In November 2017, I visited Auckland, New Zealand (map) for the first time (I had changed planes at the airport once before, but that doesn't count). I attended the ATRF, the Australasian Transport Research Forum, the much smaller antipodean counterpoint to the Transportation Research Board conference.
Auckland is a metro area of 1.5M people, making it the largest city of NZ. It has the feel of many British colonial capitals (and their equivalents) (Toronto, Sydney) with trains serving the CBD, stopping near the Harbour (in this case at Britomart, which is, to my relief, not named for a discount store selling cheap imports from the UK, but rather after a Point, named after one of HMS, named for the Greek hunting goddess Britomartis).
The Harbour should be the most valuable piece of real estate, with fabulous views. It is still a working port, and so the best views are had by recently imported Toyota pick-up trucks. Yup, the docks are used for offloading and storing cars. Money is sitting on the table. $20 bills are on the ground.
I walked around the downtown area – a still vibrant area with lots of people on the street in daytime, Ponsonby Road – the main upper middle class shopping street, and took the ferry over to Devonport – an almost resort like suburb. The University is embedded in the city, but the area around the University was not nearly as active as it ought to be.
That week the local Tongan population was celebrating a loss to England in rugby, and making a lot of noise near the city center.
I noted that the pedestrian signals are sometimes dark instead of "don't walk" or "walk". This means it is up to the pedestrian's judgment as to whether to proceed. Pedestrians can push the button if they want for guidance (for instance for a visually impaired person). This is an interesting strategy, I wonder if there is safety evaluation (Google Scholar did not turn up anything obvious).
If Auckland were not so remote, or perhaps if New Zealand wanted to encourage it, the city could be many times larger, as many prospective immigrants would be happy to live in such a place. A friend from California once approvingly said Minneapolis had all the necessary hipster infrastructure. Auckland has all the necessary middle class infrastructure, and then some.
Everything you have ever read about the rapid change in China understates the case. China is hotter, more polluted, and more crowded than ever, as famed taxi-driver interviewer Tom Friedman might say. Despite (or because of) this, Chinese have a surprising amount of money. The upper and middle class are increasingly large and well-off. In larger cities like Nanjing, the middle and upper classes have what appears close to a European standard of living, but for the pollution levels. In contrast with its iconic and trademarked communist branding, China is more capitalist than almost anywhere else I have been. The social welfare system is not at western levels, and the disparities between rich and poor are larger, so despite official reports, one can observe some homeless.
Still, food and services are so cheap, I am not sure "purchasing power parity" really captures it. Real estate, on the other hand, soaks up the profits, and is very expensive in the neighbourhoods with good schools. People seek to be in the most expensive neighbourhood they can afford.
Families who can afford it move to the neighbourhoods with the "best" primary schools, so their children will get into the "best" middle schools, so they will go to the "best" high schools, so they will score well on the national exam, so they will go to the "best" universities. I think "best" largely refers to richest, as schools with the richest kids will have the "best" peer group for later networking, as well as the "best" resources, and score well on the annual standardised exams ranking schools because the kids comes from educated families. The national exam is considered a great equaliser, as rich kids are too lazy to study hard for the exam, and don't score as well. Admissions to university is done on a quota system, so students are ranked by state, and the top X% of each state get admitted to the best schools (school applications require a high amount of game theory here, as if you don't get your first choice, your second choice might be full on round two, so you wind up placed lower than if you picked your second choice first).
However, unlike the social services, a huge investment has been made in public works. The subway is first rate, better than anything in North America, and growth suggests it will be more extensive as well. (A GIF of the growth of Chinese metros has been going around, and is well worth viewing). The university I visited in Nanjing (Southeast University) has a brand new campus on an enormous tract of land for future growth. Overall, the museums are impressive. Feeling guilty at destroying so much of their heritage over the past centuries, the Chinese seem to be rebuilding a lot (the Porcelain Tower, for instance, various Buddhist temples) and preserving what remains. What can only be called "The Buddha Show" at Niushou Buddhism Mountain competes with the Beijing Olympics opening for grandeur. All the better since they are tourist attractions where you exit through the gift shop.
Traffic in Nanjing is bad, but not Beijing (or Wuhan or Shanghai) level bad. Drivers are aggressive, but so are bicyclists, motorcyclists, and pedestrians. The safety rate is worse than Australia or the US, and the statistics don't capture it, but not as bad as you'd think. And most major roads here have protected bike lanes, which are protected except at the very confusing traffic lights (it seems traffic signals generally have 4 phases: NS Through, NW/SE LT, EW Through, EN/WS LT, and the bike lanes move outside of the car lanes, but there is lots of violations by vehicles, especially non-motorised vehicles). Right-turn on red, across heavy pedestrian, bicycles, and traffic flows is common, and enforcement of traffic laws is largely absent. The only enforcement I saw was against bicyclists going the wrong way down the one-way for bicycles (two-way for pedestrian) shared lane.
In fact, puzzlingly, right turn vehicles have a green right arrow simultaneously with a green pedestrian phase. This would (or at least should) get a traffic engineer stripped of their license in the US. Alternatively, you might think of it as signal-controlled, temporally allocated shared space. [Which is not at all what the originators of the shared space concept had in mind].
Still given the game of chicken when lane changing or at intersections, I am surprised the crash rate is not higher. I am not surprised that many people at more than one University tell me not to trust the official statistics, though. Basically there are too many lanes for cars (relative to person-throughput, but as I said, they are congested in the peak). On some roads there are lanes for buses. Motorcycles and mopeds use either the motor vehicle lanes or the bike lanes, and bikes and motorcycles park on the sidewalks, so pedestrians walk in the bike lanes with bikes, mopeds, and sometimes motorcycles (including cargo bikes, cargo mopeds, and cargo motorcycles whose loads are often as wide as a truck). There is a lot of honking. Oh, and the high-occupancy vehicle diamond symbol painted on the road apparently means slow down.
Those painted bars, they must be for motorbikes to wait to cross the street.
The traffic lights have long cycle lengths, but all have countdown timers on both red and green phases.
Stationless bikesharing. Just park your bike anywhere, and someone will come and get it and ride to the next place. No matter if it blocks pedestrians, and there are no wheelchairs and few blind people to be seen anyway.
Bikesharing is the new hot thing here, it's everywhere, and apparently all of a sudden in the last year. People get an app, deposit 300RMB and can find a bike anywhere, and leave it wherever they want, no stations required. There are lots of companies doing this, each with different colored bikes. E-bikes are also increasing in popularity, but it is still a smaller mode. Bike parking is still chaotic, and designated bike parking is not standard. Fortunately Nanjing has many street trees, and bike parking between the trees keeps bikes out of the way of pedestrians. If only this was universally adhered to.
Well executed separated paths with trees for protection. The sidewalk is almost wide enough. The line down the middle of the sidewalk is common in China, to help the blind navigate.
Walking surfaces are very uneven, steps are at irregular heights, and tripping seems like it should be common, or maybe that is why everyone is always looking at their feet. The Chinese have historically been good engineers, and though settlement can explain some of the unevenness, I suspect there is a deeper reason, some version of Feng Shui to defeat invading zombie ghosts perhaps?
Also there are food delivery services are everywhere, like Sydney, but more so, and not like most of the US. Mostly bike delivery of course. Standardized lunchtime delivery is getting popular, like in India.
So much in Nanjing is about relative status, not absolute standards. Rankings matter way more than the US, and the educational system is highly sorted. The advantage of relative vs. absolute status is that the rat race drives productivity which further improves absolute status. The disadvantage is the rat race and the dissatisfaction that ensues.
I was in Charlotte for AASHTO as the token academic. AASHTO – The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (which used to be AASHO, so you know the lineage) is the organization of state DOTs, and is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
Charlotte Downtown is less than I imagined. I don't know what I expected, and maybe I am just getting jaded, but Charlotte feels like a McDowntown, sanitized and homogenized with all of the features a downtown is supposed to have (tall buildings, bricks in the sidewalk, cultural amenities, and so on) that I am supposed to be interested in, yet it misses something by having destroyed almost everything that was there 50 years ago.
Mert's is good soul food (I had turkey sausage on rice and beans, plus excellent cornbread).
The downtown has a few tall buildings, connected by skyways, but is surrounded by surface parking lots. I guess these are slated to be future development, but it would have been better to build on all of it and build shorter. Or better, leave the previous buildings standing rather than level them for parking.
This Levine guy owns lots of land and is very philanthropic (the money is from Family Dollar stores).
The LRT (Lynx) is a short stub through downtown (19 miles total, including built and under construction), though it is elevated in the center city. A CityLynx streetcar (1.5 miles) is under construction.
There is a nice bus terminal, and the LRT is integrated into adjacent buildings.
The Charlotte Transit Center Bus Hub connects to the LRT, and has passenger serving retail. This is how you do it.
The Westin hotel is a nice venue.
NASCAR Hall of Fame is everything you expect and more. The race driving simulator was cool, though most people seemed to crash.
The Fabulous Hudson Hornet. It's real, not just in a cartoon.
The Charlotte Motor Speedway is an impressive operation. Though note, they did "right-size" the seating at the track. They also paint their seats random colors to make it look more full than it is. There are condominiums on the race track, that people own, most of them businesses, but some people actually live there. They are not cheap.
Really, they love them some stock cars down in Charlotte. See That's Transportainment.
There really is a huge divide between Red and Blue America. Red states are both more hierarchical and respectful of authority and military, and more hedonistic with their good-ole-boys, booze, fetish for fast cars, and profligate lifestyle. It's been a while since I lived in Atlanta, but the south (and north) are quite different.
Physically Charlotte feels a lot like a small version of Midtown Atlanta.
As in Texas, the Customer Service culture is stronger here than Minnesota.
Airport gate attendants call out their flight to passing pedestrians to their flight. Not so much as to lure people onto a flight to Greensboro, but to help people find their flight. Photos are on Flickr.
After my Fort Worth trip, I took TRE to visit Dallas and walk around there. My Pedometer records 16000 steps that day, most of them in Dallas. Dallas is not a particular walkable city. It has an LRT network, loading 4 lines onto the central downtown link. This means each line has a 15 minute headway, leaving a spacing between trains in downtown of 3.75 minutes. The 15 minute headway is not high frequency. There is also a nascent heritage streetcar line, which I saw but did not ride.
Streetcars and skyways are found in the Big D.
Transit Information Signs tell you when the Green Line is coming, unfortunately every 15 minutes. No need to check schedules though.
Dealy Plaza, with a statue of Dealy.
A HAWK Signal, in operation. I made cars stop in Dallas.
Walkable DFW. I think I was the first pedestrian.
Dallas Union Station, serves the Commuter Rail TRE.
Kendra Levine of the Harmer E. Davis library suggested that if I go to Dallas I visit the Book Depository. Since it was adjacent to the train station (which I discovered as we pulled into Dallas) I did so from the outside, and saw Dealy Plaza. Looking at the site in person, it is easily small enough to have been a single gunman from the 6th floor of the Book Depository (now a government building), Based on the legendary reports, I imagined a much large site. Anyway, no need for a vast conspiracy on that. Oswald did it and he did it alone.
This gruesome tourist attraction is located in the historic West End of Dallas. Aside from the international tourists visiting the assassination scene, there was not a lot going on.
Dallas feels most like Atlanta, though it is flatter and less canopied. WalkableDFW has a lot of work ahead of it. Selected photos below. Check the full set of photos on Flickr.
DFW airport is huge, the size of Manhattan. There is apparently an LRT from Dallas to DFW. From Fort Worth, the TRE in theory goes to the "Airport" but it is miles away and requires two bus transfers. Also the frequency is at least 40 minutes, and sometimes 2 hours.
I visited Fort Worth recently for an AGI conference on the Future of the Methane Economy. I shared my slides previously and learned a lot. Since we were sworn to silence, I won't discuss how I was the person there arguing that (a) CO2 emissions were rising, and (b) natural gas folks should talk about this since they do better than their fossil fuel competitors (if not as well as renewables).
Instead I will talk about Fort Worth and Dallas, two cities I had never been to before the conference. Today Fort Worth, Monday Dallas.
Even the surface parking lots are nicely dressed up.
Fort Worth is the lesser known core city in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. If Dallas (on I-35E) is Minneapolis (on I-35W), Ft. Worth (on I-35W) is St. Paul (on I-35E). It is less afflicted by the rush to modernity, at a smaller scale, with a walkable downtown with relatively low structures, many of them dating to the early 20th century. The blocks are square and small, the sidewalks made of bricks, the streets narrow and one-way, but the parking garages remain tall and mighty.
There weren't too many people out on the streets, and aside from the Pedal Pub I think I saw only one bicycle in 3 days. Throughout though, I felt reminded that the Customer Service culture is stronger here (and in the south generally) than Minnesota.
A nice plaza facing an historic building.
Football is huge. The Cowboys of course, but in Fort Worth, TCU seems a really big deal. Much more than the Vikings in Minnesota, and vastly more than the Gophers. Of course, TCU was at the time actually competing for a national championship.
Bus stop in Downtown Fort Worth.
Fort Worth is connected to Dallas by major highways (I-30), as well as TRE, a commuter rail line. View the Fort Worth photos on Flickr.
Rotterdam is one of the world's great ports. It is also a center of modern architecture, owing in large part to bombing during World War II by the Nazis. Today, Rotterdam – The Hague area (including Delft) has 2.9 M people, and so is comparable in size with Minneapolis – St. Paul. Rotterdam is about 25 km from The Hague (but only 15 km from Delft (about the distance from Minneapolis to St. Paul)). Yet unlike the Twin Cities, there are farms between the cities, the Netherlands has done much to preserve its Green Heart. This undoubtedly drives up land prices in the developed areas, and makes it more difficult to have US-like suburbanization. In general the cities of the Netherlands are not as dense as the densest parts of US cities such as Minneapolis, but the "urbanized areas" are much denser than the least dense parts of those same metropolitan areas.
Some 239 photos, mostly of Rotterdam (some of the Delft train station on the way to Rotterdam), can be seen on Flickr. Selections are below.
I spent the morning just walking around, and the afternoon, walking around with David King.
1. As in Delft, and Vienna, and just about everywhere else in Europe, there is a new train station. Rotterdam Centraal Station just opened, and the interior of the station is nice, and the exterior clearly exudes futurism. The plaza in front of the station is too large for my taste, and seems unprogrammed. There is a very large parking garage (ramp) under this plaza. The parking entrance echoes the train station.
2. The public transit is excellent, there are modern trams on the major streets. There is also a modern subway, and a new LRT connecting to Delft (as well as the intercity train), thereby providing both local and express services.
3. There are many pedestrianized streets. This is true both in the older areas as well as some newer developments. Absence of cars has not obviously hindered retail sales.
4. It seems as instead of hauling wet cement trucks through the city, the require construction to make it onsite, and thus only have to haul aggregate, and letting the construction firm mix local water. This reduces wear on the streets from some of the heaviest vehicles around.
5. Car sharing is becoming more visible, e.g. Green Wheels are widely available.
6. Electric vehicles, and charging stations are also becoming visible.
8. They try to make use of the area under bridges and viaducts, in this case for a trampoline. Notably the trampoline was being used and had not been obviously vandalized.
9. Attempts at creating a roundabout on a local shopping street using simply paint and brick patterns did not seem to succeed.
11. There are lots of wayfinding aids, moreso in the Museum Quarter. (Sadly museums are closed on Mondays).
12. Even though museums are closed, public art is pervasive.
13. The Dutch are excellent at waste removal. Putting trash in the receptacles in the first place is a bit more difficult. Note the receptacles are atop larger subterranean canisters, and will be sucked out with giant vacuum like devices.
14. Ducks establish small well-defended Duckdoms on little islands in the canals (atop some type of pipe).


