Julian Assange after being arrested in London, April 11, 2019.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was expelled from Ecuador's Embassy in London on Thursday.
That expulsion, coming after Quito rescinded his asylum, led tot Assange's arrest. Here's how his legal troubles got to this point.
British police ended WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's six-and-a-half-year sojourn in Ecuador's London embassy by carrying him headfirst out of the building on Thursday after Quito revoked his asylum.
With a long white beard, his shock of white hair tied back, and clutching a Gore Vidal book, Assange was forced out of the embassy from which he has run his transparency organization since taking refuge there in 2012.
Assange was shuttled to a London courtroom, where he was quickly convicted on charges of violating the terms of his bail.
Thursday's events represent just the latest twist in Assange's journey from computer hacker to transparency activist to fugitive. US prosecutors unsealed an indictment against him on Thursday and are seeking his extradition, setting up a legal showdown between the WikiLeaks founder and the US Justice Department.
What are the charges against Assange?
Assange on the balcony of the Ecuadorian embassy in London, May 19, 2017.
The US indictment accuses Assange of conspiring with the whistleblower Chelsea Manning to break into a US government database containing classified information that Manning subsequently provided to WikiLeaks.
Thursday's indictment against Assange is narrowly construed. It alleges that Assange encouraged Manning to search for classified information and that he offered to help break a password to a database containing classified material.
There is no evidence made public to date to indicate that Assange succeeded in breaking the password, but his offer to do so is documented in publicly released chat logs between Assange and Manning.
On March 8, 2010, Manning asked Assange if he was "any good" at cracking hashes, which are the encrypted format in which passwords are typically stored. "Yes," Assange replied, prompting Manning to supply the hash.
What are the implications of Assange's indictment?
Assange as he leaves a police station in London on April 11, 2019.
The indictment accuses Assange of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Many of Assange's supporters feared he would be indicted under the Espionage Act—so the actual charge is less severe than they expected. Nonetheless, press freedom activists argue that his indictment could set a precedent for American prosecutors to target US journalists more aggressively and have a chilling effect on the American press.
Much of the activity attributed to Assange in the indictment resembles the work done by journalists reporting on national security issues. It describes as part of the conspiracy Assange and Manning's use of a "cloud drop box" to transfer files. Such systems are routinely used by US media organizations to receive sensitive material from sources while protecting the sources' identities.
Assange's act of encouraging Manning to supply government documents—also a routine aspect of national security journalism—is another part of the conspiracy, according to the indictment. When Manning informed Assange she had no more material to supply him, Assange wrote back, "curious eyes never run dry in my experience."
In the wake of the WikiLeaks disclosures and other leaks of classified material, US prosecutors working during the Obama administration stepped up their prosecution of government officials leaking classified material, bringing a record number of cases under the Espionage Act.
But the Obama administration never charged Assange for his role in orchestrating the leaks of classified material, spanning millions of diplomatic cables, military documents, and a video of a helicopter attack on civilians in Baghdad. The Obama administration feared that going after Assange would create a dangerous precedent for journalists.
Assange, who cut his teeth as a hacker before venturing into publishing, has always defended his work as journalism and argued that he should be afforded the customary protections extended to the media. It remains unclear how a US court would consider that question.
Assange's lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, said in a statement Thursday that if his extradition moves ahead, "any journalist can be extradited for prosecution in the US for having published truthful information about the US."
Assange arrested by UK police at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, April 11, 2019.
The answer to that question is unclear for now and will be aggressively litigated in British courts.
As part of his decision to revoke Assange's asylum, Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno said that he secured a written commitment from the British government not to extradite Assange to a country in which he could be subject to torture or the death penalty.
But it's not clear how relevant that commitment is for Assange. European law already prohibits the extradition of anyone at risk of capital punishment or torture, and yet Britain routinely extradites individuals to the United States, according to the website of the US Embassy in London.
But recent computer hacking cases may point toward a favorable outcome for Assange.
Last year, a British court blocked the extradition of Lauri Love, who was accused of breaking into the computer systems of the FBI and other US government agencies, and said he was likely to experience undue suffering in the US prison system. And in 2012 none other than then-Home Secretary Theresa May, now the prime minister, blocked the extradition to the United States of another accused computer hacker, Gary McKinnon.
Will there be additional charges against Assange?
Multiple media outlets reported on Thursday that prosecutors expect to issue additional charges against Assange.
Those charges could touch on any number of controversies from his past.
US intelligence officials have, for example, accused Assange of conspiring with Russian intelligence to publish documents stolen from the computer systems of Democratic operatives during the 2016 presidential campaign. The publication of those documents was a key component of the Russian effort to boost Donald Trump's presidential campaign.
A grand jury remains empaneled in the Eastern District of Virginia and is currently taking evidence regarding Assange, an indication that the US investigation of the WikiLeaks founder remains active. Manning is currently imprisoned for her refusal to give testimony before that body.
The Swedish sexual assault investigation in which Assange was wanted for questioning when he sought asylum in 2012 has been dropped. But on Thursday one of the plaintiffs in the case asked that the investigation be reopened, and Swedish authorities said they would consider whether to do so.
Assange after his arrest in London, April 11, 2019.
Six and a half years into his stay in the Ecuadorian Embassy, Assange had become a uniquely annoying houseguest.
Ecuadorian officials have often complained of the cost of Assange's stay in London, his poor hygiene, and the political cost of protecting a man who has made enemies in most world capitals. As his welcome wore thin, Assange signed an agreement pledging to clean up after himself and not to meddle in the internal affairs of other countries.
But the final straw seems to have been recent publications in Ecuador of emails and other messages belonging to Moreno, the Ecuadorian president, and his wife. Moreno's political opponents quickly accused him of corruptly profiting from a business deal with a Chinese firm, the Daily Beast reports.
That controversy might have blown over had WikiLeaks not promoted the story on Twitter.


text:
Edward Ignyś (ur. 7 marca 1916 w Klein-Ottersleben w Westfalii, zm. 29 listopada 2004 w Lesznie) – polski muzyk tradycyjny z regionu Wielkopolski grający na dudach, instruktor gry na dudach.

Życiorys
Urodził się w Niemczech, w rodzinie emigrantów zarobkowych. Po powrocie do Polski mieszkał w Opalenicy koło Buku, potem w Śmiglu na Wielkopolsce.

Jego dziadek grał na dudach wielkopolskich, ojciec na dudach i skrzypcach podwiązanych. Muzykantem był także jego wuj Wojciech. Kapela Ignysiów przed wojną grywała na wiejskich weselach, dożynkach oraz potańcówkach.

Naukę gry na skrzypcach i dudach rozpoczął w 12 roku życia, ucząc się od ojca i dziadka. Uczył się także gry na skrzypcach od organisty w Opalenicy, poznając zapis nutowy. Tuż przed II wojną zaczął grać w rodzinnej kapeli. Po wojnie, w latach 50. kapela grywała na biesiadach dudziarskich, przeglądach kapel, a także na konkursach i festiwalach folklorystycznych, m.in. w Kościanie, Gołębinie Starym, Przytocznej i w Poznaniu.

Przez prawie 30 lat Edward Ignyś był nauczycielem w Szkole Zawodowej w Śmiglu (1948-1976). Równocześnie w 1952 roku założył w Śmiglu kapelę dudziarską, którą w latach 60. przejął Powiatowy Dom Kultury w Kościanie.

Działalność muzyczną i pedagogiczną znacznie rozwinął po przejściu na emeryturę (1976).  Stał się słynnym na całą Wielkopolskę nauczycielem gry na dudach i skrzypcach, dudziarzem i znawcą dud oraz dawnego repertuaru kapel dudziarskich.

Prowadził grupy dziecięco-młodzieżowe w Turwi, Bukówcu Górnym, Czempiniu, Śmiglu, Krobi. Grono jego byłych uczniów liczy ponad 60 osób. Wielu dawnych uczniów Ignysia założyło swoje kapele (ponad 25 kapel dudziarskich).
Był inicjatorem powstania Turnieju Dudziarzy Wielkopolskich w Kościanie, pierwotnie odbywającego się od 1979 roku w Gołębinie Starym. Obecnie (2018) odbyła się już XXXIX edycja turnieju.

Grał również na bandonii oraz był założycielem zespołu Bandonistów Wielkopolskich.

Koncertował z kapelami i zespołami regionalnymi na terenie całej Polski oraz za granicą. Brał udział w festiwalach folklorystycznych w Płocku, na Festiwalu Kapel i Śpiewaków Ludowych w Kazimierzu Dolnym nad Wisłą (wielokrotnie), w Ogólnopolskim Konkursie Tradycyjnego Tańca Ludowego w Rzeszowie, w Jaśle, na festiwalu w Przytoczni oraz w Poznaniu. Zdobywał tamże najwyższe nagrody i wyróżnienia: solo, z kapelą i z uczniami.

Zajmował się wyrobem dud wielkopolskich, a także kozłów weselnych i sierszeniek dla uczniów, kapel dudziarskich oraz dla muzeów. Dudy wykonane przez Edwarda Ignysia znajdują się m.in. w Muzeum Etnograficznym w Warszawie i Toruniu, w Muzeum Ludowych Instrumentów Muzycznych w Szydłowcu oraz w zbiorach zagranicznych.

Edward Ignyś obchodził 50 lecie pracy instruktorskiej w 2001 roku. Zmarł w 2004 r. w wieku 88 lat i pochowany jest na cmentarzu parafialnym w Śmiglu.

Uczniowie
Wśród uczniów Edwarda Ignysia jest m.in. Tomasz Kiciński i jego Kapela Manugi z Bukówca Górnego (działa od 1977 roku).

