text:
var elementQuery = (function() {

  // implementations for testing actual element query properties
  var queryMatchers = {
    "max-available-width": function(element, value, units) {
      var parent = element.parentNode;
      var px = convertToPx(parent, value, units);
      return value && parent && parent.offsetWidth <= px;
    },

    "min-available-width": function(element, value, units) {
      var parent = element.parentNode;
      var px = convertToPx(parent, value, units);
      return value && parent && parent.offsetWidth >= px;
    },
  };

  // convert an element query into a css class name we can replace it with
  var classNameForRules = function(rules) {
    var name = "query";
    for (var i = 0, len = rules.length; i < len; i++) {
      name += "_" + rules[i].property + "_" + rules[i].value + rules[i].units;
    }
    return name;
  };

  // determine the px value for a measurement (e.g. "5em") on a given element
  var convertToPx = function(element, value, units) {
    switch (units) {
      case "px": return value;
      case "em": return value * getEmSize(element);
      case "rem": return value * getEmSize();
      // Viewport units!
      // According to http://quirksmode.org/mobile/tableViewport.html
      // documentElement.clientWidth/Height gets us the most reliable info
      case "vw": return value * document.documentElement.clientWidth / 100;
      case "vh": return value * document.documentElement.clientHeight / 100;
      case "vmin":
      case "vmax":
        var vw = document.documentElement.clientWidth / 100;
        var vh = document.documentElement.clientHeight / 100;
        var chooser = Math[units === "vmin" ? "min" : "max"];
        return value * chooser(vw, vh);
      default: return value;
      // for now, not supporting physical units (since they are just a set number of px)
      // or ex/ch (getting accurate measurements is hard)
    }
  };

  // determine the size of an em in a given element
  var getEmSize = function(element) {
    if (!element) {
      element = document.documentElement;
    }
    if (window.getComputedStyle) {
      return parseFloat(getComputedStyle(element).fontSize) || 16;
    }
    // TODO: support IE?
    return 16;
  };

  // test whether an element matches a set of query rules
  var elementMatchesRules = function(element, rules) {
    for (var i = rules.length - 1; i > -1; i--) {
      var rule = rules[i];
      var matcher = queryMatchers[rule.property];
      if (matcher && !matcher(element, rule.value, rule.units)) {
        return false;
      }
    }
    return true;
  };

  var loader = {
    // parse an array of CSSStyleSheet objects for element queries
    loadStyleSheets: function(sheets, callback) {
      var completed = 0;
      for (var i = 0, len = sheets.length; i < len; i++) {
        this.loadStyleSheet(sheets[i], function() {
          completed += 1;
          if (completed === len) {
            callback && callback();
          }
        });
      }
    },

    // parse a single CSSStyleSheet object for element queries
    loadStyleSheet: function(sheet, callback) {
      if (sheet.ownerNode.nodeName === "STYLE") {
        var result = elementQuery.parser.parseStyleText(sheet.ownerNode.innerHTML);
        sheet.ownerNode.innerHTML += result.newCss;
        elementQuery.queries = elementQuery.queries.concat(result.queries);
        callback && callback();
      }
      else if (sheet.href) {
        var xhr = new XMLHttpRequest();
        xhr.open("GET", sheet.href, true);
        xhr.onreadystatechange = function() {
          if (xhr.readyState === 4) {
            if (xhr.status === 200) {
              var result = elementQuery.parser.parseStyleText(xhr.responseText);
              elementQuery.queries = elementQuery.queries.concat(result.queries);
              var style = document.createElement("style");
              style.innerHTML = result.newCss;
              document.body.appendChild(style);
            }
            else if (window.console) {
              console.log("Could not load stylesheet at " + sheet.href);
            }
            callback && callback();
          }
        }
        xhr.send(null);
      }
    },
  };

  // public API
  var elementQuery = {
    autoInit: true,

    init: function() {
      var evaluated = false;
      this.loader.loadStyleSheets(document.styleSheets, function() {
        evaluated = true;
        elementQuery.evaluateQueries();
      });

      // if we are still waiting for some asynchronous ones, go ahead and evaluate
      // any found queries now for minimum latency
      if (!evaluated) {
        elementQuery.evaluateQueries();
      }
    },

    // update the styling for all the elements that have queries
    evaluateQueries: function(context) {
      context = context || document;
      var queries = this.queries;
      for (var i = 0, len = queries.length; i < len; i++) {
        var elements = context.querySelectorAll(queries[i].selector);
        for (var j = 0; j < elements.length; j++) {
          var element = elements[j];
          if (elementMatchesRules(element, queries[i].rules)) {
            element.classList.add(queries[i].className);
          }
          else {
            element.classList.remove(queries[i].className);
          }
        }
      }
    },

    queryMatchers: queryMatchers,
    queries: [],
    classNameForRules: classNameForRules,
    loader: loader
  };

  // re-run all queries on resize
  window.addEventListener("resize", function() {
    elementQuery.evaluateQueries();
  }, false);

  // automatically look for things on window load
  window.addEventListener("load", function() {
    if (elementQuery.autoInit) {
      elementQuery.init();
    }
  });

  // TODO: re-run all queries... on an interval?
  // override setTimeout, addEventListener, etc to hit every possible JS entry
  // point? Not really an ideal solution to this.
  // Repaint events in Mozilla?

  return elementQuery;

}());


