In anticipation of Hurricane Florence, NARIC's Spotlight blog features recent research and development from the NIDILRR community and elsewhere in inclusive emergency preparedness; Research in Focus looks at research examining whether children with mild traumatic brain injury receive rehabilitation and education services needed following injury; the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Community Living and Participation of Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities (TU Collaborative) publishes training guide, The Roles of Peer Specialists Before Disasters Strike: Helping People with Mental Health Conditions Prepare for Disasters; the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (Stats RRTC) reports positive upswing in employment of Americans with disabilities in its August nTIDE Report; the Center on Knowledge Translation for Disability and Rehabilitation Research (KTDRR) hosts webinar, Training on Research Evidence: An Overview of Effect Sizes and Meta-Analysis; the Great Lakes ADA Regional Center hosts webinar, Online Video Accessibility; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes new Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) Guideline in JAMA Pediatrics.
In observance of National Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Awareness Month, NARIC highlights SCI-related research, resources, and news from the NIDILRR community and elsewhere; Research in Focus discusses how logging in can be a frustrating task for computer users with visual impairments; the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Promoting Healthy Aging for Individuals with Long-Term Physical Disabilities (Healthy Aging RRTC) publishes factsheet, How to Manage Disability-Related Pain as You Age; the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Knowledge Translation Center publishes series of real-life Success Stories about removing barriers to participation for people with disabilities; Dr. Manyibe, co-principal investigator at the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Research and Capacity Building for Minority Entities at Langston University (LU-RRTC), receives Bobbie Atkins Research Award from the National Association on Multicultural Rehabilitation Concerns (NAMRC); the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Integrated Health Care & Self-Directed Recovery will lead policy Twitter chat, Expanding the Reach of Evidence-Based Supported Employment; the Center on Knowledge Translation for Disability and Rehabilitation Research (KTDRR) hosts webinar, 11 Tactics, Tips, and Tools to Leverage a Powerful Social Media Strategy; the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) at the National Institutes of Health publishes issue of the NCCIH Clinical Digest, Anxiety and Complementary Health Approaches: What the Science Says.
At back-to-school time, NARIC provides information for professionals seeking continuing education credits in its Resource Highlight, Events, and Spotlight blog; Research in Focus discusses health consequences following wheelchair breakdowns; the VR-ROI Project: Estimating Return on Investment (ROI) in State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Programs publishes Return on Investment in Vocational Rehabilitation: A Primer; Paul Wehman, PhD, principal investigator for multiple NIDILRR-funded projects on employment, receives Distinguished Scholarship Reward from Virginia Commonwealth University in recognition of his research in employment for people with disabilities; principal investigator of Northern New Jersey Spinal Cord Injury System Center (NNJSCIS) receives Excellence Reward from the American Paraplegia Society and the Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals (ASCIP); Southeast ADA Regional Center hosts ADA Live! webcast series episode, Supported Decision-Making (SDM) and Conservatorship; Great Lakes ADA Regional Center hosts webinar, Federal Facilities & the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) Accessibility Standard - A Refresher; the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) at the Department of Labor releases official poster for the 2018 National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM).
NARIC's Spotlight blog features NIDILRR-funded research and other resources in disability statistics, demographics, and geography; registration is open for NIDILRR's 40th Anniversary Celebration in Washington, DC; Research in Focus looks at a community-based behavioral support program for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental health conditions; the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Integrated Health Care and Self-Directed Recovery offers a Solution Suite for Health and Recovery; co-principal investigator of the Texas Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Model System of TIRR to receive the William Fields Caveness Award from the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA); the Mid-Atlantic ADA Regional Center hosts webinar, Embracing Accessibility in the Whole Organization: New Approaches and Resources; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) releases Prevalence of Disabilities and Health Care Access by Disability Status and Type Among Adults -- United States, 2016 in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
NARIC's Spotlight Blog features research and resources on accessibility from the NIDILRR community and elsewhere in observance of the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA), signed into law 50 years ago this month; new guideline for managing disorders of consciousness, partly funded by NIDILRR, was published in journals Neurology and Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; Research in Focus discusses strains caused by balancing work and family and their effect on caregivers of children with behavioral health disabilities; the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Community Living and Participation of Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities (TU Collaborative) creates toolkit, Building an Online Presence: Using Online Media to Promote Community Inclusion; Dr. Miele from the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center: Develop and Evaluate Rehabilitation Technology and Methods for Individuals with Low Vision, Blindness, and Multiple Disabilities was interviewed on future use of Braille on The World in Words podcast from Public Radio International; the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (RERC on AAC) highlights State of the Science posters from RESNA conference on its RERConAAC Twitter feed; Rocky Mountain ADA Regional Center seeks Brand Ambassadors to represent the Center; the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Practices for Youth and Young Adults hosts State of the Science Track at the Fall 2018 Conference of the National Council on Rehabilitation Education (NCRE); the US Access Board marks 50th anniversary of the ABA with celebration at its conference space and via webstream.
NARIC offers answers to information requests in the Frequently Asked Questions section on its website, as well as the Answer Queue, If You Liked..., and Research in Brief sections on its Spotlight blog; Research in Focus looks at the link between successful employment and the ability to navigate transportation for people who are blind or visually impaired; the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Community Living for People with Intellectual Disabilities (RTC/CL) publishes Impact: Feature Issue on the Direct Support Workforce and People with Intellectual, Developmental, and Other Disabilities; according to the Stats RRTC July nTIDE Report, experts remain optimistic about future job gains despite slight declines in employment rates among people with disabilities in the US; research from TBI Model System Centers and other TBI-related projects is featured in the July/August issue of the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation (JHTR); the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC) conducts interviews with individuals with spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, and burn injury, along with caregivers and registered nurses, to better understand health information needs of individuals with these injuries; the Mid-Atlantic ADA Regional Center hosts webinar, Too Much Information: Use of Mental Health Questions in the Bar Licensing Application Process; the US Agency for International Development (USAID) launches ATscale: A Global Partnership for Assistive Technology (AT), along with partners from the US and the international community, with the aim of helping 500 million people get the AT they need by 2030.
In the latest Spotlight blog post, NARIC looks back at the origins of REHABDATA Connection, its literature awareness service, as part of the preparations for NIDILRR's 40th Anniversary; NIDILRR Director Jaeger announces the retirement of Ruth Brannon, Director of the Office of Research Services; Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC) publishes factsheet, Maintenance Guide for Users of Manual and Power Wheelchairs, also available in Spanish; Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Augmentative and Alternative Communicaion (RERC on AAC) announces finalists for its 2018 Student Research and Design Competition; Pacific ADA Regional Center hosts webinar, Getting It Right - An After-Action Report on Major Disasters of 2017-2018; Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Vocational Rehabilitation Practices for Youth and Young Adults hosts webinar, Pre-Employment Services in Inclusive Higher Education Settings: The What, Where, and How of Good Collaboration; the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the National Institutes of Health offers information, also available in Spanish, on Adapting Activities for People with Alzheimer's Disease, providing caregivers information and resources to make a range of activities enjoyable for a person with the disease.
NARIC is reviewing milestone publications on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) from the NIDILRR community in observance of the 28th anniversary of the signing of the ADA; Rocky Mountain ADA Regional Center debuts YouTube Channel featuring short videos about the ADA and accessibility; Mid-Atlantic ADA Regional Center joins Baltimore Orioles in celebration of ADA anniversary; New England ADA Regional Center hosts event, Laugh 'n' Learn - Celebrate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 28th Anniversary at the Institute for Human Centered Design in Boston; Southeast ADA Regional Center hosts Voting Rights and Accessible Polling Places, the latest episode in the ADA Live! webcast series; Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the Department of State posts video, The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Signing Ceremony, July 26, 1990, featuring clips of the ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House.
NARIC offers FAQ article on laws protecting voting rights of people with disabilities, as well as research and resources on access to voting from the NIDILRR community, in observance of National Disability Voter Registration Week; Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Community Living and Participation of Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities (TU Collaborative) publishes manual, Using Social Media to Enhance Community Participation; Traumatic Brain Injury Model System (TBIMS) Centers are highlighted in spring edition of THE Challenge! quarterly magazine of the Brain Injury Association of America; principal investigator for several NIDILRR-funded projects on spinal cord injury receives 2018 Goldschmidt Award from MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital; Great Lakes ADA Regional Center hosts webinar, Open Question & Answer (Q&A), with representatives from the US Access Board answering participants' questions related to accessibility standards and other Board rulemaking; July 2018 issue of Benefits.gov Compass newsletter, published by the Department of Labor (DOL), features A guide to benefits.gov for people with disabilities, as well as resources for disaster preparedness and the launch of the DOL's apprenticeship.gov website.
In observance of National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, sponsored by the Office of Minority Health (OMH), NARIC's Spotlight blog features work from the NIDILRR research community and elsewhere to address disparities in mental health diagnosis and care among US minority groups; NIDILRR Deputy Director presented at the Korea National Research Institute's International Symposium on Rehabilitation Research, highlighting NIDILRR-funded research in health promotion for people with disabilities; Research In Focus presents research indicating that people with disabilities may offer an untapped pool for volunteer organizations; the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Community Living for People with Intellectual Disabilities releases report detailing findings from the Family & Individual Needs for Disability Support (FINDS) study; StatsRRTC releases nTIDE June 2018 Jobs Report, noting a modest downturn in job force participation for people with disabilities, following two years of steady gains; researcher from the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center: Develop and Evaluate Rehabilitation Technology and Methods for Individuals with Low Vision, Blindness, and Multiple Disabilities is featured in Disabled People in STEM on the Disability Visibility Project podcast; Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employment of Individuals with Physical Disabilities to host webcast, Improvement and Use of Social Skills in the Labor Market for People with Physical Disabilities; Social Security Administration (SSA) to host webinar, Ticket to Work and Reasonable Accommodations.