Wydawnictwa
 1996 - "Śpiewki dudziarskie z Leszczyńskiego" (Leszno 1996) wydane na 45-lecie pracy instruktorskiej Edwarda Ignysia; wyd. Wojewódzki Dom Kultury w Lesznie
 1997 - "Śpiewki dudziarskie z Gostyńskiego i Rawickiego"

Nagrody i wyróżnienia
 1984 r. - I miejsce na Ogólnopolskim Przeglądzie Kultury w Przeworsku za widowisko sceniczne "Podkoziołek"
 1987 - Nagroda Kolberga w dziedzinie muzyki (dudziarz, skrzypek)
 Krzyż Kawalerski Orderu Odrodzenia Polski
 Odznaka "Zasłużony Działacz Kultury"
 Odznaka za Zasługi dla Województwa Leszczyńskiego

Przypisy

Zobacz też
 Dudy

Polscy muzycy ludowi
Laureaci Nagrody Kolberga
Dudziarze wielkopolscy
Polscy twórcy ludowi
Odznaczeni Krzyżem Kawalerskim Orderu Odrodzenia Polski
Odznaczeni odznaką "Zasłużony Działacz Kultury"
Urodzeni w 1916
Zmarli w 2004

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
The Fight Continues for Medical Marijuana Access in Mississippi
Jacob McMaster NORML Political Associate - January 19, 2022 0
The fight for legal medical marijuana access continues in Mississippi. Just days after the start of the 2022 legislative session, Senate members voted 47-5 in favor of legislation legalizing medical marijuana, thus sending the bill to House members for...
CBD in the NFL, what comes next?
Keegan MacDonald - January 18, 2022 0
Using CBD products has always been a controversial topic in major sports up until the last few years. With cannabis, CBD, and hemp legalization happening all over the US, more sports organizations are allowing players to use substances like...
Update: Ballot Initiative and Referendum Efforts
Jax James NORML State Policy Manager - January 12, 2022 0
Update on ballot initiatives and referendum efforts. Wyoming While Wyoming activists made significant progress in collecting signatures for a ballot intuitive effort to legalize cannabis, they didn't reach their goal in time for the 2022 ballot deadline. They are now aiming...
Michigan cannabis sales break another record in December
The state of Michigan has broken another record for marijuana sales this last December. According to state officials, Michigan raked in over $135 million in recreational cannabis sales and about $33 million in medical sales in December alone. According to...
Kansas Democrats looking to put legalization on the ballot in 2022
Keegan MacDonald - January 7, 2022 0
Kansas Democrats are putting in motion a plan to legalize medical and adult-use marijuana. This legislation would be included in the 2022 ballot. Last Thursday, democratic leaders Tom Sawyer and Jason Probst held a briefing on how they are...
State Policy Update (1/7/2022)
Jax James NORML State Policy Manager - January 7, 2022 0
Updates on filed and moving legislation over the last week. FLORIDA Legislation has been filed to expand eligibility to allow those with certain prior cannabis convictions to get their records cleared. SB 1488 would allow individuals convicted of misdemeanor offenses involving the...
Longtime Cannabis Policy Expert Morgan Fox Hired to Oversee NORML's Federal Advocacy Efforts
NORML - January 6, 2022 0
The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws is pleased to announce the addition of Morgan Fox to its national staff. Morgan Fox will serve as NORML's Political Director, taking over the position from outgoing NORML staffer Justin...
Activists in Wyoming looking to legalize and decriminalize marijuana by 2024
Wyoming marijuana activists have turned their focus to the 2024 ballot, hoping for decriminalization and cannabis initiatives. According to research done by Marijuanamoment, activists in Wyoming have collected thousands of signatures for a pair of ballot initiatives that would...
Marijuana and Psychedelic News to look out for in 2022
Graham Cooper - January 3, 2022 0
Welcome to our third year in what is turning out to be a quite hellish-feeling decade! However, my more optimistic side sees these last couple years as transformative, opening up a world that embraces change and turns its eye toward...
According to new research cannabis is 114 times safer than alcohol
Keegan MacDonald - December 31, 2021 0
According to a newly released peer-reviewed study, Cannabis is roughly 114 times safer than its counterpart alcohol. According to Best Cannabis Answers, researchers from Germany and Canada compared the risk of various substances starting in 2015. The results of...
LifestyleKeegan MacDonald - January 28, 2022 0
Delaware is One Step Closer to Legalization
Delaware lawmakers have approved a marijuana legalization bill in a committee vote this last week. On Wednesday, this bill...
Does Smoking Weed Decrease Aging?
Graham Cooper - January 28, 2022
State Policy Weekly Update (1/28/22)
Jax James NORML State Policy Manager - January 28, 2022
Seattle now has Legal Psychedelics
Mississippi: Lawmakers Advance Medical Cannabis Access Bill to Governor's Desk
NORML - January 26, 2022
Follow Pot Portal
Visit our Affiliate Sites
Sign Up for the PP Newsletter
© 2021 Pot Portal. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
© 2021 Pot Portal. All Rights Reserved.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


A Bethany Lowe design. What better to put around the house to bring a little of the Fall colors indoors? These Velveteen Pumpkins in a Bag will make your decorating so easy! With two different sizes of baby velvet pumpkins in so many harvest colors, they easily pair with pilgrim or Indian figures, or distribute them down your Thanksgiving table with Fall leaves and larger gourds for a fabulous centerpiece. You will think of so many uses for these pumpkins from September to Thanksgiving that you will keep wanting more!


text:
Review: virtual reality theatre streaming service LIVR
by Louis Train
The LIVR offices at Westbourne Green look like the headquarters of any startup: the decoration is sparse, the staff is small, there's a dog bed by the wall and, one assumes, sometimes there is a dog. At one end of the room there is a sofa, where I was invited to sit and try on a virtual reality headset. I pulled the set over my eyes and plugged in the headphones. I chose a play, Stephen Laughton's One Jewish Boy, and pressed start.
The room went dark. In front of me, a stage was set, beside me and behind me and all around me, spectators chatted excitedly. I turned my head and took in the room: couples, friends, the usual theatre-goers. I glanced at the wristwatch of the man sat next to me and noticed it was evening. A light came on the stage, the actors entered and spoke their first words, and the performance began.
LIVR offer a monthly subscription service of live-streaming virtual reality theatre. If you have a VR headset, or even one of those £5 kits from Google, you can immerse yourself in some of the best of contemporary theatre. As someone who watches two or three plays a week, I am skeptical at first. But an hour at the LIVR office trying out a handful of plays from their repertory convinced me that VR theatre is damn convincing.
Of course, it's not an exact substitute for the real thing – being sat surrounded by virtual people is actually quite lonely – but that's not the point. VR theatre gives you access to something you might have missed: because the show sold out, because you don't live in London, because ticket prices are too steep. VR theatre will also be a tremendous resource for researchers going forward – unlike a script, which provides a record of only the words in a play, but not the lighting, sound, or acting, a VR recording gives you a sense of every detail of the production. More than anything, it makes theatre radically more accessible than any ticket discount scheme.
LIVR are on track to add eight new plays per month. Their repertory of 120 shows is already impressive (I especially enjoyed Songlines, which premiered at the Queen's Theatre, and Woke, from Edinburgh Fringe 2018.) Artists receive royalties each time a show is watched, potentially providing a new stream of revenue for hard-working folks whose employment can be precarious.
'Innovation' is a buzzword around the West End these days. But more often than not, it means dyeing an actor's hair purple or adding pop-rock to Shakespeare. Virtual reality might be the largest innovation the theatre has seen in a long time, and it's happening on your sofa.
4 April, 2019 laurakressly	review, technology, VR


Here's a quick summary of our recent IT contract positions!
A client located in Maple Grove, MN is looking for a Windows Administrator for a project that will last at least 6 months. The ideal candidate would have at least 7 years of experience along with working knowledge in clustering and web hosting. Responsibilities will include administering and maintaining Windows operating systems, providing technical guidance for incident management, and coordinating all the required upgrades and system patching to the systems hosting infrastructure.
This position was posted on 12/3/2013. Click Here for more details!
This contract-to-hire position is located in Minneapolis, MN. The candidate will be responsible for developing the client's internal tools and website; and ensuring the production environment of about 20 servers runs smoothly. The candidate will be the primary contact for third-party providers, therefore should have excellent communication skills. The ideal candidate would have at least 3 years of experience administering LINUX/UNIX, strong knowledge of MySQL cluster, and feel comfortable doing hands-on work.
A healthcare industry client located in Eagan, MN needs a Senior Technical Engineer for a 6 month project. The candidate should be comfortable working independently, as well as in a team to document procedures and facilitate knowledge transfers. Qualifications for the position include a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science (or related field) with 4 years of IT Technical Engineer experience or 12 years of IT Technical Engineer experience. The candidate will be responsible for installing, configuring, and debugging IMS and MQ z/ OS; among other duties.
This position was posted on 12/4/2013. Click Here for more details!
A Senior DBA Administrator is needed at a client in Eagan, MN for a project lasting at least 9 months. The candidate will be responsible for maintaining the software functionality, applying SAP application specific system patches, and supporting the Basis infrastructure of the SAP environment. The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field along with 4 years of IT Technical Engineer experience. A minimum of 5 years of DB2 DBA experience as well as 3 to 5 years of experience with SAP environments is also required.
This position was posted on 12/5/2013. Click Here for more details!
Want to view all of our current IT contract positions? Visit our Job Seekers page!


