystals and these results were consistent with the two sugar-phosphate backbones being on the outside of the molecule. Franklin personally told Crick and Watson that the backbones had to be on the outside. Her identification of the space group for DNA crystals revealed to Crick that the two DNA strands were antiparallel. The X-ray diffraction images collected by Gosling and Franklin provided the best evidence for the helical nature of DNA. Franklin's experimental work thus proved crucial in Watson and Crick's discovery. Watson and Crick had three sources for Franklin's unpublished data: 1) her 1951 seminar, attended by Watson, 2) discussions with Wilkins, who worked in the same laboratory with Franklin, 3) a research progress report that was intended to promote coordination of Medical Research Council-supported laboratories. Watson, Crick, Wilkins and Franklin all worked in MRC laboratories.
Prior to publication of the double helix structure, Watson and Crick had little interaction with Franklin. Crick and Watson felt that they had benefited from collaborating with Wilkins. They offered him a co-authorship on the article that first described the double helix structure of DNA. Wilkins turned down the offer, a fact that may have led to the terse character of the acknowledgment of experimental work done at King's College in the eventual published paper. Rather than make any of the DNA researchers at King's College co-authors on the Watson and Crick double helix article, the solution that was arrived at was to publish two additional papers from King's College along with the helix paper. Biographer Brenda Maddox suggested that because of the importance of her work to Watson and Crick's model building, Franklin should have had her name on the original Watson and Crick manuscript.[39] Franklin may have never known the extent to which her unpublished data had helped in the double helix discovery. According to one critic, unprotected by libel laws, Watson's portrayal of Franklin in The Double Helix was negative, giving the appearance that she was Wilkins' assistant and was unable to interpret her own DNA data.[40]
A review of the handwritten correspondence from Franklin to Watson, located in the archives at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, reveals that the two scientists later had exchanges of constructive scientific correspondence. In fact, Franklin consulted with Watson on her Tobacco Mosaic Virus RNA research. Franklin's letters begin on friendly terms with "Dear Jim", and conclude with equally benevolent and respectful sentiments like "Best Wishes, Yours, Rosalind". As is typical with scientific research, each of the scientists published their own unique contributions to the discovery of the structure of DNA in separate articles, and all of the contributors published their findings in the same volume of Nature. These classic molecular biology papers are identified as: Watson J.D. and Crick F.H.C. "A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid" Nature 171, 737-738 (1953),[20] Wilkins M.H.F., Stokes A.R. & Wilson, H.R. "Molecular Structure of Deoxypentose Nucleic Acids" Nature 171, 738-740 (1953),[41] Franklin R. and Gosling R.G. "Molecular Configuration in Sodium Thymonucleate" Nature 171, 740-741 (1953).[42] Franklin did not receive a Nobel Prize for her important contribution because the Nobel Prize is not awarded posthumously.[43]
The wording on the DNA sculpture outside Clare College's Thirkill Court, Cambridge, England is:
On the base:
On the helices:
Statement claiming links between race and intelligence
On October 14, 2007, a biographical article written by one of Watson's former assistants[44], Charlotte Hunt-Grubbe, appeared in the Sunday Times Magazine in anticipation of his soon to be released, in the UK, memoir Avoid Boring People: Lessons from a Life in Science.[44]
Watson was quoted as saying he was "inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa" as "all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours — whereas all the testing says not really."[44][45] Hunt-Grubbe stated that Watson's "hope" was "everyone is equal" but quoted him as having said "people who have to deal with black employees find this not true." Furthermore, Grubbe suggested that Watson believed "you should not discriminate on the basis of colour" by quoting him as having said "there are many people of colour who are very talented, but don’t promote them when they haven’t succeeded at the lower level."[44]
Watson was then attributed as having written "there is no firm reason to anticipate that the intellectual capacities of peoples geographically separated in their evolution should prove to have evolved identically. Our wanting to reserve equal powers of reason as some universal heritage of humanity will not be enough to make it so."[44]
The quotes attributed to him drew attention and criticism from press in several countries and was widely discussed on CNN[46], the BBC[47], several papers[48], peers[45] and by civil rights advocates.[49] The common perception was that of Watson claiming a link between race and intelligence with the BBC stating that "[Watson] claimed black people were less intelligent than white people".[47] In his book, the origin of the final written quote, Watson does not directly mention race as a factor in his hypothesized divergence of intellect between geographically isolated populations.[50]
On October 18th, The London Science Museum canceled a talk that Watson was scheduled to give the following day,[47] stating that they believed Watson's comments had "gone beyond the point of acceptable debate." On the same day the Board of Trustees at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory suspended Watson's administrative responsibilities, stating that "this action follows the Board’s public statement yesterday disagreeing with the comments attributed to Dr. Watson in the October 14, 2007 edition of The Sunday Times U.K."[51] that they "vehemently disagree with...and are bewildered and saddened" by.[48] Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute a position inherited from Watson[45], said "I am deeply saddened by the events of the last the aftermath of a racist statement...that was both profoundly offensive and utterly unsupported by scientific evidence."[48][45].
On October 19th, Watson issued an apology, stating that he was "mortified" and "cannot understand how I could have said what I am quoted as having said."[52][53] He also claimed to "understand why people, reading those words, have reacted in the ways they have . . . To all those who have drawn the inference from my words that Africa, as a continent, is somehow genetically inferior, I can only apologize unreservedly. That is not what I meant. More importantly from my point of view, there is no scientific basis for such a belief."[54]
In an attempt to clarify his position, Watson said that "we do not yet adequately understand the way in which the different environments in the world have selected over time the genes which determine our capacity to do different things," and "the overwhelming desire of society today is to assume that equal powers of reason are a universal heritage of humanity." Adding that "it may well be. But simply wanting this to be the case is not enough. This is not science. To question this is not to give in to racism. This is not a discussion about superiority or inferiority, it is about seeking to understand differences, about why some of us are great musicians and others great engineers."[53][54]
Despite the apology and subsequent attempt to clarify his position the controversy continued. He returned to the US and Cold Harbor on the 19th October putting his further engagements in doubt. The University of Edinburgh's formally retracted an invitation to the "DNA, Dolly and Other Dangerous Ideas: The Destiny of 21st Century Science" Enlightenment Lecture on October 22nd.[55]
Watson resigned from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on October 25th.[56][46] Watson cited reasons for his retirement other than the controversy, though did refer to it; "Closer now to 80 than 79, the passing on of my remaining vestiges of leadership is more than overdue. The circumstances in which this transfer is occurring, however, are not those which I could ever have anticipated or desired."[57]
It was announced on December 9, 2007 in a Sunday Times article[58] that 16% of Watson's DNA is of African origin, sixteen times the European average of 1% suggesting that he might have had a great-grandparent of African origin. This conclusion was reached by deCODE Genetics, an Icelandic genetic company, which analysed Watson's genetic code, which he published on the internet in the interests of science.
Other statements
• Watson has repeatedly supported genetic screening and genetic engineering in public lectures and interviews, arguing that stupidity is a disease and the "really stupid" bottom 10% of people should be cured.[59] He has also suggested that beauty could be genetically engineered, saying "People say it would be terrible if we made all girls pretty. I think it would be great."[59]
• He has been quoted in The Sunday Telegraph as stating: "If you could find the gene which determines sexuality and a woman decides she doesn't want a homosexual child, well, let her."[60] The biologist Richard Dawkins wrote a letter to The Independent claiming that Watson's position was misrepresented by The Sunday Telegraph article, and that Watson would equally consider the possibility of having a heterosexual child to be just as valid as any other reason for abortion, to emphasise that Watson is in favor of allowing choice.[61]
• Watson also had quite a few disagreements with Craig Venter regarding his use of EST fragments while Venter worked at NIH. Venter went on to found Celera genomics and continued his feud with Watson through the privately funded venture. Watson was even quoted as calling Venter "Hitler."[63]
• While speaking at a conference in 2000, Watson had suggested a link between skin color and sex drive, hypothesizing that dark-skinned people have stronger libidos.[62][64] His lecture, complete with slides of bikini-clad women, argued that extracts of melanin — which give skin its color — had been found to boost subjects' sex drive. "That's why you have Latin lovers," he said, according to people who attended the lecture. "You've never heard of an English lover. Only an English patient."
1. ^ a b The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1962. Nobel Prize Site for Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1962.
2. ^ James D. Watson (2007). "Avoid Boring People". Knopf. ISBN 0375412840.
3. ^ James Watson, The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1962. (1964). Retrieved on 2007-12-12.
4. ^ Watson retires. The Guardian (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2007-12-12.
5. ^ a b c d Anonymous (1999). Biography J.D. Watson, Nobel Lectures, Physiology or Medicine 1942-1962. Hackensack, NJ: World Scientific, 809-810. ISBN 9-810-23411-2. Excerpt from
6. ^ Samuels, Rich. The Quiz Kids. Broadcasting in Chicago, 1921-1989. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
7. ^ a b Nobel laureate, Chicago native James Watson to receive University of Chicago Alumni Medal June 2. The University of Chicago News Office (2007-06-01). Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
8. ^ Friedberg, Errol C. (2005). The Writing Life of James D. Watson. Cold Spring Harbor, NY: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. ISBN 978-087969700-6. Reviewed by Lewis Wolpert, Nature, (2005) 433:686-687.
9. ^ a b c d e f "Chairman of the Bored", Steven Shapin, Harvard Magazine, January-February 2008
10. ^ James D. Watson (biographical information). Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
11. ^ Putnum, Frank W. (1994). Biographical Memoirs - Felix Haurowitz, volume 64, Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press, 134-163. ISBN 0-309-06978-5. “Among [Haurowitz's] students was Jim Watson, then a graduate student of Luria.”
12. ^ Watson, J.D. 1950. The properties of x-ray inactivated bacteriophage. I. Inactivation by direct effect (.pdf). Journal of Bacteriology 60:697-718
13. ^ a b c McElheny, Victor K. (2004). Watson and DNA: Making a Scientific Revolution. Basic Books, p. 28. ISBN 0-738-20866-3.
14. ^ Putmum, F.W. (1993). "Growing up in the golden age of protein science". Protein Science 2: pp. 1536-1542.
15. ^ Maaløe, O.; J.D. Watson (1951). "The transfer of radioactive phosphorus from parental to progeny phage". PNAS 37: pp. 507-513. PMID 16578386.
16. ^ Judson, H. F. (1979) The Eighth Day of Creation. Makers of the Revolution in Biology. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-6712-2540-5. See chapter 2.
17. ^ Most of the biographical account comes from Watson's 1968 autobiographical account, The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA. The book was very controversial when it came out, though, as many of the participants still living disputed its account, especially of the role and personality of Franklin. In fact, the originally intended publisher, Harvard University Press, turned the manuscript down. For an edition which contains critical responses, book reviews, and copies of the original scientific papers, see James D. Watson, The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA, Norton Critical Edition, Gunther Stent, ed. (New York: Norton, 1980).
18. ^ a b Bragg's decision near the end of 1951 that Watson and Crick should not work on DNA structure is described on page 128 of The Eighth Day of Creation: Makers of the Revolution in Biology by Horace Freeland Judson published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press (1996) ISBN 0-87969-478-5. Bragg gave Watson permission to start DNA model work again in January 1953 (see page 162).
19. ^ Watson, J.D. 1954. The structure of tobacco mosaic virus. I. X-ray evidence of a helical arrangement of sub-units around the longitudinal axis. Biochim Biophys Acta. 13:10-19. Entrez PubMed 13140277
20. ^ a b Watson, J.D. and F.H. Crick. 1953. A structure for deoxyribose nucleic acids. Nature 171:737-738.
21. ^ Judson, H.F.. "No Nobel Prize for Whining", New York Times, 2003-10-20. Retrieved on 2007-08-03.
22. ^ Watson, J.D. and G. Stent (preface). 1980. "The double helix : a personal account of the discovery of the structure of DNA." Norton: New York. ISBN 0-393-95075-1.
23. ^ The NIH Almanac
24. ^ Pollack, R.. 1994. Signs of Life: The Language and Meanings of DNA. Houghton Mifflin Company, p. 95. ISBN 0-395-73530-0.
25. ^ Genome of DNA Discoverer Is Deciphered NYT, June 1, 2007.
26. ^ Long Awaited $1,000 Personal Genome Sequencing Service Now Available. NYT, November 17, 2007.
27. ^ Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, June 28, 2003. Watson Genotype Viewer Now On Line. Press release. Retrieved on September 16, 2007.
28. ^ The Lasker Foundation.[1]. Retrieved on November 4, 2007.
29. ^ American Philosophical Society.[2]. Retrieved on November 4, 2007.
30. ^ National Constitution Center.[3]. Retrieved on November 4, 2007.
31. ^ The National Science Foundation.[4]. February 14, 2006. Retrieved on November 4, 2007.
32. ^ The Nobel Foundation, 1962.[5]. Retrieved on November 4, 2007.
33. ^ a b The Official Site of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, 2007.[6]. Retrieved on November 4, 2007.
34. ^ "["Dr. James D. Watson Retires as Chancellor of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory", CSHL, October 25, 2007. Retrieved on November 4, 2007.
35. ^ Controversial DNA Scientist James Watson Retires © 2007 Associated Press/AP Online. © 2007 Sci-Tech Today. October 25, 2007 11:29AM
36. ^ Teresa Firmino. "Nobel James Watson vai presidir ao conselho científico da Fundação Champalimaud", Público, 2007-03-20. Retrieved on 2007-03-22. (Portuguese)
37. ^ "Faculty Support Grows For Anti-War Proposal", The Harvard Crimson, October 3, 1969. November 4, 2007.
38. ^ "Three Harvard Scientists Lead Call to Stop Nuclear Reactors", The Harvard Crimson, August 5, 1975. November 4, 2007.
39. ^ Maddox, B. 2003. Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA. Harper Perennial. ISBN 0-060-98508-9.
40. ^ Elkin, L.O. 2003. "Rosalind Franklin and the Double Helix". Physics Today 56(3):42.
41. ^ Wilkins, M.H.F., Stokes A.R. and H.R. Wilson. Molecular Structure of Deoxypentose Nucleic Acids. Nature 171:738-740
42. ^ Franklin R. and R.G. Gosling. 1953. Molecular Configuration in Sodium Thymonucleate. Nature 171:740-741
43. ^ Statutes of the Nobel Foundation, § 4
44. ^ a b c d e Hunt-Grubbe, C. "The elementary DNA of dear Dr. Watson", Times Online, October 14, 2007. Retrieved October 24, 2007.
45. ^ a b c d Malloy, J. James Watson tells the inconvenient truth: Faces the consequences, Gene Expression, October 31st, 2007. Retried December 5th, 2007
46. ^ a b ""Nobel prize-winning biologist resigns."", CNN, October 25, 2007. Retrieved on October 25, 2007.
47. ^ a b c "Museum drops race row scientist", BBC, October 18, 2007. Retrieved October 24, 2007.
48. ^ a b c Wigglesworth, K.DNA pioneer quits after race comments, L.A. Times, October 26th, 2007. Retrieved December 5th, 2007
49. ^ [ Race remarks get Nobel winner in trouble], MSNBC and AP, October 18, 2007. Retrieved October 18, 2007.
50. ^ Watson, James (September/October 2007). "Blinded by Science. An exclusive excerpt from Watson's new memoir, Avoid Boring People: Lessons from a Life in Science.". 02138 Magazine: p. 102. Retrieved on 2007-11-28. “As we find the human genes whose malfunctioning gives rise to such devastating developmental failures, we may well discover that sequence differences within many of them also lead to much of the observable variation in human IQs. A priori, there is no firm reason to anticipate that the intellectual capacities of peoples geographically separated in their evolution should prove to have evolved identically. Our desire to reserve equal powers of reason as some universal heritage of humanity will not be enough to make it so.”
51. ^ Cold Springs Harbor Laboratory. October 18, 2007. Statement by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Board of Trustees and President Bruce Stillman, Ph.D. Regarding Dr. Watson’s Comments in The Sunday Times on October 14, 2007. Press release. Retrieved October 24, 2007.
52. ^ van Marsh, A. "Nobel-winning biologist apologizes for remarks about blacks", CNN, October 19, 2007. Retrieved October 24, 2007.
53. ^ a b Watson, J.D. "James Watson: To question genetic intelligence is not racism", Independent, October 19, 2007. Retrieved October 24, 2007
54. ^ a b Syal, R. "Nobel scientist who sparked race row says sorry - I didn't mean it", Times Online, October 19, 2007. Retrieved October 24, 2007.
55. ^ ""Watson Returns to USA after race row"", International Herald Tribune, October 19, 2007. Retrieved on November 10, 2007
56. ^ DNA Pioneer Watson Resigns Amid Cloud of Scandal By Malcolm Ritter AP 10/25/07 11:29 AM PT
57. ^ Watson, J.Statement by James D. Watson "Retirement", "N Y Times", 25th October, 2007. Retrieved 5th December, 2007.
58. ^ Jonathan Leake DNA pioneer James Watson is blacker than he thought, "Sunday Times", 9 December, 2007. Retrieved 9 December, 2007.
59. ^ a b Bhattacharya, S. "Stupidity should be cured, says DNA discoverer", New Scientist News Service, February 28, 2003. Retrieved June 24, 2007.
60. ^ Macdonald, V. "Abort babies with gay genes, says Nobel winner", The Telegraph, February 16, 1997. Retrieved on October 24, 2007.
61. ^ Dawkins, R. "Letter: Women to decide on gay abortion", The Independent via, February 19, 2007. Retrieved October 24, 2007.
62. ^ a b Abate, T. "Nobel Winner's Theories Raise Uproar in Berkeley Geneticist's views strike many as racist, sexist", San Francisco Chronicle, November 13, 2000. Retrieved on October 24, 2007.
63. ^ Shreeve. J. 2005. The Genome War: How Craig Venter Tried to Capture the Code of Life and Save the World. Ballantine Books, p. 48. ISBN 0-345-43374-2.