Monday 1/2 price room days are the best here, lots of guys,lots of action. Best times Monday, Noon time after 5PM and late night (1 to 2 AM).
Going to be in town this weekend. what's the crowd like Friday mornings, after 10am through lunchtime?
I want to go sometime soon. Any older guys wanna go with me?
Hi there, thinking about going there. Are Saturdays good days to go? Can anyone give me more info about the dark rooms?
Hi there, looking to go there tomorrow around 11:30am. How is the crowd around that time.


text:
BC Students Recognized by the Department of Health and Human Sciences
Eight Bridgewater College students were presented awards from the department of health and human sciences during the annual awards ceremony.
Major of the Year awards were presented in the following fields of study: Kimberly N. Beachy the award in health and exercise science, Jacob T. Moskowitz in athletic training, Hayley M. Nye in nutritional science, Alyssa R. Pearson in health and physical education and Elizabeth L. Watson in family and consumer sciences.
Major of the Year awards are presented to students who exhibit strong academic skills and substantial career-related experiences, as well as for being positive role models.
Beachy, a senior, is the daughter of Alvin and Karen Beachy of Timberville, Va.; Moskowitz, a senior, is the son of Daniel and Karen Moskowitz of Orange, Va.; Nye, a senior, is the daughter of Thomas and Lisa Nye of Powhatan, Va.; Pearson, a senior, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Pearson of Chantilly, Va.; and Watson, a senior, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Watson of Midlothian, Va.
Audrey C. Ferguson, a senior athletic training major with a minor in Spanish, received the Excellence in Academics award, which is presented to the student who demonstrates academic excellence and engages in the learning process in the classroom and beyond. Ferguson is the daughter of Robert and Cindy Ferguson of Lynchburg, Va.
Cole B. Talton, a senior athletic training major, was presented the Excellence in Leadership and Service award for demonstrating excellence in leadership, character and service. Talton is the son of Rob Talton and Jaime Sloan, both of Winchester, Va.
Clara R. O'Connor, a junior family and consumer sciences major, received the Rugby H. St. John Endowed Scholarship in Family and Consumer Sciences. The award, valued at $2,820, is presented to a student seeking a degree in family and consumer sciences with preference given to those seeking certification in secondary education. The award is based on scholarship, leadership and character. O'Connor is the daughter of P.J. and Jodi O'Connor of Mount Airy, Md.
Following graduation on May 4, Ferguson will pursue a doctorate of physical therapy at the University of Lynchburg. Pearson will pursue a master's in kinesiology for individuals with disabilities at the University of Virginia. Talton will pursue a doctorate of chiropractic at Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa. Watson will pursue a master of education in school counseling from Liberty University.
Editor & Director of Media Relations
jluck@bridgewater.edu
Mary Kay Heatwole
Media Relations Assistant
mheatwol@bridgewater.edu
Abbie Parkhurst
Associate Vice President for Marketing & Communications/College Spokeswoman
aparkhur@bridgewater.edu

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Men's groups have become increasingly popular over the past decade as men from all walks of life have begun to recognize their need to connect with other men. Last year'sPromise Keepers gathering, and before it The Million Man March, demonstrate that many American men feel the need to address personal concerns about being a husband or a father, or feeling isolated or too angry, in a larger social context. In communities around the country men have also formed groups at churches, synagogues, and mosques; they have gone to men's weekend retreats with Robert Bly and others; they have joined men's therapy groups. This impulse to come together with other men reflects important changes in men's relationship to themselves and to other men.
The growing interest in men's groups of all kinds is a product of the significant social and economic changes our culture has undergone during the past generation. The women's movement has changed social expectations of men's and women's roles. Men are challenged by a generation of women seeking more egalitarian relationships at home and in the marketplace. Men are being asked, and are asking themselves, to be more flexible, more communicative, and more caretaking than ever before. Some of these roles carry with them contradictory demands, e.g., roles which may require aggressiveness in one situation and nurturance in another. At the same time, many more boys are growing up as children of divorce. Raised by single mothers, these boys may have little or no intimate contact with an adult man. In order to adapt to the increasingly complex contemporary demands men need help and support from one another to expand their images of themselves and learn and practice new skills. Men's groups can provide an important resource for men interested in self development.
Independent men's groups, like those formed around churches or which have come together on an ad hoc basis, offer their members a sense of belonging and an opportunity to share their life experiences and struggles with other men like themselves. The stresses of being a breadwinner, the demands and frustrations of intimacy, the trials and tribulations of being a father and a son, are commonly discussed issues. Many of these groups incorporate contemporary critiques of the male role. They support men's wishes to let go of the "strong, silent and self-reliant" stereotypes that many strive to live up to. By encouraging mutual self-disclosure these groups often provide men with a sense of connection and a feeling that they can reveal themselves and be accepted as a man, by other men. These groups are usually initiated by an individual man or small group of men seeking to create an ongoing group. Like the therapy groups described below, these groups are usually limited in size, meet regularly, but may or may not have a formal leader.
Men's psychotherapy groups offer an additional dimension to those above. These groups are organized and led by a trained group psychotherapist interested in men's issues. Groups are often organized around needs for social and emotional support, or around particular issues such as fathering, being gay or trauma. The therapist brings together a group of 6 to 8 men seeking to explore in depth their experiences of being men. The groups usually encounter familiar male concerns about trusting other men, revealing the self, and anxiety over competition and shaming. As the group develops, the therapist supports the members' exploration of their conflicts about dependingon one another (and other people), their need to grieve lost relationships with fathers, friends, and lovers, and their hopes and fears about measuringup to their own and other people's standards of what kind of man they are to be. More specialized groups bring together men who share a common experience, such as being traumatized. In these groups there is often an enhanced sense of mutual identification and a feeling of safety and familiarity. This may lead to a deeper examination of the common issues.


The power of social media offers organisations a great opportunity to talk directly to their target audience. Many come unstuck though, because they simply talk 'at' rather than 'to' their customers - using social channels to broadcast their sales and marketing messages, but failing to take the opportunity to really listen to and understand their customers.
How can you make social work in your favour?
Want to explore this topic in more depth?


On one of the dating app haunts that I sometimes ply, I came upon an elaborate profile in general terms, but something stood out that I decided not to ignore.
The young man had stated that he was a security consultant with a major bank. Now, having seen thousands of profiles, some angry, some demure, many empty and quite a few demonstrative of angst, insecurities, inadequacies and dare I say prejudices, I have been tempted to write a guide to useful dating profiles.
Then again, it is not like I have been entirely successful in my quest for companionship through dating apps or websites. However, what you do see on my profile in the main will be what you get. I rarely mince words and sometimes my old-fashioned self, requiring correctness, politeness, comportment and much else gets in the way of simple engagement.
Yet, I thought to engage this young fellow to illustrate a looming risk in telling strangers on dating sites such unnecessary detail as to whether you own your homes, have a car, have the greatest job on earth and other puffery that is of no particular relevance than a possible endangerment.
I started with 'Let me humour you …', to have a high profile job at your age must be commended, however, in putting it out there, you create a vulnerability profile around yourself that can be exploited by nefarious people or organisations. Whilst they might not come for you, they can go for close contacts around you besides the possibility of you being a Trojan horse into your banking organisation.
Just over an hour after I sent the message, I got the response, "Try and social engineer me, just try." The young fellow had missed the point. And so I responded.
Social engineering is passé and that is mostly for low hanging fruit. As a security consultant, you have access and knowledge that ordinary users will not have. You have a nickname you have used on this site that will probably be the same on others.
Your picture appears here and simple Internet tools can be used to match your picture possibly to an identity on Facebook or LinkedIn and after that, they only have to build a vulnerability profile that they can exploit without you knowing that you are being stalked online.
I was blocked. Blocked probably because he thought I was attacking him or he felt that he was too good to be taking advice on issues where he is supposed to be the expert.
A simple example of the silliness of putting such a risk intensive role online in forums like a dating site is for someone to go around saying they are secret agents. Others would either go for the agent or go for people around that agent to gain access acquaintances to whom some connection can compromise the resolve of the agent.
Then again, there is a know-it-all syndrome that I have observed amongst certain young people who have created an incapacity to learn or be advised, they are single-mindedly impervious to any instruction and rapidly chart a course to perdition.
An alternative response would have been to acknowledge that there was a point being made borne of other experiences and that could be used to improve oneself. It is a question of attitude.
Suffice it say that the said nickname appeared on other sites, but for the fact that one, I have nothing to prove and two, I am not malevolent. It would have been an interesting exercise to create the profile I told him of and send it to him, but honestly, it would have been a waste of time in any case.
When I relayed the tale to a friend, he suggested the fellow might have been in security as a security guard. Not once did I contemn him, but his reaction belies that great possibility, he has keys to doors and not keys to data.


