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Category Archives: Book Review
01 Mon Oct 2018
Posted by Jaideep A. Prabhu in Book Review
≈ Comments Off on India and the Bomb
China, India, nuclear, Pakistan, United States
Pant, Harsh, Yogesh Joshi. Indian Nuclear Policy. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2018. 193 pp.
They are indeed murky waters in which the contours of Indian nuclear (weapons) policy lie, yet the field of research is fast becoming a tiny cottage industry of its own as more and more scholars are turning their attention to India's quest to militarise the atom. In a unique trajectory of development, India is perhaps the only country to develop nuclear weapons from what was initially an energy programme and also the only country to have a long and public debate over the matter; even more astonishingly, the military had little to no say in India's nuclear decision-making.
Harsh Pant and Yogesh Joshi have addressed this complex thread in the history of modern India in the pithily titled Indian Nuclear Policy, an impressively succinct introduction to the subject. The authors lay out the basic framework of the argument with the help of four causal variables – status, security, domestic politics, and the role of individuals – and proceed to expand on each into the book. This is a clever organisation that allows neophytes to quickly grasp the salient features of the narrative.
The four causal variables mentioned are not unique to India – they influence the actions of all powers, the varying degrees and different manners of which are the hotly contested among scholars. Debates also focus on how some of these terms are to be interpreted – status, for example, may imply to realists something intangible and therefore an indication that the nuclear programme is not serious. These scholars do not deny that the conquest of the technical difficulties in assembling a nuclear device is difficult and therefore accrues status but this is seen as a byproduct rather than a motivator.
Indian Nuclear Policy emphasises a layer of nuance that is often overlooked or forgotten in discussions of security – although the motivation for the peaceful nuclear explosion at Pokhran in 1974 was most certainly China, the journey down the path to nuclearisation was in response to the threat from Pakistan. This periodisation provides a worthy explanation as to why the Indian nuclear establishment remained inert for 24 years after its first test rather than weaponise and perfect its nuclear arsenal, although economic factors certainly do contribute to the picture.
Domestic politics is a critical input in any policy formulation, particularly in democracies with a relatively free press. Indian Nuclear Policy highlights the pertinent trends in the Indian public sphere that influenced the thinking about nuclear policy such as India's principled stance against nuclear weapons, its idealist vision of international relations, and its vaunted non-alignment. In addition, bureaucratic differences of opinion between various ministries such as Defence and Finance, for example, added to the hubbub on domestic bickering.
It is presently not popular to credit individuals with much influence over the affairs of states but Pant and Joshi buck this trend, it is heartening to see. Despite the fairly public nature of Indian nuclear decision-making, actual power resided in the hands of very few individuals and everything, from information to construction, was tightly controlled. It is not implausible then, that the prime minister and the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission commanded greater influence in the country's atomic quest.
For a short introduction, as Oxford University Press advertises the book, Pant and Joshi have produced an excellent manuscript that narrates the history of India's nuclear efforts from independence until the five nuclear tests of 1998. The brevity of the final product should not deceive the reader into thinking that the argument has not been sufficiently researched – indeed, as the bibliography reveals, prodigious use of primary source material at the National Archives of India and the document collection at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library have been made. The secondary material also spans the major works in the field.
In thinking beyond the scope of this particular text, a provocative thought experiment would be to challenge the hagiographic coverage India's leaders have usually received at the hands of academics. There is some merit to the argument that the moralist and "preachy" complexion of Indian foreign policy did little more than annoy the Great Powers with little for Delhi to show for it in return. In a costly error, India timed itself out of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty; nor could Delhi secure the desired security guarantees from the United States and the Soviet Union against nuclear blackmail. India's efforts at the United Nations were also for naught. India's weak economy and military simply did not give its idealism the political heft required to influence world affairs. In retrospect, a pertinent observation from Henry Kissinger comes to mind: moderation is a virtue only in those who are thought to have an alternative.
While one might not be able to guess from Indian Nuclear Policy, there is still plenty that is not known about decision-making in Delhi. The Indian government seems to have an aversion to transparency, easy access, documentation, and declassification; it has been suggested by some retired bureaucrats that paranoia in the top echelons of the political class meant that notes were sometimes not kept on crucial meetings relating to Indian nuclear security. Pant and Joshi do a fabulous job of weaving together a coherent narrative from the material available but some of the several debates that remain unresolved could perhaps be quelled with further release of information.
Given Oxford's stated objective, Indian Nuclear Policy is an essential quick guide to the history of Indian nuclear weapons policy for rookies. By cutting through the details of India's energy programme and maintaining focus on the weapons themselves rather than strategy, Pant and Joshi do yeoman service to the public who are mildly curious about how, when, and why India acquired nuclear weapons.
01 Sat Sep 2018
Aristotle, Catholicism, Christianity, clan, family, halakha, imperialism, Islam, Judaism, liberalism, loyalty, Marxism, milkhemet hareshut, milkhemet mitzva, nationalism, Protestantism, The Virtue of Nationalism, tribe, Yoram Hazony
Hazony, Yoram. The Virtue of Nationalism. New York: Basic Books, 2018. 304 pp.
Ever since the cultural turn in academia in the early 1970s, it has become de rigueur to disparage nationalism as a volatile and dangerous sentiment susceptible to extreme violence and prejudice. Nationalism was cast as an imagined community with the implication that it was a simulacrum whose substance came wholly from fabricated myths, rituals, and symbols. In this echo chamber, Yoram Hazony's The Virtue of Nationalism comes as a rare and welcome breath of fresh air that revives the idea and places it in context with other alternatives that have been offered over the ages.
Hazony looks to the Bible, specifically Devarim, to find his definition of nationalism. The scriptures actively promote the feeling of brotherhood among all members of the Jewish nation and Mosaic law would serve as their constitution; the king of the Jewish state, its priests, and prophets would all be drawn from among the brotherhood and each would have a role in preserving the traditions, customs, and laws of the community. Geographically, the boundaries of Israel are set by Moses as he expressly forbids the expansion of the nation-state into the neighbouring lands of Esau, Moav, Lot, and Ammon.
The ambitions of nationalism are clearly limited and not inherently expansionist or committed to world domination as critics are prone to hyperventilate. Hazony does not deny that there has been great violence in the past in the name of nationalism but that is also true of any other theory of mass organisation, ethics, and governance. This is an interesting proposition put forth by the author, that nationalism is not merely a feeling of cultural connectedness between people who do not know each other but properly seen, it also includes a system of ethics.
According to Hazony, the roots of nationalism are to be found in the structure of the family – individuals are biologically related in a family and share a sense of rights and duties, blood and belonging, vis-a-vis one another; the prosperity of one member is the success of them all. As families band together into clans, clans into tribes, and tribes into nations to provide better security and accomplish greater tasks, the loyalty commanded by the heads is transferred upwards towards common characteristics the members share, such as language, faith, or ethnicity.
Using the family as a model of organisation for the state is certainly not peculiar to the Bible – similar notions are found as far apart as China and Greece. Confucius clings to the metaphor a little too closely with the result that the ideal Chinese state tends towards authoritarianism; Aristotle sees the polis – state – as the full flowering of the family life but does not carry the analogy too far as he recognises that there is a difference in the nature of power within states and families, not just quantitatively but qualitatively as well.
The Virtue of Nationalism juxtaposes a localised nationalism with universalist ideologies such as imperialism, Christianity, Marxism, and Liberalism. Nations are inherently anti-imperial and therefore more stable, the argument runs, because its members are connected to each other through bonds not mediated by institutions of state. Nations are particular to geography, language, faith, ethnicity, or some other criterion that defines the community whereas the universalist aspirations of Christianity, Islam, Marxism, and Liberalism fall to the temptation of conquest and subjugation of the entire world to the one "true" doctrine of choice.
Hazony's depiction of nationalism as limited may be true in the Jewish tradition but it has had a very different history in Europe and Asia, at least. Halakha distinguishes between milkhemet mitzva – war of obligation – and milkhemet hareshut – optional war. In the first category fall, for example, the wars of Joshua against the seven nations while David's campaigns of expansion come under the latter classification. In fact, G-d prohibits David from building the Temple because he was "a man of battles and [had] shed blood."
It is also problematic to portray imperialism as a universalist principle. Although imperialists have no bounds to their geographic ambitions, it is usually also true that the imperial quest is usually carried out in the name of a nation; the various nations that fall to a growing empire are neither treated nor seen as equals. We see this again and again from the Roman Empire to the pink-tainted map of British expansion. Rome expanded its citizen base only in the latter years to stave off a fiscal crisis brought on by decades of decadent emperors but ties by birth or marriage to the Italian peninsula and preferably Rome were favourable traits to possess well into the second century. Similarly, London scoffed at Mohandas Gandhi's idea that Britain welcome all inhabitants of its dominions as equal citizens of their empire. Hazony accepts this at one point, but not before an unnecessary discourse on the universalist instincts of imperialism.
The difficulty of sustaining nations on abstractions such as liberalism stems from the inability to justify loyalty to the principle. The likelihood of changing our minds as we experience life and are exposed to more information means that any belonging to an ideal remains unstable at best. Hazony takes help from psychology to make the case that humans are social animals who have a need to belong to networks and believe in something greater than than the mere material of life. Here, he brings up a word not often seen in nationalism studies these days – loyalty – which is the crux of the debate. It is not easy, if at all possible, to have loyalty to an idea in the same manner one feels ties to a sibling or parent.
Hazony reworks several historical events to lend support to his hypothesis, in many cases problematically. For example, rather than see the Thirty Years' War from the traditional perspective of a conflagration between Protestants and Catholics, Hazony casts it as being primarily motivated by universalist impulses against local inclinations. While most historians would agree that the religious element ceased to animate the conflict as the years passed, the war remained an old-fashioned struggle for geopolitical dominance between France and the Habsburgs.
Perhaps the most jarring incongruity in The Virtue of Nationalism is how the second Christian schism is repackaged as a contest between universalism and particularism. At a certain level, it is undeniable that Catholic allegiance to their Pope made way for dual loyalties. However, it is hardly the case that Protestantism was a particularist creed any more than Christianity a sub-sect of Judaism. While the theological reorganisation gave monarchs their independence from Rome, the faith itself still believed it possessed a universal message. The recent Evangelical movement has strongly underscored this conviction.
The largest empire in the modern era was put together by Britain and it was Prussian militarism that sank Europe into the first of its cataclysmic convulsions of the 20th century. The United States began its expansionist project with Manifest Destiny and then eyed territories beyond; none of these countries were Catholic. What is disappointing is that these ill-considered examples are unnecessary and distract from Hazony's already persuasive defence of nationalism.
These weak digressions may conceal the real import of The Virtue of Nationalism, which is an assault on the cult of the solitary individual. Hazony traces the roots of this ideology to at least one of its origins, John Locke. Hazony finds the English philosopher's initial assumption that all people are rational and his utilitarian methodology in assessing rationality flawed. Contrary to Locke, Hazony argues that the fundamental unit of existence is not the individual or even the family but the community. Our ethics arise from our communal interactions as does our sense of self; in turn, these inform all our other beliefs and relations, such as liberty or nationalism.
This is at the root of the conservative world view, that the community and family are prior to the individual. Ever since the early Liberals recast society as a collective of individuals, the idea has taken hold and grown to a point where it is not even questioned any more. The few who reject this modern normal have usually done so on theological grounds and have been easy to ignore in an increasingly profane world. By reviving a classical framework, The Virtue of Nationalism fires a broadside at not just the critics of nationalism but the entire Liberal project. Not only are the dangers of a universalist mindset compared against nationalism and found to be as dangerous if not worse, but individual liberty is argued to be mere license if not exercised within the bounds of community and morality. Thus, this is as much a work of political philosophy as it is about nationalism.
It is to the author's credit that he does not pay much heed to the silly distinction between patriotism and nationalism – Vidura counters this best in the Udyoga Parva in India's treasured epic, the Mahabharata, when he says, "[t]hose prone to get drunk get drunk on knowledge, wealth, and good birth; but the same are triumphs of the strict."
The Virtue of Nationalism is a short book and not written in a solemn academic tone despite boasting an impressive bibliography. Hazony would do well to realise, however, that his understanding of nationalism is peculiar to Judaism and not characteristic of all politico-cultural movements. The inadvertent contradistinction, however, should be most interesting to scholars of nationalism. Readers should beware that the chatty affectation of the book belies a profound sociopolitical weltanshauung and a powerful critique of Liberalism in all its guises. There may be some historical quibbles but they do not, oddly, take away from the overall argument and to narrowly focus on those would be to miss the forest for the trees. In an era of Liberal activist academia, Hazony's efforts to take us back to first principles and rethink our implicit assumptions is a welcome intellectual challenge.
14 Thu Jun 2018
≈ Comments Off on The Death of Civilisation
Catherine Nixey, Celsus, Chi-Ro, Christianity, conquirendi non sunt, Constantine, Cyril, Eusebius, George Bernard Shaw, Hypatia, ISIS, jihad, liberalism, Maxentius, Milvian Bridge, Origen, pagan, Pliny the Elder, pluralism, secularism, Silvio Ferrari, St Augustine, St Basil, St Benedict, St John Chrysostom, St Marcellus, St Martin, Tertullian, The Darkening Age, The Penguin Dictionary of Saints, Trajan
Nixey, Catherine. The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World. Basingstoke: Macmillan Publishers, 2017. 352 pp.
"The destroyers came from out of the desert. Palmyra's Temple of Athena must have been expecting them: for years, marauding bands of bearded, black-robed zealots…had been terrorising the region. Their attacks were primitive, thuggish, and very effective." Utter destruction followed in their wake. "Great stone columns that had stood for centuries collapsed in an afternoon; statues that had stood for half a millennium had their faces mutilated in a moment; temples that had seen the rise of the Roman Empire fell in a single day. This was violent work, but it was by no means solemn. The zealots roared with laughter as they smashed the 'evil, 'idolatrous' statues; the faithful jeered as they tore down temples, stripped roofs and defaced tombs. Chants appeared, immortalizing these glorious moments."