64. ^ Thompson C. and A. Berger. 2000. Agent provocateur pursues happiness. British Medical Journal 321:12.
Further reading
• Chadarevian, S. (2002) Designs For Life: Molecular Biology After World War II. Cambridge University Press ISBN 0-521-57078-6
• Chargaff, E. (1978) Heraclitean Fire. New York: Rockefeller Press.
• Chomet, S., ed., (1994) D.N.A.: Genesis of a Discovery London: Newman-Hemisphere Press.
• Crick, Francis (1988) What Mad Pursuit: A Personal View of Scientific Discovery (Basic Books reprint edition, 1990) ISBN 0-465-09138-5
• Friedburg, Errol C. 2005) "The Writing Life of James D. Watson". "Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press" ISBN 0879697008
• Hunter, G. (2004) Light Is A Messenger: the life and science of William Lawrence Bragg. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-852921-X
• Inglis, J., Sambrook, J. & Witkowski, J. A. (eds.) Inspiring Science: Jim Watson and the Age of DNA. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. 2003. ISBN 978-087969698-6.
• Judson, H. F. (1996). The Eighth Day of Creation: Makers of the Revolution in Biology, Expanded edition. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. ISBN 0879694785
• Maddox, B. (2003). Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA. Harper Perennial. ISBN 0060985089
• Robert Olby; 1974) The Path to The Double Helix: Discovery of DNA. London: MacMillan. ISBN 0-486-68117-3; Definitive DNA textbook, with foreword by Francis Crick, revised in 1994 with a 9 page postscript.
• Robert Olby; (2003) "Quiet debut for the double helix" Nature 421 (January 23): 402-405.
• Ridley, M. (2006) Francis Crick: Discoverer of the Genetic Code (Eminent Lives) New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 0-06-082333-X.
• Watson, J. D. (1968) The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA. New York: Atheneum.
• Watson, J. D. (1968). The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA. (Norton Critical Editions, 1981). Edited by Gunther S. Stent. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-95075-1
• Watson, J. D., T. A. Baker, S. P. Bell, A. Gann, M. Levine, and R. Losick, eds., (2003) Molecular Biology of the Gene. (5th edition) New York: Benjamin Cummings ISBN 0-8053-4635-X
• Watson, J. D. (2002) Genes, Girls, and Gamow: After the Double Helix. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-375-41283-2
• Watson, J. D. with A. Berry (2003) DNA: The Secret of Life New York: Random House. ISBN 0-375-41546-7
• Watson, J.D. (2007) Avoid Boring People and Other Lessons from a Life in Science, New York, Random House, ISBN 978-0-375-41284-4, 366 pp.
• Wilkins, M. (2003) The Third Man of the Double Helix: The Autobiography of Maurice Wilkins. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-860665-6.
• The History of the University of Cambridge: Volume 4 (1870 to 1990), Cambridge University Press, 1992.
• BBC Four Interviews - Watson and Crick speaking on the BBC in 1962, 1972, and 1974.
• Charlie Rose "DNA: The Secret of Life" - video interview with James D. Watson.
• Charlie Rose "Charles Darwin" - Charlie Rose interviews Watson and Edward O. Wilson on biology, and the importance of Darwin.
• NPR Science Friday: "A Conversation with Genetics Pioneer James Watson" - Ira Flatow interviews Watson on the history of DNA and his recent book A Passion for DNA: Genes, Genomes, and Society.
• NPR Science Friday "DNA: The Secret of Life" - Ira Flatow interviews Watson on his new book.
• On Point "James Watson on how to climb the slippery double helix of life" - Tom Ashbrook talks to James Watson about his new memoir, "Avoid Boring People: Lessons from a Life in Science."
NAME Watson, James Dewey
SHORT DESCRIPTION molecular biologist,
DATE OF BIRTH 1928-04-06
PLACE OF BIRTH Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "James_D._Watson". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60610 | My art starts from the private but often ends up being generally applicable. It starts from small seemingly unimportant incidents and often ends up being political.
My themes are (megalo)maniac: power, gender, addiction. I see meanings related to these themes everywhere.
I am interested in studying what meaning is, how meanings change, merge, and dissolve.
I think it is useless for an artist to declare truths, since they are scarce. In the best possible case, the meanings of the author and the experiencer enter into a dialogue with each other and nurture each other. Although art can never convey the truth, I hope that, when experienced, my art becomes true and that its meanings turn meaningful. That my art can influence and, whilst influencing, generate new art.
My art is multimodal, it is meant to appeal to all senses: I make use of language, puns, humour, irony, moving images, sounds, paintings, installations that you can touch, taste, hear, and smell. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60624 | Received from Social Butterfly PR
Title: Coming Up Roses
Author: Staci Hart
Publisher: Self Published
Publication Date: 8 June 2019
Synopsis from Goodreads
Everyone hates parts of their job.
Maybe it’s the paperwork. Maybe it’s the day-to-day grind. Maybe it’s that client who never knows what they want or the guy who always cooks fish in the microwave.
Except for Luke Bennet.
He doesn’t remember that night I’ll never forget. That kiss touched with whiskey and fire. It branded me like a red-hot iron. But it meant nothing to him.
Because if I don’t, I’ll fall in love with him.
Coming Up Roses Excerpt
*Spinoff of The Austen Series
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
I adore Jane Austen and who hasn’t wondered what kind of person Lydia Bennet would grow-up to be. I was fascinated by the gender switch with Lydia becoming Luke in Staci’s Coming Up Roses.
I have to be honest and say I did struggle with Luke at the beginning, especially as the gender switch within the narrative highlighted the double standard where men and women are concerned in particular with relation to intimacy.
As time progressed I did come to like Luke more; on the surface, he appears shallow and vapid, however, getting to see beyond the surface allowed the real Luke to appear. A Luke who is loyal to those he loves, insatiably curious about the world around him which accounts for the short attention span but should not be dismissed as being removed from the world around him.
Tess, on the other hand, is the opposite of Luke in a lot of ways; grounded, practical and level-headed, she has experienced a lot of emotional turmoil in her life and loves the stability of the Bennet’s flower shop where she works.
Tess and Luke grew up together and were friends through school until an incident which altered their dynamic, an incident that Luke has no recollection of which only adds fuel to the negative emotions Tess now feels for Luke.
Working together to save the flower shop forces Luke and Tess together providing the opportunity for the pair to connect with the people they are now rather than the ones they remember from high school. Luke and Tess add balance to each other; although the high school incident is not the only barrier they face in their journey to happily ever after. There is also a snake in the grass whispering in Luke’s ear for their own purposes rather than out of the kindness of their hearts 😡
Coming Up Roses is a slow burn romance dealing with misconceptions about people where we project our own emotions (good and bad) onto who we think they are. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60672 | JavaScript is required to use
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6/30/2015 3:11:12 PM
Hello clan mates
Ello fweinds its your fearful leadur fwait twain ok im done talking like thT lol :) hey guys listen we got a few things to discuss about raids trials poes clan shirts time frames etc sooo lets talk about when best day to do raids for everyone first! ??
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60679 | 11 '90s Pop Songs With Meanings That Went Right Over Your Head As A Kid
TLCVEVO on YouTube
It was a crazy decade, so it probably won't come as a surprise to hear that there are so many '90s pop songs with deep meanings, and even less surprising that you didn't realize how deep they were when you first heard them. To be fair, if you didn't figure out the song's true meaning, that may have had something to do with age. It's hard to wrap your tiny mind around the fact that so many of those sugary-sounding songs were about serious subjects AIDS or drugs or becoming a father for the first time.
The funniest part of this is that, often, the sweeter a song's melody, the darker its lyrical content. Who knew that the likes of Len and Third Eye Blind were peddling fables about overconsumption of narcotics? Your younger self probably didn't.
It's OK if going through this list makes you view current sugary pop music with suspicion. Is Rihanna's DJ Khaled collab "Wild Thoughts" not about getting a little flirty in the summer sunshine with someone you're really into and actually about depression? Is Carly Rae Jepsen's feel-good summer hit "Cut To The Feeling" secretly about serial killers? Well, no and no, but this list will really make you question everything.
1. "Closing Time" By Semisonic
SemisonicVEVO on YouTube
You thought this one was about the end of the night at a club, right? Wrong. It was actually about singer Dan Wilson becoming a dad. He explained the misleading lyrics to NPR:
"Closing time, open all the doors and let you out into the world, like you're being, you know, born, you're being letting out into the world. Turn all of the lights on over every boy and every girl, you know, like the bright operating room where the baby comes out is brightly lit. You know, this is a bit of a stretch."
He continued:
"But, like, one last call for alcohol, so finish your whiskey or beer, it's kind of like being cut off, you know, your umbilical cord is going to get cut off and, you know, you're done here. You don't have to go home but you can't stay here in the womb."
2. "Wannabe" By The Spice Girls
SpiceGirlsVEVO on YouTube
So, most of this song is pretty much what you think it is: a meditation on friendship and fun. But, according to Metro, Mel B's "Wannabe" rap has a totally different meaning than you think it does:
"A spicy insider has revealed that the lyrics ‘we got G like MC who likes it on an…’ reference Mel C and Geri Halliwell ‘enjoying sex whilst on ecstasy, if you listen carefully’... In a smart move, Scary Spice never explicitly references E, but does so by never completing the sentence and instead rapping straight into the next line which begins with the phonetic E."
Look, re-read those rap lyrics and see what you think:
"So here’s a story from A to Z, you wanna get with me you gotta listen carefully,
We got Em in the place who likes it in your face,
we got G like MC who likes it on an…
Easy V doesn’t come for free, she’s a real lady"
Besides which, zig-a-zig-ah reportedly references an unpopular guy who shared the same studio toilets with the girls and had a bad habit of smoking cigars on the toilet. His nickname was "sh*t and cigars" and the same unnamed insider speculates this was the subconscious inspiration for "zig-a-zig-ah."
3. "Semi-Charmed Life" By Third Eye Blind
RHINO on YouTube
Don't let the sunny backing melody fool you. According to lead singer Stephan Jenkins's Billboard interview, "It's a dirty, filthy song about snorting speed and getting blow jobs." He explained later in another Billboard interview that the real meaning of "Semi-Charmed Life" was an audio representation of the drug speed: "The music that I wrote for it is not intended to be bright and shiny for bright and shiny's sake. It's intended to be what the seductiveness of speed is like, represented in music."
4. "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)" By Green Day
Green Day on YouTube
It's a classic slow dance number at proms, according to publications like PopCrush. Which makes even stranger that this song is all about a break up. In Billie Joe Armstrong's Guitar Legends interview in May 2005, he stated:
“At the time I wrote 'Good Riddance', I was breaking up with a girl that was moving to Ecuador and I was trying to be as understanding about it as I could. I wrote the song as a kind of bon voyage. I was trying not to be bitter, but I think it came out a little bit bitter anyway…I thought that calling the song “Time of Your Life” was just a little too level-headed for me, so I had to come up with something different”
So, that song you're smooching to? Yeah, it's all about the dissolution of a relationship.
5. "Waterfalls" By TLC
TLCVEVO on YouTube
This is more inspiring than weird, but it nonetheless falls into the category of things you never realized about a pop song. On the surface, the TLC song is a feel-good pop hit, but, according to Mic, "Waterfalls" is actually about HIV and AIDS. They referenced the way the girls had vocally supported safe sex from the beginning and how: "Fans would come up to the TLC members at shows and tell them how much it meant that they were discussing AIDS and contraception when no one else was. The girls found this very moving and wrote 'Waterfalls' as a tribute to those fans." Still don't believe it? Check out lyrics like the following:
"One day he goes and takes a glimpse in the mirror,
But he doesn't recognize his own face.
His health is fading and he doesn't know why.
Three letters took him to his final resting place."
6. "MMMBop" By Hanson
HansonVEVO on YouTube
It's a funny, silly, goofy song that's not about much, right? Nope. When interviewed by Songfacts and asked what the real meaning of "MMMBop" was, Zach Hanson explained it was all about "the futility of life." What the what? He said:
"What that song talks about is, you've got to hold on to the things that really matter. MMMbop represents a frame of time or the futility of life. Things are going to be gone, whether it's your age and your youth, or maybe the money you have, or whatever it is, and all that's going to be left are the people you've nurtured and have really built to be your backbone and your support system."
So, there you have it. It's actually a tribute to the transience of your existence.
7. "Steal My Sunshine" By Len
LEN TV on YouTube
If you assumed that this song was about emotional vulnerability and a guy asking the girl he's crazy about to not break his heart, you were wrong again. According to Len's founding member Marc Costanzo's interview with The Guardian, the meaning of "Steal My Sunshine" is far deeper:
"We were at this huge three-day rave and I ended up partying, partying, partying. We went back to my house and Brendan Canning from Broken Social Scene was DJing and played More, More, More by Andrea True Connection. I ended up sampling it that morning and looped it, it sounded great. Somewhere in the next couple of days I recorded it, I know Deryck Whibley from Sum 41 was there in the room when I put down the lyrics. It's just a song about what happened that night of the party."
So yeah, this song is about the Len musician partying with a guy from Broken Social Scene and guy from Sum 41 (which is a weird image to begin with). And when you know this and re-read the lyrics, you're going to see a lot more lines that could be interpreted as drug references (for example "My mind was thugged all laced and bugged all twisted wrong and beat").
8. "Mambo No. 5" By Lou Bega
LouBegaVEVO on YouTube
When Bega spoke to MTV about what "Mambo No. 5" really meant, he had a surprising reveal: that five isn't random at all. “There’s five continents, you know. So it’s for example, No. 1 in Africa, South Africa, and all over Africa, so that means these people like it as well as people in Europe and Americans are liking it to[sic].” So, the song's actually about people on different continents liking mambo... not just some dude listing all the women he's into.
9. "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" By Eiffel 65
Bliss Corporation on YouTube
This is hands down the spaciest pop song of the '90s, so it's hard to imagine that the actual meaning could be deeper than what you're already envisioning. Except wait, it is. When band member Jeffrey Jey was asked what "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" meant, his answer was recorded for posterity in 1000 UK #1 Hits:
"I started thinking about this character I invented called Zoroti and the lifestyle he led, from the way he would buy his house, pick his girlfriend, his job or the neighborhood he would live in. Then I came up with a color, a color I thought described the way he saw things."
This makes literally no sense. Who's Zoroti and why is he so obsessed with blue? Maybe it was better not to know the meaning behind this one.
10. "...Baby One More Time" By Britney Spears
BritneySpearsVEVO on YouTube
According to the book The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory, the real meaning of "...Baby One More Time" is one of linguistic confusion. The track was written by Swedish songwriters Max Martin and Rami Yacoub (and who, therefore didn't speak native English), and it was meant to be about a girl begging her ex boyfriend to call her back.
Yeah, phone her, not hit her. As E! News put it: "Apparently those Swedish guys thought that 'hit' was American slang for 'call.' "That would mean that... the song is really just about something that every single woman has gone through: Waiting for a man to call you back."
11. "2 Become 1" By The Spice Girls
SpiceGirlsVEVO on YouTube
With lyrics like "Come a little bit closer, baby, get it on, get it on," it becomes painfully obvious when re-listening to this as an adult, that this song isn't a sappy ballad but is actually a safe-sex anthem that's all about covering your monkey before you get spunky.
In short, the mainstream pop of the '90s is a lot more interesting than you ever knew (or those major chords led you to believe). Make some time to listen to all of these songs again, if you haven't already. You might find you have a radical new take on an old favorite. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60680 | Who's The Lead In 'Friends?' Science Worked It Out & It's Really Not Who You'd Think
Friends is important. If you were born in the '80s, '90s, or '00s, and have never seen an episode, where have you been and how exactly have you managed that? One of my fondest memories is running home from school to watch reruns on E4. When I grew up I wanted to be Chandler Bing and to set the record straight, Ross and Rachel were on a break. Whilst you might have your favourite character science has established the main character in Friends and believe me I’m totally fine about it.
Over the ten seasons it was hard not to become attached to Monica, Chandler, Phoebe, Ross, Joey, and Rachel and the random partners that walked in and out of the show. I couldn’t pick out a main plot line if I tried, and to try and work out who the main character is seems completely impossible. However, one data scientist thinks they have found a way.
Data Scientist Yashu Seth reported on their blog that it was while they were watching their favourite episode of the iconic series that they started to wonder who would take the credit as lead character. After being inspired by watching “the one with Ross’ tan” – the episode where Ross showed people everywhere exactly how not to fake tan and the general practice for counting is not in Mississippis – Seth downloaded the transcripts for all ten seasons of Friends and used different measuring tools to establish who came out on top among the six friends. The winner? A certain Mr Ross Geller. Monica wouldn’t stand for such a loss.
Warner Bros. UK on YouTube
Speaking about their research, Seth wrote:
Rachel and Ross both had more than 9000 lines. This was really close. While Phoebe had the least number of lines, 7.4 thousand. Chandler, Monica, and Joey had almost the same number.”
The research also found that Ross and Rachel spoke the most words across the ten seasons. However, this doesn’t mean that Ross had the most screen appearances. Whilst he may have spoken the most it was Chandler (my real winner) who appeared in over 1400 scenes and therefore takes top spot. But when it comes to appearing in scenes alone Seth found:
“Ross was a clear winner with the most number of individual screen appearances. Rachel was not even close. Rachel had the most number of mentions in the episode titles. But Ross was just 3 episodes behind.”
It looks like it was neck and neck to the end to establish who could be considered lead character. In went down to the wire, however Seth had to give it to Ross:
"It is really close between Ross and Rachel. But, Ross beats Rachel by a significant margin in the individual scene appearances. Besides, there was very little difference between them in the other parameters. Hence, I will have to give it to Ross."