This was attempted in February of 2015. Conditions were fair: initially low wind, but breezy after a while; fairly low swell initially, heading toward warm from a cold morning, but never quite getting there. Traversing on the south edge of Deep Glen Bay was superb. No, better than superb, with some of the finest quality rock in Tasmania, vertical and featured and above very deep and clear water (10m to 30m). Very little swimming is required for the initial sections, aside from several large caves (some of which have waterfalls). Once on the east facing section of coast, the cave systems continue. The rock quality continues to be at exceptional quality, though some of it is slabby.
Shivering had started at 30 minutes. After around 2 hours of traversing we had passed many large caves in overcast, cool and increasingly breezy conditions. Cold had set in, and the swell was causing problems, with several water exits requiring multiple efforts and uncontrolled tumbling off shelves. Weakened and cold, with more than half of the traverse remaining, and the next swim showing all the signs of being as bad as the previous ones, we decided to bail. The escape involved around 2 hours of bush bashing through Tasmania's best efforts at approximating jungle.


text:
Catalogue Events
Music & Games
The Tower, the Zoo and the Tortoise
Stuart, Julia
Random House, Inc.
Brimming with charm, sparkling prose and undeniably unique characters, this hilarious novel set in the Tower of London has the transportive qualities and delightful magic of the contemporary classics Chocolat and Amelie.
Balthazar Jones has lived in the Tower of London with his loving wife, Hebe, and his pet, the oldest living tortoise, for the past eight years. That's right, he is a Beefeater. It's no easy job navigating the trials and tribulations that come with living and working in the largest tourist attraction in London. The once white-hot flame of Hebe and Balthazar's love has been snuffed in the few years since their son Milo died, a death for which Balthazar blames himself.
When Balthazar is tasked with setting up an elaborate menagerie within the Tower walls to house the many exotic animals gifted to the Queen by foreign dignitaries, life at the Tower gets all the more interesting. Penguins escape, a bearded pig goes missing, giraffes are stolen, the komodo dragon sends innocent people running for their lives, and canaries suffer fainting fits. As he attempts to cope with this four-legged invasion and his marriage continues to crumble, Balthazar must confront the secret he has been harbouring about his son's death, if he wants to save his marriage and his sanity.
Balthazar Jones: Beefeater, overseer of the Tower's royal menagerie, father to Milo, and collector of rain
Hebe Jones: Balthazar's wife who works at London Underground's Lost Property Office
Mrs. Cook: Balthazar and Hebe's 180 + year-old tortoise - the oldest tortoise in the world
Arthur Catnip: London Underground ticket inspector of limited height
Rev. Septimus Drew: Tower chaplain who writes forbidden prose and pines for one of the residents
Ruby Dore: Barmaid at the Tower's Rack & Ruin pub who has a secret
Valerie Jennings: Hebe's eccentric colleague who falls for someone of limited height
The Ravenmaster: Philandering Beefeater who looks after the Tower's ravens
Sir Walter Raleigh: Former Tower prisoner and its most troublesome ghost
Chief Yeoman Warder: Suspicious head Beefeater
Oswin Fielding: Equerry to The Queen
Samuel Crapper: Lost Property Office's most frequent customer
Yeoman Gaoler: Deputy to the Chief Yeoman Warder who is terrorized by ghostly poetry at night
Publisher: Toronto : Bond Street Books, 2010
Branch Call Number: STU
Characteristics: 304 p
Read more reviews of The Tower, the Zoo and the Tortoise at iDreamBooks.com
janreadsandreads Nov 17, 2018
Quirkiness either charms or devolves. Unfortunately the premise that the Queen's personal zoo creatures would be simply transferred to a makeshift habitat, their nurturing be added to the job description of the full-time guards, any qualifying knowledge of needs and habits to be or not to be pursued individually takes "quirky" to an adolescent level. The humor, basically built around the bathroom genre of funny is suitably matched. Now, if the history of the Tower of London inclusive to the least and to all details is of interest, then this book will reward and delight. Animals, guards and humor are the foils to ensnare your attention.
I did not finish the book.
SPPL_Betsy Mar 14, 2018
Balthazar Jones and his wife, Hebe, are mourning the loss of their only son. They live in the Tower of London with their ancient pet tortoise, and a community of eccentric characters who, like Balthazar, work within the Tower walls. Balthazar is a Beefeater, a ceremonial guard. Not long into the book, Balthazar is informed that a zoo consisting of animals gifted to the Queen will be set up within the Tower walls and Balthazar is placed in charge. The situation is soon out of control after a bearded pig goes missing, giraffes are stolen, penguins escape, and a Komodo dragon terrifies visitors and dwellers of the Tower. In addition, Balthazar's marriage is crumbling after Hebe leaves out of frustration when she fails to understand her husband's style of mourning. Balthazar will need to come to terms with his son's death in order to save his marriage and salvage a bit of sanity.
The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise is a good choice for readers seeking a gentle read with a humorous touch. The book may also appeal to fans of historical fiction; although the story takes place in present day, historical tales about the Tower are mentioned throughout the book.
trudat Dec 28, 2016
I love quirky English stories and wanted to like this one. Unfortunately it lacks the subtle wit I have come to expect - the humor feels like it's trying too hard. I actually even looked up the author to see if it was an American trying to write a 'British-style' novel. Did not finish.
Grammy Feb 19, 2016
An unusual and tender story.
Chortlesnort Apr 29, 2015
Atmospheric and unique. A little bit 'rum' in places as the Brits would say. Clever and amusing, but at times moving.
laratis Nov 01, 2014
"The tassled flag flew high over the fulsom buttocks."
Please forgive my spelling, I am such a poor speller I am not even sure when I am misspelling a word.
But back to the book. I hope I got that quote correct, Miss Stuart! Your book is amazing and I am so happy I stumbeled upon your books!
This book is great!
Thankyou for writing it and sharing it with the rest of us!
tls505 Aug 22, 2012
Be off with you. It was a lovely book. Full of romance, with just enough pathos so it wasn't cloying. I'm thinking of carrying a copy around the Tower next time I go.
VRMurphy Feb 06, 2012
Not sure why I bothered finishing this one. The overall tone is quite sad, and the style of forced whimsicality is both jarringly precious and off-key.
RenGrrl Nov 10, 2011
Very cute.
Rhonwen Oct 30, 2011
I normally dislike books filled with characters that are quirky just for the sake of being quirky, but while other authors create a cast of oddballs just to hide the fact that there's nothing else of interest to their story, there's actually a fair bit going on here--interesting historical anecdotes (though I suspect many are made up), humour, poignancy, and some unusual animals.
bixby Jul 03, 2014
A delightful story featuring a Beefeater at the Tower of London who has a collection of rainwater and is tasked with caring for the Queen's menagerie, his wife who works at the London Underground Lost & Found and tries to reunite the lost with their owners, and a vicar who is determined to dispose of all the rats nibbling away at the chapel's tapestry kneelers and write romance novels on the side... penguins get lost, animals escape, secret romances flourish... fun!
DanniOcean Nov 29, 2010
Balthazar Jones is a Beefeater who fails to catch pickpockets but catches the different varieties of rain in delicate Egyptian perfume bottles. He shares a grief with his wife Hebe, who works for the Underground's vast lost and found department and spouts enigmatic Greek proverbs. Their tortoise, Mrs. Cook, is the world's oldest of her kind. The Reverend Septimus Drew is a rat-catcher supreme, and a writer of erotic fiction whose heart's desire is for a family of his own. A cast of other strange and wonderful characters all with secrets and talents, what could they possibly have in common? They all live within the Tower of London, that London landmark of history and blood, ill-named as it is actually a series of many towers within a fortress. Yes, people live there. They can't get a plumber or delivered pizza because everyone believes their address is a joke. The "loathsome" tourists are forever thinking their bathrooms are public loos. Sir Walter Raleigh's ghost keeps them awake most nights. And now, in typical "seems like a good idea at the time" government fashion, the Palace has decided to re-impose on the Tower's inhabitants the menagerie which was part of the Tower for two centuries - before the animals were moved to the London Zoo. Argentinean penguins, Etruscan shrews, an albatross in mourning, playful pigs, estranged lovebirds, exhibitionist marmosets named after a certain red-headed Royal, kidnapped giraffes and something called a 'zorilla'. And Balthazar Jones, a "Yeoman Warder of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London" has been put in charge of it. Very little dialogue makes the novel introspective, the characters connected but sadly not communicating, and when Balthazar's paralyzing grief causes him to lose Hebe, it is the solitary Reverend who reminds him that the kindness and affection he has for the Tower's animals should be shared with his human family. What sounds at first to be a quirky story is certainly filled with off-kilter humour, but Julia Stuart writes in an almost poetic style, full of warmth, pathos and empathy for the Tower's inhabitants and their collective histories. The Tower, The Zoo and The Tortoise is a beautifully written novel, for fans of British humour and history, and for anyone wanting to be reminded of the redeeming power of love.
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McCarthy, M. doubled to left field (2-2 BKSB).
Messina singled up the middle (1-2 KFB).
Riotte flied out to cf, SF, RBI (3-2 BSBFB); Messina scored.
Lopez tripled to left field (1-0 B).
Velasquez singled down the lf line, RBI (2-0 BB); Lopez scored.
Virden reached on a throwing error by 3b (0-2 FFF).
Velasquez singled to shortstop (2-1 BKB).
Burton singled to third base (1-0 B); Velasquez advanced to second.
Davila doubled to right field, RBI, ground-rule; Burton advanced to third; Velasquez scored.
McCarthy, M. hit by pitch (0-0).
Carbone pinch ran for Davila.
Davila to rf for Carbone.
Baughman singled to left field, RBI (1-0 B); McCarthy, M. advanced to second; Carbone advanced to third; Burton scored.
Heaton to p for Eberhard.
Davila to c for Carbone.
Carbone to rf for Davila.
Virden reached on a fielding error by 2b (1-2 SSB).
Velasquez singled to right field (1-1 KB); Lopez advanced to second.
Llamas singled to second base (0-0); Velasquez advanced to second; Lopez advanced to third.
Burton doubled down the lf line, 2 RBI (0-1 F); Llamas advanced to third; Velasquez scored, unearned; Lopez scored.
Irvin to p for Heaton.
Davila reached on a throwing error by ss (0-0).
Llamas scored on a wild pitch.
Davila advanced to second; Burton advanced to third.
McCarthy, M. doubled to center field, 2 RBI (3-2 FBBBK); Davila advanced to third; Burton scored, unearned.
Baughman homered to left field, 2 RBI, unearned (3-2 BSSBBF); McCarthy, M. scored, unearned.
Sauer singled to shortstop (1-1 KB).