"When the men entered the temple they took a weapon and smashed the back of Athena's head with a single blow so hard that it decapitated the goddess. The head fell to the floor, slicing off that nose, crushing the once-smooth cheeks. Athena's eyes, untouched, looked out over a now-disfigured face. Mere decapitation wasn't enough. More blows fell, scalping Athena, striking the helmet from the goddess's head, smashing it into pieces. Further blows followed. The statue fell from its pedestal, then the arms and shoulders were chopped off. The body was left on its front in the dirt; the nearby altar was sliced off just above its base… On the floor, the head of Athena slowly started to be covered by the sands of the Syrian desert."
You might be thinking that I am describing ISIS' destruction of classical era structures in Syria in February 2017 but you would be mistaken. This was the destruction wrought by Christians in circa 385. For over half a millennium since the Roman Emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity and the Edict of Milan in 312, Christianity aggressively destroyed all signs of paganism as it spread across Europe. Catherine Nixey's The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World does not quite chronicle the tragedy – that would be too long a book – but gives an excellent glimpse into the tumultuous years of Late Antiquity and the savage birth of Christian Europe.
The Darkening Age jumps back and forth as it weaves its narrative – with each chapter and theme, the historical era is begun afresh. After a historical overview of Late Antiquity, Nixey elaborates on the brutal influence of Christianity on the law, the fine arts, and religion. In doing so, she dispels several powerful myths in the Christian tradition that have survived for centuries and are now cemented in the mainstream historical memory. In doing so, the reputations of several Church leaders are severely tarnished – by 21st century sensitivities, we might call them terrorists and mass murderers. Yet Nixey is too good a scholar to allow such crude, ahistorical judgments to creep in. Instead, she lets the values and mores of the era serve as a template and allows contemporaries of these Christian saints and martyrs evaluate their vandalism and philosophy – or lack thereof.
The rise of Christianity spelled not just the death of pluralism and tolerance around the Mediterranean but also a fundamental reworking of epistemic categories. Before the ascendance of Christianity, despite the long presence of Judaism, few people considered religion to be a marker of identity. The fluidity of primary religions maintained an easy permeability between the various sects and the state did not care to interfere as long as these cults did not upset the law and order. It was Christianity that introduced a rigidity that plagues the world to this day – Christians were correct, and others were not just wrong but sick, insane, evil, damned, disgusting, and inferior.
The new cult observed its difference aggressively: in a letter to one of his faithful, Augustine advised the man that even if a Christian is starving and on the point of death, food that had been contaminated by pagan sacrifice was to be rejected with fortitude. In a pattern that is now all too familiar to those who have observed the effects of exclusivist monotheism on societies, Christians first held themselves apart and then assaulted others.
For a faction with a humble founder, Christians saw themselves as soldiers in an army (of Christ) and applied the word "pagan" – which had originally meant civilian – to the pluralistic religions of the region. To these militants, allowing someone to remain outside the Christian faith was not to show tolerance but to damn them. As Augustine railed, to allow someone to continue in an alternative form of worship or a heretical form of Christianity was not to allow religious freedom; it was to allow Satan to thrive.
Constantine saw the sign of the cross in October 312, and his soldiers, their shields painted with Chi-Ro, defeated Maxentius shortly. One of the new emperor's first edicts was to give Christianity official recognition as equal to the faiths of Rome. It would prove to be a tipping point in world history: in less than a century, Christianity would ruthlessly root out Rome's indigenous religions and destroy its temples, libraries, and customs. Before Constantine had come to power, Rome had 28 public libraries and many private ones; by the end of the 4th century, there were none.
In 325, a law was passed to restrict the "pollutions of idolatry" and December 25, until then celebrated the birth of the Mesopotamian god of shepherds, Dumuzid, became the birthday of Jesus. Similarly, other pagan rituals and festivals were either banned or usurped. In 341, Constantine's son, Constantius, banned sacrifices; by 356, it had become illegal – on pain of death – to worship images. A law passed in 388 forbade any discussion of religion in public, and in 399, pagan temples were all ordered to be torn down.
A law in 407 banned the old merry ceremonies and in 529, the year the Academy finally closed its doors, the Christian State decreed that "every single person in the empire who had not yet been baptized now had to come forward immediately, go to the holy churches and 'entirely abandon the former error [and] receive saving baptism'. 'We forbid the teaching of any doctrine by those who labour under the insanity of paganism' so that they might not 'corrupt the souls of their disciples.'"
Although it was Constantine himself who first and publicly moved against the pagan temples, it was not just the new Christian state that perpetrated this cultural genocide – Christian mobs went about in an orgy of vandalism. Moreover, the men leading these campaigns of violence were not the over-zealous fringe elements of a new faith. St Benedict, St Martin, St John Chrysostom, St Marcellus – these were figures at the very heart of the Church.
The statues in the public parks and temples were the first to go; the beautiful statue of Athena at the Acropolis, for example, was mutilated, beheaded, and finally placed face down in the courtyard to be trampled upon by Christians for eternity. It was clearly not enough to pull down a statue: the tradition it represented had to be humiliated, disgraced, and tortured. The destruction did not stop at public property. Christian mobs began to enter houses to remove any signs of pagan culture from them which, when found, would be publicly burned. As Nixey insightfully comments, today, the destruction of Michelangelo's Pietà would be considered a terrible act of cultural vandalism – but it wouldn't be sacrilege because Christians do not hold the statue to be sacred. Statues in pagan temples, on the other hand, were.
It is not that there were no contemporary critiques of Christianity, and many modern ones echo the same objections. Have the rules of an allegedly omniscient god changed over time? many wondered. If so, then who is wrong – Moses or Jesus? Or when the Father sent Jesus, had he forgotten what commands he gave to Moses? Celsus, for example, found the new cult stupid, pernicious and vulgar; he worried that it would spread and bring ruin to Rome. Pliny the Elder described Christianity as nothing more than a "degenerate sort of cult carried to extravagant lengths." What the philosophers could not understand is how anyone could revel in their own ignorance. "Wisdom in this life is evil, but foolishness is good," taught Corinthians. Critics' arguments were usually replied with clubs, quietly at first and then more boldly after Constantine.
Priests were frequently attacked and beaten. Christians took to throwing a concoction of caustic lime powder and vinegar – the earliest acid attacks – into the eyes of unsuspecting prominent pagans in the marketplace, thereby blinding them. Judges who dared to uphold the law against Christians were also beaten and killed. So severe was the Christian reign of terror that even the very Christian emperor, Theodosius, had to quietly admit that his monks commit many crimes. The Church, however, defended these acts, comparing them to a gangrene that had to be cut away or cauterised, advising people to turn a deaf ear, like surgeons, to the cries, out of compassion.
People watched in stunned inaction as the culture which they had followed for over a thousand years was dismantled. The Empire suffered far more at the hands of Christians than it did in all the waves of barbarian invasions. Libraries closed, books were severely censored or burned, and the entire edifice of academia was suspect. As Tertullian was fond of saying, What indeed has Athens to do with Jerusalem?"" implying that Christians did not need philosophy because they had God. Philosophy went from having different schools of thought to having the wrong view and the correct, Christian view.
Literature suffered similarly – works that praised the old gods or were considered too prurient were destroyed. What little survived was because the iota of civilisation in some of the Church leaders won out and a few works were imaginatively reinterpreted in service of Christ rather than burned. Even then, translations were deliberately timid and their authority accrued the weight of the ages – some poems had to wait until the late 20th century to be accurately translated! It has been estimated that less than ten per cent of all classical literature has survived into the modern era. For Latin, the figure is even worse: it is estimated that only one hundredth of all Latin literature remains.
In an attempt to divert attention from their own crimes and justify their actions, Christians have also claimed victimhood at the hands of Romans. Nixey demolishes these claims, arguing that of the three waves of repression in which Christians found themselves caught, not one was directed exclusively at Christians. "we know of no government-led persecution for the first 250 years of Christianity," Nixey claims. "There were simply not that many years of imperially ordered persecution in the Roman Empire. Fewer than thirteen – in three whole centuries of Roman rule." Furthermore, The Darkening Age delves into contemporary sources to argue that Rome's only problem with Christianity was one of law and order. Many of the Christians who found themselves afoul of the law were actively seeking martyrdom rather than being oppressed for their faith.
Again reminiscent of jihadists, tempting celestial terms were offered to martyrs: scripture was supposed to have promised them "multiplication, even to a hundred times, of brothers, children, parents, land and homes." The emperor Trajan explicitly ordered, conquirendi non sunt – these people must not be hunted out. When Emperor Julian refused to execute Christians for their crimes, he was begrudged by the Church for denying Christian 'combatants' martyrdom! Even Origen had to admit, the numbers of martyrs were few enough to be easily countable and Christians had died for their faith only occasionally. George Bernard Shaw is said to have acidly observed over a millennium later, martyrdom is the only way a man can become famous without ability! As the author remarks, Rome clearly did not wish to exterminate Christianity; if it did, it would have succeeded without much effort.
Rome wanted obedience, not martyrs. Nixey cites several documents in which Romans are shown pleading with Christians to make just the token gesture to escape punishment. In one tale a Roman prefect named Probus asks the Christian on trial before him no fewer than nine times to even lie to escape execution; the prefect begs the Christian to think of his weeping family, to spare himself pain, to go free. Such grace and liberalism would never be on offer to pagans in Christian courts barely a century later.
Of particular importance in The Darkening Age is Nixey's argument that the establishment of Christianity in all spheres of Western existence is so complete that Western views cannot help but be biased without even the realisation. For over a millennium and a half, theologians and scholars packaged and repackaged Christian values, smoothing its edges each time, that the Church could eventually speak in a secular accent. Silvio Ferrari, of the University of Milan, has argued that the modern secular state owes its origins to Christianity and is not culturally neutral but rather draws inspiration from Christian theology; Ferrari even warns against its transplantation to cultures with different intellectual development.
The whitewashing of Christianity's cultural genocide is particularly noticeable in academia. Historians, for example, have recently discarded the term, 'Dark Ages' to describe the centuries immediately after the fall of Rome. They argue that there was much development going on if not necessarily of a grand nature. Christopher de Hamel has even gone on to suggest that under pressure from barbarian attack, Rome 'saved its identity by reinventing itself as a Christian empire'! In what one only hopes was a misjudged sense of humour, the 1965 edition of The Penguin Dictionary of Saints remarks with amusement that Martin of Tours 'was not averse to the forcible destruction of heathen shrines.'
As Nixey points out, modern histories rarely describe Christian acts violent, or vicious, or thuggish: they are merely zealous, pious, or enthusiastic. John Pollini, from the University of Southern California, agrees that "modern scholarship, influenced by a Judeo-Christian cultural bias has frequently overlooked or downplayed such attacks and even at times sought to present Christian desecration in a positive light."
But these are not just 20th century sensitivities – one 19th century scholar defended the vicious censorship by Basil of Greek and Latin literature by passing it off as the "educational theory of a cultured man" rather than the "anxious admonition of a bigoted ecclesiastic." Johannes Geffcken, another influential 19th century scholar, considered it absurd that the rise of Christianity and the destruction of paganism were related in any way. Chrysostom's condemnation of the Jewish canon was eagerly reprinted by the Nazis.
Not only have Christian excesses been dismissed, many have not even made it into the history books. As Eusebius explained the role of history and historians, it was not to record everything but instead only those things that would do a Christian good to read. These views were then sustained by institutional support – until 1871 the University of Oxford required that all students were members of the Church of England, while in most cases to be given a fellowship in an Oxford college one had to be ordained.
The Darkening Age is not written in the typical turgid academic prose one is accustomed to from scholars, nor do its end notes run for almost as long as the manuscript itself (though the book is well-documented). In fact, there is the uncommon – and evocative – presence of a strand of emotion in the narrative. The purpose of writing this book, the author tells us, is to make more people aware of the history of early Christianity and the damage it wrought to the pagan world that came before it. Nixey makes a strange claim – that much of what transpired in the remaking of Europe in the Christian mould is not well known. At first glance, this comes as a surprise to any lover of the Classics, yet Nixey may well be correct in that the Classics have gone underappreciated or molested by critical theory since the postmodern turn. That is what makes The Darkening Age an even more important work.
It is not just lovers of the Classical World who might not be surprised by Nixey's arguments: the author's focus is on Europe when she claims that there are no true pagans left but there are plenty remaining in other parts of the world such as India. The experience of these pagans is not much different, though separated by over a dozen centuries, from those of their Roman brethren. Whenever it came up against a foreign culture, Christianity has found it disturbingly easy to tap into its reservoir of primordial fervour and zealotry to fight it. The Crusades and the Age of Imperialism are the most obvious examples of this but so is the post-Enlightenment secular world order. Though beaten to it by others, some Christian armies did despoil Indian temples and architecture; moreover, rhetoric of conversion still rhymes with the angry frothing at the mouth of Marcellus or the early 5th century Alexandrian bishop Cyril (the one responsible for the murder of the famous mathematician Hypatia).
The Darkening Age is an informative book for those not well versed in the Classics but it is also a gentle goad to inquire epistemologically at the webs of meaning that bind us. It is this second order of thinking that makes this book invaluable to everyone, even those who could not care less for the city of marble that Agrippa left behind. The internet has made it easy to import ideas from one part of the globe to another but without context and a dab of reckless politics, it could be deeply destabilising and extend the cultural genocide begun circa Constantine. Nixey exposes secularism for a simulacrum though in all fairness, that was probably not her intent; regardless, the easiest way to know whom the simulacrum benefits is to challenge it.
July 05, 2018: An addendum as a result of discussions on Twitter.
😆 Oy... Twitter is unforgiving! 🤣 https://t.co/96z8sen1v3 23 hours ago
India's constitution(s): bit.ly/30Kx18w | Leaves much to be desired but need to remember that constitution… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 1 day ago
RT @sergioten: @AgnesCallard This is close to Kant's views (who had qualms about people who remained sober in dinner parties) https://t.co/… 1 day ago