text:
IIHS Study: Unbuckled Rear Seat Passengers Could Kill Front Seat Passengers
Our Georgia Car Accident Lawyers Report on a New Study That Concludes: An Unbuckled Rear Seat Passenger Can Kill A Front Seat Passenger During an Accident
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently published findings from a study the organization recently concluded. The test examined the dynamics of an unrestrained passenger and the effects they could have on a front seat passenger. The study also examined motorists' attitudes toward "buckling up" in the back seat and found some disturbing and dangerous trends. If you or a loved in suffered a severe injury or died in a car crash in Georgia, Montlick & Associates, Attorneys at Law can help. Montlick & Associates' Georgia car accident attorneys have decades of experience dedicated to maximizing their clients' opportunity to recover damages from an auto wreck.
The short video depicting the crash test is all anyone really needs to see to convince them to buckle up in the backseat. The crash test video shows an unrestrained crash dummy sitting behind a restrained driver. The accident vehicle is equipped with driver's side airbags. In the test, a car slammed into the test medium at 35 miles per hour to simulate a frontal crash impact. The unrestrained passenger essentially becomes airborne and slams into the driver's seat. The driver is propelled into the airbag and steering column with devastating force. According to the IIHS, drivers are twice as likely to be killed in crashes where the backseat passenger is unrestrained. Not only does the driver absorb a tremendous blow from the rear seat passenger, but the passenger is also tossed about the interior of the crash car. The effects of the accident on the rear seat passenger are important to note because more than half of the people who die in motor vehicle crashes each year are unbelted according to the IIHS.
IIHS Frontal Crash With an Unbelted Rear-Seat Passenger
The prevailing attitude toward using a seat belt in the backseat is more relaxed than front seat passengers and drivers. According to the IIHS survey conducted at or near the same time as the crash test described above, many people surveyed believe that the backseat is a safe place in a car. Therefore, they incorrectly reason, using a seatbelt is superfluous or unnecessary. This attitude has been particularly prevalent among people who use ride-hailing services or ride in taxis frequently. Statistics show that a person is eight times more likely to be injured when riding unrestrained in the backseat than when riding while wearing a seatbelt.
Whether you buckle up might depend on the demographic into which you fall. Adults aged 35 to 54 are most likely to refuse to wear a seatbelt in the backseat. Women have a greater tendency to use seat belts in the backseat than men. Additionally, those who have higher educational levels tend to use seat belts more often than people having attained lower educational success.
In Georgia, a backseat passenger does not have to be restrained by law. In contrast, the driver and front seat passenger must wear their seat belts. Forty percent of the respondents in the IIHS study indicated that they do not wear seat belts in the back because no law requires them to do so. The study also revealed that a seat belt warning, like those now commonly in use in the front part of vehicles, would help remind them to wear them even though they are seated in the back. IIHS studies also show that fatal accidents are less frequent in vehicles equipped with seatbelt warning signals.
Be sure to visit our Family Safety Programs and Resources web portal to learn vehicle safety tips and learn about Montlick & Associates' community outreach programs.
If you have been injured in any type of accident involving someone else's negligence, call Montlick & Associates, Attorneys at Law for your free consultation today to learn about your legal rights as well as what steps can be taken to protect those rights. Montlick & Associates has been representing those who suffer serious injuries throughout all of Georgia and in the Southeast for over 36 years, including but not limited to Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Gainesville, Macon, Marietta, Rome, Roswell, Savannah, Smyrna, Valdosta, Warner Robins and all smaller cities and rural areas in the state. Our Georgia car accident injury lawyers have been representing those who suffer serious injuries throughout all of Georgia and the Southeast for over 36 years.
Category: Auto Accidents


Considering that untreated and undiagnosed depression is the leading cause of suicide and third leading cause of death among teenagers, adolescent mental health should be on top priority for schools as their present wellbeing directly affects their and our country's future. On the occasion of World Mental Health Day, Presidium recently organized a 'Mind Your Mind' workshop to spread awareness about the importance of positive mental health and equip adolescents with skills to cope effectively with stressors.
The honourable chairperson of Presidium, Mrs. Sudha Gupta also graced the event, along with many renowned external experts. Firmly believing in the importance of investing in the emotional health of 'leaders of tomorrow', the dignitaries addressed more than 200 11th and 12th grade students from Presidium and other schools in Gurgaon in this impeccable experience of healthy interaction, mutual learning and live sessions on dance and expressive arts therapy. It was heartwarming to see the youngsters getting transformed into more aware and empowered students, who can perform at their highest potential, enhance their emotional and mental wellbeing and embrace positivity.


text:
Q: JS files not loading first page load? When performing a script include on a file (index.shtml), the page doesn't perform the task it should (display a div on the bottom of the page).

I have to reload the page for the script to take effect. How can I load the script first time? Never had this problem before.
Script to appear:
document.write('');
$(document).ready(function(){
    $("#polup").toggle(function(){
        $("#cookieMessage").animate({height:120},500);
        $("#arrow").animate({height:0},160);
    },function(){
        $("#cookieMessage").animate({height:22},500);
        $("#arrow").animate({height:14},160);
    });
});

var accepted = get_cookie("accepted");
if(accepted == null){
    document.cookie = "accepted=no; path=/"; // initialize the cookie
}

function accept(){
    // when the client clicks accept
    $("#cookieMessage").fadeOut();
    $.cookie("accepted", "yes", {
       expires : 360,           //expires in 10 days
       path    : '/',          //The value of the path attribute of the cookie
    });
}
function get_cookie ( cookie_name )
// method to retrieve a cookie based upon its name entered
    {
      var results = document.cookie.match ( '(^|;) ?' + cookie_name + '=([^;]*)(;|$)' );

      if ( results )
        return ( unescape ( results[2] ) );
      else
        return null;
    }
var x = get_cookie("consentCookie");

        if((x == null) && (accepted == "no")){
        //if the cookie does not exist it is the users first time on the page
        document.cookie = "consentCookie=no; path=/";
        var policy = '

Cookie Policy

Our website uses cookies. By using our website and agreeing to this policy, you consent to our use of cookies. Find out more about cookies.

 I accept

';
        document.write(policy);
    }else if((x == "no") && (accepted == "no")){
        // if they have visited before but not accepted
        document.write('
');
        var policy = '
Cookie Policy

';
        document.write(policy);
        document.write('
Our website uses cookies. By using our website and agreeing to this policy, you consent to our use of cookies.

Find out more about cookies.

 I accept

');
        $("#cookieMessage").css("height","20");
    }else{
        //if they  have visited and accepted
        document.write('

Cookie Policy

');
    }

A: Is it really the script not being executed? Have you tried with an alert if you get the alert box?
It seems to me your problem could have to do with the fact that on first page load there is no cookie, you set it in your code, but I believe you will be only able to read it next time you load the page. You could check for an cookie, if not present, set the cookie, programmatically reload and run the rest of your code.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: ANTLR 4 map Java Exception to directly with DSL input script In ANTLR 4 inside Listener, I can listen for rule events. In listener event suppose I am performing any task and that task is failed. At task failure I would like to notify DSL user about failure by referring DSL script(not specific to Java code). And stop further execution of tree traversing.
How I should accomplish this ?

NOTE: One way is to get line number from context and notify about
  failure referring to that line input. But I would like to know if
  there is any mechanism provided by ANTLR?

A: This type of task is best handled by an implementation of the ANTLRErrorStrategy interface. In particular, look at the runtime provided BailErrorStrategy class.


text:
Egypt: Detained US citizen found dead in cell
CAIRO (AP) — A U.S. citizen detained in Egypt for violating curfew in August was found dead Sunday in his jail cell, the second foreigner to die in detention in recent weeks, security officials said.
The U.S. Embassy in Cairo confirmed that an American citizen held prisoner in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia died from an apparent suicide and that it was in contact with Egyptian authorities. It had no further comment.
Security officials identified the man as James Henry, 66, a retired U.S. Army officer who arrived in Cairo from the Gulf kingdom of Bahrain on Aug. 25. Henry was detained by army troops in the turbulent region of northern Sinai three days later while making his way to the border crossing with Gaza in the town of Rafah, the officials said.
Henry was flown to the Suez Canal city of Ismailia on a military aircraft and handed over to the police who remanded him in custody pending charges, the officials said. Jailers found Henry dead after he used his belt and shoe laces to hang himself, the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to journalists.
Henry is the second foreigner to die in Egyptian custody since last month. Then, authorities said cell mates beat a French man to death after his arrest in Cairo's upscale district of Zamalek for violating curfew. Authorities slapped a nighttime curfew on much of Egypt in August following a wave of violence stemming from a popularly backed military coup that overthrew the country's president.
Meanwhile Sunday, a Soviet-made MiG-21 fighter jet belonging to the Egyptian air force crashed while on a training mission near the southern ancient city of Luxor, killing a villager on the ground and injuring three, officials said. The pilot bailed out and parachuted safely to the ground.
The plane crash set several houses on fire and damaging an elementary school. The fire was quickly put out, said security and medical officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Col. Ahmed Mohammed Ali, a military spokesman, said on his official Facebook page that the plane crashed as a result of a mechanical failure. He gave no other details.
The Russian-made MiG warplanes were once the backbone of Egypt's air force. They began to be replaced in the 1980s and 1990s by U.S.-made fighter jets, mainly the F-16.
World News |
Reports of torture, unfair trials in Iran trigger fresh alarm over fate of protesters
Russians gone from Ukraine village, fear and hardship remain


text:
Role of Conformational Changes in G Protein-Coupled Receptor Activation
Scott, Caitlin Eileen (2014) Role of Conformational Changes in G Protein-Coupled Receptor Activation. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/Z94747VG. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:05312014-002701930
Transmembrane signal transduction is achieved by activation of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) like the human cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptor, the human cannabinoid type 2 (CB2) receptor, and the human mu-opioid receptor. These receptors exist in the membrane in an ensemble of conformations each of which might bind to different signaling molecules and cause different physiological effects. Understanding the structural basis of their activation will eventually help us in designing drugs that target these receptors with potentially minimal undesirable side effects. CB1 is of particular interest because it is located in the central nervous system and modulates hunger, making it an attractive anti-obesity drug target. In this receptor, mutating a single residue, threonine 210, to isoleucine in the third transmembrane (TM3) domain makes it far more active than the wild-type (WT) receptor, whereas mutating it to alanine makes it fully inactive. CB1 is difficult to model because it has a small sequence identity with the receptors that have been crystallized. We used the first principles-based GEnSeMBLE method to predict 3D structures of these receptors representing the fully inactive to highly constitutively active states. With this software, we quickly found a set of low energy receptor conformations by sampling trillions of helix orientations. Differences in the intracellular surface explain experimental differences in activation for the CB1 receptor and its mutants. These predictions were validated by designing double mutants that were expected to switch the inactive T210A to WT levels of activation and expected to switch the very active L207A to T210A levels of activation. These predictions were first verified computationally then experimentally with GTPgammaS assays. The accuracy of our predictions indicate that the GEnSeMBLE method is a useful procedure for predicting GPCR structures at various activation states. Known inverse agonists were docked to these predicted CB1 receptor structures, and the resulting complexes were inserted into a solvated lipid bilayer for 50 ns of NPT molecular dynamics with NAMD software. The inverse agonist preferentially binds to a pre-activated CB1 state, but during MD, traits of the inactive structure start to form suggesting that the ligand induces conformational changes.
Thesis (Dissertation (Ph.D.))
G protein-coupled receptors, cannabinoid receptors, protein structure prediction, Monte Carlo computational methods, conformational ensemble
Degree Grantor:
Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
Major Option:
Thesis Availability:
Public (worldwide access)
Research Advisor(s):
Goddard, William A., III
Thesis Committee:
Gray, Harry B. (chair)
Clemons, William M.
Shan, Shu-ou
Abrol, Ravinder
Defense Date:
NIH DA020763
NIH R01NS071112
NIH Al040567
Center for Catalytic Hydrocarbon Functionalization UNSPECIFIED
Materials and Process Simulation Center UNSPECIFIED
Sanofi UNSPECIFIED
PharmSelex/Accelerator UNSPECIFIED
Bing Scholarship UNSPECIFIED
Caltech Freshmen Summer Research Institute
CaltechTHESIS:05312014-002701930
https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:05312014-002701930
10.7907/Z94747VG
Default Usage Policy:
Caitlin Scott
Thesis Files
PDF - Final Version