text:
require 'rails_helper'

RSpec.describe RailsIds::User do
  ############
  # ids_user #
  ############
  it 'returns nil if no current user is found' do
    user = ActionController::Base.new.ids_user

    expect(user).to be(nil)
  end

  #######################
  # ids_user_identifier #
  #######################
end

RSpec.describe RailsIds::Analyzer do
  ###############
  # ids_analyze #
  ###############

  ###############
  # ids_respond #
  ###############
  it 'calls the global response_function' do
    RailsIds.response_function = lambda do |user: nil, attack:|
      'response'
    end

    response = ActionController::Base.new.ids_respond(attack: nil)

    expect(response).to eql('response')
  end

  ###################
  # ids_find_attack #
  ###################
  it 'finds an attack that can be matched to an given identifier' do
    identifier = 'test-1.0'
    RailsIds::Event.create!(identifier: identifier, event_type: 'AUTOMATICALLY_RECOGNIZED',
                            weight: 'attack', attack: RailsIds::Attack.create!)

    attack = ActionController::Base.new.ids_find_attack(identifier: identifier)

    expect(attack).to_not be(nil)
  end

  it 'can\'t find an attack if non is matching an given identifier' do
    RailsIds::Event.create!(identifier: 'test-1.0', event_type: 'AUTOMATICALLY_RECOGNIZED',
                            weight: 'attack', attack: RailsIds::Attack.create!)

    attack = ActionController::Base.new.ids_find_attack(identifier: 'test-1.1')

    expect(attack).to be(nil)
  end

  it 'can\'t find an attack if no identifier or user is given' do
    RailsIds::Event.create!(identifier: 'test-1.0', event_type: 'AUTOMATICALLY_RECOGNIZED',
                            weight: 'attack', attack: RailsIds::Attack.create!)

    expect{ ActionController::Base.new.ids_find_attack }.to raise_error('User or identifier required')
  end

  ###################
  # ids_find_events #
  ###################
  it 'finds events that can be matched to an given identifier' do
    identifier = 'test-1.0'
    other_identifier = 'test-1.1'
    e1 = RailsIds::Event.create!(identifier: identifier, event_type: 'AUTOMATICALLY_RECOGNIZED',
                                 weight: 'unsuspicious')
    e2 = RailsIds::Event.create!(identifier: identifier, event_type: 'CSRF_TOKEN',
                                 weight: 'suspicious')
    e3 = RailsIds::Event.create!(identifier: other_identifier, event_type: 'FILE_ACCESS',
                                 weight: 'suspicious')

    events = ActionController::Base.new.ids_find_events(identifier: identifier)

    expect(events.flatten.uniq).to contain_exactly(e1, e2)
  end

  #########################
  # ids_events_dangerous? #
  #########################
  it 'returns true if dangerous events in form of an attack is found' do
    attacks = [RailsIds::Event.create!(event_type: 'AUTOMATICALLY_RECOGNIZED', weight: 'attack')]
    suspicious_events = []
    unsuspicious_events = []

    dangerous = ActionController::Base.new.ids_events_dangerous?(attacks, suspicious_events, unsuspicious_events)

    expect(dangerous).to be(true)
  end

  it 'returns true if dangerous events in form of 3 suspicious events are found' do
    attacks = []
    suspicious_events = []
    3.times { suspicious_events << RailsIds::Event.create!(event_type: 'AUTOMATICALLY_RECOGNIZED', weight: 'suspicious') }
    unsuspicious_events = []

    dangerous = ActionController::Base.new.ids_events_dangerous?(attacks, suspicious_events, unsuspicious_events)

    expect(dangerous).to be(true)
  end

  it 'returns true if dangerous events in form of 10 unsuspicious events are found' do
    attacks = []
    suspicious_events = []
    unsuspicious_events = []
    10.times { unsuspicious_events << RailsIds::Event.create!(event_type: 'AUTOMATICALLY_RECOGNIZED', weight: 'unsuspicious') }

    dangerous = ActionController::Base.new.ids_events_dangerous?(attacks, suspicious_events, unsuspicious_events)

    expect(dangerous).to be(true)
  end

  it 'returns false if no events are found' do
    attacks = []
    suspicious_events = []
    unsuspicious_events = []

    dangerous = ActionController::Base.new.ids_events_dangerous?(attacks, suspicious_events, unsuspicious_events)

    expect(dangerous).to be(false)
  end

  it 'returns false if not enough events are found' do
    attacks = []
    suspicious_events = []
    2.times { suspicious_events << RailsIds::Event.create!(event_type: 'AUTOMATICALLY_RECOGNIZED', weight: 'suspicious') }
    unsuspicious_events = []
    9.times { unsuspicious_events << RailsIds::Event.create!(event_type: 'AUTOMATICALLY_RECOGNIZED', weight: 'unsuspicious') }

    dangerous = ActionController::Base.new.ids_events_dangerous?(attacks, suspicious_events, unsuspicious_events)

    expect(dangerous).to be(false)
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The Jacob Rohrbach Inn is an historic bed & breakfast in Sharpsburg, Maryland located in Washington County, just south of Hagerstown, MD and north of Harpers Ferry, WV. Our beautiful inn, peaceful setting, and well-appointed amenities make our B&B a perfect alternative to the usual hotel experience.
Whether you are interested in civil war history, the arts, shopping or outdoor pursuits, Sharpsburg is a perfect place to stay during your vacation. We are central to Harpers Ferry, Gettysburg, Winchester, Frederick, Washington D.C. and Baltimore, meaning that you're never far from area activities and attractions.
Turn left on WV Route 480 towards Shepherdstown WV and proceed straight 9 miles to Sharpsburg, Maryland and the Jacob Rohrbach Inn on the right.
Follow Rt. 34 to Sharpsburg. Jacob Rohrbach Inn is on the left in first block past the Town Square clock.
Cross the Potomac River Bridge and go 3 miles to Jacob Rohrbach Inn on the right.
Left turn onto U.S. Alternate Route 40 West toward Braddock Heights.
Go 10 miles to Boonsboro, at first traffic light turn left onto MD Route 34 toward Sharpsburg.
In Sharpsburg, Jacob Rohrbach Inn is on the left in first block past the Town Square clock.
At Hagerstown proceed on I-81 crossing I-70 to the second exit past I-70, this exit is MD Route 68 and there is an Antietam Battlefield sign.
Turn right at the stop sign onto W. Main St. (MD Route 34). Go two blocks to the Jacob Rohrbach Inn on the left.
Go two blocks to Jacob Rohrbach Inn on the left.


text:
"If it wasn't for OTDs, there would be no AMS" : overseas-trained doctors working in rural and remote Aboriginal health settings
Marisa Gilles, J. Wakerman, Angela Durey
Australian-trained doctors are often reluctant to work in rural and remote areas and oversea-strained doctors (OTDs) are recruited to practise in many rural Aboriginal medical services. This paper focuses on recent research carried out in Australia to analyse factors affecting OTDs' professional, cultural and social integration and examine their training and support needs. Ten case studies were conducted throughout Australia with OTDs, which also included interviews with spouses/partners, professional colleagues, co-workers, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members associated with the health service. Key themes emerging from the data across all informants included the need to better address recruitment, orientation and c ross-cultural issues; the importance of effective communication and building community and institutional relationships, both with the local health service and the broader medical establishment.
https://doi.org/10.1071/AH080655
10.1071/AH080655
Dive into the research topics of '"If it wasn't for OTDs, there would be no AMS" : overseas-trained doctors working in rural and remote Aboriginal health settings'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Indigenous Peoples Social Sciences 100%
Health Service Medicine and Dentistry 100%
Aboriginal Health Medicine and Dentistry 50%
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Medicine and Dentistry 50%
Torres Strait Earth and Planetary Sciences 50%
Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Earth and Planetary Sciences 50%
Medical Service Earth and Planetary Sciences 50%
Case Studies Social Sciences 33%
Gilles, M., Wakerman, J., & Durey, A. (2008). "If it wasn't for OTDs, there would be no AMS" : overseas-trained doctors working in rural and remote Aboriginal health settings. Australian Health Review, 32(4), 655-663. https://doi.org/10.1071/AH080655
Gilles, Marisa ; Wakerman, J. ; Durey, Angela. / "If it wasn't for OTDs, there would be no AMS" : overseas-trained doctors working in rural and remote Aboriginal health settings. In: Australian Health Review. 2008 ; Vol. 32, No. 4. pp. 655-663.
@article{84e20ecf669b42949a04b426a0664100,
title = "{"}If it wasn't for OTDs, there would be no AMS{"} : overseas-trained doctors working in rural and remote Aboriginal health settings",
abstract = "Australian-trained doctors are often reluctant to work in rural and remote areas and oversea-strained doctors (OTDs) are recruited to practise in many rural Aboriginal medical services. This paper focuses on recent research carried out in Australia to analyse factors affecting OTDs' professional, cultural and social integration and examine their training and support needs. Ten case studies were conducted throughout Australia with OTDs, which also included interviews with spouses/partners, professional colleagues, co-workers, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members associated with the health service. Key themes emerging from the data across all informants included the need to better address recruitment, orientation and c ross-cultural issues; the importance of effective communication and building community and institutional relationships, both with the local health service and the broader medical establishment.",
author = "Marisa Gilles and J. Wakerman and Angela Durey",
doi = "10.1071/AH080655",
journal = "Australian Health Review",
publisher = "CSIRO Publishing",
Gilles, M, Wakerman, J & Durey, A 2008, '"If it wasn't for OTDs, there would be no AMS" : overseas-trained doctors working in rural and remote Aboriginal health settings', Australian Health Review, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 655-663. https://doi.org/10.1071/AH080655
"If it wasn't for OTDs, there would be no AMS" : overseas-trained doctors working in rural and remote Aboriginal health settings. / Gilles, Marisa; Wakerman, J.; Durey, Angela.
In: Australian Health Review, Vol. 32, No. 4, 2008, p. 655-663.
T1 - "If it wasn't for OTDs, there would be no AMS" : overseas-trained doctors working in rural and remote Aboriginal health settings
AU - Gilles, Marisa
AU - Wakerman, J.
AU - Durey, Angela
N2 - Australian-trained doctors are often reluctant to work in rural and remote areas and oversea-strained doctors (OTDs) are recruited to practise in many rural Aboriginal medical services. This paper focuses on recent research carried out in Australia to analyse factors affecting OTDs' professional, cultural and social integration and examine their training and support needs. Ten case studies were conducted throughout Australia with OTDs, which also included interviews with spouses/partners, professional colleagues, co-workers, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members associated with the health service. Key themes emerging from the data across all informants included the need to better address recruitment, orientation and c ross-cultural issues; the importance of effective communication and building community and institutional relationships, both with the local health service and the broader medical establishment.
AB - Australian-trained doctors are often reluctant to work in rural and remote areas and oversea-strained doctors (OTDs) are recruited to practise in many rural Aboriginal medical services. This paper focuses on recent research carried out in Australia to analyse factors affecting OTDs' professional, cultural and social integration and examine their training and support needs. Ten case studies were conducted throughout Australia with OTDs, which also included interviews with spouses/partners, professional colleagues, co-workers, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members associated with the health service. Key themes emerging from the data across all informants included the need to better address recruitment, orientation and c ross-cultural issues; the importance of effective communication and building community and institutional relationships, both with the local health service and the broader medical establishment.
U2 - 10.1071/AH080655
DO - 10.1071/AH080655
JO - Australian Health Review
JF - Australian Health Review
Gilles M, Wakerman J, Durey A. "If it wasn't for OTDs, there would be no AMS" : overseas-trained doctors working in rural and remote Aboriginal health settings. Australian Health Review. 2008;32(4):655-663. https://doi.org/10.1071/AH080655


