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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21173 | Today's top stories
Stolen government hacking tools, unpatched Windows systems, and shadowy North Korean operatives made WannaCry a perfect ransomware storm.
Today's top stories
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WannaCry is a ransomware worm that spread rapidly through across a number of computer networks in May of 2017. After infecting a Windows computers, it encrypts files on the PC's hard drive, making them impossible for users to access, then demands a ransom payment in bitcoin in order to decrypt them.
A number of factors made the initial spread of WannaCry particularly noteworthy: it struck a number of important and high-profile systems, including many in Britain's National Health Service; it exploited a Windows vulnerability that was suspected to have been first discovered by the United States National Security Agency; and it was tentatively linked by Symantec and other security researchers to the Lazarus Group, a cybercrime organization that may be connected to the North Korean government.
What is WannaCry ransomware?
The WannaCry ransomware consists of multiple components. It arrives on the infected computer in the form of a dropper, a self-contained program that extracts the other application components embedded within itself. Those components include:
• An application that encrypts and decrypts data
• Files containing encryption keys
• A copy of Tor
The program code is not obfuscated and was relatively easy for security pros to analyze. Once launched, WannaCry tries to access a hard-coded URL (the so-called kill switch); if it can't, it proceeds to search for and encrypt files in a slew of important formats, ranging from Microsoft Office files to MP3s and MKVs, leaving them inaccessible to the user. It then displays a ransom notice, demanding $300 in Bitcoin to decrypt the files.
How does WannaCry infect PCs?
The attack vector for WannaCry is more interesting than the ransomware itself. The vulnerability WannaCry exploits lies in the Windows implementation of the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol. The SMB protocol helps various nodes on a network communicate, and Microsoft's implementation could be tricked by specially crafted packets into executing arbitrary code
It is believed that the U.S. National Security Agency discovered this vulnerability and, rather than reporting it to the infosec community, developed code to exploit it, called EternalBlue. This exploit was in turn stolen by a hacking group known as the Shadow Brokers, who released it obfuscated in a seemingly political Medium post on April 8, 2017. Microsoft itself had discovered the vulnerability a month prior and had released a patch, but many systems remained vulnerable, and WannaCry, which used EternalBlue to infect computers, began spreading rapidly on May 12. In the wake of the outbreak, Microsoft slammed the U.S. government for not having shared its knowledge of the vulnerability sooner.
Even if a PC has been successfully infected, WannaCry won't necessarily begin encrypting files. That's because, as noted above, it first tries to access a very long, gibberish URL before going to work. If it can access that domain, WannaCry shuts itself down. It's not entirely clear what the purpose of this functionality is. Some researchers believed this was supposed to be a means for the malware's creators to pull the plug on the attack. However, Marcus Hutchins, the British security researcher who discovered that WannaCry was attempting to contact this URL, believes it was meant to make analysis of the code more difficult. Many researchers will run malware in a "sandbox" environment, from within which any URL or IP address will appear reachable; by hard-coding into WannaCry an attempt to contact a nonsense URL that wasn't actually expected to exist, its creators hoped to ensure that the malware wouldn't go through its paces for researchers to watch.
Hutchins not only discovered the hard-coded URL but paid $10.96 to register the domain and set up a site there, thus helping blunt, though not stop, the spread of the malware. Shortly after being hailed as a hero for this, Hutchins was arrested for supposedly developing different malware in 2014. He has proclaimed his innocence.
WannaCry patch
For those unpatched systems that are infected, there is little remedy beyond restoring files from a safe backup — so let that be a lesson that you should always back up your files. While those monitoring the bitcoin wallets identified in the extortion message say that some people are paying the ransom, there's little evidence that they're regaining access to their files
WannaCry and Windows 10
As noted, Microsoft released a patch for the SMB vulnerability that WannaCry exploits two months before the attack began. While unpatched Windows 10 systems were vulnerable, the automatic update feature built into the OS meant that almost all Windows 10 systems were protected by May of 2017.
The Microsoft SMB patch was initially only available for currently supported versions of Windows, which notably excluded Windows XP. There are still millions of internet-connected Windows XP systems out there — including at Britain's National Health Service, where many WannaCry attacks were reported — and Microsoft eventually made the SMB patch available for older versions of the OS as well. However, a later analysis found that the vast majority of WannaCry infections struck machines running Windows 7, an operating system Microsoft does still support.
Symantec fingers the Lazarus Group
After the initial dust settled, various security researchers began working to try to figure out the origins of WannaCry. Symantec had a provocative take: they believed that the code might have a North Korean origin. They laid out the evidence in a blog post, where they discussed a little-known fact: that WannaCry had actually been circulating for months before it exploded across the internet on May 12, 2017. This earlier version of the malware, dubbed Ransom.Wannacry, used stolen credentials to launch targeted attacks, and there were "substantial commonalities in the tools, techniques and infrastructure used by the attackers” between this version of WannaCry and those used by the Lazarus Group.
The Lazarus Group in turn is a hacking group that has been tied to North Korea. Beginning their run in 2009 with crude DDoS attacks on South Korean government computers, they've become increasingly sophisticated, hacking Sony and pulling off bank heists.
On the other hand, without an explicit claim of responsibility, it's impossible to know for sure that either the initial wave of WannaCry attacks or the later EternalBlue-driven explosion was directed by North Korea, since malware code is copied liberally by various groups.
WannaCry still active, but causing fewer tears of sorrow
Despite all the publicity—not to mention the patches and best practices to help prevent it—WannaCry is still infecting systems. In March 2018, Boeing was hit with a suspected WannaCry attack. The company claimed it did little damage, however, affecting only a few production machines. Boeing was able to stop the attack and bring the affected systems back quickly.
A key reason why Boeing was able to recover so well was that patches for the vulnerabilities that WannaCry exploits were readily available. The fact that they weren’t already in place before the attack explains why WannaCry can still do damage more than a year later. Few organizations are effective at keeping up with patching.
The bigger danger today are from WannaCry variants, or more specifically, new malware based on the same EternalBlue code as Wannacry. In May 2018, ESET released research that showed detections of EternalBlue-based malware spiking past their highest level in 2017. Immediately after WannaCry, detections of EternalBlue-based attacks dropped to a few hundred a day, but steadily rose again until spiking in April.
All EternalBlue-based malware exploits the same Windows vulnerability, so the fact that these attacks are increasing suggests that plenty of unpatched Windows systems are still out there. It’s only a matter of time before an attacker finds them.
Related video: Ransomware marketplaces and the future of malware
This story, "What is WannaCry ransomware, how does it infect, and who was responsible?" was originally published by CSO.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21180 | The 9th OFES workshop features the latest results on computationally intensive research in climate science. This workshop continues the successful series of meetings that include the ESC-IPRC Joint Workshop on Computationally-Intensive Modeling of the Climate System and OFES International Workshop. We solicit presentations on a wide range of topics investigating the climate system using high-resolution modeling, theory and observations. Studies including analyses of OFES, AFES, and CFES results as well as other models including regional models and/or observations are welcome, as are presentations on data management, visualization, and high-performance computing.
General Information
February 28 - March 1, 2019 ※The workshop finished successfully!
C-Cube: Room 303 Chikushi Campus, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
Hideharu Sasaki (APL, JAMSTEC)
Shinichiro Kida (RIAM, Kyushu University)
Niklas Schneider (IPRC, University of Hawaii)
Yukio Masumoto (The University of Tokyo)
Hideharu Sasaki (JAMSTEC) |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21224 | This week the Forbes magazine has released the list of the best paid actors and actresses of Hollywood and George Clooney and Scarlett Johansson lead the list. What’s the problem? The wage gap that exists between them of almost 200 million dollars.
Clooney, with 239 million dollars of benefits, is the first of the list, thanks to his tequila brand called ‘Casamigos’. On the feminine list, it is Scarlett Johansson who appears first, with 40,5 million dollars earned for her role as the Black Widow on The Avengers.
It is remarkable the difference between them, of 198,5 million dollars, that left clear the wage gap of salary that exist today on Hollywood, as well as in the rest of the jobs to this day.
On the list, after Clooney appears Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth and Jackie Chan. But, looking at the list, Scarlett Johansson earned the same amount that the seventh male of the list, Will Smith, with 42 million dollars.
On the feminine list, Angelina Jolie follows Johansson, and then, Jennifer Aniston and Jennifer Lawrence. The amounts for women are much smaller than for men, because Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), the last of the list, earned 10 million dollars.
Is it normal than the difference between stars would be so remarkable, at the same that for any other worker of the any other labor sphere? The answer is no.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21232 | What is Cast Stone?
What is Cast Stone?
Cast stone is a concrete product simulating natural-cut stone and is used in architectural applications. Cast stone is used for architectural features such as trim, ornament, facing buildings or other structures. Cast stone can be made from white and/or grey cements, manufactured or natural sands, crushed stone or natural gravels, and colored with mineral coloring pigments. Cast stone may replace natural-cut limestone, brownstone, sandstone, granite, slate, and other natural building stones.
History of Cast Stone
Physical Properties of Cast Stone
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21235 | More Hidden Streetwear In GTA IV
Just as a quick follow-up to last night's post, it looks like Rockstar have collaborated with a lot more than just RockersNYC when clothing the denizens of Liberty City. Players have since spotted some of the game's NPCs sporting LRG's "Dead Serious" hoodies, which means the game's probably full of this kind of unannounced, niche-targeted advertising. Sneaky, and no doubt equal parts fascinating to marketing students and streetwear fashionistas alike.
LRG Dead Serious Hoodie in Grand Theft Auto IV [Hypebeast]
can you buy it so niko can wear it??
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21236 | Potaku 4: Potaku Rising
This is not a reboot. This is not a gritty reimagining of a franchise you know and love. This is Potaku Episode 4. This is the Kotaku community podcast. And you should listen to it!
As always it falls to ShiggyNinty, co-creator of Potaku and 'very tall man' to let us all know what to expect from this week's episode...
Who ordered the #35 Special? What’s the #35 Special? How about some of the most sexy and seductive voices around Kotaku? Yeah. You definitely ordered this.
Welcome to Episode 4 of Potaku! This week we have myself and Doc What as usual and special guests Effluvium Boy and #35, talking about retro gaming and general nonsense.
We have community playdates set up for both Xbox 360 and PS3. On Tuesday at 8:30PM EST we have GTA4 for Xbox 360. Grab patches, updates and DLC. And not to leave the PS3 in the cold, we have GTA4 as well, so Wednesday at 8:30PM EST grab any patches, DLC and updates and get ready to cause chaos and madness in Liberty City.
Don’t forget we also have Monday Night Halo Fights in Halo Reach!
ShiggyNinty: Twitter/Email
Doc What: Twitter/Email
Thanks for listening everyone and we hope you enjoy!
I'm half way through it RIGHT NOW!
You weren't imagining things Shiggy, they're trying to get everything together to make it: http://m.au.ign.com/articles/2012/04/04/arnold-talks-twins-sequel-triplets
And those ghosts in Alex Kidd were scary, but there was a pattern to them, and what you grabbed earlier affected what appeared later. So you could release them when you knew it was safe to escape, then get the extra life later in the level!
And Super Mario Land is awesome... Probably because it was one of the first games*I* ever owned
And the title of this episode should be "Potaku 4: The unnecesary money grubbing sequel that is about 10 years too late"
Or “Pot4ku: The unnecesary money grubbing sequel that is about 10 years too late”
Pot4ku: Because fuck the letter A.
I'm listening to episode 2 right now....HEY! I liked Raiden!
What... day...?
Seriously, Raiden was alright apart from the fact that he slowly repeated almost everything that he was told. Is he really that stupid?
- When I say "Amiga" I mean "Atari"
- Country music isn't all bad.
Yeah, I noticed that. Was all like 'WTF? Did he mean Atari?'.
Can I still join the GTA4 fun if I don't have the DLC?
Listened to this on an interstate flight last night. It made time fly!
What a thrill...
With darkness and silence through the night
What a thrill...
I'm searching and I'll melt into you
What a fear in my heart
But you're so supreme!
Coming next week:
Potaku - Too cool 5 school
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21271 | This is our Dominant 7 Alt Chord Workout in our series of Jazz Chord Workouts. What is and Dominant 7 Alt Chord? Also known as an altered chord, It’s a dominant 7 chord which includes one or more alterations to its diatonic chord tones. These alterations are most often b5, #5, #9, b9. Dominant 7 Altered chords are commonly used as a V chord leading to the I. This exercise helps you practice these chords in all 12 keys. It cycles through the Circle of 4ths (C-F-Bb-Eb-Ab-Db-Gb-B-E-A-D-G) and each chord is played for 8 bars. Use the chord charts below to guide you and use the play-along to practice!
Chord Charts
Dominant 7 Alt Chord Workout C Instruments
Dominant 7 Alt Chord Workout Bb Instruments
Dominant 7 Alt Chord Workout Eb Instrument
Practice another workout:
Major 7 Chord Workout
Major 7(b5) Chord Workout
Minor 7 Chord Workout
Minor(Major7) Chord Workout
Dominant 7 Chord Workout
Dominant 7(Alt) Chord Workout
Dominant 7(#11) Chord Workout
Half-Diminished Chord Workout
Diminished 7 Chord Workout
30 Stepsto Better Jazz Playing
Previous articleMajor 7(b5) Chord Workout
Next articleJazz Styles-Fusion
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21277 | Cleaning Brush Set for Ultralite and Ladies Poles (16 & 14mm)
Leki Model: 101325
• £12.00
• (Delivery from £3.50)
Independent LEKI Specialist Two Decades of LEKI experience.
Maintaining your trekking poles will ensure a long and trouble free life (for the poles).
After extensive use, or if poles have been stored wet, corrosion can build up on the inside of the pole sections. This corrosion is a white powder which, if left to build up, can cause the poles to become stiff to adjust and reduce the effectiveness of the locking mechanisms. The white corrosion can be removed by use of the brushes in this set.
For Ultralight and Ladies Series poles (also fits Traveller Nordic Walking Poles). These poles have a nominal 12mm lower section and 14mm middle section. The brushes are made precisely to match the inner dimensions of the tubes and should not be forced in to the wrong sized sections.
If you are not sure if your pole is Standard or Ultralight, Click to see our "foolproof" method of identification.
Supplied with adapters for Classic and Super Lock System (SLS) poles.
Download a PDF of our instruction guide for the brush set.
UK delivery costs
• Royal Mail Saturday Delivery £8.99
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21287 | The Ten Best Houseplants For Improved Air Quality (According To NASA)
A man's home is his castle, but it can also contain air pollutants that are dangerous to kings and queens alike. But don't panic — festooning your house with the right houseplants can filter out these harmful compounds. According to an in-depth study by NASA, these are the ten best plants to improve indoor air quality.
Devil's Ivy picture from Shutterstock
The below infographic comes from design firm NeoMam Studios based on a study of interior landscape plants for indoor air pollution abatement conducted by NASA in 1989. While the study is a bit long in the tooth, it's findings remain relevant to modern households which contain the same air pollutants such as benzene, trichloroethylene, and formaldehyde.
Handily, the infographic also contains gardening tips for each plant shortlisted in NASA's study. Check it out below:
[Via: Barrat Homes.]
Peace Lily - also poisonous to little boys
For some reason my little one decided to eat some leaves...
Really good article, but if you have pets make sure you do some research before buying any of these varieties - a large number of them are poisonous to cats and dogs in varying degrees of toxicity.
Hm. I notice that most of the pollutants seem to result in doing work with industrial agents or cleaning agents.
The simplest solution seems to be not cleaning your home and not doing any work while you're there. In which case, boom! Already there!
That's no Rhapis excelsa in the graphic. Maybe a Chamaedorea seifrizii. And certainly not a broad-leaf form!
On a more serious note, I echo the concern that most of these are poisonous to pets/kids, either in their sap or foliage. Use with care.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21319 | Digital Communications students gather to learn how to use the laser cutter
The Digital Communications Department Mission
The department of Design, Media, & Technology develops students who solve problems using the human-centered design process. The department combines liberal arts ideals with the diverse disciplines that inform the field, which produces students who think critically and creatively and engage in lifelong learning. Through an emphasis on problem-solving and team-based collaboration, students will apply principles and methods of human-centered design to the creation, storage, analysis, processing, and delivery of information.
Goals and Objectives
1. Frame the problem
• Analyze data, applying relevant human-centered design/disciplinary principles and methods, to identify meaningful patterns or trends in order to draw appropriate conclusions.
• Describe and prioritize design problems to be solved (which could include, setting specifications, defining organizational objectives/purpose, audience need and workflows, accounting for the context of use, etc.).
2. Research
• Choose appropriately reliable and valid methods or methodology to answer specific research questions.
• Effectively execute valid and reliable methods to answer research questions. (for example, usability testing, contextual observation, interviews, focus groups, secondary research, industry-standard analytics, etc.)
3. Brainstorm/ideate (generating feasible, desirable and viable solutions to problems)
• Demonstrate the ability to generate a wide number of solutions based on specific problems/specifications.
• Demonstrate the ability to generate innovative/creative/integrative solutions to solve a specific problem.
4. Prototype (the iterative process of designing and building a well-executed, feasible, viable, and desirable solution to a problem)
• Solves specific problem/s by creating feasible, viable, and desirable solutions (evaluating how effectively the solution solves the problem)
• Create a well-executed solution (evaluating the quality of execution of the solution) |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21349 | Your Cart is Empty
Katana vs Longsword: Battle of the Blades
May 24, 2017
Katana vs Longsword: Battle of the Blades
The Japanese katana and European longsword are two of the most distinguishable swords in history.
The Longsword
The longsword (depicted to the left) is a two-handed sword that originated out of medieval Europe. It's characterized by a straight double-edged blade, usually around 33 to 43 inches (85 to 110 cm).
In addition to a longer-than-an-average blade, the longsword also has a longer grip to allow for two-handed use. According to some reports, the handle of a longsword often measured 10 to 15 inches (25.4 to 38.1 cm). It was also quite heavy, with the standard medieval variant weighing up to four pounds. Of course, the added weight allowed for greater power, though at the cost of speed and maneuverability.
The longsword was primarily used for cutting and slicing. And because it was double-edged, it allowed for a high level of versatility on the battlefield.
The Katana
The katana is a traditional Japanese sword with origins dating back to the Japan's feudal period. Unlike its longsword counterpart, the katana featured just a single edge, usually measuring about 23 to 28 inches (58.42 to 71.12 cm). Why did swordsmiths decide to forge a sword with just a single edge instead of two?
There's actually a good reason for this: differential hardening. As we've discussed in previous blog posts, the katana and several other traditional Japanese swords are made with a forging technique known as differential hardening. The basic idea is to make the sharp edge of the blade cool more quickly than the opposite edge, creating a strong sharp edge while leaving the opposite edge somewhat flexible.
Another distinguishable difference between it and the longsword is the use of a curved blade. The longsword features a completely straight blade, while the katana has a slight curve to its blade. Basically, this curvature improves cutting power by reducing vibrations.
Historians believe the katana because became popular due to the shifting towards close-combat warfare. Samurai warriors could draw the katana more quickly than previous generations of Japanese swords, giving them a competitive edge against their opponents.
In Conclusion...
Comparing the katana to the longsword is like comparing apples to oranges. Each one is unique with its own defining characteristics. The longsword is a longer, heavier sword with more stopping power, while the katana is a shorter, lighter sword with a stronger cutting edge.
Hopefully, this gives you a better understanding of the nuances between the longsword and the katana.
Photo credit: Søren Niedziella
News & Updates
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21364 |
Echinacea is available over the counter (OTC) at pharmacies, health shops, and online as teas, liquid extracts, a dried herb, and as capsules or pills.
Echinacea is a perennial plant, meaning it lasts for many years. It is approximately 1-2 feet (30-60 centimeters) tall when mature. It is slightly spiky and has large purple to pink flowers, depending on the species.
The center of the flower has a seed head (cone), which is also spiky and dark brown to red in color.
Three species of Echinacea are used as herbal remedies:
• Echinacea angustifolia - narrow-leaved coneflower
• Echinacea pallida - pale purple coneflower
• Echinacea purpurea - purple coneflower, eastern purple coneflower
Echinacea supplements in glass jar next to dried flower and pestle and mortarShare on Pinterest
Echinacea is available in different forms, including liquid, pills, and dried herbs.
Echinacea has a complex mix of active substances, some of which are said to be antimicrobial, while others are believed to have an effect on the human immune system.
All species of this herbal remedy have compounds called phenols. Many plants contain phenols, active substances that control the activity of a range of enzymes and cell receptors, and protect the plant from infections and ultraviolet (UV) radiation damage. Phenols have antioxidant properties, which may be good for human health.
Echinacea also contains alkylamides or alkamides, (not in Echinacea pallida), which have an effect on the immune system, as well as polysaccharides, glycoproteins, and caffeic acid derivatives.
Today, Echinacea is used widely all over the world for a range of illnesses, infections, and conditions. Below is a list of some of these uses.
Apart from some studies quoted earlier on in this article, most of the benefits are anecdotal, and, in most cases, are not proven scientifically.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) warn consumers to be careful regarding some echinacea products that are on the market.
Echinacea products are commonly mislabeled; some have been tested and found to have no echinacea in them at all. The term "standardized" may sound impressive, but has no real meaning, the NIH emphasize.
Laboratory tests have shown that some echinacea products are tainted with arsenic, lead or selenium.
Herbal remedies are not regulated in most countries, including the USA and UK, in the same way that medications are. This can mean that a herbal remedy, such as Echinacea, that is purchased at a drugstore might not contain what the label claims.
Marketers of natural products tend to promote how harmless they are in comparison to man-made ones. It is important to remember that "natural" means it exists in, or is derived from, nature. "Natural" does not mean that it is harmless.
The following are all "natural" plants that can cause harm:
• Deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), is one of the most toxic plants in the Western hemisphere. Also known as belladonna, devil's cherry and dwale.
• Apple seeds. They contain small quantities of amygdalin, a cyanogenic glycoside. If you swallowed all the pips from one apple, there would not be enough poison to harm you. However, if you kept eating mouthfuls, you would eventually reach a fatal dose.
• Rhubarb. The stalks are edible, but the leaves contain oxalic acid, which can cause severe kidney disorders, convulsions, and even coma.
• Daffodil (Narcissus). The bulbs are toxic and can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. If enough is consumed, it can be fatal. The stems are also toxic and can cause blurred vision, vomiting, and headaches.
• Cicuta. also known as water hemlock, cowbane, or poison parsnip, is a highly poisonous plant that can kill humans if consumed. It has high levels of cicutoxin, which is a potent toxin.
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Research into the benefits and risks of echinacea are ongoing.
Several health claims and accusations about the effectiveness of echinacea have been made. Lay readers, as well as many healthcare professionals, do not know how many studies have been scientifically carried out, that claim echinacea is worth considering.
Some studies were done in the mid-1990s, including randomized trials. However, nearly all were sponsored by echinacea manufacturers and marketers and were not considered by the scientific community as being of high quality. Most reported the benefits of the herbal remedy.
Echinacea for colds
Does echinacea have any effect on catching colds or reducing symptoms of a cold?
Studies have produced conflicting results:
Yes - scientists from the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy reviewed over a dozen studies on the effects of echinacea on people's risk of catching a cold.
They concluded that echinacea could reduce a person's chances of catching a cold by approximately 58 percent. They found that the herbal remedy also reduces the length of time a cold lasts by 1.4 days.
No - researchers from the Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health reported in the journal, Annals of Internal Medicine (December 2010 issue), that echinacea has no significant impact on the common cold and only reduces the duration of symptoms by half a day at the most. No - scientists reported in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (October 2005 issue) that ginseng reduces the frequency of colds, but Echinacea does not.
Most recently, a Cochrane review from 2014 concluded that "Echinacea products have not here been shown to provide benefits for treating colds."
Native Americans used echinacea for hundreds of years before the arrival of European explorers, settlers, and colonizers. The North American Plains Indians used Echinacea angustifolia extensively for general medical purposes.
By the early 1800s echinacea became a popular herbal remedy for those who had settled in the United States, and soon became commonly used in Europe as well. It became much more popular after research on it was carried out in Germany in the 1920s.
In the mid-19th and early 20th centuries, echinacea was used for treating anthrax infections, snakebites, and also as a pain reliever.
In the late 1920s and early 1930s, echinacea became hugely popular in Europe and North America as a herbal medication.
Echinacea was first used as a treatment for the common cold when a Swiss supplement maker mistakenly understood that it could prevent colds, and that Native American tribes in South Dakota used it for that purpose.
Native American Indians did not commonly use echinacea for the treatment or prevention of colds. Some, like the Kiowa and the Cheyenne, used it for sore throats and coughs, while the Pawnee said it was useful for headaches. The Lakȟóta said it was an excellent painkiller.
Native Americans say that humans learned to use echinacea by watching elk seeking out the herb and eating it whenever they were wounded or sick. They named it the "elk root."
If you want to buy echinacea, then there is an excellent selection online with thousands of customer reviews. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21378 | Minerals & Gemstone 480x104
What is the difference between a rock and what is a mineral?
A mineral, by definition, is any naturally occurring, inorganic substance, often additionally characterized by an exact crystal structure. Its chemical structure can be exact, or can vary within limits. Native elements that occur naturally are also considered minerals.
All minerals belong to a chemical group, which represents their affiliation with certain elements or compounds. The classified chemical groups are known as: Elements, Sulfides, Oxides, Halides, Carbonates, Nitrates, Borates, Sulfates, Chromates, Phosphates, Arsenates, Vanadates, Tungstates, Molybdates, and Silicates. Some of these chemical groups have sub-categories, which may be categorized in some mineral references as separate groups.
All minerals belong to one of the six crystal groups, classified according to the way the atoms of the mineral are arranged. Minerals also have distinctive properties, such as color, hardness, crystal habit, specific gravity, luster, fracture, and tenacity. Many of these properties can vary among a single mineral, within limits. Many minerals exhibit certain properties that others do not, such as fluorescence and radioactivity.
Minerals are an economic commodity; they are mined because of the need for a valuable element they contain or an intrinsic property they may have. Other minerals are mined for their beauty and rareness, thus giving many specimens an accepted worldwide value. There are well over 3,000 scientifically classified different types of minerals, and new ones are always being discovered. The vast majority are not known to professional mineral collectors, because they are rare, have no economic purpose, and for the most part do not make good specimens.
There is a class of substances known as "mineraloids". While not truly falling into the category of minerals, they are still usually classified as minerals. Two well-known examples are Mercury, which lacks a crystal structure due to its liquid state, and Opal, which also lacks a crystal structure as well as a definitive chemical formula. Despite the fact that these mineraloids lack certain essential characteristics of minerals, they are nevertheless classified as minerals in most reference guides including the acclaimed Dana's System of Minerology. Another unique category of minerals is the organic minerals. While this term is technically an oxymoron, since the definition of a mineral requires it to be inorganic, there are several naturally occuring rare organic substances with a definitive chemical formula. The best known example of this is Whewellite. Most reference guides and scientific sources make an exception to these substances and still classify them as minerals.
What is a Rock?
A rock is an indefinite mixture of naturally occurring substances, mainly minerals. Its makeup may vary in containment of minerals and organic substances, and its composition is never exact. Rocks can be composed of tiny microscopic grains of minerals or organic substances to coarse mineal agglomerates where the individual minerals are easily discernible. Rocks may range in size from tiny pebbles to huge mountains. Rocks make up the earth's crust. Many rocks are not solid, such as magma, soil, and clay. Different mineral deposits can be found in related rock formations, providing use by estimating what minerals rock formations may contain.
The term "rock collection" is usually misused for "mineral collection". Although a few people collect rocks, the amount of people collecting minerals is far greater.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21432 | We Finally Know Why Flashlight Fish Glow
Scientists have found a new explanation for a behaviour they witnessed in the largest school of glowing fish ever seen.
National Geographic Explorer David Gruber was studying coral while diving at dusk off an uninhabited volcanic island in the South Pacific in 2013 when fellow explorer Brennan Phillips swam up to him excitedly. Turn your dive lights off and follow me, Phillips signaled.
Gruber swam after his colleague through the dark waters around Mborokua Island, which were known to be home to dangerous saltwater crocodiles. When they reached a cave-like cove along the jungle-covered island, they were stunned.
Casting a vibrant blue glow as they swim, flashlight fish owe their bioluminescence to bacteria that grow in an organ underneath their eyes.
“It was like a scene out of Avatar,” says Gruber, a biologist at City University of New York’s Baruch College and the American Museum of Natural History.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of small flashlight fish—glowing blue—began emerging from the underwater cave. They streamed over the reef “like a carpet of lights,” says Phillips. Their illumination was bright enough to reveal the shape of the corals below. The fish schooled together in undulating patterns, like a flowing river, eventually descending over a drop-off and disappearing into the deepness below.
“It’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen underwater,” says Phillips, an assistant professor of ocean engineering at Rhode Island University. “And I’ve got a lot of hours underwater. I’ve seen a lot.”
A subsequent review of the scientific literature suggests this was the largest group of flashlight fish anyone had ever seen, anywhere. Their cameras, however, weren’t sensitive enough to record the fish in that low level of light.
So in 2016, a new expedition returned. With more sophisticated camera equipment and the expertise of several National Geographic engineers, plus fish experts and other collaborators, the scientists got a better look at the phenomenon. And it was even more impressive than they’d realised—a whole new animal behaviour, in fact.
They observed that flashlight fish use their glowing light to coordinate their schooling together, even in light so dim they would otherwise not be able to see each other. This discovery is a first in the ocean. It’s believed that vision is the primary way fish coordinate schooling, Gruber says, and that requires light, which is why schooling at night or in the deep sea has rarely been observed. The finding thus has potential implications for better understanding how fish behave in the mysterious deep sea.
The discovery that bioluminescence can drive nighttime schooling in flashlight fish is being published in the journal PLOS ONE on August 14.
School is in session
This species of flashlight fish, Anomalops katoptron, is about the size of an index finger and is found in the western and central Pacific Ocean. The glowing light is created by bacteria the flashlight fish hosts in special organs below the eyes, which keep the symbiotic organisms happy, including serving them with extra oxygen through a system of blood vessels. The fish has a fold of black skin that it can use to cover the light, effectively switching it on and off at will. It even has a film of black lines to prevent the light from blinding itself, akin to the black cheek marks of football players.
The fish are poorly studied, in large part because they’re small and elusive. It had been thought that the fish use their glowing ability like a flashlight to help them find prey. They are also known to use the ability to distract predators in a behaviour called “blink and run.”
But the idea of using bioluminescence to coordinate schooling is novel.
Schooling provides several benefits, including reduction in predation—the old safety in numbers concept—easier movement (due to reduced drag) and a better chance at finding more food. However, schooling is usually only possible when there is enough light to see each other, says Gruber. This means that much of the night, unless there is a relatively bright moon out, they can’t school and instead must hide or rely on inefficient shoals or try to otherwise hide. (Shoaling is when fish group closely together but aren’t all facing the same direction, moving in a more haphazard fashion.)
By observing wild fish with highly sensitive cameras and by testing on fish they caught, Gruber, Phillips, and the team demonstrated that flashlight fish can use their natural glow to see each other well enough to keep their schools going even during the darkest, moon-free nights. They used SCUBA diving equipment, a three-person submarine, and remotely operated vehicles to monitor the animals, as well as a custom-built, high-speed, high-resolution camera, based on a metal-oxide semiconductor (sCMOS) camera.
“That’s an interesting finding,” says biologist Ann Money, who was not involved in the research. “It’s unusual for a smaller fish to hunt at night, because that’s when the big predators are out. It raises the question: Does the benefit of the luminescence as a means for schooling outweigh the attraction of predators?” says Money, who studies biofluorescence in corals as the director of education and research at the Oklahoma Aquarium. “It seems like if you have a big school of glowing fish that would really be a beacon.”
Cheater fish?
Gruber says more research is needed to better understand how individual fish coordinate their glowing in this group behaviour. The new paper shows that night schooling is possible even with only a few of the individuals turning on their lights. But what isn’t known is who decides to glow, and when. Do they take turns, to spread out the risk of attracting predators?
“It opens the question of cheater fish,” says Gruber. “Those who decide they’re not going to flash to keep their predation risk even lower. We don’t think they are doing that, but we don’t know.”
Beyond this one species, this study raises the possibility that schooling via bioluminescence may be common among deep-sea animals, says Gruber. Deep-sea creatures are difficult to study and poorly understood, though scientists have noted that many of them seem to use some kind of bioluminescence to navigate their dark world.
“We know a lot more about land animals and how they use bioluminescence as communication,” says Money. Take fireflies, for instance. We know that different species flash in different patterns at different times, in part to attract mates. Some species even trick other fireflies—they lure males and then eat them.
“I’m wondering if there’s any communication between different species of flashlight fish, or between flashlight fish and anything else,” says Money.
It’s even possible that engineers could one day model the flashlight fish behaviour and train robots to swarm together based on blinking lights, says Gruber. A school of swimming robots could monitor pollution, for instance, or study other fish.
Adding intrigue to these questions, when Gruber and Phillips returned to Mborokua Island this summer, the flashlight fish were nowhere to be found. “It’s bizarre,” says Phillips. The reef had experienced some bleaching and coral die off, and a recent storm had knocked over some of the coral. It’s unclear if the fish left as a result, or if they had migrated somewhere else.
“The idea that the deep sea could be filled with billions of fish that are schooling is kind of exciting,” Gruber says.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21504 | WIWW & Thoughts | One To Nothin'
WIWW & Thoughts
My mind has been all over the place, you guys.
I've been in a fairly constant state of pms (without out the p or m..). The kind where one minute you're going to move to California and make your dreams come true because you're an optimistic, successful woman and the next you're on the verge of tears because you heard a sad country song on the radio and you're a 12-year-old girl who's sensitive and weak.
My friend Mike (above) is in the Marines and deployed yesterday. He'll be gone for seven months and eventually I guess I'll be able to write him letters, but for now I've got one less awesome person to talk to every day.
I know he'll be back and it's going to be fine. I'm just going to miss him and I want him to be safe and happy and all that stuff you want for your friends.
There are pieces missing.
That's not to say I haven't been enjoying myself. I'm making new relationships, new connections, new pieces. It's new. It's different. It's exciting. It's scary.
Needless to say this instability has me frazzled, and therefore forgetting things like taking photos of the cute outfits I put together (although I've mostly been wearing my work clothes every day) or not training for my marathon that's vastly approaching in two months (insert freak out here).
The good news is I have these people to borrow clothes, drink cheap wine and cry from laughter with.
(Photo credit: Jenn)
Sweatpants: Borrowed from Mark.. Sexy, huh?
Dress And Belt: Borrowed from Hannah
I know I'll feel normal again eventually, but for now I'll just try to embrace my manic episodes and ignore the bouts of crazed, emotional blah-ness. And I'll take more pictures..
Linking up with:
pleated poppy Momma Go Round
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21522 | Menu Information
Matrix: Set Properties...
Brief Information
Open Matrix Properties dialog
Additional Information
It is not accessible from script.
The mproperty X-Function is used to set the internal data type, data format, and data display properties of a matrix object. Thus, each object in a matrix sheet could have, for instance, a different internal data type (determines memory allocation) or display numbers in a different format.
There are two way to open this X-Function:
1. Select "Set Properties..." from the Matrix menu.
2. Type mproperty in the command line window.
Mproperty help English files image002.jpg
Please note that these operation only valid when a Matrix sheet is active.
The description of each of the field is given as follows:
Column Width
Specify the cell width in units of characters.
Use the Display drop-down list to select between the decimal, engineering, and scientific display formats:
Mproperty help English files image004.jpg
Mproperty help English files image006.jpg
Select Default Decimal Digits to display all digits in a matrix cell as determined by the Number of Decimal Digits setting on the Numeric Format tab of the Options dialog box (Preferences: Options).
Select Set Decimal Places = to control the display of the number of digits after the decimal place (overrides the Number of Decimal Digits setting on the Numeric Format tab of the Options dialog box). Type the desired decimal place value (n) in the associated text box. This value determines the maximum number of digits displayed after the decimal point. If the field is blank, the default value is used (which is 5 for Double (8) internal data types).
Select Significant Digits = to control the number of digits displayed. Type the desired significant digit value in the associated text box.
Data Type:
Double is the only data type that supports missing values. It is recommended for curve fitting and other math operations where highest precision is needed.
Mproperty help English files image008.jpg
The following example set the properties of matrix.
1. New a matrix.
2. Set the value of each element in the matrix to (i-j).
3. Select "Scientific:1E3" from the Display drop down list and then click Apply to see the change. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21549 | Skip to main content
XPG's prototype SSDs blow the doors off today's fastest models
(Image credit: Future)
The adoption of PCI Express 4.0 by AMD and its motherboard partners at the tail end of 2019 paved the way for incredibly fast solid state drives, with sequential read and write speeds of around 5,000MB/s when running at full bore. If anyone thought the PCIe 4.0 bus had been saturated, XPG is showing off new prototype models capable of reading data at even more of a breakneck pace. As in, 7,000MB/s and beyond.
That's a difference of *checks abacus* 2,000MB/s. To put that into perspective, some of the best SSDs for gaming are still SATA-based models, with read and write speeds hovering around 550MB/s (such as Samsung's 860 Evo and Crucial's MX500). And in NVMe territory, our top pick, Crucial's P1 1TB SSD, offers reads of up 2,000MB/s and writes of up to 1,700MB/s.
So just the difference in read speeds between XPG's prototype models and the spattering of PCIe 4.0 SSDs is equivalent to the top speed of Crucial's P1.
One of the ingredients in the special sauce that makes these speeds possible is the PCIe 4.0 bus. It offers up twice the bandwidth of PCIe 3.0. On the consumer side, AMD's X570 chipset and latest generation Ryzen processors support PCIe 4.0, as Intel has not made the jump yet.
The controller is another major ingredient, and if you're into technical details, that's where things get interesting. An SSD controller is a dedicated chip that, well, controls the operation of an SSD and in part determines how fast it can read and write data. Every current PCIe 4.0 SSD on the market right now uses Phison's PS5016-E16 controller. It tops out at around 5,000MB/s, as do the handful of PCIe 4.0 SSDs available.
Last summer, Phison said it was working on a new controller that will enable speeds of 6.5GB/s in 2020, and that it would be available in the first quarter of this year. As far as I know, those plans are still intact.
XPG isn't waiting around, though. Of its three prototype SSDs—Sage, Indigo, and Pearl—at least two of them are using non-Phison controllers. The Indigo SSD (pictured top) is using a Silicon Motion SM2264 controller. Here are the specs on that model:
• Interface—PCI Express 4.0
• Controller—Silicon Motion SM2264
• Sequential read—up to 7,000MB/s
• Sequential write—up to 6,000MB/s
• 4K read—700,000 IOPS
• 4K write—700,000 IOPS
• Capacity—up to 4TB
We don't have any details on XPG's Pearl model, though it appears the Sage model will sit at the top of the stack with slightly better performance than the Indigo drive.
(Image credit: Future)
The Sage SSD is using a new Innogrit Rainier IG5236 controller, and is among the first drives to do so. Our friends at Anandtech covered the technical details on this controller, if you care do dive into it. But the gist of it is this—the IG5236 enables much faster performance than Phison's E16 controller. Here are the specs on the Sage:
• Interface—PCI Express 4.0
• Controller—Innogrit Rainier IG5236
• Sequential read—up to 7,000MB/s
• Sequential write—up to 6,100MB/s
• 4K read—1,000,000 IOPS
• 4K write—1,00,000 IOPS
• Capacity—up to 4TB
Those are all preliminary metrics. In testing, XPG is seeing even faster read speeds, and the final product could end up exceeding 7,000MB/s. Here's what the demo drive at CES achieved in the CrystalDisk benchmark:
(Image credit: Future)
The demo drive peaked at a 7,240.7MB/s for sequential reads, and 5,395.5MB/s for sequential writes. According to our friends at Toms Hardware, XPG expects write speeds to climb past 6,000MB/s by the time Sage enters final production. XPG also indicated these drives will have heatspreaders when they reach retail, instead of the naked designs you see above.
None of this really matters strictly for gaming, at least not directly—there's not going to be a noticeabe difference in game loads in going from even a SATA-based SSD to the XPG Sage. But there are still a couple of reasons to care. One is that these speeds come in handy when moving around large files, or bunches of them, especially for massive backup chores. And secondly, when companies push the envelope like this, it can result in price drops on slower, previous generation models.
On that latter point, there are market indicators that SSD pricing could go up this year as the cost of NAND flash memory chip rises. So, any move to counter the predicted price hikes is certainly appreciated.
XPG didn't say how much its upcoming models will cost, only that they will be out in the second half of this year.
|
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21568 | Introducing the new phpList manual
The phpList manual now has a new look and runs on fresh Open Source documentation software called BookStack. In the manual you can find essential information on how to customise your phpList installation, how to import your first subscribers, how to integrate phpList with your website, how to evaluate your first statistics, and much, much… [+] |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21594 | Paula Glynn
You'Ve Got To Love Candy Bars - Poem by Paula Glynn
I just love candy bars,
I will eat Snickers, Kitkats and Mars Bars,
I have no particular preference,
As long as it is a candy bar.
Chocolate tastes lush on the tongue,
You feel so innocent and young,
Chocolate and candy for both sexes,
But pure chocolate is particularly,
Pleasing on the tongue,
And no matter the fad diet,
Every - and any - candy bar,
Saves those cravings:
Satisfying any hunger pain.
Opening a box of chocolates,
Is heaven, whether white, milk or dark,
And any filling is lush,
Sneakily plucking out those mini,
chocolates, that taste so delicious,
On the tongue, and before you know it,
All the chocolates are gone,
And the worst thing is,
You were on your own!
Those candy bars are a temptation,
And even when broke,
You always have the money,
For a candy bar,
And you stand in the queue,
Knowing everyone in line,
Can see what you're about to buy,
And you try to hide those candy bars,
But looking down it is obvious,
And you just lie,
Saying they're for your younger sister:
Someone has to be the scapegoat!
You get given boxes of chocolate,
At Christmas, and you enjoy Mars Bars,
Snickers, Kitkats, Aero & galaxy:
The list goes on,
Chocolate is so addictive,
You crave that candy bar,
Like a junkie that craves a shot,
The only thing is you're gaining weight,
Not misery, for chocolate is a must,
It is an addiction, a way of life,
It cannot be ignored,
When on the isle shelf,
It cannot be ignored,
When next to the crisps,
But do remember this: you're only human,
And a litte of what you fancy does you good.
Topic(s) of this poem: candy
Comments about You'Ve Got To Love Candy Bars by Paula Glynn
• Kim Barney (9/5/2015 3:24:00 PM)
Ah, I love candy bars, too. Mars and Snickers are my favorites. I can actually buy Snickers and KitKats here in Brazil, but have not seen Mars bars.
Well written. Thanks for sharing.
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• (6/6/2014 7:57:00 AM)
Haha! Love this sweet poem! And that last line is so utterly perfect! Key words being a little! Wonderful write, so much fun to read! (Report)Reply
0 person liked.
0 person did not like.
• Gajanan Mishra (6/4/2014 12:01:00 AM)
good writing, I like it, thanks.
please read my poems and comment.
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Poem Submitted: Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Poem Edited: Wednesday, June 4, 2014
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21607 |
May 24, 2018
Tektronix™ Battery Pack replacement Intelligent Module PST- 25-005GF
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4 amp, 16-24 cell battery charger
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This is a custom designed battery pack monitor and charging board for 12 VDC, NiCad, 4.4 AH, 10 cell battery pack.
It is used in the battery packs for Tektronics oscilloscopes. The markings on the board are 25-005-GF and S168.
Note: when rebuilding a Tektronix battery pack make sure all the cells are good, none are shorted, and that they are all at the same state of charge. Discharging to 1 volt per cell is an easy way to do this, or fully charge them.
The main failure mechanism for these boards is that one cell will be shorted or flat and the power control transistor burns out because it is dropping more voltage than it is designed for.
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PST-25-005GF NiMH or NiCad 10 cells $75.00
This module is a drop-in replacement for
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21611 | Source AP ©
7,000 rock out to Bruce Willis' blues band at Kennedy Space Center
An estimated 7,000 people showed up to watch Bruce Willis and his blues band perform at the Kennedy Space Center's rocket garden.
Fans cheered Thursday night as Willis sang and played the harmonica, filling the moments between songs by bantering with the crowd.
"We love playing for you," Willis said. "Even when it's hot."
After the concert was a screening of "Armageddon" on a giant inflatable screen across the lawn from the stage. In the movie, Willis leads a group to destroy a giant asteroid headed toward Earth. Parts of the movie were filmed at Kennedy Space Center.
The concert was part of a series called "Netflix LIVE! On Location." The series features classic movies and celebrity musical performances. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21614 | Here, at Lilli and Lori, we have created a truly bilingual environment (German and
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The gradual immersion into two languages provides all of the social, cognitive and
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21629 | Why aren't all my works showing in the database?
If you can't find your works in the database, here's a few things you can try to track them down:
Check your pseudonyms
Some works may be registered under a pseudonym CAE/IPI number. Be sure to try any pseudonym CAE/IPI numbers when searching the database.
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It could be that there is no CAE/IPI number attached to the work you're trying to find. Try using Quick search to search the Title and Surname. If something comes up, simply amend the work.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21698 | They spend most of the ferry ride in silence, though near the end, Saya hops up to take a few more pictures of the tide creeping back in towards the torii, though it would be hours before it was 'floating' in the bay again.
As the boat was docking, Lan's phone buzzes twice, and glancing at his watch, he immediately fishes it out of his pocket, reading the rest of the abbreviated text.
“You have got to be kidding me,” he says to his phone, while typing it out as well, hammering the send button. Saya looks over at him, confused.
“What was that about?” she asks, and when Lan leans a shoulder on the metal wall of the ferry, he sighs, looking out over where they were disembarking.
“It's..” he grits his teeth and curses under his breath as he presents Saya with a neutral face so not to betray his anger. “Interference,” is all he replies with.
“What now? What was that message?” She points down to his phone, to which he hands it over to her, unlocked and uncaring, but all she's left with is staring down at a thread of complicated kanji characters and numbers that she could read. A time?
“Lan, I don't read..” Saya starts to hold the phone back to him when he stands back up, placing his hand under hers and lifting the screen up, standing behind her. He thumbs his way to the latest messages. One incoming.
He reads aloud for her, pointing along the characters in the text. “Be at Nakashima at 6, clothes delivered to Sheraton, Aiko judged, let me know if..” he pauses, then continues, “..something doesn't fit. Basically.”
Continuing on, he reads out the blue response on the right side – Lan's response. “Are you fu.. effing kidding me? And that's it.” The end of the text thread.
Lan pulls his phone from Saya's hand and puts it back in his pocket, resuming his place with his back against the wall, not even reacting when the ferry's horn sounds loudly above them. Saya watches him slump, only thinking that he looks utterly resigned to.. whatever the texts meant.
“So the hotel I'm at, clothes? What is Nakashima?” she asks, and he looks over at her, the exuberance of visiting the shrine sucked out of him. Lan looks past her and pushes off the wall, waiting until the majority of passengers were heading down to the exit before they start moving themselves.
“I'll..” No, he thinks, it's an hour and a half trip, you can't tell her later. “Another.. family dinner,” he says back over his shoulder as they step down towards the passenger exit. “Definitely not my idea.”
Though her mind was doing circles as to what all of that meant, Lan unfortunately slept through the train ride, his face pressed against the corner railing, away from Saya, as they rode. She did manage to get a picture of him, giggling, then stifling it once she started getting disapproving glances from the public around her. Etiquette, etiquette, etiquette, she repeats to herself. Always a reminder.
It's only when she hears the words Hiroshima Station does she start to nudge him awake, first a gentle shake on his shoulder, then a jab of her thumb into his side, which causes him to burst out laughing and bash the back of his head against the window behind them.
Saya recoils and covers her mouth as Lan's face drops from joy to pain, covering his side with one hand, and rubbing the back of his head with the other. He swears in Japanese, but Saya knew those words well enough to get the idea.
“I'm sorry, I'm sorry!” She hovers her hands near his shoulder, as he looks over at her. “I didn't know you were.. that ticklish. I just wanted to wake you up.”
“Only when I don't.. see it coming. Ow..” He ruffles the spot that hit the window, wincing a bit. “It's fine, thick skull. Where are we, what time is it?”
The train squeals to a slow halt as Saya stands up, holding a hand out to her wounded companion. Lan takes it and stands up, the dangling hand-holds thumping him in the face before he ducks around it, adding insult to injury.
“Fuckin'..” Lan trails off, but grabs the pole near the exit, still trying to shake his head clear as the two of them move slowly out of the train, and down to street level, blocks away from the hotel.
“So can I ask questions now?” Saya asks, to which Lan gives her a confused look just for a moment before his eyes roll back as he remembers the text, family plans, he nods.
“Yes, right, sorry, sorry I fell asleep. Yes, ask away,” he answers as they head northeast towards her hotel.
She squints, remembering, as the word comes to her. “What's Nakashima?”
Lan groans, remembering himself. “It's a r..” They take a right, the neighborhood starting to look familiar to Saya as she can see the hotel rising above them. “Do you know what a Michelin restaurant is?”
Saya's face drops, or more her jaw – again – as she skirts around in front of Lan, stopping him in his tracks. “I know exactly what they are, are you serious? Are you serious?” she repeats, then starts talking to herself. “I only brought the one outfit..”
Lan, meanwhile, just stands there, his hands in his pockets and the back of his head throbbing. All of this was natural for him, explosive for others. He just waits it out.
“It said outfits, Saya,” he finally speaks, which stops her mid-pace. “Apparently Aiko wants us to look all purdy,” he sneers, dropping into a Japanese Kansai dialect for a moment. “All pretty,” he corrects himself, in English.
“And that was the sizes thing, if she got any of yours wrong, for me to tell Reo and he'd fix it.” She stares up at him, then her vision turns accusatory. “No, dammit, I do not know your sizes or gave him any hints. None of this was my idea.”
Saya relaxes as they start to walk again, coming up on the lobby of the hotel. The attendants push both doors open for them as they enter.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21707 | Why empirical political scientists and political theorists talk past each other
Why do empirical political scientists and political theorists define democratic quality so differently? A diagnosis and prescription.
The latest issue of Perspectives on Politics, which just went up, includes my article “The Two Cultures of Democratic Theory: Responsiveness, Democratic Quality, and the Empirical-Normative Divide.” I’m always behind the times when it comes to paywalls, but here’s my best shot at a link for “blogging”:
This is for professional political scientists, and admittedly harder going than the book review I blogged about a couple of days ago. The basic idea is that empirical political scientists very often use as their assumed measure of democratic quality “responsiveness”: the extent to which changes in public policy reflect changes in the preferences of the public, or the median voter. Political theorists, on the other hand, almost never define democratic quality this way: there are a host of other things that democracy is supposed to be about. I try to hash out where the disjunction came from; why it matters; what each side can learn from the other; and why there’s still room for legitimate differences and a division of labor. (Teaser version: we should expect people who measure political phenomena for a living to seek rough agreement on how to define what they’re measuring. We should also expect people who study political concepts and political values for a living to be legitimately dissatisfied with the inevitable simplification this entails.)
Academic readers should be able to download the full version easily as an .html or .pdf. Anyone else whose interest is piqued by the abstract should email me at my academic email address (not hard to find) and I’ll send you a version within a few days.
Update: The article, along with the rest of what looks like a great issue (I’ve been on vacation and have lacked the time to read it), is now ungated through the end of July, courtesy of Cambridge Journals. The link is: http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayIssue?jid=PPS&tab=currentissue
Author: Andrew Sabl
4 thoughts on “Why empirical political scientists and political theorists talk past each other”
1. Count me on the side of the political theorists here, though I'm not a member of the guild. The trouble with "responsiveness" is not so much that the plebes don't understand what is going on (the élites don't either: see the Greek crisis). It's also that no photograph of citizens' preferences can be guaranteed against circular Condorcet paradoxes, as Arrow proved. I argue here that such paradoxes are not a theoretical curiosity but in fact extremely likely, in mismatches between means and ends. Ergo, any workable politics must include horse-trading. An ideal democracy is a learning, Socratic polity.
1. James–Relating to your article on cyclical majorities, I see a physical analogy in familar events that have had very bad consequences and proved very important to understand.
I happened to be watching the US Open golf tournament yesterday, and they showed the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. This brought to mind the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge, known as Galloping Gertie, that destroyed itself in 1940, a few months after it was opened. That article in Wikipedia is interesting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacoma_Narrows_Brid
In the article it states that the disintegration of the bridge was long attributed to forced resonance, but later was understood to be a manifestation of aeroelastic flutter, a much more complex phenomenon.
Following the trail to aeroelastic flutter, I found the article on the disastrous problems in Lockheed Electras, in which the in-flight disintegrations were originally attributed incorrectly to metal fatigue with inadequate QC. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braniff_Flight_542
Only later was the phenomenon of aeroelastic flutter understood, which led to significant changes in the field of aeronautical engineering design.
Why these divergences from your original topic? Because I think the phenomenon is a very close analog of the mechanism of popular voting in a two party system. Whichever direction the majority moves the middle, the forces that tend to move it back in the other direction become stronger than the forces keeping it at its then-current location. And the farther the middle moves "off center," the stronger the forces become, while the longer the periodic frequency becomes.
1. Democracies can certainly self-destruct, like autocracies and oligarchies. That of Athens just made bad decisions about Philip of Macedon. The Roman Republic is a better example, as warlord entrepreneurs like Pompey and Caesar bought elections to consular office that gave a legal cover to their essentially private wars and expanding armies. But the analogy to hunting in physical systems seems far-fetched. There are also two-party political systems that have managed to stay quite stable over long periods: eg Britain ever since 1700. That includes major, life-and-death wars: 1792-1815, 1914-1918. The suspension of party politics in 1940-45 was quite exceptional.
Americans have had a distrust of parties ever since Madison. Environmental columnist John Roberts (formerly of Grist, now at Vox) nails it: American progressives hanker after bipartisanship, convincing their adversaries by argument. The alternative and much more realistic strategy is simply to go for the win.
Talking about Roman elections. Why is the Pope the Supreme Pontiff, a priestly office in pagan Ancient Rome? Julius Caesar got himself elected to the office in 63 BC, because it gave him immunity from prosecution. Augustus kept it up, for different political reasons, as part of his project to wrap autocracy in a republican toga, and it became one of the imperial titles. Constantine Christianized the job and used it to assert control over the Popes, who therefore manoeuvred to get it back and succeeded under the pious Gratian. It's a defensive title.
2. Hi James, Haven't had a chance to respond yet, nor to read your whole essay (reason for both: I'm on vacation). But in general, I'm very skeptical that Arrow-type considerations–perhaps best known to political scientists through Riker's work–are sufficient to invalidate the idea of rough responsiveness. For one thing, one of the big things parties and ideologies do is group citizens together in ways that make sense of what would–indeed–otherwise be pretty chaotic sets of preferences. That's why a Left-Right spectrum makes a rough sense, as does identification with a mass party. There's nothing logically incompatible with wanting to both ban abortion and raise taxes on the wealthy, but it's empirically uncommon. (In some ways, a multiparty system enabled by proportional representation makes responsiveness easier by making the parties a little less "mass": someone who wants high old-age pensions and fewer immigrants is out of luck in the U.S. but not in Denmark: good for Danish responsiveness, though bad for justice.) Ken Schepsle was one of the first to write about so-called "structure-induced" equilibria, mostly with regard to party leadership in legislatures; more recently UCLA's own Kathy Bawn and others (Hans Noel, UCLA grad now at Georgetown) have made a similar case with respect to the "long coalitions" enabled by ideologies. Gerry Mackie's book Democracy Defended, an intemperate but quite convincing attack on Riker and his followers, is in some ways a long meditation on how such equilibria work, and how consistently. In particular, Mackie searches hard for evidence that Arrovian cycles have ever occurred in a significant case–as opposed to a hypothetical or constructed one–and can't find any. Parties and ideologies do their work pretty well.