text:
El Indio és una concentració de població designada pel cens dels Estats Units a l'estat de Texas. Segons el cens del 2000 tenia una població de 263 habitants.

Demografia
Segons el cens del 2000, El Indio tenia 263 habitants, 65 habitatges, i 59 famílies. La densitat de població era de 57,7 habitants per km².

Dels 65 habitatges en un 52,3% hi vivien nens de menys de 18 anys, en un 81,5% hi vivien parelles casades, en un 7,7% dones solteres, i en un 9,2% no eren unitats familiars. En el 7,7% dels habitatges hi vivien persones soles el 6,2% de les quals corresponia a persones de 65 anys o més que vivien soles. El nombre mitjà de persones vivint en cada habitatge era de 4,05 i el nombre mitjà de persones que vivien en cada família era de 4,32.

Per edats la població es repartia de la següent manera: un 39,5% tenia menys de 18 anys, un 11% entre 18 i 24, un 21,7% entre 25 i 44, un 19% de 45 a 60 i un 8,7% 65 anys o més.

L'edat mediana era de 25 anys. Per cada 100 dones de 18 o més anys hi havia 98,8 homes.

La renda mediana per habitatge era de 20.179 $ i la renda mediana per família de 20.179 $. Els homes tenien una renda mediana de 26.250 $ mentre que les dones 0 $. La renda per capita de la població era de 5.462 $. Aproximadament el 25,5% de les famílies i el 35,8% de la població estaven per davall del llindar de pobresa.

Poblacions més properes
El següent diagrama mostra les poblacions més properes.