THE judgment which is above reported as having been affirmed, was so affirmed at the December Term, 1867. A mandate accordingly issued to the court below, reciting the judgment of this court, and directing that 'such execution and proceedings be had in said cause, as according to right and justice and the laws of the United States ought to be had, the said writ of error notwithstanding.' This mandate was presented to the Circuit Court for the Eastern District of Texas, and ordered to be recorded; and Porter, who was now the surviving plaintiff, with the executors of his deceased co-plaintiff Burnley, applied to the court for writs of possession. But as the records of the court below had been destroyed by fire during the late war, affidavit was made of that fact, and a carefully certified copy of the transcript in this court was presented, with a motion to have it received in lieu of the original. The plaintiffs also presented a sworn copy of the original petition, and asked to have it established as the petition in the cause. The defendant objected to the allowance of this motion, and assigned several grounds of objection of a technical character. But the Circuit Court ordered that the motion be sustained, and that a writ of possession issue. The defendants then gave notice that they would prosecute 'a writ of error there, from;' i. e. from the order, and the court fixed the amount of the bond at $7000, and 'allowed thirty days for the filing' of the same. This order is entered December 18, 1869.
No bond having been filed or copy of writ of error lodged in the clerk's office up to January 1, 1870, the plaintiffs directed the issue of a writ of possession, which was issued; whereupon the defendant, Cook, applied by petition to the district judge, in chambers, at Austin, July 23, 1870, for a writ of supersedeas; and upon his petition an order was made for such writ, enjoining the marshal from executing the writ of possession, a copy of which order was served on the attorneys of plaintiffs. The allegation in Cook's petition, upon which this supersedeas was granted, was that he had sued out a writ of error and executed a bond, which was approved 'in due and usual form in such cases,' so that the order of the district judge must be understood as affirming this position.
The writ of error, and a copy of the bond and citation, were filed or 'lodged' with the clerk of the Circuit Court on January 7, 1870, or twenty days after the judgment was rendered, but appeared to have been allowed and approved by the district judge on the 28th of December, 1869.
I. To dismiss the writ of error in said cause for the following causes, apparent in said record:1st. The said writ of error is not prosecuted from any final judgment in this cause.
2d. That it is brought to reverse an order enforcing a mandate of this court, and not to reverse any judgment, order, or proceeding of the Circuit Court, from which a writ of error can lawfully be prosecuted to this court.
II. In case said writ of error be not dismissed, then that the court set aside and discharge the supersedeas to the writ of possession issued from said Circuit Court, or direct said Circuit Court so to do.


text:
Pick of the week is Endeavour's Fetekro project in Côte d'Ivoire.
Endeavour Mining has undertaken significant exploration programmes across West Africa. Image credit: Endeavour Mining
By LM Louw
09 January 2021 – Endeavor Mining has great experience of operating in West Africa. The company's Fetekro gold project in Côte d'Ivoire is the pick of the week.
West Africa continues laying the golden eggs, so to speak. However, in this neck of the woods, it helps if a mining company has some operational experience and an understanding of the local conditions. Canadian company Endeavour Mining has buckets full of local knowledge and has established itself as a prime mining and exploration company in the Birimian greenstone belt of West Africa, despite numerous challenges.
Endeavour has a solid track record of project development and exploration across Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso. It operates the Agbaou and Ity gold mines in Côte d'Ivoire and the Houndé and Karma gold mines in Burkina Faso. In 2019, the company successfully completed its Carbon in Leach (CIL) project at Ity, which Endeavour hopes will increase production at all four its mines in West Africa to between 615koz and 695koz at an All-in sustaining cost of about USD760 to USD810/oz. In addition, Endeavour's five-year exploration program aims to discover 10-15Moz of gold by 2021 which represents more than twice the reserve depletion during the period.
Endeavour recently increased its stake in the Fetekro gold project in Côte d'Ivoire. The Canadian company announced this news ahead of a Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) which is due to be published in the first quarter of 2021.
Under the new agreement Endeavour will own 80% in Fetekro. State owned mining company SODEMI and the Government of Côte d'Ivoire will each have a 10% stake. Endeavour will retain full ownership of the Fetekro exploration license until such time as it is converted into a mining license.
According to Sébastien de Montessus, president and CEO of Endeavour, Fetekro has significant exploration potential, an already defined large-scale deposit with straightforward metallurgy and high gold recovery. "It also benefits from being located close to existing infrastructure and requires only minimal relocation," he says.
The Fetekro project is in north-central Côte d'Ivoire, within the northern end of the Oumé-Fetekro Greenstone Belt. Fetekro is about 500km from Abidjan and close to existing infrastructure, including sealed roads and grid power. The latest resource update shows an indicated resource of 2.5 million ounces at an average grade of 2.40 grammes per tonne of gold.
If gold is what you are looking for, West Africa is the place to be. Endeavour has settled in and is making great strides with its operations in the region. When it comes to exploration, Endeavour's geologist sure knows what they're doing. Fetekro is pick of the week, and it is worth making more than a few notes about.
Africa's energy sector might be reliant on fossil fuels for at least the next decade. Image credit: WhyAfrica
African energy will not be green soon.
Tony Harwood, president of Montero Mining and Exploration. Image credit: WSJ
Montero takes legal action in Tanzania
Checking the core at Syrah Resources' Balama graphite project in Mozambique. Credit: Philip Mostert for Syrah Resources.
African graphite projects to boost global production.
Are we entering the Age of Aluminium?
B2Gold's Rhino bars sold out.
Afreximbank recognises informal trade
Uganda's social media restrictions not unique in Africa
Community and Environmental Management (81)
Politics and Economy (86)
Sustainability and Conservation (64)
Tourism and Hospitality (23)
Water Management (27)


text:
Life insurance giants growing weaker
Top 11 remain healthy, but slumping stocks, cancellations taking toll
Hit by slumping share prices and mounting policy cancellations, the nation's top 11 life insurers are continuing to lose strength, earnings reports released Tuesday showed.
The combined value of policies in force at the nation's largest life insurers slipped 3.6 percent to 1.169 quadrillion yen from the end of last fiscal year, marking the fifth consecutive year-on-year decline.
The largest ones also saw their solvency margin ratios — a key gauge of an insurer's financial strength — fall in the nine months since Sept. 30, as weak share prices and ultralow interest rates eroded business conditions.
The solvency margin measures a company's ability to pay out policy obligations in the event of a disaster or unforeseen loss.
The margins at all the insurers are comfortably above 200 percent, the threshold at which the Financial Services Agency issues a warning to improve financial soundness.
However, the solvency margins dwindled, damaging the insurers' creditworthiness and making it difficult for them to stem the tide of policy cancellations.
Voluntary cancellations and mandatory cancellations due to negligence in premium payments combined reached about 111.2 trillion yen in fiscal 2001, up 6.8 percent compared with the previous year.
Amid the economic downturn, households are also opting for reduced coverage as a way to save on premium payments, and insurers are trying to brake the trend by mobilizing more salespeople specialized in preventing policy cancellations, officials of the insurance companies said.
Combined paper profits on securities holdings shrank close to 40 percent compared with the previous year.
Combined unrealized profits fell 3 trillion yen, and three firms — Asahi Mutual Life Insurance Co., Mitsui Mutual Life Insurance Co. and Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. — posted paper losses.
Industry leader Nippon Life Insurance Co. lost 1.3 trillion yen in paper gains, but still managed to keep 2.8 trillion yen in paper profits, maintaining a comfortable lead over its rivals.
But as life insurers find it increasingly difficult to find new business, which grew a mere 2 percent in the year to March 31, even the largest are doing their best to shore up their faltering capital.
The insurers' admitted that negative spreads — the gap between returns on insurers' investments and rates of return promised to policyholders — remain high, and are unlikely to narrow much in the current year.
Even the Bank of Japan is saying that ultralow interest rates are likely to linger.
Insurers have been trying to reinforce their capital bases by asking investors and banks with close ties to provide them with foundation funds, a type of subordinated debt.