One can also get constructed but not ridiculous majorities through public opinion polls, as Page and Shapiro did in The Rational Public with techniques that have been followed, in parallel or series with them, in other work. That is, most famously, if you asked people whether U.S. defense spending should go up, a big majority said yes in 1979. But that had plummeted to a small minority by 1984, after Reagan's buildup had been put in motion. Pretty interesting: suggests that there was something called a public on the question and that it was, in the aggregate, paying attention.
Comments are closed. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21709 | QUIC: QPACK, Loss Detection and Congestion Control, HTTP/3
Just my random feeling based thoughts and opinions while going through the documentation.
I like the concept of insert count counter, simple solution knowing what data is in the dynamic table. Yet more complexity which can be optimized a lot. Same goes for the optimization not to emit Insert Count Increments, etc bit like TCP SACK.
Interesting QPACK version 10 appendix A static header list got inconsistency index 54 contente-type: "text/plain;charset=utf-8" that's without space after semicolon. So you have to know that with text/html you're supposed to use space after semicolon, but with text/plain, you're not. If you don't follow these rules, the static table can't be utilized for compression. Ref Index 52 content-type: "text/html; charset=utf-8", yes, that's with space. On all the other static fields there's always an space after the semicolon. Sounds like mistakes in passports, to check if you know every irregularity in the document. Yes, there's always space, except with index 54. ;) And always when someone says there's space, you'll immediately know if they're pro or not, if the mention the exception.
It's nice that it's allowed to add a new entry, which is reference to existing entry (even if it would get evicted before this insert), to get new ID so entries needed in future won't get evicted. That's interesting addition. Basically the rule is that table must not ever exceed size X and stuff must be evicted before that. But there's exception where entry being evicted can be added to the table as new entry, and that doesn't break the size rule. Of course that's clear when using the duplication (duplicate) instruction. Also usage of optional Huffman encoding for string literals is really nice approach. These features also create interesting extra caching and state requirements for browsers (clients) and servers. Not even wanting to think all kind of different race conditions slightly bad code could cause with these complexities.
Personally I would have used absolute references to dynamic table, for clarity. But when efficiency is in mind, then relative references are more space efficient, yet more complex to interpreter. Classic trade-off. My experience is that some technical trickery to make things more efficient, actually causes so much hassle, that it would have been more efficient to go with less efficient naive KISS solution. I've short my-self in the leg several times before learning this. Of course level of developer teams greatly affects this.
Security Considerations - Nice. As I wrote in the previous post, I'm pretty sure there will be all kind of interesting timing, resource consumption and exception crash denial of service attacks on this kind of extremely complex new protocol. And this comment of course isn't QPACK only. It's generic statement about HTTP/3.
Recovery - Loss Detection and Congestion Control
Ok, it was no surprise that the algorithms will be very TCP like. It's also nice these aspects are summarized at the very beginning. Also the packet order and loss detection are reasons why I'm using timestamps, even if some people are against those. I've also enabled ECN on all systems. ACK Delay information is very nice approach as well. RTT estimation looks pretty standard. I'm curious about pacing to avoid spurious re-transmits. If I remember correctly that was one of important aspects of BBR. rttvar value aka network jitter naturally affects how quickly lost packets are resent unless there's explicit loss notification / re-transmission request.
This is exactly why mobile data is so annoyingly slow. And even with slight packet loss fiber connections with around 1 ms latency feel so snappy. Even if the advertised speed would be even lower on the fiber. As example 100 Mbit/s fiber vs 300 Mbit/s mobile data.
Had to check out the TCP Non-Congestion Events (NCR) document as well.
Acknowledgement-based Detection - It was simpler than I thought. Also the increasing of the reordering threshold dynamically is nice.
One of the things I've been always wondering with fast-retransmits etc, is why send multiple acknowledgements. Why just not send a message requesting retransmission? I thought this was due to no such message exists with TCP, but with new protocol, it should be trivial to fix that. Packets 1,3,4,5,7 received, retransmit 2. Of course the reordering threshold affects this. Also the fact might be that requesting retransmission requires full RTT. If sender decides to send the packet again after some time has passed, it doesn't cause full RTT latency, depending on situation. These are just my initial thoughts, and I'm sure they've thought about this a bit more than I have. Some systems are so complex that initial observations might be highly misleading. And going through theory and simulations will give you true insights what's the best approach, as well as using real world data for the simulations. Using made up data based on expectations, can be just as misleading as the initial impression. Because every decision is kind of trade-off.
The example of the problem with duplicate or more ACKs and causing rate reduction is excellent. As well as the comments about link-layer retransmission / reordering effects. I actually never had thought that the indirect effect of using n ACKs for retransmission would be basically so seriously limiting the reordering. I were kind of assuming that the reordering capability would match the transmission window. Which it kind of does, but with inadvertent slowdown effect to transmission rate for that specific TCP stream as described in the document. Ok, this makes is very clear I haven't ever written TCP stack / run detailed simulations.
Back to the HTTP/3 QUIC Recovery
Time Threshold and Probe Timeout seems pretty normal. Yet the value of PTO and detecting tail loss is one of the reasons why chatty protocols suffer very badly from packet loss. Because loss of packets with small packet chatty protocol almost always lead to tail loss. Reading specs also nicely explains some of the things, you've seen in real world, but haven't known exactly why this is happening. Another problem with chatty protocols is that congestion window doesn't grow because the connection is more or less constantly under utilized for most of packet exchanges.
Initial path 500 ms value, ok, that should be enough in most cases. More than enough. I guess that's why they choose this value. It's also very good that the RTT data is saved (if client / server implementation does that), between connections.
It's also interesting question, if exponential or quadratic increase should be used. Depending on situation, I've seen both being used for back-off interval in one of my projects. I first used exponential but then replaced it with quadratic approach.
Including data when sending probe packets is nice idea. If data was lost and that's the reason why there were no ACK, then the receiver already got the data, and there's no extra RTT delay.
0-RTT before Initial packets, good observation. It remains to be seen if those are buffered or not by practical server implementations.
Congestion Control is based on TCP NewReno, ok, that's why it did seem so familiar. Ok, also Cubic (default with Linux) mentioned as alternative. No mention about TCP BBR (default with Google (?)) which I would have guessed to be the default. Nor the Compound TCP which is default with Windows. - On top of this, there are of course countless different "traffic shaping methods" which mess with packets in transit.
Slow Start & Congestion Avoidance - Window control (AIMD) seems to be the classic sawtooth approach. Yet Recovery Period statements change that. Nope, it just slows down the lowering of congestion window size to once per round trip.
Probe Timeout - It's not mentioned if it's ok to discard the Probe Data if it contains new data and the congestion window is exceeded. Yet, my conclusion is that it is. Because that's just what happens in that situation if the stack is running on limited device which simply can't hold more than the window data.
More historical prattle about Window - I've written earlier about devices which advertise max window of 16 bytes. Those have been cheapest possible SERIAL-TCP-ETHERNET adapters, which probably got really limited ram. Of course HTTP/3 is a huge problem for such IoT devices to begin with. Well, I guess we're going to see lot less of such extreme low end devices in future.
Persistent Congestion - Is interesting yet I don't really know what to say about it. Depending on rttvar and generic latency on network, wireless and mobile networks could in theory trigger this when roaming. Depending on network solution, this either does cause packet loss or it doesn't. For traditional TCP it's kind of a problem, that connection is lost for let's say 200x RTT and then resumes as it was. Depending on case, no data is lost, it's just delivered significantly late. But I don't know if this actually affects that in anyway. Probably not, because if the packets aren't lost then there won't be gap in the ACKs. And if data was lost, well, then it works just as designed.
Pacing - Ok, just suggestions for different educated approaches.
Under-utilizing the Congestion Window gotta read that one out. Everything else was pretty obvious.
Security Considerations - Not surprising that on path attacker can mess with traffic or prevent it completely. In some sense HTTP/3 reduces vulnerability to traffic analysis. But sure, as usual, traffic patterns can reveal lot of information. ECN marking modification, so what, if it leads to loss and that leads to reduction of window & transmission speed. Quickly thinking sounds like an non-issue. There's ECN which allows reducing rate without packet loss, ok. If that won't happen, packet loss will take care of it. I don't see any serious harm here? What am I missing here?
References - Didn't bother to read all of those RFCs. But without saying, it just makes it obvious that this is really complex matter. That's why TCP is so good. Replacing it with simple naive UDP "reliable" connection isn't trivial. Or of course it is, but it won't perform as well, or doesn't behave well with other TCP streams. Again reminds me from old thoughts about "bandwidth hog" protocol. Oh nice, there are some pseudocode examples at the end of the RFC. Based on old samples, probably these will get copy-pasted into production. Even if there would be a warning that these are naive samples and shouldn't be used in production.
Generic historical prattle about TCP stacks - Just history reminder. I remember that we used to use telnet client, which had parameters to configure packet size, RTT time, and window size. There were no logic to compute those values. You just gave the values as parameters or used defaults (Yet I don't know which those were) when the client was started. But I think the default window was very small and RTT time was high, so it was easy to greatly improve the performance, by increasing window and lowering RTT. Before you ask, no, it wasn't initial window. It was static window for the whole session. That was real KISS TCP stack implementation, just make it so that it works, and skip all the complex stuff.
kw: HTTP3, QUIC, HTTP/3, QPACK, IETF, Specification, Document, Working Group |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21722 |
“Why on Earth were they producing krak when they heard an eagle,” asks co-author Philippe Schlenker, a linguist at France’s National Center for Scientific Research and a Global Professor at New York University. “For some reason krak, which is a leopard in the Tai Forest, seems to be recycled as a general alarm call on Tiwai Island.”
Monkey ABCs
“When you really want to understand the meaning of a call, you need a field experiment,” Schlenker says. “If you yourself are the trigger, you have much better control over what causes each calling sequence in the first place.”
The primatologists initially pieced together a few basic monkey calls: krak, hok, krak-oo, hok-oo and boom.
They concluded that krak meant leopard and hok meant eagle. The oo suffix softened the meaning of each word—krak-oo indicated minor disturbances on the ground whereas hok-oo was reserved for less serious aerial threats, like falling branches. Boom meant that the coast was clear.
Trouble on Tiwai Island
But when the primatologists traveled to Tiwai Island, they found puzzling differences in monkey dialect. There are no leopards on Tiwai, yet the island monkeys consistently used krak. “On the island, in an eagle situation, you did find a lot of hok but you also found a lot of krak,” Schlenker says. “That was surprising because krak is supposed to be a leopard alarm call.”
One dominant theory emerged. Even when humans speak the same language, they tend to have differences in dialect. For example, Schlenker says, the word “pants” can mean fancy slacks to an American but, in Britain, it means long underwear. The linguists posited that krak was a general alarm call for any ground-based threat. In the forest that meant leopard. On the island, where there were no leopards, it had been adapted into a very general alarm that indicated anything but an eagle.
For a short while the puzzle seemed to have been solved—until they realized that island monkeys used krak for every kind of alarm. “When we looked at the distribution of krak, we found that it occurred in all sorts of possible situations, including in an eagle situation,” Schlenker says.
Cracking the krak code
Schlenker and his team decided to apply a more creative, linguistic approach to solve the krak mystery. First, he redefined the monkey calls, translating krak as a general alert, krak-oo as a minor alert and hok as an aerial alert. The important result was that krak-oo and hok were now much more specific terms than krak.
Here’s where it gets tricky: word meanings tend to be contextual. In human language, we choose the most specific term available and, when we don’t, the listener infers that there is a special reason why we opted for a relatively vague word. Simply put, “words compete with each other,” Schlenker says. “And you use the more informative one.”
Schlenker applied the same reasoning to Campbell’s monkeys. “The important thing is that in this situation, both krak-oo and hok are more informative than krak,” he says. “By logic, if you hear krak you can infer there was a reason krak-oo and hok were not uttered, so you infer the negation.” That is, when monkeys in the forest say krak, they are also implying not-hok and not-krak-oo, neither a minor threat nor an aerial threat. In the forest, monkeys understand that this must refer to a leopard—the only nonminor, nonaerial threat nearby.
On the island, however, it remains a general alarm call. That’s because krak does not intrinsically imply negation. In Tiwai, there are no leopards. When the monkeys hear krak, they have no reason to infer not-hok and not-krak-oo, because that would not make sense (there are no serious ground threats). In that situation, the term krak reverts to its simplest meaning, without any inferences, and indicates a general alarm—one that can even warn of eagles circling overhead.
A word of caution about words
Broadly, experts consider the findings significant. “I am aware of this work and think it is very promising,” Robert Seyfarth, a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania and pioneer in the fields of animal behavior and learning, wrote in an e-mail. “This is the first time that a professional linguist has tackled the data on call combinations in wild monkeys.”
Arik Kershenbaum, a zoologist at the University of Cambridge, agrees that studying animal calls through the lens of linguistics was a worthwhile pursuit. “Too often we decide, a priori, that because animal communication isn’t language it’s pointless to apply linguistic tools,” he says. “I think it’s a refreshing and much needed formalism for looking at animal signals.”
But Kershenbaum cautions that the krak mechanism suggested in the paper is based on hypotheses rather than experimental data. “Although this current work seems very internally consistent, it does rest on a shaky foundation of correlation,” he says. “Without experimental confirmation the premise is highly speculative indeed.”
He adds that although the logic fits together nicely, it will not be possible to draw definite conclusions about how monkeys use krak without follow-up experiments in the field. “In a line, my thoughts are—absolutely fascinating way to look at things,” he says. “Now let’s see whether it holds up.” |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21776 | Kay at Hemsworth Community Centre
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21819 | Happy New Year!
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21832 | corner graphic Hi,
Finding the new version too difficult to understand? Go to
Bible Commentaries
Johann Albrecht Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament
Romans 2
Other Authors
Verse 1
Romans 2:1. διὸ, wherefore). Paul passes from the Gentiles to the Jews, as the whole of the following discourse clearly shows; and yet he does not use the transitive, but the illative particle, of which two the latter, as being the more powerful, absorbs the former. The Gentile does evil; the Jew does evil. Then in the 6th and following verses, he comprehends both, Jews and Gentiles.— ἀναπολόγητος, inexcusable.) Man seeks to defend himself.— ἄνθρωπε, O man) In ch. 1 he spoke of the Gentiles in the third person, but he deals with the Jew in the second person singular; even as the law itself deals with the Jew, not in the second, but in the third person singular; because it had no concern with any one but the Jew.—Comp. ch. Romans 3:19. But the apostle, who directs his discourse to Gentiles and Jews, addresses the Jew indeed in the second person singular, but calls him by the name [O man] common to all.—comp. ch. Romans 1:18; nor does he acknowledge the Jew, as such, Romans 2:17; Romans 2:28. The same difference between the third and second persons occurs again, Romans 2:14; Romans 2:17. It is a not dissimilar circumstance, that the Gentiles are put off [as to their condemnation] till the final judgment, Romans 2:16; but the Jews are threatened by the law with a present judgment also [besides the final one Romans 2:2.]— κρίνων, thou that judgest) being removed [i.e. wherein thou art distinguished] from those that have pleasure in evil-doers, Romans 1:32. Paul uses a weighty expression. The Jew esteems himself superior to the Greek, Romans 2:19, etc. Paul now calls that an act of judging, and by it opens up a way for himself, with a view to show the judgment of God. It is mere self-love in a man, that, in proportion as he thinks others worse than himself, he thinks the better of himself, Galatians 6:4. The figure paregmenon(21) occurs here; for κατακρίνεις follows.—Comp. ch. Romans 14:22-23; 1 Corinthians 4:3, etc., Romans 11:29, etc.; James 2:4.— ἓτερον, another) who is of no concern to thee; whose more open unrighteousness profits thee nothing; a heathen.
Verse 2
Romans 2:2. οἴδαμεν) we know; without thy teaching, O man, that judgest [we know].— τὸ κρίμα τοῦ θεοῦ, the judgment of God); not thine, thou that exceptest thyself.— κατὰ ἀλήθειαν) according to the truth of the highest kind, without distinction; just as His judgment is called δἱκαιον, righteous, at Romans 2:5-6; Romans 2:11; not merely having respect to external acts, but also to internal thoughts Romans 2:16 [the secrets of men].
Verse 3
Romans 2:3. σύ, thou) as distinguished from the Gentile; every one, even without a cause, makes his own self an exception [as regards condemnation]; and flatters himself, although he knows not himself, on what grounds.— ἐκφεύξη, shalt thou escape?) through the loopholes, which thou seekest. Every one, that is arraigned, φεύγει, tries to escape [ φεύγων is the technical term for a defendant; διώκων, the accuser]; he who is acquitted, ἐκφεύγει, escapes.
Verse 4
Romans 2:4. , or). Men easily become despisers of goodness, while they are not sensible of the judgment of God. The particle , or, properly acts as a disjunctive between the vain thought [on their part] of escape, and the palpable treasuring up of wrath in consequence of their abuse of goodness itself.— χρηστότητος, ἀνοχῆς, μακροθυμίας, goodness, forbearance, long-suffering) since thou hast both sinned, and art now sinning, and wilt sin. [By goodness, GOD restrains His wrath, Romans 2:5 : by forbearance, He as it were, keeps Himself unknown, until He is revealed, Romans 2:5 : by long-suffering He delays His righteous judgment, ibid.—V. g.] Presently after, τὸ χρηστὸν, the goodness of God, implies all these three. Even those, who shall be condemned hereafter, had the power, and it was their duty, to have repented.— ἀγνοῶν, ignorant). Paul wonders at this ignorance.— ἄγει) leads pleasantly; does not compel by necessity.
Verse 5
Romans 2:5. δὲ, but) The antithesis is between the despising of the riches of His goodness, and the treasuring up of wrath.— σκληρότητα, hardness) Its antithesis is χρηστόν.— ἀμετανόητον καρδίαν) The antithesis is μετάνοιαν. He meant to say ἀμετανοησίαν: to which word, later writers show no aversion; but Paul avoided an unusual term.— θησαυρίζεις, thou treasurest up), although thou, O man, thinkest, that thou art treasuring up all kinds of blessedness. O what a treasure may a man lay up, during so many hours of his life, on either side! [either for heaven, or else hell], Matthew 18:24; 1 Timothy 6:18.— σεαυτῷ) for thyself, not for the other, whom thou judgest.— ὀργὴνὀργῆς, wrath—of wrath) The idea of δεινότης [vehemence] of language is here conveyed with great force. Why is it, that many have no sense of wrath? [Because] The day of wrath is not yet; but it shall be.— ἐν ἡμέρᾳ).(22) When ἐν refers to time, it denotes the present; εἰς, the future.(23) That day is present to God [therefore ἐν ἡμέρᾳ, present, is used]. But this expression may also be construed with ὀργήν. [Beng. seems to have construed ἐν ἡ΄έρᾳ with θησαυρίζεις].— ἀποκαλύψεως, of the revelation) When God shall be revealed, the secrets of man shall be revealed, Romans 2:16.— καὶ δικαιοκρίσιας). By far the greatest weight of testimony, and the unquestionable antithesis between ἀνοχῆς and ἀποκαλύψεως, which is most worthy of the apostle (such as there is also between ἀνοχὴν and ἔνδειξιν, ch. Romans 3:26; Psalms 50:21), confirm the reading of the particle καἰ, Romans 2:4, τῆς χρηστότητος, καὶ τῆς ἀνοχῆς, καὶ τῆς ΄ακροθυ΄ίας·, Romans 2:5, ὀργῆς καὶ ἀποκαλύψεως, καὶ δικαιοκρισίας.(24) ἀνοχὴ and ἀποκάλυψις have respect to God, and are compared together, as ἀνοχὴ and ἔνδειξις are at ch. Romans 3:25; ΄ακροθυ΄ία and δικαιοκρισία refer to the sinner, χρηστότης and ὀργὴ are put generally. Wherefore the particle καὶ should not have been admitted, as it is by some; it is supported also by Orige(25), in his work against Celsus, in the MS. at Bâle, as Sam. Battier informs us in his Biblioth. Brem., Class vi., p. 98. Instead of ἀποκαλύψεως the Alex. MS. has ἀνταποδόσεως. I formerly omitted to notice this various reading, which arose from its having the same letters at the beginning as the verb ἀποδώσει, and is quite out of place here; nor do I use it now to defend that καὶ which follows immediately after. Erasmus observes, that δικαιοκρισίας, was a word newly coined to express a thing not formerly known among [acknowledged on the part of] men.
Verse 6
Romans 2:6. ὃς ἀποδώσει ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργαυτο͂ υ). So the LXX. expressly in Proverbs 24:12, and Ps. 62:13, συ ἀποδώσεις κτλ. This saying, and especially that below, Romans 2:11, is often quoted.— ἀποδώσει, will render) not only will give, but will repay. [See that you make this the rule of your plans.—V. g.]— κατὰ, according to) Paul describes those, who shall obtain either life or death, generally, and according to the condition [or else in a way suited to the apprehension] of those, with whom he is concerned in this place, cutting them off still from all special ground of obtaining or losing salvation. Therefore, this passage is of no advantage to the argument for the merit of good works.
Verse 7
Romans 2:7. τοῖς) sc. οὖσι; comp. the following verse; for κατὰ (see Acts 25:23,) is employed here nearly in the same sense as ἐξ, next verse; save that ἐξ implies a something natural to the sinner; κατὰ, a something supervenient [not natural, but super-induced]. You will see the difference, if you interchange the particles with one another: ἐξ ὑπομονῆς κτλ. In this view, τοῖς and ζητοῦσι stand in apposition, the conjunction being omitted by the figure asyndeton.(26)ὑπομονὴν ἔργου, patience in work) so the patience of hope, 1 Thessalonians 1:3; ὑπομονὴ, patience, includes, in this passage, obedience, steadiness, and that, too, with submission.— ἔργου, in work. There is great force in the singular number here (well-doing.—Engl. Vers.; the good work is referred to, of which), Philippians 1:6; Revelation 22:12.— δόξαν, glory) The construction is, τοῖς δόξαν κτλ ζητοῦσιν ( ἀποδώσει) ζωήν, to those who seek for glory, etc. (he will render) life. Pure love does not exclude faith, hope, desire, 1 Corinthians 15:58.— ζητοῦσι, to them that seek) Whereas thou, O Jew, thinkest, that thou hast no need of any seeking [Industry is requisite.—V. g.]
Verse 7-8
Romans 2:7-8. τοῖς μὲντοῖς δέ, to these on the one hand—but to them on the other) a more important distinction, than many now think.
Verse 8
Romans 2:8. τοῖς δὲ ἐξ ἐριθείας, but unto them that are [influenced by contention] contentious. Paul shrunk from saying directly: God will render to them, that are contentious, death or everlasting destruction. He therefore leaves that matter to be supplied, by the conscience of the sinner, from the preceding antithesis; He will render, not certainly eternal life; and he turns the discourse to those things, which follow. τοῖς here, has therefore the force of ל prefixed, and signifies as concerns. Comp. ch. Romans 4:12, notes. Accordingly there follows, with great propriety, ἐπὶ πᾶσαν; for we have also, Exodus 20:5, ἐπὶ τέκνα, ἐπὶ τρίτην καὶ τετάρτην γενεὰν, τοῖς μισοῦσί με, upon the children, upon the third and fourth generation, as concerns them that hate me. Furthermore, ἐξ, from or of, as in Romans 2:27, and often elsewhere, denotes a party or sect; in reference to those, who are of a contentious party or nation, like thee, O Jew, setting themselves in resistance to God. The character of false Judaism is disobedience, contumacy, impatience.— τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, τῃ ἀδικίᾳ, truth, unrighteousness) These two are often opposed to each other, 1 Corinthians 13:6; 2 Thessalonians 2:10; 2 Thessalonians 2:12; truth includes righteousness, and unrighteousness implies at the same time falsehood.— θυμὸς καὶ ὀργή) LXX., Psalms 78 (77):49, θυμὸν καὶ ὀργὴν καὶ θλίψιν; θυμὸς inflicts punishment; ὀργή follows up an offence. The propriety respectively of these words is seen in Ephesians 4:31-32, where τὸ χαρίζεσθαι is opposed to τῇ ὀργῇ, and εὔσπλαγχνον to θυμὸς. θυμὸς is defined by the Stoics to be ὀργὴ ἀρχομένη, the beginning of anger. Nor should we despise the explanation of Ammonius, θυμὸς μἐν ἐστι πρόσκαιρος, ὀργὴ δὲ πολυχρόνιος μνησικακία; θυμὸς is only temporary; ὀργὴ is the lasting remembrance of injuries.(27)
Verse 9
Romans 2:9. θλίψις καὶ στενοχωρία, affliction and anxiety [tribulation and anguish]. θλίψις, affliction or tribulation for the present; στενοχωρίκ, anxiety or anguish, in regard to things future; θλίψις, affliction, or tribulation, presses down; στενοχωρία, frets and harasses [œstuat et urget], Job 15:20, etc. In these words we have a proof of the avenging justice of God; for the anger of God has for its object, to teach the sinful creature, who is experiencing wrath and every species of adversity, to have himself, because in his whole conduct, he has set himself in opposition to God; and so long as the creature shrinks from this most just hatred of himself, he continues under punishment.— πᾶσαν ψυχὴν, every soul) This term adds to the universal character of the discourse, ch. Romans 13:1.— πρῶτον, first). So Psalms 94:10 : He that chastiseth the nations, shall he not correct (you among the people?). The Greek is a partaker [in the judgment] along with the Jew.
Verse 9-10
Romans 2:9-10. κατεργαζομένου· ἐργαζομένῳ). The distinction between these words is more easily felt, than explained, more easily ridiculed, than refuted. There is another distinction: ἐπὶ ψυχήν is said of the punishment; for punishment falls upon it, and the soul will bear it unwillingly; παντὶ τῳ ἐργαζομένῳ, the dative of advantage, is said of the reward.
Verse 10
Romans 2:10. δόξα δἐ καὶ τιμὴ, but glory and honour. Glory, originating in the Divine good pleasure; honour, originating in the reward bestowed by God; and peace, for the present and for ever. For the δὲ, but, expresses the opposition between wrath, and glory; indignation, and honour; affliction and anxiety [tribulation and anguish], and peace. Comp. ch. Romans 3:17; Romans 3:16, of which catalogue the joys are viewed, as they proceed from God; the sorrows as they are felt by man; for the latter are put absolutely in the nominative, while the former, on the contrary, are put in the accusative in Romans 2:7, as being such things, as God bestows. But why are honour and sorrow set in opposition to each other, since disgrace is the converse of honour, sorrow of pleasure? Ans.: In this passage, we must carefully attend to the word ἐιρήνη, peace, which is here opposed to sorrow, that is to say, to tribulation and anguish. But at Isaiah 65:13, joy (and honour) is opposed to shame (and grief), each of the two parts of the sentence being expressed in abbreviated form, and requiring to be supplied from its own opposite. Besides, in the classification of goods, honour is the highest good, and, in the classification of punishments, sorrow is the greatest punishment; and the highest degree on the one side, including all below it, is opposed to the highest degree on the other; so we have glorying and woe, 1 Corinthians 9:16.
Verse 12
Romans 2:12. ὅσοι γὰρ, for as many) the Gentiles: and as many, the Jews.— ἀνόμως) This word occurs twice by antanaclasis,(28) in the sense, not in the law, not by the law, ( ὀυκ ἐν νόμῳ, ὀυ διὰ νόμου) as is evident from the antithesis.— ἥμαρτον) sinned: the past tense, [past] in reference to the time of judgment [shall then be found to have sinned].— καὶπολο͂ υνται, they shall also perish) the word, also, denotes the correspondence between the mode of sinning, and the mode of perishing; he says, they shall also perish; for it was not convenient to say, in this instance, ἀνόμως, they shall be judged without law, as he presently after says aptly, they shall be judged by law.— ἐν νόμῳ) [in, or] with the law, not, [as the heathen], ἀνόμως, without law, i.e. since they had the law.— διὰ νόμου, by the law) ch. Romans 3:20.
Verse 13
Romans 2:13. οὑ γαρ, for not) A Proposition [Statement of Subject] clearly standing forth, the words of which have respect also to the Gentiles, but are particularly adapted to the Jews; concerning the former, Romans 2:14, etc. treats; concerning the latter, Romans 2:17, etc.; wherefore, also, Romans 2:16 depends on Romans 2:15, not on Romans 2:12. They have caused much confusion, who enclosed within a parenthesis the passage beginning at the 14th, nay, rather at the 13th verse, and ending with the 15.— οἱ ἀκροαταὶ, hearers), inactive, however sedulous [in hearing] they may be.— παρὰ τῷ θεῷ, before [with] God) Romans 2:2.— ποιηταὶ, doers) namely, if men have shown themselves to be doers, ch. Romans 10:5. They may do things pertaining to the law, but they cannot prove [warrant] themselves to be the doers of the whole law.— δικαιωθήσονται, shall be justified) This verb, in contradistinction to the noun δίκαιοι, which denotes men actually righteous, involves a condition, which is to be performed, and then [the condition being fulfilled] the declaration of their being righteous, as about to follow [as the consequence] in the day of the divine judgment.
Verse 14
Romans 2:14. ὅταν, when) After Paul has finished the refutation of the perverse judgment of the Jews against the Gentiles, he next proceeds to show the true judgment of God against the latter. He treats here of the Gentiles more directly, for the purpose of convicting them; and yet, what is granted to them in passing, is granted with this end in view, that the Jew may be dealt with the more heavily; but Romans 2:26 treats of the Gentiles quite incidentally, in order to convict the Jew. Wherefore, ὅταν, when, is used here [Romans 2:14]; ἐὰν, if, there [Romans 2:26].— γὰρ for) He gives the reason, why the Gentiles should also be required to be the doers of the law; for when they do ever so little of it, they recognise their obligations to obey it. And yet he shows, that they cannot be justified by the law of nature, or by their ownselves. There are four sentences beginning with the words: when—these—who—the conscience bearing witness along with. The second is explained by the third, the first by the fourth.— ἔθνη) Not, τὰ ἔθνη; some individuals of the Gentiles; and yet there is no man, who does not fulfil some of the requirements of the law ( ἐκ τῶν τοῦ νόμου). He did not choose to say ἐθνικοὶ, which is usually taken rather in a bad sense.— μὴ νόμον· νόμον μὴ,—not the law: the law not) Not even here is the change in the arrangement of the words without a reason; in the former place, the not is the emphatic word, so that greater force may be given to the, have not; in the latter place, the word νόμον, the law, contains the emphasis, thus forming an antithesis to the ἑαυτοις, unto themselves. So also, νὁμος, law, has sometimes the article, and sometimes not, and not without a good reason in each instance, Romans 2:13; Romans 2:23; Romans 2:27; Romans 3:19-21; Romans 7:1., etc.— φύσει, by nature) The construction is, μὴ νόμον ἔχοντα φύσει, not having the law by nature.(29) [But Engl. vers. joins nature with do, not with having] precisely as in Romans 2:27, ἐκ φύσεως ἀκροβυστία, the uncircumcision by nature, contrary to the Syriac version of Romans 2:27, which connects the word nature with doing, “doing by nature the law.” The Gentiles are by nature (that is, when left to themselves, as they are born, not as individuals, but as nations), destitute of the (written) law; the Jews are by nature Jews, Galatians 2:15, and therefore have by nature the (written) law, ch. Romans 11:24, the end of the verse. Nor yet, however, is there any danger, that the force of the construction, which most follow, do by nature those things, which are of [contained in] the law, should be lost; for what the Gentiles, who have not the law, do, they in reality do by nature. The term law, in the writings of the apostle, does not occur in the philosophical, but in the Hebrew use; therefore, the phrase, natural law, is not found in sacred Scripture; Romans 2:12 shows, that the thing itself is true.— ποιῇ do), not only in actual performance, but also in their inmost thoughts, Romans 2:15, at the end.— οὗτοι, these) This little word turns the collective noun ἔθνη, Gentiles, to a distributive sense [so far to wit as they really do it.—V. g.]— νόμος, a law) What the law is to the Jews, that the Gentiles are to their ownselves.
Verse 15
Romans 2:15. ἐνδείκνυνται, they show) [demonstrate] to themselves, to others, and, in some respects, to God Himself.— τὸ ἔργον τοῦ νόμου, the work of the law), the law itself, with its practical [active] operation. It is opposed to the letter, which is but an accident [not its essence].— γραπτὸν, written), a noun, not a participle, much less an infinitive [to be written]. Paul, by way of contrast, alludes to the tables of Moses. This writing is antecedent to the doing of those things, which are contained in the law; but afterwards, when any one has done, or (has not done) the things commanded, [the demonstration, or] the showing [of the work of the law] follows, and that permanent writing [viz., that on the heart] becomes more clearly apparent— συμμαρτυρούσης, simultaneously bearing witness) An allegory; the prosecution, the criminal, the witnesses are in court; conscience is a witness; the thoughts accuse, or also defend. Nature, and sin itself, bear witness: conscience bears witness along with them.— αὐτῶν) of themselves, or their own.— τῆς συνειδήσεως, the conscience) The soul has none of its faculties less under its own control, than conscience. So συνείδησις and λογισμός are joined, Wisdom of Solomon 17:11-12.— μεταξὺ ἀλλήλων, between one another) as prosecutor and criminal. This expression is put at the beginning of the clause for the sake of emphasis, inasmuch as thoughts implicated in the trial with thoughts, are opposed to conscience referred to the law.— τῶν λογισμῶν κατηγορούντων, their thoughts accusing) Some explain [analyse] the words thus: the thoughts, which accuse, testifying simultaneously [taken from συμμαρτυρούσης]; but thoughts accusing [ τῶν λογισμῶν κατηγορούντων] is an expression, which stands by itself.— καὶ, or even) The concessive particle, even, shows that the thoughts have far more to accuse, than defend, and the defence itself (comp. 2 Corinthians 7:11, defending or clearing of yourselves) does not extend to the whole, but only to a part of the conduct, and this very part in turn proves us to be debtors as to the whole, Romans 1:20.— ἀπολογουμένων, [excusing] defending). We have an example at Genesis 20:4.
Verse 16
Romans 2:16. ἐν ἡμέρᾳ, in the day) It is construed with show, for the present tense is no objection; Romans 2:5 employs the present in the same general way. And Paul often says, in the day of the Lord, which implies more than against [or unto the day] 1 Corinthians 5:5—comp. before, or in the presence of 1 Timothy 5:21, note. Such as each thing was, such it shall then be seen, be determined, and remain. In that day, that writing of the law on the hearts of men will be manifest, having also joined with it some defence of upright acts, although the man be condemned [fall] in the judgment, himself being his own accuser, on account of other offences. And that circumstance implies, as a consequence, [infers] (reasoning, from the greater to the less, i.e., from the final judgment, to the judgments of conscience in the present life), accusation, or even defence, exercised in this life also, as often as either the future judgment itself is vividly presented before a man, or its anticipations, without the man’s own privity (consciousness), are at work in the conscience.—Comp. 1 John 4:17. And Scripture often speaks so of the future, especially of the last things, as that it presupposes those which precede them. The Jews at Romans 2:5, as the Gentiles in this passage, are threatened with the future judgment.— τὰ κρυπτὰ, the secrets) the conscience, and the thoughts.—Comp. 1 Corinthians 4:5. This confirms the connection of this verse with the preceding. The true quality of actions, generally unknown even to the agents themselves, depends on the secrets.—See Romans 2:29. Men judge by outward manifestations, even concerning themselves. Outward manifestations of good or evil will also be judged, but not then for the first time; for they are judged, even from the time in which they are wrought; deeds, that are secret, are then at length brought to judgment.— τῶν ἀνθρώπων, of men) even of the Gentiles.— κατὰ, according to) i.e. as my Gospel teaches. Paul adds this short clause, because he is here dealing with a man, who does not yet know Jesus Christ. The Gospel is the whole preaching as to Christ; and Christ will be the Judge; and the judgment in regard to the Gentiles, is not so expressly declared in the Old, as in the New Testament. And it is called the Gospel of Paul, as it was preached by Paul, even to the Gentiles.—Acts 17:31. All the articles of evangelical doctrine, and the article concerning the final judgment, greatly illustrate one another; and moreover, this very article, even in respect of believers, is altogether evangelical.—Acts 10:42; 1 Peter 4:5.
Verse 17
Romans 2:17. εἰ δὲ, but if) If—comp. when, Romans 2:14—has some resemblance to an Anaphora,(30) with the exception that ὅταν, when, having reference to the Gentiles, asserts more; εἰ, if, used with respect to the Jews, concedes less. After if, οὖν, therefore [Romans 2:21], follows, like ἀλλὰ, but, (ch. Romans 6:5)(31) and δὲ, truly Acts 11:17.(32)—Comp. Matthew 25:27. Moreover, the οὐν, therefore, in a subsequent verse (Romans 2:21), brings to a conclusion the somewhat long protasis, which begins with εἰ, if.— ἰουδαῖος, a Jew) This, the highest point of Jewish boasting (a farther description of it being interposed at Romans 2:17-20, and its refutation being added, Romans 2:21-24), is itself refuted at the 25th and following verses. Moreover, the description of his boasting consists of twice five clauses, of which the first five, from thou restest (Romans 2:17), to, out of the law (Romans 2:18), show what the Jew assumes to himself; the rest, as many in number as the former, thou art confident (Romans 2:19), to, in the law (Romans 2:20), show, what more the Jew, from this circumstance, arrogates to himself, in reference to others. On both sides [in both series], the first clause of one corresponds to the first of the other, the second to the second, and so on in succession; and as the fifth clause in the former series, instructed, Romans 2:18, so the fifth in the latter, having, Romans 2:20 [the form of knowledge] denotes a cause: because thou art instructed, [answering to] because thou hast.— ἐπονομάζῃ) in the middle voice: thou callest thyself by this name, and delightest to be so called.— ἐπαναπαύῃ) thou restest in that, which threatens to put thee in a strait; thou hast in the law a schoolmaster, instead of a father [as you fancy the law to be].— τῷ νόμῳ, in the law) Paul purposely [knowingly] makes frequent use of this name.— ἐν θεῷ, in God), as though He were One, who is peculiarly thy God.
Verse 18
Romans 2:18. τό θέλημα) the will, that is, whatever has been ratified by the law; so, the will, absolutely, Matthew 18:14; 1 Corinthians 16:12. But this will is nothing else, than the will of God; but a strong feeling of piety [ εὐλάβεια, pious caution] prevented Paul from adding, of God.— δοκιμαζεὶς) provest, approvest.
Verse 19
Romans 2:19. ἐν σκότει, in the darkness of congenital ignorance [ignorance, accompanying the heathen from birth].
Verse 20
Romans 2:20. μόρφωσιν) The word is taken here in a good sense, in reference to the Jew, who is boasting: the form, or correct outline.— τῆς γνώσως καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας, of knowledge and of the truth) a Hendiadys; the truth in this passage expresses accuracy in established doctrine, in our days called orthodoxy.
Verse 21
Romans 2:21. οὐ διδάσκεις, dost thou not teach) a Metonymy for the consequent (that is, substituting the antecedent for the consequent), he, who doth not practise, doth not teach his own self.— κηρύσσων, preaching) loudly, clearly.
Verse 21-22
Romans 2:21-22. κλέπτεις, μοιχεύεις, ἱεροσυλεῖς, dost thou commit theft, adultery, sacrilege?) Thou sinnest most heinously against thy neighbour, against thyself, and against God. Paul had shown to the Gentiles, that their sins were first against God, secondly against themselves, and thirdly against others; he now inverts the order; for sins against God are very openly practised among the Gentiles; not so, in the case of the Jew.— βδελυσσόμενος, thou that abhorrest) even in speaking.— τα εἴδωλα, idols) The Jews, from the Babylonish captivity even to the present day, abhor idolatry, to which they had been formerly addicted: nevertheless they even put Christ to death, and [still] oppose the Gospel and the glory of God.— ἱεροσυλεῖς, dost thou commit sacrilege?) because thou dost not give God the glory, which peculiarly belongs to God.
Verse 24
Romans 2:24. τὸ γὰρ ὄνομα) Isaiah 52:5, in the LXX., διʼ ὑμᾶς διὰ παντὸς τὸ ὀνομά μον βλασφημεῖται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, through you My name is continually blasphemed among the Gentiles.—Comp. Ezekiel 36:20, etc.— καθὼς γἐγραπται, as it is written) This short clause is fittingly placed at the end, as it refers to a thing evident of itself, but it is set down for the sake of the Jews, ch. Romans 3:19.
Verse 25
Romans 2:25. ὠφελεῖ, profiteth) He does not say justifieth; the profit is described chap. 3 and 4 Circumcision was still practised among the (believing) Jews.— ἐὰν, if) Paul not only speaks, using the ad hominem argument [argument on his adversary’s own principles to confute him], but also speaks according to his own sentiments, and shows, that they are deceiving themselves, who are trusting to circumcision, though they have violated the law.— παραβάτης, a transgressor) A word abhorred by a Jew, Romans 2:27.
Verse 26
Romans 2:26. ἀκροβυστία, uncircumcision) that is, a person uncircumcised, for to this the αὐτοῦ, his, is referred.— λογισθήσεται) The future; shall be counted, by a righteous judgment. In Romans 2:25, γέγονεν, the preterite, implies, is now made.
Verse 27
Romans 2:27. κρινεῖ, shall judge) Those, whom thou now judgest, will in their turn judge thee at the day of judgment, Romans 2:16. Matthew 12:41; 1 Corinthians 6:2-3.— τελοῦσα, keeping (if it fulfil): a word of large meaning. Therefore ἐὰν, if, Romans 2:26, has a conditional meaning, and does not positively assert.— σὲ, thee), who art its judge [the self-constituted judge of the uncircumcised].— τὸν) the article does not properly belong to παραβάτην, but τὸν διὰ is used as ἐκ.— διὰ [by, or] with) Thou hast the letter, but thou even abusest it; there is an antithesis between by nature, and with the letter; then follows a Hendiadys, by the letter and circumcision. Concerning the letter and spirit, see ch. Romans 7:6.
Verse 28
Romans 2:28. ἐν), a periphrasis for the adjective.— ἐν σαρκί, in the flesh) opposed to [that] of the heart, Romans 2:29.
Verse 29
Romans 2:29. οο͂, whose), who seeks praise and has it, not from men, etc.— ἔπαινος, praise) The allusion is to the name Jew [Judah], יודוך, they shall praise thee, Genesis 49:8. He therefore adds, οὗ, not ἧς [ περιτομῆς]. This is the solution: The Jew who is one inwardly, he is the Jew, who has praise; as much as to say, this is true Judaism. It is opposed to the judging [Romans 2:3].— οὐκ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων, not of men), who, when they praise themselves, boast, Romans 2:17.— θεοῦ, of God), who sees the heart.
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Bibliography Information
Bengel, Johann Albrecht. "Commentary on Romans 2:4". Johann Albrecht Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament. 1897.
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LendUp is an online lender based out of San Francisco. They make both single payment and installment loans. They started in 2012 with a focus on using technology to improve the payday lending industry. They ran into some growth issues including fines from the Consumer Financial Protection Board (CFPB). Today, they have flushed out their team with leaders who have been working in banking and lending for many years.
The LendUp application process is similar to other online lenders. You will need to submit address, income, social security number, and checking account. Funds will typically be deposited into your account by the next business day. Good credit is not required. If you have taken out a single-payment loan and are unable to pay your loan back on the due date you are generally able to request to extend the duration of your loan (to the maximum allowed by your state). This is done with your LendUp account. Installment loans do not provide online payment modifications.
LendUp Difference: The Ladder
LendUp differs from traditional lenders with its LendUp Ladder. The exact terms of The LendUp Ladder vary by state but in general, it rewards repeat borrowers who pay on time. As one moves up the ladder rates can be lower and loan amounts larger. In addition, certain products at the higher rungs of the ladder will report your payment behavior to the credit bureaus. This means that on-time payment behavior may impact your credit score. See Do Payday Loans Affect Credit Score for additional information on short term loans and credit scores.
In 2016 LendUp was fined $3.63M by the CFPB for not delivering on promised benefits. Specifically, LendUp promised its customers they could build credit and improve their credit score by using its small-dollar loans but LendUp didn't properly report customer's loan payments to the credit bureaus for at least two years after it began originating loans. According to the credit bureaus, this prevented borrowers from improving their credit. There we additional areas where LendUp failed including improper disclosures, misleading advertisements, and illegal fees. Since 2016 LendUp scaled back its offerings to fewer states, hired a Chief Risk and Compliance Officer, and hired a Chief Legal Officer.
Borrow for Unavoidable Emergencies
In general, borrowing money only makes sense if it is part of a balanced financial plan. Quick short-term loans like the one offered by LendUp rarely make economic sense. These short-term loans are typically designed for emergency expenses that cannot be avoided and only after other options have been exhausted. Here are additional ideas for borrowing money. If one must borrow we prefer state-licensed lenders like LendUp.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21925 | 100 N. Blakely St.
(Dunmore Corners)
Dunmore, PA 18512
Shop Hours:
Mon thru Wed: 9:30a - 7:30p
~ closed Thu ~
studio open Thu for 6pm Yoga
Fri: 9:30a - 7:00p
Sat: 8:00a - 4:00p
Sun: 11:00a - 6:00p
Tel: 570.344.2360
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It's All In Perception
August 30, 2014
When you look at this picture, what do you see?
Some of you see a blue and green mug. If you're color blind you may see simply a blue mug. Under other rare conditions, the mug may appear to be black and white or grey.
Whether you see the mug as one or the other is totally irrelevant, because it's still the same mug.
It's all in perception.
Isn't it the same with God? You may see him one way, like the traditional old man in the sky image, and I may see him as an incredible energy, light and love source that we're all a part of.
Even if I were to call him by a different name, does that change who God is? If you call the mug "berry", it doesn't change what it is.
So why should it matter if different religions call God by different names? Isn't it still the same God?
It's all in perception.
Peace, love and light,
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21932 | Front End Web Development
A highly responsive and customized design layout for an induced user experience
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At ThinkStart, we provide end to end solutions in developing websites or applications suiting to your business requirements.The ThinkStart consists of a set of developers who are highly trained and expert in using web technologies like CSS, HTML, DOM, etc to design and build sites that provide an amazing experience to the users.
By employing the latest tools and technologies, our expert team design sites according to the client-side requirements where user can see and interact with them directly. We architect sites and develop information in a format which is easy to read and relevant to the users.
Our Technological Framework
• HTML5
• CSS
• JavaScript
• AJAX
• PHP
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Why ThinkStart for your front-end development needs?
We design a fully-featured website that consist of the following functionalities:
Customized Design
By creating the visual front end, we customize the look and feel of the website according to the specific requirements
Advanced Technologies
Our Designers are equipped with the latest development tools and proficient in using programming languages such as HTML and CSS
By creating a responsive web design using CSS, the site comes up well in browsers on all the devices
Responsive Design
We develop sites that functions well on all cross platforms with varying screen sizes and resolutions
Testing and Debugging
The programmer ensures that the site is free of errors and performs well on all the devices
We provide an alluring Graphical user interface by using bootstrap that help abstract common elements into reusable modules
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Meet Mr. Anil Kumar
(Director of Business Development & Project management)
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21943 | Star Trek LOL
It's Wednesday.
Which means I have to use as few words as possible in order to maintain my Semi-Wordless Wednesday status.
But you know, sometimes you just have to live on the edge, just a little tiny bit, don'tcha think, don'tcha?!
Anyhoots...I feel like a laugh is in order today. So...brace yourselves.
Star Trek LOL Meme
You're welcome. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21964 | Carnivore diets are ridiculous
girl refusing meat
© Puhhha/Shutterstock
Some people think only eating meat is the best way to lose weight.
Meat-heavy diet trends have been popular lately. Various diets — paleo, keto, low-carb — extoll the values of hitting fat and/or protein hard. But nothing is as extreme as the "carnivore diet," a plan that consists of just eating meat. There's even a 1920s study going around claiming two guys ate meat for a year and were basically fine. (This counts as proof? I guess?) The whole trend is idiotic, and I will tell you why.
People who follow this high meat lifestyle claim it helps them lose weight. And they may not be wrong. I know someone who started eating way more meat, and he DID lose a lot of weight.
Here's the thing: It seems like it's not the "more meat" aspect of these diets that is causing the weight loss. I think it's the "less sugary, carby stuff" that does the trick. Refined carbs like white flour and sugar break down in your system and get turned into fat a lot faster than protein or, ironically, fat. If you go from eating a lot of pasta, waffles and sugary snacks to eating steak, then, yes, you'll probably lose weight.
But if you want to lose weight, you don't have to replace all your macaroni with hamburgers. You can replace it with veggie stir fry, baked eggplant, salads and a ton of other vegetable-based dishes. "Paleovegans" even manage to be both paleo and vegan at the same time.
Some humans can survive on animal products. Native peoples living in the far north can't grow much and rely heavily on things like seal meat and fat. But I doubt even they'd call those diets desirable. One Siberian girl even told me part of the reason she left her home was for the cheap vegetables.
On the other hand, vegans eat only plants, and people in developing countries often depend mostly on plants, with meat as an occasional treat. Thanks to vitamins, supplements and the fact that we're omnivores who can eat a lot of different things, there are a wide variety of diets out there.
But there are a lot of good reasons to eat less meat, not more. There's animal welfare, obviously, but that's just one of the zillion ways meat consumption is a problem for the individual, the human species and the planet. High meat consumption is linked to heart disease, diabetes, stroke and obesity. Farming animals leads to epidemics like swine flu and bird flu. Raising animals for slaughter creates greenhouse gasses that contribute to climate change and uses a ton of land and water, making species go extinct and putting everyone at risk of running out of water. It's also a really inefficient way to make calories, contributing to starvation around the world.
Besides, humans are clearly not carnivores. We evolved from apes that ate mostly plants. We have nails, not claws. We have more flat teeth for breaking down vegetables than sharp teeth for piercing meat. Even your typical hamburger meal includes more vegetables than meat. When you add up the bun, mustard, ketchup, lettuce, onion and side of fries, you're looking at a plant-based meal, not an animal-based one. That's because humans are made to eat more vegetables than meat, and most of us know it.
All-meat diets are ridiculous. I suspect people pay them so much attention because they're a bit revolting, no? But there are plenty of healthier, more ethical and, frankly, tastier ways to eat more naturally and lose weight.
Carnivore diets are ridiculous
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/21973 | Java JDOM Parser - Overview
JDOM is an open source, Java-based library to parse XML documents. It is typically a Java developer friendly API. It is Java optimized and it uses Java collections like List and Arrays.
JDOM works with DOM and SAX APIs and combines the best of the two. It is of low memory footprint and is nearly as fast as SAX.
Environment Setup
In order to use JDOM parser, you should have jdom.jar in your application's classpath. Download
When to Use?
You should use a JDOM parser when −
• You need to know a lot about the structure of an XML document.
• You need to move parts of an XMl document around (you might want to sort certain elements, for example).
• You need to use the information in an XML document more than once.
• You are a Java developer and want to leverage Java optimized parsing of XML.
What You Get?
When you parse an XML document with a JDOM parser, you get the flexibility to get back a tree structure that contains all of the elements of your document without impacting the memory footprint of the application.
JDOM provides a variety of utility functions that you can use to examine the contents and structure of an XML document in case the document is well structured and its structure is known.
JDOM provides Java developers the flexibility and easy maintainablity of XML parsing code. It is a lightweight and quick API.
JDOM classes
JDOM defines several Java classes. Here are the most common classes −
• Document − Represents an entire XML document. A Document object is often referred to as a DOM tree.
• Element − Represents an XML element. Element object has methods to manipulate its child elements, its text, attributes, and namespaces.
• Attribute − Represents an attribute of an element. Attribute has method to get and set the value of attribute. It has parent and attribute type.
• Text − Represents the text of XML tag.
• Comment − Represents the comments in a XML document.
Common JDOM Methods
When you are working with JDOM, there are several methods you'll use often −
• − Build the JDOM document from the xml source.
• Document.getRootElement() − Get the root element of the XML.
• Element.getName() − Get the name of the XML node.
• Element.getChildren() − Get all the direct child nodes of an element.
• Node.getChildren(Name) − Get all the direct child nodes with a given name.
• Node.getChild(Name) − Get the first child node with the given name. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22021 | Vintage Inns giftcards
If you love the warm welcome and great food and drink served up at The Robin Hood in Droitwich, why not share the experience with your nearest and dearest by treating them to a gift card.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22064 | IP camera compatibility
pfjeden asked 2 years ago
Hi, I am looking to purchase an IP camera, if I have a wireless router that supports 802.11g standards is there any point in getting an IP camera that supports 802.11n? if not could someone please explain why?
1 Answers
Shnerdly Staff answered 2 years ago
Thanks for your question pfjeden.
The Camera on the 802.11n spec should be rearward compatible to the 802.11g spec. The only drawback might be reduced resolution or frames per sec running it on the g router but I suspect that won't be a problem.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22066 | Jun 16, 2014
The Best Guys
You know its going to be a great day when you hear that your two favorite rappers are planning a collaborative EP.
Chicago native, Chance The Rapper and Childish Gambino are rumored to have joint EP coming soon. After Chance released his verse for Gambino’s The Worst Guys at Governors Ball . Gambino tweeted hints by saying:
No official word on when the EP is set to drop, but if its anything like Acid Rap and Because the Internet, it will be well worth the wait. Maybe we'll hear that So Profound track with Trinidad James he chose to snippet in his short film, Clapping for the Wrong Reasons??? I guess everything happens for a reason. Either way, we'll be listening.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22104 | Skip to main content
Book Reviews
Back To The Moon
By Travis S. Taylor and Les Johnson
Baen Books, 2010
$16.50, Hardcover; $6 eBook
Reviewed by Edward Reynolds
Written by a couple of authors with extensive NASA backgrounds in physics, astronomy, and aerospace engineering, Back To The Moon is a thrilling, fictionalized account of America’s return to the lunar surface some fifty years after astronaut Gene Cernan left his footprints in moon dust as the last human to walk there. What makes Travis Taylor and Les Johnson’s novel so believable is their ability to weave technical, rocket-science accuracy into their tale. Their knowledge is paramount, and their incorporation of the current state of America’s space exploration capabilities—including the inclusion of private companies’ attempts to replicate what was once exclusively NASA’s territory—makes the book nothing short of intriguing.
The novel is a new twist on the Cold War space race to the Moon between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1960s. Set in the 2020s, America’s nemesis is now China. Taylor and Johnson spin yarns of spy activities as the Chinese snoop on a private company based out of Kentucky called Space Excursions.
The plot involves a Chinese attempt to beat Americans back to the Moon. When Dreamscape, Space Excursions’ lunar-bound spacecraft carrying billionaires on a trip around the Moon, receives a plea for help via radio transmissions as it passes sixty-five miles over the lunar surface, NASA decides to make an emergency rescue journey to save the stranded Chinese astronauts, or taikonauts. The crew from China includes a commie antagonist who’d rather die than be rescued by America, setting the stage for science fiction drama.
The flirtation with danger is all too real. While communicating with mission control when his commander gets stuck outside an Orion space capsule (the actual name for the Constellation spacecraft until President Obama canceled the program) during an EVA (spacewalk) to unfurl a stubborn solar panel while returning to Earth, astronaut Tony Chow receives this chilling message:
Tony, I wish there was something we could do. In a few
minutes, you’re going to skim the outer part of the Earth’s
atmosphere at more than twenty thousand miles per hour. Let
me put that another way; the relative wind velocity around
the outside of the Orion will be twenty thousand miles per
hour. And as you begin to enter the atmosphere, the
atmospheric friction will superheat much of the atmosphere
around the Orion to many thousands of degrees. There is
simply no way that an astronaut in a spacesuit can survive
that. Even if Bill could anchor himself to the ship, he
would be fried.
At the book’s end, Taylor and Johnson share their opinions about the shambolic state in which the Bush and Obama administrations have left NASA, giving the reader a unique, expert criticism that other science fiction writers cannot match. If you want to understand the real-life dilemma that America’s role in space exploration faces, Back To The Moon is the adventurous ticket. Feb. 2010
Edward Reynolds is a writer in Birmingham.
• DYS |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22107 | September 11, 2001. He was the American who wasn't on earth when the towers fell.
Astronaut Frank Culbertson was in space, about 250 miles above earth, when he found out about the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001.