Referències

Concentracions de població designades pel cens de Texas

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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		if(bn_start) {
			u.ce(bn_start);
			bn_start.clicked = function() {
				u.ac(this.parentNode, "submitting");
				location.href = this.url;
			}
		}

		var bn_upgrade = u.qs(".actions li.upgrade", scene);
		if(bn_upgrade) {
			u.ce(bn_upgrade);
			bn_upgrade.clicked = function() {
				u.ac(this.parentNode, "submitting");
				location.href = this.url;
			}
		}

		// Keep session alive
		this.keepAlive = function() {
			u.request(this, "/janitor/admin/setup/keepAlive");
		}
		u.t.setInterval(this, "keepAlive", 60000);
	}
}

Util.Modules["software"] = new function() {
	this.init = function(scene) {

		var bn_continue = u.qs(".actions li.continue", scene);
		if(bn_continue) {
			u.ce(bn_continue);
			bn_continue.clicked = function() {
				u.ac(this.parentNode, "submitting");

				var steps = u.qsa("li.setup li:not(.done)", page.nN);
				var i, node;
				for(i = 0; node = steps[i]; i++) {
					if(node.url != location.href) {
						location.href = node.url;
						break;
					}
				}
			}
		}

		// Keep session alive
		this.keepAlive = function() {
			u.request(this, "/janitor/admin/setup/keepAlive");
		}
		u.t.setInterval(this, "keepAlive", 60000);
	}
}

Util.Modules["config"] = new function() {
	this.init = function(scene) {

		// Enable update form
		// Will jump to the next "not completed" section on successful submit response
		var form = u.qs("form.config", scene);
		if(form) {

			u.f.init(form);
			form.submitted = function() {
				u.ac(this, "submitting");

				this.response = function(response) {
					u.rc(this, "submitting");

					if(response && response.cms_status == "success") {

						var steps = u.qsa("li.setup li:not(.done)", page.nN);
						var i, node;
						for(i = 0; node = steps[i]; i++) {
							if(node.url != location.href) {
								location.href = node.url;
								break;
							}
						}
					}
					else {
						page.notify(response);
					}
				}
				u.request(this, this.action, {"method":this.method, "data":this.getData()});
			}

		}

		// Enable continue button (nothing to update)
		// Will jump to the next "not completed" section
		var bn_continue = u.qs(".actions li.continue", scene);
		if(bn_continue) {
			u.ce(bn_continue);
			bn_continue.clicked = function() {
				u.ac(this.parentNode, "submitting");

				var steps = u.qsa("li.setup li:not(.done)", page.nN);
				var i, node;
				for(i = 0; node = steps[i]; i++) {
					if(node.url != location.href) {
						location.href = node.url;
						break;
					}
				}
			}
		}

		// Keep session alive
		this.keepAlive = function() {
			u.request(this, "/janitor/admin/setup/keepAlive");
		}
		u.t.setInterval(this, "keepAlive", 60000);
	}
}

Util.Modules["database"] = new function() {
	this.init = function(scene) {

		// Enable update form
		// Will jump to the next "not completed" section on successful submit response
		var form = u.qs("form.database", scene);
		if(form) {

			u.f.init(form);
			form.submitted = function() {
				u.ac(this, "submitting");

				this.response = function(response) {
					u.rc(this, "submitting");

					if(response && response.cms_status == "success") {

						// reload database page to show confirm dialogue
						if(response.cms_object && response.cms_object.status == "reload") {
							location.reload(true);
						}
						// continue to next step
						else {

							var steps = u.qsa("li.setup li:not(.done)", page.nN);
							var i, node;
							for(i = 0; node = steps[i]; i++) {
								if(node.url != location.href) {
									location.href = node.url;
									break;
								}
							}
						}
					}
					else {
						page.notify(response);
					}
				}
				u.request(this, this.action, {"method":this.method, "data":this.getData()});
			}
		}

		var form_force = u.qs("form.force", scene);
		if(form_force) {

			u.f.init(form_force);
			form_force.submitted = function() {
				u.ac(this, "submitting");

				this.response = function(response) {
					u.rc(this, "submitting");

					if(response && response.cms_status == "success") {

						// reload database page to show confirm dialogue
						if(response.cms_object && response.cms_object.status == "reload") {
							location.reload(true);
						}
						// continue to next step
						else {

							var steps = u.qsa("li.setup li:not(.done)", page.nN);
							var i, node;
							for(i = 0; node = steps[i]; i++) {
								if(node.url != location.href) {
									location.href = node.url;
									break;
								}
							}
						}
					}
					else {
						page.notify(response);
					}
				}
				u.request(this, this.action, {"method":this.method, "data":this.getData()});
			}
		}

		// Keep session alive
		this.keepAlive = function() {
			u.request(this, "/janitor/admin/setup/keepAlive");
		}
		u.t.setInterval(this, "keepAlive", 60000);
	}
}

Util.Modules["account"] = new function() {
	this.init = function(scene) {

		// Enable update form
		// Will jump to the next "not completed" section on successful submit response
		var form = u.qs("form.account", scene);
		if(form) {

			u.f.init(form);
			form.submitted = function() {
				u.ac(this, "submitting");

				this.response = function(response) {
					u.rc(this, "submitting");

					if(response && response.cms_status == "success") {

						var steps = u.qsa("li.setup li:not(.done)", page.nN);
						var i, node;
						for(i = 0; node = steps[i]; i++) {
							if(node.url != location.href) {
								location.href = node.url;
								break;
							}
						}
					}
					else {
						page.notify(response);
					}
				}
				u.request(this, this.action, {"method":this.method, "data":this.getData()});
			}

		}

		// Enable continue button (nothing to update)
		// Will jump to the next "not completed" section
		var bn_continue = u.qs(".actions li.continue", scene);
		if(bn_continue) {
			u.ce(bn_continue);
			bn_continue.clicked = function() {
				u.ac(this.parentNode, "submitting");

				var steps = u.qsa("li.setup li:not(.done)", page.nN);
				var i, node;
				for(i = 0; node = steps[i]; i++) {
					if(node.url != location.href) {
						location.href = node.url;
						break;
					}
				}
			}
		}

		// Keep session alive
		this.keepAlive = function() {
			u.request(this, "/janitor/admin/setup/keepAlive");
		}
		u.t.setInterval(this, "keepAlive", 60000);
	}
}

Util.Modules["mail"] = new function() {
	this.init = function(scene) {

		var form = u.qs("form.mail", scene);
		if(form) {

			u.f.init(form);

			var options = form.inputs["mail_type"].options;
			form.div_options = [];

			// index option divs
			var i, option;
			for(i = 0; option = options[i]; i++) {
				form.div_options[option.value] = u.qs("div.type_" + option.value, form);
				form.div_options[option.value].required_fields = u.qsa("div.field.required", form.div_options[option.value]);
			}

			form.updateView = function() {
				var selected = this.inputs["mail_type"].val();
				var i, field;

				for(option_value in this.div_options) {
					if(option_value == selected) {
						u.ass(this.div_options[option_value], {
							"display":"block"
						});
						for(i = 0; field = this.div_options[option_value].required_fields[i]; i++) {
							u.ac(field, "required");
						}
					}
					else {
						u.ass(this.div_options[option_value], {
							"display":"none"
						});
						for(i = 0; field = this.div_options[option_value].required_fields[i]; i++) {
							u.rc(field, "required");
						}
					}
				}
			}
			form.updateView();

			form.inputs["mail_type"].updated = function() {
//				console.log("mailtype:" + this.val());
				this._form.updateView();
			}

			form.submitted = function() {
				u.ac(this, "submitting");

				this.response = function(response) {

					if(response && response.cms_status == "success") {
						var steps = u.qsa("li.setup li:not(.done)", page.nN);

						var i, node;
						for(i = 0; node = steps[i]; i++) {
							if(node.url != location.href) {
								location.href = node.url;
								break;
							}
						}
					}
					else {
						u.rc(this, "submitting");
						page.notify(response);
					}
				}
				u.request(this, this.action, {"method":this.method, "data":this.getData()});
			}

		}

		var form_skip = u.qs("form.skip", scene);
		if(form_skip) {

			u.f.init(form_skip);
			form_skip.submitted = function() {
				u.ac(this, "submitting");

				this.response = function(response) {
					u.rc(this, "submitting");

					if(response && response.cms_status == "success") {

						var steps = u.qsa("li.setup li:not(.done)", page.nN);
						var i, node;
						for(i = 0; node = steps[i]; i++) {
							if(node.url != location.href) {
								location.href = node.url;
								break;
							}
						}
					}
					else {
						page.notify(response);
					}
				}
				u.request(this, this.action, {"method":this.method, "data":this.getData()});
			}
		}

		// Enable continue button (nothing to update)
		// Will jump to the next "not completed" section
		var bn_continue = u.qs(".actions li.continue", scene);
		if(bn_continue) {
			u.ce(bn_continue);
			bn_continue.clicked = function() {
				u.ac(this.parentNode, "submitting");

				var steps = u.qsa("li.setup li:not(.done)", page.nN);
				var i, node;
				for(i = 0; node = steps[i]; i++) {
					if(node.url != location.href) {
						location.href = node.url;
						break;
					}
				}
			}
		}

		// Keep session alive
		this.keepAlive = function() {
			u.request(this, "/janitor/admin/setup/keepAlive");
		}
		u.t.setInterval(this, "keepAlive", 60000);
	}
}

Util.Modules["payment"] = new function() {
	this.init = function(scene) {

		var form = u.qs("form.payment", scene);
		if(form) {

			u.f.init(form);

			var options = form.inputs["payment_type"].options;
			form.div_options = [];

			// index option divs
			var i, option;
			for(i = 0; option = options[i]; i++) {
				form.div_options[option.value] = u.qs("div.type_" + option.value, form);
				form.div_options[option.value].required_fields = u.qsa("div.field.required", form.div_options[option.value]);
			}

			form.updateView = function() {
				var selected = this.inputs["payment_type"].val();
				var i, field;

				for(option_value in this.div_options) {
					if(option_value == selected) {
						u.ass(this.div_options[option_value], {
							"display":"block"
						});
						for(i = 0; field = this.div_options[option_value].required_fields[i]; i++) {
							u.ac(field, "required");
						}
					}
					else {
						u.ass(this.div_options[option_value], {
							"display":"none"
						});
						for(i = 0; field = this.div_options[option_value].required_fields[i]; i++) {
							u.rc(field, "required");
						}
					}
				}
			}
			form.updateView();

			form.inputs["payment_type"].updated = function() {
//				console.log("mailtype:" + this.val());
				this._form.updateView();
			}

			form.submitted = function() {
				u.ac(this, "submitting");

				this.response = function(response) {

					if(response && response.cms_status == "success") {
						var steps = u.qsa("li.setup li:not(.done)", page.nN);

						var i, node;
						for(i = 0; node = steps[i]; i++) {
							if(node.url != location.href) {
								location.href = node.url;
								break;
							}
						}
					}
					else {
						u.rc(this, "submitting");
						page.notify(response);
					}
				}
				u.request(this, this.action, {"method":this.method, "data":this.getData()});
			}

		}

		var form_skip = u.qs("form.skip", scene);
		if(form_skip) {

			u.f.init(form_skip);
			form_skip.submitted = function() {
				u.ac(this, "submitting");

				this.response = function(response) {
					u.rc(this, "submitting");

					if(response && response.cms_status == "success") {

						var steps = u.qsa("li.setup li:not(.done)", page.nN);
						var i, node;
						for(i = 0; node = steps[i]; i++) {
							if(node.url != location.href) {
								location.href = node.url;
								break;
							}
						}
					}
					else {
						page.notify(response);
					}
				}
				u.request(this, this.action, {"method":this.method, "data":this.getData()});
			}
		}