text:
Jun. 5th, 2014
Fort Chipewyan: Time for Treaty Renewal
In so many ways, Fort Chipewyan's story mirrors that of Canada. Its rich history includes Indigenous peoples, explorers, fur traders, disease, corporations, governments, treaties, residential schools, and the church. In the late 1700s, Fort Chip – as the locals call it – was at the centre of a global economy that shaped an emerging nation state. Today, it is at the centre of the issues that will define Canada's future. Back then it was furs. Today it is oil. For the people of Fort Chip this is nothing new; it's the latest chapter in a long and complex history of relationships – nation-to-nation, people-environment, European-Indigenous, economy-ecology.
On the shore of Lake Athabasca, Fort Chip is in the traditional territory of the Cree and Denesuline (Chipewyan) Indigenous peoples. It is the oldest settlement in Alberta. Many of its almost 1300 residents are Mikisew Cree, Athabasca Chipewyan and Métis.
The area's Indigenous peoples' involvement with the fur trade began in the late 1600s, with the Dene acting as middlemen between the First Peoples and the Hudson's Bay Company. In 1778, fur trader Peter Pond built the first trading post in the Arctic Drainage System – and first white settlement in Alberta – on the south shore of the Athabasca River. Six years later, in 1784, small pox killed 90% of the Chipewyan people living in the area. Four years after that, in 1788, Pond's post was moved to its present location on the north shore, re-named Fort Chipewyan, and became headquarters for the Northwest Trading Company. Alexander Mackenzie and John Franklin both used the community as a launching pad for their Arctic voyages. The Hudson's Bay Company set up shop in 1815, marking the start of a six-year "war" with the Northwest Company for control of this precious natural resource.
The church made its appearance in 1849, when Oblate Father Henri Faroud chose Fort Chip for the Catholic mission. The Anglicans arrived in 1858, when Archdeacon J. Hunter visited. The Anglican church built in 1880 is still in use and is the oldest in Alberta. Opened in 1902, the Convent of Holy Angels Catholic Indian residential school was closed in 1974.
The Chipewyan and Cree were signatories to Treaty 8 in 1899, eleven years after the great famine and twenty years before the Spanish Flu swept through the community. Treaty 8 covers 84,000,000 hectares in northern Alberta, northeastern British Columbia and northwestern Saskatchewan, an area larger than France. While the Chipewyan and Cree peoples have lived up to their part of the treaty, abrogation of responsibility has largely been the settler's response. Now, treaty rights are at the centre of disputes with the resource extraction industry.
Not surprisingly, history means a lot to the residents of Fort Chip. For them the issues raised by the oil sands projects are not new, but they are complex. There are no clear, step-by-step solutions. As was the case during the fur trade, when beaver pelts brought prosperity to some but not all, the wealth created by the oil sands has created divisions and led to differences of opinions. One of the community members mentioned the idea of a "resource curse", referring to the many and varied conflicts and tensions that come from the extraction and sale of lucrative resources.
The tension between the economy and the ecology isn't new either. The fur trade devastated the population of fur bearing animals. The oil sands pose a serious threat to the environment. Fort Chipewyan is downstream from the oil sands projects and some of its citizens are deeply worried about the impact on health and wildlife. Threats to land, water and animals in turn threaten traditional ways of life and core identity.
At the end of the 17th century names like the Hudson's Bay Company, the North West Trading Company, Mackenzie, Pond, and Franklin dominated. Today, it's Syncrude and Suncor. The names have changed, but the issues are largely the same. Bitumen has replaced beavers, but the unequal distribution of wealth and opportunity remains, along with all the environmental threats and social challenges.
Despite extravagant promises, the fur trade did not elevate the position of Indigenous peoples over the long term. Without a return to the treaty relationship and a recommitment to treaty rights and responsibilities, there is little evidence this current resource "opportunity" will be any different. Shared land and resources is not a commitment to share in exploitation, but a commitment to share in the stewardship and protection of the land for its own integrity, and for present and future generations, renewing both the spirit and the letter of the treaties.
Filed in: Indigenous Rights
Tags: resource extraction, tar sands
Reflexión: Loque significa caminar en tierra robada; una reflexión sobre el ejercicio de mantas de KAIROS
Spirited Reflection: What it means to walk on stolen land
Acting on an Act to ensure that the laws of Canada are in harmony with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Bill C-262 in limbo


The United States fencing market was valued at roughly $7 million in 2016.
Fences have plenty of benefits and can even add value to a home, but not every fencing style is as advantageous as others. Wood fencing, for instance, is one of the best options for property owners to consider having installed on their lawns.
Affordable — A wooden fence can provide all the same privacy benefits as other materials but at a much more reasonable price. Metal is far less cost-effective than wood and wood fence installation and maintenance is quick, easy, and cheap.
Environmentally friendly — Homeowners across the country are attempting to go "green," but they struggle in certain aspects. Installing a wood fence is a great option for environmentally friendly families since wood is easily disposable and will not harm the environment.
Long-lasting — Despite the affordability of wood, it's actually quite durable, as well. As long as you're taking care of your fence, your wooden material should last as long as four decades. When compared to other fencing materials, wood can resist much more impact and wear and tear, as well.
Versatile — Though when most people think of wood, only one image comes into their minds, wood is actually very adaptable. There are all different types of wood that you can use for your fence. Additionally, wood fencing can be painted any color or stained in any shade you want. Wooden fences can even be adjusted for different heights, as well.
Visually appealing — Perhaps the main benefit of having a nice wooden fence around your property, is simply because it looks great. Having a nice, natural looking fence surrounding your home will help your entire property look better. You'll enjoy seeing your fence every morning when you leave the house and every evening when you get home.
If you want to learn more about the benefits of fencing for your home and work with professional fence installation services, give Durham Fence Company a call right away.


I've got a new amazing addition to my personal library: Richard Palmer's Tarot: Voice of the Inner Light (Custom Book Publishing, 2008). If this book had existed in the 90s, I would have advanced in my tarot practice so much faster. When I started out in tarot, there weren't limitless online references and glossaries on card meanings, which by the way I still do not find all that useful, as much of it is the blind leading the blind, with no indication of the source of the card meanings provided or no identification of the tradition used.
The first lines of the Introduction tells you exactly what you'll get: "There are many complex and profound books written on the subject of the Tarot. This isn't one of them. The aim of this work is to bring the practical knowledge of how to use the Tarot into the life of anyone who is willing to put forth the minimum effort necessary to understand this remarkable gift." Voice of the Inner Light is give or take a 240 page reference book, about 60,000 words if I had to guestimate. In essentially 10 pages upfront, the book teaches you how to begin using your tarot deck. There is no longwinded research on history, origins, philosophy, or theosophy. I understand that most advanced practitioners are looking for theory, but this book is not targeted at that kind of reader. This book is targeted at that starting practitioner who may have read 1 or 2 more comprehensive books on tarot and is now looking for a go-to reference manual to keep on the desk for readings.
Per my own analysis of Palmer's book, his card meaning interpretations are based heavily on Hermetic Qabalah. Palmer is also a renowned astrologer, and so Voice of the Inner Light is going to be indispensable to tarot practitioners who integrate Western astrology with tarot.
Each card is covered in 2-3 pages. A card description and key symbolism is provided, then the card's astrological association, and then the practical application of the card when upright and when reversed. Then a concluding remark is offered on Qabalistic correspondences. Such concise coverage of card meanings is the primary purpose of the book. Other than how to read a single card or perform a simple 3-card reading, Voice of the Inner Light is not for teaching spreads or how to intuitively read multi-card spreads. The book's purpose is for the foundational understanding of each and every card.
Thus, I consider it an intermediate reference manual. If you have read a few beginner books on tarot, this book is a useful supplemental next step. However, for advanced practitioners who want to begin building a repertoire of spreads and how to use the tarot in complex reading techniques, this won't be the right book for that. Voice of the Inner Light will be an integral supplement to such goals. As you learn complex reading techniques, you will need a book that provides in-depth interpretation of each card, in which case Voice is one of the best. Also, those with a particular leaning for the GD interpretive method, Voice will be highly appealing as opposed to the more what I call New-Agey-keyed reference manuals.
Yes, I am very excited by this post, by the read of it. This is exactly what I am looking for! I'm going to be buying this book the second i pay my other bills first! Thank you so much for sharing!
I go to see daily a few web sites and websites to read articles, but this web site presents quality based articles.