However, Seth found some other things which are pretty interesting. The OG bromance is alive and well as Seth found that “Chandler and Joey as a pair had the most number of screen appearances than any other pair.” Well, when Chandler moved out it really was an end of an era. And whilst it seemed like the gang never left Central Perk or Monica’s flat (why would you when she was such a good hostess) only 16 percent of scenes were shot in Central Perk and 26 percent were in Monica’s apartment. So, at some point they did actually go to work. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60684 | Falca. Film & Photo Production
Falca is the name of a Barcelona-based audiovisual production team who asked us to design their graphic identity.
In Catalan, ‘falca’ means ‘wedge’, a piece of wood or metal generally used to secure or immobilise something.
The logo was created with an icon of a wedge, multiplied to build the capital F of the name.
• Client: |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60743 | What is the temperature coefficient?
Temperature coefficient is tantamount to quantifying thermal drift. IncOders have a uniquely low thermal coefficient compared to other techniques. Typically, most digital output IncOders offer a thermal coefficient of <0.5ppm/K over full-scale. This means that if an IncOder were measuring a stationary position in an environment whose temperature changes by 1 Kelvin then the reported position could change by <0.5 ppm of 360degrees. This equates to a thermal drift coefficient of <0.6 arc-seconds per degree Celsius. In other words, IncOders drift by a tiny, tiny amount.
Analogue output IncOders have a higher thermal coefficient because of the analogue electronics in the IncOder’s output circuitry are less thermally stable than the corresponding digital electronics.
< Back to FAQs
Further information on Zettlex Products |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60763 | My watch list
Part of a series on
Toxicology and poison
Toxicology (Forensic) - Toxinology
History of poison
Poison - Venom - Toxicant - Antidote
Acceptable daily intake - Acute toxicity
Bioaccumulation - Biomagnification
Fixed Dose Procedure - LD50 - Lethal dose
Toxic capacity - Toxicity Class
Toxins and venoms
Neurotoxin - Necrotoxin - Hemotoxin
Mycotoxin - Aflatoxin - Phototoxin
List of fictional toxins
Bradford - Minamata - Niigata
Alexander Litvinenko - Bhopal
2007 pet food recalls
List of poisonings
Poisoning types
Shellfish (Paralytic - Diarrheal - Neurologic
- Ciguatera - Scombroid
Other substances
Pesticide - Organophosphate - Food
Nicotine - Theobromine - Carbon monoxide - Vitamin - Medicines
Living organisms
Mushrooms - Plants - Animals
Related topics
Hazard symbol - Carcinogen
Mutagen - List of Extremely Hazardous Substances - Biological warfare
Additional recommended knowledge
This is one reason why chronic poisoning is a common aspect of environmental health in the workplace. As people spend so much time, for so many years in these environments, very low levels of toxins can be lethal over time.
An example of poisoning in the workplace can be seen from the phrase "as mad as a hatter". The process for stiffening the felt used in making hats involved mercury, which forms organic species such as methylmercury, which is lipid soluble, and tends to accumulate in the brain resulting in mercury poisoning.
Other lipid (fat) soluble poisons include tetra-ethyl lead compounds (the lead in leaded petrol), and DDT. These compounds are stored in the body's fat, and when the fatty tissues are used for energy, the compounds are released and cause acute poisoning.
Strontium 90, part of the fallout from atomic bombs, is chemically similar enough to calcium that it is utilized in osteogenesis, where its radiation can cause damage for a long time.
Naturally produced toxins can also bioaccumulate. The marine algal blooms known as "red tides" can result in local filter feeding organisms such as mussels and oysters becoming toxic; coral fish can be responsible for the poisoning known as ciguatera when they accumulate a toxin called ciguatoxin from reef algae.
Some animal species exhibit bioaccumulation as a mode of defense; by consuming toxic plants or animal prey, a species may accumulate the toxin which then presents a deterrent to a potential predator. One example is the tobacco hornworm, which concentrates nicotine to a toxic level in its body as it consumes tobacco plants.
Other compounds that are not normally considered toxic can be accumulated to toxic levels in organisms. The classic example is of Vitamin A, which becomes concentrated in carnivore livers of e.g. polar bears: as a pure carnivore that feeds on other carnivores (seals), they accumulate extremely large amounts of Vitamin A in their livers. It was known by the native peoples of the arctic that the livers should not be eaten, but arctic explorers have suffered Hypervitaminosis A from eating the bear livers (and there has been at least one example of similar poisoning of Antarctic explorers eating husky dog livers).
See also
• List of environment topics
• Biomagnification (magnification of toxins with increasing trophic level)
• Bioconcentration
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Bioaccumulation". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60781 | You are here
Appendix 3
Appendix 3
The Meaning of “I am who I am”
The following extract is from the article “Calling God names: an inner-biblical approach to the Tetragrammaton,” William M. Schniedewind, in Scriptural Exegesis: The Shapes of Culture and the Religious Imagination: Essays in Honour of Michael Fishbane, Oxford, 2009. When the author mentions the Hebrew phrase Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh, he is referring to the declaration, “I am who I am” (Ex.3:14), Yahweh’s famous self-description revealed to Moses.
[Start of extract]
Second, it has been pointed out by many that Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh [Exodus 3.14,15] seems to be connected with verse 12, in which God promises ‘I shall be with you’ (אהיה עמד). The connection with verse 12 was already recognized by ancient Jewish interpreters. Independently, many modern readers have seen the same connection. A later interpreter may be playing on the promise, ‘I shall be with you’. We do well to remember that this connection does not merely derive from the immediate context, though that might have been the trigger. The promise ‘I shall be with you’ (אהיה עמד) is found frequently in the Hebrew Bible; God promises that He will be with Abraham, with Isaac, with Jacob, with Moses, with Joshua, with Gideon, with David, with the people of Israel, and so on. Thus, the exegetical rumination would result not only from the immediate context, but also from the broader cultural and religious horizon of ancient Israel. We arrive at interpretations of the name of God based on the LORD’s presence—some have suggested translating Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh as something like ‘I am the one who shall surely be with you’. While there may be an intuitive connection here, the problem with this interpretation is that it is not what the text literally says. Ehyeh is an imperfect, or a future; it should mean something like ‘I shall be whom I shall be’—but that does not suit our religious sensibilities. ‘I shall be whom I shall be’ makes the LORD seem capricious, whereas (paradoxically) ‘I am who I am’ can assert God’s unchanging nature. Perhaps both seemed like good answers during the Babylonian exile or in the postexilic community, as well as at other times of crisis.
Although the proximity of Ehyeh-‘Immakh and Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh almost demands some relationship between the two, the meanings of the two are not naturally connected. We must assume that Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh (אהיה אשר אהיה) is an interpretation of אהיה עמד, ‘I shall be with you’, in order to make the connection. And, we may ask, why stress that God’s name—His very essence—points to God’s presence? Perhaps because God’s presence was challenged and questioned—as it was by the exile and during the postexilic period. Certainly, there was a need to reassert God’s presence in the Jerusalem temple, especially in the postexilic period when the former symbol of God’s presence—the ark—was absent. The divine name could serve as a new symbol of God’s physical presence in Jerusalem and in the temple.
In sum, the early history of the ineffable name of God seems to be closely associated with the Jerusalem temple. References to the building of a temple ‘for the name’ can be compared with the rather mundane Near Eastern parallels in which such statements merely indicate exclusivity of ownership. In the exilic period, however, the fact that the temple was ‘for the name of God’ could be understood to mean that only the name of God, and not God himself, resided in the temple. When the temple was rebuilt in the postexilic period, the fact that the name of God resided in the temple increasingly was understood literally to imply God’s physical presence with his people and in the temple. Ehyeh, for example, was an interpretation of the Tetragrammaton that played on the promise of God’s presence and reassured the people of His immanence. When the former symbol of God’s physical presence on earth, the ark of the covenant, had disappeared, the name became a convenient surrogate as a symbol of God’s presence with His people, and especially in the Jerusalem temple.
(c) 2012 Christian Disciples Church |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60834 | Social Media and Green IT – a podcast discussion with Deborah Grove
Uptime Institute
Uptime Institute
I had an interesting discussion with Deborah Grove about the ways social media impacts the costs of computing and the efforts to “green” IT by making servers and networks more power efficient. Social media is a growing segment of all the data stored and processed on earth. But social media has different properties than previous classes of data like transactions and documents. Some social media is more resource intensive than others (a YouTube video consumes more energy to store, transmit and view than a Twitter tweet) but even light weight social media can cause heavier media types to be suddenly accessed in a high spike of demand, for example when a brief tweet points to a video that then drawn thousands of viewers.
More efficient IT is clearly important as computing consumes a growing slice of our power consumption. Social media is both a new source of demand for compute resources (and by extension, power) and a possible method for gaining new efficiency as server farms are better tuned and maintained. I would like to see major resource consuming services like YouTube and Google surface the costs of computing more. While google, for example, reports how many fractions of a second it takes for them to return your search results, it would be useful to see how many shot glasses of diesel fuel were needed to power the servers that generated those results. PCs and server farms do no have tailpipes spewing emissions but they are not carbon neutral: lots of coal, oil, gas, and uranium (and not nearly as much wind, hydo, and solar) are needed to keep the net alive. Making the energy costs of computing more visible would be a good step toward IT conservation. I know I have too many computers running all the time (short boot up times would help!) and should think more about the energy consumption impact of my information diet.
Podcast at the Uptime Institute.
NEW! Dr. Marc Smith On Social Media and High Density Computing
The Internet is an example of Social Media.
I would have been smarter in the interview if I read How Green is my Blog on Slate by Jacob Leibenluft which does a good job of digging into the real costs of moving a gigabyte around the net. Still I wonder if all costs are being accounted for. Storage and transmission are one set of computing energy costs, how much computation do different classes of data require? The weather report takes more computation to deliver than the comics page. A web crawl and index may cost more than a hosted data set that is only minimally analyzed or recalculated. Some bytes change more often than others. Not every byte has the same amount of energy expended to get it into its current state. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60847 | Posture – Core Studio Class
Designed for people living with mid-back, shoulder and posture conditions. Often we find ourselves suffering from chronic neck, shoulder and mid-back pain due to improper alignment caused by activities of daily life, work related positions or aftermath of automobile accidents. This class focuses on strengthening the postural muscles and lower body while maintaining a balance of flexibility. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60848 | Mike Schnitzel
Mike Schnitzel is a freelance writer and editor based in New York. In addition to being a contributor to IR Magazine and Corporate Secretary, he is the technical editor at Refinitiv Lipper and freelances regularly for many different outlets. His articles have appeared in publications including CNBC and the Financial Times.
Latest articles
Cs logo Cs logo |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60860 | Creation Factor Web Development
Welcome to, base of UK web developer S.Warhurst, specialising in Perl, MySQL, HTML, CSS, Javascript/jQuery, PHP and general web technologies with a background in IT Support and System Administration.
Perl 3D Bar Graphs and Charts
With just a basic knowledge of Perl you can have professional looking 3D bar graphs and charts on your web page or report with 3DBarGrapher. Customisable colours, fonts, gradient fills, bars or columns and image map ouput allow plenty of room for experiment.
Web Font Chooser & CSS Code Generator
Deciding on the font or typeface for your new web page or blog is made easy with Web Font Chooser. The simple interface allows you to try different combinations of settings while generating CSS code you can paste straight into your stylesheet. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60881 | Darrell G. Toth
Vice President
Quality Customs Broker, Inc
615 N. Edgewood Ave.
Wood Dale, IL 60191
RE: The tariff classification of messaging systems from China and Malaysia
Dear Mr. Toth:
In your letter dated July 1, 2015, you requested a tariff classification ruling on behalf of your client, Adaptive Micro Systems LLC.
The items in question are known as the Adaptive Micro Systems series 1105 and 1106 Messaging Systems (Part #’s 11052111 and 11062111). These devices are messaging displays incorporating “high brightness red” light emitting diodes (LED) arranged in a row and column matrix that allow for 2.1 inch characters to be shown horizontally. Part # 11052111 provides a display area of 24 inches in length by 2.1 inches in height, and is used for single line display of 13 characters. Part # 11062111’s provides a display area of 24 inches in length by 4.8 inches in height, and is used for double line display for 26 characters of information. These messaging devices are intended to be used inside public transportation vehicles to provide next stop information to passengers.
The applicable subheading for the Street Smart outdoor messaging systems will be 8543.70.9300, Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS), which provides for “Electrical machines and apparatus...: Other machines and apparatus: Other: Other: …flat panel displays…”. The rate of duty will be Free.
Gwenn Klein Kirschner
National Commodity Specialist Division |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60888 | Fix: Failed to access DBM file when using mod_ruid2 and mod_security
If you are using mod_ruid2 and mod_security on your cpanel server, you may come across a problem if one or more of your mod_security rules use the persistent storage (tracking user IP addresses, etc.). This can be seen in your apache error log file at /var/log/apache2/error_log containing the following lines:
ModSecurity: collection_store: Failed to access DBM file "/var/cpanel/secdatadir/ip": Permission denied
This happens when running apache under mod_ruid2, apache cannot access the ip.pag and ip.dir files located in /var/cpanel/secdatadir/ as the apache process runs as the user and not as nobody.
So far, there’s no proper fix for it, with cpanel saying that the fix has to come from mod_security itself.
Meanwhile to get your rules to work, you can change permissions of the the files, so its writeable by everyone.
# chmod 777 /var/cpanel/secdatadir/ip*
Another problem: Cpanel reverting the above changes
During the daily cpanel update process (upcp), the above files are flushed and regenerated causing the permissions to be reset to the original one. To fix this, you will need to create a cpanel hook that runs right after the daily cpanel update process.
Create a script called resetmodsecperm and store it in the /scripts/ folder.
chmod 777 /var/cpanel/secdatadir/ip.*
Make the script executable
# chmod a+x /scripts/resetmodsecperm
Create a cpanel hook
# /usr/local/cpanel/bin/manage_hooks add script /scripts/resetmodsecperm --manual --category System --event upcp --stage post
What the above does is, you are creating a hook that runs the resetmodsecperm script after (–stage post) the cpanel update process (–event upcp).
So with that done, your mod_sec rules will run properly and not throw errors. I know this is a hacky way and chmodding the files 777 could be risky, but this seems to be the only way to make all mod_sec rules work.
UPDATE: With a recent cPanel update, I have noticed a new script has been added and is made to run every two hours. The script basically shrinks the ip.pag and ip.dir files, but this also reverts the permissions of the files and you get the same error as before.
New entry found in crontab:
0 */2 * * * /usr/local/cpanel/scripts/shrink_modsec_ip_database -x 2&gt;&amp;1
So, in your cron tab, have your script run after the above script.
2 */2 * * * /scripts/resetmodsecperm
This will run your script 2 minutes after every time the ip.pag and ip.dir files are recreated.
May/June 2019 UPDATE:
With the recent EasyApache update from cPanel (29/5/2019, 5/6/2019), modsecurity has been updated from 2.9.2 to 2.9.3. Although modsecurity mentions this new update has fixed compatibility issues with modruid2, some rules do not seem to work.
cPanel has also raised an issue regarding the same problem.
So, until the issue is fixed, a work around is to downgrade modsecurity to 2.9.2 and prevent cpanel from upgrading it:
yum remove ea-apache24-mod_security2
yum install ea-apache24-mod_security2-2.9.2-11.11.7.cpanel.x86_64
Append ea-apache24-mod_security2* to the exclude line in /etc/yum.conf
8 thoughts on “Fix: Failed to access DBM file when using mod_ruid2 and mod_security”
1. Does not work for me, using modruid2 and modsec 2.9.3 on cpanel centos 7.6 box.
Followed your instructions.
I see the file perm change. I do see the ownership of /secdatadir/ is still root:nobody
The ownership of the files inside this folder are :
nobody:nobody for : ip.dir ip.pag global.dir global.pag
However, the cpanel users all have their own files like specificuser-ip.dir
ownership of these files is
It does change error in apache log from access denied to ‘ read only file system”
I also disabled 2 OWASP rules nr 910 and 912, but no luck.
Any suggestions ?
Thanks in advance
1. I can confirm that the recent modsec 2.9.3 update from cpanel does not work when using modruid2.
Have updated the post.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60893 | Mary Higgins Clark’s Novels Get Adapted
Mary Higgins Clarks Novels Get Adapted
Reel One and Element 8 Entertainment are teaming to develop an anthology series based on the novels of American crime writer Mary Higgins Clark.
Clark has penned over forty female-driven thriller books, mostly set around New York State, that have sold more than 100 million copies in the U.S. alone.
Ilene Rosenzweig (“Station 19”) is attached as writer and executive producer on the series with each season inspired by a different novel and a different crime.
The first season will be based on Clark’s novel “I’ll Be Seeing You,” which tells the story of an ambitious young TV journalist who puts her reporting skills to the test when her father goes missing.
The series will shoot in Toronto and New York in 2020.
Source: Variety |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60910 | Asian Snack Mix with Nori
Rice-flake cereal, seasoned nori (seaweed flavored with sesame oil and salt), miso, and wasabi come together in this light, munchable, Asian-inspired riff on Chex Mix.
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Yields: 6 cups
Cook Time: 0 hours 10 mins
Total Time: 0 hours 30 mins
1/2 c. pecans
6 c. rice-flake cereal
5 sheets seasoned nori
3 tbsp. yellow or white miso
2 tbsp. agave nectar
1 tbsp. wasabi powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. canola oil
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the pecans on a pie plate and toast for 6 minutes, until fragrant. Transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly. Add the cereal and nori and toss well.
2. In a mini food processor, combine the miso, agave, wasabi, and salt. Add the oil and process until smooth. Dollop the mixture over the flakes, pecans, and nori and toss with your hands to coat evenly.
3. Spread the mix on a parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet in an even layer. Toast for 18 minutes, stirring and tossing 2 or 3 times, until browned; the mix will crisp as it cools. Transfer to a bowl and serve.