BMW ConnectedDrive has come up with another convenience-enhancing feature: the hands-free boot lid opening function - available for the new BMW 3-Series Sedan in conjunction with Comfort Access - is a first in the premium class. Standing behind the car, customers can prompt the boot to open with just a short movement of their foot under the centre of the rear bumper, i.e. without using their hands. The boot then automatically unlocks and swings open by spring force. The vehicle is fitted with sensors placed at different heights in the rear bumper trim, which are able to identify a person standing behind the vehicle. The sensors can identify the foot "command" by monitoring the area of the leg between the shin and the tip of the foot. They then send a signal containing special algorithms to the on-board computer. Access is only authorised, however, if the system simultaneously identifies the Comfort Access control unit (the key), which the person must be carrying with them. The boot lid is then unlocked and raised automatically, without hand contact. Key authorisation provides the safeguard ensuring correct operation at all times.


text:
http://web.garoumush.org/forum/
PI complications
http://web.garoumush.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=130
by Flint
Characters: Val, Nicodemus, Thomas, Jeremiah, Naomi
Where: Harbor Park: The Meadow
The ex-husband of one of Val's PI clients finds her in the park.
It is currently 11:51 am Pacific Time on Thu Jun 27 2013.
Currently the moon is in the waning Gibbous (Galliard) Moon phase (73% full).
Nicodemus is parked in one of his favored spots: perched atop the back of one of the park benches near the fountain. Although he's mostly reading and poking at his black Kindle Fire device, he does, sporadically, look up from it to eyeball the park. Anyone watching long enough might potentially wonder if he's waiting for someone—or perhaps keeping tabs on what's going on in the park. Maybe he's a cop? Other than that, he looks and acts pretty darn normal.
Mid-day finds Jeremiah in one of his usual spots in the park as well, underneath a tree some distance from the rest of the homeless population, some distance from the fountain, but where the Gnawer can keep his own watch on things. Though it's hard to say whether he's watching, reading, or simply zoned out. Most of the population of the park seems to avoid him, some even going so far as to choose a different path to avoid the ahroun.
Val makes her way in to the park and after a quick look around, makes a bee-line for Nicodemus. Her expression is somewhat on the perturbed side, but she still manages a smile as she greets the Mage. "Hey!"
Speaking of the homeless population, there's a man that's been among them for some time. He hasn't seemed remotely of any interest before—just another one of the downtrodden—but as he gradually separates from the group, patting another man's shoulder and chatting amiably with him, he somehow seems much more distinct. After all, while Thomas looks rather scruffy, he's wearing clothes that are fairly clean, apart from some dirt on his jeans and boots, and he's favoring that usual duster and battered hat combination. Strange that he just didn't seem worth noticing before.
Nicodemus nods a reply to Val as she arrives nearish the fountain area. "Hey, what's up? Think I could bug you to do some cat sitting this coming week?" He notices Thomas's approach and offers a nod his way—pointedly so that Val also notices that someone's coming.
Val shrugs and crams her hands in to her pockets, lips twisting up in to a rather sour expression. "Sure, I can do that. Where you heading off too?" Val asks the Mage. "Also have a new email to add to our ignore list. Had someone emailing and wanting to hire me for a PI case, but they wanted to meet in person. Just outside the park, actually. No-Show. Annoying." Looking over at Thomas, the small woman inclines her head in his direction. "Afternoon Thomas."
Jeremiah turns, attention flicking to Thomas for a moment, and offers the man a brief nod as he passes, mixed with the usual unintentional glare full of Rage. His attention also goes to Val, who doesn't get nearly as much outright hostility, although the Gnawer doesn't say anything, either.
In from the west side of the park is a once almost familiar face that has been MIA for months now. The woman dressed in formal blues, is bee-lining toward the sausage vendor.
If Thomas notices Jeremiah's glare, he shows no sign of it. He returns Nick's nod, but that bee-lining woman seems to catch his attention more thoroughly. He shifts his course toward her, a grin prickly around his lips as he goes. One hand pulls out his cigarette tin with an almost idle gesture.
"Seattle," Nick replies, then waves a hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. I know. Shouldn't be more than a week." He grimaces at the email hoax. "Pain in the ass, those no-shows."
Striding in to the park from the same entrance that Val used, walking right past the sausage vendor and heading straight for the fountain. The man is somewhere in his mid-forties, with a bit of a pot-belly and his face is an absolutely startling shade of purple. Someone certainly woke up on the wrong side of the bed. The man is wearing a full business suit, which must be more than a little warm, what with summer having arrived.
Val nods and runs a hand through her hair. "Oh well, life could be worse. Having a small roost built on top of Snakes and Lattes to give the kids some shelter and I'm starting on starting to move out of my place. Taking my time about it, in part because the apartment needs some repair work. Should be done by the end of July. And Nick, you let me know if you need my help with anything. Okay? That place is crawling with nasties."
Jeremiah turns slightly under the tree, a hand lifted in greeting towards Naomi, and also his attention remaining on Thomas for the moment. Still, the Gnawer doesn't move from his spot, and most people in the park simply avoid him.
"So I've heard," Nick says to Val. He then motions with a subtle gesture of his chin that someone's coming from behind Val. "I'll give you a call if there's a need. Hell, I'll give a couple others a call if there's a need. But I think this is more personal than a group thing." He could be more vague, but it'd probably take more effort and begin to be incomprehensible.
The woman exchanges money, smiles and a laugh with the vendor and turns to walk away with her procured sandwich. It's then she notices some of the people in the park, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth for most, but a curious tilt of head aimed at the man with the potbelly.
Thomas fishes out one of his handrolled cigarettes, and waves at Naomi with it. "Cuanto tiempo! You've been hiding, I think. Still with the sausage addiction?" He tucks the tin away, and lights up with a whiskery grin. It's only Naomi's head tilt that has him glancing back over at the purple faced man.
"Valerie Konstin-ipolus?" The angry man bellows as he gets nearly two thirds of the way to the fountain, completely mangling Val's last name in the process. His expression turns to one of vicious delight when Val turns around to look in his direction. "Ha! I found you, you bitch!" The small bird-woman just looks befuddled by the verbal onslaught, then there is dawning comprehension on her face, followed by an expression of careful neutrality. "Think I know who that missed appointment was now," she asides quickly and quietly to Nicodemus. "Mr. Terran, yes?"
"Don't you Mr. Terran me!" The man all but explodes. "You ruined my fucking marriage!" Guess someone found out what PI their now ex-wife used…
This gets Jeremiah's attention, and for someone who didn't seem so interested in moving before, he gets up, leaving jacket and book and most of his belongings under the tree to go over, at a stride that's nothing but purposeful and quick, to the fountain. Wordlessly, the Gnawer comes up behind the man, a hand set onto the guy's shoulder to pull him back from Val several feet. And then the ahroun places himself between Val and the man, somewhat, chewing his lower lip and directing that glower onto Mr. Terran.
Naomi turns to spot Thomas' grin and offer and heads in his direction. It's only the sudden outburst from the man that really draws her back into the other goings on. As she reaches Thomas, she tilts her head even more at the scene unfolding, and mostly under her breath, mutters something to him.
"Got it on video if we need it," Nick mutters to Val as he slides off the park bench, takes a half dozen steps away, and aims his smartphone at the potbellied guy—making sure he sees he—and his actions—are being recorded.
Thomas seems interested in the scene, but not terribly concerned, up until Naomi's mutter. His grin fades entirely as he murmurs something in return, and then he crosses over toward the growing altercation with very quick strides. "Excuse me," he says, in a voice somewhat lacking his usual accent. "Agent Lee, of the SSCBB. Is there a problem here?"
Needless to say, a quiet day in the park has turned in to something of a show, as most of the people in the general vicinity turn to watch the unfolding drama. It's even better than watching reality TV! Val doesn't seem all that concerned with the situation, until Jeremiah gets involved, at which point she goes rather pale. Mr. Terran directs his anger at Jeremiah when the Gnawer gets between him and Val, only to have his anger melt like a glacier dropped in to a volcano. Now, he just looks uncertain and when Thomas approaches him, he gets downright jumpy and scared looking.
Nicodemus casually asides to an onlooker standing nearish him, voice pitched loud enough so that Mr. Terran can hear it if he's paying attention still, "I think they're about to arrest that guy." The way he says it? It sounds really probable.
The Gnawer keeps the glare up for a moment, but anyone with any knowledge whatsoever would be able to see the iron grip that Jeremiah has on that Rage, and then with a deep breath, steps back. Mostly, if anything, he seems a little bit protective of Val, remaining somewhat in between her and the angry ex-husband. Thomas gets a swift shake of his head, 'no', and Jeremiah still doesn't speak, tucking his thumbs into his belt loops.