		// Enable continue button (nothing to update)
		// Will jump to the next "not completed" section
		var bn_continue = u.qs(".actions li.continue", scene);
		if(bn_continue) {
			u.ce(bn_continue);
			bn_continue.clicked = function() {
				u.ac(this.parentNode, "submitting");

				var steps = u.qsa("li.setup li:not(.done)", page.nN);
				var i, node;
				for(i = 0; node = steps[i]; i++) {
					if(node.url != location.href) {
						location.href = node.url;
						break;
					}
				}
			}
		}

		// Keep session alive
		this.keepAlive = function() {
			u.request(this, "/janitor/admin/setup/keepAlive");
		}
		u.t.setInterval(this, "keepAlive", 60000);
	}
}

Util.Modules["finish"] = new function() {
	this.init = function(scene) {

		var bn_check = u.qs(".actions li.check", scene);
		if(bn_check) {

			u.ce(bn_check);
			bn_check.clicked = function() {
				u.ac(this.parentNode, "submitting");

				var steps = u.qsa("li.setup li:not(.done)", page.nN);
				var i, node;
				for(i = 0; node = steps[i]; i++) {
					// If only the finish page is registered as NOT DONE, refresh the page
					location.href = node.url;
					break;
				}

			}

		}

		var bn_install = u.qs(".actions li.install", scene);
		if(bn_install) {

			bn_install.form = u.qs("form", bn_install);
			if(bn_install.form) {

				u.f.init(bn_install.form);

	//			u.ce(bn_install);
				bn_install.form.submitted = function() {

					this.h2_subheader = u.qs("h2.subheader", scene);
					this.div_ready = u.qs("div.ready", scene);
					this.ul_tasks = u.qs(".tasks", scene);
					this.div_installing = u.qs("div.installing", scene);
					this.h2_installing = u.qs("h2", this.div_installing);
					this.ul_reset = u.qs("ul.actions.reset", scene);

					// update subheader
					if(this.h2_subheader && this.h2_installing) {
						this.h2_subheader.innerHTML = u.text(this.h2_installing);
					}

					// hide ready text
					if(this.div_ready) {
						u.as(this.div_ready, "display", "none");
					}

					// hide reset button
					if(this.ul_reset) {
						u.as(this.ul_reset, "display", "none");
					}

					// start install process
					if(this.div_installing) {
						u.as(this.div_installing, "display", "block");

						// build JS and reload frontpage
						this.response = function(response) {

							if(response.cms_status == "success" && response.cms_object && (response.cms_object.completed || response.cms_object.failed)) {

								var i, task_completed, task_failed;
								if(response.cms_object.completed.length) {
									for(i = 0; task = response.cms_object.completed[i]; i++) {
										u.ae(this.ul_tasks, "li", {"html":task});
									}
								}

								if(response.cms_object.failed.length) {
									for(i = 0; task = response.cms_object.failed[i]; i++) {
										u.ae(this.ul_tasks, "li", {"html":task, "class":"error"});
									}
								}

								// Constants needs to be reloaded
								if(response.cms_object.reload_constants) {

									u.request(this, this.action, {"method":"post", "data":this.getData({"format":"string"})+"&setup_type=reload"});

								}
								// An error occured in the install process
								else if(response.cms_object.failed.length) {

									// Show reset button
									if(this.ul_reset) {
										u.as(this.ul_reset, "display", "block");
									}

								}
								// everything went fine
								else {

									this.div_final_touches = u.qs(".final_touches", scene);
									u.as(this.div_final_touches, "display", "block");

									if(this.h2_subheader) {
										this.h2_subheader.innerHTML = "DONE";
									}

								}

							}
							else {

								// error
								u.ae(this.ul_tasks, "li", {"html":"A problem occured: (" + response + ")"});

							}

						}
						u.request(this, this.action, {"method":"post", "data":this.getData()});

					}

				}

			}

		}

		// var bn_finalize = u.qs(".actions li.finalize", scene);
		// if(bn_finalize) {
		//
		// 	u.ce(bn_finalize);
		// 	bn_finalize.clicked = function() {
		//
		// 		// existing site does not need JS/CSS building
		// 		this.build_first = !u.hc(this, "simple");
		// 		if(this.build_first) {
		// 			this.ul_build = u.qs(".building", scene);
		//
		// 			// build JS and reload frontpage
		// 			this.response = function(response) {
		//
		// 				var title = response.isHTML ? u.qs("title", response) : false;
		// 				if(!title || !u.text(title).match(/404/)) {
		//
		// 					u.ae(this.ul_build, "li", {"html":"Frontend CSS built"});
		//
		// 					this.response = function(response) {
		//
		// 						u.ae(this.ul_build, "li", {"html":"Frontend JS built"});
		//
		// 						this.response = function(response) {
		//
		// 							u.ae(this.ul_build, "li", {"html":"Janitor CSS built"});
		//
		// 							this.response = function(response) {
		//
		// 								u.ae(this.ul_build, "li", {"html":"Janitor JS built"});
		// 								u.t.setTimer(this, function() {location.href = "/";}, 1000);
		// 							}
		// 							u.request(this, "/janitor/js/lib/build");
		// 						}
		// 						u.request(this, "/janitor/css/lib/build");
		// 					}
		// 					u.request(this, "/js/lib/build");
		//
		// 				}
		// 				else {
		// 					alert("Apache is not responding as expected - did you forget to restart?");
		// 				}
		// 			}
		// 			u.request(this, "/css/lib/build");
		//
		// 		}
		// 		else {
		// 			location.href = this.url;
		// 		}
		//
		// 	}
		//
		// }

		// Keep session alive
		this.keepAlive = function() {
			u.request(this, "/janitor/admin/setup/keepAlive");
		}
		u.t.setInterval(this, "keepAlive", 60000);
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Introducing the Prince Phantom Pro 93P, a midsize player's racquet with outstanding control and feel. At over 12 ounces strung, the Phantom 93P feels solid at impact, and it has enough mass for driving the ball through the court.
The 18×20 string pattern not only gives this racquet pinpoint accuracy on full swings, but it has a generous sweetspot for a dense pattern.
The 93P comes with a CTS Beam, which goes from an ultra-thin 16mm shaft to only 20mm at the head. Factor in the 61 RA flex and you have a racquet with buttery feedback.
The 93P also benefits from Textreme, a super thin carbon fabric used in the throat to further increase stability at impact. From the baseline, this stick does not get pushed around, making it great for trading heavy balls with big hitters.
The compact head and 18×20 string pattern will keep your biggest swings inside the lines. Although the swing weight is beefy, the head light balance gives the 93P decent speed. At net, the 93P rewards clean mechanics with an impressive combination of stability and touch.
Players who can get this stick moving fast will find enough precision on serves to target the corners of the service box. On service returns, this stick's mass will help you keep blocks and counter-punches deep. Ultimately, with its thin beam, headlight balance and surgical control, the 93P is poised to become an instant classic. Fans of iconic midsize racquets from the past should love this one.


text:
What's on tomorrow
What's On Hub: Leeds
Meet the artist making movie monsters to save the planet
Jack Bell
For more than half a century, they've taken the silver screen by storm, wreaking havoc and tearing down skyscrapers in big cities across the world.
But now a new breed of movie monsters in Leeds are doing their bit to save the earth thanks to the eco-friendly efforts of an imaginative local artist.
Leeds Museums and Galleries technician Kevin Blenkinsop has crafted a series of amazing models for Temple Newsam's Fantastical Beasts exhibition, all based on the destructive giants made famous by traditional Japanese monster films.
Known as kaiju, those terrifying titans include the mighty Godzilla, who will be hitting cinemas in a new blockbuster soon alongside his beastly brethren.
Unlike their big screen counterparts though, Kevin's models are good for the planet, fashioned entirely out of recycled or scrap materials.
And young people will have the chance to meet Kevin and find out more about his creations as well as having a go at making their own monsters during half term week at the house.
Kevin, who works helping to install exhibitions at Leeds Museums and Galleries sites, said: "All of the models at Temple Newsam are based on the old Japanese monster films, but everything I make is created using things that people would normally throw away, so it's good for the environment too.
"I use anything that might otherwise get chucked out and I've made everything from monsters to animals like tigers, rhinos and even a sperm whale. It's really enjoyable taking something like an old plastic bottle, recycling it and turning it into something else."
Kevin has been making models for more than 14 years after starting out painting. He also created an impressive elf's workshop at Temple Newsam, which has been amazing children visiting the house for the last few Christmases.
He said he hoped next week's activities would encourage budding artists to think more about how they can get creative with things that might otherwise end up in the bin.
He said: "I really hope it helps them look at things a bit differently and to think about what they could create with items that are just lying around or that they might throw away."
Temple Newsam's Fantastical Beasts exhibition explores the stories behind mythical creatures through the ages.
Exhibits on display include two replicas of late medieval bestiaries on loan from the University of Leeds's Brotherton Library which catalogue an array of mysterious alongside a fossilised icthyosaurus, a dolphin-like Jurassic marine reptile.
Also on display is the pelvis of a dodo, the famous extinct birds which were hunted out of existence in the 1660s.
Temple Newsam's Clutter Critters activities will run throughout the half terms and will young visitors a chance to make a monster using junk objects collected during school visits and from the estate café.
Visitors wanting some extra inspiration can meet Kevin and hear about his models at the house on May 29 from 11am until 12pm.
For more details about Fantastical Beasts, please visit: https://www.leeds.gov.uk/museumsandgalleries/templenewsamhouse/exhibitions/fantastical-beasts
Leeds City Centre
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The roster contains the names of VP-2 veterans for which we have had some contact information, and association members, including surviving spouses (indicated by an uppercase surname).
The site features biographical sketches for some members. They are displayed as a way of thanking those whose loyal service to the Navy and to their country contributed to the success of the Patrol Squadron Two team in operations from before World War II to the Vietnam War. It is hoped that visitors to this website will be inspired to learn more about the people who served unselfishly in VP-2 during some very difficult periods in our nation's history.
Some of these men served the Navy for a single tour of duty; some for many years; some for decades. All of them sacrificed a bit of self to put their country and the cause of freedom ahead of their own personal interests.
Elsewhere on this website, visitors can learn about the Whidbey Patrol Squadron Memorial that now stands proudly in Oak Harbor, Washington. The Memorial is a monument to those whose names and biographies are contained herein.
The contact information below is available to family and friends of VP2 Association members for personal communication purposes only. The data is only as accurate and current as the member chooses. Please send special requests or updated information to the association's Secretary/Treasurer.
A parenthesis around a given name indicates that that person is deceased.