Sanders. Bob Sanders was the fast, hard hitting safety that the Colts needed. Sanders was inspirational in the locker room and motivated the players around him to play their best and hit their hardest.
Sanders was a two time All Pro selection. He was one of the best safeties on the field. The problem with Sanders is that he suffered from many injuries. He only had two seasons where he was able to start more than 10 games. If it weren't for the injuries he may have been a Pro Bowler more than twice.


text:
Home » Philly Crew Unearths Wooden 200-year-old Water Main
Philly Crew Unearths Wooden 200-year-old Water Main
The wooden piping served the city for 20 years until cast-iron pipe was installed in 1831.
A Philadelphia Water Department crew unearthed a water main made of hollow tree trunks that lay buried and forgotten for 200 years.
The crew was replacing old cast-iron piping with a new ductile iron main on May 3 when the discovery was made.
Sections of 10-foot long pine drilled to create a 4- to 6-inch center were bound together with iron couplings. Adam Levine, a historical consultant for the water department, said records show the wooden piping with installed between 1811-1812.
The piping was connected to water tanks that stood on a hill a mile away. Philadelphia's system used two steam engines to pump water from the Schuylkill River into wooden tanks at the Centre Square Water Works, which was designed by Benjamin Latrobe, who was also the architect for the U.S. Capitol Building.
Gravity delivered the water through the wooden piping network that eventually grew to 45 miles in length before metal piping became the norm.
More details here and here.
Source: Philly.com and Philadelphia Water Department.
Engineers & Specifiers Industry Community News PVF
Maryland waterworks crew unearth century-old wooden water pipe
Florida Contractor Repipes 78-year-old's Home for Helping Hands for the Holidays Program
Chicago Sun-Times Profiles Cliff Bruckner and 130-Year-Old Chas. F. Bruckner and Son Plumbing
Watts "Smarter, Safer Hot Water" Webinar


Fear The Walking Dead fans have come to the season two mid-season finale and a lot has changed since we first met our survivors back in Los Angeles. Fear The Walking Dead is showing what happens to survivors of the zombie apocalypse during the early stages of the apocalypse but it appears that the show is moving away from showing us that world and is going to only focus on the characters that are surviving. The fun and surprise of this show was giving Walking Dead fans a glimpse into a new world, but at times this show seems to be move slowly and gets weighed down by odd and confusing plot lines.
While season two has been slow at times and is building towards a larger plot, it feels like the show continues to strive to catch up to AMC's The Walking Dead, which set the bar incrediable high. A lot was riding on this mid-season finale, could the show hook fans back in and make us want to see what happens for the reason of season two? The following our the top five moments from "Shiva." What did you think of this episode? Are you looking forward to seeing what happens during the rest of season two? Comment below and lets talk all things Fear!


Action video game playing is associated with improved visual sensitivity, but not alterations in visual sensory memory.
Action video game playing has been experimentally linked to a number of perceptual and cognitive improvements. These benefits are captured through a wide range of psychometric tasks and have led to the proposition that action video game experience may promote the ability to extract statistical evidence from sensory stimuli. Such an advantage could arise from a number of possible mechanisms: improvements in visual sensitivity, enhancements in the capacity or duration for which information is retained in visual memory, or higher-level strategic use of information for decision making. The present study measured the capacity and time course of visual sensory memory using a partial report performance task as a means to distinguish between these three possible mechanisms. Sensitivity measures and parameter estimates that describe sensory memory capacity and the rate of memory decay were compared between individuals who reported high evels and low levels of action video game experience. Our results revealed a uniform increase in partial report accuracy at all stimulus-to-cue delays for action video game players but no difference in the rate or time course of the memory decay. The present findings suggest that action video game playing may be related to enhancements in the initial sensitivity to visual stimuli, but not to a greater retention of information in iconic memory buffers.


Enter a dazzling world of adventure at The Wonderful World of Disney On Ice! Join Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse on an inspiring walk down memory lane in celebration of magic and family fun. Here's everything you need to check out before entering the competition.
The Wonderful World of Disney On Ice Magic Carpet Cart Ride provides a unique opportunity for selected children to become part of the show. This live experience incorporates an exciting on-ice cart ride that allows participants to get up-close and personal with the characters during the "Prince Ali" scene within the show.
The "Prince Ali" Cart Ride will take place approximately 26 minutes from the start of the show during the "Prince Ali" scene in the Aladdin segment in Act 1.
The ride will be approximately 3 minutes long and will conclude after the "Prince Ali" number.
Aladdin and friends will interact with the participants within the context of the choreography.
The Cart Ride is designed for children only, from 5 – 11 years of age.
Entry and exit will occur at the downstage left corner of the ice.
Refunds / exchanges are not available for patrons who arrive late or miss participation in the cart ride.
Photography/videoing is not permitted by participants in the cart. Family members not participating are permitted to film or photograph their child while the child participates based on current Feld photography and videoing guidelines.
The parents can wait with the children, but should not block the view of anyone in the house.


text:
Lycée International ALUMNI
NATIONAL SECTIONS
MAIN DATES
MODIFY MY PROFILE
MY EMAILS SUBSCRIPTIONS
MY FORUM TOPICS
GIVE BY BANK TRANSFER
GIVE BY CHEQUE
Margaret Jenkins
Director of development of the American Section of the Lycée International.
Olivier Beyer
Alumnus of the American section (graduated in 1977).
Titania Redon
Alumna of the British section (graduated in 1985).
Alexandra Bertini
Alumna of the Italian section (graduated in 1985).
Tatiana Evreinoff
Alumna of the Spanish section (graduated in 1998).
Sylvie Habert-Dupuis
Former President of the APELI (Parents' Association of the Lycée International).
du Lycée International
de Saint-Germain-en-Laye
2 bis rue du Fer à Cheval
Copyright © 2023 Lycée International of Saint-Germain-en-Laye Alumni Association. All rights reserved.


Enjoy a 17 Night Maldives, Dubai & Arabian Gulf Cruise & Stay holiday with P&O Cruises.
Prices from only £1,759 per person - call our friendly cruise consultants today for further details!
Oceana's atrium offers a real 'wow' as soon as you step onboard, with its palm trees and glass-fronted lifts. Her diverse and flexible dining and entertainment options offer great choice day and night - from two main restaurants, an Italian restaurant by Marco Pierre White and a poolside grill to 13 places to drink, a nightclub, a casino, two pools and a champagne bar, plus fun facilities for children of all ages.