Thomas produces his wallet and flashes its contents toward the small gathering for the barest of seconds, before tucking it away. "Is there are problem here?" he repeats, looking sternly between Val, Jeremiah, and then the purple-faced man. "Sir?"
Naomi stays put where she's met up with Thomas, but her eyes are on the scene unfolding. Today, she's in dress uniform, which means she's carrying nothing. Judging by the twitchy hand that isn't holding a sausage sandwich, she doesn't seem pleased with being unarmed.
The man gapes and sputters, as he now looks frantically between the terrifying homeless man, the slightly less creepy guy who claims to be a cop, and the petite woman that is his target—and just out of reach. Suddenly, the man's jaw sets, pale face going red once again. "Only cops in Texas wear hats like that," he decrees to the world at large, before attempting to shove Jeremiah out of the way. "Get out of here! This is none of your god damned fucking business," he screams at the Gnawer. The man is sweating buckets now and is clearly terrified. Only anger, willpower, and stubborn pride is keeping him within range of so much /Rage/. Val takes a careful step back, lips pressed together in a thin line.
"Sir," Thomas says firmly and more forcefully, while attempting to neatly and very quickly slide right between Gnawer and enraged ex-husband. "Didn't say I was a beat cop. I said I was Agent Lee of the SSCBB." He reaches an equally firm hand toward the man's shoulder. "Gonna have to ask you to calm down, sir. You're causing a scene."
"No sir," Jeremiah manages to say to Thomas at the first question of the problem, voice distinctly ruined and Jackaled, a squeak that doesn't match the rest of his demeanor. Shoving Jeremiah doesn't work, and if anything there's a moment, a distinct moment where Jeremiah's lips pull thin and there's a step forward, and that grip of iron willpower is the thing that keeps him from losing it, but there's nothing to hide the fact that he looks like he'd happily like to tear off Mr. Terran's head. His lips pull back from his teeth, and he just stands there, stone-still and for the moment in control.
Nicodemus, with his left hand holding the smartphone so it's recording, makes a subtle, two-fingered horizontal movement with his right hand. Other than that, he stays his distance from the scene, mingling on the edge of the growing crowd of gawkers.
Naomi, for her part, seems to be watching Jeremiah as keenly as the others are watching the pot bellied man. Her eyes take in the possible exits, as well as drift to nearby buildings and streetlights to gauge for something.
Something about Jeremiah and Thomas just scares the ever-living piss out of AngryMan. He starts to back away from the two Rage-filled shifters and gives his head a bit of a shake, as if trying to clear it. "Fine. I'm going home," he declares. Defeated and covered in terror sweat, Mr. Terran attempts to leave the park. Only pausing long enough to glare angrily (or at least make the attempt to) at Val, on his way out of the area.
Thomas gives the man a firm nod. "I'm thinking that's a good idea, sir. Ain't nothing here worth causing more trouble about. Now, you." He half turns toward Jeremiah, and gives him a narrow look. "You go and calm down as well."
Naomi is watching the entire group with a deep scrutiny. She stays where she's at, and only an occasional flicker of a glance is given the angry man on his departure. The sausage is not yet even nibbled at, which given Naomi's reputation, certainly says something.
Jeremiah looks at Thomas for a moment and simply nods. The ahroun's already got himself under control, much further from potentially blowing a gasket now that Mr. Terran's leaving, if not precisely calm, and his breathing settles. "I'm fine, sir," Jer mutters, squeakily but now very quietly. "Jus' didn't want asshole there botherin' Val. She's been good t' me." Without any actual argument, Jeremiah turns to look at Val a moment, and then to return to his spot under the tree to get his jacket.
Nicodemus watches as the man departs, ensuring he's really and truly leaving, and then redirects his attention towards Thomas and Jeremiah with a somewhat hesitant, somewhat quizzical expression. He then turns to the crowd, pockets his smartphone, and claps his black-gloved hands together to get their attention. "Show's over, folks. Go back to what you were doing. Nothing to see here." He sounds remarkably like a cop. Probably because he used to be one. "Nothing to see here."
Thomas visibly relaxes, and all the 'official-ness' he was attempting to radiate simply vanishes. He turns a sideways grin toward Naomi, complete with still burning cigarette, though it fades a little at her obvious scrutiny. "Mm?"
Val releases the breath that she'd been holding, when it's clear that the Mr. Terran isn't going to be coming back. She acknowledges Jeremiah with a faint nod of her head and someone weak smile. "Well, that was fun," she says sarcastically and drops in to the nearest convenient seat, as some of the colour returning to her face. The crowd of gawkers quickly starts to disperse.
Naomi is caught watching the group and at Thomas' grin, she offers her own. "I'd clap but I got a hand full of delicious meat. Think he's gone for good?" she asks with hurried attempt to return to casual, newly returned to St. Clair attitude.
"Ain't sure," Thomas replies, with an easy roll of his shoulders. "Might do to file a complaint, so there's a record." This, he directs at Val.
Jeremiah picks up his jacket, shrugging it on, and digs through his pockets in a slightly hectic manner that only seems to come up with disappointment, because the Gnawer finds a lighter, and somewhere to put his book away, but no cigarettes. Distinctly calmer now but still radiating that Rage, the ahroun makes his way back to the group, much more slowly, a stroll now, and looks to Thomas. "Could I get a smoke, sir?" the question comes, the words still squeaky.
"Nick has the whole thing recorded if it comes to that," Val tells Thomas, running a hand through her hair and looking far more relaxed now.
The crowd seems to realize the show is over and they start to shuffle off, a few talking amongst themselves about the sudden but brief spectacle. Soon the fountain area is deserted, save for the gathered newcomers, once again. Nick nods to Thomas and Naomi in passing, shoots another look at Jeremiah, then asides to Val, "I'm going to tail the guy. Make sure he's not off to get a handgun or something stupid. I'll give you a call if there's cause for concern, but I'm pretty sure he's gone off to rethink his life choices. Take care, okay?"
"He's already got one Nick. Saw it bulging from his pocket. Small, but small still hurts." That's Naomi's offer to Nick as he makes way to tail the other. "Careful."
Thomas nods at Nick. "Yeah, that's why I got real up close and personal like. She told me he was packing heat." He regards Jeremiah critically for a moment, before he says, "Don't think it'd help your throat any."
"Alright Nick," Val says, offering the Kinsman a smile, but not moving from her seat. "Thanks." Thomas' comment causes the small woman to blink, then her lips screw up as if she just bit in to a lemon.
"Missed it. Thanks for the head's up," Nick says as he picks up the pace so as to not lose sight of the departing man.
Naomi looks back then to Val and Thomas, and somewhat to Jeremiah as well. "Well, that was more excitement than I thought I'd see just on account of getting back into town. Things been that lively the whole time?"
Jeremiah looks at Thomas for a long moment, studying in return, and chews on his lower lip. "You said I's should calm down. It'll help," is the Gnawer's response, and there's a hand up to rub at his throat, though the gesture looks a little too deliberate. To Naomi, the young man just shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders.
"Help more'f you stop talking," Thomas suggests. He shakes his head at Naomi. "Nah, been relatively quiet. Think we're gonna have to blame the new excitement on you."
"Yea, been mostly quiet," Val says, as she pushes out of her seat. "THink I'm going to head home for a little bit. "Good to see you back in town Naomi."
Naomi nods to Val, "Yeah, was gonna give ya a call or stop by. Maybe give me a call later?" She looks back toward Thomas and tilts her head, "I get blamed for enough things as is, thank you."
Val wrinkles up her nose, as she briefly pauses in her exit from the park. "Place is kinda a mess right now. But yea, I'll give you a call later. T'care Naomi," Val says, then off she goes.
Jeremiah makes a face that suggests mildly grumpy but without that same force of directed anger behind it, and silently, goes to search through his pockets again, coming up once again empty handed. There's a half-nod to all present, and the Gnawer turns to leave, trying to figure out which direction he want to go in.
Thomas gives Jeremiah a brief, narrow look in response, before turning a faint grin toward Naomi. "Duly noted. Well, crisis averted, lunch obtained. Where've you been off to the past little while?"
Naomi watches as everyone disperses, then turns back to Thomas. "Work. Heh, actually get to say Duty Called in my line of work. Was back overseas for a bit. God it felt good." She grins a little, "Now, a return to the grind. I really need to consider where I go from here though."
Jeremiah looks at Thomas for not even half of that brief look, but it isn't long before the Gnawer just averts his eyes, head tipped to one side and shoulders falling for a moment. Naomi gets a hand lifted in parting wave, and then Jeremiah moves off towards the street and the nearest corner store.
Thomas seems to have reverted entirely to his casual demeanor now, as he turns his attention fully back to Naomi. "What're your options?" he asks.
"Thought about being a CIA agent, but I am a terrible liar." She grins at this, eyes drifting with Jeremiah's subtle posture exchange and departure. Once he's out of earshot, she shakes her head, "Kid is still living here homeless?"
Thomas shrugs and shakes his head. "He ain't the only one. Means well, but he don't seem to get along with a lot of people." His head tips a little. "CIA. Ain't just everyone who can casually mention that as an option."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: IdentityServer3 - which for ActiveDirectory: MembershipReboot / AspNetIdentity / UserService I hope the following question makes sense:

*

*I manage my users in ActiveDirectory.

*I authenticate them via IdentityServer3.

*I authorize the APIs via the AD groups that the user is in (acting as security roles).

How should I set up IdentityServer3:

*

*Must I use my own custom UserService to access ActiveDirectory?

*and does that replace the MembershipReboot / AspNetIdentity support (or am I misunderstanding what the UserService is)?

*Or should I use one of the MembershipReboot / AspNetIdentity packages from IdentityServer3, and somehow customize them to map to ActiveDirectory (and if so, how)?

A: Seems there is no "mapping" and should not be a mapping from AD to a membership-reboot or an aspidentity or the newer identity-reboot user stores. The reason seems to be simple: mr and aspid or ir are all ways to store the user information in a persistent way (some sort of database or repository), which is already done in AD.
The userservice is enough. It causes the ASP Identity objects to be populated, and the middleware to work as expected, calling user authentication, and user or resource authorization correctly and automatically, after the client calls are "decorated" with "Authorize" attributes or after returning from the OP (the OpenID-Connect Provider) or from separate authorization or resource providers, in security calls.
Answer update: Now in IdentityServer4 the UserService has been deprecated and instead you use IResourceOwnerPasswordValidator.
See here for working code and a detailed explanation, in the answer after the accepted one (vote it up please)
IdentityServer4 register UserService and get users from database in asp.net core

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Overview - Assigned to the Nuremberg war trials, special agent James Cronley, Jr., finds himself fighting several wars at once, in the dramatic new Clandestine Operations novel about the birth of the Central Intelligence Agency and the Cold War.
It doesn't take long for the first attempt on his life, and then the second. NKGB or Odessa? Who can tell? The deeper he pushes, the more secrets tumble out: a scheme to swap Nazi gold for currency, a religious cult organized around Himmler himself, an NKGB agent who is actually working for the Mossad, a German cousin who turns out to be more malevolent than he appears--and a distractingly attractive newspaperwoman who seems to be asking an awful lot of questions. Which one will turn out to be the most dangerous? Cronley wishes he knew.