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We can meet you at any point in your design and creation of your project.
His Life Woodworks offers full-service design, manufacturing, and installation. Artisans design, fabricate, finish, and install every piece. Each project is viewed as an expression of the business or home that it will inhabit and are made to enhance the client's lifestyle in an intersection of style and functionality.
The company is recognized as the industry-standard for custom cabinetry in the South Bay and are experts at stepping into any variation of a project. They are often the first choice of designers and builders who seek their craftsmanship to fulfill their existing jobs. Whether a client needs a design, already has a design, or is working with a designer or builder, His Life Woodworks is ready to put their decades of expertise behind their partners and clients.


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NEWS FOR THE NORTH
LOCAL, IMMEDIATE, SERIOUS, WEATHER and CONNECTED - these key words drive the CTV Northern Ontario brand. CTV Northern Ontario is committed to producing timely, relevant and accurate news for the north. With 22 experienced photojournalists based at stations in Timmins, North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury, CTV is committed to producing timely, relevant, accurate "news for the north".
Our flagship CTV News at Six is among the highest rated CTV newscasts in the country. CTV has a long history of producing strong ratings throughout its programming lineup.
CTV's mandate is to ensure our viewing audience is reflected in the diversity of our programming and our people. CTV Northern Ontario maintains a strong commitment to the Aboriginal community through active engagement in sponsorship, news coverage, and community building.
Deeply rooted and committed to the hundreds of communities we serve; CTV Northern Ontario strives to make tangible contributions by playing an active role in community growth and development. This long-standing tradition is exemplified through the continuation of Canada's longest running telethon for children who are less fortunate.
CTV is committed to the future, nurturing the development of broadcasters, writers, filmmakers, and the producers of tomorrow through the program development fund, internships and bursaries. CTV Northern Ontario is proud to be a part of the lives of Northerners for over 60 years.
CTV News Northern Ontario Team
ANCHORS Brendan Connor Jessica Gosselin Marina Moore Dana Roberts Tony Ryma DIGITAL CONTENT Chelsea Papineau Editorial Lloyd Evans Rick Wyman REPORTERS Lyndsay Aelick Sergio Arangio Brittany Bortolon Ian Campbell Lydia Chubak Nicole Di Donato Alana Everson Molly Frommer Jairus Patterson Dana Roberts Eric Taschner WEATHER Will Aiello