text:
Q: Excel Matching Customer Orders by Item and Quantity Brief:
I have a large dataset, inside of which are Individual customer orders by item and quantity. What I'm trying to do is get excel to tell me which order numbers contain exact matches (in terms of items and quantities) to each other. Ideally, I'd like to have a tolerance of say 80% accuracy which I can flex to purpose but I'll take anything to get me off the ground.
Existing Solution:
At the moment, I've used concatenation to pair item with quantity, pivoted and then put the order references as column and concat as rows with quantity as data (sorted by quantity desc) and I'm visually scrolling across/down to find matches and then manually stripping in my main data where necessary. I have about 2,500 columns to check so was hoping I could find a more suitable solution with excel doing the legwork on identification.
Index/matching works at cross referencing a match for the concatenation but of course, the order numbers (which are unique) are different so its not giving me matches ACROSS orders.
Fingers crossed!
EDIT:
Data set with outcomes
As you can see, the bottom order reference has no correlation to the orders above it so is not listed as a match to the orders above but 3 are identical and 1 has a slightly different item but MOSTLY matches.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Yes No! on Measure B
Pierce Joint Unified
Commentary Question Analysis Argument in Favor Argument Against Full Text Tax Rate Agenda
Commentary on Measure B
Measure B Question
PIERCE JOINT UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
DISTRITO ESCOLAR UNIFICADO CONJUNTO DE PIERCE
"To improve the quality of education by modernizing, constructing and/or renovating classrooms, restrooms, and school facilities; replace outdated heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems; make health, safety and handicapped accessibility improvements; and replace deteriorating plumbing and sewer systems; with funding that cannot be taken by the state; shall the Pierce Joint Unified School District issue $15,000,000 of bonds at legal interest rates, have an independent citizens' oversight CriticalIndependent? Really? The staff selects the committee. The Board rubber-stamps it. The Board can remove anyone who questions anything that the money is used for. You can be certain that there won't be anyone on the committee who isn't a cheerleader for spending your money on architectural marvels, like the Taj Mahal. committee and have NO money used County of Colusa State of California Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Impartial Analysis for Measure B
!06/34!
IMPARTIAL ANALYSIS OF COUNTY COUNSEL
This measure would authorize the Pierce Joint Unified School District to issue up to a total of $15.0 million in bonds with interest rates up to the statutory limit of 12%. Bond proceeds can only be used to fund specific construction, rehabilitation, or replacement of school facilities authorized and listed in the measure, including the furnishing and equipping of school facilities or the acquisition or lease of real property for school facilities. Bond proceeds cannot be used for any other purpose such as teacher salaries, administrative salaries, or other school operating expenses except when used to reimburse the District for work that is necessary or incidental to a specifically authorized project paid for by Bond proceeds.
This measure requires the establishment of a citizen's oversight committee. Furthermore, the District Board of Trustees is required to perform an annual performance and financial audit to ensure that bond proceeds have been spent on specifically authorized projects. Additionally, the District is required to provide the Board of Trustees with an annual report describing the status of any bond proceeds and the school facilities projects funded by those proceeds.
The best estimate of the highest tax rate needed to fund the proposed issuance of bonds by the District is $.04900 per $100 ($49.00 per $100,000) of assessed valuation. The actual tax rates and the years in which they will apply may vary depending on the timing of the bond sales, the amount of bonds sold at each sale and actual increases/ decreases in assessed valuation. The total estimated principal and interest to be repaid is $30,800,000, if all the bonds are issued and sold.
This measure was placed on the ballot by the Board of Trustees for the Pierce Joint Unified School District. It requires at least a 55% yes vote to pass.
/s/ Marcos A. Kropf
Colusa County Counsel
OF PAGE
Argument in Favor of Measure B
Everyone knows the importance and value of having quality schools. From higher achieving students, to greater neighborhood safety and improved property values, quality schools make a difference. While our teachers and staff do their best in educating our children, many classrooms and school facilities at the Pierce Joint Unified School District are outdated and inadequate to provide students with the facilities they need to succeed. This is why our students need your YES vote on Measure B!
Although our schools have been well maintained over the years, aging classrooms and facilities must be upgraded since many do not meet 21st century standards. Measure B would allow the District to improve our schools and the quality of education provided to local students. By investing in our local schools, we can meet today's safety, technological, and educational standards and better our community.
If passed, Measure B will provide funding to make facility improvements at local schools by:
� Replacing outdated heating, ventilation and airconditioning systems
� Making health, safety and handicapped accessibility improvements
� Modernizing, constructing and or renovating classrooms, restrooms and school facilities
� Repairing or replacing leaky roofs
� Replacing deteriorating plumbing and sewer systems, and
� Upgrading inadequate electrical systems
Measure B makes financial sense and protects taxpayers.
� All funds must be spent locally and cannot be taken by the State.
� By law, spending must be reviewed and annually audited by an independent citizens' oversight committee.
� Funds can only be spent to improve our local schools, not for teacher or administrator salaries THREE PINOCCHIOS!Check out the fine print buried in the measure. When you're not looking, the district will pay itself with money borrowed at interest. Dishonest and disgusting. .
Measure B upgrades and renovates old and inadequate school facilities, improves the education of local students, and maintains the quality of our community. That's something we can all support. Please join us and VOTE YES ON MEASURE B!
/s/ Michael F. Doherty,
Farmer/Agribusinessman
/s/ Jose M. Corona,
Retired Law Enforcement
/s/ Jeri Mahovlich,
Bank Manager
/s/ Hal Raymond Charter,
/s/ Kim Dolbow Vann,
County Supervisor
Argument Against Measure B
(None Filed)
Full Text of Measure B
FULL TEXT OF THE MEASURE
This proposition may be known and referred to as the Pierce Joint Unified School District General Obligation Bond of 2016, or Measure B.
By approval of this proposition by at least 55% of the registered voters voting on the proposition, the Pierce Joint Unified School District (the "District") shall be authorized to issue and sell bonds of up to $15.0 million in aggregate principal amount to provide financing for the specific school facilities projects listed in the Bond Project List below, and in order to qualify to receive State matching grant funds, subject to all of the accountability safeguards specified below.
ACCOUNTABILITY SAFEGUARDS
The provisions in this section are specifically included in this proposition in order that the District's voters and taxpayers may be assured that their money will be spent wisely to address specific facilities needs of the District, all in compliance with the requirements of Article XIII A, Section 1(b)(3) of the State Constitution, and the Strict Accountability in Local School Construction Bonds Act of 2000 (codified at Education Code Sections 15264 and following).
Evaluation of Needs. The Board of Trustees hereby certifies that it has evaluated safety, class size reduction and information technology needs in developing the Bond Project List.
Limitation on Use of Bond Proceeds. The State of California does not have the power to take locally approved school district bond funds for any State purposes. The Constitution allows proceeds from the sale of bonds authorized by this proposition to be used only for the construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, or replacement of school facilities listed in this proposition, including the furnishing and equipping of school facilities, or the acquisition or lease of real property for school facilities, and not for any other purpose, including teacher and administrator salaries and other school operating expenses. Proceeds of the bonds may be used to pay or reimburse the District for the cost of District staff CriticalWhat was that they said about no administrative salaries? only when performing work on or necessary and incidental CriticalWho do you think gets to decide? to the bond projects.
Independent Citizens' Oversight Committee. The Board of Trustees shall establish an independent Citizens' Oversight Committee (pursuant to Education Code Section 15278 and following), to ensure bond proceeds are spent only for the school facilities projects listed in the Bond Project List. The committee shall be established within 60 days of the date on which the Board of Trustees enters the election results on its minutes.
Annual Performance Audits. The Board of Trustees shall conduct an annual, independent performance audit to ensure that the bond proceeds have been expended only on the school facilities projects listed in the Bond Project List.
Annual Financial Audits. The Board of Trustees shall conduct an annual, independent financial audit of the bond proceeds (which shall be separate from the District's regular annual financial audit) until all of those proceeds have been spent for the school facilities projects listed in the Bond Project List.
Special Bond Proceeds Account; Annual Report to Board. Upon approval of this proposition and the sale of any bonds approved, the Board of Trustees shall take actions necessary pursuant to Government Code Section 53410 and following to establish an account in which proceeds of the sale of bonds will be deposited. As long as any proceeds of the bonds remain unexpended, the Superintendent or the Chief Business Official of the District (or such other employee as may perform substantially similar duties) shall cause a report to be filed with the Board no later than December 31 of each year, commencing December 31 of the year in which bonds are first issued, stating (1) the amount of bond proceeds received and expended in that year, and (2) the status of any project funded or to be funded from bond proceeds. The report may relate to the calendar year, fiscal year, or other appropriate annual period as such officer shall determine, and may be incorporated into the annual budget, audit, or other appropriate routine report to the Board.
FURTHER SPECIFICATIONS
Specific Purposes. All of the purposes enumerated in this proposition shall be united and voted upon as one single proposition, pursuant to Education Code Section 15100, and shall constitute the specific purposes of the bonds, and proceeds of the bonds shall be spent only for such purposes, pursuant to Government Code Section 53410.
Joint Use. The District may enter into agreements with the County of Colusa, County of Yolo, or other public agencies or nonprofit organizations for joint use of school facilities financed with the proceeds of the bonds in accordance with Education Code Section 17077.42 (or any successor provision). The District may seek State grant funds for eligible joint-use projects as permitted by law, and this proposition hereby specifies and acknowledges that bond funds will or may be used to fund all or a portion of the local share for any eligible joint-use projects identified in the Bond Project List or as otherwise permitted by California State regulations, as the Board of Trustees shall determine.
Rate of Interest. The bonds shall bear interest at a rate per annum not exceeding the statutory maximum, payable at the time or times permitted by law.
Term of Bonds. The number of years the whole or any part of the bonds are to run shall not exceed the legal limit, though this shall not preclude bonds from being sold which mature prior to the legal limit.
The Bond Project List below describes the specific projects CriticalThis really takes the cake. How is any of this "a list of the specific school facilities projects to be funded" as required by the California Constitution? It's not. It authorizes the district to spend the money on whatever it wants, whenever it wants, wherever it wants. the Pierce Joint Unified School District proposes to finance with proceeds of the bonds. Listed projects will be completed as needed CriticalYou see? None of these repairs are current needs. They may be needed in the future, though. After years and years of neglect, any facility will fall into disrepair. at a particular school site according to Board-established priorities, and the order in which such projects appear on the Bond Project List is not an indication of priority for funding or completion. The final cost of each project will be determined as plans are finalized, construction bids are awarded, and projects are completed. Certain construction funds expected from non-bond sources, including State grant funds for eligible projects, have not yet been secured. Until all project costs and funding sources are known, the Board of Trustees cannot determine the amount of bond proceeds available to be spent on each project, nor guarantee that the bonds will provide sufficient funds to allow completion of all listed projects. Completion of some projects may be subject to further government approvals or appropriation by State officials and boards, to local environmental review, and to input from the public. For these reasons, inclusion of a project on the Bond Project List is not a guarantee that the project will be funded or completed.
Unless otherwise noted, the projects in the Bond Project List are authorized to be completed at each or any of the District's sites, as shall be approved by the Board of Trustees:
� Replace outdated heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems
� Make health, safety and handicapped accessibility improvements
� Modernize, construct, and or renovate classrooms, restrooms, and school facilities
� Repair or replace leaky roofs
� Replace deteriorating plumbing and sewer systems
� Upgrade inadequate electrical systems
� Improve student access to computers and modern technology
� Construct a new Agriculture and Education Center
� Upgrade playgrounds, play structures and P.E./athletic fields and facilities for school and community use
� Make energy efficiency improvements to reduce utility costs, including windows and lighting
� Replace existing wiring systems to meet current electrical and accessibility codes and increased capacity
� Replace temporary portables with permanent classrooms
� Upgrade, construct and or equip labs, multipurpose rooms, food service facilities, cafeterias and other school facilities
� Federal and State-mandated Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) safety upgrades including playground equipment replacement
� All Federal and State-mandated Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility upgrades including site access, parking, staff and student restrooms, relocation of some existing electrical devices, drinking fountains, playground equipment, etc.
� Upgrade school site parking, roadways, utilities and grounds
� Improve student safety at drop-off and pick-up areas
� Abate and remove hazardous materials identified prior or during construction
� Repair, replace and/or upgrade paved surfaces, turf, and other grounds to eliminate safety hazards
The listed projects will be completed as needed CriticalYou see? None of these repairs are current needs. They may be needed in the future, though. After years and years of neglect, any facility will fall into disrepair. . Each project CriticalHere it comes. This is the kitchen sink paragraph. Ask an English teacher to diagram every sentence. See if any two people can agree on what all this gibberish means. It's here so that just in case the district left something out, this covers it, no matter what the district wants to do. is assumed to include its share of furniture, equipment, architectural, engineering, and similar planning costs, program/project management, staff training expenses CriticalTraining is an operating expense, specifically prohibited by the California Constitution. What will it train staff to do? How to open a door? How to turn on the lights? This is just another way to move operating costs from the general fund to the bonds and use the money saved to pay salaries, benefits, and pensions. and a customary contingency for unforeseen design and construction costs. In addition to the listed projects stated above, the list also includes the acquisition of a variety of instructional, maintenance and operational equipment, including the reduction or retirement of outstanding lease obligations CriticalLeases are OPERATING expenses explicitly prohibited by the Constitution Article XIII-A Section 1(b)(3)(A) (Proposition 39). "not for any other purpose, including teacher and administrator salaries and other school operating expenses." and interim funding incurred to advance fund projects from the list CriticalThe lawyers never cease creating new language to mask the true intention. This is another way of authorizing lease-leaseback. Lease-leaseback is a method of delivery that avoids competitive bids. Using a lease-leaseback when bond money is available is fraudulent, because there is no need for a lease. See the litigation involving Fresno Unified and Harris Construction about the fraudulent use of lease-leaseback by school districts. ; installation of signage and fencing; payment of the costs of preparation of all facility planning, facility studies, assessment reviews, facility master plan preparation and updates CriticalFacilities master plans are required by law, whether or not there is a bond. These are OPERATING expenses explicitly prohibited by the Constitution Article XIII-A Section 1(b)(3)(A) (Proposition 39). "not for any other purpose, including teacher and administrator salaries and other school operating expenses." , environmental studies (including environmental investigation, remediation and monitoring), design and construction documentation, and temporary housing of dislocated District activities caused by construction projects. In addition to the projects listed above, the repair and renovation of each of the existing school facilities may include, but not be limited to, some or all of the following: renovation of student and staff restrooms; repair and replacement of heating and ventilation systems; upgrade of facilities for energy efficiencies; repair and replacement of worn-out and leaky roofs CriticalIs it a coincidence that every district in the state has "leaky roofs"? You might even ask if leaky roofs actually exist? If they do, why haven't they been repaired yet. Are they reported on the School Accountability Report Card? If not, then you're being lied to. According to the school bond cartel's professional marketing study, claiming "leaky roofs" translates directly into yes votes from voters who are made to feel guilty about it. , windows, walls, doors and drinking fountains; installation wiring and electrical systems to safely accommodate computers, technology and other electrical devices and needs; upgrades or construction of support facilities, including administrative, physical education/ athletic facilities CriticalLook at what the district is hiding in this huge list. Is the district telling you it will use the money for this? Why is it included then? You're being conned! and performing arts buildings CriticalLook at what the district is hiding in this huge list. Is the district telling you it will use the money for this? Why is it included then? You're being conned! and maintenance yards; repair and replacement of fire alarms, emergency communications and security systems; resurfacing or replacing of hard courts, pools, turf and irrigation systems and campus landscaping and play fields; expand parking; install interior and exterior painting and floor covering; demolition; and construction of various forms of storage and support spaces, upgrade classrooms, bleachers, kitchens, repair, upgrade and install interior and exterior lighting systems; replace outdated security fences and security systems. The upgrading of technology infrastructure includes, but is not limited to, computers, LCD projectors, portable interface devices, servers, switches, routers, modules, sound projection systems, laser printers, digital white boards, document projectors, upgrade voice-over-IP, call manager and network security/firewall, wireless technology systems and other miscellaneous equipment and software. The allocation of bond proceeds will be affected by the District's receipt of State matching funds and the final costs of each project. In the absence of State matching funds, which the District will aggressively pursue to reduce the District's share of the costs of the projects, the District will not be able to complete some of the projects listed above. The budget for each project is an estimate and may be affected by factors beyond the District's control. Some projects throughout the District, such as gyms, fields and performing arts facilities, may be undertaken as joint use projects in cooperation with other local public or non-profit agencies. The final cost of each project will be determined as plans and construction documents are finalized, construction bids are received, construction contracts are awarded and projects are completed. Based on the final costs of each project, certain of the projects described above may be delayed or may not be completed. Demolition of existing facilities and reconstruction of facilities scheduled for repair and upgrade may occur, if the Board determines that such an approach would be more cost-effective in creating more enhanced and operationally efficient campuses. Necessary site preparation/restoration may occur in connection with new construction, renovation or remodeling, or installation or removal of relocatable classrooms, including ingress and egress, removing, replacing, or installing irrigation, utility lines, trees and landscaping, relocating fire access roads, and acquiring any necessary easements, licenses, or rights of way to the property. Proceeds of the bonds may be used to pay or reimburse the District for the cost of District staff CriticalWhat was that they said about no administrative salaries? when performing work on or necessary and incidental CriticalWho do you think gets to decide? to bond projects and the costs of issuing the bonds. Bond proceeds shall only be expended for the specific purposes identified herein. The District shall create an account into which proceeds of the bonds shall be deposited and comply with the reporting requirements of Government Code � 53410.
The Bond Project List shall be considered a part of this ballot proposition, and shall be reproduced in any official document required to contain the full statement of the bond proposition
Measure B Tax Rate Statement
An election will be held in the Pierce Joint Unified School District (the "District") on November 8, 2016 to authorize the sale of up to $15,000,000 in general obligation bonds. The following information is submitted in compliance with Sections 9400-9404 of the California Elections Code.
1. The best estimate of the tax rate that would be required to fund this bond issue during the first fiscal year after the sale of the first series of bonds, based on estimated assessed valuations available at the time of filing of this statement, is $.04900 per $100 ($49.00 per $100,000) of assessed valuation in fiscal year 2017-18.
2. The best estimate of the tax rate that would be required to fund this bond issue during the first fiscal year after the sale of the last series of bonds, based on estimated assessed valuations available at the time of filing of this statement, is $.04900 per $100 ($49.00 per $100,000) of assessed valuation in fiscal year 2022-23.
3. The best estimate of the highest tax rate that would be required to fund this bond issue, based on estimated assessed valuations available at the time of filing this statement, is $.04900 per $100 ($49.00 per $100,000) of assessed valuation. This vote is projected to apply in each fiscal year that the bonds are outstanding.
4. The best estimate from official sources of the total debt service, including the principal and interest, that would be required to be repaid if all the bonds are issued and sold will be approximately $30,800,000.
These estimates are based on projections derived from information obtained from official sources. The actual tax rates and the years in which they will apply may vary depending on the timing of bond sales, the amount of bonds sold at each sale and actual increases in assessed valuations. The timing of the bond sales and the amount of bonds sold at any given time will be determined by the needs of the District. Actual assessed valuations will depend upon the amount and value of taxable property within the District as determined in the assessment and the equalization process.
Dated: 7/8/2016
/s/ Carol Geyer
Measure B Agenda Description
THURSDAY JUNE 23, 2016 6:00 p.m.
20. Consider and approve Resolution #15/16 � 25: Resolution of the Board of Trustees of the Pierce Joint Unified School District Ordering an Election to Authorize the Issuance of School Bonds, Establishing Specifications of Order, and Requesting Consolidation with other Elections Occurring on November 8, 2016	ACTION