The 2-in-1 jumpers for retailer purchasing are flattering to the form, and the cut and shape of the garments allow for a smooth fit that falls on the silhouette perfectly. Mothers and mums to be will really enjoy these garments for their practical and carefree styling options, while students will appreciate the ease experienced when slipping on these garments. 2-in-1 jumpers look good when paired with trendy denim jackets or neat blazers, for that preppy layered look. These garments are excellent for spring weather, when the temperatures are warming up, for a smart and simply chic look. Choose from the selection of 2-in-1 jumpers for reseller opportunities. 2-in-1 jumpers are up to date and a favourite choice for those who love comfortable fashionwear. These jumpers suit people of various ages and can be tailored to reflect the style of each individual, when dressed up or down. There is a wide range of 2-in 1 jumpers for retail trading, with apparel available to suit a diverse selection of customers.
The selection of 2-in-1 jumpers for wholesale trading are perfect for women on the go, who really love to look smart and fashionable without having to worry about mixing and matching. 2-in 1 jumpers are stylish and very trendy. They are easy to wear and look very flattering when paired with tailored trousers, jeans and skirts. These jumpers can be worn with casual garments and with more formal work attire. The benefit of wearing 2-in-1 jumpers is that the customer can enjoy the style that the pairing of a top and jumper gives without having to endure the bulkiness of two garments. They are also practical and wardrobe space savers, cutting down on the amount of separates. Choose from casual styles that can be quickly thrown on and worn when running errands, or more sophisticated and dressy garments, to give the wearer a neat and well turned out look with little effort. Browse through the collection of 2-in-1 jumpers for B2B trading on the website.


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Attend our Enrolment Open Days in March 2023
We are enrolling now! Find out what Our Lady of Lourdes Primary offers your child.
To know, to love and to serve.
Our school motto continually challenges students to consider how our Catholic faith and Gospel values impact on our daily lives.
We are inspired by our faith to strive to be people of responsibility, respect, and compassion, while being accepting and fair to those in need.
Caring for the whole person
Through extracurricular opportunities, learning support programs and pastoral initiatives, OLOL students are nurtured and taught to care for others.
Out of Hours Care
Welcome to Our Lady of Lourdes Primary
Our Lady of Lourdes Primary is a warm and welcoming Catholic school community intent on learning to 'know, love and serve' God. With our strong focus on developing school and parish community ties, Our Lady of Lourdes is a school where family and friends are welcomed and valued. Our students are encouraged in their faith and are given many opportunities to get involved in a wide range of sporting and creative activities designed to develop each student holistically.
National Apology Anniversary
2/13/2023 (All day)
13 February 2008 is the anniversary of the formal apology made by the Government and the Parliament of Australia to Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, in particular to the Stolen Generations.
3/8/2023 (All day)
International Women's Day is March 8th. It's the one day of the year when people around the world come together across physical and cultural divides to celebrate the rights of women and girls.
Harmony Day
March 21 is Australia's Harmony Day, which celebrates the country's cultural diversity. It coincides with the United Nations' International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
National Sorry Day offers the community the opportunity to acknowledge the impact of the policies spanning more than 150 years of forcible removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families.
Mabo Day
Mabo day marks the anniversary of the High Court of Australia's judgement in 1992 in the Mabo case. This is a day of particular significance for Torres Strait Islander Australians.
View all Calendar Events
Voice of Youth celebrates 35 years of showcasing strong student voices Tuesday, October 11, 2022
Catholic education champion calls time after 48 years service Thursday, May 26, 2022
Readers are winners Friday, March 18, 2022
CEDP runners shine at CSNSW CCC Wednesday, June 9, 2021
Feedback helps schools improve student outcomes Tuesday, June 8, 2021
Energy reduction program a winner for schools Monday, June 7, 2021
Reconciliation 'More than a Word' for Catholic schools Thursday, June 3, 2021
Local principals share NAPLAN tips Tuesday, May 11, 2021
Catholic students together apart during LIFTED week Friday, March 12, 2021
Readers are winners! Thursday, February 25, 2021
More news items
Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School Baulkham Hills
Tweets by @olol8Hills


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UN News Centre
World population set to grow another 2.2 billion by 2050: UN survey
17 October 2018UN News Centre
The world's population is set to grow by 2.2 billion between now and 2050, the UN said on Wednesday, and more than half of that growth - 1.3 billion - is likely to be in sub-Saharan Africa, where women's rights are hampered by limited access to healthcare and education, along with "entrenched gender discrimination".
Economy and living standards of Gaza 'eviscerated' by crippling blockade - UN trade and development report
12 September 2018UN News Centre
The Occupied Palestinian Territory now suffers the highest unemployment rate in the world, with incomes and agricultural production going down, the United Nations trade and development agency said on Wednesday, noting that women and young people were worst affected, as the Israeli occupation continues.
Fisherwomen of Lake Chad show optimism in face of multiple challenges
5 July 2018UN News Centre
Central African Republic (the)
Fishing has traditionally sustained communities in the Lake Chad Basin area, supporting nearly 30 million people living along its shores in Chad, but also Cameroon, Nigeria and Niger. However, the once huge lake which covered 250,000 km2 has now shrunk to one tenth of its original size, largely due to unsustainable water management and the corrosive effects of climate change. With fish now more scarce, and fisherfolk needing to travel further to find them, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has stepped in to offer support.
UN chief announces first-ever High-Level Panel on Women's Economic Empowerment
21 January 2016UN News Centre
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the first-ever High-Level Panel on Women's Economic Empowerment to provide leadership and mobilize concrete actions aimed at closing economic gender gaps that persist around the world.
(-) Remove Economy & poverty filter Economy & poverty
Central African Republic (the) (1) Apply Central African Republic (the) filter
State of Palestine (1) Apply State of Palestine filter
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the) (1) Apply United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the) filter
(-) Remove UN News Centre filter UN News Centre
The World Bank (1) Apply The World Bank filter
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Repairing Worlds Main Menu Introduction to the WIRE Project. A brief description of conceptual orientation and research objectives of the WIRE project. Works Cited A page of references used on this website.
Below are interviews recorded with people who repair and maintain used electronics. We initiated these interviews as part of the Reassembling Rubbish project which focused on global flows of discarded electronics (or 'e-waste'). In pursuing that research, it became obvious that the work and the sites of repair and maintenance operate as crucial, but too often overlooked, drivers of those flows. These interviews provide a substantial set of qualitative evidence for thinking carefully about the relationships between electronics that are discarded as well as those that are repaired and refurbished. In one way or another, almost everyone in these interviews addresses working with used or discarded electronics which, according to some definitions, would count as 'e-waste'.
Along with our qualitative approach to this activity, we have also begun quantifying what might be called the 'environmental offsets' of the reuse, repair, refurbishment, and recycling of electronics by people in this sector. Our preliminary results suggest that laptop repair alone in a single cluster of such businesses we study in Lima, Peru leads to avoided greenhouse gas emissions of between 1.56-3.60 Gg CO2e (1560-3600 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent).
Technical note: Some of the videos may appear to have no sound in the opening seconds. Allow them to keep playing or skip a few seconds forward and the audio of the interview will begin. You may also need to check your computer's sound is turned on. The videos use the .mp4 format. You may need to install a plugin for your preferred browser.


When browsing the internet you encounter a large number of 404 errors, or web pages fail to load.
This issue maybe related to a problem with your DNS (Domain Name System) and could be fixed by forcing the computer to clear/reset DNS.
DNS is like a digital Yellow Pages, but rather than matching peoples names, addresses and telephone numbers. DNS is used to convert IP addresses to domain names or domain names to IP addresses.
After visiting a website, the sites address is stored locally on your computer in something called a "Cache". Clearing DNS will force your computer to re-download the IP addresses and domain names, thus updating the Cache.
On a Macintosh computer, it is worth noting that rebooting the computer clears the DNS Cache. However, the below Terminal command is often used by people in IT departments, who do not want to waste time waiting for a computer to reboot.
Wait until you are notified that the DNS cache has been cleared.
The computer will say "DNS cache has been flushed".
You can now close the Terminal pane.