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(123-01-04) A Cartful of Parcels
A Cartful of Parcels
Summary: At the end of an afternoon's shopping in the city, Lady Hastwyck returns to the Hightower with a whole cartful of parcels — including one she certainly didn't expect…
Related: None in particular.
A booming, wildly off key bass voice echoes out of one of the tunnels, along with the distressed sound of a vitner trying to convince the singer to "Come along now, please, your Grace?" His grace sounds far too interested in mangling some lullaby in high Valaryen to listen to reason, alas.
"… Why, I know that voice!" exclaims Lady Joyeuse Hastwyck, in triumph, to the servant whose customary burdens are at this hour compounded by a basketful of other triumphs, wrested from the shopkeepers of Oldtown, and also a supplementary triumph done up with extra string and tucked under her other arm. What's the sense in having things brought to the Hightower by delivery boys the next day, when one has a maid who can carry them now, so that one might have the fun of unwrapping them and congratulating oneself upon one's impeccable, one's well nigh flawless taste that much sooner?
The merry widow is attired in one of her most courtly though also most clinging sandsilk gowns, in a shade of violet which almost but doesn't quite clash with the redness of her hair — the barrier of white-golden pearls in between, wound again and again about her throat, just suffices to save the situation, in conspiracy with her golden Myrish veil. Hardly so necessary with the sun on its way down, but fetching at any hour. She'd thought to reward herself for her cleverness and her generosity both (half those parcels are presents) with a glass or two of something pleasant; it seems now the winery in Lower Hightower Street has still greater treats to offer…
Oblivious to the girl who was leading her to a table and has now wandered off, equally oblivious, without her, she hovers by the entrance of that tunnel, she cants her head listening to the song and understanding not a word, and she calls out a speculative greeting: "Prince Dhraegon—?"
The song stops and the vitner's voice comes clearer as he begs the Prince to please come. The pause is very long. Eventually, a slurred voice booms out, "My Sunflower?" The Prince must finally be in motion as the Vitner can be heard encouraging him forward. Eventually he shuffles into sight, squinting confusedly at the better light in the main room and leaning against the wall for ballance. He is clutching a bottle to his chest like he is terrified it will be stolen His face is red from drink and likely from crying, his pale lavander eyes looking strange with the surrounding whites so red. His massive head swings like a confused bear as he tries to spot the one who hailed him.
The Flower of Oldtown is nowhere to be seen, alas; only this cousin of hers, who as luck would have it was just behind Prince Dhraegon when he emerged into the light and who now circles round him, explaining in a cheerful tone, "No, Your Grace, I don't think she's here — it's only me." Both her hands are already outstretched to the enormous prince, for she's quite used by now to his habit of hugging practically anybody who comes near enough — and, goodness, the longer she looks at him the more he seems to need a hug. What an early evening he's making of it! Does this portend trouble with Marsei? She looks up at him with wide-eyed, friendly, absolutely unjudgmental concern.
Whether or not he really grasps what she is saying is unclear, but he lumbers unsteadily toward the small red headed person offering hugs and clings to her, swaying alarmingly still clutching his bottle. He has no volume control at all, so his attempt to whisper, "Eggs!" to her is clearly audible to anyone in the area.
The vintner is apologetic, "I am sorry, My Lady." He gives the sticky, wet, and as it tuns out rather wine soaked outside as well as in Prince a rueful look, "I fear there is not much to be done."
Well, so what? Lady Hastwyck hardly does her own laundry, with those soft pale beringed hands patting the prince's great broad back.
She wobbles somewhat beneath the onslaught and quickly shifts her feet further apart to help keep her balance and perhaps find a wee bit extra to lend to her friend's husband, since his need appears to be greater than her own. Her servants look on dubiously, the guardsman poised to intervene and yet not quite daring, given that this isn't the worst person he's ever seen her embrace — and from the vintner's point of view her head pops into view round the side of Prince Dhraegon, announcing brightly, "Oh, nonsense, there's lots to be done." She gives the prince another squeeze for good measure but doesn't let go, her lifetime's experience of drunken embraces having taught her that letting go must be a mutual endeavour if one doesn't wish to fall down in an untidy heap and show all the world one's garters; and addresses herself next to him. "What about these eggs, sweetling? Boiled or poached or scrambled, or is it an omelette you fancy? I know I often want something in particular to eat," she confides, "when I've had a few drinks… although, if you want to know the truth, I haven't yet! I've been shopping this afternoon; I thought I'd pop in for a glass of something before I went home, but, do you know, I think I've just had an even nicer idea…"
Her questions about eggs earn a look of owl eyed confusion. The confusion is so profound he lets her go and falls more than sits on a nearby bench, where he slumps rather sideways. After some time to adjust to his sudden change in perspective, his gives one of his unhinged rising in pitch giggles and shakes his head no hard enough he almost goes over, "No,no, no. Baby Eggs." After a pause he elaborates, trying hard to enunciate carefully, "On vines. Like dragons." Pleased with himself for making his point plain to the familiar red head, he sets about manueuvering the mouth of his beloved bottle into his mouth, which is rather harder than it sounds, his face being numb and the whereabouts of his lips being unknown, but he manages a swig, choking a little, then focuses on her again, "Asked me. For ad…advice. On Mrig." He tries again, "Mar.riage. Said… said Joy. An…An eggs….wigs. Want…wantadrink."
He cannot possibly want a drink any more than Lady Joy does in this moment, after she's had a quick glance down at the front of her frock. Oh, well, in for a copper… She perches next to him on the bench, companionably, listening closely until she begins to follow, and moreover to discount the brief suspicion entertained before the words began to fit together that one of the things he's trying to explain to her is about her.
"… Oh," she giggles, "babies hatching from eggs. Oh, that would be rather sweet. If only they were quite little eggs one could even keep one's figure…" Wistful sigh. "I might have had one or two more myself, if that were so! Who was it asking you for advice, or oughtn't I to ask? What I was going to say, was that I bought some rather lovely pastries and they simply have to be eaten today, while they're fresh. Since we've run into one another like this perhaps it's fate, Your Grace. Would you like to come back to the Hightower and visit with me? We could open a bottle of something and try the pastries and have a good talk — perhaps about our hair party, mmm? Or anything else you like — I know we only saw one another the other day, really, but it feels like longer, somehow, doesn't it?"
Dhraegon nods solemnly, "Safer. On vines like melons. Thick rind to keep out crows. No… no women lost. Neesa wife. Diff…difficult." He perks up, "Cakes? Hair? Would…would like that. On…Only here is…" his wild guesture rather sprays wine everywhere. "No Flox. Analla wine. Wine! Di..Diyouknow you can… can lie un.der. The bung. An'drink? Learn. a. new thing. Everyday!" He looks suddenly distraught, "Not… Not angry? Sososo sorry."
Just look at that face. Worried that she has said something, the merry widow tucks her hand into Prince Dhraegon's (that is, not the hand with which he's clutching his special bottle) and laces their fingers together in a gesture oft found reassuring by grown men reduced to little boys by the fragrant juices of the grape and the grain. "Angry? Me? I can't see why I ought to be… and I hope you're not either," she says gently, "even if I can't lie under the bung to drink. I really don't think I ought to, you know," and she lets out a little laugh; "just think what would happen to my hair!" Though the image of Prince Dhraegon sprawled upon that poor vintner's cellar floor, drinking thirstily straight from a cask of wine, is clear enough in in her mind and does explain a thing or two. Including the less than pristine condition of his own coiffure. "Just between you and me…" And she leans nearer to whisper, brushing a few silvery strands away from his ear, "I do happen to have rather a lot of wine in my rooms. I've an arrangement, you see, and I'd never want any guest of mine to go thirsty. I may not offer hospitality as grand as yours, Your Grace, but I do try."
Dhraegon is weeping again with the freedom of the very drunk. "Don'wanna dis…disapoint." His hair is indeed a complete mess. "Not… not sup.posed to. Drink. Not… not SPINNY Drink. Cro. cus. Want… want to be good. But… but wigs and wedding nights and sisters and… and breeding. Ask JOY. I said. Not… not me. About wives. And… and tilling. Seeds." He shudders, all wide eyed alarm. "Needa drink. Too loud, too loud!" Her leaning close has him throwing his arms around her neck, the bottle unfortuneately drip, drip, dripping down her back. "Wine? In'r'rooms? Please? Sorry, so sorry. Need a drink?" He is all desperate pleading now. "Not angry?"
With Prince Dhraegon once again all over her, soaking her with tears and wine alike, Lady Joy gestures frantically behind his back to the vintner who hasn't been quite able to tear himself away from the spectacle. She mouths something to him and, when he still looks puzzled, clears her throat and declares, "You'll be so good as to call for a cart, won't you, to see us to the docks?"
And, with an agreement reached that she'll remove the prince from his establishment if only he'll provide her with some means of doing so, she gives her charge's back another soothing rub and then unwraps his bottle arm from about her much smaller figure. "Oh, I know," she sighs, "it is rather loud in here sometimes, isn't it?" In truth it isn't at the moment, not really, but that's a matter of perspective. "But I'm not angry at all and it's going to be all right, sweetling. We'll just go back to my rooms and have a drink and you'll feel better, I know you will. And so will I." Truer words…
She lets him hang on to her with his other arm if it makes him any happier; more importantly, she extracts from the bosom of her gown a warm, fragrant, lace-edged linen handkerchief embroidered with the letters 'J' and 'H' in violet silk thread to match her gown. She shakes it out and dabs at each of his eyes in turn and then holds it to his nose: "Blow," she instructs.
The vintner scurries away for a cart greatful that someone is taking charge of the alarming drunk Prince Man Baby.
Prince Dhraegon likely thinks he is whispering, "Loud. Inmyhead. Allatime. Drink quiets it." He submits to being wiped with the air of someone used to being taken care of in just this way and blows loudly on command. Her promises seem to cheer him up, "Love you all so much!" He beams up at her, making an effort to focus on her face. "You are sosonice."
After another gentle wipe here and there, corners of fabric applied to corners of face, Lady Joy's maid is honoured with the gift of the royal hanky.
"If it's in your head," she says thoughtfully, "there's just no getting away from it, is there? … Come on, sweetling," this in answer to a hand gesture from the vintner, who has had a cart lately emptied of barrels brought round; hardly a princely conveyance but at least it's available at once, "just you hold my hand, and you can put your arm round Udo on your other side if you're feeling wobbly," her guardsman pales, "and we'll get over to the island just as soon as we can. It might be quieter when it's just us, don't you think?" she suggests. "Perhaps a little quieter. Though I always talk too much, I know I do, I've often been told so… usually by men," she giggles, rising to her feet with her wine-sodden gown clinging about her in a manner which causes masculine jaws to drop all round the winery, tucking one hand into Prince Dhraegon's to encourage him up likewise and beckoning urgently to poor Udo with the other. Goodness. Of all the parcels she hadn't thought to carry back to the Hightower… but if there's one present she knows her cousin Marsei would like above all others, surely it's an unhappy, straying husband brought home to those who know best how to look after him.
Dhraegon nods sadly, "Was doing better. Lately." Does make it upright on the third try and trustingly throws his bottle arm over the guard's shoulder and breathing wine fumes at him, "So kind. Love you sooooo much!" he clings to her hand and says to her with an odd attempt at dignified formallity that he can't possibly pull off given the circumstance. "Bid me." Then he is giggling, "Like your talk, Hyacinth…. Talktalktalk. Soothing… And hair. no… No wigs between us."
Seven above, he's drunker than she supposed. Calling her by all those sweet little floral names he has for Marsei. Well, perhaps from that angle (looking down from above, past masses of red hair) two women with Tully blood don't look so very dissimilar… Lady Joy elects on the spot not to say anything either way, not to alarm him by arguing, not to say anything that might make him less reluctant to come along with her — not when they've finally got him moving and are charting a meandering course through the winery's gawping patrons toward the tunnel which leads up to the street. At least it's a slope. Not stairs. Stairs. The Hightower. Oh, Seven above—!
"Wigs?" she inquires doubtfully. "You said something before about wigs… I know my colour's a trifle unusual but I've always had red hair, you can ask anybody, it's all my own and it's no end of bother, it really is, having such curls. Well. You'll see when we have our hair party," she giggles, "you'll see what it looks like down and how my maids struggle to put it up." The worthiest of these creatures, trailing behind, looks even less than usually pleased with her mistress, if such a state can be imagined.
Dhraegon shakes his head and nearly goes over, "No, no no. Ad.vice. Wedding. Night." he peers at her, swaying, forgetting to shuffle forewards, "Bright Petals." And then he stays there, eye lids drooping, swaying, swaying.
It is a complete mystery to Lady Hastwyck.
She looks up at him and nibbles her lower lip and considers wrapping his arm round her shoulders instead of only holding his hand; but, let's be realistic, he'd only take her down with him. Much better leave that to Udo.
"Well, perhaps you'll explain it all to me," she suggests with an effort at brightness, as she takes a step ahead of him and turns to lead him onward, "just as soon as we're at home, mmm? Come on, sweetling, it's not far now to the cart and then you can sit down… Do you like," she suggests wildly, "riding forwards or backwards? Looking at where you've going, or where you've just been? It feels a little funny, doesn't it, looking back?"
Udo's attempts to get him moving are failing. He's as immovable as a tree, despite swaying like one in high wind. His head swings to follow he movement, a little jerkily. He pleads, "Bid me?"
If there's a Dhraegon Targaryen Manual, no copy of it was issued to Lady Joy when she moved into the Hightower. An unconscionable oversight. She hesitates, not quite knowing what is called for, and resorts to manners: "Please, Your Grace? Come along with me, and see me home."
Dhraegon cocks his head. There is something almost eery about it. Some decition much have been made though as he makes a soft sound and starts shuffling forwaerds again. His balance is all wrong, but his back is rather straight. It's not the posture of a knight or soldier, but there is something vaguely dignified about it, perhaps a hint of the Prince he might have been if he were not so… as he is. "Yes. M'lady…. Bright Petals…."
And Lady Joy senses something, though she can't put a name to it — all she can do is reward him with a broader smile as he does just as she wills, following along with that stiff back of his as she leads him by the hand.
The cart is waiting in the street just beyond the tunnel, the driver having made his way nearer through the always-thronged Lower Hightower Street during the time it took to coax the mountainous prince thus far. It's empty of barrels, empty of anything at all, with only narrow wooden benches built in along its sides: Lady Hastwyck isn't at all too proud to ride in such a conveyance when needs must, and she has Udo more or less prop the prince against the back of it and kneel to make a stirrup of his hands for her. Meanwhile her maid Dora, lips pressed tightly together, stows the shopping beneath a bench; and the hand which has brought Prince Dhraegon so far is stretched out to him again from atop the said bench.
"Can you get up all right?" Lady Joy asks anxiously. "Udo can help you if it's too awkward — it's rather a funny little cart, isn't it? Not like a wheelhouse at all, but open to the skies — I rather feel as though we're going on an adventure…" The sun at least is low upon the western horizon, its rays not too bruising to the sensitive eyes of the drinking classes.
Dhraegon giggles, and slurs out, "Went home in a cart like this. From the party. Jurian too…. Best. Party. Ever…." He peers up at her, clearly confused, "Where…?" He is doing his tree imitation again.
Oh, Seven, lost him again. Lady Joy's outstretched hand beckons distinctly. "We're going to my rooms at the Hightower," she reminds him, "to have a drink together, and eat pastries, and perhaps you'll tell me about this marvelous party you went to… Won't you get in, please, sweetling? You must know all about carts like this, if you've been in one before," she coaxes.
Dhraegon's face wrinkles up as if he's trying to work something out, but it proving to difficult he begs her instead, "Bid me? I'm… I'm lost…."
It's the third time and it's beginning to sink in. Heavy-lidded, grey-green eyes look deeply into Prince Dhraegon's violet pair reddened by weeping; and she enunciates clearly, gently, "Get up into the cart, Your Grace."
Dhraegon looks wildly relieved. Clear directions even his wine soaked brain can figure out. The result is a rather undignified sea mammal flop, but he does manage to get all his parts in eventually. He crawls so he might lean against her legs. "There it is…. Quiet."
The maid Dora rides up front with the carter, giving him directions to the docks, to where the water taxis depart most regularly to the Hightower; the guardsman Udo climbs up in the back to clamber across the sprawled limbs of Prince Dhraegon and sit opposite his lady, trying not to appear as though he has any opinions, whatsoever, on any subject, at all: no, no, no.
It's mostly clear meanwhile to Lady Joy: she settles the prince's head in her silken lap and rubs his scalp with tender fingertips and and feels a wild stab of pity straight through her heart. It's rather a lot to understand, when so much more has come upon her now than she knew before, but all the same… All the same, he deserves the effort, and she makes it. "Quiet?" she suggests as the cart pulls out into the traffic, her gaze wandering over the manses and guildhalls they pass during the part of their journey which, on land rather than by sea, is shorter but slower. "Well, that's all right, then, isn't it… I really don't understand about the wigs," she confesses.
Dhraegon sighs happily as his scalp is rubbed. He snuggles up with the complete trust of a sleepy child, still clutching the bottle, though he has spilled most of it. He mumbles, "Di..Din't unnersand…Understand. Thought… thought he was not wanting a wife… wasn't US. So… so wigs? An… pink stuff… Vis…Visenya…. Thought I'd bru…bruised yourpetals. Petals. Bright, Bright, petals. Not Us? So wigs? Or… or dye? Onny… Only not that. Likes… Not Us. Wants… Wants a high… highbirn…. Highborn wife? _Tried_ only… only… tilling and… and… Not _good_ at this. Wanted… wanted a drink…. Drown in wwine, Drown in wine. Spin until we all float away. Vines an… and eggs're better, Iris, Lily, Jonquil Wife…."
"… Oh, dear," sighs Lady Joy, as bewildered as before; but still providing that soothing touch of soft fingers in silvery hair which seems to be calming him, at least, and keeping him from looking quite so forlorn. How much has he had to drink? She can hardly fathom it. One hand alights; she reaches down and, within his field of view, taps the bottle. "Will you let me have a sip of that, sweetling? I'm awfully thirsty… I forgot to have something at the winery and I'm not sure I can wait all the way to the Hightower."
Dhraegon obediently hands it up to her, "Will you sing to me after?" He is calm and there is a detatched note to his speaking, along with a childlike delivery. "And… And braid my hair?"
One unlikely request and one unprecedented: but having calmly drained the bottle, for it's not as though there was that much left, Lady Joy feels suddenly as though she might be able to manage it. Really, what else does she have on the rest of the day? The suitors aren't precisely beating down her door with roses clenched between their teeth. "If you like," she offers, with only a hint of surprise in her tone. "… Sweetling, I'm sorry, I think I drank it all — there wasn't much left," she apologises. "But we'll find another one, won't we, mmm?" And she passes the empty bottle back to him just so she has both hands with which to stroke his silvery Targaryen head. "I can sing a little," she admits, "though it's easier with someone to play the music… I don't know if I'd know any songs you might like." She bites her lip, gazing off into the shifting middle distance, for she's worked out by now that sexy Dornish tunes might not be the prince's bottle of wine, as it were.
Dhraegon peers up at her as she apologises but then settles back to cuddling her legs and resting his head in her lap, "Cakes and wine and home…. S'all right. it's gone quiet now…." He holds the bottle with absent minded obedience. he giggles, "Some…something pretty and soft…. Sorry I got drunk. Not supposed to…."
"I'm not supposed to either," confesses his self-appointed keeper of the evening, "but once in a while I do. It wouldn't be so much fun, would it, if we were supposed to? It's just the nature of the thing."
Dhraegon confides in her, "Snuck OUT. Not supposed to be OUT without a Minder…."
"… Oh! Well, you'll be in again soon enough, won't you? And there's nothing wrong with just visiting me, is there?" suggests Lady Joy conspiratorially. Though another wheel has clicked into place, deep beneath her red curls. "Mind you, the pastries might be a little fattening, but I'll risk it if you will, sweetling. They just looked so perfectly delicious."
Dhraegon beams happily, "Tol'you, Love. Want to get plump with you. All the cakes you like forever and ever…. Safe…"
"… Not really," is his companion's sighed estimation of the effect of cakes upon the feminine waistline. "Only if one's already married, you know; if one isn't it's generally best to keep away from them. But you're all right, aren't you? You've a lovely, lovely wife."
Dhraegon sighs and closes his eyes, "Maried now. Safe. Safesafesafe."
Married, and being shepherded home by his wife's cousin, and with not a care in the world… or is that, after his late babblings, too simple a summation? Lady Joy sighs in contemplation and keeps petting his hair, as long and soft and silky as a girl's, not disturbing him any further till the time comes for them to disembark from their cart and take ship to Battle Island.
dhraegonjoyeuselogre:floxre:jurianre:marsei