© Quentin Bacon
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60924 | PHP aesthetic prostheses
PHP aesthetic prostheses
When Dr. Pillet first began to produce aesthetic prostheses, many specialists felt that they were certainly “very beautiful creations”, but patients would undoubtedly be able to wear but not use.
Patients who have been wearing our aesthetic prostheses for some ten, thirty or forty years tell us that “they are functional”.
Why should that be so?…Because they use them.
The real proof that a prosthesis is functional is to be found in the use made of it.
Our patients use their PHP prostheses.
The passively functional upper limb prosthesis, designed and developed by Dr. Jean Pillet, Paris, France, has become a major component of the comprehensive professional and social reeducation program for patients with either a partial or total amputation of the hand, or upper extremity.
Such a prosthesis may provide the answer to the psychological and functional needs of congenital or acquired amputees. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60941 | Past events
[The Brain] 24 Nov 2018 at 20:00
more events
Echoes of IS
This poignant, nuanced web documentary features 12 people talking about how IS has changed their lives.
Why do young Muslims head to Syria? What’s it like to be a Syrian refugee in the Netherlands? What does it do to you if your son dies in the caliphate? How can radicalization be recognized, or even prevented, and why do some young people become radicalized? For the impressive, nuanced web documentary Echoes of IS, the makers brought together 12 people who represent a broad spectrum of perspectives on the theme of IS and radicalization. In three separate group discussions, they talk to one another about the role IS plays in their lives. Viewers can watch miniature portraits of each participant in their entirety or as thematic interludes to the group conversations. The story of Dyana, a young girl from Raqqa, Syria who doesn’t feel safe in the Netherlands—let alone welcome—is particularly poignant. A father talks about how his 15-year-old son died in the caliphate. Young Abdel Rahman describes the suspicion and intolerance he has faced as a convert to Islam, and how this, in combination with an overdose of naïveté, made him susceptible to radical views.
Project details
Year of development :2017
Created by:Tessa Louise Pope, Bruno Felix, Femke Wolting, Michel Reilhac
With:Submarine Channel
Available formats |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60957 | Back to Account Overview Back To All Subscriptions
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10 Terrifying Stats about Plastic Pollution
1. About 8 million metric tons of plastic are thrown into the ocean annually[1]. Of those, 236,000 tons are microplastics – tiny pieces of broken-down plastic smaller than your little fingernail.
2. There are five massive patches of plastic in the oceans around the world. These huge concentrations of plastic debris cover large swaths of the ocean; the one between California and Hawaii is the size of the state of Texas.
3. Every minute, one garbage truck of plastic is dumped into our oceans.
4. The amount of plastic in the ocean is set to increase tenfold by 2020.
5. By 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than there are fish (by weight).
6. Plastic is found in the ocean as far as 11km deep, meaning synthetic fibers have contaminated even the most remote places on Earth.
7. Many marine organisms can’t distinguish common plastic items from food. Animals who eat plastic often starve because they can’t digest the plastic and it fills their stomachs, preventing them from eating real food.
8. The likelihood of coral becoming diseased increases from 4% to 89% after coming in contact with marine plastic. It also damages the skin of coral, allowing infection. Coral reefs are home to more than 25% of marine life.
9. There is more plastic than natural prey at the sea surface of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which means that organisms feeding at this area are likely to have plastic as a major component of their diets. For instance, sea turtles by-caught in fisheries operating within and around the patch can have up to 74% (by dry weight) of their diets composed of ocean plastics.
10. Many fish humans consume, including brown trout, cisco, and perch, have at one time or another, ingested plastic microfibers.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60958 | Contact Us
New York (212) 249-4020
Thomas P. Sterry, MD
Category Archives: Body Contouring
Body Contouring Surgery refers to any number of procedures that help create our “perfect body”.
Tummy Tuck Examples From a New York City Plastic Surgeon: Photos, Videos, and Discussion
Abdominoplasty, often called a tummy tuck, can remove loose or stretched out skin from the lower belly while also tightening the abdominal muscles. The result is an overall nicer appearance of the torso with well-toned skin. There are many situations where a tummy tuck is helpful to NYC residents who want to look and feel a bit more trim and fit. How Is a Tummy Tuck Performed? Essentially, a long incision is created from one hip across the lower tummy to the other hip like a big “smile.” The skin of the abdomen is undermined as we work along the … Continue reading
How to Keep Your Tummy Tuck a Secret – Even at the Beach
Want a smoother, flatter belly but don’t want your friends to know you’ve had a tummy tuck? Lucky for you, it can be done. There are two simple keys to achieving a “secret” tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty. Get the operation during the cooler months, preferably fall. Choose a plastic surgeon who knows how to hide the telltale signs. By following these steps, you can hide out under a sweater during your recovery and then emerge like a butterfly in the spring with no scar to be seen. Following is more detailed information on how your plastic surgeon can help you achieve … Continue reading
Reclaim Your Body with a Mommy Makeover
Image source Pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding all take a toll on a mother’s body. Skin that was stretched might not regain its former elasticity, fat deposits can cling stubbornly to arms, hips and thighs, and breastfeeding can cause a mother’s breasts to sag or lose volume after weaning. These are things that diet and exercise may not address, leaving some women worried that they’ll never reclaim their pre-pregnancy body. Fortunately, there is a solution. A combination of procedures that address multiple areas of a woman’s body has become popularly known as a mommy makeover. What is a Mommy Makeover? Mommy … Continue reading
Can Back Pain After a Tummy Tuck be Prevented?
Recently, a patient came into my office for a consultation about a body contouring operation. She was concerned about back pain after a tummy tuck as she had read that it can be a problem. Unfortunately, she ended up choosing another surgeon to perform her tummy tuck operation, one who claimed to have a special technique to prevent resulting back pain. Why unfortunately? Because I know through tummy tuck surgical experience and research at my NYC practice that the only way to guarantee zero back pain after a tummy tuck is to perform a subpar operation. Let me explain. The Anatomy of a … Continue reading
Fixing the dreaded "Double Chin"
Do you frequently wear turtlenecks or scarves to hide your saggy neck? Are you uncomfortable wearing your hair up? Liposuction can solve this problem by creating an elegant neck. Dr. Sterry can complete the procedure in as little as 45 minutes at his surgical facility. Using local anesthesia, three pinholes are made with a needle under the chin. A CO2 laser passed under the skin tightens it and melts the fat. The fat is then suctioned out through the pinholes. Most patients say they feel years younger after this procedure and achieve the self-confidence that has been holding them … Continue reading
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Dr. Thomas P. Sterry
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60981 | Biological robots
A research team builds robots from living cells
They can do simple tasks, and one day might reproduce themselves
Science and technologyJan 16th 2020 edition
ROBOTS COME in all shapes and sizes. Some are humanoid. Others resemble animals. Many are just a jumble of arms slaving away on a production line. But one thing all robots have in common is that they are mechanical, not biological devices. They are built from materials like metal and plastic, and stuffed with electronics. No more, though—for a group of researchers in America have worked out how to use unmodified biological cells to create new sorts of organisms that might do a variety of jobs, and might even be made to reproduce themselves.
There are several ways to tinker with living organisms. Selective breeding and, more recently, genetic engineering permit the production of novel plants and animals for agriculture and horticulture, and as pets. Souped-up bugs for industrial processes can also be made in these ways. Researchers are working, too, on growing isolated animal organs for testing drugs and eventually, perhaps, for transplant surgery.
What Joshua Bongard of the University of Vermont and Michael Levin of Tufts University in Massachusetts have come up with is different. As they report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, they and their colleagues have designed organic robots from their cellular components, and then set about realising those designs by joining together specific types of stem cells taken from a well-studied species of African frog, Xenopus laevis. The result (pictured) is close to matching the biological definition of an organism, in that it is capable of behaving autonomously and contains cell types that are specialised to perform different roles.
Though only a millimetre or so across, the artificial organisms Dr Bongard and Dr Levin have invented, which they call xenobots, can move and perform simple tasks, such as pushing pellets along in a dish. That may not sound much, but the process could, they reckon, be scaled up and made to do useful things. Bots derived from a person’s own cells might, for instance, be injected into the bloodstream to remove plaque from artery walls or to identify cancer. More generally, swarms of them could be built to seek out and digest toxic waste in the environment, including microscopic bits of plastic in the sea.
To design their bots Dr Bongard and Dr Levin employed a computer program called an evolutionary algorithm. This worked by creating virtual representations of thousands of arrangements of cells that might achieve a particular task. It then tested those arrangements, using what is known about the biophysics of Xenopus cells, for suitability to perform the task in question, picked the most promising versions to form the basis for thousands more cellular arrangements, and then repeated the process until something properly fit for purpose emerged. That done, it was merely a matter of building the pattern which the algorithm had arrived at out of actual Xenopus cells, using microsurgical techniques to shape groups of cells in the way the pattern dictated.
The demonstration bots Dr Bongard and Dr Levin have made use two types of stem cell. Some are so-called pluripotent cells taken from early-stage embryos. These embryonic cells retain wide powers to turn into other cell types. The others are cardiac progenitor cells, a more specialised type of stem cell already destined to generate heart muscle.
Placed in a dish, bots made in this way were able to propel themselves along the dish surface via contractions of the heart-muscle cells within them. Besides pushing single pellets, groups of bots put into a dish together were able to work collectively, moving around in circles and gathering the pellets into neat piles.
Exactly how that happens is not yet clear. “It is possible”, says Dr Bongard, “that the cells are signalling to one another in a way we’re not aware of.” That possibility, and many other questions, will be the subject of further research. The team are also trying to work out how cells can be motivated to build complex, functioning bodies. Such knowledge, says Dr Levin, would be immensely useful in regenerative medicine, which seeks to repair organs and build body parts for transplant.
Go forth and multiply?
For xenobots to have a practical future, though, someone will have to find a less fiddly way of making them. At present, it takes a microsurgeon hours to handcraft each individual bot, peering down a microscope and using tiny tweezers to do so. One way the process might be automated is by employing three-dimensional printing to build up the necessary layers of cells.
The new organisms could also do with upgrading in certain ways. At present, for example, they have short lives—a couple of weeks at most. This is because they do not have any apparatus for feeding themselves. In one sense that is a good thing, for it soothes fears about safety. If a bot should escape it would expire at the end of its allotted time and, being made simply of frog cells, would be biodegradable and non-toxic. But because longer-lived bots would be more useful, the researchers are looking at ways to extend their creations’ lives.
A more controversial suggestion is to equip xenobots with reproductive systems—perhaps as simple as allowing them to divide themselves in two, in the way that flatworms can. This would help any application that required a swarm of the critters. It might also, though, raise concerns about escapees establishing themselves in the wild. All this, says Dr Bongard, means it will be necessary to work with policymakers to decide how the production of future life forms, as useful as they might be, might be regulated.
This article appeared in the Science and technology section of the print edition under the headline "A research team builds robots from living cells"
Reuse this contentThe Trust Project |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/60988 | How to Cut a 60 Degree Angle in Wood
While most woodworking projects call primarily for 45-degree and 90-degree angles, occasionally a 60-degree angle is useful. This is true of projects involving slanted furniture legs, trim for walls at non-standard angles and case-specific crafts projects. There are a number of ways to cut a 60-degree angle. Modern carpenters tend to use a miter saw, which has an adjustable blade that can be set to any angle within 180 degrees. The predecessor of the miter saw is the miter box, which has pre-cut angles along the sides and can be used with a handsaw. The angle can also be cut by using a protractor to scribe the line onto the piece of wood. This method requires the greatest degree of control.
Things You'll Need
• Lumber
• Miter saw
• Miter box
• Protractor
• Pencil
• Hand saw
• Ruler
Miter Saw
Step 1
Measure the piece of lumber to the desired length. Mark the short side of the angle you intend to cut.
Step 2
Loosen the handle at the base of the miter saw. Push the handle until the arrow on the built-in protractor points to 60 degrees. Tighten the handle.
Step 3
Place the piece of wood on the cutting surface. Hold it firmly against the metal fence at the back of the saw. Align the piece of wood with the groove on the cutting surface, so that when the blade descends, it cuts the piece of wood to the desired length.
Step 4
Maintain the position of the lumber on the cutting surface. Pull the trigger of the miter saw to activate the blade. Push the blade slowly down through the lumber, checking that the angle is cut as you desire. Lift the blade away from the cutting surface when it has completely severed the piece of lumber. Release the trigger to turn off the saw.
Miter Box
Step 1
Mark the lumber to the desired length. Place the piece of lumber between the walls of the miter box, with the marked length in line with one of the 60-degree slots.
Step 2
Set the handsaw over the piece of lumber. Align the blade so that it will descend into two adjacent 60-degree slots.
Step 3
Maintain the alignment of the saw blade. Work the saw back and forth across the piece of wood until the cut is complete.
Step 1
Measure the length of the piece of wood to the intended short side of the angle. Hold the protractor so that the pivot point is aligned with the marking and the flat bottom of the protractor is perpendicular to the piece of wood.
Step 2
Hold the protractor in place. Find the 60-degree mark on the protractor. Mark the piece of wood at the 60-degree mark. Hold a ruler so that its edge intersects both the original pivot point and the 60-degree mark. Draw a line across the piece of lumber that intersects both points and extends to both edges.
Step 3
Align a handsaw with the line you drew. Carefully work the saw blade back and forth to begin cutting the wood along the line. Check your saw work as you go to be sure that you do not miss the angle. Continue sawing through the wood until the cut is complete.
A good miter saw is significantly more efficient for cutting angles than is a handsaw.
Wear safety glasses, ear plugs, and a dust mask when working with wood.
Keep fingers well away from the blade of a miter saw.
References & Resources |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/61005 | Want to directly email someone at J E Design but don't know their address?
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/61039 | What is the Value of Using the Greek Fable to Teach Ethics?
The Lost Art of Ethics and Civility on College Campuses
The Search for a Common Set of Moral Values
May 31, 2017. Published by Steven Mintz, aka Ethics Sage
Do all Religions and Cultures Believe in the Same Set of Values?
The existence of a common set of values across religions would go far to explain why different cultures and societies believe that The Golden Rule is the basic standard of behavior. Rushworth Kidder Kidder, the founder of the Institute for Global Ethics, wrote a book titled Shared Values for a Troubled World in which he traveled the world and interviewed twenty-four thinkers to uncover a “common ground of values that could bring the world’s peoples together instead of driving them apart.” Kidder identified a global code of ethics that includes the following shared values: love, truthfulness, fairness, freedom, unity, tolerance, responsibility, and respect for life.
All You Need is Love?
In his discussions with interviewees about love, Kidder noted that love seemed to embrace the ideas
of compassion, charity, helping one another, and honor. Having compassion for others means to notice their suffering and feeling moved by it. It also entails offering understanding and kindness to others when they fail or make mistakes, rather than judging them harshly.
John Lennon’s song, “All You Need is Love,” was performed by the Beatles in 1967. Some fifty-years later, the words still ring true today. But, love cannot stand on its own as a moral value because we may love another for the wrong reason or commit unspeakable acts out of love. To truly love another means to be compassionate and empathetic to their needs; actions that build kindness in relationships with others.
and cultural boundaries in her book Common Values. Her approach is to combine moral theory with practical ethics to demonstrate how these moral values are applied across all facets of life – personal, professional, domestic and international. Bok defines many areas where different cultures share the same basic ethical framework. She believes there are common values that have been established in human societies throughout the ages, and commonly held beliefs of virtually all human beings.
Minimalist Standards
Bok’s common values do not constitute entire systems of ethics. They represent “bare bones of more abstract and complex values and ideals such as ‘love,’ ‘truth,’ ‘respect for life,’ ‘fidelity,’ ‘equality,’ ‘integrity,’ and ‘justice.’ These values are minimalist standards that are broad enough to encompass all cultures and societies. She believes such a minimal set of common values can be a starting point for the development of more values and leaves enough room for cultural diversity. She finds the following values should be incorporated:
• Basic forms of the positive duties of care and reciprocity.
• Constraints on harmful actions of violence and deceit and betrayal.
• Norms for procedures and standards of justice to resolve conflicts.
Consistent with normative ethics, the common values concern primarily what people should do in human behavior, not what they might plan to do or are tempted to do. Bok states they “may be reflected in views about virtues and traits of character, and contrasted to vices or failures of character.”
Positive Psychology
Greek virtue deals with traits of character that enable us to achieve moral excellence and a state of happiness. One notable contribution to the study of virtue is Positive Psychology. Positive psychologists identified six particular virtues in a study of a wide variety of religious and philosophical texts from all over the world. The following virtues were valued in almost every culture, valued in their own right (not just as a means to another end), and are attainable: (1) wisdom and knowledge; (2) courage; (3) love and humanity; (4) justice; (5) temperance; and (6) spirituality and transcendence.
A more recent contribution to “values talk” is The Six Pillars of Character described by the Josephson Institute of Ethics. The Josephson Institute characterizes the Pillars as a “multi-level filter through which to process decisions.” The idea of having pillars is instructive because it illustrates the foundational aspect of moral behavior and ethical decision making.
The Six Pillars include trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. The Six Pillars can be thought as virtues because developing such traits of character can lead to a state of moral excellence through practice and repetition over time. I have reworked the pillars into virtuous traits of character.
Values Core Characteristics
Trustworthiness Be honest, truthful, and sincere in dealing with others
Integrity Demonstrate the courage of your convictions; act on ethical principles
Reliability Keep promises; act consistently
Loyalty Be faithful to your duties and to others
Respect Treat each person as an end in him or herself
Responsibility Be accountable for your actions; pursue excellence in life
Fairness Treat others equally unless a sound basis exists to do otherwise
Caring Be kind and compassionate with others
Is Civility a Common Value?