AVOID South and North-bound S. Washington Ave. and South-bound US 31 at S. Washington.
HDPS advises motorists to avoid the S. Washington and US31 interchange due to a truck accident.
A truck struck and damaged a portion of the US 31 southbound overpass bridge. MDOT authorities are assesing structural damage to the bridge.
Traffic is blocked for both northbound and southbound S. Washington Ave. Traffic for southbound US 31 is being detoured at Central Ave.
HDPS will notify NIXLE users of any prolonged closures in the next few hours.


Founded in 1884, Prescot Cables FC are older than Liverpool and younger than Everton and still going strong, and play in the Northern Premier League Division One North.
Regular home games are held at Valerie Park, and as a community club, Cables regularly lets out its facilities for meetings, functions and other events. The grounds are the site of the annual Prescot Cables Beer Festival, showcasing about 25 ales, plus ciders, for one weekend each March.


Petr Nejedlík of Dobrá Vinice is one of the pioneers of natural wine growing in Moravia. He runs vineyards around Znojmo, 80% of which are located in the Podýjí National Park, which has an unmistakable character resulting from the Palaeozoic bedrock. Grapes are pressed and the musts are subsequently fermented, where the wines are aged mostly in oak or acacia barrels, with some wines spending a long amount of time macerating on the skins. Petr has also begun to experiment with wine fermented and aged in kvevri (amphorae) buried in the ground of the wine cellar. Elevage is frequently carried out in oak barrels. The bottled wines then age in ideal conditions for several years in his old sandstone wine cellar.
Vineyard details: This is a 5-hectare vineyard at an altitude of 250-320 meters, with southeastern orientation.
Vinification Method: Grapes are hand harvested and fermented semi-carbonically in 1-3 year old French oak barrels. Fermentation normally lasts around 35 days at 15-18 degrees celsius with no added sulfur or yeast. No more than 60 mg per liter of sulfur is added before bottling, and the wine is not filtered or fined.
Vineyard details: This is a 4-hectare vineyard at an altitude of 250-320 meters, with southeastern orientation.
Vinification Method: Grapes are hand harvested and fermented semi-carbonically in 1-5 year old French oak barrels. Fermentation normally lasts around 26 days at 18-20 degrees celsius with no added sulfur or yeast. No more than 80 mg per liter of sulfur is added before bottling, and the wine is not filtered or fined.
Vinification Method: Grapes are hand harvested and fermented in oak barrels for about 20 days with wild yeast. The wine is transferred to bottle with 10 grams of residual sugar to finish in the bottle as a petnat with zero sulfur added.


text:
Strong start for Maverick Viñales & Aleix Espargaro in Assen
In Aleix Espargaro, Maverick Vinales, MotoGP, News
Strong start for Maverick Viñales & Aleix Espargaro in Assen2016-06-242016-06-24https://www.vroom-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/vroommaglogo.pngvroom-magazine.comhttps://vroom-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/mgp8maverick-vinales9-1.jpg200px200px
Team SUZUKI ECSTAR's Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaró both put in strong qualifying performances this afternoon at the Motul TT Assen ahead of Sunday's eighth round of the MotoGP™ World Championship race in the Netherlands.
Both GSX-RR riders shaved significant time from their morning FP1 session with Viñales going fourth on the timesheets with a 1'33.892-lap and Espargaró eighth with a time of 1'34.087.
Team SUZUKI ECSTAR deployed two different versions of the GSX-RR chassis today: Viñales had two machines available with the evolution chassis, the one already tested two weeks ago in Barcelona, while Espargaró had two bikes with the standard chassis. This choice was made after the test at the Catalan GP, where the team and riders went in hunt of better grip at the rear.
Today's work also focused on some set-up adjustments for the track and mainly on electronics, which is already to be refined as today's performance didn't leave the riders convinced they could both take the best out of their machines.
Maverick Viñales:
"We have much work to do here, I like this track and the bike has improved a lot since last year, but we still need to work on the electronics. After the test in Barcelona, I decided to adopt the evolution chassis, which is not that different from the standard one, but it has that little bit more that I think could help me to turn better. Today we did many improvements, but we still need to improve the electronics. The base is optimal, as well as the set-up, but I still have some trouble when it comes to exiting corners and find the best acceleration. Of course being in fourth with this kind of issue is not a bad thing; therefore, we will work more tonight to find new solutions and hopefully tomorrow we will be more effective."
Aleix Espargaró:
"I'm not happy about the position but for sure I am satisfied with the work we have done. It's true that I'm eighth but we must consider that the gap is not so big as I'm only three tenths-of-a-second from the third place. I made a big improvement from FP1 to FP2 and this says we are working in the right direction. We are working a lot in preparation for the race, because here it will be a pack-race and therefore it is important to find consistency and stability. With the choice of the standard chassis the set-up options are more-or-less already defined, but we have much room for improvement with the electronics. We are working hard, we have some ideas in mind; and we will try to be faster tomorrow."
Source: Suzuki


Escape the monotony of the daily routine and join us at Sebastian Inlet State Park for a memorable experience under the light of the full moon. Everyone is welcome to come along, as our Full Moon Kayak tours are soon to be a local favorite. Venture together, glow sticks in hand through the grassflats and explore the Indian River Lagoon. After the tour, relax and join us for Smore's and refreshments at the Marina.


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The perfect centre piece to set off any bedroom. We realise how important a wardrobe is for any room, with storage, design and functionality having to be just right. That is why we stock a number of different shapes, styles and finishes to help you make your decision.


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The Bubi people (also known as Bobe, Voove, Ewota and Bantu Bubi) are a Bantu ethnic group of Central Africa who are indigenous to Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. Once the majority group in the region, the population experienced a sharp decline due to war and disease during Portuguese expeditions. By the end of Spanish colonial rule in the mid 20th century, and after substantial intermarriage with newly introduced populations, such as Afro-Cubans, Krio people, Portuguese people and Spaniards, the Bubi people, again, experienced a great decline in number. Seventy-five percent perished due to tribal/clan rooted political genocide during a civil war that led to Spanish Guinea's independence from Spain. This, too, sparked mass exodus from their homeland with most of the exiles and refugees immigrating into Spain. The indigenous Bubi of Bioko Island have since co-existed with non-indigenous Krio Fernandinos; and members of the Fang ethnic group, who have immigrated in large numbers from Río Muni. Once numbering approximately 3 million, the Bubi currently number around 100,000 worldwide.

The Bubi people, both living in Equatorial Guinea and exiled abroad, have long held little political power and economic stake in their native land. However, appointed government officials, such as the former Prime Minister Miguel Abia Biteo Boricó and several other members of the current Equatorial Guinea government, are of ethnic Bubi descent.

Most Bubi people that remain on Bioko Island, as well as those native to Gabon, speak the Bube language. Many of the islanders also speak Spanish, French and Portuguese as a secondary language.

Etymology

The name applied to the tribe, "Bubi", did not originate from within the tribe. It was given to them by pre-colonial visitors to the island of Bioko. It has been suggested that the term "bubi" was derived from the bubi word boobè (the people from the south of the island use moomè) which means "man". More than likely, the term was taken from Europeans who had heard the manner in which the indigenous people of Bioko Island greeted one another. "A boobe, oipodi" translates into "good morning, man".  From the word "boobè", meaning male, the term Bubi was derived by foreigners. Subsequently, the term "bubi" was adopted by the indigenous people.

What the Bubi named themselves
Originally the Bubi referred to themselves as "people of the land who are among the living". In the Bubi language, the translation of this phrase varied per region within the Bubi Kingdom:
 North — "bochoboche"; plural "bechoboche"
 Northeast — "bosoboiso"; plural "besoboiso"
 East — "boschosboricho"; plural "bachosboricho"
 South — "mochomorischo"; plural "bachoboricho"
 Southwest — "menchomoboncho"; plural "bandiobaboncho"

History

The Bubi people are subdivided into a number of tribes and subtribes that go back centuries. Indigenous Bubi folklore indicate that the tribe immigrated to Bioko Island some 3,000 years ago as a means of escaping servitude. The Bubi immigrated to Bioko Island some time during the 13th century, some 200 years before it was colonized by the Portuguese. Other reports suggest that the tribe arrived between the 5th and the 18th centuries from southern Cameroon and the mainland area of the Río Muni.

One perspective offers that the Bubi were once enslaved by a single continental African tribe, likely another Bantu ethnic group that once occupied areas along the shores of West Africa. Another suggests those who immigrated to Bioko 3,000 years ago descended from enslaved members from a number of ethnic groups that existed up and down the West-Central African region during that time. In essence, the tribe is a result of an amalgamation of small tribal groups who immigrated to Bioko Island in several waves, and each group established its own enclave upon the island. Throughout their history, these groups engaged in brutal battles for supremacy, though the fighting was not relegated strictly to inter-clan rivalries. The Bubi were known to have had long battles against one another on an individual, family, district, city, and tribal level—this led to a near constant state of warfare on the island.