Frank Culbertson is from Charleston, South Carolina and he had one of the clearest views of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
On September 12, 2001 at 19:34 hours, he writes this.
Culbertson has been on three missions to space.
In an interview for the Kennedy Space Center in 2014, he tells his story.
His third mission was on board the International Space Station, and he had two other crew mates, both Russian. They were supposed to launch in July of 2001, but ended up launching in August. He had been in space for 30 days when he, as the crew medical officer and commander, called NASA to update them on the crew's physical examinations.
It was September 11 when he called in, and was relayed information about what was happening in New York and in Pennsylvania. They didn't have live TV or internet, so he and his crewmates knew little about what was happening.
When Culbertson checked where on the map he was, he saw that he was coming up over Canada. He told the ground crew to hold on and grabbed a video camera.
About 400 miles away from New York City, he saw, in perfect weather, the chaos. A gray blob, smoke over Manhattan. He didn't know what was happening, but he knew it was bad.
Later he found out he had watched the second tower fall.
Ironically he says, he was in the middle of a Tom Clancy novel about terrorist attacks.
He writes this in one of his letters.
Traveling five miles a second, New York quickly disappeared. Culbertson said he knew what they had to do before they did another pass over the United States in 90 minutes.
They set up every camera they could and took pictures of everything they could see, looking for any evidence of any other attacks. Soon they were over Washington, directly over the pentagon, and Culbertson said he could see the "gash in the side of it," the smoke, the rescue vehicles.
He ends one of his letters with this, "Other than the emotional impact of our country being attacked and thousands of our citizens and maybe some friends being killed, the most overwhelming feeling being where I am is one of isolation."
Frank Culbertson
Astronaut Frank L. Culbertson, Jr., Expedition Three mission commander, wearing a Russian Sokol suit, is seated in the Soyuz spacecraft that is docked to the International Space Station (ISS). Culbertson and two cosmonauts , who came up to the orbital outpost onboard the Space Shuttle Discovery with the crew of the STS-105 mission, will be replacing astronauts Susan J. Helms and James S. Voss and cosmonaut Yury V. Usachev as residents on the ISS. His Expedition Three crew mates are cosmonauts Vladimir N. Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin, flight engineers. This image was taken with a digital still camera.
Every orbit, the crew tried to see more of what was happening. Although they were able to monitor what was going on, they knew little about it. They had moved Houston mission control to an undisclosed location so they were mainly in contact with Moscow.
The next day, Culbertson was able to speak with NASA again on an encrypted loop. He was told that an old classmate of his from the Naval Academy was the captain of the flight that flew into the Pentagon. Charles "Chic" Burlingame was the pilot of American Airlines Flight 77, the flight that hit the Pentagon.
The attack was personal for Culbertson.
He sent a message down to classmates and family, and played his trumpet as tribute
In a letter from the September 13, 2001, Culbertson says:
He ended his letter that day "Humbly, Frank."
About four weeks later, looking over Afghanistan, Culbertson says he flashes of light, he saw the combat begin from space.
To read his letters from space, click here. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22122 | How to Form Habits that You’ll Keep for Life
As the new year approaches, many of us begin thinking about the resolutions, goals, or intentions we want to set for 2018. And I don’t know about you, but I used to be hesitant about setting resolutions, because, midway through the year, my motivation would drop and I’d start slipping away from the behaviors I had so eagerly envisioned in January.
Commitment is hard, people, especially when it comes to life-changing habits and behaviors, like eating a vegan diet or consistently exercising. Whatever you repeatedly do forms the person you become, the things you believe, and the personality you portray. So if you want to improve, or form new habits, how should you go about it?
Over the years, I’ve learned a few tips and tricks for creating habits that endure past the last snowfall.
The 3 R’s to Forming New Habits:
Reminder– this is the trigger that initiates the behavior you’re trying to enact. Several weeks into your commitment, it can be easy to start slipping back into your old ways. Set a reminder to execute your habit every day. It doesn’t matter whether this is a phone alert, a physical cue, or something else – what matters is that you see or hear a reminder that prompts you to take action.
Routine– this is the behavior itself, or the action you take. Commit to 30 days of whatever habit you’re trying to form, whether it’s eating vegan, flossing your teeth, or practicing yoga. Three to four weeks is all the time you need to make a habit automatic, and a month is a good amount of time to commit to, since it easily fits in your calendar!
Reward– this is the benefit you gain from doing the behavior. If you’re committing yourself to creating a new habit, it most likely is because you want to improve on some aspect of your life. Therefore, there are usually innate benefits to forming the habit, such as a healthier immune system, stronger teeth, or a more toned body. But it doesn’t hurt to personally reward yourself, as well! It’s important to celebrate because we like continuing actions that make us feel good. Whether you quietly tell yourself “Good job. You made progress today!” or physically reward yourself with some form of treat, what matters is acknowledging your progress.
A Few Other Helpful Tips:
Find a Buddy: Find a friend who will join you in the pursuit of this new habit. There’s nothing like an accountability partner to keep you motivated if you feel like quitting.
Be Imperfect: You can’t expect your attempt to change huge lifestyle behaviors to be successful immediately. You might fall astray during your 30 day commitment, or it might even take longer to fully form. No worries, friends! Just expect a few bumps along the way.
Be Consistent in Your Timing: For habits like exercising and yoga (or flossing!), being consistent in the time you choose to practice is key. During your 30 day challenge, commit yourself to practicing your new habit at the same time each day, whether that’s morning, evening, or right after work.
Ready to Give this Habit Thing a Try?
At Yoga Fever, we’re ready to practice what we preach. This coming January, we’re hosting a 30-day yoga challenge – and those who successfully complete it will get their name entered into a drawing to win one year of unlimited yoga! The rules are simple: starting January 2nd, you must practice at Yoga Fever 26 out of 30 days, with those four rest days designed to allow the body time to heal. To encourage you all to give this habit-forming thing a try, we’re even offering a one-month, unlimited package for only $69. (promocode 69 upon check out of one month of unlimited yoga)
The heart of this 30-day challenge is commitment. Make a promise to yourself to practice each day and follow through on it. Grit, habits, excellence; whatever you call it, positive, consistent behavior only occurs through repetitive practice. The woman next to you in yoga class doing a headstand wasn’t born being able to do that, it took her months to develop the strength to perform that pose. Habits are powerful, unconscious patterns of behavior that play a role in influencing the direction of our life. Essentially, our lives go where our habits take us!
Good luck! |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22130 | Smart shirt monitors your breathing while you sleep
Lacking a quality slumber? A sensor-embedded nightshirt analyzes your breathing patterns while you snooze so you can track how various things affect how deeply you sleep.
To help track your sleep wellbeing, a nightshirt embedded with sensors monitors your breathing patterns, while a small chip in the pocket processes the data.
It determines your phase of sleep – REM 'dream' sleep, light sleep, or deep sleep. And these sleep diagnostics can help track how various things like alcohol or stress affect how well you sleep.
When people with sleep disorders spend the night in a sleep lab, they’re hooked up to complex arrays of sensors that monitor brain activity, muscle activity, eye movement, and heart and breathing rate. It’s called polysomnography.
Developed by Nyx Devices, the Somnus Sleep Shirt (pictured) focuses on evaluating sleep with respiration only – an analysis still considered experimental.
"It turns out that you can tell if someone is awake or asleep and which stage of sleep they are in purely based on breathing pattern," says co-inventor Matt Bianchi of Massachusetts General Hospital. "That's a much easier signal to analyze than electrical activity from the brain."
• Breathing during deep sleep follows an ordered pattern, and the breath-to-breath differences are very small.
• The lighter stages of non-REM sleep fall somewhere in between.
"The motivation behind the shirt is to allow repeated measurements over time in the home," Bianchi adds. Users can log other variables online, like coffee or alcohol intake, exercise, and stress, and look for patterns in how those things affect quality of sleep.
Bianchi's previous research has shown that insomniacs often underestimate how much sleep they actually get. So he wants to give them an objective way to measure sleep and see if that’ll help them reassess their condition. He adds: "There are zero objective tools available to physicians to assess insomnia."
He’s now testing the device on patients in his sleep clinic who are also assessed using the standard tech.
The company wants to have a commercial product available by summer of 2012 for under $100.
Via Technology Review.
Image: Nyx Devices
This post was originally published on |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22142 | Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research
“Why Don’t Muslims Condemn Terrorism?” Western Violence and Scapegoating in an Age of Islamophobia
This paper is part of the Unpacking the Effects of Islamophobia collection.
When President Obama addressed the National Prayer Breakfast in February 2015, he did so in the midst of a new global crisis: the rise and spread of ISIS. News stories of ISIS beheading Western journalists and burning alive a Jordanian pilot, along with widespread calls to condemn this violence, loomed heavily over the event as Obama devoted considerable time in his prayer breakfast remarks to exposing and condemning the horrors of ISIS.
But Obama was also sensitive to the possibility that ISIS’s crimes could fuel an anti-Muslim backlash in the United States. For this reason, Obama decided to take a two-sentence detour to remind his audience that violence in the name of religion was not something limited to Islam.
Obama’s remarks drew swift condemnation from religious leaders, politicians, and journalists. Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist Convention labeled Obama’s comments “an unfortunate attempt at a wrongheaded moral comparison.”[2] Jim Gilmore, the former governor of Virginia, called Obama’s comments “the most offensive I’ve ever heard a president make in my lifetime.”[3] Rick Santorum, a GOP presidential hopeful at the time, insisted that Obama’s remarks were “insulting to every person of faith,” while his fellow GOP contender, Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, mockingly retorted that the “medieval Christian threat is under control, Mr. President.”[4]
On NBC’s Meet the Press the following Sunday, foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell rebuked Obama in no uncertain terms. “The week after a pilot is burned alive,” she said, “you don’t lean over backwards to be philosophical about the sins of the fathers.”[5]
What did Obama do that was so bad? He talked about the wrong kind of violence. He talked about white Christian violence. He talked about the sins of the fathers. He didn’t talk about this for long. He devoted a whopping twenty-four seconds to this topic in a twenty-four-minute speech. But it was clear that it was twenty-four seconds too many.
Islam’s most vocal critics, from Bill Maher to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, believe the West is too afraid to criticize Islam and to talk candidly about Islam’s relationship with violence. That’s not true. It’s violence perpetrated by whites and white Christians that we cannot have a frank discussion about. But linking Islam and violence? That’s pretty much the only show in town.
Beyond state-sponsored policies, linking Islam with violence and terrorism seems to be the favorite pastime of journalists and politicians alike across the ideological spectrum. We see this at work most prominently when Muslims are asked (or otherwise commanded) to condemn terrorism.
For example, Roger Cohen of the New York Times insists we will never be able to tackle the threat of terrorism “until moderate Muslims really speak out—really say, ‘This is not our religion.’”[8] Sean Hannity of Fox News asks: “Will prominent Muslim leaders denounce and take on groups like ISIS, Hamas, and condemn and also fight against unthinkable acts of terrorism?”[9] Cohen and Hannity represent left-leaning and right-leaning media outlets respectively, but they fundamentally agree that Muslims aren’t doing enough to repudiate terrorism. They have plenty of company among politicians. David Cameron, Scott Morrison, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump, among others, have all called on Muslims publicly to say or do more to reject terrorism.
Why don’t Muslims condemn terrorism? When are moderate Muslims going to speak out against terrorism? These questions are ubiquitous. They’re also racist. But they’re not going away anytime soon. And that’s because they serve a larger, more insidious purpose. That purpose is distraction.
The eminent African American author, Toni Morrison, once said that “the function, the very serious function of racism, is distraction.”[10] She was talking about anti-black racism in America, but her insights can be applied to anti-Muslim racism as well because, fundamentally, that’s what Islamophobia is—racism.
Asking Muslims to condemn terrorism is a distraction that prevents us from facing our violent histories and from coming to terms with our ongoing complicity in a violent world order. And for the purpose of this essay, when I use language such as “we,” “our,” and “us,” I primarily mean whites and white Christians. “We” are the ones who, by and large, have failed to recognize the utter hypocrisy involved in asking Muslims to condemn terrorism while doing so little to come to terms with our own violent legacy.
It’s telling that in the United States, white Americans have little difficulty publicly commemorating horrific violence, particularly if we see ourselves as victims of this violence. But if we see ourselves as the perpetrators of unjust violence, of violence targeting civilians, the innocent, or marginalized populations, we often go out of our way to sanitize the historical record or to erase this violence altogether from our collective memories.
We go to great lengths to remember 9/11. We have built monuments and memorials from coast to coast to remember this violence. The massive 9/11 Memorial Museum in New York City was erected to commemorate that horrific day of violence. Mantras of “Never Forget” have penetrated every corner of the country and have been plastered on billboards, bumper stickers, and buildings so that we, in fact, “never forget” that the United States was attacked by Muslim extremists on that horrific day.
But white violence? Or white Christian violence? Particularly if it’s violence that has targeted civilians or marginalized peoples? We don’t typically construct memorials or conjure up mottos for this kind of violence. This is violence we work hard at forgetting. And we use Muslims to help us do this, with plenty of help from the mainstream media and its obsession with framing Islam as violent.
Studies indicate that the media overwhelmingly depict Islam in the context of violence and terrorism. In one 2017 study, researchers discovered that while Muslim extremists committed 12.4 percent of terrorist attacks in the United States between 2006 and 2015, those attacks were four and a half times more likely to receive media coverage than attacks by non-Muslims.[11] Another study from 2015 revealed that the New York Times depicts Islam more negatively than alcohol, cancer, and cocaine, with many stories about Islam focusing on terrorism or extremism.[12]
Along with the persistently negative media coverage comes explicit efforts by journalists to create an organic link between the horrors of ISIS and Islam. The most notable instance of this is Graeme Wood’s highly cited article in The Atlantic from 2015 titled “What ISIS Really Wants.” Wood argued that “the Islamic State is Islamic. Very Islamic.”[13] The implication was that the horrors of ISIS derive not primarily from political and social conditions, despite the general consensus of the scholarship on terrorism, but from something hardwired into the ideological DNA of Islam itself.
By extension, this means that the worst violence perpetrated by ISIS—slavery, torture, genocide—is something that all Muslims must explain because all Muslims are presumed guilty of harboring violent inclinations due to their connection to Islam. All Muslims, therefore, are kept on the defensive, distracted by questions and accusations about their supposed complicity with terrorism.
But it’s not only Muslims who are distracted. We are distracted as well. As long as Muslims are on the defensive, we need not consider that the horrors of ISIS—slavery, torture, genocide—characterize our history too. These three examples, among others, each constitute a chapter in the history of Western violence. It’s just that we don’t want to remember this history, nor do we want to consider the possibility that unjust violence continues to play a role in how Western nations engage with civilian and marginalized populations within and beyond our borders.
We are the ones who don’t want to remember that chattel slavery, with its utter brutality and subjugation of Africans based on assumptions of racial inferiority, forged modern America’s racial divide, a divide that continues to manifest itself in the killing of unarmed black men by law enforcement and in the system of mass incarceration. Slavery also paved the way for America to become a global economic power. Modern American capitalism was built on the backs of slaves, including Muslim slaves.[14] The racism and violence that permeated slavery translated into other forms of racial terrorism and white supremacist violence after slavery, from lynchings to Jim Crow.
We are the ones who don’t want to remember the prominent role played by torture in our history. I’m not just talking the Crusades, the Inquisition, or the witch trials of the pre-modern era. I’m talking about modern history. I’m talking about the Nazis and their use of attack dogs, whippings, electrocutions, and water torture, not to mention their “scientific” experimentation on living human subjects.
I’m talking about torture in the French empire from Vietnam to Madagascar to Algeria. Paul Aussaresses, the French military officer who oversaw much of the torture used against the Algerian National Liberation Front during the Algerian War (1954–1962), said years later: “Only rarely were the prisoners we questioned during the night still alive the next morning.”[15]
I’m talking about torture in the British empire from Malaysia to Kenya. In the Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya (1952–1960), the British employed the widespread use of torture in detention camps as a means of suppressing colonial rebellions, relying on beatings, castration, rape, and forced labor to subdue dissidents.[16]
I’m talking about the US-sponsored Phoenix Program during the Vietnam War that targeted and tortured civilians to expose supposed Vietcong sympathies. The program possibly killed as many as forty thousand people, most of them innocent of the accusations leveled against them.[17]
I’m talking about US-sponsored torture regimes and dictatorships in Latin America, with many of Latin America’s top military dictators and officers trained in the art of torture at the School of the Americas at Fort Benning, Georgia.[18]
I’m talking about torture in Abu Ghraib and at CIA black sites, the details of which have emerged more clearly in recent years. The types of torture victims were subjected to in these sites include sleep and sensory deprivation, ice water “baths,” forced rectal feeding, rape, mock executions, and waterboarding.[19] Donald Rumsfeld once dismissively referred to some of this torture as the actions of a “few bad apples,” while years later, President Obama proclaimed that torture ran contrary to American values.[20] Both Rumsfeld and Obama were wrong. Torture has been a widespread and systemic practice used by the United States in the name of the war on terror. In this sense, it’s very much reflective of our values. Much of this torture would not have been possible without the complicity of US allies, including the assistance provided by European countries in the extraordinary renditions of terrorist suspects.
And we are the ones who don’t want to remember that genocide occupies a central place in Western history. This includes the Holocaust in mid-twentieth-century Europe in which millions of Jews, among others, were deported, starved, tortured, gassed, and exterminated. But this also includes genocide in North America, particularly efforts to annihilate the continent’s indigenous populations. When Christopher Columbus first “discovered” America, the indigenous population numbered in the millions, with perhaps as many as 16 million living on the continent. By 1900, around 237,000 native peoples remained according to the census.[21] Some of this decline was the result of deliberate efforts to cleanse the land of indigenous peoples, as seen in battles such as the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and in the systematic decimation of the Yuki of northern California in the late nineteenth century.[22]
In all of this, we don’t want to remember that white Christians were central actors. White Christians justified chattel slavery by invoking biblical texts and themes, from the “Curse of Ham” story in the Old Testament (Genesis 9:25) to the New Testament command for slaves “to obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling” (Ephesians 6:5). White Christians developed and enforced the slave codes and the systemic violence that kept slaves “in line.” White Christians led the lynch mobs that beat, maimed, and killed over 4,000 African Americans between 1877 and 1950.[23] White Christians fought to maintain Jim Crow segregation and to use violence if necessary to resist the nonviolent direct action of civil rights activists. It was white moderate Christians that Martin Luther King took to task in his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” for standing by and mouthing “pious irrelevancies and sanctimonious trivialities” as African Americans suffered grave injustices and violence in their struggle for racial equality.[24]
White Christians tortured Jews and Muslims, political opponents and prisoners, from the Middle Ages onward. White Christian support for torture persists to this day. In 2014, a Washington Post poll indicated that 66 percent of white Catholics, 69 percent of white evangelicals, and 75 percent of white mainline Protestants found CIA “enhanced interrogation techniques” justifiable.[25]
White Christians in colonial America prayed to God that “our Israel” would prevail “over the cursed Amalek.”[26] This is a reference to the Old Testament story from 1 Samuel 15 in which God commands King Saul to wipe out the Amalekites—women, men, and children. Puritan Christians had little difficulty conceiving of themselves as establishing the new Israel with a divine mandate to cleanse the new promised land of its indigenous populations (the new Amalekites).
White Christians invoked Manifest Destiny to justify their campaign “to Christianize and civilize, to command and to be obeyed, to conquer and to reign” over indigenous populations and to “hunt the red devils to their holes and bury them.”[27] White Christians pursued cultural genocide by using Christian missionary schools to “civilize” indigenous population according to white, Christian standards.[28]
White Christians in the form of the Deutsche Christen joined forces with the Nazis in Germany and provided the theological foundations that justified a genocidal state.[29] They did this by drawing on German Christianity’s anti-Jewish heritage, including Martin Luther’s infamous treatise “On the Jews and Their Lies.”[30]
Of course, this is not all that white Christians did. They also fought for abolition, marched on Selma, protested CIA torture, and resisted Nazi cooptation. But one cannot tell the full story of the violent episodes discussed here apart from the role played by white Christians.
What’s tragic is that this is a history we have worked so hard to whitewash or otherwise forget. After all, where is the equivalent of the 9/11 Memorial Museum for the genocide of indigenous populations? Where can I go inside the 9/11 Memorial Museum to visit the exhibit on CIA torture? Where are the bumper stickers and billboards in white Christian America commanding us to “never forget” slavery and lynchings?
– – – – –
Relentlessly asking Muslims to condemn terrorism is a distraction. It forces Muslims to explain themselves, to prove their innocence, to defend their humanity. Yet the rest of us remained unconvinced by their efforts. So we keep asking the same questions. Over and over.
But asking Muslims to condemn terrorism distracts us too. It keeps us from facing our own violent history and from recognizing that Western nations rose to prominence and power due to heinous, brutal violence. It keeps us from asking critical questions about how our current national security initiatives and foreign policies help to justify a violent world order, one that still bears the imprint of white supremacy and Western hegemony. It keeps us from using the word “terrorist” to describe violent people who look like me, share my cultural or religious background, or serve in my government.
When we are this distracted, we remain blind to the utter hypocrisy involved in demanding Muslims reject the kinds of violence that we are seldom, if ever, asked to reject, much less atone for.
In the end, Muslims don’t owe me, or people like me, or the United States government, or the political and media elite of Western nations any explanations, any defenses, when it comes to Islam and violence. None.
It’s we who need to explain ourselves to Muslims and to make amends for what we have said and done to Muslims in the name of national security, in the name of the war on terror, and in the name of empire.
It’s we who need to tell truths about our own history of violence and to face up to “the sins of the fathers”—and the sins of their children for that matter.
It’s we who need to end the distractions and to focus our efforts on dismantling the military industrial complex, the war machine, and the regimes of torture that we have helped to create and that have fueled the conditions that breed so much violence and terrorism.
It’s we who need to find the courage to see Muslims not as our adversaries but as our allies and our fellow architects in the effort to tear down an old world order built on exploitation and greed, destruction and death, and to rebuild a new world order, one that reflects the best principles of both Islam and Christianity—justice, mercy, compassion, and peace.
[1] “Remarks by the President at the National Prayer Breakfast,” The White House, February 5, 2015, https://tinyurl.com/ycn32e29.
[2] Juliet Eilperin, “Critics pounce after Obama talks Crusades, slavery at prayer breakfast,” Washington Post, February 5, 2015, https://tinyurl.com/yb4zdy4e.
[3] James Fallows, “The ‘Most Offensive’ Comments a President Has Ever Made,” The Atlantic, February 6, 2015, https://tinyurl.com/y74xp6my.
[4] Alexandra Jaffe, “Obama takes fire for Crusades comparison,” CNN, February 7, 2015, https://tinyural.com/yc3vumgf.
[5] “Meet the Press Transcript – February 8, 2015,” NBC News, March 18, 2015, https://tinyurl.com/y9bbzobd.
[6] George W. Bush, “President Discusses War on Terror at National Endowment for Democracy,” The White House, October 6, 2005, https://tinyurl.com/y7rzsb6w.
[7] Arun Kundnani, The Muslims Are Coming! Islamophobia, Extremism, and the Domestic War on Terror (London: Verso, 2014); Todd H. Green, The Fear of Islam: An Introduction to Islamophobia in the West (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2015), 267–76, 279–84, 286–87, 299–302; “Anti-Sharia Law Bills in the United States,” Southern Poverty Law Center, https://tinyurl.com/yctqv2h6.
[8] “NYT Columnist: Moderate Muslims Held Responsible Too,” video, 1:55, CNN, January 9, 2015, https://tinyurl.com/y7upgaa5.
[9] Ellie Sandmeyer and Michelle Leung, “Muslim Leaders Have Roundly Denounced Islamic State, but Conservative Media Won’t Tell You That,” Media Matters for America, August 21, 2014, https://tinyurl.com/y7zygmep.
[10] Cited in T. Elon Dancy II, “The Black Male Body and the (Post?)Colonial University: Identity Politics and the Tyranny of Meritocracy,” in Black Men in the Academy: Narratives of Resiliency, Achievement, and Success, ed. Brian L. McGowan, Robert T. Palmer, J. Luke Wood, and David F. Hibbler Jr. (Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016), 165.
[11] Erin Kearns, Allison Betus, and Anthony Lemieux, “Yes, the media do underreport some terrorist attacks. Just not the ones most people think of,” Washington Post, March 13, 2017, https://tinyurl.com/ycdswbq7.
[12] Dorgham Abusalim, “Study: ‘NYT’ portrays Islam more negatively than alcohol, cancer, and cocaine,” Mondoweiss, March 5, 2016, https://tinyurl.com/ybxjk35y.
[13] Graeme Wood, “What ISIS Really Wants,” The Atlantic, March 2015, https://tinyurl.com/mb5os8d.
[14] Edward E. Baptist, The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism (New York: Basic Books, 2014); Sven Beckert, Empire of Cotton: A Global History (New York: Vintage, 2014); Greg Grandin, The Empire of Necessity: Slavery, Freedom, and Deception in the New World (New York: Metropolitan Books, 2014).
[15] Cited in Bruce Hoffman, Inside Terrorism (New York: Columbia University Press, 2006), 60; see also Alistair Horne, A Savage War of Peace: Algeria 1954–1962 (New York: New York Review Books Classics, 2006).
[16] David Anderson, Histories of the Hanged: The Dirty War in Kenya and the End of Empire (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2005); Caroline Elkins, Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain’s Gulag in Kenya (New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2005).
[17] Seymour M. Hersh, “Moving Targets: Will the Counter-Insurgency Plan in Iraq Repeat the Mistakes of Vietnam?,” The New Yorker, December 15, 2003, https://tinyurl.com/y6wtof3q; Michael Otterman, American Torture: From the Cold War to Abu Ghraib and Beyond (London: Pluto, 2007), 71.
[19] For the full report on US-sponsored torture in the war on terror, see Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Committee Study of the Central Intelligence Agency’s Detention and Interrogation Program, December 3, 2014, https://tinyurl.com/hltk455.
[20] Ed Pilkington, “Senators accuse Rumsfeld over abuse of detainees,” Guardian (UK), December 11, 2008, https://tinyurl.com/ychmtfgs; Barack Obama, “Statement by the President Report of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence,” The White House, December 9, 2014, https://tinyurl.com/yajx9uo5.
[21] Chris Mato Nunpa, “A Sweet-Smelling Sacrifice: Genocide, the Bible, and the Indigenous Peoples of the United States, Selected Examples,” in Confronting Genocide: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, ed. Steven Leonard Jacobs (Lanham, MD: Lexington, 2009), 61.
[22] Adam Jones, Genocide: A Comprehensive Introduction (New York: Routledge, 2006), 73–75; Benjamin Madley, An American Genocide: The United States and the California Indian Catastrophe, 1846–1873 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2016).
[23] “Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror,” Equal Justice Initiative, accessed December 28, 2018, https://tinyurl.com/yck9x3d8.
[24] Martin Luther King Jr., “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” African Studies Center – University of Pennsylvania, April 16, 1963, https://tinyurl.com/y9xqb2xn.
[25] Sarah Posner, “Christians more supportive of torture than non-religious Americans,” Religion Dispatches, December 16, 2014, https://tinyurl.com/m3nybrf.
[26] John Corrigan, “New Israel, New Amalek: Biblical Exhortations to Religious Violence,” in From Jeremiad to Jihad: Religion, Violence, and America, ed. John D. Carlson and Jonathan H. Ebel (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2012), 114.
[27] Brendan C. Lindsay, Murder State: California’s Native American Genocide, 1846–1873 (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2012), 67).
[28] George E. Tinker, Missionary Conquest: The Gospel and Native American Cultural Genocide (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993).
[29] Robert P. Ericksen, Complicity in the Holocaust: Churches and Universities in Nazi Germany (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012); Doris L. Bergen, Twisted Cross: The German Christian Movement in the Third Reich (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1996); Susannah Heschel, The Aryan Jesus: Christian Theologians and the Bible in Nazi Germany (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010).
[30] Martin Luther, “Concerning the Jews and Their Lies,” in The Protestant Reformation, ed. Hans J. Hillerbrand (New York: Harper Perennial, 2009), 137–49.
Copyright © 2019. Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research
Todd Green
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | Todd Green is an associate professor of religion at Luther College. A nationally recognized expert on Islamophobia, he served as a Franklin Fellow at the US State Department in 2016-17, where he offered his expertise on Islamophobia in Europe. He is the author of The Fear of Islam: An Introduction to Islamophobia in the West and Presumed Guilty: Why We Shouldn’t Ask Muslims to Condemn Terrorism. The following essay is based on the latter. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22151 | Web statistics
Employees and students can view a detailed statistic of web traffic on their personal website or a website stored on the web space for organisational units.
Viewing the web statistics
Use the form View web statistics.
Requirement: To log in, you require an employee or student u:account or your u:account-UserID registered as webmaster for your website for organisational units as well as your associated password.
Interpreting the web statistics
Screenshot Webstatistik
After logging in you see an overview page. Click the link to the statistics for the desired UserID or the desired web space. You will see a table similar to the one depicted above.
Sites: Number of all visits by different IP address/host names
KBytes: Transferred data volume (traffic); 1 KByte = 1024 Bytes, for example: 190404 = 190,404 MB
Visits: Counts one visitor's visit to the website within 30 minutes. Every new visit by the same user after the 31st minute counts as a return visit.
Pages: All requests for a page without the files included in it (page views, page impressions)
Files: Number of all pages and files transferred
Hits: Number of requested files, such as HTML files, images, style sheet files, etc.
Click the desired month to view detailed results, such as the search terms that brought users to your website or the type of browser they used.
The numbers shown are approximate values. Due to technical reasons, the service cannot provide information that is 100 per cent reliable. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22156 | 时间：2020 01-23 作者：yhqsreo 浏览量：69033
棋乐棋牌游戏下载大厅★【大G棋牌 g33r.cc】★【上万玩家-无机器人-真人对战】★pqylcpi/p>
The week did not improve as it progressed. Harry received two more 'Ds in Potions; he was still on tenterhooks that Hagrid might get the sack; and he couldn't stop himself dwelling on the dream in which he had been Voldemort - though he didn't bring it up with Ron and Hermione again; he didn't want another telling-off from Hermione. He wished very much that he could have talked to Sirius about it, but that was out of the question, so he tried to push the matter to the back of his mind.
There, there, Sybill . . . calm down . . . blow your nose on this . . . it's not as bad as you think, now . . . you are not going to have to leave Hogwarts . . .'
If anything more was needed to complete Harry's happiness, it was the reaction he got from Malfoy Crabbe and Goyle, He saw them with their heads together later that afternoon in the library; they were with a weedy-looking boy Hermione whispered was called Theodore Nott. They looked round at Harry as he browsed the shelves for the book he needed on Partial Vanishment: Goyle cracked his knuckles threateningly and Malfoy whispered something undoubtedly malevolent to Crabbe. Harry knew perfectly well why they were acting like this: he had named all of their fathers as Death Eaters.
'Sorry?' said Ron, looking bewildered.
' - is a human,' said Firenze simply. 'And is therefore blinkered and fettered by the limitations of your kind.'
The screams were indeed coming from the Entrance Hall; they grew louder as Harry ran towards the stone steps leading up from the dungeons. When he reached the top he found the Entrance Hall packed; students had come flooding out of the Great Hall, where dinner was still in progress, to see what was going on; others had crammed themselves on to the marble staircase. Harry pushed forwards through a knot of tall Slytherins and saw that the onlookers had formed a great ring, some of them looking shocked, others even frightened. Professor McGonagall was directly opposite Harry en the other side of the Hall; she looked as though what she was watching made her feel faintly sick.
Harry stretched out on his back and gazed upwards at the ceiling. A twinkling red star winked at him from overhead.
'It was your home,' said Professor Umbridge, and Harry was revolted to see the enjoyment stretching her toadlike face as she watched Professor Trelawney sink, sobbing uncontrollably, on to one of her trunks, 'until an hour ago, when the Minister for Magic: countersigned your Order of Dismissal. Now kindly remove yourself from this Hall. You are embarrassing us.'
But what made Harry happiest was Cho catching up with him as he was hurrying along to Transfiguration the next day. Before he knew what had happened, her hand was in his and she was breathing in his ear, 'I'm really, really sorry. That interview was so brave . . . it made me cry.'
'And he would do better to abandon it,' said Firenze, nodding. 'I would warn Hagrid myself, but I am banished - it would be unwise for me to go too near the Forest now - Hagrid has troubles enough, without a centaurs' battle.'
热血激战！黑豹跨界助阵勇士荣耀 演绎热血青春
'In the past decade, the indications have been that wizardkind is living through nothing more than a brief calm between two wars. Mars, bringer of battle, shines brightly above us, suggesting that the fight must soon break out again. How soon, centaurs may attempt to divine by the burning of certain herbs and leaves, by the observation of fume and flame . . .'
Harry did not have time to gather himself together and attempt to clear his mind before Snape cried, 'Legllimens!'
'Master, I crave your pardon,' croaked the man kneeling on the floor. The back of his head glimmered in the candlelight. He seemed to be trembling.
'Professor Trelawney did astrology with us!' said Parvati excitedly, raising her hand in front of her so that it stuck up in the air as she lay on her back. 'Mars causes accidents and burns and things like that, and when it makes an angle to Saturn, like now - ' she drew a right-angle in the air above her '- that means people need to be extra careful when handling hot things - ',
When the door was closed and the last student had sat down on a tree stump beside the wastepaper basket, Firenze gestured around the room.; |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22189 | Alaska Sea Grant Logo
Alaska Aquaculture Resources
The Weekend Warrior Program
General Information
Alaska Gold Oyster Farm
Pictures tell the story of building the gear and setting up the Alaska Gold Oyster Farm in Southeast Alaska.
Sue Keller
Background photo: Kenai Range from Katchemak Bay.
Photo credit: Wonderlane, Seattle, WA. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22239 | Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Developers Need To Fail
Is failure the opposite of success? If you fail does it mean you didn't succeed? Does failing bring you closer to success?
Fear of failure is actually worse than failure. Everyone has a fear of failing. This often keeps us from doing something with all of our effort. If we put in all the effort and we fail, does that mean that we are failures as human beings? Our culture and our media would have us believe that was true. Our ego would prevent us from coming to that conclusion, so it's just better to not try our best. We're better off just doing a good job and holding something back. That way when we fail we can always say "Well, I didn't really try all that hard, did I?"
Let's look at this with an example. Let's say that your long term goal is to be in a relationship. You want a girl who is beautiful, intelligent, witty, friendly, and a delight to be around.
You find a girl who meets these qualifications and are excited about her. Do you ask her out? What if she says no? If she says no, does that mean you are less of a human being? Does that mean you aren't worthy of a girl like that? What would that do to your self-esteem? Is failure at getting this girl you've chosen freezing you to inaction?
Here's the most important question. If you never ask her out, will you ever go out with her? If you ask her out and she says no, and you silence your ego, doesn't that make it easier to ask out the next girl? If you ask out three girls and three say no, but the fourth one says yes, did you fail three times and succeed once? Or are you just successful with women.
When you've been married for twenty years, will it really matter that three girls rejected you before you found the one you ended up with? Will anyone list your failures? Will anyone really care?
But I can promise this, you'll never go out with her if you don't ask her. It will just never happen, and you'll have failed before you even started. It is much, much better to try, fail, and improve, then it is to never try at all.
This is a weird post for a software development blog. My point is that developers need to feel like they are in a safe environment to fail. If they think that failing is dangerous, then they will never do anything dangerous. Dangerous things are scary, but when they succeed, they have the ability to change an entire organization, and leave the business stake holders gasping for breath at the magnificence of it all.
Allow developers to fail and fail often. Just make sure it is leading them to success and they are learning from it. Eventually, they will have a bold success. And that will make all the failures worth it, and you'll make back any lost money and then some.
Developers who are afraid to fail just write boring code or they just watch YouTube videos all day. They never do anything awesome. And awesome is where the fun is. Awesome is what we really want.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
The problem with NULLs and T-SQL
I was reading Itzik Ben Gan's T-SQL Fundamentals book as part of the reading assignment for the SQL Pass Book Readers Group.
He made a great point about dealing with nulls and the IN clause and he had a great example. Rather than use his database, I wrote my own script to demonstrate the problem, and thought I'd post the issue here, succinctly.
First run the setup script. This creates two tables and populates it with data.
create table customers
(custID int
, custName varchar(100));
create table orders
(orderID int
, custID int
, OrderDate datetime);
insert into customers
(custID, CustName)
(1, 'Ike Ellis')
, (2, 'John Ackerman')
, (3, 'Scott Reed')
, (4, 'Brad Cunningham')
, (5, 'Llewellyn Falco');
insert into orders
(orderID, custID, OrderDate)
(1, 1, '20130101')
, (2, 1, '20130102')
, (3, 1, '20130103')
, (4, 3, '20130104')
, (5, 3, '20130105')
, (6, 4, '20130106')
, (7, 4, '20130107')
Next, we want to find out how many customers have not placed orders:
select * from customers
where custid not in (select custid from orders)
We get two results, John Ackerman and Llewellyn Falco.
Now let's add a NULL into the Orders table:
insert into orders
(orderid, custid, orderdate)
(8, null, '20130108')
And now, let's run the same query:
select * from customers
where custid not in (select custid from orders)
And we get no results. This is because the column allows NULLs and NULL comparisons always return false. Essentially the NULL customerID could be John Ackerman or Llewellyn Faloc. We don't really know if it's them or not, so instead of returning them, we just won't return anything. This is by design. So how do we get the results we want. We can do three things:
1) We can make sure that columns that don't need null values are created with NOT NULL, thus disallowing them to be inserted.
2) We can strip out the NULLs in the subquery:
select * from customers
where custid not in (select custid from orders where custid is not null)
3) We can use exists, which only uses two-value predicate logic, not three-value logic, thus giving us the desired result:
select * from customers c
where not exists (select * from orders o where o.custid = c.custid)
Hope that little script helps! |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22240 | my husband's speech
today i came home and j had returned and replaced our crappy dvd player, swept the balcony, washed the sheets and blankets, bought a new file cabinet to replace the box we were using, and a countertop grill, and a long lighter for my fire pot, and finally, a lounge chair so i can be a kitten in the sun and read on the balcony. then he took me to get bathing suits and cover-ups for our trip to hawaii next week. you don't know j, but this kind of organization...heck, this much productivity in one day is not really his style.
he also did one more thing i had previously asked for: he had dug out the speech he recited at our wedding reception three weeks ago. and since he was so wonderful and helpful today, it felt like an appropriate time to share it with you.
"i must start by saying, kaitlyn, i love you so much, and you have made me the single happiest man on the planet. i am a little sorry for making you wait so long but i promise it will all be worth it. i am so looking forward, and even get a little giddy, when i think of all the great things we are going to do and experience together.
for those of you that don't know kaitlyn that well, her constant companion and oldest friend is actually her pillow. i don't think kaitlyn has gone longer than twenty-four hours without it in decades. with that being said, that is my number one goal in life...to be able to calm you and soothe you better than your trusty pillow. plainly, i want to be your rock...pillow, baby.
can i please get everyone to stand and join me in a toast.
to my wife, for life."
pillow sketch via
1. Anonymous6.5.11
Such a sweet toast your husband made. All the best wedding speeches are when they are a personal reference to the bride and groom as a couple. Thanks for sharing this with us. :) congrats to you both.
2. so sweet!!! and thank you for popping by my blog today and saying kind words. your blog is so cute!!
3. I've seen your work on some other blogs! So lovely! :) Thank you for your comment on my blog! I didn't take a screen shot, but I saved the template. Does that count? haha!
4. Really touchy and authentic speech :)
thanks for your comment, i love hearing your thoughts! |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22257 | Top Chef
Top Chef Holiday Special
Episode Report Card
Keckler: B- | Grade It Now!
It Came Upon A Sniff And Sneer
Tre goes first and unwraps cheese balls. Ah, those were such a staple at our Christmas table when my grandfather sent us the deluxe Hickory Farms box! Said boxes also came with those awesome strawberry candies, which, in retrospect, is an odd thing to pair with cheese and meats, but totally made sense to me back in the day. CJ selects a present and unwraps a packet of smoked salmon, which Betty promptly steals. CJ goes back to the tree and unwraps a can of black truffles, which Tiffani steals. CJ goes back to the tree and unwraps a nutcracker. "How appropriate!" Tiffani guffaws. CJ also got some walnuts. "You know, the last time someone stole my nuts, he was a urologist and he had a degree and this time I was pretty sure no one was going to do it," CJ tells us. Hee. Meanwhile, I had one of those random wonderings I have when trying hard to avoid work, and I wondered if CJ's urologist uses CJ as a marketing ploy. "Yeah, you know Top Chef's CJ? I derocked him." Although, if CJ's urologist wanted to go with the whole food angle, he could say he "shucked his Rocky Mountain oysters." Marcel steals Tiffani's black truffles, and Tiffani unwraps sweet potatoes. Sandee unwraps a full hank of prosciutto ham. Stephen steals Tiffani's sweet potatoes because, as he explains to us, he wants to do something "experimental." Tiffani unwraps caviar, and Josie steals the truffles from Marcel. Marcel unwraps toro (fatty tuna belly) and is psyched about "this incredible, like, fish product." Do you think he knows what it is? Finally, Santa reveals himself to be a Père Noël in the form of Eric Ripert. Okay, I love him, but is he EVER at Le Bernardin? Maybe not, actually.
The thirty-minute timer starts the Food Flurry. The only interesting things to note are that Betty is doing something unmentionable with smoked salmon and raisins, and Josie can't find a can opener for her truffles. She uses the corner of her knife to (not really) open the can, and starts draining the juice inside. Time ticks down and food is plated. Finally, we see that Josie did get the can open, but she forgot to put her sauce on the plate. And this is why she was kicked off in the fifth round of her season.
Padma and Ripert start with Sandee's prosciutto-based dish. She has a trio: cherries that she rehydrated with chile and port wine, a seared center cut of the prosciutto with juniper berries, and an apricot-mustard sauce/chutney. Are they all supposed to be eaten together? And if it's separate, how do you eat a sauce as a component of a trio? Plus, it looks oddly messy -- there are white tendrils that almost look like rice noodles. CJ did a take on the Chinese prawns with walnuts dish by roasting the walnuts and then combining them with sautéed apples and shrimp. Relegating his cheese ball to a mere side dish, Tre presents his sage-encrusted chicken breast (can it really be "encrusted" if it's a fresh herb? I always think of encrustations as also using breadcrumbs or nuts or something to make a, you know, crust) with asparagus (done in some way that Bravo doesn't want us to be privy to) and a cheesy rice pilaf. It's a safe dish. Okay, it's boring. It's a BORING dish, Tre! Step it up, dude! Moving on to Betty's gaggy dish, Betty explains -- speaking in the third person to make up for all the missing Brians -- that "[we]" did some sautéed leeks with Granny Smith apples, golden raisins, and then put the smoked salmon somewhere on this and topped that with arugula and an orange-mustard vinaigrette. Wow, way to completely shout down the salmon's flavor. We get to Josie, who rabbit-tooths at the judges and explains that she couldn't find the can opener (except we saw that she got the can open anyway!) and at this point, Padma's acting coach told her to act "outraged," so Padma is all, "WHAT?! You didn't use the TRUFFLES?!" Josie hems and haws that she was able to use them, but only at the end. Okay, so then what's the problem? Josie seared a scallop and served it with an egg -- I think it was fried and then she cut a round out of it, keeping the yolk and some of the white -- pine nuts and shaved truffles. So, the truffles are there? I guess it wasn't the exact way she wanted to use them? Josie tells us she hopes Ripert can overlook the "lack of truffles." But there isn't a lack! Because they're there! Shaved?
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22265 | The Monochrome Set- He's Frank
1 comment:
1. Ok, not vintage, I've no idea where it's from but it's still fantastic. Bid spelt B.I.D!
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22295 |
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
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The Adam Clarke Commentary
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Chapter 1
Chapter 3
Printer friendly version
Additional Resources
• Burton Coffman
• Gill's Exposition
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• Matthew Henry Complete
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Chapter 2
Hannah's prophetic hymn, 1-10. Samuel ministers to the Lord, 11. The abominable conduct of Eli's sons, 12-17. Farther account of Samuel, and of the Divine blessing on Elkanah and Hannah, 18-21. Eli's reprehensible remissness towards his sons in not restraining them in their great profligacy, 22-26. The message of God to Eli, and the prophecy of the downfall of his family, and slaughter of his wicked sons Hophni and Phinehas, 27-36.
Notes on Chapter 2
Verse 1. And Hannah prayed, and said
"This admirable hymn excels in simplicity of composition, closeness of connection, and uniformity of sentiment; breathing the pious effusions of a devout mind, deeply impressed with a conviction of God's mercies to herself in particular, and of his providential government of the world in general; exalting the poor in spirit or the humble-minded, and abasing the rich and the arrogant; rewarding the righteous, and punishing the wicked. Hannah was also a prophetess of the first class, besides predicting her own fruitfulness, 1 Samuel 2:5, (for she bore six children in all, 1 Samuel 2:21,) she foretold not only the more immediate judgments of God upon the Philistines during her son's administration, 1 Samuel 2:10, but his remoter judgments 'upon the ends of the earth,' 1 Samuel 2:10, in the true spirit of the prophecies of Jacob, Balaam, and Moses. Like them, she describes the promised Saviour of the world as a KING, before there was any king in Israel; and she first applied to him the remarkable epithet MESSIAH in Hebrew, CHRIST in Greek, and ANOINTED in English, which was adopted by David, Nathan, Ethan, Isaiah, Daniel, and the succeeding prophets of the Old Testament; and by the apostles and inspired writers of the New. And the allusion thereto by Zacharias, the father of the Baptist, in his hymn, Luke 1:69, where he calls Christ a 'horn of salvation,' and the beautiful imitation of it by the blessed Virgin throughout in her hymn, Luke 1:46-55, furnishing the finest commentary thereon, clearly prove that Hannah in her rejoicing had respect to something higher than Peninnah her rival, or to the triumphs of Samuel, or even of David himself; the expressions are too magnificent and sublime to be confined to such objects. Indeed the learned rabbi, David Kimchi, was so struck with them that he ingenuously confessed that 'the King of whom Hannah speaks is the MESSIAH,' of whom she spake either by prophecy or tradition; for, continues he, 'there was a tradition among the Israelites, that a great King should arise in Israel; and she seals up her song with celebrating this King who was to deliver them from all their enemies.' The tradition, as we have seen, was founded principally on Balaam's second and third prophecies, Numbers 24:7-17; and we cannot but admire that gracious dispensation of spiritual gifts to Hannah (whose name signifies grace) in ranking her among the prophets who should first unfold a leading title of the blessed Seed of the woman."
Ver. 1. My heart exulteth in Jehovah; My horn is exalted in Jehovah. My mouth is incited over mine enemies, For I have rejoiced in thy salvation. Ver. 2. There is none holy like Jehovah, For there is none besides thee; There is no rock like our God. Ver. 3. Do not magnify yourselves, speak not proudly, proudly. Let not prevarication come out of your mouth; For the God of knowledge is Jehovah, And by him actions are directed. Ver. 4. The bows of the heroes are broken, And the tottering are girded with strength. Ver. 5. The full have hired out themselves for bread, And the famished cease for ever. The barren hath borne seven, And she who had many children is greatly enfeebled. Ver. 6. Jehovah killeth, and maketh alive; He bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. Ver. 7. Jehovah maketh poor, and maketh rich; He bringeth down, and he even exalteth. Ver. 8. He lifteth up the poor from the dust; From the dunghill he exalteth the beggar, To make him sit with the nobles, And inherit the throne of glory. For to Jehovah belong the pillars of the earth, And upon them he hath placed the globe. Ver. 9. The foot of his saints he shall keep, And the wicked shall be silent in darkness; For by strength shall no man prevail. Ver. 10. Jehovah shall bruise them who contend with him; Upon them shall be thunder in the heavens. Jehovah shall judge the ends of the earth; And he shall give strength to his King. And shall exalt the horn of his Messiah.
Mine horn is exalted in the Lord
Tu spem reducis mentibus anxiis, Viresque et addis CORNUA pauperi. Hor. Odar. lib. iii., Od. 21, v. 18.
Paraphrastically expressed by Mr. Francis:-
"Hope, by thee, fair fugitive, Bids the wretched strive to live. To the beggar you dispense Heart and brow of confidence."
In which scarcely any thing of the meaning is preserved.
My mouth is enlarged
Verse 2. None holy
There is none beside thee
Any rock like our God.
Rabbi Maimon has observed that the word tsur, which we translate rock, signifies, when applied to Jehovah, fountain, source, spring. There is no source whence continual help and salvation can arise but our God.
Verse 3. A God of knowledge
Actions are weighed
Verse 4. The bows of the mighty
Verse 5. They that were full
Verse 6. The Lord killeth
He bringeth down to the grave
The Hebrew word sheol, which we translate grave, seems to have the same meaning in the Old Testament with αδης, hades in the New, which is the word generally used by the Septuagint for the other. It means the grave, the state of the dead, and the invisible place, or place of separate spirits. Sometimes we translate it hell, which now means the state of perdition, or place of eternal torments; but as this comes from the Saxon {Anglo-Saxon}, to cover or conceal, it means only the covered place. In some parts of England the word helling is used for the covers of a book, the slating of a house, Targum seems to understand it of death and the resurrection. "He kills and commands to give life; he causes to descend into Sheol, that in the time to come he may bring them into the lives of eternity," i.e., the life of shame and everlasting contempt, and the life of glory.
Verse 7. The Lord maketh poor
Maketh rich
Verse 8. To set them among princes
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"He was a bright star, but now is become a moon, Joseph is taken from prison, and is become a king."
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's
Verse 9. He will keep the feet of his saints
The wicked shall be silent in darkness
By strength shall no man prevail.
Verse 10. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken
Those who contend with him, meribaiu, by sinning against his laws, opposing the progress of his word, or persecuting his people.
Shall judge the ends on the earth
After the clause, The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces, the Septuagint add the following words: μηκαυχασθωο φρονιμοςεντηφρονησειαυτουκτλ Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom and let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glorieth rather glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth the Lord; and that he executeth judgment and righteousness in the midst of the earth. This is a very long addition, and appears to be taken from Jeremiah 9:23, but on collating the two places the reader will find the words to be materially different. This clause is wanting in the Complutensian Polyglot, but it is in the edition of Aldus, in that of Cardinal Caroffa, and in the Codex Alexandrinus.
Verse 11. And Elkanah went to Ramah
Verse 12. The sons of Eli were sons of Belial
These men were the principal cause of all the ungodliness of Israel. Their most execrable conduct, described 1 Samuel 2:13-17, caused the people to abhor the Lord's offering. An impious priesthood is the grand cause of the transgressions and ruin of any nation; witness France, Germany, Spain, Ac., from 1792 to 1814.
Verse 13. When any man offered sacrifice
That is, when a peace-offering was brought, the right shoulder and the breast belonged to the priest, the fat was burnt upon the altar, and the blood was poured at the bottom of the altar; the rest of the flesh belonged to the offerer. Under pretence of taking only their own part, they took the best of all they chose, and as much as they chose.
Verse 14. Kettle-caldron, or pot
Verse 15. Before they burnt the fat
They would serve themselves before GOD was served! This was iniquity and arrogance of the first magnitude.
He will not have sodden flesh
Verse 17. Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great
That is, Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli.
Men abhorred the offering
Verse 18. Girded with a linen ephod
Verse 19. Made him a little coat
Verse 20. Eli blessed Elkanah
The natural place of this verse seems to be before the 11th; after which the 21st should come in; after the 21st, perhaps the 26th should come in. 1 Samuel 2:11,21,26. The subjects in this chapter seem very much entangled and confused by the wrong position of the verses.
Verse 22. They lay with the women that assembled
It is probable that these were persons who had some employment about the tabernacle. See Clarke on Exodus 38:8. where the Hebrew text is similar to that in this place.
Verse 23. Why do ye such things!
Verse 25. If one man sin against another
Because the Lord would slay them.
The particle ki, which we translate because, and thus make their continuance in sin the effect of God's determination to destroy them, should be translated therefore, as it means in many parts of the sacred writings. See Noldius's Particles, where the very text in question is introduced: Sed non auscultarunt, interficere; "But they would not hearken, THEREFORE God purposed to destroy them." It was their not hearkening that induced the Lord to will their destruction.
Verse 27. There came a man of God
Who this was we know not, but the Chaldee terms him nebiya daya, a prophet of Jehovah.
Unto the house of thy father
Verse 28. And did I choose him
The high priesthood was a place of the greatest honour that could be conferred on man, and a place of considerable emolument; for from their part of the sacrifices they derived a most comfortable livelihood.
Verse 29. Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice
They disdained to take the part allowed by law; and would take for themselves what part they pleased, and as much as they pleased, 1 Samuel 2:13-16: thus they kicked at the sacrifices.
Honourest thy sons above me
Permitting them to deal, as above, with the offerings and sacrifices, and take their part before the fat, first served. At this Eli connived, and thus honoured his sons above God.
Verse 30. Should walk before me for ever
See Exodus 29:9;; 40:15; Numbers 25:10-13, where it is positively promised that the priesthood should be continued in the family of Aaron FOR EVER. But although this promise appears to be absolute, yet we plainly see that, like all other apparently absolute promises of God, it is conditional, i.e., a condition is implied though not expressed.
But now-be it far from me
You have walked unworthily; I shall annul my promise, and reverse my ordinance. See Jeremiah 18:9,10.
For them that honour me
This is a plan from which God will never depart; this can have no alteration; every promise is made in reference to it; "they who honour God shall be honoured; they who despise him shall be lightly esteemed."
Verse 31. I will cut off thine arm
Verse 32. Thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation
In all the wealth which God shall give Israel
There shall not be an old man
Verse 33. And the man of thine
Verse 34. They shall die both of them.
Hophni and Phinehas were both killed very shortly after in the great battle with the Philistines in which the Israelites were completely routed, and the ark taken. See 1 Samuel 4:1-11.
Verse 35. A faithful priest
This seems to have been spoken of Zadok, who was anointed high priest in the room of Abiathar, the last descendant of the house of Eli; see 1 Kings 2:26,27. Abiathar was removed because he had joined with Adonijah, who had got himself proclaimed king; see 1 Kings 1:7.
I will build him a sure house
I will continue the priesthood in his family.
He shall walk before mine Anointed
He shall minister before Solomon, and the kings which shall reign in the land. The Targum says, "He shall walk kodam Meshichi, before my MESSIAH," and the Septuagint expresses it, ενωπιονξριστουμον, "before my CHRIST; " for, in their proper and more extended sense, these things are supposed to belong to our great High Priest and the Christian system: but the word may refer to the Israelitish people. See Clarke on Hebrews 9:26.
Verse 36. Shall come and crouch to him
A piece of silver
agorath keseph, translated by the Septuagint, οβολουαργυριου, an obolus of silver. The Targum translates it mea, which is the same as the Hebrew gerah, and weighed about sixteen grains of barley.
A morsel of bread
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Clarke, Adam. "Commentary on 1 Samuel 2". "The Adam Clarke Commentary". <>. 1832.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22303 | To The Compromising Church
There is no room for compromise in the church or the life of a Christian. Jesus is Lord, there is no other. There is no “middle ground” between the Word of God and the wisdom of men. When we mix the Word with the world we become endangered! |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22311 | FAR_PURCHASE_PO_REMAINING_BAL and other FIN/HCM queries being restored
posted May 7, 2018, 11:58 AM by Peyri Herrera
Some users have reported that they cannot find the Finance query called FAR_PURCHASE_PO_REMAINING_BAL and "Q" user Private queries in SDHP. We are working on restoring these and other queries so they return when you search for them. Please continue to submit a HEAT ticket if there is a query other than FAR_PURCHASE_PO_REMAINING_BAL that does not return when you search. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22323 | Your professional success and that of your company depends on your being productive. Despite the positive payoff, many office workers struggle to maintain high productivity levels throughout the work day.