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Delivering Files from AWS Kinesis Firehose to a Specific S3 Folder Problem Context:
I have an AWS Kinesis Firehose delivery stream setup.
I also have an S3 bucket setup.
Within my S3 bucket I have a folder, lets call it: "folderX/".
Currently, it just sends it to a premade folder labeled "2021/" because the default scheme is to send to a folder corresponding to the current date/time.
Question:
I want my Firehose delivery stream to send files into that specific folder. How do I do that?

A: Backup S3 bucket prefix in S3 Destination configuration is the spot to set a prefix.
From the Documentation for Backup S3 bucket prefix:

To use the default prefix for Amazon S3 objects, leave this option
blank. Kinesis Data Firehose automatically uses a prefix in
"YYYY/MM/dd/HH" UTC time format for delivered Amazon S3 objects. You
can add to the start of this prefix

Couple more examples:
To get folderX/2021/3/17 we can use folderX/!{timestamp:YYYY}/!{timestamp:MM}/!{timestamp:dd}/
To get folderX/year=2021/month=3/day=17/hour=5/ we can use folderX/year=!{timestamp:YYYY}/month=!{timestamp:MM}/day=!{timestamp:dd}/hour=!{timestamp:HH}/


text:
\section{Introduction}

Suppose $M $ is a proper metric space and let $\mathcal C (M) $ be the space of closed subsets of $M $.  The \emph {Chabauty topology} on $\mathcal C(M)$ is generated by the subsets
\begin {equation}\label {neighborhoods}\{C \in \mathcal C (M) \ | \ C \cap K=\emptyset\}, \ \   \  \ \{C \in \mathcal C (M) \ | \ C \cap U \neq\emptyset\},
\end {equation}
where $K\subset M$ is compact and $U\subset M $ is open.  See Chabauty \cite{Chabautylimite} and \cite[Ch E]{Benedettilectures}.

When $M$ is compact, the Chabauty topology is induced by the \emph {Hausdorff metric} on $C(M)$, where the distance between closed subsets $C_1,C_2 \subset M$ is $$d_{\text {Haus}}(C_1,C_2)=\inf \{ \epsilon \ | \ C_1 \subset \mathcal N_\epsilon (C_2) \text { and }  C_2 \subset \mathcal N_\epsilon (C_1) \}. $$
In general, it is well-known that the Chabauty topology is compact, separable and metrizable \cite[Lemma E.1.1]{Benedettilectures}, but  most of the metrizability proofs in the literature go through Urysohn's theorem.

 In search of an explicit metric, note that the Chabauty topology is almost, but not quite, induced by taking the Hausdorff topology on all compact subsets of $M $.  Namely, fix a base point $p\in M$.  If $A\subset M$ is closed and $R>0$, set
$$
A_R=A\cap \overline {B(p,R)},$$
and then define a pseudo-metric $d_R$ on $\mathcal C (M) $ by setting
$$ d_R(A,B)=\min  \Big \{ 1, d_{\text {Haus}}(A_R, B_R) \Big\},$$
where $d_{\text {Haus}}$ is the Hausdorff metric of the compact subset $\overline {B(p,R)} \subset M $.

The family of pseudo-metrics $\{d_R \ | \ R>0\}$ does not determine the Chabauty topology, since if $x_i\rightarrow x$ is a convergent sequence of points with $d(x,p)=R$ and $d(x_i,p)>R$ for all $i $, then $\{x_i\} \rightarrow \{x\}$ in the Chabauty topology, but $d_R(\{x_i\},\{x\})=1$ for all $i$.  However, the following is true:

\begin {theorem}\label {Chabautymetric}
The Chabauty topology on $\mathcal C(M)$ is induced by the metric
$$d : \mathcal C(M) \times \mathcal C(M) \longrightarrow\mathbb R ,  \ \ d(A,B)=\int_0^\infty e^{-R} d_R(A,B) \, dR.$$
\end {theorem}

The point is that a Chabauty convergent sequence can fail to $d_R$-converge for only countably many $R $, a discrepancy which disappears under integration.  Above, $e^{-R}$  could be replaced by any positive, integrable function on $[0,\infty).$

\vspace{2mm}

We imagine that those who are sufficiently interested could probably come up with more metrics inducing the Chabauty topology (with Ab\'ert, we produce  a different one in \cite[A.4]{Abert_Biringer}).    However, we have not seen the expression above in the literature, and we think that  the way it formalizes the intuition that the Chabauty topology is almost the ``Hausdorff topology on compact sets'' is beautiful enough to justify this short note.

\subsection{Acknowledgements}

The author  is partially supported by NSF grant DMS 1611851. Thanks are due to the referee for improving the clarity of the paper.

\section{Proof of Theorem \ref {Chabautymetric}}

Before beginning the proof, recall that convergence in the Chabauty topology  can be characterized as follows.

\begin {proposition}[Prop E.12, \cite{Benedettilectures}]\label {Chabautyconvergence}
A sequence $(C_i)$ in $\mathcal C (M) $ converges to $C \in \mathcal C (M)$ in the Chabauty topology if and only if
\begin {enumerate}
\item if $x_{i_j} \in C_{i_j}$ and $x_{i_j} \to x \in M$, where $i_j \to \infty$, then $x\in C$.
\item if $x\in C$, then there exist $x_i \in C_i$ such that $x_i \to x$.
\end {enumerate}
\end {proposition}

Let $d$ be  the metric in Theorem \ref {Chabautymetric}. As the Chabauty topology is first countable, it suffices to show that a sequence Chabauty-converges if and only if it $d$-converges.