The Bubi were isolated and undisturbed for much time, leading them to form a unique society, language and belief system different from the mainland Bantus.

With the arrival of Portuguese explorer Fernando Po, life changed drastically for the native Bubi. Explorers killed the Bubis, and those Bubi who escaped the explorers caught diseases such as whooping cough, smallpox, and dysentery from the foreigners. For several centuries, Europeans attempted to penetrate the island of Bioko. They, however, were met with staunch resistance, purported savagery, by the Bubi. A German Gold Coast merchant wrote "The island of Fernando Po is inhabited by a savage and cruel sort of people," and that Europeans did not dare to dock upon their beaches, for fear of surprise attacks from natives with dart-weapons. Surprise attacks on explorers and colonists were a common phenomenon during this period—in fact, the Bubi had a system of social rank that depended largely on how many rivals a man had killed through stealth or subterfuge. Because of this, the Bubi remained unconquered by European imperialism until the start of the 20th century. Led by their kings, the Bubi were well aware of the slave trade in the region and, for centuries, were highly guarded of outsiders. This was later reduced when the island leadership began to trade and barter with the Europeans, thus the Europeans were able to infiltrate the island's social and political structures.

Gradually, European influence on the island increased. Portugal laid claim to it, and then traded it to Spain. By the early 19th century, Bioko was a short-term integral point in the transfer of slaves from mainland Africa to the Americas. However, the flow of humans trafficked through the port was constantly intervened by indigenous groups who organized to steal and free many of those transported. The port was closed by the end of the 19th century at the order of the British government who set up military occupation of the port for the latter half of the century. Over time, the influence of the Bubi has greatly diminished, and they are now a minority upon the island, as well as in the nation of Equatorial Guinea itself.

20th century and 21st century

Francisco Macías Nguema was the first President of Equatorial Guinea, from 1968 until his overthrow in 1979. During his presidency, he declared himself a "Hitlerian-Marxist" and his country was nicknamed "the Auschwitz of Africa". Nguema's regime was characterized by its abandonment of all government functions except internal security, which was accomplished by terror; he acted as chief judge and sentenced thousands to death. This led to the death or exile of up to 1/3 of the country's population. Out of a population of 300,000, an estimated 80,000 had been killed, in particular those of the Bubi ethnic minority on Bioko associated with relative wealth and intellectualism. All schools were ordered closed in 1975. The economy collapsed, and skilled citizens and foreigners left.

On August 3, 1979, he was overthrown by Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. Macías Nguema was captured, tried for genocide and other crimes along with 10 others. All of them were found guilty, four received terms of imprisonment, while Nguema and the other six were executed a few weeks later on September 29.

In 1998, many Bubi people were tortured to extract confessions following their arrest after launching several attacks on military barracks in which three soldiers and several civilians were killed. At least six detainees reportedly died after being tortured. Bubi women were publicly humiliated in the courtyard of the police station in Malabo with some being forced to swim naked in the mud in front of other detainees whilst others were sexually abused.

John B. Quigley in The Genocide Convention: An International Law Analysis points out that at Macías Nguema's trial for genocide that Equatorial Guinea had not ratified the Genocide convention and that records of the court proceedings show that there was some confusion over whether Nguema and his co-defendants were tried under the laws of Spain, or whether the trial was justified on the claim that the Genocide Convention was part of customary international law. Quigley states that "The Macias case stands out as the most confusing of domestic genocide prosecutions from the standpoint of the applicable law. The Macias conviction is also problematic from the standpoint of the identity of the protected group."

Traditionally, the prime minister of Equatorial Guinea has been from the Bubi minority. The last Bubi prime minister was Miguel Abia Biteo Boricó, following the forced resignation of Boricó's cabinet in August 2006 on charges of corruption and incompetence. Obiang then appointed Ricardo Mangue Obama Nfubea, who was a Fang.

Religion
The Bubi people are mainly Catholics. This is due to Spanish influence during the colonial age when the Spanish ruled over Bioko Island and Río Muni. However, traditional pre-Christian beliefs are prevalent in Bubi spirituality. In the ancient belief system of the Bubi, the head god was called Rupe (or Eri in the southern region of the island) who created and cared for the world. The spirit world was said to consist of three parts: Labako-ppua (heaven and the angels), Ommo ich'ori (hell and the bad angels), and Ommo boeboe (limbo). The spiritual world and material world constantly melded and layered upon each other which meant that the Bubi people and the supernatural spirits shared the land. Sinister spirits were blamed for illness, accidents, and misfortune. Every unique natural landmark was also said to be associated with a spirit with rivers, lakes, and mountains having specific spiritual power.

Notable ethnic Bubi people

 Federico Bikoro
 Silvestre Siale Bileka
 Cristino Seriche Bioko
 Aauri Bokesa
 Bisila Bokoko
 Sipo Bohale
 Jade Boho
 Justo Bolekia Boleká
 Juan Balboa Boneke
 Miguel Abia Biteo Boricó
 Rita Bosaho
 Dorian Jr.
 Emilio Buale
 Concha Buika
 Virginia Buika
 Jannick Buyla
 Evuy
 Raúl Fabiani
 Marvin Anieboh
 Niko Kata
 Jimmi Ekua
 Joanet
 José Machín
 Juan Simeón Esono
 Luis Meseguer
 Hijas del Sol
 Ruslan Elá

See also
Bubi language
Emancipados
Fernandino peoples
Movement for the Self-Determination of Bioko Island
Human rights in Equatorial Guinea

References

Sources

Indigenous peoples of Central Africa

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


This article is the second in our three-part series on blinding, deafening and sometimes deadly conditions in Indigenous Australian children that have little to no impact on their non-Indigenous counterparts. You can read yesterday's piece on trachoma here. Tomorrow's article will look at otitis media.
For these young people, what we might consider a relatively harmless infection with streptococcus bacteria, in the throat or on the skin, can be the start of a tragic pathway towards life-threatening rheumatic heart disease (RHD).
Yet this pathway is completely avoidable; indeed in mainstream Australia, it is usually avoided. Today, most doctors in major Australian cities will not see a case of acute rheumatic fever, the precursor to RHD. Only around 50 years ago, though, children's hospital wards were full of children with the two conditions.
The reality is different for Indigenous people. Young Indigenous Australians in the Northern Territory are up to 122 times more likely to have rheumatic heart disease than their non-Indigenous counterparts.
Rheumatic heart disease is responsible for the highest gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians; higher than diabetes or kidney failure.
So why is the condition still prevalent among Indigenous Australians?
Infection by the Group A Streptococcus bacterium can manifest as either a strep throat or impetigo, commonly known as skin sores.
When fighting a strep infection, around 3% to 6% of people develop an abnormal response which leads to the body's immune system attacking its own tissues. This happens due to a combination of bacterial, genetic and environmental factors and results in acute rheumatic fever. Symptoms include sore joints, fevers and inflammation of heart valves – which is the most damaging.
When acute rheumatic fever occurs repeatedly, often over many years, valve damage worsens and becomes permanent, resulting in rheumatic heart disease.
Heart valves are like doors in the heart that allow blood to move in one direction only. When they are damaged, the valves allow blood to leak in the wrong direction. This reduces the heart's ability to pump blood effectively and ultimately leads to heart failure, stroke and sometimes early death.
The pathway to rheumatic heart disease and its complications can be stopped at various points along the way. Acute rheumatic fever can be prevented if the original strep infection is accurately diagnosed and promptly treated with the antibiotic penicillin. But even if acute rheumatic fever occurs, it is not too late to intervene.
After even just a single episode of acute rheumatic fever, young people need monthly injections of penicillin for at least a decade, often longer. This protects them from further strep infections, subsequent episodes of rheumatic fever and further damage to the heart valves. Although this strategy works, it requires painful injections that need to be given on time, every month, for at least a decade.
In addition to these injections, people with rheumatic fever require long-term check-ups. If they have rheumatic heart disease, they require life-long clinical review, regular heart scans and long-term medication to treat heart failure or heart-rhythm abnormalities.
If the heart-valve damage is severe, surgery may be needed to repair or even replace the valve. This can only be done in major hospitals, often thousands of kilometres away from where the person lives. Surgery can be life-saving, although it doesn't cure rheumatic heart disease.
Rheumatic heart disease was common until the 1960s in wealthy populations, including major Australian cities.
Since then, improved living standards in high-income countries have reduced the transmission of the bacterial infection. A combination of less crowded housing, improved sanitation and better access to health services also resulted in a dramatic decrease in the incidence of acute rheumatic fever and resultant heart disease.
Penicillin has also had an added impact, both in preventing initial episodes of rheumatic fever by treating sore throat, and in preventing recurrences that enable slow disease progression.
Over the last few decades, however, an uncontrolled epidemic of rheumatic heart disease has been uncovered in developing countries and our own Indigenous populations, especially those living in rural and remote areas of northern and central Australia.
Today, rheumatic heart disease affects more than 32 million people worldwide and claims more than 275,000 lives each year. Almost all cases occur in low and middle-income countries, with the greatest burden being among some of the most disadvantaged populations.
Particular hotspots include sub-Saharan Africa, parts of South Asia and the South Pacific. However, the highest rates of rheumatic heart disease are in Australia.
The social, economic and human consequences of the disease are profound. Indigenous Western Australians with rheumatic heart disease die, on average, at 40 years old. Children must travel for heart surgery; young adults live with premature disability; and pregnant women face high-risk pregnancies.
Rheumatic heart disease remains an outstanding, preventable blight for a nation committed to closing the life-expectancy gap. Australia has a national approach to acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease control. We must not only ensure this approach continues, but that it expands, with properly funded, evidence-based interventions.
Jonathan Carapetis receives funding from National Health and Medical Research Council, Austrade, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research & Medtronic Foundation.