One cultural value omitted from my discussion is civility. I omit it because it means different things in different societies. For example, back in 1994, Michael Peter Fay, a U.S. citizen, was canned four times for vandalizing property in Singapore. Many Americans believed the punishment did not fit the crime. It was “cruel and unusual” punishment for a “minor” offense. However, in Singapore vandalism is considered a crime and the punishment for doing so is quite strict. Why? Is Singapore an uncaring country? No, it is a cultural belief that strict punishment even for minor offenses is necessary to protect individuals and property on a broader scale. Thus, Singaporeans place greatest emphasis on one’s responsibility to society and promoting the common good rather than kindness and empathy towards others. In the U.S., we certainly agree with those values but place greater emphasis on fairness and justice, and canning someone for “simple” vandalism seems to be an ethical overreach.
From offensive videos to intolerance for alternative points of view to rude behavior to senseless violence, society no longer believes in a core set of principles to guide behavior. Instead, we live in a world where “anything goes.”
morals #values #virtue #ethics |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/61041 | 38: Chapter 19 (Part II) David Before Shmuel
• Rav Amnon Bazak
The Book of Shmuel
Lecture 38: Chapter 19 (Part II)
Rav Amnon Bazak
I. "And Shaul Sent Messengers"
After fleeing his house with Mikhal's assistance, David turns to what appears to him to be the most natural address – the prophet Shmuel:
(18) Now David fled, and escaped, and came to Shmuel to Rama, and told him all that Shaul had done to him. And he and Shmuel went and dwelt in Nayot.
It is not clear whether David turned to Shmuel thinking that he would find safety in his house, or whether he thought that Shmuel, who had anointed him as king, would exercise his influence over Shaul and prevent him from harming David. In any event, Shmuel does not consider turning to Shaul, it being clear to him that their relationship had suffered irreparable damage. On the contrary, Shmuel offers David a haven, but it quickly becomes evident that he has no intention of relying on miracles, and he leaves his house and moves with David to Nayot in order to get away from Shaul. But Shmuel's maneuver fails:
(19) And it was told to Shaul, saying, "Behold, David is at Nayot in Rama."
It seems that the Divine plan could not make do with David's escape from Shaul; in order to close the circle, one final encounter between Shmuel and Shaul was necessary. At this point, something happens that at first glance appears exceedingly comical:
(20) And Shaul sent messengers to take David; and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Shmuel standing as head over them, the spirit of God came upon the messengers of Shaul, and they also prophesied. (21) And when it was told Shaul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied.[1] And Shaul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied.
What is the meaning of this strange story? First of all, attention should be paid to the expression, "and Shaul sent messengers," which is repeated three times with slight variations in these two verses – these joining the three other instances of the expression in the previous verses (vv. 11, 14, 15)! Why is this expression used six times in the chapter?
Shaul's excessive use of messengers seems to indicate a certain lack of control. Sending and re-sending messengers on various missions testifies to the pressure experienced by the king, who is aware of the fact that the missions on which he is sending his messengers are immoral. A striking example of such conduct is found in the story of David and Bat-Sheva, which also begins in similar fashion: "And David sent and inquired after the woman, and one said, 'Is not this Bat-Sheva the daughter of Eli'am, the wife of Uriya the Chittite?' And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in to him, and he lay with her" (II Shmuel 11:3-4) – and in the continuation of the chapter this phenomenon appears another three times (vv. 6, 14, 27).
As to what actually happened, we already discussed the phenomenon of prophesying,[2] in which Shaul's messengers inescapably take part. The central character in the story, however, is Shaul, who refuses to learn his lesson and keeps sending additional messengers - with stubbornness that recalls the conduct of the Pelishtim at the beginning of the book[3] - and who finds no peace until he himself goes to clarify the matter. Shaul's refusal to understand the spiritual message in what is happening to the messengers is clearly reported to his discredit, and attests to the spiritual low to which he has sunk.
II. The Difference Between Shmuel and Eliyahu
These verses, however, have another message as well. It is hard to overlook the similarity between the situation described here and a later event, where another king of Israel tries to harm a prophet who objects to his conduct by sending people to him, and there also fails three times. This is how the prophet reports the end of Achazya the son of Achav: "And he was sick, and he sent messengers, and said to them, 'Go, inquire of Ba'al-Zevuv the god of Ekron whether I shall recover from this disease'" (II Melakhim 1:2). The prophet Eliyahu meets the messengers and has harsh words to say to them about the king's inquiry of idols: "Is it because there is no God in Israel, that you go to inquire of Ba'al–Zevuv, the god of Ekron? Now therefore thus says the Lord, 'You shall not come down from that bed to which you have gone up, but shall surely die'" (ibid. vv. 3-4). The messengers return to Achazya, and when he understands that it was Eliyahu who had sent them back, he tries to apprehend Eliyahu by sending others after him:
Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him; and, behold, he sat on the top of a hill. And he said to him, "You man of God, the king said, 'Come down.'" And Eliyahu answered and said to the captain of fifty, "If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume you and your fifty." And so fire came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
Again he also sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said to him, "O man of God, the king said thus, 'Come down quickly.'" And Eliya answered and said to them, "If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume you and your fifty." And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
And he sent a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Eliyahu, and pleaded with him, and said to him, "O man of God, I pray you, let my life, and the life of these fifty your servants, be precious in your sight. Behold, the fire came down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties; therefore let my life now be precious in your sight." And the angel of the Lord said to Eliyahu, "Go down with him; be not afraid of him." And he came, arose, and went down with him to the king. (ibid. vv. 9-15)
Here, too, we have a stubborn king, who refuses to recognize the power of the prophet. The very parallel between Shaul and Achazya, about whom it is stated, "For he served the Ba'al, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the Lord God of Israel, according to all that his father had done" (I Melakhim 22:54), adds to Shaul's disgrace. It is precisely the third captain of fifty who is presented in this account as a more positive character than Shaul; he recognizes the fact that if an exceptional event occurs twice, it is liable to occur a third time as well, and he therefore begs Eliyahu for his life.
In addition to the parallel between Shaul and Achazya, there is also an interesting parallel between Eliyahu and Shmuel. This is not the forum to expand on the personality of Eliyahu, but without a doubt, fire is one of the most prominent markers of his stormy path. Eliyahu bases the people's faith at Mount Carmel on fire coming down from heaven (I Melakhim 18), and he repeats the message in this story as well – "If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume you and your fifty." It is doubtful, however, whether this method of instilling fear and dread is an effective way of leading the people of Israel. Already at Chorev, between the incident that occurred on the Carmel and the story of Achazya, God tells Eliyahu, "but the Lord was not in the fire" (ibid. 19:12). The story of the captains of the fifties attests to the fact that Eliyahu did not internalize the message, and it was therefore decreed that he must leave the world, something that he does with "a chariot of fire and horses of fire" (II Melakhim 2:11).
This is not the way of Shmuel. When he stands before the king's messengers, he does not bring fire down upon them. The very opposite is true: Shmuel deals with them by raising them up and joining them to "a company[4] of prophets" that were prophesying before him. This spiritual phenomenon is unique, but not without a precedent. We have previously noted the many similarities between Shmuel and Moshe Rabbenu.[5] Here, too, a situation is created that is reminiscent of an important incident in Moshe's life:
And Moshe went out, and told the people the words of the Lord, and gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tent. And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it to the seventy elders. And it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, but continued not. And there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad. And the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out to the tent, and they prophesied in the camp. And there ran a young man, and told Moshe, and said, "Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp." And Yehoshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moshe from his youth, answered and said, "My lord Moshe restrain them." And Moshe said to him, "Do you envy for my sake? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put His spirit upon them!" (Bamidbar 11:24-29)
Moshe's standing among the seventy elders and the transfer of God's spirit from him to them brings to mind Shmuel's standing before the company of prophets. More than this, the fact that there were those who merited prophecy even though they had not been meant to receive it simply by virtue of Moshe parallels Shmuel's ability to cause Shaul's messengers to prophesy, even though they also had not been intended to merit prophecy.
In this chapter, we take leave of Shmuel, one of the greatest leaders to arise in Israel, and the parting scene reveals the full strength of this prophet. Shmuel, who had brought about an important spiritual revolution in Israel through systematic work and the ability to connect with the people,[6] exits the stage of history in a way that commands respect and high regard - by dealing with his opponents by raising their spiritual level and bringing them to prophesy.
On the night that Shmuel was consecrated as prophet, Scripture emphasized: "And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no frequent vision" (I Shmuel 3:1). At the end of that chapter, it was already stated: "And the Lord appeared again in Shilo; for the Lord revealed Himself to Shmuel in Shilo by the word of the Lord" (ibid. v. 21). Now, it becomes clear that it was Shmuel's power to bring the people of Israel to a high level of prophecy and to add ordinary members of the people to the company of prophets. Shmuel merited that part of the prophet Yoel's vision would be realized in his generation:[7]
And it shall come to pass afterwards, that I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. (Yoel 3:1)
III. "Is Shaul Also Among the Prophets?"
As stated, Shaul did not content himself with the three delegations that he sent to Shmuel, and in the end he decides to act on his own:
(22) Then went he also to Rama, and came to the great cistern that is in Sekhu; and he asked and said, "Where are Shmuel and David?" And one said, "Behold, they are at Nayot in Rama."
The nature of "the great cistern that is in Sekhu" remains unclear.[8] In any event, Shaul's question, "Where are Shmuel and David" – especially against the background of the information supplied earlier, "David is at Nayot in Rama" (v. 19) – clearly testifies that Shaul was aware of the fact that Shmuel and David were together, and this knowledge does not hinder him from continuing on his way and on his mission.
Be that as it may, at this point, the phenomenon of coerced prophecy reappears, and applies to Shaul himself:
(23) And he went there to Nayot in Rama; and the spirit of God came upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Nayot in Rama. (24) And he also stripped off his clothes, and he also prophesied before Shmuel, and lay down naked all that day and all that night…
The expression "he also" appears three times in these verses, perhaps corresponding to the three earlier delegations. Attention should be paid, however, to those phenomena that are unique to Shaul in this act of prophecy. First of all, Shaul begins to prophecy even before Shmuel arrives: "And he went there to Nayot in Rama; and the spirit of God came upon him also." It is reasonable to assume that the reason for this is the fact that Shaul had already prophesied in the past and was used to the phenomenon. Hence, the spirit of God rested upon him even when he was still distant from the place – and thus there is an even greater parallel to the story of Eldad and Medad.
Second, regarding Shaul the verse states: "And he also stripped off his clothes." These words imply that others as well had stripped off their clothes (see Radak), even though this was not noted above. In any event, the very fact that the phenomenon is described specifically with respect to Shaul, and especially the words, "And he lay down naked all that day and all that night," intensify the criticism cast at him. We are not dealing here with prophesy indicating a high spiritual level, but rather with the capture of a king, who was about to perform a perverse deed, by way of the spirit of God.
The chapter ends with the words: "Wherefore they say, 'Is Shaul also among the prophets?'" (v. 24). We already noted in chapter 10 (lecture no. 17) the relationship between the story told in our chapter and what was described there in connection with the development of this expression in the wake of the resting of God's spirit upon Shaul and his prophesying with the company of prophets. The two stories, here and there, create a clear framework inasmuch as they are opposites. Whereas there the expression was used in appreciation of the fact that a simple person became one of the prophets, in our chapter the words express astonishment and shock over the fact that a king of Israel became one of those people who prophesy even though they are not on the appropriate spiritual level, and therefore do strange and bizarre things.[9] From a literary perspective, the oppositeness of the stories finds expression in the direction in which Shaul is headed. In our chapter, Shaul is going from his house in Giv'at Shaul toward Rama, whereas in chapter 10, he is going in the opposite direction – from Rama to the Giv'a.
Shaul's stripping off of his clothing might have another meaning. As might be recalled, in chapter 17 (v. 38), Shaul gave his apparel to David, and there (lecture no. 33) we noted the symbolism of this act: Shaul's handing over of the kingdom to David. Shaul's stripping off of his clothing in our chapter may symbolize the end of the period of his prophecy. And indeed, from now on we do not find the evil spirit resting upon Shaul. For him, this may have been a certain relief, but this is relief that testifies to an additional decline in his spiritual level. If until now an evil spirit rested upon Shaul owing to his failed attempts to attain the word of God,[10] from now on he no longer thirsts for the word of God, and he reverts to being an ordinary person in all senses.
(Translated by David Strauss)
[1] According to Masoretic tradition, there is a break here in the middle of the verse, and thus a refrain is created that further strengthens the feeling of repetition: "The spirit of God came upon the messengers of Shaul, and they also prophesied/ And when it was told Shaul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied/ And Shaul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied."
[2] See lecture no. 17 on chapter 10.
[3] See our lectures on chapters 5-6 (lectures no. 9-10). The story can also be compared to the story of Bil'am and the ass. There, too, the ass merits revelation, but Bil'am stubbornly refuses, "three times" (Bamidbar 22:28, 33), to recognize the fact that something very illogical is taking place, something that requires a spiritual explanation.
[4] The word "lahaka" is very common in modern Hebrew, but in Scripture it is found only here. It has been suggested that the root lamed-heh-kuf is a transmutation of the root kuf-heh-lamed, that is to say, "kehilat [a congregation of] prophets."
[5] See lectures to chapters 3 and 7 (lectures no. 6 and 11).
[6] See our lecture on chapter 7 (lecture no. 11).
[7] Perhaps for this reason Chazal expounded that Yoel the son of Petu'el is Yoel the son of Shmuel the prophet (Bamidbar Rabba 10, 5).
[8] It might be argued that Shaul's going from the Rama [the elevation] to a great cistern symbolizes his descent from igra rama le-bira amikta, "from a high roof to a deep cistern."
[9] The words, "va-yipol arom," are rendered by the Targum as "ve-nafal barshan." See Rashi, who writes: "And in the name of Rabbi Menachem who heard from a certain Arab: 'barshan' in Arabic denotes 'crazy.'" We already noted in an earlier lecture (no. 7, note 8) the blurring of the distinction between prophets and crazy men.
[10] See lecture no. 16 on chapter 15. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/61042 | Shiur #26: Natural Morality (2)
• Rav Assaf Bednarsh
Adapted by Leora Bednarsh
What is one to do in the face of a seeming clash between the demands of natural morality and the prescriptions of the Halakha?
Perhaps the most famous example of such a clash is in the case of akeidat Yitzchak, in which God's commandment to Avraham contradicted the prohibition of murder, the most basic of all moral imperatives. While the primary test in this episode was the personal sacrifice of Avraham giving up his beloved son, the Sages were also sensitive to the moral conflict involved in this commandment, noting that an element of this test was Avraham's willingness to subordinate the moral norm to the divine command. The midrash tells us that Satan appeared to Avraham and attempted to dissuade him from fulfilling God's commandment. He first argued that it was unreasonable of Avraham to give up his beloved son whom he had waited for until the age of one hundred. When that tactic failed, he appealed to Avraham's moral conscience, warning him that tomorrow he would be accused of murder for killing his son:
“And Yitzchak spoke to Avraham his father, and said: My father” (Bereishit 22:7) – Samael went to our father Avraham and said: “Old man, old man! Have you lost your mind [lit. have you lost your heart]? You are going to slay a son given to you at the age of a hundred!” “Even this I do,” replied he… [Samael said:]”‘Tomorrow He will say to you, ‘You are guilty of murder; you murdered your son!’” He replied: “Still I go.” (Bereishit Rabba 56:4)
Avraham passed the test through his willingness to engage in both personal and moral sacrifice for the sake of God.
The Akeida as a Rejection of Natural Morality: Eish Kodesh and Yeshayahu Leibowitz
As we noted in the previous shiur, according to the Eish Kodesh, the message of this story is clear. If God could command Avraham to kill his son, this proves that there is no independent moral prohibition of murder. If so, there cannot be any natural moral order, as the prohibition of murder is the most basic of all moral obligations.
Similarly, another twentieth century Jewish philosopher, Yeshayahu Leibowitz, understands the lesson of the akeida as the conquest of our natural instincts in order to serve God. He includes in our natural instincts not only our psychological and physical desires, but our moral instincts, which are binding only from a secular perspective and have no significance in the worldview of the Torah. According to Leibowitz, the passage in the siddur introducing the story of the akeida, in which we pray to God to help us subdue our inclination in order to serve Him, includes the subduing not only of our inclination towards evil and selfishness, but the subduing of our moral inclination as well.[1]
We argued in the previous shiur, however, that the mainstream tradition of Jewish thought disagrees with the Eish Kodesh and holds that there exists a natural moral order that is binding even in the absence of divine revelation. If so, how are we to understand the commandment of akeidat Yitzchak?
We could perhaps argue for a position very close to that of the Eish Kodesh: There exists a natural moral order, but God is not bound by that order, and His commandments do not necessarily conform to natural morality. When faced with a clash between natural morality and divine command, we are bidden to follow the example of our forefather Avraham and transgress the obligations of morality in order to fulfill the divine will. This position was made famous by the Danish protestant philosopher Soren Kierkegaard in his book about the akeida.[2] He argues that there is no possible moral evaluation of Avraham's behavior other than as a transgression of morality. The greatness of Avraham, according to this understanding, is that he placed his loyalty to God above his commitment to morality and suspended the ethical obligation in order to follow the more authoritative obligation of serving God.
According to the approaches we have mentioned, whether we grant the existence of natural morality or not, the message of the akeida is clear. Divine commandments are not meant to be in consonance with any system of morality; the task of a Jew is to overcome his moral feelings and submit instead to the divine command.
The Akeida as an Affirmation of Natural Morality: R. Kook and R. Lichtenstein
A strikingly different approach is taken by R. Kook in his commentary to the story of the akeida. While the Eish Kodesh focused on God's initial commandment as paradigmatic and viewed God's later command not to harm Yitzchak as an expression of divine grace that could just as easily not have occurred, R. Kook focuses instead on God's final command as definitional. He explains that when God commanded Avraham not to harm Yitzchak, His intention was to reveal the uncontested ethical truth that Avraham could never have been permitted to kill his son. R. Kook explains that neither the natural instinct of a father protecting his beloved son from harm, nor the natural moral prohibition against murder, lost any of their binding authority due to the commandment of the akeida. God prohibited Avraham from harming his son not as a divine fiat, but specifically because of the moral reprehensibility of such an act.[3]
As we discussed in the previous shiur, R. Kook believes that natural morality and Halakha form one continuum, in which morality serves as the basis for spiritual growth, and Halakha expands, deepens, and sharpens the moral order. R. Kook understands that this is precisely the moral message of the akeida, which is meant to teach us that God's will is always in consonance with morality and that He would never command or desire that we act in an immoral fashion.