 Suppose that $(C_i)$ converges to $C$ with respect to $d$. Then $d_R(C_i,C)\rightarrow 0 $ for a.e.\ $R$, so in particular for arbitrarily large $R $. We check that $(C_i)$ Chabauty converges to $C $ using Proposition \ref {Chabautyconvergence}.  With $x$ as defined therein, we can just take any $R>d(x,p)$ with $d_R(C_i,C)\rightarrow 0$ and use that $d_R$ defines the Chabauty topology on the ball $B(p,R)$ to say that 1) and 2) are satisfied.

On the other hand, suppose that $(C_i)$ Chabauty-converges to $C $. We claim that $d_R (C_i, C)\rightarrow 0 $ for all but countably many $R $.  This will suffice to prove the proposition, for as each $d_R \leq 1$, the functions $e^{-R}d_R(C_i,C)$ are bounded by the integrable function $e^{-R}$, so then we must have $$d(C_i,C)=\int_0^\infty e^{-R} d_R(C_i,C) \, dR \rightarrow 0$$ by the Dominated Convergence Theorem.

So, our goal is to show that for all but countably many $R $, we have \begin {equation}\label {convsub} C_i\cap  \overline {B(p,R)} \rightarrow C\cap \overline {B(p,R)}\end {equation}
in the Chabauty topology on subsets of the compact set $ \overline {B(p,R)}$. In light of Proposition~\ref{Chabautyconvergence},  we need to show:
\begin {enumerate}
\item[1'.] if $x_{i_j} \in C_{i_j} \cap \overline {B(p,R)}$ and $x_{i_j} \to x \in \overline {B(p,R)}$, where $i_j \to \infty$, then $x\in C \cap \overline {B(p,R)}$.
\item[2'.] if $x\in C\cap \overline {B(p,R)}$, then there exist $x_i \in C_i \cap \overline {B(p,R)}$ such that $x_i \to x$.
\end {enumerate}

 It follows from the Chabauty convergence $C_i \rightarrow C$ that property 1' holds for every $R$. So, the point is to  prove 2' for all but  countably many $R$.

We claim that 2' holds when $R$ is chosen so that every $x\in C$ with $d(x,p)=R$ is in the closure of $C\cap B(p,R)$. For if $$x\in C\cap \overline {B(p,R)},$$ either $x\in B(p,R)$ or $d(p,x)=R$. In the first case, the Chabauty convergence $C_i \rightarrow C$ implies that there is a sequence $x_i \in C_i$ converging to $x$; eventually, these $x_i \in B(p,R)$, so we're done. In the second case, we know $x$ is the limit of a sequence $y_n \in C\cap B(p,R)$. Each $y_n$ is the limit of a sequence $y_{n,i} \in C_i\cap  \overline {B(p,R)}$, as in the first case, and then $y_{i,i}\rightarrow x$. So, 2' holds.

Finally, we claim that the condition in the previous paragraph fails for only countably many $R $, which amounts to proving that if
$$L=\Big\{ x\in C \ \Big| \ x\notin \overline {C\cap B(p,d(p,x))} \Big\},$$
then the set $\{d(x,p) \ | \ x \in L\}$ is countable.
For every point $x\in L$, there is some $\epsilon(x) >0 $ such that $$C \cap B(p,d(p,x))\cap B(x,\epsilon(x))=\emptyset.$$ We claim that for every compact $K \subset M$ and $\epsilon_0>0$, there are only finitely many values $d(p,x)$ where $x\in L\cap K$ and $\epsilon (x)\geq\epsilon_0 $. Exhausting $M $ with a countable union of compact sets and taking a (countable) sequence of such $\epsilon_0$ converging to $0$ will prove $L$ is countable.

If there are not finitely many such values $d(p,x)$, there is an infinite sequence of points $x_i \in L\cap K$ with $d(p,x_i)$ all distinct, and $\epsilon (x_i)\geq \epsilon_0 $. Passing to a subsequence, we may assume that $x_i \rightarrow x\in K$. Then for large $i,j$, we hav
\begin{equation}
	x_i \in C \cap B(x_j,\epsilon_0) \ \text{ and } \ x_j \in C \cap B(x_i,\epsilon_0).\label{lasteq}
\end{equation}
Moreover, since the  distances $d(p,x_i)$ and $d(p,x_j)$ are distinct, we have either
\begin{equation}
	x_i \in B(p,d(p,x_j)) \  \text{ or } \ x_j \in B(p,d(p,x_i)),\label{lasteq2}
\end{equation}
 so combining \eqref{lasteq} and \eqref{lasteq2} we contradict the definition of either $\epsilon(x_i)$ or $\epsilon(x_j)$, since both are at least $\epsilon_0$.

\textit{\textrm{
\bibliographystyle{amsplain}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
Petition aims to oust Leicester mayor Sir Peter Soulsby
Next PCC elections in Leicestershire: Who are we voting for?
Previous Stranded Leicestershire schoolgirls due to fly home today
A petition has been drafted aimed at triggering a referendum to oust city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby.
The Leicester Mercury understands a city businessman, opposed to Sir Peter's £4 million Jubilee Square plan, is behind the petition and intends to circulate it in the near future.
It calls for people to seek a vote to dismantle Leicester City Council's elected mayoral set-up and return the political system it replaced in May last year.
If 12,000 signatures – five per cent of the city's electorate – are collected, a poll will be held to ask voters if they want to return to the old council leader system.
A draft of the petition, passed to the Mercury, carries a covering letter saying it was wrong to deny people a referendum in 2010 when Labour councillors passed plans for the city to be run by an elected mayor.
It criticises Sir Peter – who was elected in May last year with 55 per cent of the vote – over his U-turn on allowing the Lancers regiment a parade through the city; proposals to pay him £100,000; Jubilee Square and the redevelopment of Market Corner.
It also says he is "imposing unwanted travellers sites" on people and describes his handling of the Thurnby Lodge Scout hut issue as a "fiasco".
Yesterday, Sir Peter Soulsby said he was unaware of the petition. He said: "It's the first I have heard of it and to be honest, it is not the sort of thing I hear when I go out and meet people on the street and do my Meet the Mayor events.
"I do not think there is a ground-swell of opinion to go back to the old system of having a council leader in charge, who is appointed rather than elected."
Sir Peter said a number of things in the covering letter with the petition were misrepresented.
He said: "For one, I never asked to be paid £100,000 and the Market Corner was a decision made before my time.
"I am not removing the funding from Navratri either."
The council is proposing to cut the funding for the annual De Montfort Hall event from £20,000 to £10,000.
Sir Peter said: "The Lancers decision is actually an example of how the mayoral system is effective.
"Under the old committee system it would have taken weeks to change that decision, but I was able to do it very quickly."
Conservative city councillor Ross Grant, who has long maintained a referendum should be held, said: "I am not surprised that, after people were deliberately denied a say on having an elected mayor, they should look to get a referendum themselves.
"I think it is realistic to get 12,000 signatures. In many ways it will probably be easier now than it would have been before because people are very upset at the way Sir Peter Soulsby has acted since he became mayor.
"We have not seen the benefits people were told they would get from the mayoral system."
A city council spokesman said the authority had not been contacted about the petition.
Leicester Chamber of Commerce chief executive Martin Traynor said he did not think the petition would succeed in changing the mayoral system.
He said: "We campaigned for an elected mayor and our position hasn't changed.
"12,000 is a lot of signatures. It is true the mayor has gone through some difficult times, but he has shown leadership and vision."
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That is the answer to the above-posed headline question — at least as of today.
As noted in a recent media piece discussing twin 33-foot trailer trucks, these true behemoths of the road are not currently approved for nationwide use on the country's freeways and interstates.
That could be changing, though, with a U.S. Senate committee recently passing an amendment that would require all states across the county to permit the large commercial trucks to on major roadways.
The U.S. Department of Transportation weighed in with strong opinions when the committee was evaluating 33-footers, stating that more information regarding safety questions surrounding the truck trailers needed to be compiled and fully considered prior to any definitive actions being taken on them.
Some national legislators agree with that view. Two U.S. senators, including Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), recently introduced an amendment that, if passed, would require the DOT to engage in a detailed study of such trucks before they are approved for use nationwide.
Feinstein said that it "runs counter to all notions of highway safety" to allow commercial vehicles of such unprecedented size to share road space with passenger cars and trucks.
In addition to the safety implications inherent in such trucks, concerns have also been expressed regarding the financial outlays that states would need to expend on infrastructure upgrades and repairs that would be required to accommodate the massive vehicles.
Currently, only double 28-foot tractor trailers are allowed on national roadways.