text:
What is the History of Reiki?
by William Lee Rand
The International Center for Reiki Training
Mrs. Hawayo Takata brought Reiki from Japan to the West in 1937 and continued to practice and teach until her passing in 1980. Because of her devotion, Reiki has been passed on to millions of people all over the world, and the numbers continue to grow! And as you will see, if it wasn't for her, Reiki most likely would never have been discovered by the West and even in Japan would have been practiced secretly by only a small number of people.
Until the 1990s, the only information we had about Reiki came from Mrs. Takata. Her story of Reiki was recorded on tape, and this recording is still available along with a transcript of the contents.(1) In the past most people including many authors simply accepted Takata Sensei's interpretation of the history of Reiki as accurate without attempting to do any additional research. Because of this, Mrs. Takata's version of the story was repeated in all the earlier books written on Reiki. (Fortunately many current authors are using more recent historical information.)
In the course of researching the origins of Reiki, I learned that Mrs. Takata took liberties with the history of its development. In 1990, for example, I wrote to Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan where Mrs. Takata reported that the founder of Reiki, Usui Sensei, had held the office of president. I had hoped to gain additional information that would help us understand who Usui Sensei really was. I also contacted the University of Chicago, from which Usui Sensei had obtained a degree according to Mrs. Takata. Neither university had ever heard of him. (Copies of the letters from both universities are available from the International Center for Reiki Training.) This disappointing discovery led me to wonder if other parts of the Takata Sensei version of Reiki were also inaccurate. In talking with several early Reiki Masters about this discovery, I was told that Mrs. Takata had westernized the story of Reiki by changing certain details and adding others to make it more appealing to Americans.
I continued to seek additional information about the history of Reiki, but attempts to secure it went slowly at first. The main reason for this is that after World War II, the U.S. government had complete control over Japan for a time and banned all Eastern healing methods in Japan and required that only Western medicine be practiced there. The members of the organization Usui Sensei started, the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai, decided they wanted to find a way to continue to practice Reiki. Some of the other healing groups such as the Acupuncturists were able to get a license to practice, but the Gakkai chose not to go through this process. In order to continue to practice Reiki, they decided to become a secret society and practice only among themselves and not talk about Reiki to anyone outside their organization.(2) This made it difficult for anyone to learn about Reiki including the Japanese. In fact, if someone in Japan wanted to learn Reiki after the war, he or she had to travel to the U.S. to learn or had to learn from a Western trained Reiki teacher who traveled to Japan. Because of this, even now most Reiki practiced in Japan is a combination of Western and Japanese Reiki.
1 Mrs. Takata Speaks, The History of Reiki, CD and transcript (Southfield, MI: Vision Publications, 1979).
2 Tadao Yamaguchi, Light on the Origins of Reiki (Twin Lakes, WI: Lotus Press, 2007), 66.
This is why an accurate history of Reiki took so long to unfold up to this point in time. Then in 1996, I received from Japan a copy of the Original Reiki Ideals, which were different and more expansive than what had been presented by Mrs. Takata. They include the idea that chanting and offering prayers are important to Reiki practice.(3) In 1997, Arjava Petter's book, Reiki Fire was published, which was the first of a series of books on Japanese Reiki. He along with his wife, Chetna Koybayashi, had made contact with the Gakkai. They had discovered the location of Usui Sensei's grave and many other facts including information on the Japanese Reiki Techniques, all of which were revealed in his books and subsequent workshops.
Invited by Arjava Petter, Laura Gifford (now Laurelle Shanti Gaia) and I went to Japan in 1997 and with Arjava as our guide, we were taken to Usui Sensei's grave and Mt. Kurama and much of the new information was explained to us.(4)
In 1999 and 2000 I invited Arjava and Chetna to come to teach workshops on the Japanese Reiki Techniques across the United States. In addition, in November, 2001, I took Reiki I&II from Chiyoko Yamaguchi in Japan, a Shihan (Reiki Master) who received her training from Hayashi Sensei. (She passed on in 2003). In October 2002 I took Gendai Reiki training from Hiroshi Doi—who is a member of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai—and also had two detailed interviews with him.(5) It is from these sources and my continued contact with these and other Reiki researchers that my understanding of the history of Reiki along with how Usui Sensei and Hayashi Sensei taught and practiced Reiki has developed.
3 Toshitaka Mochizuki, lyashi No Te [Healing Hands] (1995), 227, ISBN 4-88481-420-7 C0011 P1400E; "The Original Reiki Ideals," Reiki News (Fall 1996); and page vi of this manual. To order the Original Reiki Ideals click here.
4 For more information, see Appendix A, "Discovering the Roots of Reiki," and The Inscription on the Usui Memorial section below.
5 William Lee Rand, "An Interview with Hiroshi Doi," Reiki News Magazine, Pts. 1 and 2 (Summer 2003): 9–11; (Fall 2003): 12–14.
A More Accurate History of Reiki
The following is an updated history of Reiki based on accurate, verifiable information. Where possible, sources have been referenced so others can follow up on this research if desired. The history begins with a look at the inscription on the memorial stone that was erected in 1927 in memory of Mikao Usui Sensei, founder of the Reiki healing system.
The Inscription on the Usui Memorial
The Usui Memorial
The inscription on the Usui Memorial, dating from 1927, was written by Juzaburo Ushida, a Shihan who was trained by Usui Sensei and able to teach and practice Reiki the same way he did. He also succeeded Usui Sensei as president of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai. Masayuki Okata, also a member of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai, was the editor. The English translation was done by Tetsuyuki Ono and is reprinted here from the book, lyashino Gendai Reiki- ho, with permission from the author Hiroshi Doi.
The large kanji at the top of the memorial stone reads: "Memorial of Usui Sensei's Virtue." The remainder of the inscription reads as follows:
What you can naturally realize through cultivation and training is called "VIRTUE" and it is called "MERIT" to spread a method of leadership and relief and practice it. It is people of many merits and a good deal of virtue that can be eventually called a great founder. People who started a new learning and founded a fresh sect among sages, philosophers, geniuses etc., named from the ancient times, were all those as mentioned above. We can say that Usui-Sensei is also one of those people.
He started newly a method to improve body and spirit based on REIKI in the universe. Hearing of the rumor, people who would like to learn the treatment and undergo the cure gathered from all quarters all at once. Really, it was very busy indeed.
Mikao Usui
(Usui Sensei), founder of the Reiki System of Healing
Usui-Sensei, whose popular name is Mikao and whose pen name is Gyohan, came from Taniai-village, Yamagata- district, Cifu Prefecture, and had forefathers named Tsunetane Chiba who had played an active part as a military commander between the end of Heian Period and the beginning of Kamakura Period (1180-1230). His father's real name is Taneuji and his popular name is Uzaemon. His mother came and got married from the family named Kawai.
Usui-Sensei was born on 15th August, 1865. Having learned under difficulties in his childhood, he studied hard with efforts and he was by far superior in ability to his friends.
After growing up, he went over to Europe and America, and also studied in China. In spite of his real ability, however, he was not always successful in life. Although he was compelled to lead an unfortunate and poor life so often, he strove much more than before to harden his body and mind without flinching from the difficulties.
One day, Usui-Sensei climbed Mt. Kurama, where he began to do penance while fasting. Suddenly on the twenty first day from the start, he felt a great REIKI over his head, and at the same time as he was spiritually awakened he acquired the REIKI cure. When he tried it on his own body and members' of his family also, it brought an immediate result on them.
Having said "It is much better to give this power widely to a lot of people in the world and enjoy it among them than to keep it exclusively by his family members." Usui-Sensei moved his dwelling to Aoyama Harajuku, Tokyo in April, 1922 and established an institute, where the REIKI cure was instructed openly to the public and the treatment was given, too. People came there from far and near to ask for his guidance and cure, and they over-flowed outside, making a long line.
Tokyo had a very big fire caused by a great earthquake in Kanto district in September, 1923, when the injured and sick persons suffered from pains everywhere. Usui-sensei felt a deep anxiety about that, and he was engaged in a cure, going around inside the city every day. We can hardly calculate how many persons were saved from death with his devotion. His activities of relief, in which he extended his hands of love over to those suffering people against this emergent situation, can be outlined as noted above.
Thereafter, his training center became too small to receive the visitors, so he built a new house in Nakano outside the city in February 1925 and transferred there. As his reputation got higher and higher, it was so often when he received an offer of engagement from everywhere throughout the nation. In accordance with these requests he traveled to Kure and Hiroshima, then entered Saga and reached Fukuyama. It was at the inn at which he stayed on his way that he caught a disease abruptly, and he passed away at the age of sixty-two.
His wife got married, coming from the Suzuki family, and she is named Sadako and has a son and a daughter. The son's name is Fuji, and he succeeds to the Usui family.
Usui-Sensei's natural character was gentle and prudent, and he did not keep up appearances. His body was big and sturdy, and his face was always beaming with a smile. But when he faced the difficulties he went ahead with a definite will and yet persevered well, keeping extremely careful. He was a man of versatile talents and also a book lover, knowing well in the wide range from history, biography, medical science, canons of Christianity and Buddhism and psychology up to magic of fairyland, art of curse, science of divination and physiognomy.
In my opinion, it is evident to everybody that Usui-Sensei's cultivation & training were based on his career of art and science, and the cultivation & training became a clue to create the REIKI cure.
Reviewing the fact, I understand what the REIKI cure is aiming at is not only to heal the diseases but also to correct the mind by virtue of a God-sent spiritual ability, keep the body healthy and enjoy a welfare of life. In teaching the persons, therefore, we are supposed to first let them realize the last instructions of the Emperor Meiji, and chant the 5 admonitions morning and evening to keep them in mind.
The 5 admonitions in question are:
1. Don't get angry today.
2. Don't be grievous.
3. Express your thanks.
4. Be diligent in your business.
5. Be kind to others.
These are really the important precepts for a cultivation, just the same as those by which the ancient sages admonished themselves. Usui-Sensei emphasized that 'This is surely a secret process to bring a good fortune and also a miraculous medicine to remedy all kinds of diseases.' by which he made his purpose of teaching clear and accurate. Furthermore, he tried to aim at making his way of guidance as easy and simple as possible, so nothing is difficult to understand therein. Every time when you sit quietly and join your hands to pray and chant morning and evening, you can develop a pure and sound mind, and there is just an essence in making the most of that for your daily life. This is the reason why the REIKI cure can very easily spread over anybody.
The phase of life is very changeable in these days, and people's thoughts are apt to change, too. Could we fortunately succeed in spreading the REIKI cure everywhere, we feel sure that it would have to be very helpful in order to prevent people from disordering their moral sense. It never extends people nothing but the benefits of healing long term illness, chronic disease and bad habit.
The number of pupils who learned from Usui-sensei amounts to more than 2000 persons. Some leading pupils living in Tokyo among them gather at the training center and take over his work, while other pupils in the country also do everything to popularize the REIKI cure. Although our teacher already passed away, we have to do the very best to hand the REIKI cure down to the public forever and spread it much more. Ah! What a great thing he did; to have unsparingly given people what he had felt and realized by himself!
As a result of our pupils' recent meeting and discussion, we decided to erect a stone monument at the graveyard in his family temple so that we may bring his virtuous deed to light and transmit it to posterity; so, I was requested to arrange an epitaph for the monument. As I was much impressed by his great meritorious deed and also struck by our pupils' warm hearts of making much of the bond between master and pupil, I dared not refuse the request, but described the outline.
Therefore, I do expect heartily that people in the future generations would not forget to look up at the monument in open-eyed wonder.
-- Usuida, in February, 1927. Edited by Masayuki Okada, The Junior 3rd Rank, the 3rd Order of Merit, Doctor of Literature. Written by Juzaburo Usuhida, The Junior 4th Class of Services, Rear Admiral.
Mikao Usui, or Usui Sensei as he is called by Reiki students in Japan, was born August 15, 1865 in the village of Taniai in the Yamagata district of Gifu prefecture, which is located near present day Nagoya, Japan.(6)
He had an avid interest in learning and worked hard at his studies. As he grew older, he traveled to Europe and China to further his education. His curriculum included medicine, psychology and religion as well as the art of divination, which Asians have long considered to be a worthy skill.(7) Usui Sensei also became a member of the Rei Jyutu Ka, a metaphysical group dedicated to developing psychic abilities.(8) He had many jobs including civil servant, company employee and journalist, and helped rehabilitate prisoners.(9) Eventually he became the secretary to Shinpei Goto, head of the department of health and welfare who later became the mayor of Tokyo. The connections Usui Sensei made at this job helped him to also become a successful businessman.(10)
The depth and breadth of his experiences inspired him to direct his attention toward discovering the purpose of life. In his search he came across the description of a special state of consciousness that once achieved would not only provide an understanding of one's life purpose, but would also guide one to achieve it. This special state is called An-shin Ritus-mei (pronounced on sheen dit sue may). In this special state, one is always at peace regardless of what is taking place in the outer world. And it is from this place of peace that one completes one's life purpose. One of the special features of this state is that it maintains itself without any effort on the part of the individual; the experience of peace simply wells up spontaneously from within and is a type of enlightenment.
Usui Sensei understood this concept on an intellectual level and dedicated his life to achieving it; this is considered to be an important step on Usui Sensei's spiritual path. He discovered that one path to An-shin Ritsu-mei is through the practice of Zazen meditation. So he found a Zen teacher who accepted him as a student and began to practice Zazen. After three years practice, he had not been successful and sought further guidance. His teacher suggested a more severe practice in which the student comes close to death.(11)
However,Usui Sensei misunderstood his teacher and thought he meant that he must actually die. So with this in mind he prepared for death and in February, 1922, he went to Kurama yama to fast and meditate until he passed to the next world. In addition, we know there is a small waterfall on Kurama yama where even today people go to meditate. This meditation involves standing under the waterfall and allowing the water to strike and flow over the top of the head, a practice that is said to activate the crown chakra. Japanese Reiki Masters think that Usui Sensei may have used this meditation as part of his practice. In any case, as time passed he became weaker and weaker. It is now March, 1922 and at midnight of the twenty-first day, a powerful light suddenly entered his mind through the top of his head and he felt as if he had been struck by lightning; this caused him to fall unconscious.
As the sun rose, he awoke and realized that whereas before he had felt very weak and near death, he was now filled with an extremely enjoyable state of vitality that he had never experienced before; a miraculous type of high frequency spiritual energy had displaced his normal consciousness and replaced it with an amazingly new level of awareness. He experienced himself as being the energy and consciousness of the Universe and that the special state of enlightenment he had sought had been given to him as a gift. He was overjoyed by this realization.
6 Inscription on Usui Memorial, Saihoji Temple, Suginami, Tokyo, Japan.
7 Inscription on Usui Memorial.
8 Mochizuki, lyashi No Te. See note 3.
9 Yamaguchi, Light on the Origins of Reiki, 61.
10 Shiomi Takai, "Searching the Roots of Reiki," The Twilight Zone (April 1986): 140–143. This article can be viewed on the web at http://www.pwpm.com/threshold/origins2.html. (Note that this Japanese magazine is no longer in business.)
11 In an alternate version of this story it is said that Usui Sensei's personal life and business had failed and that he had gone to Kurama yama to meditate to gain clarity on what to do to solve his problems: Shiomi Takai, "Searching the Roots of Reiki," The Twilight Zone (April 1986): 140–143.
When this happened, he was filled with excitement and went running down the mountain. On his way down he stubbed his toe on a rock and fell down. And in the same way anyone would do, he placed his hands over the toe, which was in pain. As he did this, healing energy began flowing from his hands all by itself. The pain in his toe went away and the toe was healed. Usui Sensei was amazed by this. He realized that in addition to the illuminating experience he had received, he had also received the gift of healing.(12)
Usui Sensei practiced this new ability with his family and developed his healing system through experimentation and by using skills and information based on his previous study of religious practices, philosophy, and spiritual disciplines. He called his system of healing Shin-Shin Kai-Zen Usui Reiki Ryo-Ho (The Usui Reiki Treatment Method for Improvement of Body and Mind) or in its simplified form Usui Reiki Ryoho (Usui Reiki Healing Method). It is important to know that Usui Sensei didn't create Reiki as there were other methods of Reiki healing in Japan prior to Usui Sensei creating his method.(13)
In April 1922, he moved to Tokyo and started a healing society that he named Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai (Usui Reiki Healing Method Society). He also opened a Reiki clinic in Harajuku, Aoyama, Tokyo. There he taught classes and gave treatments.(14)
The lowest degree of his training was called Shoden (First Degree) and was divided into four levels: Loku-Tou, Go-Tou, Yon-Tou, and San-Tou. (Note that when Mrs. Takata taught this level, which in the West we refer to as Reiki Level I, she combined all four levels into one. This is most likely why she did four attunements for Level I.) The next degree was called Okuden (Inner Teaching) and had two levels: Okuden-Zen-ki (first part), and Okuden-Koe-ki (second part). The next degree was called Shinpiden (Mystery Teaching), which is what we call master level. The Shinpiden level includes, Shihan-Kaku (assistant teacher) and Shihan (venerable teacher).(15)
Contrary to previous understanding, Usui Sensei had only three symbols, the same three we use in the West in Reiki II. He did not use a master symbol. This fact has been verified by Hiroshi Doi and by research done by Hyakuten Inamoto, Arjava Petter and Tadao Yamaguchi.