This raises the question, of course, of how R. Kook understands God's initial commandment to Avraham to slaughter his son. If God's commandments are always in consonance with natural morality, how could He have commanded Avraham to commit murder, even if He later revoked that commandment?
Perhaps we can explain this based on the midrash that describes a conversation between God and Avraham in the wake of the akeida:
R. Acha said: Avraham began to wonder: “These words are only words of wonder. Yesterday, you told me: ‘Because in Yitzchak will your seed be called’ (Bereishit 21:12). And [then] you went back and said, ‘Please take your son.’ And now You say to me, ‘Do not send your hand to the youth.’ It is a wonder!” The Holy One, blessed be He, said: “Avraham, ‘I will not profane My covenant and the utterances of My lips, I will not change’ (Tehillim 89:35). When I said, ‘Please take your son,’ I did not say, ‘slaughter him,’ but rather, ‘and bring him up.’ For the sake of love did I say [it] to you: I said to you, ‘Bring him up,’ and you have fulfilled My words. And now, bring him down.” This is [the meaning of] what is written, “it did not come up on My heart” (Yirmeyahu 19:5) – that is Yitzchak. (Bereishit Rabba 56:8)
According to this midrash, God's commandment never contradicted the dictates of natural morality, but only seemed to do so. In accordance with all the information available to Avraham when he set out to the akeida, there was a clash between the divine command and natural morality, but in truth there was never a clash.
Perhaps this can serve as a paradigm for all clashes between Halakha and natural morality. A Jew who is faced with such a clash is certainly being tested. According to R. Kook, however, one does not pass the test by discarding morality and committing oneself to worshiping a God who does not care about the moral order. Rather, God desires that in face of an apparent contradiction between morality and the divine will, we remain steadfast in our faith that He is ultimately just, and that there is some information of which we are not aware which can resolve the contradiction. We pass the test by continuing to believe in the morality of Halakha, although we do not yet have an explanation for how that morality is expressed in this particular instance.
R. Lichtenstein, in his discussion of the akeida, explains the matter similarly. On the one hand, we must always give precedence to the divine command over our moral conclusions. On the other hand, however, we must remain steadfast in our belief that loyalty to the dictates of natural morality is an expression of, rather than a contradiction to, yirat Shamayim (fear of Heaven). The integration of moral goodness and obedience to Halakha, according to R. Lichtenstein, is a principle that can never be compromised, even if that requires that we admit, as did Avraham on his way to the akeida, that there are apparent contradictions whose resolutions we have not yet succeeded in finding.
R. Lichtenstein draws a number of practical conclusions from this understanding. First, R. Lichtenstein concludes that it is not only legitimate, but necessary, that when faced with such a clash between morality and Halakha, we feel the weight of the contradiction and are troubled by our lack of understanding. R. Lichtenstein assumes that during the three-day journey to the akeida, Avraham wrestled and grappled, attempting, albeit unsuccessfully, to find an answer to the burning question of "Can the Judge of the whole world do injustice?" This grappling, explains R. Lichtenstein, is not a religious flaw, but rather a religious accomplishment, so long as it is undertaken in the context of ultimate submission to the wisdom of the divine command.
Second, R. Lichtenstein suggests that our moral intuition has a role in an interpretive capacity. When the halakhic directive is unclear, we must seek out an interpretation that accords with natural morality. Just as we would interpret one passage in the Shulchan Arukh in such a way that it would not contradict another halakhically authoritative passage, we must likewise interpret the halakhic texts in a way that they do not contradict the authoritative divine will expressed via natural morality. Nonetheless, ultimately, a Jew must be prepared to act like Avraham and submit to the divine will even when he cannot find any resolution to the conflict, neither by re-examining his moral conclusions nor by re-examining his interpretation of the divine command.[4]
According to the midrash, the answer to his question was revealed to Avraham shortly after the akeida concluded. Not every Jew merits such revelation, however, and sometimes we may have to live with the conflict for years or decades. R. Lichtenstein admits that from an educational perspective, such an approach is much more difficult to sustain than the competing approach of the Eish Kodesh, who understands yirat Shamayim as a rejection of natural morality. It is always simpler to remain committed to one set of values and reject all others, rather than believing in the integration of values that do not always integrate effortlessly. It may be more challenging for our students to remain committed to Halakha if we challenge them to live with conflict rather than dismiss it. The easy path, though, is not necessarily the correct path. R. Lichtenstein concludes that if we want to imbue our students with loyalty to Halakha in the face of these challenging conflicts, we must teach them to love piety more rather than morality less. The solution is to deepen yirat Shamayim rather than to jettison morality.
We have seen two general approaches to understanding the story of the akeida, and more generally to understand clashes between Halakha and morality. The approach of the Eish Kodesh and Yeshayahu Leibowitz attributes philosophical significance only to God's initial commandment to sacrifice Yitzchak, learning from the akeida that we are bidden to deny the significance of natural morally and heed only the divine command. Even if one were to admit the binding obligation of natural morality, one could conclude from the akeida that although morality is authoritative in the absence of revelation, divine commandments are independent of and more authoritative than natural morality. We must sometimes transgress morality in order to fulfill the divine command.
The second approach, exemplified by R. Kook, understands God's initial commandment as merely a test and attributes philosophical significance to God's second commandment forbidding Avraham from harming Yitzchak. According to this approach, we learn from the akeida that natural morality and Halakha are integrated and that ultimately there can be no contradiction between the natural and the prophetic revelations of divine will. Any apparent conflict between Halakha and morality is merely a test, as in the akeida.
R. Lichtenstein explained that we pass the test by heeding the divine command, but while our loyalty to Halakha takes precedence over our understanding of reality, we are not meant to reject either our commitment to morality or our belief in the integration of morality and Halakha. We are meant to struggle, to wonder, to ask questions, to seek alternative explanations, and ultimately to have faith that someday we will find a resolution that vindicates our belief that loving piety more does not entail loving morality less.
[1] Yeshayahu Liebowitz, “Religious Praxis: The Meaning of Halakhah,” reprinted in Judaism, Human Values, and the Jewish State (Harvard University Press, 1992). Some students of Liebowitz, however, understand that he acknowledges the binding obligation of natural morality but disassociates it from Halakha. In this case, his view would be similar to that of Kierkegaard, as opposed to the Eish Kodesh.
[2] Soren Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling, chapter 3.
[3] Rav Kook, Siddur Olat Re’iyah, pp. 92-93.
[4] R. Aharon Lichtenstein, By His Light: Character and Values in the Service of God, chapter 6, part 4, pp. 122-124. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/61058 | You are here
Question #2: Large scale event study
I am currently conducting a large-scale event study. I am using R and the EventStudy package. It turns out that I am only able to upload around 2000 stock prices otherwise I receive the error code:
Request Status Code: 500
Error: Argument 'txt' must be a JSON string, URL or file
Is there any way to use the package for a large amount of data e.g. 200k stock prices in the overall analysis?
Answer by Dr. Markus Schimmer:
We strongly recommend using the API directly for large-scale studies. This will give you also some additional flexibility in structuring the analysis - if needed.
Question #1: What's your current API key?
Answer by Dr. Markus Schimmer:
You find the API key on this page: |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/61068 | Cbd Oil For
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/61072 | Search found 61 matches
by mohamed
Thu May 30, 2013 8:36 pm
Forum: Exercise Science
Topic: only one exercise per session
Replies: 7
Views: 10124
only one exercise per session
Hi all At the first sorry im egyptian and can't speak eng perfect so will be dificult foryou to understand me I want ask if i can do one exercise to the muscle i want trainig it with big number of sits instead of do two exercise have the same purpose for example:- in biceps day can i do only DB bice... |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/61080 | A/N: Okay...so the plot bunnies have caught me. Well, more specifically, they've tied me to a chair and are smacking me over and over again :P. I was up like all last night just thinking about a possible next fanfic. Yes, it would be a Chaos fic. But it would be Percabeth, and I promise you it'll have a great plot and character development and be completely different from any other Chaos story you've ever read. Hopefully you guys have some trust in me. :)
Obviously though, if I start another one, it'll take some time away from my current stories, and not everybody likes Chaos stories, so I'm going to put it up to a vote. The complete summary(which will be shrunk down to size because it's over the max character limit for summaries) is on my profile, so go ahead and read it, and then vote on the poll whether or not you would like to see it written.
Oh, and kudos to anyone who gets the references in this chapter. ;)
Percy's bed was surprisingly comfy.
I felt somewhat guilty for mooching it from him, but when it was past ten and he still hadn't returned, I figured he probably wouldn't be needing it anyway. He was probably doing a job. Now that he was here, it looked like I would have to undergo a change in career. My phone showed no messages or missed calls from clients, even though I had been out for a good three days.
I sighed, flicking off the lamp and snuggling down beneath the covers. I felt like I should tell Percy who I was, but I doubt he even remembered Annabeth anymore. Relationships change, especially after almost two decades apart from each other.
Percy had obviously changed plenty. How many girls were in his life now? A lot, I bet. He was all charming and bad-boy now, not the clueless Seaweed Brain that I remembered. He probably had a whole crowd of fawning girls at his disposal. Maybe that's why he never bothered to IM me after I got exhiled. Maybe he had never missed me like I'd missed him.
Maybe I should do a little reconnaissance before I decided whether or not to tell him who I was.
I smiled sadly when I realized that his pillow smelt like the sea. I missed the good old days, that was for sure. Even if there had been a war, and our lives had always been in danger, at least we could have always been sure of each other.
It was weird, the things life threw at you. Innocent until proven guilty, they say. But what if you were proven guilty- but you were actually innocent?
I woke up to golden sunlight streaming through the window. Shadows from the tree outside danced on the covers, their shapes twirling around and around as the wind blew through the branches.
I let out a small yawn and sat up, running a hand through my hair. A strand got caught between my fingers, and I frowned at it. The hair dye was fading, single strands of blonde showing through here and there. I had a week, at most, and then I would have to dye it again.
I slid out of bed and moved to the window, pulling aside the thin satin curtains. I had to blink as my eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight. It seemed like Percy's house was in the countryside. The huge lawn was freshly mowed, and thick groves of trees pressed up against the sides of the house.
I watched as a raven flew off from a nearby branch, then turned away from the window, blinking away the sleepiness that threatened my eyes. I was about to pull open the door when I caught sight of myself in the dresser mirror.
I was still wearing my Ice Castle clothes, and after spending three days in bed, they were dingy and wrinkled. My hair was a mess, tangled and frizzy to the point of almost looking like an afro. I hurriedly rummaged around the room, but it seemed like Percy kept his room devoid of hairbrushes.
With a grimace, I took an elastic off of my wrist and pulled my hair back into a ponytail. It wasn't great, but it would have to do. It wasn't like I wanted to impress anyone, anyway.
I moved to open the door again, but something white flashed at the corner of my eye. A dress, laid out neatly on a chair. I turned to it, surprised.
My surprise quickly turned into horror.
It was pretty and all. Oh, it was very cute. But what? He wanted me to wear that?
It was a white strapless dress, tucked in at the waist, ruffles flaring out at the bottom. It was a very simple dress, but it was lacy and very, very feminine.
I glared at it. I would've skewered Percy alive if he'd bought a dress like this for a girl that he barely knew back when we were dating. I mean, I got it, he was a flirt and a bit of a player, but a simple t-shirt and shorts would have been fine. But no. He buys me a freaking dress?
Uh-uh. No way.
But I did need some clothes to change into.
I considered my options for a moment, then decided to raid Percy's closet. I mean, if he could buy a dress specifically for me, I'm sure he would't mind me borrowing a t-shirt and some pants. I wasn't sure how I felt about borrowing his clothes, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
I dug through his closet for a few minutes- it was still just as messy as he used to keep his cabin back and camp- and emerged with a black t-shirt and gray sweats.
With a grateful sigh, I peeled off my Ice Castle outfit and threw it into Percy's laundry basket. I might as well get my clothes washed while I could. I pulled on his t-shirt and sweats. They were surprisingly comfy, but of course they were many sizes too big. The t-shirt hung down almost to my knees, and I had to pull the strings of the sweatpants tight and tie it in order for it to not drop down to my ankles.
I shot one last glance of distaste at the dress, then grabbed my phone off of the nightstand and walked out into the hallway. I looked around in surprise. Percy's house was not what I'd expected.
It was bright and cheery, sunlight streaming in through the windows. To the left, the hallway opened up into the living room, where a bunch of very masculine leather couches and a flat-screen T.V were placed. There was also a kitchen, lined with chestnut cabinets and a marble countertop. Potted plants sat on the window sills, but most of them were dried-up and in the process of dying. A few had been replaced with cacti. I smiled, despite myself.
The other way led to what looked like another bedroom and possibly a bathroom. There was a note taped to the bathroom door, and it took me a while of squinting to make out what it said.
The lock on this door doesn't work. If you're in here and you hear me come home, LET ME KNOW. Or you can face the consequences...which will not be pretty.
I frowned at it. Okay, maybe I'd go to another bathroom. There had to be more than one bathroom in the house. I headed into the kitchen, where a mug of coffee was sitting on the counter. I looked cautiously at it.
Was that for me?
I was reaching forwards to pick it up when I noticed a yellow sticky-note peeking out from its side. I had to squeeze my eyes shut and re-open them several times before they finally made sense.
Yes, you can drink this, it said. Don't worry. I didn't poison it.
I rolled my eyes, but took a small sip. It was very, very cold. Percy must've made it a few hours ago. I grimaced, then stuck it in the microwave, watching it spin for a few rotations before I took it back out and took a taste test.
I gave a happy sigh. It was warm, almost hot. The coffee was dark, no sugar, whipped cream on top, just the way I liked it.
I almost choked on my sigh. Just the way I liked it. Just the way Annabeth liked it.
No. Could he know?
My hand automatically reached up to my face. Yes. My contacts were still in. But I guess no matter what color I dyed my hair, and even if I was wearing bloodred contacts, I'd still look like myself. Annabeth. Same thing.
But he couldn't know. Not for sure. Maybe he suspected.
I was pretty sure he suspected.
I was debating whether or not to dump the coffee in the sink when the front door suddenly opened. I must've jumped a foot in the air.
Percy looked like he had been at a job, because he was dressed in the same black cargo pants and hoodie that he had been wearing the night I bumped into him. Okay, maybe it hadn't exactly been 'bumping into.' More like stalking.
"Oh, Em! You're..." he trailed off as he took me in, a single eyebrow raising. "Why are you wearing my clothes? You didn't like the dress?"
"I don't know, you tell me." I crossed my arms. I was about to launch into a lecture about buying dresses for girls you barely knew, but I stopped.
Annabeth. What would I be doing in this situation?
I would definitely be launching into a lecture about buying dresses for girls you barely knew.
Okay, change of plans. He definitely suspected me. So I was going to be as un-Annabethlike as possible. I would do the exact opposite that I would normally do in a situation like this.
"I love it!" I squealed. The words burned a little coming out, and I almost had to resist the urge to kill myself. "It was so cute! I just didn't want to wear it, because that would ruin it! I have to at least wait until a special occasion!"
Percy blinked at me. "Uh, Em? Are you okay?"
"I'm better than okay, actually. Thank you so much for the dress, it's absolutely gorgeous!"
"You're welcome?" his uncertainty made the words into a question.
I flashed him a grin that Aphrodite would be proud of. "Percy, I can't believe you bought me a dress and made me coffee, you're, like, the most amazing guy ever!"
He watched with one eyebrow raised as I proceeded to dump the coffee down the drain.
"You don't like it?" he questioned.
I giggled, almost gagging. "No, no. I love coffee. But with milk, and a lot of sugar. That coffee was so bitter! It was gross."
He looked incredulous, but before he could say anything, my phone started to vibrate, jumping around on the counter. I picked it up, cupping my hands around it to block the sunlight so I could read the caller I.D.
Oh Gods.
I set it back down on the counter.
"Aren't you going to answer that?" Percy asked.
I ignored him, watching the phone buzz. It hopped around for another moment before beeping, indicating that the call had gone to voicemail.
"Em," Liz's voice said from the phone. "I swear-"
I didn't give her a chance to swear anything, because I reached forwards and swiped the phone off of my counter, hitting the take call button and pressing it to my ear. I made heavy breathing sounds.
"Yeah...?" I panted.
"Are you okay? Why are you breathing like that?"
"I...I was in the bathroom. I heard my phone vibrate, and I was just going to let it ring, but then voicemail came on, and I really didn't want an angry Liz."
Liz laughed, in the way that only she could, loud and wild and the kind that you knew was genuine. "Ah, I was just about to threaten to not talk to you for a week there."
I laughed too, trying my best to make it sound real. "Good thing I picked up."
"Yeah. Just checking that you made it home alright and didn't get abducted or anything."
"Nah, I'm fine." I glanced at Percy, who was watching me curiously. "No abductions."
"Glad to hear it." I heard scuffling sounds from the other end. "Okay, so it turns out that Bermuda Triangle2-which we both wanted to see- is still in theaters! And get this- it's playing tonight! Only two more days, though. Do you want to go see it? I can pick you up in five."
"Uh..." I bit my lip. If Liz went to pick me up, all she'd see would be a bunch of burnt debris where my house used to be. "The trailer looked pretty good, but I don't really want to see it anymore."
"What? Why?"
"I was reading some reviews online, and everyone said it sucked!" the lie rolled off my tongue easily, but there was no doubt that Liz would ask for details, and then I'd have to create myself a web of lies.