Every Cadet enrolled in a Military Science course will normally enroll in and attend a weekly two-hour Leadership Lab conducted each Wednesday or Thursday afternoon. Leadership Labs are designed to allow Cadets to practice the skills and leadership traits they have received in the classroom in a tactical and hands-on setting. Cadets will be trained and tested on a wide-range of Military skills at Leadership Labs throughout the semester. Cadets will receive training and instruction in areas such as Drill and Ceremony, First Aid, Small Unit Tactics/Patrolling, Land Navigation, Weapons Assembly and Disassembly, and much more. Leadership Labs are designed to prepare Cadets to be proficient is skills that they will be expected to demonstrate during the Leadership Develop and Assessment Course held between the MS III and MS IV year. This class meets at various locations in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area for two hours each week; it is highly encouraged for students in the basic course and is required for students in the advanced course.


text:
Page last updated at 02:39 UTC, Thursday, 06 July 2017 PH
The Responsible Financing of Dutertenomics (Part 3)
As a long-time investment banker, Mr. Sebastian could give very specific examples of how the private sector has been a major source of funding infrastructure projects through the years. He identified success stories in the financing of water distribution (Manila Water and Maynilad Water) and toll roads (Metro Pacific and San Miguel). He himself had been very much involved in the energy sector. To quote from his speech: "The Philippine power crisis in the 1980s was solved by private capital, and the experience of investors—global and local—have been generally positive. GT Capital and Metrobank Group have been involved in the Visayas where EPIRA is alive and well. Generation capacity in this region was built solely by private funds. And there's competition too. Other than Global Power, there are KEPCO and Aboitiz Power in Cebu; and Palm Concepcion, Trans Asia and Greencore in Iloilo. Remember the Mindanao power crisis? It has been solved by the private sector, without a bit of investment or loan or any form of financial support from the government." From his rich experience in financing infrastructure projects, Mr. Sebastian is optimistic that more investors, even on a smaller scale, will be drawn to infrastructure projects, including institutional investors like insurance companies and investment funds.
To further assuage the fears of those who were alarmed by the unrealistic projections of Mr. Corr, let us consider the new funding initiatives that Mr. Sebastian enumerates. Capital for infra projects can be raised in the stock market. The Philippine Stock Exchange is studying the feasibility of amending the rules to encourage the listing of infra companies, infra projects and PPPs. The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has a US $625 million infra fund, partly financed and managed by Macquarie, with ADB and an overseas fund as investors. Sunlife Insurance has announced its intentions to participate in infra projects. There are overseas investors who are actively pursuing Philippine infra projects, both greenfield or operational ones. Mr. Sebastian has a word of advice to the Government: All these initiatives are anchored on the government continuing to ensure that the terms of PPPs are complied with and adhered to, that obligations under PPPs are upheld throughout by agencies and government bodies and that the regulatory framework of existing PPPs is kept firm and stable.
Finally, Philippine banks themselves can be sources of funding for infra projects. A case in point is First Metro Investment, the investment banking arm of Metrobank. It raised almost a billion US dollars in Philippine pesos to finance for 15 years a 500-megawatt power plant. Even by global standards, this is a huge project finance transaction which illustrated how local banks are able to finance increasingly large long-term infra projects in local currency. In 2016, a syndicate of local banks arranged the financing of the Light Rail Transit One extension to Cavite, which broke ground a few weeks ago. This was for 24 billion pesos (half a billion US dollar), also for 15 years. All participating banks are local ones and all in Philippine pesos.
There are ongoing plans to develop new financial products like project or infrastructure bonds and securitization of infra projects that are in full operation and cash generating. This would involve the cooperation of government agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, institutions like the Philippine Stock Exchange and PDex, and long-term funders like insurance companies, pension funds—both private and public like GSIS and SSS—multilateral agencies and local commercial and investment banks. More recently, the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), was tasked by its Chairman, Secretary of Finance Carlos Dominguez, to transform itself into an infrastructure bank. There is no question that funding for the Build! Build! Build! program of the Duterte Administration is available without having to bring the Philippine Government to the brink of bankruptcy through reckless borrowing from the Chinese at 10% per annum. I can confidently tell the Filipino parent who immigrated to the U.S. that his children will not have to face a debt of $452 billion from the Chinese. With our local resources supplemented by a host of foreign investors and foreign lending agencies, we need not put all of our eggs in the Chinese basket. For comments, my email address is bernardo.villegas@uap.asia.


Shakespeare's play about a Scottish nobleman and his wife who murder their king for his throne charts the extremes of ambition and guilt. First staged in 1606, Macbeth's three witches and other dark imagery have entered our collective imagination. Read a character analysis of Macbeth , plot summary, and important quotes.
Read Macbeth alongside a modern English translation.
See a complete list of the characters in Macbeth and in-depth analyses of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, The Three Witches, Banquo, and Macduff.
Test your knowledge of Macbeth with our quizzes and study questions, or go further with essays on the context and background and links to the best resources around the web.
Get ready to write your paper on Macbeth with our suggested essay topics, sample essays, and more.


Kelly, RD June 30, 2017 cooking dietitian healthy cooking healthy meals nutrition nutrition advice registered dietitian Uncategorized weight lossLeave a Comment on GARLIC!
I have a bit of an obsession when it comes to cooking for family and friends.. Garlic!! There are very few recipes I make that don't include a clove or two…or five! If I follow a recipe that calls for two cloves, I don't hesitate to use four. These delightful little bulbs have insignificant calories, sodium, carbohydrate and protein, but are jam-packed with flavor that can add zing to your zucchini, savor to your savoy and gusto to your guacamole!! prescription from a professional: Try replacing butter or margarine in sautéed green beans or roasted vegetables with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a couple of roughly chopped cloves of fresh garlic. Add just one thinly sliced clove to your favorite covered dish. Use reduced fat cheese to replace the full fat version and prepare to be pleasantly surprised at how tasty making a reduction in calories and fat can taste! If you feel overwhelmed by all the nutrition advice, calorie recommendations and diet trends, read these: Fact. Not Fad., Let's Crunch Numbers!, Help Me To Help You!


text:
What did not happen in 2019: Russia's top absurd fakes of the year
2019/12/23 - 23:51 • Hybrid War
2019 is coming to an end, and what a year it's been!
The last year of the 21st century's teenage decade will go down in history as the time when we first took photos of a black hole, found lost continents, filmed giant squids and after a few years of trying, built the world's largest sandcastle.
But 2019 has also been full of literally unbelievable events and impossible predictions that did not materialize, no matter how hard the pro-Kremlin media tried to convince us otherwise.
The busiest man on the planet
Based on the "reporting" of the pro-Kremlin media, financier George Soros must have been the busiest man on the planet this year. He supposedly had to juggle destroying Georgian culture and values, pulling the strings of Moldovan and Ukrainian leaders, fuelling the protests in Romania, Russia, and Catalonia, sponsoring the Green Party in Germany to stop the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and dismissing the Austrian chancellor at the same time! Of course, he did none of these things. Neither did he manage to squeeze in planning a color revolution in the US, nor did he sponsor "Joker" the movie as the tutorial for one.
With such an overbooked schedule in Europe and Hollywood, it is not surprising that George Soros also did not destabilize Eritrea to provoke massive migration flows to Europe, did not spread propaganda in Venezuela, and most certainly did not vandalize university walls in Mexico city.
All well above Hell
When a man like Soros has such an impressive not-to-do list, it's no wonder that the pro-Kremlin media endow him with almost supernatural qualities – those of the Anti-Christ, complete with tentacles and the Pope as his servant! Talk about a penchant for the dramatic! Luckily there is cause for some relief – at least Pope Francis did not destroy Christianity this year.
But since we are on the subject of heaven and hell: the Satanic New World Order did not burn down the Notre Dame cathedral. Nor, as a matter, did the aliens from planet Nibiru. (But fair enough, since scientists actually discovered water-vapor on a distant planet this year, there's always the possibility for it in the distant future).
Satanists also did not impose their rules and values on Armenia, under the guise of the Istanbul convention – the document, which did not destroy the Armenian army or the traditional family.
By the way, this year Armenia also had to do without the import of 30 thousand "LGBT people" from abroad: perhaps because individuals identifying as gay had better things to do (for example, NOT interfere in the Polish election), or because the man, who according to the pro-Kremlin media was supposed to organize the import of the "LGBT people" to Armenia – George Soros of course! – was simply too busy (see above).
Things were busy on Earth too, as the Lugar lab in Georgia neither produced biological weapons nor bred brown stink bugs. Wealthy gays did not buy actual children at a fair in Brussels and climate activist Greta Thunberg did not declare war on white men or became the prophet of a new totalitarian wave. Instead, the European Parliament declared a climate emergency and the EU leaders set the goal to achieve climate-neutral EU by 2050 in their December summit.
2019 was also a significant year for European democracy. The European Union stubbornly refused to fail, while a record turnout of voters elected the new European Parliament. And the Parliament got straight to the business of not falsifying history, not representing the third Reich, not joining forces with fascism and, in a particular let down for the pro-Kremlin media, did not use its resolutions as ideological weapons against Russia.
Whatever your resolutions for a new year and a new decade, we hope you stay happy and ahead of disinformation. Happy 2020!
Read also: What did not happen in 2018?
Source: EU vs Disinfo
Tags: disinformation, George Soros, hybrid warfare, journalism, Kremlin propaganda, propaganda, Russia's hybrid war, Russian disinformation, Russian propaganda
EU East StratCom Task Force
The EU's East StratCom Task Force was set up by EU High Representative Federica Mogherini in 2015, in response to a request from all 28 EU Heads of Government to "address Russia's ongoing disinformation campaigns". It is a team of eleven communications and Russian language experts, who also seek to improve communication on EU policies towards the Eastern Neighbourhood and to strengthen media plurality in the region, especially in the Russian language. The Task Force's flagship products are its weekly Disinformation Review of pro-Kremlin disinformation stories and its social media accounts @EUvsDisinfo and EU vs Disinformation.
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Portnikov: Who in Ukraine is being bribed by Putin and Gazprom?
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Disinformation review: twenty years of distorting the media


The Velvelettes were an American singing girl group, signed to Motown, best known for their singles "Needle In a Haystack" (1964) and "He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'" (1965).
"I think Nick Hornby and I would agree that you should hear it as soon as you possibly can. Trust us. And don't talk while it's playing."
Although the song failed to trouble the UK charts, it was a minor US hit when Peel was living in the States. On 31 January 2002, he played a cover version of the track by the Come Ons.
A cover of the Velvelettes's followup, "He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'", entered the UK charts for Bananarama (with the Fun Boy Three) in 1982.
- Needle In A Haystack (7") V.I.P.


If your pool appears cloudy, it might be time to service your filter or install a new one. Whether you need a pool filter replacement or concrete deck work, rely on Pooltech, Inc. in Parma, OH. We are a proud member of The Association of Pool and Spa Professionals (APSP). Our expert technicians and construction crews are capable of repairing or renovating your in-ground swimming pool.
The quality and appearance of the water in your pool depends on the performance of your pool filter system. Turn to Pooltech, Inc. for affordable filter system repairs or replacement. Are you worried about the impending risks of an uncovered pool? Our company also offers mesh cover installation. Dial (440) 884-0080 today to learn more about our in- ground pool services. One of our staff members will be more than happy to assist you.