Most employees wish they could get more done and want to be more productive than they currently are. Sometimes, personal habits are to blame. In other situations, employee output is negatively affected by the dynamics of your office environment, or your boss’ management style. Here are the most common employee productivity pitfalls. Once they’re aware of these productivity-killers, employees can get back on track toward establishing a more efficient workday routine:
1. Lack of Sleep. Are you getting enough shut-eye? Nothing contributes to stress and kills productivity like skimping on sleep does. Sleep restores us mentally, emotionally, and physically. If you want to reach your maximum brain power and get your work done, clock in at least seven hours each night.Dave Rocker
2. Too Many Meetings. Meetings that revolve around actual brainstorming and collaboration are a good use of time. But, needless meetings that eat into precious working hours are a terrible waste of employees’ time. Be conscious of when meetings are held and how often they are held; consider changing your team’s schedule. Only schedule meetings when they are absolutely necessary.meeting_geezers
3. You’re Multitasking. Humans are not effective at processing more than one task at a time (computers are). Make a concerted effort not to answer the phone while you are typing and stop chatting while you are working on an important excel spreadsheet. Working on one project at a time will not only allow you to work more efficiently, but the quality of your work will increase and you’ll make fewer mistakes. Research has found that chronic multitasking harms your performance, causes stress, and overloads your brain. Multitasking
4. Allowing Distractions. Distractions are something we all deal with–but that doesn’t mean we have to cater to them. Just because someone calls you, texts you, or knocks on your door doesn’t mean you need to prioritize that distraction. Remember: you don’t need to drop what you’re doing at the slightest bid for your attention. You shouldn’t to the needs and requests of others before getting your own work done. You control how you spend your time. Wait until your next work break to return calls, texts, emails, and the like.distraction
5. Not drinking enough water. Most of us walk around in a constant state of dehydration. Many dave rockerpeople don’t realize that being dehydrated (or under-hydrated) reduces their cognitive performance and ability to think clearly. Dehydration also makes people more lethargic. When people feel unusually tired, or experience foggy thinking, not drinking enough water is often the culprit. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22326 | add a link
What's Wrong With Cinderella? Von Peggy Orenstein
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This is just an anti-princess diatribe by a feminist who thinks that princesses are bad because it makes girls needy and girly and dependent on men. I couldn't read past the second page. It's interesting, but it just made me mad.
posted Vor mehr als einem Jahr.
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Please forgive the long comment to follow, this was a long article and there's a lot I feel needs mentioning.
I found this quite irritating in parts, not as a Disney fan but as a feminist. For example she says 'girlie girl' like an insult, but I'm a girlie girl and also a feminist. She also mentions feminism 'threatening' romance, but it doesn't. The only reason it would is if you believe there's something romantic about weakness in women. She seems to have a quite narrow minded view of feminism, for someone who calls themself a feminist. She sort of addresses that by briefly pondering the possibility Disney Princesses can be called progressive as an example of the ability to be a girlie yet still tough, but she breezes past it and it doesn't seem to cross her mind ever again.
On her not wanting her daughter called princess, princesses exist in real life, and many have done a fair bit of good (like Princess Diana) so to me the fault is hers, as she's the one acting like the only princesses are from Disney, and discounting all the real ones. Maybe if she's concerned about the shallowness around Disney princesses rather than snapping at people who call her daughter that she should teach her daughter about real ones, then when her daughter is called one it will have a more inspiring meaning.
Another problem is that it seemed to shift from an article about the princesses to one about the negative aspects of marketing heavily to children and the sexual gap in kids toys, and while that's a valid issue it's not really relevant to her original point, because it's not a trend exclusive to Disney, it happens with everything, and feels like a point for a more general article.
Also, she's judging them outside of the context of their time. Like calling the princesses in general "interested only in clothes, jewellery and cadging the handsome prince" not only completely disregards all of the more modern princesses, it overlooks that for their time some were actually progressive (like Snow White losing her prince yet being completely happy without him. These days her attitude is outdated, but for back then a woman giving the impression losing her man didn't knock her happiness at all was ahead of it's time) also, can she name me the princess who ever seems only interested in clothes and jewellery? because as far as I remember none even show a passing interest in clothes or jewellery.
Basically I'm saying I think it's possible to write an in depth article pulling apart the sexism that exists in many Disney stories, I just don't think this journalist did that. She seems to overlook things to make her point (none of the times the princesses showed heroism, athleticism or independence were mentioned) and I think she herself, by putting so much importance in Disney's ability to influence her daughter is making it more likely to happen. I loved the movies as a child, sang all the songs, but was given a good education of real women, and didn't have much importance put in the Disney characters, and I grew up wanting to work hard for myself, with healthy self esteem and would never rely on a man to take care of me, and proudly consider myself a feminist. She mentions a mother who found clothes marketed at her kids inappropriate going 'what am I supposed to say?' how about say 'no'? it's your responsibility to manage what your child owns, not the store's, which at the end of the day is my biggest problem with the whole article. She has a problem with the shallowness her daughter is encountering but seems to have no motivation to personally deal with the issue, which is her responsibility.
posted Vor mehr als einem Jahr. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22340 | The Varnish HTTP accelerator can drastically increase the speed at which pages are displayed to visitors by serving frequently-visited pages from a cache rather than requiring Magento to generate them every time. The Varnish server is installed and configured as part of Fleet, but Magento must be configured to make use of it.
Its use is optional, but highly recommended. If you decide not to use Varnish, you should disable Varnish for your environment to reduce costs.
Disable/Enable Varnish
If you are using Varnish, then it is advised you disable Magento Enterprise's Full Page Cache.
Magento 2 includes native support for Varnish.
Please follow the official Magento 2 Varnish documentation.
Magento Configuration
• Full Page Cache
• Caching Application: Varnish Caching
• Varnish Configuration
• Access list:
• Backend host:
• Backend port: 8080
• Export VCL for Varnish 4
This will download a file to your computer called varnish.vcl Ensure that the varnish.vcl has the following in the acl purge { section:
acl purge {
You will also need to modify the vcl_recv sub to reject PURGE requests entering via the Load Balancer. These will appear to come from internal IPs but have the X-Forwarded-For header set:
sub vcl_recv {
if (req.method == "PURGE") {
if (client.ip !~ purge) {
return (synth(405, "Method not allowed"));
+ if (req.http.X-Forwarded-For) {
+ // Restrict Purging to requests without X-Forwared-For set
+ return (synth(405, "Method not allowed"));
+ }
if (!req.http.X-Magento-Tags-Pattern) {
return (synth(400, "X-Magento-Tags-Pattern header required"));
ban("obj.http.X-Magento-Tags ~ " + req.http.X-Magento-Tags-Pattern);
return (synth(200, "Purged"));
This allows Varnish to accept Purge commands from only your Magento frontends.
You should place the this file in .fleet/varnish.vcl in your repository. When loading a new release, Fleet will load this VCL file into Varnish.
To ensure old cached content is not shown after updates, Magento must be configured to send Purge commands to Varnish when changes are made.
To make Magento aware of the Varnish servers, add the following section to app/etc/env.php:
'http_cache_hosts' =>
array (
0 =>
array (
'host' => 'varnish-0',
'port' => '80',
1 =>
array (
'host' => 'varnish-1',
'port' => '80', |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22341 | Mindsensors PiStorms
The pistorms module provides drivers for most of the functionality of the mindsensors.com PiStorms including lego-port class instances for the input and output ports, an evdev driver (evdev is not to be confused with ev3dev) for the touchscreen and GO button, a power_supply driver for monitoring the battery and an leds driver for the multi-color LEDs.
Input Ports
The PiStorms has four LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 compatible input ports. There are some differences though. Sensors cannot be automatically detected, so you must manually specify the mode of the port before using a sensors. And in many cases, you must also manually specify the type of sensor that is attached. Furthermore, all four ports share a single I2C adapter (master) instead of each port having its own.
General Info
Module pistorms
Driver name pistorms-in-port
Connection types NXT/Analog, NXT/Color, NXT/I2C, Other/I2C, EV3/Analog, EV3/UART
Connection prefix S [1]
Number of modes 6
Name Description
none No sensor
nxt-analog [2] NXT/Analog sensor
nxt-color NXT/Color sensor
i2c-thru [3] I2C pass through
ev3-analog [4] EV3/Analog sensor
ev3-uart [5] EV3/UART sensor
The full address is in the format:
For example, if we are looking at the port labeled “BBS2” on the PiStorms, the address will be pistorms:BBS2.
[2]The generic nxt-analog driver will be loaded when this mode is set. You must manually specify thecorrect driver for your sensor using set_device if you want to use another driver. Any driver with a connection type of NXT/Analog is allowed.
I2C signals are passed through the input port to i2c_arm on the Raspberry Pi. This means that all 4 input ports share the same I2C master and the devices must have different addresses even if they are connected to different ports on the PiStorms.
NXT/I2C sensors will be automatically detected, otherwise you must manually specify the sensor that is connected by using the set_device attribute.
[4]Only the LEGO EV3 Touch sensor is supported. The driver will load by default.
[5]Only the LEGO EV3 Ultrasonic, Color, Gyro, and Infrared sensors are supported. When this mode is set, a sensor device will be registered for the type of sensor that is attached (or was most recently attached).
Output Ports
The PiStorms has four LEGO MINDSTORMS compatible output ports. Unlike the EV3, motors cannot be automatically detected when attached. By default, the ports are configured with the NXT motor driver, which will work for most cases.
General Info
Module pistorms
Driver name pistorms-out-port
Connection types tacho-motor
Connection prefix M [6]
Number of modes 1
Name Description
tacho-motor NXT/EV3 Large Motor
[6]The full address will be something like pistorms:BAM1.
Touchscreen and GO Button
The pistorms module registers an input device node for the touchscreen an the GO button on the PiStorms.
The touchscreen provides ABS_X and ABS_Y events to indicate where the screen was touched and BTN_TOUCH to indicate when a touch event starts and stops.
The GO button is mapped to KEY_ENTER.
The pistorms module provides six LED devices for controlling the LEDs on the Pistorms. There are two tri-color LEDs. Each component (red, green, blue) is controlled separately.
The device nodes can be found at /sys/class/leds/pistorms:B<bank>:<color>:brick-status where <bank>> is A or B and <color> is red, green or blue.
Some models of PiStorms only have one LED. The driver will still provide controls for two, but only one will actually work.
• This driver is used to get information about the PiStorms battery.
• It uses the power_supply subsytem.
• It registers a sysfs device node at /sys/class/power_supply/pistorms-battery/.
Sysfs Attributes
scope Always returns System.
voltage_now Returns the battery voltage in microvolts. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22363 | Rubik Cube, 43 Quintillion Combinations
Just how many combinations are possible on the standard Rubik cube? The answer, roughly 43 quintillion, is printed on the box, but let's try to justify it.
First notice that the movable shell of the cube consists of 8 corner blocks and 12 side blocks. The corners cannot be moved into side positions, nor can side pieces move into the corners. To first approximation, sides and corners can be analyzed separately. Furthermore, position and orientation can also be analyzed independently. Let's begin with the corners.
Suppose the top and bottom faces of your cube are colored blue and white respectively. Every corner piece has exactly one blue or white face. If this face is horizontal (i.e. located on the top or bottom surface of your cube), then that corner piece has orientation 0. If the piece must be rotated counterclockwise 120 degrees, in order to attain a 0 orientation, then its orientation is 1. (We are looking at the cube from a point just off the corner, extending the cube's main diagonal.) If the piece must be rotated clockwise 120 degrees to attain a 0 orientation, then its orientation is 2. Clearly all corners have orientation 0 at the start.
Twist the top face 90 degrees, and watch what happens to the four top corners. Their positions shift, but their orientations do not change. If the blue side of a corner block was a clockwise turn away from horizontal, then it is still a clockwise turn from horizontal after the move. Similarly, a bottom twist does not change any of the corner orientations. Next twist the front face clockwise. The block at the upper left has its orientation increased by 1, as does the block at the lower right. Of course, if the orientation was 2, it goes back to 0. This is mathematics mod 3. The other two corner blocks have their orientations increased by 2. The total of all the orientations of all the corners is increased by 1+2+1+2 = 6, which is 0 mod 3. By symmetry, this holds for the right, back, and left faces as well. No matter how many moves we make on the cube, the sum of the 8 corner orientations is always 0 mod 3.
Next we must show that the 8 corners can in fact attain all possible orientations, subject to the mod 3 constraint given above. Recall that TBLRFK represent clockwise turns of the top, bottom, left, right, front, and back faces, while their lower case counterparts represent counterclockwise turns. The transformation [rBRFBftFbfrbRT] increments the orientation of the upper right front corner, and decrements the orientation of the upper left front corner, leaving the rest of the cube undisturbed. By prepending a couple moves to this transformation, and undoing these moves at the end, we can bump the orientations of any two corners on the cube, without disturbing any other pieces in any way. Suppose we want to realize the orientations 21022011. Add 1 to the orientation of the first corner, while subtracting 1 from the last corner, until the first has orientation 2. Then do the same with the second corner, until its orientation is 1. Again, the last corner takes up the slack. When the seventh corner attains its desired orientation (1), the same is true of the eighth corner, since the 8 orientations always sum to 0 mod 3. There are therefore 3^7 possible corner orientations, and any of these can be applied to the cube after the fact. Hereinafter, we will ignore the orientation of the corners, and multiply by 2187 at the end.
The side pieces can be analyzed in a similar fashion. Let the orientation of a side piece be 0 if it is an even number of moves from start, 1 if it is an odd number of moves from start. Of course we need to prove this definition is not ambiguous. Might there be two paths back to start, one even and one odd? The answer is no, but we will need to use the theory of even and odd permutations to prove it. Consider the side piece at the top front. We have already said the top of our cube is blue; let the front face be red. Thus our side piece has a blue top and a red front. In theory, this side piece can be thought of as a miniature Rubik cube, a scale model of the larger cube that contains it. This miniature cube, 1/27 the volume of the original, has 4 other faces that are not visible, as they are hidden inside the larger cube. Give them the same colors as the corresponding faces on the larger cube. Now twist the front face clockwise, and our little side cube also spins clockwise. This permutes the six virtual colors on the small side-cube. We see that the blue side has spun around to the right, but we also imagine the green, white, and yellow faces of the side cube rotating around inside the larger Rubik cube. Each time the side cube moves, four of its six faces spin around in a cycle while the other two remain in position. This is an odd permutation. After an odd number of moves, the side cube is rotated through an odd permutation, whereas an even number of moves carries the side cube into an even permutation. Since a side cube cannot exhibit an odd and an even permutation simultaneously, there cannot be two paths back to start having odd and even lengths.
Now that we have a well-defined orientation function, analyze the sides using the same techniques that were applied to the corners. Whenever any face is twisted 90 degrees, each of the 4 side pieces moves one step closer or farther from its home. In other words, the orientation of each of the 4 side pieces is reversed. Yet the sum of all the orientations remains 0 (mod 2).
Now select an arbitrary pattern of 12 orientations, subject to the above mod 2 constraint. We must implement these 12 orientations without disturbing the corners in any way, or the positions of the side pieces. The transformation [FFRlTTrLtlTkRlTTrLFFKtLT] flips the orientations of two side pieces, and leaves the rest of the cube undisturbed. By prepending a couple moves to this transformation, and undoing these moves at the end, we can change the orientations of any two sides on the cube. If the first side piece exhibits the wrong orientation, flip it (along with the last side). Do the same with the second side, and so on up to the panultimate side. The last side will be correct, because the 12 orientations always sum to zero. Hereinafter, we will ignore the orientation of the sides, and multiply by 2^11 = 2048 at the end.
Since orientations are no longer a factor, number the corner cubes 1 through 8, and number their corresponding start positions 1 through 8. How many ways can these 8 corner pieces be distributed among the 8 corner positions? The transformation [RTrfTFRtrTT] swaps two corner pieces and leaves the other corners in their original positions. This is the key to swapping any two corners on the cube. The first swap moves any of the 8 corners into the first position, the next swap moves any of the 7 remaining corners into the second position, and so on. All 8! corner permutations are accessible.
Finally, the sides must be moved into position, without moving the corners. At first, all side permutations look accessible, and this is almost the case. However, permutation parity cuts this number in half. Consider a 90 degree twist of any face. Four corners march around in a cycle, an odd permutation. Similarly, four sides march around in a cycle, producing another odd permutation. After one move, corners and sides both present odd permutations. After two moves, corners and sides attain even permutations again. By induction, the parity of the two permutations is equal. If the corners are arranged in an odd permutation, then the sides will present an odd permutation (as a result of arranging the corners), and only odd permutations are accessible thereafter. The transformation [FFRlTTrL] exchanges three side pieces, leaving the corners intact. This is the key to cycling any three sides on the cube. Move any of 12 sides into the first position, using a third piece to complement the dance. Then move any of 11 pieces into the second position, and so on. Once the tenth piece is placed, the transformation cannot be applied again, because there are only two pieces left. However, these pieces will be in position, because the parity of the sides is determined by the parity of the corners. Thus there are 12!/2 accessible side permutations.
Finally we are ready to run the calculation:
8! * 12!/2 * 3^7 * 2^11 = 43,252,003,274,489,856,000.
If you have a friend who has mastered the cube, and you enjoy practical jokes, try the following. Physically take apart his cube. (Twist one face 45 degrees and gently pry a side piece out with a spoon.) Swap two corners, and put the cube back together. Then mix it up, and casually inquire, "So ... you can really solve this thing, eh?" I played this trick on a friend in college, who then spent several frustrating days trying to solve the cube that he thought he had mastered. :-)
There is a related question: how many "different" combinations are there? By different, we mean distinct relative to rotations and reflections. After all, the configuration that is attained by a single clockwise twist of the top face resembles the result of one clockwise twist of the front face. If we rotate the cube and reassign colors accordingly, the former becomes the latter. Since there are 48 possible rotations and reflections of the cube in 3-space, the approximate answer is 43 quintillion divided by 48, or just under a quintillion. This is not an exact answer, because some patterns exhibit symmetry, and do not actually have 48 distinct representations. I suspect the exact calculation entails the use of the Bernside Polya counting theorem, but it's been a long time since I took combinatorics.
Although the cube has not been completely analyzed, we can place a lower bound on its complexity. After one move, the cube can be in any of 12 different configurations. After two moves, the cube can attain, at most, 12^2 = 144 patterns (the actual number is 129). The number of configurations that lie within k moves of start is
1 + 12 + 12^2 + 12^3 + ... + 12^k = (12^(k+1) - 1) / 11.
When k = 18, the result is less than 43 quintillion. Therefore, some configurations are 19 moves from start. If 180 degree turns are considered moves, the base of the exponential function changes from 12 to 18, and some configurations are 16 moves from start.
Back to the Rubik home page. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22373 | Select Page
Language Translation
Language Translation
The use of language is the most integral part of our daily life. Without languages, we cannot even interact with anyone and life will all be so bland and lonely. Without question, English is one of the most widely spoken languages. English is used in many parts of the world and is often the language that is common to people who have a first language other than English.
But, Research findings consistently shows that learners benefit from using their home language in education rather than using just English as the medium. Advantages of learning home language includes better understanding of the subject or topic with clear cut outcome. So Elearning courses would be far more beneficial for learners if taught in learners home language.
Enhance Systems specialises in developing and translating eLearning courses of English to both Foreign languages and Indian regional languages. Here is a list of some of the translated courses we have developed for our customers, for their specific business needs. You can also take a look at the demos of courses by clicking on the icon.
Foreign Language
Indian Regional Language |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22410 | Distribution on Android
Android builds can be distributed using a digital store (such as Google or Android), or can be manually distributed by distributing a .apk.
Before you perform any distribution, you must create a release build of your app.
Creating a Release Build
The following will walk you through creating a release build. Release builds can be created for any FlatRedBall Android project, including synced Glue projects. This walkthrough assumes that you have an Android project which you have been able to successfully deploy to device through Xamarin Studio or Visual Studio.
Switching to a Release Build
If using Xamarin Studio, change the configuration to release:
Release builds are required for distributed .apk files.
Linking the Release FlatRedBall DLLs
Distributed builds also require linking against the release build of FlatRedBall. If using the .dll files which are distributed with the FlatRedBall templates (default), then your project will already have the release files downloaded.
These can be found in your project’s Libraries folder:
To link the release files in Xamarin Studio:
1. Right-click on your game project’s References
2. Select “Edit References…”
3. Select the “.Net Assembly” tab
4. Un-check the FlatRedBallAndroid.dll file
5. Click the “Browse…”
6. Navigate to the <project folder>/Libraries/Android/Release folder
7. Select FlatRedBallAndroid.dll and click Open
8. Verify that the release build of FlatRedBall is added and click OK
Once this library has been added, build and run your project to make sure everything is working fine.
Setting Supported Architecture
The project needs to specify the architectures it will support. Unless you are concerned about file size, you should support all architectures. To do so:
1. Right-click on your project
2. Select “Options”
3. Select the “Android Build” option
4. Click the “Advanced” tab
5. Check the desired supported architectures:
Creating an APK
The .apk file is what you need to distribute to test it on other phones. In Xamarin Studio:
1. Select “Project” -> “Create Android Package…”
2. Enter a name in the “File:” text box for the desired .apk file name
3. Click OK
Distributing the APK File
Once the .apk file has been created it can be distributed through any digital means, such as google drive, drop box, or sending the file through email.
Android Linking
Xamarin’s Android compiler includes a feature which allows selective inclusion of libraries, classes, and members. This feature can reduce the size of a game, but also can introduce crashes which can be difficult to diagnose – at least unless you know what to look for.
The most common type of crash occurs when deserializing XML files, such as emitter .emix files. If your program runs fine in debug but crashes in release, then it may be related to Xamarin’s linking behavior. You can verify that this is the case by looking at the output window. For example, the following error appears when trying to load a .emix file.
One way to solve this problem is to adjust the linking behavior, which can be done as follows:
1. Right-click on the project in the Solution Pad
2. Select “Options”
3. Select the “Android Build” category
4. Click the “Linker” tab
5. Change “Link all assemblies” to either “Link SDK Assemblies only” or “Don’t link”
6. Try running again and see if the crash occurs
The downside to this solution is that these will increase the size of your APK file.
For more information on linking, see this article. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22411 | The Z value of an entity controls its distance away from the camera. If using a 3D Camera/Layer then making the Z a smaller (including negative) number will make the entity smaller and will make it sort behind other graphical objects. If using a 2D Camera/Layer then the Z value will not change the Entity’s size, but will impact its sorting.
The Z property is a property which comes from the PositionedObject class. More information on the Z value can be found here.
You can change the Z of most objects in Glue through the property grid:
Z and Ordering
The Z value of an object also controls the order that it is drawn. An object with a Z value of 0 will be drawn under an object with a Z value of 1. In other words, objects with a smaller Z will be drawn under objects with a larger Z.
Important: Objects with the same Z will drawn in an undefined order
If two objects overlap and have the same Z, then the order in which they are drawn is undefined. Therefore, if you intend on having one object drawn on top of another, you should explicitly set the Z values of the objects. If you have two objects which overlap and one is not drawing, you may want to check the Z values to see if this ist he cause of the drawing problem.
Z may be absolute or relative
The Z value in Glue is either absolute or relative depending on when the value is set and what the object/Entity is attached to. For example, setting the Z value of an Entity which is not attached to anything else in a Screen will set its absolute Z value. However, setting the Z value on an object inside of an Entity will actually set the RelativeZ value – the actual Z value depends on where the container Entity is positioned.
For example, consider an Entity called Player which has a Circle object. In this situation the Circle’s Z is set to 1. This means that the Circle’s Z will be 1 + the Entity’s Z. Therefore, if a Player instance were placed in a Screen and given a Z value of 3, then the Circle’s absolute Z value would be 3 + 1 = 4.
Z and AttachToCamera
The AttachToCamera property changes how Z works. An object which has its AttachToCamera set to true and a Z value of 0 will actually have its RelativeZ value set to -40 instead of 0. The reason for this is because it makes things “just work” more often.
If an Entity has a Z value of 0 and it is attached to the Camera, many users expect that the object appears the same as if it were not attached to the Camera. However, technically an object which is attached to the Camera and has a RelativeZ value of 0 would be positioned at the same point as the Camera itself – making it too close to be drawn by the Camera.
Therefore, Glue’s generated code subtracts 40 from the RelativeZ value if the Object’s AttachToCamera is set to true so that default values work without any modifications. In other words, if your Z value is 0, then the RelativeZ on the object at runtime would actually be -40. If your Z value is 10, then the RelativeZ value on the object at runtime would be 10 – 40 = -30
This behavior is rarely something that you need to worry about it, but it is mentioned here in the wiki in case these numbers cause confusion. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22412 | Monday, August 16, 2010
Newton's Laws lesson plan dream
As I've said I don't normally recount dreams, but I've been having really vivid ones recently and on Saturday night out popped a complete lesson plan for getting children to think about how Newton's Laws work.
In the dream I took a class out into the playground where I'd set up a trolley and chalked some lines next to it. The trolley was purposefully heavy and I demonstrated this by getting one of the pupils to try pushing it. I then recruited several and stated that I was going to time them as to how long it would take for them to push the trolley entirely over the line. I also stated that they weren't to overstrain themselves.
They pushed and it took 10 seconds. I then moved the trolley back to its start position and pointed out another line ten times the length of the trolley away. I then asked if it took 10 seconds to push the trolley the original distance how long would it take to push it to the next line?
The obvious answer came back of 100 seconds. The same pupils pushed the trolley and I noted the time it took to complete the original distance and then the next one. Once they'd reached it they had trouble stopping the trolley and I had to run after it and curve it around to allow it to easily slow down.
The time they took for the original distance was roughly the same 10 seconds, but the longer distance took less than the 100 seconds. Why?
I led them back to the classroom and parked the trolley outside the window so it wouldn't 'disappear' then wrote up Newton's first law - A body remains at rest or constant speed (yes I know it should be velocity) unless acted upon by an external force.
I put a ball on my desk and stated it represented the trolley. I pointed out that it would do nothing and just sit there unless I did something. I then flicked it with my finger and it moved some distance then stopped.
"So why did it move?"
"Because you pushed it?"
"So why did it stop?"
I then asked a pupil to come forward and gave her two pieces of paper and had her hold the two together in a prayer position. Then rub the two sheets around each other. I then swapped out the two sheets of paper for two pieces of sandpaper and asked her to do the same.
"Why was it more difficult the second time?"
"Because they're rougher than the paper"
"That's called friction. So think about what the ball is doing and what it's touching. What's slowing it down?"
"The desk"
[At this point I digressed into air resistance too by asking them to imagine a dog with its head hanging out a moving car's window compared to one sitting on the pavement as the car drove past, but pointed out that in this case it's negligible]
"So the ball isn't moving, I push it and then the desk slows it back down to a halt. So if you'd stop pushing the trolley what would happen?"
"It would keep going until the ground slowed it down"
"So that's what happens when I push something and then stop pushing it. What happens if I keep pushing it?"
"It'd keep going"
Newton's Second Law goes up on the board the famous F=ma. I explain that Force is them pushing it, mass is the weight of the trolley and acceleration is the rate at which its speed increases.
"So if it took 10 seconds to push it [distance] why didn't it take 100 seconds to push it [10x distance]?"
"What makes the difference in how long it takes for the trolley to travel a distance?"
"Its speed"
"Is there anything in that Law that has anything to do with speed?"
"If I push the trolley so it has an acceleration of 1m/s/s then after one second it's travelling at 1m/s. If there's nothing slowing it down then after two seconds it still has an acceleration of 1m/s/s but is now travelling at 2m/s."
I draw a graph. "So what happens if I keep pushing it?"
"It keeps accelerating"
"So after one second its acceleration is 1m/s/s and its speed is 1m/s. If I keep pushing the same way after two seconds its acceleration will have increased to 2m/s/s. So what would its speed be?"
"If it was already travelling at 1m/s and it increases by 2m/s...?"
"I keep pushing so now its acceleration is 3m/s/s it's speed is...?"
"Correct. So after one second it travelled 1m, after two seconds 3m and after three seconds 9m. So as you kept pushing the trolley you maintained its acceleration which meant its speed kept increasing which is why it didn't take as long to cover the distance as you thought it might."
I add Newton's Third Law - A force applied to an object results in an equal but opposite force.
"That means when you push something it pushes back"
"It seems wrong, when I pushed this ball I didn't suddenly move backwards did I? So how can this be right? Let's take you. You're sitting on that chair, but what's the chair doing to you?"
More laughter
"Well from this law we say that the chair is pushing you back, but you don't feel that do you? Well imagine if the chair didn't push back what would happen when you sat down on it?"
I then leant against a wall "So I push against the wall and it pushed back at me. If it didn't I'd fall straight through it"
I then got a pupil to jump up and down.
"So you're pushing against the ground and the ground pushes back which is why you go into the air"
I then put my head on top of the pupil's head and ask them to jump again with little success.
"So why didn't you go into the air this time?"
"Because you had your hand on top of my head"
"Okay I was stopping you going upwards, but all the forces were still there, you were still pushing against the ground. So why didn't the ground go down? If you couldn't go up then the ground must have gone down"
Puzzled noises.
"Is there anything keeping the ground from moving down. Why doesn't the entire Earth gone down when you jump? Okay end of lesson I want you to think about that and these laws, why don't I move backwards when I push this ball and think about what you could have done to the trolley to make it easier to push."
Then I woke up and thought what the hell was that about?
Tav said...
In your dream didn't you find you were only wearing your underpants and all the students were laughing at you? Didn't the trolley turn into a dalek, dinosaur, or shark and attach you? I tell you, you are weird? :-)
FlipC said...
Yeah tell me something I haven't been told many, many times before :-)
I think this sums up my head nicely.
But no I don't have those types of dreams, or to be more precise I don't recall having those types of dreams. Never have.
The closest I've had to a standard dream is the examination one, but no I wasn't improperly dressed, no the exam wasn't for a subject I hadn't studied, and no it wasn't a sudden unexpected event. It was just an exam. Mathematics if I recall correctly.
However most importantly do you now have a greater understanding of Newton's Laws :-P |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22423 | Lex Fridman interviews Pieter Abbeel, a professor at UC Berkeley and director of the Berkeley Robot Learning Lab. He is one of the top researchers in the world working on how to make robots understand and interact with the world around them, especially through imitation and deep reinforcement learning.
This interview is part of the Artificial Intelligence podcast and the MIT course 6.S099: Artificial General Intelligence. The conversation and lectures are free and open to everyone. Audio podcast version is available on
tt ads |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22425 | Why Is “I Don’t Know” So Hard to Say? (Ep. 56)
Listen now:
This week’s podcast is a new installment of “FREAK-quently Asked Questions,” in which Levitt and I respond to queries you submitted on the blog. (You can download/subscribe at iTunes, get the RSS feed, listen live via the media player above, or read the transcript; earlier FAQ podcasts can be found here and here.)
Another reader, Gav, asked what the world might look like if it were run by economists rather than politicians. (Funny, we once asked the same thing in a podcast.) Levitt doesn’t think that would go over so well:
I think where you really would go awry is that economists are just different from other people. I think we’re born different and our training makes us think differently. And we’re completely unaware of those things that offend and nauseate people who are not economists. And I think that we would end up having the effect of large-scale nausea in response to our programs.
We were also asked about our most irrational fears. Here’s a hint about Levitt’s: it involves a V.A. hospital, a glass tube, and a rat. Thanks to everyone for the great questions. We’ll get to more in future FAQ podcasts.
Eric M. Jones
I don't know.
But then maybe...
--Thomas Szasz
As a media relations consultant, one of the key tenets I emphasize before an interview is that it is okay to say "I don't know"...best when deferring to exact statistics. This works very well in print interviews, when you promise to get back to the journalist (and do) than with electronic media, where the "I don't know" basically constitutes the record.
There are a lot of better ways to put the sentiment other that IDK, but those are case-specific: "We are studying that", "That is an emergent issue we are analyzing right now", etc.
Most difficult is for politicians on TV -- supposed to know everything, right? God forbid you pronounce the name of the Iranian president wrong, or don't know the name of Saudi Arabia's Secretary of Defense (or whatever it is called).
Gene Hayward
In regards to the entry about not being able to say "I don't know" the Marine Corps taught me to say that in the first few minutes of Boot Camp: "Sir, the Private don't not know, sir, but the Private WILL FIND OUT!"...That is not so hard and it has served me for the last 30 years... :)
I say "I don't know" all the time now. At least once a day. It didn't used to be like this. I used to try to come up with answers. Now I am not afraid to say I don' t know or to ask (dumb) questions. I am getting to old to care what people think. I'd rather look silly and find out the answer than to lie about it and have my job or life suffer as a result.
As someone w/ a high-powered MBA I do agree to some extent with the "I don't know" analysis. It's a stereotype about MBAs that is often true.
The other big thing is SECURITY. Smart managers who are secure in their ability are generally not afraid to say I don't know.
I try to begin every answer I give with "I don't know." Sometimes I am able to stop there, other times I go on to give some kind of answer anyway. One thing that compels me to follow up IDK with something more is the desire to not frustrate the person asking me the question.
Paddy C
Nice question! I'm reading Kathryn Schulz's 'Being Wrong' at the moment, and am enjoying it a lot it so far. One of the early chapters is on this specific topic. One of her points is that people tend to confabulate (tell stories) rather than say 'I don't know'. The reason she proposes is that people generally believe that they're right, and don't realise that they are talking garbage.
But to answer your question, I don't know really.
Does every question need to be answered?
Everyone expects answers to every question especially if it comes from someone higher up in organization. However, not every unknown question is worth the time and resources to research. If it comes down to choice of making-up an answer or being saddled with a pointless research project; many people will prefer to make-up an answer.
Combined with the ego/self-image issues mentioned in other comments; every question will be answered.
Sometimes the answer really IS I don't know. This is especially true in medicine, where things are rarely cut-and-dry. As they say, "sometimes the disease hasn't read the book." That is to say, the average outcome isn't always the only outcome. Sometimes diseases respond to particular treatments, sometimes they don't. Many times it's inexplicable. It's rarely a satisfying answer for a patient, but sometimes it is the only answer that's honest.
The corollary to this is the physician who knows what s/he doesn't know. The most dangerous ones are those who refuse to acknowledge what they don't know and continue ineffective or possibly erroneous treatments rather than say they don't know. The smart ones know their limits and aren't afraid to send his/her patient on to someone who might know more.
Regarding how the world would look if run by economists (or anyone for that matter...):
Contrary to conventional wisdom, we do not choose politicians to govern. By definition, once you try to govern, you become a politician. This is a lesson that many Tea Party freshmen learned last year (even if they don't admit it). Economists are well represented in government and even get elected sometimes - but then they are politicians, for better or worse, and they have to make decisions that have real impacts, just like every other member of government. It is easy to get cynical about politicians because they are forced into a lot of corners and have to balance expediency, long-term challenges, principles, etc. My personal rule is that we run into trouble when politicians get trapped in the belief that winning the next election is what is needed to get stuff done, so they do nothing but focus on that election. Would economists from different camps behave any differently?
Quick corollary to the above statement: I recently ran for office myself (for a part time school board position). People immediately start treating you like a politician once you run. Even a year out from my narrow loss, I still get asked more about whether I am running again, what I think of the others, etc., and less about whether any of the ideas from my campaign are being implemented, whether I am involved in public service in other ways, etc.
Just watched your show on TV, it was great! I have a follow up that could ad percentage was MADD and DWI laws that changed drinking habbits. You can see taverns in the Hundreds closed because cops were busting people without cause for DWI. drinking and law breaking add a huge to a huge number of crimes. just my opinion.
One of the reasons why people find it so hard to say I dont know is they do know SOMETHING. Although their knowledge levels may be inadequate to provide a specific answer to a question, whatever little information they might actually have on the subject renders "I dont know" a false reply. I dont know is an open ended reply. People actually complete the statement in the minds "I dont know...ANYTHING" and compare it with "Do I know SOMETHING?" and since more often than not they do find that they do know something, an alternative answer to I dont know is used.
Jake Foley
Any chance of seeing the entire email from Adil Z?
Sounds like a thoughtful list - Especially the list of biases & fallacies...
Add To your list of people who answer questions they don't know would be economist and scientist. It is rare to hear an economist that doesn't know how to fix the current economic problems. Environmental science is a great example that is often in the news giving their answers to complex issues that they don't fully understand. I think it is human nature and normal biases. No field is exempt from their know it alls.
Stephen Williams
It's called ultra crepadarianism. Most people engage in it at some time.
As an American who moved to South Africa a year ago, I have been surprised and disappointed by the quantity of times I've been led around without getting a direct answer because somebody I know won't admit to not knowing, which would have been so much simpler. I know that it's common in African culture in general to not want to disappoint the asker by not knowing something, but the South Africans in my circle are primarily white, and more European (English or Afrikaans) in culture. I began to take responses to my questions less seriously and left it at that, and considered my own ability to admit defeat when it comes to some knowledge.
So the topic of this podcast greatly interested me, but it didn't satisfy my curiosity since the people I have written about here are friends who I know socially; I don't work, so all the people I know here have no reason to fear me questioning their professional competence with an admission of not knowing something.
Something else about the podcast that triggered me was the part about MBAs. I chose to go abroad for mine, and think this was one of the best choices I have made since I didn't get an extra dose of the negative aspects of American culture: competition (rather than collaboration), focus on the bottom line (vs courses in social responsibility), etc. To this I can now add that what we learned to say the answer to every question could be "it depends" because there are often multiple sides to each situation. We were never taught to pretend to posses knowledge of a topic that we know nothing about - except when taking exams of course! ;)
It is true saying I don't know at the workplace view it like it is a curse word in business. I also majored in economics and in my first job after college I still thought in terms of an economist. I used to say I don't know all the time and people would get annoyed because they claimed I should of known. It took me a while to realize in the workplace I don't means to other people will start to view me as lazy or stupid because saying I dont' know means I must not be doing my job.
What is the name of song that plays in the last 15 seconds of this podcast episode and who is the artist?
Basil White
Regarding your statement in "Why Is 'I Don’t Know' So Hard to Say?"(http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/freakonomicsradio/~5/hNnL9vGB2f8/freakonomics_podcast010412.mp3) that people don't have to pass a test to be a parent - how about a cost-benefit analysis of health insurance discounts for parents who pass the state babysitter exam? |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22436 | Today, we see the Antifa movement growing rapidly. What does that mean for us as preppers? Well, it’s something else to stay vigilant about.
New prepper Sam goes into why he is learning skills relevant to prepping.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22463 | SmarterStats 7.x Help
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22515 | Healthy College Eats: Morning Meal Plan
Don’t bail on breakfast.
Not a morning person? Chances are, you’re not the only one in your dorm managing a love-hate relationship with your snooze button. If dining hall meals don’t fit into your AM routine, keep speedy, energizing breakfast foods by your bed.
Microwavable oatmeal is a great option, and you can boost the flavor (and nutritional value) by topping it with sliced banana, dried fruit, or chopped nuts and seeds—all nonperishable and perfect for dorm-room storage. If you’re a die-hard fan of peanut butter (or almond butter), spread some on an apple, a banana, or a few rice cakes, and take ‘em to go. Equipped with a mini-fridge? Pack it with protein-rich dairy products to power your mornings. Try whole grain cereal with low-fat milk or Greek yogurt with a piece of fruit. Any of these no-hassle breakfast options will jump-start your day and fill your stomach with high-octane fuel.
Midday Munchies
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22522 | The Cultural Ambassador Princess Wencheng (Part 1)
Tubo is now known as Tibet. In the 7th century AD, Qizong Nongtsan, also known as Songtsan Gambo, became the successor of the Tubo kingdom. After unifying many tribes, he established a strong kingdom around the capital Luoxie.
In the 12th year of Emperor Taizong's reign, Song Zanganbu led the Tubo army to attack Sichuan. The Emperor sent Hou Jun to lead his army to battle and the soldiers brought Tubo under their control. Defeated Songtsan Gambo had to bow down to the court and pleaded guilty. He even proposed a marital bond to the Tang kingdom.
Tang Taizong accepted Songtsan Gambo’s request, and selected a daughter from his clan to be appointed as Princess Wencheng. Princess Wencheng was the daughter of an aristocratic family. She was dignified, mature and cultured, reading poetry since childhood. Although she was doubtful of the faraway land of Tubo, she was also filled with curiosity, so she accepted the proposal. In the winter of Emperor Taizong's rein, Princess Wencheng went to Tubo under the escort of a large troupe.
The journey took more than a month to travel from Chang'an to Tubo. In addition to carrying a rich dowry, her soldiers also carried a large number of books, musical instruments, cymbals and grain seeds. Along with the servants of Princess Wencheng, there were also a team of scribes, musicians and agricultural technicians. The procession was in effect a cultural mission.
In order to ensure the stability of the southwest border of the Tang kingdom, Emperor Taizong felt that it was necessary to strengthen the bond with Tubo, so he tried his best to assist them economically and culturally by sending the cultural aspects. Princess Wencheng was in fact holding the political task of marrying the country and her team assisted her in completing this mission.
Leading his soldiers personally, Songtsan Gambo went to Heyuan to meet the Princess and her cavalcade. Once the Tubo king from the great grassland saw the Princess of the Tang Kingdom, he was immediately smitten with her. Princess Wencheng was completely different from the primitive and rough Tubo women. Songtsan Gambo was in Princess Wencheng’s opinion, swarthy and rough, but she noticed his tall, strong body and bold temperament expressed in his valiant personality. The Princess rejoiced to herself that she was marrying a good husband. So, the Tubo kingdom became grateful to the Tang kingdom.
Escorted by the two military units, Princess Wencheng and Songtsan Gambo entered Luoxie city together to begin the wedding ceremonies. They held a grand wedding in accordance with the etiquette of the Han people. The people of the Luoxie city sang and danced to celebrate the great occasion. Songtsan Gambo said to his entourage: "My dear father and my dear clan never had a precedent for such a marriage of alliance to a mighty country. Today I am very fortunate to marry the Princess of the Tang Kingdom, so I have decided to build a magnificent palace for the Princess to show our children.”
Soon, a beautiful palace was built, and everything inside looked magnificent. All the interior mirrored the Tang Dynasty Palace to help Princess Wencheng settle into her new home and to reduce her homesickness. In order to have more in common with Princess Wencheng, Songtsan Gambo took off his leather jacket that he was fond of wearing, and changed into wearing a silk Tang suit that the princess personally sewed for him. He also tried to learn Chinese from Princess Wencheng. The interracial couple were able to begin their new life together with harmony and respect.
来源: 看中国
上一篇: Huang Jialuo, Chinese translator for Louis XIV (Part 1)
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22537 | 13:1 - Alif. Lam. Mim. Ra. These are verses of the Scripture. That which is revealed unto thee from thy Lord is the Truth, but most of mankind believe not. 13:2 - Allah it is Who raised up the heavens without visible supports, then mounted the Throne, and compelled the sun and the moon to be of service, each runneth unto an appointed term; He ordereth the course; He detaileth the revelations, that haply ye may be certain of the meeting with your Lord. 13:3 - And He it is Who spread out the earth and placed therein firm hills and flowing streams, and of all fruits He placed therein two spouses (male and female). He covereth the night with the day. Lo! herein verily are portents for people who take thought. 13:4 - And in the Earth are neighbouring tracts, vineyards and ploughed lands, and date-palms, like and unlike, which are watered with one water. And we have made some of them to excel others in fruit. Lo! herein verily are portents for people who have sense. 13:5 - And if thou wonderest, then wondrous is their saying: When we are dust, are we then forsooth (to be raised) in a new creation? Such are they who disbelieve in their Lord; such have carcans on their necks; such are rightful owners of the Fire, they will abide therein. 13:6 - And they bid thee hasten on the evil rather than the good, when exemplary punishments have indeed occurred before them. But lo! thy Lord is rich in pardon for mankind despite their wrong, and lo! thy Lord is strong in punishment. 13:7 - Those who disbelieve say: If only some portent were sent down upon him from his Lord! Thou art a warner only, and for every folk a guide. 13:8 - Allah knoweth that which every female beareth and that which the wombs absorb and that which they grow. And everything with Him is measured. 13:9 - He is the Knower of the Invisible and the Visible, the Great, the High Exalted. 13:10 - Alike of you is he who hideth the saying and he who noiseth it abroad, he who lurketh in the night and he who goeth freely in the daytime. 13:11 - For him are angels ranged before him and behind him, who guard him by Allah's command. Lo! Allah changeth not the condition of a folk until they (first) change that which is in their hearts; and if Allah willeth misfortune for a folk there is none that can repel it, nor have they a defender beside Him. 13:12 - He it is Who showeth you the lightning, a fear and a hope, and raiseth the heavy clouds. 13:13 - The thunder hymneth His praise and (so do) the angels for awe of Him. He launcheth the thunderbolts and smiteth with them whom He will while they dispute (in doubt) concerning Allah, and He is mighty in wrath. 13:14 - Unto Him is the real prayer. Those unto whom they pray beside Allah respond to them not at all, save as (is the response to) one who stretcheth forth his hands toward water (asking) that it may come unto his mouth, and it will never reach it. The prayer of disbelievers goeth (far) astray. 13:15 - And unto Allah falleth prostrate whosoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, as do their shadows in the morning and the evening hours. 13:16 - Say (O Muhammad): Who is Lord of the heavens and the earth? Say: Allah. Say: Take ye then (others) beside Him for protectors, which, even for themselves, have neither benefit nor hurt? Say: Is the blind man equal to the seer, or is darkness equal to light? Or assign they unto Allah partners who created the like of His creation so that the creation (which they made and His creation) seemed alike to them? Say: Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Almighty. 13:17 - He sendeth down water from the sky, so that valleys flow according to their measure, and the flood beareth (on its surface) swelling foam - from that which they smelt in the fire in order to make ornaments and tools riseth a foam like unto it - thus Allah coineth (the similitude of) the true and the false. Then, as for the foam, it passeth away as scum upon the banks, while, as for that which is of use to mankind, it remaineth in the earth. Thus Allah coineth the similitudes. 13:18 - For those who answered Allah's call is bliss; and for those who answered not His call, if they had all that is in the earth, and therewith the like thereof, they would proffer it as ransom. Such will have a woeful reckoning, and their habitation will be hell, a dire abode. 13:19 - Is he who knoweth that what is revealed unto thee from thy Lord is the truth like him who is blind? But only men of understanding heed; 13:20 - Such as keep the pact of Allah, and break not the covenant; 13:21 - Such as unite that which Allah hath commandeth should be joined, and fear their Lord, and dread a woeful reckoning; 13:22 - Such as persevere in seeking their Lord's Countenance and are regular in prayer and spend of that which We bestow upon them secretly and openly, and overcome evil with good. Theirs will be the sequel of the (heavenly) Home, 13:23 - Gardens of Eden which they enter, along with all who do right of their fathers and their helpmeets and their seed. The angels enter unto them from every gate, 13:24 - (Saying): Peace be unto you because ye persevered. Ah, passing sweet will be the sequel of the (heavenly) Home. 13:25 - And those who break the covenant of Allah after ratifying it, and sever that which Allah hath commanded should be joined, and make mischief in the earth: theirs is the curse and theirs the ill abode. 13:26 - Allah enlargeth livelihood for whom He will, and straiteneth (it for whom He will); and they rejoice in the life of the world, whereas the life of the world is but brief comfort as compared with the Hereafter. 13:27 - Those who disbelieve say: If only a portent were sent down upon him from his Lord! Say: Lo! Allah sendeth whom He will astray, and guideth unto Himself all who turn (unto Him), 13:28 - Who have believed and whose hearts have rest in the remembrance of Allah. Verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest! 13:29 - Those who believe and do right: Joy is for them, and bliss (their) journey's end. 13:30 - Thus We send thee (O Muhammad) unto a nation, before whom other nations have passed away, that thou mayst recite unto them that which We have inspired in thee, while they are disbelievers in the Beneficent. Say: He is my Lord; there is no Allah save Him. In Him do I put my trust and unto Him is my recourse. 13:31 - Had it been possible for a Lecture to cause the mountains to move, or the earth to be torn asunder, or the dead to speak, (this Qur'an would have done so). Nay, but Allah's is the whole command. Do not those who believe know that, had Allah willed, He could have guided all mankind? As for those who disbelieve, disaster ceaseth not to strike them because of what they do, or it dwelleth near their home until the threat of Allah come to pass. Lo! Allah faileth not to keep the tryst. 13:32 - And verily messengers (of Allah) were mocked before thee, but long I bore with those who disbelieved. At length I seized them, and how (awful) was My punishment! 13:33 - Is He Who is aware of the deserts of every soul (as he who is aware of nothing)? Yet they ascribe unto Allah partners. Say: Name them. Is it that ye would inform Him of something which He knoweth not in the earth? Or is it but a way of speaking? Nay but their contrivance is made seeming fair for those who disbelieve and they are kept from the right road. He whom Allah sendeth astray, for him there is no guide. 13:34 - For them is torment in the life of the world, and verily the doom of the Hereafter is more painful, and they have no defender from Allah. 13:35 - A similitude of the Garden which is promised unto those who keep their duty (to Allah): Underneath it rivers flow; its food is everlasting, and its shade; this is the reward of those who keep their duty, while the reward of disbelievers is the Fire. 13:36 - Those unto whom We gave the Scripture rejoice in that which is revealed unto thee. And of the clans there are who deny some of it. Say: I am commanded only that I serve Allah and ascribe unto Him no partner. Unto Him I cry, and unto Him is my return. 13:37 - Thus have We revealed it, a decisive utterance in Arabic; and if thou shouldst follow their desires after that which hath come unto thee of knowledge, then truly wouldst thou have from Allah no protecting friend nor defender. 13:38 - And verily We sent messengers (to mankind) before thee, and We appointed for them wives and offspring, and it was not (given) to any messenger that he should bring a portent save by Allah's leave. For everything there is a time prescribed. 13:39 - Allah effaceth what He will, and establisheth (what He will), and with Him is the source of ordinance. 13:40 - Whether We let thee see something of that which We have promised them, or make thee die (before its happening), thine is but conveyance (of the message). Ours the reckoning. 13:41 - See they not how we aim to the land, reducing it of its outlying parts? (When) Allah doometh there is none that can postpone His doom, and He is swift at reckoning. 13:42 - Those who were before them plotted; but all plotting is Allah's. He knoweth that which each soul earneth. The disbelievers will come to know for whom will be the sequel of the (heavenly) Home. 13:43 - They who disbelieve say: Thou art no messenger (of Allah). Say: Allah, and whosoever hath knowledge of the Scripture, is sufficient witness between me and you. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22578 | TY - JOUR T1 - Prostaglandin E<sub>2</sub> Inhibits the Phospholipase D Pathway Stimulated by Formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine in Human Neutrophils. Involvement of EP<sub>2</sub> Receptors and Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase γ JF - Molecular Pharmacology JO - Mol Pharmacol SP - 293 LP - 301 DO - 10.1124/mol.66.2.293 VL - 66 IS - 2 AU - Burelout, Chantal AU - Thibault, Nathalie AU - Levasseur, Sylvain AU - Simard, Sébastien AU - Naccache, Paul H. AU - Bourgoin, Sylvain G. Y1 - 2004/08/01 UR - http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/66/2/293.abstract N2 - Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), originally discovered as a pro-inflammatory mediator, also inhibits several chemoattractant-elicited neutrophil functions, including adhesion, secretion of cytotoxic enzymes, production of superoxide anions, and chemotaxis. In this study, we have examined the effects of PGE2 and prostaglandin E (EP) receptor-selective agonists/antagonists on several steps of the formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP)-induced phospholipase D (PLD) activation pathway in human neutrophils to elucidate the PGE2 inhibitory mechanism. PGE2 and EP2 receptor agonists inhibited the stimulation of the activity of PLD induced by fMLP in a concentration-dependent manner. The fMLP-stimulated translocation to membranes of protein kinase C α, Rho, and Arf GTPases was diminished in the presence of PGE2 or EP2 agonists. Moreover, PGE2 and EP2 agonists decreased the activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase γ (PI3Kγ) and Tec kinases as well as the tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins stimulated by fMLP. These data provide strong evidence that 1) the inhibitory effects of PGE2 on the fMLP-induced PLD activation pathway were mediated via EP2 receptors and that 2) the suppression of PI3Kγ activity was the crucial step in the EP2-mediated inhibition of the fMLP-induced signaling cascade. ER - |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22593 | Each gram cream contains : Curcumae rhizoma extr (Xanthorrhizol oil 28-30%) 20 mg
Helps to treat acne
Apply a thin film, once a day to the affected area after the skin has been cleansed
Box, 1 tube @ 5 grams
Each film coated caplet contains :
- Astaxanthin 5 mg
- Zinc 2.5 mg
- Selenium 0.075 mg
Helps to maintain healty body
1 film coated caplet once a day after meal
Box, 3 strips @ 10 film coated caplets
Each film coated caplet contains:
- Echinacea angustifolia extract 200 mg
- Black elderberry extract 400 mg
- Phyllanthus niruri extract 150mg
Helps to maintain the immune system (as antiviral, antibacterial, antioxidant, and immunostimulant)
1 film coated caplet once a day after meal
Box, 5 strips @ 10 film coated caplets
Each 5 mL syrup contains :
- Echinacea purpurea extract 250 mg
- Black elderberry extract 200 mg
- Goji berry 200 mg
- Honey 20 mg
Helps to maintain the immune system
- Adult and Children > 6 years old :
1 - 3 times daily, 1 measuring spoon (5 mL)
- Children 2-6 years old:
1 - 2 times daily, 1 measuring spoon (5 mL)
Box, 1 bottle @ 60 mL
Each 5 mL syrup contains :
- Zingiber officinale extract 200 mg
- Cinnamomum burmannii extract 250 mg
- Citrus aurantifolia extract 250 mg
- Echinacea purpurea extract 150 mg
- Adhatoda vasica extract 62.5 mg
- Thymi extract 600 mg
- Licorice extract 1000 mg
- Oleum menthae piperitae 50 mg
- Help to relieve coughs due to colds and flu - Effective as secretolytic,spasmolytic and antitussive in respiratory tract diseases, such as bronchitis
- Adult:
3-4 times daily, 1 measuring spoon (5 mL)
- Children :
3 times daily, 1/2 measuring spoon (2,5 mL)
Box, 1 bottle @ 60 mL
PT Natura Laboratoria Prima has been developing herbal medicinal products which have efficacy and safety to treat many diseases such as liver disorders, indigestion, skin disorders like acne, immunity, etc. One of our key product Acnezol is very effective in treating acne. Acnezol contains xanthorrizol which is isolated from Curcuma xanthorrizae. Xanthorrizol in Acnezol is very effective againts microbes and inhibits the growth of some bacterias which are known to cause acne. Based on the results of research done by Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia in 2011-2012 proves that xanthorrizol (Bioactive Substance in Acnezol) is effective for killing Staphylococcus aureus and propionibacterium acne bacterias with Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of 1%
Natursif Syrup, which is another key product from PT. Natura Laboratoria Prima helps in relieving cough with phlegm or thins phlegm, relieves cough and cold symptoms, reduce the symptoms of chronic bronchitis and bronchial asthma and helps in reducing bloating and nausea that often accompanies coughing. Natursif contains various herbal extracts (extract of Zingiber officinalle, extract of Cinnamomum burmanii, extract of Citrus aurantifolia, extract of Echinacea purpurea, extract of Adhatoda vasica, extract of Thymi, extract of Licorice), and Oleum menthae piperitae
Echinatur : Another main product of PT. Natura Laboratoria Prima is very useful to help maintain and increase immune system from various diseases because it contains Echinacea angustifolia extract which has antiviral activity to protect cells from lethal viral infection and Phyllanthus niruri extract which contains quercetin (flavonoid substance) that inhibits the synthesis of histamine which is an important mediator in allergic dermatitis |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22612 | Search Only:
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... Spanish Parliament], the function of receiving the proposals for legislative acts by the EU and transferring them to the regional parliaments in order for the latter to issue, in a brief period of four ... |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22632 | Select the search type
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DNNArticle - View
Created by Administrator Account in 10/18/2009 1:02:26 PM
...Do you have this surname of Borczak and if anyone has the family tree already done that I could look at. I believe my great grandfather was in the Polish Army in France Recruitment Records.