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Натуральне число 389
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 389 рік нашої ери


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U.S. Capitol Begins Phased Reopening
The U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC—a top U.S. tourist destination for groups of all kinds—has begun a phased reopening, allowing visitor access to the building for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Seen as a welcomed step by many, the complex has been shut down to the general public since March 12, 2020.
Destination DC has shared that the reopening plan outlines three phases for reopening the U.S. Capitol to visitors and the general public. The first phase of the reopening, which recently began on March 28, allows for the return of staff-led tours, with a limit of 15 people per tour. Visitors on official business are also allowed, with a 15-person limit. Capitol tours for K-12 students resume between the hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays, with a total of eight tours per day for groups limited to a maximum of 50 students.
The decision to reinstate limited tours was made in coordination with Congressional Leadership, the U.S. Capitol Police Board, the Attending Physician, Capitol Visitor Services and the U.S. Capitol Police.
"For meeting attendees and visitors coming to Washington, DC, being able to visit the U.S. Capitol, the most recognizable symbol of our democracy, anchors the American experience," says Elliott L. Ferguson, II, President and CEO of Destination DC. "To be able to spend time inside the Capitol and other iconic venues on the National Mall brings the Washington, DC experience to life and makes for an unforgettable event."
The second phase of the reopening plan is tentatively scheduled to begin on May 30 and would involve a limited reopening of the Capitol Visitor Center, which could include the CVC restaurant. The third reopening phase is anticipated to begin on Labor Day, September 5, and would involve the reopening of the entire Capitol complex for business as usual. Masks mandates for the Capitol were lifted on February 27.
Learn more by visiting Destination DC and the U.S. Capitol.
Written by Sarah Suydam, Managing Editor for Groups Today.
Photo courtesy of washington.org.
Capitol Building Tours
Transport Yourself to Another Time at Milwaukee Public Museum
New Jersey: We're for Groups.
Things Are Heating Up in Seattle!


Fairy tale retellings seem to be growing trend within young adult fiction. But with the added bonus of geekery and fandoms, Geekerella by Ashley Poston stands out among the crowds. Based on the classic tale of Cinderella, this cute and fun romance was a quick and enjoyable read.
Danielle (Elle) Wittimer is our leading geeky girl. Growing up, Elle and her late father would watch the classic sci-fi series Starfield together. This helped fuel Elle's love for the fandom, and helped her stay connected with her dad even after his passing. However, when Starfield is rebooted for a movie remake, Elle is skeptical of the male lead's ability to bring Prince Carmindor to life. Enter Darien Freeman, the book's token celebrity heartthrob. Darien has always wanted to play Carmindor, but due to his overbearing manager and gossip magazine headlines, he's known more his abs than his geeky obsession. These two characters become intertwined via some digital magic and the story evolves from there.
Now it wouldn't be a Cinderella retelling without a ball, and the story soon becomes centered around Elle trying to win a cosplay contest to gain an invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball. Working for the Magic Pumpkin food truck, another allusion to the classic tale, Elle is determined to make enough money to buy tickets to the Con and win the contest. Darien is also involved with the Con; his celebrity status ensuring that he is used for promotional purposes despite his efforts in maintaining a "normal teenage" life.
With a little magic, and a whole lot of Lord of the Rings references, the story unfolds in a cute and romantic way. The only thing I didn't like about the book was the wicked stepmother. Catherine, the stepmom, gave Dolores Umbridge a run for her money for most-hated-female-antagonist. She made me so frustrated!
Overall, this book was very entertaining. It had all the classic ingredients for the Cinderella story – the evil stepmother, the crazy stepsisters, even the glass slipper! But with a few twists and turns (and a moment of redemption for a hated character), this rendition felt fresh and new. There were many nods to famous fandoms. Starfield itself seemed like a show that I would want to watch with hints of Firefly and Stargate SG1. It also included some POC and diversity in it's storyline which is always refreshing to read!
Geekerella is available for presale at the moment, but officially releases April 4, 2017.


ZorOS is a bootable CD/USB that contains classical recovery programs, but localized in 7 languages: English, Italian, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Slovenian. It is "all in RAM" system, with dialog box and scripts to automate installations. Language is choice at boot time. Inside ISO a script to set default language and also extract devel tree (to rebuild a custom system). This system is based on Slackware.
It is now possible to execute an exernal script to get a custom system, for example a firewall or a network shared disk (via ssh).
This page was last modified on 20 December 2012, at 15:20.


Can we Ever Trust the State?
As more disclosures emerge about the extent of official surveillance in Western society, John Kampfner asks whether we can ever trust the State to protect our liberties. Oscar Guardiola-Rivera author of forthcoming book, 'Story of a Death Foretold' which charts the 1973 Chilean Coup, Ben Emmerson QC author of the UN report on drone strikes and US Ambassador Cynthia Schneider.


text:
Heart of Jesus can refer to:
The Sacred Heart of Jesus as an object of religious devotion
Sacred Heart Church
Heart of Jesus (statue), a statue in Lupeni, Romania
A common name for plants in the genus Caladium


When investing in virtual currency, you need to do your research. We provide you with reviews of each world top cryptocurrency out there, so that you can find the best crypto coins to invest in for you. This review of Bulwark Coin consists of three chapters: origin, technology and pros & cons.
Bulwark Coin is a coin that offers the ability to send instantaneous transactions as well as send highly private transactions. Bulwark started with Proof of Work (PoW) mining but intends to transition into Proof of Stake by December 2018. It also features masternode technology, which helps to expedite transactions while securing the network, and promoting coin holding.
Bulwark Coin is a privacy-oriented digital currency which makes use of the Masternodes. It offers both PrivateSend and InstantSend for quick transactions to be made with a Seesaw Staking/Masternode reward balancing mechanism in order to promote strong network security after the PoW phase. With no ICO, a soft-launch reward ramp, small premine, and miner-favored block reward allocations, Bulwark adopters will have ground-floor access to a privacy coin offering a blend of masternodes and the best available privacy coin technology alongside a meaningful development roadmap. Masternodes will be available, and functioning, on launch and are a primary part of Bulwark Coin's vision and will stabilize circulation, secure the network, and provide important functionality.
Focused on the tech rather than the hype.
Experienced developers and dedicated team who have made Bulwark truly decentralized as no individual hold large percentages of coins.
The whitepaper as well as the roadmap have clearly defined and promising future plans.
We have not identified any obvious cons with Bulwark Coin.
Bulwark is in a PoW Mining and Masternode phase currently, but will transition to Proof of Stake with Masternodes within a year. The No-ICO initial distribution has made it attractive to many people.
If you have concluded that this is the coin for you, congratulations! Buy Bulwark Coin here.


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SOCHI, RUSSIA - Japan suffered a 12-7 defeat to South Korea in its opening round-robin match in the women's curling competition at the Sochi Games on Tuesday.
Japan, who were missing flu-hit Kaho Onodera, took a 2-0 lead in the first end, but the South Koreans pulled level in the second.
After the lead changed hands several times, the South Koreans finally prevailed with five points over the final three ends at Ice Cube Curling Center.
Japan was to play again later in the day against Denmark, while the South Koreans are up against Switzerland.