In 1923, the great Kanto earthquake devastated Tokyo. More than 140,000 people died and over half of the houses and buildings were shaken down or burned. An overwhelming number of people were left homeless, injured, sick and grieving.(16) Usui Sensei felt great compassion for the people and began treating as many as he could with Reiki. This was a tremendous amount of work, and it was at this time that he began training other Shihan (teachers) so that they could help him more quickly train others to be Reiki practitioners and help the sick and injured.(17) It was at this time that he further developed his system of Reiki including devising a more formal Reiju (attunement) process.
Demand for Reiki became so great that he outgrew his clinic, so in 1925 he built a bigger one in Nakano, Tokyo. Because of this, his reputation as a healer spread all over Japan. He began to travel so he could teach and treat more people. During his travels across Japan he directly taught more than 2,000 students and initiated twenty Shihan,(18) each being given the same understanding of Reiki and approved to teach and give Reiju in the same way he did.(19)
The Japanese government issued him a Kun San To award for doing honorable work to help others.(20) While traveling to Fukuyama to teach, he suffered a stroke and died March 9, 1926.(21) His grave is at Saihoji Temple, in Suginami, Tokyo, although some claim that his ashes are located elsewhere.
There were many hands-on healing schools in Japan at the time Usui Sensei started his school. These other schools were not part of Usui Reiki.(22) There may have been some connection between Reiki and MahiKari and Johrei as these two Japanese religions have a Reiju like (attunement) process and offer people healing through the hands.(23)
After Usui Sensei died, his students erected a memorial stone next to his gravestone. (This is the memorial stone pictured on page 14.) Mr. J. Ushida, a Shihan trained by Usui took over as president of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai, and was responsible for creating and erecting the Usui Memorial stone and ensuring that the grave site would be maintained. Mr. Ushida was followed by Mr. lichi Taketomi, Mr. Yoshiharu Watanabe, Mr. Toyoichi Wanami, and Ms. Kimiko Koyama. The current successor to Usui Sensei is Mr. Kondo, who became president in 1998.
Contrary to what we have been told in the West, there is no "lineage bearer" or "Grand Master" of the organization started by Usui Sensei—only the succession of presidents listed above.(24) The twenty teachers initiated by Usui Sensei include Toshihiro Eguchi, Jusaburo Guida, Ilichi Taketomi, Toyoichi Wanami, Yoshiharu Watanabe, Keizo Ogawa, J. Ushida, and Chujiro Hayashi.(25) Contrary to one version of the Reiki story, Chujiro Hayashi was not the successor to Usui Sensei, but rather Mr. J. Ushida as previously mentioned. It is also important to note that the four presidents of the Gakkai that followed Usui Sensei, were Shihan who had been trained directly by Usui Sensei, thus assuring that the Gakkai understanding, practice and teaching methods were the same as that of Usui Sensei.
12 Doi, Iyashino Gendai Reiki-ho, Modern Reiki Method of Healing, 48. This story has been passed down within the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai. According to Doi, it is also written in 'Kaiin no tame no Reiki Ryoho no Shiori' (Guide of Reiki Ryoho for the members), September 1, 1974.
13 To read more on this topic go to:http://www.spiritualone.com/Online/Dec13/DecNL13.htm#usui
14 Yamaguchi, Light on the Origins of Reiki, 63–64..
15 Walter Lubeck, Frank Arjava Petter, William Lee Rand, The Spirit of Reiki(Twin Lakes, WI: Lotus Press, 2003), 15.
16 "Earthquakes Tokyo-Yokohama," Encyclopedia Britannica (1997), CD-ROM.
17 Frank Arjava Petter, Reiki Darma Newsletter Number 31, January 1, 2011.
18 Reiki News Magazine (Spring 2011): 18 for a photo of Usui Sensei and the twenty Shihan.
19 Yamaguchi, Light on the Origins of Reiki, 63–64.
20 Takai, The Twilight Zone, 140–143.
21 Inscription on Usui Memorial.
22 According to Toshitaka Mochizuki, lyashi No Te, Taireido was started by Tanaka Monihei. Tenohira-Ryouchi-Kenkyuka, which means "The Association for The Study of Palm Treatments," was started by Toshihiro Eguchi, who learned healing from Usui Sensei before founding his own group. Eguchi also wrote books on healing, which are now hard to find. Jintai-Ragium-Gakkai, which means "The Human Body Radium Society," was founded by Matumoto Chiwake, and Shinnoukyou-Honin was a religious group founded by Nishimura Taikan, whose method was called ShinnouKyouSyokusyu-Shikou Ryoho, meaning "Violet Light Healing Method."
23 Winston Davis, Dojo, Magic and Exorcism in Modern Japan (Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press, 1980).
24 Frank Arjava Petter, Reiki Fire, (Twin Lakes, WI: Lotus Light, 1997), 26. ISBN 0-914955-50-0.
25 This list comes from the research of Frank Arjava Petter.
Chujiro Hayashi
Before his passing, Usui Sensei had asked Hayashi Sensei to open his own Reiki clinic and to expand and develop Reiki Ryoho based on his previous experience as a medical doctor in the Navy. Motivated by this request, Hayashi Sensei started a school and clinic called Hayashi Reiki Kenkyukai (Institute). After Usui Sensei's passing he also left the Gakkai.
At his clinic he kept careful records of all the illnesses and conditions patients who came to see him had. He also kept records of which Reiki hand positions worked best to treat each patient. Based on these records he created the Reiki Ryoho Shinshin (Guidelines for Reiki Healing Method).(26) This healing guide was part of a class manual he gave to his students. Many of his students received their Reiki training in return for working in his clinic.(26)
Hayashi Sensei also changed the way Reiki sessions are given. Rather than have the client seated in a chair and treated by one practitioner as Usui Sensei had done, Hayashi Sensei had the client lie on a treatment table and receive treatment from several practitioners at a time. He also created a new more effective system for giving Reiju (attunements).(28) In addition, he developed a new method of teaching Reiki that he used when he traveled. In this method, he taught both Shoden and Okuden (Reiki I&II) together in one five-day seminar. Each day included two to three hours of instruction and one Reiju.(29)
Because of his trip to Hawaii in 1937–38 prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he was asked by the Japanese military to provide information about the location of warehouses and other military targets in Honolulu. He refused to do so and was declared a traitor. This caused him to lose face, which meant he and his family would be disgraced and would be ostracized from Japanese society. The only solution was seppuku (ritual suicide), which he carried out. He died honorably on May 11, 1940.(30)
Hawayo Takata
The following is a summary of Mrs. Hawayo Takata's version of her early years leading up to her contact with Reiki at the Hayashi clinic:
She stated that she was born on December 24th, 1900, on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. Her parents were Japanese immigrants and her father worked in the sugar cane fields. She eventually married the bookkeeper of the plantation where she was employed. His name was Saichi Takata and they had two daughters. In October 1930 Saichi died at the age of 34, leaving Mrs. Takata to raise their two children.
In order to provide for her family, she had to work very hard with little rest. After five years she developed severe abdominal pain and a lung condition, and she had a nervous breakdown. Soon after this one of her sisters died and it was Mrs. Takata's responsibility to travel to Japan, where her parents had resettled to deliver the news. She also felt she could receive help for her health in Japan.
After informing her parents, she entered a hospital and stated that she was diagnosed with a tumor, gallstones, appendicitis and asthma.(31) She was told to prepare for an operation but opted to visit Hayashi Sensei's clinic instead.
Mrs. Takata was unfamiliar with Reiki but was impressed that the diagnosis of Reiki practitioners at the clinic closely matched the doctor's at the hospital. She began receiving treatments. Two Reiki practitioners would treat her each day. The heat from their hands was so strong, she said, that she thought they were secretly using some kind of equipment. Seeing the large sleeves of the Japanese kimono worn by one, she thought she had found the secret place of concealment. Grabbing his sleeves one day she startled the practitioner, but, of course, found nothing. When she explained what she was doing, he began to laugh and then told her about Reiki and how it worked.
Mrs. Takata got progressively better and in four months was completely healed. She wanted to learn Reiki for herself. In the spring of 1936 she received First Degree Reiki from Dr. Hayashi. She then worked with him for a year and received Second Degree Reiki. Mrs. Takata returned to Hawaii in 1937, followed shortly thereafter by Hayashi Sensei and his daughter who came to help establish Reiki there. In February of 1938 Hayashi Sensei initiated Hawayo Takata as a Reiki Master.
To summarize Takata Sensei's Reiki background, she traveled from Hawaii to Japan to tell her parents about the death of her sister. Having been diagnosed with several ailments, the main one being asthma, she was guided to Hayashi Sensei's clinic in Tokyo and after receiving four months of Reiki treatments was completely cured.(32) She wanted to learn Reiki in order to continue treating herself and also to take it back to Hawaii to share with others. Hayashi Sensei allowed her to work at his clinic and also began giving her Reiki training. She worked one year at the clinic and eventually received the Shinpiden level (Reiki Master). Hayashi Sensei officially acknowledged this in Hawaii on February 21, 1938, and also stated that she was one of thirteen Reiki Masters trained by him.(33)
26 A translation of this healing guide can be found on page 63.
27 Frank Arjava Petter interviewing Tsutomo Oishi, a member of Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai.
28 Rand, "An Interview with Hiroshi Doi, Part 1." 13.
29 Yamaguchi, Light on the Origins of Reiki, 28.
30 Ibid., 69.
31 Vera Graham, "Mrs. Takata Opens Minds to Reiki," The (San Mateo) Times, May 17, 1975.
32 Patsy Matsura, "Mrs. Takata and Reiki Power," Honolulu Advertiser, Feb. 25, 1974.
33 This information was recorded on Mrs. Takata's Reiki certificate and in Mrs. Takata's handwritten notes dated May 1936. A copy of her Reiki certificate is included in the article How Hayayo Takata Practiced and Taught Reiki.
Takata Sensei practiced Reiki in Hawaii, establishing several clinics, one of which was located in Hilo on the Big Island. She gave treatments and initiated students up to Reiki II. She became a well-known healer and traveled to the U.S. mainland and other parts of the world teaching and giving treatments. She was a powerful healer who attributed her success to the fact that she did a lot of Reiki on each client. She would often do multiple treatments, each sometimes lasting hours, and she often initiated members of a client's family so they could give Reiki to the client as well.
It was not until after 1970 that Takata Sensei began initiating Reiki Masters. She charged a fee of $10,000 for Mastership even though the training took only a weekend.(34) This high fee was not part of the Usui system, and she may have charged this fee as her way of creating a feeling of respect for Reiki. She said that one should never do treatments or provide training for free, but should always charge a fee or get something in return. She also said that one must study with just one Reiki teacher and stay with that teacher the rest of one's life.(35) In addition, she did not provide written instruction or allow her students to take notes or to tape record the classes and students were not allowed to make any written copies of the Reiki symbols. She said that Reiki is an oral tradition and that everything had to be memorized.(36) While this is generally true, she didn't always teach the same way and in at least one class she allowed her students to take notes and gave them handouts.(37)
It is not certain why she said Reiki is an oral tradition or why she taught Reiki this way. What we do know from our research in Japan and the research of others is that these rules are not part of the way Usui Sensei or Hayashi Sensei practiced Reiki. In fact, Takata Sensei received a Reiki manual from Hayashi Sensei indicating that the oral tradition was not how Hayashi Sensei taught.(38) In addition, Takata Sensei taught Reiki differently than howshe had been taught. She simplified and standardized the hand positions so that every treatment would be the same. She called this the "foundation treatment," containing just eight hand positions.(39) She also eliminated the Japanese Reiki Techniques.
Before Mrs. Takata made her transition on December 11, 1980, she had initiated twenty-two Reiki Masters.(40) These twenty-two Masters began teaching others. However, Mrs. Takata had made each one take a sacred oath to teach Reiki exactly as she had taught. This made it difficult for most of them to change, even though some of her rules made it more difficult to learn, which seemed to go against the nature of Reiki.
This version of the history of Reiki from Usui Sensei to Mrs. Takata relies on verifiable information that has taken a long time to reach the West. In addition to the reasons for this mentioned earlier, there are a number of others. After Hayashi Sensei died and World War II ended, Takata Sensei stated that all the other Reiki Masters in Japan had died during the war and that she was the only Reiki Master in the world.(41) Therefore, most people refrained from researching the history of Reiki, thinking she was the only authority. Many of the Masters she initiated also discouraged people from doing such research, stating that it was not needed, as their knowledge of Reiki was complete. Add to all this the fact that the Gakkai had become a secret society along with the linguistic, cultural, and geographic barriers that separated the United States from Japan, and it is easy to see why most authors simply accepted her story as true without seeking verification. Most did not realize that the organization started by Usui Sensei still existed in Japan and that contact with them, while difficult, was still possible.
34 Bethel Phaigh, "Journey into Consciousness," 130. Other Masters initiated by Mrs. Takata have confirmed that she gave Reiki Master training in a weekend.
35 We know that Keizo Ogawa took Reiki Master training from Usui Sensei and lichi Taketomi, so it is not likely this rule came from Usui Sensei.
36 "Mrs. Takata Speaks," audiotape. This was also explained to me by Bethal Phaigh in 1981 when I took Reiki I from her.
37 William Lee Rand, "Takata's Handouts," Reiki News Magazine (Summer 2009): 58. This article contains the handouts and notes taken during one of her classes.
38 A translation of this manual is in Reiki, The Healing Touch on page 63.
39 John Harvey Gray and Lourdes Gray with Steven McFadden and Elisabeth Clark, Hand to Hand, The Longest-Practicing Reiki Master Tells His Story (Gray, 2002), 93.
40 Before she died, Takata Sensei created a list of the twenty-two Masters she had initiated. They are: George Araki, Dorothy Baba (deceased), Ursula Baylow (deceased), Rick Bockner, Barbara Brown, Fran Brown (deceased), Patricia Ewing, Phyllis Lei Furumoto, Beth Gray (deceased), John Gray (deceased), Iris Ishikura (deceased), Harry Kuboi, Ethel Lombardi, Barbara McCullough, Mary McFadyen, Paul Mitchell, Bethel Phaigh (deceased), Barbara Weber Ray, Shinobu Saito, Kay Yamashita (Mrs. Takata's sister), Virginia Samdahl (deceased), and Wanja Twan.
41 Graham, "Mrs. Takata Opens Minds to Reiki." This is also stated on her Reiki flyers dated July 1975 and June 1976.
Reiki Since Mrs. Takata
Reiki energy is very flexible and creative, treating each unique situation with a unique response and working freely with all other forms of healing. The Reiki energy itself provides a wonderful model for the practice of Reiki. This began to be acknowledged gradually after Takata Sensei passed on. In the mid-1980s, Iris Ishikura, one of Takata's Masters, trained two Reiki Masters at a more reasonable fee and made them promise they would also charge a reasonable fee. The Masters trained by Ishikura at this lower fee began training many other Masters in turn.
Out of this group, many were open to change and began allowing the wisdom of the Reiki energy to guide them in the way they should practice and teach Reiki. Because of this, restrictive rules began to fall away. Reiki classes became more open and more supportive of the learning process. Workbooks were created, notes and tape recordings were allowed, reasonable fees were charged, and many began studying with more than one teacher. All this generated greater respect for Reiki. It also increased people's understanding of Reiki and improved their healing skills. With lower fees, the practice of Reiki began to grow quickly and spread all over the world. It is estimated that there are at least 1,000,000 Reiki Masters in the world today with well over 4,000,000 practitioners, and the numbers continue to grow!
I learned Reiki I on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1981 from Bethel Phaigh, who had learned from Mrs. Takata. In 1982, I received Reiki II from Bethel. I loved Reiki and started a Reiki practice. Because of the high fee for Reiki Master training and other restrictive rules, I did not think that becoming a Reiki Master was part of my spiritual path. However, Reiki has a way of guiding us in the way we should go, and through a number of coincidences and fortunate circumstances I met Diane McCumber in 1989. She was a Reiki Master of the Ishikura lineage and was charging a very reasonable fee to train Reiki Masters. I took her training and began to teach.
I chose to allow the Reiki energy to guide how I would teach. Rather than adhere strictly to the rules set by Takata Sensei, I wanted to do everything I could to help my students learn Reiki and use it in a way that was right for them. If they wanted to start a Reiki practice or to teach, then I wanted them to be as successful as possible.
To further this purpose, I took everything I had learned about Reiki to that point, organized the information and placed it in a class workbook that included drawings of the Reiki hand positions, which I then gave to my Reiki students. I have continued to expand and update the workbook until it evolved into the workbook you are reading now.
From the beginning, I encouraged students to take notes and to tape record my classes; I openly answered all questions and actively encouraged my students to do well. I taught the value of developing one's intuition and having confidence in one's experience and personal decision-making abilities. Knowing that one can always learn more, I continued to study Reiki from others and eventually took the Master Training from four additional Masters including two from Japan. This added to my understanding of Reiki, as each teacher had gained many unique insights about how Reiki works and how to practice it. I make it a point to acknowledge the value of other teachers and practitioners. In my travels, I continue to exchange Reiki information with them, looking for new information to use and pass on to others.
Because I based my Reiki practice on the process of working in harmony with the qualities and values apparent in Reiki energy and following Reiki's guidance in carrying out my plans, my classes were filled with students right from the beginning.
A newsletter was started in 1990 that continued to grow in size and readership and in 2002 became the Reiki News Magazine.
Wanting to maintain high standards for Reiki, I started a teacher certification program (now called our Center Licensed Teachers program) that required additional training and takes about three years to complete.
In 1995 a website was started (www.reiki.org) that offers over 300 free articles on Reiki and lots of resources for those wanting to practice or teach Reiki. We also have a web store, which offers class workbooks, Reiki tables, and other products helpful to Reiki practitioners and teachers. (www.reikiwebstore.com)
We began the Center for Reiki Research in 2009. Staffed by seven Ph.D qualifed researchers, it contains references and summaries of all Reiki research studies published in peer-reviewed journals, a list of 70 hospital Reiki programs, and many useful articles and other features to help those interested in promoting an evidence-based understanding of Reiki. We've also started our own research study on pain in orthopedic patients due to be completed in 2012.
In 2010, we created a professional Reiki Membership Association (www.reikimembership.com). The current membership of over 1300 Reiki practitioners and teachers offers Reiki sessions and classes across the U.S. and in some foreign countries.
The text above is reprinted from Reiki the Healing Touch by William Lee Rand. Permission is granted to reprint the text onto your web site as long as you use the entire text and do not make changes and indicate that the source is from www.reiki.org.