Music performed on the synthesizer by Torkom, these pieces were originally composed specifically to be used during an intensive seminar on the subject of Healing. The rhythms, sounds, notes and compositions are specially created to integrate the three bodies with the Higher Self and to bring synthesis to the minds of the conference attendees.
First released as a special edition composition for the Annual Convention in Sedona, Arizona.
"Such music will create synthesis in all domains of life, and slowly it will cause the sense of synthesis to awaken in advanced human beings." -The Creative Sound p. 114.


text:
The Doctrine of Discovery
You can always tell the state of a nation, when an ethnic/religious group have to have their own media in order for their voice to be heard. It was in one such media outlet Indian Country Today that I discovered that a female Native American had presented a report/study on the "Doctrine of Discovery". Tonya Gonnella Frichner is her name, and founder of the American Indian Law Alliance, but my mind stalled at the "Doctrine of Discovery" which sounded serious given the degree of "silence" that surrounds the occupation of the U.S. Many around the world want a better world on many levels, but sometimes the extent of the harm caused by one group of people upon another requires redress in order for there to be reconciliation. To my alarm, the study focuses on an agreement between the Catholic Church, and State Heads that gave European sovereignty the right to claim, conquer, and rule a land, and to enslave if not convert Africa, The Americas, and Asia as subjects of the Christian kingdom.
Frichner a lawyer presented what is considered a "preliminary study" on the "Doctrine of Discovery" using the example of its impact on Native Americans in April 2010 at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
"Clearly, (we) have joined the debate by declaring definitively that we are human beings. However, for more than five centuries, the doctrines of discovery and dehumanization have been institutionalized, and this is the context of the work we are doing on the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples," Frichner said to Indian Country Today.
Various Christian sects are up in arms, and are denying responsibility at one level or another. So what is the fuss about!
The fuss is the Catholic church on behalf of Christendom 5 centuries ago made it official for certain Western powers to plunder, occupy, dehumanize and convert entire peoples from the continents of Africa, Asia, and the Americas as well as rape those lands of their natural resources for the benefit of the Christian empire on the basis that Christians are superior and everyone else was heathen. One recalls a series of " one-to-one meetings that took place with Pope John Paul II and presidents like G.W. Bush junior. Strange how it occurred out of the blue!
The study as presented by Frichner demands on behalf of indigenous peoples everywhere a thorough investigation into the impact of what was essentially colonialism on those peoples. The study explained its purpose as follows:
U.N. Document E/C.19/2010/13
Ninth Session
New York, 19 – 30 April 2010
Impact on Indigenous Peoples of the International Legal Construct Known as the Doctrine of Discovery, which has Served as the Foundation of the Violation of Their Human Rights
In the language that the Native Americans are governed by, the study focuses on the centuries (5) of destruction that has without limit extracted the natural resources from the "traditional territories of indigenous peoples, which has resulted in dispossessing, and impoverishing a people, and that the legal framework for the "Doctrine of Discovery" is still considered legal by the U.S. government. Even though the study focuses on the U.S., it is as an example for indigenous peoples everywhere on the following premise:
"We maintain, that the principle declared in the fifteenth century as the law of Christendom, that discovery gave title to assume sovereignty over, and to govern the unconverted natives of Africa, Asia, and North and South America, has been recognized as a part of the national law [Law of Nations], for nearly four centuries, and that it is now so recognized by every Christian power, in its political department and its judicial." Judge John Catron for the Supreme Court of Tennessee in the case State v. Foreman (USA)
The hope is that all countries with indigenous peoples will be investigated under the terms of the Doctrine of Discovery and the Framework of Dominance recognizing the differences from one people to another.
Looking at international law, which derived from the Law of Nations, and prior to that "the law of Christendom" according to the study, reference here is made to a Judge John Catron (1786 – 1865) who whilst on the Supreme Court of the State of Tennessee:
"… officially identified "a principle" as part of the "law of Christendom", specifically, "that discovery gave title to assume sovereignty over, and to govern the unconverted [non-Christian] peoples of Africa, Asia, North and South America" Catron had declared that this principle had been recognized as part of the Law of Nations "for nearly four centuries, and that it is now so recognized by every Christian power, in its political department and its judicial"
From the mid-15th century, we find many documents from the Vatican known as the "papal bulls", which are decrees claiming right of conquest , sovereignty, and dominance by Christian European monarchies. For example the papal bull Dum diversas was issued by Pope Nicholas V, in 1452.
The papal bull Romanus Pontifex was also issued by Pope Nicholas V, in 1455 also to Alphonso. However it was the papal bull Dum diversas which ushered in the West African Slave Trade, to conquer the people and to put them in indefinite slavery. The irony is that the bull that lays the foundation is Dum diversas, of which a copy does not even exists within the Pope's encyclical library online. Romanus Pontifex yes, but not Dum diversas. From the Romanus Pontifex we discover the manner of procurement of Africa, The Americas, and Asia was to and does take place as directed by the Pope Nicholas V:
"We [therefore] weighing all and singular the premises with due meditation, and noting that since we had formerly by other letters of ours granted among other things free and ample faculty to the aforesaid King Alfonso — to invade, search out, capture, vanquish, and subdue all Saracens and pagans whatsoever, and other enemies of Christ wheresoever placed, and the kingdoms, dukedoms, principalities, dominions, possessions, and all movable and immovable goods whatsoever held and possessed by them and to reduce their persons to perpetual slavery, and to apply and appropriate to himself and his successors the kingdoms, dukedoms, counties, principalities, dominions, possessions, and goods, and to convert them to his and their use and profit — by having secured the said faculty, the said King Alfonso, or, by his authority, the aforesaid infante, justly and lawfully has acquired and possessed, and doth possess, these islands, lands, harbors, and seas, and they do of right belong and pertain to the said King Alfonso and his successors, nor without special license from King Alfonso and his successors themselves has any other even of the faithful of Christ been entitled hitherto, nor is he by any means now entitled lawfully to meddle therewith — in order that King Alfonso himself and his successors and the infante may be able the more zealously to pursue and may pursue this most pious and noble work, and most worthy of perpetual remembrance (which, since the salvation of souls, increase of the faith, and overthrow of its enemies may be procured thereby, we regard as a work wherein the glory of God, and faith in Him, and His commonwealth, the Universal Church, are concerned) in proportion as they, having been relieved of all the greater obstacles, shall find themselves supported by us and by the Apostolic See with favors and graces…
Some of the decrees issued in this context were:
Rex Regum, 1436, issued by Eugene IV gave the Portuguese king the right to wage war against "enemies of Christianity, but enjoined other Christian kings to do so as well. Lands appropriated would then come under the sovereignty of Portugal with Brazil as the standing legacy to successful colonization .
Dum Diversas 1432, According to A.J. R. Russell-Wood, demonstrated Papal authority and support "to attack, conquer and subdue Saracens, pagans, and enemies of Christianity; to reduce them to perpetual slavery for the purpose of converting them to Christianity; to capture their lands and possessions; and to transfer their lands and properties to the crown of Portugal".
Romanus Pontifex, reaffirmed the previous papal bulls, but this time included control of the seas, and fishing rights, and prevented any other country from interfering in the "rights" of Portugal whether that was through discovery or conquest
Inter Caetera, 1456 issued by Calixtus III, set the scene for global balkanization in 1493. It was issued after Christopher Columbus returned from his discoveries granting by request of Ferdinand and Isobel of Spain the right to claim lands founded by Columbus, and any land Spaim might find in the future. According to Russell-Wood this:
"granted to the Order of Christ "all power, dominion and spiritual jurisdiction" over lands conquered and to be conquered from "Cape Bojador and Cape Nun to the Indies"
The Treaty of Alcacovas 1479 and 1480 with Portugal acknowledging the rights of Spain over the Canaries, which was later extended to include the Caribbean and the Americas, whilst Spain acknowledged the rights of Portugal over the Madeiras, Azores, Cape Verdes and Africa with exclusivity over Guinea. This was recognized by the papal bull Aeterni Regis Clementia, 1481, which provided the groundwork for the Treaty of Tordesillas.
Here, we will only focus on one of the papal bulls, the Inter Caetera. It praises Christopher Columbus for the "discovery" of lands, and peoples for the propagation of the Catholic faith (on the premise of fulfilling a divine duty in the name of Christendom) with the gold, spices and others "precious things" found in these lands to be befitting of "Catholic kings and princes". In terms of balkanization the Inter Caetera states:
"Almighty God conferred upon us in blessed Peter and of the vicarship of Jesus Christ, which we hold on earth, do by tenor of these presents, should any of said islands have been found by your heirs and successors, kings of Castille and Leon, forever, together with all their dominions, cities, camos, places, and villages, and all rights, jurisdictions, and appurtenances, all islands and mainlands found and to be found, discovered and to be discovered towards the west and south, by drawing and establishing a line from the Arctic pole, namely the north, to the Antarctic pole, namely the south, no matter whether the said mainlands, and islands are found and to be found in the direction of India or towards any other quarter, the said line to be distant one hundred leagues towards the west, and south from any of the islands commonly known as the Azores and Cape Verde…"
The Inter Caetera was incorporated into European Treaties, and in 1823, the Christian initiative, the Doctrine of Discovery was adopted by American law by the Supreme Court. The vehicle for this adoption was the case Johnson v. McIntosh in 1823, which was presided over by Chief Justice John Marshall. Since 1984, advocates of American natives have been campaigning for Pope John Paul II to revoke the Christian Doctrine of Discovery as follows:
1984, a letter to Pope John Paul II via the Secretary of State to the Vatican got a response commenting on the employment of the authors, the Anasazi Alliance.
1992, the Indigenous Law Institute begin a global campaign calling for Pope John Paul II to revoke the Christian Doctrine of Discovery
1993, 60 indigenous representatives submit a draft resolution to the Parliament of World Religions, Australia calling for Pope John Paul II to revoke the Christian Doctrine of Discovery. There is concensus, but the Parliament of World Religions overturn the vote the next day.
1993, via the UN Human Rights Center to the Observer Mission of the Holy See to the U.N, send a letter to Pope John Paul II calling for him to revoke the Christian Doctrine of Discovery. There was no response.
1993, a resolution is passed by the Indigenous Intellectual Property Conference, calling for the papal bulls to be revoked.
1994, a call to revoke the papal bulls the Romanus Pontifex, and the Inter Caetera at the conference of the Parliament of World Religions, U.S., by the Indigenous Law Institute.
1999, the United Church of Christ sponsor a UCC resolution passed by the Pacific Islander and Asian American Ministries calling upon those of conscience within the Catholic church to persuade Pope John Paul II to revoke papal bulls Dum diversas and Inter Caetera by 2000.
2000 a delegation of indigenous peoples meet with the Vatican Council for Peace and Justice
2005, the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the U.N. sends a letter to Steven Newcomb of the Indigenous Law Institute ask for information on the work of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences pertaining to the papal bull Inter Caetera. The letter states that:
"… taken from the context of the political climate at the time, the notion of international law and the geographical notions then extant, the bull Inter Caetera, like other documents of that era, has become ipso facto, obsolete and with no effect"
2005, the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers send a letter to the Vatican calling for Pope Benedict XVI to revoke the papal bulls Dum diversas, Romanus Pontifex, and the Inter Caetera. There was no response. The International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers go to the Vatican in 2008 calling for Pope Benedict XVI to revoke the 3 previously mentioned papal bulls.
Null and Void
If in reality the papal bulls that we are concerned with here had become "ipso facto" i.e. obsolete, when did this happen?
In the case of Johnson vs. M'Intosh, in Illinois claim by Johnson and Graham was made to land bought from the Piankeshaw Indians given as grant to these Indians by the U.S. 1823 the Doctrine of Discovery was referred to as follows:
"On the part of the defendants, it was insisted, that the uniform understanding and practice of European nations, and the settled law, as laid down by the tribunals of civilized states, denied the right of the Indians to be considered as independent communities, having a permanent property in the soil, capable of alienation to private individuals. They remain in a state of nature, and have never been admitted into the general society of nations. Footnote All the treaties and negotiations between the civilized powers of Europe and of this continent, from the treaty of Utrecht, in 1713, to that of Ghent, in 1814, have uniformly disregarded their supposed right to the territory included within the jurisdictional limits of those powers. Footnote Not only has the practice of all civilized nations been in conformity with this doctrine, but the whole theory of their titles to lands in America, rests upon the hypothesis, that the Indians had no right of soil as sovereign, independent states. Discovery is the foundation of title, in European nations, and this overlooks all proprietary rights in the natives".
In the case of the Cherokee Nation vs. Georgia where the Cherokee Nation claimed non-allegiance to the U.S., and to be the original land owners reference to the Doctrine of Discovery was made as follows:
"The bill states the grant, by a charter in 1732, of the country on this continent lying between the Savannah and Alatahama rivers, by George the Second, "monarch of several islands on the eastern coast of the Atlantic," the same country being then in the ownership of several distinct, sovereign, and independent nations of Indians, and amongst them the Cherokee Nation.
"The foundation of this charter, the bill states, is asserted to be the right of discovery to the territory granted; a ship manned by the subjects of the king having, about two centuries and a half before, sailed along the coast of the western hemisphere, from the fifty-sixth to the thirty-eighth degree of north latitude, and looked upon the face of that coast without even landing on any part of it".
"This right, as affecting the right of the Indian nation, the bill denies, and asserts that the whole length to which the right of discovery is claimed to extend among European nations is to give to the first discoverer the prior and exclusive right to purchase these lands from the Indian proprietors, against all other European sovereigns, to which principle the Indians have never assented, and which they deny to be a principle of the natural law of nations or obligatory on them".
In 1985 in the case of the County of Oneida, New York vs. Oneida Indian Nation.
"[D]iscovery gave title to the government by whose subjects, or by whose authority, it was made, against all other European governments, which title might be consummated by possession.
"The exclusion of all other Europeans, necessarily gave to the nation making the discovery the sole right of acquiring the soil from the natives, and establishing settlements upon it. . . .