Borczak is not an extremely common name in Poland. As of 1990 there were some 165 Poles by that name, living all over but with the largest numbers in the provinces of Krakow (38), Olsztyn (20), and Wloclawek (25). The basic root from which the name derives is bor-, meaning "battle, fight," especially as seen in ancient compound Polish names such as Borzyslaw (renowned fighter) and Bolebor (more battle). This name could originate in many ways, but perhaps the most likely is that a fellow bore a shortened form of those names, such as Borek, and then his son was referred to as Borczak, Borek's son.
I have no files on any families and do not do genealogical research, so I'm afraid I can't help you with your family tree. I hope this information is some help to you, and I wish you the best of luck with your research!
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22649 |
Humanism in an age of globalisation
Dipesh Chakrabarty, 2006
Extended version of the talk held at the Centre de Cultura Contemporà nia de Barcelona on 6th October 2006, as part of the «Translating the World from Africa» debate.
As we leave the shores of the 20th century to move into the uncharted waters of the 21st, we look behind to take our bearings for the future. Is there a way of summing up our immediate past? Is there any one problem that defines the 20th century? Of course, a century is a long span of time marked by many different developments. Yet certain problems sometimes come to the fore. We can think of the European 18th century as a global period that saw Holland, France and Britain replace Spain and Portugal as founders of modern empires, and as a period of Enlightenment that upheld powerfully an abstract idea of the human equality. It was also, ironically, a period that overlooked the problem of slavery and the question of discrimination against women. The 19th century — some very important critics (among whom we have to count Nietzsche) notwithstanding — concluded on a high note of progress, leaving to the peoples of less industrialized and colonized nations the legacies of Marxism and liberalism as the two greatest gifts of European political thought. How would one see the global history of the 20th century? From what developments of the 20th century shall we derive our resources to deal with the future?
There could no doubt be more than one answer to this question. Let me begin with one that we have already been given, for this is an answer that bears significantly on the theme of this short essay: humanism in an age of globalization. «The problem of the 20th century», wrote the great African-American thinker W. E. B. Du Bois peering into the future just as the century began, «is the problem of the color-line.»1 Du Bois was right. The line ran right through the colonial divide in the first 50 or 60 years (or longer in the case of South Africa) of the century and through the lives of those whose ancestors had lived through Atlantic systems of slavery. In Du Bois' words, the color-line concerned «the relation of the darker to the lighter races of men in Asia and Africa, in America and the islands of the sea».2 The same line also divided the indigenous peoples from their white settler-colonial rulers and, as we know, assumed a vicious form in the biological racism of the Nazis. Even when it did not assume the menacingly virulent form of the Nazi imagination, biological racism or varieties of social Darwinism underpinned administrative policies in European colonies. There were, of course, contrary and antiimperial voices in Europe — Sankar Muthu's recent book on the Enlightenment comes to mind — but they usually did not set the tone of policy as European empires consolidated themselves. 3
Du Bois, however, also pointed to a more positive side of the color-line. He said that «the characteristic of our age» was «the contact of European civilization with the world's underdeveloped peoples». It was true that much of this contact, as he put it, was «not pleasant to look back upon.… War, murder, slavery, extermination, and debauchery, — this has again and again been the result of carrying civilization and the blessed gospel to the isles of the sea and the heathen without the law».4 But the very fact of close contact between Europeans and others in large numbers and in everyday life also opened new human opportunities that, Du Bois hoped, would be taken up by leaders in the 20th century.5 To overcome the color-line and preserve for humanity all that was good, beautiful, and true is how Du Bois posed the task for his time. One can look on Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela as men who embodied, howsoever partially, the 20th century's realization of Du Bois' dream.
Our times are different. While «racism» as an ideological belief in a hierarchy of biological races has lost its coherence and has very few followers today, the word is still used to denote the multitude of ways in which human beings are inferiorized, marginalized, demeaned, excluded and de-humanized on the basis of the way they look or on the basis of a devalorization of their group identity. As the philosopher Étienne Balibar has put it: on the one hand «racism» no longer really exists and on the other, never has there been more racism. It is not surprising, as Professor Balibar explained in a recent lecture he gave at the University of Chicago, that the riots of November 2005 by the youth of north-African descent in the suburbs of Paris had something to do with forms of policing and administration that were copied directly from France's colonial practices.6
Let me repeat a point Balibar has made on several occasions. 7 We live in a world that is post-colonial in two senses. We have all been profoundly affected by the waves of decolonization that shook the latter half of the 20th century. And increasingly movements of people in large numbers across the world — mainly from the South to the North — ensure that most developed countries today have significant numbers of people from parts of the world previously colonized by European powers. The question of what to do with cultural and historical differences between human groups — to which what is called racism is merely a default response — only becomes more insistent as we enter a post-colonial world in which more people move around from one place to another as migrants — legal or illegal, skilled or unskilled, — as refugees, and even as businessmen; a world in which multinational and global or regional agencies, whether private or governmental, supplement the nation-state; an age in which even the phenomenon of so-called terrorism cannot but be a multicultural and multinational enterprise. Given what the United Nations project to be the world's population growth in the next 50 years — a one-and-a-half-times increase to nine billion is their median projection — and the ageing populations of the richer countries, one can safely predict that the next few decades will see further large-scale population movements in the world from the South to the North.
This is the globalized world we are beginning to inhabit: connected, fluvial, and «flat», as the Indian software entrepreneur Nandan Nilekeni put it.8 On the one hand, as globalization theorists have often said, this is an exciting world full of human possibilities as we increasingly come into contact with people who are not like ourselves. It should promote an ethos of cosmopolitanism throughout the world, whether officially so-called or not. This could be a world that actually promoted more human toleration and understanding by generating identifications that challenged and crossed national boundaries. On the other hand, the presence of cultural differences could also produce more prejudice and fear. One powerful version of this fear that has acquired some notoriety is, of course, Huntington's thesis about the clash of civilizations. Another has been the fear of refugees and immigrants (legal and illegal) in many countries of the Western democracies. Governments have never officially subscribed to the Huntington thesis, with even President Bush acknowledging that civilizations, including the Islamic one, are always internally plural and contradictory. But it is clear that as Western governments necessarily become more security-minded in the fight against ill-defined and seemingly interminable forces of terror, they adopt «emergency» measures that both undercut civil liberties and are deployed, at the same time, to control immigration as well. But, given the nature of modern «terrorism», this is an emergency with no end in sight!
When Hannah Arendt wrote The Human Condition in the late 1950s, she did so, as she put it, from «the vantage point of our newest experiences and our most recent fears».9 Globalization, I submit, has been simultaneously the site of our «newest experiences and our most recent fears» about fellow human beings. It is therefore all the more urgent that we devote our collective attention to questions of humanism and to how to think about, and relate to — and converse across — our cultural and historical differences. Globalization often appears as a «blind force» in people's lives making them a «victim» of it. Yet, if we are to participate, however vicariously, in some sense of having agency over its processes, we need to be able to spell out visions of humanity that propel such a movement. Questions abound. Will globalization lead to one global culture that the media will both mold and sell? Will globalization mean that all our claims to cultural differences will survive only if we can make such differences into marketable commodities so that «local» becomes merely an inflection of global capitalism? Or will globalization lead to the emergence of a universal humanism that is enriched by numerous particulars? The time has come for the world to produce a new charter of humanism.
The past is a resource in addressing our concerns. There have been multiple moments in human history when human beings have desired togetherness without any element of domination. I want to begin by suggesting that one exemplary archive of such thought would be the writings of anti-colonial and anti-imperial thinkers of the 20th century. These were people deeply engaged with the traditions that made Europe modern and who yet knew firsthand the exclusionary tendencies of the humanism that European colonizers preached to the colonized. These thinkers felt compelled to consider afresh the problem of being human and to reflect on the need for a new kind of humanist charter as part of their effort to build a world in which the domination of humans by humans would be finished for once and for all. This was utopian thought to be sure — I am enough of a Nietzschean to grant the will to power that animates human existence in everyday life — but a utopian thought that was badly needed. For there could not be any modern anti-colonial movements without utopian dreams of a world without domination; it is such utopia that one hurled at the face of one's enemy, the colonial masters. Anti-colonial thought is utopian also because no ex-colonial nation, on independence, has ever kept the promise it made with itself while fighting the indignity of colonial rule. Post-colonial states and nations have often repeated the sins of colonial rule with respect to their own populations.10 But that does not make anti-colonial and utopian humanism any less valuable as an archive for us to mine as we face our own times.
My case in point is the anti-colonial humanism of Frantz Fanon whose 81st birthday (20 July) we passed this year. Utopian thought is unrealizable by definition. In that sense it fails. Fanon's thoughts are interesting because his is a rich and instructive case of failure. Fanon, who was born in Martinique in 1925 and who died in a Washington hospital in the United States in 1961, was a product and prisoner of European thought. Indeed, it is impossible to think of his works without reference to the Parisian milieu of Marxism, existentialism, and psychiatry of the 1940s, and the 50s. But he was also someone who burned with a spirit of rebellion against the way European colonial rule and its attendant racism showed up what was problematic in the colonizing humanism of Europeans. As he declaimed, angrily and with some rhetorical liberties, asking for a new beginning to human history: «Leave this Europe where they are never done talking of man, yet murder men everywhere they find them.»11 But where would one go, leaving «this» Europe? Not back to a blackness as had been proclaimed by Fanon's mentors such as Leopold Sédar Senghor (1906-2001), the Senegalese poet and intellectual and later president of the country, and Aimé Césaire (1913- ), both of them among the foremost creators of the Negritude movement in Paris in the 1930s and the 40s. That option would not work for Fanon and we will soon see why. For him, there was nowhere to go but to create a new beginning with European thought outside of Europe, to rescue from Europeans their heritage of the abstract humanism of the Enlightenment — the human who is the subject of the idea of human rights as spelled out at the end of the 18th century — and make that everybody's heritage everywhere. Fanon was never a nationalist and never failed to acknowledge what one owed to Europe: «All the elements of a solution to the great problems of humanity have, at different times, existed in European thought.» The problem was that the «action of European men has not carried out the mission which fell to them».12 America was no alternative model either, for its institution of slavery mocked at every step its loyalty to the values of the Enlightenment.13
Hence the option before the Third World — for Fanon wrote at a time when this concept still held ground — could be not that of catching up with Europe or becoming like America (i.e. modernization programs). The choice, according to Fanon, was profoundly new and yet in a deep sense connected to Europe:
Let us create the whole man, whom Europe has been incapable of bringing to triumphant birth.… No, there is no question of return to Nature. It is simply a concrete question of not dragging men toward mutilation…. No, we do not want to catch up with anyone. What we want to do is to go forward all the time, night and day, in the company of Man, in the company of all men.... It is a question of the Third World starting a new history of Man, a history which will have regard to the sometimes prodigious theses which Europe has put forward, but which will also not forget Europe's crimes, of which the most horrible was committed in the heart of man…14
The target of Fanon's new universalism was not merely the failed application of universalist thought by European colonists.15 Fanon was disagreeing with his mentors as well — Césaire and Senghor. Both Senghor and Césaire — deeply immersed in Parisian debates to do with Hegel and dialectics, Heidegger and existentialism, Breton and surrealism — rejected the French republican and universalist version of colonial humanism.
The French granted colonized people French nationality without the full citizenship that they advocated only for a tiny native elite, depending on their perceived stage of evolution, as Gary Wilder has shown in a recent book on French cultural policies in their colonial territories.16 This was a humanism that belittled the colonized. Senghor and Césaire were right to reject it. Instead, they used their poetic gifts and their affiliations with black literature coming out of the African-American diaspora, with existentialism, French and German colonial ethnography, surrealism, and Marxism to develop a poetic diction that emphasized their refusal to be assimilated into French universalist ideas. They wanted to explore, creatively, different dimensions of their blackness and African roots. It was as if they declared a war of the particular against the universal. The result was the famous Negritude movement that both invigorated and disturbed many Black intellectuals later, including Fanon and Wole Soyinka, who once famously asked, in criticism, «Does the Tiger need to display its Tigritude?»
There has been much written on the works of Negritude writers and on Senghor and Césaire specifically and I do not intend to revisit that literature here. What is of interest to me is the fact that this war of the particular against the universal was actually not anti-universal in itself. Césaire and Senghor were definitely trying to resist the French imperial attempt to assimilate them into a Frenchness that for the colonized could only be an instrument of exclusion and oppression. They would therefore — and by way of claiming their roots — seek to introduce into their works images and sounds of an Africa they expressed nostalgia for: the Africa of sensuality, of nights where the tom-tom beat out its rhythms to the «music of Koras and the Balaphon», and of villages that did not aim to expand, occupy, and civilize the land of others. As Senghor wrote in one of his poems:
At the bend in the road the river, blue by the cool September meadows. A paradise protecting from fever a child who eyes are bright like two Swords Paradise my African childhood, protecting innocence from Europe.17
Or consider these lines from Césaire famous Notes on the Return to One's Land of Birth — immortal monuments to anti-colonial criticism of the Europe that saw in its worldly power to subjugate others the proof its «superior» civilization:
Eia for those who have never invented anything for those who never explored anything for those who never conquered anything but yield, captivated to the essence of all things ignorant of surfaces but captivated by the motion of all things indifferent to conquering, but playing the game of the world.18
This turning back to Africa or blackness was something Fanon could never accept.19 For one thing, he thought that the Negritude movement papered over all that divided the African from African or the African from the African-American or the African-American from the black people of the Antilles.20 But more to the point, he believed that the black peoples of colonial Africa and even those of America and the Caribbean islands had had their pasts so changed by the colonial impact that there was no way of returning to a precolonial past escaping Europeans' representations of it.21 There was nothing to be found in claiming the color-line for oneself: «The Negro problem does not resolve itself into the problem of Negroes living among white men but rather of Negroes exploited, enslaved, despised by a colonialist, capitalist society that is only accidentally white.»22 Or as he put it differently in the same text: «The discovery of the existence of a Negro civilization in the 15th century confers no patent of humanity on me. Like it or not, the past can in no way guide me in the present moment.»23
Fanon's description of Negritude poetry as a «will to particularism » was at the very least a misreading of what Césaire and Senghor and their comrades intended to achieve. It is true, as Fanon charged, that Senghor or Césaire owed their romanticism of Africa to the sympathies of colonial ethnography. The German Africanist and ethnologist Leo Frobenius, whose books were quickly translated into French, had a great influence of Senghor.24 Fanon was right in one respect: the past Senghor and Césaire related to was already a creation of European Africanists. But where Fanon misread the intention of Senghor and Césaire was in not recognizing that they also were looking for a universal humanism through a different path. As Senghor once put it: «to be nègre is to recover what is human beneath the rust of what is artificial and of "human conventions".»25 A lecture Senghor gave at the Dakar Chamber of Commerce on September 8, 1937 sought to demonstrate «that universal humanism, when pushed to its logical limit, necessarily leads to a spatio-temporally specific cultural humanism ».26 And he was clear that he was not looking for any «authentic African culture»: «Our milieu is no longer West Africa, it is also French, it is international; we should say, it is Afro-French.» Implying that «the universal human being always and only exists in culturally mediated forms», he rejected, as Wilder puts it, both «the universalizing racism of the civilizing mission and the particularizing racism of the white supremacists».27 In fact, the first volume of his collected works was called Liberté: Négritude et humanisme. He claimed that the book was a «cornerstone in the edification of the Civilization of the Universal, which will be the common work of all races, of all different civilizations…. It has been enriched by the contribution of European civilization, which it has likewise enriched.… Negritude is therefore not a racism.… In truth, Negritude is a Humanism.»28
The same could be said of Césaire whose Notes included the prayer: «preserve me from all hatred/ do not make me into that man of hatred for whom I only feel hatred/ for entrenched as I am in this unique race … that what I want is for universal hunger/ for universal thirst.»29 In an interview with René Depestre, Césaire added: «My will to be rooted is ferocious. Hegel once wrote that the universal is not the negation of the particular, because one moves toward the universal through a deepening of the particular. » And in a famous letter in 1956 to Maurice Thorez, on the occasion of the resignation of his membership of the French Communist Party, Césaire wrote: «Provincialism? Not at all. I do not enclose myself in a narrow particularism. But nor do I want to lose myself in a lifeless universalism. There are two ways to lose oneself: through walled segregation within the particular and through dilution within the universal. My conception of the universal is of a universal enriched by every particular.»30 Césaire was intensely aware of the utopian nature of his project and that is why he found in poetry an effective resolution of the universal and the particular. In opposition to Sartre and others who thought the French language could not be an effective vehicle for the expression of Africanness or blackness, Césaire said in an interview published in 1978:
I am not a prisoner of the French language. I try and have always wanted to bend French. That's why I have had a strong affection for Mallarmé, because he has shown me … that language at bottom is arbitrary. It is not a natural phenomenon… my effort has been to bend the French language, to transform it in order to express, let us say, «this self, this black, Creole, Martinican, West Indian self.» That is why I am much more interested in poetry than in prose, precisely to the extent that the poet creates his language.… I re-create a language that is not French. If the French rediscover their language in mine, well, that's their affair.31
What hurt Fanon profoundly was Sartre's gloss on Negritude in his introduction —entitled «Black Orpheus»— to Senghor's 1948 collection of Negritude poetry. Sartre described Negritude as «a temporary "racist anti-racism" that will be transcended by the dialectic of history.»32 Fanon said to his friends, «the generation of young black poets has received a blow they will not recover from.»33 That blow, one feels, shaped a lot of the argument in Black Skin, White Masks. Fanon now felt that «every hand was a losing hand». «I wanted to be typically Negro — it was no longer possible. I wanted to be white — it was a joke.»34 Sartre had made a «minor dialectic» of Negritude in the larger Hegelian schema of world transformation. The Negro's «anti-racist racism» was only a temporary phenomenon soon to be superseded by the coming of a universalhumanist consciousness: «Beyond the black-skinned men of his race it is the battle of the world proletariat that is his song.»35 Fanon decided that the only way open to him was to struggle for a completely new universal, not as a black man — for he only happened to be black, — and not even as a historical man descended from slaves («I am not the slave of the Slavery that dehumanized my ancestors»). «The Negro is not.» he wrote, putting a deliberate full-stop there in the sentence and then continuing, «Any more than the white man is.» «There is no Negro mission; there is no white burden.»36 What there was, was the Enlightenment mission of valuing the abstract human being of human rights, someone who is entitled to our civility long before we have in any way placed him or her in any historical or social context.37 But this was precisely the mission that the white man, self-absorbed in his arrogant sense of supremacy, was not able to carry out. How would the oppressed man of color keep that pledge to the Enlightenment? This is where Fanon mobilized the rhetorical power of the figure of redemptive violence and called for an act of complete volition by which, at one stroke, to leap out of history.38
That debate within and about Negritude is one of my 20thcentury archives as I think of humanism in a post-colonial age of globalization. When I read about Fanon and Césaire and Senghor's restless spirit in their struggle against the colonizing humanism of the ruling race they encountered, and I reconsider my own Indian background — and my background in Indian history — I realize that colonial rule was not the same everywhere, nor were the compulsions of the racedynamic the same. A Gandhi or a Tagore or a Nehru — the three most universalist and yet profoundly Indian anti-colonial thinkers I can recall immediately — never theorized race with the intensity of Negritude writers or writers in the African- American diaspora. It was not that Indians did not come across incidents of unpleasant and extreme British arrogance. But in their experience of colonial rule, racism remained episodic rather than something constitutive of colonial relations of power.
It may be said against my invocation of the familiar names of Fanon, Césaire, or Senghor that they in turn remind us of the radicalism of the sixties, forms of utopian thinking that may appear useless in the face of a world in which capitalist globalization and domination seem inexorable. Today's tasks, it may be said, ought to be humbler and pragmatic, and not echo the seductive but powerless dreams of these anti-colonial thinkers. But what use, one might counter, is a pragmatism the logic of which amounts to simple capitulation to the very forces one once set out to fight? Should not one instead try and develop pragmatisms that rework and recall — in however fragmented and practical a manner — the idealisms of the past that once sought to change the world, lock, stock, and barrel? Let me give a concrete example of this phenomenon from post-colonial writing. Salman Rushdie's subversion of the English language from within may seem pragmatic and practical without being driven by a revolutionary or totalizing intent. But can one deny that it stands on the shoulders of the efforts of anti-colonial writers such as Césaire whose desire to «bend French» arose out of a desire for total anti-colonial autonomy?
That is why I think that there are general lessons for all of us in the stories I have recounted here. We have three positions on humanism here. Firstly, that of Sartre's in his «Black Orpheus» where he wanted to say that the Negritude emphasis on blackness and race — on the particular, say — was a temporary recourse to anti-racist racism, soon to be sublated into a superior term of history's dialectic, universal proletarian consciousness. Fanon's biographer, David Macey, has pointed out what was problematic about this position: «Sartre falls into a trap of his own making, and he describes that very trap in his Réflexions when speaks of the "democrat's" inability to recognize the Jew in the assertion of his Jewishness and in his insistence on the need to see him as a universal.»39 Then there was Frantz Fanon's position that called for an entirely new historical stab at Enlightenment humanism, except that it was the task now belonged to anti-colonial people of color. But the creation of this universal called for something like a violent action of the will, akin to jumping out of one's own skin. It has never been realized in the world and cannot be, for its extreme and deliberate inattention to history. It is a program for violence that implodes from within.40
We are left with Césaire's or Senghor's positions that do look for a path to universal humanism but a universal that will never be able to fold completely into itself — and thereby subsume in a Hegelian way — any particular that enriches it. The Jew will be allowed his assertion of Jewishness as will the Muslim his Muslimness, so long as the assertion of the particular does not aim to destroy the universal. What this calls for is a deeper appreciation of historicity. Let me explain what I mean by that expression. To do that, I need to introduce here, briefly, a distinction I make between «rootedness» and «dwelling».
Recall Césaire: «My will to be rooted is ferocious.» I have a small quibble with Césaire. I will read «dwelling» where Césaire uses the figure of «roots». I want to argue that human beings will always ferociously want to dwell but are seldom rooted. By rooted I mean something like a fixed and enduring relationship of persons to places. This actually seldom happens, for human beings move, if not in one or two generations then in three or four or more. When Lady Diana died and the BBC commentator said she would be buried in the grounds of the mansion where the family had lived for hundreds of years — I think he said five hundred — I asked a class of mine how many of them belonged to families that had lived in the same building for hundreds of years. None, for human beings move. Being rooted to one place is a very special privilege most of us cannot afford to enjoy. Yet, when human beings move, they almost never move to places where no humans have been before them. And they have to learn from their predecessors in these places how to live — that is, dwell — in those habitations. To dwell is, then, to recognize that wherever we are, there have been other humans there before us and they have left traces — in material and immaterial cultural practices — of suggestions of how to be human in that place. Dwelling is how humans recognize historicity, the fact that we never live in places that have not been inhabited before. It clearly allows for cosmopolitanism but it does not allow for universals that want either to deny (as in Fanon's case) historicity itself or want to subsume these historical particulars completely within themselves (as in Sartre's Marxist reading of Negritude).
What I am suggesting then is a middle path, a middle path between Kant and Herder, say, to bring my concluding references nearer Europe. This middle path gives us a way of thinking about the relationship between the universal and particular that may be helpful in the age of globalization. That such a middle path is theoretically viable has recently been suggested by an American Kant scholar. I refer to John H. Zammito's book, Kant, Herder, and the Birth of Anthropology.41 It is, of course, impossible to do justice to two very deep, complex, and foundational thinkers in the space of a few sentences. I use the names of Kant and Herder here mainly as flag-posts for two positions. Zammito points to the closeness between Herder and Kant in the 1760s — when Herder was a favorite pupil of Kant's — and to their intellectual separation 58 from the 1780s on, and asks if there were not ways of bringing them together, or at least holding on to both, in order for us to address the philosophical aspects of social enquiries of our times. In the process, he elucidates what separates the older Kant of «critical philosophy» from the later Herder. Their opposition is strongly reminiscent of the contrast between the universal and the particular with which I have been working. The «mature» Kant of Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View (1798) held to the position that «universal knowledge will always precede local knowledge as long as it is to be arranged and guided by philosophy, without which all acquired knowledge can provide nothing but fragmentary groping, and no science at all».42 Here the universal triumphs over the local, the empirical, and the particular. It reminds us of the Sartre of «Black Orpheus» or of Fanon's search for a human with no particularity stamped on him. For Herder on the other hand, as Zammito puts it, «logical abstraction, as it gained in precision, lost in content: the more universal concepts lost ever much more of the concrete richness of their subordinate instantiations ».43
You can see the opposition that I have alluded to. In resolving it, however, a younger Kant comes to our rescue. In his Announcement in 1765 of his physical geography course, Kant spelt out a position not too distant from Herder's. He said that the course would «consider man, throughout the world,… from the point of view of the variety of his natural properties» (within which Kant included «physical, moral and political geography»). «Unless these matters are considered », he wrote, «general judgments about man would scarcely be possible», and added: «[Concerning man] I shall always begin by considering historically and philosophically what happens before specifying what ought to happen.»44
In thinking about the relationship between the particular and the universal in questions of humanism today, I have stayed with the younger Kant: the universal needs to be open to the particular and be liable to serious revision under its pressure. Perhaps questions of the universal and the particular as they intensify in an age of globalization are in the end reminiscent of old problems of human reasoning. To speak with Kant again, they are perhaps questions that human reasoning can neither ignore nor answer with any degree of permanent satisfaction.45 The universal, then, functions like a hypothesis, to be constantly tested against reality. If that sounds like I want to have my contradiction and eat it too, then I will have to remind you that, as I said in the beginning, we all live in post-colonial times, and in such periods of human history we can only speak with a «double consciousness», as Du Bois taught us, or with a «forked tongue», in Salman Rushdie's powerful words.
1 Du Bois, W. E. B., «Of the Dawn of Freedom», In: The Soul of the Black Folk. New York : Penguin Books, 1989 (first published 1903), p. 13.
2 Ibid.
3 Muthu, SankarEnlightenment against Empire, Princeton (NJ): Princeton University Press, 2003.
4 Du Bois, W. E. B., «Of the Sons of Master and Man», op. cit., p. 133.
5 Ibid., p. 134.
6 Balibar, Étienne, lecture given at the University of Chicago in spring 2006.
7 Balibar, Étienne, «Europe: Provincial, Common, Universal», unpublished paper presented at the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes Annual Meeting, 17-18 June 2005, University of Utrecht; Balibar, Étienne, «Europe: An Unimagined Frontier of Democracy», In: Diacritics, fallwinter 2003, p. 37-44.
8 Friedman, Thomas L., The World is Flat: A Brief History of the 21st Century. New York: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2006, p. 4-8.
9 Arendt, Hannah, The Human Condition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1998 (first published 1958), p. 5.
10 See my «introduction» to Chakrabarty, Dipesh, Majumdar, Rochona and Sartori, Andrew (eds.). From the Colonial to the Post-Colonial: India and Pakistan in Transition, New Dehli: Oxford University Press, 2007.
11 Fanon, Frantz. The Wretched of the Earth, New York: Grove Press, 2005, p. 311.
12 Ibid., p. 314.
13 Ibid., p. 313.
14 Ibid., p. 313-315.
15 See the excellent discussion in Wilder, Gary, The French Imperial Nation-State: Negritude and Colonial Humanism, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005, part 2.
16 Ibid., p. 133-135 and 143. 17 Leopold Sédar Senghor cited in Mehta, Linn Cary, «Poetry and Decolonization: Tagore, Yeats, Senghor, Césaire, and Neruda, 1914-1950», PhD dissertation. New York : Columbia University, 2004, p. 326.
18 Césaire, Aimé, Cahier d'un retour au pays natal (1939, begun 1936) cited in Wilder, Gary, op. cit., p. 287-288. 19 Fanon, Frantz. The Wretched of the Earth, op. cit., p. 239. 20 Ibid., the chapter on «National Culture».
21 Ibid., p. 210. 22 Fanon, Frantz. Black Skin, White Masks, translated by Charles Lam Markmann. London: Paladin, 1970 (first published 1952), p. 144.
23 Ibid., p. 160. 24 Cited in Mehta, Linn Cary, op. cit., p. 301. 25 Leopold Sédar Senghor cited in Wilder, Gary, op. cit., pp. 188-189. 26 Ibid., p. 235.
27 Ibid., p. 241.
28 Ibid., p. 250.
29 Ibid., p. 288.
30 Ibid., p. 290.
31 See Non-vicious Circle: 20 Poems of Aimé Césaire, translated and introduced by Gregson Davis, Stanford (CA): Stanford University Press, 1984, p. 14.
32 Macey, David. Frantz Fanon: A Biography. New York : Picador, 2000, p. 187.
33 Fanon, Frantz, Black Skin, White Masks, op. cit., p. 94.
34 Ibid., pp. 93-94.
35 Jean-Paul Sartre quoted in ibid., p. 94.
36 Ibid., p. 163-165.
37 Julia Kristeva's discussion of the French declaration of civil and human rights in Strangers to Ourselves, translated by Leon Roudiez, New York: Columbia University Press, 1991.
38 Fanon, Frantz. Black Skin, White Masks, op. cit., p. 164-165.
39 Macey, David, op. cit., p. 187. Macey explains that by «democrat» Sartre meant «wooly liberal».
40 None of this, however, denies the poetic appeal of Sartre's or Fanon's universals or their capacity to seem apt in certain specific circumstances.
41 Zammito, John H., Kant, Herder, and the Birth of Anthropology, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2002.
42 Ibid., p. 301.
43 Ibid., p. 319.
44 Ibid., p. 293-294.
45 Ibid., p. 280.
I am grateful to Jörn Rüsen for the original invitation to write this paper for a conference on «Der Humanismus in der Epoche der Globalisierung» at the Kulturwissenschafliches Institut in Essen, 6-8 July 2006. |
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Small Business Marketing Minute
Jan 17, 2016
On today's episode of the podcast, my guest is Alex Berman from The tactic Alex and I discuss today is definitely not for everyone, and if it has any chance of working it must be done using the formula that Alex suggests, but in certain situations and industries it can be a good lead generation tactic. The tactic in question is cold emailing--i.e., sending emails to people who don't know you, like you, or trust you, and have never even heard of you.
Listen to the episode to find out exactly what you need to say in your emails to make this tactic work. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22677 | How To Precisely Hang Pictures
This weekend I was happily surprised to find my art above the piano as an example on Apartment Therapy among other amazing designers and bloggers.
What makes this art work stand out is that we put it on a symmetrical grid pattern with identical frames. The method is not new and designers use this way of hanging art since it can be elegant and cover a large space. Putting these botanical prints together didn't cost me very much money either, since I found the frames on clearance.
One reader asked how to precisely hang pictures and I thought it would be worth explaining how we hang pictures. Here's her question: "as it turns out, I know how to lay out a grid, and I can use tape or pencil to mark where I want the top and bottom of the frames to go. The problem is I don't know where to PRECISELY position the nail. With a wire hanger: where? a few millimeters makes a big difference. With a tooth-thingy: where? With a ring, where?"
So I went to my trusty professional picture hanger- my hubby, and he helped me explain how to accurately hang pictures. Here you go:
If you know where the top-center of your picture needs to be, the only real trick is knowing the vertical distance from the top of the frame to where the nail needs to go. I've learned (from sad experience!) that even if multiple frames are bought at the same store, they never hang the same way. Sometimes the picture wire is longer or shorter or the attachment points are different. This means you’ll need to measure each frame separately.
Hang the frame in air by the picture hook (or nail) to see how it will hang on the wall. The goal is to get the distance from the top of the frame to where the nail will hit the wall when the frame wire is taut.
In this case, the distance is 1 15/16" down from the top of the frame. Measure down from the top-center mark on your wall by that distance and mark that location. This is where you nail is going to go.
Since the picture hanging hooks have the nail at an angle to the wall, it can sometimes be difficult to get the nail to enter the wall at the exact mark at the exact angle for the picture hook. Here's what I do to get around that.
Tap the nail straight into the wall a little bit (about 1/16") to make a hole. Then, put the picture hook against the wall with the nail tip resting inside of the hole you just made and hammer away. Essentially, the nail hole is the guide for where the nail needs to enter the wall. The picture hook helps you define the angle of the nail.
Even if you are really careful, sometimes your picture is just a smidge low. If this is the case, I wrap the picture hook with a bit of duct tape to raise the height a little bit. That way I don't need to add another hole!
When hanging pictures, especially with a single D-ring or "toothy-thingy", even if you get the vertical height exactly right, the frames sometimes tilt or easily move around which scratches up your walls. This is usually because the attachment points aren't in the exact center of the frame. To help with this you, can add adhesive rubber bumpers (like what you have on kitchen cabinet doors) to the lower corners on the back of the frame. This adds a bit of traction between the frame and wall and your pictures won't move around as much.
You can find these at any hardware store and they cost pennies. I hope this helps!
1. wow, I never even thought about those rubber-thingies- I'm going to get those ASAP b/c I have a ton of crooked pictures in my house. Thanks for the tips! Also, congrats on Apartment Therapy!
2. I love this room! I have the same piano and want to mimic this room in my house. What is the paint color. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22678 | Rizzo Lab Downloads
From Rizzo_Lab
Revision as of 14:20, 19 May 2010 by Sudipto (talk | contribs)
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SB2010 Docking Database [2010.05.19 Initial Release]
Resource Filename
Receptors, Ligands and Spheres SB2010.05.19_rec.lig.sph.tar.gz
Energy and Bump Grids To be released
Alternate Ligand Charge Models To be released
Aligned Protein Families To be released
DOCK Sample Inputs RGD FAD FLX
Flexibility Subset Lists 7orless 8to15 15+
Please contact Sudipto.email.png if you face any problems. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22688 | Free astrology numerology readings 4 u
Name number is very important for a person to be accepted socially, which makes name numerology popular. Important Note: Name number depends upon day number and life number and there must be good relation among them. If in good harmony with day and life number, it can help in brining name and fame.
Number 3 gives stability but it makes people struggle a lot to rise in their career.
This number needs to be used carefully as a name number as the result can be negative as well. Suitable in the field of art and literature: This number is one of the best number for someone in the field of art and literature. Name Number 8 is the only number other than Number 4 which should be avoided as a Name Number. Hard and unrelenting, unemotional and materialistic, blunt and mean especially the number 1 women. Coldness, envy, jealousy, haste, shyness, double mindedness, whimsical, vacillating, mean, petty, feminine traits in the man, hasty.
Too critical, meticulous, pettiness and nagging tendencies especially in the women, self righteous, cruelty, dictatorship, hypocrisy, spendthrift, egotist and vain, false pride and a boastful nature. Planet: Uranus, the first solid material number, property, real estate, possessions, materialism, realization, credibility, position, universally motivated rather than personally, has luck, critical insight and adroitness and drives a good bargain. Changeable, slow moving, slow approaching, causing delays, dominating, stubborn, vindictive, highly jealous and possessive of their partners to the extent of falsely doubting their loyalty.
Lack of perseverance and persistence, Sceptical, unreliable, unpredictable, rash and impulsive, too many iron rods in the fire, lacks precision and focussed planning, vacillates and is indecisive about all matters.
Planet: Venus, Love, Harmony, Peace, Marriage, Beauty and Luxury. No foresight and future planning, living in the now, trusting blindly, timid where action is called for, shy, moody, not methodical, infidel and unreliable with a weakness for the opposite sex but more on the romantic plane than the gross material.
Whimsical, despondent, restless, prone to give in to unfounded and unjustified fears, Not such strong bodies, more on the tall, fair and lean side, Stubborn as mules, aggressive, impractical, weak in money matters, no proper financial provisions for the future, over sensitive, emotional and more unhappy than happy most of the time. Death, negation,, decay, delays, hardships, retardation, loss, extinction, late rewards and lack of stability.
Strife, infidelity, deceitful, despondent, presumptuous, destructive, erratic, fiery tempered, unreasonable, dominating, quarrelsome and impatient. 1 to 9 are single numbers and are called, 'Principal' or 'Root' or 'Single' numbers. The Double or Compound numbers reveal the hidden influences that play a silent role behind the scenes. As The Great Master, Count Louis alias Cheiro has explained, when one passes the Root or Single numbers, a greater symbolism of numbers commences and continues till 5 times 9 is reached. All numbers 10 onwards are compound numbers, for example, number 11, has its Root, Fadic or Single number 2. A famous tale is that the first of the five mythical emperors of China, Wu of Hsai, was working on the banks of the Yellow River trying to find a method to prevent the floods. It was during the course of this work that Wu found a tortoise shell, which at the time was considered to be a very good omen.
Over time chinese numerology evolved into three different systems that are being used today.
A 'lucky number' is a number which is based on chinese words that sound similar to other Chinese words. Number '4' and number '13' are an 'unlucky number' according to the principles of Chinese numerology.
The following chart will help you to understand the personality traits associated with each person. If all the three numbers dona€™t have compatibility with each other than a person may face problems in life. It is one of the best name numbers possible in Numerology be it, 14, 23, 32, 41, 50 or 59. Number 9 is the best number for people in sports as it gives a lot of energy to the native.
Your date of birth reveals your Life Path, lessons to be learned, path to take and goals in life. Originality, dynamisms, the beginning, egotism, self reliance, positivism, power, distinction, potent energy urges, determination, tenaciousness of purpose, pride, ambition, intention, quick grasping power, complete and quick recovery after even the most serious of illnesses.
Increase, intelligence, capable, expansive, travel, trade, judgemental, wealth, riches, power, luxuries and enriched mental faculties. Have good livers, are contended souls with well-formed strong physiques and mentality. Sometimes like sloth bears, unkempt and badly dressed, luxury loving without having the desire to work for it and earn it, inertia, over passivity, doubtful and unbelieving, pig headed with little or no interest in the spiritual side of life. Has reason, logic, speech, ethics, born traveller, commerce, trade, utility, gambling and speculation is a great weakness and they will bet on the number plate of passing cars as well. Have co-operation, relationship, matrimony, reciprocity, sympathy, humanity, Sensuality and pleasure seeking. Is prone to accidents from natural as well as unnatural calamities. All numbers beyond these 9 become 'Double' or 'Compound' numbers also known as 'Spiritual' numbers.
Being a number 2 under the influence of the Moon, this number is composed of two 1's and hence the effect of the Sun, whose number is 1, has to be considered.
This shell, however, was extremely rare, unique and special because it had fascinating markings on it: a magic 3x3 square.
The 'Lo Shu Grid' is particularly remarkable because every row, column and diagonal on the grid add up to the number '15'.
There is the Western version of chinese numerology, the traditional chinese numerology and the Ki system. The numbers '6', '8', and '9'' are believed to have auspicious meanings because their names sound similar to words that have positive meanings. It is believed that a Chinese emperor saw a tortoise shell with a perfect grid of 9 squares with markings on it.
One must remember that the number zero is not used in Chinese numerology, only numbers from 1 - 9 are used. With your date of birth you can know the exact benefits than with your name (we can change the name but not birth date).
Also it is very important for one to have a good name number to get permanent success.
There are some successful people with Number 8 as their name number but there is something common seen among most of them that they have a very strong Saturn placed in their horoscopes. People with day or life number as 9 should avoid 9 as a name number as it makes any person accident prone.
Your date of birth also shows the cycles and challenges to overcome at different stages of your life.
Has mental refinement, faultless judgement, originality, independent thought, master organizer, always well dressed, especially the number 3 women, thoroughness, orthodoxy, conventionality and conscientiousness.
Home lovers, loyal to families, love of children and responsible for their families. Make good wives as well as mothers and sensual lovers, good home keepers and companions. Has activity, courage, enthusiasm energy, and sensuality and high drives. Will have at least one surgery in a lifetime and should avoid alcohol and drugs. Here the mystic and spiritual number 7 is brought into operation and added to 45, making it 52.
The element that makes a number 'good' or 'bad' is the punning and word play possible in this many-tone language. For example: Number '8' is a lucky number because it sounds like the 'prosperous' (in Cantonese language). Therefore, according the Feng Shui, words with similar sounds make a number lucky or unlucky. Although it looks very complex on first sight, it is quite simple to calculate your personality traits. I have seen that even though the day and the life number is good, the success does not remain permanent without a good name number and everything earned is lost in some way or another.
There are many name numbers in every series as written below but it differs on the basis of best name number whatever suits for an individual because for example: if name number 46 is best for a person then it may be worst for another person.
But mostly people having this number in their life are suggested to change at least their name number because it is impossible to change the day or life number of a person. Are methodical, reliable, energetic, active and have great endurance. Changeable, blow hot blow cold, extremists, arrogant and unpredictable. Have deep thinking and reasoning power, logic, investigation, intuitiveness, inquisitiveness, deduction, appreciation for others, loves a quiet life and is not rigid but open to convincing. Is practical, inventive, scientific, specialist, responsibility, tact, diplomacy, sound judgement and strong intuition. One should notice here that you do not have to worry much about the number '4' if the pronunciation of this number in your language does not sound similar to the word 'death'. So we design best name numbers for every individual with best numerology compatibility and also ensure its compatibility with a persona€™s astrological horoscope.
Active, restless, full of vim and grit, ambitious, wisdom, warm affections, strongest attraction for the opposite sex than any other number, interest in casual affairs, zest for life, desire to see it all and live life to the fullest. Philosophical with artistic tendencies along with lucid expressions in orating and writing, good mechanics, especially 9 women make good and efficient kitchen mechanics. This compound of 52 is once again multiplied by the mystic 7 and it produces 364, which were considered to be the ordinary days of a year in ancient times. The numbers in the grid are such that their addition in vertical, horizontal or even diagonal manner sums up to 15.
Based on the movement of the Sun through the twelve signs of the Zodiac, which takes slightly under 365 and a quarter days, one year came to be accepted as 365 days. The number 15 is the span of days between a full moon day and a new moon day, and vice versa. Therefore, a person will possess the characteristics of the numbers that are present in his birth date.
Numerology name number 15 xbox
Daily aries horoscope 2014 in urdu
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22692 | Low fat recipes casseroles lagostina,how to lose weight and tone up in 5 days,how to lose weight breastfeeding jaundice - PDF Books
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22699 | Mar 182015
What motivated RHCore?
What does RHCore do?
Let’s start with the fundamental concept.
An object-oriented programming approach
Record nodeRec = $WebNode.WebNodeUtils.NodeToWebNode(node)
Object webNode = $WebNode.WebNodes.GetItem(nodeRec.SUBTYPE)
Object cmd = webNode.cmd('open')
String url = cmd.url(request, nodeRec)
Frame node = $RHCore.RHNode.New(prgCtx, DataID)
String url = node.url(request, 'open')
Table Schemas and Data Persistence
Templates with RHTemplate
Form Lifecycle with RHForm
• fetching the initial values and passing them to the WebLingo;
• spending lots of time debugging and maintaining it; and
Generic Admin Configuration Pages
Override System
Other Utilities
• Documents can be Base64 encoded in one line of code.
• A framework is available to create custom function menus.
• A markdown processor is available to convert markdown into HTML.
• and much more…
Wrapping Up
11 Responses to “Part XV: What is RHCore?”
1. I have been involved with oScript for some time (since 1999) so I like to think I know a thing or two, but when I see the kind of stuff folks like you (and Patrick V.) do it reminds me how much further there is to go! Thank you for sharing…
• Hi John, thanks. It’s been a fun learning experience and I love the ease at which I can do things now. I met Patrick a few years ago for lunch when he was just starting his company. I like his fresh view and challenge to conventional approaches. His results have been amazing.
• Thank you very much Chris, I love your stuffThank you very much Chris, as you know, I love your work as well. Many thanks also to you John, was really nice to meet you at EW14 (you know it), and many thanks also to you John
2. Hi Chris,
I really like the forms example of actually seeing the error inline. It’s amazingly more user friendly! I am now wondering how this plays into or not with GCI’s methods for giving a customized look and feel to forms, reports, and workflow user steps. Guess, I’ll have to investigate.
Dumb question: does RHCore stand for Request Handler Core?
Really dumb question: Does Open Text ever recommend that a person use RHCore, as you have done?
Really, really dumb question: does RHCore get changed with every release of CS, you the 90 day releases? Is overriding RHCore, more of a safe bet than other overrides?
• Hi Tammy: There are no dumb questions. I’m happy to give you some more information.
These are likely very different implementations. Do the CGI Tools allow inline form validation? What’s cool about RHForm is that validation can be as complex as you need and the error will display inline. For example, in one recent project I validated the form against an online Web Service to ensure the input was correct and the error displayed inline.
Does RHCore stand for Request Handler Core?
The letters “RH” are the initials of my company Red House Consulting GmbH. I use the prefix often to minimise naming conflicts and to quickly identify my code.
I’ve received great feedback from some OpenText employees, but haven’t received a public endorsement.
RHCore doesn’t have a formal release cycle because it hasn’t been necessary yet. The code doesn’t rely too much on stuff that changes in Content Server with each release. There are a few exceptions, but I deal with them as they come (and it’s usually something small and easy to handle).
RHCore provides a few tools for overriding core code, but the best tool always depends on the situation (which usually comes from experience). But let me give you an example: I’m working with an OpenText Partner to create a complex module with many overrides. I made a point of keeping the intrusiveness of the overrides as minimal as possible (using the tools from RHCore). The result has been great: We development on CS10 and it all works on CS10.5 as well. This means having only one code stream to maintain (instead of one for CS10 and another for CS10.5), which has saved us an immense amount of time and money.
Thanks for your comment and questions! I’d be happy to show you and your team a demo if you’d be interested.
3. Like John I am forever amazed by the great capabilities of Oscript and really happy to know you and Patrick.It is a pity that Oscript did not receive its due in mainstream programming.I was trying hard to find a link a great OT guy gave me Chris Webster,I am pretty sure you all know him,but could not find it However I did find something similar in this link
To me it looks like Oscript has many many more years of useful life in this world 🙂
4. […] Meyer a Long OT veteran his website . It is un believable stuff that I have […]
5. Chris,
Thanks a lot for your today’s presentation. Two and a half hours of pure motivation – elegance and effectiveness of coding is possible in OScript even for seasonal developers like myself. If my next client will require development in OScript my answer will be – only with RHCore Framework!
Keep surprising the OT world, Chris! Your work changed the programming in OScript forever.
6. This could be a very late comment
First this is for sure a good work as it is OO approach
But there is a more efficient approach in terms of transparency to the running environments, simplicity of use / manipulation, no dependency on OTCS version, fast (no extra layers of parsing & compilation) and no extra learning.
I am suggesting here using an xml representation for the
Node and its nested/related child nodes (actually I am using this approach without using a single OScript line).
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22714 | Kids Corner
Damandeep Singh: Mr. Singh International 2009 NEWS REPORTS
He bagged the title at the grand finale of the contest held at The Khalsa College, Amritsar.
Turban Cool by KABEER SHARMA
The classic Sikh headgear's time in the sun has arrived.
A Shop Called '1469' by NEHARIKA SABHARWAL
First opened in 2005, it's a concept store selling a whole range of handicrafts and artifacts related to Sikhi and Punjabiyat.
Modern India's Culture Now Punjabi by VIR SANGHVI
Doesn't it surprise you that no matter where you go in India, people want to dance the Bhangra?
Footy in a Patka Down Under by MANPREET KAUR SINGH
My boys have patkas of every imaginable colour to complement whatever they have in their wardrobe.
Sardar Super Model Adorns GQ Magazine's Fashion Pages Courtesy: GENTLEMAN'S QUARTERLY
Having wowed Manhattan, Sundeep Singh is now making waves in Europe.
Beard and Moustache Championship
in New York City by MELENA RYZIK
A Championship custom-made, it would appear, for Sikhs! Are New York Sikhs going to make their presence felt?
Sikh to a 'T' by MANJYOT KAUR
One young fan owns tees in eight of the company's twelve designs!
Sikh Style: The Art of Daily Color-Coordination by CERNO
The dastaar has become a statement of a highly personalized balancing act. Between tradition and modernity, between declaring membership to a minority religious identity and allegiance to "the majority" culture ...
Haberdasher to Presidents, Diplomats... James Bond by LAWRENCE OSBORNE
Amid Bangkok's babel, the author finds two Sikh suit makers who rise way above the rest to give men the ultimate shopping experience: perfect fit at a laughable price.
articles 81-90 of 115 |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22720 | Saturday, July 18, 2015
Overlord Volume 5 Chapter 2
Chapter 2: Blue Roses
Part 1
Lower Fire Month (9th Month) 3rd Day, 8:02
Dressed in his white full plate armor, his sword by his side, a fully-equipped Climb stepped into the Valencia Palace.
The Valencia Palace was roughly divided into three wings, and he had just entered one of them. This was the largest of the three, where the Royal Family resided.
Unlike Climb’s dwelling place earlier, the Palace was very well-lit, collecting light from the outside in a brilliant display that seemed to make the interior sparkle.
The polished hallways were free of litter; practically spotless, in fact. The reason why Climb’s full plate armor made no sound as he walked upon it was because it had mithril and orichalcum in its construction, and it was additionally enchanted on top of that.
Along the clean and spacious hallways were the elite soldiers assigned to guard duty in the palace. They stood resplendent in their full plate armor — they were knights.
The Knights of the Empire were commoners recruited and trained into professional soldiers. In contrast, the Kingdom’s knights were usually third sons of landed nobles or others who could not otherwise inherit the family estate. However, the Crown paid them very highly, and so only first-rate swordsmen were accepted for membership. Not even nobles could sneak in through backdoor connections.
The best way to describe them would be “the King’s personal guard”.
Incidentally, Gazef’s position as Warrior-Captain was because many people opposed his knighthood, and so the King created a new appointment for him. Since then, the group of elite soldiers that he had picked and trained personally were known as Warriors.
Climb nodded slightly to them. Almost all of them returned the gesture. Only a few of them did so reluctantly; the vast majority were sincere in their courtesy. They might be nobles, but they were also men of martial spirit who were sworn to the King. Excellent warriors who devoted their lives to their King were worthy of their respect.
In contrast, Climb passed another group of people in the hallway who viewed him with open hostility.
They were the maids. Almost all of them frowned whenever they saw Climb.
Unlike regular maids, the maidservants of the Royal Palace were all noblewomen who had come here to raise their own standing. Thus, to some extent, they were of higher status than Climb. In particular, the maids who personally served the Royal Family were heiresses of high-ranking nobility. They plainly displayed their anger at having to bow and scrape before a man who was beneath a mere peasant.
It was true that Climb was lower-born than they were, so it was not hard to see why they would give him the stink-eye when Renner was not looking. Climb understood this, and he had never once gotten angry at them for that.
However, that mindset, combined with Climb’s own blank expression, made the maids think he was snubbing them and it only deepened their anger for him. Meanwhile, Climb paid that vicious cycle no heed. Or rather, it might be better to say that if he was really that careful, he ought to be able to tie off those loose ends in a better way.
Even so, Climb felt mentally fatigued after walking through this palace.
There were other members of the Royal Family in the Palace besides Renner and Ranpossa III.
As Climb saw one of those royals approach, he immediately went to the wall, his back ramrod straight, and pressed his hand to his chest in a salute.
Two people approached him. The one behind was a tall, skinny man, with a head of slicked-back blond hair.
His name was Marquis Raeven, one of the Kingdom’s Six Great Nobles.
The problem was the slightly plump man walking in front of him. His name was Zanack Valreon Igana Ryle Vaiself. He was the King’s second son, and second in line for the throne.
Zanack stopped, and his fatty-jowled face contorted.
“Oh, if it isn’t Climb. Are you going to see thart monster?”
There was only one person whom Prince Zanack referred to a monster. Climb knew that what he was about to do might well give offense to a social superior, but he simply could not let it slide.
“Your Highness. Forgive my impertinence, but Lady Renner is no monster. A gentle, compassionate and beautiful person like herself is more like the Kingdom’s treasure.”
She had solved the slave problem and proposed policies which put the common man first. If she did not qualify as a treasure, then what did? Granted, the nobles frequently obstructed her legislation and prevented most of her policies from being implemented, but Climb still knew how much she thought of the people.
This gentle woman wept before Climb whenever her populist policies were denied. What right did a useless man (Zanack) have to lecture her?
Anger flared up within Climb’s heart, and he longed to give Zanack a good punch.
They might only be half-related by blood, but they were still of the same bloodline, and he should not be saying such things. However, Climb did not allow his anger to take physical form.
Renner had once said, “My brother wants to provoke you into slandering him. I’m sure he’s trying to find an excuse to take you away from me. Climb, you must not show any weakness to my brother.”
Climb thought back to the day when he had solemnly sworn that he would never betray that forlorn look on his master’s face, she who had been abandoned even by her family.
“I never said Renner was a monster. That’s just what you’re thinking… forget it, enough with the cliched excuses. Still, to think you’d actually consider her a treasure. When she makes her proposals, does she actually think they’d be accepted? I can’t help but think that she suggests them even when she knows they’ll be rejected anyway.”
How could that be? It was impossible. This man was simply guessing wildly in his hideous jealousy.
“Your servant submits that such is not the case here.”
“Huhuhuhu… So you don’t consider that woman a monster. I don’t know if you have terrible taste or if her acting’s too good… I’d suggest you doubt her a little more.”
“How could I doubt her? Renner-sama is a treasure of the Kingdom. Of that I have no doubt.”
Everything she did was righteous. Climb could come to that conclusion because he had been watching from beside her.
“Really now, is that so? How interesting. Then, could you send that monster a message? ...Tell her that ‘while I, as her elder brother, consider you as a political tool, if you’re willing to help me, I can relieve you of your inheritance and grant you a domain on the borderlands’.”
Frustration surged up in Climb’s heart.
“...Surely you jest. I can hardly believe you would actually tell me that in a place like this, so I shall pretend that I never heard it.”
“Huhuhuhu. What a shame. Let’s go, Marquis Raeven.”
The silent man nodded from where he had been watching Climb and Zanack from the side.
Climb did not quite understand Marquis Raeven. He seemed to have drawn a clear line between himself and Climb, but he did not look at Climb the same way the other nobles did. Renner had not given Climb any special instructions about Raeven either.
“Ah, yes. Marquis Raeven agrees with me that that woman is a monster. No, it is more that we have the same vision, hence our alliance.”
“—My Prince.”
“Let me say it, Marquis Raeven. Heed my words, Climb. If you were blindly devoted to her, I wouldn’t be telling you all this. However… I feel that you’ve been deceived by that monster. That’s why I’m telling you, in good faith, about her monstrous nature.”
“My Prince, forgive my rudeness, but could you tell me in what way is Renner-sama a monster? Nobody cares more for the country and the people than she does.”
“...That’s because everything she does is a waste of effort. She moves too much for too little gain. At first, I thought she was simply inept at dealing with others. Then, while discussing the matter with Marquis Raeven, I realised that she might already have accounted for that. Once I realised that, everything fell into place. If that was really the case, then she would be a woman who, while locked up the palace, could manipulate the nobles as she desired. What is that, if not a monster?”
“Certainly you must be mistaken. Renner-sama is not that kind of person,” Climb insisted.
Her tears were most definitely genuine. Renner was a compassionate woman. Climb knew this better than anyone else, given that she had picked him up.
However, Climb’s words could not move the Prince. He smiled bitterly, and then left Climb. Marquis Raeven followed behind him.
Climb muttered to himself in the now-deserted corridor.
“Renner-sama is the kindest person in our country. My existence is proof of that. If…”
Climb swallowed the following words, but spoke them in his heart.
If Renner-sama were to rule the Kingdom, it would surely become a great nation that puts the people first.
Of course, that was an impossible dream given the reality of the succession. Even so, Climb could not abandon that idea.
Lower Fire Month (9th Month) 3rd Day, 8:11
Shortly after that, Climb arrived at his most frequently-visited room in the palace.
After checking several times to make sure nobody was around, he reached out and turned the doorknob.
Entering without knocking was an exceedingly impolite course of action. However, the owner of this room had asked him to do so. His mistress had refused to listen to his protests, no matter what he said.
In the end, Climb had given in. There was no way he could win when women’s tears flowed. Still, his mistress had permitted him several exceptions to that. For instance, there was no way he could barge in unannounced if the King was present.
That said, entering without knocking was very stressful on Climb. People who do that ought to be punished. It was only natural for him to feel stressed out when he thought about that as he opened the door.