text:
FFFW#5: John L.
December 8, 2016 Student Writingjloohkms
It is the game to promote for the English Premier League. It is Leicester City Football Club versus Watford Football Club. From the start, the fans knew it was going to be a match full of surprises. It started out as a dreary morning sky, civilians hoping it would clear up. Troy Deeney was one of those people. He arose from his slumber filled with excitement, knowing it was going to knackering day. He pulled on his Adidas tracksuit and set out on a morning stroll. He wanted to get his heartrate up for performance later today. Later, Troy fueled up for the match with a nice poached eggs and toast. Troy departs for the stadium. He arrives in his splendid Saturn automobile.
The game starts. It is a back and forth game with lots in action. Troy is buzzing in the new yellow Watford kit. Troy gets the ball and makes a nice pass forward to show he's a real threat. The gaffer is buzzing in excitement and making orders all around the pitch. The fans are having real pleasure seeing their beloved franchise player on the pitch. Troy smirks at the crowd thinking of scoring a banger in the 97th minute, but surely he's mistaken himself. Matej Vydra, Watford's striker, breaks the deadlock with a great finish. A thunderous Van Basten-esque finish. Sadly for Deeney, David Nugent made a heading equalizer goal before the halftime whistle. After the gaffer's halftime talk, the boys are revving up to go again in the second half. Deeney is hungry for a goal. To his surprise, Vydra, after being off-mark for his last 12 appearances, but not today, has scored again. A great finish inside the box. Leicester is now in stress to score a goal. It is now the 96th minute, 2 more minutes more than the referee exclaimed for injury time. Leicester has drawn a penalty. Albrighton steps up to the plate. He smashes it to the right, and Almunia, the Arsenal reject, has made an unbelievable save, but Albrighton gathers up the rebound, and Almunia saves again! The Watfordians are going mad in the stands and Leicester is all in distraught. The ball is kicked up in panic and lands in the feet of a Watford midfielder. He runs down to the byline with blistering pace and puts in a beautiful cross and it gets deflected. Miraculously, Deeney is squared up for a volley of a lifetime. He thinks before he strikes, "I thought of this before." And Deeney strikes it with such power, the whole world is shaking. I do not know how this is not a FIFA Puskas Goal of the Year Nominee, but this was magisterial. After the ball almost rips the net, Deeney sprints to the corner flag, jumps the barrier, and goes to cradle his three year old son in the stands. A great day in Watford.
← Fundamental Friday Free Write #5 Emily L. Exploring Relationships in "The Three Musketeers" →
1 thought on "FFFW#5: John L."
Watford will finish higher in the table than Man U this season.