"The rights thus acquired being exclusive, no other power could interpose between [the discoverer and the natives].
"In the establishment of these relations, the rights of the original inhabitants were, in no instance, entirely disregarded; but were necessarily, to a considerable extent, impaired. They were admitted to be the rightful occupants of the soil, with a legal as well as just claim to retain possession of it, and to use it according to their own discretion; but their rights to complete sovereignty, as independent nations, were necessarily diminished, and their power to dispose of the soil at their own will, to whomsoever they pleased, was denied by the original fundamental principle, that discovery gave exclusive title to those who made it."
In the more recent 2005 case of City of Sherill, New York vs. the Oneida Indian Nation of New York.
Under the "doctrine of discovery:
" County of Oneida v. Oneida Indian Nation of N. Y., 470 U. S. 226, 234 (1985) (Oneida II), "fee title to the lands occupied by Indians when the colonists arrived became vested in the sovereign–first the discovering European nation and later the original States and the United States," Oneida Indian Nation of N. Y. v. County of Oneida, 414 U. S. 661, 667 (1974) (Oneida I). In the original 13 States, "fee title to Indian lands," or "the pre-emptive right to purchase from the Indians, was in the State."
In Their Own Voice
An Indigenous Peoples' Statement to the World
Delivered at The Parliament of the World's Religions
Convened at Melbourne, Australia
on the Traditional Lands of the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation
"In keeping with the theme of this year's Parliament: "Make a World of Difference: Hearing each other, Healing the earth," We, the Indigenous Peoples participating in this Parliament hereby issue this statement:
"We are Indigenous Peoples and Nations who honor our ancestors and care for our future generations by preserving our lands and cultures. For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples have maintained a fundamental and sacred relationship with Mother Earth. As peoples of the land, we declare our inherent rights to our present and continuing survival within our sacred homelands and territories throughout the world.
"We commend the Australian government's recent support for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples adopted on September 13, 2007. We call on all governments to support and implementthe provisions of the UN Declaration, particularly the right of self-determination.
"Since time immemorial we have lived in keeping with our sacred laws, principles, and spiritual values, given by the Creator. Our ways of life are based on thousands of years of accumulated ecological knowledge, a great respect for our Mother Earth, a reverence and respect for all our Natural World relations and the survival of our languages, cultures, and traditions;
"The Indigenous instructions of sharing and the responsibility of leadership to future generations are wise and enduring. As the traditional nations of our lands we affirm the right to educate our children in our earth-based education systems in order to maintain our indigenous knowledge systems and cultures. These have also contributed to our spiritual, physical and mental health;
"Indigenous people's concept of health and survival is holistic, collective and individual. It encompasses the spiritual, the intellectual, the physical and the emotional. Expressions of culture relevant to health and survival of Indigenous Peoples includes relationships, families, and kinship, social institutions, traditional laws, music, dances, songs and songlines, reindeer and caribou, ceremonies and dreamtime, our ritual performances and practices, games, sports, language, mythologies, names, lands, sea, water, every life forms, and all documented forms and aspects of culture, including burial and sacred sites, human genetic materials, ancestral remains so often stolen, and our artifacts;
"Unfortunately, certain doctrines have been threatening to the survival of our cultures, our languages, and our peoples, and devastating to our ways of life. These are found in particular colonizing documents such as the Inter Caetera papal bull of 1493, which called for the subjugation of non-Christian nations and peoples and "the propagation of the Christian empire." This is the root of the Doctrine of Christian Discovery that is still interwoven into laws and policies today that must be changed. The principles of subjugation contained in this and other such documents, and in the religious texts and documents of other religions, have been and continue to be destructive to our ways of life (religions), cultures, and the survival of our Indigenous nations and peoples. This oppressive tradition is what led to the boarding schools, the residential schools, and the Stolen Generation, resulting in the trauma of Indigenous peoples being cut off from their languages and cultures, resulting in language death and loss of family integrity from the actions of churches and governments. We call on those churches and governments to put as much time, effort, energy and money into assisting with the revitalization of our languages and cultures as they put into attempting to destroy
them;
"The doctrines of colonization and dominion have laid the groundwork for contemporary problems of racism and dispossession. These problems include the industrial processes of resource exploitation and extraction by governments and corporations that has consistently meant the use of imposed laws to force the removal of Indigenous peoples from our traditional territories, and to desecrate and destroy our sacred sites and places. The result is a great depletion of biodiversity and the loss of our traditional ways of life, as well as the depletion and contamination of the waters of Mother Earth from mining and colonization.
"Such policies and practices do not take into account that water is the first law of life and a gift from the Creator for all beings. Clean, healthy, safe, and free water is necessary for the continuity and well being of all living things. The commercialization and poisoning of water is a crime against life.
"The negative ethics of contemporary society, discovery, conquest, dominion, exploitation, extraction, and industrialization, have brought us to today's crisis of global warming. Climate change is now our most urgent issue and affecting the lives of indigenous peoples at an alarming rate. Many of our people's lives are in crisis due to the rapid global warming. The ice melt in the north and rapid sea rise continue to accelerate, and the time for action is brief.
"The Earth's resources are finite and the present global consumption levels are unsustainable and continue to affect our peoples and all peoples. Therefore, we join the other members of the Parliament in calling for prompt, immediate, and effective action at Copenhagen to combat climate change;
"In July 2009, the Episcopal Church in the United States adopted a resolution at its 76th General Convention, repudiating and disavowing the dehumanizing Doctrine of Christian Discovery. By doing so, the Church took particular note of the charter issued by King Henry VII of England to John Cabot and his sons, which authorized the colonizing of North America.
"It was by this 'boss over' tradition of Christian discovery that the British crown eventually laid claim to the traditional territories of the Aboriginal nations of the continent now called Australia, under terra nullius and terra nullus. This step by the Episcopal Church was an act of conscience and moral leadership by one of the world's major religions. Religious bodies of Quakers and Unitarians have taken similar supportive actions.
"In Conclusion, we appeal to all people of conscience to join with us in support of the
following issues:
"1) Climate Change and its far-reaching impacts on our Peoples and homelands—for this we
need immediate action.
2) The protection Indigenous peoples significant and sacred sites within their traditional
homelands and territories and working to eradicate discrimination and intolerance against earth based Indigenous spiritual and ceremonial traditions.
3) Protection of Sacred Places used for prayer and ceremonies. At these special places we
Minister to the earth and heal her sacred soul.
4) The critical need to strengthen and continue our unique cultures and languages,
particularly by bringing together elder cultural and wisdom keepers and Indigenous youth.
5) The return of the bones of our ancestors and our sacred items.
6) The immediate support and implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
8) To call upon Pope Benedict XVI and the Vatican to publicly acknowledge and repudiate the papal decrees that legitimized the original activities that have evolved into the dehumanizing Doctrine of Christian Discovery and dominion in laws and policies".
An Indigenous Peoples' Statement to the World http://www.doctrineofdiscovery.org/
Findlaw. The County of Oneida vs. The Oneida Indian Nation
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=470&invol=226
Findlaw. City of Sherill vs. Oneida Indian Nation of N.Y.
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=000&invol=03-855
Grandmothers Council. Timeline of the Efforts by Indigenous Nations and Peoples Calling upon the Vatican to Revoke the Inter Caetera Papal Bull of 1493 http://www.grandmotherscouncil.com/docs/timeline.pdf
Johnson vs. M'Intosh http://www.doctrineofdiscovery.org/johnvmac.htm
Legal Information Institute. "Cherokee Nation v. Georgia" http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0030_0001_ZS.html
Newcomb, S. "Five Hundred Years of Injustice: The Legacy of 15th Century Religious Prejudice – Origins of the Doctrine of Discovery" http://ili.nativeweb.org/sdrm_art.html
Pope Alexander VI "The Inter Caetera" http://www.kwabs.com/bull_of_1493.html
Pope Nicholas V "The Bull Romanus Pontifex (Nicholas V), January 8, 1455" http://www.nativeweb.org/pages/legal/indig-romanus-pontifex.html
Popes for Slavery http://www.romancatholicism.org/popes-slavery.htm
Talliman, V. "Christian 'Doctrine' Fueled Dehumanization: UNPFII Report
Talliman, V. "Revoke the Inter Cetera Bull http://ili.nativeweb.org/ricb.html
Wood-Russell, A. J.R. "Settlement, Colonization, and Integration in the Portuguese-Influenced World, 1415-1570". Portuguese Studies Review 15: 1-2 (2007) 1 – 35. John Hopkins University
The Flowering Tree
This entry was posted on May 8, 2010, in Forum, Humanities, People and tagged Catholic, Christendom, Christianity, colonnialism, Doctrine of Discovery, Forum, human trafficking, humanity, India, indigenous, kings, land rights, Muslims, occupation, pagans, Portugal, slavery, superior, trade, U.S.. Bookmark the permalink.	5 Comments
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5 thoughts on "The Doctrine of Discovery"
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Woods says:
Please continue in your work to educate those that know nothing of these atrocities to Native Americans. My prayers and passionate devotion are with you in righting the injustices to all mankind, even those that have done the unspeakable to others, it is not within us to impose the final judgments, only one Creator has that authority, and then, ALL Nations will see what is right will eventually come from all the wrongs. Peace Always!
泳鏡 says:
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text:
Archives – Commentary | Jan. 12, 2013
Thou Shall Not Think
Donald DeMarco
I was told, when I first arrived in Canada, that Canadians are not particularly decisive, that they would be reluctant to bet on which way the elevator was moving even if they had two choices.
It is a country, so I was informed, of "the bland leading the bland." And no less than media guru Marshall McLuhan declared that "the Canadian beaver is an apt symbol of our dammed-up creativity."
The recent row concerning whether or not Canadians should think about when life begins leads me to think that the biblical version of the aforementioned epigram is more pertinent: "the blind leading the blind."
There is merit, apparently, in not being able to see, for what one might see could be fearful and troubling.
Stephen Woodworth is a member of Parliament (MP) for Kitchener, Ontario. In spring 2012, he introduced a motion in the House of Commons to deliberate on the subject of when human life begins. The motion was soundly defeated 203 to 91. All members of the New Democratic Party (NDP, more truthfully described as "No Deliberations, Please") voted against it (not much evidence of "choice" here).
It would seem that such a resounding vote in favor of not thinking would have pleased non-thinkers. However, such was not the case.
The editor of one newspaper referred to the minority vote as "alarming to people who respect a woman's right to full autonomy over her own body." Parenthetically, perhaps there should be a discussion on what constitutes "full autonomy." Does it include never aging, never getting sick and never dying? Is full autonomy available for men? And how might they acquire it? Or is "full autonomy" simply an ideological illusion? Better not think about that, either. Who wants to part with a cherished illusion?
A journalist found Woodworth's motion incomprehensible and concluded that he must be "operating in a time warp." Apparently, the time for thinking has passed its expiration date. Another writer charged that MP Woodworth, a Catholic, was "forcing his moral beliefs on the Canadian public."
Presumably, the act of thinking is an idiosyncratically Catholic activity. It is at least theoretically possible for a non-Catholic to engage in thinking.
Rona Ambrose, the minister of Canada's Status of Women, had the audacity to support the motion. Her justification for such an allegedly outlandish act was that she was concerned about the disproportionate number of females who are aborted precisely because they are females. Nonetheless, there was a flurry of demands for her resignation. The NDP accused her of betraying women. MP Libby Davies called Ambrose's vote "shocking." Others called for the abolition of the Status of Women post.
It may seem odd that a woman who has a political responsibility to look after the welfare of women should lose her job because she is looking out after the welfare of women. What would be more "sexist" than aborting someone simply because she is female?
But in a world where thinking is suppressed, contradictions go unnoticed. Ambrose is not supposed to be concerned about real women, but ideological fantasies.
Thinking, of course, is the archenemy of ignorance. And if ignorance is bliss, then thinking is also an enemy of bliss. A woman has a "right" to abortion. But does she have a right to think? Does "bliss" rest on a secure foundation if thinking is prohibited?
Thinking is such a natural human activity that it would seem impossible to suppress it for any significant length of time so that people could maintain a blissful life while attending to their daily functions. Sooner or later, one may perchance open a book and discover that "Thou Shall Not Think" is not a commandment, but "Thou Shall Not Kill" is. What happens then?
The ancient Pythagoreans tried to prevent irrational numbers from coming out of "concealment." They even put death curses on those who revealed the irrationality of the square root of 2. Their efforts, naturally, were futile. They were not able to stop the advance of mathematics.
Abortion has many enemies: the unwanted baby, the pro-life movement, the Catholic Church, science — and thinking. Its only chance of continuing unabated is for its advocates to insist on an illusion ("total autonomy") and prohibit all thinking (since thinking does have a way of shattering illusions).
Is the continuation of abortion inevitable?
Let us return to that exceptional Canadian who was most fond of thinking, Marshall McLuhan, who was also staunchly pro-life: "There is absolutely no inevitability as long as there is a willingness to contemplate what is happening." MP Woodworth wants people to contemplate what is happening so that abortion becomes less inevitable. But thinking is too clear-eyed a witness to the crime.
After Macbeth slaughtered King Duncan, he returned to his wife, who advised that "these deeds must not be thought/After these ways; so, it will make us mad" (Act II, Scene 2).
Indeed, if one thinks too much about killing, then one might truly go mad. Thus, thinking must also be killed.
No civilization was ever built on an illusion. Thinking distinguishes reality from illusion. And though, as T.S. Eliot has warned, "Humankind can bear very little reality," authentic thinking is indispensable if we are to prevent the collapse of civilization from becoming inevitable.
There is no more important question that any political regime can put forward than "When does human life begin?" The primary function of government is not to protect illusions, but to protect human beings — all of them.
Donald DeMarco, Ph.D., is a senior fellow of HLI America, an initiative of Human Life International.
He is professor emeritus at St. Jerome's University in Waterloo, Ontario,
and an adjunct professor at Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut.