Just as Climb was about to push it open, he heard the sounds of a heated discussion through the half-opened door.
There were two voices, both female.
One of them belonged to his mistress. Climb was still standing outside the door but she had not noticed him. That was probably because she was too excited about the discussion. That being the case, Climb did not wish to dampen her ardor. Climb stood still, listening to the discussion within the room. He felt guilty about eavesdropping, but he would feel worse if he interrupted their conversation.
“—I told you, didn’t I? People have always focused on immediate gains.”
“...The crop rotation plan you were talking about, Renner… I have no idea how that will increase yields… but how long will it take to show results?”
“About six years or so.”
“And how much money will be lost in planting other crops during these six years?”
“That would depend on the crops in question. However, assuming a normal yield is 1, I think the yield would go down to 0.8… in other words, it’s a 20% loss of revenue. However, after the sixth year, the yield will go up by 0.3 forever. I’m sure the figure will be higher if we add pastures for livestock into the mix.”
“...That does sound quite tempting, but can farmers really take a loss of 20% of their income for six whole years?”
“...I think we could have the country extend interest-free loans to compensate for the 20% loss and then ask for repayment after the yields return to normal… If the yields don’t go up, then it won’t have to be repaid, or there could be some other way. The important thing is that once the yields go up, the loans can be paid off in four years.”
“That might be hard.”
“Why is that?”
“I told you, didn’t I? People prefer to focus on immediate gains, and many people want stability. A lot of people will hesitate even if you tell them they’ll be able to get 130% of their original crops in six years.”
“I… don’t get it. It worked really well on the test field…”
“Maybe the experiment went well, but you still can’t guarantee that it’ll succeed.”
“...Well, it’s true that we didn’t foresee every possible condition while conducting the experiment, so we can’t be absolutely certain of the results. If we had to consider soil quality and the weather as well, the experiment would have become too big...:”
“That’s troubling. I don’t know if that 30% increase is a minimum figure or an average amount. Either way, it’s not very convincing. You need to guarantee profits, and that they won’t lose out in the short term.”
“How about subsidizing the 20% shortfall for the six-year period?”
“The Noble Faction would love that, because it would weaken the King’s power.”
“But, if we can guarantee a big return after six years, the Kingdom will grow stronger too, right?”
“That also means that the opposing Noble Faction will become stronger as well, while the King’s side will have 20% lower yields. The nobles of the Royal Faction won’t stand for it.”
“Then how about asking the merchants…”
“Those big traders? They have their own politics among them. If they help the Royals too readily, it might ruin their relationship with the Nobles.”
“There sure are a lot of problems… Lakyus.”
“...And they all come up because you’re not good at forward planning. Well… I do understand it’s hard to get a proposal passed when there are two huge blocs within the country… What about just implementing it under Crown territory?”
“My brothers won’t approve.”
“Ah, you mean those ret… those gentlemen who left their wisdom in their mothers’ bellies for your sake.”
“...But we don’t have the same mother.”
“Ahhhh, then they left it in the King! Still, it’s pretty bad when even the Royal Family isn’t united…”
The room fell silent, which told Climb that the discussion was over.
“Ah, you can come in. Can’t he, Renner?”
Climb’s heart lurched as he heard those words. He was surprised that she had sensed his presence, but at the same time, he had been somewhat expecting that.
He slowly opened the door.
“—Pardon me.”
A familiar sight filled Climb’s eyes.
The room was luxurious but not tacky, and there were two blonde-haired maidens seated at a windowside table.
Both of them were beautiful young ladies in complementary dresses.
One was the owner of this room, Renner.
The other one sat opposite her. Her eyes were green and her lips were pink, and she was in radiant health. While her looks fell short of Renner, she exuded a charm of her own. If Renner sparkled like a gemstone, then she glowed with vitality.
Her name was Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra.
It was hard to tell given the sheer pink dress she wore, but this woman was the leader of one of the two adamantite-ranked adventurer teams in the Kingdom, and Lakyus’ closest friend.
She had racked up a considerable tally of accomplishments at the tender age of 19, and the fact that she had attained the coveted rank of adamantite must be due to her astounding talent. Climb felt the stirring of jealousy in the depths of his soul.
“Good morning, Renner-sama, Aindra-sama.”
“Good morning, Climb.”
After greeting them, Climb made to move to his designated location — behind and to the right fo Renner — but a voice halted him.
“Climb, not there. Here.”
Renner indicated the chair to her right.
Climb found this very strange. There were five chairs arranged around the circular table. That much was normal. However, three cups of tea had been poured.
One was in front of Renner, another was before Lakyus, and one more was in front of the seat beside Lakyus — not the one Renner had indicated. Climb looked around, but he could not find any trace of the third person.
Climb was surprised, but he looked at the chair anyway.
Renner’s orders to Climb had caused a great deal of strain for him, be it in a commoner sharing a table with their master — a member of royalty — or in barging into a room uninvited.
Climb looked pleadingly to the other woman for help. He hoped against all hope that she would reject the request, but that hope was promptly denied him.
“I don’t mind.”
“Th-this… Aindra-sama…”
“I told you before, didn’t I? Call me Lakyus.”
Lakyus looked to Renner.
“Climb’s special.”
Lakyus appended what sounded like a heart to the end of her sentence in sickly-sweet tones, to which Renner replied with a note of mock complaint and a smile.
Of course, that was if a curl of the lips which was not matched by her eyes counted as a smile.
“Aindra-sama, please don’t tease me.”
“Fine fine fine. You really are a stick in the mud, aren’t you, Climb? You should learn not to get hung up on details like her.”
“Eh? Teasing?”
Faced with Renner’s look of surprise, Lakyus froze in an incredibly fake way before exhaling with exaggerated intensity.
“Of course. Well, Climb is special, but that’s because he’s yours.”
Renner’s face flushed pink, and she clapped her hands to her cheeks. Climb had no idea what to do and looked away from Renner, and then his eyes went wide.
That was because there was someone seated in the shadows in the corner of the room, hugging their knees to themselves. She was a woman, who wore form-fitting black clothing that seemed utterly incongruous with the room’s atmosphere.
Shocked, Climb grabbed at the sword at his waist and lowered his stance, prepared to protect Renner.
Lakyus sighed.
“Now you’ve gone and scared Climb by taking on that stance.”
There was no caution or awareness of danger in Lakyus’s cool voice. Climb realized what that meant and let the strength drain from his shoulders.
“Understood, boss.”
The woman seated in the darkness sprang to her feet in an instant.
“Ah, you probably don’t know her, Climb. She’s a member of my team—”
“—It’s Tina-san,” Renner helpfully supplied.
From what Climb knew, the adamantite adventurer team “Blue Rose” was composed of five women; the leader and divine magic caster Lakyus, the warrior Gagaran, the arcane magic caster Evileye, and then the rogues Tia and Tina.
Climb had seen the first three before, but not the latter two.
So she must be… I see. Her reputation’s not for show.
Given her long limbs and her tight-fitting clothes, she looked the part of someone versed in thief-type techniques.
“...Forgive me. Pleased to meet you, my name is Climb.”
Climb bowed deeply to Tina.
“Huh? Don’t worry about it.
She waved casually to Climb, and then she silently stalked towards the table with the fluid grace of a savage beast. Then, she took a seat on the chair beside Lakyus. It would seem the tea from just now was hers.
Climb carefully surveyed his surroundings to check for another unseen female. There were only three cups of tea on the table, so it seemed unlikely, but he did so anyway.
Lakyus sensed the reason behind Climb’s gawking and said:
“Tia’s not here. Gagaran and Evileye both dislike stuffy occasions… but it’s not that stuffy, is it? I’m wearing a proper dress just in case, but I didn’t insist on them doing the same.”
Lakyus might have said that, but the fact was that etiquette required one to wear formal dress in front of a princess. Of course, Climb had no intention of saying that to the face of Renner’s friend — particularly a lady who was a member of the peerage.
“I see. Still, it is an honor to make the acquaintance of the famed Tina-sama. I hope I will have the chance to benefit from your guidance in the future.”
“Talk after you sit down, Climb.”
Saying so, Renner poured a fresh cup of tea. The tea which flowed from the magic item known as a Warm Bottle was piping hot, as though it had just been brewed.
The Warm Bottle could maintain the temperature and composition of its contents for an hour, and it was one of Renner’s favored magic items. It saw frequent use when entertaining important guests, though not at other times.
Climb knew that there was no protesting this and resigned himself. Thus, he sat down and drank his tea.
“It’s delicious, Renner-sama.”
Renner smiled, but in all honesty, Climb could not tell if it was good or not. Still, since Renner had made it, he automatically deemed it good.
Suddenly, a flat, emotionless voice spoke out.
“—That girl should be gathering intelligence today. The three of us were supposed to come here together, but in the end our Oni leader handed out work at the last minute. It’s all our Oni leader’s fault.”
Needless to say, that voice came from Tina. A frightening smile came over Lakyus’ face as she heard the words “Oni”. Climb tore his eyes away and said:
“I see… I hope I’ll be able to see her sometime.”
“Climb, Tina-san and Tia-san are twins. Even their hairstyles are almost identical.”
“So once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen the other.”
Climb did not think the matter was that simple, but he nodded in understanding.
Still, Tina stared unabashedly at Climb, making him feel uncomfortable.His original plan was just to bear with it, but then he realised that she might have noticed something about him, and so he made up his mind to ask her:
“Is something the matter?”
“You’re too big.”
He heard, but he did not understand. After seeing the question marks popping up over Climb’s head, Lakyus cut in and apologized:
“Its nothing; just an in-joke. Don’t take it to heart, okay, CLimb? No, don’t worry about it. Really.”
“...What’s the matter, Lakyus?”
Climb told himself not to be a busybody, but Renner could not seem to accept that and interjected. Lakyus had a sour look on her face as she looked at Renner.
“Really, whenever we start talking about Climb…”
“Ah, I—”
“—Quiet. I didn’t bring Tia along because she’d fill Renner’s head with nonsense. So could you please understand that and not blabber on so much?”
“Yes, Oni Boss.”
“...Lakyus.What’s all this about?”
Lakyus’ face began to twitch once Renner began asking, and her expression turned depressed.
She shifted her line of sight to Climb just as he was about to butt in.
“Hm… Climb, it looks like you really favor this suit of armor.”
“Yes. This armor is exquisite. Thank you very much.”
This was about an awkward of a topic change as there could be, but Climb did not want to embarrass a guest. After going with it, he idly stroked the suit of snow-white full plate armor which his mistress had gifted him. It had been made with large quantities of mithril — and some orichalcum — and further enchanted, making it surprisingly light and tough,
Blue Rose had supplied the mithril for its construction at no charge. Climb could not thank them enough for that, however low he bowed.
Just as he was about to do so, Lakyus halted him.
“Don’t worry about it. We simply gave you the leftover materials from making our mithril armor.”
While she called them leftovers, the fact was that mithril was an extremely expensive material. Perhaps mithril-ranked adventurers might own a mithril weapon, while orichalcum-ranked adventurers might be able to afford the construction of a suit of mithril full plate. But only adamantite-ranked adventurers could give a suit to others at no charge.
“Besides, Renner asked me. How could I refuse?”
“—You refused to take my money. I had some pocket money saved up…”
“...It’s not right for a princess to spend her allowance, don’t you think?”
“That’s separate from my domain’s income. I just wanted to use my own money to make Climb’s armor.”
“I figured you wanted to use your own money to make a shiny new set of full plate for Climb—”
“...If you knew, then why did you give it to me for free? Lakyus, you dummy.”
“Given the circumstances, should you really be calling me a dummy…”
Thus did the fuming Renner and the giggling Lakyus go back and forth, in an argument that hardly qualified as an argument.
As he saw this Climb’s face stiffened into an emotionless mask.
The fact that he could witness a heartwarming scene like this was all thanks to being rescued by his mistress. However, he could not allow himself to express his feelings.
Showing his gratitude was one thing, but behind that gratitude was a powerful emotion that could never be displayed.
That was his love for her.
Climb forcibly crushed that feeling and hid it away within himself. In its place, he repeated the lines he had repeated several times now.
“Thank you very much, Renner-sama.”
As she heard the way in which he clearly demarcated the separation between the two of them — it was a hint that master and servant were in different circumstances — Renner smiled.
Only Climb — who had observed her longer than anyone else, who had been watching her every day — could tell that her smile was tinged with loneliness.
“It’s fine. Now, I think we’ve drifted quite a ways off-topic. Let’s get back to the previous discussion.”
“Eight Fingers, you say? We were talking about how we attacked three of their drug-producing villages and burned their fields to ash. I doubt they can recover from that.”
As he heard that name, Climb mentally frowned under his iron mask.
Eight Fingers was the name of the criminal syndicate writhing about in the darkness of the Kingdom. His beloved mistress had taken action to suppress them.
It was not hard to imagine the miserable fate of a village which relied on drugs to survive when their fields had been burned down. However, they were a necessary sacrifice to eliminate the drugs plaguing the Kingdom.
Perhaps if Renner possessed supreme power, she might be able to do something else. However, Renner had no backers despite being a princess. All she could do was perform the cold calculus of saving those who could be saved and abandoning everyone else.
On the other hand, Renner might have been able to beg a boon of her father to attack them with authority or military force. However, Eight Fingers were deeply entwined with the nobles, and if word got out, they might well burn the evidence of their wrongdoing.
Therefore, Renner had decided to directly employ her friend Lakyus.
Climb knew this was a very risky path to take. Under normal circumstances, adventurers worked through the Guild and they were not allowed to take requests directly from clients. That was a violation of the Guild’s rules.
Granted, he did recall that the Guild could not punish its highest-ranked (adamantite-ranked) adventurers, nor could it expel them. Even so, it would still tarnish their reputation within the Guild and would surely lead to repercussions in the future. However, Blue Rose had accepted the task anyway because they loved their country that much, and because Renner was their friend.
Climb’s gratitude towards Lakyus grew as she realized that she was willing to make sacrifices for the greater good.
Lakyus decided that they should no longer talk about this any more. She opened up the bag Tina presented to her, and took out a scroll.
This was a document which nobody in Blue Rose could decipher. However, Lakyus felt that the smartest person she knew — Renner — might be able to make some head or tail of it.
“We found this scroll while burning the drug villages. It looked like some kind of written order, so we brought it back… can you understand it?”
They opened the scroll, and saw an expanse of symbols. They did not look like letters from any country’s language. Renner glanced at them, and casually replied:
“...It’s a substitution cipher, no?”
Substitution ciphers were a form of code made by substituting a letter or several letters for another letter or symbol. For instance, “a” might become “△” and “b” might become “□”. Thus, the symbols “△△□□△” would mean “aabba”.
“I thought so too. I tried swapping symbols around for hours, but I couldn’t make any sense of it. We took a man prisoner who looked like he was in charge because we suspected that he might have memorized the cipher key, and we were planning to use charm magic on him to make him decode the message for us. However… you should know that when the same caster uses the same spell on the same subject multiple times, you get poorer results. Therefore, I wanted to make good use of our first casting. So I decided to discuss it with you before using the spell.”
“I see… and the reason this was left there was because… a trap? Or something more? If that’s the case, they wouldn’t use a code that was too hard to break. Hm, I don’t think this will be very difficult.”
Renner’s words left Lakyus’ eyes wide. She could not help but exchange glances with Tina, who was seated beside her.
Unbelievable. But at the same time, they thought, “I knew she could do it.”
“Let me think… in the Kingdom’s language, the first word of any document is either a masculine, feminine or neuter pronoun… give me a moment…”
As she muttered to herself, Renner rose with the scroll and went to fetch paper and pen.
Then, she began writing out blocks of text on the paper.
“This is a simple substitution cipher of one character for one symbol, so breaking it is easy. And fortunately, they were using the Kingdom’s language. If they had used the Empire’s literature or something like that as a cipher, it’d be almost unbreakable. But this… well, once you know what one of the words means, you can just fill them in one by one. Anyone could break this if they were willing to work hard.”
“No no… well, you make it sound easy. But wouldn’t that mean you’d need to know tens of thousands of words to break the code?”
“Well, these are encoded literary references. Those usually won’t be too flowery and they can’t use words that are too complex either. So they’d have to make it simple enough that even a child could understand it. That narrows things down a lot.”
Inside her heart, Lakyus broke out in a cold sweat.
Her friend made it sound so simple, but it was hardly as simple as she said.
Still, she really ought to be able to do it… I can hardly believe such a genius really exists.
Renner had brushed it off every time they met or talked, but Lakyus had never met anyone else like Renner who deserved to be called a genius.
As Lakyus trembled internally, Renner lightly said, saying “It’s done. Just a bunch of book references,” before handing the paper to her.
There were many locations within the Kingdom written upon it, and seven of them were within the Royal Capital.
“Are these drug storehouses or other important bases?”
“I doubt they’d put such an important document in an ordinary production area… this is probably bait, don’t you think?”
“Bait? As in for a trap?”
“Hm… I don’t think so. Think of it this way. Eight Fingers is one organization, but they’re more like eight separate groups working together, right?”
Lakyus nodded.
“So this should be information about the other seven groups… or should I say divisions? In any case, this is a way to deliberately leak information on everyone besides the drugs division to outside enemies, in order to briefly take the heat off themselves.”
“In other words, they already gathered information on the other divisions for this… I didn’t expect them to be totally united, but this is just ridiculous…”
As an adventurer, the notion of betraying one’s comrades frustrated her.
“While we were already going to do that, we’d better not act too hastily, or else it might turn out badly for us.”
After seeing her friend (Renner) nod, Lakyus asked again:
“So what should we do about that brothel? I’ve heard it’s a really vile place where one can experience anything they desire.”
Lakyus felt her anger build just by mentioning it.
Bastards. Those scum who can only think with their dicks ought to be killed!
When she recalled what she had learned about the brothel in question, she was no longer a noble heiress, but a bold adventuress, and the curses welled up from inside her heart. The meaning of the phrase “anything they desire” went without saying. It was certain that no few people — men and women both — had been murdered for entertainment.
In the past, when slavery had not yet been criminalized, there were quite a few such bordellos operating in the underworld. However, thanks to the friend before her, the slave trade was now illegal, and those establishments had faded like dust on the wind. This particular location might well be the last illegal brothel in the Kingdom.
For that reason, they would not shut down easily. One could imagine what sort of determined resistance awaited them. After all, it was a tainted paradise for those people with crude, unspeakable desires.
“Say, Renner. Since we can’t deal with them through the law, why not have us force our way in and expose their crimes? It’ll be okay as long as we find evidence, right? If the slave-trading division really is running that brothel, then breaking them will be a huge blow. Plus, depending on where the evidence points, we’ll be able to teach a painful lesson to the nobles who are in league with them.”
“You might be right, Lakyus. But if you do that, won’t it inconvenience your family… the Alvein family? I find it very hard to act because of that. The same thing goes for the other members of Blue Rose… but having Climb barge in there alone seems almost impossible…”
“Your servant deeply regrets his lack of strength.”
As she saw Climb bow in apology, Renner reached out a hand to take Climb’s own, and smiled.
“Forgive me, Climb. That wasn’t what I meant. It’s the only underworld brothel in the Royal Capital, so nobody could take it down by themselves. See, I trust you most of all, Climb. I know how hard you work for me. However, don’t do anything which might get yourself involved. This isn’t a request, but an order, okay? If anything happened to you…”
Even Lakyus, as a woman watching from the side, was moved by the tears of the ravishing beauty before her eyes. Then how about Climb?
He tried his best to put on an emotionless front, but he could not. Those flushed cheeks said everything for him.
Were a bard to give a title to this moving scene, said bard would surely name it “The Princess and Her Knight”. Yet, Lakyus felt a twinge of fear. She thought that it ought to be impossible, but if Renner were doing this on purpose, then she would be a vixen of truly unimaginable proportions—
What am I thinking? Why am I doubting my good friend? Besides, hasn’t everything that’s happened up till now proven that she’s not a petty little schemer? If I can’t even trust someone like her — someone with the title of “Golden”, who crusades for justice — then who can I trust?
Lakyus shook her head, and spoke. That was also to dispel the frightening notion in her head.
“Ah, yes. Tina’s investigations have uncovered several leaders in the slave trades — several nobles with links to Cocco Doll. However, we haven’t verified their guilt yet, so it’s too early to take action right now.”
Renner and Climb reacted to one particular name among the list Lakyus recited.
“That man’s daughter is one of my personal maids.”
“Hm? Well, I don’t think she was sent there as a spy because they’re on guard against you… but still, I can’t be sure that she’s just a maid looking to promote herself.”
“Indeed. Looks like we’ve policed the information quite well. Climb, you also have to keep that in mind.”
“Then, let’s discuss what to do about the locations we’ve learned from the coded orders. Renner, would you mind lending me Climb? I’d like him to tell Gagaran and the others that they may need to move out for an emergency.”
Part 2
Lower Fire Month (9th Month) 3rd Day 09:49
Climb walked along the main street of the Royal Capital. Climb blended perfectly into the mass of humanity, given that he had few distinguishing features about him.
He did not wear his distinctive suit of white armor. While he could use certain alchemical items to change its color, he was not that attached to it. Besides, there was no need to go around in full plate armor while walking on the streets.
As a result, he dressed lightly, wearing a chain shirt under his clothes. Only the longsword at his waist marked him as visibly different from the average citizen.
He looked like a patrolling soldier — a city guardsman — or a mercenary when outfitted in that way. Some people would avoid him, but they would not clear out of his path in the way they would for someone in heavy armor.
Anyone in such a panoply ought to be an adventurer. It was not so much that they needed the protection as the publicity.
Dressing in an eye-catching way was not a strange thing for adventurers, because it helped promote themselves. Some of them even favored unique and provocative fashions to make a strong impression on others. Thus, word would spread and their reputation would build. In other words, dressing oddly was something like a trademark of adventurers.
However, there was no need for high-end adventurers — like the members of Blue Rose, whom Climb was going to visit — to do so. At their level, they would make conversation just by walking along the street.
Soon, he saw an adventurer’s inn along the road. Said inn had a stable and a large yard for sword practice. Its beautiful exterior promised an equally exquisite interior, and the guest windows were fitted with pieces of clear glass.
This was the Royal Capital’s most expensive inn. It was a gathering place for adventurers who were confident of their skills and able to pay the onerous bills.
Climb opened the inn’s door, paying no heed to the guards which flanked it.
The drinks bar cum dining hall occupied an entire floor, but it was sparsely populated with adventurers, considering its size. This clearly showed the rarity of high-paid adventurers.
The clamor within the inn quieted for a moment as several curious gazes were thrown in Climb’s direction. He did not mind, and looked around the interior.
Most of the people in here were powerful-looking adventurers. Just about everyone here could defeat Climb with ease. Every visit to this place made Climb realise how tiny he was.
He resisted the urge to fall into despair, and his eyes focused on a point within the inn.
In front of him — in the innermost depths of the inn — was a round table. He looked at the two people seated around it.
One of them was tiny, dressed in a long black robe which covered their entire body.
Their face could not be seen. It was not because the light was insufficient, but because they wore a strange, full-face mask set with a bloodstone. There was a narrow crack running along eye level, but that did not even reveal the color of the eyes underneath it.
Then, there was the other person.
If the first person was a midget, then this one would be a giant. Seeing this person brought the word “boulder” to mind. Indeed, that person had a stout and massive body, but that girth was not born of obesity.
That person’s arms reminded observers of logs, while the neck which held the head up seemed as wide around as a pair of a woman’s thighs. The head which sat upon that neck was squarish in shape. The heavyset chin — currently clenched closed — and the way that person’s eyes surveyed its surroundings reminded one of a carnivorous beast. The blonde hair upon that head was trimmed short for the sake of practicality.
That person’s chest bulged mightily under their clothes, as though on proud display. Said chest resembled nothing so much as thoroughly-honed pectoral muscles. Put more clearly, this was no longer a tender feminine bosom.
This was the adamantite-ranked adventurer team composed solely of females — Blue Rose.
The two of them were members of Blue Rose. One was the arcane magic caster Evileye, while the other was warrior Gagaran.
Climb approached them. One of the people he was looking for nodded, and then bellowed huskily:
“Yo, cherry boy!”
The gazes that had been slowly drifting away all focused on Climb once more, but nobody mocked him. Instead, they turned away once more, as though in sympathy for him.
They did this because they knew that even for mithril or orichalcum-ranked adventurers, showing the slightest bit of disrespect to Gagaran’s guest was not so much bravery, but foolhardiness.
Climb bore the insult and approached steadily.
No matter how many times he pleaded with her, Gagaran refused to address Climb by his proper name. That being the case, the best course of action he could take was to give up and pretend he did not care.
“Good to see you again, Gagaran-sa — san. And Evileye-sama.”
He arrived before the two of them and bowed.
“Oh, it’s been a while. What, come to sleep with me, have you?”
Gagaran jerked her chin, indicating that he should take a seat. There was an evil, savage grin upon that square face of hers.
Climb simply shook his head blankly.
Gagaran said the same thing every time, to the point where it had become something like a form of greeting. However, she was not joking in the slightest. If Climb answered “yes”, even in jest, she would immediately drag him into a singles’ room on the second floor. Climb would be helpless before her irresistible arm-strength.
Gagaran, who prided herself as a “cherry picker”, was such a person.
In contrast to Gagaran, Evileye faced stoically forward, her face unmoving. Perhaps she was eying Climb under her mask, but he could not be sure of that.
“No, that’s not it. Aindra-sama bade me come.”
“Hm? Leader did?”
“Yes. I come with a message. ‘You might need to move out in a hurry. I’ll explain the details when you get backl’. However, Aindra-sama wishes the two of you to ready yourselves and prepare for action at any time.”
“Understood. Still, you’ve gone to a lot of trouble for such a small thing.”
Gagaran’s face lit up with a broad smile, and Climb remembered that he had something else to tell her.
“Today I had the good fortune of sparring with Stronoff-sama. The move you taught me then — the big downward chop — met with Stronoff-sama’s approval.”
Gagaran had taught him that blow in the practice yard behind this inn. Her face split with a grin, as though she had been the one who had been praised.
“Oh, that move? Hehe, not bad, kid. Still…”
“Yes. I won’t be satisfied with just that. I will continue to practice and seek perfection.”
“You’ve got to keep training, of course. But you should also think about what to do if someone counters that move. Think of a move to continue from it.”
Was it coincidence, or merely a unity of opinions from a pair of first-rate warriors? What Gagaran had said was much like Gazef’s own feedback. A look of surprise came over Climb’s face at the similarity of their words. Gagaran seemed to have read his reaction the wrong way, and laughed, “Of course, you have to use that chopping move I taught you as as a finishing blow, otherwise it’s meaningless.”
Then she continued: “In truth, you need to pick a move from all the others out there that has universal applicability. However, you can’t do it.”
Gagaran’s words hinted at Climb’s lack of talent.
“Therefore, you need to develop a way to attack at least three times in combination. That combo must be one that keeps your foe from counterattacking, even if they manage to defend against it.”
Climb nodded.
“Of course, that won’t work when fighting many-armed monsters. But against humans, that ought to be enough. While you’ll be in trouble once your opponent sees through your attack patterns, it ought to be effective the first time you face any foe. Hammer them, hammer them and keep hammering them.”
“Understood,” Climb nodded heavily.
This morning, he had only managed to get one hit in on Gazef. On every other occasion, Gazef had seen through him immediately and he had been counterattacked in turn.
Then, could he lose confidence because of that? Of course not.
Could he allow himself to fall into despair because of that? Of course not.
It was the opposite.
It was precisely the opposite
A mere commoner like himself had been able to come that close to the strongest warrior in the Kingdom — no, the surrounding countries. Climb knew that Gazef had not begun to show his true power, but to Climb — who had been walking a pitch-black path with no light in sight — it was a tremendous dose of encouragement.
It was like telling him: Your efforts were not in vain.
As he thought about that, he fully understood what Gagaran was trying to say.
He was not confident that he could develop a good combination attack, but he was willing to try. A flame had been lit in the depths of his heart. He was determined to become stronger, so that he could draw out more of Gazef’s strength the next time he sparred with the Warrior Captain.
“...Right, I think you asked Evileye about something before, didn’t you? Something about learning magic?”
Climb glanced at Evileye. At that time, she had merely laughed at him from under her mask and the matter had been forgotten. Asking her the same thing now, when nothing had changed, would only yield the same answer.
A muffled voice reached his ears.
Her voice was quite surprising, even without removing the mask she wore. The mask she wore was not particularly thick, so it should have been easy to make out the qualities of her voice. However, there was no way to tell Evileye’s age or any emotional inflections from it. At the very most, he could conclude that she was female. It was an emotionless, even voice that sounded both old and young at the same time.
That was probably because Evileye’s mask was magical. But why did she have to conceal her voice?
“You have no talent. Work hard somewhere else.”
She did not allow him any room to respond, as though there was nothing else to be said.
Climb knew her meaning very well.
He was not talented in magic. No, that was not all.
No matter how hard he practiced his swordplay, how many times he bled and blistered and callused his hands, he could not reach the level he longed for. Low walls which a talented individual might soar over were like insurmountable barriers to Climb.
However, he could not give up on working hard to surpass that unbreachable limit. Since he had no talent, he had to hope that his unrelenting effort would help him improve in some way.
“You don’t seem happy with that.”
Having sensed the emotions under Climb’s iron mask, Evileye continued:
“Talent is an inborn ability… Some people say that talents are like buds before they blossom, and everyone has talent… hmph. To me, that’s just wishful thinking, something idiots use to comfort themselves. Even the leader of the Thirteen Heroes was the same way.”
The leader of the Thirteen Heroes. According to legend, he was just an ordinary person, weaker than anyone else. However, he continued swinging his sword even when injured, and he eventually became a hero who was stronger than anyone else. He was a mighty being who could grow without limit.
“He was talented, but it just hadn’t flowered yet. It’s different from your case. You’ve worked so hard, but that’s all the talent you’ve shown… Not everyone has talent, and the difference is blindingly obvious between the haves and have-nots. Therefore… I won’t tell you to give up, but you ought to know your limits.”
Evileye’s stern lecture was followed by a brief silence. In the end, Evileye broke it.
“Gazef Stronoff… he’s a good example. People like him would be considered talented. Climb… do you think you can make up the difference between the two of you with effort?”
He could not answer. His training today had made him realize that he was nowhere near that league.
“Alright, maybe he’s not such a good example… still, the only person I can think of whose swordsmanship approaches his was among the Thirteen Heroes. Gagaran here is good, but she can’t beat Gazef.”
“...Hey don’t compare him to me. Gazef’s a man with a foot into the realm of heroes, y’know?”
“Hmph. You’re a heroic woman too… although the woman part is in doubt.”
As soon as Evileye’s voice trailed off, Gagaran laughed and answered:
“Oi oi, Evileye. These heroes in question are monsters with unique abilities that have surpassed the realm of humanity, right?”
“...I do not deny that.”
“Then I’m still human. Just an ordinary person who can’t reach the realm of heroes.”
“Even so, you’re still talented. You’re not an untalented person like Climb. Climb, you shouldn’t be fixated on trying to grasp the stars.”
Climb knew — better than anyone else — that he lacked talent. Even so, hearing her repeat you have no talent, you have no talent was very depressing. That said, Climb had no intention of changing his life’s goal.
—This body exists for the Princess. For her, I will—
Perhaps she sensed a martyr’s resolve from Climb, but in the end, Evileye scoffed from behind her mask.
“...So you’re not giving up, even after I’ve said all that.”
“Foolishness. Utter foolishness.”
She shook her head forcefully, unable to understand him.
“Moving forward while clinging to an unreachable dream will set you on the way to destruction. You know that, right? I’ll tell you again — you need to know your limits.”
“I understand.”
“You may understand, but you don’t care at all, do you? The word foolish does not even begin to describe men like you. You’re the type who dies early… and someone will weep for you when you do, am I wrong?”
“What’s this, Evileye? You’re bullying Climb because you care about him?”
Evileye rounded her shoulders as she heard Gagaran speak. Then, she turned to Gagaran and grabbed her by the lapels while shouting:
“Will you shut up, you beefcake bimbo?!”
“Hey, you know I’m right, right?”
Gagaran was content to let Evileye hang on to her while she replied nonchalantly. Evileye was speechless for a moment, and then she sank back into her chair.
Then, she turned the topic back towards Climb.
“Start by learning about magic. Once you know more, you’ll be able to understand how magic-using enemies think. You’ll be able to pick a more correct course of action that way.”
“Won’t learning all those spells be a bit much for him?”
“Of course not. The fact is, there aren’t that many spells which magic casters use. Just focus on the commonly-used ones. If you can’t even do that, then you should just give up,” Evileye muttered.
“Besides, he’ll only need to study up to the 3rd tier. That shouldn’t be a problem.”
“...I say, Evileye. We all know spells go up to the 10th tier, but nobody can use magic of such a high level. Yet you know about it. Why’s that?”
Evileye had a schoolmarmish look on her face as she fiddled around under her robe. Climb suddenly realised that the sounds around them seemed further away now. It was hard to describe, but it felt as though there was a thin film surrounding them.
“Don’t panic. I just used a pointless little item.”
Climb did not know that the activation of that item was a sign of how worried she was about being overheard. All he knew was that Evileye intended to answer Gagaran’s question in strict seriousness. Now that she had gone to that extent, he sat up straight in his chair.
“In ancient myths — little more than legends — there was mention of beings known as the Eight Greed Kings. They were known as people who had stolen the power of gods, and the tales speak of how they once ruled this world with that absolute power.”
Climb had heard the story of the Eight Greed Kings. While they were not too popular, given that they were only children’s tales, anyone with a little bit of knowledge would know of them.
In summary, the beings known as the Eight Greed Kings appeared 500 years ago. Some said that they stood as tall as the heavens, some said they looked like Dragons, but in any case, the Eight Greed Kings devastated the nations in an instant, dominating the world with their power which could move mountains and part the seas. However, their desires ran deep, and they fought each other for their possessions, resulting in their mutual extinction.
This story was not popular for obvious reasons, but debate raged over whether or not it was merely a children’s fairytale. Climb personally felt that it had been greatly embellished. However, a small group of people among the adventurers believed that the Eight Greed Kings existed — and that they commanded powers beyond those of any in this modern age.
The proof of that was a city within the deserts far to the south. Rumors said that it was the capital built when the Eight Greed Kings conquered the continent.
As Climb lost himself in his thoughts, Evileye continued speaking:
“Apparently, the Eight Greed Kings possessed numberless powerful magic items, and the mightiest of them was called the [Nameless Spellbook]… at least, that’s what people call it. That’s the answer to everything.”
“Ah? So those spells are recorded in that book?”
“Indeed. They say that the Eight Greed Kings of legend left that unimaginable powerful magic item behind, a book which records all the world’s spells. Also, they say that due to some kind of magic, even newly-developed spells appear within its pages as well.”
Climb knew of the Eight Greed Kings, but not of this tome. He had a rough idea of how valuable this item truly was, but he remained silent and listened.
“We know of the existence of 10th-tier spells because of this item. Of course, there aren’t many people who know of the [Nameless Spellbook] itself…”
Climb gulped.
“Will, will you be searching for that [Nameless Spellbook]?”
Climb only asked that question because he knew that they were top-class adventurers.
Evileye snorted, as though to say, Don’t be ridiculous.
“Hmph. They say that the book is defended by powerful magic and nobody can touch it but its rightful owner. Apparently, it’s worth as much as an entire world, which is a hint as to how dangerous it really is. I know my limits, so I don’t desire it. I’d rather not die in a stupid way like the Eight Greed Kings.”
“Your leader is said to wield one of the weapons belonging to a member of the Thirteen Heroes… does she feel the same way?”
“...That’s something else entirely. However, I only heard about it from someone who saw it before, I’m just unclear about the details. I think we’ve drifted off-topic, but that’s that. Do you get it now, Gagaran?”
After that, Evileye looked somewhat puzzled, which was quite rare for her, and then she said:
“Climb. Don’t forsake your humanity in the pursuit of power.”
“Forsaking humanity… you mean like the demons in stories?”
“That’s one way. There’s also becoming one of the undead, or a magical being.”
“Normal people can’t do that.”
“Which is true… but after you become undead, your mind often twists to go with it. When once you only acted to fulfil a passionate dream… the changes in the body are echoed in the soul, and you become a terrifying monster.”
The voice from under that mask was typically devoid of emotional inflection, but now it was tinged with a hint of regret. Gagaran noticed how Evileye was staring into the distance and deliberately spoke up in a bright voice.
“Well, the Princess would probably faint if she woke up and saw that Climb had become an Ogre.”
Evileye had probably sensed the good intentions behind Gagaran’s words. Her voice returned to its usual emotionless pitch.
“...Indeed, that’s a way too. Transmutation-type spells can briefly allow you to change into another species. I’ll be frank — they’re valid options for improving your physical attributes.”
“I think I’ll pass on that.”
“If you simply desire strength, then changing into another species is quite effective. After all, the human body is hardly exceptional, and the same abilities are more effective when one’s basic physical attributes are improved.”
That much was obvious. Between two evenly-skilled opponents, the one with the better physical attributes would have the advantage.
“The fact is that many of the Thirteen Heroes were nonhumans. By the way, they’re called the Thirteen Heroes, but there were more of them than that. However, only 13 of them made it into song and story… the battle against the Demon Gods was one that crossed all racial boundaries, and certain human-centric people didn’t want to let the other species shine too much in the heroic sagas.”
Evileye seemed to be making a dig at certain people. Then, her attitude changed, and she continued in a nostalgic tone.
“The Warrior-Captain of the Air Giants and his Axe of Cyclones, the Elf Royal Family who bore the special characteristics of the ancestral Elves, and the Black Knight who wielded the Four Swords of Darkness — the original owner of our leader’s Kilineyram — was also a human with demon’s blood.”
“The Four Swords of Darkness, huh…”
Black Knight, one of the Thirteen Heroes, was renowned for possessing four blades; the Evil Sword Hyumilis, the Demon Blade Kilineyram, the Sword of Decay Crocdabal, and the Deathsword Sfeiz. One of those blades was in the hands of Lakyus, the leader of Blue Rose.
“The Demon Blade Kilineyram, created by condensing infinite darkness, is said to be the mightiest of the four… I have a question, is it true that if it unleashes its full power, it could project enough dark energy to swallow a country whole?”
“What are you talking about?” Evileye asked in a confused tone.
“I once heard our leader muttering to herself when she was alone. She held her right arm and said, ‘only a woman who serves the gods like myself can suppress its demonic power with all my will’ or something like that.”
“I’ve never heard of anything like that before…” Evileye tilted her head in surprise. “Still, if the owner says that, it might be true.”
“Then is there really a Dark Lakyus, born from the dark side of her spirit?”
“Nah, I just happened to hear her muttering to herself again. Don’t think she noticed me, so I decided to take a listen, and in the end she ended up saying, ‘If you get careless, this being of blackness born of the source of all darkness shall take over your body and release the Demon Blade’s power’ or something. Sounded pretty bad.”
“This… well, we can’t rule that out. Some cursed items can control their owners’ minds… things would be pretty dire if something like that happened to Lakyus.”
“I felt that she was trying to keep it a secret, but this is something big, right? So when I asked her straight up, she blushed and told me not to worry about it.”
“Hm. It must be pretty embarrassing for a priest — who should be the one removing curses — to end up falling victim to a curse herself. Perhaps she doesn’t want us to worry? Does she really intend to bear that burden by herself?”
“I didn’t see her act like that again after that… but think about it. Didn’t she start wearing all those meaningless armor rings on all her fingers after obtaining the Demon Blade?”
“I thought she put them on to be fashionable… do you mean they’re sealing-type magic items or touchstones of some sort?”
Climb could no longer pretend to be unmoved, and he frowned.
From what he had seen and heard, Lakyus might well be under the control of an evil magic item. He became even more worried as he thought about where he had just been..
“...Will Renner-sama be in danger?”
Evileye stopped Climb before he could rush out.
“Don’t worry. I doubt the situation will deteriorate. She won’t be taken over unawares, even if the power of darkness threatens to take her over. We’ll have to take the fact that she didn’t tell us as a sign that she’s confident of controlling it herself. I’m certain she has the mental strength for it. Still… I didn’t expect the sword to have that kind of power. Even I’ve never heard of that before.”
“Should we talk to Azuth for safety’s sake?”
“I’m not too happy about asking a rival for help, but… well, she is his niece, so we should let him know, at least.”
“Hm, then shouldn’t we do that right away? We still need to track him down too.”
“Mm. We should just prepare ourselves to back Lakyus up at any time.”
“After all, it takes an adamantite-ranked adventurer to stop another.”
“—Hm? Ahhh! That reminds me, Gagaran. I heard that a third adamantite-ranked adventurer team was formed in E-Rantel.”
“What? Really? That’s the first time I’ve heard of it… did you find that out when you went to the Adventurer’s Guild this morning?”
“No… ah, yes. Sorry. I forgot to tell you. Their team seems to be black.”
“Black? I thought we’d have brown or green after blue and red.”
“Well, black is one of the colors of the Six Great Gods. Nothing strange about that. Who knows, the next one might be white.”
“I’m no fan of the Slaine Theocracy. Actually, didn’t we have a big fight with one of their special ops units?”
Climb sensed that he had overheard a pretty dangerous topic, but neither of them paid him any heed as they kept talking.
“Gagaran, you hate them? ...Well, they did try to kill me once, but I understand how they’re thinking. Or rather, their sworn mission is to defend all of mankind. Isn’t that proper, from the perspective of humanity as a species?”
“Hah? So you mean it’s alright to massacre innocent demihumans and Elves for that goal?”
There was a clear look of disgust on Gagaran’s face, and the flames of anger burned in her eyes. Evileye bore her anger, and shrugged.
“There’s quite a few human nations around here, like the Kingdom, the Holy Kingdom, the Empire, and so on. But did you know, Gagaran? The further you are from here, the fewer human-led nations there are. All of them are countries composed of demihumans or species that are superior to mankind. Did you know that some of them even trade in humans as slaves? The reason why there aren’t any of those countries around here is because the Slaine Theocracy has been going around and exterminating any demihumans that pop their heads up.”
Gagaran’s anger went out as she heard Evileye’s words. Still, she was frowning as she replied:
“Well, demihumans were always physically superior to mankind anyway. If they banded together and developed culture, humanity wouldn’t be able to deal with them.”
“Basically, all humans should think highly of the Theocracy. It’s true that they’re ruthless, which is a demerit, but even so, nobody else has done more for mankind as a whole… of course, whether or not someone the few they abandoned could say the same thing is a different matter entirely. Besides, it’s quite likely that they were the ones who originated the Adventurer’s Guild.”
“Who knows? There’s no telling if it’s true or not, but the possibility is very high. After all, the Adventurer’s Guild was founded after the battle with the Demon Gods, when humanity’s strength had been greatly diminished. I suspect they were preserving their power and wanted to aid the various nations without causing friction, and thus they set up that organization.”
Silence filled the table after the discussion ended. Unable to bear it, Climb spoke up:
“Forgive my interruption, Evileye-sama. You said that new adamantite-ranked adventurers had emerged; do you know their names?”
“Hm? Ah, right, I mentioned that. I think one of them is called… Momon. He’s their leader, a warrior called the Dark Hero. They haven’t picked a name for their team yet, but everyone calls them ‘Darkness’.”
“I see. How about the other members?”
“I heard her’s paired with someone called Nabe, an arcane magic caster known as the Beautiful Princess.”
“Huh? Just the two of them? What’s up with that? Are those idiots so confident in their abilities that… no, it’s because of those abilities that they’re adamantite-ranked. Are they hiding some kind of secret weapon? Is that it? What accomplishments do they have to their name?”
Climb leaned in to listen as well. This was an adventurer team which had obtained the adamantite rank. They must have embarked on all manner of adventures which would set people’s hearts aflutter. He was burning with anticipation even before hearing a single word.
“All this was done within two months… first, they eliminated the thousands of undead which showed up in E-Rantel. Then, they exterminated the Northern Goblin Tribe Alliance, found rare herbs in the Great Forest of Tob, slew a Gigant Basilisk and eliminated a band of undead that had escaped from the Katze Plains. In addition, I hear they defeated an incredibly powerful Vampire…”
“A Gigant Basilisk…” Climb repeated in a breathless voice.
It was a huge monster that was almost ten meters long, like a cross between a lizard and a serpent. It had a petrifying gaze attack, its bodily fluids were a poison that could cause instant death, and its hard, thick skin rivalled mithril in toughness. It was a terrifying being, so being able to defeat a monster like that — which could destroy a town — was a perfectly sensible reason for being promoted to adamantite rank.
However, there was one problem with that —
“That’s… amazing. Still, did they really do it with just the two of them? Surely just two people, being a warrior and an arcane magic caster, wouldn’t be able to deal with a Gigant Basilisk, right? Doesn’t seem possible to me.”
—Indeed. It was almost impossible for just two people to do it, especially if they were a warrior and an arcane magic caster. How would they heal themselves? How could they resist its petrifying gaze, its toxic bodily fluids and its other special attacks?
“Ah! Sorry, I can’t really say it was just the two of them. I hear they subdued the Wise King of the Forest by force and made it their minion.”
“...The Wise King of the Forest? What manner of beast is that?”
Climb recalled the name from various heroic sagas and similar stories. However, it would be terribly rude to interrupt right now.
“I don’t know the details either, but apparently it was a magical beast which inhabited the Great Forest of Tob since times of old. It possesses matchless might. My colleagues once… yes, I don’t think they encountered it when they went to the Great Forest 200 years ago.”
Evileye shrugged as she mentioned the figure of 200.
Such a number would not be anything out of the ordinary for Forest Elves, but given her attitude, Climb could only conclude that it was a jest of some sort.
“Oho. Then, how credible are these stories? They’ve probably been spiced up or something, right?”
It was always like that. Sometimes a tale was accidentally exaggerated in the telling, or corpses were so badly dismembered that one could not get an accurate body count, and sometimes adventurers just wanted to brag for fame. Thus, these stories often ended up embellished.
In contrast, Evileye erected a finger and wagged it with a “tch tch tch”.
“Well, these stories seem pretty factual. The E-Rantel incident in particular, where that man threw his greatsword and slew an undead Giant, then carved his way through a thousands-strong horde of undead. These reports came from the surviving guardsmen and their accounts all tally up. Thus, I doubt there was any exaggeration of his exploits. They eliminated the masterminds behind the undead horde and the corpses have been verified, and they destroyed a pair of Skeletal Dragons before that.”
Gagaran was speechless, and Climb asked her:
“Even you would have trouble with them too, am I right, Gagaran-san?”
“If it was just several thousand Zombies or Skeletons, it’d be fine. I could smash my way through those. Even the two Skeletal Dragons might be doable. But I can’t say the same for the masterminds behind the incident. I’ve no confidence of being able to deal with them if I didn’t know their abilities.”
“There are unofficial opinions which state that they were from Zuranon.”
“Really, Evileye? Ah… if it was their Disciples, then I’d be out of luck. It’d be really hard to beat them after fighting so deep into hostile territory. Make one little mistake, get poisoned or paralyzed, and the show’s over for you. How did the two of them heal themselves? Potions, maybe? Who knows, that Momon warrior might be able to use divine magic like our leader. Or perhaps that Beautiful Princess girl could use it.”
“We can’t rule that out,” Evileye nodded in agreement.
“Still, a Gigant Basilisk… Yeah, I’ve got nothing. Enemies like that are too much for warriors… for any close range fighters, actually. I’ve got the power of Gaze Bane on my side, but it’d be really risky without backup.”
“Heard that, Climb? In other words, Gagaran can’t do it by herself. In other words, it’d all be up to that Nabe woman. Maybe you could do the same if you were paired with her… could you?”
“Ah, it’d be easy if she was as strong as Evileye. If it were you, you could take care of it yourself with long-ranged combat, even without getting serious, am I right?”
“As if I’m that great. I’d have to show my true power.”
“Well, with you around, the only thing I’d have to handle would be the Skeletal Dragons… no, that’d mean I was just relying on your strength. If I were grouped with an orichalcum-ranked magic caster and we split up… yeah, not going to happen.”
Climb found this very surprising.
Was Evileye really such a powerful magic caster? Under normal circumstances, adventurer teams ought to be made up of members of equal strength, and they ought to be able to adventure together. Why was there such a big discrepancy here?
“I doubt that would be the case. I know your strength very well, Gagaran-san. I’m certain you won’t lose to those people.”
“Uhyo~ that’s high praise. Alright, wanna do it?”
“I’ll have to refuse.”
“That’s why you’re a cherry boy. You know, they say that it’s a shame for a man not to eat what’s been laid out in front of him. There’s no point in staying cherry forever, you know. What’ll you do when you finally get it on with the woman you like? Do you want her to say you suck in bed? Do you get off on that sort of thing? Are you a masochist or something?”
Gagaran did not wait for Climb to reply. After that, she sighed with exaggerated loudness.
“Fine, fine, I won’t force you. I’m good to go whenever, so if you want a quickie with me, just let me know… still, that Beautiful Princess nickname is pretty embarrassing. Does she live up to it?”
“I’ve heard that Nabe person is really beautiful. According to the rumors—”
Here Climb thought he sensed Evileye glancing at him; a hunch that proved to be true moments later.
“—She’s as beautiful as the Kingdom’s Golden Princess.”
Gagaran flashed a knowing look at Climb, like he was a bad boy. Climb guessed what she was going to say, and stole a march on her.
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To me, nobody is more beautiful than Renner-sama.”
“Ah, that’s true.”
Her tone clearly stated, what a shame.
“Hm, I guess we’ve wasted too much time on idle chatter. Sorry for making you listen to our babbling. After this, we’ll do as Lakyus says and get ready.
Gagaran and Evileye rose, and so did Climb.
“Sorry, Climb. I really wanted to have some fun with you, but I don’t have the time.”
“Please, don’t worry about it, Gagaran-san. And thank you for your words of wisdom, Evileye-sama.”
Gagaran carefully studied Climb, and then laughed tiredly.
“Mm, alright, then. You should be going back right away, so we’ll leave our leader to you. Good seeing you around, cherry boy… oh, that’s right. You need to make sure you’re properly equipped. That thing on your belt isn’t your usual weapon, right?”
“Yes. This is a spare.”
“Something might come up. Armor’s one thing, but you’d best keep your sword by your side. It’s a basic self-defense principle for adventurers, especially warriors. Do you have the item I gave you?”
“The bells? They’re here.”
Climb patted the pouch on his waist.
“Really now. That’s good. Remember, we’re warriors; all we can do is swing our weapons. Sometimes, situations occur that can’t be dealt with using weapons. That’s when you use magic items to help you out with those. You need to obtain as many magic items as possible and keep them on you, got that? Also, make sure you have at least three healing potions on you, alright? They’ve helped me out more than once.
Climb had owned three such bottles, but he only had two on him right now.
“I understand,” he replied.
“..Well, aren’t we being nice to someone today.”
“Come on, give me a break, Evileye… sorry I delayed you. I just wanted to say, don’t slack on the preparations and be careful.”
“I understand.”
Climb bowed deeply to Gagaran.
Part 3
Lower Fire Month (9th Month) 3rd Day 6:00
Nine men and women sat around a circular table.
The heads of Eight Fingers’ eight divisions were there, but they did not look at each other. Either they studied the documents in their hands or spoke to the minions awaiting orders behind them.
It did not feel like they were from the same organization at all. Things were not yet at a hair-trigger stage, but their wariness against potential enemies was obvious enough. However, that much was only to be expected. They might be in the same organization and worked with each other, but the fact was that they mainly cut into each other’s profits with the occasional bout of what might be considered cooperation.
The drugs division was the prime example, handling all aspects of production, processing and trafficking by themselves. The smuggling and other divisions would not raise a finger to help them. Even if they did not openly oppose each other, it was common enough for them to try and trip each other up behind the scenes.
These activities — which did no good to the organization — stemmed from the fact that they had once been disparate crime rings which had banded together.
The reason why these viceroys of vice gathered on specific days for Eight Fingers division head meetings was because not doing so would be disadvantageous to them.
That was to say, not taking part in these meetings could be taken as a sign of treachery, and absent parties would thus be marked for elimination. Therefore, even those people who did not commonly come to the Royal Capital would do so just for these meetings.
Even those people who typically spent their days hiding in a safehouse would essentially come here to expose themselves. Those who were so afraid of assassination that they surrounded themselves in guards would do the same. There was a limited number of people allowed at each meeting, and so each of the participants brought two of their finest men from their own divisions, in addition to themselves.
—However, one person stood as an exception to this.
“Since we’re all here, let’s begin the regular meeting.”
As that male voice spoke, the gathered people returned to their seats and their chairs creaked.
The speaker was the host of this event, the coordinator of Eight Fingers. This man — who looked to be in his 50s — wore a holy symbol of the Water God on a necklace and had a compassionate face. He did not look at all like a denizen of the underworld.
“There are several matters which need discussion, and the first of them is — Hilma.”
The person who answered was a fair-skinned woman.
Said skin was so pale she almost looked sickly, and her clothes were also white.
She held a pipe which emitted purple fumes in one hand. A serpentine tattoo snaked up that hand toward her shoulder. Her lipstick was the same purple as her eyeshadow. In her diaphanous clothing, she was the very picture of a high-class prostitute, complete with the dissipated air which hung about her.
“Huwah~” she yawned in an exaggerated manner. “Couldn’t we have started the meeting earlier?”
“...I heard your drug plantations were attacked by someone?”
“Yes, they hit the villages we were using for production. Cost me quite a sum. We may need to cut back on the drug supply.”
“Any idea who might be behind this?”
“No. None at all… however, as a result, it’s not difficult to think of who might have done it.”
“Which color?”
That question was enough for everyone present to understand.
“No clue. I just learned the village was attacked. Didn’t have time to find out more.”
“Is that so. Then, everyone, that’s how it is. Please raise your hands if you know anything.”
There was no response. Either nobody knew, or nobody wanted to share what they knew.
“Then, next on—”
It was a low voice. It was a male voice, and it concealed incredible power within its depths.
All eyes turned to the source of that voice. The speaker was a bald man whose face was half-covered by an animal tattoo. However, every part of him was immense. His muscular frame was evident even through his clothes, and his cold eyes were those of a warrior.
All the other division heads had brought guards along, but only he had nobody behind him. That was only sensible. What point was there in bringing a group of useless people along?
The man stared at Hilma, head of the drugs division. No, he was probably not staring; just that his razor-thin pupils appeared to be doing so.
The guard behind her lost his cool for a moment and his breathing turned chaotic. It was a reaction born of knowing exactly how overmatched he was in fighting strength.
After all, this man was a monster. He would have no problem slaughtering everyone in this room.
“Why not hire me? Do you think the mooks on your payroll can protect anything?”
His name was Zero. He was the manager of the Security Division, which handled everything from simple bodyguarding to escorting nobles. He was famous for his battle prowess, which far exceeded that of any other member of Eight Fingers. And the response to his proposal was—
“There’s no need for that.”
—Was a firm rejection.
“There’s no need for that. Besides, I can’t reveal the location of my bases to others.”
That was the end of it.. Zero closed his eyes, as though he had lost interest. Doing this made him resemble a boulder.
“That would be great. I’ll accept your proposal on her behalf.”
The speaker was a slender man. He looked limp and weak, in stark contrast to Zero.
“Zero, I want to hire your people.”
“Oh, what’s this, Coccodol. Can you afford it?”
If one considered Hilma’s business — the drug trade — to be booming, then this man’s field — the slave trade — was declining by the day. That was because the Golden Princess had made slavery illegal, and as a result he had to go underground with his business.
“That’s fine, Zero. And if possible, I’d like to hire someone on the level of the Six Arms, the best of the best.”
Zero opened his eyes again, as though his interest was reignited.
He was not the only one who was surprised. Just about everyone present was thinking the same thought.
The name of Six Arms came from the brother to the god of thieves, who had six arms. That name referred to the strongest fighters of the Security Division.
Of course, their top man was Zero, but the other five had prowess rivalling his. Rumor had it that one of them could cleave though space, another could control illusions, and that one of them was even a powerful undead being known as an Elder Lich.
If Gazef Stronoff or adamantite-ranked adventurers could be considered the mightiest warriors in polite society, then Six Arms were the greatest killers of the underworld. Hiring somebody like that could only mean one thing.