"Really? The first one was alright." Liz sounded unsure.
"Well, it didn't necessarily suck, but they said it was totally off from the book."
"It was based on a book?"
"Um. Yeah." I racked through my mind frantically for a few seconds. "They said that, uh, the girl's hair wasn't even the right color in the first movie, and so they dyed it blonde to fix it, but now it doesn't even make sense anymore, because now she's magically a blonde."
"Woah. Seriously? That brunette girl?"
"Yeah. And remember the evil guy, Lucian, who was trying to raise Time?"
"Uh-huh. Didn't he die?"
"Nope," I said. I was totally making up everything as I went, but Liz couldn't know that. Unless, of course, she really went to check the online reviews...
"No way." Liz was laughing.
"Yes way. And get this. Lucian used the Silver Pelt to raise Time-"
"But Time isn't supposed to rise until the last movie!"
"I know! And then Time ate Lucian and the lamb guy-"
"He ate?!"
Okay, maybe that was a little weird. But hey, I was kind of running out of ideas.
"Yep, ate." I glared at Percy, who was chuckling."Then the brunette girl-who is now blonde- freaking died. Oh, but don't worry, They brought her back to life with the Silver Pelt."
"Wow." Liz was silent. "That sounds pretty messed up. Maybe we should do something else instead."
"Maybe not tonight," I said quickly. "I'm kind of busy."
"With what?"
"I have to do laundry-"
"I can help you, if you want. I'm bored out of my mind."
"No, it's okay. I have to go." I hurriedly hung up, then turned off my phone, praying to the gods that Liz wouldn't decide to come over anyways or check the online reviews for Bermuda Triangle2.
"So." Percy's eyes twinkled mischeviously. "Time ate two of the characters in Bermuda Triangle2? Wow. You'd think that I would have noticed that, since I saw the movie and all."
"Oh, shut up." I put my phone back on the counter and crossed my arms. "I'm not good at lying to Liz."
"Well, I mean, you're screwed if she decides to really go check the reviews."
I sighed. "I know."
"You know, I still haven't asked you." Percy came over to me. "Why didn't you call Liz instead? To save you, I mean. We barely know each other."
I glanced at him, then smiled flirtatiously. "Because you're so hot, of course."
Percy's eyebrows shot up. Okay, maybe that was a little too over-the-top.
"Em, are you sure you're feeling alright? Are you bipolar or something?"
I crossed my arms. "I'm not bipolar."
"See?" he gestured at me. "There you go again."
I sighed. This wasn't working.
Percy shook his head, then pulled off his black hoodie. A strip of his tan chest showed beneath his black t-shirt before he pulled it down, shaking out his tousled hair. He fished a roll of bills out of the pocket of his pants, then tossed it onto the kitchen counter.
I glared at it. "So. You were at a job."
Percy shrugged. "Yeah. Why are you so mad about that?"
I turned my glare on him. "Percy. You stole my job! All my clients just suddenly stopped calling. How am I supposed to get money when nobody wants to hire me?"
"Well, you do have that job at Ice Castle..."
I groaned. "Right. That's supposed to pay for groceries and the water bill and the electricity bill and gas-"
"What about your parents?"
I winced. "My dad's dead."
"Oh." Percy blinked. "I'm sorry."
I shook my head, indicating that I didn't want to talk about it. Sure, he was sorry. They all were. I missed my dad more than I could ever have imagined. Back when he was alive, back when I wasn't a traitor, I used to hate him. Hate him for marrying my stepmom, hate him for never having time for me. Hence why I ran away.
I never realized, though. How much I loved him. How I started to get close to him again, how everything was working out, and then he died of cancer. I never saw it coming. I never expected.
"I'm assuming, then, your mom is a goddess?"
Damn. More things to back up his theory of me being Annabeth.
"Yeah," I muttered. "Now can you please stop changing the subject?"
"I'm not changing the subject."
"Yes, you are. Stop trying to distract me from the fact that you're stealing my money."
He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm not trying to rob you of your money. It's not my fault that your prices are so expensive."
"Excuse me? You're the one whose prices are abnormally cheap."
He sighed. "Sorry, okay? We could always do jobs together, then split the money..."
"Work with you?" I frowned.
"You were just squealing over my hotness a second ago."
"Oh, shut up." I exhaled slowly.
Bipolar, he mouthed. I ignored him.
"Can't you just increase your prices?" I asked.
"What? And let you get all my clients?"
I glowered at the floor. "Fine. How about a compromise? You raise your prices up so that they're the same as mine. Then we'll let the clients decide who they want."
Percy leaned back, smiling crookedly. "Sure. Whatever you want. May the best man—or woman—win."
I smiled back. "Yep."
"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot." He leaned in closer, and for a second I had the wild thought that he was going to kiss me. "Where are you staying? I mean, your house is blown up..."
I scowled, mentally slapping myself for not calling Liz. "With you, I guess...until I get enough money to stay in a hotel."
"Of course, you're going to need to pay rent." Percy's eyes were mischevious. "You know, unless you beg me very nicely."
I was about to snap back a retort, but a small gust of wind blew from seemingly nowhere. It smelled like strawberries and perfume. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion.
Before I could think further about it, though, I smelt the scent of the sea. Percy had leaned in so close that the little gust of wind brought with it the smell of salt water, and countless memories from a lifetime ago.
"Why do you always smell like the sea?" I question, my curiosity getting the best of me. Waves lap gently at my feet, and Percy has his arm wrapped around me, the two of us sitting together in the sand of the beach.
Percy laughs, his green eyes twinkling. "I don't know, Annabeth. Maybe because I'm the son of the sea god? And you're supposed to be the smart one."
I snort, giving him a mock-punch. "I am the smart one, Seaweed Brain."
He grins. "Well, you know, because asking the son of the sea god why he smells like the sea just proves how smart you are."
"This stays between the two of us," I warn. But I'm smiling, nonetheless.
"Okay, okay," he agrees. He leans in, bringing the smell of saltwater with him. "Just the two of us."
"Em! What are you doing?"
I realized, with a sudden jolt, that my eyes were closed. I opened them slowly, and realized that I had been leaning forwards. Going to kiss Percy.
Oh Gods.
"Percy, I-"
"Em." Percy backed up a bit. "I'm sorry. I like you a lot, and you're a nice girl, but I have a girlfriend."
My head snapped up. "A girlfriend?"
"Who?" The word came out sounding all wrong. Too sharp, snappy. Like I cared.
He looked hesitant for a moment, as if he wasn't sure whether or not he should tell me. He bit his lip, taking a slow breath. "Her name's Annabeth." |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/61081 | First appeared in Hunting Trips 6 (2012), from Neon Rainbow Press
Non Compos Mentis
K Hanna Korossy
He feels heavy. Not his body, which he can't even sense, but his thoughts, his mind, his being. Thick and blurred and so weighed down, he can't move. Can't think. He sinks without a trace.
He feels his heartbeat, sluggish and slow.
He hears sounds so muffled and distant, they seem to be on the other side of a thick wall. Sometimes a pounding siren, other times just the softest whisper of movement, they draw him even as they retreat when he reaches out. He stops trying and they die away.
He feels his taut skin, pulling over sinew and bone almost uncomfortably. Fingers and toes curling as he draws them inward, knees and elbows flexing, everything tight, clumsy with disuse, weak.
He hears the soft pants of his breath, speeding up whenever he becomes aware of them. They steady when he focuses, fall into a pattern he almost recognizes.
He tastes the dust on his tongue, dry and sticky. Wonders idly when he last used it, until it all fades again.
He feels soft creases against his skin, the gentle give of a pillow. Fabric riding up his belly as he shifts, and the edge of the surface he's lying on as his fingers slide searchingly over it.
He hears the silence around him, the emptiness, the absence of…something that was there before. He's not sure what, but he still misses it.
He tastes something chemical, far back on his tongue. It doesn't go away no matter how much he swallows.
He smells sweat and stale air and the roiling odor of human neglect, and doesn't know how he recognizes that. Even as it slips away, he still thinks about it.
He feels his stomach tighten in hunger, and his full bladder press against it. His head throbs and his muscles ache.
He hears his groan, his whisper before he even realizes he's talking, and the lack of response that follows.
He tastes blood as he nips his tongue, and the metallic tang, the sharp taste, clear some of the fog.
He smells no aftershave, gun oil, or sulfur, and starts to realize why he expects to.
He opens his eyes and sees…gray. Diffused gray, focusing into a leaden ceiling, walls, floor. And nothing else.
Suddenly, the last of the confusion parts, and he remembers.
And starts to shake.
The pieces of conversation float around in his head.
"Dean, my head hurts."
"I know, Sammy. Just relax. Everything's gonna be fine."
A sharp nip in his arm. Perception blurring, fading.
"Dean? Where'm… I can't think."
"Your head's a little screwed up right now—it'll get better, just hang on."
Another sting. The world falling away again.
"I can't…somethin'…somethin's wrong, Dean."
"Shh, you're okay, Sam. I'll take care of you."
Dean wrapping something around his arm, then the oblivion-inducing pinch again.
Dean had done this.
Sam—he was Sam, Sam Winchester, son of John, brother of friggin' Dean—made it to his feet after several tries and stumbled around the room, bumping into walls and sometimes sagging to one knee as he forced his body to wake up and his mind to clear. Fury fueled him. He was here, in this smelly, tiny, empty little room, because of Dean, because Dean had locked him up and left him there. But not for long.
Sam flexed his fingers, feeling the stiffness of joints too long unused. How long had he even been there? His face only had light stubble, two-three days of growth, and his stomach clenched with hunger, but that didn't mean much. In that dirty room with its boarded-up window and locked door and foul air, the mattress and bedding he'd lain on were relatively clean. Dean had obviously been caring for him. Which, Sam fumed, wouldn't have been necessary if his brother hadn't put him there in the first place.
He could remember the last day he'd been himself. They'd found another of Sam's fellow special kids, this one with a dad who'd burned over his crib, but they'd been too late. The girl had died in a mysterious conflagration that had taken a whole bus full of tourists with it. Right, "mysterious." Sam had gone down to the local watering hole that evening and gotten completely trashed. He was pretty sure he'd rambled on about his fate and ending himself before he went evil, but it was nothing he hadn't said before. Sam hadn't tasted anything funny in that last drink, just remembered the parking lot drifting out of focus…and then Dean was easing him into the Impala while whispering sorry, I'm sorry, Sammy. That was the last thing Sam had known until now, here.
That bastard had been so terrified of what Sam might do, he'd drugged him out of his mind and locked him up instead. Didn't even ask him, just lied calmly to his face when Sam, confused and scared, had trusted him to help. Seriously, with brothers like that, who needed enemies?
Sam banged his fist against the wall in frustration, yelling another "Dean!" even if the last ten hadn't done any good at all. And, what, Dean had left him here now to die? How did that make sense?
Then again, how did any of this make sense?
Finally feeling a little steadier on his feet and with the room no longer spinning—more or less—Sam set his jaw. Fine. He'd gotten out of harder places than this. The boards on the window were gapped, allowing in enough light for Sam to see by, and the hinges on the door were on the inside. If Dean thought this room would keep him prisoner…
But it wasn't just walls his brother had used to trap him. Sam's face crumpled a moment as he rubbed at his arm, but he pushed away the weakness just as fast. Not now. At the moment, all he needed to concentrate on was getting out of there before this cage drove him nuts.
There was a tin cup of water by the bed, the only thing in the room besides the mattress, and Sam drained it thirstily before using the edge to pry the hinges free on the door. He found himself working as quietly as possible, as if it mattered. Dean had gotten the drop on him before because Sam had trusted him. He wasn't making that same mistake again.
The last hinge gave way, and Sam set it aside, then pried the door free. His body was weak from too many days of inactivity, and the heavy door almost knocked him over. He just managed to find his balance and slide the wood to one side.
He was out. And he was livid.
"Dean," Sam lurched out of the room, "you son of…"
Empty. The outer room was empty.
Well, empty of Dean, anyway. There was a table in front of Sam piled haphazardly with papers, laptop, Dad's journal, other stuff. Next to it sat a chair with their weapons bag on it, deflated and half-empty. Dean's duffel was stuffed underneath, spilling clothing onto the filthy floor. There was a kitchenette in the back corner that looked like it had at least been partially cleaned, and several unlit candles of various lengths littered an end table. A sleeping bag was messily rolled in one corner, and a dark open doorway across the room revealed the outlines of a toilet that Sam could smell from there.
He frowned, blinking at the empty room. Really, Dean thought this was better? Not like Sam had been aware enough to care, but the empty beer bottles and fast food detritus ringing the table spoke of at least several days' stay, and this was where Dean had set up camp? Had locked them both up?
And so where was he now?
Rage retreating only a little, just until he found out what was going on, Sam crossed to the table. Dad's journal hit his eye first, opened to a page on…cockatrices? He bent lower, curious despite himself, and poked through the papers.
A map of trails around Seattle, an area on it circled. Several copied newspaper clippings about mysterious poisoning deaths. Scrawls of Dean's notes about bird sightings and search grids and poisons. Sam absently started to stuff a page about antidotes into his pocket, only to realize he was in flannel pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. Right, easy-to-care clothes, he sneered, and shucked the t-shirt without a second thought, yanking a button-down from the duffel, even if it was Dean's. He wanted out: of the clothes, of these rooms, of his brother's influence. He'd trusted Dean his whole life, with his life. And—
His eyes fell on what he'd thought were just some toiletries on the table, and Sam realized with a jolt what he was really looking at. One vacuum-seal bottle was almost empty, but the other two were full and unopened, and a pile of sterile syringes sat beside it. Sam's left hand automatically returned to the inside of his elbow and the small ladder of marks there as he numbly picked up a bottle with his right. He recognized it as one of the strongest meds they kept in their stash, the one they only used in extreme cases because it was so incapacitating. Which would account for everything: the fuzziness, the lethargy, the weakness of inactivity.
The full weight of what Dean had done slammed into him. His beloved older brother had turned on Sam, drugged him and locked him away like some kind of lunatic. Shot him up with powerful drugs that had left him badly disoriented, unable to think, and too weak to get up: completely powerless.
The thought was blinding, tilting Sam's world on its axis. With Jess and Dad gone, school only a distant dream, and the knowledge that he was tainted pumping through him every day, the one constant he'd always been able to rely on had been Dean. His brother was the only one Sam could always trust, who was always there.
And Dean had taken advantage of that trust, twisted it against him and abused it in the worst possible way. Sam's chest squeezed so tight, he could barely breathe. God, he'd rather Dean have just shot him point-blank than…than this. This betrayal.
With a wordless howl, Sam threw the bottle across the room, unsatisfied as it shattered against the wall, followed by the other two. Chest heaving, he rested both hands on the table and tried to think.
Okay, so Dean had drugged him. Sam cursed under his breath again but let it go for the moment. Clearly his brother had been taking care of him, though, probably giving him regular injections to keep him from surfacing. So what had changed? As much as the world had swung upside-down and the one person he could always rely on had turned on him, Sam couldn't quite believe Dean had left him there for dead. But he'd been gone long enough for the drug to wear off, so…
Wait. A shapeshifter had taken Dean's form the year before. Maybe it hadn't really been Dean who'd done this to him. Or maybe it had been Dean but not in control. Sam had fallen under crazy Dr. Ellicott's influence once, and it hadn't been that long since Meg had ridden him for a week. He'd shot Dean both times, but as his brother had kept saying it wasn't his fault if he wasn't in control. So maybe Sam's jailer wasn't really Dean.
Except, he remembered.
"'M I…? I can't… Am I sick?"
"Yeah, kiddo. You're sick. But I'll fix this, I will, I promise."
A conversation repeated over and over again. And every single time, comforted and satisfied with his brother's promise, Sam had surrendered back to the drug.
That had been Dean. Maybe, possibly tricked somehow, deluded into thinking he was helping Sam. But it was definitely Dean.
Sam's eyes stung with an unexpected sense of loss. He'd believed Dean, trusted him, loved him.
Loved him still, damn him.
"Where are you?" he muttered angrily at the table, and started sorting through the papers again, more carefully this time. Five suspicious deaths, all apparently poisoning cases, toxins unknown. Two strange bird sightings in an area all five vics had hiked in. It definitely pointed to a cockatrice, with its poisonous breath and rooster-like appearance. The method of killing was also easy: just hold a mirror up to it. Preferably without letting it breathe on you.
A hollow horror filled Sam at the realization, and he sank into the empty chair by the table. Dean had gone out on a hunt, alone, expecting to be back in time for Sam's next…treatment. And he hadn't returned.
Sam sat still, the edge of the table biting into his palms. He didn't want to care about this. Dean obviously wasn't expecting back-up, not with the way he'd doped up his partner. He deserved it if he got into something over his head as a result.
But…while cockatrice poison wasn't always fatal, it often was. Or Dean could be injured and needing help.
And he was still Sam's brother.
Sam ground his teeth. He didn't want to care, for God's sake. He wanted Dean to suffer for this. To die for it, though? He winced. No. Sam's wounded heart couldn't bear that blow, too. He'd rescue the jerk and then he'd walk out on him. Leave Dean with a little taste of what he'd put Sam through.
Eyes dead, mind numb, body cold, Sam got dressed and geared up. Time to go to work.
He'd been lying around in the dark long enough.
Dean had practically left him a map of where to go. Okay, so the area marked was a good half-mile square starting just past the bar and the edge of town, but it still was a lot more than Sam usually had to go on.
Of course, it would've helped if night hadn't fallen on his way out of town in a borrowed pick-up, or if the rain hadn't started a slow, cold drizzle.
Sam's prison, it had turned out, was in a condemned apartment building across the city from the cockatrice attacks. Good for keeping someone captive without anyone noticing, Sam had to admit. His brother was nothing if not pragmatic.