In the United States, 26% of the population volunteers.* More people (36%**) volunteer through faith-based organizations (churches, synagogues and mosques) than any other type of organization. The remaining 64% of volunteers work for a variety of community organizations: schools and hospitals, the local food pantry and historical society, zoos and museums, animal shelters and shelters for abused women, the Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, any many more. Even the IRS has volunteers!
More people volunteer for faith-based organizations than any other type of organization.
Generally, sacred (faith-based) and secular (everything else) volunteering are seen as either/or. We in the church are happy when more people volunteer at church. We often figure that those who don't have a church are the ones who volunteer in other places.
But it really isn't either/or.
Many active church members volunteer for secular organizations. Some do it along with volunteering at their church; some do it in place of volunteering at church.
Secular non-profits, particularly those who assist people in need, are beginning to partner with churches. Many do it as a means of gaining volunteers, particularly in this time of increasing need and dwindling resources.
Are these two facts/trends good or bad from the perspective of the church? Do they help or hinder the church? Our attitudes and values follow the way we think, so let's first look at some sources of the barriers between sacred and secular volunteering.
Institutional loyalty is one reason we have an either/or barrier between sacred and secular volunteering. Until about the 1970's, loyalty to institutions was an accepted part of American culture. When you joined a group, you supported it with your time and talent, and with money. Most families had little money for entertainment, so the groups we joined, whether a church or community group, were also our center for socializing, entertainment, and support as well as something we believed in. Families, even extended families, tended to be loyal to one particular institution. Today, institutional loyalty is rare. Many people shop for what they want, and move from one group or institution to another as needs and desires change. This movement includes moving between sacred and secular institutions.
For many, the church is a different and unknown world.
Until even more recent times, American society was a "churched" society. Everyone knew what churches taught and the vast majority of people supported them. Even those who were not regular participants were still often found in churches for births, weddings and burials. Today, America is an "unchurched" society. A good percentage of people in their 30's and younger are unfamiliar with basic Bible stories, and church hymns, terms and practices. For many, the church is a different and unknown world, a fact which creates a barrier between secular and sacred.
Churches sometimes create barriers. Just as God commanded the Old Testament Israelites to avoid the peoples around them, so they would not be tempted to worship their false gods, so churches often protect their people from the temptations of the world by erecting barriers between the church and 'the world.' Parochial schools were one way churches protected their children from the world. Followers of Jesus Christ most definitely do need to guard their hearts and minds from all that would pull us away from our Lord, and the world around us certainly can and does do that. But we do not need to leave the world, as did many monks and nuns in the past, nor should we. Jesus intentionally engaged with everyday people. He was condemned for associating with outcasts and 'sinners,' people who were more worldly than religious. In a society that no longer automatically comes to church, our barriers contribute to a sacred/secular divide, and can prevent us from sharing the good news of God's love in Jesus Christ.
Isn't the wall between church and state a good barrier?
What about the "wall between church and state"? Isn't that a natural and good barrier? The phrase+ refers to the 1791 First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." This protection of freedom of religion is highly, and rightly, valued in the U.S. Over time, though, we've extended that wall so that it often separates all aspects of faith and spirituality from other aspects of community life. Faith becomes a private issue and many have become uncomfortable dealing with it outside the church.
There will always be natural differences between sacred and secular volunteering. But there are benefits to breaking down the either/or assumptions, and benefits to doing some intentional bridge-building from one to the other. The fact that Christians do volunteer for secular organizations, and that some secular organizations are looking to build volunteering partnerships with churches, can be a blessing to churches.
For Christians, volunteering is part of a much bigger picture, the serving in Jesus' name and for Jesus' sake that encompasses all our life, including our church, home, employment and community. When we recognize and encourage people in our church family who give time and talents to other organizations, we have a golden opportunity to stress the 24/7 aspect of serving. A Christian is serving Jesus when she does disaster relief through the Red Cross as well as when she prepares the communion trays.
Partnering can help us do deeds that demonstrate our beliefs and can open ears to our beliefs.
Most churches can use some help getting out into, and involved in, the community. Currently, most church volunteering is done within the church's walls. Moving more of our volunteering into the community shows the unchurched people around us who we are and what we believe. It gives us opportunities to meet and talk to people and to do deeds that demonstrate our beliefs. Our deeds can open ears to our beliefs.
Community organizations have years of experience and personal contacts in the community. Partnering with them, therefore, can be more efficient and effective than going it alone. The Red Cross has more capability than the average congregation to do disaster relief, so working with them enables a church to serve more people. In addition, partnerships are invaluable at times of immediate crisis, such as flooding or a tornado, when our service must be immediate to be effective.
Shared work does not equal shared beliefs. Whenever a church is partnering with a secular organization on community needs, the role of faith and religion must be addressed. On the one hand, Christians can not partner with a group that insists that faith must be hidden or denied. We do not deny our faith. On the other hand, we can avoid some practices that offend, "being all things to all men in order that by all possible means I might save some" (I Cor. 9:22), while still being true to our faith and God's purposes.. When my adult sibling insists I not "try to convert him," I will agree to avoid certain practices that antagonize. Yet I will still maintain a relationship with him, do things with him and seek opportunities bring spiritual matters into conversations as God opens doors.
Walking this balance is not easy. True partnerships would be rare.
Walking this balance is not easy. It is more than challenging to build a true partnership between a faith-based organization and a secular organization, especially in today's climate of mutual anger and antagonism between conservative religions and the more liberal attitudes in society in general. True partnerships of respect and cooperation would be rare. But our Christian faith is so precious and life-changing, we are compelled to bring it to as people as possible. And we are compelled to serve. Just maybe, partnerships with community organizations can increase opportunities both to serve and to share. Perhaps our common devotion to serving the less fortunate can be a connection to building those partnerships. And maybe also, through building those partnerships, we can learn how to break down, or move around, the barriers that often separate the sacred and the secular.
The first challenge is finding a community organization with leaders willing to have the detailed and difficult conversations necessary to create a true partnership. Ideally, they themselves would be people of faith who have learned to put their faith into practice in a secular organization, who see their job as their vocation, and have personally wrestled with the challenges of faith-sharing in the work environment.
When considering a partnership between church and the community organization, first have detailed discussions about how faith talk can or can't work when serving together. Can a volunteer say, "Jesus be with you"? "May I pray for you?" May I pray with you?" Find out what would be considered offensive. Look for natural conversation on spiritual issues that is acceptable. Formal proselytizing ("If you died tonight…") is less likely to be accepted.
These conversations about spiritual conversations have a number of benefits. First and foremost, it simply helps the church decide whether or not a partnership would work. But even if the partnership does not pan out, these conversations about faith conversations help us learn more about our unchurched neighbors and about the methods of faith-sharing that are most likely to be listened to. If guidelines for a partnership are agreed upon, they of course will be written and shared with church volunteers, providing another opportunity for growth in evangelism skills.
Despite the challenges, despite the difficulties of finding a community organization with whom a church can build a true partnership in serving the community, such a partnership would bring advantages to both partners.
Opportunities for unchurched people to get to know church people as they really are, rather than as depicted by stereotypes.
Growth in effective faith-sharing skills.
Techniques of volunteer management that can be applied to the church. Community organizations often use good volunteer recruitment, training and support techniques.
Multiplication of their efforts to feed the hungry, visit the imprisoned, etc.
Community organizations are beginning to partner with some churches. Churches are looking to get more involved in the community. Christians have always volunteered in community organizations. Despite the challenges and the delicate road that must be walked, perhaps God can be praised through intentional partnerships.
Note: This article was written for church audiences. I approached the same subject to an audience of volunteer administrators in the broader non-profit world in "The Wall Between Faith-Based and Secular Volunteering," reprinted with permission by e-Volunteerism.
* from the July 2009 Volunteering in America Research Highlights by the Corporation of National and Community Service.
+ Attributed to Thomas Jefferson in an 1802 letter. Source.


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