text:
Volume 15: Number 2, April, 2006
In this issue of Faculty Advocate:
NIC and ISU Receive AFT Charters
A Better Way To Choose a Dean
Western Washington Faculty Vote Union
Portland State Union Gets 8 Percent Raise
Athletic Deficits and Academic Missions
New Charters at NIC and ISU
AFT members at North Idaho College had their inaugural meeting on February 3. The NIC Federation has been officially chartered by the national AFT. Tom Flint is acting president and Susan Andrews is acting treasurer.
The ISU Federation has been rechartered on the Pocatello campus. AFT members there will now be able to resume defending faculty rights and increasing benefits, activities that go back to the early 1970s. (For example, the AFT helped save the job of tenure biology professor Rufus Lyman.) Dave Delehanty from biological sciences is acting president and Greg Green from economics is acting treasurer.
by Lynne Haagensen, Vice-President
University of Idaho Federation of Teachers
The role of faculty in the selection of deans should be valued and respected. The University of Idaho Faculty Staff Handbook specifies that at least 50% of the dean search committee be composed by faculty. Each discipline within a college is to have representation.
In my view it is inappropriate for upper administration to rely on "head-hunter" firms for the identification of candidates; to be meaningful, faculty involvement must begin at the start of the search.
The UI Faculty-Staff Handbook also states all faculty within a college are to have an opportunity to interact with candidates selected by the search committee. This should mean the administration cannot bring dean candidates on campus in the summer when faculty are not under contract, and should not bring them during other times when faculty are apt to be off campus.
Current policy places the final decision for a new dean in the hands of the provost and president. I think AFT should consider petitioning the UI Faculty Council for a greater faculty role. In my view a strong argument can be made for the internal election of deans by faculty:
1) The character of the dean is vitally important. In my experience, it is very difficult to assess the character of external candidates. Election from within would improve the odds of selecting an effective leader.
2) With internal selection, there would be no need to spend many thousands of dollars on searches. The internal dean's salary might well be lower as well.
3) An internally selected dean would not require a period of adjustment to new surroundings. Having been a UI faculty member, the dean would know first hand challenges faced by the faculty, and would therefore be less apt to be arrogant.
5) There should be no need for spousal accommodation for the internal dean, thus saving money and avoiding conflicts related to accommodation.
I realize there are arguments for national searches and against internal election. Given the UI track record of hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on national searches that have produced some very unsuccessful deans, I think it is time for us to take internal dean selections more seriously.
Western Washington Faculty Goes Union;
Central Washington Ratifies First Contract
Western Washington University faculty recently chose AFT-NEA as their collective bargaining agent. The vote was 300 for union representation and 284 against. This election constitutes a union sweep of the three regional universities in Washington. Last year's vote at Eastern Washington was 338 in favor and 46 opposed; at Central Washington 264 out of 418 faculty voted for the United Faculty of Washington (AFT-NEA).
The United Faculty of Central just ratified their first contract, one that included an 11 percent pay increase over two years. There was a 8.5 percent across-the-board raise, a one time payment for all faculty, and a one percent merit increase.
PSU Faculty Union Wins 8 Percent Raise
The Portland State University faculty union is affiliated with the American Association of University Professors. The union has just finished negotiations on a contract that will grant a 5 percent across-the-board increase in February. About 500 of PSU faculty make less than $48,000 annually, and these faculty will receive an additional 1.25 percent raise. All faculty will share in an additional 3 percent increase later this year.
Oregon State, Portland State, University of Idaho
At a recent meeting members of the Oregon Board of Higher Education expressed concern about deficits in the athletic programs at Oregon State University and Portland State University. They noted that this was especially troublesome because they are being asked, once again, to make cuts in academic programs.
Even with Oregon State's football success in recent years, the athletic department ran a $4 million deficit in FY05. This amounts to 11 percent of OSU's athletic budget. OSU officials predict that $8-10 million will have to be cut from academic departments to make the FY07 budget.
Portland State, which plays Division I-AA football, had a $3.1 million deficit for FY05, which is an astounding 40 percent of its athletic budget. One of the arguments for the UI going to Division I-A was that it could make more money in gate receipts by playing (and generally losing to) I-A teams.
As stated in The Oregonian (1/6/06): "Universities with Division I-A football programs generally expect their athletic departments to become self-sufficient through ticket sales, donations, and other sources." Nevertheless, 60 percent of these programs run a deficit after subtracting appropriated funds. Division I-AA programs do far worse with 90 percent running in the red.
The UI athletic department received $2.4 million in appropriated funds for FY05, which amounted to 26 percent of the total budget. Considering the impact of two financial exigencies in 1981-82 on academic programs, the UI Faculty Council passed a resolution that requested that the state funds be removed. For four years (1983_87) the Vandals, presumably without a subsidy, won five Big Sky championships.
Jeff Hale, President of the OSU Faculty Senate, stated that he wants less subsidy for athletics, but thought it was a "pipedream" to think that the programs will ever be self-sufficient. Many UI faculty, however, were distressed when the principle of self-sufficiency was used to shut down the University of Idaho Press, one of whose titles had just won a national award. To insist that a program that clearly serves the UI's academic mission be self-sufficient but then subsidize a nonacademic program is inconsistent and hypocritical.