He skirted the hunting grounds until he found the Impala, nicely hidden out of sight from anyone not looking for it. He knew Dean almost as well as his brother knew him, however, and Sam had an idea where to look. He parked the truck in another secluded spot a hundred yards or so down the road, wiped it clean, then headed in after Dean.
Even a powerful flashlight could only do so much against rain, total darkness, and woods. Dean's phone was off—Sam had found his own tucked into Dean's duffel and given it a reluctant try earlier—and the marked trail was only one jagged line through the territory circled on the map. It was still a lot of ground to cover.
But he did know his brother—or at least this much of his brother—so Sam started where the last bird sighting had been and worked his way outward in a spiral from there. That was what their dad would've done and so that was what Dean would do, and like it or not, Sam had to have faith in his brother's habits one more time.
It was almost an hour before he nearly fell over Dean.
In the dark, his brother's body was just another shadow on the uneven ground. It was the weak cough that drew Sam to him, and the way shivers coursed through the fallen figure that froze Sam in a moment of instinctive dismay before he dropped into a crouch beside the figure.
"Dean? Hey." Even in the wan beam of the flashlight, he could see the flush of color in Dean's face and the blue tint to his lips. Raindrops beaded his eyelashes as they lay against his cheeks and plastered down his hair. He was lying on his side in a puddle, tremors of cold shaking his body, one arm curled against his chest while the other stretched above his head. Something glinted just past his outflung hand, and as Sam directed the light that way, he saw a smashed mirror. There was no sign of injury, nothing but the fever and the fact that Dean had been lying there unconscious for God knew how long.
Sam shut his eyes, just for a moment, swallowing. Then he opened them and started moving.
"Dean, c'mon, we're getting out of here." Flashlight stowed in his pocket, Sam eased Dean's arm down to his side, then lifted him upright.
Dean's head lolled even as his brow creased faintly, lips parting and then closing again. His eyelids fluttered before stilling.
"No, no, man, you come back to me." Sam held him by one shoulder and lifted his chin, craning down to see into Dean's face. "You owe me a major explanation here and a chance to kick your ass for what you did."
Dean's eyes finally cracked open, but there was no awareness in them, nothing but dull bewilderment and fear.
Sam's throat constricted. He imagined that was how his eyes had looked, too, every time he'd woken up in his drugged haze.
"Why, Dean?" he couldn't help but murmur. He'd reviewed his last memories in the truck on the way out there, remembered Dean repeating to him before Sam left for the bar that Sam wasn't going to turn evil. He'd been sleeping poorly, as he had been for a while now, and they'd argued again, as they had been pretty much since Dean had told Sam about Dad's final words. But that wasn't anything new, either. If Dean had lost faith in him, given up on him, why not just take off, leave Sam behind instead of turning him into some mindless, drooling inmate?
Dean didn't answer, just as Sam hadn't expected him to. With a sigh, he let his brother's head dip back to his chest, then heaved Dean's deadweight over his shoulder and headed back to the car. There was nothing else to be found out there.
Sam was badly winded by the time they reached the Impala, muscles quivering with fatigue. Amazing how lying in bed for a few days could make you so weak. It was a serious relief to finally lean Dean against the car while digging out his keys, then wrestling him none-too-gently into the back seat. Another time he might've wanted Dean up front where he could keep an eye on him, but right now Sam needed the distance. Needed to think.
Didn't stop his eyes from going to the rear view mirror again and again on the way back, searching his brother's feverish, lax face for some sign of what he'd been thinking, how he could've done what he did.
Sam hadn't thought to gather their stuff from the abandoned apartment, but he couldn't make himself go back there just now, certainly not to stay. So he headed for the first decent motel outside town. A room secured with one of the credit cards in Dean's wallet, Sam manhandled them both inside, then dropped Dean on the nearest bed, panting with the exertion.
There, Sam straightened up, he'd done his duty. Dean was stable and he was strong; if he'd made it so far, he'd survive the poison even without the antidote. Sam didn't need to stay. This was all he'd agreed to do for the jerk.
But Dean was lying shaking and wet along the foot of his bed, feet tangled on the floor, and…maybe his brother didn't deserve it, but Sam couldn't bring himself to leave him like that. He remembered what it was like to be a brother, even if Dean didn't.
He peeled off the wet clothes one piece at a time, wincing at the chill of Dean's skin underneath. In the light of the room, the other symptoms of the cockatrice poisoning became apparent: the stain of vomit on Dean's shoes, the tiny pinprick pupils, the purple stain along his gums. His heart beat too fast under Sam's fingers, and his breathing was raspy in the quiet of the room.
"Idiot," Sam muttered, rubbing a towel briskly over goosepimpled flesh, then wrestling him into Sam's hoodie and a pair of sweatpants from the duffel Sam had found in the trunk. He activated and settled chemical heat packs against Dean's armpits and groin and neck, then rolled him under the extra covers Sam had requested when checking them in.
Dean's teeth chattered faintly against the pillow, face drawn.
No, not drawn. Gaunt. He was more unshaven than Sam, and it didn't look like he'd eaten much in the last few days, either. Sam hadn't expected his brother to sit feasting while he was lying drugged out of his mind next door, but still, this level of self-neglect disturbed him, muddying his anger with doubt. What had happened that last week, to both of them? How had they ended up here?
With a deep, unhappy sigh, Sam pushed up to his feet and went to mix the antidote.
It was pretty simple, actually, a combination of cleansing and healing herbs. They had all the necessities in the trunk. The harder part by far was getting it into Dean.
"Hey, Dean, c'mon, I need you to drink this." Sam tried lifting his head, but Dean's teeth were clenched against his shivering and he wasn't aware enough to sip anything.
Making a face, Sam switched tactics and sat behind Dean, pulling his brother up just enough that Sam could prop him against his chest and use both hands. This time he was able to force Dean's mouth open enough to take the liquid, and relief loosened his chest when Dean swallowed.
"Yeah, good. All right, that should do it. Just need to ride this out and then you'll be fine." He laid Dean down on the bed, covered him back up, and stood.
And looked at the door.
A part of him still really wanted to go. Walk out and not look back. He'd done it before for less reason: wanting school, wanting Dad, wanting answers. This time, all he wanted was to forget what Dean had done and the fear of it happening again. He wanted to not have that conversation, not hear Dean's excuses. He wanted to go somewhere alone and safe, where only he had the key to the door, and sleep and forget.
He wanted back the big brother he thought he'd had two weeks before, and the faith and stability he'd lost since then.
But Winchesters rarely got what they wanted, Sam had learned long ago, and no matter what he wanted now, what he had was one sick brother and a lot of unanswered questions. Fixing the one would maybe fix the other, and then he could decide where to go from there. Besides, he owed Dean that much, didn't he, the chance to explain? Twenty-three years had surely bought that.
Sam chewed his knuckle, watching Dean's restless sleep. Remembering all the times it had been him in the bed, Dean hovering worriedly, patiently, gently beside him. Sam rubbed his wet eyes and sniffed. Crap, that was why it hurt so bad, because it was Dean, the last person he'd have expected this from.
Okay. He didn't understand, and Sam wasn't sure he could forgive, but…he would stay. He would give Dean a chance. Then he'd figure out what to do.
And maybe it was a weakness, but he couldn't help hope that Dean would somehow find a way to fix this.
If Sam had thought he'd been tired before, he hadn't seen anything yet.
The antidote took the worst edge off the poison, but it had been working on Dean for hours before Sam had come along, as had the cold and rain. They'd taken their toll. Dean drifted in and out of feverish delirium, holding long, rambling arguments with their dad, with people inside his head, even with a Sam who wasn't really there, insisting on points that made sense only to him. Pain pulled him one way, exhaustion another, and Dean writhed restlessly in the middle, frowning up at Sam as he tried to cool his brother's skin or make him drink. Ironically, the drugs Sam had left splattered all over the abandoned apartment's walls would have helped ease Dean's misery, but that was a moot point now. When the shakes got bad, Sam just crawled into bed with him and held him through the worst of it. It was easier to weather the knocks of Dean's head against his chin and the jabs of elbows in his ribs than it was to listen to the stream of fearful gibberish pouring out of Dean's mouth.
God, he hoped all this fear and pain inside his brother was just the fever talking.
It melted something in Sam, though, the long hours of Dean's suffering. Anger faded into regret, betrayal into hurt. He still wanted his answers, but he was willing to listen to them and to try to understand.
What Dean did…it was still awful. More than Sam could really wrap his head around. Dean knew how afraid Sam was of losing control, and to take it away from him like that, take away his freedom and his ability to think and his right to make decisions: he couldn't even imagine an explanation for that. But maybe it wasn't unforgivable.
"Shh, calm down," he interrupted Dean's ramblings. "I'm here, all right? Everything's gonna be fine."
He didn't even realize until later that he'd been echoing Dean.
Sam opened the door quietly to not wake the sleeper. Dean had finally succumbed to real rest that afternoon, all his vitals stable, his fever almost completely gone, and Sam had eventually decided it was safe enough to go back to the apartment and get their stuff. He was mildly surprised to find it all still there, but then, considering the poor shape of the building, maybe not so much. He hadn't even run across a single squatter. Dean always had known how to pick 'em.
He was just pocketing the keys when the quiet, hoarse voice jerked his head up.
"Didn't think you'd come after me." Dean was half pushed up against the headboard, face still pale and sunken, but his eyes clear and sharp on Sam.
Sam stared back at him coolly, some of the anger sifting back now that worry wasn't there to squeeze it out. "What, and miss out on another chance for you to drug me again?" He tossed Dean's duffel to the floor at the foot of his bed, sliding off the weapons bag and his computer satchel onto a chair. Then he turned back to Dean, hands on his hips, and waited.
Dean stared at him impassively, eyes still a little fuzzy, saying nothing.
Sam huffed impatiently. "Cockatrice dead?"
"Stone cold." Dean's voice was low. "Breathed on me first."
"Yeah, I figured you weren't just taking a nap in the rain."
Dean shrugged.
Sam's patience ran out. "Oh, come on." His arms rose, then dropped to his side. "No 'I was doing it for you,' or 'big brother knows best'? I was expecting at least a 'screw you'—oh, wait. You did that already."
A muscle jumped in Dean's jaw. "It's not like I was expecting to get taken down, dude."
Sam took a step forward, knees brushing the bed. "Right, because that's the worst thing about all this, you leaving me like that? Nice, man. Not even an apology for the rest? I mean, I kinda think I deserve something here, don't you?"
"I'm sorry," Dean said quietly. Defeatedly.
Sam's face tightened. He wanted a fight, an argument, and Dean wasn't cooperating. It always had to be by his rules, didn't it? Well, not this time. "You don't get to not talk about this, Dean." Sam pointed at his brother. "If you don't give me some kind of explanation here, I'm walking out that door and I'm not coming back."
Dean flinched bodily, pressing back against the headboard like a cornered dog, but he didn't say anything.
Sam nodded shortly, anger draining, just…tired. "Fine. Whatever. I'm done." He grabbed his duffel and reached for his laptop, trying not to acknowledge the cold fear coiling in his gut that this was it.
"It moved too fast."
He almost missed Dean's whisper in the pounding of his own heart in his ears. As it was, Sam tried to figure out if he'd heard right as he stopped and half-turned back. "What?"
"It got you before I could get around the car. Couldn't even get my gun out in time."
A whole other kind of chill prickled over his skin. Sam faced him all the way, feeling the dizzying drop of blood pressure as the blood drained from his face. "What're you—?"
Dean still wasn't looking at him, his stare fixed on the blankets in his lap. "I was so ticked off at you." He almost smiled, the look incredibly sad. "The way you were talking, about how you'd turn evil like firestarter-girl, how maybe you should end it first, eat your gun." His voice wavered, and he glanced up at Sam long enough for the shine of his eyes to be visible, then his head dropped again. "Nothing I said was getting through, and you were just getting more and more drunk. I couldn't take it anymore and walked out on you." His voice trailed off into an anguished whisper. "I should've been watching your back."
Sam licked his lips, not at all sure what they were talking about anymore. "What happened, Dean?"
Dean shrugged. "You know. Cockatrice came out of nowhere, did the whole breath of doom thing on you, took off before I could stop it. By the time I got you back to the room, you were screaming."
Oh, God. Sam sank to the foot of the bed, swallowing. He searched his memory, coming up blank on anything but a swaying parking lot and Dean's apologies. "There-there's an antidote," he said numbly.
"Didn't matter, it still sent you on a bad trip. I mean, Timothy Leary-bad. You must have some kind of sensitivity to it or something—I don't know. I was gonna tie you down but I was afraid you'd break or dislocate something. I had to drug you just to keep you from banging your head against the wall."
The drugs. The room away from everything. The locked door. Dean's exhaustion. The pieces were falling into place to form a very different picture, one that filled Sam with mute horror. "I thought…" he whispered. "God, Dean, I thought…"
"What?" A shadow of his brother's usual smirk. "That I'd walked out on ya?"
He wished. Sam gave him a weak smile and tried to pull his head back together. "You shouldn't've gone out after it yourself." It was lame, but his mind was reeling.
Dean scrubbed a hand wearily through his hair, grimacing at the dried mud he encountered. "Yeah, well, beat sitting there watching you ramble in your sleep. I waited until you were over the worst part." His eyes still shied guiltily away from Sam. "It was my fault—I should've been watching out for you."
Sam stared at him, mind casting back. He had been scared that night. Terrified, actually. A girl like him had killed a bunch of people. Meg had almost used him to kill Dean, and Dean still hadn't taken Sam out. The powers Sam felt growing inside him, the pull toward darkness, the others who'd already succumbed before him: it had become so huge and overwhelming. He'd almost drowned in it.
He certainly hadn't been thinking about how much of a toll his fears and depression also took on Dean. He should've seen it, the burden he'd placed on his brother, how scared Dean was too, how hopeless and trapped he'd felt. But Sam had been too busy trying to keep himself together to notice.
To think that Dean was blaming himself now—thought Sam blamed him—for letting Sam's despair get to him and taking his eyes off him for a second… Didn't he know it was his faith in Sam, Dean's utter certainty that he would save him, that kept Sam from losing himself completely to despair at all?
Thank God he didn't even know what his little brother had really thought of him.
Sam felt sick. Suffocating. "I'm just…" He gestured vaguely at the door. "I'm gonna…"
He fled.
He walked until his feet hurt, then started back home. It gave him some time to think, but Sam knew he'd left his brother in an agony of limbo, and he hurried his steps back to share what he'd realized.
Turned out he didn't have as far to go as he thought. Dean was sitting on the steps in front of their door in a t-shirt and jeans, his feet bare but seemingly unaffected by the cold. His shoulders were folded over, bowed under a weight Sam hadn't fully comprehended until that day.
He eased himself down on the chilled cement next to his brother, and while he felt all of Dean's attention immediately zero in on him, not a single muscle moved. Dean was braced for the hammer to fall.
Sam dropped it. "You're a moron," he said gently.
Dean twitched, then looked up at him sideways, brows drawn. "What?"
"You're an idiot, Dean. I swear, man, only you would think me getting drunk and letting my guard down was your fault. Seriously, did you run this brilliant theory past Bobby?"
Dean blinked at him in bewilderment.
"I mean, I know you think you're responsible for everything that happens to me, but this one takes the cake, dude." That wasn't exactly true; Dean didn't usually go around blaming himself for Sam's every stubbed toe. But neither of them were exactly at their best or strongest right now. That and the lingering cockatrice poison were the excuses Sam clung to for why he'd jumped to the worst conclusions himself.
He locked eyes with his brother. "I don't think you let me down. Okay? We weren't even on a hunt, man, but I shouldn't've let myself get that out of control. What happened after that was on me, not you."
Not that he was sure Dean was incapable of what Sam had feared. If he truly became convinced there was no other way to keep Sam safe, if he was certain Sam was a threat to himself or others, there wasn't anything Dean wouldn't do, including drugging his sibling into complicity. It wasn't a comfortable thought.
But Sam also still remembered the tenderness of Dean's reassurances in his drugged haze, and the desolation in Dean's own unconscious ramblings. If Dean ever did come to that, it would be from desperation born out of love. The notion that his brother would actually rather take him that way, a shell of a person, unable to take care of himself, knowing Sam would probably hate him if he were aware, than see him dead, was both a horrifying and humbling thought.
Sam would just have to make sure he never gave his brother cause to feel it had come to that.
Dean was still staring at him, mouth a little open, and Sam bumped his shoulder. "You okay, man? It's pretty cold out here—you should be in bed."
Dean finally cleared his throat, blinking a few more times. "I'm hungry," he said roughly. "You bring back some donuts?"
It was Sam's turn to blink. "Donuts," he repeated dumbly.
Dean shrugged one shouldered. "Or pie. Pie would be awesome."
Sam looked at him through narrowed eyes. Dean looked back with a mix of contrition and sly humor that only he ever managed to pull off. "Right," Sam drawled. "Pie. Any particular kind?"
"Dude, you have to ask?" Dean grabbed onto the stair railing and used it to pull himself up. Sam saw how much effort it took, and considered how much farther Dean would've come after him if he'd been able. Probably all the way. Neither of them acknowledged it when Sam hooked an arm under Dean's and took some of his weight as he steered him back into the room.
"I would never eat my gun," Sam blurted out as they crossed the threshold. He felt Dean stiffen next to him. "That was just the alcohol talking, you know. No matter how bad it gets, I wouldn't do that to you. Any more than I'd…" He almost faltered here, bowed by the weight of guilt. But he couldn't tell Dean what he'd thought. Not because he was trying to protect himself, but because it would break Dean's heart. That would be Sam's burden alone. "…believe you'd walk out on me."
After a moment, Dean started moving again. Like an old man, he made his way slowly back to bed and let Sam ease him down, pulling the blankets back around himself. "You go for pie, I'll pay," he offered, his voice soft.
Sam looked him in the eye and liked what he saw in the dark green depths, windows to him where they were mirrors for everyone else. He just had to remember to look a little more often.
"Deal," he said.
The End |
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