“Gotten ourselves into big trouble, haven’t we? Have no fear. My strongest subordinates will protect your assets.”
“Do forgive the inconvenience. There’s been problems with a woman who was supposed to be eliminated. Perhaps this might be an overreaction, but if that place goes down, I’ll be in a hell of a fix. Ah yes, we’ll discuss the fees later.”
“Of course.”
“Can you send your man over right after the meeting ends? There’s something I’d like him to do right away.”
“Got it. I brought someone along; I’ll lend him to you.”
“...Then, onto the next topic. Regarding the newly-minted adamantite-ranked adventurer Momon of Darkness… does anyone know about him, or have they made any overtures towards him?”
The sound of valuable metals clinking against each other rang forth.
After ensuring that the up-ended purse was empty, Ainz began sorting out the shiny coins scattered on the table.
He placed ten silver or gold coins into each stack, and then he counted them up.
After totalling the stacks of coins several times, Ainz looked inside the purse.
It was empty, as expected. After verifying that fact, Ainz cast it aside, and then grabbed his head.
“Not enough… there’s not enough money at all…”
His illusory human face twisted in depression. Of course, the money before him was a sizable sum. An ordinary citizen could labor for decades and not accumulate this amount. However, to the master of the Great Tomb of Nazarick and its only source of income, it was little more than pocket change, a fact that made him terribly uneasy.
Ainz’s mental state would be forcibly stabilized once it was disrupted beyond a certain threshold. Therefore, he should have been automatically calmed down once the shock of having insufficient money kicked in and assaulted his psyche. However, the sum of old coins he possessed gave him some emotional leeway, and so the emotional cutoff did not trigger. Instead, he burned in the slow fires of anxiety.
Ainz shook his head, and divided the gold coins before him into several piles.
“First, this is additional funding for Sebas.”
The pile of money before him dwindled in an instant, and Ainz’s face twitched.
“Then there’s this pile… funds for rebuilding and financial aid for the Lizardman Village, in accordance with Cocytus’ wishes, and then…”
It was less than before, but the pile of money shifted, leaving only a few gold pieces behind.
“...This money is going towards the Lizardman Village’s expenses, so if I buy from the Adventurer’s Guild, I can use my reputation as an adamantite-ranked adventurer to open doors for me. That should make things… cheaper… so perhaps this will do?”
He recovered several coins from Cocytus’ pile.
After counting and recounting the remaining coins, Ainz muttered quietly to himself.
“...Maybe I should get a merchant to sponsor me or something… It’d be a good way to set up a regular income stream outside of adventuring.”
There were only three adamantite-ranked adventurer teams in the Kingdom, including Ainz’s own. Therefore, sometimes merchants would make requests of them by name. These jobs were both easy and profitable for Ainz, and he could easily stand to take a few. However, he had not done so until now.
That was because Ainz wanted to avoid giving merchants or adventurers the impression that his Momon persona was a money-grubber, or perhaps one who would do anything for money.
Ainz intended to build a public image of an adventurer who was loved by all, and then transfer that glory to Ainz Ooal Gown. Thus, he had to be mindful of what other people thought of him.
“Still… I’m penniless. Shouldn’t have stayed in such an expensive inn…”
Ainz looked around the opulent room.
This was the best inn in all of E-Rantel, and this was its best room. Naturally, the prices for this room were equally staggering However, this superior room meant nothing to Ainz, who did not need to sleep. How he longed to spend the money somewhere else.
The same went for his meals. However splendid the dishes which the inn prepared for him, it was all meaningless to Ainz, who could not eat them. It would be wiser to cancel the meals and save the money.
However, Ainz knew exactly why he could not do that.
Ainz… no, Momon was the sole adamantite-ranked adventurer in this city. A big name like himself could not possibly live in a flophouse where he had to take care of everything himself.
Living standards were an easy way of benchmarking people. An adamantite-ranked adventurer had to lead a lifestyle consistent with an adamantite-ranked adventurer, such as the inn where he stayed and what he wore.
Clothes did make the man, after all.
Thus, Ainz could not lower himself to stay in cheap lodgings. It was the same even though he understood that this was a waste of money.
“If they think I’m really this valuable, then the Guild ought to book me a room… hah… although, they’d probably do it if I asked…”
That said, he did not want to owe people favors. To date, whenever the guild made urgent requests of him, he would move into action immediately to make them feel indebted to him. Once he had accumulated enough leverage, he would then start calling in his markers. If he allowed people to pay off their debts with such small things, his plan would be ruined.
“Ah… there’s no money. Whatever shall I do… More requests, perhaps? But there haven’t been any good-paying jobs recently. And if I take too many on, the other adventurers will start to hate me…”
While he wanted Ainz Ooal Gown to become an eternal legend, obviously he did not want that name to become infamous. Ainz made the semblance of a sigh, them memorized that amount of spending cash he had from the pile.
“Speaking of money, what about the Guardians’ salary?”
Ainz went “Hmm” and leaned back against his chair, looking at the ceiling.
The Guardians insisted on not drawing a salary, saying that their greatest joy in life was to serve the Supreme Beings, so they would not dare think of taking payment for it.
However, Ainz felt that he should not rely too much on their goodwill. One needed to reward work done in an appropriate fashion.
While the Guardians had all indicated that loyalty to the Supreme Beings was the best reward, that statement did not sit easy with Ainz.
Perhaps that was the conceit of a man who drew his pay by showing up for work, but he felt that labor ought to be compensated.
For all he knew, instituting a salary system might lead to the fall and corruption of these pure and naive children. Even so, he felt that it held merit as an experiment.
“The question now is how I should pay them.”
Ainz’s eyes went from the ceiling to the diminished pile of gold coins on the table.
“If we consider the Guardians’ salary to be equivalent to that of a department head in a high-end company, that means they’d draw 15 million yen per year… Shalltear, Cocytus, Aura, Mare Demiurge and Albedo ought to be getting more, right? Which means I’ll have to multiply that by six. Ah, It can’t be helped. I can’t make that much money.”
Ainz grabbed his head in contemplation, and then his eyes shot open.
“Got it! I just need to pay them with something else! Maybe I could issue Nazarick-only bills — like play money, perhaps — and then fix their value at 100’000 apiece. That would do it!”
But after shouting that, Ainz’s face twisted again.
How would he make everyone use these bills?
All the facilities in the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick were free of charge. Even if he did print those bills, he had no idea where to begin using them.
“What if they were used to buy items from this world?”
After comparing the goods of this world to those of Nazarick, he could not help but wonder who would even want to buy things from the outside world.
“These facilities have been free until now, but if I start charging for them, I’d be putting the cart before the horse… what should I do?”
After pondering for a while more, Ainz hit on another bright idea.
“Got it! I’ll ask the Guardians to think of something. All I need to do is ask them what they’d be willing to spend money on. That ought to do it!”
Just as Ainz was muttering, “What a great idea” to himself, his face turned sour again.
I’m talking to myself more and more, Ainz thought.
While all this had still been a game, he knew he had been talking to himself a lot because there was nobody else around. However, now that the NPCs had gained sapience, will and self-direction, he was still talking to himself. Why was that?
Was it because it had become a habit? Or was it because—
“Because I’m still alone, huh…”
Ainz laughed in loneliness.
Of course, he was surrounded by sapient NPCs, so it was hard to say that he was truly alone. However, he still felt that way. Perhaps he was busy erasing the personality of Suzuki Satoru in order to play the role of Ainz Ooal Gown, the coordinator of the 41 Supreme Beings, whom the Guardians wanted.
Ainz sighed, and as he looked back at the coins on his desk, he heard a knocking on the door.
After a short while, the door opened. Once he had verified that it was the person he had expected — Narberal Gamma — Ainz put on a face.
Right now, the corner of Ainz’s mouth was curled up, as though he were looking down on her.
The low-level illusion which AInz was using reflected his thoughts, so it might occasionally display an expression which did not fit the ruler of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick. Therefore, whenever someone else was around, and particularly in front of Narberal, he typically put on an expression which made him seem like a stern and dignified ruler. He had practiced it before the mirror many times, honing that expression to perfection.
“What is it, Nabe?”
His voice was the same faked one he always had.
“Yes, Momon sa—n.”
“There’s the old habit again. Whenever I remind you, you change for a while, so I guess I should give up on that, huh. Ahhh, no need to bow. I’m not angry, and the fact that you show respect to me… well, that’s fine too. The Guildmaster and the others seem to have gotten the wrong impression, so it’s fine. Now then, what are you here for?”
“Yes. It concerns the ore which you ordered the merchants to find, Momon-san.”
I didn’t give any orders, it was just business, Ainz grumbled inside his heart. That said, the stern expression on his face remained unmoved.
“Really now… Which location are we talking about? Have they gathered samples from all eight places?”
“My deepest apologies, but I did not ask that much.”
“...Never mind, then. We have money. Even if we don’t know where they came from, we should be able to buy them all up.”
Ainz grandly swept the coins on the desk into a pouch and tossed it to Narberal. He watched as she decorously picked up the pouch of money.
“Understood. However, may I be permitted a question?”
“Why I’m purchasing ore from various locations?”
Narberal nodded, and Ainz explained.
“I intend to throw them into the Exchange Box. Simply put, I wish to see if the money I get from the ores changes with the location.
The Exchange Box should not be affected by such things. For instance, even an exquisitely-carved statue would only count the same as an unworked lump of the same material when fed into the Exchange Box. That being the case, what if the composition — the intrinsic quality of the material varied? That was why he had purchased all those ores.
“Nabe, you know that I managed to fix a price by throwing grain into the box.”
I had to throw in quite a pile of grain before getting one measly coin, Ainz grumbled in his heart.
If that were the case, all he had to do was commence mass production. Thus, he had considered breaking ground on grain farms outside Nazarick, manned by undead or golems in order to tend large farms. Of course, actually executing that plan presented a mountain of problems in its own right.
“Understood. Then I shall make the purchases immediately.”
“Mm. However, be careful. We can’t guarantee nobody will make a move on you. If anything happens… You understand, right?”
“I will use the Shadow Demon as a meatshield. I will not think about obtaining information and prioritize safety by retreating with all due haste. I will then teleport to Aura-sama’s fake Nazarick to deceive the foe.”
“Very good. Pay attention to safety and do not travel in secluded areas or take routes which make you vulnerable to attack. Also, do not beat people half to death if they bother you or try and chat you up. In all honesty, I was quite surprised when that man wept and begged me to save him and said he was only trying to flirt with you. Also, you are not to project your murderous intentions everywhere.Crushing pickpockets’ hands might be acceptable, but do not do it all the time. Also, do not, under any circumstances, refer to humans as insects. Simply put, keep your injurious impulses in check after all, we are Momon and Nabe, the highest-ranking adventurers known as ‘Darkness’.”
Once he saw Narberal indicate that she understood, Ainz felt that there was nothing else to remind her about, and nodded.
“...Mm. That should be it. Go then, Nabe.”
Still holding the pouch, Narberal bowed before leaving the room. As Ainz watched her leave, he sighed deeply, despite his lack of lungs.
“...To think I have to make expenditures while I’m low on cash. What a pain.”
1. thanks for the chapter :D
1. I reaaaaaally hates this chapter D=
Makes me think alot of how much one can get to hate Ainz for being such a wimp and halfhearted individual he is. If he is gonna act as the "Overlord" he should just go ahead and go through with it not combine his "Suzuki" persona with "Ainz", talking about paying his minions and working for money when he can just pillage someplace with using a cat's paw... sorry if i raged a bit. D=
2. Its probably because he is really insecure and dont want to be abandoned by the minions like he was by his old me its just a great character construction done by the author
3. I too thought him giving the guardians salary is a dumb idea cause they don't need it, but he gotta give them something so they continue they hard work. And ainz can't pillage normally cause he doesn't know his enemies strength and don't want what happen to shallter happen again.
4. Just think about how being an undead is ruining his psyche. Keep in mind that he was a normal human being who was suddenly put in a body that forcibly and automatically controls his emotions. For all we know, the fact that he has no problems with killing humans and massacring the lizard tribe is probably bothering him. His body is making him lose his humanity. It's only natural that his Suzuki persona conflicts with his Ainz persona.
5. dude,if you where a undead,wo whas once a human you will to fight with your human side,he dont want to lose the humanity that he still have.
6. This comment has been removed by the author.
7. Well in the end, Ainz did not to choose to give salary to the Guardians because he thought that it is pointless since everything in Narzarick is free and there is pretty much nothing for the guardians to buy.
So in the end, he choose to reward them instead of giving money such as giving them what they want. For example, giving Solution humans as rewards, toys and food for her, and giving Sebas resources for him to care for the humans he took in, giving Aura, Demiurge items from their creators, etc.
8. For Ainz who was once a human, I think it is definitely possible that one of the possible reasons is because he doesn't want to completely lose his humanity. He noticed himself that things that are suppose to make him react in a certain way doesn't do so anymore. The main reason I think is most likely that he is very lonely. I mean the guild use to have 41 members in total, but now it is just Ainz himself. So he is definitely afraid that all his subjects might abandon him too. The ironic part is that the guardians are also afraid that Ainz might abandon them just like all the other supreme beings hence they're trying to work their butt off to obey Ainz's orders.
9. There is also the fact that MOST of the Guardians view humans as insects and if Ainz lets them go into town, bad things will happen. Ainz almost had to physically restrain Albedo to keep her from swinging her halberd down on two unarmed little girls at the start of the story. The "barley production" is also directly done for the sake of raising money, by using the "coin exchange" to turn it into gold.
2. Replies
1. By the way, you may want to fix the URL. Currently, it's
But this is volume 5, so it should really be
2. The url to overlord is ""; I think this one was easier to find than yours :)
thanks amended
3. Thank you for the chapter :)
5. Ughgagsgsgsgsgg
only like 3 paragraphs were relevant to ainz. I hate how the author takes like 2 chapters to introduce a setting. I thought this ln was about Ainz hence "Overlord". not fucking climb or the lizardmen.
ah. thanks translators and editors as usual.
1. Why are so many comments so shallow? The part without Ainz was the only on relevant and useful in this chapter. The part with Climb not only introduced the Blue Rose members but also gave an awful lot of information about the universe (thanks to Evileye).
Just thinking about the past of this world is amazing, the Six gods were obviously players imho (the Rubik's Cube thing) but the Eight Kings were probably too, at a different time. At first I thought the 13 heroes of 200 years ago could be players too, but now I know it was not the case, perhaps it was that Demon God who was one? At the very least, I think Evileye was alive 200 years ago, judging by how she talks.
So many questions in the chapters, and yet complaint about how little the useless part with Ainz was.
Really poor author to have such readers.
6. Will the next chapter be mostly about climb again? and thanks for the chapter
7. So... Lakyus has chuunibyou ?
1. It's likely that the sword is a YGGDRASIL item made from Data crystal and customised to require its' wielder to act chuuni regularly to retain ownership.
2. yeah most likely lakyus is chuunibyou
8. the background story so looong and boring, not interest as lizard story
1. Depends on your own experiences... for a person who used to live on the streets or in extreme poverty Climb's story is probably much more engaging
2. I'm neither but still like it.
I think most anime/manga fans are either extremely Chuuni or incapable of being interested in anything other than the "canon" protagonist.
9. Just in time! My withdrawal symptoms was just starting! xD
Thanks for the chapter!
10. Thanks a LOT for the new chapter. I hope the next part focuses solely on the MC, really missing his overkills. BTW one thing I did not understand. Why is he so concerned about money? Isn't the treasury of nazarick full of gold and other stuff?
1. He wants to save it for emergency situations. Like reviving a dead guardian.
2. Ah right. That required a small mountain of gold!
3. Hes doesn't want anyone to know who he is so he can't be buying stuff with the gold in his treasury. He can only use the money he earns from this world. And he also needs a method to secure money because if he runs out hes pretty much screwed.
4. I doubt Nazarick and the Kingdom use the same currency. Ainz is trying to keep out of the spotlight.
5. Nazarick uses the currency of the Ancient which is really rare in that age and far about the worth of Kingedoms currency as seen in the first volumen in house of vilage elder.
6. It's be use I am thinking of my safety and the safety of my guild
7. He's trying to be self sustainable. if bulk barley only gets one gold... imagine how much barley he would need to revive a dead guardian with a cost of 500 million gold. He needs a steady supply of gold to basically keep up with the upkeep of the tomb otherwise the current supply will eventually run out.
8. Guardians don't really die all that often though. It certainly would be cause for concern if somebody outside Nazarick were able to kill one.
9. Ainz can use his wealth in his treasury but only limited it usage in Narzarick since the first reason is that he does not want this gold coins to go into the new world's currency. So there is the need to securing more new world's money for other outside expenses such as lizard man's village, Sebas, etc.
Second reason, is that Only the game coins can be used in Narazrick's operations, such as reviving Shelltear, defence, summoning mercenary NPCs, using those game coins would just mean weakening Narzarick's powers.
Third reason, is that he had no other ways of increasing his inflow of wealth thus he wanted to try decrease his outflow of wealth, thus cause him to be stingy.
11. I almost mutinied when the author started talking about Climb... but he won me over in the end XD
Thanks so much for all your hard work!!! Ainz scrambling for money is funny...
1. ikr it was painful to go thru
2. I fell asleep many times while reading... lol. But still enjoyed the quality TL.
Thank you.
3. God, I need more Ainz!!! Fuck climb!
12. are now officially my religion!
13. Is it just me, or did the story about the whole "My soul goes down the dark path..." stuff seem like the Leader of Blue Rose is a Chunni? xD
14. Thank you! can't wait for next Saturday
15. Since the rules of magic are different in this world. Wonder if the level cap still applies.
1. In Volume 4, Ainz tested to see whether the guardians could grow stronger by forcing Cocytus to learn from his mistakes, and he succeeded. This could imply that Ainz and the NPC's can keep growing stronger, but since they're so OP right now, we wouldn't really notice either way.
2. Well the type of growth isn't one measurable in stats or levels. Really the type of growth is in learning how to apply ones self appropriately. Like in vol 2 he explains how as when he's acting as a warrior at first he is just blatantly tossing his strength around when swinging swords. However he can apply feints hold back power ect which in a way is strengthening oneself and the concept can be applied to the npcs.
3. Well, speaking of which, isn't that kind of learning also how humans in that world grow stronger? And yet in the character infos, like the ones about the lizardmen, they still have stuff like class levels and race levels. So perhaps they can get stronger in terms of stats and levels, but there's just no interface now to measure it?
16. This was awesome and yeah we need more AINZ!
17. thanks for the hard work
18. Thank you very much to translator and author!
all hail ainz sama!
19. Momon the broke
20. Just some corrections:
>completely silent, like a wild animal, approached
(silently modifies the verb, therefore it has to be the adverb, not the adjective)
>power greater than any that currently exist
>we’ve went off topic
we’ve gone
>in case for emergencies
of emergencies
I still don’t get why Ainz doesn’t send out other people to earn money. They could easily form a couple of mercenary or adventurer groups, or even just open shops or offer magical services. It seems quite wasteful of their manpower.
1. Grammar Nazi and he might at water date but right now he is also doing the upgrades for the lizardmen and the barley fields so he is doing something just not earning a lot from it but he might later on or he feels what he is doinging with narbeal is enough for it all.
2. Safety reasons, the fact that aside from shalltear, most of the guardians does not look much like humans (albedos's horns and wings/demius's long tail/cocytus's big insect-like body/mare-aura being dark elf which is suspicious considering darl elves secludes themselves from other beings) and there are much more important jobs for the guardians to do guardig Nazarick, commanding the lizard village, experimentation, creating dummy bases and such
21. Thanks for the translation.
The princess is a schemer covertly using adventurers for her goals. Ainz wants money and, in the last volume, was considering an "alliance" with a country. I smell the beginning of a beautiful partnership.
1. When she started talking about who she could get to demolish that brothel, I immediately thought of Ainz. It also seems he's going to be dragged into it one way or another, what with that criminal group bringing him up in their meeting.
22. Thank you so much for the chapter!
23. I love you, your chapters, overlord, and thank you
24. Loved it, Keep up your work.
25. Thank you for the chapter
26. This is one of the things I like about Overlord. It's easy to write an overpowered antagonist by simply following the curb stomp rules.
A is powerful.
B beats A.
MC beats B, thus MC is powerful.
But overlord actually spends a bit of time writing in the setting and fleshing out some of the characters. It makes the story far more satisfying reading about the MC when he decides to go full power and destroy everything, rather than simply saying "She's a princess, they are mercenary, all hail the MC"
1. finally someone who get it right
2. Also the thing I like there is that we are actually cannot safely said that everything will be fine. Unlike a lot of novel with OP character there we are not having constantly rising in power of main character, he basically has to operate with existing resources and powers in that new world. When I read this novel sometimes I feel a little fear there foreshadowed threats can bring harm to MC and his team.
3. Yeah the story is more satisfying but there is still no real drama. 5 volumes in and the pattern is set. No matter what Ainz and the crew will come through and curb stomp everyone in the end (so far). In order to offset this the author gives us fights from the side characters' perspective. Lizard Man, Climb, Gazeff, Gazeff's rival, etc.
The only fight that gave Ainz REAL trouble was his own guardian. If AInz is going to be the "good big bad" then it'd be nice if somebody became the "bad big good" aka an opposing force in the same class as him.
Oh well. If I think of it as "Overlord featuring side character of the month" it's not so bothersome.
4. It kinda reminds me One-punch man. Where the story revolves around the side characters, when they get beat up or about to lose the mc show up beat the crap out of the villain.
5. Well, the second thing that is interesting about overlord is that they Created their own enemies too, who is actually not serious about being truely evil and just act it out. Such as Demiurge making himself called Jaldabaoth the dark lord, where Momon had to beat the ass out of him while they were actually seated around the table, chatting normally behind the scenes.
1. Shut up maggot, either say thanks or scram. Translate it yourself if you so want to riot.
28. Okay, one question! Are the gold goins, which come out from the Item Exchanger, new world or Ygdrasil's coins?! If it's the later, Nazarick will be unstoppable!
1. It is the new world coins becuse the item is from that world I believe not from yaggdrisal but if it is from yaggdrisal then idk be use there turning it into this world's money
2. 1- Man, this is bad then! Even if NPC's don't get killed, Nazarick operational costs might deplet the treasury!
2- The item exchanger is from Ygdrasil, so it should be possible to receive Ydgrasil's gold from it. Too bad...
3- But the barley thing... he's actually going to plant his own Money! LOL
29. Poor Ainz, single income 'dad' with a 'big house' full of difficult, high maintenance 'children'.
1. Children that can annihilate armies and do whatever he says, though...
2. what a perfect,obedient and good children for an Overlord who goal is to taking over the world.
30. “Well, demi-humans are stronger than humans after all. Humans won’t be able to do anything if they unite and advance their civilization.”
“Well, demi-humans are stronger than humans after all. Humans won’t be able to do anything unless they unite and advance their civilization.”
1. Nothing is wrong here, the statement is that humans won't be able to do anything if DEMI-HUMANS unite together and oppose humans
31. Lost my sides when I read about lakyus' chuunibyou symptoms.
The blue rose surprisingly bunch of good people and ivileye looks cute. Can't wait for her in action
Thanks for the translation
32. The Eight Greed King's treasuries + 1 World Item in their flying castle scares me that they have a dungeon like Ainz's Great Tomb of Nazerick too.
33. Thanks for the chapter !
34. (seems that my last post didn't go through so trying again)
The Nameless Grimoire sounds like it is the really gem of this chapter. It seems like something Ainz would really desire having. Every spell between 1st-10th tier located in one place is simply to good to pass up.
1. The fact that the Eight Greed Kings had their hands on this means that PDL must have already claimed it as his own ever since their destruction afterward. It is known that he is guarding the Eight Greed King's remaining guild items mean this is merely one of his disposal.
It makes me wonder how Ainz will find and claim it...
2. PDL?
Yea, that item's really troublesome. Most people in Nazarick are evil aligned. The only one I can think of, that's rightous, is Sebas.
3. Platinum Dragon Lord, he is safeguarding the remaining guild weapon and its headquarter in their capital, flying castle. He simply waited for the right moment to takeover the flying castle when Eight Greed Kings can destroy one another. The only threat I see to Nazerick is either the Platinum Dragon Lord, or Slane Theocracy.
4. What a douche bag!
Atleast put a spoiler warning before posting this shit.
5. We haven't met PDL yet and I already don't like him. I mean c'mon - he hasn't fought in hero team directly, took over flying castle. Don't like OP schemers.
6. Ainz can't even touch the book cause he's at Negative 500 Justice. Maybe Sebas can get it at 300 Justice, but wouldn't seem likely since, plot-wise, he's working for someone "technically" evil. The most likely candidate so far would be Gazeff Stronoff, the Warrior Captain, but he can't even use the book because he has no Magic Attack stat.
35. I don't get why ainz can't sell of some of nazarick's endless wealth ? back in volume 3 the treasury of nazarick had wealth so overflowing that there was no way to organized them all despite having a room that had could hold literally a mountain range of riches. I mean just take one or two of the jeweled statues and claim that it was from a ruin somewhere and biff bam boom, more than enough wealth to support the lizardmen and the great tomb
1. Way to go pal. Yay, sell one or two items for temporary (penny) money. Consequences: Almost... non. Yeah, aside from the fact that it could alert any Player around (if there is any) that Momon (Ainz) is a Player or at least related to them. Way to go pal, perfect way to keep a low profile after one of your NPCs (Shaltear) get mind-fucked by a potentially Word-class Player user (which is not, but Ainz's worry make sense) Look forward to seeing you leading a guild in the future.
2. your sarcasm is annoying you piece of shit, at this point and in further chapter, there has been almost no sign of any player that have made it to this world other than ainz. and so what if he choose to sell off some of his treasure, those treasure in nazarick have to be exchange for gold one way or the other. they can't use a diamond statue to revive the guardian, they need gold.
3. i think this chapter was mainly supposed to indicate that it's difficult to procure a sustainable stream of income that's adequate to keep up with the upkeep costs of the tomb... not so much that ainz has no money and is actually dirt poor. and honestly i think not selling the treasury stuff is one of principle rather than practicality... ainz doesnt want to sell the wealth that his guild as a whole gathered nor does he want to do anything that decreases the worth/power of nazarik no matter how trivial the amount may actually be.
4. Although that sounds logical you have to consider all thing that would happen if he does that. Just giving away a low lvl red potion already got him into an unexpected situation. What more if he starts selling high ranked items. People would start suspecting his actual strength if he starts selling items with effects similar to 3rd rank and above spells. Others might be tempted to steal or use him because of this. Survaillance on him will also increase. He might be good at covering his tracks right now but its not guaranteed that he wont slip up. It's not certain if the items he sell can be replenished later on. Lastly, he's not good at dealing with unexpected developments and is on the stingy side, which is why he might be reluctant to part with his items.
As side from that, I'm surprised he hasn't used Lizzie and Enfrea as an income source.
5. ''at this point and in further chapter, there has been almost no sign of any player that have made it to this world other than ainz.'' wow have you not consider that we the ''reader'' have access to the whole story while Ainz only have his own perspective? so how would he know that there no player out there? and the whole ''selling item/treasure'' thing the guy above me explain what might and could happen if he sell his treasure and the reason he doesn't use Yggdrasil's coins is because he might attract attention of other player but again how in the hell would he know that there is no player out there?
6. The six gods, the eight greed kings, the thirteen heroes, and even dragon lords who knows the existence of players and planning to kill any to come.....Who the hell say that there are no players in this world? If there are such people, they are just too slow in picking up points in stories yet laughing at Ainz's ignorance.
7. i think the third comment guy mean that when Ainz first came to the new world and right now, at the present in time, there is no sight of any player that are still alive or came to the world the same time as him.
8. first of all its not confirmed yet that Ainz can use new world coins to Narazrick's operations or not, so just think only game coins work.
Second is not that he had no other ways of increasing his inflow of wealth thus he wanted to try decrease his outflow of wealth, no he want use YGGDRASIL coins only as a last resort and not to attract attention of other player. you can read it at Overlord Volume 2 Chapter 1 part 2 and stop spoiling
"No, we do have money, but the only currency I own are the gold coins of YGGDRASIL and I want to use these gold coins only as a last resort."
"Why is that? Didn't we confirm YGGDRASIL coins have monetary value here?"
"Indeed, at Carne village we learned that one YGGDRASIL gold coin... er, the gold used for trading is known as common gold, and one YGGDRASIL coin is worth two common gold coins. But if we use YGGDRASIL gold coins in this city, we won't know where it might end up. We could alert any number of people and if there are any YGGDRASIL players out there, it would be like announcing our presence. This has to be avoided until we fully understand this world."
9. so just don't think only game coins work**
36. Ainz cant sell those treasures and I get to understand that part, don't you remember that it cost 500mill of gold just to resurrect a single guardian? So those wealth are for backup emergencies.that guy thinks he's running some company? Hmm...pathetic.
1. 5 million gold sounds almost insignificant to the described treasure in nazarick. unless the wealth inside treasury is exaggerated I don't see the problem of using what he have. his complaint about lack of money while sitting atop more riches than human comprehension is baffling.
2. using current gold is unsustainable. he needs to find a way to get more gold flowing in and not just flowing out... cuz eventually that runs out
37. Thank you very much.
38. They're hinting that Renner is more manipulative than she lets on. Not maybe to the point of faking affection for Climb or being EVIL EVIL EVIL, but she still makes people wonder. Both her brother and best friend find her just a bit off. She's smart and ruthless enough to order violent action under-the-table, even if it leads to some collateral casualties.
1. I agree, the devious/schemer flag has been raised twice already. It's difficult to accept her actions at face since at vol.1's afterword explicitly states that Ainz character is someone who puts personal gains first. And the thinks that selfless actions are unrealistic.
2. This comment has been removed by the author.
3. If I seriously consider it whether Renner actually is faking affection for Climb, I guess it isn't exactly theoretically impossible.
If you handpicked some nobleman as your personal body guard and agent, then the nobleman will probably either use you to marry up or expect favors for his own agendas. He may not be trustworthy.
However, if you are the prettiest princess and go save some orphan boy, give him his own room, give him a job and insist that he ignores your station for the sake of friendship, then he owes you *everything.* You'd look like the most beautiful thing in his life. Plus all the noblemen and lower-ranked guards will resent his privileges, so you're his only friend.
If it doesn't work out, then you can just drop him off in the army, no harm done. But if he repays you with his devotion then you've raised yourself an agent of unquestionable loyalty.
Still, that's a lot more planning and forethought than I'd expect from some young girl, since Renner wasn't very old when she first met Climb.
I think the truth is somewhere in between. She probably does genuinely like him if only because he's a friend that stands outside the hierarchy and wouldn't try to use her for personal gain.
4. Well you can actually get more information about them in Wikia, but I'll just give you some brief info description about some of them.
The golden princess is actually a crazily smart psychopath who just acts innocent, you will find out about her true colours in volume 6's chapters.
Climb is just a straight dog of the princess whom sees nothing bad in her.
5. I supposed that does make the cleanest sense.
So it's not calculated gain necessarily, Renner just wants to appear to be normal by doing generically "good" things like saving orphans.
6. *spoilers* you find out saving climb was because of her isolation and the fear she caused because of her personality,even if its twisted she really does care for a pet,and his unconditional love is her reason for functioning in this world instead of just going psycho genius
39. "The leader of the thirteen heroes; there was a legend that in the beginning, the hero was just an ordinary person. Although that person was weaker than anyone, the hero became the strongest by endlessly swinging a sword despite being covered in wounds. The hero possessed a power that could rise without end."
Interesting. That sounds like it could be a low-level Yggdrassil player who kept leveling up because he doesn't follow the same rules as everybody else.
1. I know right I thought the same thing high five o/
2. Sounds like weed from lms (legendary moonlight sculptor) lol
3. He could possibly have World savior item
40. Thank you, for the new chapter.
41. From this chapter Am i the only one who thinks the 13 heros were ainz allies and came 500 years vefor him showing people the teir method
1. No.
They're probably players from different Yggdrassil guilds.
2. No.
They're probably players from different Yggdrassil guilds.
3. no, out of the thirdteen heroes, there is only two players and both of them are actually quite low level too in narzarick's standards, not even comparable to the supreme beings.
4. @Zack Tan: can't believe I just got spoiled twice in a row. By you.
Please, please, Could you please shut your trap with your spoilers? I come to the comments section to enjoy reading theories about what to come next and speculate together. It's fun. But I don't want no friggin' conclusions to the questions, and I'm sure nobody else does. We want to enjoy the experience of reading and exploring the story as it goes, not glossing it over just to get to the end of the story as quick as possible and get it over with. Shut your trap about your random facts you get from your wiki or whatever, because if we wanted to read the wiki, we would be reading the wiki, not friggin' here. You seem to think you're helping people by answering their questions with spoilers, but in all actuality you're just ruining the experience of anyone who happens to innocently run into your comments. Or do you want to appear smart and knowledgeable by showing you know the answers? If so you would be wrong because you simply know more about the story by reading ahead, and if anything, you appear the opposite of smart.
Seriously, I'm sorry for being so harsh, but you're pissing me off so bad right now.
And you don't even put any spoiler tags before stating the wiki facts as if they are obvious. Not cool, man. Totally not cool.
42. Yes!! YES!!!! Oh I came so hard when I saw this new Overlord chapter. My pc's busted and it's raining like hell outside.
I needed this! Thank you!
43. Thank you very much for this new chapter.
The work that all the translators and editors put in is greatly appreciated, as usual.
44. Too much Climb and too little Ainz. Wonder if they will end up next as part of their alliance.
Thanks for the chapter.
45. Blue rose leader - Chunni for me.
Golden princess - she seem smart then why would she purpose idea that will be rejected? Small sacrifice, all good people start to go mad because of this from most of the anime I watch. She will most likely live for a long time because she is mentioned a lot in the last 3 volume.
Gagaran? - she is too president for me, but I like her personality of teasing people.
Evileye - I get the vibe that she is kuudere and also a childish onee-chan. She seem to be a know it all + she talk like she was part of the past, so will say she is old.
Climb - shonnen mc in the seinen mc's story, and he is going to die because why not after all the author killed the sword of darkness, momo kill him for (insert reason he a threat to nazarick here) or he is like the lizard-man and live after losing someone.
I now understand momo feeling after playing minecraft online; people kos you and steal your stuff or just plainy kill you for the heck of it. I was about to quit and return to offline but was save by someone, I was glad to be save.
Evileye is actually very emotional person and actually slow in catching up in ideas of conversations a lot of times.
Climb is just a straight dog of the princess
And also momom did not kill the sword of darkness and will not intend to do so, they were killed by someone else, and thus momom instead used their deaths to further his own goals since they are dead anyway.
2. Easy. It doesnt matter if her propositions are successful or they are met with opposition. If I were her I would propose them only for the value it has on itself. Think about it.
1. You are a rich princess, destined to be married off.
2. If the propositions are not accepted she doesnt lose nothing. She is rich after all, so all the poor commoners can die without problem. They are not worthy your time. You dont care at all about them.
3. If they are accepted you can claim you did it for their good being; therefore increasing your popularity and your influence among the common folk. People that bet for the right thing to do will see you on good eyes; therefore getting strong allies ( example : blue rose members, innocent girls, :P )
4. Conclusion of 2 and 3. The result doesnt matter. If the proposition is not accepted you can claim crying that you are only thinking about them.
Final Conclusion : Enjoy how everyone is moving on the top of your hand while you are really doing nothing since you are not the one who is really doing the good deeds, only ordering them. Sadistic scheme. There you have your answer for proposing something to be rejected.
3. Spoiled again — third time in a row. Well, almost. Screw you Zack Tan, now I know better and will absolutely try to skip past the contents of your comments as soon as I see your username.
I wish there was a way to block your comments from displaying on my screen.
46. "If talent was the wall decided the limits of humans" should be
"If talent was the wall -that- decided the limits of humans"
47. what did Lakyus mean when she said
"Climb really is stubborn. How about trying to learn from her?”
how should climb learn from renner, didnt understand the context
48. Thank you very much
49. Lakyus is a chuunibyou? I can already imagine her face when she got caught by Gagaran ^.^
On a serious note: No one gives two and a half f*cks about Climb! Give us more Ainz!
1. you wont see ainz until next volume
2. AWW WTF D: well, i hope this one has sebastian at least
3. yeah no ainz in this volume but you are right sebas is the one who get the spotlight in this volume
4. Yeah sorry climb : (
50. Narberal looks alot better than Renner though imo.
51. Hype hype hype!
MC needs money we need more MC! Both parties Profit ezpz
52. He is starting to become like Weed. Money money money.
53. I hate my self...if i can read Japanese or Chinese...i will help you..damm brain...but thank you for the chapter
54. First of all, thanks for the translation
Second. I'm... conflicted regarding this chapter. I gotta admit that it's very interesting the fact that the different factions are talking about Momonga, but we get so few "screen time" of him that it gets painful at times. I mean, SURE. It worked on the previous novel with the Lizardmen, but still, it would feel better if this novel was more like the second novel. I get that the author is introducing new characters but all I could think about while reading some of the things they were saying was "These guys are so jobbers...". Well, I'm sure it'll work out in the end
55. Why the hate on climb? I guess we'd rather read about Ainz or one of the guardians and his parts didn't really progress the story very much but it was interesting enough.
Also, personally speaking, I think books that start slowly and really flesh out the characters and settings tends to have a fairly good climax.
1. The problem with Climb is that no one seems to get why he is so important. Unlike every other important character, he is weak by any measure; physical, magical, financial and political. He also does not appear to be a pivotal part of the story; Enri, Nfria and even Brita are important in their association with Ainz.
It's not wrong to have Climb in the story, but his character development is completely out of proportion to his importance to the story.
2. Or in other words, Climb's character development is all setup and no payoff. He ends up just being a spectator through the entire arc.
He takes a level in badass, but it doesn't matter as there were more powerful people in the wings to step in; there's no tension if there's no risk.
3. Jhon doe I think you just answered "why climb" theres no tension if there is no risk and climb is at risk,his only strength is total loyalty and determination (this gets more play later shhhhh),he is by the standard of this world an above average warrior though not the greatest by any stetch. So when he bumps into an enemy that ainz wouldn't even bother to swat its a big deal anyway because for climb this is a serious brush with death,also we get to see another facet of the gem that is the world of overlord,now from the eyes of an outsider to its standard system but who has ins at serveral levels and is though not as weak as a common soldier is still weaker than even the high tiers of adventurers
56. I hope ainz is able to use that book, considering its origin its most likely a world class item?
I feel so sad for ainz being lonely and having to carry the burden alone.. :/
Ainz shouldnt be too hard on Naberal. What if one of the guys act towards her, she should be able to crush and arm or two at least right?!
I wonder what's the real nature of the princess? Shes too smart...
57. So every character gets a story in nice!
58. This comment has been removed by the author.
59. The part with EvilEye was amazing.
I want to know more about this universe, I don't care if it's with Ainz or other characters.
60. Why doesn't he simply melt some of the vast gold from his treasury into gold bars that can freely be used as currency in this new world? The fact that none of them explains this is frustrating beyond compare.
1. This comment has been removed by the author.
2. It's worth mentioning that the very existence of the Exchange Box means that New World currency and YGDRASSIL gold are exchangeable, albeit at YGDRASSIL commodity rates rather than New World coin exchange rates.
However, the huge disparity between the wealth of Nazarick and the New World means that Ainz would still need to be frugal; even the sums he earned as an Adamantium-level adventurer is nowhere near enough to keep Nazarick running at full power.
3. Why doesn't he mine caves for gold? With his power he can easily reach places others can't. I think this is mentioned in vol7 or 6 where he wants to get more material.
61. If Renner wants to introduce more efficient farming methods, yet faces political and psychological resistance, she can simply employ those methods on royal demenses and shame the other nobles into doing so once the profitability become clear.
She can also take Parmentier's approach and make it so that she has an amazing agricultural secret that she is obviously trying to protect. Let people "steal" her secret, thinking that they have profited. It's all the more effective if it is in fact true.
Finally, she can use the Earl and his political savvy to act as a non-partisan "stalking horse" by making it look like he was the one to introduce these new methods. The Earl may get the credit, but he will know to whom he owes his increased wealth and influence to.
62. like seriously, i'm so mad now she brought up crop rotation.
can't those guys do a fantasy/medieval hiistory without bringing this up? ''OMG my character is so smart and special he/she can bring this idea without any practical experimentation before... because... the sudo-europeans are dumb and could never figure this out alone... it's not even like they did that while we were planting rice to oblivi... OHhhhh...''
i tought we were deep enough in the story they wouldn't do that... overused idea..... maybe i had hope of them saying: ''Latifundiary slavery is the way to go!'' but no... xD
63. I like how her friend also thought that if Renner was calculating everything then she was a monster. I hope she's not but it would be interesting if she was. (another reason we might be changing the POV is to make us more surprised when it's revealed shes's horrible)
But I hate the change in POV to be honest, I really do. Would have preferred it stayed with the main characters as that is who we started with and going through the story gaining information at the same time the MC is would be nice. The side stories give us information on other subjects which make me feel omnipotent to the MC and the story instead of sticking me in with it.
I don't like knowing more than what the MC knows, specially when he's a badass but also has the stress we would face in that situation.
64. At:
Renner blushed slightly and covered both her cheeks with her hands. Climb awkwardly looked away from her and his eyes immediately opened wide.
Like melting with the darkness at a corner of the room, was a person bend over one knee. Dressed in a tight black suit, was a woman who didn't fit with the room's atmosphere. (or something like that)
65. At:
“…Don’t ask for the impossible. Gazef-ojisan is someone with one foot in the realm of heroes.”
MISSING: "Mmm. Word on the streets is that you are also a heroe... although the gender is a question mark." /MISSING
Gagaran replied to Evileye’s words with a laugh. |
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Assyria and Persia Chapter 3 Lesson 3.
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1 Assyria and Persia Chapter 3 Lesson 3
2 The Assyrians Rise to Power
Assyria was a small kingdom of walled cities that was located north of Babylon. Their city was located in open land that was easily attacked, and they had to constantly defend themselves against invaders. Therefore, they became skilled warriors.
3 The Assyrians Rise to Power
By 650 B.C., Assyria had conquered a large empire. King Sargon II was a successful and ruthless Assyrian ruler.
4 The Assyrian War Machine
The Assyrians were geniuses at waging war. They invented the battering ram, which they used to pound down city walls. They used catapults to throw rocks at enemies, and the protected their archers (people who use a bow and arrows) with helmets and armor.
5 Assyrian Learning The capital of the Assyrian Empire was a city called Nineveh. Nineveh became a great city of learning. It had a famous library that held thousands of clay tablets with writings from Sumer and Babylon. These records tell us a lot about life in Mesopotamia.
6 Assyria Overthrown The people that the Assyrians conquered were constantly rebelling against Assyrian rule. Most of the time, the Assyrians crushed the people who tried to fight them. However, in 612 B.C., two groups joined together to smash the Assyrian empire. These groups were the Medes and the Chaldeans.
7 The New Babylonian Empire
The Chaldeans created a new empire, centered at Babylon after they defeated the Assyrians in 612 BC. The greatest king of Babylon was Nebuchadnezzar II. He rebuilt Babylon and put massive walls around the city to protect it. He also built a great palace with hanging gardens.
8 A New Center for Learning
Under the Chaldeans, the New Babylonian empire became a center of learning and science. Chaldean astronomers charted stars and measured the correct length of the year. Chaldean farmers raised bees for their honey. Many people came to Babylon to share ideas and discoveries. This clay tablet shows the world that was known to the Babylonians
9 The Fall of the 2nd Babylonian Empire
The second Babylonian empire came under attack and was defeated by the Persians, who were led by Cyrus, in 539 BC. Though the Chaldeans were defeated, the city of Babylon was spared from destruction.
10 The Rise of the Persian Empire
The Persians were Indo-Europeans who lived in what is today southwestern Iran. Primarily nomadic, the Persians were eventually unified by one family. One member of this family, Cyrus, created a powerful Persian state that stretched from Asia Minor to India.
12 Cyrus the Great Cyrus ruled from 559 BC to 530 BC.
In 539 BC, he captured Babylon. His treatment of Babylonia showed remarkable restraint and wisdom. He also allowed the Jews who had been held there as captives to return to Israel.
13 Cyrus the Great People of his time called Cyrus “the Great.” He demonstrated wisdom and compassion in the conquest and organization of his empire. He won approval by installing not only Persians but also native peoples as government officials in their own states. Unlike Assyrians, Cyrus had a reputation for mercy. Cyrus had a genuine respect for other civilizations.
14 Expansion of the Persian Empire
Cyrus’s successors sought to extend the territory of the Persian Empire. His son Cambyses successfully invaded Egypt. Then Darius, who ruled from 521 to 486, added a new Persian province in western India that extended to the Indus River. Contact with Greece led Darius to invade the Greek mainland.
15 Darius Darius strengthened the Persian government
He divided the empire into 20 provinces, called satrapies. A governor, or satrap, ruled each province, collected taxes, provided justice, and recruited soldiers.
16 Persian Efficiency An effective communication system sustained the Persian Empire. Officials travelled easily throughout empire on well-maintained roads. The Royal Road stretched from Lydia in Asia Minor to Susa, the empire’s capital. Persians set up way stations to provide food, shelter, and horses for King’s messengers.
18 Primary Source DBQ In about 440 BC, Greek historian Herodotus described the Persian postal system that had been perfected by Darius: There is nothing In the world which travels faster than the Persian couriers. The whole idea is a Persian invention, and works like this: riders are stationed along the road, equal in number to the days the journey takes – a man and a horse for each day. Nothing stops these couriers from covering their allotted stage in the quickest possible time – neither snow, rain, heat, nor darkness. The first, at the end of his stage, passes the dispatch to the second, the second to the third, and so on along the line. Questions: Why did Darius think it was important to improve the mail system? What does this quotation reveal about communication in the ancient world?
19 Persian Army By the time of Darius, Persian kings had created a standing army of professional soldiers from all parts of the empire. At its core were a cavalry force of 10,000 and an infantry force of 10,000. They were known as the Immortals because whenever a member was killed, he was immediately replaced.
20 Fall of Persian Empire After Darius, Persian kings became isolated at their courts, surrounded by luxury. As kings increased taxes, loyalty declined. Struggles over the throne weakened the monarchy (rule by king or queen)
21 Corruption in the Monarchy
Persian kings were polygamous (having many wives) and had many children. Artaxerxes II, for example, had 115 sons. These sons had little power, but they engaged in plots to take the throne. Of the nine rulers that followed Darius, six were murdered
22 Persian Religion Zoroastrianism, the Persians’ religion, was their most original cultural contribution. Monotheistic Ahuramazda (the “wise lord”) was the supreme god who created all things. At the beginning of the world, Ahuramazda was opposed by the evil spirit (Ahriman). Humans have the power to choose between good and evil, and their choice will determine their fate.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22741 | Under the Weather
It’s another rainy day…or is it? “One and Only” appears every week at steamkat. By Brian Joseph Judge.
By: Brian Joseph Judge | June 29, 2017
Click on Image to Enlarge
Brian Joseph Judge
One and Only
|
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22748 | Apple is just messing with our minds
iOS 7 is all over the place. Some love the new look, others think it's childish and confusing. Some even say the flat look symbolizes Apple's capitulation, since they're abandoning the skeuomorphic paradigm they have been using for ages. The new icons are obviously the most controversial part of the released software, and they seem - yes - wrong and unfinished. But what if the unpolished icons are just a marketing trick, a temporary solution presented on purpose to annoy people, especially the designer community? Rumors have it, they were designed by their marketing team anyways.
iOS 7 Icons Problems
The inconsistencies of the new icons. Categorized by GreenGelatin on reddit.
Personally, I like the new operating system. I think the whole 3D concept is great, a good reason why icons and other elements needed to go flat. I like the typical screens and forms, even if they resemble Windows. I didn't have the chance to try it out, but I believe the authors who did and claim it is a huge step forward.
Apple has sold iOS 7 to me, probably also because I can easily ignore the various types of icons, and the different directions of gradients. I admit they could be better, but I can imagine designers hating it. Which means that all that Apple needs to do, is to introduce a new set of icons before the launch, something super coherent and amazing, and it will blow everyone's mind. Bam!, and all the heretics run back to the mothership. If the final icons would manage to exceed expectations as some other things seen in iOS 7 did so far, Apple wouldn't have to worry about their mobile program for years to come.
iOS 7 Icons Redesign
One of the icon redesigns, published by agent00420 on reddit. If a single person can do this in one day, imagine what Apple can do.
Think about it. Would a company which has been associated with great design for decades present something so weak unintentionally?
It's funny how such a controversy, a potential game changer and perhaps another great manipulation, something that has the power to change one strong emotion into another, is encapsulated in the form of 20 small pictures. It seems Apple has done it again.
(Cover image via @likeluis)
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22767 | With White Hat tactics, Google is more likely to uphold your rankings as you continue to grow and add more content, so if you’re a business that is need of a constant flow of customers, this is the only tactic that you need. If they found your content valuable and optimized for certain search terms, they will reward you with a higher ranking in search results. If anyone guarantees you page 1 ranking on Google within a three-month timespan, run for the hills. Social shares are important because they help your blog post get discovered, so getting more shares and Retweets on social media networks is never a bad thing for your SEO efforts.
Beginner's guide to keyword research
This requires sound SEO expertise. One of the most important SEO factors nowadays is a website’s content. If you provide useful and actionable information for users, search engines will rank your website higher in SERPs. Exact match Domains (EMD) As such, ranking number one for your business name, while it’s an important foundation, is really only of secondary importance in the race to achieve good rankings on the web.
A few words on CTR
It is essentially free digital marketing! Review sites should also be considered in link building campaigns. These are the sites where your customers write about their experience with your products/services. An organic search is the process of using loose search terms to get precise search results. Google allows webmasters to geographically target certain websites or sections of your website to certain locations and regions via Google Webmaster Tools. You can find these settings by logging into your Webmaster Tools account, looking under Site Configuration, and changing your geographic targeting in the Settings tab.
Think With the SERP In Mind
These bots follow links on the pages and then index them into Google’s database, which runs into trillions of pages and is more than 100,000,000 gigabytes in size. Anyone who is commenting on the blog will leave a backlink, which means, backlinking is a mode to drive traffic. Make sure, you are not commenting a random one, as it will serve you no good. The comments should be relevant and in that context only. Until Google get their act together, unethical and spammy SEO techniques (black hat SEO) will always exist. According to Gaz Hall, a UK SEO Consultant : "It’s worth noting that there are SEOs who prefer using TF (Trust Flow) and CF (Citation Flow) from Majestic when checking their competitors authority and trust levels."
Unexpected ways backlinks can help with getting your website noticed
To prevent Google from crawling certain pages, the best method is to use a robots.txt file. This is simply an ASCII text file that you place at the root of your domain. If they struggle to find relevant search results within your site, they may return to Google to find someone whose site is easier to use; It really wasn’t that surprising; studies have discovered that more than half of teenagers use voice search on a daily basis, and a similar number of adults use it because it makes them feel “tech-savvy”. If the analytics tools were deployed prior to an SEO’s arrival, then he or she must find reasonable evidence that lead-tracking sources are properly capturing. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22770 | Calling All Skiers, Cyclists, And Lawn Boys
HandsFree GoGlove Whether you're jonesing for ski season to get here, you're an avid cyclist or you're cutting lawns this summer one things for sure, you're most likely doing it with music. By now you've probably found the best pair of over the ear ear buds, and the music app you like the best. But [...]
Your Fitness, Your Life, Your Community On Your Wrist With Grooove
The team behind the Groove smart and fitness watch had something different in mind when they decided to get into the wearable space. After evaluating everything that was on the market today, they quickly realized that most of the smart devices and wearable technology was solely focused on the data. They decided to switch gears [...]
People Are Talking About Wearable Tech [INFOGRAPHIC]
Wearable Tech Infographic Saying that wearable tech has exploded could be the understatement of the year. Just search the pages of any technology blog, like, and you'll find more and more stories about wearable technologies. From Google Glass, to Fit Bit, to the latest piece of wearable technology making the crowdfunding circuit, the world [...]
Did Fitbit Just Win The War For Women’s Wrists?
These pieces form designer Tory Burch are designed to hold the Fitbit Flex tracking device. Fitbit Tory Burch Back in February Fitbit announced on their blog that they were partnering with designer Tory Burch to come up with a collection of Fitbit accessories for the Fitbit Flex. Burch is an award winning designer [...]
Total POM: A Tracking System That Can Save Lives
Search the world of crowdfunding and you'll find hundreds of different tracking devices. Companies like Pile opened up the floodgates for anyone who could package together a bluetooth enabled tracking chip and muster up some code. Literally between just Indiegogo and Kickstarter alone there are 40+ projects in that domain. So why should you care [...]
Know The Air Quality Around You With Skywair
The internet of things along with crowdfunding are producing some amazing new technologies. Just this morning we reported on Sandpiper IS a spirometer that attaches to your smartphone and gives you data on your lung function. Now we've uncovered a unique new device that measures the air quality around you called Skywair. Skywair was originally [...]
Freewavz Listen To Your Music, Track Your Fitness With The Same Device
Fitness Monitor Headphones Freewavz Fitness, music and now tracking your fitness go hand in hand. That typically take multiple devices, your earbuds or headphones and some kind of fitness tracking band. Now, thanks a new device called Freewavz merges the headphones and the fitness tracking into one. On any given Sunday there are hundreds of [...]
Every Active Person On Earth Should Have A GoGlove
There's a revolutionary product on Kickstarter right now and it's not Potato salad. Sure it's a stretch to claim anything is truly revolutionary but GoGlove fits that bill. Every active person on earth should have a GoGlove. Why, because it solves one of the most annoying problems in the world. Whether you're jogging, biking, skiing, [...]
POM Stands For Peace Of Mind And That’s What You’ll Get
POM Tracking Chip There are plenty of bluetooth and gps enabled tracking devices out there, especially in the world of Kickstarter. The problem with most of them though, is that first they are positioned as a way to find your car keys. While that may be a great use for a tracking device that's not [...]
Apple Testing Several iWatch Designs?
According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple is preparing not just one smartwatch/fitness/health wearable, but several. This is certainly in line with many of the health based initiatives - Health, and HealthKit to name a few - that Apple announced at WWDC a short time ago. The new device(s), according to the Journal, are aimed at bringing new functionality [...] |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22771 | You are not logged in. LOG IN NOW >
First POST: On Being Watched
BY Nick Judd | Friday, June 7 2013
First POST is normally available only to Personal Democracy Plus subscribers. Today, it's available for everyone.
Finding out
• You've long suspected it, you've heard unconfirmed or thinly-sourced reports asserting it, but only yesterday was it confirmed to be true: the scale and scope of the U.S. "foreign" surveillance apparatus is mind-bogglingly large and, for fans of the right to privacy, uncomfortably so.
The Washington Post:
• The New York Times piles on:
• And editorializes:
Around the web
• In Australia, civic hacking is spreading:
Govhack takes openly available information, from agencies like the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the State Library and Landgate and invites developers, programmers, designers and complete amateurs to form teams and find new ways of presenting and using the data.
GovHack is held around Australia but this year was the first time Perth had an event.
• MapBox describes the growth of OpenStreetMap, an open-source global digital map.
• The Open Knowledge Foundation describes an Open Government Partnership meeting in Mombasa, Kenya.
• It's legal to hail cabs with smartphones in New York City. (h/t Steven Clift.) |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22790 | Closer to God than ever...
John 3:16
Raising Godly Children
by Karen Wolff
Where is that instruction manual on raising kids? You know, the one the hospital gives you just before you leave with your new baby? Well, you can dream, can't you?
What do you suppose an instruction manual would look like? Can't you just see it? It would contain some great categories like, "How to Stop the Whining", and "How to Get Your Kids to Listen When You Talk".
Unfortunately, Christian parents face just as many obstacles as non-Christians in raising kids. AND when you add all the worldly distractions, Christian parenting becomes more than a challenge.
A huge part of that challenge is passing on your faith to kids whose priorities are more focused on video games, sporting events, and the latest trends in clothes. But the good news is that there are things you can do to raise Godly kids and even share your faith with them.