The single most impactful thing that you can do on moving into a new place is to hang your pictures. It can take people months, even years, to get around to this, but really it should be one of the first things on your list.
I am always happy to smother walls in pictures, treating them like a form of wallpaper. If you do not have a large art collection, there are ways to cheat it. I once bought a couple of books of cartoons by Jean-Jacques Sempé for a client, cut them up and framed them to cover the cloakroom walls from skirting to cornice. For another client, I hung his cartoons in the dining room to create visual interest against the neutral painted walls of her house in New York.
Hanging what seems to have become known as a 'salon wall' is such a random science that it is difficult to give hard and fast advice. But there are a few rules I tend to follow. First, always break a line: I like the edges to be castellated (for want of a better word) rather than a neat frame around a jigsaw puzzle. This is much more forgiving; I don't like lining things up anyway. People often want to line things up along the top of a door, for example. Secondly, watch out for tramlines; you don't want a map of Manhattan appearing on your walls, so just nudge a picture left or right to stop long avenues appearing. Finally, I often hang things in pairs - for example two matching pictures side by side or two pictures that are not connected, but that look good together one above the other.
While I love salon walls, they are not for every room. When I am hanging single pictures, I like to bring them quite low to the piece of furniture they are above. I hate seeing pictures drifting, lonely, across the wall. They are always better when they feel associated with the things around them - either a sofa, a chest of drawers or another picture. I have even hung a small illustration over the light switch in my daughter Margot's bedroom. For children, it is really nice to hang to the ground so that they can actually see the pictures. Margot's godmother gave her blocks of letters spelling her name, which hang between the radiator and the windowsill.
I almost always stack a couple of pictures on a wall and am happy with the large above or below the smaller one. One of the most important things is to choose the right picture for the scale of your wall; it is very satisfying when a picture sits well in a space. Rather than hanging something too small in pride of place over the mantelpiece, it is much better to put it somewhere that it will have some impact. There are lots of walls in a house that do not need filling with a vast Canaletto; these are the easiest places to start and hone your eye for picture hanging. These are also the spaces to use when you don't have many pictures, even if it means leaving the larger walls bare.
If you have a lot of pictures that need to be hung, I cannot recommend strongly enough that you get a picture hanger to come and do it for you. Husbands (and wives, for that matter) tend to either never get around to it or make so many errors that they leave the wall looking like a firing squad has been in. To save yourself from either of these fates, give Paul Carter at Phoenix Fine Art (020-8319 3527) a call. He will come and do a beautiful, secure and tidy job for you.
Lacy Gallery in Westbourne Grove, W11, deals in antique frames and has three floors of them to choose from, all collated by style and age. I have put modern prints in frames with antique glass, bought from here, with great success.
The Rowley Gallery in Kensington Church Street, W8, makes its frames on the premises and has an extremely knowledgeable team, who take great care to help you get the various elements right.
J White Framing in Latimer Road, W10, supplies excellent frames at good prices. Embarrassingly, my husband kept telling me to go there for years and I didn't until an art dealer friend of mine told me it was where he got all his framing done.


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Q: Django : Aggregate Sum works on view only after a refresh I have an Invoice model in Django that has multiple Line models.(line items that have a title, unit price , and qty)
I have a 'addline' view that allows to add item lines to the invoice.
The view also displays all current invoice lines and a calculated sum of the total price for all line items.
when  I submit a new line item, the view refreshes to the same page and the line item appears properly, but the total (totalservices or totalgoods) of line items is not updated .
It becomes updated when i refresh the page manually , or when i add another line -with the previous line total.
here is my relevant view
def addline(request, id):
    form = AddLineForm(request.POST or None )

    invoice = get_object_or_404(Invoice, id = id)
    linelist = Line.objects.filter(invoice = id).order_by('created_at')
    servicelines = linelist.filter(line_type  = "S")
    goodslines = linelist.filter(line_type = "G")
    totalservice = servicelines.aggregate(Sum('line_total'))['line_total__sum']
    print servicelines.aggregate(Sum('line_total'))
    totalgoods = goodslines.aggregate(Sum('line_total'))['line_total__sum']

    if form.is_valid():
        instance = form.save(commit=False) #do schtuff with data
        instance.invoice = invoice
        instance.line_total = instance.unit_price *instance.qty
        #print instance.line_total
        if form.cleaned_data.get('overwrite'):
            invoice.invoiced_service = totalservice or 0 #or zero to prevent fuss if list is empty
            invoice.invoiced_goods = totalgoods or 0
            invoice.save()
        form.save()
        form = AddLineForm()

    context = {'inv': invoice, 'form': form, 'lines':linelist, 'goods': goodslines, 'services': servicelines ,'totalservice' : totalservice, 'totalgoods':totalgoods }
    return render(request,'testpaper.html', context)

Thanks in advance, I'm not sure what could be the problem. Maybe that the Sum is lazy and not evaluated ?
*edited to reflect actual view

A: Found the problem : the 'if form.is_valid 'block that ends in form.save() needed to be before the block that calculates lines , otherwise lines are calculated before current item has been saved .

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Love the GIFs, but the quality is quite bad.
Yeah, I figured that after such a long wait it would be middas Sedom or something.
There was also this whatchmacallit on the counter, presumably for boiling up water. Anyone know what it's called?
That's a scary light switch. The pot looks like a percolator, it's for making coffee.
It's a moka pot or macchinetta, basically a stove top espresso maker.
Thanks. I thought that lighter had something to do with it, I guess it didn't in the end.
In either case, it doesn't look like something coming out of that thing will be very tasty (or clean ).
Looks like a bochurims dira.
My father still uses one of those percolators (albeit a significantly cleaner one) to make coffee.
Where do you insert the pods?
Lol, somehow I don't think that made it to Cuba yet.
Reading about your apt gave a really good laugh. I was there a few weeks ago and stayed in the vedado area. Very nice place for Cuban standards I would recommend if u go back. Kitchen, Living room (wooden couches), dining room and 2 or 3 separate bedrooms. Only the bedrooms have air conditioning. Very clean, they come in every day to clean and change the linen and towels every other day. And pretty cheap.