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DAILY BRIEFING: Watchdogs give Sainsbury's go-ahead to complete £1.4bn purchase of Argos
By City & Finance Reporter for the Daily Mail
Published: 17:11 EST, 22 July 2016 | Updated: 19:17 EST, 22 July 2016
Argos go-ahead
Watchdogs gave Sainsbury's the go-ahead to complete its £1.4bn purchase of Argos.
The deal will go to the shareholders of Argos-owner Home Retail for approval at a meeting on July 27.
Pushing ahead: The deal will go to the shareholders of Argos-owner Home Retail for approval at a meeting on July 27
Home Retail and Sainsbury's said they were pleased with the Competition and Markets Authority decision. Sainsbury's shares slipped 1.3 per cent, or 2.9p to 225.1p.
Pharma win
Hikma won an appeal to market its gout treatment in the US. It began marketing its colchicine drug in the US as branded product Mitigare in January 2015.
Rival Takeda alleged Mitigare infringed patents related to its own colchicine product, Colcrys.
Takeda lost a court decision and appealed but on Thursday Hikma announced it had won the appeal.
Nuclear decision
French energy giant EDF is expected to make its long-awaited final investment decision on a nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point next week. It has called a board meeting for July 28 and the investment decision is on the agenda.
Ailes out
Roger Ailes, the long-time boss of Fox News, has resigned after a number of female employees accused him of sexual harassment.
Sainsbury's trials new same-day delivery service and pledges... Bill for Hinkley Point nuclear plant hits £37bn after...
Yahoo bidders given just two weeks to name what part of the...
Ailes, 76, said he was stepping down because he had become a 'distraction'.
Internet deal
US telecoms giant Verizon is close to a deal to acquire Yahoo's core internet business, according to Bloomberg. However, the deal is not yet signed and could still fall apart.
Acacia Mining, Tanzania's largest gold miner, said gold production had climbed 19 per cent year-on-year in a trading update. Revenue for the first half of 2016 was £385.4m, some 13 per cent higher than a year ago. Shares were up 7.3 per cent, or 38p at 559p.
Choc plans
Swiss chocolatier Lindt & Sprungli said first-half earnings rose 4.4 per cent, below analyst expectations, to £1.1bn.
The firm plans to open 65 shops this year, bringing its total to nearly 400.
Glass takeover
Stirling-based Superglass, which makes glass wool for insulation, has backed the £8.7m offer made by Inflection, which is part of Russian businessman Sergey Kolesnikov's TechnoNICOL group of companies.
Watchdogs give Sainsbury's go-ahead to complete purchase of Argos
Pets at Home sees festive sales soar and is 'monitoring'...


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Одиночний тенісний турнір серед чоловіків на літніх Олімпійських іграх 2016 у Ріо-де-Жанейро проходив в Олімпійському тенісному центрі з 6 по 14 серпня.

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