First, you must live out your Faith in your own life. It is impossible to give away something you don't have. Kids can spot a phony from a mile away. They're looking for the real deal from their parents.
Living your faith can start with simple things, like showing love, kindness, and generosity. If your kids see you finding ways to "be a blessing", it will become a natural and normal way of life for them too.
Second, start sharing your faith early in the lives of your kids. Being a part of an active Christian church shows your kids that you think spending time with God is important. Make it a point to let them hear you talking about the great things happening in the church. Let them hear how much you've been helped by being in the midst of people with similar beliefs who pray for you and you for them.
Third, show your kids what's in it for them. This is probably one of the most difficult things for alot of parents. Many people were brought up to believe that faith was some kind of obligation you fulfilled by attending church on Sunday. And let's face it, kids today aren't interested in obligations unless there is some kind of payout at the end.
Here are some GREAT payouts:
• When you give your life to Christ, you secure your place in heaven. What kid do you know that doesn't want something they don't have to earn, but rather is given to them as a gift?
• When God enters your life, you receive unconditional love. What a concept for a young person ... someone who will love and accept them as they are with no strings attached.
• Being a Christian means freedom. As you develop your relationship with Christ, you can be free from worry and anxiety, addictions, and so many other problems that seem to plague young people. When you do things God's way, you receive the benefits of that relationship.
• Having God's favor on your life is like unwrapping a gift every single day. God's favor is an amazing blessing that makes people want to be good to you for no apparent reason. What young person wouldn't want God's blessings in their life?
Of course, it wouldn't be fair to tell your kids about the payouts and not tell them about the responsibilities that come from Christian living. Here are some of those:
• Put God first. This means making the commitment to seek God. This isn't an easy concept for kids. There's alot of competition for first place in the life of a young person. But helping them understand that God wants them to be happy and successful more than they do....what a great thing for a young person to hear.
You can help the process by encouraging your kids to spend time with God reading the Word, and make sure they understand the importance of choosing Christian friends that share the same values.
• Find ways to be a blessing. Many kids are very self centered. The concept of "being a blessing" means taking the focus off them and onto someone else. This is best learned if they can see you living it. Include them in the process when you can. You'll be amazed at how good your kids will feel about themselves.
• Act right ON PURPOSE. This means treating people with kindness, respect, and patience....even parents, brothers and sisters. Right behavior is Christianity in action.
Sharing your faith doesn't have to be complicated. Start by living it in your own life so your kids can see it in action. Demonstrate your commitment and the value you place in an ongoing relationship with God by finding ways to be a blessing. Kids learn best by example and modeling your faith is the best example they will ever see.
For more help on this topic, go to A GREAT Christian Parenting Resource
About the author:
Karen Wolff is the founder of www.christian-books-for-women.com, a place where women will find info, tips, and help with issues like overcoming fear, jealousy, and building self esteem. Find book reviews, recommendations, and submit your favorite books so you can be a blessing to someone else. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22807 | Haohi’s Movie Night
Haohi waited with baited breath as the countdown trickled to single digits.
The burning stench only increased the impending sense of dread that built within her.
Only seconds remained.
A million screaming voices pleaded all at once to give in and abandon all reason before they too dwindled into silence.
But she held strong.
Only a soft ding and the pleasant aroma of butter assuaged her fears as she carefully pulled the contents out.
“Popcorns done!”
Meanwhile in the living room, a towering demon silently swore to himself as he fumbled with a strange device in his hands.
“I’ll never understand human technology,” Akai groaned.
“It’s HDMI, Dad,” Aiko, a smaller but infinitely cuter demon replied back.
They were an odd family.
An angel, a demon, and their adoptive daughter, all harmoniously living together under the same house was unthinkable.
Yet they made it work.
Now they were no different than any other family that lived in their quiet cul-de-sac.
They even had movie night.
Normal families had a movie night so of course they had one.
At least that’s what Haohi managed to convince herself normal families did.
She carried the warm bowl containing popcorn into the living room and gave it to a waiting Aiko while she took a seat and settled in next to her husband on the couch.
“You want to sit with us, Aiko?” Haohi asked.
“Naw, I’m good,” Aiko plainly stated as she plopped herself down in front of the TV and began shoveling handfuls of popcorn into her mouth.
Haohi didn’t mind.
It only meant she could snuggle up to Akai more. She pressed herself against him, taking and hugging his arm while Akai made sure to cover her in the large plush blanket they now shared.
With everyone set and as the movie began to play, Haohi prepared herself for a comfy night of family entertainment.
But she quickly found herself lost.
She blinked at the TV.
“Are you sure this is a Christmas movie?”
She would be the first to admit that she wasn’t so well versed in the aspect of human culture, but at the same time, she was pretty sure Christmas movies didn’t have this many explosions.
Or gun fights.
She was silenced by a quick “shh”.
She looked down at her daughter, who lied on the floor. She frowned and turned to look to her husband, but found he too was engrossed in the movie.
She made a mental note to never let Aiko pick which movies they watched again and leaned her head against her husband’s arm.
She quickly found herself bored, unable to follow along and was left to wonder to herself as to why there was so many gun fights and when, or even if, Santa Clause was going to show up.
Haohi instead focused her attention on her husband.
She cuddled herself up to him, pressing her body as close as possible to his. Akai reciprocated her action in kind and a sudden thrill leapt through Haohi’s heart at the sensation of Akai wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her in against him.
And with such an innocent and entirely wholesome action, Akai had pressed her button.
Haohi licked her lips.
Underneath the blanket, she placed her hand on Akai’s thigh, pausing only slightly before slowly traveling upwards towards his crotch.
To her surprise, Akai gently brushed her hand away.
She tried again, only to have him repeat his action.
She looked up at him with an annoyed expression
As if reading her mind and without looking away from the TV, Akai dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
His thumb moved quickly against the screen before he returned it to his pocket.
A second later, Haohi’s phone vibrated. Curious, she pulled out it out and read the message.
-not in frnt of kid-
Haohi’s eyes narrowed before she quickly texted a message back.
-I’m horny now-
She sent the message, and waited with baited breath as she feigned interest at the movie as Akai once again pulled out his phone and read the message.
The reply was just as prompt as the first.
-2 dangerus-
Haohi frowned and looked up at her husband and then at her child, who was still engrossed at the exploding sights and sounds on the TV.
She thought of other things exploding inside of her.
Haohi squirmed and pressed her thighs together, thankful for the thick blanket that covered her.
She needed to be pleased.
She leaned over to Akai’s ear and whispered as softly as she could.
“I’ll be quiet.”
With that said, she reached over and slid a hand up Akai’s thigh, stopping when she got to his crotch.
Carefully she grabbed the zipper and slowly began to pull it down. She kept her eyes glued to the TV to maintain her cover, and to her delight Akai made no move to stop her. When she felt the opening was wide enough, she worked her hand inside, and was met with the soft fabric of his boxers.
Along with the thick shaft that lay beneath.
Her fingers gently caressed him before she grasped him.
The effect was immediate: her husband’s cock grew thicker and longer in her hand, straining against the thin fabric.
If Akai made any other reaction, she didn’t notice. She didn’t even know what was going on in the movie.
All she was focused on now was the growing cock on her hand.
In fact, she didn’t even notice his hand undoing the ivory button on her shirt and slipping inside to fondle her breast.
It was a bold move. Haohi even gave him points for it.
Disaster nearly struck when he brushed his finger against her nipple, and the faintest of mewls escaped her lips.
She instinctively looked at Aiko, who was still glued to the TV screen, completely oblivious to anything that might be going on behind her.
Haohi sighed in relief.
“We should probably stop,” he whispered.
She looked up at her husband with a lewd look in her eyes, all the while still rubbing him.
“She doesn’t have to know.”
She began rubbing him even more aggressively, her smile widening as she felt him stiffen.
At the moment, her core was growing hotter and wetter, her nipples poking through the front of her shirt.
Without warning and with a flick of her finger, she freed his throbbing erection from his boxers and gripped him tightly.
He was seething hot to the touch, thick, and throbbing vigorously with life. She pumped him into a gentle rhythm, letting the flesh glide through her hand, all the while the two now only pretended to watch the TV.
She peeked underneath the blanket.
The sight of it was enough to make her drool.
Sneaking one last look at Aiko to make sure her daughter wasn’t watching them, she shifted her position and lowered her face, and took him into her mouth, savoring the way he immediately pulsed. Haohi gave him a little squeeze then began sliding her lips up and down his shaft.
She kept a tight seal, ensuring that no sound slipped past her lips as she swirled her tongue about him. Akai meanwhile raked his fingers through her pink hair, stroking her head gently before she felt him press her head downwards to the base of his shaft. She was forced to hold her breath as his cock hit the back of her throat lest groans of pleasure escape. He held her there for what seemed like ages, his cock throbbing in her throat, before he finally relented and released her.
When she finally dared to breath, she was hit by the powerful stench of musk and sex that addled her brain, all emanating from his precious orbs and sack.
Clearly he wanted her just as badly as she wanted him. Raising her head and high on dick fumes, Haohi took his hand and silently guided him to the apex of her thighs. He wasted no time in undoing her pants and sliding his fingers inside her, sending pinpricks of pleasure spinning through her.
Haohi buried herself into his crouch to prevent herself from letting out a moan as her legs splayed apart. Akai’s fingers began to move, pumping deep inside her and then pulling out, stroking her in her most sensitive spots, his thumb toying with her swollen nub. Fighting back, Haohi took him into her mouth again while simultaneously jerking him off with her hand, while her other hand reached in and gently caressed and coaxed his sack.
It wasn’t long before she felt his nuts tighten, and she knew he was going to come.
Hot viscous liquid shot to the back of her throat, causing her to recoil at the force as semen pumped and filled her mouth. She held on, ensuring a tight seal while he emptied his balls balls into her. Only when the geyser of semen began to ebb did she dare began to eagerly suck down and swallow him, with several full gulps. She kept her lips tightly wrapped around him as she came back up, squeezing the last of his cum out and leaving his cock sparking clean as she kissed the tip.
She came back up from the blanket, errant strands of hair clinging to her glistening forehead.
She made a show of running her tongue across her teeth, cleaning the last vestiges of semen before opening her mouth wide and sticking out her tongue to her husband, proving that she had indeed faithfully swallowed his seed.
Akai grinned and rubbed her cheek lovingly before shooting a quick look at their daughter, whose face was still glue to the television, blissfully unaware that the lewd act that had just transpired behind her.
He sat up and motioned for his wife to come closer, turning her around and placing her right on his lap with Haohi facing the TV.
And their daughter.
Only the movie distracting Aiko and the plush blanket shielded them from being discovered.
Haohi held onto the blanket, covering herself as Akai’s dick slid into her, filling her up to the brim, her vision became blurry with tears. She began to ride him, slowly at first, then faster, harder, lifting herself as Akai guided her hips. She let out soft shallow breaths as his cock pushed deep into her.
It was a strange feeling how they could be having sex in the living room with their daughter right in front of them.
It was taboo.
Anathema to everything she stood for, as booth an angel and a mother.
She shuddered in pleasure.
The very idea that her daughter could easily turn around and catch them in the act made her quiver. She grinned and took him to the base before slowly beginning to gyrate her hips in slow circles above him.
She turned her head to watch Akai’s mouth open and throw his head back. Haohi clenched her pussy around him and through him, felt a shiver course through his entire body.
His eyes flicked open, and the next thing Haohi knew, Akai’s hands and reached up to grab the sides of her simple white button up shirt.
Through luck or perhaps divine timing, the sound of Akai pulling her shirt apart and causing the buttons and threads pop off like machine gun fire was timed in unison with a massive explosion that occurred in the movie.
“Cool,” Aiko said in a monotone voice as she messily shoveled more popcorn into her mouth.
Before Haohi could comprehend what had occurred, she felt his hands wrap and squeeze her small, but still somewhat generous chest and attack her nipples.
She immediately brought up the blanket to her mouth and bit it to stifle a squeal as Akai pinched, pulled, and played with her sensitive nipples.
Thankfully, the assault didn’t last long.
Instead, Akai grasped her wrists and pulled her arms back behind her, giving him full control of her movements.
She could now only hold blanket with her teeth as Akai railed up into her, hitting her sweet spots and causing her head to spin.
The occasional soft moan became muffled in the blanket as Haohi’s vision began to blur as Akai relentlessly kissed the entrance of her womb with his cock.
Her strength began to fade as she gave in to the pleasure eroding her sense of being. Her mouth fell open and the blanket fell away, leaving the perverse act completely unexposed.
All Aiko had to do was turn around.
Turn around and see her mother, a proud angel, bouncing shamelessly, a slave to her demonic husbands cock.
She arched her back, as if presenting herself to her.
Her moment of orgasm would be shamelessly displayed, all the while wearing a stupid sultry expression.
Her daughter would probably never look at her the same way again.
But she didn’t care.
She wanted to ride that white euphoric wave of pleasure, and loose herself.
She threw her head back and let out a silent scream as her own orgasm enveloped her.
Haohi continued riding, almost spasmodically, and soon her husband’s followed suit as he, too came, shooting ropes of semen into her and filling her to the brim.
They both held each other for a couple of seconds, before she quickly climbed off of him and covered them both with the blanket.
She cleared her throat, trying to steady her breathing, and leaned into her husband, a satisfied smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“That was wonderful. We should do it again sometime.”
Akai raised an eyebrow at her. “One of these days, you’re going to get us into trouble.”
“Shhh!” Aiko said without even turning around.
Husband and wife looked at each other once again. Then they both burst into laughter.
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2 thoughts on “Haohi’s Movie Night”
1. Interesting, I didn’t know about Aiko being adopted. I always thought of her as their biological daughter, hah. I’d be interested in reading the story of how that came to be.
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Al Qaeda Winning War on Terror?; Signs Missed in Terror Plot?
Aired January 5, 2010 - 20:00 ET
CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Tonight, here are the questions we want answered. Is al Qaeda gaining the upper hand in the war on terror?
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When a suspended terrorist is able to board a plane with explosives on Christmas Day, the system has failed in a potentially disastrous way.
BROWN: President Obama's angry admission that the homeland defense system just didn't work.
Plus, why didn't we listen to the warnings of the 9/11 Commission?
BOB KERREY (D), FORMER U.S. SENATOR: It's eerily reminiscent. It's the same language we had in the 9/11 report. Now, how long do you tolerate the system being broken?
BROWN: Five years ago, they told us to watch out for the American cleric who is taking Osama bin Laden's place. So, why is he still on the loose?
Also tonight, our CNN special investigation: A nationwide chain of yoga and wellness centers, two dozen former employees say it is a cult. They claim they were abused.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People were screaming. People were throwing up. People were running away.
BROWN: Dahn Yoga's lawyers say it is no cult and no one was abused. Who is telling the truth? Our three-part investigation begins tonight.
BROWN: Hey there, everybody. We start tonight, as always, with the "Mash-Up." We are watching it all so you don't have to.
Our top story tonight: an angry admission from the commander in chief. President Obama acknowledges the government dropped the ball, missing clue after clue that could have stopped the Christmas bomber before he even made it onto the plane. The president spent the afternoon huddling with his top security advisers, and then he emerged to face supporters.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: You rarely see President Obama as stern or as frustrated as we saw him just a little while ago.
OBAMA: The bottom line is this: The U.S. government had sufficient information to have uncovered this plot and potentially disrupt the Christmas Day attack, but our intelligence community failed to connect those dots. That's not acceptable, and I will not tolerate it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president used a version of the world fail nine times in as many minutes.
OBAMA: Fail. Failure. Failures. Failures. Failed. Failure. Failed. Failure. Failure.
KATIE COURIC, HOST, "CBS EVENING NEWS": The president ordered his team to quickly come up with new recommendations to make sure this never happens again.
OBAMA: We have to do better, and we will do better, and we have to it quickly. American lives are on the line.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president also confirmed publicly that the United States would no longer release any Guantanamo Bay detainees of Yemeni descent back to their home country.
BROWN: We're going to have full details on this story coming up tonight. Plus, I'll ask a member of the 9/11 Commission why so many of their recommendations have gone unheeded -- that coming up.
Moving now to Afghanistan and new information tonight about the suicide bomber who killed seven CIA officers at an American military base. The terrorist was a double agent, and tonight we have new details on how he managed to slip through security.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: This is a Jordanian doctor by the name of the Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi.
One former senior U.S. intelligence official says he was providing very important information on some very high-level targets.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The double agent was brought onto the CIA base in Afghanistan without first being given a polygraph test, one of the basic tools in establishing a spy's trustworthiness. He had provided bona fide information, including the location of al Qaeda leaders killed by CIA drone strikes. But a U.S. intelligence official says there were still questions about his reliability and the access he claimed to have to senior al Qaeda leaders.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He had already been to the base about half-a- dozen times, and because of the information he claimed he had, the CIA officers told the local guards not to search him as he went past three layers of security.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some 13 CIA officers and contractors from the company formerly known as Blackwater had gathered to hear the informant's report when the bomb went off.
BROWN: American and Jordanian officials apparently believed the bomber had been rehabilitated. They had hoped he would lead them to the top lieutenant of Osama bin Laden.
Here at home, a vicious cold snap blanketing much of the country has turned deadly.
BLITZER: An arctic blast is making its way south. That will plunge two-thirds of the country into possibly the deepest freeze of this winter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Tennessee, where overnight lows hit 12 degrees, four people have died, hypothermia the cause. In New Jersey, a nuclear power plant was shut down because of ice in its cooling system. In central Florida, with temperatures below freezing all week, farmers are performing a kind of citrus CPR.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tonight, temperatures at strawberry farms like this and across the state are going to hit 32 or below, and it's going to stretch like that straight through the weekend. Meteorologists say they haven't seen it like that for such a sustained time down here in Florida for decades.
And it's going to get worse before it gets better, another band of frigid weather expected to hit two-thirds of the country tomorrow.
Turning now to Hollywood and an all-too familiar story of tragedy and excess, another young starlet found dead in her home. This time, it's Johnson & Johnson heiress Casey Johnson. She was only 30 years old.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: According to the celebrity Web site TMZ, she had been dead for several days before her body was discovered. Her father is Woody Johnson, the owner of the New York Jets and the great-grandson of the founder of pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Casey Johnson had been trying to make a name for herself in Hollywood. Her girlfriend, Tila Tequila, was the star of the reality show "A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila." The couple made tabloid headlines last month when they posted this video online.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Casey Johnson and Ms. Tila Tequila are now officially engaged.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Johnson, said to have had a drug and alcohol problem, led a troubled life. In 2007, the heiress adopted her now 3-year-old daughter, Ava, from Kazakstan, but lost custody to her mother in 2009, when she was found to be living in squalor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Johnson was also in trouble with the law. She was arrested on theft charges in November, allegedly stealing jewelry, clothing and documents from an ex-girlfriend.
BROWN: No cause of death just yet, police waiting on an autopsy. And they say they don't expect -- or don't suspect, rather, foul play.
On the political front, a big blow to Democrats' hopes of keeping control of the Senate. North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan announced today he won't run for reelection this year, a big surprise here. Dorgan was expected to easily win a fourth term, so a boost for Republicans there.
But the party's own chairman is raising doubts about whether the GOP can recapture the House in the midterm elections. Republican Chairman Michael Steele was asked about it on FOX last night. He spent pretty much all of today cleaning up after himself.
SEAN HANNITY, HOST, "HANNITY": Do you think you could take over the House? Do you think Republicans...
MICHAEL STEELE, CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Not this year. And, Sean, I will say honestly...
HANNITY: You don't think so?
STEELE: Well, I don't know yet, because I don't know who -- all the candidates. We still have some vacancies that need to get filled. But then the question we need to ask ourselves is, if we do that, are we ready?
HANNITY: Are you? Answer your own question. Do you think they're ready?
STEELE: I don't know, and that's what I'm assessing and evaluating right now. STEELE: certainly, I know some of my friends in Washington on the Hill were a little bit put out by what I said. What I am saying is -- the question was, will you take back the House? I don't know.
BROWN: And that, of course, from CNN's "SITUATION ROOM." What a difference a day makes. Steele now says he thinks Republicans can win back the House in November.
And that brings us to the "Punchline" tonight, courtesy of Jon Stewart, back from vacation and ripping into the government for missing all the clues about the Christmas bomber.
JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART": It's December. He's going from Nigeria to Amsterdam to Detroit without a coat?
STEWART: With a one-way ticket? Oh, do you think he's going to Detroit to start a better life?
BROWN: Jon Stewart, everybody. And that is the "Mash-Up" tonight.
Still ahead: new details about that security breach at Newark Airport in New Jersey on Sunday, also, more screening, more air marshals and more people on the no-fly list, but will this do anything to make us safer?
And President Obama meets with his national security team and delivers a blunt message: Intelligence failures will not be tolerated.
BROWN: Some breaking news now, new information just coming in about the security breach at Newark Airport over the weekend. You will recall a man got past security, causing an entire terminal to be shut down for hours. Well, that man still has not been caught. And tonight, we're a big step closer to finding out why he hasn't been caught.
We want to bring in Randi Kaye right now, who has more on this for us -- Randi.
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Campbell, here is what we know right now. I can tell you that we are still working to independently confirm this, but our affiliate WABC-TV in New York City is reporting that the man who breached security at Newark Airport Sunday evening hasn't been caught or identified because surveillance cameras were not recording.
That's right. They can't capture this guy because the very security cameras that should have been recording his image and video of him as he made his way in and out of the security area, that sterile area, as it's called, were not actually recording.
It turns out sources tell WABC that the surveillance cameras had been down for nearly a week. That's down even since the Christmas Day bomb scare in Detroit, and they were unable to record any security breach at all. Lots of time was lost here as a result, and the terminal shut down, hundreds of passengers screened and rescreened, all because TSA agents couldn't even identify the guy who breached security, no video of him, no identity.
BROWN: So, who is to blame here, Randi?
KAYE: Well, in a case like this, a lot of people are pointing fingers at each other, of course. We have TSA and the Port Authority, they're pointing the fingers at each other for the failure of the cameras to record, according to WABC.
In the end, the TSA had to request surveillance tapes from Continental Airline's own cameras. And that adds even more hours, of course, Campbell, to this response time.
BROWN: Pretty unbelievable.
KAYE: It sure is.
BROWN: Especially in the context of everything else that is happening.
KAYE: Absolutely, even since the Christmas Day scare.
BROWN: Randi Kaye for us tonight, Randi, thanks very much.
Now, even before this breaking news, we had heard some blunt, some unusually tough talk about airline security from President Obama. At a meeting with security team this afternoon, the president called the attempted bombing of a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day -- quote -- "a screw-up that could have been disastrous."
And right after the meeting, he was still very obviously unhappy. Take a look.
BROWN: Joining me now, David Gergen, who was an adviser to four different presidents, and also Gary Berntsen, who is a former CIA officer, who is back with us as well.
David, you heard the president there. Flat out, this was a failure. What was your reaction to his remarks?
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I have rarely seen Barack Obama smolder, but he was this afternoon, Campbell. He was clearly very frustrated, angry that this had happened in this way.
I'm told that, in the meeting, he wasn't hostile toward his people. He was very firm. But he said, look, this was a screw-up, but he also thanked them for those times when they have thwarted attempts, other attempts, this year.
I think, though, the point of all of this is, Campbell, is that the president feels very strongly, I'm told by top-siders at the White House, that, look, we can have a perfect system and people may still get through. But in this case, somebody got through because we had an imperfect system. It wasn't working well. And we need to clean this up.
And he clearly is not blaming the CIA for the way it collects information. He said that part of it worked well. What happens is, when the agency collects it, it's sent over to something called a new organization, new agency in Washington called the National Counterterrorism Center, NCTC, as it's called.
And the problem there, Campbell, is that it's an umbrella over representatives from 20 different sort of intelligence groups from around the government. Most of them have different computing systems and to try to integrate that information turned out to be a very, very hard task.
They're not bumbling people. These are smart people, but they're dealing with tons and tons of information. And making the information fragments match up, it's like a large puzzle. And if the computers are not properly aligned, it's very hard to do that.
So, they have got a lot of straightening out to do, and it's frustrating for the country that more than eight years after 9/11, after billions of dollars being spent on this, we still have a system that seems so porous.
BROWN: And, Gary, to David's point there, streamlining the system, this is the same thing we heard post-9/11, and, clearly, we're not there. We're not even close to being there.
First, he walked back the release of the Yemeni prisoners. Thrilled that he did that. Good move. The second thing he was trying to do was convince the American public that he understood what the issues were, because there's been a lot of questions. There's been a lot of statements by the White House and by the president that were not consistent with the threat that we have been seeing.
BROWN: OK. Let me stop you there, though, because I want to get specific, if I can, on both of those issues that you just addressed.
First, you know, look at the steps that the president said had been taken so far, more airport security, air marshals, updated terror watch list.
BROWN: Hold on. Stricter screening of passengers coming from countries that have a history of terrorism or sponsor terrorism.
If the failure was as we just said this connect the dot failure or getting the information sort of streamlined and to the right people, does any of that stuff make us any safer?
BERNTSEN: Not if you don't have equipment in those airports that detects explosives. We still -- the majority of the airports that we have don't have equipment that detects explosives for every person that goes through. They test some of it. A lot of what we have are metal detectors or scanners, but they don't necessarily detect explosives. BROWN: So, this list I just read off that they have announced since this happened is sort of meaningless in terms -- if we're not addressing those big -- connect the dots and the explosives issue?
BERNTSEN: We're going to have to detect explosives. We're going to have get -- have people in there that are really trained, that understand -- they know what they're doing, and recognize that this is not just about technology.
It's about really well-trained people who are committed to this, experienced, well-led, and investing in these people over a period of time.
BROWN: Guys.
BROWN: Yes, go ahead, David.
GERGEN: Campbell, as I see it -- and maybe Gary can correct me -- it's a two-step process.
First of all, if you collect and then coordinate the intelligence properly, you intercept the person before they even get to the screening. You stop them from going into the screening. And, then, if they do get past that initial stage, then the screening has to pick them up, and that's where you do need the technologies, the pat-downs. And we may have to be much more invasive than we have been willing to be in the past.
But is that properly stated, Gary, or would you change that?
BERNTSEN: I agree with you completely.
The problem is, is the clandestine service of the United States is not large enough to do this. The clandestine service is very small in comparison to the FBI for the job it's got to do. We need a larger clandestine service, more officers with the critical languages to do the collection that you're talking about.
GERGEN: Right.
BERNTSEN: But, then, if we lose, if we don't make it, we don't catch the threat before it gets to the airport, we still need to be able to detect explosives. And that's a large investment in money in our airports.
BROWN: All right, guys, stand by. I want to talk more about this, but I want to drill down to something else when we come back, how hard it is, I guess, for us to get the upper hand when it comes to al Qaeda.
David, you have called it Whac-A-Mole.
From Yemen to Somalia, how do we get these bad guys? We're going to talk about that when we come back. Stand by.
BROWN: President Obama says he is very serious about cracking down on al Qaeda, but the fight seems to spread from country to country.
And back with us now to pick up our conversation is senior political analyst David Gergen, as well as Gary Berntsen, a former CIA officer.
And, David, you know, the president said al Qaeda a nimble organization, but I heard you earlier describe this as Whac-A-Mole, smack them down in one place, they pop up something else. Gary, just during the commercial break, made a point to me that our military, our intelligence services are stretched so thin. They're in the middle of dealing with two wars right now, two hot wars.
How on earth do they deal with this if this is the issue? They can't just be bouncing from place to place.
GERGEN: This is one of the toughest problems we face as a country right now. And it sits very squarely on the desk of General David Petraeus, who has the Central Command that oversees, has the umbrella for a variety of countries, all of which now seem to be -- many of which seem to be inflamed with this.
And what happened, we went into Afghanistan to go after al Qaeda. We really gave them a hard hit. They just slipped across the border into Pakistan. We then went into Iraq and suddenly there were more terrorists there. Afghanistan got worse. We went back into Afghanistan. Now we have got terrorists who -- terrorists growing in Yemen.
And we just got rid of the -- when the Saudis went after their homegrown terrorists, they went into Yemen. And when we go after them in Yemen, they're going over to Somalia. That's the Whac-A-Mole quality of this, Campbell.
And I don't think anybody has a good answer for it right now. It is the second part -- in fact, it's the bigger part of all of this. Yes, we need to stop them coming into our homeland, but first of all we need to stop them from deciding they want to go kill themselves to come hit us. And that means we have to win this struggle on terrorism, against terrorism, or war against terrorism, whatever you want to call it. It doesn't make any difference.
We have got enemies out there. And they're popping up and it's spreading like a cancer, and it's a very, very hard problem for the U.S. military, especially when we're stretched thin. I don't think we have the answers, but I think it's what is going to preoccupy many people in the Obama administration in the coming months and maybe even years. BROWN: Gary, I know you feel this deeply as a former intelligence officer. The CIA is getting a lot of criticism right now because of this, which I know you also don't think is entirely deserved.
BERNTSEN: It's not large enough. The organization is not large enough to handle this problem.
The clandestine service is a very small service. What we need to develop in the United States is a directorate of strategic services, like we had during the OSS period in World War II. SOCOM in the military or something like that needs to be given expanded authorities, many of the authorities that CIA has in the realm of covert action.
Leave CIA to do the F.I. collection, and let the covert action be done by this new organization. McCain wanted to create a DSS. That was part of his campaign platform, a directorate of strategic performances. I have written about that as well. We are going to have to do that in this fight if we want to win.
GERGEN: Gary, can't the special forces and the Pentagon do a lot of that? Can't they carry out a lot of this covert activity? I thought they were already going after some of these al Qaeda guys.
BERNTSEN: Special forces is designed to do two things. It works with indigenous forces and it also does CAS, close air support. It doesn't do the types of things I'm talking about.
I'm talking about an expanded military organization that will spot, assess, develop, recruit sources and do lethal operations at the same time. Special forces doesn't do that. They don't do that. They do the training of foreign forces and they fight alongside of them, and then they will also do close air support, which they did when we invaded Afghanistan. But you need to go beyond that.
GERGEN: What about all the drones we have been using? We have been going after a lot of al Qaeda with drones.
BERNTSEN: That's a piece of this.
GERGEN: Right.
BERNTSEN: And CIA will do that, alongside the U.S. military.
But a new organization with expanded authorities -- and I know the CIA would hate to hear me say this, that we need something like this. And I know SOCOM would love to have this. And I think that this is probably where we are going to need to go in the end.
BROWN: We will see. That's a big hill to climb, I think, for Congress and this administration right now.
David Gergen and Gary Berntsen, though, appropriate your insight. Gary, thanks again.
GERGEN: Thank you.
BROWN: As President Obama demands to know who dropped the ball before the attempted airline bombing, another big question out there, were the lessons of 9/11 ignored? We're going to look at what clues the official report on September 11 might shed on the newest terror organization, right after this.
BROWN: President Obama made clear this afternoon the system failed in what he called a potentially disastrous way, leading up to the attempted airline bombing on Christmas Day. What he didn't discuss were the many warning signs that critics say can be found in the 9/11 Commission report published back in the summer of 2004.
It included 25 references to the American-born radical cleric linked to the Detroit terror plot.
And I want to go point by point through a number of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations and talk a little bit about why they seemingly haven't been addressed. Former Senator Bob Kerrey was a member of the commission. He's joining us now. Fran Townsend served as President George W. Bush's homeland security adviser. And she is a CNN national security contributor, joining us as well.
Senator, let me start with you.
Anwar al-Awlaki was mentioned 25 times in the report. How did the ball get dropped on this?
KERREY: The 9/11 Commission, we had subpoena powers. We had 10 people. We had a limited budget and a limited amount of time. And we tracked this guy down. And we sent the information to the Hill. We sent it to the executive branch as well, and they -- it simply wasn't followed up on.
The Iranian connection wasn't followed up on. There was a lot of things that were out there. And we actually deal with it all the time, because people are always saying, well, why didn't you do this, this, and this? And the answer is, we went out of business in July 2004, as a consequence of the statute saying that that is when we were shut down.
BROWN: Fran, you were inside the meetings. I mean, what can you share with us about how serious of a threat the government thought Awlaki was? I mean, was he a top priority at the time?
FRANCES FRAGOS TOWNSEND, FMR. BUSH HOMELAND SEC. ADVISER: Campbell, Awlaki was a top priority and he continues to be to this day, obviously and tragically. Not only has he been implicated in the Christmas Day attempted bombing, but also he was in communication with some crazy activities with Nidal Hasan, the Fort Hood shooter.
When I was in government I made numerous trips, probably half a dozen, over to Yemen and met with President Saleh pressing him to do more against al-Awlaki. But, of al-Awlaki comes from a prominent family, prominent tribe, and we were very frustrated by the fact that it was difficult to get any action or follow-up out of Yemen.
KERREY: And it wasn't just him. The question is if he's communicating with somebody in the armed forces in a position of responsibility and potentially a threat to our own soldiers, why didn't we intervene? That's really the question, not what we did to go to Yemen to try to talk the Yemen president to do something, the move against al-Awlaki. But why didn't we move against the individual in the United States that ended up being the shooter?
BROWN: Fran?
KERREY: Look, I --
TOWNSEND: No, I agree. Senator, I agree with you, and in fact, you know, the director of the FBI, Bob Mueller, has asked Bill Webster, a former director of the FBI, former directory of the CIA, to look at this issue. I don't have -- I agree with you completely. I think it's clear that the FBI didn't follow up on the al-Awlaki information and should have and potentially wouldn't have lost the 13 soldiers at Fort Hood.
KERREY: The problem that you have in intelligence oversight -- I know I'm obsessed by this thing -- but intelligence oversight is different than all other oversights because you have oversight over highly classified things. You don't have the press with the capability of examining what's going on. So there's a bigger responsibility, a heavier burden of effort, and those committees need to be stronger. Instead, those committees are weaker. That's why we identify --
BROWN: So how do we get to that? How do you fix it?
KERREY: The American people are going to have to use this an opportunity and focus on Congress and ask them, demand Congress to restructure itself. Otherwise it won't.
BROWN: And, Fran, you've certainly dealt with this. You know, you think the president has the power to address these things, but in a lot of cases it is Congress. How do you address it?
TOWNSEND: President Bush did advocate for the restructure and reform of the oversight, as Senator Kerrey suggests. He didn't have both the House and the Senate majorities.
President Barack Obama has a unique opportunity here. He can make this a priority. He can work with the leadership in Congress. Democrats have control both of the House and the Senate and the White House, and so he's in a unique position to fix this now.
BROWN: Before I let you go, I do want to get to two other issues.
BROWN: One, detecting explosives at our airports, this is something that the report addressed specifically. You've been outspoken about it. Why can't we been able to get a better handle on that?
KERREY: I simply don't have an answer to the question. You've got to -- this is one you just got to manage by objective. You've got to say, we're going to get to -- this is where we are now, this is what it's going to cost to get to it because it's basically a technological solution.
You've also got the big visa problem, but I'm encouraged by the conversations that have been going on about how to make changes there because clearly you can't continue with the situation that we've got right now.
BROWN: But let me just clarify, Abdulmutallab was granted a two- year student visa, and what you have is apparently, you know, our files keeping track of all these things that aren't interfacing, I guess.
KERREY: Yes. You can't put the burden upon TSA and the airlines to solve a problem that's been created by the government itself. This guy should not have been on the plane. Should not have been on the plane. His dad comes in, a highly reliable witness and says this guy, this kid has become dangerous. And we let him get on the plane because we didn't revoke his visa. That visa should have been revoked immediately and wasn't.
And when I hear that the president talk about the system is broken, my God, it's just eerily reminiscent. It's the same language we had in the 9/11 report. How long do you tolerate the system being broken?
So I think you've got and unless and until you say, look, here's what we have to do. Here's the plan. This is what's going to cost and here's how we're going to get there, you'll never -- you'll just be running around in circles talking about this forever.
BROWN: And, Fran, it seems so simple trying to coordinate computers. Why can't we get this done?
TOWNSEND: Well, I think it's a matter of a layer defense. And you hear people talk about that, but what that means is, as the senator says, you need a better visa system. There is discussion now that responsibility should shift to the Department of Homeland Security while taking into account State Department concerns, but this hasn't been adequately managed. And frankly, between congressional oversight, explosives detection you mentioned, Campbell, while some has been done, there is a lot to be answered for in technology, but that's not the only answer.
We need greater deployment of dogs. We need greater behavioral screening at checkpoints. We need a whole multi-facetted approach to screening for explosives and abhorrent behavior where somebody may be trying to launch an attack against an aircraft.
BROWN: Senator Bob Kerrey, appreciate your time.
KERREY: You're welcome.
BROWN: And Fran Townsend as always, Fran, thanks very much.
TOWNSEND: Thank you.
BROWN: We've got more breaking news coming into CNN right now. CNN has learned that changes are coming in the government's terror watch list and its no-fly list. These are new changes just happening now. We're going to have details for you in just a moment.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
BROWN: More breaking news tonight. CNN has learned of a major shake-up involving the nation's terrorist watch list. This all coming in the wake, of course, of the Christmas Day attempt to blow up a Northwest jet. And joining me on the phone right now is CNN State Department producer Elise Labott. Elise, what do you know?
ELISE LABOTT, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER (via telephone): Well, Campbell, this is actually something that's been done in the last few days since the December 25th attack. That the threshold for people getting on these watch lists, on these no-fly lists, for getting those visas revoked that we've been talking so much about is basically going to be much lower. They're lowering the bar for what it takes to get on this list.
In the last few days, the intelligence community has kind of gone through these watch lists, the tie (ph) database of about 550,000 people scrubbing it, adding these new criteria. And as a result, a lot of individuals have been put on no-fly lists. A lot of people have been put on watch lists and several visas have been revoked. The State Department doesn't really want to say anything about those numbers because they're constantly shifting, but what's interesting here is that officials say that, you know, based on the criteria that, you know, not only the State Department but the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies were using for Abdulmutallab about whether he should be put on a no-fly list, about whether his visa was revoked, based on that old criteria, he fell below the line and so he went into this general database, but not a no-fly list.
Now if they use the criteria, officials will say certainly he would have met the bar and he would be on those no-fly lists and the watch lists, and they're hoping now they're going to capture a lot more people and get a lot more people on those lists.
BROWN: So do they -- do they really think, though, that had these measures been in place that this would have kept him, the alleged Christmas Day bomber, from getting into the country? LABOTT: Well, it's one of the things that would have been stopped. As you know, we've been talking the last few days, the president said there was a systematic failure. Not only did all the relevant agencies that were making this decision about Abdulmutallab didn't know about this Nigerian, those NSA intercepts that a Nigerian was planning attacks. We also had at the State Department the cable that went out talking about the threat that this guy possibly posed based on the information from his father. He didn't note that he had a visa, and so people didn't know that they had to pull the visa at the time. And various agencies weren't talking to each other, and as we said, they weren't connecting the dots. But now based on this new material, anybody that's on these watch lists is going to go into these databases. All those cables that are going out about these individuals are going to say, hey, you know, this person poses a threat. And, by the way, he has a visa. He could put in -- he could come into the U.S. any time and they think that they're going to be able to catch these people much earlier before they get on the plane to the United States, Campbell.
BROWN: All right. Elise Labott for us tonight, CNN State Department producer with that new information coming in. Elise, many thanks to you.
Stay with us. Still to come tonight, we have a CNN special investigation into this very popular nationwide yoga chain, this yoga organization. Two dozen former employees of Dahn Yoga say it's a cult.
ALLEN SIVERLS, BROTHER OF FMR. DAHN YOGA MEMBER: I can't describe the pain. Until this day, we're still affected by this. I just can't describe the pain.
BROWN: Dahn's lawyers say it is not a cult. Its practices are common throughout Asia. You're going to hear from both sides when we come back as part of this investigation.
BROWN: We've got some more must-see news happening right now. HLN's Mike Galanos here with tonight's "Download." Hi, Mike.
MIKE GALANOS, HLN PRIME NEWS: Hey, Campbell. First off, a United Airlines pilot has admitted he was drunk in the cockpit at Heathrow Airport last November.
51-year-old Erwin Washington pleaded guilty in a British court. His blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit allowed when flying a plane. He'll be sentenced next month, could face up to two years behind bars. And that flight to Chicago was canceled. The 124 passengers were moved to other flights.
Well, NASA's Hubble space telescope is providing astonishing new glimpses of very early stages of the universe. The photos reveal never-before seen galaxies. There's also a photo of the universe captured and its earliest stage of developments, 600 million to 800 million years after the so-called big bang. That's about 13 billion years ago. A lot to take in with that one.
And we also have this. Several Nicaraguan Web sites have published new pictures of Cuban leader Fidel Castro. The photo show him in a wheelchair meeting with Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega last year. Now if these are real, these would be the first pictures published of Castro since the ailing leader had an operation back in 2006.
Back to you, Campbell.
BROWN: All right. Mike Galanos for us tonight. Mike, thanks very much.
Tonight, we begin a special three-part investigation of a nationwide chain of yoga and wellness centers. Two dozen former employees of Dahn Yoga say it is a cult.
JESSICA "JADE" HARRELSN, EX-DAHN YOGA EMPLOYEE: They prey upon people like me who are ignorant about the way money works.
BROWN: Dahn's lawyers say it's no cult, this is a business. Find out more when we come back.
BROWN: Tonight, a nationwide chain of yoga and wellness centers which promises its members, quote, "healthier and happier lives," is under attack by some of its former employees. They claim the organization is a cult, and here now, Kyra Phillips with our special investigation.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The promises at first sounded perfect.
JESSICA "JADE" HARRELSON, EX-DAHN YOGA EMPLOYEE: I believe the greater goal. I believe that we were there to do good.
PHILLIPS: Promises made by leaders of a nationwide chain of yoga and wellness centers called Dahn Yoga. It's a booming business, claiming half a million current members worldwide.
JOSEPH ALEXANDER, VP, PUBLIC RELATIONS, DAHN YOGA: In our 30- year history, we have helped millions of people live healthier and happier lives.
PHILLIPS: But now, former employees allege abuse. LIZA MILLER, EX-DAHN YOGA EMPLOYEE: People were screaming, people were throwing up, people were running away.
PHILLIPS: They talk about accusations of rape.
HARRELSON: He just slowly took my clothes off of me and pushed me where he wanted me to go.
PHILLIPS: And a brother remembers a death on a mountaintop retreat.
PHILLIPS: Most Americans have probably never heard of Dahn Yoga, nor its founder, a Korean businessman named Ilchi Lee. Ilchi Lee is seldom seen in public. That's why this event is packed. It's the dedication of Dahn Yoga's Mago Earth Park. Mago, meaning mother earth. And according to this video, Ilchi Lee is the messenger of a new creation story.
NARRATOR: All of humanity needed to hear earth's message. He set out for America.
PHILLIPS: This was part of the spiritual message that drew in college students like Jade Harrelson and Liza Miller. They started out as members and soon became employees, but they began to question what they believed. What had been promised as the path to enlightenment began to look like a cult.
HARRELSON: They prey upon people like me who are ignorant about the way money works.
PHILLIPS: What started out as a few hundred dollars grew into payments of thousands as their training advanced. And to pay the bills, they took out student loans, giving the money straight to Dahn Yoga.
HARRELSON: My superiors and the master, the Dahn, encouraged me, where actually the people taught me how to take out these student loans.
PHILLIPS (on camera): How much money?
HARRELSON: I would say in total my expenses for Dahn came out to $40,000.
PHILLIPS: Oh, my gosh.
PHILLIPS: And where you ever able to pay it back?
HARRELSON: Oh, no, I'm still paying it back and I'll be paying it back for another 20, 25 years.
PHILLIPS (voice-over): However, Dahn Yoga's head of public relations tells us no one was ever coerced into spending money they didn't have in order to advance within the organization.
ALEXANDER: We make no excuse and no apology for the fact that we are a business. So they have misinterpreted natural business cycles, natural business goals as some type of undue pressure.
PHILLIPS: But these former employees say they believe some of the money they spent, which was supposed to help the world, instead supported an extravagant lifestyle, like these expensive homes in the Sedona mountains and this stable for Arabian horses.
RYAN KENT, ATTORNEY FOR EX-EMPLOYEES: As far as I can tell, the need for growth is designed and intended to provide more money to Mr. Lee, rather than any spiritual goal.
PHILLIPS: Ryan Kent represents 27 former Dahn Yoga employees who are suing the organization, calling it a, quote, "totalistic, high- demand cult group" which manipulates its members to serve Ilchi Lee's financial interest.
ALAN KAPLAN, ATTORNEY FOR ILCHI LEE: They've injected allegations of cult-like activity.
PHILLIPS: Characterizations heatedly denied by Ilchi Lee's attorney who says the suit is little more than a money grab by disgruntled former employees.
KAPLAN: Let's make it clear, my client, Mr. Lee, is not a cult leader. Dahn Yoga is not a cult.
PHILLIPS (on camera): What's bow training?
MILLER: Bow training would be a series of repetitive motions to -- over and over again.
PHILLIPS (voice-over): Bowing over and over like this. Liza says it drove her to the brink of exhaustion just to reinforce her dedication to the group.
MILLER: We actually had to do 3,000 at one point which took about ten hours, and we didn't eat or drink during at that time.
PHILLIPS (on camera): Ten hours of bowing, no eating, no drinking? Did people pass out? Did they get sick?
MILLER: People were rolling around moaning, crying, wailing. There was a lot of emotional distress.
PHILLIPS: And nobody at any time said this is crazy, this is ridiculous. MILLER: If we were to come out and say things like that, we would, again, be refocused to ourselves and our problems.
PHILLIPS (voice-over): Alexander says that depiction is simply untrue.
ALEXANDER: Generally people do a smaller number of bows and they build up to more. I know of no one who does 3,000 bows on a regular basis.
PHILLIPS: But allegations against Dahn Yoga and Ilchi Lee don't stop at money and abuse. There's much more.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just want your side of the story, sir.
PHILLIPS: Well, on its Web site Dahn Yoga boasts an impressive list of scientists and politicians who applaud the work of Ilchi Lee. And as you could imagine, CNN has been hearing from Dahn Yoga supporters throughout the day. There's a link to Dahn's official response at CNN.com/Campbell. Even so, there are serious allegations about not only Ilchi Lee's behavior but that of Dahn Yoga as a whole.
BROWN: And, Kyra, I know before you even took on this investigation, you actually dropped in on a Dahn Yoga center because it was near your house.
PHILLIPS: Isn't that ironic? It was close to my house and I'm very much into yoga and meditation and spirituality, and I studied it for so many years. And it was impressive, the place itself.
BROWN: Right.
PHILLIPS: So I walked in, got a brochure, asked a couple questions and then two days later I was handed this assignment. And it's interesting talking to former members. They tell me, that's what we do. We like to dress up the look of it and bring you in. And they sense your energy and they want to touch your pressure points and your organs and they say a lot of things to you. You seem unhappy, you seem stressed, you seem struggling. We can help you with that. We can make you more happy.
BROWN: And CNN, I mean you said this before today, we have two on this program, a huge response from the people who go to Dahn Yoga...
PHILLIPS: It's been pretty overwhelming.
BROWN: ... who, you know, are very defensive about this.
PHILLIPS: Well, we've been getting so many e-mails. Yes, folks writing in and saying, it is a cult, let me tell you my story. But then I'm reading all these other e-mails from people like Debra who said, my 22-year-old son was ready to commit suicide. He was on all these drugs. He was spiraling downward fast, but Dahn Yoga saved him. He became a master within Dahn Yoga.
Another person writes and says, look, I haven't -- this is the second best thing I've done for my physical and emotional health in 57 years. My husband sees a difference. My son sees a difference. I hope this investigation is fair.
So a lot of people writing in upset with this.
BROWN: And there's a whole lot more on the story I know as well. What's coming up?
PHILLIPS: Let me give you a little look into that. Actually, there's many more allegations that have taken place surrounding Dahn Yoga and they're very serious. One former employee actually claims that she was sexually assaulted by Dahn Yoga's founder. Take a listen.
JESSICA "JADE" HARRELSON, EX-DAHN YOGA EMPLOYEE: He just slowly took my clothes off of me and pushed me where he wanted me to go. And I normally like a robot just responded.
PHILLIPS: Why didn't you tell him to stop?
HARRELSON: I had been so taught and trained that he was a holy person, a holy object, and he was my connection to divinity. And again, just to say no to him and to refuse him was to refuse everything that I wanted for myself.
PHILLIPS: Now attorneys for Ilchi Lee deny any sexual assault took place, and they say they're confident that this claim will be dismissed in court. Our special investigation continues tomorrow night right here with you.
BROWN: All right, Kyra. We'll see you tomorrow night.
BROWN: Appreciate it.
Coming up next, tonight's "Guilty Pleasure." Stay with us. We'll be back in a moment.
BROWN: "LARRY KING" starts in just a few moments, but first tonight's "Guilty Pleasure." A dating Web site that is not exactly aggressive about recruiting new members. In fact, it just kicked out a whole bunch of them. As Jeanne Moos shows us, for this matchmaking service, size matters.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Imagine you're a beautiful person on the dating Web site called "Beautiful People" and all that holiday food was just too beautiful to resist and you gained a few pounds --
GREG HODGE, CO-FOUNDER, BEAUTIFULPEOPLE.COM (via telephone): We've had over 5,000 of our newly chubby members who have been removed from the site.
MOOS: Five thousand members dumped like a second helping. In the words of the founder of Beautiful People, "Letting fatties roam the site is a direct threat to our business model."
MIA AMBER DAVIS, CREATIVE EDITOR-AT-LARGE, PLUS MODEL MAGAZINE: It's a very ugly thing that they're doing. It's hideous.
MOOS: You can only become a member of Beautiful People if existing members of the opposite sex vote you on.
MUSIC: You're so vain.
MOOS: You probably think this Web site is about you. Maybe both eyes. That's how we began a piece we did five years ago about the site.
(on camera): What we need is a guinea pig, not him. Me.
(voice-over): But despite our best efforts --
MOOS: The photo I submitted was rejected. I didn't stack up.
(on camera): At least I'm not alone. Four out of five applicants are rejected by Beautiful People.
(voice-over): Let them eat cake. They better not eat any cake now that they say they're shedding beautiful people who packed on a few pounds. Members supposedly complained when they'd meet the actual person --
HODGE: And they hadn't looked as they represented themselves in their initial pictures.
MOOS (on camera): That's a shocker, huh?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is it elitist? Yes, it is, because our members want it to be.
MOOS (voice-over): Mia Amber Davis is a plus size model who sees no pluses in this.
(on camera): As you look at the beautiful people, is there anything you would like to say to the beautiful people? DAVIS: They all deserve each other. Get a life.
MOOS (voice-over): She and we wondered if it could all be just a publicity stunt. Co-founder Greg Hodge says no. When he looks in the mirror, he sees this: a 7.84.
(on camera): How do you look at yourself in the mirror every morning when this is the kind of superficial thing you do?
HODGE: Look, is it going to be correct? No, it's not. It's certainly very honest. People want to be with people they're attracted to.
MOOS (voice-over): Those kicked off the site can reapply to be voted back on. But you would think even a guinea pig wouldn't be a glutton for punishment.
MUSIC: I am beautiful no matter what they say.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
BROWN: And that is it for us. Thanks for joining us tonight.
"LARRY KING LIVE" starts right now. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/22812 | Assembly Truth: Good, Better, Best or the Only One?
Does God have one pattern for a local church to gather? Are we better than others, or is some other principle involved?
Is the local assembly unique? Those who have long been convinced of local church truth may find it difficult to imagine someone reading the New Testament and not recognizing that this is so. Nevertheless there are numerous Christians who do not understand that there is such a thing as one place that God has revealed for believers to be. So it is not just a matter of the assembly’s being a good place among many others, or a better place than most others, or even yet the best place of all others. What we need to be assured of is that it is the only place that God purposes a saved soul to gather in response to His Word.
What is the Purpose of the local church?
Does the local assembly exist primarily for the good of people? Some say we should gather for mutual encouragement and Bible study. Others say the purpose of the church is to evangelize the lost. Another gathering emphasizes praise and worship to lift our spirits. And the list could go on.
I Timothy 3:15 says, “… that thou mayest know how … to behave … in the house of God … the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” Here we see that the assembly is a “house of God” and also the “pillar and ground” of God’s truth, particularly, as verse 16 notes, truth regarding the work and worth of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a place in this ungodly world for God to dwell, and for Christians to present and preserve the truth regarding Christ. Yes, we should preach the gospel to the lost, we should teach the Word to each other, and we should worship “in spirit and truth,” (John 4:24). But the objective of these things is not just to produce healthy Christians, but rather to display the uniqueness of the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s certainly not “… all about me!” or even “us.” The assembly has a “trust” or deposit from God, the truth concerning the person of Christ.
Is there a Pattern for a local assembly?
Imagine the shock and wonder of a sincere Jew beginning to read the New Testament and coming to Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them!” He knows that God promised to dwell among Israel and to put His name in a chosen place, both with the Tabernacle in the wilderness and the Temple in the land. He also knows that this was only if the dwelling was made “after the pattern” that God had given (Ex 25:8-9). How could Jesus of Nazareth promise to be “in the midst” of those “gathered together” in His name?
Though the point is simple it is essential. There are no other names that the Scriptures sanction for identifying a gathering of believers, including denominational identities based on doctrine or practice. Such associations didn’t exist when the apostles wrote the books of the New Testament. The phrase, “church(es)of …” expresses regional or local location and also origin or character” as in “of God” or “of the saints.” Identifying a building where an assembly meets is not the issue, but rather that of making distinction by names. The Lord Jesus said that the local church (Matt 18:17), is identified as those who are “gathered together in My name.” That name is “the Lord Jesus Christ” and thus the pattern and consequent practices of the assembly are to be what the Lord has revealed in His Word. The pattern is found in what Christ, and then His apostles, taught. It is also seen in what the saints practiced in the book of Acts as they owned His Lordship in humble obedience to the “apostles’ doctrine” (Acts 2:42). When the revealed pattern has been used, then the promise is known: “there am I in the midst of them.”
Are there distinct Practices in an assembly?
First we need to recognize that an assembly does not do things just to be distinct from other gatherings. An assembly is obligated to follow the pattern in being a testimony to the Lord’s name. By so doing it is inevitably distinct. It is evident that portions of the pattern are practiced in various denominations and community churches, while other parts are ignored or compromised.
Here are some things from the pattern that an assembly is marked by: a) observing the Lord’s supper weekly, b) leadership fulfilled by multiple elders and teaching by various gifted men, c) the active recognition of the priesthood of all believers, d) the distinction of being in the fellowship or not in it, e) careful reception into the fellowship, f) baptism by immersion before reception, g) displaying Christ’s headship; the women having long hair and wearing head coverings in the meetings and the opposite for the men, h) the silence of women in the meetings, i) the consistent preaching of the gospel, j) discipline for sin when necessary, k) separation from unscriptural gatherings, and again, owning no other name as a basis for gathering in testimony. The list is not necessarily exhaustive but gives plenty to consider when determining where we should be.
What about the People in the assembly?
When I was first saved, my mother said to me, “If you ever find a perfect assembly don’t join it. You’ll ruin it!” The point was well made. An assembly is made up of saved, but imperfect people. The local church is a gathering of “called out” people (I Cor 1:2), who are expected to be holy people. We are “set apart” for God’s purposes in Christ. Thus there is no room for arrogant pride in the assembly’s distinction. Nor is there liberty for personal promotion in its function. Effective witness to the person of Christ, by a gathering of believers, comes only by following the pattern while in humble dependence on our God and Him alone.
The Lord in the Midst
Charles H. Spurgeon
Amidst us our Beloved stands
And bids us view His pierced hands,
Points to His wounded feet and side,
Blest emblems of the crucified
What food luxurious loads the board
When at His table sits the Lord!
The wine how rich, the bread how sweet,
When Jesus deigns the guests to meet.
If now, with eyes defiled and dim,
We see the signs, but see not Him,
O may His love the scales displace
And bid us see Him face to face.
Thou glorious Bridegroom of our hearts,
Thy present smile a heaven imparts;
O lift the veil, if veil there be,
Let every saint Thy beauties see. |
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