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Coping: With Adrenaline Junkies, Skydiving, Death-Stalking
I'm pretty much convinced that everyone has (like cats) nine lives. I can account for a handful of times when I have almost lost mine…and each time there's a lesson to be learned. The imminence of losing your life does two things for you: First, it teaches you how incredibly important having information is. The second thing it teaches that not everyone dies every time. And that leads to point three: When your number's up, your number's up.
We're going to talk about skydiving in a minute, but first a few notes on nearly dying that are quite personal. Worth sharing because they taught me things…
When have I almost died?
Once, back in 1986, or in there, I was on my way to the office. I was driving my 2.7 liter Porsche 911, wearing the power suit, and looking like "that guy." The engine made an odd noise and I popped open the rear deck to take a look by the side of the road, engine running. My yellow "power tie" took one turn around the alternator belt as I bent over and flipped back out, again.
Whew! Close one!
That's what I mean by a close brush with death. Wrapping a tie up in an alternator would have pulled my head into a running engine.
Oh, sure, I was competent in all kinds of things mechanical and aced every shop/power tools course I'd ever taken. And yet, that's how accidental death works. It sneaks out when no one is expecting it and WHAM!
Another time, much younger, I was working on a transmitter. A Johnson Pacemaker, (here's a whole page on how cool they are) one of the finest early single sideband transmitters ever.
Aged 17, or so, I'd replaced a few components and the final tube (a 6146B if that matters) and I was readjusting the plate neutralization cap. Momentarily, I lost focus, distracted (looking at the manual while making an adjustment inside a high voltage cage that's open ain't terribly smart.
800 volts! I had been wresting the bottom of my palm on the grounded metal chassis and one finger brushed a high voltage point. The reason I'm still alive is simple: When I was 13, I'd picked myself up off the floor from a more modest 200 volt shock and already had learned the "keep one hand in your pocket" rule of dealing with electronics. High voltage through the hand was another one of those near-miss deals.
And on my first flight solo in an airplane, I inadvertently entered a spin after doing a series of [planned/required] stalls. I recovered from that because I'd memorized the part in the "learning to fly" book about stall recovery.
So far, I haven't hit nine lives, but toss in a commercial flight to Panama where I was in an L-1011 that dropped 1,500 feet in severe clear air turbulence and a close call of short final in Miami when a new mechanic pulled a DC-10 in for maintenance right onto the active runway as we were 500 feet up in a 727-227 down and dirty for landing. Again, close, but no cigar. The Captain (Kel) had a nearly photographic memory and rolled left, keeping an eye on the 727's left wingtip, holding it 10-feet off the ground in order not to cartwheel a fully loaded 727 into the ground. It was a full flight, as I recall, and I was riding jump seat.
All's well that ends well, in each of these cases, but it reminds me of the critical things to pass onto my kids, lest they do similar things and exit this life prematurely. My list?
Never, ever, no matter what, get near a running engine with anything other than bare arms and tight-fitting clothing.
In ham radio, never make an adjustment without a) wearing nitrile gloves on the "hot" hand and b) memorize the schematic, settings, and only look at a diagram with hands away from hot transmitters and receivers.
Never unintentionally let a stall develop into a spin when driving airplanes.
Never – even for an instant – take off your seat belt when flying (even commercial).
Always – if you have a choice – fly with the smartest pilot you can.
Those are just a few personal encounters with death that didn't work out for the Grim Reaper. But now that I'm up there a bit (65 shows up next month) I'm hardly in a taunting mood. I know he's out there somewhere, waiting for me to put on one more pound and trigger an M.I., waiting for me to choke on a big piece of steak, waiting for me to slip and fall wrong off a ladder, or have a table saw blade break up while I'm using it.
Death is always around and you've just got to keep an eye out for it.
But this morning's ramble isn't about me …it's about why we pursue the kinds of activities that give us the adrenaline rush.
I don't know as I mentioned it, but my son came down to visit on Saturday. After a nice steak dinner, the usual father-son chat, we went off to the local Denny's Sunday morning, him driving my old pickup truck, and I haven't seen him since.
Since Sunday, he's been down at Skydive Spaceland where' he's been fine tuning his free-fall skills. When he left the house he had 61 jumps, or so, but when he returns this morning he'll have about 75 under the canopy.
Why skydiving? Frankly, he's an adrenaline junkie of the highest order.
Yes, he got into a bit of trouble when he was young, but turns out that his brief encounter with crime was not because of a need for money, or a drug addiction. No, for him it was an addiction to adrenaline. That's been sorted out for 10 years and then some.
Over the years he's found more socially acceptable (and legal) ways to "get some" of the buzz that goes with high adventure and it has worked for him professionally. That's why he's been a first responder, EMT, and works in epidemiology sorting out who's got AIDS and so forth.
About a year ago he took up the sport, getting his "A" license up at Harvey Field (Snohomish) north of Seattle. It's a wonderful place to jump, but George II wanted to visit with "the old man" a bit and he didn't want to wait for the wintertime Seattle gray to clear every time he wanted to go up.
The weather is a lot better for skydiving this time of the year, and he made a decision to come down here and use four days of vacation time to get max fun out of life, which seems to be the point of it, right?
You can click over onto the Skydiving Spaceland site and go through the pictures, but the nice thing about it from G II's standpoint is that if you are a jumper, they have a bunkhouse (great showers and facilities including laundry) for itinerant skydivers, which G II fancies himself.
I know from our talk before he headed south that he's thinking about becoming a "skydiving tourist."
Tuesday, the winds in the drop zone were running 25 and gusting 30, so he only got one jump in, but as he pointed out, by jumping a 170 chute instead of a 180 or 190 and keeping speed up on final approach while in the pattern, you can come down, flare out, and so a "tip-toe" landing with no forward speed.
For reasons that aren't clear to me, skydivers are some of the most adrenaline-hooked-up people on earth. To hear G II tell it, nothing on terra firma is anywhere near as exciting.
And for those who find event free-fall not enough, there's the matter of base-jumping. This is where you find a tall structure and pack a special chute and go off at super-low altitude. I friend of mine from back in my news days, John S. was one part of the original group that base-jumped the Space Needle in Seattle.
Oh, and that's why the Space Needle Observation Deck was eventually encased with clear plastic so people like John and Art couldn't plan round 2. (Not sure what the statute of limitation is on base jumping, but it was more than 30-years ago now…)
Rumor has it that G II almost went base jumping while on this trip. Apparently there's a high antenna somewhere down on the Gulf Coast where base-jumpers go.
So far, and fortunately for a worried parent, G II hasn't gone that route. He enjoys the free-fall part of it the most…but for how long?
When he gets back, we'll have the father-son discussion about gear: Does he keep renting, or, at some point, does he buy?
The "numbers" work out this way: Rental rigs run about $25 per jump. George is looking at buying his own hear now, and has been saving money like crazy for it. Still, he's looking at a $5,000 investment in equipment. And, worse, if you do get all that gear and want to go schlepping around the country, you've just got that much more crap to pack and carry.
Oh, and the gear as a useful life about 10-years, he figures.
This is where I put on the "accounting hat." In order for gear rental to make sense, he'll have to do 200 jumps over the next ten years. That's only 20-jumps a year. OK, I can see how that might make sense – at least for now.
But one of these days, one of those young ladies he's been dating is going to get her hooks in and there goes the party animal lifestyle of a vagabond skydiver.
Meantime, get's got the full court press on to get dad and Elaine to take up the sport. I continue to decline, however. I've counted up the number of times that I'm had near-misses with the Grim Reaper and if we're playing a "short game" of 9-holes in Life, I'm not going to taken a chance of a bogey.
He's had to pull his reserve twice in his skydiving adventures so far…in both case "normal accidents" with safe recoveries.
I've carded a few more bogies and realize that I'm playing an opponent who never loses. I'll keep landing with the airplane we take off in, thank you very much.
But for him, it's a fine ADHD treatment and much better than what comes out of a bottle of pills.
Explaining Conan O'Brien
Reader Ray H, one of our favorite critics of the ol' column, sent in this:
Wurst, brats, dogs, get'cher links here. They're fresh, they're smokin', and a few are even spicy! Links, get'cher links…
Media Reacts: A Christmas Present Or Two Or Ten Edition
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM8L7bdwVaA
A Conan O'Brian clip featuring excerpts from a number of local news broadcasts. The broadcast affiliates are ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, and a smattering of non-network stations.
Tell me, upon viewing the clip: Are there any "broadcast journalists" left?
Oh, dear, Ray…you missed something. Lemme fill you in…
What most people don't realize is that there are "story idea" companies that send out suggested scripts and story ideas for "soft news" that begins to fill up the local airwaves around holiday. Usually a subscription service…a couple of hundred a month is budget dust compared to Chopper X time, right?
So when I see this kind of compilation, I recognize it for what it is….a whole of of assignment editors and/or news directors saw the "suggested script" that came with the story idea from one of these news consultancies, and they look at what the "ratings consultants" have been telling station management "(Usually:"More health heart, and pocketbook!") and all decided to run with the same story,. same script line, local variances and local B-roll.
They show up on slow news days, mostly. We used to make jokes in radio on such slow days like "Can't Channel 4 go out and roll over a car on Interstate 5, or something?"
So nothing mysterious about it.
Just like there's nothing surprising when administration "sources" tell the same thing to key reporters (like the WaPo or NYT) because as anyone knows in the major media, when you go to a presidential news conference, the most important story is often not what's being said by the "talking head" – it's often what's being said to the Biggest Media by the "staff briefers."
Those remarks often begin with "What the President means to say here is…." or "What the President is trying to get across is how…" And yes, I had White House press credentials at one time and I've seen "the dance" first-hand often enough to enjoy the choreography.
No Worries About Summer War
Earlier this week, we were talking about how one solution to cryptic Nostradamus painting might be the advent of global war this summer.
Well, hold up there, old pard, says reader Michelle:
Sorry George,
The Sun will be in Cancer Jun 21/22 to July 22/23. The dates here depends on the time zone. The Sun will be in Leo on Jul. 27/14, Jupiter is in Cancer till July 16/17…
Now, she's not a professional astrologer, and I don't have time to go through all the machinations, but additional input is welcome.
…..Or, Are There War Worries?
A reader note, questioning our resident war-gamer "warhammer's" view of Middle East developments deserves mention about here because of events this morning wherein Iran is making the point (previous section) that they haven't agreed to dismantle a damn thing…
Tuesday one of your readers commented that I was unfairly sniping at the Iranian Islamic Republic, which as was quite accurately stated by said reader, has never invaded another country in its brief 30-odd year history.
I'd like to point out that Iran did have a rather nasty soirée with Saddam Hussein in the 80s, but that was more of a tit for tat affair with both sides to blame and with a moderate loss of blood and treasure on both sides.
What Iran does do quite well these days is sponsor a violent and long standing proxy war with Israel via Hamas, which is openly supplied, trained and advised by the Iranians. Hamas is currently lobbing Iranian supplied missiles into Israel on an almost daily basis.
{Link to source here}
Hamas claims to be fighting for the Palestinian cause. The Palestinians supply no arms but covertly furnish limited troops to Hamas. No Iran, no Hamas.
Iran supplies the murderous Syrian Assad regime and likely assisted with their still yet to be destroyed red line crossing chemical arsenal. As you aptly note, Russia has a huge investment in Iran, and also Syria, so Russian sponsorship emboldens Iranian rhetoric and action in a literal game of Middle East Stratego against American and Israeli influences.
Due to the religious infighting between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite Iran, the Saudi's are taking umbrage with Iran's growing region influence as the U.S. pulls back to our pre-WWII 'island fortress' roots, making the Saudis strange bedfellows with traditional enemy Israel.
Once Iran builds nukes weapons, they will hold tremendous coercive regional power and achieve membership in a rather limited but growing nuclear club which includes the U.S, Russia, UK, France, China, Pakistan, India, N. Korea, Israel (undeclared) and perhaps S. Africa (which worked with Israel on their nuke program in the 60s and 70s). Also, one or more S. American counties may have purchased or developed nuclear weapons in the past two decades and the Saudis may be seeking to procure nukes from Pakistan as a hedge against a nuclear Iran.
The danger is, unlike with the USSR/Russia and the U.S. in the Cold War, there is no diplomatic vehicle (SALT, START, ABM Treaty) to allow for verification and then de-escalation protocols should tensions rise. Nukes in the hands of apocalyptic religious and/or totalitarian extremists is not a good thing at all. A regional spat can quickly spiral out of control and end up with sprouting mushroom clouds.
Finally, I am a socio-poltical/military analyst, not a war mongering troll. I left the military, turning down promotion to colonel, to move my family into a better place, one that would also allow me the luxury of getting a good night's sleep from time to time. But I'm trained to see certain patterns. A war gamer extrapolates those patterns into viable alternate futures, any of which may or may not occur. It's all about statistical probabilities. While I'm not in the same league as Bruce Bueno de Mesquit, I ran with the big bulls back in the days before I put myself out to pasture and 'went academic.'
I admire your protesting reader's underlying morality. It shines through like a bright candle in a dark room. The world needs more of that.
While I constantly see threats and potential dangers, I never relinquish my personal hope that sanity and peace will ultimately prevail. Honestly though, looking at the current slate of actors on the global nightly news and the woeful state of macro-economics, I'm considerably more pessimistic than optimistic these days.
You may not like what warhammer has to say, or approve of my sketch-ups of the Middle East developments, I'd point out that we're very much in synch, wh & me, on the forward projections. It ain't here yet, but it ain't pretty, either.
The most important thing you can take away from UrbanSurvival this morning comes down to simply this: Hard times economics are just around the corner and as that arrives, governments worldwide are under tremendously increased pressures to keep their populations paying taxes and under control/ To accomplish this, they historically have granted themselves liberty to wage wars in order to hold tight the reins of power.
The odds of which I'd place at 90% or greater during the coming five years when the economic collapse runs begins to bleed through it's paper bandages – and if you're not mentally and physically prepared (prepping, getting out of harms way now) you may have enough remaining liberty or wherewithal to structure life as you'd like it to have worked out later.
Only a fool spits into the wind. The era of levered gains and "Going for the Big Win!" has been replaced by a more up to date strategy: Play not to lose.
As the fine print of many raffle tickets reads: You must be present to win.
Write when you break even…
George george@ure.net
Coriolois Economics: Last Gasps of the Crack-Up Boom
Davos: Danger, and Devolution
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Another Week of "Fake Drama" Unfolding
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